NAME:
OKEKE RUPHINA.
REG NO:
FPO/HND/MAC/015/149
COURSE/CODE:
MULTI MEDIA AND ONLINE JOURNALISM (MAC327)
AREA OF FOCUS: POLITICS
BLOG USERNAME: www.ruphina.blogspot.com.ng
BUHARI MAKES SHOCKING
REVELATION TODAY
Though Nigerians are already
aware of the dwindling finances that accompanied the drastic fall in crude oil
price, the situation might be worse than they think as President Muhammadu
Buhari, revealed how dire the financial predicament of the nation is. President
Buhari says Nigeria’s treasury is empty, I inherited empty treasury, huge
debts- Buhari, Bail-out for states doubtful as Buhari laments empty treasury as
well as Buhari can’t continue in office makes the front pages of the national
dailies for Tuesday, June 23, 2015. VANGUARD reports that President Muhammadu
Buhari on his first day at the Aso Rock Villa, after his swearing in on May 29,
said he inherited a “virtually empty treasury”, from his predecessor, Dr
Goodluck Jonathan with debts running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr.
President, who disclosed this on Monday, June 22, during a meeting with members
of the state house press corps, blamed the situation on bad management, adding
that it was a disgrace that Nigeria is unable to pay workers’ salaries. Buhari
admitted that there is already a lot of pressure on his government due to the
huge expectations of Nigerians. The president, yesterday held a meeting with
the three service chiefs, who were led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief
Marshal Alex Badeh. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Alhaji
Ismail Aliyu, who addressed state house correspondents after the meeting, said
Buhari ordered the withdrawal of the military from internal security operations
as part of a comprehensive review of national security operations. He said the
directive was given because Nigeria and four other countries in the Lake Chad
sub-region had for the first time developed a united military strategy against
the regional menace, Boko Haram. He said after the president ordered the
withdrawal of military checkpoints, he directed the police to henceforth take
firm control of internal security. The permanent secretary said Buhari told the
security chiefs to liaise with the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force to
finalise arrangements for Police to effectively take over internal security. He
revealed that the meeting with the security chiefs was to give them the
opportunity to brief the president on the implementations of recent decisions
reached on the fight against insurgency. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Still on the issue of empty treasury, THE PUNCH reports that President
Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, June 22, during a meeting with state house
correspondent to mark his first day in the Aso Rock office, said he inherited
an empty treasury, adding that his government was being weighed down by debts
running into millions of dollars. Though the president declined to disclose the
amount of debt he met, he vowed to put in his best to salvage the country from
the brink of collapse. Buhari, who said it was disgraceful for state and
federal workers not to be paid their salaries as at when due, told the
correspondents that he would need their help to avoid a situation where
Nigerians might march on him. He said the tradition of assessing government’s
performance in the first 100 days in office was putting pressure on him due to
the mismanaged economy he met. The President revealed that it was not by
accident that he appointed one of the best journalists in the country, Femi
Adesina, as his special adviser on media and publicity. He explained that he
appointed Adesina so that he could consistently defend him against his
co-journalists. He, however, expressed optimism that what happened under former
president Goodluck Jonathan, when a state house correspondent was expelled
would not happen under his administration. Buhari was accompanied to the
meeting by Adesina and his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu. Buhari, immediately after resuming work, had earlier met with
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and some of his key aides, before meeting behind
closed doors with the service chiefs. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Now that
the president has made it public that the country is broke, the next question
that then comes to mind is, what will be the fate of the states owing civil
servants no fewer than six to nine months salaries? THE GUARDIAN reports that
after President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he met an empty treasury, the
anticipated bailout for states by the federal government may have temporarily
hit the rocks. The President, who said it was the duty of government at every
level to ensure that workers’ salaries are paid, lamented that the bad
management of the economy had put a strain on the ability of state governments
and some federal government agencies to pay their workers. He underscored a
smooth working relationship between the government and the media as essential,
noting that, such relationship would go a long way in ensuring that Nigerians
enjoy a quality dividend of democracy. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Meanwhile, the president, who had a very busy day yesterday, upon resuming work
at his Aso Rock Villa office, might be welcomed with a lawsuit. THE UNION
reports that a lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa, has
opined that President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to constitute a cabinet 25
days after his inauguration is a subject of litigation. The legal practitioner,
on Monday, approached a Federal High Court in Lagos seeking an order
restraining Buhari from continuing in office as the country’s president. The
lawyer in a suit he filed said by virtue of constitutional provisions the president
is barred from functioning in his office without appointing ministers to
constitute the Federal Executive Council. He said if the president is not
prepared to appoint qualified persons into office as ministers of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, he should not be allowed to continue to function in office
as the president. He said such development is a flagrant violation of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The human right activist, who
dragged the president to court by way of an originating summons, lamented in an
affidavit deposed to by him in support of his application that although the
president had admitted that old age would limit his performance and had also
taken his oath of office nearly 25 days ago, he had yet to appoint ministers to
constitute the FEC to assist him in executing the business of the nation.
