President Buhari’s Trip To Egypt, Saudi Arabia And Qatar Modified

The Nigerian Presidency has slightly modified President Muhammadu Buhari’s itinerary for a forthcoming whirlwind trip that will take him to three countries. According to the modified program, Mr. Buhari will now spend only one night in Cairo, Egypt when the three-nation tour starts on February 20, 2015.

The Nigerian Presidency has slightly modified President Muhammadu Buhari’s itinerary for a forthcoming whirlwind trip that will take him to three countries. According to the modified program, Mr. Buhari will now spend only one night in Cairo, Egypt when the three-nation tour starts on February 20, 2015. President will then dash back to Abuja on February 21 for a 24-hour stopover before traveling to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on February 22.
On February 23, the Nigerian president will fly from Riyadh to Madinah. On February 24, he is scheduled to travel by road from Madinah to Makkah.

President Buhari is scheduled to travel from Jeddah to Doha, Qatar before returning to Abuja on February 27, 2016

Buhari Bars Incoming Ministers From Using Long Convoys, Appointing Excess Aides

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the
36 Ministers-Designate that they cannot
have long convoy of vehicles and retinue of
political aides.
The President gave the directive to the
appointees at the two-day retreat organized
for them at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
One of the appointees, Dr. Chris Ngige, a
former Governor of Anambra State, who
briefed state house correspondents after
the retreat Friday, said the directive
followed the dwindling finances of the
nation.
“We are going to block areas of leakages,
retinue of aides, protocol staff, large
convoys of cars are things that will not fly
in this administration.”
“So, we need to actually restructure the
political and social moment of the country
and that is what we are going to do. That
means poverty will reduce,” Ngige said.
President Buhari is yet to assign portfolios
to the appointees.

President Buhari Declares Open 2 Day Retreats For Ministerial-Designates In Abuja Today

President Mohammadu Buhari is expected to declare open a two day retreat for the confirmed ministerial nominees later this morning.

The retreat which would run from today through Friday would hold at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina confirmed the development to Vanguard late last night.

“The retreat would open to moor in the villa”, he said.

It is believed that the exercise would herald the inauguration of the ministers

www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/buhari-declares-opens-3-day-retreats-for-ministerial-designates-in-abuja-today/

Custom chief resigns in the fear or anti corruption war ..la la la

  President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the
resignation of the Comptroller-General of the
Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.
With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to
proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday
(today).
He had earlier written a letter dated August 3 to the
President in which he notified Buhari of his desire to
proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday.
Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated
August 14 and personally signed by the President.
He thanked the NCS boss for his services to the
country in the last six years.
The President’s letter was titled, “Voluntary
retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service.”
The approval read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi. I
write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter Ref.
No. NCS/ADM/HQ/P. 35802 of 3rd August, 2015
conveying your decision to voluntarily retire from
the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from
Tuesday, August 18, 2015.
“I note with appreciation your services to this nation,
especially as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria
Customs Service in the last six years.
“Accordingly, I hereby approve your voluntary
retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service with
effect from 18th of August, 2015.
“I wish you the very best in your future endeavours.
“Yours sincerely, Muhammadu Buhari.”
Abdullahi had in his letter to the President thanked
him for the confidence and trust reposed on him
since he (Buhari) was inaugurated on May 29.
He said by August 18, he would be six years in office
as the Comptroller-General of the NCS.
He recalled that on assumption of office, he
articulated a six-point agenda which he vigorously
pursued.
He said the agenda had positively impacted on the
efficiency and performance of officers of the service
and had drastically changed the negative perception
of the service.
He listed the six-point agenda to include capacity
building, introduction of e-Customs, enhancing
productivity through improved welfare package,
moral rebirth for discipline and integrity in service,
collaboration and partnering stakeholders and
international organisations, as well as fostering
understanding of the Service in the eye of the
general public using an intensified and a well-
coordinated public relations platform.
He added that the decision to resign “is taken with a
view to allowing young people to take over the
mantle of leadership of the service in order to
sustain and improve on my legacy.”
The President has yet to name Abdullahi’s successor
at the time of filing this report.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly
after paying a farewell visit to President Buhari at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, Abdullahi said
he had nothing to fear about the ongoing
investigation of revenue-earning agencies being
conducted by the Federal Government.
Abdullahi said revenue appreciated under his watch
by 20 per cent.
He said, “The only way the NCS can move forward is
by sacrifice; to give chance to others so that they can
continue with the legacy that we have up in place.
“Revenue appreciated by 20 per cent from when I
took over and the officers that did the work are still
around and I think that the NCS, I stand to be
corrected, is the only service that is fully automated
in the system of operation.
“We have no fear. The time I’m leaving is the time I
feel those young ones that have developed the
software can manage the software.

• “So, that is basically the reason.”

FG monitors Nigerians’ Facebook, Twitter accounts

 The Federal Government has been monitoring the
social media accounts of Nigerians who are suspected
of having links with various terrorist groups, including
Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq,
findings by SUNDAY PUNCH have shown.
Our correspondent learnt that through covert
operations, which have been going on for a while,
security agencies hack into the Facebook and Twitter
accounts of those they are monitoring.
The move, it was learnt, was meant to frustrate
terrorist attacks on the country.
The project, which is costing the country millions of
dollars, is being managed by the Office of the
National Security Adviser.
Multiple sources, who spoke to our correspondent on
condition of anonymity because they were not
authorised to inform the press about the security
checks, stated that the administration of former
President Goodluck Jonathan approved the request
by security agencies to spy on targeted sections of
the population, mainly religious extremists and
radicalised individuals.
It was gathered that the project is being coordinated
by some foreign firms, including an Israeli firm, Elbit
System.

Our correspondent learnt that the local espionage
involves hacking of phones, email accounts, social
media accounts and bugging of telephone
conversations of persons of interest.
A source said, “The surveillance system is not being
used to target everyone, as people may want to
believe. It is only deployed to get intelligence on
specific targets because it would be hard and difficult
to use such system to spy on all Nigerians; the
amount of data would be too huge and staggering for
the assessors to sort and manage.
“Basically, the system is used to hack into emails and
phones of targets, and the targets are those who are
suspected of having ties with terrorists, whether
Boko Haram, ISIS or any other criminal element.”

It was also learnt that the system had greatly assisted
security agencies to nip in the bud and also frustrate
many terror plots and attacks across the country.
The security agencies had been using electronic
trackers, which they were used to track and
apprehend kidnappers.
But it was learnt that the electronic surveillance
system is more effective and has better capacities to
hack emails, passwords and social media accounts
used by terrorists to recruit members.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel
Ojukwu, confirmed that security agencies were using
a sophisticated surveillance system as part of
measures to combat crime and terrorism in the
country.
He said, “It is not a new technology. Everywhere in
the world, it is used, including drones and other
sophisticated equipment. Nigeria is part of the
international community; we have our surveillance
system, which shows that Nigeria is developing.”
Ojukwu said the security agencies respect the rights
of Nigerians and were not using the system to hack
the phones and computers of innocent Nigerians.
The Department of State Services could not be
reached for information on their use of the
surveillance system.
Copyright PUNCH Read more headlines here

Buhari wants Defence Ministry to produce weapons

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday directed the Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a military industrial complex for the local production of weapons for the use of the nation’s armed forces.  According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President gave the directive at the graduation ceremony  of the National Defence College, Abuja.  He said the location production of weapons was meant to end the current over-dependence on other countries for military equipment and logistics.  He said such a thing was not acceptable to his administration.  “We must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies.  “The Ministry of Defence is being tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest military industrial complex for Nigeria.  “In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic MDAs and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements,” the President was quoted as saying.  Buhari was said to have also told the gathering that his administration had, since its assumption of office, reviewed the nature and character of Nigeria’s  security threats and challenges.  “We recognised first and foremost, the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them,” the President said. Buhari added that in the light of this realisation, his administration was convinced that the best approach was to work within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to mobilise a collective regional effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.  He urged  the graduates and officers and men of the Armed Forces to work harder to win the war against Boko Haram, terrorism and insurgency. “We must apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency; we must show result-oriented leadership at all levels of military Command; we must set up an optimal organisation to manage and sustain operational performance; and we must show confidence and winning mentality,” he added. The President  assured the people that  the Federal Government under his leadership will strive to meet the operational, logistic, training and welfare requirements of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.  He also reaffirmed his commitment to ameliorating the hardships of people living in areas most affected by insurgency and terrorism. “We have the will, resolve and conviction to apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency,” the President reassured Nigerians and the international community. Buhari said the National Defence College had fulfilled the vision of its founding fathers, by becoming a strategic human capacity-building institution, making credible contributions to Nigeria and other friendly countries. The President urged graduates of the College’s Course 23 to resolve to make “a marked difference in your future deployments and contribute your quota to the evolution and implementation of national security, defence and military strategies.” “You should be the source that lights up the environment wherever you find yourselves,”  he told them.