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September 11, 2023 by Nicholas Kalu, Abuja Kyari, Ahmed shun probe on corruption in NNPCL, acquisition of OVH Energy The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (MMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, on Monday, September 11, shunned a probe of irregularities and alleged corruption in the NNPCL. The probe carried out by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee, headed by Abubakar Nalaraba is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of OVH Energy Marketing by the NNPCL. As the hearing commenced on Monday both Kyari and Ahmed were absent but they sent representatives. The NNPC sent its Executive Vice President (Downstream), Yemi Adetunji while the NMDPRA was represented by Soji Soloye. They said their various chief executives could not attend the hearing because they were attending to other things. When the chairman of the committee inquired if they could represent their principals at the probe, they said they could not. Nalaraba said it was unfortunate because the committee was far behind schedule in the discharge of its assignment. He said: “This is an ad hoc committee on the need to investigate the irregularities and alleged corruption in the Nigeria energy security provider, the NNPC Limited, and the acquisition of OVH Energy Marketing. “The House resolved to set up this Ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of OVH Energy by NNPCL and report within four weeks. “The time allocated to conclude and submit this report within four weeks. Unfortunately, we are far behind schedule despite the extension of the House recess, we still feel the need to continue or to progress with this investigation.” The hearing later dissolved into a closed-door session for the panel to decide an appropriate time for the chief executives to appear.

https://thenationonlineng.net/kyari-ahmed-shun-

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September 7, 2019 by The Nation Plane conveying Pilgrims crash lands in Niger Plane conveying over 600 pilgrims returning from the 2019 annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia crash landed at the Minna International Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 744 with registration number 5N/ DBK was said to have developed technical fault in one of the plane’s four engines when it approached the Minna airport. A Source at the airport who confirmed the incident to newsmen said that no one was injured or died in the incident but the passengers were visibly shaken over the incident. Evidence of the crash landing of the plane could be seen as part of the tarmac and some materials were damaged when the aircraft skidded off the runway. The Public Relations Officer of the Niger state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Hajia Hassana Isah when contacted also confirmed the incident but did not give further details. The Nation gathered that five officials of the Accident Bureau of Investigation from Lagos had arrived the airport some hours after the incident and had inspected the partly damaged aircraft after which they went into a closed door meeting with the management of the airport. On the part of the passengers, it was thanksgiving galore as most of them after rushing out of the plane after the incident gushed their thanks to God for saving them from death. Eyewitnesses said that the Minna International Airport was saved from a big disaster as they said the fire from the aircraft, if the plane had crashed would have burnt down the airport as there are no fire fighting vehicles in the airport. “The fire that would have followed would have spread to all parts of the airport because we don’t have fire fighting vehicles in this airport”, a senior Official of the airport said. No official statement has been released from the management of the airline.

https://thenationonlineng.net/just-inplane-conveying-pilgrims-

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July 3, 2016 by The Nation DANIEL IGALI – From obscurity to wrestling stardom WHEN Daniel Igali was born in Eniwari, Bayelsa State, in Southern Nigeria on February 3, 1974, he was also given a local Ijaw name Baraladei – which could partly explain his rise from obscurity to wrestling stardom. Igali in his second spell as a member of Bayelsa House of Assembly yet remains true to the sport as a coach and administrator, admitting to that famous Greek soldier, Marcus Aurelius, that ‘the art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.’ “Baraladei is the name given to me at birth and it means ‘I got what I wanted in my hands’, began Igali, the Nigerian-turned Canadian freestyle wrestler in a lively conversation with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN. DON’T think being named Baraladei alone contributed to my preference for wrestling over football for instance. I think wrestling was a bit more of a natural sport for my Ijaw kinsmen than football was. “While growing up, football was played for pleasure but a lot more seriousness was attached to wrestling because of its cultural significance to the Ijaw man. I naturally got drawn to wrestling because the most important cultural icons were wrestlers in my community and clan and I wanted to be like them.” Igali not only followed his passion, he was so good on the mat and earned his stripes with many feats. He captained the Nigerian wrestling team to the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada but he stayed behind as an asylum seeker until he eventually acquired a Canadian citizenship in 1998. Good things, indeed, come in small packages, and Igali’s remarkable achievement in the colours of his adopted country was well noted on the Canadian Olympic team official website: ‘Igali provided the perfect capper for Canada in Sydney when he won Canada’s first and so far only Olympic gold medal in men’s wrestling. Born and raised in Nigeria, Igali had stayed in Canada after competing at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria. After his final victory, Igali honoured his new country by laying the Canadian flag in the centre of the ring, dancing around it and kissing it.’ Over two decades on, Igali said he took that gut decision to swap nationalities for obvious reasons, insisting he had no regret whatsoever for dumping Nigeria for Canada. “I took the decision (to seek asylum in Canada in 1994) due to the political uncertainty (in Nigeria), the opportunity for education and the opportunity to have a sporting career alongside education,” noted Igali who describes himself as a PETGG – Passionate, Energetic, Trustworthy, Go-Getter. “Given the same circumstances and conditions, if I was to make that decision again today, I would make exactly the same decision; I don’t regret it one bit. In fact, I feel that if I had gone to Canada at the age of 10, I could have been a multiple Olympic champion but I am extremely grateful to God for all his mercies.” With Canada, Igali won 116 consecutive matches wrestling at Simon Fraser University from 1997 to 1999. He placed fourth at the 1998 World Championships. He finished second at the 1998 World Cup and won a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. At the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Igali won a gold medal in the men’s 69 kg freestyle wrestling, and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Igali won a gold medal in the men’s 74 kg freestyle wrestling. He revelled in the joy of coming from a humble background while speaking on his many conquests on the wrestling mat: “Well it only goes to prove that one should take talents and passion very seriously as no one knows which field of endeavour would make one a household name. “I remember when older men in my community would tell me I would not get very far in wrestling because I did not have the gigantic frame required to be a celebrated wrestler. “In Ijaw traditional wrestling, there are no weight classes. So a 100kg wrestler would contest a match against a 70kg wrestler and in all, I give glory to God for the enablement; and I’m happy to see my wards trying to emulate what God used me to do so they could also be celebrated in their own right,” intoned Igali. According to an excerpt from his Foundation website, Igali actually began wrestling at the age of 16 and entered the Nigerian National Senior Tournament and concentrated on Greco Roman Style wrestling where all the rules of international freestyle prevailed – with the exception that no holds below the waist were allowed. Disappointment forced him to change styles once again. In 1992, he trained hard, losing 8 kg to make the necessary 62 kg weight class. He represented Nigeria at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, finishing 11th and the rest, as they say, is history. In 1998, he was fourth at the World Championships and second at the World Cup. He became a Canadian citizen in 1998. On 30 September 1999 at Ankara, Turkey, he won the title in the 69 kg grouping – automatically qualifying for the (Sydney 2000) Olympics. He was the first Canadian to win the World Championship and was reportedly motivated by his adoptive mother, Maureen Matheny, who was dying of cancer and whom Igali described as his greatest inspiration. He is today the best inspiration for guys and gals under his watch as the President of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation and he enthused that nothing gives him pleasure than the ‘hustle and bubble’ of wrestling even long after he retired from the sport that gave him fame and fortune. “Wrestling still remains my best form of exercise,” confessed Igali who was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012. “So, I train with my athletes first and foremost to get some exercise; secondly, it’s because I still coach. “In coaching, once you stay away from the mats, like everything else, you start to forget technique, variations and combinations of technique. “I consider myself to still be 20 percent athlete, 30 percent coach and 50 percent administrator; there are still a lot of tricks up my sleeve that I share with the wrestlers and being among and around the athletes increase the tempo and concentration in training sessions and even in competitions. And I am sure the athletes also know the benefit they derive from their cheerleader who also supports the technical crew,” he said. The 2016 Summer Olympics – officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad and commonly known as Rio 2016 – is around the corner but Igali was cautious about the chances of the wrestlers under his watch: “We have some good talent on the team; we have a relatively young team with about half of the team under 25 years and more than that, they are also relatively inexperienced. “Only Blessing Oborududu is going to her second Olympics; everyone else is going to the Olympics for the first time. I am hesitant to discuss medals. In my view, we have not done our part as a country to fully prepare the athletes for medal performances. That is, however, not to suggest that we aren’t capable of winning medals; my regret and worry is that if we win a bronze in Rio, it’s because we did not do enough to win the gold!” He further spoke candidly about factors endangering sport in Nigeria: “Lack of planning, inadequate funding from both private and public coffers (are some of the issues affecting development of sport in Nigeria). “It is also tough grappling with the same issues at the Wrestling Federation; all efforts to get private funding have proved abortive. “We are still forging ahead. But without adequate funding and planning, we will remain mediocre and perpetually underachieve in sports both continental and globally.” Indeed, as many argued, Igali can be frank to a fault. But that shouldn’t be a big deal for a Master of Arts candidate in the criminology department at Simon Fraser University (SFU) – a public research university in British Columbia, Canada. “I want to have a better understanding of the criminal mind (and that is why I went to study criminology),” said Igali who was injured during a violent robbery in 2006 while visiting Nigeria. “But it is difficult to figure out the mind of a criminal because it is always a process. I don’t think anyone has figured it out (the mind of a criminal) or ever will as crime tends to evolve with modern trends and technology.” Despite his Canadian connection, Igali remains a proud Ijaw man and he’s regarded as ‘a man of the people.’ He has been in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly since 2011 representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 3 and was re-elected for a second term despite stiff opposition in April last year. “I have always felt it’s always better to make decisions or influence decisions from the inside than from the outside,” informed Igali who lost a provincial election as a candidate of Surrey-Newton for the British Columbia Liberal Party in 2005. “I am sure with many more sports people and people passionate about sports eventually getting into law-making and decision-making positions, the plight of sports and sportsmen would change in Nigeria.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/daniel-igali-obscurity-wrestling-

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Professor Yemi Osinbajo …Holds rally for VP in Lagos By Johnbosco Agbakwuru Ahead of the 2023 elections, a group of the All Progressives Congress, APC, members under the aegis of Progressive Consolidation Group, PCG, has called on the ruling party, to adopt Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo as its consensus candidate for the Presidential elections. The PCG, which held a rally in Ikeja, Lagos State, to receive the Vice President, urged him to put himself forward for the presidential position. It said having Prof. Osinbajo as its sole candidate, would douse tension not only in the ruling party but across the country. Speaking at the rally, the PCG National Secretary who spoke to journalists at a grand reception for Osinbajo, Dr. Eli Eberechukwu Dibia, said that they have started mobilizing in all 774 local government areas across the country, for the emergence of Osinbajo as APC sole candidate in the 2023 elections. According to him, “His candidacy will douse the already accumulated tension across the six geopolitical zones, Osinbajo is a man of grace, humility, truth and the fear of God.” Dibia further said, “as a detribalised Nigerian, APC as a party should adopt Osinbajo as concesus candidate of the party and expect a seamless victory.” He described the Vice President “as a dependable, transparent, competent and passionate Nigerian, who cares about the ordinary man and the youths.” Dibia also said that Prof.. Osinbajo “holds the best credentials to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari having worked with him as his deputy.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/10/2023-osinbajo-as-consensus-

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By Akinola Ajibola The Federal Government has admitted that it is not in the best position to manage the nation’s refineries. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, stated this during his appearance on Thursday’s edition of Politics Today. “I will agree with you that government is not the best manager of refineries and that is why this time, we are actually going to have professional managers to manage the refineries; we are not going to manage the refinery at all,” he said on the Channels Television programme. Despite the submission, the minister believes it will not be out of place if the government gets the refineries working before taking appropriate decisions. He explained that the government does not subscribe to the idea of selling off the refineries in their present condition as such action would be widely criticised by citizens. ‘The Fairest Thing’ Sylva stated, “We believe that we should get the refinery back to life before we decide on the option of whether we are going to privatise or sell all the refineries. “If we try to sell the refineries which you call dead refineries, you will be the one first persons to say we are selling dead refineries to people.” He said the Muhammadu Buhari administration cannot be blamed for the present state of the facilities as it inherited damaged refineries. Despite this, he said the government has decided to prove to Nigerians that the refineries can be fixed and put back into working condition. After the refineries have been fixed, the minister believes Nigerians can then decide what to do about them. “We want to sell live refineries; refineries that are working and I think that is the fairest thing for the government to do and that is why we have decided to get all our refineries working. “We want to prove to you that we can get these refineries working,” he said.

https://www.channelstv.com/2021/08/05/fg-not-the-

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24th September, 2021 By Emmanuel Ogebe On the streets of New York as world leaders are resuming in person assembly at the United Nations after missing it last year for the first time ever, Nigeria is funding a carnival of shame instead. Kudos to Buhari for creating employment for Americans with Nigeria’s hard currency ($1=570). Allegedly paid $50 per hour, the Buhari regime paid the equivalent of one month’s minimum wage to the protestors for one hour praise singing of the failed ruler. Meanwhile on the streets of Nigerian a uniformed female Nigerian Officer was maltreating a Nigerian Youth showing a classic illustration of what Buhari is really doing to Nigeria, literally. How can you educate your child and send them to serve their nation only to be brutalized like this by someone who lacks their level of education just one year after #endSARS? However Nigerian economic refugees in US and American stragglers “rally” for Buhari in New York – the only nation at UN to hire sycophants. Nigeria is now exporting sycophancy abroad. But this is not new and is only a repeat of what the late unlamented Gen Abacha did in the 90s. Back then the media asked the pro-Abacha protestors why they were marching and they said because they were paid to! Some of us spoke out against his evil ruinous regime at great personal cost and loss including imprisonment and exile abroad only to see his accomplices reenacting what we fought against. In 1997, I was in the vanguard of activists who successfully advocated for the renaming of the street outside the Nigerian mission to UN after late Kudirat Abiola while we were harassed by Gambari, Marwa and others still in government today. Myself, Cordelia Kokori, Hafsat Abiola, late Anebi Adoga, Muyiwa Ige, Jumoke Ogunkeyede amongst others were very active in New York, Washington and across the US. Prof Soyinka and late Pa Enahoro, Mayor Dinkins and Ambassador Carrington used to come and bolster us as Titans along with Fayemi from UK. Yet the Nigerian government still refuses to officially accept the renaming of the street outside Nigeria House New York which it has refused to acknowledge for 24 years as “Kudirat Abiola” corner while pretending at home to recognize June 12. Chief of Staff Prof Gambari who personally fought it, should see to the recognition of this national heroine of democracy by ensuring all stationery of Nigeria’s permanent mission to the UN and consulate includes the name “Kudirat Abiola corner” in the address and a befitting painting, bust or other image of Kudirat should be placed at Nigeria House New York. Finally I wish to note that failing this, in a few years, nothing will remain of the shameful spectacle of hired praise singers on the streets of New York but the street corner we successfully got renamed after Kudirat will be an enduring and endearing legacy. We have read how Buhari is more loyal to the nation of Niger than Nigeria which brought him up, even supporting a Niger Fulani candidate over a well qualified southern Nigerian for a diplomatic job. Even now Buhari has named a street after the president of Niger in Abuja. Why will he continue to refuse to accept the naming of a street in America after a Nigerian citizen and heroine Kudirat Abiola? Let Buhari surprise us by being non-nepotistic, non-sectional for once by acknowledging Kudirat Abiola corner in New York. Emmanuel Ogebe is of US NIGERIA LAW GROUP WASHINGTON

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/09/24/buharis-carnival-of-shame-in-us-just-

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April 1, 2021 by The Nation Osinbajo leads, presides over FEC, tripartite committee same day Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Wednesday, chaired the Tripartite Consultative Committee of the Executive, Legislature and leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress at the State House, Abuja, few hours after presiding over the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council due to the President’s absence. In what is considered a reflection of Osinbajo’s important role in the Buhari administration, a source at the Presidential Villa said even though the President has not transferred power to the VP since he is not going to be away for 21 days, every one in the Villa knows the VP is much in charge. The source said this was different from when the Villa Cabal took over once the President is away once he does not transfer power. “It’s a different situation here now in the Villa, especially with the Chief of Staff to the President seen at both meetings chaired by the VP and also conferring with him Daily since the President left on Tuesday.” The VP yesterday morning presided over the FEC meeting with ministers joining virtually and some physically in the Villa in a meeting that lasted for about three hours. All the President’s aides including the Chief of Staff, National Security Adviser and media aides were all in the meeting. President Muhammadu Buhari had appointed the Vice-President the chairman of the Tripartite Committee which is saddled with the responsibility of enhancing communication and relationship between the executive, legislature and the ruling APC, with a view to ensuring smoother and effective service delivery to the deserving people of Nigeria. The President had said amicable resolution of conflicts in the party through regular consultations will create more understanding. Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said, “The Tripartite meeting of the Executive, Legislature and the APC is a committee that looks into the various policies of the Federal Government and the situation across the country, “In the meeting, we reviewed our various polices, their effectiveness and efficacy, and where possible, we suggested ways of making them even better. “As a political party in power, we are very conscious of the fact that we need to ensure that the most ordinary man in Nigerian is protected, that life is easy, the security situation, thank God, with new strategies coming from the recently appointed service chiefs and chief of defence staff, we are seeing better situations and we are conscious of the fact that we need to do more to support the security agencies to ease the situation in the various parts of the country. “It was a meeting that was meant to strategise on the best possible ways of service delivery to the people of Nigeria.” Continuing, Lawan said, “Each time we meet, we come up with ideas on how to make governance better and you can see that the Federal Government of Nigeria working with the states across the country is making a lot of inputs into the lives of the people. “This is the government that had done much more than any previous administration in terms of empowering the most vulnerable in our country and this is one idea that we want to continue to always do even better so that the people living below the poverty line have a better life.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/osinbajo-leads-presides-over-fec-

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The domain name HARDCRUNCH.COM is for sale. $2135 One time payment and own the name outright.Expert curated premium domain name Professionally crafted logo design Guaranteed transfer or your money back Hard Crunch: A strong name that evokes dedication and momentum. Possible uses: A fitness app. An educational software. A lifestyle consultant. A Premium Domain Name Every business name on BrandBucket is curated by our experts.Professionally Designed Logo A creative logo created by a highly skilled logo designer.Transparent Pricing No hidden fees, no escrow fees. Guaranteed delivery.What's Next? We accept all major credit cards, Bitcoin or wire transfers.Follow Transfer Instructions An agent will contact you with personalized information.Confirm Delivery Payment is held in escrow until you've received the name.Frequently Asked Questions Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBucket’s secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. 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You're able to buy the domain name with over monthly installments, and at the end of the lease period, if all payments are complete, you would be the new owner of the domain name. Once you complete the checkout process for a leased domain, you will be contacted by a BrandBucket agent who will help manage your lease. The domain will be transferred from the seller to a BrandBucket escrow account, ensuring a secure hold on the domain during the lease term. We will transfer the domain to you once all payments are complete. During the lease, you're entitled to use the domain name for your website and email; your agent will guide you through that. Each month you will continue to receive an invoice with a balance statement. You have the right to cancel the lease any time or complete all payments early to own the domain outright. Established in 2007, we are the original business name marketplace. Every year, we sell 1000s of premium domains to entrepreneurs and businesses like you. All of our domain names are handpicked by branding and linguistics experts based on rigorous criteria. You can rest assured that if a domain is on the BrandBucket marketplace, it is a top-tier business name. Almost one out of every four names sold on BrandBucket is sold to a repeat buyer or a referral, which means that people who buy from us once, keep coming back for more. The .com extension is a brand in itself. As the default domain extension of the internet, having a .com domain that is an exact match to your brand name has numerous advantages: - Familiarity - People are familiar with .com. Most of the brands and websites they already trust, use the .com extension. Therefore, it serves as a subtle indicator that your business is a legitimate one. 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If you don’t have a website built yet, you can put up a simple coming soon page, or you can just leave it until you are ready. You don’t need to do anything right away. Because you own the domain name, you can take your time. Our talented community of logo designers designs all logos on the BrandBucket marketplace. They are paid for their efforts, and BrandBucket owns all copyrights for the logos. We will transfer the full copyright for the logo to you upon purchase of the domain name. Logo files are delivered to you in the following formats: - High-resolution image file (PNG) - Editable vector file (.AI) Editing your design Vector (AI) files are entirely editable in programs such as photoshop and illustrator, so you or your designer can make desired changes. If needed, we can make basic color changes/small tweaks to the logo for you after purchase. If you are looking for a complete redesign, we can connect you with a designer from our talented design community at their discretion and price. All of our business domains are carefully chosen for their standout branding qualities. There is only one hardcrunch.com. However, there may well be other businesses that are using the same brand name. In fact, with common keyword names, it is likely. That is why owning the .com is so essential. In holding the .com, you immediately establish your business as the most official version of that name. It's unlikely any serious business is going to use a brand name where the .com domain is already in use. Many companies believe that owning the matching .com version of a business name provides more protection for their brand than a trademark. No, and it’s not possible for us to do so. Trademarks are industry and region-specific, and to file a trademark for a name or logo, you must already be doing business as that name. 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The shorter, the better! - Common phrase/expression - Names that are based on real phrases and expressions make great brand names because of their built-in familiarity and inherent catchiness. - Letter order - Some letters are more valuable than others and better together, especially when it comes to the first letters of a name. - Pronunciation and spelling - Names should be easy to say and understand. It should also be spelled as it sounds. - Industry match - Names should be a good fit for a particular industry, or be broad enough to attract buyers from multiple sectors. - Longevity - Great brand names are broad enough in scope to grow with a company as it expands and not die when trends fade. - Uniqueness - Great brand names are easy to spot because they stand out in a crowd. - Memorability - A brand name is no good unless people can easily remember it. These criteria, along with historical sales data and current marketplace conditions, are used to determine whether a name is accepted to our marketplace, and how it's priced. Every name on our marketplace must score high in most or all of these categories to even be accepted. With an acceptance rate of only 10% of names submitted to our marketplace, BrandBucket sets a very high bar for the names we select. Customers Also Loved The following are business names for sale with similar qualities to hardcrunch.com

https://www.hardcrunch.com/lifestyle/7-things-you-

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President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the new Appropriation Bill recently passed into law by the National Assembly. Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives) Umar El-Yakub said the new law repeals the Appropriation Act passed by the lawmakers in December 2021 and enacts a new Appropriation Act, 2022. This he says authorizes the issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation the total sum of ₦17,319,704,091,019 (seventeen trillion, three and nineteen billion, seven and four million, ninety-one thousand and nineteen Naira) only. Out of this, ₦817,699,410,210 (eight hundred and seventeen billion, six hundred and ninety-nine million, four hundred and ten thousand, two hundred and ten Naira) only, is for Statutory Transfers, while ₦3,978,087,110,437 (Three trillion, nine hundred and seventy-eight billion, eighty-seven million, one hundred and ten thousand, four hundred and thirty-seven Naira) only will be for Debt Service. Similarly, ₦7,108,621,131,849 (seven trillion, one hundred and eight billion, six hundred and twenty-one million, one hundred and thirty-one thousand, eight hundred and forty-nine Naira) only is for Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure while the sum of ₦5,415,296,438,523 (five trillion, four hundred and fifteen billion, two hundred and ninety-six million, four hundred and thirty-eight thousand, five hundred and twenty-three Naira) would be for Contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the Year Ending on the 31st day of December, 2022.

https://www.channelstv.com/2022/06/03/just-in-buhari-assents-

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February 18, 2020 by The Nation 22 danger signs to watch out for when using a gas cylinder By Praise Olowe There have been many cases of gas cylinder explosions and when this happens, lives are lost and properties worth millions are destroyed. However, there are so many danger signs we need to look out for while using a Gas cylinder. Some of these factors are: - Cooking gas cylinders must not exceed five years: most people using gas cylinders hardly remember when it was bought. It is important to keep track of the days and replace them as soon as possible. - Do not buy used Gas cylinders. - Watch out for the expiry dates: The steps to check the expiry date are very simple and basic. The expiry of LPG cylinder can be found on one of the metal strips that connect the body of the cylinder to top ring (handle). It is mentioned on the inner side of the strip. The strip has any of the alphabets from A to D painted on it along with a number. Decoding the expiry date is simple. The alphabet represents the month it expires while the number indicates the year. A year is divided into four quarters : A – January to March B – April to June C – July to September D – October to December For example, your cylinder has ‘A 18 painted on the metal strip. The alphabet A represents month March and 18 indicates the year 2018. - · Use gas cylinders in a vertical position, unless specifically designed to be used otherwise - · Securely restrain cylinders to prevent them from falling over - · Always double check that the cylinder/gas is the right one for the intended use. - · Before connecting a gas cylinder to equipment or pipe-work make sure that the regulator and pipe-work are suitable for the type of gas and pressure being used. - · When required, wear suitable safety shoes and other personal protective equipment when handling gas cylinders. - · Do not use gas cylinders for any other purpose than the transport and storage of gas. - · Do not drop, roll or drag gas cylinders. - · Close the cylinder valve and replace dust caps, where provided when a gas cylinder is not in use. - · Where appropriate, fit cylinders with residual pressure valves (non-return valves) to reduce the risk of backflow of water or other materials into the cylinder during use that might corrode it (e.g. beer forced into an empty gas cylinder during cylinder change-over). - · Ensure the valve is protected by a valve cap or collar, or that the valve has been designed to withstand impact if the cylinder is dropped. - · Store gas cylinders in a dry, safe place on a flat surface in the open air. If this is not reasonably practicable, store in an adequately ventilated building or part of a building specifically reserved for this purpose. Read Also: Family of six burnt in Anambra gas explosion - · Cylinders containing flammable gas should not be stored in part of a building used for other purposes. - · Protect gas cylinders from external heat sources that may adversely affect their mechanical integrity. - · Gas cylinders should be stored away from sources of ignition and other flammable materials. - · Avoid storing gas cylinders so that they stand or lie in water. - · Ensure the valve is kept shut on empty cylinders to prevent contaminants from getting in. - · Store gas cylinders securely when they are not in use. They should be properly restrained unless designed to be free-standing. - · Gas cylinders must be clearly marked to show what they contain and the hazards associated with their contents. - · Store cylinders where they are not vulnerable to hazards caused by impact, e.g. from vehicles such as fork-lift trucks.

https://thenationonlineng.net/22-danger-signs-to-watch-out-for-when-using-a-

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April 1, 2022 by The Nation Court strikes out suit challenging CBN’s cashless policy A Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a suit challenging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Cashless Policy. Justice Akintayo Aluko struck out the suit on the grounds of incompetence, lack of proof and absence of jurisdiction. The suit, filed by a plaintiff, Victor Onyegbajo, claimed that the policy was unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect to the extent that it subjected him to disabilities and/or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities are not made subject. He was opposed by the CBN through its team of counsel led by Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), which prayed the court to, among others, dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction. Ajogwu listed six grounds upon which he persuaded the court that there was no jurisdiction to entertain the Plaintiff’s suit. Justice Aluko, after hearing the parties on the objections raised by the CBN, upheld Ajogwu’s argument. The judge held: “The Defendant (CBN) has maintained that the circular issued on the 17/9/2019 for the implementation of the cashless policy to all Deposit Money Banks was done or issued in good faith while the Plaintiff contended that same was done in bad faith as the allegation of discrimination against the Defendant embeds a charge of bad faith because the plaintiff sees the touted act of discrimination as not merely illegal but unjust to him. “It is not in doubt that the defendant by the provision of Section 51 of the CBN Act is imbued with the power to make regulations for the good order and management of the Apex Bank. “The phrase “good faith” has been defined in the Blacks law dictionary, the 9th edition at page 762 as “faithfulness to one’s duty or obligation, observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing in a given trade or business, absence of intent to defraud or seek unconscionable advantage’. The defendant has stoutly made a case of good faith for itself and endeavoured to justify its action in the issuance of the circular in controversy. Read Also: CBN disburses over N3tr to revive economy “It is in its case that the cashless policy envisaged in the circular is aimed at reducing the amount of physical cash in the circulation in the economy, to encourage more electronic-based transactions, fight corruption and insecurity in the land and strengthening the country’s economy amongst others. “I have once again examined the circular and the cashless policy prescribed in it. It is obvious that the aims and purpose behind the decision of the Defendant accord with the definition given to the phrase “good faith” in the Blacks Law Dictionary. “I, therefore, agree with the learned senior counsel for the defendant that the action of the Apex Bank culminating in the issuance of the cashless policy and its implementation can be said to have been done in good faith. “I hold the considered view that the defendant is entitled to the protections provided in Section 52 of the CBN Act and Section 53 BOFIA. “Going by the above statutory provisions and having issued the circular dated September 17, 2019, in good faith, the defendant is not answerable to the grievance and claims of the plaintiff and the jurisdiction of this court to entertain the instant claims of the plaintiff is effectively curtailed and given a swipe. “Against the background of the foregoing, this issue is resolved in favour of the Defendant against the Plaintiff. “Coming from the above, I hold the considered view that the case of the plaintiff lacks merit and substance. Same is fundamentally infected with the virus of frivolity and meddlesomeness. “The plaintiff has failed to prove or substantiate the alleged violation of his fundamental rights or the much-touted infraction of Section 42 (1) (a) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Remedy over the alleged infraction of the fundamental rights of the plaintiff is not available to him as no such case has been successfully made out by him. “This suit is accordingly struck out on grounds of incompetence, lack of proof and absence of jurisdiction.” Onyegbajo had asked the court for a declaration that the Cashless Policy Directive Issued pursuant to the Banks letter of September 17, 2019, with Reference Number PSN/DIR/CON/CW0O/02/014 subjected him, a member of the Lekki Phase 1 Community in Lekki, Lagos State, to disabilities and/or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities are not subject. The plaintiff also asked the court to make an order of perpetual injunction restraining the CBN from carrying into effect and/or continuing to enforce the Cashless Policy Directive, adding that its implementation violated Section 42 (1) (a) (b) of the Constitution.

https://thenationonlineng.net/court-strikes-out-suit-challenging-

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December 30, 2021 by The Nation ‘Rape includes inappropriate touch of spouse’ A former Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin branch, Mr Douglas Ogbankwa, yesterday said a husband can be held liable for the rape of his wife, if he touches her inappropriately. Ogbankwa stated this in a chat with reporters, following arguments as to whether it is possible for a man to rape his wife. He said prior to the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law in some states of the federation, it was legally impossible for a husband to be accused of raping his wife. Ogbankwa said this was basically due to exceptions established by the penal laws in some parts of the country, which excluded a husband from accusations of rape of his wife, and vice versa. He, however, said following the domestication of the VAPP Law, the position has effectively changed and it now makes a husband culpable of raping his wife even by advances or touches considered inappropriate. The legal practitioner said that this development has also led to a reduction in the standard of proof required to prove rape. “Before the coming into fruition of VAPP Law in some states, a husband was (legally) incapable of raping his wife. “This was due to the exceptions created by the Criminal Code Law in Southern states and the Penal Code Law in Northern states. “The law stipulated that rape can only be done against people other than one’s wife. “In the same law, a woman was incapable of raping a man, which was a lacuna that worked against men who, in fact, had become victims of rape. “The VAPP Law has now made provisions for what is considered spousal rape, which can either be a rape of either a husband or a wife by the other spouse. “This has now been categorised as violence against persons,” he said The former NBA publicist noted that there was also an expansion of the law, which had also expanded the meaning of rape to now include any kind of touch on any part of the body considered inappropriate. “You find that what was ordinarily referred to as sexual harassment or assault in the criminal and penal code, has now assumed the appellation of rape.

https://thenationonlineng.net/rape-includes-inappropriate-touch-of-spouse/

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Xiaomi unveiled MIUI 12 in late April in China. Since then, the company has been pushing the update in the form of beta and stable builds worldwide. Now, eight months later, the firm silently reveals that Redmi Y3, Redmi 7, Redmi 6, and Redmi 6A will not be updated to MIUI 12. A month after the Chinese MIUI 12 launch conference, Xiaomi held a separate online event for global markets. At the end of this event, the company revealed the complete list of smartphones that will be getting MIUI 12. The list included almost all the devices that launched in the last two years. Therefore, Redmi Y3, Redmi 7, Redmi 6, and Redmi 6A were part of it. But unfortunately, Xiaomi has removed these four handsets from the eligibility list after seven months since publishing it. EDITOR’S PICK: Android 11 update is live for Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, Redmi K30 Pro, and POCO F2 Pro worldwide The company claims that these devices will not be updated to MIUI 12 due to ‘compatibility and performance issues’. For those unaware, MIUI 12 on Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones differ by models. Not all devices support every feature and the availability of certain features differs by region as well. Because MIUI is a heavy Android skin like any other Chinese mobile UI, it requires more horsepower. This is the primary reason why vivo OriginOS is limited to flagship as well as select mid-range smartphones. But still, it’s terrible that these global best-sellers from Xiaomi have only received a single MIUI as well as Android updates. Also, the latter update (Android 10) is yet to roll out globally for Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3.

https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/12/08/miui-12-update-cancelled-

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President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate opening of four land borders. The borders are Seme in the southwest, Illela in Sokoto State, Maigatari in the northwest, and Mfun in the south-south. The announcement was made by the Minister of Finance at the end of the 28th virtual FEC meeting on Wednesday. The President also directed other land borders to be opened by December 31, 2020. Buhari had on December 8, 2020, revealed plans to reopen its land borders. He explained that the closure of the nation’s land borders was part of the efforts by the government to control the smuggling of weapons and drugs into the country. President Buhari stated this at a security meeting with members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. “Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity. The President asked the thirty-six state governors to work more with traditional rulers and community members to improve local intelligence gathering that would aid the work of security agencies.

https://www.channelstv.com/2020/12/16/buhari-orders-immediate-opening-of-four-

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By Gift ChapiOdekina Members of both arms of the National Assembly, Senate and House of Representatives, have started receiving their brand new 2023 model Toyota Land Cruisers worth over N100 million each. It was learned that female lawmakers were top priority in the distribution of the vehicles, as 12 of them have taken possession of their cars, while principal officers of the two chambers are billed to be the last to take possessio of theirs. Recall that NASS leadership had revealed plans to purchase 109 2023 model of Toyota Land Cruiser for senators and 2023 Toyota Prado for 360 members of the House of Representatives. A lawmaker who pleaded anonymity, confirmed to Vanguard yesterday that the House members would start receiving theirs this past weekend. A member of the House who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said he would be glad to take possession of his SUV as a first time lawmaker. ” I will be glad to receive my own, I’m looking forward to it,” he said. Reacting to the issue last night, House spokesperson and Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, said in a statement in Abuja: “It is important to make a few clarifications. The vehicles to be allocated to the offices of members are utility operational vehicles tied to their oversight functions in the discharge of their duties in the standing committees. They are not personal vehicles gifted to honourable members. “For the duration of the 10th assembly 2023 – 2027, the vehicles shall remain the property of the National Assembly. At the expiration of the tenure of the 10th Assembly in 2027, should the extant assets deboarding policy of government still be in place, members may have the option of making payment for the outstanding value of the vehicles to government coffers before they can become theirs, otherwise it remains the property of the National Assembly. “The public is invited to note that as part of the 10th Assembly’s objective to ensure our integrity and independence, members of the Green Chamber have resolved to maintain a respectable distance from the executive arm of government, especially in issues relating to logistical aspects of oversight functions, including reaching difficult terrains in the country. “No matter how remote the location is, as long as there are Nigerian citizens living there, they deserve highly mobile representatives who can see first-hand what they are going through, and ensure government interventions, programmes, and policies are carried out effectively. This can only be possible with functional and reliable off-road vehicles.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/10/nass-members-receive-brand-new-suvs/

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Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers on Sunday became the first club to beat the rave of the moment, Pyramids FC of Egypt. The Nigerian side, against all odds and expectations beat their hosts 1-0 in the Match Day 5 of the CAF Confederations Cup match played at the Air Defence Stadium. Ifeanyi George scored the all-important goal in the 73rd minute. It is not just the first win for Rangers in the group stage, it is the first time ever that Rangers have won a match in Egypt. They will however have to wait for the encounter of Egypt’s second club in the group, Al Masry, which will face Nouadhibou of Mauritania later in the day in Egypt. Rangers’ last match will be at home against Al Masry.

https://sportinglife.ng/ccc-enugu-rangers-make-

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is deploying back-channel strategies to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic. The regional bloc, while trying to avoid bloodshed in the West African nation, would also explore diplomatic interventions. This was disclosed on Friday by President Bola Tinubu who received the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital. According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the Nigerian leader said he has to guide the regional bloc carefully to protect detained President Mohamed Bazoum who was ousted from power on July 26. President Tinubu noted that Nigeria is monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country, and exploring diplomatic channels to avoid bloodshed. “I am deploying all appropriate back-channel strategies to avoid bloodshed in Niger Republic. We recognize the wishes of our people; they do not want war, but that does not mean we can not take bold and decisive action,” Tinubu was quoted as saying. “We have a colleague and a democratically-elected leader, President Bazoum, being used as a human shield. If we are not careful, he and his family can be endangered. “Leadership is about responding to the needs of the people; their cries, and their frustrations. Nigeria shares a border with Niger across the expanse of seven Nigerian states, and most of these states are very populated. Therefore, I need to guide ECOWAS carefully and steadily so that we manage our anger carefully.” In her remarks, the French minister commended President Tinubu’s leadership in handling the affairs of the regional bloc, saying: “We support your efforts at ECOWAS. We are behind you because we believe that constitutional order is a treasure for all countries, and democracy must be a reality”. Colonna also conveyed the goodwill of President Emmanuel Macron and expressed the readiness of France to expand mutually beneficial collaboration with Nigeria across multiple sectors. She proceeded to extend a formal invitation to President Bola Tinubu to attend the forthcoming Paris Peace Forum.

https://www.channelstv.com/2023/11/03/niger-coup-ecowas-deploying-back-

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•Says Nigeria has enough food to feed her people •Blames rising food prices on inflation, COVID-19 By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor Despite frequent invasion of farms and killings of farmers in different parts of the country, especially in South East and Benue State, by armed herdsmen, the federal government said yesterday it was unsure herders intentionally unleash their cattler on farms. The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, who stated this while responding to questions at the presentation of his ministry’s scaorecard for 2015-2023, also blamed the rising cost of basic foodstuff in the country on inflaton and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many countries, including Nigeria to shut down key economic activities for many months. Recall that many farmers have been killed in states of the South East, especially the recent attack which claimed the lives of 10 farmers in a community in Enugu State. This is aside from the killings that had taken place in attacks on farmers by herders in Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states. Abubakar said: “This is an age-long problem of farmers/herders conflicts but I do not think that at any given time herders intentionally push their cattle to go and eat farm produce or crops. “Accidentally, the cows might stray and go. This has been the source of the conflict. So, ranching is the easiest and the best thing to do.” The minister, who assured that the federal government had begun moves to put an end to such conflicts, said one of the measures to checkmate herders’/farmers’ conflicts was the introduction of the National Livestock Development Programme and the proposal to have ranching and grazing reserves across the country. Speaking on other issues, the minister said the country has enough food to feed all Nigerians, adding that while the current food inflation was not peculiar to Nigeria, his ministry would continue to produce food to take care of its large population, in line with the mandate to do so and improve rural development. He also blamed the rise in the prices of fertilizer on inflation and the inability of the producers of raw materials to do so due to the disruption caused by COVID-19. “We have enough food to take care of Nigerians. We are producing food across the country and we will continue to do so to feed Nigerians in line with our mandate and expedite the transformation of the rural communities of Nigeria. “The fact that some categories of food are imported by Nigeria is not an indication that we have food shortages. The high cost of food that we experience in the country is a result of rising inflation, which is not peculiar to Nigeria but due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced many sectors of economic production to be shut down for many months,” he said. The minister also blamed the high cost of food in the country on smuggling, adding that efforts were being made to checkmate it. Meanwhile, kidnapping for ransom, killing and maiming and attack on communities by criminal herdsmen have continued to thrive in various parts of South East. Enugu State is currently the epicentre of their criminal activities, as virtually all major roads in and out of Enugu is under siege by the criminal herders. Just last week, Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo council experienced another fatal invasion by the rampaging terrorists herders who killed about ten people and maimed many others. The victims of the attack said nine persons were killed at Aguamede, six at Mgbuji, two at Ebor and one person at Umujiovoh villages. From January to July 2022, the terrorists’ herdsmen have been invading Ebor, Mgbuji, Aguamede and other farm settlements in Eha-Amufu from time to time, leaving some people dead as well as trails of pains, anguish and losses. The criminals also extended their attacks to the busy Ugwogo-Opi Nsukka road, where they embarked on regular kidnapping for ransom. Their activities drew outrage when they kidnapped students returning to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, after the eight months strike by their lecturers was called off. While they were still holding the students, they also abducted on the same road, a former secretary to the Enugu State Government, Dr. Dan Shere, an incident which attracted the attention of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who visited the area with the army, police and DSS leadership in the state. As the evil activities were being curtailed on the Ugwogo-Opi road, the killer herdsmen shifted their criminal acts to Amansiodo-Oghe in Ezeagu council where they encountered the community’s vigilante. A traditional ruler in the area, Igwe Umeanayo Okongwu, confirmed that the council area suffered insecurity caused by herdsmen who kidnap for ransom. Sources said from Ugwueke, near the Nigeria Breweries Plc, Ama plant, down to Akama-Oghe, Olo and the rest of Ezeagu council, nowhere was safe as the herders had taken over the forests and bushes in the area. “The herdsmen, who also engage in kidnappings, are too much. There have been many occurrences at Ugwueke and some have been arrested, while the DPO at Aguobu-Owa is in a position to say the number arrested and other details. ”There have been kidnappings in Obeleagu-Umana, Umumba-Ndiagbu and Olo on daily basis, because the Olo community is between Uzo-Uwani and Ezeagu. It is almost a daily affair that people are no longer sure of going to Ezeagu and coming back safely,” Igwe Okonkwo lamented. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/11/its-doubtful-herders-wilfully-

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) electricity consumers are not required to pay directly for the meters issued to them. This is contained in a statement NERC issued in Abuja on Monday. “We wish to reiterate that the NMMP designed to provide all consumers of electricity with meters is a policy intervention of the Federal Government supported by the Central Bank (CBN) concessionary loans to Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCoS). “This laudable initiative is still very much on course as a total of over 900, 000 units of meters have so far been installed under the takeoff scheme without any payment by benefiting consumers. “While this doesn’t cover many of the unmetered customers, we are pleased to inform electricity consumers that the next phase under which about four million units of meters would be procured from local meter manufacturers has commenced,” it said. “Pending the conclusion of the NMMP, procurement processes and the commencement of manufacturing and installation, consumers may elect to acquire a meter from the Meter Asset Programme (MAP). NERC said that the regulatory framework approved by the commission under MAP/NMMP Regulation provide for refund of cost of meter through energy credits to the customer at the time of vending. The commission said that the recently issued notice by the commission on the adjusted cost of meter was designed to protect consumers from arbitrary pricing by MAP. According to NERC, this is in context of recent changes in macroeconomic parameters affecting cost of production. NERC advised that clarification be made from its Public Affairs Department on any regulatory matter so as to avoid misinforming innocent consumers. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/11/electricity-consumers-not-

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President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to join hands to fix the country and have a change of mindset towards money. Tinubu spoke on Monday when he received a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) led by its president Archbishop Daniel Okoh at the State House in Abuja, asking the body to help in preaching against corruption and related matters. “We have no other country but Nigeria. If you do not preach the sermon of understanding, tolerance, perseverance, and hope for Nigerians, you are doing damage to the country, and nobody will help us repair it,” Tinubu said according to a statement from his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale. “Let us dialogue because public condemnation of a nation is not what makes any citizen a good one. We must admonish Nigerians to have a change of mindset and not to make money our god or master. I believe we will get to the Promised Land, and Nigeria will flourish.” Despite the challenges facing the country on many fronts, Tinubu said his government is unrelenting, promising to be fair to all Nigerians. “We are here to listen, and if you observe any inadequacies in my government, let us know. I am here today because of your prayers and the will of God Almighty. What I have challenged myself to do each day is to be fair to all Nigerians,” he maintained. “I have had a number of criticisms, including the rationale behind the size of my cabinet. If you want efficient, mobile, and resourceful people, we have to give people a load they can carry. If you combine too many ministries because you want to save money, you will have a future of non-performance and no results. “Nigeria needs to turn the corner to grow, and we must give people challenges they can manage, and that is what we are doing”. Tinubu was not the only one who spoke at the event. CAN president Archbishop Okoh said the group believes in Tinubu’s administration and is ready to always partner with it. “You have extended a hand of fellowship to us, and we embrace you and your family with the love of Christ and promise to partner with you in nation-building, for the task is quite daunting,” the CAN leader said. “You will not stumble, and you will not fall. We believe that you have the sagacity to give leadership in battling our challenges and in turning around the fortunes of our nation, Nigeria, within a short time. You have shown that you are a listening leader, and we appreciate this. “CAN has maintained an active presence at all levels from the national to the grassroots, and we have remained non-partisan. You will always find our association as a ready and willing partner in nation-building.”

https://www.channelstv.com/2024/01/22/dont-make-money-your-god-tinubu-

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By Sebastine Obasi & Michael Eboh ABUJA—The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, stated that 278 companies were vying to secure the contract for the trading of about 950,000 barrels per day of Nigeria’s crude oil from January 2016. Speaking at the bid opening ceremony for the sale and purchase of crude oil grades in Abuja, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring transparency in the trading of Nigeria’s crude oil. He said: “The essence is to ensure that nobody needs to call me personally as Ibe Kachikwu for him to get crude allocation. So, you can imagine the burden it takes off my shoulders. It means a good amount of my time will now go into other relevant areas of operations, where the country needs me most.” He assured the bidders that consideration would only be given to companies that are competent, credible and with the right capacity to deliver Nigeria’s crude. Some of the companies that submitted bids include Forte Oil, MRS, Statoil, Eni Trading and Shipping Limited, Sacoil Energy Equity Resources, RainOil Limited, Repsol Trading S.A., Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Mercuria Energy Trading SA, Gunvor and BP Oil International. Others are Obat Oil, Energy Network IBG, Groundwells Energy International, Universal Import and Export International, Global Oil Incorporated, Waltersmith, Hindustan Petroleum Limited, Societe Africaine, Nigermed Petroleum SA, Eterna Plc, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Limited and Strategic Fuel Fund/South African Government, among others. The contract for the engagement of qualified and reputable companies for the sale and purchase of Nigerian crude oil grades is conducted in consonance and in pursuance of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, guidelines. Prerequisites for 26 grades As part of the pre-qualification requirements, interested companies are expected to demonstrate the possession of minimum annual turnover of USD 750 million and net worth of at least USD 300 million; ability to establish an irrevocable Letter of Credit for the payment of any allocated crude oil subject to the contract terms as well as the ability to pay an initial deposit of USD 2.5 million representing the first lifting deposit upon signing of the contract agreement, among other requirements. The 26 grade of crude on offer include Bonny Light, Forcados Blend, EA Blend, Bonga, Qua Iboe Light, Yoho Blend, Erha and Escravos Light. Others are Pennington Light, Agbami, Brass Blend, Abo, Oyo, Okono Blend, Amenam Blend, Akpo Condensate and Usan. The rest are Atam Blend, Okwori, Okoro, Ima, Ukpokiti, Obe, Okwuibome, Ebok and Asaratoru. … to reduce buyers Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, also said the corporation plans to reduce the number of buyers by one-third, cutting down the number of companies from 43 to 15 or 16. He said: “We have realized that in the past, we have large volume of buyers— 43 to be specific. What that means is that we were unable to guarantee supply to any of the customers and it opened room for optimum discretion. “Discretion created problems, as we are unable to satisfy any of the customers. At the end of the day, the market becomes unstable and then you have the long term effect of having lower government revenue. “Our objective is to cut down that number. This means we have to come down from 43 to something smaller. We are thinking in the region of one-third of that number; maybe 15 or 16.” Ends Nov 20 He noted that the bid process is expected to be concluded by November 20, while the contract would take off from January 2016. Kyari added that the objective of the process was to ensure that Nigeria’s crude oil gets to the ultimate end users, eliminate price shocks and curb instability in the crude oil market. He said: “The absence of having credible buyers has resorted in a situation where individuals pick cargoes and they would not know what to do with it. “At the end of the day, it would become like an overhang and the result is that you have oversupply: a fake oversupply that does not actually exist and then the market reacts to it and then you have lower value.” Kyari explained that the winning bids would be spread across refiners, international oil traders and indigenous companies to reduce risk. He said: “Once we are able to deal with the issue of reducing the number of buyers, we will, as a market strategy, sell to people in groups. The crude oil market has category of buyers. It has refiners, who are the ultimate off-takers; we have trading companies and then we have Nigerian downstream companies. “Among those baskets, you need to spread it so that you do not sell to any one group. The risk of selling to one group is that they can hold you hostage, whether they are indigenous companies, international trading companies or refiners. Anyone of them that realize that you are stuck, you are in trouble. “Therefore, we are going to spread our risk across this group so that at the end of the day, we have buyers across these categories and what that does is that it creates a landing for us; it optimizes value for us and all those issues of pricing would not happen.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/278-companies-bid-for-

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MTN Group has asked a US court to dismiss a case filed against it last December, in which it’s alleged the South African-headquartered telecommunications operator paid protection money to the Taliban in Afghanistan, endangering the lives of US servicemen and women. The suit was filed in a Washington, DC court on 27 December 2019 on behalf of American service members and civilians, and their families, who were killed or wounded in the troubled Middle Eastern country between 2009 and 2017. The complaint alleged that several Western businesses supported the Taliban by making payments to ensure the protection of their infrastructure — in MTN’s case, it’s cellphone towers. The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group waging a religious war, of jihad, in Afghanistan. “The firms allegedly used a network of subcontractors and private security groups to transfer cash to Taliban agents, and in some cases dole out salaries to certain Taliban ‘guards’ between 2006 and 2014, while the group was allying with al-Qaeda and waging a violent campaign against US forces and their allies”, CNN reported at the time, quoting the details of the suit. “Defendants decided that buying off the terrorists was the most efficient way to operate their businesses while managing their own security risks — even though doing so jeopardised other American lives,” the lawsuit said. MTN has now filed a “motion to dismiss” the matter with the US court. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/mtn-asks-us-court-to-throw-out-afghan-

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https://getmusic.co.za/mp3-download/da-l-e-s-glory-ft-gemini-major-

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DStv is in trouble, as most of its subscribers are beginning to abandon its use for other favourable alternatives. A survey carried out by Economy&Lifestyle showed that seven of every 10 households make use of either DStv or GOtv for entertainment and information purposes. However, the survey also noted that the reason subscribers are abandoning the platform now is basically on poor state of their economy and increase of the content packages. For instance, DStv jerked up subscription cost for its Compact package from N7,000 to N9,000, while Compact Plus, which used to cost N12,400 now goes for N14,250. On the other hand, Gotv max, which was N3,600, now goes for N4,150, while Jolli package rose to N2,800 from N2,460. DStv and GOtv have various competitors in Nigeria’s pay-tv space. They include TStv, Startimes, Mytv, Cable tv, among others. The latest Pay tv, TStv, has received patronage, due to its small subscription rate of N200 per day. Mr. Abiodun Sanni, a civil servant, lamented that he could hardly feed himself and his family from the meagre salary, which has failed to increase, despite the increases in the prices of goods and services. For him DSTV subscription is a far reach, since the price was increased this year. So, his resolve is to watch DVDs for entertainment. He said: “It’s not funny to have an increase in the subscription rate of cable TV in these trying times when there is no corresponding increase in my salary. “For instance, it is now hard for me to subscribe my GOtv Max package from N3600 to N4,150. “Last week, I asked my son to take our spoiled DVD player to a radionic for repairs. I have decided to abandon my cable decoder and watch movies from DVDs, and use my antenna to get a good view of local channels,” he added. Also, Mr, Yusuf Adeyemo, a Point of Sale agent, also expressed his plans to abandon the use of DStv for entertainment and adopt other alternatives. He said: “The current state of the economy affects my ability to meet up with my package Compact Plus which cost N12, 400 before it went up for N14, 250. Inflation and cost of living keep increasing while income is not increasing at all. “I have even decided to return to watching movies on DVDs which I have abandoned for years. I am not always in the house because I had to do two jobs to keep my family up. It is my children and wife that watch DStv on weekends. “Even the state of electricity is bad. No one knows when the light will come. So what use is it subscribing to what you cannot use?” On her part, Mrs Madueke Felicia, a business woman, said: “I use Gotv and subscribe to Gotv max which was N3,600 before and now is N4,150. Prior to now I subscribe every six months and enjoy the pleasure I derive because I have the purchasing power to buy fuel to power my generator when there is no power supply. “I can hardly subscribe for a month now because of the high cost of living and changes in the rate of subscription. I have purchased a different PayTv decoder which enables me to subscribe for less than N200 per day. I can subscribe anytime it is our turn to have power supply because the supply of power in my area is on load-shedding. I can’t afford to use the money for feeding to buy fuel for my generator.” Although DStv and Gotv owned by MultiChoice, a pay tv company are the most subscribed pay tv in Nigeria, there are indications the company may need more than price increase to retain its huge customer base. As of March 2021, there were 20.1 million subscribers on its pay-TV ecosystem. The South African market’s share of that figure is 8.7 million, with the rest of Africa, including Nigeria, having the remaining 11.4 million subscribers. Meanwhile, there are forecasts that Nigeria alone is expected to contribute 10 million pay-TV subscribers by 2025. However, to attain that figure with incessant increments is yet to be seen. Since April 1st this year, subscribers were made to pay more for all its bouquets. Its premium package on DSTV now costs N21,000, and no longer N18,400 old rate. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/07/rising-paytv-subscription-costs-nigerians-

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July 28, 2021 by The Nation BREAKING: Court acquits El-Zakzaky, wife By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna Justice Gideon Kurada of Kaduna High Court has discharged and acquited leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat. The IMN leader and his wife stood trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, among other criminal charges since December 2015, following a clash between his followers and convoy of the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in Zaria. The court had fixed July 28 for ruling in the no-case submission filed by Zakzaky. Justice Gideon Kurada had fixed the date after the prosecution and counsel to the defendants addressed the court on the no-case submission prayer Briefing journalists after the secret trial, counsel to Zakzaky, Marshal Abubakar, said the court upheld their no-case submission and agreed the case lacks merit.

https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-court-

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Germany football legend, Miroslav Klose, has been announced as Bayern Munich's first-team assistant coach, Allnews reports. With this development, the world cup icon will now be Hansi Flick's right-hand man. Up until now, the 41-year-old had been working with the club’s U-17 team. This appointment sees Klose move up the ladder in German football and also gives Bayern another significant voice on the bench. — FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 7, 2020 Meanwhile, assistant coach and analyst, Danny Rohl, also extended his contract for the entirety of Flick’s tenure. This is just the latest wave of contract extensions Bayern have been working on since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected activities throughout the world. Earlier, Flick, Thomas Muller, and Alphonso Davies had all announced new deals. "We are very happy that Miro has decided to take this step from the FC Bayern Campus to the first team," Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "I am convinced that our strikers, in particular, will benefit from him being there as a coach. Miro was also Hansi Flick's preferred candidate."

https://allnews.ng/news/miroslav-klose-gets-bayern-munich-job

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* Explains why Fubara is a sure bet on Rivers guber By Egufe Yafugborhi, PORT HARCOURT GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has again voiced his tacit endorsement of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the race for the next president of Nigeria. With a week to the much anticipated 2023 presidential election, Wike on Saturday said he was in support of APC governors’ insistence that power must shift at the centre, adding that Rivers people need not be told who to vote as president under the circumstance. The governor was addressing Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters at the grand finale of Local Government Areas flag off of the rallies by the state PDP campaign council held in Obio/Akpor, his home local government. The governor said, “We’re going to vote for the unity of Nigeria. We’re going to vote for fairness, equity and justice. That is why I salute all APC governors who came to say, for this country to be united, to move together, that there is a need for power to shift. That we are not greedy. “They know Nigeria is such a country that requires unity. Those who are greedy for power don’t realise that you can get power and may not have peace. Is it not better to have peace so that when you have the power you can govern the people well.” Apparently hitting at the PDP presidential candidate for undermining the electoral value of Rivers to his presidential bid, Wike reiterated before Rivers people, “Anybody that has no interest in our state, we will not vote for. So you don’t need anybody to tell you who to vote.” On the qualities that put Rivers PDP guber candidate, Siminaliayi Fubara ahead of others in the race for who succeeds him, Governor Wike said “He (Fubara) is a very humble person, very committed person and will don’t disappoint the people of Rivers. “He is not the talking type, but the working type. I could not have achieved so much and then support somebody who will do better than me. He was the Accountant General of the state and has followed all our workings in this state. “And we needed somebody who will continue where we stopped and consolidate on our gains. That is why we refused to bring in those buccaneers who are looking for what to grab. We want the state to continue on the path of development, progress.” To PDP candidates aspiring for legislative offices, the governor warned, “I want to sound it clear if any of the national assembly candidates misbehave when they get to Abuja, we will teach them a lesson as we are teaching some of them serving now. “Let me sound it clear to them. If you follow these betrayers, we will place a curse on you, so you suffer the way they’re suffering.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/02/next-president-i-

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Abuja -The Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprise, Mr Benjamin Dikki, on Thursday in Abuja said the privatization of federal airports in the country would commence soon. Dikki made this known in his presentation on “Reforms and Privatisation Opportunities in Nigeria” at the ongoing 9th Abuja International Trade Fair. He said that although the Federal Government had made substantial investment in the aviation sector, a lot still remained to be done, adding that it was the reason why the government was considering privatising the airports. “We are planning to commence the privatisation of airports; the airports will be more efficient if the private sector is running them. “Very soon, we will engage the Minister of Aviation and we will start a new process of privatising or concession of airports just like we have done with the seaports. “We are likely to grant concession of maybe 15 to 20 years, according to the business model agreed on, so that investors can make a reasonable return on the investment during the concession period,” he said. Dikki also disclosed that BPE was working on the process of privatising some coal blocs and sale of non-core assets of Nigeria Coal Corporation (NCC) and Nigeria Mining Corporation. He said that the National Council on Privatisation had already approved the sale of residential houses and lands of NCC, Naraguta and Maiduguri Bricks, non-core assets of Makeri, and the Ogwashi-Azagba Coal Bloc. He said that the bureau was currently working to hasten the passage of some bills, including the Railway Bill, Inland Waterways Bill, Federal Road Authority Bill, Ports and Harbour Reform Bill and Postal Reform Bill. He explained that the bills, when passed, would eliminate monopoly in all key sectors of the economy, create more jobs and deepen economic growth. In his speech, the President, Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), Mr Solomon Nyagba, said that the association was ready to partner BPE to make the Abuja Trade Fair Centre better. “ABUCCIMA wants to make this trade fair ground the most organised in Africa. “We want to partner BPE to get investors to help us in building the largest shopping centre in Africa and bigger exhibition facilities and a five-star hotel. “We want to create conducive place for investors and consumers to mingle,” he said. Nyagba urged BPE to resume the process of privatizing the oil and gas sector to improve the power supply situation in the country. (NAN) Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/fg-privatise-

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March 20, 2024 by Nduka Chiejina, Abuja BREAKING: CBN settles all FX backlog as external reserves rise to $34.11bn The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cleared the $7 billion foreign exchange (FX) backlog inherited by Governor Yemi Cardoso. This move fulfills a key pledge on his appointment and signifies a significant step towards restoring confidence in the economy. In a statement on Wednesday, CBN’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, confirmed settlement of all valid FX backlog claims. Read Also: Senate passes N446bn FIRS 2024 budget The CBN, she said, employed Deloitte Consulting, an independent auditing firm, to meticulously assess the transactions, ensuring that only legitimate claims were honoured. “Any invalid transactions were referred to the relevant authorities for further investigation,” she stated. The CBN’s commitment to tackling the FX backlog appears to be paying off. External reserves have seen a significant rise, reaching $34.11 billion as of March 7, 2024, the highest level in eight months This month-on-month increase is attributed to a notable rise in remittance payments from Nigerians abroad and increased foreign investment in local assets, including government debt securities. The CBN’s actions are part of a broader strategy outlined during the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-cbn-setles-all-fx-backlog-as-

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*Displaced children scrambling for food at an IDPs camp in Maiduguri… How safe are they? Maiduguri – The Borno Government on Tuesday appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to take over the daily feeding of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state. Alhaji Mustapha Zanna, the Deputy Governor of the state, made the appeal while receiving a donation of relief materials worth about N7 million for the IDPs by the Nigeria Flour Mills in Maiduguri. He said that the takeover would enable the state government to focus on other development areas in the state. Zanna said the burden of feeding over 500,000 IDPs by the government was getting unbearable. “Presently, all the residents of the 22 out of the 27 local government areas of the state are living in Maiduguri as refugees. “Some of them are staying in about 21 IDPs camps, while the rest are squatting with relatives in town,” he said. Zanna said both the IDPs staying at the camps and those living with relatives relied on government feeding to survive. “Government provides three square meals to the IDPs at the camps. “The current hardship in the country has also forced those residing outside into feeding at the camps,” he said. Zanna said that the exercise was eating deep into government purse, especially with the dwindling resources. He said taking over the feeding by NEMA would enable the government concentrate on other areas such as provision of welfare, medical care and other essential services to the people. Earlier, Alhaji Ma’aji Shettima, the General Manager of the Maiduguri Flour Mill, said that the gesture was aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of the victims of insurgency in the state. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/burden-of-feeding-

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6th September, 2022 The Cable News Network (CNN) has postponed indefinitely the much-awaited interview with a Nigerian Presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Obi, Presidential candidate of the lowly Labour Party in Nigeria’s next year’s presidential election, has been gaining momentum on social media, metamorphosing to off-social media or physical campaign. Obi has been in the US meeting with Nigerians in Diaspora, seeking to gain their support for his presidential ambition. His interview with CNN’s Zane Asher, a Nigerian-born broadcaster, was supposed to take place on September 3, but was postponed to September 6, 2022. But today, the interview which is supposed to be 5.00pm did not come up as CNN postponed it indefinitely without announcing a new date. Rather, a documentary on new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss was aired. Obi’s supporters are seriously disappointed at the no-show, as they have been advertising the interview on social media since morning. Obi’s Media Adviser, Valentine Obienyem said the interview had been postponed, but did not give a date when it would be aired. “The Nigerian public and Nigeria-watchers should please note that the much talked-about CNN Interview with Mr. Peter Obi is not holding today. “If and when such a forum will hold, Nigerians and all men & women of goodwill will be appropriately informed. Thank you,” he said.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2022/09/06/disappointment-as-cnn-postpones-

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27th February, 2012 Taiye Taiwo says the inability of the Super Eagles to qualify for the recently concluded Africa Nations Cup, where Zambia won the tournament has given confidence to Rwanda players, who think they can beat Nigeria, ‘what a pity.’ According to the Super Eagles left back, the players have resolved to make a statement that the Eagles are still a force to be reckoned with in African football, by defeating the Amavubi of in Kigali on Wednesday. “Every team in Africa now wants to beat the Super Eagles because we did not qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. We know that this has given Rwanda a big hope that they can beat Nigeria, well, it’s a pity! But we are going to deal with them in Kigali.” Taiwo said. He added : “The best way to announce that Nigeria is back in African football is for us to beat Rwanda in Kigali. Rwandans are free to boast, it is allowed in football, but the field will judge and we are determined to win.” —Francis Achi, Abuja

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Thousands of indigenes and supporters of the Labour Party in Southern Kaduna have thrown their weight behind the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the LP governorship candidate in the State, Jonathan Asake. They are promising to give them block votes in the 2023 general elections, describing Mr Obi as the best candidate for the presidential seat. According to them, the former Anambra State Governor has the capacity to rescue the country from its security and socioeconomic challenges At a sensitisation rally and meeting held in Kafanchan the headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday, the stakeholders vowed not to vote for the PDP as they have done in the past 23 years. They accused the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of never showing empathy to them despite the series of attacks in the area. According to Asake, who is the former President of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, the endorsement is a loud statement of the mood of the people in southern Kaduna who are yearning for a more responsive, empathic, and humane leadership that will tackle challenges facing the zone and Kaduna in general. The group also embarked on a door-to-door campaign to mobilise voters for the party with determination to pass their verdict on the type of government and representatives they expect to see at the helm of affairs from May 29, 2023.

https://www.channelstv.com/2022/12/17/southern-kaduna-

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March 2, 2024 by Wale Gbadebo Emefiele moves out of CBN Gov’s quarters in Lagos Embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele is moving out of the apex bank Governors’ quarters in Lagos. The Nation can reliably report Emefiele was accompanied to the quarters by a team led by the CBN Special Investigator, Jim Obazee. The former CBN’s helsman is moving his personal effects from the building located on Glover Road, Ikoyi. The Federal Government filed 14 fresh charges against Emefiele following a report submitted by the CBN special investigator. Emefiele was accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to conduct forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony in the amendment. Read Also: Oluwo warns against arbitrary price increase He is facing accusations for charges relating to financial crimes after President Bola Tinubu removed him from his position as CBN Governor in June 2023. The Senate also resolved to probe how the N30tn Ways and Means loans of the CBN was obtained and spent by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The senate stated that the reckless spending of the loan collected from the CBN under Emefiele largely accounted for the food and security crises in the nation.

https://thenationonlineng.net/emefiele-moves-out-of-cbn-govs-

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8th June, 2021 President Muhammadu Buhari has been dragged to ECOWAS court over “the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. The legal fight is being spearheaded by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians. Nigeria’s leading human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana is representing the 177 plaintiffs. They sued Buhari for criminalisation of Nigerians and other people using Twitter, and the escalating repression of human rights, particularly the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.” Following the deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed last week announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. The government has also threatened to arrest and prosecute anyone using Twitter in the country, while the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has asked all broadcast stations to suspend the patronage of Twitter. In the suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21 filed today before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, SERAP and the concerned Nigerians are seeking: “An order of interim injunction restraining the Federal Government from implementing its suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. The 177 Nigerians also seek a stay order on government from subjecting anyone including media houses, broadcast stations using Twitter in Nigeria, to harassment, intimidation, arrest and criminal prosecution, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.” In the suit filed by Solicitor to SERAP, Femi Falana SAN, the Plaintiffs contend that “if this application is not urgently granted, the Federal Government will continue to arbitrarily suspend Twitter and threaten to impose criminal and other sanctions on Nigerians, telecommunication companies, media houses, broadcast stations and other people using Twitter in Nigeria, the perpetual order sought in this suit might be rendered nugatory.” The suit, read in part: “The suspension of Twitter is aimed at intimidating and stopping Nigerians from using Twitter and other social media platforms to assess government policies, expose corruption, and criticise acts of official impunity by the agents of the Federal Government.” “The free communication of information and ideas about public and political issues between citizens and elected representatives is essential. This implies a free press and other media able to comment on public issues without censor or restraints, and to inform public opinion. The public also has a corresponding right to receive media output.” “Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and the full enjoyment of this right is central to achieving individual freedom and to developing democracy. It is not only the cornerstone of democracy, but indispensable to a thriving civil society.” “The arbitrary action by the Federal Government and its agents have negatively impacted millions of Nigerians who carry on their daily businesses and operational activities on Twitter. The suspension has also impeded the freedom of expression of millions of Nigerians, who criticize and influence government policies through the microblogging app.” “The suspension of Twitter is arbitrary, and there is no law in Nigeria today permitting the prosecution of people simply for peacefully exercising their human rights through Twitter and other social media platforms.” “The suspension and threat of prosecution by the Federal Government constitute a fundamental breach of the country’s international human rights obligations including under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.” “The suspension has seriously undermined the ability of Nigerians and other people in the country to freely express themselves in a democracy, and undermined the ability of journalists, media houses, broadcast stations, and other people to freely carry out their professional duties.” “A lot of Nigerians at home and abroad rely on Twitter coverage of topical issues of public interest to access impartial, objective and critical information about ideas and views on how the Nigerian government is performing its constitutional and international human rights obligations.” “The implication of the decline in freedom of expression in Nigeria is that the country is today ranked alongside countries hostile to human rights and media freedom such as Afghanistan, Chad, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and Colombia.”

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/06/08/breaking-buhari-dragged-to-

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Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar By John Alechenu The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has again raised alarm over attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to derail Nigeria’s democracy, using subterfuge. He said the party’s “snatch, grab and run’ agenda of opposition parties’ mandates was inimical to democracy. Atiku, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, explained that the ideal notion of democracy didn’t just reside in a representative government but essentially rooted in the plurality of ideas. According to him, for a system to be seen as truly democratic, it must necessarily accommodate opposition and opposing views. Atiku said: “Sadly and suddenly, we have seen a trend whereby the range of opposition engagement continues to be narrowed by the ruling party in Nigeria. “Either through the electoral process where opposition parties are rigged out with brazen impunity, or during the post election court processes where the judiciary is conspicuously doing the biddings of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, it has become increasingly apparent that the democracy in Nigeria is in a state of ill-health. “It gets more curious that all the states where the courts have made controversial declarations are states being controlled by the opposition political parties. “From Nassarawa, Kano, Zamfara and now to Plateau State, where we are witnessing a situation in which what the ruling party missed out on Election Day are being delivered to them through the courts. “These are clearly ominous signs that threaten not just our faith in the electoral and judicial system but evincing that our democracy is compromised. “It is also crystal clear that the ruling party will not desist from this inglorious ideology of ‘snatch, grab and run away with power.’ “It is even more worrisome that what is playing out now in the Plateau governorship election petition is a confirmation of the threat echoed by an APC lawmaker in a viral video that the ruling party will compromise the judicial process to ensure its ultimate victory in the courts. “It, therefore, means that the times we are in are indeed ominous, and the journey ahead in rescuing our democracy from these buccaneering power grabbers is a long one. It also means that every man and woman of good conscience should come together for this common patriotic purpose. “But we are not surprised by what is going on. In Lagos State where Tinubu holds sway as godfather, opposition became an anathema. “Everyone including judges was forced to join his party. The few opposition members who managed to get elected were beaten to submission including at the Lagos State House of Assembly where the sole PDP member back in 2018 was suspended and arrested for gun running but mysteriously had the charges dropped immediately after he defected to the APC. “Recently, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, withdrew a N135bn lawsuit it had instituted against an opposition senator from Anambra State less than 24 hours after he defected to the ruling party. “These are the crude methods that Bola Tinubu has employed in order to reduce the ranks of the opposition and consolidate his hold on power.” “Is it not mysterious that it was the same panel that sat and heard all the election petition cases from Plateau State before the Court of Appeal? “ How is it that in election cases where the PDP came first and the APC came second, the court ordered that the APC be declared winner while in elections where the PDP came first and Labour Party came second, the courts ordered a rerun in order to give the APC a chance of victory? “As Justice Dattijo Muhammad said in his valedictory speech which has also been buttressed by Olumide Akpata, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the judgments emanating from courts in recent times have been questionable and show obvious compromise. “As Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) put it recently, the judiciary under military dictatorship was much more courageous and had better integrity than what we have today. “It is obvious that the APC has turned the once respected Nigerian judiciary to a “cash and carry” one where politicians who don’t participate in primaries are named as candidates while actual winners of elections are sacked for flimsy reasons. They simply deliver judgments but not justice. “Apart from the judiciary, Tinubu has already appointed his loyalists as Resident Electoral Commissioners who have now been confirmed by Sen. Godswill Akpabio, his lackey who is supposed to be heading an independent arm of government. This is how the APC plans to impose a one-party state on Nigerians. “Eternal vigilance remains the watch word if Nigeria’s democracy will survive the APC onslaught on our democracy and the institutions that are supposed to check the excesses of the ruling party.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/11/apcs-snatch-

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The Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu, in his intervention in the political crisis in the state, requested a signed resignation letter from the Deputy Governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Aiyedatiwa on Thursday presided over the state’s executive council meeting after a months-long political impasse between himself and the governor, Rotimi Akeredolu. The executive council meeting came after Tinubu called the warring factions loyal to Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa for the resolution of the political crisis in the state. The intervention by Tinubu means that Akeredolu remained the governor of the state while Aiyedatiwa remained the deputy governor, the Presidency said. However, Ademola-Olateju, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Friday, said that the President asked the deputy governor for a signed undated resignation later in case anything untoward happens. “First of all before I even talk about the Abuja meeting I just want to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for being a very good leader, wielding into the crisis in Ondo State. “His intervention has cooled the temperature that was just going haywire in Ondo State, we thank him. At the Abuja meeting, key decisions were made by Mr President who is the leader of our party the All Progressives Congress. Those key decisions were that the status quo in the state be maintained. “He decided that the executive council must not be dissolved under any condition and the party structure should be maintained, that the leadership of the House of Assembly should be intact and he nominated three people; the Secretary to the State Government, the party chairman and the speaker of the house to be the enforcers and to forestall further problems. “He asked for the signed resignation letter of Honourable Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor undated in case anything untoward happens, so that is what I know,” the commissioner said. The Ondo State House of Assembly and its Speaker also withdrew an appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Abuja, against the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which stopped the planned impeachment of Aiyedatiwa. The House of Assembly and its Speaker had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, Abuja to handle the matter and appealed against the court’s ruling halting the planned impeachment of the deputy governor. At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel for the Speaker and the Assembly, Remi Olatobura, told the three-member panel of justices of the appellate court that he has the instructions of his clients to withdraw the appeal. The senior lawyer told the court that parties in the matter have found a political solution to their problems and have signed an agreement to withdraw the appeal. According to Olatubora, the appeal is being withdrawn in the interest of peace and, as part of the agreement reached by the parties. Respondents in the appeal confirmed that they were served with the notice of withdrawal adding that, they were not objecting to the notice of withdrawal. Justice Haruna Tsammani, who led the three-member panel, subsequently dismissed the appeal, having been withdrawn by the appellants.

https://www.channelstv.com/2023/12/01/tinubu-asked-aiyedatiwa-to-

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Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has told Adams Oshiomhole that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) celebrated when he was removed as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Oshiomhole was suspended by his ward in Edo State in March 2020 with a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory subsequently ordering Oshiomhole’s suspension as the APC national chairman, a move Wike said elicited joy in the main opposition PDP. Wike spoke at the inauguration of the Rumuepirikom Flyover in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Wednesday. He explained that their celebration for Oshiomhole’s removal was because of how strong he was while he led the ruling party and made things difficult for the opposition. “I know you; you are not someone who will like to flatter anybody. You shoot straight. that is why when you were shooting straight as Chairman of the party, some people were not happy and they had to gang up for you to leave. So, you can see the reality. You may think you want to straighten things, and some people will call you back, ‘My friend, you are straightening too much, bend!’ “Nigerians don’t like anything that is too straight. They will find a way to circumvent it to make sure the person who wants to do the right thing is taken out but God’s time is the best and I believe that is God’s time. If God didn’t sanction it, it won’t have happened even though we were happy because you were too strong. “Anybody who watches you talk sometimes the opposition doesn’t know what to say again. So, the day you were removed, we said God thank you that this trouble man has gone. He has given us a lot of heat. You can see how comfortable we are now,” Wike said. Wike, a PDP governor had invited non-PDP members including Oshiomhole for the inauguration of projects in the state. Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is scheduled to inaugurate the Nkpolu-Oroworokwo Flyover on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the state capital. The governor has also scheduled invited President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Nabo Graham Douglas Campus, Nigerian Law School, in Obio/Akpor on Friday.

https://www.channelstv.com/2022/11/16/we-celebrated-your-removal-as-apc-

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January 15, 2023 by Nwanosike Onu, Awka Anambra sextuplets: Residents carpet Obi, Ekwunife, Uba, others for abandoning couple Anambra State residents have chided the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi for his alleged non-challant attitude to the plight of the family whose member was delivered of a set of sextuplets. The Obijackson Women and Children’s Hospital in Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area where the sextuplets were delivered have threatened to stop medication if the family fails to cough out N19 million. Many residents are of the opinion that public spirited people like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Femi Otedola would have come to the family’s aide if the babies were delivered in the Southwest part of the country. They also flayed other notable politicians like Senator Uche Ekwunife, Hon. Chris Azubogu, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Chief Chris Uba and Senator Andy Uba, among others, for failing to show concern for the babies and their mother. Chika, a trader, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, expressed her anger with Prince Arthur Eze, who she said was in the habit of doling out money to politicians but decided to keep quiet in respect of the bundles of joy. She said: “Imagine all the appeals that have been made but these selfish people would not come to the rescue of the poor couple. They will later come around to look for people that would vote for them during elections “Ekwunife, Ubah and Azubogu will be sharing wrappers or what looks like one cup of rice for people to vote for them, but they would not render help in this matter.” Another resident, Mr Jideofor Okeke, said it was disheartening watching so called billionaires like Peter Obi canvassing for votes without looking the way of the couple delivered of seven babies. “Yet some people are campaigning for him because he wants to be President. Is that not how he will abandon the people if elected? “He will travel to Kenya, Botswana, Mauritania and Jamaica to donate millions of dollars, but to help the poor people here, he and his cohorts will not,” Okeke said Mrs Ngozi Uzodike, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, was last Sunday delivered of a set of sextuplets. Our correspondent gathered that some individual donations ranging between N5,000 and N20,000 had been received by the family since the news of the newborn babies broke, but the sum so far realised was still a far cry from the sum needed. Ngozi’s husband, Mr Celestine Uzodike, told The Nation that his only regret was that his wife had not been paid since she was engaged at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in 2020. He appealed to the federal and state governments, corporate organisations and individuals to come to their aid, adding that they had already lost one of the babies. He commended the management of the hospital for taking good care of his wife and the surviving babies, adding that with God on their side, they would raise the needed amount. The Healthcare Manager of the hospital, Chika Ndu -Okonkwo, told The Nation that the huge sum was needed because of oxygen. She said although it is not easy to take care of the babies, the hospital would do everything it can to keep them alive. She said each of the babies would stay up to eight weeks in the hospital and each of the babies would gulp around three million naira, adding that they weighed only 1KG each. Ndu -Okonkwo, said that it was the time those who had money in the State and government should step in and save the lives of the children, adding that everything was not politics It was learnt Friday, that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in the State, through it’s Commissioner, Ify Obinabo, had reached the couple, assuring them of assistance.

https://thenationonlineng.net/anambra-sextuplets-residents-carpet-

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February 7, 2021 by The Nation FFK’s ex-wife sends strong message By Olushola Ricketts The birthday celebration of former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode’s son, Aragon, didn’t go without raising an eyebrow. It is no longer news that the Aragon’s mother, Precious Chikwendu, and Fani-Kayode have parted ways after irreconcilable differences. It was also learnt that the former beauty queen and actress doesn’t have regular access to her four kids, including triplets. In celebration of her first son Aragon’s birthday, Chikwendu took to Instagram to shower praises on him. She said her son would be the one to wipe her tears. She wrote: “Happy 5th birthday to the love of my life, the one that understands my blink without an utterance, my swift battle sword… You are that one that would wipe that tears I won’t shed now till it’s done. The one that is blessed beyond measures and loved highly, the leader of the tribe and a loving big brother to my boys. As the Lord’s countenance continues to shine on you, you shall fulfill your destiny, evil shall not see you, and your days will remain blessed as designed by the Almighty as he sets the trail for you. I love you silly mommy’s man and can’t wait for that outing we talked about.” When Fani-Kayode took to Twitter to share a lovely video of his son’s birthday celebration, some fans said thrilling things about the celebrant while others were curious about the whereabouts of his mother. It would be recalled that the lawyer recently unveiled his new lover, a Lebanese-Nigerian, Lilian Olajumoke Ellas, after months of gossip. This also ends the possibility of a reconciliation or ‘comeback’ story with Chikwendu.

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Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Friday suspended the Commissioner for Finance and Accountant General of the State. This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor (Electronic Media), in Port Harcourt. It said that Dr Fred Kpakol, the commissioner and Sir Abere Dagogo, the accountant general, had been suspended by the governor. It said the suspension took immediate effect, but did not give any reason for the suspension of the two senior government officials. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

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January 28, 2021 by The Nation I’m coming for killer herdsmen in Ogun – Sunday Igboho By Alao Abiodun Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has declared Ogun state will be his next destination to flush out criminal herdsmen. In the now-viral video, Igboho stated that he has heard about the criminal activities of herdsmen in the state. The Nation had reported how military men escorted herdsmen to flog residents in some villages in Ogun state for rejecting herders in their midst. He said: “What many people do not know about this whole issue is that it was God that wanted to liberate Ibarapa people from the captivity of herdsmen that I went there. “The suffering that the people of Ibarapa were going through was brought to the fore by the death of Dr. Aborode, Aborode’s death exposed a lot of things going on in that area. “Many who have been killed and kidnapped there is not small. We however thank God that normalcy has been restored gradually. “By the grace of God, the remaining issues in Ogun state will be resolved, all criminal herdsmen in Ogun state should get prepared I am coming.” He lamented many politicians were trying to discourage the struggle despite his genuine intentions. “I am more than what anybody can bribe or win over with money. I do not have any children in Nigeria that herdsmen can kidnap and no herdsmen can stop me on the way. “Enough is enough, that is why I’m fighting this struggle. On this struggle, no going back,” Igboho declared. He further warned politicians from sabotaging his struggle against herdsmen in Yorubaland

https://thenationonlineng.net/im-coming-for-killer-

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16th July, 2023 Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of ‘Elected Female National APC Officers and Zonal Women Leaders’ have passed a ‘vote of no confidence’ in Dr Betta Edu. Edu, who is the party’s national women leader, is accused of allegedly abusing her office. A petition written to President Bola Tinubu on Friday reads “Without deviating from the essence of this subject, it is pertinent we express our total displeasure and concern over the misrepresentation and self-aggrandisement of the National Woman leader, Dr. Beta Edu during her visit to the Presidential Villa on the 13th of July 2023. “We wish to state categorically and in strong terms that her visit to the Presidential Villa was a misrepresentation as she in no way represent the elected National Women Officials and Zonal Women Leaders of the party as against the news making the rounds. “We were totally unaware of her presidential visit and no due information nor notification were given to us the women she claimed to represent during her visit. It is disheartening that Dr. Beta Edu could label her visit to Mr President to be the representation of National Stakeholders and Zonal Women leaders, even without them knowing and not in attendance during the visit. “It is worrisome that at this infancy stage of the administration of President Bola Tinubu which needs all hands to be on deck that the women leadership of the party is already experiencing division and seclusion in representation which has been the pattern of the National Woman Leader Beta Edu since her emergence. It is in strong terms that we reject her leadership because she has failed in managing the affairs of the women in the party.” A copy of the letter was also sent to National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; office of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, all APC governor’s wives and zonal Vice-chairmen of the party. It was signed by nine women leaders from the six geopolitical zones which includes APC Deputy National Treasurer, Omorede Osifo; National Ex-Officio (South-West), Olubunmi Oriniowo; National Ex-Officio (North-Central), Oluwatoyin Opawoye; Zonal Women leader (North Central), Princess Zahra Audu; Zonal Women leader (South-West), Mrs Yetunde Adesanya and Zonal Women leader (South-East), Mimi Diyiokeh. Others were the Zonal Women leader (North East), Zainab Alman; Zonal Women leader (South-South), Mrs. Cynthia Princewill; Zonal Women leader (North-West), Hajia Hadiza Shagari. “Throughout the electioneering campaign, Dr. Betta Edu worked in isolation without synergy with her colleagues’ National Women officials of the party and the Zonal Women leaders. We individually devised means and strategies to galvanise and mobilise support for the party in our various states and traveled to almost all states campaigning with Mr. President with our personal funds and resources because we are highly committed to the Renewed Hope project and which we are glad to be part of the success story of today. “We want Mr. President to know that most women paraded by Dr. Betta Edu were mostly fake. Authentic and democratically elected national officers who are even National Executive Council Members, all Zonal women leaders, the three women senators and fifteen female House of Representatives members, and a host of other relevant women leaders and stakeholders were replaced by fake women in the visit to the President. “We hereby reject the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu and unanimously pass a vote of no confidence on her and whatever she represents. We appeal to Mr. President to use his good office to grant audience to the Elected National Female Executives and Zonal Women Leaders of our great party for inclusiveness,” the letter stated.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2023/07/16/betta-edu-inside-apc-women-

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Usain Bolt (C) of Jamaica reacts after winning his final race in home country during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 10, 2017. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships. / AFP PHOTO Olympic legend Usain Bolt had an open invitation to train with German Bundesliga power Borussia Dortmund for a year, and he is finally going to take the club up on the offer. Bolt revealed this weekend that he will participate in a trial with Dortmund as he looks to pursue a professional soccer career at age 32. But his goal isn’t to play alongside Christian Pulisic at Dortmund. Nope. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist has his sights set on playing for his favorite club, Manchester United. He’s not joking either. Bolt explained his decision to train with Dortmund to The Express. He said the trial will start in March: “In March we’re going to do trials with Dortmund and that will determine what I do with that career, which way it goes. If they say I’m good, and that I need a bit of training, I’ll do it. “It makes me nervous. I don’t get nervous but this is different, this is football now. It’ll take time to adjust but once I play a few times I’ll get used to it. It was the same when I started track and field. “I was nervous for a while until I started getting used to the crowd, people and everyone around and it falls into place, “One of my biggest dreams is to sign for Manchester United. If Dortmund say I’m good enough, I’ll crack on and train hard. “I’ve spoken to Alex Ferguson and I told him he needs to put in a good word. He told me if I get fit and ready, he will see what he can do.” We know about Bolt’s world-class speed and his passion for soccer, but can he actually play? From the very limited footage (like this ad with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero), there’s nothing that screams “MANCHESTER UNITED TALENT.” There’s nothing wrong with Bolt shooting his shot, though. The worst that can happen is that he ends up being just an eight-time Olympic gold medalist. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/usain-bolt-play-

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April 27, 2023 by Bisi Oladele, Ibadan Southwest States to launch regional electricity, rail projects Following the success of the regional security outfit codenamed Amotekun and other regional initiatives, Southwest States have agreed to launch regional railway and electricity projects. The decision came on the heels of the Electricity and Railway Acts 2023 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari. The new laws decentralised the operation of power and rail among others. The items were on the Exclusive List for decades, factor experts have consistently described as a cog in the wheel of progress in the two sectors. At the end of a two-day conference on the subjects in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Thursday, the six States agreed to pursue regional power and rail projects to deliver economic and social benefits to the region. Organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission in collaboration with Odu’a Investments Company Ltd., the conference, which was hosted by the Ondo State Investments Promotion Agency (ODSIPA) highlighted the need for each state to build projects in the two sectors and build inter-connectivity among them. The States are Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti and Lagos. Experts and commissioners for power and transport in the states gave insights to models that can work, financing options and the need to develop a uniform legal framework for the projects in order to attract the right investors and avoid legal lacuna. The DAWN Director General Seye Oyeleye said the best time for Southwest to build its rail system and power infrastructures was in 1958, stressing that the next best time to do it was now. With estimated 45 million population, over 200 manufacturing industries, and huge trade and commercial activities which account for 37 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Oyeleye said the region was in the best position to set the pace for others. He pointed out that the region equally needs to prepare for the huge opportunities which the road being constructed by the African Development Bank which will connect about five West African countries and connects Lagos, will bring to the Southwest region. According to him, if the region fails to build its power and transportation sectors, the manufacturing companies can decide to move their production to neighbouring West African countries and begin to export their products to Nigeria which has the market. That, he explained, will lead to job, tax and other losses for Nigeria, especially the Southwest region.

https://thenationonlineng.net/southwest-states-to-launch-regional-

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2nd November, 2022 The 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has insisted that he is not in support of removal of Iyorchia Ayu as some governors and members of his party have been demanding. Five governors of PDP led by Nyesom Wike of Rivers have refused to join the campaign of Atiku for 2023 election over their insistence that Ayu should vacate office. The Governors had said with the emergence of Atiku from Adamawa in Northeast Nigeria as the presidential candidate of PDP, Ayu, who is also from the same zone should vacate office for a Southerner in accordance with the zoning policy of the party. But Atiku had refused to back the call, as he insisted that it will be risky for the party to embark on rejigging of its leadership few months to the election. Speaking on the Hausa Service of VOA during his ongoing trip to the United States, Atiku confessed that the crisis in the party which was caused by the disagreement over removal of Ayu is yet to be resolved. But he insisted that he will not support the change in leadership of PDP. “We are yet to resolve the matter. But we have moved ahead. Our train has moved. We leave the dislocations to the dust bin of history,” Atiku told Aliyu Mustapha Sokoto, the Head of the Hausa Service of the VOA during an exclusive interview at the station in Washington on Tuesday. He described the call for removal of Ayu, as ‘not a clever move as the elections are approaching.’ “It is not proper, at this time, to contemplate a change of leadership of our party, whereas we are approaching the elections season,” Atiku said, while expressing confidence that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be preside over free and fair elections in February next year. “This is because we have seen how they conducted two elections in Ekiti and Osun. In both cases we have praised them for good outings. In addition to this, President Buhari has assured us that he would allow a transparent, free and fair elections to be conducted in 2023,” Atiku told the VOA. Atiku said that his government, once he is elected, will not be manipulated by any group of persons intent on controlling the affairs of state. ‘Cabal,’ wrote the VOA Hausa on its website, ‘is an English word frequently used in Nigeria to indicate that a coterie of politicians, and not the president, dictate the affairs of government.’ “You won’t find any cabal in my government. It is me: Waziri (Atiku) that will run the administration,” Atiku told the VOA that in order to tackle the problem of insecurity, the overhaul of the constitution is imperative. “We would confront this issue by convoking a constitutional review so that states and local governments, to whom we intend to give the imprimatur to run their security affairs, would be able to do so. But this requires a rejig of the constitution. “Before we embark on this, we intend to employ more boots on ground, especially in the areas of policing and civil defence, all of which we want to equip the personnel properly,” Atiku said. The former Vice President explained that his administration would work closely with the judiciary to ensure speedy trial of offenders, pointing out that he would support the imposition of death penalty for terrorism related offenses. Although Atiku, wrote the Hausa Service, didn’t talk elaborately on his current relationship with his erstwhile boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, he, however, said his disagreements with him (Obasanjo) back when they were in office, is one of the factors that cost him victory in his bid for the presidency in 2011. On the printing of new currency by the Central Bank of Nigeria under the current administration, Atiku said he knows nothing about it. But on the issue of Nigerian oil refineries, the ex Vice President said: “my position on this is not new. I have told you some years ago that I will privatize them. The reason is simple. If you allow investors to own them, they’d be better managed.” He added that private investors have the capacity to overhaul the refineries and making them functional at all times. Turning to corruption, he said the rule of law would be applied in making sure that those found guilty are not left off the hook. “This would demonstrate to Nigerians that our government means business,” Atiku said.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2022/11/02/atiku-to-wike-

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8th March, 2016 Firstly, I’d like to thank Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2004, he made a decision that has come to profoundly affect my life today. I would certainly have no reason whatsoever to even consider writing this, talk less discovering Nigeria’s rich potentials, if not for that action. When he instructed Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Corporation to controversially ban the showing of miracles on local programs, I’m sure he had no idea that it would place Nigeria enviably on the world map. Ten years on (Tuesday 8 March 2016), Emmanuel TV marks a striking milestone in the history of Nigerian broadcasting. It’s the 10th anniversary of a television station which boasts a reputation of being among the fastest growing and most viewed in the whole continent (albeit loved and loathed with perhaps equal ferocity). I’m aware of the popularity of Nollywood films, and the following some Nigerian musicians have abroad – but this is on another level entirely, a scale that is perhaps immeasurable. Never before has content produced within Nigeria have global impact in such an escalating manner. Trust me – I have done the research! To give some context, let me provide some background data. I am an American working currently as a social media analyst in California, USA. My interest in and knowledge of Nigeria up to about one year ago was sparse to say the least. In USA, the picture painted of Nigeria generally involves some starving children in an archaic, beleaguered village, cutthroat Islamic militants chanting weird war-cries as they celebrate another merciless decapitation or the son of a ‘crown prince’ who has sent an email requesting ‘help’ to release the 100 ‘gazillion’ dollars his great-granddad has stored up in a dodgy Swiss bank account. To put it bluntly, it’s grim. Certainly not a colourful picture. It was, therefore, an unusual surprise to me when, in August last year, I inadvertently stumbled across a video on YouTube showing a side of Nigeria I had NEVER seen. After watching a clip of the Supernatural TV series, a video with an alluring (and a little alarming!) thumbnail was ‘suggested’ to me showing an alleged ‘miracle’ of a blind lady in Mexico. One nonchalant, cynical click later and I was watching a crusade with a whopping 100,000 in attendance led by guess who – a Nigerian Pastor. I internally grimaced. Theatrics and theology should not be combined. Now, I must confess at this point that although I am a professing Christian, I have a firmly founded disdain for most American televangelists – Benny Hinn and his ilk. The persistent emphasis on money, the lack of authenticity when it comes to the alleged miraculous and the emotional manipulation at play toward the disadvantaged in most of such services has left me highly skeptical. Initially, the thing that struck me with this particular YouTube clip was the overwhelming makeup of the crowd – perhaps 99% Caucasian. It is customary to see non-African preachers minister to vast African crowds – but very rare to see vice versa. The ‘miracle’ that then happened seemed almost too good to be true. This bearded black pastor, simply clad in jeans and a shirt, basically tapped a woman on her head and she crumpled to the floor. Jumping up, the expression on her face was priceless. Pure, unadulterated joy! Speaking some ecstatic form of Spanish, she began to testify that her severely diminished sight had just been restored. The crowd roared, as did my attention. Could this be real? With interest sufficiently kindled, one video led to another… and to another… and to another. My preconceived stereotypes slowly began to fade as YouTube offered more and more weird yet wonderful clips from this channel called ‘Emmanuel TV’. No wonder it has more than 300,000 subscribers and views in excess of 200 million! There was something uncannily different about the pastor. In fact, unorthodox is an understatement. The freedom with which he ministered, the simplicity with which he taught, the remarkable results that followed… Well, seven months later and I can categorically, unashamedly call myself an Emmanuel TV addict. Pastor T.B. Joshua is a Nigerian and I am not only proud to associate with him but I have profound admiration and respect for him. He has been a significant source of ‘rebranding’ not just for his nation but for Pentecostal Christianity. An array of factors has led me to this weighty conclusion but none so more than Pastor Joshua’s refreshingly unique approach to Christianity. For example, in the countless thousands of hours of footage I have viewed, I have not heard a SINGLE solicitation for money. Not one time. No bank details scrolling across the screens or funding campaigns with multiple preachers using their charisma to try and coerce cash under the premise of prosperity. Contrarily, huge amounts are given to charitable projects which span continents and make tangible differences. Even in his huge Mexican crusade, I have it on reliable authority that not even an offering was taken by the pastor. That’s practically sacrilegious over here. Churches here in USA usually comprises of some inspirational worship music, a motivational feel-good message and then, of course, a well-hyped offering to round up everything. One to two hours max. Sunday services shown live on Emmanuel TV, however, literally last the entire day. Yes, a whole day in church! Yet, they are so engaging and exciting, it feels almost timeless. The messages are practical, the reconciliations poignant, the prophecies pinpoint, the prayers powerful and the testimonies profound. T.B. Joshua remarkably combines a deep spiritual authority with a down-to-earth approach that is both endearing and eye-opening. When he speaks, it feels as if the message is directed entirely towards you. When he prays, the impact hits you right in the comfort of your own home. That’s why I thank God for Obasanjo’s miracle ban which, according to Wikipedia, paved the way for Emmanuel TV’s arrival! This is my first time of writing to an African news outlet. I don’t know if anyone will deem this worthy of publication but please let it be known to all willing to hear – Nigeria has an incredible brand ambassador in T.B. Joshua. Use him. I join the millions around the world to celebrate Emmanuel TV as it hits a decade of existence! ‘Changing Lives, Changing Nations, Changing The World’ is more than just a motto; it’s a vision which I consider myself privileged to be a part of. I find it strange to consider that this milestone may well be celebrated far more abroad than in Nigeria. Well, to coin one of T.B. Joshua’s catchphrases, “Distance is not a barrier…” Helen Baker writes from Los Angeles, USA

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2016/03/08/emmanuel-tv-celebrating-a-decade-of-

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Police launch manhunt for killers As Amotekun boss demands sophisticated weapons to tackle criminalities in S’West By Dayo Johnson & Shina Abubakar No fewer than seven persons were killed, weekend, in Osun and Ekiti states by gunmen suspected to be bandits. Among the victims was a family of six reportedly killed when the gunmen stormed a farming settlement in Wasinmi village, Irewole local government area of Osun State, while the other was a passenger hit by stray bullets, as the gunmen fired at a moving commercial vehicle in Ekiti State. Policemen, men of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, and Hunters Group of Nigeria were said to have been deployed in the bush in the area to fish out the killers. Confirming the Osun attack, yesterday, in Osogbo, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, who spoke through his Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Yemisi Opalola, said the incident happened late Saturday night. Olokode, who noted that police had commenced investigation into the incident, said the perpetrators of the evil act would be brought to justice. The CP also disclosed that he had moved to the village with detectives to hunt down the perpetrators of the act. He, however, said preliminary investigation ruled out a possible farmers/herders clash, adding that apart from launching manhunt for the suspects, police had begun discreet investigation into the circumstances behind the killings. The CP appealed to the people of the state, particularly residents of Ikire and its environs not to panic but collaborate with the Police by giving timely information that would assist in arresting the culprits. He described the incident as unfortunate and vowed that the police would apprehend the culprits to face the law. In another attack in Ekiti State, a passenger was reportedly killed as gunmen shot at a commercial vehicle in transit between Ikere Ekiti and Iju, a border town in Ondo State. The Ekiti PPRO, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident, yesterday, said that the driver of the commercial bus and the passengers ran to a police station in Ikere Ekiti and reported that while they were on their way from Ondo State, the gunmen came out of the bush and started shooting. The driver was said to have increased his speed to escape the attack but unfortunately, a passenger was hit by a bullet in the process and later died at Ikere General Hospital. While calling for calm, the state Commissioner of Police, Tunde Mobayo, assured that the command in the two states would collaborate effectively to nab the perpetrators. The commissioner had earlier in the week, held a town hall security meeting with communities across the state. Meanwhile, the commander of Ondo State Security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, has urged governments to remove limitations to the crime bursting responsibility of the corps in the region by allowing it carry sophisticated weapons. Adeleye, who made the plea, weekend, said criminals were at advantage over security agents in terms of weapons in the South-West. Speaking in Akure, the commander said the agencies needed encouragement from government to be able to rid the states of the activities of criminally-minded elements. “The agencies are looking forward to acquiring more state-of-the-art equipment to combat insecurity in the states. There’s need to procure modern equipment to confront criminals. “Amotekun is doing well in terms of remuneration of officers and payment of salary but calls for more government support. “The state governor has just approved the recruitment of additional personnel and in terms of personnel, we are okay. “Though, we in Ondo State have equipment but we are asking for more funding, so we can buy state- of-the-art additional equipment to combat crimes in the state. “The collaboration with other security agencies has been yielding results through the knowledge and familiarity of the terrain by Amotekun officials who understand their own environment. “We have a very robust relationship, we share intelligence with the Civil Defence, the Police, the Army, the DSS and we do operations together. “There are interiors they don’t have the knowledge of, and if they have anything to do there, we take them there since we have our personnel across the 18 local government areas of the state. “When we get to terrible terrains like in the riverine area, we have specialists and personnel who can stay under the water for 24 hours and we are always with them in whatever operation that needed to be done. “The regular Nigeria Police Force cannot do it alone. Other security agencies must step in to secure the country. The Amotekun Corps are making sacrifices and they are ready to work with the armed forces.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/03/gunmen-kill-family-of-6-in-osun-

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May 30, 2021 by The Nation JUST IN: 30 feared killed as herdsmen attack Ebonyi/Benue border communities By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Sunday attacked some Ebonyi communities, killing at least 30 persons. The gunmen attacked Odoke, Ndiobasi and Obakotara communities in Ebonyi local government area. Sources in the area said the gunmen struck the three communities around 3am on Sunday morning. The communities share boundary with Ado local government area in Benue State. A resident in the area, Uchenna Okpokwu said the herdsmen invaded with guns and machetes. “They came into Ndiobasi village and started slaughtering the people. After slaughtering them, they entered Odoke, from that Odoke, they went to Obapta”. “Currently, people that were slaughtered in Ndiobasi are up to 30 according to the video clips on the incident but Odoke and Obapta are very far and nobody was able to entered those two villages to capture those that were killed. “When I received call from one of my villagers over the attack, he told me that the herdsmen are currently at Ojaba forest and that place is their hideout because there is no other way for them to escape. “The herdsmen are currently in that forest as at the time I was called on phone” “I was told our local government Chairman went with some security men but couldn’t get to the affected villages. If there is a way security agents will be sent to the affected villages, it will be good. “Currently, I have been trying to reach my family members on phone but their lines are not through and all of them are in the village,” he said. Another resident, Onyibe Jeremiah lamented no action was taken to protect the communities despite earlier warnings of thw herdsmen impending attacks. Hé said: “One young man from Enugu state that saw the herdsmen when they were coming into the Ebonyi villages made the voice call that went viral to alert the state but it appears that it was ignored which was why these attacks were recorded despite the alert. “Nobody took that voice serious and the herdsmen came and killed not less than 30 people now. They are currently attacking more villages” The Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) confirmed two children were killed while being taken to the hospital for treatment. It said it has scrambled a team to the area to help in treatment and evacuation of victims. “Terrible scenes at Ohagelode Health Center this morning. An attack on an Izzi village inside Benue State, allegedly by herdsmen, resulted in many casualties. “Many were carried all the way to Ohagelode Health Center. The Uloanwu Ambulance was called and eleven 11 person’s, six adults and five children, were transported to AEFUTHA in Abakaliki. “Sadly two children already died after reaching AEFUTHA. An AMURT team of doctors, lead by Dr. Omogo, the MD of AMURT has rushed to Ohagelode. We are trying to support the wounded carried to AEFUTHA, the statement by AMURT West Africa”, the statement said. Chairman of Ebonyi local government area, Chinyere Nwaogbaga confirmed the incident. She said she went to the area and helped to evacuate many of the residents from the area to hospital. “Yes, the communities are Izzi(a clan in Ebonyi) speaking communities but they are geographically located in Benue. Since they are indigenes of Ebonyi though located in Benue, the State governor directed we go and bring them to hospital and treat them and also give them relive materials”. She said more buses have been sent to the area by the local government, Ebonyi Speaker and the State Government to evacuate more victims.

https://thenationonlineng.net/just-in-30-feared-killed-as-herdsmen-

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February 19, 2023 by Fanen Ihyongo, Kano Kano LP Gov candidate collapses structure into APC Kano Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Bashir Ishaq Bashir, has resigned from the party. He declared his unalloyed loyalty and support to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Bashir, at the weekend, withdrew support from Peter Obi who is the LP presidential candidate and declared support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC. He also explained why he led other chieftains to boycott the LP presidential rally at the Kano Pillars stadium, Sabon Gari area of Kano on January 22. He said: “We shall return to the fold of the All Progressives Congress, and I wish to inform you that we have just finished our Steering Committee meeting where the feedback from our constituencies was deliberated upon. “The following decisions were made: That as a coalition of Labour Party (LP) Gubernatorial, Senatorial and House of Representatives, House of Assembly Candidates, Chairman and Members of the Presidential Campaign Council, Members of the Gubernatorial Campaign Council, and Zonal and State Coordinators we have decided to endorse the candidature of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “We have also resolved to leverage our existing political structures to work on the mass mobilisation of voters and swinging of votes to ensure his (Tinubu’s) emergence as the president of the federal republic of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential election. “We shall be known as Game Changers for Asiwaju/Shettima 2023. Our slogan is “Sabon Lale”…Swinging the Votes. We shall return to the fold of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Party.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/kano-lp-gov-candidate-collapses-

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July 3, 2017 by The Nation ACF: action okay but must be sustained •Ex-Villa Chaplain faults agitation The North’s socio-cultural organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday lauded Southeast leaders for disowning the Biafra agitation. It described the Igbo leaders’ dissociation from the advocates of a divided Nigeria as a welcome development and called for the sustenance of that stand. ACF Chairman Ibrahim Coomassie, in a telephone interview with our correspondent however noted with displeasure that Igbo leaders were reacting “too late”. He wondered why it took take the Igbo leaders so long to disown the Biafra agitators. He said: “It is a welcome development and we hope it is genuine, because the leaders of the Igbo remained silent all this while as these people were having a field day, demanding this and that and not until Northern youths issued quit notice to the Igbo that they could react. “So, now, that the Igbo leaders have spoken, we are happy and we hope that it is genuine and it will be sustained. “The government should now watch out and ensure that the disowned Biafra agitators do not cross the line. If they cross the line and do anything stupid, then the government must quickly take action. “Their agitation so far is part of their rights of freedom of expression, but once they break the law, they must be dealt with.” Former Aso Villa Chaplain Rev. William Okoye yesterday disagreed with the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra. Okoye, who spoke in Abuja during the mid-year Thanksgiving Service of his Church, urged the government to create a level-playing ground and encourage equity adding that these were the values that develop a nation. “I am an Igbo man. I don’t believe in Biafra and I don’t believe that we need to go back to the agitation of Biafra. I was a soldier. I fought during the war. “What is driving the agitation is because of the injustice being meted out to the people. “We are not just talking about justice for the Igbo but justice for everybody in the country. “Government should promote fairness and not to encourage mediocrity but equity; people who are qualified for something should get it irrespective of their religion and where they come from,’’ he said.

https://thenationonlineng.net/acf-

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo By Johnbosco Agbakwuru VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has urged multilateral organizations to consider the huge obligations placed on African countries and adopt debt relief initiatives such as the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and the Common Framework for Debt Treatments. The Vice President, who made the call while delivering a special address at the virtual edition of the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) Friday, said this should be done in a manner that would not further constrain the resumption of growth to the continent. While noting that there were giant strides recorded across Africa, he pointed out that challenges still remained to overcome, saying, therefore, that “we need partnerships that help to tackle climate change, address security concerns, promote economic prosperity, combat disease and improve governance.” He urged the international community to support African countries to overcome fiscal challenges arising from their limited revenues. According to him, “the creation of $650 billion in new Special Drawing Rights last year was a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to enable African and other developing countries access the SDRs that are not needed or being used by developed or emerging economies.” Prof. Osinbajo listed some of the progress on the African continent, including the recovery from the global pandemic, economic growth by 3.7% last year and a projected 3.8% growth in 2022. He noted that there was now in place an African Continental Free Trade Area agreement to fast-track economic transformation just as the continent was making giant strides in agriculture, manufacturing and digital technology. He further stated that in Nigeria for instance, six unicorns have emerged in the past six years. The Vice President, who spoke on a wide range of issues, noted that it was time for the international community to “walk the talk” by meeting its commitments towards advancing growth in developing economies, especially climate changes obligations. He called for a robust intervention of the international community to get rid of terrorists in Africa just as it was done in the Middle East. According to Prof. Osinbajo: “African countries face a serious threat of terrorism arising from the encroachment of global terror groups and their franchises into Africa. It is imperative for the international community to make more robust interventions to clear terrorists from Africa just as it did in the Middle East and other parts of the world. “The United Nations Security Council must find unanimity in working with and assisting African countries to eradicate the menace of terrorism in the continent once and for all.” Also speaking on the climate change challenge, Osinbajo reiterated that “it is now common knowledge that Africa contributes least to climate change but has been most negatively affected by it. We must not allow this worrying situation to be compounded further by global inaction, processes and rules that make it difficult for Africa to adapt to climate change or indeed to develop.” He restated his call for the international community to meet its pledge recently re-affirmed at COP-26 of providing $100 billion annually in climate finance to support climate change efforts in developing countries. He added: “Although we in Africa are working towards the globally accepted net-zero future, we are also conscious that our energy needs are increasing with the growth in our economies. “We need to ramp up energy access in response to this situation which is why the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies must be just and fair. We are emphatic in our view that natural gas which Africa has in abundance must be accepted as a transition fuel. Moves in the international community especially by development finance institutions to defund gas projects will have severe implications in the medium to long-term for African economies and will slow down the process of phasing out more polluting fuels such as coal, diesel, and heavy fuel oil (HFO),” he added. The vice president similarly called for partnership to tackle poverty, access vaccinations and achieve debt sustainability. He added: “Economic recovery in Africa is contingent on the containment of the pandemic including through wide-spread vaccinations. Right now, less than 10% of African countries have vaccinated 40% of their population. The reality is that due to resource constraints, there will be a relatively slow rollout of vaccinations in Africa and that full national rollouts may take several years. The international community must accordingly support Africa with the resources including vaccine doses that will assist in making vaccinations available to all.” On governance, Osinbajo called on the international community to support the efforts of West African leaders under the auspices of ECOWAS particularly, their condemnation of the incidences of coup d’etats and unconstitutional changes in government. The vice president was among the 12 leaders chosen to present special addresses at this year’s WEP, which is being attended by about 25 Heads of State and Government. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/01/osinbajo-

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The bishop, Peder Windstrup, died 336 years ago, and was taken out of his crypt at Lund Cathedral in southern Sweden in September last year. He was returned on Friday along with the remains of a human fetus discovered at his feet and given a second traditional Lutheran funeral. Windstrup's body is one of the best-preserved in Europe from the 1600s and is believed to have been mummified by the cold Nordic air rather than the embalming methods popular with Egyptians. The coffin of the bishop, who was an influentual Lutheran church leader, was initially opened 15 months ago because the cathedral planned to bury him. But archaeologists and scientists campaigned to examine the body first, arguing that their findings could play an important role in medical research. Unlike embalmed mummies which had their internal organs removed, most of Windstrup's insides remained intact and he was even given a CT scan at the city's University Hospital. "His remains constitute a unique archive of medical history on the living conditions and health of people living in the 1600s”, Per Karsten, director of the Historical Museum at Lund University, said in a press statement in July this year. The mummy went on display at Lund University's Historical Museum this week, with more than 3,500 people turning up to see him on Wednesday. The museum stayed open until 10pm to ensure as many as possible got a glimpse. "This is as close as you can get to the 1600s," Per Karsten, Lund University Historical Museum's Director, told Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan earlier this week. But he described the record turnout as "completely incomprehensible" and praised the public for queueing patiently to get in. Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected]. Please log in here to leave a comment.

http://www.thelocal.se/20151211/mummy-bishop-drives-masses-to-swedish-

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November 19, 2020 by The Nation TV stations pay fines over fake news The Federal Government says the sanctions imposed on some broadcast media stations in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests were justified and that the affected stations already paid their fines. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a media briefing on the #EndSARS protest and its aftermaths. The minister said that two of the stations paid their fines in full, while the third paid a part of the fine, with an appeal for time to pay the balance. Mohammed stressed that the fines imposed on the stations by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) were not only justified but that the NBC was indeed lenient. “In the aftermath of the EndSARS crisis, NBC fined three broadcast stations for using unverified and dangerous information from social media. “Commentators, many of whom didn’t even know why the NBC imposed the fine, rushed to allege an attempt to stifle free speech. “Unknown to them, the stations themselves knew that they breached the Broadcast Code. “It is sad to see the traditional media jettisoning the age-long gate-keeping process and instead rushing to rely on the free-wheeling social media, devoid of any gatekeeping, for news,’’ he said. The minister also said it was imperative for the traditional media to authenticate the information from social media or from any source, for that matter, before publishing or broadcasting the same. He condemned the emerging trend in which traditional media freely used materials from social media sources without taking the pains to verify their authenticity. “This is a dangerous trend that must be curbed, in the interest of media practitioners themselves, the profession and indeed the country,’’ he said. Mohammed said if NBC had wielded the big stick during the protest, some broadcast media organisations would have faced more severe sanctions than mere fines. “Recall that an otherwise reputable broadcast media organisation had carried a fake report that the Ecumenical Centre in Abuja was on fire during the violence that followed the protest. “Though the organisation in question later retracted the story, the kind of reprisal attack this could have sparked is better imagined. “Also, another reputable broadcast media organisation featured a report that identified a maintenance worker atop a bank building overlooking the Lekki tollgate in Lagos as a sniper, leading to attacks that destroyed many of the bank’s branches. “The organisations have not even been sanctioned for these terrible disinformation, yet rabble-rousers have latched on to the fines to make all sorts of baseless allegations,’’ he said The NBC fined Channels Television, AIT and Arise TV N3 million each on Oct. 26 over their unprofessional coverage of the #EndSARS protest and the crises that followed it. Acting Director-General of NBC, Prof Armstrong Idachaba, announced the sanctions at a news conference in Abuja.

https://thenationonlineng.net/tv-stations-pay-fines-over-fake-news/

Politics

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By Dayo Johnson Akure—DETECTIVES from Ondo State Police Command are working round the clock to unravel the mysterious death of three persons after consuming a local gin, popularly known as ogogoro at Oka Motor Park in Ondo town, Ondo State. This is coming as the state government said last week that it had curtailed the outbreak of a strange disease which caused the death of 23 persons at Irele area of the state. The government said the 23 who died at Irele consumed poisonous ethanol and banned the consumption of ogogoro across the state. Vanguard gathered that the deceased persons in this latest incident included a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the park, an electrician and another person working in the motor park. It was learned that the three persons consumed the local gin at the park and immediately complained of stomach upset. Other members of the union reportedly applied local herbs to calm them down, but they soon became unconscious. An eyewitness said they died before they could be rushed to a nearby hospital in the town, adding that the deaths were mysterious as other members of the union usually drank the same ogogoro. Vanguard gathered that the seller of the ogogoro had fled the park for fear of arrest by policemen, who reportedly stormed the motor park to investigate the incident. The eyewitness said consum-ption of ogogoro at motor parks by members of NURTW was a daily occurrence. It was also gathered that the deceased had been buried according to Muslim rites without undergoing any autopsy to confirm the real cause of their death. Contacted, the police image maker, Wole Ogodo, said: “When I called the DPO of the Enuowa Police Division in Ondo, he said nobody had reported the case at the police station, that they too heard it as rumour in the town. “We have commenced investigation and after the investigation we shall let the whole world know what actually happened to the said three persons.” We ‘re in control— Health Commissioner It would be recalled that the Health Commissioner, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, last weekend said the state government has successfully curtailed the ethanol poison at Irele area of the state. He said the sensitization efforts of government had yielded results on the consumption of the local gin. The commissioner added that both National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and SON had intervened to standardize the brewing of the local gin and regulate it’s production. Adeyanju said: “Those that died as a result of the consumption of the local gin are the chronic drinkers, while those that just tasted it have since regained their sights.” According to him, a high concentration of the ethanol poison was discovered in the system of those that died as a result of its consumption. Adeyanju pointed out that the ban on the consumption of ogogoro in the state still subsists, while government would deal decisively with those who flouted the directive. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/3-die-after-consuming-ogogoro-in-

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September 9, 2019 by The Nation FIBA WC: Nigeria finishes 17th as Africa’s best Nigeria have emerged the best African country at the ongoing FIBA World Cup in China, which enters its quarter final stage on Tuesday. Nigeria had already booked its place at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo after the D’Tigers defeated China 86-73 on Sunday. However, FIBA published the final standing for the teams placed 9-32 yesterday with the quarter final starting on Tuesday. Tunisia, who battled Nigeria to the wire for the Olympic ticket were rated 20th. The Tunisian won three games just like Nigeria but were beaten to the Olympic ticket by a better points different. Former Africa powerhouse, Angola finished in 27th position, while Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal finished 29TH and 30th respectively. The FIBA World Ranking Men presented by NIKE that will be published after the World Cup will determine the eight countries that will join the 16 team that have already qualified for the Olympic Qualifying tournament (OQT).

https://thenationonlineng.net/fiba-wc-nigeria-finishes-17th-

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that it recovered over 30 billion naira out of the 109 billion naira alleged to have been fraudulently amassed by the suspended Accountant General of the federation, Ahmed Idris. Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed on Thursday at the weekly ministerial briefing in the State House. Responding to a question posed on the independence of the commission, the EFCC boss asserted that high profile personalities and government agencies across the board, have been subject to investigation including the EFCC, which is evident of the government’s successful anti corruption drive. He disclosed that through a Special control unit against Money laundering (SCUML), would make it difficult for Nigerians to launder proceeds of crime in the next two three years. He also announced that the commission will by year end publish nationwide auction real estates across 15 locations in the country, in order to dispose of over 150 flats and apartments forfeited assets.

https://www.channelstv.com/2022/12/15/we-have-recovered-over-n30bn-

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File photo for illustration: Pensioners protesting. As govt moves to tackle pension fraud By Chinonso Alozie Owerri— PENSIONERS in Imo State are quarrelling with the state government over unresolved pension issues since March 2020, when the current government took over the rein of affairs. According to the pensioners, 20 per cent of their colleagues have not been paid a dime since March 2020 and they have been living a frustrated life of want. Lamenting the plight of this set of pensioners, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Imo State chapter, Josiah Ugochukwu said: “Pension in Imo State is not being paid generally. About 80 per cent of pensioners in Imo State are being paid up to date since March 2020 when Governor Hope Uzodimma came on board. About 20 per cent or more are not receiving at all. This issue came up around September, October, and November last year when they did mop up and collected the information and since then, nothing has happened. They have not been paid anything. “The union appeals to the Imo State Government to take proactive action this year for the payment of gratuity to all retired pensioners. The union is at their beck and call for discussions on the modalities for payment of the hugely accumulated pension arrears and gratuity. “Also, the union thanks the governor for paying about 80 per cent of pensioners in Imo State, from March 2020 till date. We equally commend the governor for the recent verification of pensioners who for one reason or the other, have not been receiving pensions. “The union believes that the best approach as has been adopted by the union in solving nagging issues like payment of pension arrears and gratuity is dialogue. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Imo State branch is hopeful that all pensioners who have been verified will start receiving their monthly pensions and the accrued arrears henceforth.” Meanwhile, the state government has announced the commencement of a process of sanitising the state’s Pension Board to tackle the rising cases of fraud in the system. The Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr. Ford Ozumba, disclosed this in Owerri and frowned at reports of fraudulent activities on the board, lamenting that some of the workers were “responsible for the excesses.” He described the situation as regrettable, noting that: “When we came in, we discovered the incredible fraud in the pension system, a situation which was bleeding the state. We hired the services of a seasoned finance expert who had spent all her life in the military, and with all the precision that comes with managing military finance, we have gotten the desired results.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/06/our-quarrel-with-imo-govt-

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INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu The commission in its daily update on PVCs collection issued on Saturday in Abuja revealed that 15,286 of Lagos registered voters who collected their PVCs were female while 17,398 were male. Ihe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 32,684 registered voters in Lagos state collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) on Friday, Jan. 6. The commission also disclosed that on the same Friday, 13,703 registered voters collected their voter cards in Edo. INEC devolved the exercise nationwide to registration area/ward level from Jan. 6 to Jan. 15, after which it will be reverted to its local government offices until Jan. 22.(NAN) Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/01/15286-registered-voters-collect-

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2nd April, 2012 Nigeria’s richest pastor and Winners’ Chapel founder, David Oyedepo, flaunts a vast business empire worth billions of naira. And there is no end to his material acquisitions To thousands of his devotees, David Olaniyi Oyedepo, billionaire businessman and presiding bishop at the Living Faith Church, better known as Winners’ Chapel, is a preacher of immense spiritual endowment. Fondly addressed as Papa by his congregation, Oyedepo is held in awe – the kind reserved for deities. The cleric’s deistic clout, however, transcends his Winners’ Chapel enclave. To many outside his fold, the prosperity preacher, who owns homes in London and the United States, and has been owner of four private jets so far, is gleaned from his insatiable material bequest. In 2010, Forbes, the respected American business magazine which keeps a tab on the world’s rich, listed Oyedepo as Nigeria’s wealthiest pastor, with an estimated networth of $150mn (about N23bn). Oyedepo is only followed on the rich list by another Nigerian flamboyant pastor, Chris Oyakhilome of the Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a. Christ Embassy, whose worth was put at between N4.7bn and N7bn. In Nigeria, Oyedepo conveniently leads the growing list of pastorpreneurs, church founders exploiting the passion and emotion that Christianity commands to feather their nests. A proponent of prosperity Christianity, Oyedepo is unapologetic about the materialistic tinge to his gospel. In taking to ministering, God, he repeatedly claims, told him to “make my people rich”. He describes his prosperity-centric teachings as “covenant software for programming yourself into victories and triumphs”. With abiding faith in God, there are no limits, he insists, to how prosperous a man can be. And God’s word, he says, is a goldmine. “It is loaded with treasures — treasures for your pleasure, treasures for your comfort,” he pontificates. Vast Business Interests Oyedepo’s business interests span manufacturing, petrol station, bakery, pure water factory, plant (bulldozers, etc.) hiring, education, restaurant, supermarket, bookshop, internet cafe, real estate and the latest addition, aviation. He owns the thriving Dominion Publishing House, DPH, which has turned out countless Christian and motivational literature – usually centred on prosperity – bearing his name as the author, and audio-visual materials. The DPH has more than four million copies of Oyedepo’s works – many of them bestsellers – and those of his wife, Faith, in print. The most known of the pastor’s many lines of business are his range of educational institutions. Most famous among them is the Covenant University, Ota, where the pastor is the Chancellor. Oyedepo told his congregation that he encountered God in 1981 in a vision that directed him to develop humanity through education. The world’s largest church and the universities The move to actualise the “vision” began earnestly in 1999 after the dedication of the Faith Tabernacle, which he boasts of as the world’s largest church auditoriums. Funding for the establishment of the university confirmed Oyedepo as shrewd as the most shrewd of businessmen come. At every service, a special envelope marked “CUP” (Covenant University Project) was circulated for members to donate their contributions towards the school project. The CUP funding, largely from the poor and medium income earners, was exclusive of the regular handouts in tithes, offerings and ‘seeds’ from the teeming members and well-wishers. It was also exclusive of other huge contributions from the affluent church members. Oyedepo, it was alleged, once received a single donation of N400 million from a well-known Lagos business tycoon with interests in publishing and oil & gas. Oyedepo was assisted in construction of the school’s structures by many devout members of the church, skilled and unskilled, who fell over one another either carrying blocks or fetching water or just offering free labour. The university took off actively in October 2002 with the admission of the first batch of 1,500 students. But if many of the church members thought that, by virtue of their financial contributions to the CUP and their manual labour, they had a university they could call their own and conveniently send their children to for tertiary education, they were soon rudely awakened. The elitist fees Oyedepo fixed were, and remain, way beyond what most of the parents can afford. Covenant University owners currently charge not less than N500,000 for a degree course. Oyedepo’s apologists maintain that the school administers partial scholarships for education to poor church members, but have been unable to put such details like the number of students that benefit and the amount involved, to their claim. An Advertisement manager in a leading magazine publishing firm narrated that the church continued to circulate the CUP envelope even after the university had taken off for what it (the church) said was for the school’s growth and development. For the manager, that was the last straw. “I stopped my family from attending the church. When the university was being constructed, my wife was always eager to go all the way from our residence in Akute, Ogun State, to the site in Ota, to carry blocks even when she was very reluctant to supervise work on our own site in Akute there. Worse, after the school took off and we were shown in clear terms it is not built for our children, its owners continued to ask us to donate to the CUP. I knew it was time I came to my senses,” he remarked. Although the university authorities are confirmed to have been accommodating to followers of all religions on admission matters, a peculiar case last year challenged that virtue. The school allegedly refused to admit a muslim candidate, Abdulgafar Ayomide Salami, despite satisfying the admission requirements. The institution blamed “inconsistencies” in Salami’s application for its action, a claim the candidate’s father, Taiwo, vehemently denied. “They should just be bold enough to admit it. They discriminated against my child on the basis of his religion, and that is so unfortunate,” Taiwo fumed. Oyedepo has established another tertiary institution, Landmark University in Omu-Aran (his hometown) in Kwara State. It officially opened in March last year. The university is believed to have been built with the staggering sum of $100m. Oyedepo claimed that the Landmark initiative was a response to calls from his kinsmen that he replicate the Covenant model in his hometown. It is most unlikely, however, that many residents of Omu-Aran will be able to afford the fees of the new university. But Landmark University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Matthew Ola-Rotimi Ajayi’s explanation was that the institution came to fill the void created by the dwindling standard and paralysis, occasioned by strikes and social vices, in the public educational system. “The institution was established in response to these challenges, poised not only to break new grounds, but also to ensure that the institution’s footprints are left on the sand of time,” said Ajayi. The VC said agriculture is the focal point of the new university. This, he said, is in demonstration of its commitment to being part of the global response to the impending food crisis. Specifically, he said, the university has set, as its primary objective, a commitment towards an agrarian revolution, making the institution’s farm not only an enviable centre of excellence, but also the food basket of the country. This, he claimed, prompted the institution, through its proprietor – Winners’ Chapel – to award “100 per cent scholarship” to all the agricultural students of the institution, including agricultural engineering. To drive the agricultural revolution, Ajayi claimed, the school is investing hundreds of millions of naira as scholarships to motivate all the agricultural students of the institution, while also investing heavily on teaching and research equipment so as to enhance enterprise agriculture training. In addition, other support services – financial, technical and material – required for sustainable mechanised farming are also provided for the students. Not unexpectedly, there is an entrepreneurial method to drive the scholarship ‘madness’. Into the institution is built a thriving farm project – comprising poultry, fishery, crop farming and feedmill – whose products are said to be doing well in the market. In response to the increasing demands of the institution’s products, the university has embarked on the second phase of its expansion programme on the farm. It has commenced massive production of the Landmark Bread while plans for production of Landmark bottled water are at an advanced stage, among other products in the pipeline. As a matter of policy, the VC said, the entire university community – staff and students – irrespective of course of study, are engaged in one form of agricultural practice or the other. A third university, it is believed, will soon become operational in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. It is being located in the expansive 560-acre Goshen City, a replica of the massive Canaanland at Ota, Ogun State. The pastor is said to have already completed at Goshen City, situated along the Abuja-Keffi Road, a multi-billion naira housing project, a 15,000-capacity sanctuary, a printing press, and primary and secondary schools. Oyedepo is also believed to be planning a multi-million dollar college in upstate New York, United States. Oyedepo’s massive investment in education at the secondary level is the Faith Academy group of colleges spread across Nigeria and run by Faith, his wife. Faith Academy, a full boarding secondary school which opened in 1999, belongs to the country’s elitist league of middle-level schools that make parents pay through the nose for services rendered. The school’s fees range from N250,00 to N350,000. On the Ibadan-Ife road, Faith Academy is currently completing its sprawling complex of not less than six imposing three-storey buildings. Besides the Faith Academy secondary schools, Oyedepo has been smart enough to also establish the Covenant University Secondary School which charges fees that are no less considerate of the lean finances of Winners’ Chapel’s poor followers. Faith, Oyedepo’s wife, also runs Kingdom Heritage Model Schools, the nursery and primary arm located in different cities in Nigeria. There are about 90 Kingdom Heritage schools scattered across the country. Land acquisition binge, tithes and aircraft Oyedepo’s business acumen is well-honed. The expansive landed property alone on which the Canaan business empire sits is estimated by estate valuers to be worth, at least, N10 billion. Over time, the pastor has been acquiring many villages adjoining the original property he purchased in the 1980s, so much so that now, were the City to be an ordinary village or town rather than a church monolith that it is, it is big enough to have its own first-class oba, its traditional ruler. As it is, Oyedepo plays well the role of Canaanland’s traditional ruler and Chief Executive Officer. Church members and workers on the 5,000-acre estate both rever and fear the 57-year-old Papa as he superintends the conglomerate of business entities there. The church itself is a weekly money-spinner. Oyedepo is so shrewd as to concentrate the Sunday service at only Canaanland. Unlike the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel) does not encourage the flowering of branches, though it equally has thousands of followers. There is only a handful of branches and then house fellowships. On Sunday, all Oyedepo’s followers, especially in Lagos and Ogun states, wishing to attend service are compelled to do so at Canaanland. From only one service of two hours the church operated every Sunday some years ago, it now runs four services. The Sango-Ota-Idiroko road as well as other access roads to the expressway leading to the church experience traffic gridlocks every Sunday from morning till afternoon as Winners’ faithful populate them. From the thousands of congregants comes a rake-in for the church in millions of naira and hard currencies, in offerings, tithes and pledges. An an usher confided in this magazine, the church makes, at least, N30 million every Sunday. And even this sum pales into a measly pittance compared with what is garnered annually at the church’s Shiloh week-long special programme held every November attended by devotees in both Nigeria and from abroad, and at every New Year’s eve service. The church also runs a factory which produces the Hebron sachet water. The product is hot number among church members who view the water as ‘divine’, and thus believe it could help unburden them of their afflictions. It also sells well in the immediate Otta environment. Also operating in Canaanland is a bakery, a filling station, a restaurant, an internet cafe, a bookshop, supermarkets and a microfinance bank. Oyedepo’s investment in property also continues to grow. On the vast land, the church has recently completed a massive housing project and the houses will soon go on sale. Already available are guest houses for paying church members and guests. Done successfully with medium-scale businesses, the flamboyant preacher has decided to go for the big one. Last week, reports did the rounds about the wealthy preacher’s latest addition to his business lines. The pastor has been reported to have floated an airline, Dominion Air, on whose board he is to sit as Chairman, as he naturally does of all his other businesses. An account has it that the airline project had been in the works for six years. The plan was only unfurled this year. Towards this, a number of aircraft has been acquired, and none of them is said to be on lease. Another version of the reports, however, claims that the crippling cost of maintaining his four private jets forced the pastor to set up an airline where he would put the planes to commercial use. An online news medium with bias for Nigerian news, Saharareporters, quoted a source in Winners’ Chapel as having said that each of the aircraft costs Oyedepo some $1,000 per hour in parking fees and maintenance. “Last year, as staff costs, fuel prices and landing fees escalated, Bishop Oyedepo had contemplated selling two of the jets. But when buyers were not forthcoming, he turned to Plan B: to set up Dominion Air and put the jets to commercial use,” claimed the medium. Among Oyedepo’s fleet of jets is a Gulfstream, a business aircraft that is not capable of carrying more than 19 passengers. Apparently overwhelmed with the colossal costs of managing four planes, Oyedepo, had, late last year, reportedly put two of his four private planes up for sale. That was few months after he acquired the Gulfstream V Jet, his fourth plane worth $35mn, and planned a private aircraft hangar. Before he acquired the Gulfstream V, Oyedepo owned a Challenger 604 and a Gulfstream IV. It is thus believed that Oyedepo’s new airline may be targeting the country’s aviation sector’s lucrative air charter services, where only a handful of passengers are ferried at princely sums. Charter services are a staple for the country’s rich, especially business tycoons, state governors and other top politicians, who prefer its exclusive services to the regular commercial carriers. Oyedepo’s church and Oyedepo himself would, as has become their trademark of keeping sealed lips on their dealings, not confirm or deny reports that the bishop is starting an airline. Flak for the man of God Oyedepo has attracted flak for amassing huge personal fortune using the church as his springboard, when some of his followers can barely afford basic supplies, let alone enjoy the luxurious lifestyle he leads. But the capitalist pastor continues to trudge on, and has been making a success of his business ventures. Oyedepo’s expanding business frontiers has re-ignited the long-running debate that places of worship be made to pay taxes to fund critical public infrastructure, education and healthcare. Going by extant laws, a church registered as an entity for the advancement of religious ideals is not expected to pay tax, but where it engages in business, it would be subject to taxation. “Agreed, Oyedepo is a businessman (and not your everyday pastor). Can we begin to see his taxes and for him to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility? The next time you think of taking on MTN for being such cruel capitalists after they invested their hard-earned cash, try asking how much Covenant University charges after church money was invested in it,” remarked Atom Lim, a blogger. Since establishing his Pentecostal ministry in 1981, his flock has grown in astronomical fashion. The 50,000-seat Faith Tabernacle where he holds court is acclaimed as one the world’s largest worship centres. The church also maintains thousands of mission stations in about 40 nations of Africa, Europe, Jamaica and America. Among Oyedepo’s thriving foreign outposts, which send revenue to the headquarters at Ota, Nigeria are those in Ghana. But in 2004, the high-flying Ghanaian arm of the church drew Oyedepo’s ire when its head, Bishop George Adjeman was suspended for discontinuing the remittance of money to the headquarters. The Ghana parishes were then said to be repatriating to the Nigerian head church about $60,000 in monthly revenues. Oyedepo’s unconventional pastoring has been attracting to him strident condemnation and criticisms, although he doesn’t ever seem perturbed by them. Sources that had worked for him at Canaanland said he does not suffer staff and pastors gladly. Two years ago, the Newswatch magazine reported cases of two pastors of the Winners’ Chapel Oyedepo had allegedly sacked when they could no longer perform their pastoral duties. Three pastors – Akah Ikenna (Benin), Ifeakwachukwu Sunday (Asaba) and Dick Abiye (Port Harcourt) – were actually said to have been involved in auto crashes that resulted in disabilities. According to the magazine’s reports, the pastors of their respective parishes on N45,000 each per month, were on official assignment for Winners’ Chapel when the vehicles they were travelling in were involved in the accidents. Sunday, ordained a pastor of the Living Faith Church on 16 January 2001, was serving at Umunede, Delta State, as a pastor of the Winners’ Chapel when his world began collapsing on him. As he narrated to Newswatch, sometime in 2006, he went to Lagos for a meeting of the church. On his way back, he had a motor accident that nearly claimed his life. One of his legs broke into two and he also suffered severe dislocations in the pelvic area. He was admitted in a hospital in Benin where he went through several surgical operations. One of them was a limb operation in which steel braces were inserted into the leg and the pelvis. He was then discharged and asked to come back for a second operation to remove the foreign objects from his leg and pelvis. But, as he claimed, the church abandoned him at the hospital in Benin, “but through the help of some brethren, I came back to my station”, bed-ridden. In that state, Pastor Sunday was redeployed to the church’s district office at Asaba. Strangely, he got another letter the same day terminating his appointment as a pastor of Winners’ Chapel. Somehow, in that agonising condition, Sunday travelled to the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, to appeal to Oyedepo for a re-consideration of his case. He recalled: “Luckily, I met Oyedepo himself as he was coming out from the church. After I had introduced myself, he asked me what I wanted. I told him I needed money for the operation to remove the metals from my body. He then directed me to one Ndubuisi who was then the secretary. Ndubuisi asked me what it would cost and I told him I did not know till we meet the doctors. He then asked me to go and do so and get back to them. When I got the documents from the doctors, I went and submitted them to him, but the church never acted on them.” In one of the documents, dated 13 October 2007, from the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, OAUTH, Ile-Ife, signed by E.P. Osaigbovo, consultant, intensivist/traumatologist, and addressed to the church’s senior Pastor in Asaba, the hospital billed Sunday N230,000. The letter read: “The aforementioned (Sunday) individual has been our patient for the past 18 months. He was managed by our surgical team following multiple fractures to the neck and shaft of the femoral bone as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident. Following-up radiological evaluation reveals that there is enough callous formation in the steel-plated fracture. He is, therefore, billed for plate removal – a procedure that will involve revisiting the fracture site so as to remove the implants.” A desperate Sunday said he wrote to Oyedepo on 12 August 2009: “I had written series of letters to you, attached with the medical bill for my surgery, but all to no avail. I believe the letters did not get to you. From the time I was relieved of my service to the church, it has not been easy for me following pains from the injury. Now, I cannot stand for a period of three minutes, not alone walk. I solicit for your fatherly care. I have nowhere else to turn to but this organisation I once belonged to.” Till Sunday told Newswatch his story published in the magazine’s 7 July 2010 edition, he never got a response from Oyedepo. Sunday, an employee of the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria, NAFCON, Port Harcourt before he resigned his appointment to be a full-time staff/pastor at Winners’ Chapel, claimed that besides sacking him and ejecting him from his quarters, the church would not even pay him his entitlements. He explained he resigned his NAFCON appointment in line with the church’s policy that a pastor and his wife shall not engage themselves in any other job. Worse, on the domestic front, Sunday’s wife, both of whom had been childless for over 10 years before the accident rendered him a vegetable, abandoned him in his bedridden state. Ikenna’s physical and financial condition is not different. But while Sunday and Abiye elected to sue Oyedepo in God’s court for God to judge him, Ikenna headed to court and popular Lagos-based lawyer, Festus Keyamo, is handling the brief. They won the case at the Otta High Court. But the defendants, Winners Chapel and Oyedepo, headed to the Appeal Court. The case has been at the Appeal stage since 2009. Barrister Vitalis, Keyamo’s deputy, expressed confidence Ikenna would win the case even if it goes up to the Supreme Court because, as he put it, it was a clear case of man’s inhumanity to man. Oyedepo himself would not immediately respond to enquiries from Newswatch on the matter. But his spokesmen were quoted to have retorted in an official statement that: “They were not abandoned. They were treated on moral ground and in demonstration of good christian character. The church (Winners’ Chapel) has the right to review its workers’ performances and release from service any staff it feels his or her services are no longer needed.” It was not until in an interview published in the 11 November 2011 edition of Newswatch that Oyedepo publicly commented on the issue. His words: “I almost cursed them (i.e. the three pastors). If there is any case that is serious to take to the court, you go to the court and lawyers will take charge.” Oyedepo also responded to questions on whether members truly contributed to build Covenant University and are still contributing. Admitting the contributions, the capitalist pastor remarked: “Yes, from the offerings that they give. From the offerings that they give and the supplies that God makes. It’s amazing.” He did not explain the nature of those celestial “supplies”. And to a question that “those who contributed are not able to send their children to his university because of the (high) cost’, Oyedepo calmly contradicted himself on “contributions” he had only minutes earlier admitted that the church collects from members: “We don’t contribute here. People give to the Lord,” he stated. Then he added: “But you see, each one (member) goes for what he can afford in the market (educational market, that is). Even the public schools they are talking about pay as much, if not more. So people are just making noise for nothing. It depends on what you can afford.” Oyedepo would also not point to a single public university that charges “as much, if not more” than Covenant does. Oyedepo has also had similar brushes with junior pastors at the church’s headquarters. Two pastors, who once questioned the bishop’s dictatorial manner of running the entity, had to leave the church to set up their own ministries. Their complaints ranged from poor welfare, to the absolute power Oyedepo wields. A number of workers at some of the business entities set up by the church have also had to complain of the poor remuneration, even though they feel their employers could afford better pay. One of such workers was a staff in the kitchen of Faith Academy, the secondary school. On duty from early morning till 6p.m., she was earning N9,000 per month. Apart from paying for public transportation from her residence to the Winners’ Chapel main gate, she would need to pay another N100 for the internal transportation arrangement from the main gate to her Faith Academy duty station. She was always complaining of the laborious nature of the kitchen job, which demanded that she alone fry eight cartons of fish every day, apart from other chores. With transportation fare taking so much toll on her miserly salary, and the kitchen’s labour taking so much toll on her health, she didn’t need any telling before she walked away from the job only six months after she was enlisted. The Dirty slap video Oyedepo’s controversial ways also achieved international notoriety last year after a YouTube video showing him slapping a teenage female worshipper became an internet sensation. During one of the church’s deliverance services in 2009, Oyedepo had accused the girl of being possessed with witchcraft, a charge the youngster stoutly rejected. “I am not a winch; I am a winch for Jesus,” she insisted, on her knees. Oyedepo repeated his “you are a witch” assertion and apparently expected the girl to quake and submit to his own exact words. But the girl stuck to her words. Stunned by her guts, the pastor, transferring the microphone he was holding in his right hand to his left, powerfully hit the girl’s left cheek with a slap that visibly rocked her, boasting: “Do know who you’re talking too? ” He then began swearing away at the girl: “Foul demon! You are a foul demon…You are not set for deliverance and you are free to go to hell.” That drama of what came to be known as “holy slap” elicited criticisms from many observers, some of whom cracked rude jokes about the preacher’s unusual methods. But Oyedepo dismissed such criticisms, saying he didn’t regret his actions. “People now complain on the internet that I slapped a witch. If I see another one, I’ll slap again,” the pastor reportedly boasted. The pastor’s unbridled desire for wealth also makes him unpopular with some other clerics. One of his most vitriolic critics is Tunde Bakare, pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly and running mate to General (retd.) Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 presidential election. Bakare constantly rebukes prosperity preachers of Oyedepo’s hue, describing them as “apostates”. He regards them as “only interested in the gospel of wealth”. In a fit of rage, Bakare once publicly tore a book written by Oyedepo, claiming its contents were contrary to the teachings of Christ. Another notable cleric, Anthony Cardinal Okogie also chided the likes of Oyedepo for allegedly placing materialism high above the gospel. “You claim to be a pastor looking after souls. I know you cannot look after the soul without the body, but why would a pastor give 90 per cent of his time to the body and give only 10 per cent to the soul. I wonder what kind of pastors they are?” Okogie queried. According to the Catholic bishop: “That shows really that they are not sheperds of the flock. They have been skinning the flock, taking out of the milk of the flock”. Though still being kept under the radar, Oyedepo, with his new airline project, has further invited reproach from a section of the Nigerian public, who also condemn the preacher’s compulsive desire for wealth. “Pastor Oyedepo, by his choice of businesses, has severally demonstrated a disconnect between himself and hundreds of thousands of poor Christians who he claims to have come to deliver,” said Lawrence Ofili , who belongs to a faction of the opposition movement, the Save Nigeria Group, founded by Pastor Bakare. Ofili argued that Oyedepo’s decision to float an airline is a misplaced priority. “His Faith Tabernacle accommodates 50,000 worshippers every Sunday. How many of them are going to fly Dominion Air? Honestly this project is not for the poor. He should have settled for mechanised farming to engage unemployed men and women,” the critic said. Similarly, a blogger, Ofordile Tony-Okeke, in an online post, challenged Oyedepo to channel more of his material endowment to charitable ventures. “With about 70 per cent of Nigerians living in poverty, Bishop Oyedepo would do well to invest financially in the poor in his church and country. I am aware of what the World Mission Agency, an arm of the Living Faith Ministry is doing, as it provides welfare and other health and humanitarian services to the needy in the society,” wrote Tony-Okeke. The blogger, however, argues that the act of giving should never be enough. “We should give as if all things depend on giving. Bishop David Oyedepo should give, give and give until it hurts him. That way he will be doing a sacrifice like Jesus Christ, his mentor, did,” said Tony-Okeke. While Sunday has become almost a vegetable with a decaying leg and abandoned by his wife and the church he was serving before the road traffic accident, Bishop David Oyedepo is harvesting billions of naira from the church and other business empires he established. While the church policy doesn’t allow pastors and their wives to do any other job, Oyedepo, with Faith his wife in tow, is a pastorpreneur extraordinaire. Oyedepo’s business range has no limits. Born on 27 September 1954, Oyedepo began his ministry in May 1981. On 17 September 1983, Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained him and Florence, now Faith, his wife, as pastors. He labelled himself a bishop five years later. –Tokunbo Olajide. Additional reports by Stephen Oni

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/04/02/pastor-david-

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October 1, 2020 by The Nation Zulum: bring Chadian soldiers to join Boko Haram battle By Eric Ikhilae, Tony Akowe, Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja and Duku Joel, Maiduguri Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to seek the support of the Chadian Republic military in its bid to end the security challenges in his state and other parts of the country. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) made good its promise to help Zulum tackle the insecurity in Borno by donating N100 million to the state. Also on Wednesday, the House of Representatives renewed its call for the sacking of service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari. Zulum has within a month escaped unhurt in two different attacks on his convoy by Boko Haram insurgents. The last which was on Sunday led to the death of four soldiers, 10 policemen and four civilians. Scores were also injured. The governor told a visiting delegation of the NGF in Maiduguri, that with the way things are, the Nigerian Army required the assistance of others to reverse the insecurity in the Northeast and other parts of the country. A statement by the NGF spokesman, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, quoted the governor as calling on the Federal Government “to ensure that Chadian soldiers are invited to join the Nigeria Army in the fight against insurgency if any meaningful success is to be recorded on the battleground.” It added: “Zulum rationalised that no single army anywhere in the world has ever succeeded in quelling insurgency. He requested that the government looked into ways of complementing the efforts of the Nigeria Army with the Chadian soldiers, emphasising that it is not to undermine the Nigerian soldiers, but to help them in finishing the job within a realistic deadline.” The governor told the team that things had degenerated to the extent that majority of Borno State people displaced by insurgents now depend on aid for survival. He pointed out that the Chad Basin, Sambisa Grazing Reserve and Mandara Mountains, which used to employ about 10 million people, have been made inaccessible by terrorists. The governor also said that the over 800,000 under-20 people currently residing in Monguno had become susceptible to being led astray if nothing was done to engage them positively. He added that Gajiram Local Government Area alone has over 300,000 internally displaced persons that currently lack access to education and employment. Zulum also vowed not to give up. He however said he would be more careful in his efforts to ensure that normalcy returned to the troubled state. Chairman of the NGF, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who led the delegation, commiserated with the governor over the deaths recorded in the Boko Haram ambush on Sunday. Announcing the N100 million donation, Fayemi called on all to lend a helping hand to end insecurity in the land. Fayemi, who admonished Zulum to exercise caution in his zeal to improve the safety of his people, “emphasized that Nigeria owes Borno people a duty to end this insurgency.” The visiting team comprised the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State); the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and the Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, Simon Lalong. Also, the Army has said they are in full support of Zulum’s determination to relocate Internally Displaced People in his state. The Army, in a statement by its Acting Director of Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, said as a patriotic and key agency in the war on terror in the Northeast, it would continue to do everything possible to ensure the actualisation of the governor’s desire. It added that its Theatre Command had been directed to ensure the successful and seamless relocation of the affected people in the state. The Army commiserated with the governor, families of all the slain soldiers, policemen and civilians. The House of Representatives has said the “unjustifiable retention” of the Service Chiefs might be responsible for the rising insecurity in the country. It therefore, restated its call on Buhari to give effect to its subsisting resolutions for their removal. “The unjustifiable retention of the Service Chiefs may be the cause of the lingering problem as their defensive strategies seem to be obsolete and must have out grown further learning,” the House argued.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/zulum-bring-chadian-soldiers-to-

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The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has appointed Alhaji Salisu Lawal-Uli as the new acting Chairman of the party in Katsina State. This is contained in a letter written by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), dated Oct. 26, 2022, and signed by Alhaji Umar Bature, the National Organising Secretary. Alhaji Lawal-Uli distributed copies of the letter to newsmen on Wednesday in Katsina. “Following the election of the Katsina State Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Majigiri as the House of Representative candidate of our party the NWC on behalf of the NEC, has approved your appointment as the Ag. Chairman in Katsina State. “While congratulating you on your new appointment, let me also encourage you to always practice constitutional democracy as detailed in the Constitution of our party. “Kindly forward your acceptance letter and while wishing you a productive tenure, please accept the highest assurances of the NWC’s highest regards,’’ the letter read. According to the letter, Alhaji Lawal-Uli will function in acting Alhaji Majigiri is PDP’s candidate for the House of Representatives seat to represent Mashi/Dutsi Constituency. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Majigiri has been the chairman of the party in the state for the past seven years, while Lawal-Uli has been his deputy. Majigiri earlier resigned as chairman in May to contest for the PDP governorship ticket which he lost to Sen. Yakubu Lado-Danmarke, but later returned as the party’s chairman. NAN also reports that the letter was copied to INEC Chairman, the Commissioner of Police in Katsina State, and the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state. (NAN) Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/11/pdp-

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By Peter Duru, Makurdi Two personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and two others have been reportedly killed in separate attacks on communities in Makurdi and Logo Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Benue State. It was gathered from sources that the security personnel were waylaid and killed by the armed herders at the waterside of Nyiongu community in the outskirts of Makurdi while on duty, Friday evening. “The herders ambushed them while on patrol in the area. They opened fire on the van conveying them, killing two in the process while others who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to the hospital. They were members of the Agro Rangers of NSCDC,” he said. Meanwhile a community leader in Logo LGA who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that suspected armed herders on the same day also attacked Tse Tune community in Turan Council Ward of the LGA where they killed two of the victims in their farms. According to him, “the victims of the attack are Terkende Injarwua and Mfaiga Ukor who were working on their farms when they were attacked and killed. After the attack the assailants as usual fled the community. But their corpses were recovered and buried on Friday.” Contacted the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Michael Ejelikwu promised to issue a formal statement on the incident but at the time of this report he was yet to do so. On her part the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene said she was yet to receive the report. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/04/two-nscdc-personnel-two-others-

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November 16, 2020 by The Nation FG: 2.5m Nigerian children malnourished, stunted By Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor) 2.5 million Nigerian children under the age of 5 years are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). This figure places Nigeria as the country with the second highest number of stunted children in the world. This disclosure was made by Prince Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning at flag-off of the 2020 Nigeria nutrition week in Abuja on Monday. The minister noted that “despite concerted efforts by the government in recent years, particularly in the areas of child nutrition and breastfeeding, malnutrition (and other public health issues) have remained a challenge”. He stated that this challenge “must be addressed through the implementation of innovative policies and strategies that are appropriately funded, data-driven, sustainable and optimized in terms of transparency and accountability for the efforts to yield the desired results.” In addition, government he said “must also continue to work collaboratively across all levels of governments and hand-in-hand with the private sector and development partners in this regard.” He lamented that Nigeria’s food and nutrition situation and the attendant poor global image in terms of economic and development milestones are major concerns to the federal government. This development he said has forced government to create a platform to mobilize nutrition stakeholders towards addressing the challenge of malnutrition, which has been termed “the silent killer” The platform is a week-long “Nutrition Campaign Week.” Nigeria, he said, has shown a clear commitment to the eradication of malnutrition through the adoption and domestication of policies and costed strategic plans, This he said emphasizes increased reliance on domestic funding; and a well-coordinated multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholders’ approach backed by sustained high-level political commitment.

https://thenationonlineng.net/fg-

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October 11, 2023 by Osagie Otabor, Akure Igbo custom on bride price wicked, evil ungodly, says Ondo Court An Akure Magistrate Court has declared as barbaric, evil and ungodly a part of Igbo custom which denied a father access to his children over non-payment of bride price to the wife’s family. It said: “The custom that tends to punish one person when two consenting adults are involved in the act is nothing but the highest element of insensitivity and servitude.” Magistrate Segun Stephen Rotiba spoke when he gave ruling on the legal tussle between Prophet Theophilus Obayan and his estranged wife, Prophetess Chibuzor Lilian. Prophet Obayan is a Yoruba while his estranged wife hails from Abia State. The were heads of the Divine Prophetic Solutions Prayers Ministry, Ladipo in Lagos State. Prophetess Chibuzor left her husband to marry one of his spiritual sons, Abua Obi, and changed her children’s surname to Obi. Obayan filed a divorce suit against his wife on grounds that she changed his children’s surname to her lover’s name. He also asked the court to dissolve the 23 years old union over allegation of disobedience, misunderstanding, lies, manipulation, abuse, hate and rage. Prophet Obayan challenged snatching of his four children by a member of his church, and sought return of the paternity of the children as well as grant him custody of the children In his ruling, Magistrate Rotiba dissolved the marriage on grounds that the parties have lost interest in the union and granted Obayan’s prayers to reclaim his four children. He noted that from the evidence before it, the Respondent alluded to the fact under cross- examination that since the Petitioner did not pay her bride price, her new husband who paid same has the right to have them bear his name in accordance with Igbo custom. According to him: “In the same breathe, I find the Igbo custom exuded by the respondent and her witnesses that the children of the union can bear Mr Abua Obi as their surname, atavistic, barbaric, evil, ungodly, irrational, unsensational, crass, gross, crude, unwary, provocative, ungodly, discriminatory and insensible. “The custom that tends to punish one person when two consenting adults are involved in the act is nothing but the highest element of insensitivity and servitude. “I condemn this custom in the strongest terms. While the matter was on, a publication was made on February 2, 2023 in Vanguard newspapers, changing the surname of the first two children of the parties to Abua Obi “Aside the fact that complicit to change the surname of the first two children has been establishqed against the Respondent, it also amounts to subjudice as no action is expected to be taken on the subject matter by whoever, when the matter is pending before the Court. “This is a complete affront to the Court. I say no more. In conclusion, the Court hereby dissolves the union between the parties, having broken down irretrievably. “The Court, hereby declares personal non grata, the custom of the Respondent awarding paternal personality to a man who is not the biological father of the children. “The Court hereby invalidates and render null and void the publication changing the surname of the 1st and 2nd children from Obayan to Abua Obi. “The Court also invalidates any other publication or whatsoever changing the surname of the Children from Obayan to Abua Obi during the pendency of this case.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/igbo-custom-on-bride-price-wicked-evil-ungodly-

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai By Ibrahim Wuyo Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dismissed speculations of eyeing the presidency come 2023, saying he would be too old for a president at 62. He spoke in an interview with the Pidgin service of the BBC, monitored in Kaduna. According to him, governing Kaduna state alone was telling on his age, not to talk of the entire country. He explained that he had suffered presidential ambition suspicion for 15 years now, a situation that made some people saw him in a bad light. He said some had called him Jihadist so as to keep him out of the presidential race. “Governing Nigeria is a serious job, which is obviously too much for a 62-year-old man Look at me, look at my grey hair. If you see my picture when I was sworn in, my hair was very black but look at how it has become. This is a very difficult job and that is just state governor, one state out of 36, a big one, yes; a difficult one, yes, but it is not the same as Nigeria,” “Presidency of Nigeria is a very serious job, it is too much for a 62-year-old,” he said. On vying to be the Vice-President, he said: “I have not thought about it at all. I have said it that in the political system we have, after eight years of President Buhari, the presidency should go to the south.” “I have been suffering this presidential ambition suspicion since 2006, I have suffered it for 15 years today, and I am sick and tired of it. There are people that are out to paint me in a particular picture so that, I will be out of the presidential race, but they don’t know that I am not in any race anywhere.” “They have called me all sort of names; they said I am a Hausa-Fulani irredentist, I am Jihadist and all that, Jihadist when? Where? I am not even an active member of any Islamic organization.” ” I am Muslim yes, a devote one but, I believe religion is private. Even here in this office, when it is time for prayer, I just excuse myself as if I am going to the restroom, I don’t ask anyone to come and pray with me, because we will all go to our graves separately.” “Look around me and see, I am not surrounded only by Muslims, this government is the only state government in this country that has at least people from 13 other states of the Federation as cabinet members.” “One of the most influential persons in my life, one of my closest political associates is Pastor Tunde Bakare. It was Pastor Tunde Bakare that actually introduced me to Buhari and CPC. I didn’t join the CPC because Buhari lives in Kaduna or he is a northerner. So, if I am an Islamic Jihadist, why will Pastor Tunde Bakare be speaking to me?” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/07/im-too-old-to-be-nigerias-

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July 11, 2022 by The Nation APC support group backs Tinubu’s choice of Vice presidential candidate The Forum of Buhari Support Group (FOBS-G) has hailed the emergence of former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu yesterday inDaura, Katsina State, confirmed Shettima as his Vice Presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections. Chairman of the Forum, Dr Abiso Kabir who made this known in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, described Shettima as an economist and a politician who has all qualities to compliment Tinubu. According to Abiso, Shettima who is economically sound with vast experience in the banking sector, has all it takes to move the country forward with the APC presidential flag bearer. As Governor of Borno State, Abiso noted that Shettima efficiently managed challenges arising from the Boko Haram insurgency which he inherited in 2011. With the approval of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Army in 2013, his government formalised establishment of youth volunteers called the Civilian JTF. The volunteers, he said, have played a very significant role in supporting the military in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram insurgents. He approves salaries, kits and patrol vehicles for the civilian JTF while at the same time giving so much support to the Nigerian Armed Forces has so far been driving key changes in the affairs of the forum with focus on promoting northern unity and reviving ailing industries belonging to northern States. “He led in mobilisation of community based intelligence gathering and the provision of hundreds of patrol vehicles and material logistics to the military in particular and to all other security agencies. While he was governor, he focused so much attention on expansion and remodeling of existing schools and the building of new boarding primary and junior secondary schools to cater for over 50, 000 unaccompanied orphans whose parents were killed by insurgents across the 27 local government areas of the State. “Shettima’s leadership credentials have attracted positive recognition within and outside Nigeria”, he added. He urged people to shun politics of religion and bitterness and support the party to retain power in 2023.

https://thenationonlineng.net/apc-support-group-backs-tinubus-choice-of-

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ON Monday, April 11, Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election. In a short broadcast via his Twitter handle after months of speculation, Osinbajo said having served as Vice President “under a true Nigerian patriot, a servant of the nation in war and peace, and a man of integrity, President Muhammadu Buhari,” he had acquired enough cognate experience to formally declare his “intention to run for the Office of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria,” on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. And all hell broke loose. Even if no other aspirant is to be vigorously interrogated on his record in public office in this election cycle, Vice President Osinbajo should. The fact that he is not distancing himself from the Buhari-led administration as some others in his shoes would have done is commendable and at the same time makes it easier for the electorate to decide his fate at the polls. In fact, Osinbajo is running on the records of the Buhari-Osinbajo administration. “We have, together, worked through some of the most difficult times in the history of our nation, but we have remained focused on securing the country, providing infrastructure and growing our economy,” he said in his declaration speech. One would have thought that going forward, the issues around Osinbajo’s presidential aspiration will be the ones he raised himself. To what extent has the government in which he is the second-in-command been able to secure the lives and property of Nigerians and the territorial integrity of the country? Even as the regime, as he claimed, remained focused on growing Nigeria’s economy, what is the scorecard? What about the provision of infrastructure? Do the infrastructure which the Buhari-Osinbajo government claims to have provided in the last seven years justify the level of indebtedness the country has been plunged into? Osinbajo said he has visited our gallant troops in the North-East and our brothers and sisters in the IDP camps and felt the pain and anguish of victims of violent conflicts, terrorist attacks, flooding, fire and other disasters, without saying what the government did or is doing to lessen the pain of the distressed. When did the Vice President say he stood where victims of violent conflicts stood and sat where they sat, what did he really mean? When he claims that he knows their hopes, aspirations and fears; and ululates in his belief that those hopes and aspirations are the seeds for the great Nigeria that we all desire, Nigerians should be able to ask him what that belief, is beyond the sophistry and rhetoric, means. Did Osinbajo hear that the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train and abducted dozens of innocent citizens are claiming that Buhari knows what they want? Does he know what his principal, the person he calls a patriot, knows? Can Osinbajo vouch for Buhari? These are the issues that should dominate public discourse. The questions are legion. But rather than talk about issues, Osinbajo’s kinsmen are busy lamenting how the Vice President betrayed their benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as if what is at stake is the Federal Republic of Tinubu, rather than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. How does the decision of a member of the Tinubu political family to go rogue, assuming, without conceding that is what happened, concern other Nigerians who are not members of that political family? It is obvious that Tinubu is livid with rage that Osinbajo threw his hat into the presidential ring. His rabid supporters have labelled the Vice President a ‘Judas Iscariot’. Ever since he made that declaration, he has been trolled endlessly on social media. Some have called him a Yoruba quisling, warning that his fate will be worse than that of Ladoke Akintola should Tinubu lose the APC presidential ticket. But what crime did Osinbajo, in real terms, commit against Tinubu? Perhaps, the former Lagos State governor wanted to go into the race with the façade of a united South-West and Osinbajo’s arrival at the scene has put a lie to all that. So, how did Osinbajo betray Tinubu? Was there an agreement between them that because Tinubu appointed him Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice when he was elected governor of Lagos State in 1999, therefore, Osinbajo should not dare aspire for any high office unless he clears with Tinubu? Tinubu’s supporters talk about how he single-handedly made Osinbajo Vice President. Even if that narrative is true, to be sure, it does not seem to be, but even if it is, so what? What on earth qualifies Tinubu to aspire to be president of Nigeria that disqualifies Osinbajo? At the time the newly elected governor of Lagos tapped him to be the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in 1999, Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who began his public career in 1988 as a Special Adviser to the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, was already a Professor of Law and Head of Department of Public Law, University of Lagos. So, he was not a nonentity, an insignificant person. He was a staff member in the justice division of the United Nations Operations in Somalia, UNOSOM II. Even while serving Lagos State in 2006, he was appointed a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Committee of Experts on Conduct and Discipline of UN Peacekeeping Personnel around the globe. Unlike most professional politicians without a second address, Osinbajo returned to the University of Lagos to teach law after his stint in public office even as he became the Senior Partner, SimmonsCooper Partners (Barristers Solicitors). If such a man is not qualified to run for the highest office in the country, who else qualifies? In any case, at 65 years, Osinbajo is no spring chicken anymore. If Tinubu is 70 years as he claims, he is only five years older than Osinbajo. They are contemporaries in a sense. And if Tinubu, whose highest political office is being governor of Lagos State, can aspire to be President of Nigeria, then what disqualifies a man who is holding a superior political office by virtue of election, not appointment, from doing so? Should the country’s number two citizen be stopped from aspiring for Nigeria’s political diadem simply because he was at a time a political appointee of someone? Tinubu and his co-travellers are feeling so bad about Osinbajo’s aspiration because deep down and in truth, they are pseudo-democrats, who abhor freedom of choice which is the hallmark of democracy. Theirs is politics of imposition that brooks no opposition of whatever hue. But they forget that even in this country, children have run for elections against their biological parents. Prior to independence, Mazi Samuel Goomsu Ikoku, popularly called SG, a trusted lieutenant of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with whom he co-authored Forward with Democratic Socialism, astoundingly defeated his biological father, Alvan Ikoku, at the South-Eastern House of Assembly in the late 1950s. Alvan Ikoku, the man who was defeated by his ideologically-leaning son, was an intellectual giant, a man who had his Bachelor of Arts, BA, a degree in 1928, long before Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, an astute politician who was nominated to the House of Assembly (Eastern Nigeria) where he sat on the Board of Education in 1946, and a year later, was a member of the Legislative Council in Lagos representing the Eastern Region from 1947 to 1951. Though SG’s victory shocked many, including his father, he did not disown him or see his son’s victory as an abomination, unlike Tinubu, who in anger, quipped: “I have no son old enough to declare for President,” when journalists asked him about Osinbajo’s declaration. Rather than travel the route of bitterness that Tinubu has chosen, Ikoku gave his son, SG, his full support and even provided funds for his re-election in 1961. That is the Igbo way of playing politics. It is a game played on the turf of ideas and not godfatherism. At the end of the day, those who deride Ndigbo as being politically naïve but brook no opposition whatsoever are the real problems of Nigeria’s democracy. By aspiring for the highest political office in Nigeria, Osinbajo has committed no crime – not against Tinubu or anyone else. It is high time the Jagaban of the Borgu Kingdom and Asiwaju of Lagos politics stopped whining over Osinbajo’s aspiration. Let the people decide. That is the beauty of democracy. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/04/2023-high-time-tinubu-stopped-

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21st March, 2015 By Obededom Ajakaiye Residents of Shodipo Estate, Agbara, Ogun state had their eyes on stalks Friday morning as they trooped to watch a healthy and beautiful baby girl brought to life by a female lunatic. The incidence seemed bizarre to some who were amazed that a beautiful healthy baby was born by a lunatic while others believed it was simply a miracle from God. It was gathered from eyewitnesses that she had allegedly fled to Shodipo for refuge after having four of her babies abducted by unidentified people. Though it is not known when or where she put to bed, some residents speculated that it must have been at midnight or early hours of Friday due to the state of the woman and baby. In his account, Comrade Femi Okeowo, a resident who rescued the the baby girl from her insane mother said: “I was on my way to school when I saw the mad woman with the baby. Some residents were scared of taking the baby from the mother but thank God for some men in the vicinity who intervened that the child be taken from her for the fear of being kidnapped. “I asked her to hand over the baby to me that I wasn’t going to kidnap her and she did without hesitating. I collected the child and a female resident tidied her up,” he stated. He however discarded the views of eyewitnesses that she could be feigning insanity. “Though she speaks coherently at times but merely observing her appearance, it is so glaring that she is insane. From my own point of view, she is abnormal because her hair is very unkept. It is the work of God and it is mysterious as well for a mad woman to trek all the way from Lome and give birth in Agbara in Ogun state”, he claimed. Another resident, Mrs Achibong described the act as ‘wonderful’. “It is only God that can do this, that is why I call her “Gift of God”. The mother said it is only me that can give her a name, so i gave her the name: Gift of God,” she said. “We dont actually know where she put to bed but she said she cut the placenta on her way down and threw it away.” However, some eyewitnesses believe that the presence of the mad woman in the community will bring good luck to traders. As at press time, the woman and her baby were taken away by a Rescue Operation team from Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos state. More Pictures Here:

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/03/21/lunatic-gives-birth-to-bouncing-baby-

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The Organised Labour has handed the Federal Government May 31 deadline to come up with a realistic and reasonable new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. Labour made this known during the Workers’ Day celebrations at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Wednesday. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero; and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo were unanimous that the N30,000 current minimum wage has been grossly insufficient for Nigerian workers in the light of current economic realities and inflationary pressure including food inflation, hike in energy and transportation cost, amongst others. They insisted that a new living wage of ₦615,000 be expeditiously approved by the President Bola Tinubu administration before the end of May. Ajaero said, “The Nigeria Labour Congress and the TUC have made it clearly and emphatically that should the minimum wage negotiation continue and linger till the end of May, we can no longer guarantee industrial harmony in this country.” On his part, Osifo asked the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and power distribution companies to immediately reverse the current increase in electricity tariff for Band A customers. “The NLC and TUC hereby advise NERC and power sector operators to reverse the last increase in electricity tariff within the next one week,” the trade union boss said. Nigerians mark this year’s May Day amid spiralling, and unending snake-like queues at filling stations as scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol worsens across the Federation. Although there have been assurances by the major oil supplier in the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to alleviate this issue, however, the queues have persisted for over one week. New Minimum Wage To Take Effect From May 1 – FG The Workers’ Day event also had in attendance, the Minister of State Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; and Vice President Kashim Shettima. Addressing Nigerian workers, Onyejeocha said although the Tripartite Committee On National Minimum Wage was yet to conclude its negotiations, workers will not lose anything as the new minimum wage will take effect from May 1, 2024. She said it was regrettable that the new national minimum wage was not ready before the May Day celebrations but that a wide consultation is ongoing to ensure that the document is out together as soon as possible. The President, represented at the event by his deputy, lauded the contributions of workers in Nigeria to the growth of the country. He said the Federal Government can’t wait to receive the recommendations of the committee on the new national minimum wage. FG’s 35% Pay Increase Mischievous — Ajaero Meanwhile, NLC boss has described as mischievous, the salary increase of between 25% and 35% for civil servants announced on Tuesday by the Federal Government. “The announcement appears mischievous because there is no wage increment that government is announcing,” Ajaero said earlier Wednesday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme. Ajaero said the last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on April 18 and “we should be in the regime of new minimum wage as of today. Discussions were supposed to have been concluded.” “The Federal Government through the National Assembly legislated on it. But we saw that the discussion entered voice mail because the Federal Government refused to reconvene the meeting that was adjourned. “I think the announcement now appears mischievous because there is no wage increase that government is announcing. For them to announce it now, it is an issue that we are worried about at the NLC and even at the TUC.” Earlier in January, the Federal Government inaugurated a 37-man Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage with a mandate to recommend a new National Minimum Wage for the country but the recommendations of the committtee have not been implemented by the government. He said the current minimum wage of N30,000 can no longer cater for the wellbeing of an average Nigerian worker, lamenting that not all governors are paying the current wage award which expired in April, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Act is to be reviewed every five years to meet up with contemporary economic demands of workers. Breakdown Of N615,000 Living Wage Ajaero further said the Organised Labour has agreed on N615,000 as the living wage for civil servants. He said, “Living wage is such that will, at least keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poor and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital everyday because of malnutrition. For that living wage, we have tried to look at N615,000. “Let me give you a breakdown of how we arrived at that figure. We have housing and accommodation of N40,000. We asked for electricity of N20,000 — of course that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have utility that is about N10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas that is about N25,000 to N35,000. “We looked at food for a family of six, that is about N9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about N270,000. Look at medical, N50,000 provided there will be no surgery or whatever. “For clothing, we looked at N20,000. For education, N50,000. I don’t know for those who tried to put their children in private school, they will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of N10,000. “I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay in the fringes and because of the cost of PMS, that amounted to N110,000. “That brought the whole living wage to N615,000 and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody on this rate.”

https://www.channelstv.com/2024/05/02/organised-labour-gives-fg-

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May 4, 2018 by The Nation Tension in Bayelsa APC as court reinstates sacked chairman The High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has reinstated the sacked Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe. It was gathered that the decision of the court generated fresh tension in the party casting doubts over the APC’s congress scheduled to begin on Saturday. The National Working Committee (NWC) of APC earlier expelled Orunimighe following allegations of anti-party activities and appointed Josef Fafi the acting Chairman of the party in the state. The committee also suspended the Deputy Chairman of the party, Mr. Eddy Julius and the state party Secretary, Marlin Daniel. Aggrieved by the action of the party, Orunimighe dragged the APC, the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging his removal. The claimant on April 26 filed a motion exparte praying the court to issue an order directing the defendants to recognize and deal with him as the chairman of APC pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. He also sought an order directing the defendants to accord him with all the rights and privileges as the APC chairman as well as order directing that nobody apart from him should exercise and perform the functions of the APC chairman. Ruling on the motion exparte, the presiding judge of the High Court Sagbama Division, Justice E.G. Omukoro granted all the reliefs sought by Oruminighe. Omukoro in his judgment, a copy of which was made available to the Nation said: “I am persuaded and inclined to grant the reliefs sought as they are preservative in nature and intended to protect the applicant’s lawfully and judicially recognized office from threats” The court fixed May 10 for hearing of the motion on notice.

https://thenationonlineng.net/tension-in-bayelsa-

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April 19, 2021 by The Nation Defence minister to troops: don’t be afraid of bullets By Duku Joel, Maiduguri Defence Minister Bashir Magashi on Sunday challenged troops to step up the fight against terrorists by becoming more daring and should not be afraid of “the bullet.” Magashi, a retired Brig.-Gen. said what should be on the minds of the troops while battling insurgents should be to secure the country. He spoke during a morale-boosting visit to the troops in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital; with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen. Lucky Irabor, and service chiefs. Also on Sunday, Army spokesman Brig.- Gen. Mohammed Yerima announced the arrest of one Modu Ari, for providing Boko Haram terrorists with vital information to assist their attack on troops at Kamuya on the border of Borno and Yobe states. Addressing the troops at the Theatre Command Headquarters in Maiduguri, Magashi said: “You should not be afraid of the bullet because it can even meet you in the house if it means you dying by it. “But if you are not meant to die by the bullet, it will never kill you even at the heart of a war.” The minister assured them of the government’s readiness to improve on their welfare. Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the sustained commitment shown to the operations of the Theatre by the minister, the chief of defence staff and the service chiefs. Stressing that the troops were grateful for the minister’s visit, he recalled that immediately after their appointments, Irabor led the service chiefs to visit the Theatre Command headquarters. Yahaya explained that apart from collective tours, the service chiefs also visited individually to ensure smooth operations. The minister and his team held a meeting with component commanders. Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have come under heavy attacks, the most recent being in Damasak. Army Spokesman Gen. Yerima in a statement, said: “Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole arrested suspected Boko Haram informant whose spying activities and that of his accomplices were responsible for the attacks on troops position by terrorists in Kamuya, Yobe State. “The informant who was identified as Modu Ari was apprehended by troops of 27 Task Force Bridge. “On interrogation, he confessed to having revealed troops’ movements and position to his Boko Haram collaborators. Investigation is however ongoing to unravel the network of local informants whose nefarious activities have endangered troops on clearance operations around the fringes of Timbuktu Triangle. “The unfortunate sabotage of troops movement by Ari and his accomplices made it possible for the terrorists to attack the rear element of troops on patrol. Though the attack was swiftly repelled by troops from the Tactical Headquarters of 27 Task Force Brigade and Army Super Camp 3 Buratai, own troops suffered some casualties. “In spite of the setback, the Chief of Army Staff has encouraged troops of Operation Tura Takaibango to keep their fighting spirit up and to remain dedicated in the effort to flush out the remnants of the terrorists as quickly as possible. He charged them not to relent even in the face of gross unpatriotic acts of some locals who are snitching on their movements and positions.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/defence-minister-to-troops-dont-be-

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Nigeria is on the path of ensuring more access to affordable, reliable energy for its populace, as well as transitioning to the use of cleaner energy in line with the net-zero emissions global target, but an end of international funding for gas as a fossil fuel would create dire challenges for gas-producing countries especially in Africa, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. Prof. Osinbajo stated this today during the virtual roundtable meeting of the Africa Regional Heads of Government Commonwealth Roundtable, which was chaired by His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales. Other African leaders at the summit included the Presidents of Rwanda, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Botswana, and Gambia. The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Right Hon. Patricia Scotland, QC, was also at the meeting. The Vice President, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the roundtable, noted that Nigeria is already transitioning from petrol (Premium Motor Spirit) to natural gas, which is “accepted more or less as a transition fuel, the bridge to renewable energy.” According to the VP, Nigeria supports the goal of the Commonwealth in outlining responsible transition pathways to decarbonize and achieve net and negative zero emissions,” while emphasizing the efforts of the Buhari administration through its Economic Sustainability Plan to provide 5 million homes with cleaner energy through its solar power programme, as well as the Natural Gas Expansion Programme. He said, “we have the goal of installing solar homes systems in about 5 million homes, which means that 25 million Nigerians would have access to solar power. This is under our Economic Sustainability Plan. This is the first phase, and we think that this sort of programme will very quickly ramp up our progress towards zero emission. “We also have our Natural Gas Expansion Programme, this is where we are using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in order to replace the use of Premium Motor Spirit, Petrol, and this is going on now, we are actually trying to fit and retrofit existing petrol stations, so that the use of cleaner fossil fuels will replace it. “We hope that we will be able to achieve this objective as quickly as possible. So, we are resolutely committed to all of our national development contributions under all of our agreements, the Paris Agreement, and we will support all actions that are taken along the lines of zero emissions.” Specifically, Prof, Osinbajo called on the Commonwealth to consider ways to support African countries in achieving a just transition to net-zero emissions. The Vice President stated that “this brings me to the questions around a just transition to net-zero emissions. And a just transition in our view is one where gas, for those who are from producing countries, as a fossil fuel is still supported, especially for those of us in this part of the world that have vast deposits of the resource. Natural gas is accepted more or less as a transition fuel, the bridge to renewable energy. “Of course, natural gas is accepted as a transition fuel. But unfortunately, what we are seeing is the move towards defunding of natural gas projects by the EU, and the World Bank has also been indicating that natural gas projects would be defunded. Now, this obviously would put countries such as ours in a very dire situation and make the transition extremely difficult for us. What we are focused on trying to do is to ensure that our gas projects replace coal and fuels.” The Vice President, while urging for more support and cooperation from the Commonwealth, added that the Federal Government of Nigeria remains “resolutely committed to all of our national development contributions under all of our agreements, the Paris Agreement, and will support all actions that are taken along the lines of zero emissions.” The Prince of Wales had called for a series of roundtables to find the best way for the Commonwealth to maintain a forefront position of the global agenda on Climate Change action and post-COVID recovery plans. The meeting also discussed the economic recovery and sustainable economic transition priorities of member-states. Earlier in his speech, the Vice President restated the condolences of the government and people of Nigeria on the recent passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh noting that “he was much loved and admired here in Nigeria.” Prof. Osinbajo then prayed that his memory would be blessed always.

https://www.channelstv.com/2021/04/15/nigeria-harps-on-a-just-

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…as voters openly sell votes By Dayo Johnson, Dapo Akinrefon, Dare Fasube, Shina Abubakar & Miftaudeen Raji Senator Ademola Adeleke, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the early hours of today, emerged the winner of Osun State governorship election. Adeleke beat his closest rival, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to emerge winner. The election was held across the 30 local government areas of the state amid tight security with political parties adopting new methods of vote-buying. It also witnessed huge turnout of voters as the electorate trooped out enmass to cast their votes. Interestingly, as of press time, there was no record of violence. Whereas the Osun State chapter of the PDP claimed victory in the election, last night, affirming that collated results from polling units confirmed its emerging victory, the ruling APC said the claim was capable of setting the state on fire. The candidates, who took part in yesterday’s exercise, besides Oyetola and Adeleke, include a former Adeleke of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, of the Labour Party; Dr Oyegoke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and Dr Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party. Others are Munirudeen Atanda of the Action Democratic Party, ADP; Lukman Awoyemi of Allied Peoples’ Movement , APM, and Busuyi Ayowole of Peoples Redemption Party, PRP. Oyetola, Adeleke, Akande, Omisore, others win polling units Major political actors secured victory at their respective polling units. As the result of the election trickled in, Oyetola won his polling unit. Oyetola scored 545 votes against PDP’s 69. His main rival, Adeleke, polled 218 at his polling unit in Ede-North against APC’s 23. Similarly, a former Interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, won his Unit 012, Ward 4 in Isedo 1 in Ila-Orangun. APC scored 140 while the PDP polled 117 there. The National Secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, won his Polling Unit 003, Ward 1 in Ife East Local Government Area of the state. The APC scored 192 while the PDP scored 168 there. While the Osun State chapter of the PDP claimed victory in the governorship election as results trickled in, last night, affirming that collated results from the polling units confirmed PDP’s emerging victory at the poll, the ruling APC said the claim was capable of setting the state on fire. A statement issued by the Caretaker Chairman of the PDP in the state, Dr Akindele Adekunle, said that “the party has secured majority as well as more than two third spread across the 30 local governments and area office.” Adekunle noted that “the victory of the party at the poll is a product of mass mobilisation and grand coalition of people of Osun State against bad governance and insensitive leadership”. He thanked the “people of Osun State for endorsing and affirming Ademola Adeleke’s governorship bid, the party sternly warns against any attempt to tamper with the result of the election. “We want to assert that Ademola Adeleke has won this election overwhelmingly going by results at our disposal. We warn against any plot by some agents of chaos to doctor the results”. But the Director General of the Campaign Council of Oyetola’s re-election, Senator Ajibola Basiru, described as “irresponsible the claim by the PDP that it has won the election which result is still being collated as we speak”. In a statement issued in Osogbo, Basiru said: “The claim by the PDP was capable of setting Osun on fire. “We warn the PDP to desist from making a frivolous and unsubstantiated claim about an election, which, as we speak, voting is still going on in some areas”. Basiru called on the security agencies to take appropriate action in dealing decisively with the peddlers of false claim as they are setting the stage for violence and chaos. “It has come to our knowledge that the PDP in a statement is already claiming victory for an election whose result is yet to be declared. We are not surprised at their claim because we know their antics”, he stated. “Going by the result so far declared, there was no way PDP could lay claim to any victory. This is more so that in one of the Local Governments where the PDP candidate hails voting is still going on as we speak. “Therefore, the PDP’s claim is tantamount to standing logic on its head. We appeal to our supporters and sympathisers in Osun and across the country to remain calm in the face of this obvious provocation. “While we won’t do what the desperate people in the opposition PDP did by usurping the powers of INEC, we are however confident that with the positive results from the field at our disposal, the people’s support for Gov Oyetola will ultimately give him victory when the authority legally empowered to announce election results does so and he is declared Governor-elect.” I’m confident of victory—Oyetola Speaking immediately after casting his vote at Oloti Ward 1 Unit 2, around 11am, Oyetola expressed confidence of being re-elected. He said APC will be re-elected by the people owing to his tremendous achievements in the last three and a half years in office. Oyetola said: “I am very confident that I will be re-elected by the electorate, today, and by God’s Grace I will be celebrating the victory this evening.” I’m confident of winning—Adeleke On his part, the PDP candidate expressed confidence of winning the election. Speaking after casting his vote at Ward 2 Polling Unit 009, Sagba/Abogunde in Ede North Local Government Area of the state, the PDP candidate also commended the INEC for improving on the electoral process. Asked about INEC’s performance so far, Adeleke said: “It is fantastic. I think INEC has improved. They can do better but they have improved and I must give them credit.” When asked if he has heard any case of vote-buying, he said: “It is still early. I have not heard of any case and we hope nothing like that happens because we want this election to be a point of contact for 2023. The world is watching and this election is going to be a test case. So, let Osun people decide who they want. “We met with INEC and they assured us that this election will not be like that of Ekiti. They promised that this election is going to be transparent, peaceful, free and fair.” He, however, expressed confidence that he will emerge winner of the election, saying, “I am not afraid, I am confident of winning the election.” Exercise too slow—Ogunbiyi Separately, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Ogunbiyi, declared that he would win the election convincingly. Ogunbiyi, in a chat with newsmen after voting at his Unit 003, Ward 05 in Methodist Primary School, Ileogbo, Ayedire council area, however, expressed concern that the exercise was too slow. “I will win this election convincingly no doubt about it. “I am not entertaining any fear because I have done my homework and highlighted the programmes I have for the good people of Osun state. “But I discovered that the exercise here is too slow. The INEC officials here told me that only 35 persons have voted as at past 10am and we have over 500 eligible voters in the ward. “They need to step up the process. We don’t want to start hearing that voting will stop by 3pm thereby disenfranchising so many voters. They need to put in more efforts and be fast about it. “The reports I got from across the state showed massive turn out of voters and that the exercise is peaceful, orderly and without violence as at this morning”. Massive turn out The election witnessed massive turn-out of voters in major towns across Osun. In Ede, Osogbo, Olorunda, Shekona, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Obokun, Ila, Iragbiji, Iwo and Ejigbo, voters left their houses as early as 7am to check their names on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, register pasted at the respective polling units. Early arrival of INEC staff, voting materials Officials of INEC, including NYSC members, arrived the polling units as early as 6:30am and were seen at their duty posts. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, was deployed at each of the polling units. Though there were glitches at the early stage of voting, INEC officials were able to address the situation. Combined security operatives including the army, navy, police, civil defence, immigration, road safety, NDLEA, DSS, and fire service, were deployed for the election. They were able to maintain law and order in the various polling units across the state. Also, some security agents, stationed at flash points and strategic areas were seen frisking vehicles. Police helicopter provided aerial surveillance of the three senatorial districts as they were seen going round from time to time. NSCDC on peaceful conduct The acting Commander-General of the NSCDC, Fasiu Adeyinka, who spoke during his visit to St. Gabriel Primary School Yemoo, Moore, Wards 3 and 4, Polling Units 003 and 004, in Ile-Ife commended voters for being calm, cool and easy going in all polling units he visited. New methods of vote-buying A dimension in vote-buying was witnessed in yesterday’s exercise as politicians in Osun devised means of inducing prospective voters to support their parties. Sunday Vanguard observed that vote-buying was more discreet and methodical unlike the open style that was witnessed during the governorship poll in Ekiti State last month. In Osun, vote-buyers and sellers devised ways of avoiding the prying eyes of security agencies especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The new techniques were noticed in some polling units along Aregbe-Olaiya axis of the Ogo Oluwa-Abere Road of Osogbo and Ede including a polling unit, very close to the new flyover constructed by the present administration at Olaiya area of Osogbo. The new methods included assigning somebody to stay at a place close to the voting stand and monitorimg voters. Once it was confirmed that a vote-seller had voted for a preferred party of the vote-buyers, he or she would be directed to a nearby place to write his or her name. Thereafter, a tally would be given to the person which was later used to collect money from the vote-buyers. The persons that had the cash with them would stay in a corner and some members of the team loitered carefully around the place to prevent intruders. The name writers recruited for the purpose are mostly young ladies. Voting for highest bidders Similarly, in most polling units in Osogbo and Olorunda local government areas, many voters cast their votes for the highest bidders as it was gathered that a vote cost as much as N10,000 in the state capital. A voter (name withheld) in Unit 35 said: “I was offered N7,000 by APC but when PDP gave N10, 000 I decided to vote for the party. “Many of us took the N10,000 and voted PDP. It is wrong for the APC to offer us a lesser amount being the party in power.” It was a similar situation at Ward 8, Units 11, 35, 38 as voters received as much as N10,000 to cast votes for any of the two leading parties. In Odo-Otin, votes were sold for N5,000 by the PDP and APC. A source, who pleaded anonymity, said both parties were neck-and-neck seeking voters’ favour with the said amount. The voter said: “In most of the units, the people were left with no choice than to collect N5,000 and vote for a candidate of their choice since both parties offered the same amount.” Some agents approached us with N5,000, N2,000— Voters In some polling units around Osogbo, a voter, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said some party agents approached them for negotiation. The voter, who cast his vote at Agunbelawo along Okinni Ilobu road in Osogbo, said: “Some party agents approached us and told us they were going to give us N2,000 each if we voted for their party. “Another party agent told us they would give us N5,000 if we voted for them. Some people agreed to collect from the highest bidder, while others said they would vote for their preferred candidate.” Another voter, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard at Ward 4, PU004 CAC Primary School, Shekona in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State, said they were asked to write down their names before casting their votes. Inducement of voters was witnessed at Service Area of Osogbo as a voter told Sunday Vanguard that party agents were giving between N5,000 and N10,000 to influence voters’ choice. Voters requested money before voting— Odeyemi, PDP chieftain Speaking on vote-buying, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Diran Odeyemi, said some voters requested money from political parties before casting their votes warning that the trend, if not curbed, could affect the country’s democratic process. Speaking with Sunday Vanguard after casting his vote at Polling Unit 002, NUD Primary School in Ibokun, Obokun local government area of Osun State, Odeyemi said there were demands by voters during the exercise. EFCC arrests 3 for vote-buying To curb inducement of voters, operatives of the EFCC went round some polling units in Osun State to monitor the election. Six of their officials were seen at Unit 1, Ward 1 Olotin area of Iragbiji in Boripe council area of the state. The leader of the team, a female, declined interview when approached. When pressed further, she said that they were monitoring the exercise and no arrest had been made on vote buying. The commission, however, arrested three persons for engaging in the act. The suspects include Jimoh Kazeem, Adeyemo Bahir and Abidogun Ismail. The suspects were arrested by officials of the EFCC at Polling Unit 002, Ward 2, Ababu, Isale Osun in Osogbo. It was gathered that the suspects were caught with bags of cash as they were “inducing voters” during the electioneering process. One of them was said to have also kept money in his socks. Sunday Vanguard gathered that in some of the polling units, the APC agents “rewarded” voters with cash between N5,000 and N10,000 after casting their votes, while the PDP gave N4,000 and above to voters after forcing them to swear to an oath in confirmation that they voted for the candidate of the party. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/07/osun-election-pdps-adeleke-wins-apc-

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…Approves establishment of Institute for Border Studies By Henry Umoru THE Senate has passed a bill to amend the Orthopedic Hospital Management Board Act 2004. With this development, the Senate has passed a Bill for an Act to Amend the Orthopaedic Hospital Management Board Act, Cap 010, Laws of the Federation and (LFN) 2004 for other Related Matters and to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Kuta Bill, 2021 (SB. 279) was read the third time and passed by the Senate Prior to the passage, some clauses were voted on by the Senators and with this development, the now Bill awaits assent by President Muhammadu Buhari. The passage of the bill yesterday was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary). Recall that a Bill for Act to amend the Orthopaedic Hospital Management Board Act Cap 010 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria ( LFN 2004) and for other related matters and to provide for the Establishment of the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Kuta Bill, 2021( SB.279) was sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, All Progressives Congress, APC, Niger East. Also recall that in his lead debate on the general principles of the Bill, Senator Musa had said that “The Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Kuta, Niger State when established will provide services such as diagnosis and treatment from traumatic events such as accidental falls, car accidents, sports injuries and other emergencies. “It will also bring healthcare closer to the people at reduced costs compared to private hospitals and drastically reduce health tourism. In addition to the above advantages, it will deter patients from patronising traditional bonesetters who enjoy patronage in the absence of a specialised orthopaedic hospital. “The Orthopaedic hospital will be affiliated to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada to provide specialised orthopaedic treatment and medical services.” It was thereafter referred by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan to the Senate Committee Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further legislative action and report back at Plenary. In his presentation yesterday, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, APC, Kwara Central) noted that “the country is plagued with poverty and an exceedingly high burden of disease.” According to him, Orthopedics such as musculoskeletal disorders, spine disease, cancers, tumours and congenital defects are suffered by many citizens without adequate care. “Orthopedics is a specialized area of medicine concerned with the musculoskeletal system responsible for many important functions including joint replacements, fractures, joint pains, sports injuries, arthritis and other injuries and conditions.” Oloriegbe who noted that by locating the Federal Orthopedic Hospital in Kuta, Niger State, its presence would bring healthcare closer to residents of densely populated urban and rural communities at reduced costs, stressed that the hospital when established, would provide services such as diagnosis and treatment from traumatic events such as accidental falls, car accidents, sports injuries and other emergencies. In the observation of the Committee, Oloriegbe said, “Mr. President and Distinguished Colleagues, Nigeria’s population is estimated at over 200 million, making it one of the densely populated countries in the world. The country is plagued with poverty and an exceedingly high burden of disease. Orthopaedics such as musculoskeletal disorders, spine disease,cancers, tumours and congenital defects are suffered by many citizens without adequate care. Orthopaedics is a specialised area of medicine concerned with the musculoskeletal system responsible for many important functions including joint replacements, fractures, joint pains, sports injuries, arthritis and other injuries and conditions. “Orthopaedic Hospitals are important in improving health care in patients. By locating a Specialist hospital in Kuta, it will bring healthcare closer to residents of those densely populated urban and rural communities and by implication extending their life span.” In a related development, the Senate y yesterday approved the establishment of the National Institute for Border Studies in Imeko, Ogun State, with the passage of a bill to that effect. The approval came with the consideration of a report by the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND. Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP, Ondo Central), who presented the report on behalf of the Committee’s Chairman, Ahmad Babba Kaita (APC, Katsina North), said that the Institution would produce graduates with practical and theoretical knowledge in border management to reduce risks and challenges of existential threats facing the country. Akinyelure said, “The establishment of the Institute will reduce the ills around national borders and deescalating chances of entrenching heinous criminal activities being perpetrated by men of the underworld.” Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/06/senate-passes-bill-

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January 18, 2023 by Ekaete Bassey Blogger apologises sarcastically to Dino Melaye Following the threat by a spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council Dino Melaye, Gistlover has tendered a sarcastic apology to him. On Wednesday, Melaye fumed after the blogger alleged he was romantically involved with two popular skit makers, Ashmusy and Nons Miraj. The former senator, who accused the blogger of being an APC agent, promised to secure justice over ”lies and unfounded story” about him. He issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the blogger to come through with an apology or face legal action. A few hours after, the blogger apologised but sarcastically laden with curses. Read Also : Dino Melaye hits blogger over alleged romantic link to skit makers Captioning a photo collage of Melaye, the blogger wrote: “Dear Dino Baby, this is me publicly apologizing say he no go better for you if you no sue me, say Okan eh oni bale (your mind will never be at rest) if you no send the letter, say ogun Loma pa eh (the god of war will kill you) for looting the money that belongs to the masses and using it to sponsor all these hungry rubber yansh girls. “DINO BOSITA ARA LOMA PA EH (Dino, come out, thunder will destroy you). I HOPE MY APOLOGY IS ACCEPTED DINO BABY. “Okan eh oni bale (your mind will never be at rest) Dino Baby, meanwhile this is my lawyer, forward your lawsuit to him. We meet in court Dear looter.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/blogger-apologises-sarcastically-to-

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January 24, 2021 by The Nation Seven killed, many injured as NURTW leadership crisis turns bloody By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki At least seven persons have been killed while many were seriously injured as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed in Effin, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Though details of what led to the clash were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, a source in the community said the clash is an escalation of a leadership crisis in the union. The source said the faction of the union from Effin clashed with the faction from Ezza Effium over sharing formula for the revenue generated from the park. He said the clashes spiked into the community leading to casualties on both sides. Houses, cars and other properties were also torched as the crisis spilled over into the community. There was pandemonium in the community as the crisis escalated with many deserting the community to neighbouring communities. Also, health workers and staff of the National Population Commission who were on assignment in the area were cut in the crossfire. Following the incident, Ebonyi State Government announced a ban on activities of the Union in Effuim Motor Park in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. The Commissioner for Internal Security and Conflict Resolution in the state, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, announced the ban in Abakaliki, yesterday. Emegha said the clashes engulfed the entire Effuim and Ezza Effusion communities because the Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area allowed politicians to meddle into the affairs of the union. He said that Ohaukwu Local Government authorities would be mandated to take over the park where the incident emanated from. “It was not something that happened on the grounds of IPOB, neither was it a politically related matter; it was a national transport union case dragging the leadership of a motor park. “It has been a matter I handled earlier before this time directing that National Union of Road Transport Workers is an organisation recognised by the federal government but has no right in our motor park because we discovered that what they were doing was not in tandem with the peace effort of the state government”, he said The commissioner said all government personnel on special national assignments in the community, who were trapped by the crisis, had been rescued while the area was calm, following the deployment of security men. “All the people trapped in the area, not only health personnel, but also staff of the National Population Commission, were safely evacuated. My office deployed security and vehicles on the directive of the governor and all of them were rescued. No scratch on them and the place is calm now.” Emegha said when he contacted the State Chairman of the union, he claimed to be out of the state and wondered why he should be absent from the state when his union was in crisis. He warned that the government would bring to book all the politicians, whether serving in the government or in the opposition party, who played a role in sparking up the crisis. Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Aliyu Garba, said over nine persons were critically injured and receiving treatment at the hospital. He said some suspects had also been arrested while investigation continues into the matter. “Actually, it was my first litmus, but like I told you, normalcy has been restored; we have lots of them that have been arrested and investigations are ongoing.” Aliyu, who visited the scene, said normalcy had been restored as police operatives and personnel from sister agencies have been moved into the community. It was also gathered that Governor David Umahi dispatched the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, who visited the area to calm the situation.

https://thenationonlineng.net/seven-killed-many-injured-as-

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May 26, 2021 by The Nation Accountant General recants, says Ibori loot not yet returned to Delta By Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor) The Federal Government has denied returning £4.2 million loot recovered from former Governor James Ibori to Delta Government. A statement from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) on Wednesday said: “The money is still being awaited after which the issues around it will be resolved before further action is taken. For now, no money has been returned to Delta State”. The statement signed by Henshaw Ogubike, Director (Information, Press and Public Relations) explained: “The issue of the £4.2million Ibori loot has not been properly resolved”. Regarding the Accountant General’s statement to the National Assembly on Tuesday the loot has been returned to the Delta government, Henshaw Ogubike said: “The AGF was only making general comments about recoveries relating to State Governments”.

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By Sola Isola, Ibadan. Counsel to Chief Sunday Adeyemo also known as Igboho, the detained Yoruba nation agitator and activist, Chief Yomi Aliu has said that Igboho is a businessman and not a terrorist. He stated this in a statement made available to Vanguard in Ibadan on Friday while reacting to a statement made by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN. Aliu said alleging Igboho to have transferred money to one Abbal Bako and sons owned by Abdullahi Umar is a mere conjecture, stating that transferring money to bureau de change to buy dollars is what is done by every businessman of our Igboho’s calibre. He also challenged Malami to mention the lawmaker that sent money to Igboho for terrorist act adding that they would challenge him for defamation. The statement reads “Our attention has been drawn to a text press conference by the Hon Attorney General and Minister of Finance wherein he fruitlessly tried to paint our client and those patronising his car trade as terrorists and/or financiers of terrorists. “I have gone through the text. Sunday was alleged to have transferred the sum of #12.7m to Abbal Bako & Sons owned by Abdullahi Umar. Transferring money to bureau de change to buy dollars is what is done by every businessman of our client’s calibre. Thank God that his passports and various bills of ladings were carted away by DSS during the ungodly invasion of 1st July, 2021. “Thus, so far there is no evidence of receipt of money from Abbal Bako & Sons or Abdullahi Umar going by the text conference. What the Hon AGF stated are mere conjectures. Not hard fact. Our client according to him paid Umar and NOT vice versa thus belieing what the Honourable Attorney General of Federation earlier said that Chief Sunday Adeyemo is being financed by people. The picture the Learned AGF wanted to paint is that our Client is being financed by Abdullah Umar allegedly involved in terrorists financing. Who is now financing “Again, Chief Adeyemo is a car dealer trading in the name of Adesun International Concept Ltd. Does it mean that anybody buying car from him or selling car to him is a terrorist? “Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Igboho Oosa was not into Oodua Nation until last year. So finding over #273m turnover between October 2013 and September 2020 shows that he was not a poor man. His house invaded by DSS on 1st July 2020 is worth over #2billion! “I challenge the Hon AGF to mention the lawmaker that sent money to Chief Sunday Adeyemo for terrorist act whether he would not be damnified in exemplary damages for defamation. “Up till date our client has not been prosecuted or found liable for any criminal act or terrorism. There is also a VALID AND SUBSISTING court judgement that agitation for self determination is not an act of terrorism but fundamental human rrighbof any citizen. “My Learned brother Silk and Hon AGF knows that suspicion no matter how great cannot grant conviction. “Chief Sunday Adeyemo is not a terrorist but a campaigner for self- Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

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13th November, 2020 Nigerians will be shocked by the details of earnings of lawmakers in the National Assembly which will soon be released, Benjamin Kalu, the spokesperson for the House of Representatives has said. Kalu spoke to journalists in reaction to clamours that lawmakers should reduce their salaries and allowances as part of the bid to cut the cost of governance in the face reduction in revenue accruing to the country. But Kalu said Nigerians are barking at the wrong tree with the focus on the earning of the lawmakers. Instead, he said the agitations for reduction in expenses should be directed to the executive arm of government, which, according to him, is in charges of spending over 99 per cent of the national budget. Kalu, who refused to answer questions on the actual salaries, allowances and other perks of office being enjoined by him and his colleagues, however, said Nigerians, will soon realize that their lawmakers are not as rich as they have been thinking as the details of the earnings will soon be published. According to him, contrary to the ongoing agitations, the 0.8% of the national budget allocated for the National Assembly is not even enough to run the institution. Kalu said, “If you want to cut salaries, expenses, cost of governance, start it from the executive. That’s the truth, because the 0.8 percent you’re talking about takes care of the Senate, people think that the money that comes to the National Assembly is divided by members of the House of Representatives, that’s a wrong narrative being sold there and that’s what Nigerians believe. “That’s why my office is actually engaging on what’s called info graphics that’s going to be released very soon, that will break it down once members approve it, so that you know where everything goes into and Nigerians will be shocked that people they thought were rich are not able to meet their needs and that’s the truth. “It’s high time we started at the 99.902% of the national budget and stop focusing on the 0.8% of the National Assembly. Nigerians are not focusing on that; rather they’ve been conditioned to focus on the 0.8%, is that not deceitful? “Nigerians need to change their focus and find out what’s happening to that 99.902%. Once we do that, you will see truth will start coming out, and even the Executive will know there’s need to cut down the expenses.

https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/11/13/nigerians-will-be-

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Hundreds of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta have dumped the Party for the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former PDP supporters, while dumping the Party, vowed to deliver all candidates of APC including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Ovie Omo-Agege for President and Governor respectively. They stated that despite having the Governor in their locality, the little projects were executed by the APC-led Federal Government of President Mohammadu Buhari. The defectors were received into the APC by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; Delta APC Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie; Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi during the APC Ward -to- Ward campaign to Ute-Okpu. The defectors were from the different Wards in the Council including Owa-Alero Ward 2, the voting Ward of incumbent Governor and Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Senator Okowa. Receiving the defectors on behalf of the Party, the State APC Chairman, Elder Sobotie said the doors of APC are open to receive more Deltans who are appalled by the PDP-led government of Okowa in the last seven years. He added that their defection of the PDP members signified that Deltans were tired and dissatisfied with the maladministration of Okowa-led government in the State. He specifically commended Hon. Chamberlain Dunkwu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, for winning PDP members into the party and for attracting Federal Government projects to Ika North East. Mainwhile, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege have commissioned some network of roads and over 300 poles of solar street lights executed by the APC-led government in Ute-Okpu in Ika North East. Some of the roads commissioned by Omo-Agege includes Dunkwu Street and installations of Street lights, construction of 2 kilometers Ute-Okpu road, special maintenance repairs of Ebu-Akpara/Umueze Street, Ibiegwa Ute-Okpu and construction of two boreholes in Ute-Okpu. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

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The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya, is set to hand over to Major General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja as the new army chief. Channels Television reports that the ceremony for the new Chief of Army Staff is taking place at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital. In attendance are senior military officers, and heads of various departments within the army. General Lagbaja is the 23rd Chief of Army Staff. He was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy on September 12, 1987, as a member of the 39th Regular Course. Lagbaja was commissioned as 2Lt on September 19, 1992, into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Before his elevation as COAS, Lagbaja was the chief of operation (Army) and served as General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Kaduna and 82 Division, Nigerian Army Enugu He also hitherto had held command positions in several military operations, including Operation Harmony IV in the Bakassi Peninsula, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and OperationZaki.

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August 28, 2023 by Kolade Adeyemi, Jos Plateau governor, CP fight over unsealing of LG secretariats The Plateau government and the state commissioner of police, Julius Alawari, might be heading towards a collision course over who has authority to order the unsealing of the17 local government secretariats being shut down after the suspension of the chairmen. Alawari had issued a directive for the unsealing of the secretariats for the suspended chairmen to return to duty without a recourse to the state government. Philimon Daffi, the Attorney General of the state, faulted the CP’s move during a press briefing after an emergency security council meeting held at the Government House in Jos. The meeting was presided by the deputy governor of the state, Josephine Piyo. Read Also: Mutfwang: A new development plan for Plateau It would be recalled that Governor Mutfwang had on June 1, suspended all democratic structures in the 17 local government areas of the state and appointed Transition Committee Chairmen run activities of LGs. The suspension followed the recommendation of the State House of Assembly over allegation of financial mismanagement by the suspended chairmen. However, the CP unsealed the secretariats of the local government areas and directed workers to resume work. The directive, however, exempted all political office holders pending the outcome of their litigation.

https://thenationonlineng.net/plateau-governor-cp-fight-over-

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October 26, 2015 by The Nation Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is new Ooni of ife Forty-year old Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has emerged as the new Ooni of ife. His appointment was announced in a press statement by the Government of Osun state early Monday morning in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti. The statement reads: “The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has approved the appointment of a new Ooni of Ife. He is Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of the Giesi Ruling House of Ile Ife State of Osun. ” This choice follows the completion of the due process by the kingmakers and the communication of their decision to the Government.” Born to Prince Ropo and Late Mrs Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi of Ile Opa family compound, Ile Ife , the new Ooni is a Higher National Diploma graduate from The Polytechnic, Ibadan. He is on the Board of Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited, (formerly GTHomes), GTBank Plc and FinaTrust Microfinance Bank Limited. He is a member of several professional bodies including ; Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate Accounting Technician and a certified member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria as well as Global Real Estate Institute (GRI).

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British Airways will triple its frequencies between London Heathrow and Cape Town International Airport. The London-based airline will offer three… United Airlines Announces The Start of Lagos, Nigeria Services This week United Airlines filed flights between Lagos, Nigeria and Washington Dulles from November 29, 2021. Initially, these flights were announced in September 2020, with a scheduled launch date in the Spring of 2021. However, United Airlines received Nigerian government approval for the route to the Nigerian city recently. On the leg from Washington Dulles to Lagos, United Airlines Flight 612 departs at 6:30 P.M. and arrives at 10:40 A.M, for a total flight time of 10 hours and 10 minutes. The aircraft sits in Lagos for 13 hours, before flying the return leg from Lagos to Washington Dulles. The Chicago-based carrier departs at 11:50 P.M. and arrives at 6 A.M, for a total flight time of 12 hours and 10 minutes. On the departure leg to Lagos, United Airlines operates on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving on the next day. Meanwhile, on the return leg, United Airlines operates on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving the next day. These flights will utilize United Airlines’ Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which features a new retrofit seating 243 passengers. Specifically, the aircraft includes 28 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration in its Polaris business class; 21 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration in its Premium Plus cabin; 36 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration in its economy plus cabin and 158 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration in its economy class cabin. History In Africa Lagos, Nigeria will become the fourth point on United Airlines’ Africa route map. Currently, United Airlines flies from Washington Dulles to Accra, Ghana and from Newark to Johannesburg. A flight from Newark to Cape Town, South Africa will resume in early December 2021, after its initial launch in December 2019. In the past, United Airlines began its first flights to Africa in 2010, connecting Washington Dulles with a daily connector route to Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria, using a Boeing 767-300. Due to Nigerian government approval, the launch of the connection to Lagos was postponed until December 2010, per AirlineRoute. Ultimately, this flight was replaced with a daily connection between the energy hubs of Houston and Lagos, Nigeria, in late 2011, using a Boeing 777-200ER. Meanwhile, flights to Accra, Ghana were cut in July 2012. The sole flight to Africa lasted five years until 2016 when it was terminated due to a weak energy sector at the time. Per a memo from United Airlines, the airline pulled the route due to poor financial performance over the last several years, investing in it due to its importance with Houston’s business customers. Earlier this month, United Airlines announced three new leisure flights from Cleveland, Chicago and Denver to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean. From Cleveland, the Chicago-based carrier added a flight to Nassau using its Embraer E175. Additionally, United Airlines will operate new flights from Chicago to Guatemala City and Denver to Roatan, Honduras. Furthermore, or the winter of 2021/2022, United Airlines has added two new flights from Barbados to Newark and Washington Dulles in December, and increased the frequency of its Latin American, Caribbean and Mexican portfolio. In total, the Chicago-based carrier intends to operate 167 daily flights during the wintertime to Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, representing a 26 percent capacity increase compared to winter 2019. United Airlines is improving its portfolio to “warm-weather” destinations for the winter of 2021/2022, adding over 137 weekly flights domestically to destinations like Florida, Arizona, Nevada and more. For example, the Chicago-based carrier is flying 25 additional daily flights through its hub in Newark and up to 14 additional daily flights from its Newark hub. - Breeze Airways Eyes Long Beach Service in the Fall - June 3, 2022 - United Airlines Eyes Washington D.C. to Cape Town Service - March 5, 2022 - Iberia Firms Up U.S. Expansion Plans, Adds Dallas and Washington D.C. - February 17, 2022 Subscribe to AirlineGeeks' Daily Check-In Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox. The UAE’s flag carrier Emirates has confirmed that it will be cutting its route from Singapore to Melbourne. The news… The government of the United Arab Emirates actively tries to increase inbound tourism in the country. Multiple airlines based in…

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President of ICAN, Mallam Ismaila Zakari By Providence Emmanuel LAGOS—THE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, has inducted 650 new members into the Association of Accounting Technicians, West Africa, AATWA. Speaking at the 47th AATWA, Induction Ceremony in Lagos, President of ICAN, Mallam Ismaila Zakari, urged the new members to live above board while upholding the principles of accuracy and integrity. Zakari congratulated the 650 new AATWA members having qualified as accounting technicians after the rigorous qualifying examination of the institute, saying, “Accounting technicians are universally respected and internationally recognised.” I implore you to adhere strictly to the ethics and rules of professional standard of AATWA and conduct yourselves as AATWA members.” In her paper titled: “Behaving Ethically to Uphold Enduring Values,” Chief Executive Officer, TOMAG Consulting, Mrs. Tope Omage, blamed accountants for facilitating the looting of treasury, falsification of financial records and budget padding. Omage said: “Without accountants treasury won’t be looted successfully; Financial records won’t be falsified without detection; Padding will be exposed.” She said that 74 percent of the fraud committed makes use of weak internal controls, adding that KPMG’s Global Fraud Patterns showed that 40 percent of frauds are committed by people within the ages of 36 to 45; 85 percent by men; 82 percent by management (That is, 29 percent by management, 35percent by senior management, 18 percent by the board); 90percent by people that have been with the company for over three years (29 percent 3-5 years, 27percent 6-10 years, 33percent more than 10 years); 32percent by the finance department, 25percent by operations, and 26percent by the CEO’s office. She stated: “Fraud encompasses a range of irregularities and illegal acts characterized by intentional deception or misrepresentation, which an individual knows to be false or does not believe to be true. “Unfortunately, corruption is a cost of doing business. Bribery, a price, reward, gift, or favour bestowed or promised with a view to pervert the judgment of or influence the action of a person in a position of trust. “Acting in ways consistent with what society and individuals typically think is good values. Ethical behavior tends to be good for business and involves demonstrating respect for key moral principles that include honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights. “Why should accountants be ethical? Finance and accounting are the lifeline of companies, if the companies are formed to make money then the stakeholders should be able to rely on the reports and that can only be possible if the integrity of the persons are above board,” she said. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

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By Biodun Busari A chieftain and former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba has urged the party’s presidential flagbearer, Bola Tinubu to welcome Chimaroke Nnamani and Ikedi Ohakim into the party ahead of next month’s elections. Garba made this assertion via Twitter on Saturday in reaction to the suspension of Nnamani by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). PDP suspended Nnamani among others over anti-party activities saying the decision was pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017). The APC chieftain said Nnamani and Ohakim, former governors of Enugu and Imo states respectively are “everlasting gentlemen and real political gladiators.” Defending his submission, Garba said the reason Tinubu should welcome the duo was that they are real Igbo men who have sterling political careers and structures. “We should welcome the everlasting gentlemen and real political gladiators, Chimaroke Nnamani and Ikedi Ohakim into our Batified team. These are the real Ndigbo who have successful political careers and structures. “Unlike the online Obidients who are tweeting votes from abroad,” Garba tweeted. Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.

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December 29, 2020 by The Nation BREAKING: French-Italian fashion designer Pierre Cardin dies at 98 By Sameul Oamen Fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died aged 98, his family revealed. Pierre Cardin is an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for his avant-garde style and his Space Age designs. Cardin was born in Italy in 1922 but emigrated to France as a small child, he died in a hospital in Neuilly in the west of Paris, his family said.

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October 13, 2016 by The Nation Govt flags off independent power supply in 40 federal varsities The Federal Government in conjunction with the German Energy Partnership Project on Thursday formally flagged off its independent power supply initiative to all the 40 federal universities in the country with the Ground-breaking ceremony of a 10-Mega Watts Solar Power Plant at the University of Ibadan. Performing the ceremony on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Ajibode Extension location of the University of Ibadan, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, described the event as “an historic occasion in the life of the university and of our nation” adding that it is in line with the national energy policy. “That the project is commencing at the University of Ibadan should not surprise anyone. This is where the story of University education in Nigeria started,” the minister stated. He added the fact that UI, with its huge staff and student population had necessitated a corresponding high energy requirement which is in the region of 6 to 8 Mega Watts. Anwukah remarked that the Federal Government, in its bid to replicate the gesture to all the 40 federal universities in Nigeria, envisaged that the project should be achieved through the utilization of off-grid Independent Power Plants (IPPs) which falls under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative. He noted that “it was in this respect that the Federal Government, under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, recently launched the Energizing Education Programme Initiative (EEPI), a collaborative effort of the Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to ensure self-sufficiency in power to all the 40 Federal Universities in the country.” The EEPI is aimed at providing reliable power supply which, in turn, will promote economic growth and sustainable development in our Universities, the Minister further clarified. The minister said further: “This is why the Federal government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has committed itself to this project with the provision of Funds. It clearly attests to government’s commitment to supporting a robust educational system. The project, when completed, will also ensure the realization of the vision of the University of Ibadan in becoming a world-class University, in the sense that academic activities will be boosted, and ground-breaking researches can be conducted. “For our universities to be highly rated in Africa and the world, we must have a good research infrastructure, and a provision of energy is very key in the process. The plant will also have the multiplier effect of providing electricity to neighbouring communities. Government is keenly interested in this project, and its timely completion and effective utilization will inform an extension of the project to other Universities. We shall, therefore, be monitoring the progress of the project. It is expected that the faculties of Science and technology and the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law would take advantage of his project to enhance the capacity of their staff, while embarking on further research in renewable energy resources.” Also speaking at the event, the German ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Bernard Schlagheck, assured that the project, which is a culmination of more than two years of negotiations involving the University of Ibadan, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the German Government, would be completed and ready for commissioning within the next six months. In attendance at the ground-breaking ceremony were dignitaries including the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole who is also the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka; as well as the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Ajeogungunniso I

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The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has warned residents of Rivers State against getting involved in any political conflict without knowing the cause of such a fight. The minister made this known on Sunday while addressing the congregation during a thanksgiving ceremony for George Kelly Alabo, the immediate past Commissioner for Works at the Kings’ Assembly in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. “Don’t get involved in any fight between two politicians without knowing the real cause of the quarrel,” Wike said. “In any facet of life, there are rules and they must be obeyed. As a pastor, there are rules you must follow, so also as politicians, we must follow rules. While I was governor I followed those rules, and that’s why I was able to succeed.” Going on, the minister appeared to criticise the Rivers Elders position saying, “When I was running for governor, I was invited that some elders want to see me, when I got there I saw only two people. Just two of them constituted themselves as elders over the whole state. Now they’ve come back again as elders, don’t mind them.” The minister also went on to question the agitation, saying those making it an Ijaw thing were ill-informed. “When we wanted to go for it we were not shouting asawana, now they’re carrying flags and shouting asawana up and down. Are you people aware that Mr President actually called us privately and told us what to do, he didn’t do it and now Mr President then said okay, the larger house should come and they’re saying he does not have the constitutional right to do that.” In attendance were some of the 27 lawmakers believed to be loyal to Wike as well as some of the recently resigned commissioners. Rivers State has been a theatre of the absurd in the last three months with the state House of Assembly serving as the “boxing ring”. The rift between the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, split lawmakers in the House with 27 of them decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a party in whose central government Wike currently serves as minister. The feud also saw the emergence of parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a gale of resignations of pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet. The President had on Monday, December 18 met with Fubara and Wike at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

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February 5, 2024 by Sam Omatseye Obi abandons altar Peter Obi is becoming everything to everyone, except what he was as candidate: A pilgrim. To the dying, he is a comforter. To the bereaved, he is a mourner. To the book launcher, he is a reader. He is also a party animal in birthdays, funeral after parties, etc. Recently, he became a football fan. As if to challenge President Tinubu to a fan duel for speaking to the Super Eagles before their flight over Angola, Obi materialised in Ivory Coast with his vintage supernova smile. The only place he is not showing up now is cathedrals and front rows in church events. The failed philosopher, who has not uttered any philosophical idea other than recommend China as a cure-all, saw that the strategy did not work in the last polls, or that the so-called accusation that Tinubu would foist Islamic agenda on the country was a ruse of a campaign strategy. Old things have passed away. Obi is born again, not of the spirit. The man is trying to recalibrate his image. He is altering his ways by abandoning the altar. In the words of Paul, is he coming to the knowledge of the truth?

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November 17, 2022 by The Nation We’ll dialogue with IPOB, others, Tinubu assures All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his government will discuss with all agitating groups to address their grievances in search of a peaceful resolution if elected. Tinubu, who was in Owerri the Imo State capital on Thursday to dialogue with trade associations and the private sector, said his government will also establish industrial hubs across the nation as well as modernise existing ones to put the country on path of industrial growth. He said that only peace can guarantee a return of investment, adding that his government would comprise of people from every section that would discuss the grievances with all groups with a view to finding peaceful resolution. “I guarantee you that my government, our government will comprise of people from every section of the country and are ready to discuss the grievances with every group in search of peaceful resolution. “We will encourage and facilitate leather production in places like Owerri and Aba at the same time we shall broaden the opportunity for you to engage in more international commerce by building more ports outside of Lagos such as Onne port that must be activated for optimum utilisation. The ports that are connected with railway lines that can evacuate goods without criminality. I envision the Owerri-Port Harcourt and Aba-Port Harcourt corridors becoming more activated and lucrative. Reacting to concern over extortion on the road with several security road blocks, Tinubu said there are so many ways to fight corruption. “We will put together a simple technology code that once you have cleared your goods and you got your sticker either in container or the vehicle conveying it no agency of the government will be able to stop and extort you again. That will stop all nefarious extortion and exploitation on the road,” he assured.

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 13 percent to 14 percent. CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele announced this on Tuesday during the 286th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee held in Lagos. According to him, it was the right option considering economic realities. “The committee resolved that the most rational policy option would be to further strengthen its tightening stance in order to effectively curtail the unabated rising trend of inflation,” Emefiele said. “Members were conscious of the fact that output growth remained fragile. However, not curtailing inflation now could erode the monetary gains achieved in improving consumer purchasing power and thus worsen the poverty level for the vulnerable populace.” The monetary policy rate (MPR) is the main interest rate in a country or economy on which all other interest rates in that economy are based. While the apex bank increased the MPR rate, it, however, retained other parameters. The asymmetric corridor remains +100 and -700 basis points around the MPR, and the well as Cash Reserved Ratio (CRR) at 27 percent. He added, “Committee thus vote unanimously to raise the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). One member voted to increase the MPR by 150 basis points, six members by 100 basis points, one member by 75 basis points and three members by 50 basis points. “Consequently, Committee resolved to increase the MPR by 100 basis points from 13 percent to 14 percent. In summary, MPC voted as follows: “Increase MPR to 14% from 13, retain the Asymmetric Corridor at +100 and -700 basis points around the MPR, retain the CRR at 27.5 percent and retain liquidity ratio at 30 percent.” Tuesday’s rate hike marks the second time, the MPC will raise the interest rate in two months. The MPC increased the rate from 11.5 percent to 13 percent on May 24. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, is worried about the implication of the new interest rate for the economy. Although the MPC expects the step to tame inflation, Dr Yusuf, thinks the opposite may be the case. “I am concerned about MPR hike because it will burden manufacturers and investors; factors driving inflation in Nigeria different from factors driving inflation in other countries CBN is comparing Nigeria with,” he said during an appearance on Channels Television’s live show on the MPC decision. The former Nigerian finance minister delivered a keynote address entitled, ‘A Social Contract For Nigeria’s… Tahir Mamman says Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from foreign “illegal” institutions are denting Nigeria’s…

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28th September, 2021 Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio attacked each other verbally in an event attended by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday. The event was the official inauguration of the Muhammadu Buhari Nigeria Police Protection Unit comprising 68 flats and other facilities built in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Vice President Yemi Osibanjo represented Buhari at the event. Others at the event include Wike, Akpabio, the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman; Chairman, Senate Committee, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo among others. However, Akpabio stirred the argument as he used the platform to speak about party politics and performance. The minister while speaking to Wike said he would not join other party bigwigs to appeal to him (Wike) to defect to the APC because the ruling party has enough crisis. Addressing Wike, Akpabio said: “I will not join others to lobby you to the APC. We have enough problems in the APC already”. The Minister, while later alluding to the encomiums poured on Wike by Tunji-Ojo following his performance in Rivers, however, made a U-turn saying he could only declare Wike a performing Governor if he joined the APC. To Wike, he said: “Because you are not yet in APC, I won’t call you a performing Governor. When you come over to the APC, I will call you a performing Governor”. However, Wike didn’t waste time descending on the minister. He refused to acknowledge Akpabio as a Minister in his order of protocol and referred to him as a former Governor. The governor said he wondered why Akpabio turned the inauguration into a political campaign. Wike, juxtaposing the crises in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC, added that he would not leave “where there is malaria to a place where there is cancer”. He said: “I thought we came to inaugurate this project. I didn’t know Akpabio will turn it into a political campaign. I prefer to stay where there is malaria to where there is cancer. Malaria is treatable but cancer at the fourth stage is not treatable. I don’t want to die now”. Wike added that Akpabio enjoyed the title, uncommon, when he was a Governor under the PDP. He said: “Akpabio, you became uncommon Governor under the PDP. You are not uncommon under the APC. Come back to where you became uncommon. Or would you say you are uncommon now as a Minister?” Wike also accused the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a ministry under Akpabio. He said the ministry is a cash cow for politicians in the country. Wike said: “NDDC has been a cash cow for politicians. “You will see competition who will be the Managing Director, Executive Director (Finance), Executive Director (Projects). “These are people who will make sure money is available for politics. You have portfolio contractors from Abuja. Every now and then, the MD will be running to Abuja.” The governor also took a swipe at some lawmakers in the National Assembly who lobby for which projects to be included in the NDDC budget. Wike explained that the problem he has with the NDDC is a lack of synergy with the state governments in the region. Speaking further, he noted that he filed a lawsuit against the commission, accusing NDDC of picking up a project in a state thereby distorting the government’s plan. He added, “I took NDDC to court and we defeated them. You enter somebody’s state, you don’t even know the development plan of the state and start distorting the development plan of the state. “The road you want to do is not your road. You won’t liaise with the state to say ‘look what project do you want in this state. “If you ask all the nine states in the Niger Delta and say State A, what kind of project do you want NDDC to execute, we are not interested in who will be the contractor. Our interest is that we are synergizing with you so that you don’t repeat those things we are doing.”

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/09/28/gov-wike-akpabio-

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21st June, 2022 By Grace Alegba The Lagos State Government has warned against indiscriminate excavation of Magodo wetlands, saying it portends danger to lives and property. This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by Mr Mukaila Sanusi, spokesman of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. Sanusi said the Commissioner in the ministry, Dr Idris Salako, gave the warning when he visited the area on Monday. Salako said the action was “unwarranted, provocative and contrary to the civic gesture of the state government, which had displayed trust in the Rule of Law in the Magodo land saga”. He said while the government was making efforts to resettle the Onikosi family in Magodo Scheme III, being created in between Scheme I and II and Omole Estate, the excavation was damaging the environment. According to him, the excavation was traumatising innocent citizens because the foundations of some buildings in Magodo GRA were caving in and risked collapse. “It is unimaginable that any family in Lagos State, noted for an unrivalled sense of accommodation and conviviality, will go to this length to inflict pain on others, despite reassurances by the government.” Meanwhile, the commissioner appealed to the community “to henceforth desist from any untoward acts such as the current ill-advised excavation in the estate or face stiff sanctions from the Lagos State Government”. Meanwhile, Salako visited Mr Bolaji Omotoso, a resident of Magodo Scheme II, to see the extent of damage to his property, occasioned by the excavation. Whilst sympathising with the residents, he advised them to evacuate the building while proper engineering tests would be carried out to ascertain the level of damage. However, he said that it was no longer safe to continue occupying the building as it could cave in with any serious rain.

https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/amp/2018/08/02/lagos-govt-warns-

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Terrorists have attacked Gidan train Station along the Abuja-Kaduna rail track. Sources say the terrorists may have planted IEDs on the tracks forcing the train heading to Abuja from Kaduna to a stop. This is the second attack within 24 hours along the same axis. At least seven persons were killed when terrorists attacked a train at Dutse village on Monday. The Monday incident happened around 7: 45 pm at Dutse village in Chikun Local Government Area, just a few kilometres from the Rigasa train station, which is the last transit point of the train. Although both the police and the Kaduna state government are yet to confirm the number of casualties in the attack. The bandits were said to have opened fire, shooting sporadically on the train, and later gained access to the train. According to sources, mobile policemen attached to the train engaged the bandits in a gun duel but were tactical in their shooting so as not to exhaust their ammunitions considering how prepared the bandits were. However, many especially those in the first and second coaches were said to have been taken away by the bandits including a pregnant woman and her baby, while about six persons were reportedly killed. But an eyewitness who was also a passenger on the train told Channels Television that some people died while an unspecified number of passengers were taken away by the bandits. Giving an account of the incident, the source said that the bandits planted Improvised Explosive devices along the rail track, and when the passenger train from Abuja to Kaduna got to that point, the bomb exploded twice, thereby causing the train to derail. “About an hour later, soldiers were mobilized It was at that point that soldiers were mobilized to the area about an hour later, and they were able to disperse the bandits, who also escaped with some of the hostages”. After calm was restored by the soldiers, the passengers walked about 45 kilometres under security cover to the Abuja-Kaduna highway, and from there, they were conveyed in buses to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference hospital in the Kaduna state capital, where those who sustained injury were immediately treated.

https://www.channelstv.com/2022/03/29/just-in-terrorists-attack-train-

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22nd December, 2023 By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano Hundreds of low-income contributors to an investment scheme in Kano will experience bleak Christmas and New Year celebrations in the ancient commercial city of Kano as thevlady coordinator used all their hard-earned money to send her man abroad. Investigations by our Correspondent indicated that the ugly incident happened at 56 Wheather Head, Sabon Gari, Kano. However, the full breeze of the crime blew out when men and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), picked her, as she was preparing to escape. Impeccable sources within the area, including neighbours, who do not want their names on print, confirmed to our Correspondent that the crime was a grand plot between the lady and her man to defraud people. A bold man who identified himself as Uche said: “well, only God will judge them. My wife is a victim. I warmed her, but see where we are.” When contacted, NSCDC Public Relations Officer in Kano, DSC Ibrahim Idris Abdullahi, said he is working on it to bring full details.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2023/12/22/kano-bleak-xmas-

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October 19, 2020 by The Nation #ENDSARS: Hoodlums attack, injure RRS operatives in Lagos By Precious Igbonwelundu Hoodlums disguising as #ENDSARS protesters have attacked operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), injuring about 14. The attack occurred on Monday afternoon at Ebute Meta while the operatives were being moved to relieve their colleagues who have been on duty since Sunday. Armed with sticks and bottles, the hoodlums in their hundreds barricaded the RRS truck, pelting the operatives with stones. It was gathered they overpowered the two armed policemen escorting the truck, descended on the officers, and left them with varying degrees of injuries. Already, some of the injured have been moved to the Police Clinic Ikeja and others were taken to the General Hospital for medical attention. The Nation reports that thugs also attacked RRS operatives at LASU on Monday morning, forcing their vehicle to detour. Condemning the attacks on policemen, Lagos Police spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, noted some of the protesters have exhibited violent traits and disdain for the police, urging them to desist from the needless provocation of operatives. He lamented many policemen have been injured in Adekunle area of Yaba, adding that many of those protesting were too aggressive and do not want to see the police around them. He appealed to the protesters to get organised and have a structure so they can easily communicate the reason(s) of the protests to supporters to avoid misrepresentation and anarchy.

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February 5, 2020 by The Nation I’m still in shock- Father of suspected bomber arrested in Winner Chapel Father of suspected suicide bomber caught in Winners Chapel Kaduna last Sunday, Samuel Ezekiel, has expressed shock over the act of his son, Nathaniel. He said the thought that Nathaniel could have killed thousands of worshippers in the service makes his shudder. He also debunked rumour that Nathaniel is a Muslim. “No! Not even for a single day has he been a Muslim,” Nathaniel’s father,” Ezekiel, said in his Marabar Demishi village in Kaduna. The alleged bomber’s true identity has become a controversy in the social media, with some accusing the police of changing his name to deflect anger against Boko Haram or the Muslim community. Some reports said Samuel had told the Christian leaders who arrested him at the Winners Chapel branch in Kaduna that he was Mohammed Sani, only for the police to parade him as Nathaniel Samuel. The father, who spoke along with the Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, revealed Nathaniel was born in 1991 and schooled in the state. He stated his mother is from Nasarawa state even though she no longer lives with them. Ezekiel also said he was shocked when he was told that his son carried a bomb into a church because he wondered what would have happened to the lives of people in the church. “If he was alone, I don’t care but for the lives that are in the church, I begin to wonder. I shed tears,” he said. Reverend Hayab Joseph said he knew the father of the suspect for many years, noting that it’s just that he didn’t know that Nathaniel was the son of Mr. Ezekiel until he visited the house. He said CAN is not concerned about Nathaniel’s name or religion but the act of criminality that he would have committed which should be addressed. He also expressed disappointment over the failure of the Police to do a thorough check on the suspect’s background, saying that would have saved Nigerians a lot of stress on the identity of the suspect.

https://thenationonlineng.net/im-still-in-shock-father-of-suspected-bomber-

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December 17, 2020 by The Nation Drama as Kano factional PDP expels Kwankwaso By Fanen Ihyongo, Kano A mild drama played out on Thursday as a faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano state, led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, expelled former Kano Governor, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from the party for alleged “anti-party activities.” The group also accused the former Defence Minister and 2019 PDP presidential aspirant (Kwankwaso) of “gross violation of constitutional orders of the PDP.” The Wali faction announced the expulsion of Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, shortly after a Congress brought into place a new leadership of the faction. For a long time, the Wali faction and Kwankwasiyya Movement had been in leadership tussle for the soul of the PDP in Kano. The court recently held that the caretaker committee put in place by the Kwankwaso faction was the legitimate leadership of the PDP. The ruling prompted the Kwankwasiyya group to elect party officials on Monday. Shehu Wada Sagagi was elected chairman; Dankaka Hussaini Bebeji became deputy chairman while Jamilu Abubakar Dambatta emerged Secretary of the party. Not satisfied with the High Court verdict, the Aminu Wali faction approached the Court of Appeal to upturn the ruling by the lower court. Besides expelling Sen. Kwankwaso from PDP, the Wali faction also elected 39 new executives to pilot the affairs of the opposition party in Kano. The new executives elected by the Wali factional PDP have Muhammina Bako Lamido as State chairman of the party while Garba Abdullahi Gezawa is Secretary. Delegates from the 44 local government areas and 448 Wards of the state, making a total of 8,717 delegates, showed up for the congress which was held at the Kano Foundation House. Newly elected chairman, Muhammina Bako Lamido, said they conducted fresh congress because, constitutionally the tenure of the old executives have expired. He recalled that they had formed the ‘Interim Executives’ in 2018 when Kwankwaso joined the party, insisting that they remain the authentic leadership of the opposition party in Kano. “Kwankwaso cannot lead or speak for our party because he lacks legal powers to do so. You can check whether his Movement has Wards, Local Governments and State Executives; they have been alone and alone, and they remain so.” Commenting on the recent Court judgment that recognised Kwankwaso faction as the authentic party leadership, Lamido said they have appealed the Judgement, “and as such the status-quo remains until the determination of the upper Court.”

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