Mikel not a must in Eagles – Ikpeba

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_qmzQwHDZc/W9lqiJuG4lI/AAAAAAAA10Q/bX3BP2SXoH0WO0ckgXTc69tKmp486nRSwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/mikel1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_qmzQwHDZc/W9lqiJuG4lI/AAAAAAAA10Q/bX3BP2SXoH0WO0ckgXTc69tKmp486nRSwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/mikel1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Gernot Rohr’s decision on player selection has been apt, including leaving out captain John Obi Mikel again, according to ex-Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba.<br /> <br /> On Monday, Rohr named a 23-man squad for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Africa and Uganda friendly and the Tianjin Teda midfielder was a notable omission.<br /> <br /> Mikel has yet to return to international duty ever since captaining the country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.<br /> <br /> While prior omissions had uncertainty about the former Chelsea player’s fitness, this, however, seems way off it as the 31-year-old was on  parade for his club Tianjin Teda on Sunday, scoring one of their goals in another loss.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> However, Ikpeba does not see it as an issue, trusting Rohr with his judgments.<br /> <br /> “Mikel is not a must in Eagles. I understand the coach,” Ikpeba said on Monday.<br /> <br /> “Mikel has been a fantastic player for the national team for more than a decade. And I understand that the skipper and the coach have a great relationship but we don’t know why he was not invited.<br /> <br /> “But this is great for the team and great for the young set of players that they can do without Mikel and without Victor Moses.  The team has been brilliant without them and the coach has been apt with the decision,”</div>

Mikel not a must in Eagles – Ikpeba

Gernot Rohr’s decision on player selection has been apt, including leaving out captain John Obi Mikel again, according to ex-Nigeria inter...

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Buhari assured us of free, fair 2019 polls — UN, ECOWAS

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNI3J7WD6EM/W9lp-MAOrTI/AAAAAAAA10E/Do0iszUbPx0FqhN1sbPPAHFmOt7U5vLzQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNI3J7WD6EM/W9lp-MAOrTI/AAAAAAAA10E/Do0iszUbPx0FqhN1sbPPAHFmOt7U5vLzQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> United Nations and  Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said they have received assurances from President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the nation’s security agencies of a free, fair and credible general election next year.<br /> <br /> This was disclosed by a delegation from the Joint Mission of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and United Nations, UN, led by United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, when they paid a courtesy visit on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Abuja, yesterday.<br /> <br /> The UN Representative intimated the commission on efforts taken by the joint mission to solicit the support of other stakeholders towards achieving peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria in 2019.<br /> <br /> He said they had commenced interactions with candidates on ensuring conducive environment for the conduct of elections.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He said:  “Yesterday, we had an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari and he assured us of his determination as chairman of ECOWAS and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to do everything within his powers to ensure that credible, transparent, free and fair elections are conducted in 2019.”</div>

Buhari assured us of free, fair 2019 polls — UN, ECOWAS

United Nations and  Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said they have received assurances from President Muhammadu Buhari ...

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2019: South-West youths reject Atiku’s SGF offer, laud Buhari

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUXWjgMCBQM/W9lpzCb99CI/AAAAAAAA1z8/J7JeNRITOZQ2znhTLamjKTpDWHRkUFEhACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUXWjgMCBQM/W9lpzCb99CI/AAAAAAAA1z8/J7JeNRITOZQ2znhTLamjKTpDWHRkUFEhACK4BGAYYCw/s320/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Ahead of the 2019 election, Youths in South-West have rejected Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF reserved for the region by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying, the party has never fulfill past pledge made to the region.<br /> <br /> The youths under the aegis of Progressive Yoruba Youth Congress, PYYC, yesterday alleged that the party has constantly shortchanged the region while assigning key position even after making promises publicly to secure South-West support.<br /> <br /> National President, PYYC, Mr. Kola Salawu at press briefing in Ikeja, argued that the tears of the region was wiped off by All Progressives Congress, APC in 2015 when it zoned the Vice President candidate post to South West and fulfilled it.<br /> <br /> Salawu added that the party has also handed over number two citizen post to the region which PDP couldn’t give them rather; allot it to South-East, picking Peter Obi as Vice Presidential Candidate.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to him, we have rejected Atiku and his party. And doing so, we have decided to campaign for our Uncle, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari, during next year election.<br /> <br /> Salawu added “South West will not go back to oblivion again. And all the good people of the region must rise up to protect this ongoing progress and support the one who has brought development to the region.<br /> <br /> “We urge all sons and daughters of the South West of Nigeria to be politically awake and choose wisely in the forthcoming elections as the decisions we make will determine if the region will continue to enjoy the true benefits of good governance or we go back to the days of total neglect.<br /> <br /> “Let us not forget that the neglect by the PDP was not only political but also infrastructural. The party for whatever reason barely completed or even carried out any major project in the South West. “The Lagos – Ibadan expressway, the busiest in the country was abandoned.”<br /> <br /> “The Benin – Ore expressway was equally abandoned, so also was the Oyo- Ogbomosho road, there was barely any federal presence in the South West.<br /> <br /> “We must also remain politically vigilant. When President Buhari’ s tenure ends in 2023 after he wins the 2019 elections, power will return to the southern part of Nigeria and that is just some four years away.<br /> <br /> “We never can tell what will happen then as the highest ranking person in this government from the south is no other but His Excellency the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. It may just be his turn,” Salawu added.</div>

2019: South-West youths reject Atiku’s SGF offer, laud Buhari

Ahead of the 2019 election, Youths in South-West have rejected Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF reserved for the region by P...

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Ohanaeze youths urge APC to clarify Fashola’s statement on 2023 presidency

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drU3YAq_5eE/W9lpgTIId1I/AAAAAAAA1zw/rABvcGTAnxwhYy0lsIuBihGYwzrnWWddACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Babatunde%2BFashola.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drU3YAq_5eE/W9lpgTIId1I/AAAAAAAA1zw/rABvcGTAnxwhYy0lsIuBihGYwzrnWWddACK4BGAYYCw/s320/Babatunde%2BFashola.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths wing has urged the National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC,  to clarify its position of the statement credited to Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola that APC would shift Presidency to the South West in 2023 if Buhari wins.<br /> <br /> The group said, “we won’t want to believe that the rumoured pact between President Muhammadu Buhari, PMB,  and Tinubu concerning 2023 is true.”<br /> <br /> A  statement signed by the group’s Acting National President, Dr. Kingsley Dozie and National Publicity Secretary, Chief  Osmond Nkeoma said: “We are making it categorically clear that Ndigbo are more united now than ever and no such evil pact can deprive us of our constitutional right to the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. God will vindicate Ndigbo.<br /> <br /> “Such provoking and inciting statements prove our suspicions that the PMB-led APC cannot be trusted.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “The fact remains that Ndigbo want restructuring now and have made it so clear through our restructuring summit and various discussions, statements and fora. Give us restructuring now  and  let 2023 take care of itself.<br /> <br /> “We stand in total support of the Afenifere spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin when he said: ‘both the Buhari advocates in the South West and South east are not in tune with the mood of both zones.<br /> <br /> “The mood of both zones is not Nigerian presidency in 2023 but restructuring in 2019, because if we restructure the country in 2019 and people have the autonomy to run their regions as they want within corporate Nigeria, Igbo 2023 Presidency will take care of itself.”<br /> <br /> “So, we advice Fashola to please concentrate on the task of providing stable power supply, good roads and quality housing to Nigerians rather than making unguarded and inviting statements.”</div>

Ohanaeze youths urge APC to clarify Fashola’s statement on 2023 presidency

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths wing has urged the National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC,  to clarify its posi...

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Power generation drops to 2,390MW, 15 plants idle

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0mbcAU8saI/W9lpGEZiQDI/AAAAAAAA1zk/PoW5wm-mhrw9_ewQDdx5CIZZr-7HdLe9gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/electricity.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0mbcAU8saI/W9lpGEZiQDI/AAAAAAAA1zk/PoW5wm-mhrw9_ewQDdx5CIZZr-7HdLe9gCK4BGAYYCw/s320/electricity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Power generation in the country plunged to 2,390.20 megawatts on Monday as the number of idle power plants rose from seven to 15, according to the latest data from the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.<br /> <br /> Total electricity generation has been hovering below 4,000MW in recent months and stood at 3,741.30MW as of 6am on Sunday.<br /> <br /> The nation generates most of its electricity from gas-fired power plants, while output from hydropower plants makes up about 30 per cent of the total.<br /> <br /> But the three hydropower plants accounted for more than 50 per cent of the electricity generated as of 6am on Monday, with Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro producing 366MW, 354MW and 494MW, respectively.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Egbin, the biggest power station in the country, saw its output drop to 176MW on Monday from 306MW on Saturday.<br /> <br /> The idle plants are Sapele, Afam IV & V, Geregu, Omotosho, Geregu NIPP, Alaoji, Omotosho NIPP, Odukpani NIPP, Ihovbor NIPP, Gbarain NIPP, Okpai, Afam VI, AES, ASCO and Rivers IPP.<br /> <br /> It had been reported on Monday that electricity generation companies in the country were saying that their plants were being forced to operate below their optimal capacity levels.<br /> <br /> The Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies, the umbrella body for the Gencos, Dr Joy Ogaji, in an emailed response to questions from our correspondent, attributed the problem to transmission and distribution.<br /> <br /> She said, “Specifically, generation companies are pinned down by some operational impediments. The frequency of instructions to either increase load or decrease load (ramp up and ramp down) and, in some cases, shut down, has induced damaging stresses to the components of the machines.<br /> <br /> “These instructions, reflective of the grid behaviour, are subjecting key electrical components of the power plants to operational stresses. Our available generation has always been steady between 7,500MW and 8,000MW; you can check the records at the National Control Centre, Osogbo.”</div>

Power generation drops to 2,390MW, 15 plants idle

Power generation in the country plunged to 2,390.20 megawatts on Monday as the number of idle power plants rose from seven to 15, accordin...

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I made N5.6m in three years, Donald Duke informs INEC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRPtGdDB8pk/W9lo0OiePxI/AAAAAAAA1zY/wt_EnJkZiu0UsBRPkUGzErXumRkqYZd7gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Donald%2BDuke.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRPtGdDB8pk/W9lo0OiePxI/AAAAAAAA1zY/wt_EnJkZiu0UsBRPkUGzErXumRkqYZd7gCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Donald%2BDuke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Donald Duke, says he earned a combined sum of N5, 618, 419 between 2015 and 2017.<br /> <br /> Duke stated this in his tax certificate with serial number 290664, which was attached to his Form CF001 and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.<br /> <br /> Within the same period, Duke also paid tax to the tune of N400,000.<br /> <br /> The former governor of Cross River State claimed to have made the money from business.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Duke stated in his form that he had never been indicted for fraud by a judicial panel even as he said he had never been involved in certificate forgery.<br /> <br /> The former governor attached his school certificate from the West African Examination Council indicating that he passed all subjects in 1977. However, mathematics was not listed among the subjects he sat for.<br /> <br /> Duke graduated from Ahmadu Bello University with a Second Class (lower division) in law.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, and Head of UNOWAS, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, says a UN delegation has visited President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies.<br /> <br /> Chambas said they had received assurances that the 2019 general elections would be free and fair.<br /> <br /> Chambas said this when he paid a courtesy visit to INEC in Abuja on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> He said they would be visiting opposition candidates in the coming days.<br /> <br /> The UN official said that the rest of the world was looking forward towards peaceful elections in Nigeria.<br /> <br /> “We are looking forward towards a peaceful election in Nigeria. All the member states are looking towards Nigeria,” he said.<br /> <br /> He also urged INEC to support youth and gender participation in the elections.<br /> <br /> Chambas, who had earlier met with top government functionaries including the Chief of Staff to the President, Abah Kyari, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mustapha Boss, said, “We intend to meet other candidates in the next coming weeks.”<br /> <br /> Also speaking, INEC National Commissioner, Mohamed Lecky, said the commission was concerned about the possibility of Internally Displaced Persons to participate in the forthcoming elections.</div>

I made N5.6m in three years, Donald Duke informs INEC

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Donald Duke, says he earned a combined sum of N5, 618, 419 between 2015 and 201...

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Buhari blasts PDP again over poor infrastructure

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="644" height="342" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GpUYReEm8KA/W9lgr6fpUYI/AAAAAAADLuM/jYsqdtk8Va0UG-DfzRAZ-ZbOVtXbL9HwACLcBGAs/s640/buhari%2Bq.jpg" width="640" /></div> <br /> <br /> Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that it was sad that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) allowed the country’s infrastructure to rot completely when there were enormous resources at Nigeria’s disposal between 1999 and 2014.<br /> <br /> Speaking while receiving the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, in a farewell audience at State House, Abuja, the President said: “Our focus now is on infrastructure; roads, rail, power and others.<br /> <br /> “How I wish we had fixed all those when we had money. What we earned between 1999 and 2014 is on record, but nothing was done to infrastructure.<br /> <br /> “Now, we are doing a lot more, with a lot less resources. And we shall continue to do our best.”<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, hailed the outgoing High Commissioner for his warm and pleasant disposition, which has seen him traversing almost the entire country.<br /> <br /> “I always see you all over the place,” the President noted.<br /> <br /> Arkwright, who spent over three years in Nigeria, said he visited 30 of the 36 states and found the people quite enterprising and engaging.<br /> <br /> He added that the British government would be glad to offer a helping hand as required in any part of the country.<br /> <br /> He thanked President Buhari for his support, adding that the relations between Britain and Nigeria have improved tremendously in the past three years.<br /> <br /> Buhari also said yesterday that Nigeria’s democracy is steadily improving with deeper understanding of the culture and tenets among the people and strengthening of the institutions that guarantee free and fair elections.<br /> <br /> The President, who spoke while receiving Governor-General of Canada Julie Payette at the Presidential Villa, said he saw the evolving strength of democracy in the country by contesting for elections three times before winning at the fourth trial in 2015.<br /> <br /> Read also: Buhari towers above Obasanjo, Atiku in integrity, says APC spokesman<br /> Buhari, in another statement by Adesina, told the Governor General that Nigeria had been learning from the mistakes of those who practiced democracy for a longer period and by looking inward at its own peculiarities.<br /> <br /> “I emphasise free and fair elections at all times,” he said.<br /> <br /> The President said the bilateral relations with Canada would continue to be improved on considering the huge interest of the country in Nigeria and growing economic ties, with many Nigerians schooling and working in the Commonwealth country.<br /> <br /> He said Canada played a brotherly role in helping displaced persons in the Northeast, following Boko Haram insurgency.<br /> <br /> The Governor General said Nigeria and Canada enjoyed a warm and strong partnership that has translated into ease of migration, large trade relations and cultural exchanges.<br /> <br /> Payette, who is an astronaut, said it was important for nations to pool resources together to start exploring the benefits of space in providing solutions to some problems on earth.<br /> <br /> The Governor General noted that the world would achieve more by de-emphasising geographical differences and refocusing its energy on the commonality of humanity.<br /> <br /> She noted that from space, one can only see an earth without borders.<br /> <br /> Rt. Hon. Payette said her visit was about showcasing “youth, innovation and technology”, adding that Canada would like to partner with Nigeria in the ongoing diversification of the economy.<br /> <br /> “We wish you free and credible elections in 2019,” she said.<br /> <br /> Speaking with reporters at the end of the meeting, she stated that the two countries have resolved to deepen bilateral relation in the areas of trade and commerce, education, security, science and space technology advancement.<br /> <br /> Payette, who is accompanied on the visit by eminent Canadians, including government officials, members of parliament and members of the business sector, noted that Nigeria and Canada had been friends and partners for decades.

Buhari blasts PDP again over poor infrastructure

Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that it was sad that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) allowed the country’s infrastructure to rot comp...

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PDP’s diversionary tactics disgraceful, says Presidency

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4keVODcz3jg/W9lgDnSl8AI/AAAAAAADLuA/BLn-44ntNP0D4qVJjStQm1kmAlQJIljtQCLcBGAs/s1600/garba%2Bshehu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4keVODcz3jg/W9lgDnSl8AI/AAAAAAADLuA/BLn-44ntNP0D4qVJjStQm1kmAlQJIljtQCLcBGAs/s1600/garba%2Bshehu.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The Presidency yesterday said the diversionary tactics of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had become disgraceful.<br /> <br /> A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, was reacting to the comment by the PDP and its plan to go to court over the President’s West African School Certificate (WASC).<br /> <br /> He said: “We have read that the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is going to court to challenge the President’s West African School Certificate (WASC).<br /> <br /> “This is a waste of time because we have the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by Mr President.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “This certificate story is an old one. As Femi Adesina stated clearly, it is a settled issue in the courts. To approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system.<br /> <br /> “It is shameful, disgusting and disgraceful. It is clear to all at this time that the PDP, facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy.<br /> <br /> “They are attacking the courts and the police, they are molesting INEC commissioners. They are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the President.<br /> <br /> “By doing these, they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the country; the issue of internal security which has been jeopardized by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the PDP; the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the President is pioneering; corruption to which the PDP is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy, a business-friendly government working day and night, creating more jobs and affordable life for the poor.” he said.<br /> <br /> According to him, the coming election is not about the settled issues of certification.<br /> <br /> “No matter how honeyed their sweet words, don’t believe them.<br /> <br /> “Their evil record can never be washed away. The PDP set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before.<br /> <br /> “They put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. Don’t believe their honeyed promises,” he added.

PDP’s diversionary tactics disgraceful, says Presidency

The Presidency yesterday said the diversionary tactics of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had become disgraceful. A statement by the...

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Buhari visits Kaduna, says crisis must stop

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1rH54vyltxY/W9lfyPZlmCI/AAAAAAADLt4/jhbxoQKaGIkc4ZUfkpTbfN9ekRb6xzcdgCLcBGAs/s640/buhari%2Bkaduna.jpg" width="640" /></div> <br /> <br /> President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said the recurring killings in Kaduna State must stop and directed security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.<br /> <br /> Buhari made the remarks in Kaduna where he went to commiserate with victims of the recent clashes in the state.<br /> <br /> He said those who were used to going Scot free after such killings, must now answer for their crimes.<br /> <br /> “The Federal Government will take strongest measures possible to punish perpetrators of these crimes. No one will go Scot free.<br /> <br /> “We shall now hold everyone to account for these latest killings,’’ the president stressed.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Buhari who described the incidents as “unacceptable’’, said Kaduna must not earn itself a new name as “home of violence.’’<br /> <br /> “My earnest appeal to all citizens of Kaduna is to do their best to uphold peace in their respective communities,’’ he said.<br /> <br /> The president commended the state government for managing the crisis, and assured that his administration would recruit more security personnel and deploy them nationwide to protect citizens.<br /> <br /> He also welcomes the pledge of the state and local governments to support the construction of more police and civil defence offices to enhance security at the grassroots.<br /> <br /> Buhari appealed to all citizens to be law abiding, learn to listen to each other and resolve differences through peaceful means.<br /> <br /> He also said that individuals and communities must respect the rights of others to live wherever they chose, worship freely and pursue lawful livelihood anywhere in this country.<br /> <br /> Buhari said that the federal government is doing its best to develop human capital, tackle poverty and inequality in all parts of the country, as well as provide decent education and health.<br /> <br /> While responding to an appeal by Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i, the president pledged to promptly look at the outstanding issue of compensation for victims of the 2011 post election violence in the state.<br /> <br /> Earlier, El-Rufa’i, the state governor, had briefed the president on the security situation in the state and informed him that the state would henceforth enforce the 1915, 1917 and 1958 laws to hold communities where violence occur, fully responsible.<br /> <br /> He said that the state government also plans to set up new police and military outposts in Kasuwan Magani, Narayi, Sabon Tasha and other flash points.<br /> <br /> The governor appealed for the deployment of 30 additional judges to fast truck justice delivery in the state.<br /> <br /> Also, the Emir of Zazzau, Dr Shehu Idris commended the prompt action taken by the state government and security agencies to contain the crisis.<br /> <br /> He urged all citizens to live in peace and shun religious and community leaders as well as individuals pushing them to violence.<br /> <br /> The emir advised that all those found involved in the crisis as well as those promoting rumour be adequately punished.<br /> <br /> He called for more dialogue among religions and communities to enhance peace in the state.

Buhari visits Kaduna, says crisis must stop

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said the recurring killings in Kaduna State must stop and directed security agencies to hunt down t...

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It’s a shame we don’t know how much oil Nigeria is producing – Falana

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eNH-szvlc0k/W9lfQSh8FEI/AAAAAAADLtw/a6v6ZrZ1mtAhsh3BOcM0dJef0nkukAM7QCLcBGAs/s1600/Femi-Falana%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="480" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eNH-szvlc0k/W9lfQSh8FEI/AAAAAAADLtw/a6v6ZrZ1mtAhsh3BOcM0dJef0nkukAM7QCLcBGAs/s400/Femi-Falana%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, said it was shameful that there was no accurate record of the volume of crude oil being produced in Nigeria daily.<br /> <br /> Falana spoke at an interactive Media Roundtable on Impact of Non-payment of Capital Gain Tax (CGT) and Other Levies in the Oil and Gas Sector on the Socio-Economic Development of the country on Tuesday in Lagos.<br /> <br /> The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the roundtable was organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).<br /> <br /> He said the recent report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) showed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and oil majors had yet to remit $22 billion and N481 billion to the Federation Account.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “Nigeria is the only oil producing country that does not know how much crude oil is produced and the government has refused to obtain the meter that would provide an accurate record.<br /> <br /> “A study was done between 2011 and 2014 by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on how much unrecorded oil was taken out of Nigeria.<br /> <br /> “In one port alone at Philadelphia, United States, the difference between the oil recorded that was taken out from our port and the oil that arrived there was about 60 million barrels valued at $12.7 billion dollars,’’ Falana said.<br /> <br /> He said that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had been recovering stolen funds but they needed to do more to ensure that the humongous amount of money stolen from the oil sector was recovered.<br /> <br /> According to him, these funds can be deployed for education, health and infrastructural development in the country, especially as over 13 million children are currently out of school.<br /> <br /> He urged SERAP to challenge the non-implementation of the Deep Offshore and Inland Production Act which ought to have been enforced since 1993 but had been jettisoned by subsequent administrations.<br /> <br /> “We must go to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to ensure that we get the appropriate information as enshrined in the Freedom of Information Act (FOI),’’ he said.<br /> <br /> NAN reports that the Roundtable also witnessed the unveiling of an 18-page Report entitled: “The Impact of Laws and Practice on the Taxation of Capital Gains (Oil and Gas Asset Sales in Nigeria 2005-2015).’’<br /> <br /> The report was authored by two taxation consultants, Mrs Bimpe Balogun and Mr Azeez Olatoye.<br /> <br /> The report said: “A review of issues arising on CGT carried out by the Ministry of Finance, Oil and Gas Unit, in 2012 revealed that between 2006 and 2012, oil assets worth over $3.5billion, and $12.8billion by 2016, were divested by major oil companies.<br /> <br /> “The Nigerian oil and gas sector has in the last 10-years witnessed its fair share of divestment by international oil companies, such as Shell, Total, Eni, and Chevron.<br /> <br /> “These oil companies have divested their interests in oil blocks and marginal fields, many of which are Nigerian onshore assets.<br /> <br /> “Meanwhile, the information received from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the period between 2005 and 2015 revealed that CGT returns were filed for a total disposal of $8.6billion.’’<br /> <br /> According to the report, this has resulted in huge losses in revenue to Nigeria as it gives the IOCs the leeway to file lower CGT returns.<br /> <br /> It therefore called for an upward review of the CGT rates in Nigeria which was currently 10 per cent compared to the average of 16 per cent obtainable in the African continent.<br /> <br /> The report also called for harmonisation of revenue figures by the FIRS, DPR and NNPC to improve accountability and transparency in the oil and gas industry. (NAN)

It’s a shame we don’t know how much oil Nigeria is producing – Falana

Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, said it was shameful that there was no accurate record of the volume of crude oil being produced in ...

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Amaechi angry over slow pace of work on Lagos-Ibadan rail line

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="430" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BlGUjDvbZk/W9ldtMzvz0I/AAAAAAADLtk/2U_-KdAxGCMiSnrsdIWp5RaH5PB376ZQQCLcBGAs/s400/train%2Brail.jpg" width="400" /></div> <br /> Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation has said that he was not impressed with the pace of work at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project.<br /> <br /> Amaechi expressed his disappointment during the monthly inspection of the project in Ibadan on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> “There is a slow pace of work in Lagos axis of the project,<br /> <br /> “The expectations from the sub-contractor appointed for relocation of pipes and all that were not met.<br /> <br /> “The persons relocating the water pipelines are expected to finish by November 2 with different excuses that they discovered other utilities underground.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “The excuses are not obtainable. I have told them to speed up the work,” he said.<br /> <br /> The minister said about 10 train stations would be constructed from the Lagos axis to Ibadan to allow various communities have access to the train services.<br /> <br /> The minister charged the China Civil Engineer Construction Company (CCECC), the contractor handling the project to employ Nigerian engineers in the construction works.<br /> <br /> The minister said that there was need for more workforce working on site to enable them meet the target set for the project.<br /> <br /> “I have instructed the contractor and the project consultant to have local engineers on site.<br /> <br /> “The construction of beams which is ongoing is a strategic part of the project which should be understudied by Nigerian engineers to be able to carry out the project in future.<br /> <br /> “Though there is a huge improvement in the level of work carried out on Abeokuta axis where some bridges had been constructed including the one on Ogun ,” he said.<br /> <br /> Amaechi also urged the CCECC to employ more labour in order to expedite the project.<br /> <br /> “Some of the stations won’t take more than one month to complete especially now that the rain is over, so we are still on target.<br /> <br /> The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister said that the construction work at the ongoing Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge has reached about 90 per cent completion.<br /> <br /> Amaechi disclosed this while inspecting the project at Ewekoro-Papalanto axis of the project on Monday August 27.<br /> <br /> “We are progressing. But there is no way they can fast-track the project during the raining season, but 90 per cent of the construction works has been done.<br /> <br /> “I have told them to work day and night, to ensure the project keeps moving as expected, especially on the bridges and construction of modern station at Ebuta-Meta Lagos.(NAN)

Amaechi angry over slow pace of work on Lagos-Ibadan rail line

Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation has said that he was not impressed with the pace of work at the Lagos end of the Lagos-...

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We’ve decimated Boko Haram - FG

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YW7LNAZN8w/W9lcEhjzNtI/AAAAAAADLtY/QgNoo2Tp2fg4LaUUeUJKkTv2fS7bTaLuQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lai-Mohammed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="412" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YW7LNAZN8w/W9lcEhjzNtI/AAAAAAADLtY/QgNoo2Tp2fg4LaUUeUJKkTv2fS7bTaLuQCLcBGAs/s320/Lai-Mohammed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> The Federal Government has insisted that Nigerian troops have succeeded in decimating the capacity of the Boko Haram terrorist group to carry out spectacular attacks.<br /> <br /> This, the Federal Government said, was without prejudice to the fact that the group carried out occasional attacks on soft targets in the North-East.<br /> <br /> The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this at a media briefing in Abuja, on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> He also described news on social media that the welfare of troops in the frontline was so poor that soldiers were begging for food as “fake news.”<br /> <br /> Mohammed urged Nigerians to appreciate and understand the nature of the Boko Haram insurgency, which grew from a local terrorist group into an international group attracting funding and support from similar groups across the globe.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He noted that the group now received funding and support from foreign terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Al-Qaeda and similar other groups across the globe.<br /> <br /> The minister said, “When the government says it has decapitated Boko Haram, what government means is that a time was, when even this capital city – Abuja – was not immune from attacks by Boko Haram.<br /> <br /> “You are all living witnesses to the attack on the United Nations Headquarters, the Nigeria Police headquarters, the ThisDay Newspapers, Nyanya Park twice; but since 2015, all that has become history.”<br /> <br /> He further explained that when the Muhammadu Buhari–led administration took over in 2015, 20 out of the 27 local government areas in Borno State alone were under the effective control of Boko Haram, including four local government areas in Adamawa State.<br /> <br /> He further said, “Today, we can say confidently that not an inch of our territory is under the control of Boko Haram. They have been repelled even from their spiritual headquarters.”<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> According to him, the activities of the group are today confined to the fringes of the Lake Chad Islands between Niger, Cameroon and Chad where they launch attacks on soft targets.<br /> <br /> He further explained that those familiar with insurgencies appreciated the fact that it was better not to allow it to start because the end was never predictable.<br /> <br /> Mohammed further stated that every inch of Nigerian territory was now safe in the sense that unlike before, the sect lacked the capacity to take Nigerian territory and declare it its own.<br /> <br /> On the welfare of troops in the frontline, Mohammed said the Federal Government had established that troops were properly taken care of, contrary to speculations to the contrary on social media.<br /> <br /> He said barely a few weeks after the administration alerted Nigerians on the dangers of fake news, an online medium published a report alleging that troops were being starved and denied their allowances.<br /> <br /> The minister said, “On September 21st, 2018, an online publication reported alleged deplorable conditions of the troops who are fighting Boko Haram in the North-East. Quoting a phantom Corporal, with the pseudonym Gandoki, said to be serving with one of the Special Forces Units in the theatre of operation, the publication alleged that troops deployed in particular along Gubio Road and the Brig.-Gen. Maimalari Secondary School were begging for food to survive, were poorly kitted with some wearing slippers and were facing irregular/short payment of their allowances.”<br /> <br /> He stressed that President Buhari took the report seriously and ordered an investigation to determine the veracity or otherwise of claims made in the said publication.<br /> <br /> Mohammed said, “The investigation has since been concluded. The summary of the findings is that there is no case of hunger, starvation or begging among the troops fighting in the North-East and in particular in the Armed Forces Special Forces Battalion that was referenced in the publication.<br /> <br /> “There is also no irregular/short payment of allowances, while claims of poor equipment, inadequate kitting and accommodation are found to be ill-conceived and unfounded.<br /> <br /> “How then can soldiers who are fed centrally be starving or begging for food? Concerning the payment of allowances, the monthly allowances of troops of the AFSF Battalion are being paid directly into their various accounts from the Defence Headquarters; hence they cannot be shortchanged.<br /> <br /> “On the allegation of poor equipment and inadequate kitting, it was found that the inflow of logistics into the theatre in the past six months showed an enormous quantity of material was distributed to troops in the theatre. Needless to say, that no army in the world has all the requisite equipment to prosecute counter-insurgency operations.”

We’ve decimated Boko Haram - FG

The Federal Government has insisted that Nigerian troops have succeeded in decimating the capacity of the Boko Haram terrorist group to ca...

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Shittes Attack: FG beefs up security around Aso Villa

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_EgIFMeO4/W9kXclu9zaI/AAAAAAADLtM/ObOltU0ysCcbNll5q2d0zwZ29gv97QdlgCLcBGAs/s1600/aso%2Brock%2Bvilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_EgIFMeO4/W9kXclu9zaI/AAAAAAADLtM/ObOltU0ysCcbNll5q2d0zwZ29gv97QdlgCLcBGAs/s1600/aso%2Brock%2Bvilla.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and security personnel took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as sect members clashed with police.<br /> <br /> The clashes which took place on Sunday and Monday on the outskirts of the federal capital city spread to the business districts in Central Business District and Wuse.<br /> <br /> Sounds of sporadic gunfire were heard even as smoke from tear-gas canisters spread and enveloped the area.<br /> <br /> Shop owners in Wuse Zone II, along Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, hurriedly locked up their shops as they scampered to safety.<br /> <br /> The police fired tear-gas canisters at sect members who were hurling stones at police officers. By the time the dust cleared, a police patrol van was seen burning.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The vehicle was one of the vehicles donated to the police by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote.<br /> <br /> It was gathered that the Shiite protesters marched from Wuse II, through the Wuse Market road, to Zone 4 and 5 to the Berger Bridge.<br /> <br /> Addressing journalists on Tuesday’s clash, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, said the police had taken into custody 400 Shiite members including one Mustapha Abdullahi and Abdullahi Umar, who were arrested with 31 petrol bombs.<br /> <br /> Also arrested was one Salahuddeen Ahmad, 23, of Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State, who provided first aid to injured sect members.<br /> <br /> Ciroma said, “At about 1230hrs, police operatives on stop-and-search duty along Tipper Garage, Katampe, intercepted and arrested one Mustapha Abdullahi, 20 years, of Ungwan Gwari Suleja with 18 bottles of petrol bombs carefully concealed in a travelling bag.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> “To smuggle himself and the petrol bombs into the city, he disguised as a passenger and boarded a taxi with other unsuspecting passengers.”<br /> <br /> Ciroma stated that Abdullahi ran out of luck when vigilant policemen on duty upon reasonable suspicion intercepted the cab and searched his bag where the improvised bombs were found.<br /> <br /> “Other exhibits recovered from the suspect included two lighters and one dagger. The suspect will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigation,” the police said.<br /> <br /> The CP explained that Umar, who travelled from Sokoto to participate in the protest, was nabbed with 13 petrol bombs.<br /> <br /> “During interrogation, the suspect confessed that he arrived at Suleja from Sokoto State on Sunday to join other members of their sect for the protest.<br /> <br /> “He also confessed that he was ferrying the petrol bombs to FCT to confront law enforcement agents. One lighter was also recovered from the suspect. He will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigation,” the CP said.<br /> <br /> Umar told journalists that he planned to use the petrol-filled bottles to distract police operatives and prevent the arrest of his colleagues.<br /> <br /> The IMN members, who were on what they described as ‘Arbaeen trek,’ were demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-ZakyZaky.<br /> <br /> They had clashed with soldiers in Zuba on Saturday where three of their members died.<br /> <br /> They similarly had a violent confrontation with soldiers along Nyanya-Abuja road on Monday where about 10 IMN members were gunned down. An eyewitness claimed that no fewer than 100 persons escaped with various degrees of injury.<br /> <br /> It was the turn of the police on Tuesday when the sect members took them on. A resident of Wuse II, who identified himself as Ahmad Adamu, gave an eyewitness account of what transpired between the police and the sect members in his area.<br /> <br /> He said, “The Shiites and police were battling each other on Ademola Adetokunbo Road. People were staying indoors to avoid being hit by flying stones or tear-gas fumes.<br /> <br /> “The police were firing lots of tear gas. But the protesters were marching on with stones and sticks. The police operatives started shooting live bullets at them. It was horrible.”<br /> <br /> One of our correspondents learnt that in the midst of the confusion, the Shiites set a police vehicle on fire on the street.<br /> <br /> Children and women were not left out in the Shiites protest, and some of them were reportedly injured and feared dead on Tuesday in a fresh clash with the police operatives in the Central Area and Wuse.<br /> <br /> In response to the growing threat to the seat of power, security was tightened across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.<br /> <br /> One of our correspondents noticed that security was beefed up at the different gates leading into the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Federal Secretariat, the Court of Appeal Complex, the National Arcade and the National Assembly Complex – all located in the Three Arms Zone in the FCT.<br /> <br /> Armed policemen, soldiers and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were seen around the aforementioned locations.<br /> <br /> Armoured vehicles belonging to the military and the police were also deployed.<br /> <br /> The situation was the same at the military checkpoint in Karu, one of the FCT satellite towns where a bloody confrontation took place between security agents and members of IMN on Monday evening.<br /> <br /> PDP condemns alleged extrajudicial killings<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has expressed concern over mounting tension, escalating public restiveness, violence and rising cases of extrajudicial killings in the country.<br /> <br /> The party said the frightening situation in the country was precipitated by a series of divisive and undemocratic actions and statements of the Buhari administration coupled with its alleged official high-handedness, blatant refusal to obey court orders and open disregard to constitutionally-guaranteed rights of citizens.<br /> <br /> The PDP was reacting to the alleged killings of members of Shiites by security agents in Abuja on Monday.<br /> <br /> PDP’s reaction was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan.<br /> <br /> The party added that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration should respect the life of every Nigerian.<br /> <br /> He said, “The PDP thoroughly rejects the resort to maximum unleashing of state apparatus of power against citizens at the slightest provocation, resulting in bloodletting and extrajudicial killings of compatriots, preponderance of which are never investigated despite the usual lip service of bringing perpetrators to book.<br /> <br /> “The PDP believes that the life of every Nigerian is sacred and deserves respect as provided for in the 1999 Constitution (as emended).”<br /> <br /> He added, “The PDP, therefore, calls on the National Assembly and relevant international bodies to take a judicious look into the situation in our country today.<br /> <br /> “Our legislators must, therefore, immediately open a system-wide investigation into all violations leading to loss of lives and property in our nation.”<br /> <b><br /> Police to charge 400 Shiites with terrorism<br /></b><br /> The police authorities have said they would arraign the 400 Shiites in custody on terrorism charges.<br /> <br /> The force spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, said in a statement that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had directed that the detainees should be arraigned in court after investigation under Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.<br /> <br /> He said, “400 members of the group arrested for disturbance of public peace and law and order in the FCT and setting ablaze of police vehicle and those arrested with 31 bottles of petrol bombs and other dangerous weapons, now in police custody, will all be arraigned in court after investigation under Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013.”<br /> <br /> Jimoh said the IG had placed on red alert commissioners of police to deal with INM members and prevent them to from causing a breakdown of law and order.<br /> <br /> He added, “The Force will not condone lawlessness and disturbance of public peace by any groups under any guise that runs contrary to the constitutional provisions and other enabling laws on preservation of law and order and protection of lives and property of all Nigerians.”

Shittes Attack: FG beefs up security around Aso Villa

The clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and security personnel took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as sect members c...

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How we arrived at N30,000 minimum wage - NLC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eryg459dQYc/W9kTyyNwhyI/AAAAAAADLtA/alWKwzWqE20M2yoYa1KO2hw9jzZLLXiiwCLcBGAs/s1600/Abuja%2BNLC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="412" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eryg459dQYc/W9kTyyNwhyI/AAAAAAADLtA/alWKwzWqE20M2yoYa1KO2hw9jzZLLXiiwCLcBGAs/s1600/Abuja%2BNLC.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Organised Labour gave indications on Tuesday that the outcome of the ongoing controversies about the new national minimum wage will largely impact on the 2019 general election, saying the N30,000 they are currently insisting on was a compromised figure as the Minister of Labour actually recommended a higher figure.<br /> <br /> Leaders of Organised Labour said on a day of national mourning to protest the new position of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige that the committee has not agreed on a particular figure that the sub committee headed by the Minister recommended four different figures and scenarios which was deliberated upon by the entire committee before arriving at N30,000.<br /> <br /> According to a document circulated by the Leadership of Organised Labour entitled “struggle for national minimum wage by Organised Labour in Nigeria” the committee headed by the Minister recommended a minimum of N35,000 under what they described as scenario four.<br /> <br /> Other recommendations according to the document include “scenario one, yielding an average of N38,508.18, median of N42,032 and mode of N36,000. Scenario two yielding an average of N36,522.18, median of N45,000 and mode of N50,000. Scenario three yielded an average of N37,000 and scenario four yielded an average of N35,000”.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The document said further that “clearly from the figures above, the N30,000 was proposed not by Organised Labour, but was compromised figure and accepted in the spirit of give and take, eve; though Labour was not particularly pleased with it”.<br /> <br /> Contrary to claims by the Minister that the governors are offering to N19,000, organised Labour said the least figures offered by any state government was N20,000 offers by Taraba state government, followed by Ondo State government with N22,000, while Jigawa offered N32,000.<br /> <br /> According to them, Kano state with biggest workforce and wage bill had offered to pay the N30,600, Adamawa (N23,000), Plateau and Bauchi (25,000), Abia (N42,000), Gombe (N28,000), Nasarawa (N24,750), Borno (N27,000).<br /> Other states that submitted memorandum to the committee like Akwa Ibom, Imo, Ekiti Kogi, Katsina, Oyo were not specific as they were said to be consulting, while Enugu offered to pay whatever was agreed upon and Lagos offering to pay whatever was agreed upon by southern State Governors Forum, with only Delta state insisting they can not accommodate any increase for now.<br /> <br /> According to them, National day of mourning declared by Organised Labour is aimed at sensitizing Nigerians on the plight of workers and to protest attempt by government to muzzle workers and practically turn them to slaves.<br /> <br /> The workers insisted that a new National minimum wage was a right of workers and not a favour, stressing that it was a crime to deny workers their right, saying “when it comes to salaries of political office holders, there are always enough resources, but when it comes to salaries of workers, the story changes.<br /> <br /> “We live in one country, but operate separate laws for workers and political office holders. The will to pay should supersede the ability to pay. So Governors should stop grandstanding in Abuja and to back and face their workers“<br /> <br /> Addressing the workers, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama said workers should be prepared to use their PVC to vote out those they described as “enemies of workers”<br /> <br /> Wabba said “We cannot be creating wealth while we live in abject poverty or create wealth while the resources which is diverted. The used us to collect bail out and they didnt pay. the issue is not because there is no resources, but because they want more resources. In one state, the moment he received the money, he went and bought ten bullet proof cars.<br /> <br /> “In one state, New billion was used to charter flight alone. The problem is not about us, but about them. So, they must find the means to pay us. What have we done to the political elites that they cannot pay us N30 000. Don’t we deserve more than that? Instead of attending to that issue by respecting international conventions, they are coming up with no work, no pay and we are saying no pay, no work, no minimum wage, no work.<br /> “Every Nigeria worker must be ready because this is a battle with a difference.<br /> <br /> When they increased the price of fuel, they put the issue of minimum wage on the table. We will not allow a situation where they increase their own and ignore us.<br /> <br /> “During the last increase, salaries political office holders was increased by 900 percent, while giving us pittance. In say to all of us, no retreat, no surrender because on justice and fairness we stand. On minimum wage we stand.<br /> <br /> “This is just the beginning, to sensitise Nigerians about the injustice that is being done to Nigerian workers. Workers work to earn a living and not giving charity and we must earn a decent living. The fight start today and we are going to win because a people determined cannot be defeated.”<br /> <br /> On his part, President of Trade Union Congress, (TUC) Bala Bobboi Kaigama said if the government is saying that N30,000 was too much to pay, “they should give us an equivalent of N18000 as at 2011 relative to the dollar when the dollar was 150. Today, 18000 is less than 50 dollar and we are not responsible for the inflation in the country.<br /> <br /> “We are re saying let us exhibit good governance and fight corruption. It Is time to show the political elites that enough is enough. It is either they give us our demand or or we rally throughout the country.<br /> <br /> “We must show the, that Nigerians workers have the weapon which is our pvc and we will use it to declare war against our political leaders a day defeat our enemies. We are starting our mobilisation today and in the next few months, we will be prepare to use our PVC.<br /> <br /> “If they think that one worker who can mobilise ten persons means nothing we will show them that there is no going back. It is either you give us N30000 or nothing because negotiations have ended. Our struggle start today and will be in till February 2019. Let us not succumb to the threat of no work, no pay”

How we arrived at N30,000 minimum wage - NLC

Organised Labour gave indications on Tuesday that the outcome of the ongoing controversies about the new national minimum wage will largel...

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Nigerian governors propose N22,500 minimum wage

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vAHFEJSZMZM/W9kSz9xRoiI/AAAAAAADLs4/sHyVhATRTJM3oz1XJgEj_bTa_YpKdquRACLcBGAs/s1600/south%2Bgovernors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vAHFEJSZMZM/W9kSz9xRoiI/AAAAAAADLs4/sHyVhATRTJM3oz1XJgEj_bTa_YpKdquRACLcBGAs/s1600/south%2Bgovernors.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Tuesday agreed to pay a national minimum wage of N22,500 from the existing N18,000.<br /> <br /> The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’aziz Yari disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the end of its 2nd emergency meeting held in Abuja.<br /> <br /> Yari said that the decision was arrived at after a briefing from the forum representatives at the Tripartite Committee.<br /> <br /> He said that the welfare of all Nigerians is the ultimate concern of the governors, saying in all our states, we are concerned about the deteriorating economic situation experienced by the vulnerable segment of our population.<br /> <br /> He said that in agreeing to a National Minimum Wage, the Forum was even more concerned about development, particularly in the health, education and infrastructure spheres.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “It is therefore our considered position that since the percentage of salaried workers is not more than five per cent of the total working population, our position must not just reflect a figure, but also a sustainable strategy based on ability and capacity to pay, as well as reflective of all our developmental needs in each State.<br /> <br /> “After all, Section 3 of the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission Act provides that “the Commission shall recommend a proposition of income growth which should be initiated for wage increase and also examined the salary structure in public and private sector with reasonable features of relativity and maximum levels which are in consonance with the national economy”<br /> <br /> “It is in this sense that we feel strongly that our acceptable minimum wage must be done in such a way that total personnel cost does not exceed 50 per cent of the revenue available to each State.<br /> <br /> “Governors therefore agreed to pay a national minimum wage of N22,500.”<br /> <br /> The meeting with the governors were the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma.<br /> <br /> Some of the governors at the emergency meeting were Kebbi, Ebonyi, Imo, Lagos, Plateau, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, and Nasarawa represented by Deputy, Adamawa.<br /> <br /> The Organised Labour had scheduled Nov. 6 to embark on nationwide strike to compel government to peg a new minimum wage at N30,000.<br /> <br /> The leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and United Labour Congress of Nigeria (TUC), on Tuesday held mass protest across the country as part of sensitisation of workers and Nigerians for the planned industrial action.

Nigerian governors propose N22,500 minimum wage

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Tuesday agreed to pay a national minimum wage of N22,500 from the existing N18,000. The Chairman ...

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A requiem for the lifeless one by Femi Fani-Kayode

A requiem for the lifeless one by Femi Fani-Kayode

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What President Buhari and I will never do – Osinbajo

What President Buhari and I will never do – Osinbajo

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Police van burnt as violence between Shi’ites and security forces enter day three

Police van burnt as violence between Shi’ites and security forces enter day three

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New minimum wage: Stock your homes with foodstuff – Labour warns Nigerians

New minimum wage: Stock your homes with foodstuff – Labour warns Nigerians

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Chibok girls: Only 6, not 57 sighted in Sambisa Forest - Parents

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFbzRVE3AGg/W9iQkNxbEsI/AAAAAAAA1zM/FnmKBnaLUYoE1zA__D0DfEWLPEYPDzDewCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Chibok%2Bgirls%2Breleased.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFbzRVE3AGg/W9iQkNxbEsI/AAAAAAAA1zM/FnmKBnaLUYoE1zA__D0DfEWLPEYPDzDewCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Chibok%2Bgirls%2Breleased.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Parents of the abducted Chibok school girls on Tuesday said only six girls were sighted in Sambisa Forest as against 57 indicated by media reports quoting one of the parents.<br /> <br /> The Spokesperson of the parents, Mr Ayuba Alamson, told newsmen in Maiduguri that the lady who escaped from the Boko Haram captivity, claimed to have stayed with only six girls in the forest.<br /> <br /> Alamson, who identified the lady as Jummai Abouku, said the lady escaped from the Boko Haram insurgents and was released recently by the military to her family after profiling and screening.<br /> <br /> According to him, “Jummai, a mother of six was abducted together with her elder son by the insurgents at Askira Uba in 2014.”<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Alamson explained that the escapee told the parents that she stayed with six of the girls in Sambisa Forest, adding that she had also identified the girls and their parents.<br /> <br /> He said: “Jumai told us that six of the girls were married to the insurgents, one of them is pregnant with one child and another one has a baby, while the remaining four were married without children.<br /> <br /> “Few months before her escape, Jumai was also forced to marry one of the insurgents and she is now pregnant.<br /> <br /> “She escaped with her son and stayed in a camp in Bama, before they were released to their family in Chibok.<br /> <br /> “This is what she narrated to us and we do not know the source of the information about the 57 girls sighted in Cameroon.<br /> <br /> ”We are happy over the development, it rekindles our hope that the remaining girls in the insurgents’ captivity are alive and would be released.”<br /> <br /> He commended the Federal Government over the release of the over 100 abducted school girls.<br /> <br /> Alamson called on government and international organisations to secure the release of the remaining girls including Leah Sheribu.<br /> <br /> However, Mr Yakubu Nkenke, the Chairman, Parents of the Abducted School Girls, was quoted in a media report as saying that 57 of the girls were sighted in northern Cameroon.<br /> <br /> Nkenke disclosed that the girls were seen by other female captives at Garin Magaji and Garin Mallam villages of Marwa district, Cameroon.<br /> <br /> Nkenke revealed that seven of the girls were at Garin Magaji, and 50 others stays with their husbands and children at Garin Mallam.<br /> <br /> When contacted by newsmen he insisted on the 57 figure of the sighted girls.<br /> <br /> ”What we should be looking at is how to rescue the girls. Their locations has been revealed for the government to secure their release,” he told newsmen.</div>

Chibok girls: Only 6, not 57 sighted in Sambisa Forest - Parents

Parents of the abducted Chibok school girls on Tuesday said only six girls were sighted in Sambisa Forest as against 57 indicated by media...

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Lauretta Onochie seeks enforcement of law to curb abuse of social media

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-la3OCDPKawQ/W9iPs7lpzZI/AAAAAAAA1yw/kaxvcvBk5cs3_TSd2DmgQW57nAddfruvwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Lauretta%2Bonochie.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-la3OCDPKawQ/W9iPs7lpzZI/AAAAAAAA1yw/kaxvcvBk5cs3_TSd2DmgQW57nAddfruvwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/Lauretta%2Bonochie.jpg" /></a></div> The Presidency has called for strict enforcement of law by security agents to curb abuse of social media.<br /> <br /> Mrs Lauretta Onochie, the Personal Assistant to President on Social Media made the call in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.<br /> <br /> She said that the challenge in the country was that the laws were not being enforced by the appropriate authorities, adding that the country had the necessary laws to guide what was being published and spoken online.<br /> <br /> “Our laws are not being enforced; we must plead with the law enforcement agencies to look into this to help the president and the nation to stay together,’’ she said.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> She said that hate speech was capable of disintegrating the country, adding that if this happened, everybody would be a victim because the people would not have anywhere run to for succour.<br /> <br /> Onochie noted that the social media had given a voice to young Nigerians who were hitherto trained by their parents not to ask questions or raise their voices.<br /> <br /> “Many of our youths are raised by mothers and fathers who rebuke them when they ask question.<br /> <br /> “Now that they are on social media, they can air their opinions, but I must counsel them that whatsoever they say today they should make sure it is the truth.<br /> <br /> “If you are lying in order to bring bloodshed on our nation, the blood would be on you and your generation,’’ she said.<br /> <br /> The SA noted that Nigerians should ensure that they must at all times ensure that whatever they said on social media must be the truth.<br /> <br /> Onochie advised them to always consult Google to be sure of their posts online if they found something that was not the truth.<br /> <br /> “If they are not the truth, it should not be shared, sharing it means you are breaking the law,’’ she said.<br /> <br /> Onochie called on the law enforcement agents to do their job, saying that they were failing in the discharge of job in apprehending people who use hate messages to divide the country.</div>

Lauretta Onochie seeks enforcement of law to curb abuse of social media

The Presidency has called for strict enforcement of law by security agents to curb abuse of social media. Mrs Lauretta Onochie, the Pers...

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Buhari congratulates Brazil’s President-Elect

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTx2YVYAlnk/W9iP4ljmbhI/AAAAAAAA1y8/BbgNqT_61gA19_pHa2LCuCEsmGFPBsAYQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTx2YVYAlnk/W9iP4ljmbhI/AAAAAAAA1y8/BbgNqT_61gA19_pHa2LCuCEsmGFPBsAYQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Mr Jair Bolsonaro on his victory in Brazil’s presidential election run-off on Sunday.<br /> <br /> Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, issued the congratulatory message in Abuja on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> The President also felicitated with the people of Brazil for successfully going through the two rounds of the election and making their choice, thereby enhancing the democratic credentials of their country.<br /> <br /> He noted that Nigeria shares historical and cultural ties with Brazil.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to him, his administration looks forward to deepening such relations as well as expanding current political, trade and military ties with the South American powerhouse.<br /> <br /> The Nigerian leader wished Bolsonaro, who takes oath of office in Jan. 2019, a successful tenure in confronting his country’s current socio-economic challenges.</div>

Buhari congratulates Brazil’s President-Elect

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Mr Jair Bolsonaro on his victory in Brazil’s presidential election run-off on Sunday. Malam...

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Boko Haram: Starving troops’ story fake news – Lai Mohammed

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Co-10un4k8/W9iPg4cQTgI/AAAAAAAA1yc/5iXDJOIXixoqsYa4jLEHNx6D3EU9L5eaACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Lai-Mohammed.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Co-10un4k8/W9iPg4cQTgI/AAAAAAAA1yc/5iXDJOIXixoqsYa4jLEHNx6D3EU9L5eaACK4BGAYYCw/s320/Lai-Mohammed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, Tuesday, described media reports that Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram in the North East were starving and ill-kitted, as fake news.<br /> <br /> He told a press conference, in Abuja, that the troops were being fed centrally, thrice daily and that it was, therefore, not possible, for any of them to starve, as claimed in the report.<br /> <br /> Alh. Mohammed said that the troops were making great sacrifices for the nation and that the public should support and pray for them.<br /> <br /> His words, “Recall, gentlemen, that a little over three months ago, precisely on July 11th 2018, we launched a National Campaign Against Fake News.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “At the launch, we said the campaign is to sensitize all Nigerians to the dangers posed to the peace and security, and indeed the corporate existence of Nigeria, by the phenomenon. We said that each and every<br /> Nigerian has a role to play in curtailing the spread of fake news. We also said Nigerians should not share any information they cannot verify.<br /> <br /> “Two months and 10 days after the launch, specifically on Sept.21st 2018, an online publication reported alleged deplorable conditions of the troops who are fighting Boko Haram in the North East.<br /> <br /> Quoting a phantom Corporal, with the pseudonym Gandoki, said to be serving with one of the Special Forces Units in the theatre of<br /> operation, the publication alleged that troops deployed in particular along Gubio Road and the Brig.-Gen. Maimalari Secondary School were begging for food to survive, were poorly kitted with some wearing slippers and were facing irregular/short payment of their allowances. The publication also reported non-serviceable equipment in the theatre.<br /> <br /> “These allegations have grave implications for the security of the nation, hence the allegations were taken<br /> seriously by the President and Commander-in-Chief, who subsequently ordered an investigation to determine the veracity or otherwise of the claims in the publication.<br /> <br /> “The investigation has since been concluded and, in line with the transparent stance of this Administration, I have invited you here today to share with you the outcome.<br /> <br /> “The summary of the findings is that there is no case of hunger, starvation or begging among the troops fighting in the North East, and in particular in the Armed Forces Special Forces Battalion that was referenced in the<br /> publication.<br /> <br /> “There is also no irregular/short payment of allowances, while claims of poor equipment, inadequate kitting and accommodation are found to be ill-conceived and unfounded.<br /> <br /> “Let me elaborate. The troops in question, deployed at Brig.-Gen. Maimalari Secondary School along Gubio Road, are being fed centrally three times a day, and are kitted immediately after their training before they are deployed in the theatre.<br /> <br /> “How then can soldiers who are fed centrally be starving or begging for food? Concerning the payment<br /> of allowances, the monthly allowances of troops of the AFSF Battalion are being paid directly into their various accounts from the Defence Headquarters, hence they cannot be shortchanged.<br /> <br /> “On the allegation of poor equipment and inadequate kitting, it was found that the inflow of logistics into the theatre in the past six months showed an enormous quantity of material was distributed to troops in the theatre. “Needless to say that no army in the world has all the requisite equipment to prosecute a counter-insurgency<br /> operation<br /> <br /> “There is no issue of hunger, improper kitting of soldiers, non-payment or short-payment of soldiers’ allowances and poor equipment at the AFSF Battalion or in any other units within OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE theatre.”<br /> <br /> On the claim of poor accommodation in the operational environment, the minister said, “By their training, soldiers in theatres of war are usually in trenches, tents or other makeshift structures. Fighting insurgency is not a walk in the park and the gallant men and women in uniform who are engaged in counter-insurgency operation in the North East are not on a luxurious expedition. The battlefront is no playground.”<br /> <br /> The minister noted that Nigerians troops engaged in the war against the terrorists were making great sacrifices and that the general public owed them prayers and support.<br /> <br /> He said, “Our men and women in uniform are making great sacrifices for us as a nation. They stay awake and are constantly in harm’s way so that you and I can sleep well and be safe. I saw this first hand when I took over 30 local and international journalists to the North East in December 2015.<br /> <br /> “As we drove from Maiduguri to Bama, passing through Konduga, Kaure and other towns along the way, we saw gallant troops deployed on desolate roads and bushes. We saw them perched on very high towers, where they stay for hours on end. We marveled at the sacrifices they are all making on our behalf. The least we can do is to support and pray for them.<br /> <br /> “Engaging in the publication of what I can now call fake news about the troops on Sept. 21st 2018 is not only a great disservice to the nation, but a terrible downplay of the kind of sacrifices being made by our gallant troops. Such reports amount to collaborating with fifth columnists and enemies of the nation to weaken the fighting<br /> spirit of our fighting forces. In short, they (the reports) represent a clear and present danger to the nation’s security.”<br /> <br /> Alh. Mohammed appealed to the media to check the veracity of whatever information they received from any source before publishing such.<br /> <br /> According to him, “It is particularly necessary to double-check with the government before publishing any information from the theatre of operation in the North East.”</div>

Boko Haram: Starving troops’ story fake news – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, Tuesday, described media reports that Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram in t...

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Just in: 5,000 supporters dump Kwankwaso

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JIZo1p-aJWE/W9iOkLPdhGI/AAAAAAAA1yI/p8CReg8pj_o1f7IM6XQ3mQcNTfg_eTDFgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Rabiu%2BMusa%2BKwankwaso.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JIZo1p-aJWE/W9iOkLPdhGI/AAAAAAAA1yI/p8CReg8pj_o1f7IM6XQ3mQcNTfg_eTDFgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Rabiu%2BMusa%2BKwankwaso.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recently defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has lost no fewer than 5,000 of his supporters to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).<br /> <br /> The members of the Kwankwasiya group in Kebbi defected to return home. on Tuesday in Birni Kebbi.<br /> <br /> “We have gone to the market and the market was not favourable. We decided to return home with over 5,000 of our members and more are coming by God’s grace,” the former State Organising Secretary of the group, Abdullahi Nayalwa, said.<br /> <br /> Kwankwasiyya is the political structure of Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso who represents Kano Central senatorial zone in the National Assembly, and an aspirant in the recent presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) that was won by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The defecting members of the group were received by the Deputy Governor of Kebbi, Alhaji Samaila Yombe, at the APC Secretariat, Birnin-Kebbi on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> Nayalwa noted that they took the decision because of the landmark achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Abubakar Bagudu in agriculture and other sectors.<br /> <br /> FG moves to stop illicit financial outflows by oil companies<br /> <br /> “We have finally dumped PDP and joined APC because APC administration is the only government that can bring change and unity in the country.<br /> <br /> Receiving the defectors, Yombe commended them for taking the decision to return to the APC and assured them of equal treatment.<br /> <br /> The deputy governor, who described their return to the party as timely, also said that they had chosen the right path.</div>

Just in: 5,000 supporters dump Kwankwaso

Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recently defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has lost no fewer than 5,000 of his supporters to the rulin...

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Drama as nurse admits to killing 100 patients

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kGELyWm8Ns/W9iOLkdeWlI/AAAAAAAA1x4/GWIbDpsydeo_z7L1XqFmNd2d8jbJ_kS5ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/doctor%2Binstruments.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kGELyWm8Ns/W9iOLkdeWlI/AAAAAAAA1x4/GWIbDpsydeo_z7L1XqFmNd2d8jbJ_kS5ACK4BGAYYCw/s320/doctor%2Binstruments.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Former nurse Niels Hoegel admitted Tuesday to killing 100 patients in his care, on the first day of his trial in the biggest serial killing case in Germany’s post-war history.<br /> <br /> Hoegel, 41, has already spent nearly a decade in prison on a life term for other patient deaths, and is accused of intentionally administering medical overdoses to victims so he could bring them back to life at the last moment.<br /> <br /> As the proceedings opened in the northern city of Oldenburg, presiding judge Sebastian Buehrmann asked whether the charges against him were accurate. Hoegel replied quietly “yes”.<br /> <br /> “What I have admitted took place,” he told the courtroom crowded with dozens of grieving relatives.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Buehrmann said the main aim of the trial was to establish the full scope of the murder spree that was allowed to go unchecked for years at two German hospitals.<br /> <br /> “It is like a house with dark rooms — we want to bring light into the darkness,” he said.<br /> <br /> After a minute of silence in the courtroom for the victims, the bearded, heavyset Hoegel listened impassively, his head lowered, as public prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlmann read out the name of each dead patient and the charges against the defendant.<br /> <br /> – ‘Little, vulnerable mass murderer’ –<br /> <br /> Prosecutors say at least 36 patients were killed at a hospital in Oldenburg where he worked, and about 64 more at a clinic in nearby Delmenhorst, between 2000 and 2005.<br /> <br /> More than 130 bodies of patients who died on Hoegel’s watch have been exhumed, in a case investigators have called “unprecedented in Germany to our knowledge”.<br /> <br /> One of the more than 100 co-plaintiffs in the trial, Christian Marbach, said it was a scandal that Hoegel had been allowed to kill with impunity for such an extended period of time without hospital authorities or law enforcement intervening.<br /> <br /> “They had everything they needed (to stop him) — you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes,” Marbach, the grandson of one of the patients, told AFP.<br /> <br /> Hoegel told the court he was “surprised” when a superior at the Oldenburg hospital asked him to resign in late 2002, saying he would get a positive recommendation and holiday pay if he left voluntarily.<br /> <br /> “I felt bad, like I had been caught,” Hoegel said, adding however that he was never explicitly told why they wanted him gone.<br /> <br /> Marbach said the defendant seemed remarkably composed as he admitted to the extraordinary list of killings.<br /> <br /> “He looks like a little, vulnerable mass murderer.”<br /> <br /> – 200 victims? –<br /> <br /> Caught in 2005 while injecting an unprescribed medication into a patient in Delmenhorst, Hoegel was sentenced in 2008 to seven years in prison for attempted murder.<br /> <br /> A second trial followed in 2014-15 under pressure from alleged victims’ families.<br /> <br /> He was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of five other victims and given the maximum sentence of 15 years.<br /> <br /> It was then that Hoegel confessed to his psychiatrist at least 30 more murders committed in Delmenhorst. That prompted investigators to take a closer look at suspicious deaths in Oldenburg.<br /> <br /> Taking the stand Tuesday, Hoegel said he began taking painkillers shortly after becoming a nurse in 1999 as he felt overwhelmed by the stress of working in the intensive care unit.<br /> <br /> “I should have quit,” he said.<br /> <br /> Asked by the judge why he didn’t admit to the remaining murders before now, Hoegel said it was “out of shame” and because it took him a long time to face up to what he had done at the first hospital.<br /> <br /> It was only through reading the court files and in therapy that “I started to recognise the full dimension”, he said.<br /> <br /> Investigators say the final toll could top 200 but fear they might never know for sure because the bodies of many possible victims were cremated.<br /> <br /> Hoegel appears to have followed a similar procedure each time, first injecting a medication that triggered cardiac arrest, followed by an often futile attempt at resuscitation.<br /> <br /> Prosecutors say he was motivated by vanity, to show off his skills at saving human lives, and by simple “boredom”.<br /> <br /> The choice of victim appears to have been entirely random, with their ages ranging from 34 to 96.</div>

Drama as nurse admits to killing 100 patients

Former nurse Niels Hoegel admitted Tuesday to killing 100 patients in his care, on the first day of his trial in the biggest serial killin...

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Certificate: Lagos lawyer asks court to disqualify Buhari from presidential race

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b3MsIzKtBfM/W9iNozEscUI/AAAAAAAA1xg/W10GtUCvLjYnZigiTBg4q-8fWayQn1-ugCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/buhari2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b3MsIzKtBfM/W9iNozEscUI/AAAAAAAA1xg/W10GtUCvLjYnZigiTBg4q-8fWayQn1-ugCK4BGAYYCw/s320/buhari2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A Lagos-based lawyer, Itesede Okhai, has approached the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order disqualifying President Muhammadu Buhari from contesting the 2019 presidential election.<br /> <br /> The lawyer, in his suit marked, FHC/L/CS/1765/18, contended that Buhari had not met the legal requirements to stand for election, because the President did not submit his secondary school certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.<br /> <br /> The lawyer is urging the court to declare that the sworn affidavit which Buhari submitted to INEC, stating that his certificate was in the custody of the Nigerian Army, was not enough.<br /> <br /> Okhai is praying the court to declare Buhari’s sworn affidavit null and void, contending that “it could not stand as a substitute to President Buhari’s certificate or take the place of the evidence of President Buhari’s educational qualification as a requirement and condition precedent in INEC Form CF001.”<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The lawyer wants the court to restrain INEC, which was joined in the suit as the second defendant, from allowing Buhari to contest the election, having allegedly failed to meet the relevant requirements of the Electoral Act.<br /> <br /> He is seeking a declaration that by the combined provisions of sections 31(1), 2 and 5 of the Electoral Act, Cap 15, 2010, Buhari, having failed to attach his secondary school certificate to the forms he submitted to INEC, was bound to be disqualified from the presidential race.<br /> <br /> In an affidavit personally deposed to by himself, the lawyer said he recalled that Buhari made the same claim in 2014 while seeking to be elected as President, that his certificate was in the custody of the  Secretary of the Military Board.<br /> <br /> According to him, in response to Buhari’s claim, the Nigerian Army, through its spokesman, Brig Gen Olaleye Olajide, at a press conference held on January 20, 2015, stated that the  Nigerian military was not in possession of Buhari’s certificates evidencing his educational qualification.<br /> <br /> Okhai, in his affidavit, said he “reasonably believed that President Buhari has lied on oath where he claimed that his educational certificates are with the Nigerian Military Board.”<br /> <br /> He urged the court to stop Buhari from contesting the next year’s presidential election.<br /> <br /> The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, has yet to be assigned to any judge and no date has been fixed.</div>

Certificate: Lagos lawyer asks court to disqualify Buhari from presidential race

A Lagos-based lawyer, Itesede Okhai, has approached the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order disqualifying President Muhammadu Bu...

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PDP votes were deliberately voided, witness tells Ekiti election tribunal

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwGKDy03EQA/W9iNdmPtIZI/AAAAAAAA1xU/xN7ZV5dHJlE4veaykmyoXJLTA48RAfdBgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/pdp-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwGKDy03EQA/W9iNdmPtIZI/AAAAAAAA1xU/xN7ZV5dHJlE4veaykmyoXJLTA48RAfdBgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/pdp-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A petitioner’s witness on Tuesday told the Ekiti State governorship election tribunal, that votes for the Peoples Democratic Party were deliberately voided by staff of INEC during the July 14 governorship election.<br /> <br /> The witness, Omobuljo Bankole, specifically said that the PDP votes were voided in Unit 009, Ward 4 of Ido -Osi Local Government Area.<br /> <br /> Bankole stated this while testifying before the tribunal, headed by Justice Suleiman Belgore, sitting at the FCT High Court, Apo.<br /> <br /> The petitioners, PDP, and its candidate in the Ekiti July 14 governorship election, Prof. Olusola Kolapo had approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, All Progressives Congress and Governor Kayode Fayemi.<br /> <br /> Answering a question during cross-examination by Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), counsel to APC,  Bankole stated that his party scored more than 119 votes during the election in his unit.<br /> <br /> According to the witness, “I was there when they deliberately voided the PDP’s voters in Unit 9 (Ward 4, Ido -Osi LGA), the male polling clerk of INEC voided 27 votes, ”he said.</div>

PDP votes were deliberately voided, witness tells Ekiti election tribunal

A petitioner’s witness on Tuesday told the Ekiti State governorship election tribunal, that votes for the Peoples Democratic Party were de...

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BREAKING : Afenifere suspends Omisore for supporting APC in Osun election

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VN0f6WvBmwM/W9iNUAyeMCI/AAAAAAAA1xM/V4JXPA_nKBAePrsDFv7n4BLDDBblUma6wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Iyiola%2BOmisore.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VN0f6WvBmwM/W9iNUAyeMCI/AAAAAAAA1xM/V4JXPA_nKBAePrsDFv7n4BLDDBblUma6wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Iyiola%2BOmisore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Tuesday, announced the suspension of the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore for one year.<br /> <br /> Omisore was alleged to have aligned with the All Progressives Congress to win the rerun election in Ife South and North Local Government Areas of Osun State. His action was said to have gone against the position of his party, the Social Democratic Party and the Afenifere.<br /> <br /> Omisore’s suspension was part of the decisions taken at the monthly meeting of the Afenifere, held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and read by a chieftain of the group, Chief Korede Duyile, the group said Omisore allegedly went against the position of Afenifere during the last governorship election in Osun State.<br /> <br /> The group had earlier decided not to support the All Progressives Congress at the Osun governorship and the forthcoming general elections.<br /> <br /> Afenifere said in the communique, ” The meeting took a decision to suspend Senator Iyiola Omisore for one year for violating Afenifere’s directive which affected the outcome of Osun election.”</div>

BREAKING : Afenifere suspends Omisore for supporting APC in Osun election

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Tuesday, announced the suspension of the candidate of the Social Democratic Par...

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Security operatives take over Bauchi Assembly as Gov Abubakar order renovation of complex ‘to escape impeachment’

Security operatives take over Bauchi Assembly as Gov Abubakar order renovation of complex ‘to escape impeachment’

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I will pay any amount adopted as minimum wage - Ortom

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYouuB6XJRo/W9iM5YxUI2I/AAAAAAAA1xA/UEubrKKm4WI4dJe5r-YF8lXEFGTbTrSoACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Samuel%2BOrtom.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYouuB6XJRo/W9iM5YxUI2I/AAAAAAAA1xA/UEubrKKm4WI4dJe5r-YF8lXEFGTbTrSoACK4BGAYYCw/s320/Samuel%2BOrtom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has promised to pay any amount agreed upon by the negotiating committee on minimum wage.<br /> <br /> Ortom stated this on Tuesday in Makurdi, when members of Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and other sister unions visited him to register their support for the upward review of wages.<br /> <br /> The News Agency of Nigeria, reports that the Organised Labour has proposed a minimum wage of N30,000, vowing to shut down the country if the demand was not met.<br /> <br /> Ortom, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Terwase Orbunde, said that he was not against the upward review of workers’ minimum wages “in spite of the current economic challenges bedevilling the country”.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “I will work in line with the outcome of the new minimum wage committee.<br /> <br /> “I am known for championing improved welfare for workers. I did it when I was the Chairman of Guma Local Government Area.<br /> <br /> “When I came on board as governor, primary school teachers were not receiving the N18,000.00 minimum wage. I stepped up their salaries without waiting for them to mount pressure on me to do so.<br /> <br /> “I wanted them to be at par with other civil servants in the State.<br /> <br /> “They did not march in protest before I increased their salaries. I am not against a better life for workers,” he said.</div>

I will pay any amount adopted as minimum wage - Ortom

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has promised to pay any amount agreed upon by the negotiating committee on minimum wage. Ortom state...

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New minimum wage: NLC protests in Lagos, insists on November 6 ultimatum

New minimum wage: NLC protests in Lagos, insists on November 6 ultimatum

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PHOTOS: Sanwo-Olu visits Ambode in Alausa

PHOTOS: Sanwo-Olu visits Ambode in Alausa

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WAEC certificate: Buhari’s action shows he is hiding something – PDP

WAEC certificate: Buhari’s action shows he is hiding something – PDP

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Oby Ezekwesili speaks on Atiku’s ‘unexplainable wealth’

Oby Ezekwesili speaks on Atiku’s ‘unexplainable wealth’

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Dickson leads PDP governors to Aso Rock

Dickson leads PDP governors to Aso Rock

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Minimum wage: Kwara workers protest, insist on N30,000

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCUk4bxqKf8/W9h0wtRkU4I/AAAAAAAA1w0/lNYyqaTp3f0CgYpzEhdyKiWhmxjKa19bgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/NLC%2Bpeople.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCUk4bxqKf8/W9h0wtRkU4I/AAAAAAAA1w0/lNYyqaTp3f0CgYpzEhdyKiWhmxjKa19bgCK4BGAYYCw/s400/NLC%2Bpeople.jpg" /></a></div> The Joint Kwara Labour Congress, on Tuesday in Ilorin, staged a peaceful protest on the delay by the Federal Government to implement the N30,000 minimum wage demanded by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).<br /> <br /> The workers in their hundreds joined the protest and marched through major streets in the metropolis, thereby causing a gridlock on major highways.<br /> <br /> The workers at the Kwara Government House, carried different placards including ”Day of National Mourning; On N30, 000 minimum wage we stand; Let’s all demand for a living wage; Minimum wage, solution to corruption.<br /> <br /> The NLC chairman, Kwara chapter, Mr Yekini Agunbiade in his address to workers and government representatives, said it was evil to work more and earn less, adding that Nigeria workers deserve better treatment.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> “N30,000 minimum wage is not even enough to cater for the family, we only want to manage it. They have to stop maltreating us.<br /> <br /> “We say No to amputated minimum wage, N30,000 is our right. Stop denying us our right and pay us what we deserve,” he said.<br /> <br /> The Kwara Head of Service (HOS), Mrs Modupe Oluwole, assured the protesters of better service condition for civil servants in the state.<br /> <br /> She said Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of the state would fight for the workers and speak in support of minimum wage.</div>

Minimum wage: Kwara workers protest, insist on N30,000

The Joint Kwara Labour Congress, on Tuesday in Ilorin, staged a peaceful protest on the delay by the Federal Government to implement the N...

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MTN hires 15 lawyers to challenge $8.1bn demand by CBN

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--iScH2aGj_c/W9h0mngnh1I/AAAAAAAA1wo/U7_QMzL4ngcX3apiH9Ak9Q1pebzl-xnJACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/mtn.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--iScH2aGj_c/W9h0mngnh1I/AAAAAAAA1wo/U7_QMzL4ngcX3apiH9Ak9Q1pebzl-xnJACK4BGAYYCw/s400/mtn.jpg" /></a></div> The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed December 4, 2018, for hearing in the suit filed by MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to challenge the  $8,134,312,397.63 being demanded by the Central Bank of Nigeria over the alleged forex remittances.<br /> <br /> At the Tuesday proceedings in the case, MTN was represented by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who led 14 other lawyers, including Prof Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), Mr Damian Dodo (SAN), Mr Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN), and Mr Bode Olanipekun (SAN).<br /> <br /> On the CBN legal team were Messrs Seyi Sowemimo (SAN) and Ademola Akerele (SAN).<br /> <br /> The Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), who was joined as the 2nd defendant in the suit was absent and was not represented in court.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> While adjourning the suit till December 4, 2018, for the hearing of all pending applications, Justice Saliu Saidu directed that hearing notice should be served on the Attorney General of the Federation.<br /> <br /> In the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/1475/2018, MTN is seeking a court declaration that it is “not liable to refund $8,134,312,397.63 to the coffers of the 1st defendant (CBN) premised on the decisions reached in the 1st defendant’s letter of 28/8/2018.”<br /> <br /> The telecommunications giant is urging the court to declare that that “the 1st defendant’s decision in its letter of August 28, 2018 with Ref No GBD/GOV/COM/DGF/118/121 addressed to the plaintiff and titled, ‘Investigation into the remittance of foreign exchange on the basis of the illegal capital importation certificates issued to MTN Nigeria Communications Limited’ was reached in breach of the plaintiff’s right to fair hearing.”<br /> <br /> The firm wants Justice Saidu to hold that the CBN “lacks the power to determine the civil obligations or penal liabilities of the plaintiff.”<br /> <br /> It is urging the court to declare that the CBN acted ultra vires its statutory powers when it wrote the August 18 letter to it demanding a refund of $8.1bn.<br /> <br /> The firm wants the court to hold that the $8.1bn demand was “illegal, oppressive, abusive, unauthorised and unconstitutional.”<br /> <br /> It also wants the court to void the September 3, 2018, letter written to it by the AGF demanding $8.1bn as “penalties for the offence of ‘infraction of forex remittances’.”</div>

MTN hires 15 lawyers to challenge $8.1bn demand by CBN

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed December 4, 2018, for hearing in the suit filed by MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to challen...

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Vote during 2019 elections, Ohanaeze urges Igbo

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGwXYwuNSeE/W9h0c48u85I/AAAAAAAA1wg/3NbpGZC4JSQh7k9z_UTk5NKrKyboShR5QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Ohaneze%2BNdigbo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGwXYwuNSeE/W9h0c48u85I/AAAAAAAA1wg/3NbpGZC4JSQh7k9z_UTk5NKrKyboShR5QCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Ohaneze%2BNdigbo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo says the people of South-East desire a Nigeria driven by equity, merit and fairness to all citizens.<br /> <br /> Nwodo said this on Tuesday in Enugu during the Business Conference of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Diaspora organised by the Igbo World Assembly.<br /> <br /> Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo while IWA is made up of members of the organization in the Diaspora with membership in 37 countries.<br /> <br /> Nwodo, who presented the keynote address, cautioned the people of the area, especially the youths against falling for the antics of anyone or groups that would want to incite them against the country.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He said that his position had been that Nigerians were better together, adding that Ndigbo considering the investments they had made in the country would have a better deal.<br /> <br /> The president general also advised the people of the zone to take advantage of the 2019 general elections to support a government that would change the narrative in the country.<br /> <br /> Nwodo said that the yearning of the majority of Nigerians was to institute a system of government that would re-engineer the economy akin to what obtained in the first republic.<br /> <br /> He said that the only way to achieve this was to restructure the system of governance.<br /> <br /> “Four zones out of the six in the country have set the agenda for restructuring. I appeal to our people to go out and vote during the election because your warfare is your vote,” he said.<br /> <br /> Nwodo said that he looked forward to a time when the children of highly placed politicians in the country would share the same classrooms with less privileged Nigerians as was the case in the first republic.</div>

Vote during 2019 elections, Ohanaeze urges Igbo

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo says the people of South-East desire a Nigeria driven by equity, merit and fair...

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Perpetrators of Kaduna violence won’t go scot-free - Buhari

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYLDliXYKYg/W9h0LFoHFhI/AAAAAAAA1wQ/UkdxO5gUProIKpSxDJJnOV2XBj3jCagogCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYLDliXYKYg/W9h0LFoHFhI/AAAAAAAA1wQ/UkdxO5gUProIKpSxDJJnOV2XBj3jCagogCK4BGAYYCw/s320/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said he would not fold his arms and allow those responsible for the recent killing in parts of Kaduna State to go unpunished.<br /> <br /> He said the Federal Government would take strongest measures possible to punish the perpetrators.<br /> <br /> Buhari made the promise while paying a condolence visit to the state.<br /> <br /> During the visit, the President met with senior government officials, security chiefs, traditional rulers, religious, political and community leaders at the Musa Yar’Adua Sports Complex, Kaduna.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President expressed sadness at the recent loss of lives and property in Kasuwan Magani and the unrest around Kaduna metropolis.<br /> <br /> He said such wanton killings must stop forthwith.<br /> <br /> He said, “If in the past, they (perpetrators of violence) got away scot-free, we shall now hold everyone to account for these latest killings.<br /> <br /> “It is unacceptable that criminal elements can visit on citizens the wanton killings recorded in the Kasuwan Magani incident of October 18, 2018 and the unrest around Kaduna metropolis a few days later. This must stop.”<br /> <br /> The President directed the Nigeria Police Force to remain vigilant in securing communities and diligent in prosecuting criminal offences.<br /> <br /> He said he had put the police under his watch.<br /> <br /> “The Nigerian police are in the frontline of securing communities. For the judiciary, unless the investigations are credible and rapidly done, there is nothing they can do.<br /> <br /> “From now on, the Nigeria police, you better watch it, I am going to watch you closely,” the President said.<br /> <br /> Buhari also appealed to community leaders including ward heads, village heads and traditional rulers to be closer to their people.<br /> <br /> He urged them not to shield those who are planning to wreak havoc on the community from law enforcement agencies.<br /> <br /> He commiserated with the government and people of Kaduna State, and families who lost loved ones in the incidents.<br /> <br /> The President also paid tribute to the late Agom Adara, Dr. Maiwada Galadima, eulogising the traditional ruler of Adara chiefdom for serving his community and Kaduna State with dedication.<br /> <br /> The President appealed to all who call Kaduna home to do their best to uphold peace in their respective communities.<br /> <br /> He warned that chaos and anarchy tend to worsen and exacerbate whatever issues are agitating a community.<br /> <br /> Buhari added, “Violence shatters and divides people and stifles the prospect of any community that succumbs to its tragic logic.<br /> <br /> “The Federal Government commends the efforts of the Kaduna State Government in responding to and managing the crisis.<br /> <br /> “More federal security assets are being provided at the request of the Kaduna State Government to help uphold and keep the peace.<br /> <br /> “The Federal Government will continue to work to ensure that more security assets are recruited and deployed across the country to protect all citizens going about their lawful business and to reinforce the authority of the government.”<br /> <br /> Buhari also welcomed the decision of the Kaduna State Government and its local governments to build and provide facilities for the take-off of more police divisions and civil defence offices in the state.<br /> <br /> “On their part, citizens also have a duty to be law-abiding in their conduct and within their communities.<br /> <br /> “There is a need to avoid violence as a tool of negotiation or obtaining advantage, and learn to listen to each other and commit to resolving differences through peaceful means.<br /> <br /> “Kaduna, once the home of the Premier and home of the New Nigerian must not earn itself a new name – home of violence.<br /> <br /> “The federal security agencies will hunt and prosecute all those who sponsored these acts of violence,” he said.</div>

Perpetrators of Kaduna violence won’t go scot-free - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said he would not fold his arms and allow those responsible for the recent killing in parts of Kadun...

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President Buhari meets four PDP govs inside Aso Rock

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8qODc_WdcY/W9hz90ZAuOI/AAAAAAAA1wI/z277j5-GdcUnrGvglETVA7tF_7Mru5iqACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8qODc_WdcY/W9hz90ZAuOI/AAAAAAAA1wI/z277j5-GdcUnrGvglETVA7tF_7Mru5iqACK4BGAYYCw/s320/President%2BMuhammadu%2BBuhari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Four state governors elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari.<br /> <br /> All the governors are from the South-South region of the country.<br /> <br /> The meeting was held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja shortly after Buhari returned from his condolence visit to Kaduna State.<br /> <br /> The governors in attendance included Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a></div>

President Buhari meets four PDP govs inside Aso Rock

Four state governors elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday met behind closed doors with President ...

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FG speaks on fake prophecies, what prophets should be doing for Nigeria

FG speaks on fake prophecies, what prophets should be doing for Nigeria

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Gunshots rock Abuja as Shi’ites, Police clash again

Gunshots rock Abuja as Shi’ites, Police clash again

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Nigeria only country ignorant of oil she produces yearly, says Falana

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRztadDo72E/W9hhdND-6vI/AAAAAAAA1v4/zwP50XgyGU8tpIHVL83iQLfOXjviBtnygCLcBGAs/s1600/NNPC-e1491333545387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="500" height="314" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRztadDo72E/W9hhdND-6vI/AAAAAAAA1v4/zwP50XgyGU8tpIHVL83iQLfOXjviBtnygCLcBGAs/s320/NNPC-e1491333545387.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> Human rights activist and renowned lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that Nigeria is the only oil producing country in the world that does not know how much oil she produces.<br /> <br /> He also said that the problem of Nigeria is not corruption but that Nigeria is being ruled by ignorant leaders and those characterized by impunity.<br /> <br /> Mr. Falana who said that ignorance is part of corruption, however opined that it must be tamed as part of solution to the country’s problems.<br /> <br /> Mr. Falana gave the statement at the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP’s launch of a roundtable on “How failure of companies to pay tax is fueling povery, underdevelopment and inequality in Nigeria” held in Lagos today.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to him, although the anti-graft agency- the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been recovering pockets of stolen funds here and there, that the federal government should, however, beam her searchlight on Capital Gains Tax to recover the actual lost funds of the country.<br /> <br /> According to him, billions of dollars will be recovered if the government directs her anti-graft war to DPR.<br /> <br /> He said “Nigeria has lost 60billion dollars by non-implementation of the DPR law.”<br /> <br /> He said “Nigeria is the only oil producing country in the world that does not know how much oil she produces.”<br /> <br /> He said, this is because the “federal government has refused to acquire the metre to know how much oil the country produces.”<br /> <br /> Mr. Falana said part of the problem plaguing the country is poverty of ideas.<br /> He however said that as a way forward, “We must get DPR under FIO act to make available information to recover lost funds.”<br /> <br /> “We must try and collect all monies lost and pay to the federation account.<br /> <br /> He said “countries are run on tax and we must go back to era of running the country on the basis of tax.”<br /> <br /> Earlier, the report presenters, Azeez Alatoye and Bimpe Balogun delivered a report on “The impact of laws and practice on the taxation of capital gains: oil and gas asset sales in Nigeria, 2005 to 2015.”<br /> <br /> According to them, the clamour for increase in the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rate in Nigeria, especially in the oil and gas sector, has become more pronounced as a result of the realization that most international oil companies have divested their seets without commensurate increase in revenue for Nigeria through tax.<br /> <br /> They said that no Capital gains Tax was returned from the sale of ConocoPhillipOil Company Nigeria Limited to Oando Hydrocarbon, now Oando Oil Limited, through the acquisition of ConocoPhillips in Canada by Energy Resources Canada in 2014 for 1.5 billion US dollars.<br /> <br /> The said that the statutory exemption of sale of shares from the capital gains tax Act Cap C1 Laws of Nigeria, 2004, has made it impossible to collect tax from ConocoPhillips and Addax divestments even though the sale and purchase agreement of Addax transaction is yet finalised.<br /> <br /> They said such development leads to loss of revenue from CGT.<br /> <br /> They also said that there is little or no communication between the DPR and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS in ensuring that no revenue is lost through divestment.<br /> <br /> They however recommend that the DPR which is the agency that approves the divestments should interact with FIRS on the divesting companies’ tax status before allowing the transaction to be completed and payments made.<br /> <br /> The argued that vendor companies that realize the gains from the divestment should be made to bear the tax rather than passing the burden on buyer companies.<br /> The said the Federal Ministry of<br /> Finance should play key role in the whole process of divestment by computing the appropriate CGT to determine its adequacy, and recommend appropriate amendments for legislative changes.<br /> <br /> They also recommend that the 30% rate on capital gains realised on disposal being proposed under the National Petroleum Fiscal Policy Proposal (NPFP) as documented should be amended as a rate change in CGT Act for oil and gas sectors.<br /> They said this rate change should be strictly for oil and gas companies alone.<br /> <br /> They also said that the CGT Act should be amended and not the 2018 Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill (PIFB) to achieve the rate change.</div>

Nigeria only country ignorant of oil she produces yearly, says Falana

Human rights activist and renowned lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that Nigeria is the only oil producing country in the world that d...

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