Agribusiness

President Buhari mourns ex-Minister of Agriculture, Abba Ruma

Published

5 years ago

on

November 3, 2021

By

Seun Owope

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the death of former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Abba Sayyadi Ruma.

In a condolence message issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, on Tuesday in Abuja, the president described Ruma as “one of Nigeria’s very energetic politicians.’’

President Buhari said, “I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Abba Sayyadi Ruma, a former minister and politician.

“Katsina State and Nigeria lost one of their best public servants.’’

According to the president, Ruma’s services to the country will be remembered for years to come.

Related Topics:Abba Ruma Death ex-Minister of Agriculture President Buhari

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Vote-buying remains a major concern One of the strongest warnings from Osun was the continued presence of vote-buying and voter inducement. Yiaga Africa said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with its independent statistical projections, but cautioned that this did not remove concerns about the integrity of voters' choices amid reports of vote-buying and inducement. The concern is particularly significant ahead of 2027, when political competition will take place nationwide and involve presidential, National Assembly and state-level contests. The International Republican Institute (IRI), following a pre-election assessment mission conducted in August, identified monetised political competition, election-related violence, insecurity and declining public confidence in INEC among the structural challenges facing the 2027 elections. 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The institute urged security agencies to identify high-risk areas early and develop location-specific plans to prevent intimidation, disruption and attacks on electoral participants. Osun offers lessons ahead of 2027 Despite the challenges, observers say the Osun election also provides evidence that improvements in election administration can produce positive results. Yiaga Africa's assessment found that INEC and security agencies largely passed the test of conducting the election, while its independent verification indicated that the official results accurately reflected the ballots counted at polling units. The challenge ahead is to build on those gains while addressing the weaknesses exposed during the election. For INEC, that means improving BVAS reliability, strengthening result-transmission and collation procedures and maintaining clear communication with voters and political parties. 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The institute urged security agencies to identify high-risk areas early and develop location-specific plans to prevent intimidation, disruption and attacks on electoral participants. Osun offers lessons ahead of 2027 Despite the challenges, observers say the Osun election also provides evidence that improvements in election administration can produce positive results. Yiaga Africa's assessment found that INEC and security agencies largely passed the test of conducting the election, while its independent verification indicated that the official results accurately reflected the ballots counted at polling units. The challenge ahead is to build on those gains while addressing the weaknesses exposed during the election. For INEC, that means improving BVAS reliability, strengthening result-transmission and collation procedures and maintaining clear communication with voters and political parties. 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