President Muhammadu Buhari will today leave Abuja for Washington DC to join President Barack Obama and other world leaders and heads of international organisations at the fourth nuclear security summit which opens there tomorrow.

While in Washington DC for the summit, the President and his delegation, which includes Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi State, his Kwara State counterpart, Abdulfatah Ahmed; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Director-General of Nigeria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA), Prof. Lawrence Anikwe Dim, would also hold bilateral meetings with other participating Heads of Government and high-ranking United States government officials.

A statement yesterday by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, indicated that at the plenary session of the summit, which is dedicated to reinforcing international commitment to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, Buhari would insist that while Nigeria would continue to sustain that commitment, world powers must respect the right of other countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy for development purposes.

President Buhari is expected back in Abuja on Sunday.

In another development, President Buhari has admonished the South Sudanese government to invest more in agriculture and not to be solely dependent on oil revenues to grow the nation’s economy.

Receiving the out-going South Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Makuet Riak, at the State House in Abuja, Buhari said South Sudan could avoid the mistake made by Nigeria in her over-reliance on oil revenue.

The President said: “Investing in sustainable agriculture is one of the best ways to provide jobs for the people and keep the nation productive. Food security is important to any country and that is what we are trying to achieve here, years after we ‘threw away’ agriculture for oil.”

He also praised the excellent relations between Nigeria and South Sudan and re-affirmed his commitment to strengthening the existing bilateral ties.

In his remarks, Riak said South Sudan was blessed with fertile land and would welcome more investments from Nigerian companies.

President Muhammadu Buhari has attributed the triumph of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general election to the vision of a National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Buhari said this in a recorded tribute which was presented at the 8th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held to commemorate the 64th birthday of Tinubu.

The President said the former governor of Lagos State was the brains behind the merger of Nigeria’s main opposition parties in 2013, stating that without Tinubu’s vision and intelligence, the party would not have been formed and the APC would not be in power today.

Buhari stated, “If Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not participate, there wouldn’t have been a merger and there wouldn’t have been an APC government at the centre. That is absolutely clear.

“He should thank God that he has gone through so much and has remained relevant, that he is healthy and young.”

Earlier in his address, the President had contended that Tinubu remained one of the most important figures in Nigeria at the moment.

Buhari added, “There are very few patriots, alive or departed, who can match the commitment, resilience and creativity that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has, over the past few decades, demonstrated in organising Nigeria’s public life for good.

“As he adds another year today, my best wishes and prayers go out to a man who deserves a lot of commendation for what he continues to stand for.”

The President’s address, which centred on the theme: ‘Agriculture: Action, Work, Revolution’, highlighted the several opportunities which abound in the agricultural sector.

According to him, it is unfortunate that Nigeria is importing food when it should be exporting.

Buhari said, “Nearly all our crop-based farming activities are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, and this makes our agricultural productivity entirely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

“In the past few years, on the average, we have spent in excess of $11bn annually importing wheat, rice, sugar and fish. We need not, and indeed we cannot afford to continue on this trajectory.

“Agriculture is the key to our economic growth and social investment policies. Our administration’s key strategy is to ensure that Nigeria becomes self- sufficient in the foods that we consume the most.

“Maize, rice, corn, millets, fruits, poultry products and their derivatives can all be produced at home if we put our hearts into it. Our policy is simple: We will produce what we eat! It is not only logical, it is necessary.”

In his tribute, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, recalled the role Tinubu played in bringing aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party’s governors into the APC after the crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

Amaechi said Tinubu convinced the members of the APC to allow the New PDP members to join its fold at the time.

“He was able to gather the leadership of the political class together. He was key; more than gathering the public because once you gather the leadership of the political class and ensure that there is unity of purpose, they could share to the public jointly this change mantra.

“We in the New PDP were in constant contact with him and we virtually negotiated through him. By the time the President (Buhari) and others got involved, we had gone far with Asiwaju. He played a key role.”

Also speaking in the tribute video, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, described Tinubu as a visionary, noting that the ex-governor of Lagos was dependable and loyal.

Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said, “It was people like Tinubu that insisted that this country could not afford another four years of that kind of thing (past administration) and basically laid down their lives, laid down their resources and gave their all to ensure that change happened.

“He is extremely loyal and that is how you know your friends. It doesn’t matter where you are or what happens to you, you can always be sure that Asiwaju will be there.”

Tinubu, while speaking at the event, recalled that the 2015 presidential election coincided with his birthday.

He said Buhari’s victory at the polls was his biggest birthday gift yet.

The ex-governor described the PDP-led Federal Government from 1999 to 2015 as a deceptive one.

The APC leader recalled that the PDP government claimed that it had established a Nigerian Commodity Exchange to provide a practical solution to a number of challenges that have adversely affected the growth and development of the Nigerian agricultural sector, contending that the initiative was a sham.

He thanked guest speaker and Ethiopian agric expert, Dr. Eleni Gabre-Madhin, for exposing the dubiousness of the PDP-led Federal Government.

Tinubu said, “We have had a series of promises in the last 50 years and particularly in the last 16 years. I remember the article I wrote after the presentation of the book, Financialism: Fetching the water from a dry well’. It was about this commodity exchange.

“The deceptive government at that time announced immediately that same week that commodity exchange had been established. It took an Ethiopian to discover its lies, but thank God, we are taking it more seriously now.

“I salute the President and the entire cabinet that Nigeria is being redirected. There is no option for us but to revalidate our faith in our country and take the hard decision now. Our renaissance must come from within. We have the land, the mind, the capacity and the ability.”

The All Progressives Congress has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his shuttle diplomacy aimed at forging a stronger regional front against the Boko Haram insurgency. APC said the President should be praised rather than condemned for his efforts. The party position was contained in a statement in Abuja on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. It said, ”Boko Haram, which started off as a Nigerian problem, has now assumed a regional dimension, affecting many countries in West Africa. Therefore, any solution to the crisis, if it is to endure, must be regional in nature, with Nigeria taking the lead.” APC noted that since terrorism had assumed a global dimension, no nation, not even the United States, could fight the growing menace alone. ”This is why even in our days in opposition, we advocated a regional solution to the crisis,” it added. The party said Buhari’s trip to Niger and Chad, two of the countries worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, “showed that he understands the regional dimension that the insurgency has assumed, and that for any effort by Nigeria to yield positive results, it must seek the cooperation of its neighbouring countries”. APC urged the President not to relent in his efforts to forge a regional front against the terrorists, despite the “misguided criticism” emanating from certain quarters. It stated, ”It is baffling that some opposition politicians wanted Nigeria to go it alone against Boko Haram, even as the terrorist group has taken its battle beyond the shores of Nigeria, to such countries as Cameroon, Chad and Niger. “It is common knowledge that the terrorists use these countries as launch pads for their attacks against Nigeria, and vice versa, and that they routinely engage in cross-boundary raids. ”It is common knowledge that Boko Haram’s tentacles have spread as far as Mali, the home base of the Movement for the Unity and Jihad in West Africa, a splinter group of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. It is no longer a secret that Boko Haram has now affiliated itself to the Islamic State, seeing itself as the West African chapter of the terror group. “How then can Nigeria effectively deal with Boko Haram without seeking the assistance of other concerned countries?” The party reminded the critics of the President’s trips to Chad and Niger that even the US sought and had continued to seek a global coalition against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, despite the country’s enormous military, economic and political powers. APC said it was particularly delighted that Buhari had continued to insist that the Nigerian Army was capable of leading the fight against Boko Haram. “Meaning that while there is nothing wrong in seeking the cooperation of Nigeria’s neighbours, the country has no business hiring mercenaries to lead the battle,” it added.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution but failed to make the contents public.

The head of Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, said the President and the Vice President submitted their assets declaration forms separately on Thursday.

Shehu added that the CCB, through its Chairman, Sam Saba, on Friday acknowledged the receipt of the forms.

He gave Buhari’s declaration identity number as “President: 000001/2015.”

Shehu, however, did not disclose the contents of the assets declaration forms.

“By declaring their assets, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo may have not only fulfilled the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, but also fulfilled the first of their many campaign promises.

“While seeking election into the highest office in the land, the President had promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets as soon as he took over government,” he wrote.

The Nigerian Constitution states in Chapter VI Section 140 that a person elected to the Office of the President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.

Though the president’s aide believes the declaration was in fulfillment of Buhari’s campaign promises, analysts claim the President has not done anything spectacular because the contents were not made public.

In February this year, while campaigning Buhari had said that he would publicly declare his assets and liabilities, if voted into power.

Buhari stated this in a document. The document highlighted what Buhari would do in his first 100 days if he assumed power on May 29.

He said he would encourage political appointees in his administration to also declare their assets publicly.

Had the new president kept to his words he will be the country’s second president to publicly declare his assets.

Reacting to the news of the asset declaration by Buhari and Osinbajo to the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the PDP was not ready to engage the All Progressives Congress-led government on asset declaration by the two most important persons in the country or any other issue.

Metuh said, “No comment for now. These are early days. At the moment, we wish them well.”

The late President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, also from Katsina State as Buhari, was the first and the only Nigeria’s President to have publicly declared his assets when he assumed office.

This action forced his then deputy, Jonathan, to also make his assets declaration forms available to the public.

However, since he assumed office as the substantive President, Jonathan had refused to make the forms available to the public, saying that he did that when he was serving as deputy to Yar’Adua.

But Buhari, in the document titled, ‘I pledge to Nigeria’ had also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

He said, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment. All political appointees will only earn the salaries and allowances determined by the RMFAC. I pledge, as Commander-in-Chief, to lead from the front and not behind in the comfort and security of Aso Rock, to boost the morale of fighting forces and the generality of all Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, about 48hours after they took their oaths of office, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have yet to move into the Presidential Villa, Abuja, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

Investigation by our correspondent on Saturday showed that the duo only attended the events held in the Villa on Friday and returned to town.

While Buhari was suspected to have returned to the Defence House, the official residence of the President-elect, which he started using shortly after he won the March 28 presidential election, Osinbajo might have returned to his private residence.

Immediately after they were inaugurated as President and Vice President at the Eagle Square on Friday, Buhari and Osinbajo moved to the Presidential Villa for a state luncheon organised in honour of world leaders who attended the inauguration.

They left and later returned in the evening for the inauguration gala night held inside the villa’s old Banquet Hall.

“The President and the Vice President have yet to move into the State House. I learnt that the President returned to Defence House on Friday,” a source said.

Chairman Silverbird Group and Bayelsa state senator-elect Mr. Ben Murray Bruce poke on issues relating to accountability and transparency in government. He said....

I have not criticised any government. I have not criticised APC. I have not criticised PDP. I have not criticised Goodluck Jonathan, neither have I criticised Muhammadu Buhari. I have raised good government issues and policy issues.

These are issues that I have raised all my life. Maybe these people on social media have just discovered Ben Bruce but, go and check the speeches I made two years ago, three years ago, twenty years ago, even in front of President Goodluck Jonathan to ascertain whether they are different from what I am saying now; maybe they just discovered me. Go on youtube and see my speeches.

The level of poverty and unemployment is devastating. We need to focus on laws that protect the poor. What is the biggest problem in Nigeria today? It is consumption versus production. Our leaders are guilty of consuming the resources of the majority. What do we have for the poor – the millions of people living on two dollars a day? And then you have governors in large convoys, commissioners driving N20m cars, flying first class in states that cannot pay salaries. The governors fly private jets. Commissioners live like kings. If three policemen guard a commissioner, how many policemen do we have in Nigeria? Less than 200,000. So who is policing the poor when they are being raped, maimed and killed, their goods stolen?

In Bayelsa, sea pirates steal from boats. They steal N200, N500, fishing nets; they attack people and rape their women. There is poverty and frustration everywhere in the land. And then people we voted into offices are living like lords. Does that make sense? Is it legal? Is it ethical? Is it moral? Can you justify that consumption behaviour because they voted you into office? In most states, the only employer of labour is government, the rest are jobless.

Some government officials will wake up one morning like monarchs and dash money to the people on the street because they see them as beggars. You turn your people to beggars and you get scared that they could kill you. Why won’t you live in fear? What if you consume less and distribute what you have to the rest of the people so that they can be happy and you can live in peace?

It is a class war between the rich and the poor. I have said it for 35 years and I am saying it again because it is worse today.  Boko Haram in the North, militancy in the South-South, kidnapping in the South-West and South East; raping, paedophile, maiming and stealing everywhere, what does that tell you? We have a problem in our hands and everybody must be held accountable.

President Buhari, who I like, is leading by example. He is a simple man and, because he is a simple man, I expect him to appoint people who will live simple lifestyle, people that will not consume the resources of the people. As lawmakers, we will checkmate their lifestyle. I will remind every minister and appointee of the need to live moderate life.

I am fighting against the corrupt elite. I am 59 and you only live once. The worst they can do to me is to take me out, so what? When the corrupt elite see me, let them know I am fighting them. When they drink that bottle of champagne that can educate a child, let them know I am fighting them. When they fly first class with tax payers money, let them know I am fighting them. Let them know that I am totally against their lifestyle because it is destroying the economy. We are broke, the elite deserve to be fought and they should be ashamed of themselves going by the way they live.

You go into government and fly first class but in your private life, you fly economy. You go into government, one man carries your phone, another opens the door of your car, another carries your bag, another reads the newspapers to you and you have ten policemen protecting you, what for? Were you born to the world as a king and everyone of us must worship you? They should apologise to Nigerians for looting the treasury and destroying the economy.

We don’t have distribution of wealth in Nigeria but the apportioning of wealth by the small minority and nothing else for the poor majority. There is no wealth distribution and that is why we don’t have the middle class. There are the poor and the champagne drinking super rich.

Outgoing Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday took a critical assessment of his administration in the last four years and returned a verdict that he had done his best for the country. He said his administration had impacted positively on key aspects of national life for the benefit of the citizens. Jonathan said this in his remarks shortly before presenting his handover notes to the incoming President, Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The event, which was held inside the Council Chambers and witnessed by the All Progressives Congress’ chiefs, took place shortly after Jonathan conducted Buhari round the seat of power. Vice President Namadi Sambo had also similarly conducted the Vice President-elect, Yemi Osinbajo, round his wing of the villa. Jonathan presented an executive summary of his handover notes and a copy of the report of the National Conference to Buhari. He expressed the hope that the notes would give the incoming administration an idea of his administration’s mission statement and the commitment of his government for the past five years. He however said the report of the National Conference was more important to him than the handover notes because it was compiled by Nigerians. He said if the report was implemented, most of the grey areas of national development would be resolved. Jonathan said, “There is another document that I will hand over to you. To me, this is more important than the handover notes. The handover notes are the activities of an administration, they show where we started, where we are going; in some of the cases you will follow, in other cases you may take other angle. “But this is a document that was compiled by Nigerians, the report of the National Conference 2014. We gathered almost 500 Nigerians from all walks of life, they were not influenced by government in any way. “Most of the recommendations here, if they are followed, most of the grey areas even in our politics will be smoothened out. “Most of the areas where people complain bitterly: corruption and others, this document deals with them. Some people here were members of that great body of about 500 eggheads. “We were unable to implement the report because of the shortness of time. We have sent a copy to the National Assembly but it is a document that we are very hopeful your government will look into and give it the attention it requires.” In assessing his administration’s performance, Jonathan said he had impacted positively on national life. While admitting that challenges still abound, he expressed the conviction that they were surmountable. He said as he handed over the reins of government, he believed that the nation is secure with its democracy stable and a bright future. He added, “Our administration has done its best to intervene robustly and impact positively on key aspects of our national life. “There is no doubt that challenges still abound, but they are surmountable and overwhelming national transformation remains realisable with continuity, commitment and consistency. “Nigeria is blessed with citizens that will always remain faithful, firmly committed to national unity, accelerated political, social and economic development. “As we hand over the reins of government, I believe that our nation is secure, our democracy is stable and the future is bright. “Let us work together and with greater resolve, continue to build a stronger and more prosperous nation.” He had earlier listed his administration’s achievements to include the success recorded against Boko Haram lately, the eradication of the Ebola Virus Disease, improved revenue mobilisation, agriculture, power sector privatisation, massive road construction, railways and aviation, anti-corruption fight, education, sports and foreign policy. Jonathan recalled that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System introduced by his administration had succeeded in weeding out 60,450 ghost workers in 359 out of 425 Ministries, Departments and Agencies. He said the exercise had yielded N185.4bn in savings to the Federal Government. Buhari, in his short remarks, said he would not be able to make any strong statement until after reading and digesting the handover notes. He however commended Jonathan for conceding defeat in the March 28 presidential election, saying his decision changed the course of Nigeria’s political history. He said the President could have made things difficult if he had wanted to do so. He expressed delight that rather than taking any action that would be at the expense of the lives of Nigerians, Jonathan took the path of honour. Buhari said, “What I will say is that since the telephone call you made (to me), you have changed the course of Nigeria’s political history. “For that, you have earned yourself a place in our history, for stabilising this system of multi-party democracy system and you have earned the respect of not only Nigerians but world leaders. “All the leaders that spoke to me and congratulated us for arriving at the point we arrived, mentioned this and I could understand a lot of relief in their voices that Nigeria has made it after all and this is largely owed to a situation. “If you had attempted to make things difficult, you could have made things difficult and that would have been at the expense of the lives of poor Nigerians; but you chose the path of honour and may God help all of us. Thank you very much, Your Excellency.”

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday night met behind closed doors with the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.

The meeting was held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

That was the third time the two leaders would be meeting after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Buhari winner of the March 28 presidential election.

The Wednesday meeting, just like the first one they had on a public holiday (Good Friday), was described as “private” and so it was not opened to journalists.

Buhari was said to have arrived for the meeting in a convoy of about four cars at about 9pm.

The meeting was said to have lasted less than 30 minutes.

Although there was no official communication on the meeting, it might not be unconnected with the ongoing transition programmes and preparation for Buhari’s inauguration on May 29.

At the end of their second meeting, Jonathan had told State House correspondents that a date would be picked during which he would conduct Buhari round the Presidential Villa before his inauguration day.

When contacted, the Director of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Garba Shehu, said although he heard there was a meeting, he could not confirm it.

He said, “I heard there was a meeting but I have no idea where or when it held or what was discussed.”

However, it was learnt that the little or no progress being made by the transition committees they both set up might be the major agenda of the meeting.

It will be recalled that the President’s Political Adviser, Prof. Rufai Alkali, had in a statement he issued in Abuja, on Wednesday told the APC that it could not stampede Jonathan out of office.

He accused the APC of failing to set up its transition committee long after the President had constituted his own.

In response, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the presidential adviser of being economical with the truth.

This, he said, was because the President’s transition team had been stalling and refusing to meet with that of the president-elect.

Before now, both parties have accused one another at some point, but nothing sits more than to hear from the horse’s mouth which is why www.iamchangeng.org, an NGO which believes in empowering disenfranchised Nigerians and financially supporting youth growth and development took time out to speak to the General before the general elections on youth empowerment, insurgency, security and more. Malama Hafsatu Shinkafi, Founder of I am change got a rare one on one with the General and this is what he had to say: