President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will not interfere in future elections including the 2023 general election in the country.

He made this known at an interactive session with some Nigerians in Paris, France on Wednesday, the President assured Nigerians that the government’s commitment to free and fair elections will be followed through in every future election, explaining that the bedrock of democracy remains sustenance of the multi-party structure, with trust from citizens.

He noted that results from elections since he assumed office had been a mixed bag, with the people’s choice playing out, promising to keep the template that had brought more credibility to the electoral process.

According to him; “Free and fair election is a great concern. In the last elections, our party lost in some elections and it reflects our position of non-interference.

“Normally those in power will win by hook or by crook. We believe in free and fair elections. I have respect for Nigerians to choose their leaders. We have shown we respect our citizens by allowing them to choose their leaders.

“We gave instructions to security to deal with anyone who uses thugs to disrupt electoral processes. What I can assure you is that you can walk about and around with your head raised high that this administration is committed to multi-party system”.

President Buhari said he had watched Nigerians spend long hours in campaigns listening to candidates since 2003, 2007, 2011, when he contested elections and lost, and 2015 and 2019 presidential elections, which he won.

“Nigerians deserve respect. I have suffered before, so I know what it means. My duty is to serve Nigeria and Nigerians with all my heart. I assure that in spite of the ill luck, with drop in resources, we will do our best,’’ he added.

The President said investments had been channeled into the agricultural sector, with visible results, explaining that the policy on border closure to neighbouring countries was to protect the economy and improve security.

“The future of Nigeria is in agriculture,’’ he noted.

On security, President Buhari said all the service chiefs were changed in order to inject new energy and ideas into protecting the country, adding that the security chiefs were also given clear targets and time lines.

We will educate people to develop our country. Our greatest resources are our people and educating them is a priority,’’ the President added.

Earlier in his remarks, Nigerian Ambassador to France, Kayode Ibrahim Laro, appreciated the President for always creating time to interact with Nigerians, describing him as the “most friendly President to Nigerians in diaspora’’.

At the meeting, Nigerians in Paris raised issues with the President on security, voting in elections, economy and education.

The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has vowed that Comrade Ayuba Wabba and other labour leaders will never return to Kaduna by the time his government is done with them.

The protest of the organised labour in Kaduna is in its third day.

Governor El-Rufai, who stated this while addressing the 23rd Annual Tax Conference organised by the The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Kaduna on Wednesday, described the labour leaders as “criminals”.

He said actions of the labour union under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which prevented businesses like banks, petrol stations and others from opening is criminal, illegal and the government will deal with “the criminals”.

The Governor pointed out that his government was not against the right of workers to embark on strike, but such workers must walk out of their work place and allow it to function without them.

While he emphasized that workers or their unions do not have the right to stop any business or government establishment from opening, El-Rufai said those responsible for such were liable to be convicted on the Miscellaneous Offences Act, which attracts a minimum penalty of 21 years imprisonment.

He then apologised to the gathering on any inconvenience suffered due to the strike, saying, “All those that have broken the law to the fullest extent will never come back to the state again by the time we are done with them.”

He said, “There are efforts to prevent legitimate business to open, there are efforts to prevent banks from opening and also preventing petrol stations from dispensing fuel, this is totally criminal and illegal and we are going to take action.

“We are making efforts to provide security for all businesses that will wish to remain open.

“We are not against the right to strike, you are free to strike, but walk away from your institution and allow it to function without you.

“You have no right to stop any business from remaining open and we are going to take very strict measures against people that have tried to do that.

“What this strike is about is to answer fundamental questions, the first of which is this; should an employer, keep person of poor education, inadequate skills, qualifications and bad work attitude in employment, whether he likes it or not? Our answer in Kaduna state is in the negative.

“We, as the employer, are in a contract of employment with the employee and if he is not up to scratch, we will let him go and that is included in our contact of service.

“The second question is this, is the right to protest or to withdraw your services of an employee equivalent to the right to destroy the institution in which you work; shut it down or attack public infrastructure?

“Our position is very clear, law is very clear, you can walk out, you can strike, but you cannot shut anything down.

“Public infrastructure is a public asset belonging to the federation which belongs to all the people in Nigeria and you have no right to shut it down and if you do, you are liable to be convicted on either the Miscellaneous Offences Act which attracts a minimum penalty of 21 years imprisonment.”

He added , “I want to assure you that we will break the strike and deal with the criminals, prosecute all those that have broken the law to the fullest extent and I assure you that they will never come back to the state again by the time we are done with them.”

Building housing the Assemblies of God Church in Ungwan Gaida community, near Kurmin Kaso, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has been set ablaze by armed bandits.

Not least eight persons were killed in the attacks while several houses were torched.

Meanwhile, Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, who confirmed the attacks, identified those killed as Samaila Gajere, Bawa Gajere, Bitrus Baba,Umaru Baba, Solomon Samaila, Sambo Kasuwa, Samuila Kasuwa, and Gideon Bitrus.

Aruwan said Governor Nasir El-Rufai condemned the attack on the place of worship, and directed the State Emergency Management Agency to carry out an urgent assessment of the damage done by the invaders.

Aruwan also said troops of the Nigerian Navy “neutralized three bandits” and arrested two accomplices after repelling an attack on Wakwodna community, near Kasso village, still in Chikun LGA.

According to him, the troops stationed at the Kujama checkpoint foiled the attack at Wakwodna following a tip-off.

He said bandits fled into surrounding bushes on sighting the troops, and abandoned some rustled cattle, which were rounded up and returned to their owners.

“The troops arrested a suspected bandits informant, Kapido Halilu, and a logistics supplier, Umar Maipashi. Food and medical supplies meant for the bandits were confiscated. The suspects were taken into custody for further investigation,” he said.

He said El-Rufai noted the report of the attack on Ungwan Gaida with sadness, and condoled the families of the slain citizens, as he offered prayers for the repose of their souls.

The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to recall sacked nurses who are below level 14 and tender unreserved public apology to the Global President and Nigerian workers.

This was contained in a statement by ,MHWUN President, Biobelemoye Joy Josiah stating that the actions of the governor as “barbaric, primitive and anarchist” that is still being practised in modern day Nigeria.

Josiah explained that the governor had earlier “illegally and forcefully” retired officers who are 50 years of age and above, officers on GL. 14 and above, converted officers on GL. 01 – 06 to casual labourers and dismissed nurses on GL. 14 and below.

These actions, according to him, were taken without regard to extant labour laws and circulars that regulate employment of public servants whose appointments are clothed with statutory flavour.

The statement reads in bits “We particularly call on all workers and citizens of Kaduna State to tag Tuesday, 18th May, 2021 as a sad day for democracy and a day of mourning when an elected governor threw away the constitution he swore to uphold and embraced thuggery.

“We call on the entire citizens of Kaduna State to particularly remember this day so that when this same man come calling to beg for votes to go to the retirement home of former governors – the senate or for any other elective position, he should be rejected out rightly as there is no room for anarchist in a democratic society.

“Meanwhile, we call on our members nationwide to remain alert and await further directives on this matter as “an injury to one is an injury to all” and “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere”.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has suspended the warning strike in Kaduna State.

Recall that, Labour unions had declared a five-day warning strike against the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai over the mass sack of workers.

The strike had brought Kaduna to a standstill as hospitals, banks, train station, the airport, among others were shut.

The governor had dared the labour leaders, saying their action would not make him change his stance on the sacked workers.

But speaking after an emergency meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday night, the National President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the strike had been suspended.

The federal government had waded into the row between the Kaduna State government and labour unions.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had said that the federal government his Labour and Employment counterpart, Dr Chris Ngige, had intervened to resolve the dispute.“The federal government is not folding its arms and already the Minister of Labour and Employment has waded in and is in touch with both the government of Kaduna State and also the Labour. In addition, the security apparatus all over the country have also taken pre-emptive measures to ensure that hoodlums don’t take advantage of this situation. In particular, I know that the police have reinforced its patrol between Kaduna and Abuja, so that we do not witness kidnappers taking advantage of the situation.”“Overall, I think the federal government is quite concerned and is doing its best to see how the two parties can resolve their misunderstandings amicably, with little loss to productivity, little loss to properties. At the end of the day, all the parties have to come back to the drawing table to agree and hammer out concessions and agreements,” Mohammed had told state house correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.

…Faces Possible 30 Years In Jail

The 42 year old suspended Senior Special Assistant to Ogun State Governor on Housing, Abidemi Rufai who was arrested by FBI for an employment scam, appeared in federal court in New York on Saturday on charges that he used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to file bogus unemployment claims with the Washington state Employment Security Department during the COVID-19 pandemic last year according to the federal complaint.

It was the first “significant” arrest in that fraud, federal officials said.He faces up to a possible 30 years in jail if convicted.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington in Seattle filed papers arguing that Rufai presents “an extreme risk of flight” and requesting that he be held in custody until his trial in federal court in Tacoma.

Rufai’s attorney, Michael C. Barrows of Garden City, New York, said his client “denies any involvement in these transactions.”

He is scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday in New York. Barrows, Rufai’s attorney, said his client doesn’t represent a flight risk, in part because Rufai has given up his passport.

Further, Rufai could be prevented from fleeing through “less restrictive means than having him remain in jail,” including travel restrictions and electronic surveillance, said Barrows.

He noted that defendants accused of substantially larger financial crimes have avoided pretrial detention. “You have white-collar criminals [such as] insider traders who steal millions of dollars who are released on their own recognizance,” Barrows said

Federal prosecutors contended that Rufai does indeed represent a flight risk.

In Tuesday’s filings, federal prosecutors noted that Rufai was attempting to leave the country at the time of his arrest and that he has “strong ties to Nigeria, and no ties at all (apart from this fraud) to the Western District of Washington.”

Rufai also has economic resources “that could facilitate his flight from prosecution,” federal prosecutors said. Although Rufai told law enforcement authorities he had just $16,000 in his bank accounts, he “was preparing to board a first-class flight to Nigeria with five debit cards and two credit cards in his wallet, a luxury Cartier watch, seven pieces of luggage, and three smartphones on his person,” federal prosecutors noted.

Further more, if Rufai were able to “escape to Nigeria, extradition will be extraordinarily difficult or impossible because of his ties to the Nigerian government,” federal prosecutors added.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior and former Borno state governor, Sen. Kashim Shettima has urged the Federal Government to recruit additional security personnel towards tackling current security challenges in Nigeria.

He made this known during a public hearing on four bills in Abuja on Tuesday.

The bills were a bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Civil Defence Academy, Pandogari, a bill for an act to establish the Nigeria Peace Corps (NPC), a bill for an act to establish the National Unity Corps (NUC) and a bill for an act to establish the Nigeria Hunters’ Council (NHC).

He said that in the face of the current security challenges, the bills would help to further strengthen the existing security architecture in the country as well as help to provide gainful employments to teeming youths.

He said; Nigeria is having only about 500, 000 security personnel comprising of the military, paramilitary and law enforcement agents and this number is grossly inadequate in the fight against security challenges.

According to him; “Egypt has a population of about 100 million people but it has about two million security personnel.

“In Nigeria where we have about 200 million people, the security personnel, inluding the police, army, immigration, etc are not up to 500, 000.

“By the year 2050, Nigeria will be the most populous black nation in the whole world. By 2050, Nigeria is estimated to have 450 million population.

“This calls for urgent passage of these bills to address the current issues of security challenges and youths unemployment,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Dickson Akoh, National Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria, urged the federal government to cancel its cash transfer programmes to less privileged Nigerians and channel such for payment to youths who were serving as community guards in states.

Akoh said the creation of the Peace Corps through an enabling law would create jobs for thousands of unemployed Nigerians.

He said the bill which was passed by the 8th National Assembly, was not accented to by President Muhammadu Buhari on the basis of lack of funds and that the agency had similar role with that of the police.

Akoh, however, assured that the current Peace Corps Bill which was being sponsored by Sen. Ali Ndume had been rejigged to address issues raised by the President.

The Peace Corps boss said the organisation was already on ground in most states with the required manpower waiting for the enabling law for its operation.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said insecurity had become increasingly a concern, making it important for government to focus on resolving it in the interest of peace and progress of the nation.

Lawan was represented by the Deputy Senate Leader, Sen. Robert Boroffice