Atiku, PDP candidate launches policy plan
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he said he succeeded in running his private enterprises which now employ 50000 nigerians because i believe in policies and i have the discipline to stay with them until they become reality1 alhaji atiku abubakar the presidential candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp has launched his policy plan for nigeria and promised to attract investments and support 50 million small and medium-scale enterprises if elected as president in 20191 he said the investments would create a minimum of 2. 5 million jobs annually and lift at least 50 million people from poverty in the first two years1 abubakar said he would help create jobs by innovating flagship programmes such as the national open apprenticeship programme through the capacity of master-craftsmen and women to train one-million new apprentices every year would be enhanced1 our national innovation fund and sme venture capital fund initiatives will provide stable and sustainable long-term support to aspiring entrepreneurs1 abubakar said that his plan to restructure nigeria would lead to a vast increase in the internally generated revenue both for the federal government and the states1 the former vice president said that would be done via the matching grants that we would be provided to state governments that increase their own revenue1 let me be clear no state will receive less funding than they get today in fact all will receive more and the harder a state works the more they will get adding they were not just his plan but that of nigerians1 abubakar also pledged to offer an inclusive leadership saying atiku abubakar is 100 per cent for 100 per cent of nigerians 100 per cent of the time1 the pdp presidential candidate said that he was not out to make promises without plan as being witnessed in the past adding that it is one thing to promise and another thing to deliver1 i am not one for making grandiose promises. rather than promises i believe in policies. a promise is an indication to do a future action. a policy is a plan to achieve future goals1 i believe in setting goals and coming up with realistic plans and policies to achieving those goals1 to me leadership is having the discipline to commit to ones goals until they are a reality1 at the launch in yola abubakar said the purpose was to double the size of nigeria gross domestic products gdp to 900 billion dollars by 20251 it is my desire to run for the office of the president of the federal republic of nigeria not because i have a bag full of promises but because i am prepared to lead1 abubakar said that over the last 18 months he had worked with the best experts nigeria has to offer to come up with policies and plans that when implemented would get nigeria going in the right direction again1 he recalled that when he was vice president from 1999 to 2007 i chaired the national economic council that gave nigeria her highest and most consistent gdp growth of over 6 per cent per annum1 abubakar said that despite the fact that crude oil prices at that time were much lower than they were today under the dynamic leadership of president obasanjo nigeria paid off its entire foreign debt1 we also introduced the gsm revolution that saw nigeria go from 100000 phone- lines to over 100 million today1 we were able to achieve these and much more because we had a plan called the national economic empowerment and development strategy1 abubakar added that above all it was a plan that would help create jobs saying without jobs nigerians could not afford to feed their families and their children live in poverty1 without jobs there is crime drug use and insecurity. without jobs where is the hope for a better life and a better future1 today we will begin the process of sharing our policies that form my plan to create jobs restructure the polity and get nigeria working again1 abubakar who said that he started out as an orphan selling firewood on the streets of jada in adamawa added that if nigeria worked for me i owe it as my duty to make sure that nigeria also works for you your family and your friends1 it is time to get nigeria working again and these are the plans and policies i have for achieving that1 i appeal to you to join me on this journey towards a better life for all nigerians1

AU mulls integrated market from January
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source63 mr. albert muchanga the trade commissioner of african union au has said the continent was set to initiate integrated market starting from january1 they signed the agreement during the 10th extraordinary summit of the au assembly of heads of state and government which was held on march 2018 in kigali rwanda1 a year after the signing the african union is becoming fervent that signatories with the remaining 10 african countries to ratify the agreement he pointed out1 only 12 of the 22 countries have so far ratified the agreement commissioner muchanga told ena and hastened to say but we are confident that we should be able to reach the 221 so we are confident that by february 2019 we are going to have the 22 ratifications and now we are also undertaking preparatory activities he pointed out1 negotiations in schedules of tariff concessions and trade in goods schedules of specific commitment in trade and establishment of the digit payment proceedings are still taking place he added1 when the agreement comes into force one month later we will be able to start trading under the new regime so that is very good progress and we are encouraged muchanga said1 no fewer than 50 african countries have signed the african continental free trade area afcfta1 the integrated market will attract large investment from the rest of the world create employment opportunities and minimize migration he elaborated1 asked about its significance to economic transformation commissioner muchanga said colonization had fragmented african economy and stressed1 and with small market it was very difficult to industrialize now we are creating a larger market space and with that now we are really to bring in large economy which is more viable to industrialize he noted1 to ensure intra-africa trade he emphasized that countries need to start harmonizing policies and regulations in line with the agreement1 when we develop the internal market i think the message that comes out clear is that africa is better forward instead of remaining with small and fragmented markets he pointed out1 according to studies some countries may lose revenues in the short-term as a result of liberalization however all countries will benefit in the long-term he articulated1 he urged the au member states to spearhead the negotiations instead of the commission1 africa is trying to create an integrated market he said and noted we need each and every african union member state to sign and ratify the agreement so that we have an integrated market1

Gridlock grounds activities in Lagos
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i dont like driving against traffic because sometimes it can be fatal but with no other road to my destination lm forced to do one-way ajayi said1 commercial activities were grounded in some parts of lagos metropolis on monday as trucks blocked highways1 the situation forced commercial vehicle operators to increase fares by a record hundred per cent1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that it was bedlam especially at iganmu on monday as articulated vehicles and other motorists drove against traffic causing logjam on various roads1 lagos nigerias economic hub has been in traffic chaos in recent years caused by lawlessness on highways and an apparent inability of traffic managers to enforce rules to check lawlessness1 analysts have blamed the situation on what they describe as poor governance in a mega city dotted by poor roads and bubbling with human activities1 speaking to nan on the gridlock some commuters lamented the inability of the lagos state government to find a lasting solution to the problem1 commercial motorist olakunle ajayi described his driving from costain to orile as a nightmare because of motorists driving against traffic1 im sick and tired of lagos. do we still have government in this state he asked as hoodlums known popularly as area boys extorted money from to allow him passage1 the areas affected are iganmu costain roundabout ijora funsho williams avenue and other areas on the lagos mainland1 another motorist lsmaila ahmadu who plies the ojuelegba to ljora highway said that the gridlock had ruined the business of many commercial motorists because their daily trips had been reduced1 my tricycle is on hire purchase. i have to pay off to own it but with this gridlock l dont know what to do1 i am tired of this hardship1 a trader mrs angela abumeri said that she endured a long wait at fadeyi bus stop in her bid to get a bus going to orile1 i woke up around 4 a.m. to buy fruits from ketu. going home is now difficult because transporters are breaking the journey to collect double fare abumeri said1 a truck driver who simply gave his name as danjuma told nan that truck drivers resorted to blocking the roads because traffic managers were forcing them out of lagos bridges1 traffic managers have gone tough on us. they chased us from parking on the bridges and since we have no alternative we have to park on the middle of the roads1 reacting to the development the chief executive officer of the lagos state traffic management authority lastma mr chris olakpe restated that lastma was on top of the situation1 he said that the agency had been working hard to tackle the gridlock. nan1

Shocking things Saraki told supporters on exit from APC
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in 2018 i told you all i wont be going with @officialapcng but in the last one or 2 months that i left i have been doing a lot for you people my politics is for all of you i am just here to empower you all dont mind the one who just bought form for 33m1 one of the shocking things he said was that he left the all progressives congress for his old party the peoples democratic party because president muhammadu buhari did not reward him financially1 all that you have complained about tonight is on point i can not find anything you have said that is not on point you complained about empowerment1 let us agree that the last three and a half years things have not been easy at all i agree and accept things have not been easy at all particularly in the area of empowerment1 before 2015 i have always tried to empower the youth and get you involved in appointments but this time around as a result of what i call human factor things have not been the same i believe it is the will of god1 when you all are complaining and you give example of gegele and co and you compare it to what is happening now i am sure you are asking yourself what is happening how come all of you struggling with me are not rewarded it is unacceptable1 what is the point of putting everything into the emergence of a government and we could not benefit anything from the government you are asking yourself what have you benefited1 if you have not benefited personally in the last 3 and a half years how do you go to market us wont people ask you what you have benefited for yourself1 it got to a stage that people will be making fun of you and asking you what you have benefited but what is happening from abuja use me as an example in 2015 i carried @officialapcng on my head around nigeria1 hardly any state in nigeria that i did not campaign for @mbuhari up to the time of the election in 2015 out of 36 states i paid for the election of 30 states1 out of 36 states in nigeria i funded @mbuhari campaign in 30 states some states i paid 200 million naira some 300 million some 400 million the only states i did not fund are south west states1 many times i will be calling my banks to send money to fund elections across nigeria for @mbuhari my thinking was that when we get elected the next thing is that we will get majority of our people appointments1 in fact i had already promised some of you here that you will either be md of federal agencies either road maintenance nipda inaudible even nigerian ports authority subeb and so on and so forth1 i know if i put someone amongst you from kwara even in the smallest federal agencies the contract you will sign out 1million 2 million but for the first time that i have been in politics even speaker cant appoint a cleaner1 i as president of @ngrsenate i could not even appoint a cleaner not to talk of board appointment if you look at executive positions i have nothing even after spending billions for three and a half years i am as angry as you are1 i am fighting @mbuhari because of you if it because of me i wont fight it is not easy to fight the federal government the sufferings you are all going trough is because they did not fulfil our agenda1 here are the highlights of the audio that has drawn flaks for the politician from kwara state1 it was not my plan not to appoint you when when david mark was @ngrsenate president every confirmation he made for the @ngrpresident came with something if they really love us now you will be empowered1 in the past we they have a cut for senate president and speaker but not anymore so we are no longer going with apc as soon as we joined pdp they called me national leader when i lost election @atiku came to me immediately1 now we have seen the sign that if @atiku becomes @ngrpresident things will come to us he told me i am the only one that can run his campaign i know it is not easy for you all but let me assure you things will be better1 god see my aniyan arabic word meaning the mind now in pdp they have brought us closer how many people in kwara did apc bring together in kwara now we will soon have power today in apc they want us to go to @asiwajutinubu in lagos1 if i am the only one in pdp i will fight alone my father made kwara and took kwara to the top 10 in nigeria and i also took kwara to between number 1 to 3 in nigerian politics and they now want us to bow to lagos1 in the coming election we will put youth into power in kwara let us take @atunwa1 as he his he will take care of you all all those who contested against him are loyal but atunwa will.. inaudible applause1 when i was governor i gave a lot of young people contract they buy land etc and then empower others i want to return you to the days of when i was governor when you were all enjoying @atiku will open things when we win election1 you know as a leader i see things that followers dont see when we followed @mbuhari we felt after spending money we saw that he failed to reward us so we said this baba is not coming back no money no patronage all over nigeria1 even with all the problem we have with @mbuhari the little cut i get i always send to kwara but i can tell you that we had to design a method to make the little we have they did not involve us in sharing1 the only agenda apc have for kwara is to fight bukolasaraki they favour osun state with empowerment for the remaining time of @mbuhari we will still get some things we gave them list for fiirs for 3 years they did not employ our list1 thank you for listening to me1 someone declares that bukola saraki gave the young listeners 3 million naira1 applause1 listen to the audio in yoruba1 exclusive audio in yoruba why i decided to oppose on have a good day.1 kayode ogundamisi @ogundamisi1

APCs Olawuyi dedicates victory to Kwara people
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when your time has come no one can stop you but at the same time i give glory to god because it is the best time allah has created for me1 freshly elected house of representatives member mr raheem tunji olawuyi has said that his victory at saturdays ekitiisinoke-ero and irepodun federal constituency bye-election in kwara as a victory for the people of the state1 he said this while speaking with the news agency of nigeria nan on sunday at omu-aran kwara while reacting to the outcome of the poll1 nan reports that olawuyi polled 21236 to emerge winner while his closest rival mr saheed alatise of the peoples democratic party pdp scored 180951 this is a happy moment for me because we have been doing this for a long time1 olawuyi said that the success was a sign of more victories to come for the all progressives congress apc in the 2019 general elections in kwara1 my party believed in me to put me forward for the assignment and i thank god i have delivered he said1 olawuyi who described his party as the best in africa said he was never scared of the opposition because he is a grassroots politician that is loved by his people1 he said because of the fact that his people love him and follow him with passion he will always defeat his opponents in a free and fair election1 olawuyi said the state governments statement that the election was between the pdp and the security agencies was laughable because it was what they were used to1 he said he is now sure of an apc victory in the state in the 2019 general elections because of the spirit the electorate have demonstrated1

Ex-speaker Kusada of APC wins Katsina Reps bye election
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the independent national electoral commission has declared alhaji abubakar kusada of the all progressives congressapc as winner of the bye-election into the house of representatives 1 the election was conducted in the kankiyakusadaingawa federal constituency in katsina state on saturday1 the news agency of nigeria reports that kusada was the speaker of katsina state house of assembly before his election today. prof adedayo hamza the returning officer who announced the result on saturday in kankiya said kusada scored 48518 votes to emerge winner.1 alhaji abdussamad yusuf of pdp came second with 20193 votes while nasiru kankiya of the peoples redemption party scored 1810 votes as second runner-up1 abdullahi umar of the yes electorate solidarity yes got 221 votes1 according to hamza the total number of registered voters in the constituency is 193904 while the number of accredited voters was 742421 the number of valid votes cast was 70742 and rejected votes 2331.the total number of votes cast was 730731 mr festus okoye the inec national commissioner advised political parties to intensify voter education and management of polling units1 he commended the political parties security agencies mediamen and other stakeholders for the peaceful conduct of the bye election 1

APC ahead in Kwara House of Reps bye-election
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the minister also commended the conduct of the security personnel in maintaining peace and orderliness during the accreditation and voting1 the candidate of the all progressives congress appears to be cruising to victory in the bye election to fill the vacant kwara house of representatives seat for ekitioke-eroirepodunisin federal constituency1 in oro ward 1 the collated result showed that the apc polled 685 votes while pdp got 481. in ajase ward 1 apc got 1350 and pdp 1145. the pdp candidate also lost his polling unit to his apc rival 80-120 votes.1 results from polling booths also indicated a similar trend1 the by-election was called by the independent national electoral commission following the death of ms funke adedoyin who was representing the constituency1 turnout for the election was impressive according to a correspondent of the news agency of nigeria1 the conduct was peaceful hitch-free and orderly in all the voting centres visited1 the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed voted at pu 006 ile onikoyi ward ii oro at about 9.45 a.m1 he expressed satisfaction at the peaceful conduct of the exercise1 the minister said this in oro kwara while addressing journalists after casting his ballot1 mohammed added that the election in oro and other polling units in the local government was generally peaceful1 he commended inec for organising a peaceful and hitch-free by-election in the four local government areas of the constituency1 collated results from polling booths and wards indicate that the apc candidate raheem olawuyi is ahead of his pdp counterpart jimoh alatise1 mohammed however added that it was early to start receiving situation reports from the polling booths across the four local governments1 he expressed confidence that his party the all progressives congress apc would emerge victorious at the end1 i am confident that my party apc will win the election i cant say otherwise. apc will be victorious the minister added1 at ijomu oro nan reports that accreditation and voting started promptly by 8 a.m. with voters in the five polling units in the town on queue for accreditation and voting1 a chieftain of the apc in the town alhaji raheem adedoyin commended inec for the prompt commencement of accreditation and voting1 adedoyin a journalist said the initial low turnout of voter was because they saw the by-election as a minor one adding that they later turned out in large numbers1 he also expressed optimism that apc would win the by-election1 at isanlu-isin in isin local government all the 14 voting units were filled with voters eager to be accredited1 a chieftain of apc in the town akogun iyiola oyedepo said he was satisfied with the conduct and turnout of voters1 he said the people turned out in their hundreds to cast their votes because they desired a change in governance in the state1 the people without being coerced came out to vote because of their yearning to effect a change of government in kwara oyedepo said1

Shark attacks teenager in Australia
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a teenagerwas mauled by awhile spearfishing off the northern coast of australia on sunday authorities said1 the 17-year-old boy was bitten on his arm and leg about 18 miles offshore from nhulunbuy a town in the northern territory according to police in the region1 the teenager was treated by paramedics at the scene and then airlifted to royal darwin hospitalhaving suffered deep lacerations a careflight spokesmanthe guardian1 i believe the people on the boat [did] an amazing job to stem the bleeding and to give him first aid treatment prior to the arrival of paramedics craig garraway of st. john ambulancethe abc1 the australian network also reports that officials believe the boy was attacked by a reef shark1 garraway said that he couldnt recall a shark attack in the northern territory before1 this latest incident comes on the heels of another shark attack in which a man was bitten on the beach saturday south of wollongong in australia1 that man who is 24 years old was learning how to surf at the time1 he had wounds to his hand and calf and was later taken to st. george hospital1

I married Atiku for his integrity, I know him Titi Abubakar
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by ifeanyi nwoko15 egbara said that the group would embark on voters mobilisation and education adding that the group would also mobilise all registered voters to collect their permanent voters cards pvcs1 mrs abubakar disclosed while receiving a campaign group women for atiku that no one knew atiku better than she does having been married to him for 47 years1 she stressed that contrary to unverified and vague allegation of corruption by political detractors atiku was actually a man whose integrity honesty and sincerity earned him her love1 i usually got confuse whenever i read the false allegations of corruption being spread by mischief makers against my husband in the media1 most times i ask myself if they were referring to my husband whom i have been married to for 47 years or a different person1 their descriptions only befits the opposite of atiku abubakar because he is not corrupt as alleged titi said1 she further stressed that sice she married atiku 47 years ago she had never found him wanting in honesty sincerity integrity and patriotism to his fatherland1 she narrated how they were brought together by divine destiny1 hajiya titi atiku abubakar wife of the presidential candidate of the pdp atiku abubakar has said that her husband is a man of integrity stressing that she married him for his honesty and patriotism1 they had demanded that i pay duty for a pair of brocade material which was a gift from my aunt an argument ensued between us and i told them to have the brocade material for a keep because i couldnt comprehend why i should pay duty for a pair of brocade1 suddenly an officer by name atiku abubakar who heard our argument summoned the officers to come along with me to his office1 he was the head of the command at the time. after listening to both sides atiku demanded for the duty charge dipped his hand into his pocket and paid the duty and handed me the receipt smiling and saying that i will pay him back1 as the head of the command he could have simply commanded them to let me go if he chose to but his patriotism to fatherland would never allow him do so and that singular act swept me off my feet and i eventually fell in love she said1 the national coordinator of women for atiku mrs blessing egbara thanked mrs titi abubakar for the warm reception accorded to her group1 she pledged that the group would continue to mobilise women across every ward to vote for atiku abubakar in 20191 egbara said that the national leadership and the 36 state coordinators of the group visited to inform her that with the commencement of the campaign the group is set to penetrate the nook and crannies of nigeria to mobilise the desired support toward 2019 atiku victory1 i was on my way back to nigeria from benin republic wher i went to visit my aunt at the idioroko boarder and was accosted by ofifcers of the customs service1

N800bn subsidy debt: Oil marketers send SOS message to FG
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similarly executive secretary deport and petroleum products marketers of nigeria olufemi adewole said that the processes highlighted for payment by the government were inimical to the operations of their businesses1 by yunus yusuf1 the marketers underthe aegis of major oil marketers association of nigeria moman and depot and petroleum products marketers association dappma made the appeal in a joint interactive session with journalists in lagos1 they urged government agencies saddled with the settlement of the payment to expedite action to save marketers from closing shop as interest on loans mounted1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the senate committee on petroleum downstream had in its oct. 31 resolution directed the ministry of finance and the debt management office dmo to meet with oil marketers and other stakeholders on grey areas and report back within one week1 mr clement isong executive secretary of momansaid that the unpaid debts had negatively impacted their working capital leading to their inability to pay their banks and service providers1 he urged government agencies concerned to address the bureaucratic bottlenecks causing the delay in the payment process adding that the delay had resulted in degrading oil and gas downstream subsector and hampered marketers business operation1 nan reports that moman is a downstream oil and gas group made up of six major marketers including mobil conoil ovh energy forte oil mrs oil and total nigeria plc1 the moman scribe re-assured government of their readiness to ensure availability of petroleum products across the country during and after the yuletide period adding that marketers were fully ready to work with government on effective products distribution1 according to him the major challenge the nigerian downstream petroleum sector is facing is the non-payment of the long outstanding fuel subsidy to oil marketers1 we appreciate the efforts of the national assembly and the federal executive council in approving payment but the non-payment creates a significantly negative impact on the operational efficiency of the downstream sector of the oil industry1 thereby placing a severe strain on its efforts to continually invest in infrastructure and raise industry standards1 we hope that the debts will be paid in full to the oil marketers as soon as possible he said1 isong disclosed that the debt owed moman members alone stood at over n130.7 billion as at august 20181 he said that once reconciliation had been done and a particular figure was agreed as debt he could not understand why settlements had not been made1 oil marketers on sunday appealed to federal government to effect quick payment of its outstanding n800 billion subsidy debts1 adewole said the processes they have highlighted is killing our businesses. immediately the banks read in the media that the national assembly had approved they went to court got injunction and seized our assets1 adewole said that 60 per cent of marketers have been forced out of business as banks have taken over their depots assets and properties due to their inability to pay back monies borrowed to import fuel1 he said many marketers were forced out of business while others are struggling to survive due to governments inability to settle the subsidy arrears saying the development is threatening investment in the downstream subsector1 the dappman scribe stressed that while the federal government had earmarked money to clear the debts the marketers were yet to be paid1 the debt has had very adverse effects on our operations. i am aware of two depots that have been forcibly taken over by banks because they got injunctions from the courts1 they did so the moment they heard that the national assembly approved payment of the debt to marketers. unfortunately as at today the money was yet to get into our accounts he said1 adewole pointed out that the other challenge was that many of the marketers had laid off more than 90 per cent of their staff because of financial constraints1 he however said that government had promised that part of the money would come as promissory note and cash saying the information gathered was that the government may pay only in promissory note1 it means you have to go back and discount this promissory note in the bank. this means we are losing because the money has been delayed and this adds to the interest to be charged on our accounts1 nan also recalled the debt management office dmo on oct. 31 says it has commenced the accelerated implementation of settlement of government arrears through promissory notes to oil marketers1 the dmo made this known in a statement issued in abuja when it met with the senate committee on downstream petroleum sector to discuss the issue of the outstanding payments to oil marketers1 according to the statement the implementation is in line with the process approved by the federal executive council fec1 it also quoted sen. kabiru marafa chairman oil and gas senate committee as calling the meeting to ascertain the status of the implementation of the approvals given by the national assembly for the settlement of arrears to oil marketers1 the meeting was attended by representatives from the ministry of finance dmo central bank of nigeria cbn petroleum products pricing regulatory agency pppra and representatives of oil marketers1 the obligations due to the oil marketers represent interest accruals and foreign exchange differentials it said1

Police boss happy with election coverage
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the inspector general of police deeply appreciates the high level commitment of the police personnel and that of other security and safety agencies in ensuring adequate security secured and conducive environment for free and fair bye-elections in the affected federal constituencies in kwara katsina and bauchi states1 the inspector general of police alhaji ibrahim idris commended security personnel for their high level professionalism civility politeness firmness and unbiased conducts during the by-elections conducted on saturday1 in a statement issued by the spokesman of the police mr. jimoh moshood on sunday in abuja idris is also elated with the performance of police personnel and that of other security and safety agencies1 he also appreciated the law abiding attitude and peaceful conduct of the good people of the states1 idris particularly commended the commissioners of police in the states and those who presided over security in ekitiirepodunisinoke-ero federal constituency of kwara state kankiyakusadaingawa federal constituency of katsina state and toro federal constituency of bauchi state1 the by-election into house of representatives were conducted in katsina kwara and bauchi1 the force equally appreciates the law abiding attitude and peaceful conduct of the good people of kwara katsina and bauchi states the traditional rulers religious leaders the independent national electoral commission inec and staff local and foreign election monitorsobservers situation room election observerscsos other civil society organizations csos the media and other critical stakeholders for a good working relationship with the security personnel deployed for the election1 the good disposition and spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by most of the political parties in the elections which doused fear and tensions during the elections is gratifying and highly commendable1 as a lead security agency in election security in a democracy the igp once again commends the police for their sacrifice collective patriotism and commitment in ensuring that the elections were conducted in an atmosphere of peace devoid of any breach of public peace and security throughout the period of the elections1 the impressive performance of the police personnel to ensure law and order and a successful election is a clear testimony of the capability of the nigeria police force in its renewed commitment to continue to adhere to international best practices in the conduct of elections in the country now and the upcoming 2019 general election1 the nigeria police force he said would continue to sustain the elections security successes recorded in gubernatorial elections in edo ondo anambra ekiti and osun states and the just concluded by-elections1

Tambuwal now PDP Sokoto governorship candidate
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the independent national electoral commission inec says incumbent sokoto state governor aminu tambuwal is the governorship candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp for the 2019 elections1 tambuwal finished second behind atiku abubakar who emerged the party presidential candidate at its convention held in port-harcourt rivers state on oct. 61 festus okoye inecs national commissioner and chairman information and voter education who confirmed the substitution said tambuwal now replaces the name of manir daniya earlier submitted as the party flag bearer1 it was believed that daniya who was tambuwals commissioner for local government affairs had only held the pdp governorship ticket for tambuwal in case he tambuwal lost the partys presidential ticket1 daniya had emerged as pdp consensus candidate1 okoye also noted that daniya by the substitution automatically becomes the deputy governorship candidate of the party for sokoto state1

FG mulls education bond for public varsities
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by chijioke okoronkwo9 other notable nigerians who spoke on the occasion were governor of oyo state mr abiola ajimobi gen.- yakubu gowon the chancellor of the university and sultan of sokoto alhaji saad abubakar iii as well as the pro-chancellor joshua waklek1 buhari made the idea known at university of ibadan on saturday on the occasion of the institutions 2018 convocation and 70th foundation day ceremony1 laolu akande senior special assistant on media and publicity to the president office of the vice president in a statement on sunday in abuja said buhari who is visitor to the university was represented by the vice president. prof. yemi osinbajo1 buhari restated that education could not be left to government alone as none of the worlds leading universities depended wholly or even substantially on government funding1 he said that universities all over the world had evolved innovative means of financing and investment to meet their funding needs and become financially sustainable1 buhari added that one of the solutions that must be explored was the alumni network noting the university of ibadans vast alumni network by virtue of its age had a lot to offer1 amongst other options we are working on the details of an education infrastructure bond for public universities to involve raising money from the capital market to give a push to infrastructure in our universities1 our on-going talks with the academic staff union of universitiesasuu are a fallout of the chequered history of negotiations concluded in 2013 with government1 there is no question that asuu has a point. however we must seek to resolve it amicably and with minimum disruption to the academic calendar1 according to him given the radical changes that technology has brought to bear in both the challenges and opportunities in education the n-power employment scheme of the buhari administration provides a technology platform to train teachers1 the federal government is considering setting up an education bond to finance infrastructure in public universities president muhammadu buhari has said1 we have had the collaboration of the massachusetts institute of technology the oracle academy microsoft cisco academy and ibm1 how do we train teachers quickly and efficiently aside from traditional teacher training institutes which must be refitted to deal with new technology-driven pedagogy we must use technology platforms to train1 we have had a few eye openers in this regard when we launched our n-power programme1 we trained them and provided materials for continuous training using our open platform and each of them was provided with an electronic tablet which contains a lot of training and teaching materials for the large number who teach in schools in every local government in nigeria he said1 buhari said that in the next few years both teacher training and teaching would be largely driven by technology with university education especially scientific research made easy by virtual reality and artificial intelligence tools1 the president said that the current gaps in educational attainment in the country had made it clear that nigeria had to change both the substance of education its children received and the methods by which they are taught1 according to him the early stage investment in primary and secondary school education is key to becoming a knowledge-driven economy1 he said that federal governments policy was to develop and introduce steam education science education engineering arts and math curriculum in primary and secondary schools1 buhari said that the curriculum covered training in skills in cross disciplinary critical and creative thinking problem solving and digital technologies coding digital arts design thinking and robotics1 buhari noted that the n-power programme a technology driven employment and skills training programme had employed 500000 young men and women who were hired using a technology platform developed by young nigerians1

Risky to return power to PDP, Buhari should continue
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he must be allowed to complete the good work he had started1 president muhammadu buhari should be allowed to complete the good work he started and would be too risky and dangerous for power to return to the peoples democratic power pdp in 20191 the independent national electoral commission inec had on jan. 9 released the timetable and schedules of activities for the 2019 general elections1 according to him the pdp has not shown remorse for what they had done and had not admitted their mistakes and has not taken steps to address those mistakes1 they want to compound matters for nigeria. it is too dangerous and risky for power to return to pdp garba said1 he said president muhammadu buhari would win clean and square on the basis of the record that the administration had achieved1 in 2015 we ran on the basis of promises majorly insecurity anti-corruption and repositioning of the economy on all of these three counts he has achieved 90 per cent1 the time has come that we are going to unfold to the nation all achievements and nigerians will not make the mistake of taking us back to where we were in 20151 this election is going to be a tough one but buhari is going to win1 dont mind the noise dont mind all the propaganda. buhari will come back. he has done it before he is doing it now. he is going to do it for the country again he said1 the spokesman added that the president was rebuilding the country saying this was not a time to change a president1 the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity mr garba shehu said at an event organised by buhari media organisation in commencement of campaigns for the feb. 16 2019 presidential election1 whatever they say he has minimally 12 to 14 million votes coming from masses in elections. this is not going to change in 20191 this election will be a work-over for him he said1 chairman senate committee on media and public affairs sen. sabi abdullahi said 2019 would be about truth and falsehood reality and illusions1 for me these two choices are not difficult to choose from. obviously we know where we are coming from1 we are coming from a period in time which people just did anything they wanted to1 today we are having a different government under our president who is definitely taking things the way they should be1 we had a very serious infrastructural deficit and because of that our productivity is extremely low1 the most sensible thing for anybody to do and which this government is doing creditably is to focus on infrastructure abdullahi said1 on her part the national coordinator for women for buhari and osinbajo fatima adams said women must support the president for continuity1 women must mobilise for president buhari for the future of our children she added1 earlier chairman buhari media organisation mr niyi akinsiju said buhari had built a new foundation for governance with the change mantra. nan1

Court of Appeal reduces ex-governor Joshua Dariyes jail term
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the three-man panel comprising of justices abdul aboki stephen adah and atinuke komolafe-wilson which sat on the dariye appeal gave its verdict on november 16 20181 the court of appeal in abuja has reduced the 14-year jail term of former plateau governor joshua dariye1 the appeal court also reduced the 14 year jail term of former governor jolly nyame of taraba state to 12 years1 both governors got the reprieve on account of being first time offenders1 justice banjoko had on may 30 2018 found nyame a former taraba state governor guilty and sentenced him to 14 years for criminal breach of trust two for criminal misappropriation seven for gratification and five for obtaining by dishonesty to run concurrently1 the trial judge on june 12 2018 also found dariye a former plateau state governor guilty of 15 out of the 23-count amended charge brought against him by the efcc bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds and sentenced him to 14 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds to run concurrently1 the two former governors who are currently serving their jail terms at kuje prison had approached the court of appeal seeking to have their convictions and sentencing set aside1 he will now spend 10 years according to the judgement delivered on friday1 reading the lead judgement on behalf of the panel adah stressed that it was a unanimous decision. the panel upheld the conviction of dariye based on counts one two three four five six seven eight nine 10 11 13 17 21 and 221 adah however stressed that the lower court ought to have given consideration to the fact that dariye was a first-time offender and also set aside his conviction based on count 12 while quashing his conviction based on count 231 in view of being a first-time offender their lordship reduced his sentencing of 14 years for criminal breach of trust to 10 years on each count reduced his two years sentence to one for misappropriation of funds all to run concurrently1 the forfeiture order of the lower court is also upheld justice adah added1 meanwhile nyame was not so lucky as the panel that sat on his appeal comprising of justices aboki and emmanuel agim not only upheld his conviction but also fined him n495 million1 reducing the sentencing of the lower court in conformity with section 315 of the penal code and section 416 of the acja 2015 justice agim who read the judgement commuted nyames jail term to 12 years and fined him n100 million each on counts one two and six n50 million on count eight n20 million on counts 10 12 and 14 n10 million on counts 16 18 20 27 29 30 31 and 32 and n5 million on count 36 totalling n495 million1 nyame also had his sentence reduced from 14 years to 12 for criminal breach of trust from seven years to five years for gratification and five years to four for obtaining by dishonesty1

Governors can pay N30,000 minimum wage: Oshiomhole
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reported by6 national chairman of the all progressives congress apc comrade adams oshiomhole has said that nigerian government can afford living wage for workers if stealing of public money is curbed1 oshiomhole a former trade union leader said as a governor he told his colleagues that payment of salaries was no burden but a means of enhancing the development potential of the state1 he said that the countrys major problem is stealing of public resources1 the former nigeria labour congress nlc president spoke on a television programme1 his position is in clear contrast with that of state governors who claimed they could not pay a national minimum wage of n30000 being proposed unless they downsized the staff force1 as a governor oshiomhole paid edo workers a minimum of n25000 which was n7000 above the national minimum1 my views are clear that payment of wages is not an act of kindness for an employer to pay the employees wages at the end of the month. even the holy bible says that the labourer is entitled to its wages oshiomhole said1 he said non-payment of salaries by governors creates a vicious circle leading to low production and eventual loss of jobs1 and even the deductions from states that was done under the pdp in the name of settling our foreign debts they went into state treasury and they over deducted that was done under the pdp. but under president muhammadu buharis government even in spite of the huge financial challenges that he faces decided that in order to assist the states to meet up with their social obligations to begin to pay what is now referred to as paris club refund1 he has done that two three instalments and each time the governors are told that you must use this money among other things to settle pension arrears and be up to date in the payment of salaries1 but i am very proud that this president has rich conscience he recognises that the nigerian worker deserves his wages and that is why he has publicly lamented that there are governors who have not paid salaries as at when due whether they are pdp or apc it is immaterial. and in seeking to deal with it he has also provided support across party divide and i think that is statesmanship at its best1 as for my views on the minimum wage i tried to deal with it as a governor. i told my colleagues then that wage is not a burden in the society. in economics when people work and get paid purchasing power is enhanced and because purchasing power is enhanced producers will respond to that by seeking to produce more goods and services. and in the process they will recruit more hands1 my being in government or now chairman of a party cannot change what i believe in1 the real problem in the public sector is money being stolen in the name of salaries i find it embarrassing when we talk about ghost workers. and i ask the question who counts ghosts. it is only in nigeria that ghosts are known1 i think again this is where president buhari stands out clearly. he has publicly asked public sector employers how do you sleep when you have not paid your employers for one year. but he did not stop at lamenting it he went on to provide the much- talked about bailout fund and said please use this money to pay your workers and pay pension arrears1

People Money, Entrepreneurship banks soon: Osinbajo
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we have observed that nobody wants to give these traders credit because lenders believe they wont pay back1 to boost small and medium scale enterprisessmes vice president yemi osinbajo says the federal government will soon establish people money and entrepreneurship banks1 the news agency of nigerianan reports that the initiative is a federal government intervention programme for petty traders under the government enterprise and empowerment programmegeep1 as part of efforts to institutionalise the social investment scheme process this administration will soon establish the people money bank and along the line entrepreneurship bank he said1 the vice president said the initiative was part of the apc agenda adding that the people money bank would be devoted to giving credit to ordinary people1 osinbajo said the federal government was committed to empowering traders toward improving the prospects of small and medium scale enterprisessmes1 he said that no fewer than one million traders had already benefitted from the trader moni1 the first phase of the trader moni was targeted at two million petty traders across the country but over a million have today benefitted from the scheme1 osinbajo disclosed this while speaking with newsmen during a visit to bodija and oje markets in ibadan on thursday to monitor the trader moni initiative1 the market traders represented the most significant percentage of those who engage in commercial activities1 both the trader moni and market moni scheme seeks to address that large population or persons involved in commercial activities who usually dont have access to credit he said1 some of the traders who spoke to nan at the markets lauded the initiative of the federal government1 mr saliu delesolu the babaloja of oje market lauded the federal government for initiating the programme saying it would enhance petty trading1 this is the first time a government in this country will be extending credit facility to petty traders. we appreciate this and thank president muhammadu buhari for this1 we assure our members that the money would go round. not everybody could benefit from it at once but we have been assured that the programme will be institutionalised he said1 mrs olajumoke ajao a petty trader also corroborated delesolus claim saying the government must be commended for the gesture1

Mimiko goes for downgrade, from presidency to senate
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he is a loyal party member and i can assure you with the discussions we have had by tomorrow we should be filing his name as a senatorial candidate after withdrawing it from the presidential race1 former governor olusegun mimiko of ondo state has withdrawn from the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the zenith labour party zlp. he will now seek to represent ondo south in the senate1 he said the party would approach the independent national electoral commission inec to withdraw his name and file same for the senate1 according to nwanyanwu nigerians have zoned the office of the president to the north1 he said the north has produced two powerful candidates president muhammadu buhari and former vice president atiku abubakar1 nwanyanwu said mimiko has the records to show and the capacity to replicate what he did in ondo across the country1 we are starting the process to persuade mimiko to withdraw and take a senatorial ticket after all we need strong men at the senate to pass the necessary laws after the election next year1 national chairman of the party dan nwanyanwu confirmed mimikos withdrawal at a news conference in abuja on thursday1 zlp will be part and parcel of the making of a new president we shall support one of the big parties but that is left to the party to meet and decide1 we have to look at all the options and all that has happened since 2015 what is on ground and who is able to deliver for the common good nwanyanwu said1 in a move that appeared to have been well rehearsed former ondo state commissioner for works gboye adegbenro has dropped his senatorial ambition to allow mimiko to replace him1 adegbenro who is the ondo central senatorial candidate of the zlp said in akure on thursday it became imperative that i bring to a close my aspiration to represent ondo central senatorial district at the senate of the federal republic of nigeria at this critical juncture1 according to him having consulted far and wide with his family business associates followers and constituents he is bowing out before the full race commences in the interest of the party and state1 more than the above i am convinced that the candidacy of our leader mimiko will better serve the interest of the district now and the overall goal of the south-west1

Press pass: CNNs Acosta floors Trump, White House in court
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acosta held onto it and raised an arm to shield it in the process making contact with the aide. pardon me maam he said to her1 a u.s. judge has ordered the white house to restore access to a reporter of the cnn who was barred from the seat of power1 the donald trump-appointed judge timothy j. kelly ruled in favor of cnns acosta allowing the networks star reporter to temporarily regain access to his white house press credential1 i will grant the application for the temporary restraining order i order the [government] reinstate the pass. judge timothy j. kelly said1 the move to punish acosta by removing his access to the white house is believed to be unprecedented1 the trump administration barred another cnn reporter from attending an open media event in july but until now has not gone as far as removing a credential known as a hard pass which enables a journalist to enter the white house grounds1 press secretary sarah sanders cited acostas brief confrontation with a white house press aide during trumps midday news conference as the reason for suspending his press pass until further notice1 during the 90-minute session at the white house trump snapped at acosta after the reporter asked whether the president had demonized immigrants by calling a caravan of central american migrants an invasion1 after a long and tense back-and-forth a female white house intern tried to take the microphone from acosta1 the white house suspended the press credentials of cnn reporter jim acosta on wednesday november 7 hours after president trump took issue with questions acosta asked at a news conference1 [youre a very rude person. thats enough. sit down. trumps news conference turns hostile.]1 after their exchange trump told acosta cnn should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. you are a rude terrible person. you shouldnt be working for cnn1 youre a very rude person. the way you treat sarah huckabee is horrible. and the way you treat other people are horrible. you shouldnt treat people that way1 on wednesday night sanders accused acosta of placing his hands on a young woman and said it was on those grounds that acostas press pass was being suspended1 president trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his administration sanders said in a statement1 we will however never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a white house intern1 this conduct is absolutely unacceptable. it is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question1 video of the exchange showed otherwise. on twitter acosta responded to the press secretarys statement with simply this is a lie1

Family, friends offer funeral prayers for Khashoggi
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yasin aktay adviser to turkish president tayyip erdogan called on saudi prince mohammed to distance himself from the legal proceedings saying there is no chance to have a court proceeding that is independent from the crown prince in saudi arabia1 reutersnan family and friends of slain saudi journalist jamal khashoggi offered funeral prayers in saudi arabia and turkey on friday for the repose of the soul of the late journalist killed by agents of his own government1 reuters correspondent huseyin aldemir reported that people attended the symbolic funeral prayer for khashoggi at the courtyard of fatih mosque in istanbul on nov. 161 mourners raised their hands in prayer outside fatih mosque asimam recited quranic verses under a tent set up to protect them against rain and khashoggis friends eulogized him1 what we heard yesterday from the saudi public prosecutor is not the justice we were expecting or waiting for but represents injustice itself said ayman nour a liberal egyptian politician1 the case sparked global outcry and mired the kingdom in crisis1 also thousands of worshippers at meccas grand mosque and the prophets mosque in medina khashoggis hometown joined in prayers for the deceased though the imams did not mention his name1 for weeks khashoggis family urged saudi and turkish authorities to find his remains and hand them over for burial but the saudi prosecutor said their whereabouts were unknown1 islamic tradition places immense importance on proper handling of the dead mandating quick burial1 the revelation that the body was dismembered had thus been particularly disturbing1 the decision to hold prayer services in the absence of a body suggests that the family does not expect it to be recovered1