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• April 8, 2025
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Saraki Dismisses Media Report on His Alleged Political Strategy for 2027

Saraki Dismisses Media Report on His Alleged Political Strategy for 2027

Former Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has dismissed a report in a national newspaper about his alleged strategy ahead of 2027 when the next general election will be held.

The report had quoted some associates of the former senate president commenting on why he had remained silent on the ongoing political realignments among opposition politicians to form a formidable coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

The reported also alleged that Saraki may be weighing the Wike option as a strategy for weathering the political tide ahead of 2027. Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, had supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress in the 2023 election against the candidate of his own party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Wike later became a minister and influential member of the Tinubu cabinet.

A statement signed by head of Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, dismissed the report as “fabricated stories” and called on well-meaning Nigerians to disregard and ignore the false claims.

The statement read: ”The Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office has dismissed the content of a story published in a national newspaper in which the reporter purportedly claimed to have spoken to some unnamed associates of former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and reported views he purportedly quoted to have been expressed during a meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Ilorin.

”The Saraki Media Office while urging political associates of Saraki and members of the public to disregard the fabrications and jaundiced views contained in the story also condemns the spin and manipulations that the opposition in Kwara State concocted from the story by manufacturing quotes alongside a graphic design of their own to create a fresh falsehood for circulation online.
”It should be noted that the reporter of the story quoted unnamed sources and faceless individuals who he claimed attended a meeting with Dr. Saraki. He also sought the opinions of people who he did not tell the detail of the story he wanted them to respond to.
“We believe his story came from his misconception of why Dr. Saraki has refused to associate with or comment on the ongoing efforts by some politicians to form a coalition. It is equally obvious that he simply decided to package as a news story the permutations, projections, and calculations of some individuals who believe they could proffer a reason for the quiet stance of the former Senate President.
“Anybody who has associated closely with Dr. Saraki will know that either in the public or private space, he does not speak carelessly and in a manner that can expose him to ridicule. He is always a careful and frugal speaker. The views expressed in that news story and the concocted graphic design in circulation do not represent the position of Dr. Saraki. He has nothing to do with them.
“We, therefore, call on well-meaning Nigerians to disregard and ignore the false claims contained either in the story published by the newspaper or the warped version of it being circulated online by elements of the opposition in Kwara State”.

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Former Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has dismissed a report in a national newspaper about his alleged strategy ahead of 2027 when the next general election will be held.

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• April 8, 2025
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AfDB President Lauds Sani For Increased Budgetary Allocation To Agric Sector

AfDB President Lauds Sani For Increased Budgetary Allocation To Agric Sector

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has lauded Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani for a remarkable budgetary increase for agriculture from N1.4 billion to N74 billion.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the governor on Tuesday at the Government House, Kaduna, Adesina praised Sani for his commitment to the transformation of the agricultural sector.

According to the AfDB President, Kaduna is leading the way as the first to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Nigeria.

”Kaduna’s leadership on this project reflects not just a vision for food security but a roadmap for economic prosperity and inclusive development,” Adesina said.

He added that Kaduna is a trailblazer, noting that it is “the first state to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone in Nigeria. This is a great day for us all”.

Adesina expressed AfDB’s commitment to support Kaduna State in expanding school feeding programmes and integrating them with the new processing zones.

He also promised additional support for primary health care improvements, health insurance, and infrastructure, including water, sanitation and digitalization.

“We are proud to partner with a government that listens; that leads with compassion, and that is open to all,” he said.

He described Governor Sani as “a model leader, a listener, a unifier and above all, a doer”.

In his remarks, the governor said the AfDB President is “a blessing to Nigeria, Africa, and humanity”.

Sani applauded Adesina for his  transformative work in agriculture across the African continent.

He recalled that Adesina’s e-Wallet  initiatives, when he was Minister of Agriculture years back, has benefited more than 15 million smallholder farmers across the country, mostly in Northern Nigeria.

The governor said: “The initiative aimed not only to transform agriculture but could have also addressed the problem of financial exclusion we are facing today, as it could have provided access to financial credit for our smallholder farmers.

“It could have also addressed the problem of insecurity we are facing in Northern Nigeria.

“In Kaduna, agriculture contributes about 42 per cent of our GDP and accounts for about 60 per cent of employment in the state.

“This is why we believe insecurity has hindered much of the development we could have achieved through agriculture.

“Because we believe it is one of the most important sectors to invest in, part of what we did was to increase the agricultural budget from N1.4 billion, which we inherited in 2023, to N74 billion in the current budget.

“By doing that, we became the first sub-national government to achieve the 10 per cent target of the 2014 Malabo Declaration, which set the goal of allocating 10 per cent of the budget to agriculture.”

The governor described the launch of the Agro-Industrial Processing Zone as a very important project for Kaduna State.

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John Shiklam in Kaduna The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has lauded Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani for a remarkable budgetary increase for agriculture from