Jonathan urges Muslims at Eid-el-Maulud to pray for peaceful elections

President Goodluck Jonathan has felicitated with all Nigerians of the Islamic faith as they commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammed today.

‎The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati‎, in a statement said President Jonathan urged them to offer special Jumat prayers for successful and peaceful elections in Nigeria next month.

The President reassured Muslims and all other Nigerians that the Federal Government will do all within its powers to ensure that the General Elections in February are free, fair, credible and violence-free.

He expressed the believes that this is essential to guarantee that Nigeria remains politically stable and continues on a steady path to the fulfillment of its peoples’ collective vision of a strong, united and prosperous nation.

The President also called on all adherents of Islam in the country to seize the opportunity of the New Year and Eid-el-Maulud holidays to reflect deeply on the need for a greater application of the Prophet Mohammed’s teachings of piety, charity, tolerance, justice and peaceful co-existence with others in the collective effort to overcome current national challenges.

The President assured the Islamic faithful and other Nigerians that his administration will continue to be guided by the ideals of fairness, equity and justice for all in its leadership of the country and that on his watch as President, no Nigerian will ever be discriminated against on the basis of religion, ethnicity or social standing.

He reaffirmed his personal commitment to working diligently and tirelessly to ensure the successful implementation of the Federal Government’s agenda for national transformation and urges Muslims and all other Nigerians to support the continuation of the present administration’s efforts to build a better nation.

He wished Nigerian Muslims a happy and peaceful Eid-El- Maulud.

Boko Haram: Kalu commends Armed Forces, Police

Eminent businessman and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has applauded the Nigerian armed forces, police and other security agencies for their patriotic efforts in curbing insurgency facing the nation.

He explained that the military and police remain a great asset in ensuring internal peace and security.

Kalu made the remarks on Thursday at a meeting with a group of Nigerian professionals based in London .

He said::”Boko Haram is a collective challenge and we must bury our political, ethnic and religious differences to overcome the menace. For Nigeria to be great, all hands must be on deck to ensure the indivisibility of the country is not jeopardized. I personally salute the noble role our security operatives had been playing in fighting terrorism.

According to the former governor, the efforts of the international stakeholders are commendable. However, we still count on the support of advanced countries like United States of America, England and China among others in the provision of equipment. The weapons being used by terrorists in Nigeria are more sophisticated than those of the Nigerian military.

Kalu who advocated exchange programmes in capacity building between Nigeria and advanced countries explained that in order to have an edge above terrorists, the Nigerian armed forces and police need to update their knowledge on intelligence .

The former governor while acknowledging federal government’s efforts in fighting terrorism, called on policy makers to increase budgetary allocation to the armed forces and police for improved welfare.

Wada Signs N129bn Kogi State 2014 Budget

The Kogi state governor, Captain Idris Wada has assented to this year budget just as he said that the state will now go into massive projects across the state.

Governor Wada while signing the budget commended the Sate House of Assembly for the quick passage of the budget as he solicited the continued co-operation between the executive and the legislative arms of government in the state.

The governor stressed that such unity will boost the development of the state adding that with the signing of the budget, the state will now go into massive project execution in order to improve upon the living standard of the people of the state.

The Speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Momoh  Jimoh Lawal while presenting three copies of the budgets for Governor Wada’s assent, re-affirmed the commitment of the Legislative arm to join hands with the executive body in its efforts to move the state to the next level.