President Muhammadu Buhari will visit Sambisa Forest on Monday, March 27, to declare open the Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship (NASAC) 2017. Prior to the takeover of Smbisa by the Army in December 2016, the forest served as training ground for the Boko Haram terrorist sect. The military declared Sambisa Forest as a proposed site for military institution, building roads into it and kick-starting with the hosting of the annual NASAC competition. Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, March 24, in Maiduguri, the chief of training and operations in the Army, Major General David Amadu said the NASAC championship would be formally declared open by the President on Monday. He said the event which will end on Friday, March 31 has lined up a chain of activities which would include medical outreach to Bama, Konduga, and Magumeri IDPs camps, educational training for Army Education Corps in Maiduguri, security awareness meetings with the traditional rulers and distribution of relief materials to IDPs within Maiduguri and surrounding towns.



The Army chief added that the championship was aimed at testing and shaping the intelligence and professional capacity of the Nigerian Army officers and soldiers as well as equipment. He noted that President Buhari would be accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Mansur Ali and Service Chiefs, Chief of Defense Staff, General Gabriel Olanisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Sadique and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Obet Ebas.

Before the 2015 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari was touted as the messiah that will fix all Nigeria’s problems. He was repackaged and presented to Nigerians as the best invention since sliced bread. Fast-forward to 2016 – Nigerians who voted for Buhari are now reawakening from the spell cast over them during the elections.

There is widespread poverty in the land and the middle class may soon become extinct. As at June 2016, the President’s approval rating stood at 39 percent as against a very high rating of 80 per cent in October 2015. People want to see the President work for them. Here are 5 things President Buhari can do to endear himself to Nigerians one more time:

1. Cabinet reshuffle The President’s cabinet is filled with professional politicians and not technocrats as expected; a little shake-up will really boost the President’s image. A lot of Nigerians will be happy to see him sack Minister of science and technology, minister of Agric, Minister of finance, Minister of interior, minister of education and his spokespersons. The President also needs to move a few others to ministries best suited for their skillset.

 2. Visit the South-South and South East Before the election, the President stunned Nigerians by dressing up in clothes depicting different Nigerian cultures. He did his best to show Nigerians that he wanted to be President of Nigeria and not President of his region. Today, the story is different. ‘’King of the North’’ – that is now one of President Buhari’s nickname. Some will argue that he is more sectional than any other President Nigeria ever had. What better way to shut up critics than to pay a visit to the South-South and South-East?

 3. Commence distribution of N5,000 cash Poor Nigerians expected Buhari to make their lives better but today they’re suffering the most. Parents now exchange their kids for bags of rice and cartons of noodles – the country is experiencing a technical recession. A lot of jobs have been lost and no new ones created. Nigerians all over are waiting to see President Buhari’s magic move that will end their sufferings. What move can be more magical than distributing free money that was promised during the elections? . Distribution of N5,000 to poor and vulnerable Nigerians may not solve every problem but it will sure help President Buhari regain the support of millions of Nigerians.

4. Focus on doing good rather than looking good The Buhari administration has become one that is bent on looking good rather than doing good. We see more photos of the President doing mundane everyday things than we hear him speak. Nigerians want to see the President flag off new projects, they want to hear him roll out new policies and not pose for photos with newspapers.

 5. Stop talking about the past ‘’Shut up and face front’’- is what President Buhari badly needs to hear from his advisers. Over one year into his term as President, Buhari is still talking about the previous administration. He has even managed to talk about the military coup that removed him from office in 1985. So far, Buhari has shown more interest in Nigeria’s past than her future. Young Nigerians do not want to hear the President talk about ‘what was’, they want to hear him talk about ‘what will be’.

Na him waka pass na.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday afternoon had telephone conversations withmembers of Nigeria’s U-17 team ahead of their World Cup final on Sunday, Vanguard report. The Golden Eaglets, coached by Emmanuel Amuneke, will play against Mali in the final in Chile, hoping to make it a record 5th win after victories in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013. Buhari spoke with each member of the team, charging them to repeat the feat of 30 years when Nigeria became the first African country to win a FIFA tournament.

Buhari, who was military head of state at the time, charged the team to “do it again” because it will encourage Nigerians, particularly the youths. Sani Abacha, the former head of state, started the tradition of telephone chat with the national team in 1994 ahead of the Africa Cup ofNations final in Tunisia, which Nigeria won. But Buhari’s conversation was not televised, unlike in the past.

The new financial cash policy of President Mohammed Buhari prompted the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to inform all players to open an account with Nigerian banks to receive their bonuses. “We have been asked to open foreign currency accounts with a bank where our bonuses will now be paid,” a player informed AfricanFootball.com This new development will take effect from next month’s World Cup qualifier against Djibouti or Swaziland. The direction is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s new financial policy as it concerns foreign currencies. Before now, the Eagles and other national teams were paid their bonuses in cash. Former Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, flew to Brazil last year during the World Cup with over $3million, to pay the team appearance bonuses.

Press statement from the Presidency…. President Muhammadu Buhari extends his best wishes for a triumphant outing to the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria who are in Chile to participate in this year’s under-17 FIFA World Cup Tournament. As the tournament opens today, President Buhari urges the Golden Eaglets to do their utmost best to match the outstanding performance of their victorious predecessors who have won the competition four times including the inaugural edition in 1985 and the last tournament in 2013. 

 The President assures the Golden Eaglets and their handlers of the full support of the Federal Government and all Nigerians as they strive to bring more sporting glory to their fatherland by outplaying all their opponents in Chile and winning the Under-17 World Cup for a record fifth time. President Buhari will follow the team’s progress through the tournament in Chile with keen interest and high expectation in the belief that the boys have the skills, dedication and determination required to make Nigeria world champions at the youth level once again. 

He calls on the players to stay focused, avoid all distractions and put their globally acknowledged skills, ability and doggedness on display against the USA tomorrow, Chile on October 20, Croatia on October 23 and in all their subsequent matches to win the tournament and give millions of soccer-loving Nigerians the perfect end-of-the-year gift. 

Garba Shehu SSA to the President (Media & Publicity) October 16, 2015

October 1st is a day for joy and celebrations for us Nigerians, whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago; we liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism

We often use benchmarks as measures of progress. ‘How is your favourite football team doing at the beginning of this season?’ ‘How many words does your one-year-old son say in a minute?’ And, of course, there’s the time-honoured measure of how well a new president is doing after 100 days in office. In case you hadn’t heard, that benchmark is here for President Buhari. You may feel it’s a little impertinent for me to issue a report card for President Buhari on his performance during his first 100 days in office. Yes, I’m not his teacher, and he’s not my student. But what the heck? It’s a free country and everyone else is doing it. So here it goes:

Confidence:- Buhari has brought back confidence in governance. Especially in tough times, the confident presence of a leader begets confidence in those that he or she leads. With his steady demeanour, optimistic outlook and command, Buhari embodies confidence. The number of incompetent heads of parastatals he has sacked so far reflects that sentiment. The percentage of Nigerians who think the country is on the right track is up. Grade: A1

 Pace of Governance:– When the pressure is high, leaders need perspective. They need swift action. Buhari is working on so many things all by himself that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all of them. He has too much on his plate. He should get into perspective and allow others do the job where he can’t. It won’t be a surprise to discover that the president is in charge of his travel itinerary, meeting schedule and other range of issues on his plate. He runs the risk of edging toward a burn out. Well, some argue that the president is keeping a pace that works for him. Grade: F9

Communications:– Effective leadership communication is outcome oriented and audience specific. President Buhari is clearly not an articulate communicator and he doesn’t do enough to shape his message to the audience. Hearing Mr. President pronounce APC leaves you lost and wondering if you heard him correctly. Maybe his media aides should have used this as an excuse to exonerate him from the hundred things he promised to have achieved before his first 100 days in office that has now capped him as a liar. Buhari’s tone of voice usually stays within a fairly narrow range. He could do better here. Grade: F9

Team Player: – There are two major factors on this distinction. The first is to get a great team in place. The second is to get your ego out of the way and allow the team to do their job. Buhari has stumbled here and most people will agree that his failure to appoint ministers in his first 100 days in office has been a setback to governance. Whether you agree with me or not, Buhari can’t be president and ministers all by himself. We need competent hands to man the various ministries. You cannot achieve a lot in three and half months without the support of a team. Good leaders are the keepers of the what, not the masters of the how. Assembling a strong team also helps in establishing an agenda. Buhari needs to realise that he’ll likely never have more momentum than he has now if he doesn’t put a team on the ground. Grade: F9

 Accountability and Responsibility: President Buhari has done fairly well with the campaign for government officials to be held accountable for their actions or inactions. He has brought a sense of transparency and has taken some interesting first steps in promoting government accountability. I think this is an area where there is a lot more to do however. For instant, there hasn’t really been a clear explanation yet as to how he is going to tackle corruption and how the country will avoid being ripped apart by government officials in the years to come. Grade: C

Economy: – This has so far been one of the president’s worst subjects. He may be making a grave mistake focusing all his attention on recouping looted funds instead of providing the basic needs of the people. Never in history has this approach successfully led a country out of recession. This might lead to an unhappy ending, and more inflation. The continuous drop of the nation’s currency is stark reminder that we are still in the worst slump in 50 years. Grade: F9

National Security:- Nigerians are still not experiencing any sense of security. People are dying and getting maimed everyday on the streets by hoodlums and touts. Boko Haram insurgents are still using the yet to be found Chibok girls for their bombings. Armed robbers are having a field day carting away properties. The country is still not safe. Grade: F9