A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudiness with slim chances of early morning isolated light rains over Abuja and its environs on Sunday morning.
This is contained in the Weather Outlook issued by NiMet's Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Saturday.
NiMet predicted that localised thunderstorms were not unlikely over the high grounds of the central cities including Abuja, Kaduna, Jos and Nassarawa in the afternoon.
It also predicted that evening with day time temperatures would be 26 degree Celsius to 30 degree Celsius.
It stated that the Northern states would experience cloudy condition over most parts of the region in the morning hours.
The Agency predicted prospects of isolated rain showers over Sokoto, Gusau , Kano and Yelwa in the afternoon and evening with day time temperatures of 31 degree Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius.
According to the prediction, there will be relatively stable weather condition in the morning over the country with chances of localised thunderstorm, rains in central and southern cities in the next 24 hours.
It added that there would be increased cloudiness over the region in the morning with localised rains.
It noted that showers were not unlikely over the inland and coastal cities such as Lagos, Delta, Calabar and Port- Harcourt.
NiMet predicted that there would be rains also over Oshogbo, Akure, Ibadan, Enugu and Awka in the afternoon and evening with day time temperatures of 28 degree Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius.
The Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) says train carrying about 500 cows which left Gusau on Thursday arrived Oko-Oba, Lagos on Saturday hours ahead of schedule.
This information is contained in a statement issued by the organisation's Coordinator, Research and Strategy, Mr Bello Abba, on Saturday in Abuja.
The statement quoted the Managing Director, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed as describing it as a pleasant surprise.
According to him, it is a good omen for the innovative project of moving cattle from the North to the South by rail.
"We are indeed happy to hear that the wagons had arrived ahead of schedule.
“We are very delighted that the historic train has arrived earlier than projected.
“It is a source of encouragement as we strive towards improving and deepening our Farm to Market Scheme," he said.
NIRSAL, two days ago in Gusau, launched the commencement of its National Farm to Market Scheme.
The scheme aims to provide low cost transport link between agricultural producers and consumers across the country with an initial focus on livestock movement from North to South by rail.
Under the scheme, NIRSAL has a mandate to de-risk and incentivize investment into verified impactful projects across the agricultural value chain.
It will provide bank guarantees for the financing of critical requirements involved in the movement of the cattle including logistics and equipment.
Connect Rail Services Ltd., a bulk freight and logistics service provider is the first technical partner on this aspect of the Farm to Market scheme.
The Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, has lashed out at the Minority Leader, Hon. Safiriyu Akinwole for seeking cars for members of the house at a time the state is facing hardship.
The speaker stated that official cars for members of the Osun State’s 6th Assembly is not a priority as it does not translate to development in the State.
Salaam said this in a swift reaction to a comment passed by the Minority Leader, Akinwole was given the floor to pass comment on the 25th anniversary of the State.
Hon. Akinwole who represents Ife East State Constituency (PDP), said “Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola started well but recently due to the economic crunch, the governor is lagging behind in some areas sighting the instance of members of the State 6th Assembly not having official cars….” but the speaker reacting promptly said “Giving cars to honorable members of the State Assembly is not a priority and does not in any way translate to development”
The Speaker added that they are elected to serve the people and not themselves and that members must be ready to make sacrifices till things get better. The honourables unanimously appreciate the works of the past governors of the State and especially the present governor Rauf Aregbesola for his doggedness and the ongoing massive development in the state.
He furthers, “Kenyans should stop attacking Nigeria on twitter. They must know their place. Truth is the worse Nigerian is better than the best Kenyan.”
When Kenyan leaders were still doing “mau mau”, swinging from trees and eating one another ours were at Oxford and Cambridge university” He noted
When Kenyan leaders were still doing “mau mau”, swinging from trees and eating one another ours were at Oxford and Cambridge university - Femi Olu-Kayode(FFK) (@realFFK) September 3, 2016
Recall that the clash started following unclear reports and speculations which surrounds the back-and-forth movement of the billionaire Facebook CEO, between the two African nations.
The Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Monday Igbuya on Thursday blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the country's woes.
He also accused the party of mismanaging the country's economy.
"The APC has not fulfilled its promises. It has not solved the social problems, neither has it solved the economic problems. It has destroyed the economy, particularly the nation's currency. The poor can no longer buy garri, rice and other foodstuff. APC is making a mess of the nation's situation" he lamented.
Igbuya who spoke in Sapele described the change agenda of the APC as a mere propaganda, the APC government as clueless and the members of the party as great liars.
He attributed the current economic situation in the country to the propounding of half-baked solutions by the current national government.
Igbuya who took time to look deeper and higher about the present day predicament said "our deliverance lies in our own hands"
The representative of Sapele State constituency urged Nigerians at home and abroad to reject the APC in 2019.
"The APC preaches the gospel of change. Who is deceiving who? As a people, we must face realities squarely and decide what we want.
Igbuya who was in oil rich Ugborhen, Okuovu, Edegbrode, Amukpe and Sapele-Okpe community for the 2016 town hall meetings urged the people to see politics beyond the spectator-spot.
He said the progress of the country can only be measured by the improvement of the quality of the citizen's life.
"The House of Assembly will continue to promote good governance, enhance unity and expand the economic base of the state. It will continue to protect the disadvantaged group" he said.
He thanked the people for voting PDP in 2015.
"Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is doing very well. He is a listening governor. The dualization of Amukpe- Ajogodo Road is aimed at making Sapele a modern city. Governor Okowa will work on all the roads in Sapele. He will complete the Sapele market and the stadium. The PDP government will continue to empower the people of Sapele" he said..
Igbuya who endorsed Okowa for the 2019 governorship election urged the people to support the governor.
By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta Twenty four hours after Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun swore in fourteen Permanent Secretaries, one of them Mrs. Olubunmi Odumusi has died.
Odumusi was reported to have died in her sleep in the bedroom on midnight of Friday,at the age of 57,after a prolonged cancer ailment.
Vanguard learnt that the ailment has gulped huge money from the family to get the deceased treated both within and outside Nigeria.
Odumusi was a thoroughbred journalist who rose to the rank of a Director at the Ogun State Ministry of information and Strategy,before her recent elevation to the post of Permanent Secretary.
A strong earthquake struck early Saturday in Oklahoma, where the incidence of temblors has been on the rise amid a boom in controversial hydraulic fracturing to release oil and natural gas.
The US Geological Survey said the 5.6 magnitude quake hit at 1202 GMT near Pawnee, a city in the northeastern part of the state.
The quake was felt in seven states, from Texas to Iowa.
“In town there’s been no fire, no injuries reported, we’ve been very, very lucky,” the mayor of Pawnee, Brad Sewell, told Fox News.
Saturday’s quake matched the strength of the strongest quake in the central state’s history in the preceding decade, the USGS said.
A smaller quake of 3.2 magnitude occurred Thursday nearby.
“Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff is at the office reviewing disposal wells in the vicinity of the earthquake near Pawnee,” Governor Mary Fallin said in a Twitter message.
The primary cause for human-induced earthquakes in many parts of the central and eastern United States is wastewater disposal, according to a USGS report published in March.
The agency has begun including human-triggered earthquakes on its forecast maps for the first time.
The USGS said the states at highest risk of induced seismic activity are, from highest to lowest: Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas.
One source of wastewater is from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the process of shooting water mixed with sand and chemicals deep into the earth to crack rock formations and bring up oil and natural gas trapped inside.
The process has unlocked massive amounts of oil and gas in the United States over the past decade.
But along with the oil and gas come large quantities of brackish water, which is disposed of by injecting it into separate wells that are dug as deep as a mile (kilometer) below ground.
The unnatural addition of the water can change pressure along fault lines, causing slips that make the earth shake, experts say.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi have commended the Lagos State Assembly for promoting and preserving the rich Yoruba cultural heritage.
File: Ooni of Ife?, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III.
The monarchs gave the commendation when the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa led other members of the House on a courtesy visit to the monarchs’ palaces in Oyo and Ile-Ife.
The Alaafin of Oyo, who commended the lawmakers for conducting their Thursday plenary session in Yoruba Language, urged the Yoruba to unite in order to ensure growth and development of the race.
Adeyemi, who said that the mastery of the Yoruba language helped in proficiency in other languages, admonished Yoruba youths never to neglect their culture for a foreign one.
The traditional ruler, who would clock 78 years in the next few months, said that God had blessed the Yoruba race in several ways.
The monarch, who had spent 46 years on the throne, maintained that the Yoruba people were the first to achieve feats in human endeavours.
The Oba listed such fields to include journalism, medicine, land survey and law across the country.
Meanwhile, Ooni of Ife also lauded the legislators for conducting their Thursday’s plenary session in the Yoruba Language.
The royal father commended the recent Yoruba Summit organised by the House towards making teaching and learning of the Yoruba language compulsory in public and private schools in Lagos state.
Ogunwusi, who is the 51st Ooni of Ife, urged the lawmakers to immortalise the founding father of Lagos, Olofin Ogunfunminire, noting that Lagos remained unique in the history of Yorubaland.
Earlier, the speaker thanked the monarchs for their presence at the Yoruba Summit recently organised by the House to seek stakeholders’ views on way forward for the language.
Obasa said that the summit was one of the giant strides he had taken in promoting unity among traditional rulers.
The speaker disclosed that the summit had earned the Assembly numerous awards from notable groups in the country and abroad.
He assured that the House would continue to support efforts to prevent Yoruba culture from going into extinction.
Obasa pledged that the recommendations of stakeholders' at the summit would be implemented.
He invited the monarchs to witness one of the Thursday's plenary of the Assembly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the two monarchs alongside other Yoruba traditional rulers graced the Lagos Assembly’s Yoruba Stakeholders’ Summit held on June 2 in Ikeja.
Bangladesh hanged a wealthy tycoon and top financial backer of its largest Islamist party late Saturday for war crimes, dealing a massive blow to the group’s ambitions in the Muslim-majority nation.Quasem Ali
Mir Quasem Ali, a key leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was executed after being convicted by a controversial war crimes tribunal for offences committed during the 1971 independence conflict with Pakistan.
The 63-year-old was hanged at the Kashimpur high security jail in Gazipur, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Dhaka, amid stepped-up security outside the prison and in the capital.
“The execution took place at 10:35pm (1635 GMT),” the country’s law and justice minister Anisul Huq told AFP.
Six opposition leaders have now been executed for war crimes after the secular government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up a domestic war crimes tribunal in 2010.
With Ali’s death, all five top leaders of the Jamaat party have been hanged, a massive set back for the Islamists in the world’s third largest Muslim nation.
After the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal against the penalty on Tuesday, Ali declined to seek a presidential pardon, which would require an admission of guilt, paving the way for his execution.
Prosecutors said Ali was a key commander of the notorious pro-Pakistan militia in the southern port city of Chittagong during the war, and later became a shipping, banking and real estate tycoon.
The war crimes trials have divided the country, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.
The executions and convictions of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013 when tens of thousands of Islamist activists clashed with police in protests that left some 500 people dead.
Family members met Ali for the last time in the prison just hours before he went to the gallows.
“All along he said he was innocent. He said he is being killed unjustifiably,” said Tahera Tasnim, one of Ali’s daughters after 23 members of his family met him.
– Killing “to stop Islam” –
“He said this repressive government is killing them (Islamist leaders) to stop Islam being established in the society and the country,” Tasnim told AFP.
Ali had helped revive Jamaat and made it a potent force in Bangladesh politics by setting up charities, businesses and trusts linked to it after it was allowed to operate in the late 1970s.
Before he was arrested in 2012, Ali headed the Diganta Media Corporation, which owns a pro-Jamaat daily and a television station that was shut down in 2013 for stoking religious tensions.
He was convicted in November 2014 of a series of war crimes including the abduction and murder of a young independence fighter.
Defence lawyers have said the charges against him were baseless.
His son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was part of his legal defence team, was allegedly abducted by security forces earlier in August, which critics say was an attempt to sow fear and prevent protests against the imminent execution.
Jamaat, which is banned from contesting elections, has labelled the charges against Ali “false” and accuses the government of exacting “political vengeance”.
Russel Sheikh, a senior police official, told AFP that officials had taken the “highest security measures” ahead of the execution for fear of violence by his Islamist supporters.
More than 1,000 police were deployed in Gazipur and hundreds of paramilitary border guards were outside the prison and in Dhaka, security officials told AFP.
Rights groups have criticised the war crimes trials, saying they were flawed and lack any foreign oversight.
A group of United Nations human rights experts last week urged Bangladesh to annul Ali’s death sentence and to retry him in compliance with international standards.
But Hasina’s government has defended the trials, saying they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict, which it says left three million people dead.
Independent researchers put the war toll much lower.
When Bangladesh’s independence war broke out, Jamaat opposed the struggle, siding with the military regime in Islamabad.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised African Americans prosperity and jobs Saturday in a gently delivered speech to a black congregation in a US city famous as a symbol of economic and urban decline.
Setting aside his usual stridency, Trump adopted a humble tone, telling his audience at the Good Faith Ministries International church that he came to listen, expressing sympathy for the out-of-work young men he had seen on boarded-up Detroit streets.
“Nothing is more sad than when we sideline young black men with unfulfilled potential, tremendous potential,” Trump said, speaking from notes.
“Our whole country loses out without the energy of these folks. We’re one nation. And when anyone hurts, we all hurt together,” he said.
Trump was received courteously and rewarded with occasional bursts of applause as he set about trying to allay the deep skepticism of African Americans who have swung overwhelmingly behind his rival, Hillary Clinton.
Blacks account for 12 percent of the US electorate, and Trump, who trails in the polls, recently has sought gingerly to widen his base.
– ‘Devil’s in the pulpit’ –
Before the speech, protesters chanting “Dump Trump” and “We’re going to church” tried to push through police barriers to gain entrance.
“The devil’s in the pulpit,” shouted Wyoman Mitchell, one of about 150 protesters who were pushed back by police on foot and on horseback in the tense encounter.
Church pastor Bishop Wayne Jackson had invited the New York billionaire to attend the fellowship service, and make some remarks.
Trump also sat for an interview with Jackson that will be aired at a later date. The New York Times reported that Jackson submitted questions in advance, but it was not known whether the two men went off script.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself in to. I didn’t know. Was this going to be nice? Was this going to be wild?” Trump said of the interview, in remarks to the congregation.
“He’s a great gentleman and a very smart guy. I just hope you don’t lose him to Hollywood.”
– ‘Nation too divided’ –
The church appearance contrasted sharply with Trump’s previous crude appeals for black support.
“What do you have to lose?” he said nearly two weeks ago, rhetorically addressing African Americans in a speech before a white audience in Ohio.
“They don’t care about you. They just like you once every four years — get your vote and then they say: ‘Bye, bye!'” he said of the Democrats.
Trump has been faulted for largely ignoring the black community during his campaign, and bypassing appearances before black churches and organizations in favor of rowdy, largely white rallies.
But in Detroit, he extolled African Americans’ contributions to America and the moralizing force of the country’s black churches.
“I am here today to listen to your message and I hope my presence here will also help your voice to reach new audiences in our country,” he said.
“Our nation is too divided. We talk past each other, not to each other and those who seek office do not do enough to step into the community and learn what is going on,” he said.
“I’m here today to learn so we can together remedy injustice in any form and so that we can also remedy economics so that the African-American community can benefit economically through jobs and income and so many other different ways.
“Our political system has failed the people and works only to enrich itself. I want to reform that system so that it works for you, everybody in this room,” he said.
– Detroit –
The African-American electorate traditionally leans heavily Democratic.
In 2012, about 93 percent of black voters backed Obama — an overwhelming enthusiasm that Clinton appears to have kept alive, taking 90 percent of the black vote in her primary contest against Bernie Sanders.
Detroit has the highest percentage of black residents — more than 80 percent — of any large American city.
Many neighborhoods have been hollowed out by decades of “white flight,” in which Caucasian families left downtown and midtown for more affluent suburbs.
“I fully understand that the African-American community has suffered from discrimination and that there are many wrongs that must still be made right. They will be made right. I want to make this city the economic envy of the world,” Trump said.
All Progressives Congress (APC) has commenced its primary election in Ondo State for the Nov. 26 governorship poll, amidst tight security and peaceful environment.
Ondo APC contenders
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election commenced at 12:15 p.m after the accreditation, which started at 7:00 a.m ended.
NAN also reports that APC had 24 governorship aspirants and 3,000 delegates participating in the primary election.
The APC Primary Election Committee was chaired by the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar.
Abubakar urged the delegates to be orderly and stressed the need to end the process on time and peacefully.
NAN reports that INEC officials and the party chieftains were all present at the primary election with security personnel provided by Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
NAN also reports that some of the aspirants such as Mr Olusola Oke, Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, Victor Olabimtan and only female aspirant Mrs Olajumoke Anifowose-Ajasin and others were present at the venue.
Former Arsenal striker, Nwankwo Kanu, Saturday, score a hat-trick in a charity match at the Emirates.
Kanu alongside other Arsenal legends took on Milan Glorie - formed of AC Milan counterparts -in aid of the Arsenal Foundation, with Arsene Wenger and Fabio Capello coaching the respective sides.
Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, Chairman, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited and President, FC Ifeanyi Ubah, is 45 today. As torrents of tributes from Nigerians, home and abroad, continue to pour in for the Nnewi-born Billionaire and Chairman, Anambra State Football Association, ASFA, celebrating him at 45, the uncommon leader and philanthropist, took to his Facebook page, seizing the opportunity to pen down his captivating reflections on happenings in Nigeria.
He wrote:
It’s been 44 long and hard years since my birth. The journey to where I find myself today has been rocky, to say the least.
First and foremost, I would like to give all thanks and praises to my Father in heaven for the gift of life. His grace is the reason for my continued existence and all glory must be given to him.
Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah
In the midst of all that currently defines the world we live in, God has been faithful, extremely faithful. His blessings in my life are too many to mention, such that they cannot be enumerated.
May I use this avenue to thank everyone who has contributed both positively and negatively to my journey through life.
At 45, I feel very fulfilled. I count myself a man highly blessed by God in all ramifications, starting from family to friends to employees and to business associates, be it financially, cerebrally and otherwise.
Today marks the beginning of my 45th year on earth, a day I have chosen to reflect on a country I love so much and a nation so blessed by God.
Inasmuch as I would have loved a birthday celebration bereft of publicity as I soberly reflect on the unflattering happenings in our dear country, I recognize the fact that I cannot restrain well meaning Nigerians who desire to wish me well via the pages of the newspapers and on different social media platforms. To these people, I wish to say thank you very much for the public display of affection.
All efforts to put myself in a celebratory mood for reaching yet another milestone has proved abortive. I even had to take time off work to travel with my family as I needed to spend ample time with them, as well as give myself some room to reflect in sobriety.
If I am to be perfectly honest, in the midst of all the blessings God has so much bestowed on me, the current state of our nation Nigeria has rendered me an unhappy man.
How can I be happy when all I see around me are people who are wallowing in hunger? What is happiness when my fellow Nigerians can no longer engage in business activities because of the escalating rate of the US Dollars which now exchanges for over N400 per Dollar?
Where will happiness come from when Nigeria’s inflation rate keeps rising and prices of common commodities are fast getting out of the reach of the average Nigerian? Nothing is being done to empower our women and some people are able to find happiness?
Nigerians are losing jobs everyday and I am expected to find joy in celebrating? I cannot! It is just not possible as I sincerely believe there is nothing worthy of celebrating. My heart is heavy, saddled with so much to reflect on as thoughts on the way forward for our beloved country clouds my mind.
In a country with over 180 million people, I can boastfully say we possess the capacity to turn this nation around. Nigerians are very resourceful and highly industrious. The fact that we have not been able to get it right after 55 (soon to be 56) turbulent years beggars belief. As Nigerians, we need to learn to work without greed.
Contentment should be the underlying feature in everything we set out to do. As a nation, we must fashion out a multi-policy intervention scheme that will not end up on the screens of our televisions and the pages of our books, but policies that will open up our system for job creation and reduction in the rate of poverty.
Our problems are man-made and same man who made it can make things right. But first, those saddled with the responsibility of steering the ship of our nation must favour a government of inclusion.
They must open the doors to Nigerians (irrespective of one’s ethnic or political leaning) who possess the requisite skills, knowledge and ideas on how to get Nigeria back on its feet.
Earlier in the year, I came out to tell Nigerians that the escalation of the Dollar could be reversed if given the chance to proffer solutions and I meant it. I also challenged the Government of the day to do the needful which entailed making consultations which I offered on a platter, even staking my life’s work to see that this ugly trend is reversed. Regrettably, my advice was not heeded to and my calls fell on deaf ears. Nigeria’s current problem is beyond academics. It is also beyond the vocabulary technocrats are known to toss around.
There are other components and qualities needed alongside the technicality associated with education to create the right mix as we seek solutions to the poor state of our economy. I believe that I am one Nigerian who possesses some of these components.
I am highly confident in my ability to provide answers to most of the problems Nigeria is faced with and hopefully, God will give me a chance if man would not. Permit me to state this loud and clear to avoid being misconstrued: when I discuss the public policies of the government or make suggestions on alternate policies for our government, it is because I want the government of the day to succeed as their success will make Nigerians happy. I am a Nigerian who derives joy in seeing our people happy.
After all said and done, I wish to rededicate myself to the service of humanity. At this stage in my life coupled with the achievements I have made and the milestones I have reached, I believe it is high time I channeled all my resources (financially, intellectually and otherwise) to promoting humanity, starting from Nigeria with Anambra state being my first port of call.
My biggest regret in life is that I have not been able to help humanity the way I would have loved to. We can never get things right unless we put conscious efforts into promoting humanity. In view of this, I pledge this day to continue serving humanity to the best of my ability and as the Good Lord permits.
At this juncture, I would like to expressly appreciate those who have made my journey through life a laudable one.
First and foremost, special thanks must go to my wife and beautiful children who have been my firm pillar of support and strength throughout my journey. Your presence in my life has given me wings to soar as high as I can dream. For this, I remain eternally grateful to all of you.
Also, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my employees across all sectors that I am actively involved in which includes Oil and Gas, Media Publications, Sports, Construction, Agriculture to mention a few. Your belief in me has never wavered and your support for me has stood the test of time.
Even at the most difficult of times, you all rally around me, giving me the needed assurance that we are in this race together. My belief in the depth of God’s love for me and his immense blessings upon my life stems from you all. Thank you. To my friends and well wishers, I wish to also say thank you for being there. Your prayers and words of support have gotten me this far and I would not trade you all for anything the world has to offer.
To Ndi Anambra, umu nwannem, this piece would be incomplete without expressing the depth of my gratitude to you for all the love and support you ceaselessly showered on me.
How can I forget my humble beginnings? How can I forget how my beloved brothers and sisters contributed immensely in shaping the man “Ifeanyi Ubah” and all he has achieved today? From the bottom of my heart, I say daalu umu nnwannem. Let us endeavour to keep our leaders in our prayers as we continue in our quest for greatness.
My fellow compatriots, our strength lies in our togetherness. Let us keep praying for Nigeria and her leaders. Let us keep believing in our country and strive to ensure that we make the best out of our nation. We have no other country to call our own. We must make Nigeria great for ourselves and for the generations yet unborn.
To our leaders, I wish to remind you all that the position which you find yourselves in today is God given and has a mandate attached to it. I implore you all to do all you can to better the lives of those who voted you into power. The welfare of the masses is paramount and the betterment of their living standards should be the driving factor behind every action of every leader.
In everything we do, we should always remember that a day of reckoning will come and we will all be made to answer to the creator. On that day, would the Almighty be happy with your report?
Once again, I wish to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. I feel highly blessed and honoured.
An unending Twitter war is ongoing between netizens from Nigeria and Kenya over Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg’s visit to Africa.
The clash started following unclear reports, speculation which surrounds the back-and-forth movement of the billionaire Facebook CEO, between the two African nations.
See some of the tweets exchanged between the two countries…
Bangladesh was set to execute a wealthy tycoon and top financial backer of its largest Islamist party late Saturday, as his family paid him a final visit.Quasem Ali
Mir Quasem Ali, a key leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, faces the gallows after being convicted by a controversial war crimes tribunal for offences committed during the 1971 independence conflict with Pakistan.
Police told AFP all preparations have been made to execute Ali, who is imprisoned at the Kashimpur high security jail in Gazipur, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Dhaka.
“It (the hanging) is likely to take place tonight,” Gazipur district police chief Harun-or-Rashid told AFP.
After the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal against the penalty on Tuesday, Ali declined to seek a presidential pardon, which would require an admission of guilt, paving the way for his execution.
Two other police officials speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that the execution would occur between 10:00 pm Bangladesh time (1600 GMT) and midnight.
Ali was a key commander of the notorious pro-Pakistan militia in the southern port city of Chittagong during the 1971 war, and later became a shipping and real estate tycoon.
Russel Sheikh, a senior Gazipur police official, told AFP that officials have taken “highest security measures” ahead of the planned execution for fear of violence by his Islamist supporters.
“More than 1,000 police have been deployed in the district,” Sheikh told AFP.
Past convictions and executions of high-profile Jamaat leaders have triggered violence in Bangladesh, which is polarised along political lines.
“All along he said he was innocent. He said he is being killed unjustifiably,” said Tahera Tasnim, one of Ali’s daughters after 23 members of his family went to meet him in the jail.
“He said this repressive government is killing them (Islamist leaders),” Tasnim told AFP.
The Supreme Court’s decision to reject Ali’s appeal was a major blow for the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which the 63-year-old tycoon had helped to revive in recent decades.
Five opposition leaders including four leading Islamists have been executed for war crimes since 2013. Ali is the last prominent Islamist leader to face execution.
The war crimes tribunal set up by the government has divided the country, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding it a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.
Ali was convicted in November 2014 of a series of crimes during Bangladesh’s war of separation from Pakistan, including the abduction and murder of a young independence fighter.
His son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was part of his legal defence team, was allegedly abducted by security forces earlier in August, which critics say was an attempt to sow fear and prevent protests against the imminent execution.
The Islamist party, which is banned from contesting elections has labelled the charges against Ali “false” and accusing the government of exacting “political vengeance”.
Akure – Mr Taye Adeuti, on Saturday, emerged as governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the Nov. 26 governorship election in Ondo State.
Adeuti emerged with unanimous voice votes after the second aspirant, Mr Gbenga Ojo, withdrew his candidacy when both men were nominated as aspirants for the primary election.
Adeuti, 63, from Idanre Local Government Area, is an economist and marketer with a Masters degree in Business Administration.
In his acceptance speech, Adeuti thanked the party members and the chairman of Congress Committee for finding him worthy to carry the flag of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
“I will do my best, we all want to work for the development of our state, and I am very happy to lead this famous party; our goal is November 26.
“Ondo is an enlightened State with educated people, so the development of this state is my major project and we shall achieve it together,” he said.
Earlier, the State Chairman of LP, Mr Wale Gbakinro, said the primary election was being conducted in line with the article 28, sub-section 3 of the party’s constitution.
Gbakinro also said that the primary was conducted with INEC guidelines and directives.
He implored the two aspirants to accept the outcome of the primary as decided by the delegates and exhibit sportsmanship towards each other.
Addressing newsmen, Mrs Ladi Iliya, Chairperson, LP Primary Electoral Committee, urged the candidate to always include women and youths in his programmes as they form majority of the electorate.
Iliya, also the Deputy National Chairman of the party, said the doors are wide open for any member who defected and wanted to return to the party.
Also addressing newsmen, Mr Gbenga Ojo, said his decision to withdraw his candidacy was based on past experiences.
“I withdrew my candidacy after wide consultation within the party leadership.
“I also realised that since it is only two of us, it would be good if I stepped down for my co-aspirant in the interest of peace,” he said.
The Lagos State Government on Saturday said owners of the buildings demolished in Ikoyi were duly served with contravention, removal and quit notices before the exercise was carried out, and that it will not succumb to blackmail in any form just as it vowed to intensify efforts to rid the State of illegal structures.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the Government said it had noted with dismay, the flagrant disobedience of Building Regulations, and has therefore resolved to ensure removal of all structures that are in contravention of the law.
Speaking against the backdrop of recent demolition of some illegal structures in Ikoyi, Ayorinde reiterated Government’s determination to rid the State of Illegal developments saying "In our effort to maintain a sustainable, organized, liveable and friendly environment, the Government will not renege on its declared stance of zero tolerance for structures and properties without development permit or approved building plans.
He also warned that all those who choose to erect illegal structures in violation of our laws in order to take advantage of third parties will not only have those structures removed but will also be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
According to the Commissioner, the buildings in question were situated in an area originally designated as residential area, but the developers unilaterally and without recourse to the State Government commenced development of industrial and commercial concerns in these locations thereby distorting the master plan of the area; causing environmental nuisance, traffic snarls and more importantly a security threat to the neighbourhood.
On the allegation that the buildings were not duly served with necessary contravention, stop work and removal notices, the Commissioner said that the State Government will not succumb to blackmail in any form.
"We have documentary evidence of service of all statutory notices, the buildings were also marked with the X red oxide to also call the attention of the owners to physical planning contraventions”.
Ayorinde added, “Having served the Statutory Contravention Notices on the offending structures and when owners of such structures failed to remove them within the statutory notice period, we were compelled to remove such structures”. This Government is committed to following due process and will strictly enforce provisions of the law on this subject matter.
He said the State Government is desirous of restoring the original master plan of all residential areas in the State, adding, “Arbitrary location of kiosks, illegal parking lots, unapproved mechanic workshops, roadside restaurants and other unplanned commercial centres have contributed in no small way to distorting physical planning designs of the State".
While reiterating Government’s commitment to “a safe, clean and prosperous Lagos”, the Commissioner warned that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as the organ of government saddled with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with town planning laws, will not allow the State's planning aesthetics to be destroyed by people who have no regard for beauty, serenity, law and order.
While expressing the determination of the current administration to restore the original master plan of the State, he vowed to do everything possible to ensure that people observe the various planning laws and regulations in every part of the State.
“This is an exercise in progress; it is an on-going operation to sanitize the environment, we have also developed strategies to prevent re-occurrences of illegal developments and for the sustenance of a cleaner Lagos," he said.
Ayorinde, however, called on those who have structures within the Right of Way of Public Utilities to remove them or face the full wrath of the law.
He further urged the general public to ensure that they obtain necessary planning permits before embarking on any renovation, construction or other forms of development, adding that the public should also avail themselves of the provisions of the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Regulations.
By LAWANI MIKAIRU The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika yesterday assured the workers of Aero Contractors Airline that the federal government will do everything within its power to prevent the airline from dying and the workers loosing their jobs, as the government will restructure the airlines.
Senator Hadi Sirika gave the assurance when he addressed workers of the airline who occupied its headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Friday.
He told the workers that the federal government would make sure that the problems plaguing the airline was solved, noting that it is the responsibility of government to create jobs and therefore would not allow any business concern to die under its watch.
The Minister told the protesting workers that he would meet with Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the management of Aero Contractors to discuss some of the challenges facing the airline and get back to the workers on Monday.
"I landed from Riyadh to Lagos and before I left Riyadh I was informed by the people in charge in Aero that things were getting worse and they have only one airplane operational at the moment and I said to myself since I have time between my flight to Lagos and connecting one to Abuja, I decided to come and see Aero and probably discuss a few issues with the managers and possibly see the staff, but unfortunately I came here and saw that there is a protest going on, so I had to stop by, listened, discussed and came to an agreement."
"The primary purpose of government, especially this APC government is to help to promote, nurse, sustain, develop, keep businesses so that they can continue to provide services and employ our people, so it is not the government of APC that will kill jobs and close down shops; our intent is to promote jobs and promote businesses in Nigeria so that businesses will be growing," the Minister said.
Sirika also told the workers that they have the right to protest because they could not just be relieved of their jobs, so he assured them that government must resolve the issues concerning the airline to have it back on track.
"I think the protest is justifiable and I agree with the issues raised, but we will look into it and come up with a solution that will be mutually beneficial to all of us both the staff, the company and government itself.
I have appealed to the staff and they have agreed that we will reconvene here on Monday and listen to each other and also develop a road map and agree on what to do to rejuvenate the airline, being a premier company in this country," the Minister said.
He further said that although AMCON took over the airline because of the toxic loans it owed banks, but "I think what is going on now started sometime ago. The reason why AMCON came to rescue Aero Contractors or any other business was due to the wisdom of the government of the past and we respect that wisdom and because AMCON is constitutionally established by the Act of Parliament to take this responsibility, but in doing this job we must look at the fundamentals."
"So if there is a problem of this nature we must look and find out what is happening. We are aware of the problem of the legacy, we are aware of the management problems and we are aware of where the planes are and we are also aware of what has been going on with maintenance. So we will try to resolve these problems," Sirika added.
ABEOKUTA-A factional National Chairman of the People Democratic Party, Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo held a closed door meeting at his hiltop residence in Abeokuta.
Sheriff who arrived Obasanjo’s residence at 11:04 in four vehicles convoy went straight to Obasanjo’s inner room for a closed door meeting which lasted for one hour.
The security operatives attached to Obasanjo’s residence allowed only the SUV that carried Sheriff into the premises while other vehicles were asked to park outside the residence.
Sherif and National Chairman caretaker committee Senator Ahmed Makarfi have been dragging the leadership of the party with each other.
Political observers believed Sheriff’s visit was in connection with the crisis rocking the party.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe joked Saturday that he had been resurrected as he returned from a foreign trip, mocking rumours that he had died or is critically ill.
The 92-year-old Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe,.
“Yes, I was dead. It’s true I was dead. I resurrected as I always do once I get back to my country. I am real again,” the 92-year-old ruler told reporters at Harare international airport after arriving from Dubai.
His comments came after an online news site reported he had died mid-air on his trip to Dubai.
Mugabe’s health has been increasingly under the spotlight in recent years, particularly after he fell down a staircase after addressing supporters last year.
He has denied ill-health reports and vowed to stand for reelection in 2018, but recent weeks have seen a surge of demonstrations against his rule, which stretches back to Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.
Zimbabwe police announced on Thursday a two-week ban on protests in the capital Harare, after a string of violent demonstrations in recent weeks calling on Mugabe to step down.
Zimbabwe has suffered an economic crisis since the start of the century, with 90 percent of the population not in formal employment.
The cash-strapped government has been slow to pay the salaries of public sector workers while banks are running out of cash.
