All the ministers will get portfolios - Shehu Garba

Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba says that contrary to what is being interpreted from President Buhari's chat with Channels TV in India last week, all the 36 ministers recently screened by the senate will get portfolios but not all of them will oversee a ministry. In an interview with Daily Trust, Shehu said

“You know we have a structure of government in place in this country whereby there are substantive ministers and ministers of state. What the president meant (in the interview granted) was that not all the ministers in his cabinet will have the full control of the ministries.

Cabinet: President Buhari consults Obasanjo over team

 There were strong indications that the recent audience between President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Olusegun Obasanjo centred on national issues, especially the choice of ministers.

 It was gathered that Buhari opened up to Obasanjo on the criteria for choosing his ministers.

 It was learnt that the president said he was thinking of trying “new hands” instead of recycling the same old ones.

 But findings confirmed that the president may send the list of ministers to the National Assembly in batches because of the likely merger of some ministries, departments and agencies.

 The first batch is likely to meet the September deadline set by the president.

Chibok girls: There is better intelligence now - Shehu Garba

While fielding questions from state house correspondents yesterday September 6th, Presidential spokesperson, Shehu Garba said efforts are still ongoing towards the rescue of the Chibok girls and that there are better intelligence gathering in that regard. He appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope regarding the rescue of the girls who were abducted on April 14th 2014.

With only $150k in savings, Buhari may be the least corrupt in Africa - Washington post

Washington Post published an article over the weekend, saying that President Buhari may be the least corrupt leader in Africa after declaring that he has only N30 million in his account. The article below

"By the standards of sub-Saharan African leaders, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is dirt-poor. According to a statement released by his government, he has $150,000 in his savings account. He owns five homes and two mud houses, an orchard and ranch with 270 head of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses and a variety of birds. He has bought two cars from his savings..

"President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no oil wells," reads the statement released by the spokesman, Garba Shehu, describing the president's assets as "Spartan."

The question on many minds is this: Is Buhari, Nigeria's former military ruler and ex-head of the oil ministry, telling the truth?

Corruption, after all, is a major problem in Africa's largest economy. Buhari himself has publicly said that more than $150 billion is missing from the government's coffers. Still, the public declaration appears to be an attempt to show some much-needed transparency. Buhari was elected in March largely by promising that he wouldn't tolerate corruption.

Buhari and Osinbajo have publicly declared their assets Nigeria’s

President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, have declared their assets and will make the documents public soon, as promised during the electioneering campaigns. 

A statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu said “the documents submitted to the CCB, which officials say are still being vetted and will soon be made public, show that prior to being sworn in on May 29, President Buhari had less than N30 million to his name. He also had only one bank account, with the Union Bank. President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no oil wells”, the statement said. 

The statement further added that “the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) who had been a successful lawyer before his foray into politics declared a bank balance of about N94 million and 900,000 United States Dollars in his bank accounts”. 

President Buhari initiates move for domestic weapons production

President Buhari has initiated moves for the production of weapons in Nigeria. According to a statement signed and released by Senior Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity Garba Shehu today August 7th, President Buhari charged the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. The statement after the cut..

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja directed the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, President Buhari described as unacceptable, Nigeria's current over-dependence on other countries for critical military equipment and logistics. "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 (DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements," the President said. President Buhari 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 recognized 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.

Cost of President Buhari's trip to the US grossly exaggerated - Presidency

Press statement from the presidency...

Our attention has been drawn to an editorial published in the Nigerian Pilot of August 2, 2015 and an earlier report in which the total cost of President Muhammadu Buhari's recent trip to the U.S. was estimated at N2.2 billion. It is very sad that in this age of free-flowing information and in this era of change, a media organisation would make itself available as a vehicle to peddle a lie of such low and ignominious quality. 

Contrary to the newspaper's assertions, the total cost of the trip to the Nigerian taxpayer was at the most minimal, in line with the policy of this administration to cut waste and extravagance. In point of fact, the total amount expended on the trip by the Office of the President amounted to nothing near ten per cent of the speculated figure. 

Buhari orders reduction of recurrent expenditure in 2016 budget

In a statement released yesterday by Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Buhari yesterday ordered the National Planning Commission to go back to the drawing board and produce the framework for the 2016 national budget that will reduce recurrent expenditure and prioritize developmental projects.

Shehu said the President gave the order after receiving a briefing from the Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr. Bassey Akpanyung, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the President told Akpanyung and the directors of the NPC that capital projects must now be given priority because Nigeria cannot achieve real development without adequate investment in capital and infrastructural projects.

“In carrying out its role in surveillance of the economy, review and appraisal of policies, the commission should devise a plan for a realignment of the budget so that capital projects can be really prioritised,” the President directed.

How Buhari Got House Leader Job For Gbajabiamila - Vanguard

ABUJA — SPEAKER Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives yesterday succumbed to pressures from his All Progressives Congress, APC, and named Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila House Majority Leader, and by that, drew the curtain on the lingering crisis that has trailed the chamber since its inauguration last June.

Among those who put pressure on the Speaker, it was learnt yesterday, was President Muhammadu Buhari who reportedly put in a phone call to Dogara following a last-minute meeting with party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, however, denied knowledge of any interaction between the President and the Speaker prior to yesterday’s pronouncement.

Following yesterday’s resolution of the crisis, Speaker Dogara charged the legislators to proceed to discharge the issues that brought them to Abuja, saying that they had wasted enough time on issues of personal aggrandisement.

Prior to the sitting yesterday, tempers had reached feverish pitch upon the resolution of supporters of the Speaker to adopt what they termed as the party’s “position as amended,” which would have led to the exclusion of Gbajabiamila, the party favourite who lost out in the leadership contest to Dogara on June 9.

Some former ministers were selling about 1 million barrels of stolen crude per day- Buhari

Press statement from the Presidency

President Buhari Tuesday in the United States vowed that his administration would trace the accounts of individuals who stashed away ill-gotten oil money, freeze and recover the loot and prosecute the culprits.

Reacting to questions from members of Nigerians In Diaspora Organization (NIDO) in the United States and Canada at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC on the third day of his visit, the President lamented that “Corruption in Nigeria has virtually developed into a culture where honest people are abused.”

According to him, “250,000 barrels per day of Nigerian crude are being stolen and people sell and put the money into individual accounts,” adding that the United States and other developed countries “are helping us to trace such accounts now.

We will ask that such accounts be frozen and prosecute the persons. The amount involved is mind-boggling. Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them. A lot of damage has been done to the integrity of Nigeria with individuals and institutions already compromised.”

Dasuki: Buhari Never Ordered Dismantling Of Military Checkpoints

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari never ordered the dismantling of all military checkpoints in the country.

His statement overrides the statement made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Ismail Aliyu, who after a security meeting last month, announced that the president had ordered the dismantling of military roadblocks and directed the police to take over internal security.

Dasuki, who met top military and security chiefs in his office in Abuja yesterday clarified that the directive of the president was never a blanket order to remove all military checkpoints.

The NSA said military roadblocks in flashpoints would continue to be maintained while those in relatively peaceful areas would be dismantled but soldiers would continue to be positioned in those areas while not blocking roads.

He said it was both conventional and the global practice for governments to increase security measures whenever insecurity is heightened and appealed to citizens to endure the temporary inconvenience the roadblocks may cause.

APC Refutes Claims VP Was Denied Access To Meeting

There has been speculation about an incident where Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was prevented from attending Buhari’s meeting with the National Security Adviser because of security reasons by the President.

Reacting to this report, the SSA to President Buhari on Media Garba Shehu said, “That is the creation of someone who just wanted to write something. It was on the same day he travelled to Sudan to represent the President, the government and the people of Nigeria at the inauguration of the president of that country.

First Assignment For Anyone Appointed As AGF Is To Probe Amnesty Int'l report- President Buhari

President Buhari says the first assignment he will give anyone he appoints as the Attorney General of the Federation will be to examine the recently released Amnesty International report which indicted some top military officers of gross Human Rights Abuse.

Why We Are Supporting Buhari - G7 Countries

ABUJA— Members of The G7 group of industrialized nations gave reasons, yesterday, why they have resolved to support President Muhammadu Buhari.

The G7 nations comprising the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom said they are backing Buhari because they, among other reasons, acknowledged “the way and manner of his emergence and the tremendous challenges faced by the government he leads, not of his making, especially in its efforts to combat the Boko Haram.”

Buhari to present Nigeria's 'wish list' at the G7 Summit in Germany

Press statement from Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) to President Buhari, Shehu Garba

President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Munich, Germany on Sunday, 7 June, armed with the “wish list” of Nigeria in line with the demand of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries. The G7 had earlier requested the then President-elect to prepare a shopping list and come with it for their consideration in what is seen as an excellent goodwill gesture towards the new leader and the country. 

The Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the President, Malam Garba Shehu in a statement from Munich on Sunday said top on the list of the requests President Buhari will tender before the G7 leaders is on the problem of security. “We have a problem which they know.” President Buhari himself said.

The President said he has used every opportunity at his disposal ahead of this meeting to discuss the country’s needs with specific reference to terrorism and development needs at person-to-person meetings and phone conversations with some of these leaders. “These development issues, many and varied as they are, touch on the economy, combating corruption, increased foreign direct investment, FDI; power and energy, infrastructure, environment, enhanced transparency in elections and good governance.”

President Buhari announced that the leaders of the industrialized nations have shown a preparedness to work with Nigeria to help the country out of her problems. President Buhari will hold meetings on the sidelines with the host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the French President, Francois Hollande, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong Kim. Mal Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) Munich Germany.

Reasons Why President and His Vice Has Not Moved Into Aso Rock - SSA on Media

Two days after President Buhari was sworn in a the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr president and His Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo are yet to move into the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock.

This was made know by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Shehu Garba.

According to Him, He said:

"As far as the President is concerned, the place (His official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in".

After He was asked to be specific on how soon will the President move in, He replied that, he believed it would not take time.

Rumor have it that, the Presidential Villa personnel in Abuja, are not sure of what will be their Job schedule this week, due to the fact that the president is yet to appoint some key positions in his cabinet, most especially the role of the chief of staff whose responsibility is to arrange the President's daily schedules.

Shehu said:

"As we are talking now, we do not know his (The President's) activities for tomorrow (Today). We cannot plan for his activities. We do not know which groups he will be meeting or how many people he will be meeting.

It is when we have an idea of those who he will be meeting that we can schedule them regarding allocation of the time and venue. These would have been easier for us if a chief of staff is in place".

He also said because they were not properly informed about itinerary of the inauguration gala night that was held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Friday nearly flopped as people kept trooping in.

On a final Note, he also said:

"For now, we are waiting for the two big men (President and Vice President) to move into the villa so that we can do our jobs. For now, we are only securing the seat of power without the men of power."