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<h1>Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says with the absolute victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Feb. 23 and March 9 general elections in Kwara, the party’s broom has swept the state clean of “hegemony politics”.</h1>

The Minister who stated this at a post election news briefing on Monday in Ilorin added that the long battle for the emancipation of Kwara had been attained with the outcome of the polls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Kwara APC had a clean sweep of the Presidential poll, as well as elections into the three senatorial and six House of Representative seats held on Feb. 23.

Also, the party defeated the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Governorship elections and won all the 24 seats in the Kwara State House of Assembly in the elections held on March 9.

The major upset was the defeat of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki of the PDP in his stronghold, Kwara Central Senatorial zone by the APC candidate, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe.

<div class="embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">[MUST WATCH] Happening now; Leader of <a href="https://twitter.com/Kwara_APC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kwara_APC</a> HMIC,Lai Mohammed led the campaign train to the family of home <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAARahman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealAARahman</a>,the flag bearer of the party <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Otoge?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Otoge</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Otope?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Otope</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/deleyewilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deleyewilliams</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kwararetweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kwararetweets</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/APCUKingdom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@APCUKingdom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Equityoyo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Equityoyo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/walebank?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@walebank</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/scarfizal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@scarfizal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/shittu10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shittu10</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/InstaKwara?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@InstaKwara</a> @deelaw_02755 <a href="https://t.co/EaTa4F9vZg">pic.twitter.com/EaTa4F9vZg</a>&mdash; Tinubufrontier (@Tinubufrontier) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tinubufrontier/status/1103709291356266499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Addressing the newsmen, the minister said that with the unprecedented victories, the people could confidently say that “the ‘Berlin Wall’ of Hegemony Politics in Kwara has finally fallen for good”.

“It is a great victory for all the good people of Kwara and we give all gratitude to God for this victory.

“It is beyond our power. Then, of course, we thank most sincerely the good people of Kwara.

“To the long-suffering people of Kwara, this is your victory. You worked hard for it. You made incredible sacrifices, and your efforts paid off.

“You said ‘O To Ge’ (Enough is Enough) and it came to pass. Thank you to all the good people of Kwara.

Offa Robbery: Lai Mohammed presents evidences exposing Saraki's lies over N10m donation claim

“Never again will anyone enslave you under the guise of dynasty or hegemony politics. Never Again!!!

The minister thanked the security agencies that provided the conducive atmosphere for the people to exercise their franchise without fear.

He also thanked the leadership of the party at both the state and national levels and expressed special gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support which propelled the party to victory.

“Our victory here transcends Kwara State. It is a victory for all advocates of good governance everywhere. It is the triumph of good over evil, no matter how long it takes.

“It will forever be a reference point in the political history of Nigeria, and a hard blow to those who willfully turn the public treasury into their personal piggy bank,” he said.

The minister said that with the victories, the real work had just begun for the party because the expectations of the people were very high and they could not afford to disappoint them.

“We must ride on the wave of their enthusiasm and determination to deliver to them the dividends of democracy, for which they have been yearning.

“All our leaders, both elected and otherwise, must come together to channel the energy and vibrancy of our people to positive goals,” he said.

Mohammed recalled that the long battle for the emancipation of the state started on Nov. 17 2018, when the party won the by-election for the Ekiti/Oke-ero/Irepodun/Isin federal constituency.

Kwara Governor-elect Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq [Premium Times]

He urged party members and supporters to be magnanimous in victory, shun vindictiveness or hatred while celebrating.

“There is no room for violence of any kind. We are all Kwarans. The massive victory in Kwara State came on a peaceful note.

“We must maintain that and banish all the vestiges of violence from our state.

“It is a new day in Kwara State, and the sun is shining bright and beautiful once again! I thank you all for your kind attention,” he said.

Kwara APC had a clean sweep of the Presidential poll, as well as elections into the three senatorial and six House of Representative seats held on Feb. 23.

APC broom has swept Kwara clean of hegemony politics – Lai Mohammed

Abdulrazaq made the pledge at a media briefing on Sunday night in Ilorin where he delivered his acceptance speech amidst All Progressive Congress (APC) party supporters.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the event was attended by Mr. Kayode Alabi Kwara Deputy Governor-elect, Alhaji Lai Mohammed the Minister of Information and Culture and APC leader in the state and Bashir Bolarinwa, the Kwara APC Chairman, among others.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared Abdulrazaq of APC winner of the Saturday governorship election in Kwara having polled a total of 331,546 votes to defeat Abdulrazaq Atunwa of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 114,754 votes.

APC also won all the 24 seats in the Kwara House of Assembly.

L-R: Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Kwara Governor-elect, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the DeputyGovernor-elect, Mr. Kayode Alabi

Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Kwara Governor-elect, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the DeputyGovernor-elect, Mr. Kayode Alabi

Abdulrazaq said that with the APC winning over 70 per cent of the votes cast in the elections, Kwarans had spoken and the incoming administration could not afford to fail the people.

“Kwara people have decided and that has put a lot of responsibilities on us. We cannot afford to fail and we cannot afford to steal and loot the treasury.

“God forbid that after three years, people will regret that why did they vote this new government. I can assure you that will not happen.

“We will work tirelessly as a team to deliver and make sure people start feeling the effects of government and dividends of democracy,’’ he said.

He decried the situation where previous administrations had mismanaged and stolen the resources of the state to the detriment of the majority of the citizens.

The governor-elect said that his administration would interface with the people across the three senatorial zones of the state from bottom to top and ensure that the people determine what government would do for them.

He said his government would be people-oriented because it was the first time since 1999 that Kwara peoples’ votes were counted and their will came to pass.

Abdulrazaq said that in line with the party manifesto, his administration would place priority attention to security, agriculture, education and infrastructure development.

He noted that the state had become so insecure to the extent that banking operations had been suspended in the entire Kwara South senatorial zone, after the Offa robbery saga,

“This development is seriously affecting the economic development in the zone. We will interface with the Police to address the challenge of insecurity

“The Offa robbery where 33 people were killed, based on police investigation was linked to top government officials.

“We will also interface with the Police to ensure that the judicial process is logically concluded and perpetrators are brought to book,’’ he said.

Abdulrazaq said Kwara being an agrarian state, his administration would pay attention to farming and agro processing.

Specifically, he said the state would among other crops, increase cashew production and processing for export to create employment and increase internally generated revenue.

The governor-elect lamented the poor state of infrastructure in public schools in the state as well as non-payment of salaries of teachers and other civil servants, and assured to reverse the trend.

“We will set up a transition committee that will interface with the government and we will have a forensic audit of the paying system to formulate new policies.

“We will organise health care summit. Education summit and special summit on how to improve the state infrastructure,’’ he said.

Abdulrazaq reassured the traditional institution in the state that, contrary to the news making the round, his administration will not demote any traditional ruler but will work with them and count on their useful advice.

Kwara Governor-elect, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has pledged that his administration will be accountable to the people and will not steal or loot the state’s treasury.

My Administration will not loot Kwara treasury – Governor-elect Abdulrazaq

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the allegation on behalf of the government in a statement issued in Oro, Kwara State, on Monday.

He alleged that the PDP's claim to victory in the polls through its spokespersons, including Buba Galadima, Osita Chidoka and Femi Fani-Kayode, was an action that amounted to a clear case of impunity.

He therefore warned the desperate opposition against the plans to truncate the electoral process, render the Feb. 23 elections inconclusive, trigger a constitutional crisis and push for an interim government.

The minister stressed that by usurping the role of INEC through the announcement of result, the PDP has violated the Electoral Act and should face very serious consequences.

"By announcing the result and saying they have won the Feb. 23 election, the PDP is deliberately seeking to confuse the polity and lay the foundation for rejecting the outcome if, when INEC eventually announces the result, the party does not win.

"This confirms what we said in a series of pre-election press conferences, that the PDP realising it cannot win a free and fair election will do everything possible to scuttle the polls.

"If the party failed it will proceed to the next stage, which is to discredit the entire electoral process, including the result, with the ultimate aim of precipitating a constitutional crisis and pushing for an interim government," he said.

The Minister also recalled the alarm raised by the Federal Government over the PDP's decision to set up a parallel electoral body, under the tag of Parallel Voting Tabulation (PVT) System.

He recalled that the opposition party had described the PVT as a tool that will determine whether or not it accepts the results of the elections.

"We said, then, that while it is standard practice for political parties to have their own monitoring systems during elections, what is not standard is to set up a pseudo electoral commission and imbue it with the power to collate and announce results.

"This is what the PDP is now doing under the guise of PVT. Unfortunately, our warning has proven to be prescient," he said.

Mohammed wondered why those who paraded themselves as democrats would show such disdain for the electoral process, which is a key ingredient of democracy.

He called on the security agencies to nip in the bud the constitutional crisis that the PDP is working frantically to trigger, by immediately arresting and prosecuting anyone who announces the result of last Saturdays Presidential and National Assembly elections

The Federal Government has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is laying the groundwork for a constitutional crisis by unleashing its talking heads to claim victory in the Saturday election, even when INEC has yet to announce the results.

PDP laying groundwork for constitutional crisis, FG warns

<h1>The Kwara Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the gun attack against party members during Thursday’s visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to Ilorin.</h1>

In a statement issued in Ilorin on Friday, the Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, called on the security agencies to swiftly arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He said the unprovoked attack was the second of such in three days against APC members and supporters in the state.

Bolarinwa recalled a similar attack on the campaign train of the party’s candidate for the Kwara South Senatorial district, Lola Ashiru, in Ojoku that left one dead, another fighting for his life and many others injured.

He said it is an unacceptable act of impunity for criminals to be so

emboldened as to carry out an attack while the country’s number two man was visiting.

”We are therefore calling on the security agencies to clamp down on these criminals and swiftly bring them to justice in order to create a peaceful atmosphere for the people of Kwara to exercise their franchise at the polls on Saturday and on March 9” he said.

The Kwara APC Chairman said he is aware that the security agencies have started arresting thugs, hoodlums and other criminals across the state.

He urged them to intensify their efforts in order to rid the state of those who are bent on sabotaging the elections.

Bolarinwa commended APC faithful for showing restraint despite the unprovoked and obviously pre-meditated attacks against them, and urged them to continue to maintain peace before, during and after the elections.

”Our members should never resort to self help, because we have confidence in the ability of the security agencies to ensure the security of life and property across the state,” he said

In a statement issued in Ilorin on Friday, the Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, called on the security agencies to swiftly arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice.

APC condemns attack on members during Osinbajo visit to Ilorin

<h1>The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says he owes his appointment as minister to President Muhammadu Buhari and no one else.</h1>

In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the minister said it was “laughable’’ that anyone would seek to take credit for his appointment.

Mohammed was reacting to a statement by Dr. Doyin Okupe the Special Adviser (Media) to the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, in which he gave credit to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki for the minister’s appointment.

The minister said that the entire statement by Okupe, “is nothing but fiction writing, for which he deserves a hall of infamy award (in the fiction writing segment).

“Not one of the claims he made in his statement is true.’’

Mohammed challenged Okupe to make available to Nigerians any evidence he might have to support his assertion that the President sought the permission of Saraki to appoint him as minister.

“We understand that Dr. Okupe’s cheap attempt at mud-throwing is nothing but a proxy fight, rooted deeply in the politics of Kwara State.

“We are aware that Okupe’s boss is feeling the heat emanating from the `O To Ge’ (enough is enough) movement in Kwara.

“And that even the strongest of men will become disoriented and disillusioned at losing the support of a people who once venerated them to high heavens.

“But that is a self-inflicted wound for which Okupe’s boss, an acclaimed slave master, has no one but himself to blame,’’ Mohammed said.

The minister said he was very proud to lead the ‘O To Ge’ movement that is set to finally bring down the Berlin Wall of political hegemony in Kwara State and send Okupe’s boss into political oblivion.

He said the movement will also free Okupe himself from merely being his master’s voice, so he can fully devote his time to his new-found pastime – fiction writing.

In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the minister said it was “laughable’’ that anyone would seek to take credit for his appointment.

I owe my appointment to Buhari, not Saraki – Lai Mohammed

<h1>Trade Union activist and labour leader, Issa Aremu has admonished Senate President, Bukola Saraki to emulate the legacy of his late father, Olusola Saraki on passage of the new National Minimum Wage Bill.</h1>

Aremu who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin recalled that the late Saraki, as the Senate leader, presided over the Senate committee that midwife the emergence of the first national minimum wage in 1981 under President Shehu Shagari.

The labour leader who described the late Saraki as “a wonderful symbol of democracy,’’ who showed concern to the plight of workers urged the Senate President to also write his name in gold by reconvening the Senate to pass the new Bill.

“The Senate President, Bukola Saraki should be on duty regarding this all important Bill. I remind him to emulate his father.

“Today he is going up and down as Campaign Director-General of the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but he should remember that he has not resigned as the Senate President.

“He should resume his work to pass the Bill to concur with the House of Representatives,’’ he said.

Aremu said that the Senate President must see the Bill as a total commitment and therefore, suspend partisanship to resume his statesmanship work in the National Assembly.

“He must declare his position on the N27,000 and N30,000 recommendations.

“He must act fast like the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara did, so that we can make it a reality and the President will sign the Bill into law’’ he said.

Aremu, the former Secretary-General of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria commended the House of Representatives for promptly passing the National Minimum Wage Bill.

He also hailed the lower chamber for endorsing N30,000 minimum wage across board Federal and State governments, ensuring that the minimum wage could not be polarised.

NAN recalls that the government and organised labour had been at loggerhead over the upward review of the national minimum wage currently at N18,000.

Government had constituted a minimum wage tripartite committee led by the former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple which recommended N30,000.

The Federal Government had agreed to pay the N30,000 while the state governments insisted on N22,500.

Following a threat by the organised labour to shut down the economy if the government failed to send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly on the N30,000 minimum wage, the issue was tabled before the Federal Executive Council, the National Economic Council and the National Council of State.

The National Council of State had approved the sum of N27,000 which the Federal Government, however, said it would increase to N30,000 for its workers.

Labour had rejected the N27,000 recommendation contending that the Council had no power to change the N30,000 agreed to by a tripartite committee.

President Muhammadu Buhari in January transmitted the Bill to the National Assembly for passage into law.

The APC has accused Dr. Bukola Saraki of trying to tarnish the image of President Buhari's government. - Daily Post Nigeria

“The Senate President, Bukola Saraki should be on duty regarding this all important Bill. I remind him to emulate his father."

Emulate your father's legacy, Labour leader tells Saraki

<h1>National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has urged the mammoth crowd and party supporters at the Ilorin rally to liberate Kwara from the clutches of Bukola Saraki, in the forthcoming general elections.</h1>

Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos, made this call on Monday at the APC Presidential Campaign rally in Ilorin, Kwara.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rally was attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, who led other APC stalwarts including, Chief Bisi Akande, Abdullahi Adamu, the Party National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and others to the gathering.

Tinubu charged the Kwara people to take the advantage of the elections to liberate themselves from the political slavery in the state.

The APC chieftain, who delivered most of his address in Yoruba language, alleged: “It is a long time they have been mismanaging the state’s fund.

“Who is doing this? It is Bukola Saraki. We are here today to demand for freedom and liberation of the state.

“Today, we are here for Bukola Saraki. We are no longer his slaves,” he said

Tinubu noted that his party had nothing against the Senate President’s father, the late Chief Olusola Saraki.

“We pray that God shall repose the soul of the late sage, Olusola Saraki and grant him Aljanah Firdausi,” he said.

NAN reports that Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, the younger sister to the Senate President and a member of APC was at the rally.

He said with the massive turn out of people at the rally and the political revolution going on in Kwara, the state would be free from oppression.

“I know this is the celebration of your freedom, this is the celebration of the fallen of the Berlin wall and the end to oligarchy, the emperor that have enslaved Kwara,” he said.

Tinubu educated the people on how to cast their votes appropriately for APC and to avoid rejected ballots.

Speaking in same vein, Oshiomhole said the rally was a celebration of the end of Bukola Saraki’s reign, who had held the state by the jugular.

He said the mammoth crowd at the rally is an affirmation of the “O to Ge” meaning “Enough is Enough” slogan across the state.

“You must vote APC to oust Bukola, who has underdeveloped Kwara and who controls your governors as a master will control a cook.

“I cannot wait until Saturday, when the referendum to chase out Bukola Saraki will be carried out,” he said.

NAN reports that Oshiomhole presented the APC flag to the party’s Governorship candidate, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos, made this call on Monday at the APC Presidential Campaign rally in Ilorin, Kwara.

Liberate Kwara from clutches of Saraki, Tinubu tells APC supporters

<h1>Some pensioners and ex-workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways have given accounts of the trauma, untold hardship they went through for more than 14 years they were retrenched without payment of their pensions and benefits.</h1>

The pensioners and ex-workers who exclusively spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said they went through hardship before the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came to the rescue.

The former workers and pensioners had organised a rally on Friday in Lagos to show appreciation to the President for approving the payment of their pension arrears and other benefits after 14 years of waiting.

The over 5000 Nigeria airways workers, who said they had been “abandoned, humiliated and frustrated by previous administrations’’, undertook a solidarity procession in Ikeja to drum support for the re-election bid of Buhari.

More than 15 years after the liquidation of Nigeria Airways by former President Olusegin Obasanjo’s government, the present administration approved N45.3 billion for the settlement of the retirement benefits of the defunct airline workers.

The supervisory Minister of Finance, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, in September 2018 directed the release of N22.68 billion to the workers and most of them had been paid.

“Following the long delay in payment of the retirement benefits after the liquidation of Nigeria Airways Ltd., many of the ex-workers went through hardship.

“This unfortunate situation cannot be allowed to continue under a responsible administration,’’ the minister had said.

Alhaji Mustapha Ogunribisan, one of the retrenched workers recalled how they were forcefully ejected out of their office by the Police in 2006.

“After the liquidation in 2006, we were intimidated. The then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun ordered his boys to come and chase us out of the office in the course of which we were tear gassed.

“Some of us died then while many were wounded, since then we had been struggling to get our entitlements paid.’’

Ogunribisan, who said he was employed in October 1976, and deployed to the Motor Transport Division of Engineering Department of the Nigeria Airways, recalled what led to the liquidation of the company.

“They claimed that the management mismanaged money and the company was no longer viable.

“A panel was set up by President Obasanjo which at the end of the day found out that the allegations were false. A 12-volume report of the panel was submitted to the then President.

“Obasanjo, however, said there was no going back on his decision to liquidate Nigeria Airways."

He continued: “the present Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el Rufai, who was then the chairman of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) intervened in the matter.

“The governor said the former President should allow him to run Nigeria Airways for one year without collecting any money from government but Obasanjo insisted that he had made up his mind to liquidate the company’’.

Ogunribisan said they had been on the trenches fighting to get their entitlements paid during which no fewer than 800 of them died.

He said they, however, got a temporary reprieve when the late former President Umaru Yar'Adua came in and they took their matter before him.

“Within seven days, Yar’Adua ordered that we should be paid our salary arrears which was implemented then.

“The late President later set up a panel to look into our gratuity and other benefits but unfortunately he fell sick and in the process he died,’’ he said.

Ogunribusan said, though, Goodluck Jonathan, the then Vice President, who succeeded Yar’Adu was privy to the efforts and plans of his predecessor over their matter, he, nevertheless, abandoned them to suffer.

“We wrote series of letters to former President Jonathan reminding him of what his predecessor did but he said it was a forgotten issue.

“As at that time, many of us had died. We were holding series of meetings, consulting prominent Nigerian citizens including Emirs over our issue, but Jonathan never yielded,’’ he said.

Buhari raised the hope of the ex-workers when he approved the N45bn after an audit by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), a department in the Ministry of Finance.

Ogunribisan said by fulfilling his promise and paying the first tranche of their entitlements, Buhari had restored their long gone hope and brought smile to their faces.

“The sickness I was suffering from had been taken care of and I am healthy now. I was even able to travel to the U.S. for medical check-up over my failing health,’’ he said.

Ogunribisan said in appreciation of what the President had done for them, he was mobilising members of his immediate and extended family to vote for his re-election come Feb. 16.

For Comrade Kolawole Ayinla, 68 years old, he said the 14 years of non-payment of his entitlements was “hell on earth’’.

“I was employed by Nigeria Airways on Oct. 12, 1976 and I worked in the Engineering Dept.

“The then government of Obasanjo treated us mercilessly. He has no respect for Nigerian citizens, the way we were humiliated was not pleasing.

“For many years I was admitted in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and there was no money to pay for drugs and the hospital bills.

“I have to move with my family to a ghetto in a suburb of Lagos for us to survive.

“It was a worse of experience before President Muhammadu Buhari came to the rescue. The payment of the money had changed my situation.’’

Andrew Ahilemen who broke into tears while narrating his ordeal said he joined Nigeria Airways in 1980 and his employment was abruptly terminated with the company’s liquidation.

“My experience after this had been so bad, I could not take care of myself and feed my family. I could not pay my children’s school fees.

“We served this country with our sweat and we were thrown out and treated like refugees.

“We were humiliated out of the office, but I am grateful to President Buhari for what he has done and I am very happy now.

“I am happy because with the part of my entitlement that has been paid now, I can take care of myself, feed my family and send my children back to school,’’ he said.

More pathetic is the case of Mr Jacob Loremikan who left the service of the Nigeria Airways in 1977 but suffered Parkinson’s disease when his pension was stopped after the liquidation.

The Octogenarian, who could barely talk said he went through hardship until Buhari came to restore his hope and bring back his long gone smiles.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has restated the Buhari administration’s commitment to the well being and welfare of Nigerians.

Mohammed who spoke at the rally by the ex-workers said that Buhari’s commitment to the well being of the masses led him to end the 14-year wait and suffering of the 5,996 former staff of the defunct national career.

He also assured that come Feb. 16, Buhari’s commitment to the well being and welfare of Nigerians would earn him re-election

“It is not just the former staff of Nigeria Airways who have benefitted from the people-oriented policy of this administration.

“Former Biafran Policemen, former workers of the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, and former NITEL workers have also seen their years of suffering and neglect come to an end, thanks to Buhari.

“For the more than 800 deceased ex-staff of Nigeria Airways, their next of kin will also receive the entitlements due to them,’’ he said.

Mohammed congratulated the ex-workers that were still alive and thanked God for keeping them to reap the rewards of their labour.

He also thanked them for the event which he said was a show of appreciation to the President for what he had done.

Ex-Nigeria Airways workers recount 14-year ordeal of non-payment of benefits

The pensioners and ex-workers who exclusively spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said they went through hardship before the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came to the rescue.

<h1>The Federal Government says it is yet to take delivery of any of the 12 A-29 Super Tucano Attack Aircraft, being manufactured by an American aerospace contractor, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).</h1>

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of the National Campaign in Support of the Military.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Federal Government in February, 2018 placed an order for the 12 Super Tucano aircraft at a cost of $496million.

Responding to questions from newsmen at the launch, Mohammed said earlier delivery of the aircraft would boost the war against insurgency, which had metamorphosed from a rag-tag home grown Boko Haram group to a world terrorist network.

Mohammed, who solicited the support and prayers of all Nigerians for the troops fighting insurgency, added that Nigeria was still getting the backing of other countries through the Multinational Joint Task Force.

Mohammed said the launch of the National Campaign in Support of the Military was to seek the support of the citizens for the troops.

He admonished Nigerians to stop vilification, insults and other acts capable of of dampening the morale of the military, especially those fighting insurgency.

The minister stressed that the men and women in uniform who were risking all, including making the supreme sacrifice, to keep the country safe deserved the support and prayers of all Nigerians, not vilification.

“Doctored videos and pictures purporting to show massive military casualties are willfully circulated online.

“Such unpatriotic acts are discouraging and demoralizing our troops, and must stop forthwith,” he said.

The minister also solicited the support of the media to play the leading role in the campaign.

“We want to appeal to the media to show utmost professionalism in reporting the insurgency.