At Defence College, Buhari Vows to Deal Decisively with Rampaging Fulani Herdsmen

SGF condemns attack in Adamawa Tobi Soniyi in Abuja and

Daji Sani in Yola

Rampaging Fulani herdsmen may be in for a tough time with President Muhammadu Buhari stating friday that his administration will no longer tolerate acts of banditry and criminality from the herdsmen.
The president stated this in his address at the graduation ceremony of Course 24 of the National Defence College, Abuja.

President Buhari informed the audience that security agencies in the country had been mandated to adequately deal with such act as it was capable of truncating the peace of the country.

Clashes between herdsmen and farmers have resulted in many casualties across the country for over one year.
The president also said that he was committed to tackling the issues of underdevelopment and neglect in the Niger Delta area.

“This is a priority we have set before us and we intend to make appreciable gains in correcting the ills of the past in the Niger Delta by assuaging inherent grievances,” he added.

He further said steps were being taken to rebuild the terror-ravaged North-east.
He said: “Let me state that this administration has been working assiduously in conjunction with our local and international partners, to rebuild damaged communities in North Eastern part of our country.”
The president also said the fight against corruption and recovery of stolen funds would continue.
According to him, billions of Naira has been recovered from individuals and organisations.

He reiterated his pact with Nigerian upon his assumption of office, saying he was still committed to securing the country, improving the economy and fighting corruption.

He said: “You will all recall that on being sworn into office on 29 May 2015, I outlined certain core areas of our national life that require immediate intervention, some of which I would like to reiterate here today. First, we should seek to secure the country, improve the economy and fight corruption. As it is, this is our unfinished business from the past and dates back to the creation of our republic, yet to this day, corruption and poverty remain our main national problems.

“As part of efforts to address the problem of corruption, we have set in motion legal processes to recover whatever we can and bring to justice those who betrayed their trust. Thus far, we have been able to recover billions of naira from indicted companies and individuals. In addition, through the implementation and enforcement of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), we have been able to save more for our nation.

“Furthermore, in our fight to end poverty in Nigeria, we have set up social interventions and reliefs for the poor, and already, data is being collated by the Economic Planning Office of the Vice President in conjunction with the World Bank.

“In addition, through our 2016 budget, we intend to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritising the welfare of Nigerians.
“We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the very poor and vulnerable Nigerians”, he said.

Buhari commended the successful graduates and urged them to employ high level of professionalism and technical competence in their career.

He said: “We know that the National Defence College is a truly unique institution, one which we believe, has empowered you with the highest levels of skills in management practices of present day administration and governance for development of our institutions.

“We are also very pleased to learn that the blueprints of training at this College have kept pace with our current security environment. In this vein, you will be pleased to note that in the last one year, through the hard work, dedication and sacrifices made by members of our armed forces and security services, we have been able to degrade significantly, the capacity of Boko Haram insurgents to wreck havoc on our society.”

The graduation ceremony featured a total of 130 officers drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy, Airforce and Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Defence College, Defence Intelligence Agency, Department of State Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Prisons Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Commission.

Seven foreign nationals were among the successful graduates.
In attendance were the Chief of Defence staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant Gen. Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibas and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar.
Adamawa Attack: SGF sympathises with Victims

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Babachir David Lawal has sympathised with victims of Fulani herdsmen’s attack on Kodomun Village, Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State on Monday.
Lawal described the attack as barbaric and inhuman and that all Nigerians needed to condemn the attack in strong terms. He appealed to Nigerians to learn how to coexist despite their differences and background.

The SGF, who was represented by the Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Policy, Analysis and Development, Alhaji Ibrahim Bepetel, during a visit to the victims of the attack at Demsa Primary School where they took refuge said the federal government was determined to find lasting solution to the lingering crises between the herdsmen and famers in the area.

An elder statesman, Mr. Remount had earlier said the attack happened as a result of gross negligence from the security agencies and the Paramount Ruler in charge of the areas.