AFTER a long wait which evoked the imagery of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot, President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for next month’s election, finally showed up in the Edo state capital of Benin for a rally at 5.20 pm.
His late coming for the rally which was billed to start at 11 a.m may, however, be unconnected with a similar campaign swing by the president to Warri, neighbouring Delta state.
The well attended rally which held at Garrick Memorial School right opposite the Ekenwan Campus of University of Benin (UNIBEN) which has been under lock and key since last year, witnessed the presence of host Governor Godwiin Obaseki, his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, the South-South Director General of the Presidential Campaign Organization, Mr. Rotimi Amechi and a host of others.
Buhari who refused to mention his achievements in Edo state in the last three and a half years since he took over the reins of power, however assured that the two anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will soon be mandated to disclose how much money they recovered from officials.
He said that the details of the recovered loots which are kept in a Treasury Single Account (TSA) for sake keeping will soon be made known to Nigerians.
The President declared: “So many corrupt persons have successfully prosecuted. We have put the money in a Treasury Single Account. Sooner or later, we will get the ICPC and EFCC to give a comprehensive account of how much was recovered and what we intend to do with it.”
Buhari said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given billions of naira to farmers in form of soft loan while the security situation in the North East and Niger Delta is much better now than it was in 2015 when he took over the reins of power.
Earlier at the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N”Oba Ewuare II, the Benin monarch commended Buhari in his fight against corruption and curtailing the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sector in the North Eastern part of the country.
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The traditional ruler who took time to intimate him of his personal effort made to ensure a peaceful election is conducted across the states of the federation in the forthcoming election said politicians on their part should endeavour to be more patriotic and be concerned about the security and welfare of the people which of course is the primary purpose of government.
“Politicians on their part should endeavour to be more patriotic and be concerned about the security and welfare of the people which of course is the primary purpose of government.
“As the 2019 general elections draw near, it is pertinent to call on politicians to let the interest of Nigerian and Nigerians be uppermost in their mind.
“Consequently, they should not do anything that would undermine our collective peace, unity and progress. The should not engage in acts that could truncate our democracy”, he said.
Ewuare II while lauding the Federal Government’s support to the state, appealed that effort should be intensified to ensure that the dualization of the Benin-Auchi-Lokoja highway is completed to ease the movement of goods and services as well as save lives of motorists and travellers on that ever busy road.
Oshiomole predicted that from 45 per cent which the party scored in the 2015 presidential election in the state inspite of intimidation and harassment, it was poised to record a landslide in the 2019 election.
He faulted the promise by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to privatize the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, noting that it will end up the way of the electricity sector where darkness still reigns despite the privatization.
Amaechi, a former governor of the PDP who only defected to the APC shortly before the 2015 election described his former party which he was a member for 15 years as corrupt.
For Obaseki, he was determined to garner one million vote for Buhari as he assisted the state in realizing the building of the Azura Independent Power Plant which is currently generating 250 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
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