Nigerian Eye

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has debunked the report by the press freedom organization, Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), that a certain Nigerian journalist has been in detention for the past two years.<br />
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The Minister, who issued the rebuttal at the Gala/Award Night of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Abuja on Friday, said the person the CPJ was referring to was never a journalist.<br />
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“Let me state here, without equivocating, that contrary to the report by the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), no journalist is in detention in Nigeria. Clement Abiri, who is being referred to as a journalist, is not one. He does not belong to any chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists. He was arrested for pipeline vandalism and crude theft, including militant activities in the Niger Delta,” he said.<br />
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Alhaji Mohammed restated the commitment of the present administration to press freedom and gave the assurance that the media has nothing to fear under the present dispensation.<br />
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“In my opening comments at the 2016 IPI Congress in Doha, I said we as a government view the media as a partner. That remains true. I also said the media in Nigeria has nothing to fear from this Administration, and that – if anything – we as a government are the ones who have to fear the media. Also, that has not changed.<br />
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”We are proud that the Nigerian media is one of the most vibrant in the world. We are proud of the role that the Nigerian media has played in our long march to democratic governance. This administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for the journalist to function unmolested,” he said.<br />
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While speaking on the theme of the 67th IPI World Congress, which is “Why Good Journalism Matters,” the Minister said apart from alerting the government to the indispensable role of the media in the society, it reminds it of the purpose of journalism which is to serve all citizens in a democratic society and to tell the truth.<br />
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“If we all agree about this obligation, then it behoves the media to tell the truth, not just to power, but to the people, making it easier for them to get the facts in the right context, thus facilitating their decision-making process. But in an era of growing cases of fake news and disinformation, can we still say the media – whether traditional or new – is living true to this dictum? If the answer is no, what does this portend for the profession in particular and the society in general? I am sure this congress is examining the issue critically in the course of its deliberations,” he said.<br />
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Alhaji Mohammed appealed to the media to always report the government in the right context in order to give the people the opportunity to make informed decisions.<br />
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He said the present administration has kept its promise to fight corruption, tackle insecurity and revamp the economy.<br />
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The Minister said before the advent of the present administration, a territory three times the size of Lebanon, in the North-east of the country, was firmly in the hands of Boko Haram but that not an inch of the territory is currently under the control of Boko Haram.<br />
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“That is a fact. When Mr. President was taking the oath of office, Boko Haram retained the capacity to stroll into this city, at a time of its own choosing, to wreak havoc. Remember that the insurgents attacked the UN Complex, the police headquarters, motor parks, a newspaper office, etc right here in Abuja. That is now history. And that is a fact! Yes, cowardly suicide bombings still occur occasionally, such is the nature of a waning insurgency, what I will call the last kicks of a dying horse,” he said.<br />
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In the area of fighting corruption, Alhaji Mohammed said in addition to prosecution of alleged looters, the government has embarked on institutional reforms to address the menace, citing the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the establishment of an Efficiency Unit to monitor the income and expenditure of government.<br />
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He said the government’s Whistle-Blower Policy has yielded massive dividends, listing 13.8 billion Naira from tax evaders, as well as 7.8 billion Naira, 378 million dollars and 27,800 pounds in recoveries from public officials targeted by whistleblowers.<br />
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The Minister thanked the IPI for granting Nigeria the hosting right for its 67th World Congress, which he described as an affirmation that Nigeria is now safe for citizens and foreigners alike.<br />
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Latest-News No journalist in detention in Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has debunked the report by the press freedom organization, Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), that a certain Nigerian journalist has been in detention for the past two years. The Min…

APC National Convention: Oshiomole, his wife, other delegates defy rain

15:49 Unknown 0

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 Delegates to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention on Saturday in Abuja defied rainfall, which began early in the day, to throng Eagle Square, venue of the convention.<br />
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Moreso Comrade Adams Oshiomole accompanied by his wife, Iara has arrived the Eagle Square for the convention of the All Progressives Congress, APC.<br />
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Also on duty in spite of the rain were Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) officials deployed in strategic locations for traffic sanity and safety around the venue.<br />
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The officials diverted traffic from Ralph Soheinde Street at Federal Ministry of Finance to Goodluck Jonathan Expressway and other routes to take heavy traffic away from the convention venue.<br />
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Vendors of various products also had visible presence in the convention vicinity, taking advantage of the crowd of delegates and their supporters to make brisk business.<br />
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Prominent among the vendors were those selling food, snacks, soft drinks, mobile telephone appliances and APC items.<br />
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The venue of the convention was adorned with white, blue, red and green colours of the APC and was also decorated with the party’s flag.<br />
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The environment was replete with posters of contestants for various positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, some carried round by their supporters.<br />
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No fewer than 6, 800 delegates are expected from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to be in attendance at the convention.</div>

Latest-News APC National Convention: Oshiomole, his wife, other delegates defy rain

Delegates to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention on Saturday in Abuja defied rainfall, which began early in the day, to throng Eagle Square, venue of the convention. Moreso Comrade Adams Oshiomole accompanied by his wife, Iara h…

Belgium 5-2 Tunisia: Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard bag braces as Red Devils run riot

15:19 Unknown 0

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Romelu Lukaku’s superb start to the World Cup continued on Saturday as the Manchester United striker scored twice to fire Belgium to a 4-1 win over Tunisia at the Spartak Moscow Stadium.<br />
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Lukaku’s brace, his second at this summer's tournament, means he is now the joint top scorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo with four goals in two games.<br />
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Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side came into the Group G encounter having beaten Panama 3-0 in their opening match, a game that Lukaku stole the headlines in following his brace.<br />
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But it was Eden Hazard who took the early attention after he won, and then converted, a sixth-minute penalty.<br />
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After being fouled in the area by Syam Ben Youssef, the Chelsea forward fired past Tunisia goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha to hand the advantage to Belgium and it took just 10 more minutes for Martinez’s men to double their lead.<br />
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This time it was Lukaku who scored after he was set up by Dries Mertens, but Tunisia got a goal back just two minutes later when Wahbi Khazri sent in a free-kick that Dylan Bronn headed past an outstretching Thibaut Courtois.<br />
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Tunisia felt they should have had a penalty when Khazri went down in the area after seemingly being hit in the face by Jan Vertonghen in the box.<br />
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But nothing was given, and Khazri proceeded to test Courtois with a fierce effort that the Chelsea goalkeeper saved.<br />
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Despite Tunisia’s threatening attacks, the team were shaky and nervous at the back, and Belgium took full advantage after Lukaku - who had missed a chance right in front of goal moments before - sent in Thomas Meunier’s through-ball on the stroke of half-time.<br />
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Tunisia, who were beaten 2-1 in added time by England in their first World Cup match, found themselves 4-1 down shortly after the break courtesy of a sensational goal from Hazard.<br />
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The forward chested a lofty ball down and, after sending it past the onrushing Ben Mustapha, finished off the move with coolness and precision.<br />
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With Belgium taking on England in their final group match next week, Martinez took off star men Lukaku and Hazard for Marouane Fellaini and Michy Batshuayi respectively.<br />
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Batshuayi could have added gloss to the scoreline but saw a shot cleared off the line, another hit the underside of the bar and another saved moments later by Ben Mustapha.<br />
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Batshayi finally grabbed his goal as the game entered stoppage time, latching on to fellow substitute Youri Tielemans' pass to slide in and beat the goalkeeper.<br />
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It was Batshuayi's fifth shot of the match, having come on in the 68th minute, more than any other player. Wahbi Khazri added a late consolation for Tunisia at the death.<br />
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Source: Standard<br />
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Latest-News Belgium 5-2 Tunisia: Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard bag braces as Red Devils run riot

Romelu Lukaku’s superb start to the World Cup continued on Saturday as the Manchester United striker scored twice to fire Belgium to a 4-1 win over Tunisia at the Spartak Moscow Stadium. Lukaku’s brace, his second at this summer's tournament, means …

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Nigeria Super Eagles’ first choice goalkeeper, Ikeme gives update on leukaemia treatment

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Bayelsa removes 28,000 ‘ghost’ workers from payroll

14:44 Unknown 0

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The Bayelsa government said the ongoing public service reforms has reduced its workforce from 55,000 to 27,000, thus fishing out and expunging 28,000 ghost workers from its payroll.<br />
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The Bayelsa Commissioner for Information, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Yenagoa.<br />
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Iworiso-Markson was reacting to criticism by the Bayelsa chapter of All Progressives Congress to the job losses occasioned by the management of the reforms.<br />
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He berated APC for criticising the reforms, adding that the aim was to deal with payroll fraud and not to sack workers.<br />
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It would be recalled that an APC member of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, representing Brass 1 Constituency, Mr Israel Soni-Goli while receiving two members of the PDP led government noted that the government was not managing the reforms properly.<br />
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The Bayelsa Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Ibarakumo Otobo and Mr Asari Mangeta, an aide to Gov. Seriake Dickson, had on Wednesday defected from the PDP to APC.<br />
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According to Iworiso-Markson, the APC only made a failed attempt to discredit the well-intentioned public sector reforms in Bayelsa.<br />
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He said that media reports quoting the APC as having described the sack of 28,000 workers as regrettable only shows that the party and its followers are not abreast of developments in Bayelsa.<br />
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He added that any politician attempting to attack the reforms and the removal of fictitious names from the payroll was an enemy of Bayelsa and her people.<br />
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The Commissioner described the commencement of the ongoing exercise to engage 1000 workers into the public service as a pointer to the benefits of the reforms.<br />
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He further said that the recruitment was in addition to the huge financial reprieve from the removal of ghost names from the payroll.<br />
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He, however, challenged the APC to provide one qualified Bayelsa civil servant who was sacked as a result of the ongoing reforms to back its claim.<br />
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“It is clear that the APC in the state is worried by the wide acceptance of the reforms by Bayelsans.<br />
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“When you are out against ingrained corruption, what do you expect? Corruption will fight back. This is a classic case of corruption drawing the daggers against the reforms in the name of APC in Bayelsa.<br />
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“Anybody faulting the holistic implementation of the reforms hates Bayelsa; anybody attempting to politicise the removal of fictitious names from the over-bloated payroll is an enemy of the unemployed Bayelsa youth.<br />
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“What this government has done is what other administrations failed to do because they considered political considerations above the interest and survival of our dear state.<br />
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“Who are the 28,000 workers that have been sacked? Where were they sacked from?,”  he asked.<br />
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The commissioner added that the APC should be in a position to parade some of the supposedly sacked workers from the public service.<br />
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He said the fact was that a party built on a mound of lies would not stand, saying, this lie should be discountenanced as Bayelsa is not a ghost society.<br />
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“You do not sack ghost because there is no provision for them in the society of humans,” he said.</div>

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Buhari reinstates three suspended permanent secretaries

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Argentina game do-or-die - Musa

14:39 Unknown 0

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Deadly Ahmed Musa struck two stunning goals to sink Iceland 2-0 on Friday and then promised to do the same to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Tuesday’s Group D showdown.<br />
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The Leicester City striker, currently on loan at CSKA Moscow, became the first Nigerian to score at two World Cups as the Super Eagles secured a crucial win over Iceland, who missed a penalty.<br />
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He scored both goals in Nigeria’s group stage 3-2 defeat to Argentina in Porto Alegre, Brazil, four years ago and is relishing the chance to do it again.<br />
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But this time he hopes it will knock out the South Americans.<br />
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“I think scoring against Argentina isn’t that difficult for me,” he smiled after his man-of-the-match performance in Volgograd. “We know the importance of the game. It’s do-or-die.”<br />
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The African side will secure a spot in the knockout stage alongside Croatia if they beat Argentina.<br />
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A draw would be enough to eliminate the Argentines but would leave Nigeria’s fate resting on the outcome of Iceland’s game against Croatia which kicks off at the same time.<br />
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Musa also scored twice for Leicester in a 4-2 pre-season friendly defeat against Messi-inspired Barcelona two years ago and said he always scores when up against the Argentine superstar.<br />
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“I can remember four years ago when Messi played in Brazil I scored two goals,” he recalled.<br />
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“And when I transferred to Leicester I played against Barcelona and he’s on the pitch and I scored another two goals.<br />
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“So I think next game anything can happen — possibly I’m going to score another two goals,” he laughed.</div>

Latest-News Argentina game do-or-die - Musa

Deadly Ahmed Musa struck two stunning goals to sink Iceland 2-0 on Friday and then promised to do the same to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Tuesday’s Group D showdown. The Leicester City striker, currently on loan at CSKA Moscow, became the first Nige…

2019 polls: Don’t promise restructuring, Southern, Middle Belt leaders tell Buhari, APC

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The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders forum, yesterday, warned  President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, not to tap into restructuring by issuing promissory notes on it saying Nigerians would see such as a dud cheque.<br />
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In a statement by Messrs Yinka Odumakin (South West), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South), Prof Chogozie Ogbu (South East) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt) entitled: ‘Nigeria In Distress: Restructuring, the only way out and its only now for APC’, the leaders restated the need for the APC led government to restructure the country before the 2019 saying “Nigeria is careering dangerously to the edge of the precipice.”<br />
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The forum lampooned the APC for refusing to restructure the country as it promised during its 2015 campaigns lamenting that the present state of the country is now in a coma.<br />
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The statement reads: “Nigeria our dear country is now in coma of a sort. It is not the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders saying so but the facts of our existence are screaming it loud. Millions of our young people roam the streets without jobs. The ruling party promised to create 3m jobs annually in 2015 but 9 million jobs have been lost instead in three years. Frustration is driving many citizens to commit suicide now and then.</div>

Latest-News 2019 polls: Don’t promise restructuring, Southern, Middle Belt leaders tell Buhari, APC

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You lied on Paris Club refund denial, Fayemi tells Fayose

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The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has said there was no truth in the claims by Governor Ayodele Fayose that the Federal Government is deliberately delaying disbursement of Paris Club cash to the states of the federation to hurt Ekiti State’s bid to pay workers salary.<br />
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Fayose had said that the alleged move by the Federal Government was to incapacitate Ekiti State to pay workers salary to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) use non-payment of salary as a campaign tool against PDP candidate, Prof Olusola Eleka, in the July 14 governorship election.<br />
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A statement by Fayose’s media aide also alleged that Fayemi’s administration plunged the state into debt, including leaving two months’ salaries unpaid and that N35.34b was being deducted every month from Ekiti allocations to service the debt, arguing that if the governor had N35.34bn, he would not owe workers.<br />
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But a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, faulted the claims, arguing that Fayose was using cheap blackmail to get undeserved public sympathy and support ahead of the July 14 poll and explained that Ekiti total debts while Fayemi was leaving office, according to DMO, was N18b.<br />
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He added that contrary to claim that Fayemi owed two months salary, the administration owed just one month salary mainly because Fayose threatened banks not to grant Fayemi a standing facility to pay salary ahead of Abuja allocation.<br />
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He said: “This is a cheap blackmail and characteristic propaganda by Fayose, for how can one claim that N35.34b is being spent to service the debt of N18b?<br />
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“How can the Federal Government cripple all the states because of the election in Ekiti State as if President Muhammadu Buhari is like President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that paid Ecological Fund cash to PDP’s states but refused to pay APC states?<br />
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“How did Fayose spend the Paris Club refunds he earlier collected to pay salary but refused to pay workers?<br />
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“Fayose collected a bailout of about N20b in two tranches for workers salary but diverted all to self-serving projects having earlier taken N2b CBN small-scale business credit scheme but never release one kobo to any small-scale business owner.<br />
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“Fayose collected N2b Ecological Fund, but for close to a year, he consistently lied that he ever collected the money, only to own up when APC approached Ecological Fund office with the Freedom of Information (FOI) instrument to get the fact, and the very week Fayose shamelessly confessed taking the money, he announced Ecological project contract totalling exactly N2b, even though up till now, there is no sign of ecological project across the state as could be seen in ecological disasters that ravaged the state.<br />
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“Again, the governor was secretly collecting N1.3b Budget Support Facility for 14 months to pay salary but he never told workers he was collecting this money on their behalf for salary until he exposed himself when he made similar allegation like the case here that President Muhammadu deliberately withheld Ekiti State allocation.<br />
<br />
“After a long period of blackmail, the Federal Government responded, explaining that it withheld Ekiti cash because Fayose was illegally diverting it to other purposes, and this expose created opportunity for Ekiti workers, for the first time, to know that Fayose was collecting such facility on their behalf to pay salary but consistently diverting it illegally.”<br />
<br />
Olujobi also faulted Fayose’s claim that Fayemi’s administration debts service obligation was hurting the state’s capacity to pay workers.<br />
<br />
He explained: “DMO put Ekiti total official debts at N18b by the time Fayose started blackmailing Fayemi for plunging the state to N86b debts, and by the time Fayose later became more notorious for his lies on Ekiti debts, DMO published the debts by all the states of the federation, revealing that Fayose had borrowed N56b between 2014 and 2018.<br />
<br />
“Records have also shown that Fayose is presently paying N1.7b monthly in monthly salary, but still fraudulently claims that the figure remains the same as N2.6b that Fayemi was paying after Fayose removed about 40,000 names from the wage bill he inherited from Fayemi.”<br />
<br />
Urging Fayose to disclose the IGR profile allegedly kept in secret accounts, JKF Campaign spokesman said Ekiti people and workers in particular had become wiser after discovering that their governor had been “unconscionably running Ekiti State like a buka where accountability is zero”.<br />
<br />
Stressing that Ekiti people can no longer be fooled by deceits, he urged workers to insist on their salaries and should not to be deceived by an administration that sees Ekiti State as a jackpot for private comfort.<br />
<br />
He also urged Fayose to stop lying that he owed workers four months salary, asking the governor to pay six months he owed state workers, seven months for workers in tertiary institutions, local government eight months, teaching hospital seven while pensioners were owed 11 months.</div>

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Military should provide Nnamdi Kanu not Abaribe – Ohanaeze

13:34 Unknown 0

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Ohane Ndigbo has asked the judiciary not to behave in impunity similar to the excesses of Executive arm, particularly on issues affecting Ndigbo.<br />
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The Apex Igbo group was reacting to the arrest of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of Abia South by the Department for State Service, DSS, over the disappearance of the leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu whom Abaribe granted surety for bail.<br />
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Ohanaeze said that it is of the opinion that circumstances the led to Kanu’s disappearance was beyond the Senator and rather asked the military to produce Kanu for the Court and douse the heightened tension of his evaporation.<br />
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In a statement by President General of the Apex Igbo group, Chief Nnia Nwodo, Ohanaze said the circumstances prevailing at the time of the disappearance of Nnamdi Kanu were also beyond the contemplation of the law that a surety can guarantee the production of an accused person.<br />
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Ohanaeze recalled that the army in the name of “Operation Python Dance” invaded Nnamdi’s home and destabilized normalcy there.<br />
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“It is only the security agency that can disclose Nnamdi’s whereabout. Senator Abaribe has no capacity, nor has any surety in the circumstances to know the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu. What happened in Umahia was an invasion, a war of a kind.<br />
<br />
“Nnamdi may have been killed or captured in the imbroglio or even escaped into hiding. The onus lies on the security forces to disclose his whereabout.<br />
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“The judiciary is beginning to tow the line of the executive by throwing the law overboard in matters that affect the South East. We are all equal before the law. Senator Abaribe must be released forthwith,” Nwodo demanded.</div>

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APC convention: Police deploy 5000 personnel, 2 helicopters, 6 APCs for security

13:34 Unknown 0

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AS the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, holds its national convention today, the police have announce the deployment of 5,000 personnel to provide security in around the convention ground.<br />
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Also, two helicopters and two Armoured Personnel Carriers, according to the police, were deployed for similar reason.<br />
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Force Public Relations Officer, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, announced the security measures in in statement yesterday.<br />
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According to the statement, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, “has directed the implementation of a robust Security arrangement to ensure a secured and hitch-free convention.”<br />
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The 5,000 police personnel deployed, the state disclosed, comprised “the Police Mobile Force (PMF), the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Protection Unit (SPU), the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), the Police Mounted Troop, The Dog Section (K9), the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID), The Police Air-wing and the Force Armament Unit.”<br />
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They were deployed ” under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations, to ensure adequate security for all the accredited participants at the convention.”<br />
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The statement added that security coverage have been provided also at all the accreditation centres.<br />
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“In addition, two Police Helicopters, six Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) are already deployed for the security of the convention. Personnel of other security and safety agencies are also being deployed to complement the Nigeria Police Force in ensuring adequate security and a hitch-free convention, “the statement further said.<br />
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It further read:” Only accredited delegates accredited party officials bearing the APC clearance/identification tags will be allowed into the venue.<br />
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” Personnel of all Security and Safety agencies deployed for the security of the convention must also wear the certified identification tag conspicuously at the venue. Only one aide will be allowed to follow their principals into the venue of the convention.<br />
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” The Nigeria Police Force hereby warns all unauthorised individual(s) and group(s) who have no business with the convention to steer clear of the venue. The full weight of the law will be applied on any person or group of persons who try to disruptthe orderliness and conduct of the convention.<br />
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“The Personnel deployed are under strict instruction to be civil, polite but strict and firm in the discharge of their duties during the convention.”<br />
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The statement said there would ” be diversion of traffic from all the routes to the Eagle Square from Ahmadu Bello Way, Shehu Shagari Way and other roads leading to the venue of the convention.”<br />
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“Road users and other members of the public are advised to use alternative routes, “it advised.<br />
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” Any member of the public with complaint or observation on security issue can call the following numbers 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653for immediate response, “it said.</div>

Latest-News APC convention: Police deploy 5000 personnel, 2 helicopters, 6 APCs for security

AS the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, holds its national convention today, the police have announce the deployment of 5,000 personnel to provide security in around the convention ground. Also, two helicopters and two Armoured Personnel Carri…

Obasanjo is Nigeria’s most hypocritical former leader – Soyinka

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Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of being the most hypocritical former leader of the country, following his attempt to hijack the movement for political change.<br />
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He stated this in Abuja on Friday at a dinner organised by the International Press Institute.<br />
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“Obasanjo has crossed the red line and I will launch a publication to expose him on July 3 at Freedom Park in Lagos,” Soyinka stated.<br />
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He is trying to hijack a recovery process he is least worthy to lead.<br />
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According Soyinka, Obasanjo is not the right person to lead any movement for reform on change of leadership in the country in 2019 and that Obasanjo’s Coalition for Nigerian Movement should not be glorified.<br />
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He said Obasanjo and other geriatric leaders of his generation should step aside and allow a new generation to lead the nation.<br />
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Responding to a question that he has not been critical of Obasanjo as he had been of other past leaders, especially late General Sani Abacha, Soyinka  said, “As for Obasanjo, I have news for him. And it has been a progressive thing.<br />
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“I believe Obasanjo has really crossed the red line because he is trying to put himself as the head of a recovery process. He is trying to hijack the recovery process in this nation and I say that he is one of the least worthy of one of the former heads of States to lead that kind of movement.<br />
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“I have brought out a publication about that, the title is in Latin but it means; who watches the watchmen. That publication is coming out simply because I will like to see new blood in governance in this nation and I think these corrupt and hypocritical geriatrics should stop recycling themselves and they should stop trying to co-opt their former cronies to take over the reigns of governance in this nation.”</div>

Latest-News Obasanjo is Nigeria’s most hypocritical former leader – Soyinka

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Rain delays APC convention but delegates troop in

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday promised that his administration would not forget citizens in their time of distress.<br />
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Buhari , represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity , Garba Shehu, spoke while receiving Internally Displaced Persons from the Kuchingoro Camp , in the Federal Capital Territory at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.<br />
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The IDPs are getting set to return to their communities in the North - East .<br />
According to a statement by the Deputy Director ( Information ), State House , Attah Esa , the President promised to continue to work for the betterment and security of the people.<br />
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He assured the IDPs that his administration would leave no stone unturned in restoring their devastated communities for their immediate and safe return.<br />
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“While congratulating the 2 , 000 IDPs at the Kuchingoro Camp, in the Federal Capital Territory , who are getting set to return to their communities in the North - East , the President assured all Nigerians that his administration would not forget citizens in their time of distress and would continue to work for the betterment and security of the people , ” the statement read.<br />
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Buhari also used the opportunity to thank members of the international community and Nigerians, including Aliko Dangote , Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd. ) , and other philanthropists for their sustained efforts towards the reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed communities in the North- East.<br />
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Mrs . Maryam Nuhu , the leader of the IDPs , who were mainly women and children, thanked the Buhari - led administration for the ongoing reconstruction of their communities.<br />
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“Our towns and villages have been cleared of these terrorists . We can now confidently return home and pick up our lives from the points where we will meet them , ” she said .</div>

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‘He has no capacity to produce Nnamdi Kanu’ — Ohanaeze Ndigbo demands immediate release of Abaribe

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BREAKING: Musa Nets Brace As Nigeria Beats Iceland 2-0

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Ahmed Musa scored both goals as Nigeria swept aside World Cup debutants Iceland to leave Group D intriguingly poised with one round of games to go.<br />
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The Super Eagles would have gone out with defeat but came good in Volgograd.<br />
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Musa showed superb technique to fire Nigeria ahead on the half-volley before the Leicester player rounded keeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson to make it 2-0.<br />
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Iceland missed a late penalty awarded after a video assistant referee review, Gylfi Sigurdsson firing over.<br />
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Nigeria, who had started the day bottom of the group, are now second - three points behind leaders Croatia, who have already qualified for the knockout stage.<br />
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Iceland, who face Croatia next Tuesday, and Argentina, who play Nigeria at the same time, both have one point.<br />
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Source: BBC</div>

Latest-News BREAKING: Musa Nets Brace As Nigeria Beats Iceland 2-0

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Brazil late show eliminates Costa Rica

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Stoppage-time goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar snatched Brazil a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in their World Cup Group E match in Saint-Petersberg this afternoon.<br />
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The five-time winners seemed poised for another draw, especially after a penalty awarded to Neymar was overturned by referee Bjorn Kuipers after consulting VAR.<br />
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However, Coutinho's 91st-minute strike rescued the Selacao an important victory which puts them top of the group, and Neymar soon struck to consign Costa Rica to elimination.<br />
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Costa Rica had the best chance of the first half on 13 minutes when Celtic defender Cristian Gamboa darted past Paulinho and pulled a cross back for Celso Borges, who stroked a side-footed shot narrowly wide.<br />
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The Selecao began to move through the gears after the opening 25 minutes and had a goal disallowed when an expert touch-and-finish on the volley from Gabriel Jesus was in vain because of the offside flag.<br />
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Passed fit despite missing training this week, Neymar had a decent opening moments later when his run off the left was spotted by Coutinho, but his hesitation allowed Keylor Navas to smother Brazil's talisman.<br />
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It looked for a long time as though Navas would keep Brazil at bay as he kept out Real Madrid teammate Marcelo and Coutinho before the break, and there were better saves to come in the second period.<br />
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Only a fingertip over the crossbar denied Neymar when he met Douglas Costa's cutback sweetly on the volley on 55 minutes, and the goalkeeper stood tall again when Coutinho ran onto a layoff from Jesus.<br />
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When Navas was beaten, Brazil were thwarted by other means as Jesus thumped a header against the crossbar, with an apparently simple Coutinho follow-up deflected around the post by a Johnny Acosta block.<br />
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Brazil's exasperation was embodied by Neymar, who squandered a glorious chance on 76 minutes when he whipped a shot over the crossbar after pouncing on a mistake from Giancarlo Gonzalez to run clear, and then saw a penalty award overturned following consulation with VAR.<br />
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Gonzalez did have a little tug on Neymar's shirt and Dutch referee Kuipers initially pointed to the spot, only to reverse his decision after looking at the video replay, adjudging the Paris Saint-Germain forward to have gone to ground too easily.<br />
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Costa Rica showed great spirit to keep Brazil to parity for 90 minutes, but their luck ran out in added time as Coutinho burst onto a knockdown from Roberto Firmino to poke the ball through the legs of Navas from close range - his second goal in as many matches.<br />
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Neymar was redeemed with virtually the last kick of the game as he cushioned a volley into an empty net after a selfless cross from Costa, securing a victory which puts Brazil in a strong position to make the last 16.<br />
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Source: Sportsmole</div>

Latest-News Brazil late show eliminates Costa Rica

Stoppage-time goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar snatched Brazil a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in their World Cup Group E match in Saint-Petersberg this afternoon. The five-time winners seemed poised for another draw, especially after a penalty awa…

Live Commentary: Nigeria vs Iceland

16:02 Unknown 0

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Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the World Cup Group D match between Nigeria and Iceland.<br />
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The Super Eagles need a win to avoid going into their final match with Argentina on the brink of World Cup 2018 elimination<br />
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15 mins til KO: Meanwhile, World Cup debutants Iceland have lost just one of their six matches in major tournaments (W2 D3 L1).<br />
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Nigeria have won just one of their last 13 games at the World Cup (W1 D3 L9), losing their last three, with that solitary victory coming against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014.<br />
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20 mins til KO: There has only been one previous meeting between Nigeria and Iceland, with the latter winning 3-0 in a friendly in August 1981.</div>

Latest-News Live Commentary: Nigeria vs Iceland

Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the World Cup Group D match between Nigeria and Iceland. The Super Eagles need a win to avoid going into their final match with Argentina on the brink of World Cup 2018 elimination 15 mins til KO: M…

BREAKING: ‘Your aides didn’t brief you properly’ — N’assembly replies Buhari over comments on budget

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Latest-News BREAKING: ‘Your aides didn’t brief you properly’ — N’assembly replies Buhari over comments on budget

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Atiku storms PDP HQ, demands fair presidential primaries

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Latest-News Atiku storms PDP HQ, demands fair presidential primaries

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BREAKING: Senator Abaribe arrested

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Latest-News BREAKING: Senator Abaribe arrested

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CAN insists Buhari’s aide, Onochie causing religious tension

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Latest-News CAN insists Buhari’s aide, Onochie causing religious tension

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Atiku sends powerful message to Super Eagles ahead of Iceland clash

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Latest-News Atiku sends powerful message to Super Eagles ahead of Iceland clash

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nPDP members only interested in fighting personal political battles

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Latest-News nPDP members only interested in fighting personal political battles

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Alleged N1.5bn fraud: Court fixes Oct. 4 for “no case” submission of ex-Gov. Dariye’s son

13:57 Unknown 0

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The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed Oct. 4, to hear an address on a no-case submission by Nanle Dariye, son of a former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye.<br />
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On June 13, the senior Dariye bagged 14 years imprisonment for embezzling state funds.<br />
Nanle is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a six-count amended charge of money laundering in the sum of N1.5 billion.<br />
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At the resumed trial on Friday, following the cross-examination of the third prosecution witness, Mr Effa Imoh-Okim, the Prosecutor, Mr George Adebola closed the case of the prosecution.<br />
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“My Lord, that is the case of the prosecution, we have no more witnesses to call,” he said.<br />
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Counsel to Nanle, Mr Peter Erivwode then asked the court for a date to enable him prove that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima-facie case against his client.<br />
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“My Lord, the prosecution having closed its case, we ask for a date to establish that no case has been made against the defendant, to warrant him to open his defence.”<br />
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The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, adjourned the matter until Oct. 4 for address on a “no-case” submission.<br />
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Earlier, during cross-examination, the witness had told the court that the signature on the statement Nanle made to the EFCC was different from the one on the documents obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).<br />
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Erivwode asked the court to show the documents to the witness to confirm if the signatures on them were the same, and he said they were different.<br />
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The documents from the CAC are in respect to the registration status of a hotel, Apartment le Paradis, the second defendant in the matter where Nanle is alleged to be a director.<br />
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The EFCC alleges that Nanle, sometime in 2013, failed to report a cash transaction to the tune of N1.5 billion which he received through the hotel’s bank account.<br />
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According to the anti-graft agency, the offence contravenes Section 5(1) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and is punishable under Section 5 (b) of the same Act. </div>

Latest-News Alleged N1.5bn fraud: Court fixes Oct. 4 for “no case” submission of ex-Gov. Dariye’s son

The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed Oct. 4, to hear an address on a no-case submission by Nanle Dariye, son of a former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye. On June 13, the senior Dariye bagged 14 years imprisonment for embezzling state funds. Nanle…

Arrested suspect of pipeline vandalism, Abiri not a Journalist – Garba Shehu

13:47 Unknown 0

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Mr. Jones Abiri, the man said to have been arrested by the Department of State Services , DSS, is not a journalist and does not belong to any chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journlists, Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity clarified Thursday night.<br />
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Shehu said Abiri was arrested for pipeline vandalism and crude theft, including militant activities in the Niger Delta.<br />
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The presidential spokesman was reacting to a statement at the World Congress of International Press Institute in Abuja that a journalist, known as Jones Abiri was arrested in the course of his work.<br />
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“On the issue of the arrest and continued detention of Mr Jones Abiri, who allegedly parades himself as a journalist, by the Department of State Services (DSS), it is instructive to note that the accused is a guest of the security agency because of his alleged involvement in militant and criminal activities.<br />
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“Admittedly, the issue of Abiri had been brought to the attention of the Presidency by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).<br />
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“As a true believer in the rule of law and the integral role of the media in a democracy, the Presidency did interface with the security agency involved in the matter and our findings confirmed that the suspect is in custody because of alleged involvement in pipeline vandalism and theft.<br />
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“Abiri is not a registered journalist with any of the media professional bodies in the country.’’<br />
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Shehu further stated that there was no evidence to show that Abiri belonged to any chapel or membership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) or payment of the union’s check-off dues.<br />
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“Abiri’s stock-in-trade and notoriety in the liberalised Nigeria media industry include fronting as a spokesman for militants engaged in economic sabotage in the Niger Delta region,’’ he added.<br />
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According to the presidential aide, President Buhari is resolutely committed to the freedom of the press and his administration will ensure that media personnel in the country discharge their duties without let or hindrance.<br />
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He, therefore, frowned at those individuals or groups insinuating that President Buhari was in support of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media.<br />
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“It is therefore very uncharitable for anyone or group to suggest otherwise or infer that the President is in support of restrictions on freedom of expression and the media.<br />
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The presidential spokesman maintained that the Buhari administration would continue to promote the freedom and safety of journalists.<br />
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He reassured that the administration would also do nothing untoward to damage the credibility it had demonstrated in promoting press freedom since coming into power in May 2015.</div>

Latest-News Arrested suspect of pipeline vandalism, Abiri not a Journalist – Garba Shehu

Mr. Jones Abiri, the man said to have been arrested by the Department of State Services , DSS, is not a journalist and does not belong to any chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journlists, Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Presiden…

Ministers explain why President Buhari deserves second term

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President Muhammadu Buhari deserves to be re-elected to build on the development foundation he laid in the first term, some cabinet ministers said on Thursday in Abuja.<br />
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The ministers spoke at the opening of the International Press Institute World Congress 2018 in Abuja tagged: Conversation with the Government of Nigeria’’<br />
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The Ministers of Finance, Interior, Information and Culture as well as Trade and Investment were discussants at the event held at the banquet hall of Presidential Villa, Abuja, with international and local media practitioners.<br />
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Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance said the President deserved to be re-elected following the administration’s achievement in repositioning the economy and putting Nigeria on the path to sustainable growth and recovery.<br />
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According to her, the nation has never had it so good in terms of its potential to grow and really show what the country can do as its diversified economy that creates opportunities.<br />
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The Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau said a re-election was for continuity because “Nigeria cannot get anybody better than President Buhari’’.<br />
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For the Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the administration had delivered on all its promises and deserve a second term.<br />
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“We promised Nigerians that we were going to fight insecurity, we fought insecurity; we promised Nigerians that we were going to revive the economy, we have revamped the economy.<br />
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“We promised we were going to fight corruption, corruption today is a taboo in Nigeria,’’ Mohammed said.<br />
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The Minister of Trade, and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah added that under the leadership of the President the citizens had changed the conversation in the country.<br />
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According to him, we are now talking about the importance of security, fighting corruption and good economy “rather than saying corruption is not a problem, it is not different from stealing’’.<br />
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The ministers had earlier taken turns to itemise the achievements of the administration including the expansion of the tax net and diversification of the economy to generate more funds for development.<br />
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They also highlighted the achievements in infrastructure development in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan to enhance job creation, trade and security in different parts of the country.<br />
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“It is quite encouraging that all the things that the nation needs to do to go on the part of growth, we are doing.<br />
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“We are building, we are investing in our security, we have addressed the issue of tax, we have created the enabling environment by investments in infrastructure, which will allow people to take advantage of the government’s initiatives,’’ Adeosun said.<br />
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Lai Mohammed noted that the country exited recession within two quarters while the country’s stock exchange had grown by more than 40 per cent in recent times.<br />
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He added that 200,000 jobs were created though the N-power job creation scheme while the administration was feeding 8.2 million pupils in the school feeding programme.<br />
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He said that the Social Investment Programme of the administration was second to none, adding that government had built 850 kilometres of roads while power generation had increased to 7,000 megawatts from 2,630 megawatts it inherited.<br />
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Enelamah noted that under the present administration, the country was having the same conversation and noted that it was important to continue on the trajectory of the progress being made to sustain it.<br />
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According to him, there is a deliberate plan to industrialise the country through the construction of industrial parks.</div>

Latest-News Ministers explain why President Buhari deserves second term

President Muhammadu Buhari deserves to be re-elected to build on the development foundation he laid in the first term, some cabinet ministers said on Thursday in Abuja. The ministers spoke at the opening of the International Press Institute World Co…

Buhari does not care if Ekiti state is governed by PDP or APC – Osinbajo

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Latest-News Buhari does not care if Ekiti state is governed by PDP or APC – Osinbajo

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Presidency breaks silence on Abiri, journalist arrested by DSS

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Latest-News Presidency breaks silence on Abiri, journalist arrested by DSS

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Senator Shehu Sani faults Buhari for signing appropriation, yet complaining

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Latest-News Senator Shehu Sani faults Buhari for signing appropriation, yet complaining

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Police arrest 9 Shi’ite members over death of its officer

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Latest-News Police arrest 9 Shi’ite members over death of its officer

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We are in support of restructuring - Osinbajo

12:52 Unknown 0

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Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the present administration is not opposed to restructuring as being canvassed in many quarters.<br />
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He said the administration was in support of any form of restructuring that would benefit Nigerians.<br />
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Osinbajo stated this while addressing traditional rulers from Ekiti State at the palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, on Wednesday.<br />
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His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, made the transcript of the Vice-President’s speech available to journalists on Thursday.<br />
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Osinbajo said Nigeria needed peace more than any other thing at this time.<br />
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He berated those who he said derived satisfaction in ethnic and religious politics in order to divide the country.<br />
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He said Nigeria was better off as a united country.<br />
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The Vice-President said, “I want to say that this country is strongest, this country is best when we are one, when we are united. It is a united country that can make a difference. We are fully in support of any form of restructuring that will benefit the people of our country.<br />
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“That is why, for example, the President just signed this into law, a bill which enables Houses of Assembly to be autonomous; so that their finances are autonomous. This is some form of devolution of powers.<br />
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“We are also keenly supportive of anything that gives a measure of independence for states so that the states can realise their own potential and do very well for themselves in every way. The President is keenly supportive of all of those things.<br />
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“So, for us, unity is important, peace is important.”<br />
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Osinbajo noted that there was nothing politicians would not say especially as the nation approaches elections.<br />
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He, however, said the present administration was committed to keeping the nation as one and ensuring that no life was lost during electioneering.<br />
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“As we approach the elections, people say all sorts of things even in order to win elections, in order to gain ascendancy.<br />
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“There is nothing they cannot say or do; there is no type of statement that cannot be made.<br />
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“But we believe very strongly that keeping our country together, keeping our people as one, and ensuring that no life is lost in the process of the elections is so important to us,” he added.<br />
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Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to the development of all the states of the federation irrespective of the political party in charge of the states.<br />
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He said that was why Ekiti State had been benefitting from the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme despite being a Peoples Democratic Party state.<br />
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He cited the N-Power programme under which he said 3,339 young graduates from Ekiti State had been employed.<br />
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He said the beneficiaries had been assisting the state as teachers, extension workers and health workers.<br />
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Osinbajo disclosed that additional 8,600 graduates had been pre-selected and would be engaged at the end of this month, therefore bringing the number of beneficiaries in the state to 11,000.<br />
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The Vice-President added that 10,664 beneficiaries from the state had also received micro-credit from the Federal Government of Nigeria under the SIP.<br />
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Another 10,688 people, he said, were benefitting from the Conditional Cash Transfers in the state by receiving a monthly benefit of N5,000.<br />
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“These have been done, as I said, because the President’s view is that we must not play politics with the health and welfare and prosperity of our people. No politicking.<br />
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“That is why despite the fact that this is not an APC state, all of these benefits have been given to these people, the indigenes of this state because they are Nigerians,” he said.<br />
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Osinbajo expressed the belief that if the candidate of the APC, Kayode Fayemi, was elected the state governor in the July 14 governorship election, the state would be better for it.<br />
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He said the country needed devoted and serious-minded people to be in the saddle.<br />
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“I want to say that nothing comes easy; you need people who are devoted, people who are serious-minded, dedicated to the work of improvement and development. That is what our country needs today.<br />
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Meanwhile, a  former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nwodo and Niger-Delta Activist, Anko Briggs, have taken a stand for restructuring.<br />
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The Publisher of Sahara Reporters,  Omoyele Sowore, will on June 28, join other speakers at the Voice of Reason leadership colloquium, on the  theme, ‘Restructuring: A Panacea For Justice and Peace of Nigeria, the Imperative for a People’s Constitution.’<br />
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According to a statement jointly signed by the Convener of the Group, Dr. Goke Omisore and the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, ‘Deji Osibogun, the programme will be chaired by Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, as well as co-founder, Eko Hospitals, Dr Sunny Folorunso Kuku.<br />
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Other speakers expected at the event, which will hold at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, include Social Entrepreneur, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji; Col. Tony Nyiam (retd.); son of a former Nigeria Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Abdul Tafawa Balewa; International Trade and Investment Lawyer, Nathasha Akpoti and Secretary-General of Lower Niger Congress, Comrade Tony Nnadi.<br />
<br /></div>

Latest-News We are in support of restructuring - Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the present administration is not opposed to restructuring as being canvassed in many quarters. He said the administration was in support of any form of restructuring that would benefit Nigerians. Osinbajo …

I’ve proved doubters wrong – Peter Okoye

12:07 Unknown 0

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Peter Okoye of the former Psquare fame has said that he loves the fact that he has moved on with his career after the break-up controversy.<br />
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Mr P, as he now prefers to be called, was a recent guest on Hot 93.3 FM, on a show hosted by Sensei Uche and Misi. He spoke about his new single, ‘Ebeano‘, the possibility of a P-Square reunion and more.<br />
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Peter said he was enjoying every bit of his career after breaking up with his brother, Paul.<br />
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 He said, “I left a Psquare who has almost a million subscribers on Youtube to start my own and I wasn’t afraid to start afresh. I know there’s something good out there, but I’ve moved on, and I love it, I love the energy.<br />
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 “When people come to my show expecting to see Psquare, I ask myself: Am I giving them the same energy? The answer is ‘Yes, I am’. Most people that doubted me because of what has been said out there had all been proved wrong. I’m a multi-instrumentalist. I produce songs but I don’t want to brag about it. I’m a studio engineer as well, I also direct music videos but I don’t brag about these things. It is not about the money. I’m enjoying myself doing what I’m doing.”</div>

Latest-News I’ve proved doubters wrong – Peter Okoye

Peter Okoye of the former Psquare fame has said that he loves the fact that he has moved on with his career after the break-up controversy. Mr P, as he now prefers to be called, was a recent guest on Hot 93.3 FM, on a show hosted by Sensei Uche and …

South East senators fault slash of N2bn allocation for Enugu airport to N500m

12:02 Unknown 0

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South-East Senate Caucus, yesterday picked holes in the 2018 budget that was on Wednesday signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, describing as totally unacceptable, the reported cut in the 2018 budget allocation for the Enugu Airport Terminal.<br />
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Taking a swipe at the action of the Presidency, chairman, South East Senate Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe confirmed the annoyance of South East Senators who were shocked to hear that an allocation of N2 billion sustained by the two Aviation committees of the Senate and House of Representatives was slashed to a mere N500 million.<br />
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Meanwhile, the caucus has concluded arrangements to summon an emergency meeting of South East lawmakers to holistically look at what point the cut was effected.<br />
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It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari who reluctantly signed the 2018 budget on Wednesday said that the National Assembly made cuts amounting to N347 billion in the allocation to 4,700 projects submitted to it for consideration and introduced 6,403 projects of their own amounting to N578 billion.<br />
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According to him, many of the project cuts were critical and may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement with the reduced allocation.<br />
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Speaking further, Senator Abaribe who noted that budget documents are verifiable, said    that “we are committed and determined to find out who made the cut.”<br />
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Senator Abaribe who noted that they actually lobbied for the Enugu Airport Terminal allocation to be increased to N3.5 billion until the Ministry of Aviation told them that what they had was an envelope which could not be increased beyond the N2 billion allocation.<br />
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Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser, Media, Uche Anichukwu, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said that his findings showed that the cut took place at the level of committees and that hopefully the affected committees would make the necessary explanations very soon.<br />
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He said, “The committees of the National Assembly are usually given a free hand to do their jobs, but they are structured in a way that every geopolitical zone is represented. That way, they can call the attention of the principal officer from their zone when any challenges arise. The Chairman of the House Committee on Works called my attention to the challenges in appropriations, award, and funding of major road projects and I made my modest interventions to resolve the issues.<br />
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“In this case, the South East occupies the positions of Vice Chairman of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriation and also chairs the House Committee on Aviation. Nobody informed me of any challenges concerning budgetary provisions for the Akanu Ibiam Airport.<br />
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“Instructively, the National Assembly approved exactly the same N2 billion for the same terminal building in the 2017 Appropriation Act. So, I believe the relevant committees of the National Assembly committees are on top of the situation.”</div>

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Padded budget: Nigerians will be shocked when we release our documents – Senator Yayi

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Wike remains Nigeria’s best governor – Atiku

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Oshiomhole’s only opponent withdraws from APC chairmanship race

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N30bn smuggled into power budget -Senator Abaribe

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Nwobike loses SAN rank — after jail sentence

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Buhari to commission Africa’s 1st rice seedling factory in Calabar

10:03 Unknown 0

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Part of Governor Ben Ayade’s economic vision for Cross River State will be crystallized next week as President Muhammadu Buhari will on June 26, 2018 commission the multibillion Naira automated rice seed and seedlings factory in Calabar.<br />
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The factory according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Ita, is the first in Africa.<br />
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The statement, said “Cross River State Government is happy to announce that  President Buhari will on  June 26, commission our ultra-modern, fully automated rice seeds and seedlings factory in Calabar.<br />
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“The factory which is reputed to be the first in Africa, is also a seed multiplication centre that produces high-yielding, disease resistance and vitaminized rice seedlings.  The facility is one of many investments made in agriculture by the Ayade-led administration in keeping with his commitment to decouple the state from federal allocation through non-oil sources.”<br />
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Speaking on the project recently, Governor Ayade said the state was capable of generating at least N50 billion from the factory every year if given support by the Federal Government.<br />
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“When I told Cross Riverians that my ambition is to restructure the state and free it from over dependence on federal allocation, I truly meant it because with projects like this; we are going to generate more revenue for the state,” he said.<br />
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He assured that when it goes into commercial operation, the factory would produce seedlings that will be natural with no chemical added.<br />
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The governor expressed joy “that Cross River is on the path of independence even after we lost our oil wells unjustifiably.  Now that we have a world class investment, we hope the Federal Government can support this our non oil export.”</div>

Latest-News Buhari to commission Africa’s 1st rice seedling factory in Calabar

Part of Governor Ben Ayade’s economic vision for Cross River State will be crystallized next week as President Muhammadu Buhari will on June 26, 2018 commission the multibillion Naira automated rice seed and seedlings factory in Calabar. The factory…

APC convention: Okorocha, Madumere head for showdown

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A of the Saturday All Progressives Congress, APC, national  convention, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state and his Deputy, Eze Madumere are said to be at the final battle on who will outwit the other to control the party’s structure in the state.<br />
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This was as an APC group in the Diaspora advised delegates to the national convention to elect those who would not distract President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.<br />
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Currently in Imo State, there is the Okorocha’s faction of APC executive led by Chris Oguoma and Madumere’s group which has Hillary Eke as its chairman. Eke was inaugurated by the outgoing national chairman of APC, John Odigie-Oyegun.<br />
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Vanguard gathered yesterday that palpable anxiety has engulfed the two camps, as it concerns who becomes the next National Organizing Secretary of APC.<br />
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Among the fears causing serious tension in the two camps was the alleged “unity list” produced by APC governors in order to have  consensus candidates for the various positions at the convention.<br />
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Also, there was rumour that states with factions would not be part of the convention and that only statutory delegates would be allowed into the venue of the convention.<br />
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Okorocha who is fighting the deputy governor’s group is said to be plotting to replace the National Organizing Secretary, Osita Izunaso with his own loyalist.<br />
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Among those having the backing of Okorocha are Mr Rex Anunobi and Emma Ibediro.<br />
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From the camp of the deputy governor are the current National Organizing Secretary, Osita Izunaso and Longers Anyanwu.<br />
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It will also be recalled that Izunaso had been endorsed by the APC  stakeholders in the Southeast region as a consensus candidate, an arrangement Governor Okorocha said did not have his support.<br />
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Elect people who won’t distract Buhari<br />
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Meanwhile, a group consisting of members of  All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Diaspora has advised delegates to the forthcoming national convention of the party to elect those who would not distract President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.<br />
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Endorsing the candidature of the immediate past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party in  Saturday’s  national convention at a media briefing in Awka yesterday, the group warned that any mistake during the convention would derail the programmes of the president, thereby returning Nigeria to what it described as the dark days of the country.<br />
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Leader of the group, Mrs. Chidinma Onyekwelu said: “Comrade Oshiomhole’s antecedents stand him out among other contestants as the national chairman, having exhibited the capacity to harmonize divergent views and interests in the party and bringing about lasting peace and cohesion among various stakeholders in the party.<br />
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“He is very strict on principles which is what the party needs at this crucial time. He will deploy his persuasive powers and negotiating skills in resolving any crisis that may arise within the party.<br />
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,”We need someone we can call our own and not those who want to get to power as stooges of anti progressives paymasters.”<br />
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Edorsement of Izunaso, others null, void—Ibediro<br />
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Also yesterday, an aspirant to the office of the National Organising Secretary, Barr. Emma Ibediro  dismissed the recent endorsement of the outgoing national officers from the region by the south east caucus as ineffective and not binding on anyone.<br />
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Speaking with journalists  Thursday  at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, Barr. Ibediro said if the outgoing National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso had done well in office, there would not have been any point for him to contest.<br />
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“It is very obvious. For me to be running for this position, you don’t expect me to tell you that the current occupant of the seat has done very well. If he has done very well, there is no point for me to run. I will simply say that I will endorse him to continue. I know that there are certain things that we can do better than what he has done”, said Ibediro.<br />
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He also said the party derailed because personal interests were allowed to override the party guidelines.</div>

Latest-News APC convention: Okorocha, Madumere head for showdown

A of the Saturday All Progressives Congress, APC, national convention, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state and his Deputy, Eze Madumere are said to be at the final battle on who will outwit the other to control the party’s structure in the state.…

2019: Air Force‘ll assist INEC move sensitive materials to locations — CAS

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Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Nigerian Air Force has said it was ready to provide all necessary transport logistics to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC if the latter seeks assistance.<br />
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Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)<br />
It also warned its personnel against engaging in partisan politics, assuring that Nigerian Air Force would continue to operate in line with its constitutional mandate.<br />
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Chief of  Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who stated this, yesterday, in Abuja, added that the service was ready to assist the nation’s electoral umpire to enable it achieve the needed success during the 2019 general elections.<br />
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He spoke at the 2nd Quarter Conference of the Chief of Air Staff, which had Field Commanders and other senior officers as participants.<br />
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The air chief said the service would continue to work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria was not undermined by any group of individuals.<br />
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Abubakar, who recalled that the Nigerian Air Force did same during the 2015 general elections, said adequate arrangements had been put in place by the service to facilitate transportation of INEC sensitive materials to some designated locations across the country.<br />
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He reminded the senior officers that the 2019 general elections were fast approaching and, therefore, cautioned them not to allow themselves to be dragged into partisan politics.<br />
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He further implored the senior NAF officers to stay focused on the discharge of the constitutionally assigned tasks of the Nigerian Air Force .<br />
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The Air chief further noted that the aim of the conference was to review the progress attained in the NAF since the last conference, adding that the meeting would afford the officers the opportunity to critically appraise the performance of the Service in the past few months.<br />
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“This conference equally provides an avenue to listen and get feedback from various field commanders while also keeping them abreast of the policy direction of the Headquarters NAF.”<br />
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“I have held a similar conference with the Air Warrant Officers and very Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the NAF the previous day and the aim of the meeting is largely being to get a feedback from the personnel, as part of the bottom to top approach of the current leadership.<br />
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“Let me remind the senior officers that the 2019 general elections were fast approaching and therefore caution that you should not allow yourselves to be dragged into partisan politics.<br />
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“Even though you have the right to vote, exercise this right and do not be distracted from your constitutional duty of ensuring the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity and remain focused on any duty constitutionally assigned to you by the NAF,” he said.<br />
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Air Marshal Abubakar assured that NAF would continue to operate in line with its constitutional mandate, promising that officers and men of the service would work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria was not undermined by any group of individuals.<br />
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The Air Force chief said further: “Let me at this juncture assure that the Nigerian Air Force is willing to avail INEC its transport aircraft for the expeditious distribution of electoral materials during the forthcoming 2019 general elections as it had done in the past, should INEC require such services”.<br />
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He advised the senior officers to take advantage of the lectures to be delivered at the conference by resource persons, noting that the conference was meant to fine tune their skills and update their knowledge on modern warfare.</div>

Latest-News 2019: Air Force‘ll assist INEC move sensitive materials to locations — CAS

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Nigerian Air Force has said it was ready to provide all necessary transport logistics to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC if the latter seeks assistance. Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Indep…

APC chairmanship: Oshiomhole unopposed as governors head for consensus

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The All  Progressives Congress, APC, was last night putting finishing touches to tomorrow’s ‘coronation’ of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as its new national chairman in the nation’s capital city that has been suffused in an air of political festivity.<br />
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The pathway to a rancour-free convention was being paved by meetings here and there by governors and other major stakeholders to reduce tension by political gladiators whose aspirations may have been underpinned by projecting their interests in the new national executive.<br />
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The focus of the meetings which were still on-going at press time, Vanguard gathered, was to ensure that a new executive is enthroned with as little rancour as possible.<br />
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With security being tightened in all the major hotels in the capital city fully booked, it was no surprise that Abuja suburbs normally strange to the trappings of political entrepreneurs were yesterday having a new feel of entitlement to the political capital of the country with some of the hotels in the fringes raising their rates in anticipation of the influx.<br />
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Ebri withdraws<br />
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Oshiomhole’s triumph came after his only challenger for the office of national chairman, Mr. Clement Ebri stepped down from the contest.<br />
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Ebri, a former governor of Cross River State forwarded a letter withdrawing from the contest to the National Convention Committee earlier, yesterday. He subsequently made his decision public in a press statement issued late yesterday.<br />
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He said:  “I believe that those who occupy formal positions in the APC are the helmsmen of the Nigerian ship of state. What happens in the leadership of this country’s ruling party, the APC is directly responsible for whether we can deliver on our promises to our people to provide them with a new lease of life. This was the core conviction that drove me to declare my candidacy for this office in the first place,” he said.<br />
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Ebri had some days ago told Vanguard that he was offering a non-combative leadership that would help steer the party towards drawing out the best from its men and women in government for the betterment of the society.<br />
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Besides Ebri, there were also pressures, last night, to make many of the aspirants to step down ahead of  tomorrow’s national convention.<br />
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It’s about conflict and resolution— Ajimobi<br />
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Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Chairman of the media sub-committee of the National Convention Planning Committee, following an inspection of the convention ground at Eagles Square, yesterday gave an indication of the prospects of some candidates dropping out of the race after the meetings.<br />
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“Politics is about conflict and resolution, today we are meeting the aspirants to interview them, there will be a give and take so that it will be a smooth operation on Saturday,” he said.<br />
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However, at the end of one of the meetings between the Convention Planning Committee, and the aspirants at about 5.30 p.m. yesterday, there were no indications that any of the estimated 164 candidates screened to contest had dropped out.<br />
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Governor Ajimobi was nevertheless, optimistic of a rancor-free convention, irrespective of the outcome of whether more candidates dropped out or not.<br />
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“We are very happy about all the preparations, everything is in place, you can see what we call a very professional arrangement for tomorrow,” he said.<br />
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Also speaking, former Governor of Zamfara, Sen. Ahmad Sani, who is the Chairman of the Convention Sub-committee for Accreditation, said the committee had commenced the screening and accreditation of delegates from the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory.<br />
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He assured that delegates would be properly scrutinised before entering the convention venue.<br />
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“We are going to put numbering and security code so that as soon as you come to the gate you are properly identified, screened and then you enter.<br />
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“Even as they vote inside, you have another card that you present so you can be allowed to vote” he said.<br />
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Govs bid to avoid chaotic convention<br />
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At a meeting of the 24 APC governors, Wednesday night in Abuja, multiple sources informed newsmen that the governors were concerned that some aspirants who do not have presidential backing for their bids could protest at the convention grounds and even stage a walkout.<br />
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At the hours-long meeting which held at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge, the governors had midway into deliberations, invited the Directors of Administration and Organization of the party, Abdulahi Gashua and Abubakar Kyari respectively.  They came in at about  9:15pm clutching several party files.<br />
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Also, Senator Binta Masi Garba, a member of the convention sub-committee on logistics; Sen. Uche Ekwunife, Abdulmumuni Jibrin and Senator John Eno were briefly present at the meeting.<br />
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Aside Rochas Okorocha the host governor, other governors who attended the late-night meeting were Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Ahmed Abdulfatai (Kwara), Kashim Shettima of Borno, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Aminu Masari of Katsina, Jubrilla Bindow of Adamawa, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Umar Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa, Yari of Zamfara, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun,  and the deputy governors of Lagos and Kaduna.<br />
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Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar said rather than having the so-called “Unity List”, the governors resolved to go back to their zones and work out modalities for a consensus. Both the governors of Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun and Nasarawa, Umar Tanko al-Makura spoke in the same vein.<br />
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“We met and discussed the convention. We still affirm that we will hold the Convention on June 23 and the governors are giving all the necessary support to make it successful, rancour-free and that we come out of the convention stronger”, Badaru said.<br />
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On the purported unity list, he queried: “Is there any Unity List? What we ask is for the governors to meet at the zonal levels with the aspirants to see if we can reduce the number of people contesting the elections by consensus and it is accepted in our party but no list has been drawn yet.<br />
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“It is not a list. It is to reduce the number by consensus. The meeting should be before Friday but it is not a list.<br />
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“There is no list. There are offices where we have eight people contesting for an office, and there are some that we have unopposed, some two and so on. So, we will discuss with those where we have two contestants to see if one can step down for the other but where they do not agree, we go on with the elections.”<br />
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On the final number of aspirants that have been disqualified, the Jigawa governor said the number was in the region of 15 and 16. “I think it is somewhere around 15 or 16 but I am not too sure because I do not have the data offhand but some of them have been screened out; most of them for the position of youth leader because of the age limitation.”<br />
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The governor added that the convention committee was still awaiting the report of the Governor Okorocha-led screening appeal committee on the petitions written against the National Working Committee, NWC.<br />
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According to him, “the screening appeal committee had looked at it and they will submit the report to the general committee to look at.”<br />
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Amosun on his part simply said the APC will resolve all issues ahead if the convention. “You know we at APC, we have ways of sorting our matters out and I think that is ongoing”, he said.<br />
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On the issue of Unity List, Amosun asked: “Is consensus not part of democracy? If 20 people are in a place and all of them are saying this is who we want, is that not democracy? We are not stopping anybody from contesting.”<br />
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Also speaking, Almakura said the governors were working to ensure a hitch-free exercise that will produce competent party leaders that the nation would be proud of.<br />
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“As a committed party member, I want to wish all the contestants across the country  a very good luck in this election and I want to call on all eligible delegates in the country to vote in people that will make the party proud in the discharge of their responsibilities when they emerge as leaders of this party.<br />
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“As governors, we are talking to ourselves, to ensure we have a consensus so that the election will be rancour-free and will be for the betterment of the party. We are almost there but I do not want to let the cat out of the bag yet. I assure you, at the end of the day that, we will have a team that all of us as APC will be proud of”, he added.</div>

Latest-News APC chairmanship: Oshiomhole unopposed as governors head for consensus

The All Progressives Congress, APC, was last night putting finishing touches to tomorrow’s ‘coronation’ of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as its new national chairman in the nation’s capital city that has been suffused in an air of political festivity. T…

Nigeria vs Iceland: We haven’t lost hope – Mikel

09:52 Unknown 0

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Nigeria captain Mikel Obi says the Super Eagles are focussed on reaching the second round of the 2018 World Cup despite their poor start to their campaign in Russia.<br />
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The Eagles lost 2-0 to Croatia in their opening group fixture in Kaliningrad on Saturday and they have been under intense criticisms from their fans.<br />
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Nigeria have a chance to keep their World Cup hopes alive  by beating World Cup debutants Iceland at the Volgograd Arena on Friday, and Mikel insists they will  be all over the field firing on all cylinders against  their fierce Nordic opponents, who held superstar  Lionel Messi’s  Argentina to a 1-1 draw at  Spartak Stadium in Moscow on Saturday.<br />
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“We are focussed; we have not given up hope in spite of the disappointment of the loss to Croatia,” the veteran midfielder told reporters at Nigeria’s training base in Essentuki on Wednesday .<br />
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“We are training hard to make it out of the group, and hopefully things will work out for us on Friday.”<br />
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The 2012 UEFA Champions League winner insists he is comfortable playing in the advanced midfield role, after his former manager Jose Mourinho  said his  best position is  a holding midfield role.<br />
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 The China-based player, “I worked with Mourinho for a long time and he knows me very well.<br />
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“I have played in this advanced role for close to two years now and people never complained until we lost this game.<br />
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“I understand the feelings of everyone because of the result and how we played.Personally, I am ready to play anywhere the coach wants me to play.<br />
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“I’m comfortable with any of the roles, whether in a more offensive or defensive role. The most important thing is the team.”<br />
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Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said he is not under pressure ahead of the match.<br />
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The 64-year-old German said, “The pressure I feel now is the same as I have always felt.”</div>

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DSS detains ex-Benue gov, Suswam, PDP kicks

09:52 Unknown 0

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A former governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, has been detained by the Department of State Services in Abuja.<br />
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Our correspondent gathered that the former governor was invited by the DSS on Tuesday.<br />
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It was not clear why Suswam, who is said to have senatorial ambition, was detained.<br />
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However, a source close to the ex-governor said his detention was connected to a petition submitted to the DSS by a politician from Benue.<br />
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The source said, “We learnt that a top politician sent a petition to the agency over an alleged crime in the state. It was based on this that he was said to have been invited.”<br />
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Another source added that the former governor was invited to clear his name on another issue different from the allegation by the said politician.<br />
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Efforts made by our correspondent to get official reaction to the detention of the former governor were not successful as none of the DSS officials was ready to speak on the matter.<br />
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Suswam had earlier been arrested last year, during which the DSS claimed that arms and ammunition and other items were recovered in some cars in a complex which it claimed belonged to the former governor.<br />
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A statement issued by the spokesman for the agency, Mr.  Tony Opuiyo, said operatives raided the building at 44, Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama, Abuja, and recovered keys of 45 exotic cars, 21 Certificates of Occupancy, arms and ammunition.<br />
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Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the arrest and detention of the former governor.<br />
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The PDP said there was no justification for the arrest of Suswam, which it said was politically motivated.<br />
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The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the arrest of Suswam was to prevent him from attending a political meeting scheduled to hold in the North-Central soon.<br />
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Ologbondiyan also alleged that the arrest was part of the plan by the Federal Government to clamp down on members of the opposition party.<br />
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He said, “The wicked clampdown has started. Only yesterday (Wednesday), we were made aware of the arrest and detention of former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, who has been kept incommunicado without access to his lawyers, while the Federal Government is not forthcoming with the details of the reasons behind the arrest and detention.<br />
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“However, we know that his arrest and detention is intended to put him out of circulation so that he will not take part in the mega meetings of our party planned for the North-Central states.<br />
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“There are already fears that other opposition leaders and dissenting voices have been placed under watch and will be dragged in and framed up on security charges, so as to keep them out of circulation ahead of the elections.”<br />
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Ologbondiyan said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had earlier raised the alarm over alleged plans by the Federal Government to frame him.<br />
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He said,  “Nigerians are already aware of the alarm raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of alleged plots by the Buhari administration to frame, arrest and detain him indefinitely on trumped-up charges, ostensibly following his criticisms and open rejection of the administration for its failures and manifest misrule.<br />
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“The world is also aware of the numerous alleged plots by the Federal Government to frame up and humiliate Senate President Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu; Senators Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani, as well as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.<br />
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“Also, there are concerns about the safety of former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), following the fear expressed by Wike that Danjuma’s life might be in danger after his comments in March, this year, on possible complicity of the state in the killings in Taraba State.”<br />
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Ologbondiyan alleged further that on Wednesday, an explosive device was discovered at the Ebonyi State PDP secretariat, which he said was either planted to blow up the secretariat and kill PDP members or to set up party leaders.<br />
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“These attacks, threats and intimidation targeted at influential Nigerians, particularly past leaders, show clearly that the Buhari Presidency is very scared of its inevitable defeat in the 2019 general elections and now seek to apply all machinations to overheat the polity and ostensibly frustrate the process,” he said.</div>

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Nigeria vs Iceland: Rohr banks on Musa as Ighalo, Ndidi rally Eagles

09:47 Unknown 0

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<div>Ahmed Musa will be handed a starting for the Super Eagles in their crucial Group D role 2018 World Cup clash against tournament debutants Iceland at the Volgograd Arena on Friday.<a name='more' id="more"></a></div>
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<div>A positive result will help Nigeria revive their chances of progressing to the Round of 16 of the championship, after their opening day defeat by Croatia in Kaliningrad on Saturday.</div>
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<div>Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has been under pressure to  make a few tweaks to  his line-up for today’s fixture, with  Leicester City flop Musa getting a starting  job after impressing in a cameo  in the 2-0  defeat to  the Croats at the packed  Kaliningrad Stadium.</div>
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<div>Also in line for a starting spot is versatile Israel-based midfielder John Ogu, who is needed for  a dirty job against the fierce-tackling Nordic opponents, who nullified the threat posed by Lionel Messi in their opening game against Argentina in Moscow on Saturday.</div>
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<div>Musa, who spent half of last season on loan at CSKA Moscow, where he spent four seasons, winning the Russian Premier League title thrice, is very popular in Russia.</div>
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<div>Many of   his fans were surprised that their 25-year-old hero started the match against Croatia from the bench, and the 64-year-old has allegedly been under pressure from the team to abandon his 4-2-3-1 approach in favour of a 3-5-2 formation with Musa working to  create chances for Odion Ighalo or Kelechi Iheanacho.</div>
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<div>Also, some sections of the Russian media have mounted on Rohr to start  the former Kano Pillars star, saying his combination with Victor Moses will help the Eagles unlock the well-organised Iceland defence.</div>
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<div>The Nigeria manager had promised to consider starting Musa as he was not satisfied with his team’s attack against Croatia.</div>
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<div> “He has a chance to start the next game, we will see,” Rohr said.</div>
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<div>“Everything is still possible. If we win the next game, all is possible in order to qualify.”</div>
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<div>Meanwhile, China-based forward Odion Ighalo and England-based midfielder Wilfred Ndidi have issued rallying calls to their teammates ahead of today’s must-win encounter against plucky Iceland.</div>
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<div>The players, who expressed disappointment over their loss to Croatia,  vowed that the Eagles would give everything to bag three points to  keep their World Cup hopes alive.</div>
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<div>Ighalo, who predicted a tough game against the tiny country, said they would attack from the referee’s sound of the whistle.</div>
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<div>Leicester City’s Ndidi, who promised victory in the clash, called for fans to believe in the national team.</div>
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"How FG’ll raise N9.1tn to fund 2018 budget"

09:47 Unknown 0

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The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, has explained how the N9.1tn revenue to finance the 2018 budget will be raised by the Federal Government.<br />
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Speaking during the public presentation of the 2018 budget on Thursday in Abuja, Udoma expressed optimism that the government would be able to generate enough revenue to finance its programmes as contained in the fiscal document.<br />
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The event was attended by the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed; the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Ben Akabueze, and other top government officials.<br />
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The 2018 budget, which was designed to consolidate on the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, was presented to the National Assembly on November 7, 2017.<br />
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It was passed by the lawmakers on May 16, 2018, transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 25 and assented by him on June 20.<br />
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The fiscal document signed by Buhari had a total proposed spending of N9.1tn, made up of N2.87tn for capital expenditure, N3.51tn for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure and N2.01tn projected to be spent on debt servicing.<br />
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Giving a breakdown of how the N9.1tn budget would be financed, Udoma said the sum of N2.99tn would be generated from  oil revenue, N31.25bn would come from dividend to be received from the Nigerian LNG Limited, while N1.17bn was expected to be realised from minerals and mining revenue.<br />
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The minister stated that the Federal Government was targeting to generate N658.55bn from Companies Income Tax, N207.51bn from Value Added Tax, N324.86bn from Customs duties, while N57.87bn was expected to come from Federation Account levies.<br />
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In the same vein, he said the government was expecting N847.95bn as independent revenue from its agencies, while tax amnesty income, signature bonus and unspent balance from previous years would provide N87.84bn, N114.3bn and N250bn, respectively.<br />
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He also said the sum of N374bn was expected to be realised from domestic recoveries and fines, while N138.44bn would come from other Federal Government recoveries.<br />
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The minister added that the sum of N710bn would be realised from the sale of oil assets, while grants and donor funding would contribute N199.92bn.<br />
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He stated that N146.64bn would be realised from other unnamed revenue sources, while the budget deficit of N1.95tn would be financed through borrowing of N1.64tn.<br />
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The N1.64trn borrowing is made up of domestic borrowing of N793bn and foreign debt of N849bn.<br />
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In addition, the minister said about N306bn was expected from privatisation proceeds, while N5bn was projected to be realised from the sale of other government property to partly finance the deficit.<br />
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He noted that the government would be implementing some key reform initiatives contained in the ERGP in order to boost its revenue.<br />
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Some of them are deployment of new technology to improve revenue collection, upward review of tariffs and tax rates where appropriate, and stronger enforcement action against tax defaulters.<br />
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The government, according to Udoma, will improve the revenue performance of government-owned enterprises by reviewing their operational efficiency and cost-to-income ratios.<br />
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He said, “The 2018 revenue projections reflect new funding mechanism for Joint Venture operations, allowing for cost recovery in lieu of the previous cash call arrangement; and additional oil-related revenue, including royalty recovery, new/marginal field licences and early licensing renewals.<br />
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“Our journey out of the recent economic recession has helped us reset our priorities and to focus more on reforms and activities that have both short and long-term bearings on sustainable economic growth.<br />
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“In line with the ERGP, we are seeking to optimise derivable benefits from oil by restructuring our equity in JV oil assets while we intensify our efforts at accelerating economic diversification and non-oil revenue generation.”<br />
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The minister added, “Already, diversification efforts are yielding positive results with significant growth in the non-oil sector.<br />
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“Government will continue to create the enabling environment for the private sector to increase its investment and contribute significantly to job creation and economic growth.”<br />
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With the slashing of funds meant for the completion of key projects between this year and the next by the lawmakers, the implication, according to him, is that there may be a shift in their completion dates.<br />
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This, he noted, was because the available funds were insufficient to cater for the costs of the projects.<br />
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While calling for the cooperation of the legislature, Udoma noted that the Executive would soon approach them with a request for a readjustment of the already signed budget.<br />
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“We are determined to ensure that the budget is effectively implemented. We will work closely with the National Assembly where we need adjustment or a supplementary budget.  We hope that they will cooperate with us,” he added.<br />
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Akabueze, on his part, promised that the 2018 budget would be the last time that the government would present the annual budget estimates to the National Assembly late.<br />
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He said the country would never experience any delay in the commencement of the budget under his watch as the DG of the Budget Office, adding that the development was slowing down the expected growth of the economy.<br />
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He noted that the understanding between the executive and legislature would be strengthened to accelerate a cordial working relationship.<br />
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Akabueze stated, “This event is holding just a day after the budget was signed, which underscores the seriousness we attach to what we are doing and also a sense of decency to which we must approach the vision of this project.<br />
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“This will be the last time, hopefully, that the Federal Government’s budget for any fiscal year will be delayed.”<br />
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In her presentation at the event, Ahmed debunked claims that the money meant for the Special Intervention Programme, including the home-grown school feeding programme, was mismanaged.<br />
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She explained that those who tried to sabotage the programme were caught and punished accordingly.<br />
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She said, “We run the programme in such a way that there are checks and balances. And there has been an attempt from different levels to short-change the programme, but because of the things we have put in place, we have easily found out and taken it up with security agencies, and we are trying to curb the challenges.”<br />
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“We have had some people that have been apprehended for short-changing the system.”</div>

Latest-News "How FG’ll raise N9.1tn to fund 2018 budget"

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, has explained how the N9.1tn revenue to finance the 2018 budget will be raised by the Federal Government. Speaking during the public presentation of the 2018 budget on Thursday in Abuja, Udoma…

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