5 times president's people have fought in public
Here are five times President Buhari's team have put on boxing gloves and gone for a member of the team.
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Here's a short list of the others, since you asked:
1. Abike Dabiri Vs Geoffrey Onyeama
In March, 2017, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Senior Special Assistant on Foreign, Diaspora Affairs to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, sparred over a US travel advisory.
Dabiri-Erewa issued a travel advisory after it was revealed that Nigerians are being turned back at US airports with Donald Trump as newly elected president of the United States.
Moments later, Foreign Affairs minister Onyeama overruled Dabiri-Erewa.
“On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the US, this is not the case. If the Nigerian government is speaking on any external relations, you will hear it from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Office of the President.
“I have reached out to the US Ambassador to Nigeria and the country’s high level officials who said nothing of such had happened. I can tell you to ignore the advice to reconsider travelling to the US because there is no basis for that,” Onyeama said flatly.
2. Isaac Adewole Vs Usman Yusuf
In July 2017, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, suspended executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, for three months.
Except that Yusuf refused to be suspended.
Adewole suspended Yusuf following allegations bordering on corruption levelled against the latter.
But Yusuf told Adewole that only President Buhari has the powers to suspend him.
“Except removed from office by the president under circumstances specified in the NHIS Act, my appointment is for a period of five years subject to further term of the same period at the discretion of the president”, Yusuf said.
You can’t beat that, can you?
3. Ibrahim Magu Vs Lawal Daura
In December 2016, the Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS) Lawal Daura, authored a petitionthat accused acting EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu of corruption and living above his means.
That petition formed the basis of the senate’s rejection of Magu after the executive sent the anti-graft czar to the national assembly for confirmation.
In March 2017, Daura wrote another letter to the senate, insisting that Magu is unfit to run the EFCC.
Twice, the executive has sent Magu to the national assembly for confirmation, twice Magu has been rejected by lawmakers.
The lawmakers have often cited letters authored by Daura for chasing Magu out of the red chamber.
President Buhari has kept Magu on the job, however.
4. Abubakar Malami Vs Ibrahim Magu
Attorney General Abubakar Malami has publicly disagreed with EFCC boss Magu over how best to prosecute the administration’s anti-graft war.
Malami believes that the government hasn’t been able to score high profile convictions because prosecution anchored by EFCC has been shoddy at best. He says Magu doesn’t run case files through his office even though the EFCC is compelled by law to work under his office.
Magu and Malami still do not agree on a lot of things to this day.
As matters got to a head between both men in late August, Information Minister Lai Mohammed had to admit that the president was investigating the feud.
“There are divergent views between the AGF and the EFCC chairman and the appropriate authorities will look into it”, Mohammed said.
“The fact that the AGF and the EFCC chairman do not see eye to eye on the methods or the approach does not mean that both of them do not believe in the ultimate which is that corruption must be addressed.
“If they disagree on approach, then the president will look into the matter and make his pronouncement. He will ask why the AGF is taking such a position and why the EFCC chairman is taking another position.
“This, to me, is a purely administrative matter and if it is not, Mr President will take appropriate action. The President is aware and is investigating it. He is the employer of both of them,” he added.
5. Ibe Kachikwu Vs Maikanti Baru
Minister of State for Petroleum, Kachikwu, wrote a memo to Buhari, saying NNPC GMD Baru doesn’t respect him, runs the NNPC without carrying him along, makes appointments without comparing notes with him and all that jazz.
Get these guys a room while you still can.
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