Offa robbery: Court summons IG of Police Idris

An Ilorin High Court has summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to appear before it next Wednesday to justify the continued detention of Lekan Alabi, Personal Assistant to Kwara state Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed, who was arrested over the April 5, 2018 armed robbery in Offa.


This followed protest by lead counsel to the suspect, Adelodun Ibrahim, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

He bemoaned the failure of the police to release another suspect over the same incident, Alhaji Babatunde AbdulWahab, the Chief of Staff to the governor, who has been granted bail by another high court in the state.

Adelodun, leading four other lawyers, told newsmen after Thursday’s proceeding that the refusal of the police to obey the court order on AbdulWahab was worrisome as it portends grave dangers to the deepening of democracy and might lead to a loss of confidence in the fairness of the police to handle such cases among the populace.

The police was not represented at the proceeding although Adelodun told the court they had been served all the processes relating to the case. The case was brought to Ilorin following the refusal of a Federal High court in Abuja to hear it as the alleged crime was committed in Kwara state.

Alabi has been in detention since May 28, 2018 and has not been arraigned before any court of law, a development his counsel, Adelodun, argued is in contravention of the provisions of Order 4, Rules 3 and 4 of the Fundamental Rights enforcement procedure rules (2009) as well as Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 41 And 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In his ruling, Justice Adebayo Yusuf said there was nothing in the constitution that allows the detention of a suspect without trial for a period beyond 24 hours where there is a court or 48 hours in environment where there is no court.

“The position of the law is as stated by the leaned silk, however I’m inclined to hear from the respondent to come to court and show cause why the applicant should not be released from their custody, since they have been served the motion on notice,” the judge said, adding that it is clear that the police cannot change the constitution.

Adelodun, had while moving the application, pointed out that the detention of the applicant for 60 days without trial is a prima facie case of a breach of his rights to liberty as enshrined in section 35 (7) of the constitution and pointed out that Section 122 of the Evidence Act empowers the court to take judicial notice of the time involved in the exchange of written addresses and affidavit by parties which can compound the suffering of the applicant.

“We are not asking the court to declare our client guilty or innocent at this stage but the police has no right to keep a suspect forever”, he said citing the decision of the Appeal Court in the case of EFCC vs Akingbola, (2015 NWLR p1470,pgh249,pp290) to buttress his submission,” Adelodun said.

Governor Ortom’s exit from APC a blessing to us – Oshiomhole

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said Friday that Benue State that the exit of Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom from the party was a blessing in disguise to the APC, saying his three and half years as governor in the stage was a waste as he had no single project to show for the mandate given to him by the party.



Addressing a news conference at the party secretariat, Comrade Oshiomhole said even though the party leadership had attempted to wade into the conflict between the governor and leaders of the party in Benue State, he could not successfully defend the weighty allegation leveled against him by the leaders of the party in the state.

He said that at the instance of the Governor, the National leadership of the party had arranged another meeting to bring north Gov. Ortom and party leaders in the state to a round table with the meeting scheduled to hold on Wednesday, July 24 only for the governor to turn governance to “nollywood”.

Oshiomhole said “Within the last 48 hours we have watched the unfolding events in Benue State particularly the decision of Gov, Ortom to leave the party. Ordinarily, we would not have responded having already responded to the decision by the Publicity Secretary.

“As you all recall, Gov. Ortom had said that the APC in Benue State gave him red card to leave our party and that they will not field him in the governorship election in 2018 and that because the door had been shut against him, he had no choice than to leave. Without going into investigations, we invited him to speak to us on the issues and we also invited our party leaders in Benue State to also brief us on what the issues were.

“From the point of view of our leaders in Benue State, their position was clear that field Gov. Ortom On APC platform in 2019 can only lead to electoral defeat for a number of reasons.

“They reminded us that inspite of the allocation accruing to Benue State, the bail our fund amount to over N20 billion and the huge sums of money collected from the Paris club refund, he was not paying salaries to Benue workers, including teachers, local government employees and civil servants. He owes some of the as much as 12months salaries.

“So, the entire economy of Benue State that survives on civil servants salaries is to that effect compromised. What is not obvious is that those who live on rents paid by civil servants cannot collect their rents with which to survive, thereby having effect on the commercial live of the people. This explains a vicious circle of poverty in Benue State that has been deepened under Gov. Ortom.

“The second is that Gov. Ortom has complicated, by his own actions, and poor judgment the security situation in the state. They draw our attention to the fact that some of those that have been arrested as a result of the killings are people who have been associated with him, including people in his employment, especially a guy known to have been involved in Boko Haram whom he recruited to manage what they called forest guard.

“These people have been arrested and are in police custody. If an appointee of a Governor is involved in a heinous crime, including killing that will be enough for a governor to worry about. Instead, he played up the ethnic dimension of criminality, even though some of those killed were killed not by Muslims, but Christian of Benue State origin, including those he employed.

“These people have been in police custody, so, his attempt to explain away criminality by playing the ethnic card is unhelpful to what he should as governor to manage the situation better. After all, those in Benue State have always been there and his predecessors, including Suswam had found ways to manage these diversities. So, Ortom’s incapacity to manage it and even seek to make political capital of the death of Benue people is unfortunate.

“It is important that Nigerians understand that the condemnable killings of two Reverend Fathers and some Christians in a church, those who have confessed to these crimes include people who have worked with Gov. Ortom an these killings were done few weeks after one of them was extremely critical during his sermon about the governance of the state and the style of governance of the Governor.

“His price obviously was to pay with his dear life and not a few thought that the governor would celebrate that. I am not about to suggest that Gov, Ortom might have asked anybody to go and kill anyone, but that some of those involved in these killings are Benue State originated are Christians.

“That is not to deny that some herdsmen have also been involved in the killings. But the responsibility of any government is not to seek to manipulate this, but to confront it.

“There was also the fact that for three and half years that he has been in office, he cannot point to any concrete project that he has carried out. He cannot point to any major project that has been completed.

“When we asked him these questions and allegations that why the Vice President and the President has visited other states to Commission projects, in Benue, they have only paid condolence visit. It is okay to lament the absence of federal presence, but what is the excuse for the absence of state projects in the state.

“His argument is that he has diverted a lot of the resources to security issue. That raises the issue. Can you be spending N22 billion on security and the people are increasingly insecure? So if you accept that he spent money on security, it meant that he realizes that he has a responsibility to secure life and not pass the bulk.

“So, I felt scandalized watching him saying he had to leave the APC because he did not feel secure. To be honest, I am relieved as National Chairman and the leadership of our party in Benue State are relieved that he has returned to where he came from.

“So, we now have a clean platform to search for a credible Benue citizen that can provide the kind of leadership that the Benue State deserve and not one who seek to make political capital out of human graves and celebrating the death of his own people.

“As a party, we condemn any life that has been wasted by criminals and we accept that government responsibility is to protect live and property. But I condemn anyone of us who seek to make political capital out of these killings because we have shared responsibility to protect their lives regardless of their religion or location. So, we are re lived that Ortom has returned.

“When you look at it, he got our ticket on a platter of gold because he was never a participant in the building process of the party. He became a candidate by accident. The lesson to learn is that never again should people become candidates by accident.”

On the allegation that he was being victimized for refusing to share state resources with the party leaders in the state, Oshiomhole said “If a governor confessed that he shared government money to party leaders, is that the reasons he will be re-elected?

“Then if he has shared the government money with party leaders then the party leaders should try to keep in in office by guarantee him the ticket since he shared the money with them. If on the other hand he claimed that he refused to share the money, good therefore what have you done with the money?

“You couldn’t pay the workers salaries with the money you refused to share, have you built more roads for the people of Benue state? What have you accomplished with this bailout fund and the Paris fund?

“So let me assure that what I do promised, and please mark my word each time I speak, those negotiable and verifiable grievances we would address. And I said we won’t deny somebody ticket on account of a conflict between him and any other person if he is at home with his people, even yesterday I emphasized that.

“When people say automatic ticket, does it guarantee automatic victory when people are against you? I said so. Because we didn’t give you departure ticket, so how are we going to gice you a return ticket?

“So, I couldn’t assure gov Ortom that we will overrule the posution of our members and leaders in Benue state that come 2019 we will give him ticket. I wanted to simply cross chect with him in the allegations made against him and he was to come by Wednesday that is why he organised that drama.

“And that tells you the quality of reasoning, with all due respect to Governor Ortom, how can you reduce governance to Nollywood, saying hen I wanted to go to Abuja to meet with the National Working Committee but my people have blocked the road that I will not go. When has it become a case that when a governor want to travel it is on the radio that he is travelling and this is the purpose.”

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PHOTOS: Buhari addresses Senior Course 40 of Staff College, Jaji

President Muhammadu Buhari attended the graduation ceremony of the Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, on Friday.

See the photos, courtesy, Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad:

Buhari at Jaji on FridayBuhari at Jaji on FridayPresident Muhammadu Buhari making his address at the graduation ceremony of Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, on Friday. Twitter image

 

 

FG okays 10-year validity period for passports

The Federal Government has approved a 10-year validity period for Nigerian passports.

This followed a presidential approval to change the face of the e-passport 10 years after it was introduced in the country.

Currently, the passports have a five-year validity period.

The Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, who said this in a report monitored on Channels Tv on Thursday, added that the extended validity period would reduce the stress Nigerians went through every five years to renew their passports.

“One of the reforms he (President Buhari) has approved is that we would improve the quality, security of our passport booklets.

“Ten years after the enrolment of the e-passport system, we need to improve the security features. You can’t keep documents for 10 years without seeing decreased values in them, so we are improving the security features which would raise the standards of the passports,” the CG explained.

He added that the President also approved improved security features for the documents.

Babandede, however, disclosed that the new passports would cost more, but he did not reveal the new prices for the various categories of the passports.

He said, “President Buhari has equally approved 10-year validity for passports which is great news. When the report comes, passports will be valid for 10 years which is great news especially for adults from the age of 18 and above.”

“Though people will pay more, if they can pay more and get the booklets quickly, it’s good with improved security for 10 years validity. They would pay more but the document would be available, that’s good,” Babandede said.

Tyrese Surprised Wife Samantha With A Whole Family Maternity Shoot And The Pics Are Actually Gorge

Tyrese has taken a long break from being all in his feelings on social media to focus on his new baby on the way with wife Samantha.  Get into their family maternity shoot he surprised her with inside...

Samantha Gibson has been THRU it with Black Ty since they got married - very public breakdowns, custody drama with his daughter Shayla and Shayla's mother,beef with Tyrese's past castmates, and his all-around trolling personality.   So he surprised her with something nice recently - a maternity shoot with photographer Derek Blanks.

The twosome are welcoming baby Soraya Gibson this September. 

Samantha said Ty "made her go to bed early" one night, then woke her up at 9am the next morning like, 'Surprise!  We're shooting your maternity pics!'

Tyrese may grate our last nerve with his overacting both on screen and off, but we gotta admit, the pics are pretty.

By the way, he said he personally didn't post the pics with Shayla due to a supposed court order.

Samantha said about going almost nude in the shoot:

“To go almost completely bare in a lot of photos was an extremely, extremely challenging experience,” Samantha, a social worker, tells PEOPLE. “But on the bright side,” she adds, “I was really happy because pregnancy is a process. Your body is changing, and to be able to accept that change publicly and really just put it out there like that confidently — I tried to trick myself into thinking I was doing something for women all over the world.”

Tyrese claims that he didn't want to be the center of attention (shocker!) this time around:

“I actually purposely stayed out of a lot of photos,” he says. “I told her this is a moment that I really wanted to capture with her and her daughter.”

But he made sure to develop and direct a whole video trailer to announce the pregnancy news to friends. Of course. People revealed:

Samantha and Tyrese spread the news with help from a faux movie trailer, which Tyrese narrated, that transitioned partway through into footage from Samantha’s ultrasound.

      

Congrats to the couple!

Photos: Derek Blanks for People Magazine

Why Benue Speaker was impeached

Indication emerged yesterday that the former speaker of the Benue state House of Assembly Hon. Terkimbir Ikyange was impeached for allegedly shortchanging his colleagues in the purchase of official Toyota Prado Vehicles meant for members of the state Assembly.

A highly placed source, who is a current member of the Assembly told our reporter that members were allegedly given N10million in lieu of the cars instead of N13.9m as approved as released by the Benue state government.

According to the source, the embattled former speaker also allegedly diverted a whooping sum of N175m meant for the purchase of laptops and biometric equipments and other allowances and welfare packages for members of the state Assembly.

The source further added that the impeachment that was carried on Tuesday was legal and procedural as relevant sections of the Assembly House standing rules were complied with.

He said that majority of the members wrote to the Clark of the Assembly not less than a week requesting the clark to reconvene the Assembly when about 22 members of the Assembly took the decision to impeach the former speaker.

He further added that the required number for the impeachment exercise 2/3rd which opt to have been 20 members.

He said that the impeachment on the leadership of the state Assembly was purely on a motion for vote of no confidence after collating signatures of 22 members

It will be recalled that, speaker of Benue State Assembly, Honourable Terkimbir Ikyange and three principal officers were detained last year by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The principal officers of the assembly were invited to Abuja over misappropriation of N750 million meant for the purchase of cars for the members.


Invited then, included the Deputy Speaker James Okefe and the Majority Leader Benjamin Adanyi, were said to have been visitors of the anti-graft for over a week before they were finally detained released on administrative bail.
 

Mark Zuckerberg Loses $16 BILLION In One Day as Facebook Stocks Plummet!

As you may have heard, Zuckerberg's company -- a plucky little startup called Facebook -- is not having the best year.

First, there was Zuck's testimony before Congress, which was only amusing if you watched it on mute and pretended it was an episode of Black Mirror where a robot gets put on trial for murder.

Shortly thereafter, Zuckerberg was harshly criticized for defending the rights of Holocaust deniers who use his service to propagate their batsh-t beliefs.

Marky Mark probably thought getting publicly crucified for presiding over a company that allows Russian bots to spread fake news and enables neo-Nazis to stoke the flames of racial hatred would the low point of his 2018.

And maybe it was.

But losing $16 billion in personal wealth as shareholders call for your head probably still stings just a bit.

i

Yes, it was a rough day on Wall Street, as Facebook stocks plummetted more than 20 percent, seemingly in response to the company's recent rash of scandals and bad press.

Of course, even after losing more money in a single day than most people could spend in five lifetimes, Zuck is still worth more than $68 billion, so you probably won't see him doing the Floss for nickels outside a VA hospital anytime soon.

But the loss puts him below Warren Buffett on the list of the world's richest people, which is amusing for at least two reasons:

1. People actually like Buffett, whereas the sight of Zuckerberg causes most folks to fantasize about perpetrating a fatal wedgie, and

2. We like to imagine Buffett calling Zuck, saying, "How's my ass taste, kid?" and promptly hanging up the phone.

Of course, it wasn't just Facebook's affiliations with Cambridge Analytica and the Pepe the Frog set that have stocks and profit margins plummeting.

The site's ongoing efforts to become Snapchat for old people are also causing "unforeseen growth cessations" and other mumbo-jumbo that basically means "we might be f-cked."

"We plan to grow and promote certain engaging experiences like Stories that currently have lower levels of monetization, and we are also giving people who use our services more choices around data privacy, which may have an impact on our revenue growth," says CFO David Wehner.

Again, this is all relative, as Facebook's market cap is still valued at about $120 billion, so your aunt Sharon's favorite venue for sharing "wine o'clock" memes won't be going away anytime soon.

But the important thing is that today's news affirms the increasingly popular theory that Mark Zuckerberg is not the savior of the Western world, but just some code jockey who was in the right place at the right time.

Watch for him and fellow embodiment of the evils of late capitalism Elon Musk to announce a plan for world domination any day now.

Source Hollywood gossip

Mass defection: "Same way lawmakers ganged up against Jonathan in 2014"

A former governorship aspirant in Delta State on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunny Onuesoke, yesterday said the defection of 14 Senators and 37 House of Representatives members was a replay of what happened in 2014 during former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s government...

He noted that it was the same lawmakers that ganged up against Jonathan, adding that it was good for Nigeria’s democracy.

In a statement he personally signed and made available to reporters, the Delta born politician said, “What played out in the National Assembly on Tuesday did not come to me as a surprise because I have 21 national publications to what happened on Tuesday.

“In my presentation in January, I said PDP will become the majority party in the National Assembly before the primaries.

“What is playing out is a replay of 2014 by same elites and the ruling class then against ex-President Goodluck Jonathan because the same people who decamped on Tuesday where

same persons who did it in 2014.

“In the true sense of it, democracy is playing out for the fact that you are entitled to any party you want to decamp to and become a member of such party. The leadership of APC deserves what is coming to it today.”

Speaking on the police siege on Dr Bukola Saraki and Dr Ike Ekweremadu’s residences, he added, “The Police laying siege to the official residences of the Senate President and his deputy on Tuesday could be termed rascality of the highest order by the executive.”

Reps invite Kachikwu, NNPC, NPDC, others over $21bn debts, revenue leakage

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing $21billion debts owed indigenous companies by International Oil Companies, IOCs, revenue leakage on Thursday invited Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Chief Executive Officers of all oil companies operating in Nigeria.

Rep Daniel Reyenieju, PDP, Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State, chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee flanked by his colleagues gave update on the workings of the committee at the National Assembly, expressed worry over the failure of relevant regulatory agencies to take necessary actions toward recovering the debts from the OICs.

He explained that the Special Committee was mandated to investigate two resolutions of the House, on Thursday, 18th and 25th January, 2018, respectively.

“The Ad-hoc committee is to investigate the operations of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contractors Act (PSC) as it concerns the NNPC and IOCs, towards determining the reasons for the loss of $21 billion; enquire why appropriate steps were not taken, promptly and over an inordinately long period, to remedy the situation which led to the loss and possibly recover the revenue lost.

“Accordingly, the House requires the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to provide it with details of financial transactions between the NPDC and IOCs during the period.

“Review the PSC, the Joint Operating Agreement and other relevant agreements, with a view to regularising all the anomalies that might have led to the loss of revenue.

Google to provide 10m Nigerians with free WiFi

Google Nigeria plans to reach more than 10 million Nigerians with free Internet access in five cities in Nigeria.

According to the company, the Wi-Fi will be available in 200 Google Stations across five cities in the country which includes Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Abuja by 2019.

This was made known on Thursday at the second Google for Nigeria event in Lagos.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Google Stations, the Google Nigeria Country Director, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, said the initiative would address affordability and access to data as well as broadband penetration.

She said the free Wi-Fi was rolled out in partnership with an Internet Service Provider with extensive fibre network, 21st Century, adding that the company was open to partnerships with other ISPs and telcos.

“One of the challenges we found was access to data. Broadband penetration is low and are not reliable and there are challenges with affordability just allow many Nigerians benefit from the digital economy. We are very excited to be able to launch in collaboration with partners,” she said.

She added, “We are starting in Lagos with four sites and commitment is to expand to 200 sites across five cities in Nigeria by 2019. There are opportunities that are available once people get online and are able to consume information.

Commenting on the initiative, the Vice President, Products Management at Google, Anjali Joshi, said the initiative would be scaled to other countries in Africa.

What Oshiomhole said about defecting Senators after meeting with Buhari

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiohmole, has said many of the members of the National Assembly who defected to other opposition parties are “victims of disinformation”.
Oshiohmole stated this when he addressed State House correspondents at the end of a meeting between APC Senators and President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night.

He warned that APC and the Buhari administration would not be intimidated or distracted from delivering on its mandates to the Nigerians.

“The Senators have come in huge numbers as the Senate leader had earlier said, namely that APC remains the party with the highest number of senators in the senate and in the House of Representatives. So, that fact has been reaffirmed.

“Number two, we still have what it takes to continue to provide good governance for Nigerians.

“Number three, those people who had left, many of them were victims of disinformation.

“I think there was a clear attempt by a few who have the agenda to try and play up fears and then seek to profit from those fears by spreading disinformation in the manner that they did.

“But like everything that is not based on truth, overtime truth emerges and people who were victims of disinformation retrieve their steps which is why a senator from Ogun has already returned to the fold.

“I’m sure more and more who left out of confusion and who were misled, I believe they will come back.

“But much more importantly is that we have agreed that going forward, this party cannot be intimidated, the government will not be intimidated, it cannot be distracted, we remain focused, we remain committed to addressing those critical challenges that confront our country – security, economy and fighting corruption.”

The former Edo Governor commended the APC Senators who had come to reassure the president of their full backing in pursuance of these three core commitments “which we made to the Nigerian people and for me as chairman I’m very excited”.

Dino Melaye’s lawyer speaks on alleged abduction of lawmaker

Barrister Yemi Mohammed, the lawyer to the Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has provided reasons the lawmaker failed to appear in court on Thursday.
The lawmaker was supposed to appear in court on Thursday but failed following a reported attack on him by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.

Melaye and two others are on trial for alleged gun-running.

His lawyer told the trial magistrate, Suleyman Abdalah that Senator Melaye was attacked in Gwagwalada on Thursday morning, on his way to Lokoja.

He said, ‘’I learnt that he was attacked this morning in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja, Up till now, I have not been able to reach him. I don’t know where he is at the moment.’

Mohammed stated that the prosecuting counsel was not ready to open the case “due to the reason best known to them.”

The officer in charge of Police prosecution, Theophilus Oteme, told the court that the prosecuting counsel had an emergency, which made it “extremely difficult to appear in court.”

Oteme, however, asked for a long adjournment till September 23, which was opposed by the trial magistrate who argued that “it contravened administration of criminal justice law of Kogi State as amended.”

He adjournment till 9th August for commencement of trial.

Offa robbery: Saraki, Police investigators finally meet in his office

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has, Thursday, finally met with a team of investigators in his office over allegation he is “directly linked” to the robbery that took place at Offa, Kwara state.

Dr. Saraki, during the interaction with the investigators, reiterated his innocence in the crime.

In a tweet, Thursday, by his Special Assistant on New Media, Olu Onemola, Saraki said he had nothing to do with either the robbery incident nor any other criminal activities.

According to the tweet, “”Further to the invitation to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the Police on July 23, 2018, and his written response to them on July 24, 2018 on why he could not see them that day — today at about 1:40pm, the Senate President met with a team of investigators on the Offa Robbery case in his office.

“Dr. Saraki, used the opportunity to reiterate the fact that he has nothing to do with either the robbery incident on April 5, 2018, or any other criminal activity.”

Recall that Saraki had written the Police, explaining why he could not honour the force’s invitation over the allegation.

In the letter, Saraki had said, “For the record, I should mention that I received your letter at 8:30 pm on Monday 23rd July, 2018, inviting me for the next day at 8am. The two lawyers whose advise I needed were in Calabar and Lagos and have to travel to Abuja today.

“As you are aware, the deputy president of the senate was unable to leave his residence this morning to preside over the senate having been prevented from doing so by security agents. If he had been able to preside over the senate, I would have honoured your invitation.

“The absence of both presiding officers would have voided the sitting of the senate. This would have been damaging to national interest, particularly in the light of very important legislative matters that needed to be addressed in view of the imminent recess of the national assembly.

“These included consideration of the electoral bill which was incidentally passed today. You will recall that Mr President had earlier directed as a courtesy to this office that in the event of any request for further information from me, you should either send your personnel to my office or obtain a written response from me.

“I need to place on record as well, that following the incident of being harassed and threatened at my residence by the police early this morning, I’m deeply concerned over my physical security.

“I request you therefore, to please assign your personnel who need information on this matter to meet me in my office immediately after plenary, today or tomorrow or at any other day at your convenience.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police, also on Thursday, insisted that Saraki must report to the Force Intelligence Response Team, Guzape, Abuja to answer to the allegation.

The police also denied reports making the rounds that the Senate President was exonerated in the case based on report of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP.

Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja, said the reaction became necessary following an online media reports to the effect that Saraki was exonerated on the basis that “there was no evidence that linked the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April”,this year.

It said, “It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation in the legal advice did not restrain or restrict the Force from investigating further, the indictments against the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed by the principal suspects arrested in connection with the Offa bank robbery of 5th April, 2018, “the statement said. It added that” the DPP advice did not exonerate the Senate President, it only called for further investigations into the matter.”

The statement read full: "It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rdJuly, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24th July, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja."

Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has case to answer by virtue of the facts that the statements submitted by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki earlier to the Investigation Team was not explicit and detailed enough, and was discovered to require further clarifications and interrogation, and coupled with the fact the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki in his statement, claimed that the full text of the statement of the suspects who indicted him in their confessional statements to the Police was not shown to him. It is therefore, imperative for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki to report to the Police to make further statement after sighting the full text of the statement of the suspects.

“Furthermore, the Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter.

“The media and the Police are veritable partners in crime prevention, protection of lives and property, and absolute compliance with the rule of law. The media are implored not to allow the pages of their esteemed publications be used to misinform the public.”

Who kidnapped Senator Dino Melaye?

Controversial Nigerian senator, Dino Melaye (Kogi West) has been abducted by unknown gunmen.

This was first disclosed by Senator Ben Bruce (Bayelsa East) on his Twitter page.

“I have just been informed by Moses Melaye, @dino_melaye’s brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi to answer to Dino’s court case. Lets be on the watch out. Will keep you updated,” Bruce tweeted.

Melaye was arraigned yesterday before an FCT High Court in Apo, Abuja on a six-count charge bordering on attempted suicide.

It was learnt that Melaye was also charged with the offences of attempt to escape from lawful custody and damage of police property.

The lead counsel to Melaye, Chief Mike Ozekhome, represented by Mr Yemi Mohammed, told the court that he had on good authority that Melaye was attacked in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja. “I learnt that he was attacked in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja to attend his trial and up till now, I have not been able to reach him, I don’t know where he is at the moment,’’ he said.

Gideon Ayodele, a spokesperson for Mr Melaye, said the senator’s brother, Moses Melaye, reported the matter at Gwagwalada Divisional Headquarters shortly after the incident happened Thursday morning.

Mr Ayodele also said there were indications since Wednesday night that unknown persons were trailing Mr Melaye, and they were busy trying to ascertain the identity and motive of the individuals.

Mr Melaye’s number has been switched off since his whereabouts became a mystery earlier today.

FCT police spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, told NE at 4:00 p.m. he had not been briefed when told that the family of Mr Melaye said the matter was reported at Gwagwalada since morning.

“I do not have any report to that effect,” Mr Manzah said. The official earlier promised to make immediate findings and revert when we first called him four hours ago about the feared kidnap of Mr Melaye.

The question remains, who 'kidnapped' Dino Melaye and why?

Offa robbery: What Saraki told team of investigators on Thursday

Nigeria’s Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has again insisted that he played no part in the bank robberies that took place on April 5, 2018 in Offa, Kwara state.

According to a tweet from Olu Onemola, his Special Assistant on New Media, Saraki who met a team of investigators on Thursday in his office said that he had nothing to do with any criminal activity.

“Further to the invitation to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the Police on July 23, 2018, and his written response to them on July 24, 2018 on why he could not see them that day — today at about 1:40pm, the Senate President met with a team of investigators on the Offa Robbery case in his office.

“Dr. Saraki, used the opportunity to reiterate the fact that he has nothing to do with either the robbery incident on April 5, 2018, or any other criminal activity,” Onemola wrote.

Saraki was summoned for the second time, by the Inspector-General of Police on July 23.

I may dump APC, says Kwara governor

Abdulfatah Ahmed, governor of Kwara state, says he might quit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He gave the hint when he played host to stakeholders in Kwara central senatorial district on Thursday.

According to Wahab Oba, chief press secretary to the governor, the stakeholders prevailed on Ahmed and Senate President Bukola Saraki to immediately dump the APC.

Ahmed, who agreed with them that the party “has not met the expectations” of the people of Kwara, said top politicians in the state built the ruling party in the buildup to the 2015 elections.

He expressed disappointment over the “failure” of the government at national level to address insecurity, economy and unemployment challenges confronting the nation.

“We formed APC together in 2014 with the hope to meet the needs and aspirations of the people in critical areas of our national life,” he said.

He said the leadership of the APC had failed to intervene in critical issues affecting the party and its members, alleging that injustice within the party is unbearable.

Ahmed thanked the people of the state for their support, saying he would consider their pleas and make public the new platform that would “meet the aspirations” of the people of the state.

He spoke one day after Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, resigned his membership of the ruling party.

Recall we had reported that Ortom, Ahmed and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state would leave the APC.

Ahmed’s indication is coming at a time the APC is trying to recover from the loss of 52 federal legislators.

You’ve become a lap dog of the presidency’ — pro-Saraki senators hit Adamu

Abdullahi Danbaba, senator representing Sokoto-south and Isa Misau, his Bauchi central counterpart, have accused Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa-west senatorial district of being an agent of instability and division.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the two senators who just defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accused Adamu of churning out misleading information about those who left the ruling party.

They dismissed the comment attributed to Adamu that Senate President Bukola Saraki collated and announced list of senators he felt were not happy with the ruling party as defectors.

The duo said Adamu who allegedly begged to be appointed a committee chairman at the inception has now become a lap dog of the presidency “because he is being haunted by his past”.

“People like Adamu have become agents of instability and division in the senate. How possible is it for somebody to just announce the change of party on behalf of a senator without the legislator concerned giving his consent,” the statement read.

“It is public knowledge that the axe of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is dangling on him and one of his sons.

“It is surprising that a man of Adamu’s caliber will say that the only defecting senators are from Kwara. We wonder if Danbaba (Sokoto), Isa Misau and Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi), Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo), Barnabas Gemade (Benue), Ubali Shittu (Jigawa), Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna), Usman Nafada (Gombe), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Abdulazeez Nyako (Adamawa), and Dino Melaye (Kogi) are also from Kwara state.

“We can assure him that more senators are preparing to leave the sinking ship of APC and Adamu Abdullahi will have more fabrications to do.

“Adamu is struggling to save his skin but he should at least care about the credibility of the information he is giving out. At his level, he should refrain from circulating fake news.”

Offa Robbery: Saraki has case to answer – Police insist

The Police on Thursday insisted that Senate President, Bukola Saraki has a case to answer, saying that the advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) never exonerated the lawmaker from further investigation in the Offa bank robbery in which 31 people were killed.

A statement issued by Jimoh Moshood, Force Public Relations Officer, Abuja said the attention of the Nigeria Police Force had been drawn to publication in an online news portal that there was no evidence that linked Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April.

Moshood said the DPP of the Federation in the legal advice did not restrain or restrict the Force from investigating further, the indictments against Saraki and Ahmed by the principal suspects arrested in connection with the Offa bank robbery of 5th April, 2018.

“The DPP advice did not exonerate the Senate President, it only called for further investigations into the matter. It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24th July, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.

“Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has case to answer by virtue of the facts that the statements submitted by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki earlier to the Investigation Team was not explicit and detailed enough, and was discovered to require further clarifications and interrogation, and coupled with the fact the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki in his statement, claimed that the full text of the statement of the suspects who indicted him in their confessional statements to the Police was not shown to him.

“It is therefore, imperative for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki to report to the Police to make further statement after sighting the full text of the statement of the suspects. Furthermore, the Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some of the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter,” he said.

Moshood said the media and the Police were veritable partners in crime prevention, protection of lives and property, and absolute compliance with the rule of law, urging the media not to allow the pages of their esteemed publications be used to misinform the public.

Volunteers evacuated from Ghana after protesting 'non-existent' charity schemes they paid to join via Instagram

Hundreds of young Spanish volunteers have been evacuated from Ghana after a row broke out when an aid project they signed up for via Instagram descended into chaos. 

Yes We Help, founded by self-styled entrepreneur Yago Zarroca, signed up more than 1000 young people for its promised summer programmes in far flung destinations such as Ghana and Sri Lanka - or so the Barcelona-based group claimed.

Lured by Instagram pictures of smiling volunteers embracing African children and promotional posts from a handful of “Insta-Celeb” influencers, the volunteers paid €850 each for their stays - not including travel, visas or vaccinations. 

But participants complained they had arrived to find the projects either in a state of complete disarray, or non-existent.

Supposed leaders were either absent or drawn from the volunteers themselves, while materials or funds needed for projects were missing.

Volunteers complained of being left without beds or food and in some cases accommodation entirely as promised stays were cut short. 

The volunteers paid €850 each for their stays - not including travel, visas or vaccinations

On Thursday, more than 130 volunteers - most aged between 16 and 24 - were evacuated out of Ghana by the Spanish Embassy after being threatened by a group of armed men - allegedly sent by Yes We Help itself.

Those in Ghana mounted a protest with a banner denouncing "fraud", while a participant in Sri Lanka posted to Instagram a song calling on Mr Zarroca to "come out of his hotel" and explain himself - a move which, he told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, drew a threat of legal action.

Mr Zarroca himself appeared concerned only with filming and urging them to recruit other volunteer "influencers", Itziar, an 18-year-old from Madrid, told The Telegraph.

Another 17-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, said the volunteers believed Mr Zarroca himself had called in the "mercenaries", while Spain's foreign ministry also blamed Yes We Help.

Rafael Jariod, head of Catalonia's Small and Medium NGO Alliance which has taken up the case, told The Telegraph Yes We Help was a profit-making business facing allegations of questionable practices. 

Neither Mr Zarroca nor Yes We Help - which since removed its claim to be an NGO from its webpage - responded to repeated requests from the Telegraph, while a main contact number was no longer active.

Slick Woods & Her Baby Bump Keeps It Cute For ELLE UK's September Issue + Her 'Grey' Sexuality & Rihanna Reminding Her Of Her Mom

Come thru baby girl!  Our fave new supermodel Slick Woods is bumping all over the September 2018 issue of ELLE UK.  Get into her fab pics, her "grey" sexuality, Erykah Badu being her Doula, and how she met Rihanna to become her muse...

Now THIS is how you go from just being you on Instagram to becoming a full fledged model. 

21-year-old Slick Woods is starring in Rihanna's Fenty cosmetics & lingerie campaigns, Vogue, PUMA and every other brand you come across these days. Now, the free-spirited, bald and uniquely beautiful chick who gives zero f**ks is officially an ELLE cover girl.

She's also a new mom-to-be, and the announcement shocked everybody.  Even her.  But she's here for it all and is thankful her child's father, fellow model Adonis Bosso, is gorgeous himself and just as excited about the baby.

On The Baby’s Father Model Adonis Bosso: “My son’s going to be gorgeoussss. I hear a lot of sob stories about baby daddy drama. Being 21 and my baby's father being excited is just step one. There are girls that don’t even have that.”

There's smething super sexy about Slick, and she can play all the roles - the fun girl to editorial supermodel - while modeling it up, which is probably why Rihanna's her biggest fan. And also why folks can't seem to figure out if she dabbles in the lady pool or f she's strictly d---.

On Rihanna: “She saw a photo of me on Instagram, found me, and we hit it off. You ever loved someone so much that every time you see them, you end up in tears somehow? She reminds me of my mother. Like they’re the same fuckin’ person. And I tell them they remind me of each other all the time.”

On Her Sexuality: “When you are a public figure, with sexuality, you have to pick a side, black or white. But I’m grey.”

So there you have it.

On Discovering She Was Pregnant: “I was really, really, really, really sick in London, but thought it was because of travel, so a doctor gave me pills for a flu. Went to Paris: more pills for a flu. And then I went to LA, and they tried a sonogram, and I saw my baby’s face and heard his heartbeat. Tears of joy.”

On Singer Erykah Badu Being Her Doula: “She’s a mommy role model. A mother I look up to, who fuckin’ kills her shit and is a boss ass bitch.”

On Expecting A Boy: “I saw my baby’s penis! I’m going to stand up for my son. I want him to feel proud as a black man. Everyone is telling men it’s wrong to express your feelings, but I will not let him feel like his feelings are wrong.”

On Becoming A Mother: “At 14, 15, I never expected me to ever be giving any type of life. I never expected to be this happy with having a child. Going from a person who fought, to being able to provide for my own family. From not having family, to being able to create your own. Things you lacked, things you missed out on, trauma—you can completely erase those things by creating new life. All those things you didn’t get - all those hugs and kisses. I can retract those things with my son’s life. In giving him that childhood, it heals you as well. In hugging your son, every hug you give him, it’s giving a piece of that back to you, too. I need him as much as he needs me.”

 

 

The full interview appears in the July issue of ELLE UK, on sale August 8th.

Photos: Courtesy of ELLE UK/ Paola Kudacki

“Those who short change IDPs in the distribution of food and medical items must not go unpunished. NHRC vows to investigate sharp practices at IDP camps .

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says it will investigate all genuine cases of sharp practices at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the country.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu, disclosed this on Thursday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, at a two-day interface with the government agencies with protection mandate in the state.

Mr Ojukwu assured that the commission would act on any genuine report on short changing IDPs in the distribution of food and other relief items.

However, he said the commission would rely on genuine information from the humanitarian actors to address such complaints.

The executive secretary commended the police for their response to allegations on short changing the IDPs as they sanction perpetrators.

“We will stop at nothing to ensure that violators of children and gender rights in IDP camps do not elude sanctions.

“Those who short change IDPs in the distribution of food and medical items must not go unpunished.

“If some persons cheat on IDPs and we look the other way, we don’t know the next people that will become IDPs.

“I must commend the Nigerian Police for ensuring they respond fast on allegations of violation of IDPs rights, they do achieve this by constituting an investigation panel that could uncover perpetrators of such acts,’’Mr Ojukwu said.

He said the interface with humanitarian actors was to enable the commission create a platform where other actors in humanitarian activities share information of mutual interest.

He said the platform would also create an opportunity for the protection actors to discuss ways forward in dealing with protection and humanitarian issues as relate to the protection action groups.

Besides, he said the meeting would enable protection actors to identify potentials and areas of future collaborations that would improve on the system and communities.

Mr Ojukwu suggested the introduction of social media platform that could enable stakeholders to interact and share ideas without necessary meeting physically.

He commended the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the robust partnership.

He said the collaboration between the NHRC and UNHCR has impacted positively in the sensitisation of human rights of citizens in Nigeria.

He urged other development partners to emulate the UNHCR to reach out to humanitarian protection project areas to be able to see things for themselves.

Mr Ojukwu commended all the MDAs and NGOs involved in the humanitarian industry for their contributions to human protection and monitoring.

Ahmed Teejan-Cole, the Resident Officer of UNHCR in Yola, said the interface was to enable partners attain their goals.

Mr Teejan-Cole said the interaction would enable proficient citizens’ protection and other humanitarian services in affected communities.

He commended the Adamawa State Government for its hospitality and accommodation of IDPs from other states.

The forum drew representatives from the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Adamawa Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Education and Women Affairs.

Other MDAs in attendance were the Department of State Services, Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Immigration Service and several NGOs in the humanitarian service sector.

(NAN)

Osun guber: Adeleke clears the air on certificate saga

Ademola Adeleke

The lawmaker representing Osun West Senatorial District and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the September 22, 2018 governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has provided fresh insight into the school certificate saga that made the headlines in the past few days.

Senator Adeleke who polled a total of 1,569 votes, seven more than the runner-up, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi who scored 1, 562 in last Saturday’s governorship primary election in Oshogbo, the Osun state capital, told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that he is eminently qualified educationally for the office of the governor, describing his emergence as a product of a credible process devoid of fraud and manipulation.

Ogunbiyi had shortly after the exercise filed a suit before an Osogbo High Court challenging Adeleke’s eligibility for the poll, stressing that a document allegedly submitted by the lawmaker as evidence of his educational qualification up to school certificate level does not meet the basic qualification stipulated by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act.

But while addressing a press conference at the PDP secretariat Thursday, Director, Media and Public Affairs of the Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Olawale Rasheed described the primary election as a keenly contested one and called on those who felt short-changed in the process to get behind Adeleke for the common good of the Osun State and the PDP.

On the controversy raised about the lawmaker’s qualification for the exalted office of the governor, Olawale tasked those not satisfied with the explanation thus far provided to feel free to approach the Secondary School attended by Adeleke for verification.

He said, “On the issue of school certificate, Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 317 for interpretation on educational requirements for the office of the Governor are very clear and unambiguous. Senator Adeleke is eminently eligible and qualified to seek the office of a governor. The school, Ede Muslim High School (Formerly Ede Muslim Grammar school) he attended still exists in Ede, his hometown. We challenge those asking questions to go to the school and find out if he attended and finished at the school or not between 1976 and 1981.”

Olawale further noted on behalf of his principal that Ogunbiyi having exhausted the PDP’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms ought to have given peace a chance, stressing that the Governor Seriake Dickson Election Committee recounted the votes cast following request by Ogunbiyi, only for him to head to court after the committee pronounced Adeleke as winner of the poll.

“It is open to the public that the Osun PDP primary election was one of the most transparent in recent political history. The entire electoral activity was televised live and the counting was done in the open. The challenger requested for recount and this was done twice. No process can be more open than what the Governor Dickson election committee did in Osun last Saturday. It is thus very disheartening that the said aspirant relied on spurious allegations to smear the party, her officials and the chosen candidate.

“Electoral contests within a political party are governed by rules. The party as an organization has internal mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from party primaries. Aggrieved aspirants are entitled to raise issues but within the bounds of party rules and processes. Appeal can be lodged, and the party will decide. In the case of Osun state, the aggrieved aspirant appealed against the result of the primary election.

“The party’s appeal panel after due consideration and examination of the appeal, upheld the election of Senator Adeleke as the flag bearer of the party and subsequently forwarded his name officially as the party/s flag bearer to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,” he added.

Ademola called on party members especially those who participated in last Saturday’s governorship primaries to put the past behind them and forge a common front as a family to confront the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September electoral contest.

Forgery: Court remands Stella Obasanjo’s brother in prison

John Abebe

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday arraigned a Nigerian businessman, John Abebe, who is also former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s brother in law for alleged forgery.

Abebe, who is a younger brother of the late former First Lady, Stella Obasanjo, was arraigned on four counts before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The EFCC, in the charge, alleged that Abebe “knowingly forged” a November 30, 1995 letter written by BP Exploration Nigeria Limited to Inducon (Nigeria) Ltd.

The anti-graft agency claimed that the businessman illegally inserted into page 2 of the said letter “the following words: Also note that the ‘Buy-Out Option’ only applies to the pre-production stage of the NPIA. The $4m buy-out is thus irrelevant from production of Oil in any of our fields.”

Abebe was also accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by tendering the alleged forged November 30, 1995 letter “as a fabricated evidence” in court, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/224/2010 between Dr. John Abebe, Inducon Nigeria Limited and Statoil Nigeria Limited.

He was further accused of making an attempt to mislead the court by using fabricated evidence contrary to Section 120 (2) of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

By attempting to pervert the course of justice, Abebe violated Section 126 (2) of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003 and that forgery was also a violation of Section 467 of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

when the charges were read to him, the accused businessman, pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Judge, Justice Mojisola Ayoka Dada, while adjourning the case to enable the defence counsel, Mr Uche Nwokedi (SAN), file an application for bail, ordered that Abebe should be remanded at Ikoyi Prison pending the hearing and determination of his bail application, and thereafter adjourned the case till 2nd of August, for the hearing of the bail application.

New Ebola virus found in Sierra Leone, govt says

A new Ebola virus has been found in bats in Sierra Leone, two years after the end of an outbreak that killed over 11,000 across West Africa, the government said on Thursday.

It is not yet known whether the new Bombali species of the virus — which researchers say could be transmitted to humans — can develop into the deadly Ebola disease.

“At this time, it is not yet known if the Bombali Ebola virus has been transmitted to people or if it causes disease in people but it has the potential to infect human cells,” Amara Jambai, a senior ministry of health official, told AFP.

“This is early stages of the findings,” Jambai added, calling on the public to remain calm while awaiting further research.

A health ministry spokesman and a researcher who worked on the discovery confirmed the findings to AFP.

Researchers who found the new virus in the northern Bombali region are now working with the Sierra Leone government to determine whether any humans were infected.

“As precautionary measures, people should refrain from eating bats,” Harold Thomas, health ministry spokesman told AFP.

The worst-ever Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in southern Guinea before spreading to two neighbouring west African countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The West African outbreak was caused by the Zaire species, which has historically been the most deadly in humans since it was first identified in 1976.

That outbreak killed more than 11,300 people out of nearly 29,000 registered cases, according to World Health Organization estimates.

The WHO declared the epidemic over in January this year, but this was followed by flare-ups in all three countries.

(AFP)

Google for Africa: FG plans massive economic rehabilitation with technology

President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Nigeria Google country director, Juliet Ehimuan; VP, Project Management, Anjali Joshi and some beneficiaries of Google programs.

The federal government Thursday revealed that it plans to carry out a massive economic overhaul through supports and investments in technology developments across the country.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, made the revelation at the 2018 edition of Google for Africa event held in Victoria Island Lagos. Osinbajo said the government has made massive investments in technology ecosystem as well as giving supports worth over $2million, approximately (N720 million) to about 29 startups in Nigeria to change the trajectory of Nigerian story and provide knowledge and information to the teeming youths.

Osinbajo who was special guest of honour at the event, used the opportunity to express the countrys gratitude to Google for partnering with a local technology company, 21st Century technology to launch the Google Station platform in Nigeria.

The platform which was launched in Nigeria, at the event, is Googles public wi-fi service which allows partners to roll out free hotspots in public places.

He said Nigeria cannot provide all the services the country and its citizenry need and called on more corporate organizations both locally and internationally to join Google in assisting to keep Nigeria as the technology hub of Africa and all emerging markets of the world.

According to Osinbajo, “We in Nigeria cannot train nearly 200 million young people by 2045 in classrooms alone; it’s impossible. We must use the internet and even mobile telephony. We must connect our young people to knowledge and information as is done all over the world. For instance, when we started the graduate employment programme that we have, tagged the Mpower programme, we were trying to access 200,000 people in the first phase and 300,000 in the next phase; ofcourse we couldn’t congregate that mass anywhere at any location in Nigeria without chaos. We had to resort to the internet. We had to develop a platform which enabled us to conduct tests, get all their details, pay them and gave them tablets which they are working with, today. All of these would have not been possible without the internet.

“Without connectivity, development trajectory of our nation and our continent is truncated. Today it is also becoming increasingly clear that the availability of food and health space of huge number of our people will depend on how democratized technology becomes. That is to say, we simply cannot provide food or drugs in Nigeria or Africa, without innovations in technology and agriculture.

“Every step in making technology hub available is a quantum leap in the African development story and a major contribution to global stability and growth. This is why the launch of Google Station event here in Lagos, Nigeria is an enormously significant development. It means that in collaboration with the indigenous technology company, 21st century Technology which will provide access, more Nigerians will connect into the internet.

“More exciting for us is that the Google station is first launched in the market places. It is absolutely important because that is where the largest number of our people gathers”.

He noted that millions of Nigerians have shared stories of how internet transformed their lives in positive ways, and so the government was trying its best to see that more people join in these testimonies.

“With Senior Special Assistant to the president on SDGs we have launched digital skills training programme with target to train 400, 000 Nigerians in basic digital skills, working with google and other local training institutions we have surpassed the target, training more than one million Nigerians in different basic digital skills in the last 24 months.

“We scale up our support to the private sector in the technology space and recently we created technology and industry advisory group. The group brings together young private companies and relevant government agencies like NNPC and Bank of Industry to stimulate growth in technonolgy and creative industries of our economy . The federal government has given out $2m dollar to 29 start ups across the country. Some of these initiatives have helped the country rise in world banks ease of doing business index” he claimed.

I Remain An APC Member Says, Shehu Sani

Senator Shehu Sani (file)

 

Senator Shehu Sani has said that he remains a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly disclosed this to journalists on Thursday after a meeting with the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole in Abuja.

In a statemement by the Publicity Unit of the APC,  the Senator backed the ongoing reconciliation efforts undertaken by the Party’s National Executive led by the chairman.

He said, “We are confident that the new leadership of the Party has the capacity the ability to address these injustices.

In the words of Frantz Fanon, ‘We revolt because we cannot breathe’. So we revolted against the Party which was run because it is suffocating us.

“Now we have a new surgeon who is doing everything possible to put it back on track. That is why we will give him the benefit of doubt that the problem can be solved.” He added.

His comment comes after the defection of about 51 lawmakers from the party to the opposition and other parties.

Series of meetings have been held by both the party chairman and President Muhammadu Buhari concerning these defections.

The Senator, when asked about his membership in the party (APC), said, “If I am here, I am an APC member. If I am not an APC member, you will not see me at the Party’s National Secretariat”.

Nigeria to experience longest total lunar eclipse on Friday —Scientist

Nigeria will on Friday night experience a spectacular total lunar eclipse, which will last for one hour, Prof. Augustine Ubachukwu, has said.

Ubachukwu, the leader of Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Group of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

“Nigeria is set to experience a very spectacular total lunar eclipse on Friday, July 27, weather permitting.

“It will be visible from 9:30.p.m. and last till 11: 220 p.m.

“This total lunar eclipse will be primarily visible from the world’s Eastern  Hemisphere, which are Europe,  Africa,  Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“Part of South America will be able to watch the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27.

“New Zealand will catch the beginning stages of the eclipse before sunrise on July 28.

“It will be the century’s longest total lunar eclipse with a whopping one hour and 43 minutes in totality.

“It starts with a partial eclipse at 7:24 p.m.  The total eclipse begins at 8.30 p.m., and ends at 10.13 p.m. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 9.22 p.m. The partial eclipse ends at 11.19 p.m.,’’ he said.

Ubachukwu observed that a lunar eclipse could occur only on the night of a full moon.

The scientist said during a total lunar eclipse, the earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon, while the only light reflected from the lunar surface would be refracted by the earth’s atmosphere.

According to him, unlike solar eclipses,  lunar  eclipses  are safe  to view without any eye protection  or  special precautions as they appear dimmer than the full moon.

The professor, however, said that the next total lunar eclipse that would be visible in Nigeria would occur on Jan. 21, 2019.

Prof. Rabiu Babatunde, the Director, Centre for Atmospheric Research in Kogi told NAN that people should not be perturbed at the occurrence.

Babatunde said that the event underscored the fact that planetary objects, including the earth, were in a state of defined continuous motion.

He said that the occurrence necessitated the need for scientists to continue monitoring and exploring the dynamics of the motion and the phenomena associated with them.

“Keeping a tab on the dynamics will enable scientists to sensitise the global community of any hazard associated with such occurrences,’’ he said.

(HAPPENING NOW) NAN Workers Currently Protesting in Lagos Over Poor Welfare Package.

 Emerging facts getting to our newsroom shows that members of staff of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, are presently staging a protest against what they termed poor welfare package(s).

The protest is ongoing at the Lagos office of the agency as of the time of filing this report.

The workers had commenced a three-day warning strike, on Thursday, (today) to protest apparent poor welfare package.

The warning strike commenced after midnight of Wednesday, July 25, 2018.

It would be recalled that members of staff who were represented by the three unions within the agency, namely, NUJ, AUCPTRE and RATTAWU, had written to the management, with the issuance of a seven-day ultimatum. 

The three unions, representing members of staff had earlier written the Management, given it a seven-day ultimatum  to address the demands made by the union.

The workers had further warned that if the demands were not met, they would have no choice than to begin the showdown, today.

The demands made by the union on behalf of the workers include: implementation of Condition of Service that was last review 16 years ago, Payment of Promotion Arrears for 2012 and 2017 and payment of shortfall of promotion arrears of 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Other demands are: payment of DTA and hotel allowances to staff that left their base to write the 2018 Promotion Examination in Lagos and Abuja and payment of repatriation allowances of foreign correspondents.

The workers are equally demanding training of staff to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, payment of overtime arrears for drivers and arrears of Transportation Allowance for staff of editorial department.

The letter to the management had read in part: 

"The staff of the agency will down tools on July 25 midnight if their demands were not met.

Chairman-NUJ, Yetunde Bada………………………………..

Secretary NUJ, Bokula Adewumi…………………………….

Chairman-AUCPTRE, Suleiman Haruna……………………..

Secretary AUCPTRE, Uduak I. Oputa…………………………

Chairman RATTAWU, Daniel Akaphiare…………………….

Secretary RATTAWU, Isiaka Sakiru…………………………."

Meanwhile, the Managing Director, MD, of the news agency, Bayo Onanuga, last Monday revealed that efforts are being made to increase increase its internal revenue.

Onanuga particularly argued that an increase in revenue would give management the enablement to see to the further improvement of workers' welfare.

Speaking while addressing staff at the Lagos office of NAN, Onanuga revealed some of the frontiers the agency was exploring to boost its internal revenue to complement dwindling government funding.

According to the MD, “We need to expand our subscriber base to millions of people.

"Even if we are able to build a subscriber base of 200,000 and we charge N30 a day, we will be able to make N6 million daily.

"The implementation of NAN staff condition of service is beyond NAN management as we do not pay salaries,

“The new condition of service has been sent to the Ministry of Information. 

"It needs the approval of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Ministry of Finance and Budget Office.

"All claims concerning promotion arrears have been forwarded to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for payment."

On training, Onanuga said, "Within the limit of its resources, the Agency has been sending staff on various training.

"Management has been collaborating with some organisations to provide specialised training for the staff to boost their productivity."

Onanuga, however maintained that there would be no justifiable reason for the workers to go on strike.