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
No fewer than 3,000 indigenes of Ika nation, Delta State, have benefited from a free medical programme organised by the Isioma Okobah Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, NGO.
The free rural health care programme, which took place at Igbodo, Ika North-East council of Delta State, drew participants from various communities including Ekwuoma, Umunede, Owa Alero, Emuhu, Abavo and Alisimie among others.
A team of medical personnel led by the resident doctor at the Stephen Okoh Community Health Centre built by the foundation, Dr. Ejindu Chukwuma, pharmacists and other health care givers attended to the large turnout of people for the programme.
Addressing the participants, Founder of the Foundation, Dr. Isioma Okobah, represented by Mr. Ujedibie Onyeka, said the mid-year health outreach was specially packaged to commemorate the second year anniversary of the Okowa administration, adding that the Foundation will not relent in contributing to the realisation of effective, quality and affordable healthcare programme.
Presidency has described as "touching and thoughtful," a message received from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) expressing joy at the news of President Muhammadu Buhari's recovery from illness.
In a statement in Abuja on Monday, Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, confirmed that the President received the goodwill message from CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle.
"The CAN President referred to the news of President Buhari's recovery from sickness as a 'rejuvenation of hope', and congratulated Nigerians on the joy of having their President back soon," he said.
Shehu added that such messages of goodwill from respected religious bodies like CAN meant so much at a time when people with ill intentions were struggling to divide the country along religious lines.
He also thanked the CAN for its continued prayers for the President's health.
"The Presidency looks forward to further collaborations with CAN to ensure that Nigerians of all ethnic and religious groups benefit from the policies of the President Buhari administration which are aimed at improving the welfare of every single citizen of our great country," he said.
The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has appointed Mr. Semiu Okanlawon as a Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, and Mr. Sola Fasure as Media Adviser.
Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, a former employee of the PUNCH Newspaper, was until his appointment, the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, and was the spokesperson of the governor.
Mr. Sola Fasure who was on the Editorial Board of The Nation newspaper, was in Charge of writing the Governor's speech before his new appointment.
Frontline contender in the November 18, 2017 Anambra governorship election, Chief Osita Chidoka, Monday, picked his nomination form to contest the election on the platform of the United Progressive Party (UPP).
The former Aviation Minister who was accompanied by a large crowd of political associates and supporters including women, youth and professional groups stormed the National Secretariat of the UPP in Abuja where he was received by the National Chairman, Chekwas Okorie and other top party functionaries.
Speaking after receiving the form from the National Chairman, Chief Chidoka said he is on a mission to "modernize governance in Anambra and institute a resourceful, creative and transparent government that restores equality and reintegrates the ordinary citizens of the state who have long been neglected into a functional democracy that work for everyone, ensuring that the masses are once again, the ultimate beneficiaries of government.
Chief Osita Chidoka picks UPP form for Anambra guber election
"Anambra people are desirous of a new beginning and the time is now. Our state with its exceptional human and natural resources needs a very creative and resourceful government to achieve its full potentials. What we have as governance today is a mere celebration of the ordinary.
"We want to move away from celebrating the ordinary to instituting a system that works for our people. We want to build a system that provides the opportunity for our innate capacity and potentials as a people, to be fully developed.
"Our model is one that makes sure that the individual is the center of all government policies and projects. We want a state that is transparent and all-inclusive with a government that ensures that every Anambra person is given the unhindered platform to excel in his chosen sphere of endeavor", he said.
Stating that he is ready for the polls, Chief Chidoka assured the public, that he has the proven capacity, experience and presence of mind to reposition Anambra state, while noting that his major backing is God, and the people of Anambra state who are set to demonstrate their support for him at the polls come November 18, 2017.
Chidoka said the UPP offers the people of Anambra the genuine platform to achieve their aspirations including restoring the Igbo voice in Nigeria, which is one of the major objectives if he is elected governor, adding that the UPP is also the ideal platform to achieve a nation that works for all and where no man is oppressed, irrespective of creed or ethnic affiliations.
Speaking at the event, the National Chairman Chief Chekwas Okorie said Chief Chidoka represents the ideals and manifesto of the UPP. He described Chidoka as the real tiger, the symbol of the party, adding that the party is set to win the November poll.
By Bashir Bello KATSINA – Three persons were reported to have been arrested by the men of the Katsina Police Command in connection with killing of two custom officers in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gambo Isah who disclosed the arrest also confirmed that a Deputy Commissioner of Police have been deployed to Daura zone over the development.
The two custom officers were reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen late hours of Sunday night while on patrol duty in Dogon Hawa, Shargele in Dutsi local government area and along Daura – Katsina road.
DSP Isah said the police on top of the situation as investigation are on to fish out the perpetrators of the evil act.
He said a police patrol was mobilised to the scene were three motorcycles and a military belt were recovered from the suspects.
The Custom officers killed were identified as ASC Babandi Nurudeen and CSC Maidamma Yabo.
The majority of relief organisations carrying out private rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea have refused to sign on to a code of conduct.
This development came after a meeting with Italian government officials in Rome on Monday.
"Doctors without Borders did not sign the document,'' Gabriele Eminente, director-general of the organisation's Italy office, said.
The German organisation Jugend Rettet also refused to agree to the conditions put forward at the talks held in Italy's Interior Ministry.
The Italian government by creating a code of conduct had hoped to tighten regulation of rescue operations for migrants in distress at sea.
However, organisation members stated that the process had made them feel criminalised.
Much of the migrant rescues that take place in the Mediterranean are currently conducted by NGOs, particularly Doctors without Borders, which operates a large ship.
Already this year, around 2,400 migrants have died while attempting to cross the perilous sea route to Europe. The vast majority of arrivals are in Italy.
The most contentious points in the proposed code were the provisions that armed police officers being allowed to travel on the boats, and that transfers from smaller rescue boats to larger ones be made more difficult.
Recently, NGOs have been in negotiations with the Italian government about the controversial code.
Report said the deadline for signatures has however expired.
Sen. Aliyu Wamakko (APC-Sokoto North) has condoled with Zamfara Government over the recent death of the Emir of Tsafe, Alhaji Habibu Alliyu.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bashir Rabe and issued to newsmen in Sokoto, on Monday, Wamakko condoled with the deceased family and the entire people of Zamfara.
He described the death of the Emir as one that touched all, saying the deceased meritoriously occupied the throne for 26 years.
Wamakko, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, said the monarch's demise was a great loss not only to his family, Zamfara State, but the entire country.
He prayed Allah to grant the family, people and government of the state, the fortitude to bear "the irreparable loss."
The Senator had also visited Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, who thanked him for the visit.
Wamakko urged the family, people and Government of Zamfara to be consoled by the lasting legacies of honesty and piety left by the late monarch.
He congratulated the newly appointed Emir, Alhaji Muhammad Bawa and admonished him to carry everybody along.
Bawa lauded Wamakko for the gesture and promised to be a father to all the family members, people of the Emirate and the entire state.
Responding, on behalf of the family, the Wazirin Tsafe, Alhaji Haruna Sallau, commended Wamakko for the visit.
Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has called for the development of the agricultural sector as a way out of the recession.
Speaking to journalists at the weekend in Abuja after delivering the keynote address at the unveiling of the International Cathedral of Elohim Christian International Centre, Governor Okowa stated that Nigeria needs to provide the enabling environment for agriculture to thrive as it holds the key to pulling the nation out of recession.
"we need to provide an enabling environment for agriculture to thrive and for industries to thrive and I believe that, that is where Nigeria will grow and succeed. The oil economy itself does not truly impact very strongly on the average Nigerian because though you make money out of it, it is an economy that does not create a lot of jobs", he said.
"Over the years we have continued to rely on the oil economy and that is not good enough, oil is supposed to be a blessing to our country, apparently when it was discovered, we forgot about agriculture and we did not think about our tomorrow, oil prices are things one cannot guarantee but I believe that whatever is going on in Nigeria today is a lesson to all, not just leaders but all nigerians, that we need to redirect our efforts, we need to diversify our economy", Senator Okowa added.
The governor stated that the oil production has continue to improve and enjoined all stakeholders to support and sustain the existing peace and security in the Niger Delta region for development to thrive.
He called for prayers and support for leaders and for the unity and development of the country.
Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere has commended Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and his counterparts in the South West Geopolitical Zone for taking far reaching decisions targeted at promoting commonality for the region.
Ambode
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the Group commended Governor Ambode, saying that it was during his administration that Lagos State keyed into Oodua Investment to cement the oneness of the Yoruba nation.
"It is gratifying to note the sense of history of the Governor (Ambode) in remembering the role the Western Regional Government under Awolowo played in the development of the entire West when Cocoa was our mainstay by committing to use the economic strength of Lagos to rob positively on other states in Yorubaland.
"Ambode has on behalf of Lagos State, pledged to invest billions of naira to acquire vast acres of land in the hinterland states of Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun for modern, technologically driven farming. Both raw and processed products from such farms would be brought back to Lagos for effective sales, given its remarkable and huge market potential of the State.
"This is quite commendable and realizable within effective partnership with his brother governors so our states can benefit from one another by creating jobs and providing food security," the Group said.
Afenifere also lauded the move by the Governors to convene a regional agric summit in Ibadan aimed at improving food security of the region and also the establishment of a Western Nigeria Export Development Initiative (WENEDI) to drive the export potentials of the region.
"It is equally salutary that the Governors agreed that the artificial boundaries of states, religions, political affiliations, among others, would not be a barrier to regional development and urged all the states to be encouraged to significantly improve bilateral and multilateral co-operation to foster regional development.
"We are happy that they have affirmed commitment to the development of our people to override petty party differences .It is not an accident that the Yoruba call party “Pati”(set aside).We must set aside things that divide as we search for verb for our noun in the syntax of national experience.
"We urge them to match these words with action in order to ensure that the Yoruba nation is restored to the right path of giant developmental strides which the years of unitary rule have derailed us from. It's time to resume our march of history," Afenifere said.
The Group also urged Yoruba people to key into these strategic goals of the Governors "by breaking all mental and artificial barriers that have hitherto been created among a people United by history, culture and the quest for development.
"These are the imperatives of our quest for autonomy within Nigeria via restructuring of the country to have a proper federation as obtained in the federal constitution negotiated by our founding fathers at Independence."
BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME PORT HARCOURT – RIVERS state governor, Nyesom Wike has again accused his predecessor , the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi of allegedly blackmailing the Supreme court justices because his appeal against the Judgement of the Appeal court on the Rivers state judicial commission of inquiry was before the apex court. Wike and Amaechi Wike spoke Monday at the 106 quarterly meeting of Rivers state council of Traditional rulers in Port Harcourt, said that the state government had enough evidence to nail Amaechi over corruption allegations against him.
The governor alleged that the former governor of the state, Amaechi had openly admitted in public to releasing funds for construction of Justice Karibi whyte hospital, which he said was non existent, adding that he also admitted to sale of some valuable assets of the state.
The governor who dismissed allegations of forged documents against him said the records of these transactions, bank details were there for all to see.
Governor Wike said: “All the documents that proved Amaechi’s … acts are authentic. We never forged documents. The former governor himself admitted that he paid out $39million to Clinotech , without a single block laid anywhere. Is that a document he claims was forged. Where is the Hospital ?
“He has agreed in different interviews that he sold the state gas turbines for $309million. Convert $309million United States dollars to naira and you will understand the level of …. Amaechi left only $204,000 in the state account.
“The bank statements of the pattern of withdrawals from that account are there for all to see. Can that be forged. The dates and amounts withdrawn are clearly written”.
“There is no time that he loses a case without blackmailing the Judiciary. He feels that the only way he can do it is to blackmail the Supreme Court. You cannot play politics with everything “.
The governor also warned owners of hotel not to allow their property to be used for election manipulation, saying the government would not hesitate to withdraw the certificate of occupancy of such places.
He said: “Any hotel that is used to rig elections, that hotel’s certificate of occupancy will be withdrawn. I will not allowed that anymore “. Hide original message
The Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, said proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution dropped by the National Assembly may be adopted in a review of the exercise.
He said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu, that the rejection of the proposals was not "the end of the road'' for them since constitution amendment was a continuum.
The statement said that Ekweremadu spoke at a consultative meeting on South-East Infrastructure Development with a delegation of Partnership to Engage, Reform, and Learn (PERL) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID).
The deputy president of the senate, who chairs the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Review of the Constitution, said that consultation as well as understanding of the issues involved in the constitution amendment was needed.
"We commend our colleagues for their understanding and ensuring that about 95 per cent of the amendments we proposed to them scaled through.
"We are also conscious of the fact that Nigerians are worried about some of the recommendations that did not pass.
"Let me use this opportunity to further appreciate and reassure Nigerians that we are sensitive to their feelings and that we are likely to re-visit some of the issues they are concerned about when we return from our vacation.
"Some of the issues did not scale through because there is need for fuller understanding as well as more consultations and consensus building on them and their implications for our people," he said.
Ekweremadu reiterated that devolution of more powers to the federating units would quicken infrastructural development in the country.
He added that, "no doubt, your studies on South-East were right because the region is indeed highly challenged.
"This is especially in the areas of transport infrastructure such as roads, railway and seaport. We are also challenged in the area of power.
"That is why we in the Committee on Constitution Review believe we mean well when we talk about things like devolution of power.
"Our view is that some of these things should be moved from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List so that while the Federal Government is making efforts, the states too will be making efforts individually, in clusters or partnership with one another.
"That was why we took things like power to the Concurrent List so that states can generate, transmit and distribute power.
"The same goes for railway, which is still the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government.
"That way, Nigeria can effectively speed up socio-economic development in all parts of the country.''
He added that unfortunately, some of the issues were misunderstood, but that their rejection had not foreclosed their acceptance or approval before the exercise was finally concluded.
"We believe that with more engagements, the issues will be better appreciated and we are positive about more favourable dispositions when we revisit them.
"As leaders, we all have our eyes on the future and are committed to building a better Nigeria for posterity." Ekweremadu added.
Earlier in her remarks, Team Leader of PERL, Dr Adiya Ode, had commended the National Assembly for voting in favour of autonomy for local governments and states' Houses of Assembly.
She called for greater support for gender mainstreaming and other amendments that would speed up national development.
Ode said that PERL and DFID were currently working to address infrastructural deficits that impeded the business environment in the South-East.
She sought Ekweremadu's support toward convening meeting of political leaders of the South-East to discuss issues that would aid the development of the nation.
Trade union members at the Bank of England, Britain's central bank, will go ahead with the first strike action by staff for over 50 years on Tuesday, the Unite union said on Monday.
Last-minute talks facilitated by a government-run arbitrator failed to resolve the pay dispute with the bank,'' the union said after it agreed to delay start of strike action "in a gesture of goodwill", the union said.
Some 95 per cent of staff in maintenance, security and other service roles voted earlier this month for four days of strike action from Monday over a long-running pay dispute.
"The strike will now take place from Tuesday to Thursday.
"Unite members are calling on the Bank of England to give staff fair pay following the imposition of a derisory pay settlement without negotiating with recognised union Unite,'' the union said.
It said that the dispute was caused by the bank's imposition of a 1 per cent increase on its total wage bill for the current financial year, while it leaves rises for individual staff at the discretion of line managers.
However, the bank made no immediate comment on the planned strike.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state, Monday, unveiled twenty urban security vehicles for surveillance in the Owerri municipality.
Center, Chief of staff, Imo state government House, Uche Nwosu, from left, 5th position, Imo state commissioner of Police ,Mr Chris Ezike, and other senior police officers, during the unveiling of urban security vehicles in Owerri, Photos by Chinonso Alozie.
The unveiling ceremony took place at the police headquarters command in Owerri.
Okorocha who was represented by his Chief of staff, Mr. Uche Nwosu, said that the vehicles were meant to police only the capital city.
Nwosu briefly said: “What I have seen today, there is no doubt that Imo is coming first in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the area of security.
“I also want to say that, one thing is to release the money and another thing is to utilize the money effectively for the purpose which it was given.
“This is called city police and they are meant to serve only for the capital city and make sure that the police get rid off criminal activities in Owerri.”
In his remark, the Imo state commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, said that the vehicles had been commissioned earlier by Inspector General of police, Idris Ibrahim, and that it has officially kicked off.
Ezike said: “The IG had commissioned the vehicles but the delay was because we have to train our men in different skills including human rights issues. We know that security is both physical and psychological. And we have concluded and operation has started.
“We want to say thank you to the Imo state government, for donating these vehicles to assist us fight crimes.
“We will place the vehicles and our men at different locations, some of which will be at streets and junctions and others for monitoring and evaluation. We will also step up motorcycle brigade to move round in the streets even when there is traffic.”
Dr Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has promised adequate incentive support to the 18-billion dollar Dangote refinery to fast track its completion in Lagos.
Kachikwu gave the assurance during a facility tour of the refinery on Monday in Lagos.
Dangote refinery is situated at Lekki Free Trade Zone in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
According to him, the Federal Government will support it through policies that will liberalise the market.
He urged Dangote to speed up completion of the refinery to come on stream before 2019, to promote affective downstream sector.
He charged the management of the company to involve tertiary institutions in its operations, to build capacity among students studying oil and gas related courses to have some experience on refinery operations.
The minister said in spite of the private sector's intervention and investment in the oil and gas sector, government still had a lot of role to play in terms of setting the right policies for a robust and investment friendly atmosphere.
''For the fact that the private sector is taking up some interventionist role, does not mean government will fold its hands.
"We will still have to continue to churn out policies that will help stimulate growth in the sector.
"For instance, we have to ensure that the right tariffs are set for those laying gas pipelines and other assets," he said.
Kachikwu commended Dangote for the project, while assuring of total support in promoting the success of the project.
" This refinery is indeed a massive and gigantic project which needs to be supported by government and investors.
" Government will support to incentify policies that will promote and attract investors to the refinery.
"I will tell my colleagues all over the world about Dangote refinery and the investment capacity," he said.
Kachikwu, however, commended the management for ways local communities were engaged and carried along.
He urged other companies to emulate the company.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote said that the Dangote Refinery would save the country over 7.5 billion dollars annually through import substitution.
According to him, the project will add value to the economy as all the projects will be creating about 4,000 direct and 145,000 indirect jobs.
The Dangote boss lauded the resolve of the minister for his efforts towards ensuring availability of petroleum products and championing a comprehensive overhaul of the energy sector in Nigeria.
He said that Dangote was committed to playing its part in the efforts of the minister and the Federal Government to comprehensively address the energy crisis in the country.
''As you are aware, we are currently building the world's largest single line Refinery, Petrochemical Complex and the world's second largest Urea Fertiliser plant.
" The refinery will have the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day while the petrochemical plant will produce 780 KTPA Polypropylene, 500 KTPA of Polyethylene while the fertiliser project will produce 3.0 million metric tonnes per annum of Urea."
Dangote said that the company would also build the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in any country in the world, with a length of 1,100km, to handle three billion SCF of gas per day.
According to him, Dangote also plans to construct a 570 MW power plant in the complex.
"Gas from its pipeline will augment the natural domestic gas supply with an additional 12,000MW of power generation added to the grid from its gas system.
ABUJA- Financial experts under the Society for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention, SFAFP, at the weekend, hailed the Senate over passing of the Financial Intelligence Bill.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees, SFAFP, Prof Benjamin Osisioma, made the commendation at the maiden graduation of 28 new members and second batch induction of 58 associates of the society, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Academy, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Osisioma who described the graduation as historic said the new bill seeking to separate the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will save the country if President Muhammadu Buhari assents to the Bill and from being expelled permanently by the EGMONT Group, a network of international Financial Intelligence Unit with 154 member countries, which has suspended Nigeria as its member over the non-establishment of the NFIA as a unit standing autonomously.
According the Professor of Accounting, University of Azikiwe, Awka, the bill passed by the Senate was step in the right direction that would meet global best practices in fighting and prevention of corruption and other financial crimes in the country, would also boost its image.
Osisioma said: "The EFCC is facing some global challenges. The Financial intelligence wing is supposed to be an independent body operating separately.
"In as much as EFCC has tried to give it some autonomy to enable it to operate, but now, unless this particular trend is undertaken, we are going to be deregistered by the relevant authorities. So, it is like trying to protect our interest globally. It is not a bad decision."
"What we are doing here too is to strengthen the financial intelligence agency, strengthen the EFCC, strengthen the ICPC and strengthen every accounting organisation that is really interested in fighting corruption.
"We want to give teeth to the fight against corruption and the only way we can do it is to train forensic accountant. Even after documents are burnt, forensic accountant can retrieve information from them. Every crime has a trial and the forensic accountant is trained to follow the trial.
Meanwhile, he said potentials of forensic accountants should be tapped, because of the intensive training they were made to undergo, which included mock court session on financial cases, which focused on how to bring the evidence together and convict criminals.
"We are helping to make sure that corruption does not kill Nigeria. We want to ensure that people stop embezzlement of public funds because if they do, forensic accountants will catch them. After documents are burnt or destroyed forensic accountant can retrieve such data, as every crime has a trail, the forensic accountants is trained to follow that trail and help to nail the culprit.
"The problem with the new scheme of fighting corruption is that those who profited under the old scheme will not allow it to work. Those who will benefit from the new scheme are lukewarm in their support", he said.
In his speech the Executive Secretary, SFAFP, Dr Abuchi Ogbuju, stated that the training done on how to prevent fraud and other financial crimes in the country.
"What we did was to train out the vanguard. These are the main people we will use to do the work out there. They have been trained on how to defend their financial investigations and present them in court without any lapse along the line.
"They have been trained in the arts and science of accounting. Our target is to gear them towards prevention of fraud which is a better approach than fighting fraud. There is need for concerted efforts to kill corruption in Nigeria and we have brazen up to tackle this menace", Ogbuju said.
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Monday said he had received the key to the sealed secretariat of the party in the state.
George spoke with newsmen in Ikeja after emerging from a meeting at the office of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni.
The police had sealed the secretariat on Thursday as a result of crisis over who controlled the secretariat after the Supreme Court judgement affirming the leadership of Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.
George and a factional Chairman, Mr Moshood Salvador, are staunch supporters of Makarfi, while another factional chairman, Mr Segun Adewale had been occupying the secretariat before the apex court sacked Ali Modu Sheriff, to whom he was aligned.
Adewale had, however, on Saturday, said that the National Caretaker Committee of PDP had ordered that the state secretariat should be handed over to Chief Bode George and other members of the party's BoT in Lagos.
He said that the order was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary, National Caretaker Committee, Sen. Ben Obi, and addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni.
George told newsmen in Ikeja on Monday that the police complied with the request by the national secretariat of the party to give the key to him.
Brandishing the letter containing the request before newsmen, the party chieftain said the request was sequel to the court judgement in favour of the Makarfi-led caretaker committee.
He said the sacking of Ali Modu Sheriff meant that PDP was now one in the country under Makarfi.
George said Salvador was the chairman of the state as endorsed by the party 's National Executive Council meeting and the occupation of the secretariat by any other factional executive was illegal.
He said the leadership of Salvador in the state was very clear, as the party's NEC did not include Lagos as one of the states with leadership issues.
The party chieftain dismissed beliefs in some quarters that there was crisis in the party, saying the party only had frictions, which would be resolved.
George said he would hand over the keys to the right party members who would hold party activities there.
"Let me assure all our people in Lagos that there is peace in the state's chapter of the party.
"I have collected the key to the secretariat from the CP in the presence of Mrs Aduke Maina, a member of the Party 's Board of Trustees, and I will hand it over to my people.
"The secretariat will be open to all members. The notion that there is crisis in the state's chapter is not true. Yes, there are frictions, but the national secretariat is alive; they moderate all our activities, "he said.
There was however a mild drama when Maina interrupted George, telling him to recognise that there were two factions in the state's chapter.
She said it would not be fair for George to hand over the key to a particular group, suggesting the other faction should also be given access to the secretariat.
"Let me cut in here. The people here are not the only party members, there are still several other ones not here.
"So you cannot hand over the keys to only the people here. There is the other other group.
"We cannot shy away that there are no factions. There are factions. And others are PDP members too.
"If we want peace to reign, we should allow the other faction to hold meeting there too; it could be at different times," she said and walked away to her car.
George, however faulted Maina's suggestion, saying it would encourage division in the state chapter.
He said the apex court judgement already neutralised the debate of factions and saying different groups could hold meetings at the secretariat reeked of division.
The party chieftain emphasised that the era of violence and impunity was over in the state's chapter and urged all members to keep the peace.
He warned that those who might want to threaten peace at the secretariat should be ready to face the law.
Also, speaking, Salvador said he was the chairman of the legally constituted party executive in the state.
He said he was duly elected as chairman at the party's congress and that any other executive was illegal.
"I was duly elected at the party's congress. And you journalists were there, isn't it?
"Did you witness any other congress where another person was elected?
"So, I am the chairman and I have always been recognised up to the national level of the party," he said.
When asked if he would extend olive branch to Adewale, Salvador was not direct in his reply.
He said every member of the party would be accommodated in the reconciliation process, so far they were PDP members.
"Everyone will be accommodated. That I can assure you," he said.
The Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said 23 persons were killed and five others missing in Gombe flood disaster between June and July.
Malam Mohammed Garba, Acting Head of Rescue and Rehabilitation of the agency made the disclosure to journalists in Gombe on Monday.
He said six persons died at Dadinkowa in Yamaltu-Deba flood on June 6; 16 died on July 1 and July 25 in Gombe town.
Garba said that 21 houses were also destroyed by the flood while 101 houses were home to floods in three communities in the state.
He said that the flood also washed away a total of 119 farmlands at Jauro Baba, Jauro Mai and Jauro Saini communities at Kamo Ward in Kaltungo Local Government of the state
Garba said other property affected included 450 bags of grains washed away in Dadin kowa Village and 11 bags of fertiliser in Kaltungo Local Government.
The acting head of rescue and rehabilitation said unquantifiable food items, household wares and domestic animals were also affected across four communities during the flooding.
Garba added that arrangements were in place by the state government to provide relief materials to the affected communities and households.
He advised the communities to desist from building or dumping refuse on waterways or indulging in any other practices that might affect the free flow of water.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun said two persons died while four were injured in an accident on the Sagamu-Benin expressway on Monday.
The Ijebu-Ode Unit Commander of the FRSC, Mr Richard Adetoro, speaking with newsmen blamed the crash on impatience on the side of the driver.
Adetoro said that a Toyota Hiace bus registered as ENU 727 XN coming from Lagos and heading to the East rammed into a moving Mercedes Benz 114 truck, registered; Lagos MUS 727 XN.
The crash, which he said was due to over speeding, resulted into the death of the two persons while four sustained injuries.
''For reasons best known to the commercial bus driver, he violated road traffic regulations by leaving his side of the road to face incoming traffic.
''He was speeding and crashed headlong with the truck around the J3 area leaving two dead and four injured.
''Of the 15 passengers, only three were lucky to escape unhurt. The remains of the dead have been deposited at the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital.
''The injured passengers have been taken to a private hospital for treatment and the wreckages of the crash have been towed to the Ogbere Police Station to free vehicular movement," Adetoro said.
The FRSC Assistant Corps Commander advised motorists to always maintain discipline on the road irrespective of circumstances.
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, on Monday assured the NNPC that it would not abandon the search for commercial hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad basin in spite of the recent insurgent attack on lecturers of the university.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some members of staff of the NNPC, five lecturers of the university, soldiers and civilian members of the JTF were attacked by Boko Haram insurgents on July 25.
The group was on explorative mission to the Chad basin in Borno to search for hydrocarbon deposits.
A number of soldiers and others were killed while the lecturers were abducted by Boko Haram.
A statement on Monday said Njodi gave the assurance in Maiduguri when receiving a delegation from the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the NNPC.
The statement was signed by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC's Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division.
According to it, Njodi said that the entire university community was distraught by the cruel incident of July 25.
"The university will not "chicken out'' from doing what it is supposed to do when the NNPC re-organises and returns to exploration work in the area,'' the statement quotes the VC as saying.
He described the attack on the Frontier Exploration Services/Surface Geochemistry Sampling team –made up of consultants from the university, NNPC staff, soldiers and civilian escort team — as an act of God.
According to him, the situation, painful as it might appear, must be seen as a necessary sacrifice for the development of the country.
Njodi called on the NNPC to stand firm with the university and the families of the bereaved by providing the needed support to overcome the massive setback caused by the insurgent attack.
Earlier, Mr Saidu Mohammed, NNPC's Chief Operating Officer in charge of gas and power unit, said NNPC would do everything possible to support the university and the families of the victims of the attack.
"We have been great partners with the University of Maiduguri for many years and certainly when losses like this happen and under this circumstance, we cannot abandon our partners to their fate,'' Mohammed said.
He promised to return to the university after conferring with the minister of state for petroleum resources and the group managing director of the NNPC.
The NNPC delegation also paid a visit to the state government, where the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, also urged the corporation not to allow the attack to discourage the search for new oil fields in the region.
Also, Brig.-Gen. Stevenson Olabanji, who represented the theatre commander of Operation Lafia Dole, received the formal condolence letter from the minister.
Olabanji restated the readiness of the military to perform its statutory role of providing security cover for exploration activities in the Chad Basin and beyond.
Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, upon return of the delegation, announced some short term palliatives for victims of the attacks.
Malawi police on Monday issued an arrest warrant for former president Joyce Banda in connection with the country’s “Cashgate” corruption scandal, which involved large-scale looting of government coffers. Joyce Banda “Malawi fiscal and fraud police have unearthed credible evidence which raises reasonable suspicion that the former president committed offences relating to abuse of office and money laundering,” national police spokesman James Kadadzera told AFP.
Banda has been living in self-imposed exile since she lost to President Peter Mutharika in the 2014 election.
Kadadzera said Banda is ” suspected of abusing her office” in the Cashgate scandal.
He said the warrant of arrest came into “force” from Monday.
Cashgate is the biggest financial scandal in Malawi’s history and helped push Banda out of power in 2014.
That came after she ordered an audit the previous year which discovered that $30 million had been looted by officials in less than six months in 2013.
Dozens of civil servants, business people and politicians have since been implicated in the scam, and some have been jailed.
International donors pulled the plug on aid of around $150 million over the scandal.
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
Israeli Internationals, Svetlana Zilberman and her son, Misha Zilberman, made history following their heroic attainment at the just- concluded Lagos International Badminton Classics that crowned them champions in the mixed doubles event.
Svetlana Zilberman and her son, Misha Zilberman
The duo defeated Duarte Anjo and Sofia Setim of Portugal, 20-22, 21-16 and 21-7, to claim the mixed doubles event that ended on Saturday at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.
Svetlana Zilberman disclosed that both had been playing together as a pair and won many championships and were elated to repeat the same feat in Lagos.
"It has been a fine outing for me and my son who I brought up to love badminton, before he developed into an international champion in the men's singles.
"We are happy to win the mixed doubles together again in Lagos, just like we did in other competitions but not as big as the just-concluded international classics.
"We look forward to coming in subsequent editions to defend our title, as it gives us great joy when we play together as a pair, especially having set an international record,'' she said.
In other final matches decided on Saturday, Raul Chttaboina claimed the men's singles trophy after defeating Karan Rajarajan, 21-15, 21-18 in an all-Indian final.
Thilini Hendahewa and Kavidi Ishadika of Sri Lanka beat Nigeria's Zainab Momoh and Ramatu Yakubu, 14-21, 21-18 and 21-15 to clinch the women's doubles.
In the women's singles, T.Hendahewa beat India's Mugdha Agrey, 21-10, 19-21 and 21-21 to emerge the women's singles champion.
The men's doubles trophy went to the pair of Manu Attri and Reddy Sumeeth, after defeating Nigeria's Godwin Olofua and Anuoluwapo Opeyori, 21-10, 21-16.
The winner of the Men and Women's Singles went home with $2,200 each, while the second place winners got $1,500 and the second runners-up $650 each.
The doubles and mixed doubles winners received $725 each, while the runners-up and the second runners-up got $400 and $175, respectively.
Francis Orbih, the President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), told reporters that the event would continue to grow and soon, national competitions would hold to prepare home grown talents.
"We are happy to host yet another competition having failed to organise one in 2016. We are proud of the support badminton gets from fans that consistently trooped in to watch our matches. It shows the sport is growing rapidly.
"We are also proud of the support we received from the Lagos State Sports Council; without them, the competition could never have held.
"We hope other states can toe this line and begin to organise state championships for their youths, to helpv them to grow their love for the sport,'' Orbih said.
No fewer than 11 countries featured in the event which began on July 26 and ended on July 29, and witnessed many spectacular performances.
By Evelyn Usman and Bose Adelaja Suspected members of the dreaded Badoo boys struck Sunday at Oke Ota area of Ikorodu, leaving four members of a family dead.
A fifth injured member of the family was said to be undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital .
However, the cult group has devised a new method of onslaught, as they no longer leave their weapon of murder at the scene of crime .
Nobody could say the exact time the incident occurred. But residents were said to have been attracted by the victims’ window through which the assailants gained entrance, as it was destroyed .
Senator representing Bayelsa East district, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has urged the elder statesman and former Special Adviser to Second Republic President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, to be properly guided on his stance on restructuring which he used as basis to attack the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, saying that Alhaji Yakassai got it all wrong.
Senator Murray-Bruce said Alhaji Yakassai failed to comprehend the visionary ideas the former VP said in his debate on restructuring.
The Commons sense Senator, in putting the elder statesman to the right perspective, said, "I am a member of the National Assembly and participated fully in the budget process and I must say that Alhaji Yakassai is wrong to tie restructuring to just one budget cycle."
Atiku and Yakasai
Senator Bruce also said that what is required to "transfer schools from the Federal Government to the state government is just an executive order and not constitutional amendment.
Senator Bruce, while faulting Yakassai's comment that six months is not enough for a change in budget, however said that a nation can even restructure in just one day if the will is there. The statement read thus:
"I have just read Alhaji Tanko Yakassai’s criticism of former Vice President, Waziri Atiku Abubakar’s stance on restructuring and it is quite clear that Alhaji Yakassai failed to comprehend the visionary ideas and details that the former Vice President introduced into the restructuring debate at his speech at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka on July 19, 2017.
Sen. Bruce
"In his rush to judgment, Alhaji Yakassai said inter alia "I thought, as a politician that he (Atiku) is, that he has read our constitution from A-Z before suggesting that we can restructure in six months. My question here is, what are the details of the budgetary provisions for the Ministry of Works that should be transferred to the states' ministries of education and so on and so forth before he made his pronouncement that these could be done within six months?…We already have a budget approved by the National Assembly as empowered by the constitution for appropriation.”
"I am a member of the National Assembly and participated fully in the budget process and I must say that Alhaji Yakassai is wrong to tie restructuring to just one budget cycle.
"Waziri Atiku Abubakar’s ideas on restructuring specifies how he would do away with quota systems by increasing Nigeria’s educational capacity through the return of seized schools back to the missions and handing over federal universities back to the states while more resources will be devolved from the Federal Government to the States and LGAs to enable them build more primary and secondary schools.
"You do not need a budget to transfer schools from the Federal Government to the state government. You only need an Executive Order. I am rather surprised that Alhaji Yakassai does not know this.
"Why would anyone be against such a plan that would not require a constitutional amendment and will almost immediately take care of the over 12 million children out of the formal education system in Northern Nigeria? This number is twice the population of Togo, our next door neighbor. Is Alhaji Yakassai, as a Northern elder, satisfied with this situation? Shouldn’t he rather applaud Waziri Atiku Abubakar for wanting to fix this problem?
"And even in those areas that require constitutional amendments, Waziri Atiku Abubakar is right to say that Nigeria can restructure within six months.
"Let me ask Alhaji Yakassai how long it took the National Assembly to come up with the Doctrine of Necessity in 2010? It only took a day. When a nation has the political will to restructure she can achieve it in one day or at least begin the process!
"Northern elders like Alhaji Yakassai should celebrate Waziri Atiku Abubakar who has shown that True Federalism can work. He employs more people in Adamawa state than the Adamawa state government proving that you do not need oil to survive as a state government in the process.
"Finally, let me add that at that event at the University of Nigeria Waziri Atiku Abubakar, predicted that the automobile industry will be moving away from diesel and petrol powered cars in favour of electric and alternative energy powered cars. This, he stated, was one of the reasons why Nigeria must restructure now or risk being bypassed by the global economy.
"Of course he was criticized and painted as crying wolf by the likes of Alhaji Tanko Yakassai , yet only 8 days after he gave this warning, Atiku was vindicated by the news from the UK which was reported in ThisDay’s front page on Thursday July 27, 2017 with the headline: ‘Doom for Nigeria, Britain Moves to Ban Petrol, Diesel Cars by 2040’.
"This again serves as a warning to Nigeria to heed the warnings of patriots like Waziri Atiku Abubakar and others like him, that while we still have a few good years of income from oil we need to urgently diversify our economy which will only be possible if we embrace restructuring."
US authorities have released a recording of an emergency call in which a woman said this: “I’ve got a boa constrictor stuck to my face.”
The 45-year-old resident of Sheffield Lake in the Midwestern state of Ohio called authorities Thursday after the 5′ 6″ (1.67 meters) long snake she had rescued tightened its grip around her body and began biting her nose.
“I’ve never heard of this before,” an amazed phone operator says as the woman relates her predicament in a terrified voice.
“He’s got my nose and he’s around my waste,” the victim says as the reptile continues its attack, adding: “There’s blood everywhere.” The snake was one of two boa constrictors she “rescued” a day earlier, she explains, that joined her nine pythons.
“Don’t move ma’am,” the operator says.
“I can’t,” the woman replies.
Emergency vehicles arrived four minutes later.
Local fire chief Time Card told the Chronicle Telegram that firefighters used a pocket knife to cut the snake’s head off, then disposed of the body in a garbage bin.
The woman was hospitalized but out of danger, according to local news network Fox 8 Cleveland.
During a visit to Estonia, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence confirms that President Trump will sign a bill on new sanctions on Russia passed by Congress and warns North Korea that "all options are on the table".
U.S Vice President, Mike Pence
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reiterated on Sunday (July 30) that President Donald Trump would sign a Congressional bill imposing new sanctions on Russia.
Speaking to reporters while on a visit to Estonia, Pence said Trump would sign the bill “very soon”.
“The president’s made it very clear that Russia’s destabilizing activities, its support for Rogue regimes, its activities in Ukraine are unacceptable and… that very soon he will soon sign the sanctions from the Congress of the United States to reinforce that,” Pence said.
Pence added that he hoped the clear statement of U.S. intentions would lead Russia to change course.
“The President and I remain very hopeful that we’ll see different behavior by the Russian government,” he said, “and we continue to believe that if Russia will change its behavior our relationship can change for the good.”
Pence also responded to the second test by North Korea of a long-range missile this month, warning Pyongyang that “all options are on the table.”
“The continued provocations by the rogue regime in North Korea are unacceptable and the United States of America is going to continue to marshal the support nations across the region and across the world to further isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically. But there era of strategic patience is over,” said Pence.
As diplomatic tensions continue to rise, The United States has been in talks with North Korean ally China on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea.
…Asks Court To Remove Him As APC Legal Adviser For Anti-Party Activities, Breach Of Constitution
Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni has dragged the National Legal Adviser of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Muiz Banire before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja over forgery of his purported withdrawal letter from the 2015 election into Lagos Island Constituency 1 of the House.
Sanni, who filed the suit alongside two APC chieftains – Babatunde John Kehinde and Alhaji Kazeem Olatunji, is asking the court to declare Banire as not a fit and proper person to keep occupying the exalted office of the party's National Legal Adviser owing to the forgery of the purported letter of withdrawal, series of anti-party activities and breach of several provisions of the APC Constitution.
In a 37-paragraph supporting affidavit detailing Banire's atrocities, Sanni averred that having scaled through the nomination and screening of aspirants processes, he contested the primaries of APC on December 2, 2014 along with seven other aspirants and emerged as the party's candidate for election into Lagos Island Constituency 1 of the House of Assembly by pooling 186 votes out of the total number of 279 valid votes cast, with his closest rival, one Akeem Masha pooling a distant 70 votes.
Sanni said upon the announcement of his name as the winner of the primaries by the party, he received several congratulatory messages including from the then APC flag bearer for the 2015 Governorship election in the State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (now Governor), while the party issued him with the nomination form as its candidate for the election.
However, Sanni said in gross violation of his legal right as the duly elected candidate of the party, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unlawfully substituted his name with that of Masha as the candidate of the party for the election based on a false withdrawal letter caused to be written by Banire in his capacity as National Legal Adviser to INEC.
The deponent said the withdrawal letter dated January 9, 2015 had his purported signature and name, and there was no time he wrote such.
Dissatisfied with the development, Sanni approached the Federal High Court in Lagos and in a judgment in suit with reference number FHC/L/CS/34/2015, Justice Mohammed Buba upheld the reliefs sought and ordered his reinstatement as the lawful candidate of the APC.
Sanni said ever since Banire unlawfully substituted his name and caused a purported withdrawal letter to be written, the party was yet to set any machinery in motion for him to explain or justify why the letter was written, adding that by the development, Banire had betrayed the confidence reposed in him as the National Legal Adviser and his standing as a legal practitioner, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a bencher.
Besides, Sanni accused Banire of involving in series of anti-party activities and breach of several provisions of APC Constitution such as Article 21 (a) (ii), Article 21 (a) (v), Article 21 (a) (v), among others.
For instance, the Deputy Speaker recalled the unauthorized publicity of the party's dispute in Lagos State which Banire made in the Punch of July 1, 2017 and Premium Times of July 10, 2017 respectively without reference to APC Lagos State Congress or the national executive committee, as well as exhausting all avenues within the party hierarchy in the State or the national level.
He also said that Banire, in breach of Article 21 (a) (x) of the party's Constitution, filed an action in court against the Chairman and other principal officers of the APC in Lagos State without first exhausting all avenues provided for in the Constitution of the party.
Based on the foregoing, Sanni is asking the court for a declaration that having breached the established legal principles but not limited to the provisions of the APC Constitution (2014), Banire be removed as National Legal Adviser and a declaration that he is entitled to be expelled from the party or vacate office with immediate effect in accordance with Section 21 (d) (v) for the suit he instituted against the state chapter concerning the conduct of primaries for Local Government election and denouncing the entire process.
In the alternative, Sanni is asking that having regard to the provisions of APC Constitution including but not limited to the fact that the defendant had been engaging in anti-party activities likely to cause a breach of peace amongst the party members, an order should be issued by the court mandating the APC leadership to take appropriate disciplinary measures against Banire.
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA – ACTING President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Sunday night had another meeting with Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris and the Director General of Department of State Services, DSS. AG PRESIDENT OSINBAJO DEMOCRACY DAY CHURCH SERVICE 3. On arrival Acting President Yemi Osinbajo received by The Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ekwe Ibas and others during the 2017 Democracy day Church service at the Economical Center in Abuja. The meeting according to the tweet by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande was in continuation of the meeting the Acting President had been having with heads of security agencies over the renewed onslaught by the Islamic sect Boko Haram on innocent Nigerians.
Though the Federal Government had said that Boko Haram had been decimated, there have been frightening increase of kidnapping and suicide bombings by the terrorists in recent times.
Akande in his tweeter handle did not give details of the outcome of the closed-door meeting that took place at the Presidential Villa,vAbuja.
But he said it was on the renewed efforts on the release of the abducted people including some staff of University of Maiduguri
The tweeted went thus: Laolu AkandeVerified account @akandeoj 18m18 minutes ago
In continuation of his close monitoring of Borno situation, AgP Osinbajo met again last night with service chiefs, IGP, DSS, Petroleum Mi…
Laolu AkandeVerified account @akandeoj 13m13 minutes ago Replying to @akandeoj
…Minister of State & co. Meeting reviewed progress on release & rescue (efforts) of abducted officials of UNIMAID & missing NNPC staff
0 replies Laolu AkandeVerified account @akandeoj 9m9 minutes ago Replying to @akandeoj
AgP Osinbajo had earlier met Defence Minister and military service chiefs couple days back in his office on Thursday on the situation
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma says the 4.8 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth targeted in Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) for 2018 is achievable.
Udo Udoma
Udoma said this in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr James Akpandem on Sunday in Abuja.
The minister gave the assurance at the Consultative Forum with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Private Sector Operators (PSO) and other members of the public in Lagos.
The aim of the forum was to present draft proposals for the Medium Term Fiscal Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTFF/FSP) 2018-2020 to the stakeholders for suggestions and inputs.
The inputs from the stakeholders would be considered for inclusion in the final Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which would serve as the basis for the 2018 Budget.
Udoma said it may be very challenging to achieve the target GDP growth rate of 4.8 per cent set out in the ERGP for 2018.
"It will be achieved if we are able to attract a high enough amount of private sector investment to drive economic growth.
"It is for this reason that government is putting a lot of effort and emphasis on making it easier for business to be transacted in the country.
"The good news is that there are presently many positive indicators in many sectors of the economy, which shows that we are moving in the right direction.
"They are indicators that we are moving in right direction and that the strategies set out in the ERGP are the right strategies,'' he said.
The ERGP projects that Nigeria will make significant progress to achieve structural economic change with a more diversified and inclusive economy in five key areas by 2020.
The key areas are stable macro-economic environment, achieve agriculture and food security, ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, and drive industrialisation focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as improve transportation infrastructure.
Udoma said all budgets prepared within the Plan period must be drawn from, and align with the provisions of the ERGP.
Addressing concerns raised over the level of borrowing, the minister said that the issue was not so much of a debt problem, but more of a revenue problem.
According to him, even with our present levels of borrowings, the country's fiscal deficit is still well within the three per cent (3%) limit prescribed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Udoma said that government would continue to monitor the deficit level to ensure that it remains within the three per cent threshold.
"If we have enough revenue coming in, we can easily offset the debts.
"The problem is that we are not getting as much revenue as we require and therefore, have to borrow to make up the shortfall required to fund the necessary infrastructure that will help us make our economy grow.
"That is why we have had to borrow, but our debt level is sustainable,'' he said.
The minister, however, told stakeholders that the government had been working hard to increase its non-oil revenues, adding that it was not still sufficient.
For instance, he said the revenue from tax was very low considering the size of our economy and that it was about the lowest compared to other countries in Africa.
"Our tax to GDP ratio is 6 per cen, whereas the average in Africa is about 16 per cent.
"So we need to increase our revenues and government is working hard to increase revenues so as to be able to fund our expenditure without having to rely too heavily on borrowing,'' the minister said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Sunday goaded Republican senators to stick with trying to pass a healthcare bill, after the lawmakers failed spectacularly last week to muster the votes to end Obamacare.
For the second day running, the Republican president tweeted his impatience with Congress’ inability to deliver on his party’s seven-year promise to replace the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare bill commonly known as Obamacare. Members of his administration took to the airwaves to try to compel lawmakers to take action.
US President, Donald Trump
But it was unclear whether the White House admonishments would have any impact on Capitol Hill, where Republicans who control both houses signaled last week that it was time to move on to other issues.
Republicans’ zeal to repeal and replace Obamacare was met with both intra-party divisions between moderates and conservatives and also the increasing approval of a law that raised the number of insured Americans by 20 million.
Polling indicates a majority of Americans are ready to move on from healthcare at this point. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Saturday, 64 percent of 1,136 people surveyed on Friday and Saturday said they wanted to keep Obamacare, either “entirely as is” or after fixing “problem areas.” That is up from 54 percent in January.
With the U.S. legislative branch spinning its wheels, the executive branch pledged to look at rewriting Obamacare regulations. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told ABC’s “This Week” that he would change those regulations that drive up costs or “hurt” patients.
Price sidestepped questions about whether there were administration plans to waive Obamacare’s mandate that individuals have health insurance, saying “all things are on the table to try to help patients.”
But Price also told NBC he would implement Obamacare because it is the “law of the land.”
That Obamacare was still law clearly angered Trump, who has no major legislative accomplishments to show for his first half-year in office. “Don’t give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace …” the president said in a tweet on Sunday morning.
NOT ‘TIME TO MOVE ON’
On Friday, Senate Republicans failed to collect enough votes to repeal even a few parts of Obamacare. That capped a week of failed Senate votes on whether to simply repeal, or repeal and replace, the 2010 law, while Trump repeatedly berated lawmakers in a late attempt to influence the legislation.
“The president will not accept those who said, quote, ‘it's time to move on,'” Kellyanne Conway, a senior counselor to Trump, said on Fox News Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, had made exactly that comment before dawn on Friday morning after the failed healthcare vote.
The White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, said on Sunday lawmakers should stay in session to get something done on healthcare – even if this means postponing votes on other issues such as raising the debt ceiling.
“So yes. They need to stay. They need to work. They need to pass something,” Mulvaney said on CNN.
The House of Representatives has already gone home for its August break and the Senate is expected to do the same by mid-August.
Mulvaney also said Trump was seriously considering carrying out threats he tweeted about on Saturday, when the president said that “if a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!”
That tweet appeared to be referring to the approximately $8 billion in cost-sharing reduction subsidies the federal government pays to insurers to lower the price of health coverage for low-income Americans.
The Saturday tweet also appeared to be a threat to end the employer contribution for members of Congress and their staffs, who were moved from the normal federal employee healthcare benefits program onto the Obamacare insurance exchanges as part of the 2010 healthcare law.
“What he's saying is, look, if Obamacare is hurting the American people – and it is – then why shouldn't it hurt insurance companies and more importantly, perhaps for this discussion, members of Congress?” Mulvaney said on Sunday on CNN.
Some Republicans have said they are trying to find a way forward on healthcare. Senate Republican Susan Collins, one of three Republicans who voted against repealing parts of Obamacare on Friday, told NBC that Congress should produce a series of bills with bipartisan input on healthcare, including appropriating the cost-sharing subsidies.
The Senate has one vote scheduled when it reconvenes on Monday afternoon: whether to confirm a U.S. circuit court judge. Senate aides said they had no guidance for the agenda beyond that vote
The Immediate past Governor of Rivers state and current Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the current Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike once threatened President Muhammadu Buhari's administration "with fire and brimstone…" and now brags to his cronies that he has the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the entire judiciary in his pocket whereupon he can manipulate any judgement against him (Amaechi).
Amaechi also accused Governor Wike of running an administration "that embarks on wholesale forgery and distortion of government documents and then retails it out to his minions, the media and now the judiciary in a shameful and futile bid to defame and destroy Amaechi."
According to the minister, Wike has also been bragging that he certainly must get a conviction and judgement to nail him (Amaechi) based on forged documents, adding that the governor is basing the recent visit to the state by the CJN, to brag that Justice Onnoghen is his 'main man.'
Wike and Amaechi
Amaechi gave the statement in a release to newsmen on Sunday through his media office.
The statement read thus:
"Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike has continued to twist, falsify and forge fresh documents that he intends to use against the immediate past governor of the state and now Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
"Wike wants to use the elaborately distorted and most times outright but carefully forged documents to persecute and prosecute his erstwhile benefactor in court. In the past couple of days, Wike has been telling anyone who cares to listen, bragging that he will certainly get a conviction, a judgement against Amaechi in the law courts on spurious charges of corruption using his forged documents because he (Wike) is in control of the judiciary at the state and national level.
"For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that Wike has been boasting that he has the judges in the Rivers State judiciary in his pocket, that he's in full control and that the State judiciary would always give him any judgement he wants against Amaechi.
"Furthermore, Wike is bragging that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) is his 'main man', that would readily and easily assist him get any judgement he wants against Amaechi at the apex court, using his contorted documents.
"Wike is also telling anyone who cares to listen that the Supreme Court (Justices) and judges generally are not happy with Amaechi and so they would easily convict him with any forged document he presents in court. Power drunk Wike is using the recent visit of the CJN to Rivers State as his bragging right to prove his 'extreme' closeness to the CJN.
"Nigerians would recall that only a few days back, Livingstone Wechie, the young man Wike used to accuse Amaechi of corruption and write false and frivolous petitions to the National Assembly, EFCC etc, confessed in a live television programme and in a statement he also circulated to the media, that all the documents he used to wrongfully portray Amaechi as corrupt when he governed Rivers State, were phonies, forged documents given to him by Wike's Rivers State Government House.
"Wechie also admitted, like we have always said, that the forged documents were used as the template and basis for the Justice Omereji led Judicial Commission of Inquiry, a panel Wike set up early in his administration to witch-hunt, malign, vilify and persecute Amaechi.
"Sadly, this is the kind of administration that presides over the affairs of Rivers people. An administration that embarks on wholesale forgery and distortion of government documents and then retails it out to his minions, the media and now the judiciary in a shameful and futile bid to defame and destroy Amaechi. Brazenly, without any scruples, Governor Wike runs an administration that manufactures and concocts documents to indict Amaechi of corruption. Yes, this is the kind of character, a low-level conman that is at the helm of affairs in Rivers State.
"Since he became governor, Wike's sole agenda has been to attack and vilify Rotimi Amaechi, no matter how ridiculous and silly he sounds. Everyday in Rivers State, there is one frivolous, false story of what Amaechi did or didn't do. Same pattern, the same blatant lies using distorted and forged documents, same old concocted stories of corruption allegations against Amaechi told with different twists.
"Nigerians will not forget in a hurry how Nyesom Wike, hurriedly called a suspicious late night press conference to lie that the over $43million found by EFCC in a luxury apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos and the apartment belongs to Amaechi.
"Wike shamelessly said that the money was part of what was stolen from Rivers State – and warehoused in the Ikoyi house – by his predecessor and current Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
"Not done with his concocted tales, Wike went further to threaten the President Mohammadu Buhari administration with fire and brimstone if the money is not returned to him (Wike).
"He gave the Federal Goovernment a seven-day ultimatum to return the money; otherwise, he would institute the mother of all legal actions against the Buhari government to recover the money.
"That's the typical Wike, a lying, reckless, irresponsible and brutal forger that has become the laughing stock of his peers and the nation."
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted prospects of thunderstorms over the Central States in the morning hours on Monday.
NiMet's Weather Outlook released by its Central Forecast Office (CFO), on Sunday in Abuja also predicted thunderstorms over Abuja, Makurdi, Minna, Mambila, Jos, Lafia and Jalingo in afternoon and evening hours.
It added that the region would have day and night temperatures in the range of 27 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius and 17 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The agency predicted that Southern states would experience cloudy condition over inland cities with rains anticipated over the coastal cities and thunderstorms over Enugu in the morning hours.
It also predicted thunderstorms over the inland cities with rains over the coastal cities in the afternoon and evening hours and day and night temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius, respectively.
According to NiMet, Northern states will experience morning thunderstorms over Nguru, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa and Yelwa with cloudy and moderate thunderstorms over Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Nguru, Maiduguri and Kano later in the day.
"The region will also have day and night temperatures in the range of 31 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius.
"Most parts of the country are favourable for thunderstorms and rain activities in the next 24 hours," it predicted.
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on Sunday directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to immediately dispatch relief materials to rainstorm victims in Illela, Araba and Gadi communities in the state.
The incident occurred on Friday as the heavy down pour was accompanied by strong wind which destroyed residential buildings, farmlands, livestock farms as well as farm produce.
Alhaji Usman Danmadami, the leader of government delegation and Sokoto State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while commiserating with the victims urged them to see the incident as the Will of Allah.
He said the state government would work with the local authorities to assist the victims in rebuilding the communities to enable them return to their normal activities.
Danmadami prayed Allah to give the victims the strength to carry on in the trying moments, while assuring them that all efforts would be made to rebuild their lives.
"That is why Governor Tambuwal has directed SEMA to quickly deliver relief materials to them in order to cushion the hardship,'' he added.
Responding on behalf of the affected communities, Alhaji Sahabi Isa, the traditional council member of Illela, Wakilin Sarkin Rafin Illela, commended the governor for the support to the affected communities.
Danmadami was accompanied on the visit by the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Mr Manir Dan'Iya, Government House Chief of Staff, and Mr Mukhtar Magori, among others.
The Gambia is courting Beijing’s attention after re-establishing diplomatic relations last year, but villagers and activists say Chinese investment is a double-edged sword as they fight a firm accused of dumping waste.
Chinese firms in Africa are frequently accused of polluting the environment to produce materials ready to export back home, in incidents recorded by experts across the mines of Guinea, oil fields of Chad and forests of the Congo basin.
The government is nevertheless keen to kickstart direct Chinese investment to turn around the stuttering economy, though its environment agency has made clear it will tackle abuses of the delicate ecosystem in this largely undeveloped west African nation.
The residents of Gunjur, a Gambian village an hour south of the capital Banjul had welcomed the opening of a Chinese fishmeal factory in September 2016, hoping it would bring new jobs to an area reliant on scant rewards from fishing and tourism.
“When the factory came here, a lot of people were happy, including me,” said Badara Bajo, the director of the Environment Protection and Development Group of Gunjur (EPDGG), a charity.
“We felt that it would help create employment opportunities and perhaps sustainable income to local inhabitants,” he explained, describing his impressions of the Chinese-run Golden Lead company.
– Future partner? – Banjul recognised Beijing as the seat of China’s government over former ally Taiwan in March 2016, but the Asian giant was already one of the diminutive African state’s top trading partners, with the Chinese snapping up valuable rosewood timber exports.
Illegal to export in neighbouring Senegal, the prized wood was smuggled over the border into The Gambia from the southern Senegalese region of Casamance, souring relations with Dakar.
Since President Adama Barrow took power in January, Banjul has engaged in a charm offensive with Chinese businesses, seeking funding for the type of infrastructure and energy projects the government says were neglected under former leader Yahya Jammeh.
Barrow praised Trade Minister Isatou Touray last week for signing an agreement for duty-free trade with China, which he said would “make our goods more competitive, and boost our export potential.”
Touray herself told Chinese media at a regional summit in Abuja in May that “quite a number of Chinese firms are currently engaging with the new administration and we are moving in the right direction.”
– Streams turn red – Within months of the factory opening in Gunjur, residents began to notice a bad smell, followed by local waterways turning red, and finally wave after wave of dead fish washing up on the shore. Swimmers in Gunjur’s lagoon began to complain of skin problems.
“The factory is very close to the lagoon. The lagoon is also close to the nature reserve which we have managed for 22 years now,” Bajo said.
Alerted to allegations of waste being piped directly into the sea and the destruction of some the area’s mangroves, the National Environment Agency (NEA) filed a lawsuit against Golden Lead on June 14.
Bajo and his colleagues also organised a protest in late May in the neighbouring village of Kartong, where another Chinese firm has its sights set on a factory.
Lamin Jatta, a Kartong resident, said the community “would not allow the Chinese company to pollute our environment, as this will drive European tourists from our beaches.”
Cases like Gunjur’s are test sites for the new government’s willingness to tolerate what experts have described as Chinese firms’ frequent disregard for the environment and the rule of law in other parts of Africa.
In its charges against Golden Lead, the NEA alleged that the Chinese company was discharging waste water from their processing plant into the sea at Gunjur beach without permission.
Golden Lead was also failing to keep records of its activities and waste management as required by Gambian law, it said.
Nevertheless, both sides agreed an out-court-settlement, with the firm promising to clean up its act, said government spokeswoman Amie Bojang-Sissoho.
“The company will remove its pipes from the sea and will make a comprehensive ecological assessment and restore the damage done to the ecology,” she said, adding Golden Lead would “pay for testing of the water to know how and why it was affected.”
– ‘The Chinese pay’ – Bakary Darboe, the managing director of the Golden Lead Company, said he “rejected the charges” despite the legal agreement, and noted that the firm employed 64 people in the area to make animal feed to be exported back in China.
After all, not everyone in Gunjur is incensed by the presence of Golden Lead.
“Unlike the local fishmongers who buy fish on credit basis, the Chinese pay in cash and take the fish,” said Alieu Saine, a Senegalese fisherman who said the firm paid up to $2 million dalasi ($43,401) each time they purchased stock.
“The government should encourage the Chinese to set up more companies like this one as it will keep young people busy and discourage them from embarking on the risky ‘back way’ to Europe,” Saine added, referring to a Gambian term for the cross-Sahara migrant route.
The villagers, he added, would “get used to” the smell, as he had.
President Vladimir Putin said 755 US diplomats must leave Russia and warned ties with Washington could be gridlocked for a long time, in a move Sunday that followed tough new American sanctions.Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President- Donald Trump
The Russian foreign ministry had earlier demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September to 455 — the same number Moscow has in the US.
“More than a thousand people were working and are still working” at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television.
“755 people must stop their activities in Russia.”
Putin added that an upturn in Russia’s relations with Washington could not be expected “any time soon”.
“We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better,” he said.
“But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it’s not for any time soon.”
On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill.
The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign.
Moscow on Friday ordered the US to slash its number of diplomats in Russia to 455 and froze two embassy compounds — a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city — from August 1.
In December, the then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage.
The secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council was attacked by political thugs on Sunday, injured journalists, vandalised properties and disrupted a press briefing by some APC chieftains in the state.
Thugs over powered policemen at the entrance to the NUJ secretariat where Senators Shehu Sani and Suleiman Hunkuyi kicked against the result of the party's delegate election.
The thugs wielding dangerous weapons matcheted a cameraman with Liberty Television, Lawal Muhammed, damaged several cameras and injured two other reporters.
The thugs also broke doors, windows and damaged chairs and tables at the secretariat.
The chietains of the All Progressives Congress chased away by the thugs included House of Representatives members Muhamamed Usman and Musa Soba, Alhaji Tijjani Ramalan, Alhaji Yaro Makama, Amb. Sule Buba and a former legislator Alhaji Isa Ashiru.
Trouble started when the Gabassawa Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Sadiq Abdullahi allegedly allowed the thugs entrance into the venue.
Meanwhile, the State Police Commissioner, Mr Agyole Abeh who visited the NUJ secretariat, pledged that the police will apprehend the perpetrators.
According to him, the DPO had briefed him on the incident, claiming that the thugs had identified themselves as journalists before they were allowed into the premises.
The Commissioner said that investigation would commence immediately and those found wanting would be prosecuted.
Earlier, during the press conference, the APC chieftains said they were protesting what they termed as at 'selection ' of APC delegates in total disregard of the party's constitution.
Sen. Hunkuyi who spoke on behalf of the APC leaders said all the guidelines for the delegates election were breached.
He said that the group had written to the national secretariat of the APC asking it to set aside the purported delegates election and announce new date for the exercise.
" Stakeholders were invited on Friday we were there until 7:30 pm in the evening but the acting chairman and other leaders of the party did not show up."
According to the party chieftains, the delegates were allegedly handpicked at the Government House.
Also speaking, Sen. Sani said they would not accept "any dark room list" as delegates, stressing that APC was founded on the principle of justice, progress and unity and must be seeing to go by its principles.
"The leadership of APC in Kaduna would not accept arrogance of power and dictatorship; this is our state and we are sending this message very clear to the political adviser and his principal that we will not compromise, we need free fair and credible election."
In his reaction, the spokesman of the APC in Kaduna state, Salisu Wusono claimed that the party's delegates election was free, credible and fair.
According to him, the election was attended by all party officials at ward and state level.
Wusono told journalists that the election was conducted based on the party's guidelines and was supervised by five officials from the APC National secretariat.
NAN.
See Sen. Shehu Sani’s tweet.
Journalist Mohammed stabbed & left in blood by sponsored armed thugs in kaduna:Intolerance to criticism @amnestypic.twitter.com/GJjA056zNj
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor The Federal Government is yet to take any action on the report of the probe into the fraud allegation levelled against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. David Babachir Lawal and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, the Presidency said Sunday night. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal and Suspended Nigeria Intelligent Agency NIA Ayo Oke
Vanguard learnt that the delay in taking action as to recalling or sacking the two top federal officials might not be unconnected with the medical vacation of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was to act on it just before he jetted out of Nigeria for Britain last May.
It was learnt that although some recommendations were made on the two officials by the Panel chaired by Acting President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the Presidency had opted to await the return of Buhari to unveil the decisions of the federal government regarding the two men so that Osinbajo might not be accused of acting on his own report.
A presidency sourc, confirmed to Vanguard Sunday night that there had been no decision yet on the two men and described reports on the matter as 'mere speculations'.
"The Presidency has not released any verdict on the two men and what you are reading in the media are just speculations," Akande said.
One of the reports said on Sunday that the panel recommended the immediate removal of both Lawal and Oke from office and replacement with others, whose names were not given by the authors.
It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on April 19, 2017, suspended both men from office and raised a special investigation panel headed by Osinbajo, the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno (rtd) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as members, to probe the fraud levelled against Lawal and the $43.4 million reportedly taken away from a Lagos apartment.
Babachir was investigated for allegedly awarding millions of naira contracts to a company in which he had interest, Global Vision Limited, under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
A Senate Committee on Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East headed by Senator Shehu Sani, had earlier found the suspended SGF culpable of alleged complicity in a N200 million grass-cutting contract to clear "invasive plant species" in Yobe State, had demanded his resignation and prosecution.
On the other hand, Oke was interrogated by the panel over the huge cash discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at apartment 7B in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.
While appearing before the panel, Lawal denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the money, which was duly approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for some covert operations, indeed belonged to the NIA.
The question that many people ask themselves is where do their money go. Truthfully, you are the only one who can answer that question. But, we know that a reason why you are losing your money is because you are not tracking it. Well, it is time to stop losing your money and start tracking your cash. As such, we highlight some of the ways you can do this.
Use online management software
You do not need to go to the bank because you want to check your account. There are now online management tools and applications that allow you track your spending from your computer or smartphone real-time. In addition to this, you can also see your recent transactions.
Use online budgeting software
There are certain websites, apps, and software that you can directly link to your financial accounts. They automatically organise and categorise your spending by letting you compare your projected spending against your actual spending. It will even alert you when you are overspending.
Use ATMs
ATMs are connected with banks and it lets you check your balance, deposit and even transfer funds between accounts. Ultimately, ATMs are available anytime you need them. Hence, it is easily accessible to help you track your finance.
Activate account alerts
If you want to know about all your bank account transactions or activities as well as track how you spend your money, you should activate alerts. It will allow you get new alerts and let you know when your account is low. You will just be charged a token for this service.
Pay a visit to your local bank
Banks in Nigeria can offer you financial advice if you have challenges keeping track of your spending. They can help you with a solution.
Two persons have been confirmed dead and several others critically injured in an electrical upsurge in Anguwan Biri in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger state.
Alhaji Ibrahim Inga, Director-General of the state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) told newsmen in Minna on Sunday that the incident occurred on Saturday as a result of a power surge resulting from contact between a 33KV line and distribution line in the area.
He said that a middle-aged man, Alhaji Mohammed Tetengi and 8 year old Ayomide Micheal died in the incident and several people sustained various degrees of injuries.
Inga said that three persons were currently receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital.
He said that officials of the agency have visited the scene to conduct an assessment on the level of damage, adding that the remains of the victims have been buried according to Christian and Islamic rites.
DSP Bala Elkanah, the Police Public Relation Officer in Niger, told pressmen that properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed in the incident.
He gave assurance that investigation would be carried out to determine the actual cause of the incident.
Street jogging with your chums is a sport enjoyed by millions around the world — but not by police in Sierra Leone, who have just outlawed the practice. Jogging will strengthen the muscles and bone density of your legs, hips and back while running can give you both physical and mental joy, so long you do not exhaust yourself. To the dismay of fun-runners, police in the west African state have banned group jogging in the street on the grounds that it encourages disruptive behaviour.
“Police headquarters has observed with dismay that people are in the habit of jogging in large numbers along the streets with a hint of menace, raining insults, obstructing traffic, pounding on vehicles, playing loud music, and snatching property from other members of the public,” the police announced.
Their letter, dated July 27, said an “immediate ban on such activities” was being enforced “in line with the constitutional consideration for public order and safety.”
The announcement caused a groan among some in the capital of Freetown.
Mohamed Kamara, a civil servant in Freetown, disputed that there had been any any major incidents caused by street joggers.
“We usually team up with neighbourhood youths on weekends to jog to the beach where we play football and return peacefully,” Kamara told AFP.
Jogging and playing football in large numbers has helped to transform many violent youths within his community, Kamara said.
TV celebrity Amadu Lamarana Bah said the restriction was a waste of police time and affected young people who wanted to exercise in a country where cities have few recreational areas.
“I believe there are more serious security issues you must be paying attention to,” Bah said on Facebook.
“Armed robbery and gang violence in communities should be your concern not those harmless youths who exercise on weekends.”
A local NGO, the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), called on the police to ensure that the new ban upholds national and international law and freedom of assembly.
Group jogging has taken on a political tinge in parts of Sierra Leone. Presidential candidates have organised fun-runs in Freetown and the northern town of Makeni, with participants wearing T-shirts bearing the name of the party.
The police letter said “individuals desiring to jog for health reason” were “at liberty to do so, but at recreational facilities or at the beach.”
But, it added, “any group of persons now found jogging in the streets without authorization will be dealt with according to law. You have been warned.”
Severe monsoon flooding has killed 213 people in western India, an official said Sunday, as rescuers continue to sift through villages devastated by torrential rains.
The death toll in Gujarat state jumped from Wednesday’s total of 123 as waters recede from low-lying areas, allowing workers to reach remote spots where bodies are starting to appear.
“The death toll in Gujarat this monsoon has risen to 213,” A.J Shah, director of relief operations with the Gujarat government, told AFP.
Overwhelmed authorities, who expect the toll to rise still further, said they have struggled to cope with the number of bodies needing identification and post-mortems, resulting in delays in confirming the latest deaths.
An official at the state’s emergency control room explained that “only after a post-mortem is conducted we can officially confirm death of a person”.
“Since many bodies were found, postmortem took time hence the sudden jump in numbers,” the official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
The rise comes after rescuers plucked 25 bodies, including 17 members of a single family, on Wednesday from two submerged villages in hard-hit Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
Rescue workers have moved close to 130,000 people from low-lying, dangerous areas as helicopters and boats try to reach those still stranded.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who surveyed the devastation across Gujarat from the skies last week, in his radio show on Sunday reassured flood-hit states that all help was being provided to them.
As well as Gujarat, the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have been hard-hit by monsoon flooding, while pockets of the eastern states of Odisha and Bihar have also been affected.
In Assam at least 77 people have been killed and a state-wide emergency relief operation has been underway since April. Tens of thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed.
