Obasanjo blames Buhari for poor economy, says coup leaders unlikely to leave soon – Newstrends
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Obasanjo blames Buhari for poor economy, says coup leaders unlikely to leave soon

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Obasanjo blames Buhari for poor economy, says coup leaders unlikely to leave soon

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has attacked the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari over the poor state of the Nigerian economy.

He also warned that the liberal system from the Western countries would not help Africa and expressed fear that coup leaders seizing power might stay for a generation.

He spoke on these issues in an interview with TheCable.

Obasanjo said, “Buhari was spending money recklessly. I know Buhari didn’t understand economics. I put that in my book. But that he could also be so reckless, I didn’t know. Who would you go to today and ask for a favour?

“Tinubu said the other day that it was unacceptable that he would spend 90% of his revenue to service debts. I wasn’t spending 90% when I went worldwide to get debt relief. Do you think that anybody would give you debt relief today?

“Tinubu says he has trimmed the number of people attending the United Nations General Assembly. Is that news? He will meet with Justin Trudeau, and he will meet with Emmanuel Macron. That will not solve any problem.”

When asked to comment on increasing era of military coups in Africa, Obasanjo described it as a new phenomenon in Africa.

He also insisted that the liberal democracy copied from Western countries would not work in Africa.

He said, “In 2021, when Col Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Condé of Guinea, I recall that I travelled to Conakry. I spent two nights there. The coup leader didn’t want to meet with me because he didn’t know what I would say. They said he was out of town, which was not true. But I met every other important government official. I met his No 2 and his speaker.

“I listened to them and concluded that we had a new phenomenon on our hands. I realised that they had the support of the youths and were not thinking of staying in power for four, five years years. They are in for a generation.

“When I noticed this, I went to Addis Ababa to meet the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. I told him that maybe he had not seen what I was seeing. That I saw this in Guinea Conakry. He said I was talking about Guinea Conakry; what about his own country, Chad? He said Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea Conakry, and Chad were thinking the same way and they were connected.

“I said that was a new phenomenon in Africa. I said I was the one who in 1999 advocated that if you are not a government backed by the constitution, you should be suspended from the African Union, and these chaps don’t even mind any suspension.

“I told him that all the instruments we had used in the past would not work and asked what he would do about it. He told me about his challenges, especially with his country.

“So we have a situation where we have a continent where we have to rethink democracy. The liberal democracy we are copying from settled societies in the West won’t work for us.”

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Tinubu extremely wealthy, can’t loot Nigeria’s treasury, says minister

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu extremely wealthy, can’t loot Nigeria’s treasury, says minister

The Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has described President Bola Tinubu as an epitome of wealth with no interest to loot Nigeria’s resources.

Olawande stated this while speaking at the Joint Union Negotiating Council’s week of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development branch in Abuja.

The minister also appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the president, noting that in no distant time there will be positive changes.

He said, “I urge you to be patient with this administration. In no distant time, the country will take good shape and the lives of the citizens will be transformed.

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“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper; he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth and so it cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasury of Nigeria.”

Olawande continued, “He has seen money and as a result of this, he is not interested in looting the nation’s treasury.”

He emphasized that the administration is putting in efforts to transform the lives of Nigerians through various policies of the federal government.

Olawande thanked the staff of the ministry for being supportive of the government policies and assured them that their welfare will not be compromised.

Tinubu extremely wealthy, can’t loot Nigeria’s treasury, says minister

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BREAKING: Nigeria’s inflation rate slows for second consecutive month to 32.15% – NBS

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BREAKING: Nigeria’s inflation rate slows for second consecutive month to 32.15% – NBS

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 32.15% in August 2024 down from the 33.40% recorded in July 2024, reflecting a decrease of 1.25 percentage points.

This represents the second consecutive monthly slowdown in inflation after easing in the previous month.

This is according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

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However, on a year-on-year basis, the August 2024 inflation rate was 6.35 percentage points higher than the 25.80% rate recorded in August 2023, indicating a significant increase over the past year.

On a month-on-month basis, the inflation rate in August 2024 stood at 2.22%, slightly lower than July’s rate of 2.28%, signaling a slower pace in the increase of the average price level compared to the previous month.

BREAKING: Nigeria’s inflation rate slows for second consecutive month to 32.15% – NBS

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Edo poll: Six persons arrested in Benin hotel with fake PDP letterheads, forged signatures

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Edo poll: Six persons arrested in Benin hotel with fake PDP letterheads, forged signatures

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested six young men in a hotel located in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Benin City with fake letterheads, stamps, and forged signatures belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its chieftains.

The young men, who were apprehended with incriminating materials such as printers, mobile phones, power banks, laptops, and a photocopy machine, are believed to have been involved in drafting and circulating fake PDP letters and statements.

Their objective was to paint the PDP as instigators of unrest ahead of the forthcoming Edo governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024.

The arrest, which was made following a tip-off, uncovered an elaborate scheme allegedly designed to discredit the PDP and its leaders by sending fabricated documents to unsuspecting journalists.

These fake letters and statements, according to police sources, were intended to portray the party as warmongers and troublemakers in the run-up to the critical election.

A police officer involved in the operation, who asked to remain anonymous, revealed that the suspects had been using the hotel as their base of operations for weeks.

“We found that these individuals were using forged PDP letterheads, stamps, and signatures to create fake documents.

“Their goal was to send out these documents to journalists in an attempt to misrepresent the PDP and create an atmosphere of tension ahead of the elections,” the officer said.

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In addition to the counterfeit materials, the police discovered that the young men had several technological devices, including laptops and printers, which they used to produce and disseminate the fraudulent documents.

“Their setup was sophisticated. They had everything they needed to make the documents appear legitimate, from forged letterheads to printers.

“We also found power banks, mobile phones, and a photocopy machine, which they used to mass-produce the fake letters,” the officer added.

Further investigation has revealed that the six young men were funded by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Meanwhile, another police source disclosed that the Nigeria Police Force, Edo State Command, has come under intense pressure from senior APC figures, who are reportedly pushing for the release of the arrested men.

“Since the arrest, there has been immense pressure on us from certain chieftains within the APC, urging the command to release these individuals.

“We believe that their involvement with these young men is being covered up, and they are worried about the potential fallout from this arrest,” the source noted.

A journalist with one of the prominent national newspapers, who had been unknowingly receiving fake statements from the group, expressed shock upon hearing about the arrests.

“It’s alarming to think that we’ve been receiving statements from people who were impersonating the PDP. This shows how low some people will go to try and sabotage the other party. The integrity of this election is now under serious question,” the journalist stated.

The Edo State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, but sources within the command say investigations are ongoing, and the suspects remain in custody.

Edo poll: Six persons arrested in Benin hotel with fake PDP letterheads, forged signatures

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