*Ohanaeze rejects Osinbanjo Ca��tttee
*Demands prosecution of killers
By Chesa Chesa (Abuja) and Maurice Okafor (Enugu)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja assured Nigerians that the wave of killings by suspected armed herdsmen would soon be over. He said that his administration had taken adequate security measures to ensure the safety of all Nigerians.
The President also declared that he remained resolute and focused on delivering on the three-pronged promises of securing the life and property of Nigerians, halting the pillage of the economy by corrupt public officials, and creating employment opportunities for the youths.
Buhari spoke on Monday when he received the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) at the State House, Abuja.
The President told his audience that the rising attacks on communities by herdsmen would soon be brought under control by security forces deployed in the vulnerable areas across the country.
He noted that the unfortunate incident of attacks, which had resulted in the loss of life and property, had already brought sorrow and hardship on many Nigerians, with the government deeply affected.
Buhari said that the initial economic challenge posed by recession was dwindling, with the economy smarting out and posting better results on falling inflation rates, higher foreign reserve and better ranking on ease of doing business.
a�?If you look critically into the 2018 budget, we have already taken into account key issues of more stable electricity, construction of roads and rails, and the airport concession,a�? he said.
The President said that the government will work more to accelerate and increase momentum in agriculture, power, gas, manufacturing and processing, while commending the Chinese government for its support in improving infrastructure in Nigeria.
a�?We send our gratitude to the Chinese government for all their support to Nigeria. Since Independence, no country has helped our country on infrastructural development like the Chinese.
“In some projects, the Chinese help us with 85 per cent payment, and soft loan that span 20 years. No country has done that for us,a��a�� he stressed.
Buhari maintained that the government would continue to strengthen its relationship with the NESG, especially in integrating its recommendations into policies that will improve the livelihood of all Nigerians.
In his remark, Chairman of the NESG Board of Directors, Kyari Abba Bukar, commended the government for the a�?pragmatic approacha��a�� in engaging with citizens of Niger Delta region which had translated into steady rise in oil production.
a�?Your Excellency, we salute your courage in providing support to the states that have had fiscal challenges. We recognise that without the intervention of the Presidency, many state governments would have been unable to pay salaries last year,a��a�� he said.
*Ohanaeze rejects Osibanjo Ca��ttee
Meanwhile, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has rejected the setting up of a 10-man committee on the Fulani herdsmen-farmers clashes headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Ohanaeze described it as a wrong diagnosis and panacea to a a�?deadly ailmenta�?.
ln a press statement issued by Mr. Emeka Atammah, the special assistant on media to the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, the apex Igbo body wondered how the Federal Government could set up a committee to reconcile murderers with the murdered.
Nwodo argued that pronouncements by the leadership of Miyetti Allah were evidence that they were culpable for the carnage across the country and wondered why they were not arrested and prosecuted, instead of setting up a committee.
He said that the invaders who violated a law enacted by a state in the country should face prosecution instead of the a�?condescending and patronising stance of the Federal Governmenta�?.
Nwodo stated that governmenta��s refusal to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the heinous crimes was suggestive of its complicity and bias on the matter.
According to him, a�?the setting up of the committee was a violation of the law courts where such cases of murder should rightly be decided, instead of turning them into mere communal clashes which further encourages the Fulani Herdsmen to continue in their despicable actsa�?.
Herdsmen attacks will end soon – Buhari
