Performance Review: Buhari spends week mourning, welcoming diplomats, approving billions of naira

Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to produce more solar cells to boost the alternative power sources in the country.

Chief Executive Officer of NASENI Mohammed Haruna disclosed this to State House correspondents after briefing the president on the agency’s activities.

The president gave the directive when he met with Mr Haruna on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Buhari is the chairman of NASENI.

According to Mr Haruna, the president also directed implementing a modular irrigation project and producing more farm implements to boost agricultural activities.

Mr Buhari also received a delegation of SUN Africa LLC, USA, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on August 4.

Speaking at the event, Mr Buhari expressed the hope that the rapid integration of solar power into the country’s energy mix would increase electricity access to underserved and unserved communities.

According to him, his regime has embarked on several reforms to revitalise Nigeria’s energy sector to improve energy access to communities across the country. He commended the interest of the U.S. developer in investing in Nigeria’s power sector.

Mr Buhari pledged his regime’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector in improving energy access, creating jobs and industrial development and highlighted some of the reforms embarked upon by this administration to address Nigeria’s energy needs.

Earlier in the week, the president received Letters of Credence from the Canadian high commissioner to Nigeria, James Christoff and the ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, Juan Oritz, on Tuesday in Abuja. At the event, Mr Buhari commended the collective efforts of nations towards tackling worsening insecurity across the globe and within Nigeria, urging more collaboration to check terrorism, banditry and insurgency.

The Nigerian leader told the diplomats that his regime had recorded successes in taming insecurity through collaboration across borders.

Mr Buhari, on August 3, administered the oath of allegiance and the oath of office on three new permanent secretaries (Lydia Jafiya from Adamawa; Udom Okokon Ekenam from Akwa Ibom and Farouk Yabo from Sokoto) of the federal civil service. The president performed the ceremony shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ‘s weekly virtual meeting at the Council Chambers of the presidential villa, Abuja.

The FEC meeting approved $2.59 billion for the development of Badagry Deep Seaport in Lagos and N2.6 billion for the procurement of utility vehicles and gadgets for security agencies operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

APC national chairman Abdullahi Adamu presented the newly appointed director-general of the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, Governor Simon Lalong, to Mr Buhari at the State House on Thursday.

The APC chair also introduced the party’s presidential campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, to the president. Mr Adamu was accompanied by the party’s presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shettima.

The president congratulated two of his aides, Sarki Abba and Lawal Kazaure, on receiving the Niger Republic’s highest civilian honours. Mr

Abba is an aide on household and domestic matters, and Mr Kazaure is the protocol chief.

Also, during the week under review, Mr Buhari joined the entertainment industry, particularly artistes and musicians, in commiserating with ace instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Bongos Ikwue, who lost his wife, Josephine Ifeyinwa, aged 73.

He also mourned the deaths of the former inspector general of police Mustapha Balogun and Akin Mabogunje, who died at 90. The president declared that the nation, especially the academia, would greatly feel Mr Mabogunje’s departure.

The president condoled with the former military head of state Yakubu Gowon over the demise of his elder sister, Maryamu Dimka, who died on Wednesday. Ms Dimka, the wife of ex-police commissioner S.K. Dimka, was survived by children, including Elizabeth Rimdans, one-time resident electoral commissioner in Anambra and Bauchi.

(NAN)