GAMBARI SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF BUHARI FAILS!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking At Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church Kpeyegyi Abuja Nigeria {Vol. 9.NO 353. 17th May, 2020.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32). . PRAY & FAST EVERY WEDNESDAY TO STOP BLOODSHED IN NIGERIA!

GAMBARI SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF BUHARI FAILS!

President Buhari’s appointed Chief of Staff Ibrahim Gambari may not be a new Sheriff in town nor a Brigade Commander but during his maiden press interview he threw a bombshell that has caused tongues wagging in respect of where his allegiance belonged – “I will be accountable only to the President”, he unequivocally and vehemently affirmed!  It is evident that the professional globetrotter who was the Minister of External Affairs during the military tenure of Major General Buhari, (1983-1985), took a queue from his master who said during his first investiture as a democratic President, “I am for nobody and I am for everybody”! BUT, has the new CoS, an eminently qualified scholar, academic/diplomat not forgotten that if truly he is 100% loyal to the President who took the subscribed oath of Allegiance and the oath of office as prescribed in the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, he would have no choice than to serve and be accountable to “WE THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA”!

PRESENTLY, PRESIDENT BUHARI HAS HIS PLATE FULL OF SEVERAL UNFULFILLED PROMISES WHICH GAMBARI MUST ADDRESS AND ADVICE RIGHTLY VERY QUICKLY!
Beginning from 2019, the President would take 1million persons out of poverty through gainful employment.
The Agrarian/Mineral Extraction Policy to secure a more sustainable economy and surer foreign exchange earnings outside of Crude Oil was to be intensified.
Education and Health Sectors, to be given more allocations and closer attention with a view to building the Human Capital and Stronger Institutions.
Insecurity of lives and properties through a further aggressive drive to eliminate the constant threat and menace of criminals, insurgents, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, herdsmen/farmers bloody clashes, still remain a task to be fully accomplished.
Employment drive aimed at increasing the Armed Forces/Nigerian Police personnel, which had decimated and overstretched over the years is taking forever to accomplish and the morale of security operatives wane with fleeting moments!
The Labour Unions and the new National Minimum Wages which implementation began in some parts of the nation in January 2020, before global Covid-19 pandemic hit the Nigerian soil through the Lagos commercial city!
THE PERSISTENT ISOLATION/SHIELDING OF THE PRESIDENT FROM ENSURING REDRESS TO THE GENERALITY OF PEOPLE, ELECTORATE AND THE  AGGRIEVED WHO HAVE AXE TO GRIND WITH HIS PAST ADMINISTRATION AS A MILITARY HEAD OF STATE AND PRESENTLY AS A DEMOCRAT! 

GOING DOWN THE MEMORY LANE!
When he became military Head of State in December 1983, he made the following very crucial statements among several others:
When asked what gave him the greatest sorrow, Buhari said: “I honestly hate to see people suffering. Like crippled people..whose plight is not of their own making.....”
What about his future ambitions? He said: I hope by the time I leave office, I would have improved the lot of the ordinary man, the public service of Nigeria and Nigeria’s image in Africa and the world.

BUHARI COULD NOT SUCCOUR THE PEASANTS!
He could not fulfil those promises then due to a counter coup that suddenly deposed him from office within 23 months in office and now, at 78 years of age he is still unable to fulfil them! FIVE OUT OF EIGHT YEARS WITH CoS ABBA KYARI (whose tables/drawers/cabinets were filled with thousands of thousands of unattended petitions of aggrieved Nigerians who were sacked without proper Civil Service Procedure in 1983/84),IS GONE! AND NOW IN HIS REMAINING THREE YEARS WITH CoS IBRAHIM GAMBARI, WILL HE STILL REMEMBER AND REDRESS THE PETITIONERS? Time will tell!

THE PRESS IS CULPABLE IN THE UNNECESSARY ELEVATION OF A VERY OBSCURE OFFICE!
Why should so much attention be given by the Media to such a simple appointment such as that of a very personal assistant to the President?   Informed Nigerians know that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made no provision for the office of the Chief of Staff (CoS), and neither compelled mandated nor forced a prerogative on the President to appoint one – so why the hullabaloo since the demise of the erstwhile occupant? It is a fact that the back-stage office exists globally in most political administrations and could be classified as a norm or convention, but limited to giving sound advice for good governance to his principal on whose table the “BUCK STOP!

GAMBARI’S DEBUT AS CoS AND CACOPHONY OF PUBLIC REACTIONS!
Prof. Gambari, like his predecessor neither went through the legislative rigours of interview nor took any oath of office, yet he will be unconstitutionally paid and up kept at this austere time of the down-turn of the economy due to Covid-19 global pandemic with the very scarce public funds! By the way, Grapevine told us that there was so much lobbying for the vacant post that the President was so inundated that he almost got confused! It was also revealed that he did not pick the new CoS from his ethnic constituency but from the FULANI CLAN of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria!  Following the President in the order of precedence/protocol, are: Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representative, Secretary to the Government, Head of Service of Federal Government, Cabinet Ministers etc, all of who are to assist the President to achieve smooth operations according to Section 148 (1)(2 a-c) of the 1999 Constitution!

BUT THE OFFICE OF CoS WAS ACCORDED UNDESERVED RECOGNITION BY INCUMBENT PRESIDENT!
Not much attention was given to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President until the advent of President Buhari who surrounded himself with his so-called loyalists, who later turned out to be “Achilles Foot”, as the infamous CABAL which almost destroyed Buhari’s colossal image of several decades because the last occupant late Alhaji Abba Kyari, was enjoyed the unofficial appellation of “de facto President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!”

Duties of the Chief of Staff includes but not limited to the following:
To efficiently manage communication between president and government.
Handle official programme and communication through key presidential staff.
Controlling the flow of people to the president’s office, manage flow of information and protect his interests.
Negotiate regularly with the National Assembly and other tiers of government to implement the president’s agenda.
Advising the president the president on various issues including telling him what the people do not want to hear, etc.

THE ERSTWHILE CoS loomed bigger than the Vice-President and other presidential assistants (including the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all SERVICE CHIEFS put together – he was all together VERY POWERFUL because President Buhari ORDERED that all Cabinet Ministers, Political/Economic Advisers, Security Chiefs and the NSA, MUST communicate with the CoS’s before approaching his office! In other climes the President’s Chief of Staff who was to be seen and not to be heard! Even in the United States, the CoS is classified as “gateman” of the number one citizen because without his approval, no one could approach his boss – except the Vice President who should enjoy free access!

The new 75-year-old CoS who will have to tackle the enormous task with much diligence must also quickly look into the dwindling economy vis-a-vis Nigeria’s assumed population of about 200 million in comparison to the following indexes recently released by USAID, Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), World Bank and the United Nations in respect of: 50% of extreme poverty,70% without safe drinking water and sanitation, 69% of urban residents who live in slum conditions, 49% of children under five with stunted or overweight growth, 23% of unemployed labour force and how urgent measures could be advanced to stem the situation!  Professor Gambari, is no doubt more than qualified to effectively handle all of the above and more to ensure that the President’s agenda on all social infrastructures did not derail in view of the short period before 2023!

NIGERIA’S 2020 BUDGET REVIEW- HOW EFFECTIVE?
The Federal Government has reduced the 2020 Budget spending by over N320 billion and the new figure of N10.27 now replaces the initial NASS approved, N10.59, in view of the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy!
However this new projection cannot hold in view of the lowest ever international crude oil price which at 17th May, 2020, placed Brent at USD 32.50, WTI Crude at $29.43, and Natural Gas at $1.646 dollars respectively, while foreign exchange rate was pegged at N306 naira to USD$I.00 dollar!
The pruning touched all segments of the Budget – Capital/Recurrent because of the sharp drop in national revenue and fiscal deficit of N4.43 trillion naira, will now be financed through local borrowing. The initial budget allocated 4.5% for health, less than the 15% target the African Union (AU), had set for governments in 2001% and for Education N575.31billion far, far, less than 26% of total Budget sum as recommended by UNESCO since 1999, but now with the turn of global events, the 2020 Budget will have to depend on all local resources including all recovered loots from late General Sanni Abacha all donations from well-meaning Nigerians!
The ripple effects of Covid-19 pandemic could turn out to be a blessing in disguise to miraculously turn Nigeria’s economy around through prudent management with all hands on deck! We believe that CoS Gambari, may be the BALM OF GILEAD THAT NIGERIA HAS WAITED FOR, FOR SO LONG!

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com,

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. G-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.