Stella DimokoKorkus and Linda Ikeji’s fight gets messier, exchange words on Instagram

Linda Ikeji and Stella DimokoKorkus’ fight just got messier. Both bloggers last night traded words on Instagram.

The official Linda Ikeji Blog Instagram page reacted to Stella DimokoKorkus blasting Linda for allegedly stealing her exclusive content.

They claimed Stella also took some of Linda’s interviews without giving credit. See what they posted below;

Hanty Stella, remember when you took aunty Linda’s interview and didn’t give her credit? Now you’re crying foul? .. 😂😂😂. Run along! 😅😅

Dear hanty Stella, you dont know shit about our madam, if you did, you would have written by now. We tripple dare you to reveal what you know about Linda and stop making empty threats. Our CEO has lived a good life and has been open about her struggles and rags to riches story but you always insinuate you know something others dont. We dare you to write it. What other lie do you want to tell that is not already in the public? 🤣🤣🤣. Who the hell do you think you are to be constantly threatening her? You think if she wanted to fight you, you would win? 😂😂😂. Linda is blessed and enjoying maternity leave but the rest of us have your time. Try it!

View this post on Instagram

Dear hanty Stella, you dont know shit about our madam, if you did, you would have written by now. We tripple dare you to reveal what you know about Linda and stop making empty threats. Our CEO has lived a good life and has been open about her struggles and rags to riches story but you always insinuate you know something others dont. We dare you to write it. What other lie do you want to tell that is not already in the public? 🤣🤣🤣. Who the hell do you think you are to be constantly threatening her? You think if she wanted to fight you, you would win? 😂😂😂. Linda is blessed and enjoying maternity leave but the rest of us have your time. Try it! . . . Update: hanty Stella, that was all you could come up with? 😂😂😂. Lame and dumb post. Childish, desperate and weak.😭😭😭. Now run along. 😂😂😂 . . Update: Linda has never shamed Stella or her children. Never! Or ever said Stella whored around. She doesn't know you that well to say such about you. She doesn't even say that about any woman but hanty stella needs an excuse to hate on Linda so she makes up these lies to validate her constant attack on the woman. Like we said, we have time and if our CEO wants us to take this down later we will, but for now, we have time.

A post shared by LIB – Linda Ikeji Blog (@lindaikejiblog) on Nov 16, 2018 at 12:42pm PST

Well, the post obviously got the attention of Stella DimokoKorkus who replied with the below text;

Linda the snake,Why are you using other people to reply me? Talk to me directly and stop hiding.i see they are urging you to fight on. I may not be as rich as you claim to be but I don’t steal people’s sperm and I don’t go to peoples hotel room to steal stuff not given to them. I don’t lie on people and I don’t bad mouth people and put them on speaker the way you do your celeb friends and laugh at them. The people fighting for you did u tell them the reason you and I don’t talk? Sperm thief Content thief and the other one. Come out of your maternity leave and stop hiding. You stole my stories to build your blog. I couldn’t do anything and when it was too much I lifted your interview to show you how it feels but no u didn’t get the message becos it runs through you. I carried my kids in my womb and I know who their father is, and I am so proud of myself. Like I said you are small fry. #please reply again and I will get back to you if I am still less busy and if not I will reply you as soon as I can. #ole.

Source Lailas Blog

Abacha’s daughter Gumsu defends Stella DimokoKorkus in fight with Linda Ikeji

Abacha’s daughter Gumsu, has reacted to the fight between Stella DimokoKorkus and Linda Ikeji as she further alleged that the devil lives in Linda.

This came after Stella DimokoKorkus called Linda Ikeji a sperm thief and a content thief, who is using other people to reply her. Stella had written;

Linda the snake,Why are you using other people to reply me? Talk to me directly and stop hiding.i see they are urging you to fight on. I may not be as rich as you claim to be but I don’t steal people’s sperm and I don’t go to peoples hotel room to steal stuff not given to them. I don’t lie on people and I don’t bad mouth people and put them on speaker the way you do your celeb friends and laugh at them. The people fighting for you did u tell them the reason you and I don’t talk? Sperm thief Content thief and the other one. Come out of your maternity leave and stop hiding. You stole my stories to build your blog. I couldn’t do anything and when it was too much I lifted your interview to show you how it feels but no u didn’t get the message becos it runs through you. I carried my kids in my womb and I know who their father is, and I am so proud of myself. Like I said you are small fry. #please reply again and I will get back to you if I am still less busy and if not I will reply you as soon as I can. #ole.

Reacting to this, Abacha’s daughter Gumsu wrote;

@stelladimokokorkus hmmmm…. I like it when you keep your cool….. E be like say she really vex you this time….When you have a heart of stone only God can deliver you #Istandwithstella #thedevillivesinlinda

Source Lailas blog

Kemi Olunloyo reacts as Stella DimokoKorkus blast Linda Ikeji for theft

Though Madam Kemi Olunloyo said she has forgiven, linda ikeji, she has reacted after Stella DimokoKorkus blasted Linda Ikeji for alleged theft.

Kemi Olunloyo took to her Instagram page to wade in on the apparent fight between Linda Ikeji and Stella DimokoKorkus.

The two who were once best of friends, seem to be at loggerheads, and below is what kemi has to say about it all;

#HNNGossip I’m the only NIGERIAN in the Top 10 pioneer bloggers in the world @time magazine 1999. Many of you were babies when this started in 2006. Linda is a blogger, Stella and I are Journalists. There is a big difference. Journalists who blog are called professional bloggers. Mr Aye Dee took Linda’s blog down for 29 hours because of copyright infringement. I was the first to fight for Linda behind the scenes and told you her blog will return live at midnight and it did plus I tweeted it #LIVE. My Twitter genius @tade355 go find me those tweets. I called my friend Sergei Brim co-founder of Google who linked with Google Nigeria. The beef here is long-standing. At the Nigerian Tribune in 2013, I was told to do a story on Nigeria’s top Female bloggers. When I compiled the list, Stella declined to be featured if Linda was on it. Next I was Linda’s victim. The 2013 gun story where she diminished my brand. I dropped the Tribune story and instead I wrote a story on how Nigerian bloggers have generally failed because of copying and syndicating each other. Linda also made fun of Stella’s oyinbo babies saying she slept with oil expats and didn’t know the father of her kids when she actually married one and had kids with him before they moved to Germany. I watched all this play out from 2005-2018. The solution now is Linda, keep your interns trained on photo credits and sourcing info. Someone will take down your blog permanently like what happened to Twitter. That could collapse your empire. Don’t let it happen!! We are web logging and logging the web is not all copy and paste. #WEBLOGGING without the we is what is termed blogging. You must credit and source content from the web meaning other people’s work. Cheers Kemi Olunloyo–Journalist💞💕🇳🇬

Source Lailas Blog.

There is no shame in Sex trade - Bisi Alimi ( Gay rights activist).

Bisi Alimi while making a controversial post regarding sex trade on his Instagrampage, said that according to his mother, everyone is a prostitute.

The gay rights activist and public speaker said sex trade is a profession and one of the oldest professions at that. He went on to add that sex workers should sell it with pride. He shared an image which read;

There is no shame, absolutely no shame in selling sex. It is a profession and one of the oldest. If you sell sex, sell it with pride and make sure you get the real price for your time. Don’t go cheap

Reacting to his post, he added:

“As my mother will say; we are all Ashawo.”

See screenshots below;

Breaking News: Super Eagles Draw South Africa To Qualify For 2019 AFCON

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have qualified for 2019 African Cup of Nation, to be hosted by Cameroon, after they drew 1-1  with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Saturday.

The game was played at the FNB Stadium in South Africa.

Details later…

Stay updated with the latest Nigerian news from Information Nigeria

Billionaire Businessman, Otedola Endorses Sanwo-Olu

Femi Otedola, the Nigerian business mogul, has endorsed the Lagos State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for governor, Punch Metro reports.

Otedola, who is the Chairman of Forte Oil PLC, was only last month rumoured to be running for governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, a report which he neither denied nor confirmed.

Media entrepreneur, Mr. Dele Momodu had said in September that Otedola had personally confirmed to him that he would be contesting the governorship seat.

However, in a post on his official Instagram handle on Saturday, Otedola described Sanwo-Olu as his childhood friend and the incoming governor of Lagos State.

A caption which was placed beneath a photo he took with Sanwo-Olu read in part, “Dinner at my residence yesterday evening with my childhood friend, APC governorship candidate, Jide Sanwo-Olu; the governor in waiting.”

Stay updated with the latest Nigerian news from Information Nigeria

What A Shame! Confusion As Impounded Vehicle Disappears From Ondo Police Station

According to a report by SaharaReporters, the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been thrown into confusion after the disappearance of an impounded Toyota Corolla vehicle, parked in the custody of the police.

It was learnt that the Toyota vehicle was impounded and parked within the premises of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Ondo State Police Command in the Alagbaka area of Akure.

The stolen Toyota vehicle, impounded a month ago and parked within the premises of the police station, had no battery but appears to have been mysteriously driven away from the station by yet-to-identified persons.

SaharaReporters authoritatively gathered that a newly re-deployed police sergeant, who was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command and was on duty when the car was stolen, has been arrested in connection to the incident.

This police sergeant, whose name has not been revealed, is currently being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Office in Akure, and helping with investigation into the stolen Toyota vehicle.

Police sources who briefed our correspondent on Saturday about the case said the disappearance of the vehicle had remained a “mystery” to the officers in the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police Command.

One of these sources, who preferred not to be named, disclosed that other police sergeants, who were also on duty, have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation.

He said: “My brother, the disappearance of this vehicle (Toyota Corolla) looked mysterious to the officers in the station, because it was impounded and parked in the custody of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad as an exhibit. And I am aware that the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Onabanjo, has been summoned to give account of how the vehicle disappeared from his station.

“I learnt there was this particular sergeant that has been suspected in the case, because he was newly transferred to the station and a day after his assumption of office, the Toyota Corolla vehicle was stolen from the station. Mind you, this particular vehicle had no battery when it was parked in the station, which means the person or those who perpetrated the crime must have come along with a battery to be able to drive the car away.

“So, all the Police Sergeants that were duty on the very day the vehicle was stolen from the station, particularly the ones on ‘counter-duty’, have been arrested and have been helping their superiors with the case. In fact, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju, has shown interest in the case because it is a big slap on our faces. How can a thief enter into a station that is fully armed with officers and make away with the car?

“Definitely, the operation has the hand of an insider, which could also be a policeman within the unit of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, but I am sure we are going to unravel the person behind this mysterious disappearance. The Commissioner of Police has asked the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the command to take over the case and ensure that the vehicle is recovered and the perpetrators are also arrested.”

Femi Joseph, Spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, could not be immediately reached at the time of filing this report as his official lines were not connecting.

A text message sent by SaharaReporters to his official line did not also deliver, but a source in his office confirmed the incident via phone.

The source said: “It is true the incident occurred, but the CID has taken over the case with a view to unravelling those who might have pepetrated this cime as it is a slap on our faces that a Toyota Corolla was stolen from our station”.

Stay updated with the latest Nigerian news from Information Nigeria

Lagos 2019: Nollywood Actors, Musicians Endorse Sanwo-Olu As Governor

Prominent Nollywood actors and musicians including veterans, A-listers and the up and coming in movies, music and comedy genres have endorsed the All Progressives Congress(APC) Candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat in the coming general election as the next Governor of Lagos State.

The delegation from the Nigerian creative industry disclosed this during a solidarity visit to the APC candidate and his deputy at their campaign Ikoyi office.

 

Cobhams Asuquo, Aralola Olumuyiwa (Ara the drummer),All Progressive Congress Governorship Candidate in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu,, Muma Gee, Ozzy Bosco and the APC deputy governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat when the entertainment professionals paid them solidarity visit at their Ikoyi Campaign office.

 

Members of the delegation from Nollywood include Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello), Ebun Oloyede (Olaiya Igwe), Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo), Rachael Oniga), Yinka Qadri, Lanre Hassan (Mama Awero), Chico Ejiro among others. While musicians equally include Wasiu Alabi (Pasuma), Daddy Showky, Owen G., Sound Sultan among others.

They promised to mobilise their fan base and the general populace to vote for Sanwo-Olu on the basis of his capability and experience.

The professionals also intimated the aspirants on some of the challenges impeding the growth of the sector, imploring him to solve them once elected since the sector had been a major contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

They urged Sanwo-Olu to work on the current tax payment structure in Lagos state adding that the Lagos Internal Revenue Service(LIRS) charges them exorbitant taxes due to their celebrity status

Similarly, Kosoko appealed to Sanwo-Olu to appoint one of them as a member of his government noting that this would ensure that interest of the entertainmemt industry is duly represented.

“We have very highly educated people among us and I want to charge you to appoint one of us into your government when you win the election by the grace of God. If we had one of us in your government he or she will represent us and our interests well. We are for you and APC in Lagos and we will support you to win this election.”

 

All Progressive Congress Governorship Candidate in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu with Wasiu Alabi (Pasuma) and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat at their Ikoyi Campaign office when entertainment industry professionals paid them a solidarity visit.

In his response, Mr. Sanwo-Olu appreciated the endorsement of the industry and promised to work with the industry to boost its capacity as a major contributor to the growth of the economy of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

“I am very happy to see many of you here in flesh and blood especially our veterans like Oga Jide Kosoko and Oga Bello.

“The purpose of this interaction is to know the issues that are important to you that you want government to address. We want your input so we can plan for. I appreciate your endorsement and support. It means much to me and my deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.

Let me assure you that by the grace of God when we get to office I will appoint one of you into senior position as requested by Prince Kosoko and beyond appointment we will work through policies and necessary structure to provide enabling environment for you to thrive and do your job well,”he said.

Also responding, Hamzat reiterated the significance of the creative economy in Lagos state which regarded the centre of entertainment in Africa.

“The contribution of this industry to the GDP cannot be ignored. Like our in-coming Governor, by the grace of God has said. We will provide the leadership that will make the industry to grow,” he said.

 

Buhari dismisses Ohanaeze’s endorsement of Atiku as “chaff”

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that many well-meaning Igbo leaders asked him to ignore the so-called endorsement by Ohanaeze Ndigbo of the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Buhari said he was told that the action by the Ndigbo apex group was all gas, lacking substance.

The President made the revelation on Friday at the Presidential Villa, when he hosted a group of Igbo leaders in Abuja, who pledged to mobilise votes for him in next year’s election.

President Buhari said, based on assurances by Igbo leaders, he was not surprised about the split within the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural group after the so-called Atiku endorsement.

The President said that the moment the so-called resolution was announced, he got calls from well-meaning leaders from the region asking him to disregard it as it was without any substance.

“From that moment, I knew that the resolution would not stand, and alas, there it was,’’ he added.

The President said that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), got it right from the very beginning that the major problems facing the country were mainly on security, corruption and the economy.

He said: “We have done so much. Given the chance, we will do more. Given every chance, we will tell Nigerians where we were in 2015 and what we have achieved up to now.

“We will not get tired of speaking about the golden opportunity Nigeria lost during 16 years of the PDP. We earned money, which we didn’t use.

“The state of infrastructure we inherited was terrible – no roads, the railway was killed and power. They lacked conscience because anybody with conscience will not do what they did.

“We will report them to Nigerians. Let anybody lead this country but not the PDP. They were so reckless with the resources of the country.’’

“If you ruin the economy, send your children abroad to get education, won’t they come back?” he asked, adding: “I said it 30 years ago that this is the only country we have. We must stay here and salvage it together.”

The leaders of the delegation, Engineer Emeka Ekwuosa and the National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, informed President Buhari that the Igbos and South-easterners generally understand the good things he is doing for Nigeria which they said, had unfortunately been misunderstood.

They promised to mobilise support for him in the south-east, saying that his re-election will be a national consensus.

Abacha’s daughter Gumsu defends Stella DimokoKorkus in fight with Linda Ikeji

Abacha’s daughter Gumsu, has reacted to the fight between Stella DimokoKorkus and Linda Ikeji as she further alleged that the devil lives in Linda.

This came after Stella DimokoKorkus called Linda Ikeji a sperm thief and a content thief, who is using other people to reply her. Stella had written;

Linda the snake,Why are you using other people to reply me? Talk to me directly and stop hiding.i see they are urging you to fight on. I may not be as rich as you claim to be but I don’t steal people’s sperm and I don’t go to peoples hotel room to steal stuff not given to them. I don’t lie on people and I don’t bad mouth people and put them on speaker the way you do your celeb friends and laugh at them. The people fighting for you did u tell them the reason you and I don’t talk? Sperm thief Content thief and the other one. Come out of your maternity leave and stop hiding. You stole my stories to build your blog. I couldn’t do anything and when it was too much I lifted your interview to show you how it feels but no u didn’t get the message becos it runs through you. I carried my kids in my womb and I know who their father is, and I am so proud of myself. Like I said you are small fry. #please reply again and I will get back to you if I am still less busy and if not I will reply you as soon as I can. #ole.

Reacting to this, Abacha’s daughter Gumsu wrote;

@stelladimokokorkus hmmmm…. I like it when you keep your cool….. E be like say she really vex you this time….When you have a heart of stone only God can deliver you #Istandwithstella #thedevillivesinlinda

Source Lailas blog

Fans drag Toyin Abraham after being pictured with Osinbajo for tradermoni

Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham was dragged into an exchange with her fans after she was spotted with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi for the distribution/monitoring of Tradermoni in Ibadan.

Sharing a video from the event, Toyin Abraham wrote;

Was in Ibadan with the Vice President and Gov.of OYO state yesterday for distribution/monitoring of Tradermoni, it is surprising that many people just heard about it yesterday. I am also challenged to become more involved in politics and policy governing Nigerians. Please young people, let’s not stand far away anymore, it is time to get more involved. Things are happening, things are yet to happen, if we are not involved, we will not know. Cheers to a beautiful weekend

However some of her fans accused her of allowing politicians buy her future with money. Here are screenshots of the exchange below;

Recall that Femi Kuti who headlined the Felabration event which was held few weeks ago, revealed how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo appealed to him to support Buhari’s government, which he refused.

According to Femi Kuti, he can’t support Buhari’s government because of his father even though Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is his friend. His statement in the presence of the Nigerian Vice President and the crowd which turned up for the Felabration event, led to wild cheers.

CONTENT THEFT : Stella DimokoKorkus blasts Linda Ikeji for allegedly stealing her exclusive content.

Nigerian blogger Stella DimokoKorkus, has called out Linda Ikeji for stealing her exclusive content without giving credit to her.

Stella who promised to teach Linda Ikeji a lesson next time this happens, stated that the blogger quoted her interview like the interviewer doesn’t exist. She wrote;

Linda the next time you want to lift an interview I did,there is something called GIVING CREDIT. The next time you try it again I will teach you that two can play. Enough already. Quoting an interview I did as if the interviewer does not exist is wrong. This is me talking. I fear no one and keeping quiet doesn’t mean I don’t wanna talk. Enough said!

This is coming few months after Stella Dimokokorkus took to Instagram to address her beef with Linda Ikeji who welcomed a baby recently in the US  Sharing a photo of a ring interpreted to be a shade for Linda Ikeji, Stella Dimokokorkus wrote;

I love Ring Stories but unfortunately there is no ring. I hate lies. I’m a married woman without a ring. OMG

It is only in Nigeria that a person is tagged Jealous if they try to do what’s right. What gives us the right as Bloggers to write about others but think we can’t be written about? The damage we have done with our platforms and we think we are untouchable? OMG It is my duty as a trained Journalist to follow any breaking story I want. Don’t freaking come here preaching maturity to me. The only reason i am keeping quiet is becos the lies told on me years back is still a fresh wound and I don’t wanna allow myself to be swallowed up in revenge and at the same time I cannot find the right words to write the breaking story without using a knife.

Same knife she used on me years back when she said I am a baby mama who doesn’t know who my baby daddies are…..What da frigging Frack!!!how can I sit down and watch you all swallow the lies she’s been feeding you all ? Cos it’s not my bizness and everytime I try to talk they say I’m jealous cos she got money. Hey you,money doesn’t define who I am or who I relate with any longer. I have grown up to realize money catches fire but a true personality doesn’t. Hello!

I am not perfect and have my own skeletons which I try not to hide. If I wake up tomorrow and do a story about a blogger who is rich and beautiful but full of Shitty lies,i am only doing my job just like we bloggers do. I am finally closing the door today on the lies she told on me cos the drama she is currently going through kinda teaches me forgiveness. Who you fuck ain’t my bizness so i will let this pass. Moral of story? Karma is a bitch and it will visit everyone. Note that i don’t give a Rats ass about anyone’s opinion on this post! Did I mention any names? No but watch you all come on here and act like you know Who i am talking about. One love!

Davido claims support for PDP’s Adeleke cost him show venue, Eko Atlantic fires back

Davido on Wednesday fumed over alleged disapproval of venue for his show scheduled for December.

He accused Eko Atlantic of stating that he could not use their premises.

Eko Atlantic is an exclusive new city rising from the Atlantic Ocean, adjacent to Victoria Island in Lagos.

Davido tweeted: “So my show this December at Eko Atlantic Was not approved, I wonder why?”

Davido suggested that the venue was disapproved because of his affiliation to his uncle, Senator Ademola Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“That is the highest they can do, I will support who I want to support and I will not switch sides over a venue.

“Anyways announcing a new venue soon. It’s a dirty game but I can’t be stopped.”

The tweets have been retweeted and liked by thousands of his followers.

They’ve also sparked entertainment and political debate with Twitter users divided on the matter.

But the management of Eko Atlantic, in its response, said the music star got it all wrong.

A statement signed by Joana Fabikun, Corporate Communications, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, explained its side of story.

It reads: “We received this request on November 8th to which we responded for further clarification and details about the event on November 9th.

“We are yet to receive the requested information so, the notion that we declined his request is false and to imply that we are politically motivated is false.

“Some of the additional information requested was pertaining to security provisions as Eko Atlantic is not an event centre and rather a city with existing residents and businesses.

“In light of this we have strict rules and regulations when it comes to events and activities within the city which require due process.

“We expect the same safety and security measures from event organizers who hold events in Eko Atlantic City. Any event within the city requires a proper level of planning, safety, and security from event organisers.

“As a final note Davido and some of his upcoming artists shot a video in Eko Atlantic earlier this year which we welcomed as we believe in the development of our entertainment industry in Nigeria as seen on our social media.”

Ganduje slams N3bn suit on newspaper over ‘bribery’ videos

Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, has filed a N3 billion suit against Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, and its publisher Ja’afar Ja’afar.

In the suit dated November 13 filed at a federal high court in the state, the governor, through Nuradeen Ajagi, his counsel, asked the court to declare the publication by the newspaper alleging he collected bribes from contractors as a defamation of character and wrongful.

The governor also demanded a public apology from the newspaper. Ja’afar is expected to appear in court within 14 days.

“Outright and unqualified imputation of theft, fraud, corruption and dishonesty which are all criminal offenses by the defendants’ publication against the plaintiff without any conviction by a court of laws, is slanderous, libelous, injurious and wrongful,” the suit read.

“In order perpetually restraining the defendants, their agents and all persons and entities to whom they shared their libelous documents/records from further defaming the good standing and character of the plaintiff.

“That the plaintiff is entitled to damages against the defendants for defamation of character by way of libel and slander.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing the said defamatory story and sharing the said doctored video clips howsoever to whichever type of audience.

“An order compelling the defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N3, 000,000,000 (Three billion naira) as damages for the defamation of the plaintiff character and standing.

“An order compelling the defendants to write a public apology to the plaintiff and broadcast such apology through their online platforms and other news media with global accessibility.”

Daily Nigerian had published video clips of the governor allegedly receiving bundles of dollars as kickbacks from contractors.

The Kano state house of assembly had set up committee to probe the allegations but the panel halted its investigations based on a court order.

We will conduct credible election in 2019 - INEC assures Nigerians

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct credible general elections next year, its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said yesterday.

Yakubu made this promise while speaking at the 6th Anniversary Lecture and Investiture into the Realnews Hall of Fame in Lagos yesterday.

The event was tagged: “Political transitions and Africa’s economic development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 general elections”.

According to Yakubu, the commission is not unaware that the conduct of 2019 elections is a tough task, but INEC is determined to leave no stone unturned to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

He said INEC was deeply committed to democratic elections that would contribute to political stability and consolidation of democracy, which would propel the nation to greater economic prosperity.

Yakubu said: “It is true that political stability is a prerequisite for economic growth. It is also true that no economy flourishes in a situation of uncertainty.

Nations cannot develop, if they are unstable. We have seen nations and cities destroyed by unacceptable electoral outcomes.

“Democratic transition through periodic and credible elections is the best way to ensure certainty that will guarantee and sustain political stability.

“We will never ever fail the nation. Our commitment is that we will never give Nigerians excuses.”

Yakubu said there could be no peaceful or sustainable political transition and consequential economic and other benefits to citizens without credible and peaceful elections through a transparent and inclusive electoral process.

To achieve this goal, the INEC chairman called on all stakeholders – governments, election administrators, security agencies, civil society groups, the media, political parties, candidates and their supporters – to play their roles.

According to him, the commission has embarked on the consolidation of full biometric voter registration through the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) between April 27 and Aug. 31, among other preparations.

He added that at the end of the exercise, some 14.5 million Nigerians were added to the existing register of about 70 million, and the voters register for the 2019 elections had hit 84.2 million.

Yakubu, who called for support of all stakeholders for the collection of PVCs, said a new approach to the collection would begin early in December and continue until a week to the elections.

According to him, the PVCs of those who registered in 2017 and those who registered in the first and second quarters of 2018 have been printed and delivered to states.

Yakubu said there would not be any use of incidence forms, instead, manual register of voters had been redesigned to provide for a box for thumb printing and telephone number of any voter, whose biometric was not authenticated by the Smart Card Readers.

According to him, the commission has harmonised accreditation and voting, carried out greater engagement, installation of trackers, enhancement of Smart Card Readers and improved logistics.

“We are working to ensure optimal performance of the Smart Card Readers,” the INEC Chairman said.

Yakubu highlighted INEC challenges as including do or die mentality of politicians, vote-buying, lack of internal democracy, incendiary speech, security, impunity and lack of consequences for electoral offenders.

He lamented that there were increasing pre-election cases, with the commission being joined in 273 court actions and numerous petitions.

Dr. Haroun Adamu, the Chairman of the occasion and former Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund, said social media platforms had been so influential in information dissemination.

I’ll now contest Ondo central senatorial election -Mimiko

Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state, has confirmed his withdrawal from the presidential race, declaring his interest in Ondo central senatorial election.

“I took the decision in the ultimate interest of our party, the Zenith Labour Party,” the former governor announced at a meeting with his supporters on Thursday.

Mimiko, a two-term governor had emerged presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), but on Wednesday, sources had revealed that he had pulled out of the presidential race and would contest the Ondo central senatorial election.

The source said Gboye Adegbenro, a former commissioner who had secured ZLP senatorial ticket in Ondo central had agreed to step down for the governor.

Adegbenro, who served as Mimiko’s commissioner of works, announced that he had bowed out for Mimiko in the interest of the party and the state.

“It became imperative that I bring to a close, my aspiration to represent Ondo Central Senatorial District at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at this critical juncture,” he told reporters in Akure.

“More than above, I am convinced that the candidacy of our leader, Mimiko, will better serve the interest of the district now and the overall goal of the south west.

“I am eternally grateful to my constituents, followers and party leaders who have been with us all through the process that culminated into taking this decision and renew my commitment and unalloyed dedication to the Zenith Labour Party.

“I remain a firm believer and supporter of my brother and leader, Mimiko, who invited me into partisan politics and who has always provided selfless leadership.”

‘It’s fake news’ — Emefiele responds to claims on Nigeria’s rice imports

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says it is fake news that Nigeria’s rice import has increased by 400,000 tonnes.

In a report last week, the CBN governor said he read that a United States agency said Nigeria’s rice imports had increased by 400,000 tonnes in 2018.

The governor dismissed the report as “false and fake news”.

A week later, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects Nigeria will import 400,000 tonnes of rice in 2019, becoming the second largest importer of rice in the world, after just China.

“China and Nigeria are projected to remain the largest rice importing countries in 2019, followed by the EU, Cote d’Ivoire, and Iran,” the USDA report, seen by TheCable, read.

“Nigeria and Egypt are projected to account for the bulk of the 2019 import increase.”

EMEFIELE AND CBN’S POSITION

Speaking to this situation at the 2018 Nigeria Investment Conference hosted by the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Society of  Nigeria in Lagos last week, Emefiele said Nigeria has imported only 25,000 tonnes of rice in 2018, dismissing the projections.

“I was reading a report where the United States said the volume of imports of rice increased by 400,000 tonnes,” he said.

“I am not a politician, but people should be very mindful when they open their mouths to say what is untrue because we would come out as central bank to attack it particularly if you use data incorrectly.

“I seize the opportunity to say that it is untrue. The data that we have today shows that rice imported legally into the country is less than 25,000 tonnes in 2018 so far.

“Then how come an agency which has not been to Nigeria or even been to the farms to see what we are doing, just come up and say that Nigeria has imported 400,000 tonnes above what it normally should import?

“Go to the data of countries that export rice, you would see their data; you would find the quantity of rice imported by Nigeria. This is false and fake news.”

The CBN, under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele, has invested heavily into the Anchors Borrowers Programme put in motion in collaboration with the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.

According to the CBN and the federal government, over N100 billion has been invested into the scheme for the cultivation of rice, wheat, sorghum and many other farm produce.

The CBN says over 800,000 farmers have benefitted directly from the scheme, which has been responsible for a drastic fall in Nigeria’s rice imports.

The bank insists that not a single dollar has been awarded for the import of rice since 2016.

Ganduje to receive Africa Value Award

Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, will on Friday clinch the Africa Value Award for “effective leadership and economic empowerment”.

The award is scheduled to hold in Abuja, with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as the special guest of honor.

The ceremony is holding at a time Ganduje is enmeshed in a controversy. He has been accused of bribery.

In videos released by Daily Nigerian, an online platform, the governor was seen allegedly collecting kickbacks from contractors in the state.

Ganduje has since denied the allegations, slamming a N3 billion suit on the newspaper.

The organisers of the award said it was established to recognise African citizens and also honour governors, legislators, captains of industries and other esteemed Africans in various fields of endeavors.

“In the last three years, the Ganduje-led administration has been able to make significant strides towards implementing our development agenda to ensuring that Kano people enjoy the dividends of change,” the organisers said.

“Not only that, development programmes are evenly spread across the state in terms of infrastructure development in the areas of road construction/rehabilitation, education, health, water supply, environmental protection, agriculture, economy etc.”

Other awardees include Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the ooni of Ife (African traditional ICON of the year), Ifie Sekibo, chief executive officer of Heritage bank, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, Arthur Eze, chairman of Atlas Petroleum International Limited, Babatunde Fowler,chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS).

President Muhammadu Buhari had passed a vote of confidence on Ganduje, saying the governor is very responsible.

Speaking to the Nigerian community in France earlier in the week, Buhari said Ganduje was very responsible to have continued and completed the projects started by his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

I’ve developed interest in oil industry, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will continue to implement policies that attract investment and spark competition in critical sectors of the economy for employment creation and growth.

The President also said that he has developed interest in the oil sector, which is the main stay of the nation’s economy.

President Buhari stated this when he received the Chairman and Management of the LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise who were on a courtesy visit yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He commended the company for taking full advantage of the pro-business policies put in place by his administration aimed at bringing domestic and direct foreign investment which were yielding prosperity to the people of the country.

He said, “Your competitive and aggressive activity has brought you success. I am pleased that you are investing in a critical area, the oil industry, in which I have developed interest. I am happy you are training Nigerians and giving them respectful jobs. What you are doing shows that whoever tries will succeed.”

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the company, Chief Oladipo Jadesimi said they had come to thank President Buhari for creating an enabling environment and anti-corruption regime that have enabled their business to create a 10 billion Dollar investment and 50,000 new jobs.

On her part, the Managing Director, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, informed the President that their investment had a mission to attract local and international companies that will help reduce the cost of off-shore support services.

According to her, “policies initiated by this government by abrogating monopoly, thereby allowing IOCs (International Oil Companies) to use any facility in Nigeria, yielded immediate positive result for the Nigerian economy by reducing costs by 50 percent.”

She said that in the near future, seven more FPSO (floating production storage off-loading) units will be built in Nigeria, bringing USD 100 billion investment, thousands of jobs and a diversification of the economy due to 70 per cent local content.

The Managing Director expressed the determination of LADOL to turn Nigeria into a hub for logistics and heavy lifting in the sub-region by providing non-stop, 24 hours, seven days a week support services in the Lagos area.

I disagree with those saying govt can’t afford ‘a realistic’ minimum wage -Oshiomhole

Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says governors can meet the demands of workers.

The organised labour is currently fighting for an upward review of workers pay from N18,000 to N30,000.

While labour is insisting on N30,000, Abdulaziz Yari, chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, had said apart from Lagos and Rivers, any state which attempts to pay N30,000 would go bankrupt.

He said the only condition for N30,000 minimum wage is if the workforce is reduced.

But Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said as a governor, he told his colleagues that payment of salaries was no burden, but a means of enhancing the development potential of the state.

Oshiomhole, who governed Edo state between 2008 and 2016, said that the country’s major problem is stealing of public resources.

“My views are clear, that payment of wages is not an act of kindness for an employer to pay the employees’ wages at the end of the month. Even the Holy Bible says that the labourer is entitled to his wages”, Oshiomhole said on a television programme, according to The Nation.

“I think, again, this is where President Buhari stands out clearly. He has publicly asked public sector employers; how do you sleep when you have not paid your employers for one year? But he did not stop at lamenting it, he went on to provide the much- talked about bailout fund and said, ‘please use this money to pay your workers and pay pension arrears’..

“As for my views on the minimum wage, I tried to deal with it as a governor. I told my colleagues then that wage is not a burden in the society. In economics, when people work and get paid, purchasing power is enhanced and because purchasing power is enhanced producers will respond to that by seeking to produce more goods and services. And in the process they will recruit more hands.

“I remember some people calling me to ask how you will pay it. I am on record of having paid it and as we speak my successor in office is paying it. I do not agree with those who says Nigeria cannot afford a more realistic minimum wage.

“My being in government or now chairman of a party cannot change what I believe in. I know that no nation has enough to meet the greed of leaders but nations have enough to meet basic needs of their people.

“The real problem in the public sector is money being stolen in the name of salaries; I found it embarrassing when we talk about ghost workers. And I ask the question who counts ghosts, it is only in Nigeria that ghosts are known. The labourer deserves its wage; the primary purpose of government is the welfare of its people. So we must pay wages as at when due.”

APC govt’s policies have created jobs – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will continue to implement policies that attract investment and spark competition in critical sectors of the economy for employment creation and economic growth.

The President gave the assurance when he received the Chairman and Management of the LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise, who visited him at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.

Buhari commended the company for taking full advantage of the pro-business policies put in place by his administration and aimed at bringing domestic and direct foreign investment, which were yielding prosperity to the people of the country.

He said: “Your competitive and aggressive activity has brought you success. I am pleased that you are investing in a critical area, the oil industry, in which I have developed interest.

“I am happy you are training Nigerians and giving them respectful jobs. What you are doing shows that whoever tries will succeed.”

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the company, Chief Oladipo Jadesimi said they had come to thank President Buhari for creating an enabling environment and anti-corruption regime that had enabled their business to create a 10 billion dollars investment and 50,000 new jobs.

The Managing Director, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, informed the President that their investment had a mission to attract local and international companies that would help reduce the cost of off-shore support services.

According to her, the policies initiated by the Federal Government by abrogating monopoly, thereby allowing IOCs (International Oil Companies) to use any facility in Nigeria, yielded immediate positive result for the Nigerian economy by reducing costs by 50 per cent.

Buhari speaks on saying ‘40m Nigerians are Mad’

President Muhammadu Buhari has denied statement credited to him making the rounds that many Nigerians are suffering from mental illness.

The report had it that president Muhammadu Buhari in his address in the Paris Peace Forum, said 40 million Nigerians were mad.

But, reacting, Femi Adesina the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity denied the statement saying ‘evil minds’ created the fake news.

He urged Nigerians to beware of those spreading fake news, adding that they would go to any length to gain political advantage even if it’s with the mental health of Nigerians.

Adesina on his verified Twitter page wrote: “Evil minds claim President Buhari says 40 million Nigerians are mad. Fake news.

“They now play with the mental health of people to gain political advantage. Beware of them.”

Court rules on Buhari’s positions as both President, Minister of Petroleum

The Federal High Court Abuja has held that President Muhammadu has not violated the constitution by mere proclaiming that he is the Minister of Petroleum.

The court delivered judgment in suit NO ABJ/CS/1005/2017 filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Dr Olisa Agbakoba to determine the constitutional qualification of the President of Nigeria also holding office as the Minister of Petroleum.

Justice Mohammed in deciding that there was no violation of Section 138 of the Constitution, held that: “the phrase ‘hold’ as contained in S. 138 meant to preside, act, to possess, occupy or conduct the actual day to day running of the office.

“That merely proclaiming/announcing that he (the President) was the Minister for Petroleum was not enough to conclude that he holds the office of Minister.

“That if the president had not appointed anybody to see to the day to day running of the office i.e. Ibe Kachikwu, the court’s decision would have been different. ”

The Court held that, “unless it can be shown that the President is directly conducting, directing, occupying the office of the Petroleum Minister then, it can be said that the President actually holds the office of the Petroleum minister.”

President Buhari appoints CEOs, EDs of federal agencies

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of five Chief Executive officers and two Executive Directors of some Federal Agencies.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Mr Olusegun Adekunle, Permanent Secretary (General Services) Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Friday in Abuja.

According to him, Mr Okechukwu Ukwuoma, Director-General, National Centre for Technology Management is re-appointed for a final term of four years with effect from July 22.

Also, Prof. Victor Adetiloye, Chief Medical Director, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, was re-appointed for the final term of four years with effect from September 22.

Buhari also approved the appointment of Amb. Abdul-Jalil Suleiman as the Director-General, Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, for an initial term of four years with effect from September 17.

Also appointed was Dr Bassey Abasi as Chief Medical Director, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, for an initial term of four years with effect from Septemeber 22.

Captain Junaid Abdullahi, was appointment as the Executive Secretary, Border Communities Development Agency  with effect from September 22 for an initial period of four years.

The president also appointed Mrs Mojoyi Dekalu-Thomas as Executive Director (Liability Management) of Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) for an initial term of four years with effect from Septemeber 20.

Mrs Chinedum Olisakwe- Lawrence’s appointment was renewed as the Executive Director (Corporate Services) of Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) for a second term of four years with effect from September 20.

The President enjoined the appointees to regard their appointments as a call to National Service and to carry out their responsibilities with uprightness, diligence and prompt response to the yearnings of the public.

He also charged them to bring their wealth of experience to bear in the discharge of their duties.

Buhari must fire Amaechi to demonstrate his integrity - PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to demand the immediate resignation of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi as the Minister of Transportation to demonstrate the President’s integrity.

The opposition party accused Amaechi, who is the Minister of Transportation and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation of using government fund to campaign for Buhari.

In a statement on Friday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party noted that through his actions, Amaechi has demonstrated the height of corruption both in Buhari administration and the person of his campaign DG.

The PDP wondered how Amaechi will compare President Buhari to the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who the party said, has been generally accepted as the next President of Nigeria, stressing that Amaechi has finally lost touch with Nigerians.

The statement said, “If Amaechi has not lost touch with reality, how would he be comparing Atiku Abubakar, who is widely celebrated by Nigerians across board, due to his integrity and proven competence in managing resources, to President Buhari, who Nigerians know is responsible for the grinding hardship, hunger, starvation and escalating insecurity in the nation in the last three and half years?

“How can Amaechi compare Atiku Abubakar, a known and tested nationalist, who has become the rallying point for national rejuvenation and reawakening to President Buhari, who has sunk the nation deeper into the sea of nepotism, divisiveness, dissensions and agonizing despondency?

“How can any one compare Atiku Abubakar, an epitome of wealth creation and youth empowerment to President Buhari whose tenure will only be remembered by Nigerians for hardship, unemployment, job losses, wealth destruction, economic frustrations and destruction of institutions that engender good governance and freedom?

“Is it not an aberration to attempt to compare Atiku Abubakar, who played key role in a government that paid our nation’s foreign debt, to President Buhari, whose administration specializes in accumulating debts, borrowing money to service debts and plunging our generations yet unborn into bondage?

“How can Amaechi compare Atiku Abubakar, a promoter of democracy and fundamental human rights to President Buhari whose administration has stood down all known democratic virtues, and relishes in violation of human rights, disobedience to court orders, disdain for constitutional order and condoning extra-judicial killing, harassment and illegal detention of citizens as detailed in reports by international bodies?

“While it is a settled fact that President Buhari cannot be a match to Atiku Abubakar, we understand Amaechi’s frustration as a beleaguered salesman of a derelict product, but he should have known that for Nigerians, Atiku Abubakar represents light and a brighter future whereas President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) represent a national misfortune.

“Amaechi is aware of the murmurings and frustration even in the Presidency regarding President Buhari’s failures in governance and that most of his ministers, aides and political associates no longer believe in his re-election since Atiku Abubakar emerged as PDP Presidential candidate.

“Finally, the PDP counsels Amaechi to prepare to return to Rivers state to face his multiple corruption indictments instead of trying to promote a failed candidate”.

President Buhari approves new appointments

President Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed the appointment and re-appointment of some heads of parastatals.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Olusegun Adekunle, Permanent Secretary (General Services Office), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Friday in Abuja.

He appointed Mr Folashodun Shonubi as the Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria with effect from Oct. 17 for an initial period of five years.

Others are Mr Banire Adeyemi as Part-Time Chairman, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) with effect from Oct. 17 for an initial period of five years.

Mr Sule Bassi was appointed Secretary, Nigerian Diaspora Commission with effect from Oct. 19 for an initial period of four years.

Sen. Abba Ali and Mr Mohammed Sagir were appointed as Members (Non-Legal Practitioners), Federal Judicial Service Commission for an initial period of five years with effect from Oct. 24.

The President appointed Mr Kasali Yomi as the Director/CEO National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Ilorin for initial term of four years with effect from Oct. 28.

Also appointed was Dr Olufemi Oladunni as the Director/CEO, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin for initial term of four years with effect from Oct. 28.

Mr Clement Nze was appointed as the Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency with effect from Oct. 28.

Mr Clement Isong was appointed to replace Mr Thomas Olawore as Member, Board of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) with effect from Oct. 28.

Mr David Nyikyaa was appointed as the Secretary, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission with effect from Nov.1.

Buhari also appointed Mr Obinna Ogwuegbu as the Secretary, Special Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property with effect from Nov. 2.

Dr Akinrinola Akintunde was appointed as the Provost, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State for an initial period of four years with effect from Nov.6.

He re-appointed Prof. Emmanuel Fasakin, the Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Ondo State for a second and final term of four years with effect from Nov. 6.

The president also appointed Mr Obadiah Nkom as the Director-General/CEO, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office for an initial term of four years with effect from Jan. 12, 2019.

Buhari enjoined the new appointees to serve the nation with all sense of responsibility, honesty, diligence and promote good governance in the discharge of their duties.

FG approves N60 Billion for rice subsidy programme

The Federal Government has approved N60 billion in support of its rice subsidy programme aimed at bringing down the price of the commodity across the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh stated this when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the National Food Security Council.

The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

He disclosed that a committee would be constituted by the ministry of agriculture in collaboration with ministry of finance for smooth implementation of the rice subsidy programme.

“There is a subsidy programme coming up. Government has approved some money, N60 billion to support the rice industry to bring down prices. But we are going to handle it differently.

“We don’t want to get into petroleum subsidy problem, so a committee is looking at it with the ministry of finance.

“We think that it is better for us to loan money to the millers, farmers and distributors at a very low interest rate, so that the capital doesn’t disappear, and if they have cheaper credit to do their business that should impact on the price of rice in the market.

“Every country does it for food, we will use a different method to do it and it will be cheap credit to the farmers, millers and the marketers, not outright cash subsidy for their product,’’ he said.

Ogbeh, who announced that the Bank of Agriculture would soon be restructured, expressed the hope that farmers would be able to buy shares in the bank after the restructuring exercise.

The minister also expressed optimism that the restructuring process would bring down the bank’s interest rates to five per cent.

He added that the objective was to make agriculture more attractive so that people could raise capital to invest in profitable business ventures.

“The Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) is about to restructure the bank of agriculture after which farmers are going to be able to buy shares in the bank, so eventually it will become the farmers bank.

“And we hope in the process that it will bring down interest rates reasonably maybe 5 percent or a little higher, so that agriculture will become attractive and people can raise capital to invest,’’ he said.

The minister revealed that the Council called for ban of fertilizer NPK 15-15-15, saying recent research had indicated that the fertilizer had no value for any crop or soil.

He said: “We call for the ban of fertilizer NPK 15-15-15 which has been used in the country for many years but recent research revealed its not useful for any crop or any soil.

“Soil differs and so does crop, to believe there is one uniform fertilizer you can spread for every crop is a fallacy.

“And it’s because we have done soil test and change the formulations of fertilizers, local blenders, that is why some of the yields we are getting now are rising from two tonnes per hectares to five and six.

“So, the president is looking into that and to see how we can deal with it.’’

The Deputy Chairman of the National Food Security Council and Kebbi state governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said that the council may subsidize the price of rice with N5 billion.

He said the subsidy would enable Nigerians to buy rice at a cheaper rate during the forthcoming yuletide as obtained in 2017.

The governor dismissed the reports by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Market and Trade which suggested that Nigeria has been importing rice to the tune of about three million tonnes.

“Certainly, that is an erroneous report, in spite of the flooding the upland rice production has been quite strong this year.

“Even though prices have increase in response to flooding, we still have adequate paddy rice in Nigeria,’’ he said.

2019: I will sell 90% of NNPC if elected - Atiku

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, says he will sell the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and retain just 10 per cent of the company for the Federal Government.

Atiku said this in an interview with The African Report, a monthly publication.

Atiku, who presided over the National Council on Privatisation during his tenure as vice-president, said the NNPC was supposed to have become more profitable by now.

On whether he would sell NNPC and keep 10 per cent shares for the government, he said, “Yes, I would want to go ahead. There is no doubt about that. The government should have a very minor shareholding. Nigeria is in dire need of funds to develop its infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.”

The PDP presidential candidate said Nigeria ought to have been producing far more than two million barrels of oil per day.

Speaking further on the privatisation of the nation’s oil company, he said, “Without a stable regulatory framework, the oil and gas companies will find it difficult to invest more in Nigeria.

“At the time, we pushed for the passage of the new law. We expected that Nigeria would be able to export up to four million barrels per day, but here we are, still at less than two million barrels per day.”

Nnamdi Kanu alleges Jubril Aminu was transformed to ‘dead Buhari’

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has vowed to expose how Jubril Aminu was transformed to replace ‘dead Buhari’ in London.

The IPOB leader, while describing the act as evil, promised to shock Nigerians with the revelation on Saturday evening.

In a tweet he shared yesterday, Kanu said he will expose the evil work of a cabal in the presidency.

“The transformation of Jubril Aminu to replace dead Buhari, an evil that will destroy the demonic #Nigeria and free millions of lives,” he tweeted.

“I will expose the dirty work of the Nigerian ruling cabal tomorrow on Radio #Biafra at 6 pm.

“Be ready to embrace the beginning of your freedom.”

Nigerians need to live as brothers – Senator Abaribe tells Buhari

The Senator representing Aba South Senatorial district at the National Assembly, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians need to live as brothers.
The lawmaker called on the Federal Government to institutionalise peace among the tribes and federating units of the country.

According to NAN, Abaribe made the appeal when members of Pearl Trade West Africa (PTWA), an NGO, visited in Abuja on Friday.

He said that government was the only body capable of restoring lasting peace among religious and ethnic groups in Nigeria.

He explained that government having the sole instruments of coercion was best positioned to chart the cause of peaceful coexistence, especially in a heterogeneous nation like Nigeria.

The Senator condemned the reckless use of hate speeches by some appointees of government, warning that it was capable of causing acrimony.

“There is very serious intolerance going on in the country even among same ethnic groups.

“Nigerians need to be their brothers’ keepers and government has to do much in that aspect,’’ Abaribe said.

Also, Ms Ijeoma Akwara, President of Pearl Trade West Africa (PTWA), called for tolerance among Nigerians for national integration.

Akwara said the imperatives of peaceful coexistence which could only be realised through religious and tribal tolerance.

She promised to continue to pursue unity and peace in Nigeria through reorientation and sensitisation of the people with the support of stakeholders.

NAN reports that Pearl Trade West Africa (PTWA) is an NGO promoting international day for tolerance.

"Igbos didn’t endorse Atiku, we are still behind Buhari"

Former Chief of Staff to the Imo State governor, Uche Nwosu, has dismissed the reported endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Peter Obi, by Igbo leaders at an Enugu summit recently.

He described the endorsement as “a designed plan to deceive the people that the Igbos rest their support with the PDP”.

Nwosu, who maintained that the support for President Buhari by the Igbos was still intact, noted that the endorsement by the few Igbo leaders at the Enugu Summit did not reflect the position of Ndigbo and will not affect the chances of President Muhammadu Buhari in the South East.

According to him, the South East has nothing tangible to show for its support for the PDP during its 16 years in power to warrant the endorsement of its Presidential candidate or any other.

Nwosu, in statement on Friday, reassured that despite the post primary crisis rocking the party (APC) in the zone, President Buhari would still get a landslide victory.

According to Nwosu, “We are not losing sleep over the recent endorsement of Atiku by some Igbo leaders, the action will not change the reality on ground.

“The South East will deliver Buhari in 2019 because it is our best option. We cannot be distracted with the PDP’s Greek gift of Vice President, our focus as a people should be Igbo Presidency in 2023.

“One important question we should be asking ourselves as Ndigbo is what did we benefit from the PDP for the 16 years it was in power to warrant the endorsement of its candidate, as against what we have recorded within the three years that President Buhari is in power”.

He continued that, “Most of the political decisions of some of our leaders are self serving and not in the overall interest of the Igbo but this time we are committed to pursuing the best political option for the Igbo, which is supporting President Buhari’s second term”.

Nwosu also added that, “The fact that majority of our party members are not happy with the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole over the manner he handled the party primaries across the zone does not affect our support for President Buhari.

“In fact it is beyond personal considerations, it is about the interest of Ndigbo and we will deliver President Buhari in 2019. The support for President Buhari is borne out his unequalled integrity and uprightness, which is what the country needs most now,” he concluded.

Kaduna refinery idle for seven months, loses N18.7bn

The Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company did not refine any crude oil from February to August this year, losing a total of N18.67bn, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has said.

The refinery lost N3.81bn in February, N2.63bn in March, N4.22bn in May, N2.98bn in June, N2.35bn in July, and N2.68bn in August, but made a profit of N2.96bn in April, the corporation said in its latest monthly report.

Nigeria has four refineries, two in Port Harcourt and one each in Kaduna and Warri, with an installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, but they have continued to operate far below the installed capacity for many years.

The refineries lost a total of N68.12bn in the first half of this year, making a profit of N928.81m in April, for the first time in 10 months, according to the data from the NNPC.

Total crude processed by the refineries in August was 56,804 metric tonnes as against the 90,872MT processed in the preceding month, translating to a combined yield efficiency of 80.74 per cent as against the 73.82 per cent in July.

The NNPC said only Warri and Port Harcourt refineries produced 53,881MT of finished petroleum products and 8,017MT of intermediate products out of the 56,804MT of crude processed at a combined capacity utilisation of 3.02 per cent, compared to 4.83 per cent combined capacity utilisation achieved in July.

“The lower operational performance recorded is attributable to the ongoing revamping of the refineries which is expected to further enhance capacity utilisation once completed,” the corporation added.

The national oil firm said it had been adopting a merchant plant refineries business model since January 2017.

It said, “The model takes cognisance of the products worth and crude costs. The combined value of output by the three refineries (at import parity price) for the month of August 2018 amounted to N8.67bn while the associated crude plus freight costs and operational expenses were N9.78bn and N9.68bn respectively.”

The proposed rehabilitation of the nation’s ailing refineries has suffered delays as the third-party financiers for the project have yet to be announced, more than a year after the NNPC said 28 firms had expressed interest in its financing.

Despite being a key oil producer and exporter, Nigeria relies heavily on the international market to meet its fuel needs.

The NNPC said in a statement on January 23, 2018, that it was inching closer to arriving at the choice of financiers for the refineries, with the Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, saying the agreements on the potential financiers for the refineries were being fine-tuned.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, was quoted by S&P Global Platts earlier this month as saying in an interview on the sidelines of the Africa Oil Week conference in Cape Town that he was hopeful the government would pin down details on the overhaul of the country’s refineries by the end of this year.

Oshiomhole meets Buhari, dismisses corruption allegations

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has dismissed allegations that he collected bribes of about $80 million to manipulate the outcome of the party primaries in some states and FCT.

The party chairman spoke Friday night after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari.

Some aggrieved aspirants are accusing Mr Oshiohmole of collecting various sums in bribes to twist the primaries.

Speculations are also gaining currency that he was last week interrogated by the Department of State Service (DSS) over the outcome of the recently conducted APC primaries.

An online media outfit which allegedly accused the APC chairman of collecting about $80 million in bribes, however, reported that Mr Oshiomhole had become a target after refusing $500,000 bribe cash from one of the aggrieved APC governors.

It reported that the affected governor had wanted the APC chairman to adopt his anointed governorship candidate.

It was gathered that many godfathers and governorship candidates were desperate for tickets but Mr Oshiomhole stood his ground that he will not compromise party guidelines, it further stated.

But, Mr Oshiomhole, who spoke to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, described the allegations of corruption against him as reckless insinuation.

“No tree that will bear fruits that will grow in Sahara desert and the fact the publisher of Saharareporters himself is a presidential aspirant; we would soon find out the difference between Sahara and its reporters, and a green forest and its reporters.

“The unfortunate thing here, however, is that people, who specialise in libels they take advantage of our peculiar judicial system.

“When I was a governor in Edo state, they published all kinds of things against me. At a point I decided to go to court and my lawyer told me that I have to be ready to enter the witness box to make my case – whether I was ready to go through that humiliation.

“What is in the governorship? Before I became the governor I entered the witness box and I know after being governor I can still go back there one day. So I went there and I won the case. They awarded damages in my favour.

“But by the time you want to check the process of the guy who libeled you and so on, he sells himself everything put together he could not compensate for by legal fee not to talk of really mitigating my paying as a result of the judgment,’’ he said.

On the forthcoming campaign programmes of the APC, Mr Oshiohmole revealed that the party’s campaign for the 2019 presidential election would focus on character and integrity of the key candidates.

Mr Buhari is the APC presidential candidate while the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is presenting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.

According to the party chairman, the APC is fully ready to flag off the campaigns soon.

He said: “We are fully ready, we have done with our primaries and filled our nominations.

“As you know, INEC still has a window between now and first of January to deal with issues of substitution. As of campaigns, we are ready.

“We are going to announce the date and programme for our campaigns. My idea of kick-off will be the day we will do our first presidential rally where Mr President as our candidate and other candidates, party leaders will assemble in a venue that will be agreeable to all of us.

“There will be two sets of messages. One, on what we have done in the past, without failing to remind people of where we were before, what we are going to do in the next four years, and a couple of things we believe we will be doing differently.

“President Buhari if compared to the rest of the candidates, there is no basis to compare day and night. The real issue in this election is not going to be religion. It is not going to be about ethnicity.

“Central to the issue and given our past experience as a country, we know that what makes a difference is the character, the issue of integrity of the candidates.’’

According to Mr Oshiomhole, the campaign is going to be focusing on character and integrity of those who want to govern the country.

(NAN)

New minimum wage: What will happen to Governors,political party that refuses to pay N30,000 – NLC

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has said that Governors who feel they cannot pay the N30,000 minimum wage should resign.

He said such Governors are not worthy of holding public offices, adding that the consequences of workers retrenchment will be too grievous for any political office holder.
Speaking in an interview with Tribune, Wabba stated that Governors should also subject their humongous salaries and allowances since they want to enslave Nigerian workers.

The Labour leader said that workers have been educated to vote out any individual or political party that refuses to pay the new minimum wage.
He said, ‘Since a few of them are bent on enslaving Nigerian workers with peanuts as salaries, they must subject their humongous salaries and allowances, which available facts and figures have shown are among the highest in the world, pro rata with the minimum wage they want to force down the throats of Nigerian workers.
“Yes, we have insisted that the governors should go to their respective states and inform workers and their families of their individual positions on the new national minimum wage of N30,000.

“They should tell their workers and their families that they cannot afford N30,000 as their monthly salaries.
“Alhaji Yari should desist from using the platform of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to seek political relevance.
“His tactics of blackmail against workers are already timeworn and the stench is already offensive.
“The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Organised Labour urge workers to remain steadfast and firm on our rights to decent wages and improved living conditions. To the oppressors, we have only one answer for you – we will never sleep on our rights.
“We are now reiterating our directive to Nigerian workers to vote out any politician or political party that refuses to pay the new national minimum wage of N30,000.
“We shall continue to consolidate our efforts to strengthen already existing platforms and structures to give teeth to our resolve to vote out anti-labour governors and other politicians in the forthcoming 2019 general election.
“This is why as Organised Labour and Nigerian workers, we have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of some people, especially in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, who, because for their selfish and personal reasons, are presenting him as an anti-worker president and orchestrating anti-Buhari sentiments in the populace.
“We have also called on him to speedily transmit the bill on the National Minimum Wage to the National Assembly for appropriate amendment and implementation.
“Even after the submission of the report, you heard people like [Governor Nasir] el-Rufai saying that states should pay what they could afford.
“But he has forgotten that in the case of the political elites, it is not what they can afford that they are paying to themselves.

“In fact, they are paying higher than what is prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

“Most of them are paying higher than what the commission prescribed for political officeholders. Their severance package is so humongous; it is not contained in the provision of the commission.

“We will also follow up on this argument. It is a national minimum wage, not a state minimum wage. It is under the Exclusive List of the constitution and as such, no state can go outside of it to pay ridiculous a salary.

“It will be a violation of the constitution and we will be ready to take them up. Any governor that cannot abide by the constitution should step aside.

“If you can’t conform to the constitution, you should not hold a public office. Holding a public office suggests that you have sworn to uphold the constitution, so if you violate the constitution, you are not worthy to hold that public office.

“The threat by the governor of Zamfara State that the governors would sack workers before they can pay N30,000 national minimum wage cannot be used to intimidate labour. Threat to sack workers is not new in the struggle for a review of the national minimum wage in Nigeria.

“However, they must know that the consequences of workers retrenchment are too grievous for any political officeholder truly elected by the people to contemplate.

“In any case, we have made it known that the Governors Forum is illegal. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) only recognises individual states in the Collective Bargaining Process and not Nigeria Governors Forum.”