Epunchng - Most read newspaper in Nigeria Sunday, August 13, 2017 | Page 3

News
I want to go to heaven,
says Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun
Obansanjo on Saturday at
Apostolic Faith Church said he
wants to go heaven and longs
to sing among the heavenly
host.
According to the News
Agency of Nigeria Obasanjo
made this remark during the
2017 Camp Meeting Concert
by Apostolic Faith Church
Choir and Orchestral at the
Camp Ground Igbesa in Ogun
State.
He said, “You have to be
fully prepared for the second
coming of our Lord, there is no
compromise.
“I have a friend who will
always say that when we get to
heaven, we will be exhausted
praising God and it will be like
a prison and very boring.
“But with what I have seen
by the choir this afternoon, I
will want to go to heaven and
join the host to sing.
“If this is an example of
what praising God in heaven
will be like, then I want to be
part of it. If what I have seen
here is an indication of how
heaven will be, I will like go to
heaven.
“Jesus Christ came to the
world to show us the way to
salvation and eternal life. We
have a good heritage and we
have everything to be proud
of.”
Obasanjo said God could
not
fix Nigeria
except
Nigerians invite God into
their lives collectively and
individually.
“We have a lot of things
wrong with this country, if all
Nigerians are sincere.
“Nigeria can be fixed by
God but we have to invite Him
into our lives. What we have to
do about this country is in our
hands.
“Gods grace abounds when
we do not abuse it,” he said.
The
District
Superintendent,
Apostolic
Faith, West Africa, Rev.
Adebayo Adeniran,
said
that only tolerance, peaceful
coexistence and harmonious
living
among
Nigerians,
irrespective of religious and
political differences, could lead
to meaningful development.
TODAY IN HISTORY
August 13, 1532
– Union of Brittany and
France: The Duchy of Brittany
was absorbed into the Kingdom
of France.
August 13, 1898
– Carl Gustav Witt discovered
433 Eros, the first near-Earth
asteroid to be found.
August 13, 1912
- The first experimental
radio license was issued
to St. Joseph’s College in
Philadelphia, PA.
August 13, 1913
– First production in the UK
of stainless steel by Harry
Brearley.
August 13, 1918
– Bayerische Motoren Werke
AG (BMW) established as a
public company in Germany.
August 13, 1932
- Adolf Hitler refused to take
the post of vice-chancellor of
Germany. He said he was going
to hold out “for all or nothing.”
August 13, 1954
– Radio Pakistan broadcasts
the “Qaumī Tarāna”, the
national anthem of Pakistan
for the first time.
August 13, 2017
3
Buhari meets aides, says doctors keeping him in London
OLALEKAN ADETAYO
P
resident
Muhammadu Buhari,
who has been receiving
medical treatment at a
London hospital in the United
Kingdom, again on Saturday
said only his doctors would
decide when he would return
to Nigeria.
According to a statement
by his Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi
Adesina, the President spoke
POLITY
at the Abuja House, London,
when he received members
of his media team led by
the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed.
Buhari who has been
receiving treatment in the
British capital since May 7
was reported to have told
the team that visited him
that there was tremendous
improvement in his health
and that indeed, he wished to
return home.
“I have learnt to obey my
doctor’s orders rather than
be the one issuing the orders.
Here, the doctor is absolutely
in charge,” Buhari was quoted
as saying.
Mohammed was said
to have led the team that
included Adesina; Senior
Special Assistant on Media
and Publicity, Garba Shehu;
Personal Assistant on Digital/
Online
Media,
Lauretta
Onochie; and the Senior
Special Assistant on Diaspora
Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-
Erewa.
According to Adesina,
when the team expressed
delight at the much-improved
health of the President, Buhari
reportedly said, “I feel I could
go home, but the doctors are
in charge. I have now learnt
to obey orders, rather than be
obeyed.”
On how he felt when he
heard different conjectures
•L-R: Commissioner for Sport, Kano State, Mr. Ibrahim Galadima; Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; and
Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kano State, Mr. Mohammed Aliyu, during the presentation
of vehicles to security agencies in Kano... on Friday Photo: Olatunji Ob asa
#ReturnOrResign protest enters sixth day
ADELANI ADEPEGBA
T
he
protest
by
#ReturnOrResign
coalition
entered
its sixth day on Saturday
with the protesters urging
President
Muhammadu
Buhari to resign because the
country cannot continue to
pay the medical bills of a sick
leader.
The group insisted that
President Buhari should
resume or resign.
It described Buhari as the
“President of a cabal.”
The protesters added
that Buhari had remained
accessible to only a few
people who knew his
health status contrary to
his pledge on the day of his
inauguration when he said,
“I belong to everybody and I
belong to nobody.”
Speaking during their
sit-in at the Unity fountain,
Maitama, Abuja, a member
of the #OurMumuDonDo
movement,
Adebayo
Raphael, urged the President
to resign honourably.
He said, “Nigeria cannot
continue to pay the medical
bills of a sick president who
is inaccessible to Nigerians
but only to a cabal. On the
day of his inauguration,
Buhari said he belonged to
nobody. But today, he is only
accessible to a few people.
He is the president of a cabal.
“All Nigerians must
rise up and speak truth to
POLITY
power. Time has come for
all Nigerians to put an end
to the shenanigans. As a
president who preached
accountability, transparency
and integrity, we are calling
on him to listen to the voice
of Nigerians by doing the
honourable thing – resign.”
Convener of the protest,
Deji
Adeyanju,
argued
that governance had been
grounded to a halt on
account of the President’s
absence.
“Governance
is
suffering; you can see the
poor budget performance
because there is no solid
supervision in government.
That is a key issue we are
calling the government to
be accountable for. Even
the anti-corruption war is
suffering as anyone can see,”
he stated.
The
activist
alleged
that the pro-Buhari group
was sponsored to attack
#ReturnOrResign coalition
on Friday in order to get the
police to issue a blanket ban
on protests in the Federal
Capital Territory.
“Our colleagues (pro-
Buhari
supporters)
are
not here today (Saturday).
Money cannot buy passion or
commitment. The journalists
saw what happened on
Friday; they surged towards
us but we were protected by
some security men. We know
there is a plan to encourage
them to attack us so that
the FCT police command
could issue a blanket ban on
protests in Abuja,” Adeyanju
noted.
Various pro-government
groups had sprung up in
defence of the President
since the #ResumeOrResign
coalition took to the streets
last Monday.
The groups have also
enjoyed official protection as
they were given police guards
every time they marched to
the Aso Villa in support of
Buhari.
about his health, Buhari
was reported to have said
he followed events at home
closely.
He was said to have praised
Nigerian television stations,
and the media generally, for
keeping him informed.
When told that prayers
were going on fervently for
him, not only in Nigeria, but
all over Africa, and around
the world, the President
reportedly said, “What we did
in The Gambia early this year
fetched us a lot of goodwill in
the African continent. It gave
us a lot of latitude. I thank all
those who are praying (for
me). May God reward them.”
Adesina said the President
sent appreciation to all
Nigerians, expressing hope
that he would be with them
soon.
Meanwhile,
Buhari
appeared in his first video
since he left the country in
May.
The short video aired
by the Nigerian Television
Authority on Saturday night
was recorded when the
President received members
of his media team
In the video, Buhari was
seen standing up to receive his
guests. As the President shook
hands with Mohammed, he
said, “Lai, good afternoon.
You are all over the place,”
and the minister responded,
“Thank you sir.”
“I see you every evening
in the press. It is very good.
Going by the press, you are
working very hard,” the
President told the minister.
Mohammed later told the
NTA reporter that members
of the team were excited
about the health status of the
President.
He said, “Mr. President
is getting better. He is very
healthy and he has not lost his
sense of humour at all. We are
very excited because we met
our President in very good
health. He spoke to us and we
exchanged banters. We can’t
ask for more.”
Adesina, on his part, said,
“He (the President) has said
that now, he has learnt to
obey orders. You know Mr.
President is a retired general.
He was the one who used to
issue the orders but he is the
one to obey orders.”
Military raid won’t affect relations with Nigeria –UN
T
he United Nations on
Saturday reaffirmed
its
commitment
to support the Federal
government’s
counter-
terrorism efforts in the
North-East region, adding
that the raid on its building
would not affect its relations
with Nigeria.
According to the News
Agency of Nigeria, the
UN Deputy Humanitarian
Coordinator for Nigeria,
Mr. Peter Lundberg, said
this at a press conference on
Saturday in Maiduguri.
Lundberg said the UN
would continue to support
Nigeria to address the
major problems affecting
diplomacy
education, health, nutrition
and security challenges
occasioned by the Boko
Haram insurgency.
He
said
the
raid
conducted by the military on
UN Humanitarian facility in
Maiduguri would not affect
its relations with the country,
“I am very pleased
to inform you that our
relationship of collaboration
and trust is intact, and at this
stage, we are focused on the
work ahead, to ensure that
the millions of vulnerable
people in the North-East are
supported with life-saving
humanitarian aid.
“I reiterated that we
are here in support of the
government of Nigeria, the
UN agencies and over 60
development organisations
working to provide the
much-needed food, shelter,
safe water, latrines and
medicines,” Lundberg said.
Lundberg
announced
that the UN had resumed
its services after it was
temporarily
suspended
following a raid by the
military on its office.
He explained that the UN
humanitarian services were
facing serious challenges due
to security threats posed by
the Boko Haram insurgents.
The UN official added
that humanitarian services
were restricted to thousands
of people in the affected areas
due to various challenges.
“The rainy season is
also creating challenges
to humanitarian access in
some areas in the region,” he
noted.
He said the UN estimated
that about 8.5 million
people were in dire need of
humanitarian assistance in
the North-East and Lake
Chad region.
He said that the UN has
targeted 6.9 million people
for the distribution of
humanitarian assistance in
Borno, Adamawa and Yobe
states.