National
21 APC Govs Storm Kaduna, Urges Buhari To Reject Atiku, El-Rufai, Obi’s Coalition
… Want him to stand with Tinubu, APC
Twenty one governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have met with former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna and begged him not to dump President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party that made him president ahead of 2027 elections.
Our correspondent gathered that the APC governors who met former President Buhari in his newly remodeled Kaduna residence in a closed door meeting on Monday appealed to Buhari not to support the opposition coalition been championed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governors Nasir El-Rufai, Peter Obi, among others.
One of the sources explained that, “ The meeting of APC governors was basically to plead and beg former President Muhammadu Buhari to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. You know opposition coalition is gathering momentum and many of former President Buhari’s allies are heading to the coalition to challenge Tinubu’s second term ambition”
Recall that former Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, one of Buhari’s closest ally had revealed that he got the blessing and prayers of ex- President Buhari before his defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to Social Democratic Party, SDP. Though, former President denied El-Rufai’s claim.
However, speaking with journalists after the meeting former President Buhari, the Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum and Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, has declared that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is the largest in Africa with twenty one governors.
Uzodimma, who described Buhari as father in politics said, “We came to pay former president Muhammadu Buhari a courtesy visit. You know former President Muhammadu Buhari is the only former president produced by the APC.
“We came and saw him in good health. We fraternized with him, we stayed with him and are ready to go back to our various businesses”
“We met with him and he is well pleased with our party. He expressed surprise of our visit. We are happy and thankful to Almighty God because we we met in good health.He is our father in politics. He is well pleased with our party and all of us his children”
“He is well pleased with our visit. Members of our forum are pleased with him. We met him in good health. Because you know that our party APC is the largest party in Africa and is the ruling party. The only party with 21 Governors.The party is strong and we will continue to work hard so that the party will be stronger” Uzodimma said.
On his part, Kaduna state governor, Uba Sani, commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC,”We are here along other APC governors to visit former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are happy the way former President Buhari is supporting our party and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu” Sani said.
The APC governors were said to have pleaded with former President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) elements within the APC to leave the party and join coalition movement.
A source said the governors at their meeting with Buhari, appealed to him not to abandon President Tinubu.
They recalled how Tinubu supported Buhari for the eight years.
It was further learnt that the governors resolved to facility a meeting between the CPC elements and President Tinubu to assuage their concerns.
Recall that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had revealed that he cleared with Buhari before he joined the SDP.
But Buhari has since dismissed insinuations that he would dump the APC for the SDP.
By Abubakar Yunusa
Dr Yusuf John Suberu, founder of the Dr Yusuf John Suberu Foundation, has congratulated Nigeria on being honoured with the prestigious Kofi Annan Road Safety Award at a ceremony in Eswatini.
The award recognises the country’s significant progress in reducing road crashes and improving safety..
The accolade, celebrated by stakeholders across the continent, highlights Nigeria’s dedication to improving road safety standards.
Dr. Yusuf John Suberu, founder of the Dr. Yusuf John Suberu Foundation, attended the event and engaged with prominent figures, including the Ministers of Transportation from Cameroon and Eswatini, as well as Mr. John Todd, the United Nations Envoy on Road Safety.
The foundation, which focuses on poverty alleviation, education, and health, praised the Federal Government’s achievement as a milestone in fostering safer communities.
“This award reflects Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to road safety, a cause that resonates deeply with our mission to empower and uplift communities,” Dr. Suberu said in a statement.
“We commend the government and reaffirm our support for initiatives promoting sustainable development and safety.”
The Dr. Yusuf John Suberu Foundation has impacted over 5,000 individuals in the past year through its programmes and aims to train 500 youths in the Federal Capital Territory with skills for financial independence and self-employment.
The organisation views the award as a testament to the power of collective action in driving meaningful change.
The foundation expressed its eagerness to deepen collaboration with government bodies, international organisations, and local stakeholders to advance road safety and community development across Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army has appointed Lieutenant Colonel Anele Onyinyechi Appolonia as the Acting Director, Army Public Relations — the first woman to hold the position.
Anele, a member of Direct Regular Course 15 and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), takes over from Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, who has been posted to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre. Her appointment takes effect from April 22, 2025.
Before this elevation, Lt. Col. Anele completed a six-month strategic course at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre and was subsequently posted to the Department of Civil-Military Relations.
She has previously served as Public Relations Officer in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff. Until her new role, she was with the Department of Civil-Military Relations.
Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele
Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, Mr Taiwo Oyedele
The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has said the Tax Reform Bill would curb poverty and empower ordinary Nigerians.
Oyedele made this known at the Spokespersons’ Summit, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja.
He expressed strong optimism about the sweeping changes the bill would bring, especially for the low-income earners and small businesses across the country.
The chairman said that key highlights of the reform included the exemption of low-income earners from paying the Personal Income Tax (PAYE) and the removal of VAT from basic essentials such as food, education, and healthcare.
Oyedele added that it included a zero per cent Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate for small businesses, adding that the bill had great benefits, especially for the masses, although it was welcomed with misconceptions and attacks.
He said, “This is because the issues of tax and taxation are not the most attractive to the ordinary persons because it is hard to part with your money.
“It is even harder when you part with your money and you cannot tell what exactly government is using it for that benefits you.”
Oyedele said the approach for the reform was to try and understand what the issues were and where the problems were coming from.
He added, “Then we will use data to engage with the people and design a solution for Nigeria that is made by Nigerians for the Nigerian people.
“That is exactly what we have done with the tax reform bill which is now nearing passage for the President to sign.”
According to Oyedele, the government is positive that as soon as implementation begins, Nigerians will see the real positive impact on their day-to-day living including low income earners being exempted from taxes.
“This is because, we want Nigerians to be able to create wealth and become successful, when they make it big time, then they will pay taxes, not the other way round.
“So, we believe that this message is resonating with the Nigerian people, it is still a long way to go but we are happy to continue with the journey,” he said.
Oyedele commended NIPR for putting the summit together and for discussing issues of government policies for the clearer understanding of Nigerians.
The President and Chairman of Council, NIPR, Dr Ike Neliaku, said the communication ecosystem should always be considered when formulating any government policy.
Neliaku said this was because the communicators have the gift of communicating even the most difficult policies to the people.
He added that they would look at such policies and guide strategic communication, adding, “which is the when,what,how where which it answers all those questions.
“So, when you say this is what we want to do,how best should we do it?it is the work of the experts and not quacks, those trained to come up with the strategies to communicate that.
“The tax reform is what this nation needs at this point but it was essentially misunderstood because of the way it was introduced and the mischief makers took advantage of that to do what they want.”
Neliaku said that was why NIPR and its partners in the communication ecosystem had promised to work with the government to develop a tax communication framework.
He said that it was also being done in the areas of climate action, Science communication and across many sectors to communicate reforms so that the child is not killed even before it is birthed.
He encouraged spokespersons to acquire knowledge, understand trends and issues in order to be effective and to speak well and informed.
Dr Nkechi Ali-Balogu, a Fellow of NIPR, said that there was need to view taxation with the gender lens, adding that there was need to make exemptions for women.
Ali-Balogun said that most women were bread winners these days as well as single mothers should enjoy tax exemption to empower them to provide for their families.
She commended NIPR for organising the summit, adding that it had broadened her horizon on national issues.(NAN)