2019 Imo Guber: Traders endorse Araraume
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when he was a senator he performed very well and also attracted several federal projects to imo now that he wants to be governor we will stop at nothing to support him he said.1 by ugonne uzoma1 the leadership of the association endorsed araraumes governorship ambition when members paid a courtesy visit to the apga candidate on wednesday in owerri1 members of the association said that they opted for araraume because of his developmental blue print which would assure traders continued stay in business1 chairman of the association mr samuel amadi said that imo needed a governor with good business ideas that would transform the business environment and ultimately promote economic growth1 he said that araraume had shown that he possessed the capacity both as a businessman and an astute administrator to make imo a better place to live in1 the imo chapter of the organized market traders association omata has endorsed sen. ifeanyi araraume of the all progressive grand alliance apga as its preferred governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections1 amadi who decried the demolition of the eke onuwa market by the state government said that the act had brought untold hardship and unjustifiable loss to traders1 traders have become the most vulnerable group in imo because of the market demolition policy of the government . the situation is particularly bad because there are no alternatives.1 we want a change of government and have resolved that we will lead araraumes campaign until he becomes the next governor he said1 in his response araraume said that he would run an all-inclusive government if elected governor of imo.1 araraume who was represented by his campaign director general mr okey ikoro sympathized with the traders over the demolition of the markets and assured them that he would end all anti-people policies of the current government1 he thanked them for the endorsement and urged them to remain united in that resolve1

Buharis promise to APC aspirants who lost primaries
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by ismaila chafe7 the leader of the apc aspirants forum hon. yusuf banki gave assurance that the network of 7000 members would work to ensure president buharis victory at the polls in 20192 a statement issued by the presidents special adviser on media and publicity mr femi adesina on wednesday said buhari gave the charge at a dinner with the apc aspirants forum at the presidential villa abuja on tuesday night2 the president said the primary motivation to contest elections should be to improve the country and not for pecuniary reasons2 we must maintain our faith in the country he told the coalition of party members who contested the primaries2 president buhari said he contested presidential elections three times before coming to power in 20152 he therefore promised them that providence will always pave the way for the just committed and patient politician who wants to truly serve the country2 he told the aspirants that those who mismanaged the resources of the country are still very much around with incredible wealth2 he warned them to be vigilant and circumspect in making choices saying the future would only be salvaged by those who love the country2 president muhammadu buhari has urged aspirants of the all progressives congress apc who lost out in the primaries to remain faithful and hold fast on integrity to the nation2 and sometimes we met for two and half hours on ensuring internal democracy during the primaries2 he pointed out that in spite of all efforts to appease everyone and give them a chance at the polls some aspirants were still not treated fairly2 i urge you to stay faithful if your objective is to serve the country2 i came back to power in this agbada to convince nigerians to make sacrifices that the country needs now for a better future he added2 in his remarks the minister of justice and attorney general of the federation abubakar malami said the meeting was organised to address grievances and fallout of the apc primary elections across the country2 he said it would be unfortunate to allow the grievances overshadow the challenges before the country assuring the aspirants that government would assuage their yearnings to serve the country2 malami said they should work collectively with the president in building the party and setting up a framework that would ensure healthier relationships and better internal democracy2 he said i spoke with the apc party chairman almost every other day at least for an hour during the primaries2

Govt. introduces new education policy `Every Child Counts
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by chijioke okoronkwo9 osinbajo said he was proud of the way grange school had collaborated with his office in some of the important work it was doing at the learning centre in maiduguri1 a statement issued on wednesday by laolu akande senior special assistant to the vice president on media and publicity quoted prof. yemi osinbajo as saying this in lagos1 osinbajo spoke at the 60anniversary of grange school lagos on tuesday1 according to the vice president nigeria is africas most populous country and like the rest of the continent it is a nation of young people as half of its population is below the age of 201 he said that nigeria would be the third most populous country in the world by 2050 and would have a large youth population that could be a tremendous blessing for economic growth and prosperity1 osinbajo however said that the population could also be a problem especially ifnigeria did not plan well and in advance as extreme poverty further complicated the problem for a country like nigeria1 he said there was need to increase school enrolment which had increased in many cases by over 30 per cent in the last 2 years largely on account of our school feeding programme1 osinbajo said that to eradicate poverty nigerias education must equip the young to be productive as the federal government was working on far-reaching skills-basedcurriculum on science technology engineering arts and mathematics1 this is the curriculum for primary and secondary schools1 the core skills the programme will provide include 1 coding and computer programming 2 design thinking and computer generated imaging animation and graphics design 3 robotics networking and basic engineering applications1 the federal government introduced new education policy known as every child counts to encourage children enrolment in schools1 in fact the younger people are the easier it is for them to learn all of these technology skills1 so we think that to develop the kinds of young people who will be able to take on the kind of challenges of the 21stcentury and get the kind of work that the 21stcentury is producing already we simply have to change the way we teach and what we teach1 he said the federal government was working in collaboration with the massachusetts institute of technology mit oracle academy microsoft cisco academy and ibm1 according to him they are working with the federal government in developing the curriculum alongside the federal ministry of education and the respective states1 the vice president said that the immediate plan was to reach with this sort of education at least 2 million pupils in the first year1 the plan also envisions a new classroom structure that permits the cultivation expression and early adoption of skills that will function in the environment that is already being created the technology environment that is already being created1 the next question we asked is for whom do we plan the answer is quite straightforward it is the nigerian child1 not just the ones in the urban areas or the few that are privileged to afford decent schooling above the weakened standards of public schooling generally1 the real slogan for us is every child counts and that is the name of the policy which means we have democratised our vision of a qualitative and relevant education to reach every nigerian child1 every child counts ensures that all children especially the number reported to be out of school now and in those areas where children tend to drop out of school much faster all of them deserve to get a decent education all of them must be reached by this programme he said1 we have a programme called the n-power programme and about 3000 of them are currently being trained in animation skills and techniques and we found that people take so easily to learn some of these things1

Nigerians in Angola not mistreated FG
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by isaac aregbesola5 the ministry of foreign affairs has described as false theallegedvideo clip circulating on the social media purporting to show hownigerians are being maltreated in angola1 the ministrys spokesperson mr george edokpa said this in a statement made available to newsmen on wednesday in abuja1 he said that the attention of the ministry was drawn to the allegedvideo clip and urged the public to ignore it1 he said the purported clip circulating on the social media on maltreatment of nigerians living in angola was not true1 edokpa maintained that the allegation was false and should bedisregarded1 the ministry is in contact with the nigerian embassy in luanda angola andwishes to categorically attest that the incidence under reference in the videodid not occur in angola1 however in line with the mandate of the ministry toprotect nigerians in any part of the world the ministry is conducting acomprehensive investigation on the matter he said1

Minister commends Coca Cola Nigerias Safe Birth Initiative
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by vivian ihechu3 the official launch of the safe birth initiative and inauguration of the first set of sbi equipment in the country would be performed by the minister of health prof. isaac adewole at the national hospital in abuja next week1 adewole represented by dr adedamola dada chief medical director federal medical centre fmc ebutte-meta lagos said this at a stakeholders workshop on saturday in lagos with theme enabling safe birth in nigeria1 the event was organised by the sbi sponsored by coca-cola in partnership with the federal ministry of health the office of the senior special assistant to the president on sustainable development goals and an ngo medshare international inc1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that according to the national demography and health survey ndhs 2013 nigeria loses as many as 576 women per 100000 childbirths1 also the country records 37 newborn deaths per 1000 live births placing the country among the worst ratios for both maternal and newborn deaths globally1 consequently the safe birth initiative aims to support the attainment of the sdg targets on maternal and newborn deaths reduction1 it focuses on strengthening the capacity of selected public hospitals through procurement of vital maternal and neonatal medical equipment and supplies1 it also focuses on training biomedical engineering technicians to improve equipment maintenance and uptime and reactivating a large stock of abandoned medical equipment wasting away in public hospitals1 adewole said we have always believed that our healthcare would improve with active collaboration and partnership from the private sector1 the safe birth initiative is a good example of such a partnership1 meticulous planning and identification of the needs of the beneficiary hospitals have been carried out with active involvement of partners and beneficiaries1 we commend our partners on this programme coca-cola the sdg office medshare international and the engineering world health and use this opportunity to call on other private sector players to join us in this battle to free our nation from diseases and major challenges in maternal and childhood health he said1 also the senior special assistant to the president on sdgs princess adejoke orelope-adefulire said that the coca-cola safe birth initiative is working toward the third sustainable development goal health and wellbeing for all including our mothers and our children1 orelope-adefulire represented by dr bala yusuf said this partnership is a classic example of what we can do when we combine our expertise and resources in support of the 2030 sdg agenda1 we hope this event will strengthen our resolve to continue to work together as policy makers development practitioners academics but more importantly as concerned citizens in support of the 2030 agenda of the sustainable development goals she said1 the minister of health prof. isaac adewole has commended coca cola nigerias safe birth initiative sbi saying it is a laudable project toward achieving reduction in the countrys high maternal mortality indices1 according to him in addition to completing the first batch of the biomedical engineering technicians training the consignment of equipment and supplies required for the national hospital abuja has been fully delivered1 the consignments for federal medical centres in ebute-metta and owerri and general hospital alimosho lagos are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks1 the needs assessments are ongoing at six other approved hospitals to determine their specific needs he said1 ugorji said that coca-colas commitment goes beyond donating equipment1 through the sbi the company hopes to promote effective maintenance culture by empowering biomedical engineering technicians with the knowledge skills tools and confidence to take responsibility for ensuring maximum uptime for the new equipment1 it also aims to empower them on reactivation of abandoned biomedical equipment in the target hospitals1 there is a limit to what our doctors and nurses can do with just their skills and passion in the absence of the vital life-saving equipment required for effective diagnosis testing and treatment ugorji said1 nan reports that the workshop also marked the completion of the maiden sbi capacity training for 20 biomedical engineering technicians from 10 leading medical institutions across the country1 the institutions comprise university hospitals federal medical centres and general hospitals1 the two-week training was conducted by us-based engineering world health ewh at the school of biomedical engineering lagos university teaching hospital1 the workshop also had a panel discussion session that shed light on the challenges of maternal and newborn healthcare in the country the national sdg targets on maternal and child health1 it also discussed the measures government is taking to meet these targets as well as how the sbi will support these measures1 the discussants included prof. chinyere ezeaka past president nigerian society of neonatal medicine dada bala and ugorji1 others present were adesuwa onyenokwe editor todays woman prof. carmen walker chief operating officer nigeria bmet programme engineering world health and mr eben amstrong director of biomedical engineering training and technical service medshare international1 in his remarks mr clem ugorji the public affairs and communications director for coca-cola west africa shared highlights of the sbi rationale and implementation plan1

Barca move: Neymar to be jailed?
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in january 2014 prosecutors in madrid began investigating the transfer because documents requested by the authorities contained contradictory information1 a spanish magistrate leading an investigation into alleged irregularities in neymars move to barcelona in 2013 said wednesday the brazilian superstar could face up to six years in prison1 neymar his parents barcelona president josep maria bartomeu and his predecessor sandro rosell are all awaiting trial over alleged corruption concerning neymars move to the spanish la liga giants in 20131 the brazilian international forward is now with paris saint-germain in frances ligue 11 the case which follows a complaint by dis a brazilian group which part-owned the rights to neymar surrounds allegations of corruption and fraud in the players move to barcelona1 neymar moved to the spanish la liga giants in may 2013 for a reported fee of 57.1m euros. although no financial details of the deal were revealed by either barcelona or his brazilian club fc santos neymars parents were said to have received receive 40m euros and fc santos 17.1m1 the term imposed in principle could be between four and six years said a decree issued by judge jose maria vazquez honrubia a copy of which was seen by afp1 rosell resigned from his post as president a week later and barcelona subsequently revealed they had actually paid 86.2m euros for the brazilian star1 dis who received 6m euros of the 17.1m given to fc santos alleges that barcelona and the brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of the deal1 bartomeu rosell barcelona fc santos and its former president odilio rodrigues filho are now expected to answer charges of fraud according to the decree1 because the prison term involved exceeds five years three judges are set to preside over neymars trial which is expected to be heard at the audiencia nacional a high court with jurisdiction over spanish territory as well as over international crimes which come under the jurisdiction of spanish courts1 whether neymar faces a prison term remains to be seen however1 in may 2017 the spanish authorities said neymar should stand trial but no date has yet been set1

El-Zakzakky: Shi`ite protesters clash with police, army in Abuja
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members of the shiite movement on monday in nyanya a suburb of the federal capital territory fct and mararaba nasarawa state protested the continued detention of their leader ibrahim el-zakzaky1 nan recalls that el-zakzakky was arrested in 2015 after his members had a confrontation with the convoy of the chief of army staff lt.-gen. tukur buratai in zaria kaduna state1 an eye witness who pleaded anonymity told nanthat trouble started when the police tried to stop the protesters from moving deeper in the fct1 he said that the protesters resisted the push by the police for them to retreat and that triggered the skirmish1 the source said that some persons lost their lives in the clash but could not state the figure1 nan also recall that 53 members of the group also known as islamic movement of nigeria were recently arrested by the police in abuja following a violent protest1 since the arrest and detention of el-zakzakky his followers had organised series of protests in some cities in the country calling for his release1 when contacted spokesman of the police command in the fct dsp anjuguri manzah said that he had not been briefed on the incident and therefore declined further comment1 the army on sunday confirmed that three members of the sect died on saturday while two soldiers sustained injuries when they clashed with troops at zuba in the fct1 in the wake of the disturbances at the weekend the fct command had assured residents of adequate security against planned protests by the sect in the territory1

PDP on the rampage, Presidency alerts
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it is clear to all at this time that the pdp facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy2 the presidency warned monday that the peoples democratic partypdp facing an imminent defeat in the february polls has embarked on various moves to sow division and chaos in the country2 what provoked the latest reaction from the presidency was pdps decision to ask the court make a declaration on president buharis west african school certificate2 garba shehu said the move was unwarranted and a waste of time as the presidency has the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by mr president2 beside he said the effort would amount to nothing2 this certificate story is an old one. as femi adesina stated clearly it is a settled issue in the courts. to approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system. it is shameful disgusting and disgraceful2 they are attacking the courts and the police they are molesting inec commissioners. they are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the president said garba shehu ssa to the president2 by doing these they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the country the issue of internal security which has been jeopardised by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the pdp the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the president is pioneering corruption to which the pdp is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy a business-friendly government working day and night creating more jobs2 this election isnt about the settled issues of certification2 no matter how honeyed their sweet words dont believe them2 their evil record can never be washed away. the pdp set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before2 they put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. dont believe their honeyed promises garba shehu said2

NPF pledges adequate security amid El-Zakzakky protests (Video)
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the nigeria police force npf has assured members of the public of adequate security in the wake of violent protests by members of the shiite movement1 npf spokesman dcp jimoh moshood who gave the assurance also urged residents of the federal capital territory fct and neighbouring communities to go about their lawful businesses peacefully1 nan recalls that el-zakzakky was arrested in 2015 after members of his movement had a confrontation with the convoy of the chief of army staff lt.-gen. tukur buratai in zaria kaduna state1 since the arrest and detention of el-zakzakky his followers have organised series of protests in some cities in the country to demand his release1 nan reports that 53 members of the group were recently arrested by the police in abuja following a violent clash with the army resulting in the death of three members of the sect1 the nigerian army confirmed the deaths1 the army also said that two soldiers sustained injuries during the clash in zuba while another soldier was injured in kugbo-karu both suburbs of the fct. nan1

Osinbajo: Buhari and I will never deceive Nigerians
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the buhari administrations energizing economies initiative which is being implemented by rural electrification agency rea is designed to provide clean stable and affordable electricity to nigerians in these economic clusters1 the buhari administration is concerned about the plight of ordinary nigerians and would continue to carry out programmes that would improve their lives according to vice president yemi osinbajo1 during the programme the vice president emphasised that the focus of our government is on how things can be better for the common man1 we are not in the business of trying to deceive nigerians. you can accuse myself and the president of anything but you will never find us deceiving nigerians1 while making references to the buhari administrations national social investment programme n-sip the vp noted that the administration is able to do so much more with less resources1 this he said is possible because the president has ensured that nobody steals money from the treasury. the major problem nigeria had before now was the fact that people stole from the nations coffers. once the country is able to stop corruption it would be better1 the first thing we did was tackle unemployment by employing young men and women through the n-power job scheme which has so far employed 500000 young graduates. the paid volunteer programme has a two-year duration but it has now been extended for a batch1 prof. osinbajo said every state has n-power noting that there are plans to employ more because of the number of graduates. this is a social safety net for young unemployed nigerian graduates1 so far we have given about 400000 marketmoni loans but the target is to give 1 million loans to artisans and traders while tradermoni loans is a n10000 interest-free loans to petty traders of which 2 million are expected to be reached in the first phase1 he also highlighted the federal governments energizing economies initiative which provides clean affordable and constant power to economic clusters such as big markets and micro small and medium enterprises msmes across nigeria1 last week friday the vice president commissioned the sura market independent power project in sura shopping complex in lagos state a 1.5mw independent mini-grid power supply system to provide clean and affordable electricity to over 1000 shops in the market1 prof. osinbajo said this today on brekete family reality radio talk magazine programme on human rights radio abuja where he was featured1 so far thousand of shops in sabon gari in kano state ariaria market in aba isinkan market in akure ondo state edaiken market in benin edo state and sura market lagos have been provided solar power through the initiative1 power is a major problem in nigeria and our efforts is to solve this through alternative energy such as solar power. we are not relying on the national grid alone. we are also encouraging the private sector to provide power. the new strategy of the government is to put power in different places so as to make life easy for nigerians without relying on the national grid. we are still working on the national grid. this country is very big thats why we have to decentralize prof. osinbajo said1 speaking further on the benefits of the n-sip the vice president assured nigerians that the home-grown school feeding programme was authentic and was a major part of the administrations plan to improve lives of nigerians1 currently it feeds daily over 9 million schoolchildren in public primary schools in 26 states. also the products are sourced from local farmers which improve local economy1 prof. osinbajo further stated the administrations commitment to developing the niger delta region and how its engagement has helped to maintain peace and stability in the region which has also improved oil production and the countrys revenue1 the host of the programme ahmad isah a.k.a ordinary president as well as studio audience and callers praised the vice president and the buhari administration for its commitment to the welfare of nigerians and improving the countrys fortunes. isah also praised the administrations efforts in paying the pension arrears of staff of nigeria airways and its social investment programmes1 likewise callers and members of the studio audience commended the buhari administration and the vice president for showing exemplary leadership1 because of the importance he attaches to the family development and progress of this nation the vice president having just returned from a trip to lagos came directly from the abuja airport to be with us today isah noted1 noting that government will look into complaints raised during the edition of the programme the vice president stated that he would choose liaison officers to look into complaints from listenersviewers of the programme. this was applauded by the audience and listeners. one of the callers described the decision as the best thing that has happened to us1 during the programme the vice president met with olympic medalist jerry okorodudu who had appealed for his salary arrears to be paid by the ministry of sports1 on his arrival to and departure from the popular abuja radio station the vice president received a very warm welcome from a section of nigerians who lined up the road leading to the station to receive him1

Ekiti Election Tribunal: Witnesses claim PDP votes voided
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the petitioners the peoples democratic party pdp and its candidate in the ekiti july 14 governorship election prof. olusola kolapo had approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election2 according to the witness i was there when they deliberately voided the pdps votes in unit 9 ward 4 ido -osi lga. the male polling clerk of inec voided 27 voteshe said1 bankole stated this while testifying before the tribunal headed by justice suleiman belgore sitting at the fct high court apo1 a petitioners witness on tuesday told the ekiti election petition tribunal that votes for the peoples democratic party pdpwere deliberately voided by staff of inec during the july 14 governorship election1 the respondents in the suit are the independent national electoral commission inec all progressives congress apc and gov. kayode fayemi1 answering a question during cross examination by abiodun owonikoko san counsel to apc bankole stated that his party scored more than 119 votes during the election in his unit1 the witness omobulujo bankole specifically said that the pdp votes were voided in unit 009 ward 4 of ido -osi local government area1 meanwhile the petitioners called five witnesses on tuesday bringing the total number of witnesses called so far to 691 the witnesses informed the tribunal in their written statements on oath which they adopted as their testimony before the tribunal of deliberate voiding of votes by inec officers and over voting in their respective polling units where they served as pdp agents1 during a cross examination by inec counsel a witness yisa ibrahim pw66 from ado ekiti lga informed the tribunal that he was at his unit throughout the election adding that pdp polled 362 votes while apc scored 1921 he stated that counting was done based on thumb printing and defined voided votes as votes that cannot be counted for any party1 he also said that only inec has the power to declare a vote voided but insisted that inec staff voided votes that were for pdp during the election1

2019: APDA pledges to focus on poverty, leadership, education
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by emmanuel mogbede4 this undoubtedly is not new it has of course become a tradition in democracies all over the world. the apda is set to make a difference this time1 alhaji shitu mohammed the presidential candidate of the advanced peoples democratic alliance apda has identified issues of poverty education religion and leadership as the core challenges of the country1 mohammed disclosed in a statement issued in abuja on tuesday that the problems facing the nation were well known to all patriotic nigerians stressing that they have remained a daunting challenge1 he said that many governments in the past had pledged to solve the problems of nigerians but have unfortunately failed to do so in the last decades1 the core challenges of nigerian remains the issue of poverty education religion and leadership these are issues i want to take up as president if elected by nigerians in 2019 he said1 he however said that nigerians now had another opportunity in 2019 to take a decision that would either shape or mar the nations future noting that the political climate was already charged1 apda identifies poverty education religion and leadership as core challenges of the country1 the apda is set to bring to nigerians ideas that work ideas that will change the perception and misgivings of nigerians about what their leaders should do for them and what they stand to gain1 the apda wants to recreate nigeria. we are not inventing the wheel neither are we retrogressing because of the hard realities that stares us in the face currently1 we want to give nigerians a new lease of life that they would have a stake in he said1 mohammed said the apda would initiate policies and programmes that would promote consumer rights sustainable development and financial market reforms to create a stronger more democratic nation and a better future for nigerians1 he further said that the partys priority was to fight unemployment and to ensure a fairer society for all adding that it was determined to restore hope and trust of nigerians1 we pledged to recreate a nigeria that guarantees all its citizens the right to pursue their aspirations and achieve their full potentials he said1

Lets deepen relations, Buhari tells Brazils Bolsonaro
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president muhammadu buhari has congratulated right-wing politician mr jair bolsonaro on his victory in brazils presidential election run-off on sunday1 the president also felicitated with the people of brazil for successfully going through the two rounds of the election and making their choice thereby enhancing the democratic credentials of their country1 buhari noted that nigeria shares historical and cultural ties with brazil and that his administration hoped for the deepening of such relations as well as expansion of current political trade and military ties1 the nigerian leader wished bolsonaro who will take office in january 2019 a successful tenure in confronting his countrys current socio-economic challenges1 bolsonaro defeated his leftist opponent fernando haddad of the workers party 55.5 per cent against 44.5 per cent of the votes with 96 per cent of ballots counted1 far-right bolsonaro now has a task of leading latin americas biggest country and the worlds fourth-largest democracy to traditional brazilian values which he promised during his campaign1 bolsonaro who cast himself as a political outsider despite a 27-year career in congress is the latest of several leaders around the globe to gain prominence by mixing tough often violent talk with right-wing positions1 but he also is very much a product of a political tempest in brazil that made his messages less marginalised widespread anger at the political class amid years of corruption an economy that has struggled to recover after a punishing recession and a surge in violence1 the name of his party psl translates to social liberal party although it largely abandoned its socially liberal platforms after he joined1 bolstering his rebel image is his reputation for offensive statements and sometimes extreme views including insulting women black people and the lgbt community1

How WOTCLEF supported 10,600 trafficked victims
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she explained further that wotclef has not only replicated its structures and programmes nationwide it has institutionalised and sustained the fight against trafficking in persons and forced labour1 by max-iyaye samuel and khadija adamu1 the founder chief titi abubakar stated this on tuesday in abuja at the event to mark wotclef 19th anniversary1 the theme of the celebrations is women trafficking and child labour eradication foundation reflections prospects and challenges way forward1 she explained that the support included sustainable micro-credit entrepreneurship development and training programmes1 abubakar said also that wotclef successfully repatriated 52 victims from ghana italy swaziland and rehabilitated 22 victims 16 females and 6 males and sensitised 8230 nigerian youths under the year reviewed1 wotclef has done this through commitment to our operation conceptual framework 4ps r prevention protection policy partnership and rehabilitation1 the women trafficking and child labour eradication foundation wotclef says it has rendered support to over 10600 victims of trafficking in 19 years1 wotclef has also collaborated with international and local organizations also1 abubakar expressed concerns that women and youths were still vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour through deception and coercion1 she used the opportunity to thank all of the partners for their assistance to wotclef since inception1 we want to thank former president olusegun obasanjo for signing the bills into law. today the national agency for the prohibition of trafficking in persons naptip is a success national story1 we rely on them to sustain our present tempo of achievement and with naptip which was established through a private bill initiated and sponsored by wotclef she added1 nan reports that wotclef was founded in 1999 by abubakar and towards the eradication of trafficking in persons and violent abuses of the rights of women and children1

No plan to reduce pump price IPMAN
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he alleged that some politicians were trying to use the social media to discourage marketers from buying the commodity from the depots to cause fuel scarcity in the country1 by tukur muntari1 the ipman chairman in the state alhaji bashir dan-malam made the call in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in kano on tuesday1 he said there is no plan to either reduce or increase the fuel pump price as we had a meeting with the managing director of the nnpcppmc mr umar ajiya and confirmed to us that there is no plan to reduce or increase the fuel pump price1 i am calling on our members in kano zone comprising kano katsina bauchi yobe and jigawa states to ignore the rumour because it is not true1 he said the association found it necessary to speak on the issue so as to disabuse the minds of the marketers on the rumour in order not to discourage them from the business1 the independent petroleum marketers association of nigeria ipman in kano state has called on its members to ignore the story being circulated through the social media that the federal government is planning to reduce fuel pump price from n145 per litre to n95 per litre1 the intention is to stop marketers from buying the product from depots across the country in view of the fact that they dont want to sell at a loss1 this rumour is politically motivated because election is around the corner. so our members should not listen to the rumour because there is no iota of truth in it1 anybody who thinks there will be fuel scarcity for now is deceiving himself because at the moment all depots have enough fuel dan-malam said1 he however called on the federal government to rehabilitate the major roads linking the various depots to ease the transportation of the commodity across the country1 the federal government should rehabilitate the lagos-kano port harcourt-kano calabar-kano and warri-kano roads he said. nan1

2019: Cross River women join Duke to back Esor for Senate
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they are fielding great presidential and senatorial candidates and were delighted about that1 the senatorial ambition of the social democratic party sdp candidate for cross river central commander solomon esor rtd. received a boost at the weekend as scores of women rallied for his candidacy1 leader of the women politicians mrs ikwo ibiang explained that their decision to back esotr was due to his public endorsement by former governor of the state now sdp presidential candidate donald duke1 duke according to them had expressed absolute confidence in the ability of the businessman and international consultant to make a good senator for cross river central1 according to the women group the time had come for someone from the old obubra area of the senatorial district who has what it takes to represent them at the national assembly to be given the opportunity1 the leader stressed that such was the fair and just thing to do for the sake of posterity as the senate seat belongs to everyone in the central district of cross river1 the women politicians explained that their pledge of support for esor was not only guided by the need to respect the zoning arrangement but was based principally on their unflinching faith in the ability of the retired navy commander1 donald duke is our leader. his two-term as governor of the state was a golden-era for cross river. we believe he has seen something great in esor to be backing his senatorial ambition and we will join duke in making sure that commander esor becomes our senator1 it is not common to see his excellency donald duke publicly identify with the ambition of politicians1 there must be something special about esor for him to have gotten our former governors support and that is one of the reasons we will vote for sdp all the way1 the women who are politicians in the district pledged to organize other women and groups to support the candidacy to represent them at the senate in 20191 she said that the women were happy that the people of old obubra have put forward someone as qualified as commander esor to represent us at the senate1 she noted that esor always goes out of his way to promote the welfare of everyone in this district and had empowered many with his personal resources1 she argued that if the sdp candidate could do all of those with personal resources then there was no doubt that he would perform better as a federal representative of the people1 all of us here are grassroots politicians we feel the pulse of the people on a regular basis and can assure you that those from old ikom who are bent on retaining the senate seat after having it for over 20 years are just wasting their time1 we cannot have an ably qualified obubra person throw his hat in the ring and still vote for the same persons who have been there before with nothing to show1 old ikom and old obubra are sisters and brothers our people believe that now is the turn of the obubra people so we dont cultivate feeling of bad-blood in the central district of cross river1 it is in view of our desire to preserve the unity of our people that we have now taken it upon ourselves to ensure that an obubra man solomon esor of sdp wins in next years senatorial election1 not just because he is an obubra man but because he is qualified and accessible. he has the interest of the masses at heart which obviously explains why he pitched his tent with the social democratic party which is pro-masses1 come 2019 we are sending retired navy commander solomon esor to represent us in the senate the women said1

German Chancellor Angela Merkel to step down
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at the same time the afds rise has prompted her conservative bavarian allies csu to champion hardline immigration policies something that in turn sent moderate voters drifting to the centre-left greens1 angela merkel has announced she will quit as german chancellor when her mandate ends in 20211 taking a decisive step towards the end of her political career the veteran leader who has led germany for 13 years said she hoped her planned departure would end bitter fighting in her coalition and finally focus it on its task of governing europes biggest economy1 today it is time to begin a new chapter she told reporters at her party headquarters1 referring to the quibbling within her coalition that has sent it from crisis from crisis merkel noted that the picture that the government is sending out is unacceptable1 electoral drubbings like the latest on sunday in the state of hessen were a watershed but in them could lie a chance merkel said for germanys mainstream political parties including her own to find a way forward1 the 64-year-old merkel is expected to stagger her political exit by first giving up the leadership job of her christian democratic union in december which comes up for reelection during a party congress in december1 she added that she would not stand in germanys next elections nor seek to renew her mandate as chancellor when her fourth term ends in 20211 at least four candidates declared their interest to seek merkels job after she made her stunning announcement1 but she said she would not name a successor1 i will accept any democratic decision taken by my party she said1 often hailed as the worlds most powerful woman and europes de facto leader merkels power has been on the wane since her 2015 decision to keep germanys borders open at the height of europes migrant crisis ultimately allowing in more than one million asylum seekers1 the mass arrivals deeply polarised germany and are credited with fuelling the rise of the far-right1 railing against the newcomers the anti-immigrant afd is now the biggest opposition party in the bundestag and after a strong showing in hesse now has seats in all german state parliaments1 merkels decision may not be unconnected to series of political crises that have rocked her fragile coalition1 afd leader joerg meuthen hailed merkels planned departure as good news1 die welt reporter robin alexander said the path could now be clear for cdu general secretary annegret kramp-karrenbauer nicknamed akk to take the reins1 the two women have taken back the momentum because none of their opponents were ready for this he tweeted1 but other contenders are waiting in the wings including ambitious health minister jens spahn a frequent merkel critic1 the frankfurter allgemeine zeitung said sunday it would be a mistake for merkel to cling to power1 by passing the baton of her own free will she would show that she knows the same thing everyone knows the end of her chancellorship is approaching1 merkels first step towards the exit is likely to send ripples across the european union where she has served a beacon of stability as the bloc grapples with multiple global crises brexit and an unpredictable ally in the white house1 while still widely respected abroad her recent domestic woes have kept merkel away from the european stage thwarting french presidents emmanuel macrons push to reform the eurozone with merkel by his side1 despite her global standing merkel has no plans to seek a post in the european commission after bowing out of german politics a cdu source told afp quashing speculation to that effect in brussels1 but the woman dubbed the eternal chancellor may not get to choose her own timetable and her departure could be hastened if her junior coalition partner brings down the government before 20211 spd chief andrea nahles said her centre-left party germanys oldest had failed to break free from the government and carve out a clear profile of its own after serving in multiple compromise-laden grand coalitions1 she said the spd would now lay out a roadmap in berlin demanding concrete progress on key issues by next october including pension rights and better childcare before deciding whether to remain in the coalition1 increasing numbers of spd members have been calling for the party to quit the government and lick its wounds in opposition as it is presently polling below afd nationwide at 15 percent to the far-rights 16 percent1

Boss Mustapha: Boards have no power to suspend CEOs of parastatals
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mustapha certainly had the nhis in mind when he gave the clear-cut clarification today1 no governing board of a federal agency or parastatal has the power to remove the chief executive appointed by the president the secretary to the government of the federation boss mustapha declared today1 the board may however articulate infractions investigate wrong doing and make recommendations to government through the supervisory ministry mustapha further clarified1 he made the clarification at an induction programme for governing board members of federal parastatals universities and medical centres at the transcorp hilton. the ceos were also in attendance1 the induction the second in the series was organised by the bureau of public service reforms in conjunction with the dfid1 on 18 october the chairman of the nhis board ifenne enyanatu announced the indefinite suspension of the executive secretary prof. usman yusuf eight months after a similar suspension by the minister was annulled by president muhammadu buhari1 enyanatu said the governing council resolved to suspend yusuf because it had received several petitions against the nhis boss. she said the board had the permission of the minister of health to suspend yusuf pending investigation1 we consulted and got the approval of the minister of health before this suspension she said1 however yusuf ignored the order1 the declaration came amidst controversy over the suspension of the executive secretary of the national health insurance schemenhis1 he said government was concerned that most governing boards have not understood their roles in the corporate governance of the agencies they superintend1 he then went on to list some of the recurring infractions being committed by the boards1 some of them are undue interference by board chairmen in the day-to-day activities of their parastatals and agencies blatant disregard for extant regulations guiding the conduct of board meetings1 others are alleged interference in the function of the ceos issuing directives to staff without recourse to the ceos imposing disciplinary measures against the ceos in flagrant violation of the laid down rules and using labour unions as agents of distractions in the agencies1 the government secretary also gave further clarifications about the roles of the boards and ministers1 the role of the boards he said are limited to setting operational and administrative policies for their agencies in consonance with government policy directives1 a board shall not be involved directly in the day-to-day management of a parastatal or an agency. a minister exercises control of parastatals at policy level through the board of the parastatal only1 the board must only operate as a part time board in accordance with extant rules that forbids allocation of official quarters to members on a permanent basis and payment of estacode allowances for only overseas travels approved by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation and their part-time ministry1

Minimum wage: Governors take final decision Tuesday
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the labour movement had earlier on sept. 26 embarked on a warning strike which was suspended on sept. 301 the nigerian governors forum ngf is to hold an emergency meeting on oct. 30 to discuss the national minimum wage and come up with a position gov. abdulaziz yari of zamfara has said1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that organised labour has been at odds with the federal government over demands to increase the remunerations of public sector workers1 nigerian public sector workers are classified as earning some of the lowest wages in the world although political office holders in the country including the nations bicameral legislature earn some of the highest wages in the world1 on oct. 24 the nigeria labour congress nlc issued another strike notice over a stalemate arising from the federal governments inability to accept the n30000 minimum wage demanded by labour1 a communique issued at the end of its emergency meeting and signed by the nlc president mr ayuba wabba and the general-secretary mr peter ozo-eson directed labour to commence an indefinite nationwide strike from nov.61 yari spoke with state house correspondents on the matter after an expanded economic management team meeting at the presidential villa on monday in abuja1 yari said the position of the governors is not very clear to some of you that we are willing to pay the amount but the issue is the capacity the muscle to pay1 we discussed that government has some numbers and eventually the committee has given some proposals but the governors have not come out with any amount1 so tomorrow we are going to discuss with governors and say look at what labour is sending1 look at the bill that was directed by the minister of labour and employment to be sent to the ngfs secretariat so that we can digest the content of the bill discuss it and come up with our position as governors because we are critical partners on this yari said1 the minister of labour and employment dr chris ngige announced recently that the federal government proposed n24 000 while the state governors proposed n20 0001

PDP sowing chaos, division, Presidency charges
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it is clear to all at this time that the pdp facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy2 the presidency warned monday that the peoples democratic partypdp facing an imminent defeat in the february polls has embarked on various moves to sow division and chaos in the country2 what provoked the latest reaction from the presidency was pdps decision to ask the court make a declaration on president buharis west african school certificate2 garba shehu said the move was unwarranted and a waste of time as the presidency has the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by mr president2 beside he said the effort would amount to nothing2 this certificate story is an old one. as femi adesina stated clearly it is a settled issue in the courts. to approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system. it is shameful disgusting and disgraceful2 they are attacking the courts and the police they are molesting inec commissioners. they are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the president said garba shehu ssa to the president2 by doing these they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the country the issue of internal security which has been jeopardised by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the pdp the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the president is pioneering corruption to which the pdp is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy a business-friendly government working day and night creating more jobs2 this election isnt about the settled issues of certification2 no matter how honeyed their sweet words dont believe them2 their evil record can never be washed away. the pdp set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before2 they put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. dont believe their honeyed promises garba shehu said2