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APC consulting lawyers for response on Zamfara
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for clarity our position therefore is that the apc will not be fielding candidates for the governorship national assembly and state assembly elections in zamfara for the 2019 general elections1 the all progressives congressapc is consulting its lawyers in its legal department to file a reaction on the eligibility of its candidates to run in zamfara state in the 2019 election1 the letter signed by okechukwu ndeche the commissions acting secretary read failure to conduct primaries in zamfara state within the stipulated time-frame 1 please refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections released by the commission on jan. 9 20181 you would note that from the timetable the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between august 18 to oct 7 20181 however report received from our office in zamfara state shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in zamfara notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed1 consequently based on the provision of section 87 and 31 of the electoral act 2010 as amended the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from zamfara state1 the independent national electoral commission inec said in a letter today that the party is not eligible to field candidates for governorship national assembly and state assembly positions in zamfara1 however the news agency of nigeria nan learnt from an authoritative source in the apc national secretariat that the party leadership would contact its legal department before responding on the matter1 the apc national working committee nwc had on oct. 5 dissolved the party executives at all levels in zamfara after contentious primaries said to have been conducted on wednesday 3 october and 4 october1 mr yekini nabena the apc acting national publicity had said that by the decision all party executives at all levels in zamfara were dissolved1 the dissolved party executives had claimed they conducted primaries on 3 october which picked a yari anointed candidate alhaji mukhtar shehu idris as winner of the governorship primary election and yari himself as winner of zamfara west senatorial ticket in a primary conducted 4 october. the nwc invalidated the results1 the nwc inaugurated a new committee which attempted to conduct the governorship and legislative primaries in the state between saturday october 6 to sunday october 71 the panel failed to conduct the elections because of the threats by governor abdulaziz yari to call out supporters in protest1 -
Tour de France trophy stolen in UK
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pinarello managing director richard hemington said he was devastated by the theft1 reutersnanthe tour de france trophy won by team skys geraint thomas earlier this year has been stolen during a cycle show in birmingham the british team said on wednesday1 it is incredibly unfortunate that this has happened1 it goes without saying that the trophy is of pretty limited value to whoever took it but means a lot to me and to the team1 hopefully whoever took it will have the good grace to return it1 a trophy is important but clearly what matters most are the amazing memories from this incredible summer and no one can ever take those away thomas said in a statement1 the trophy loaned to bike manufacturer pinarello had been on display at venues across the uk along with the teams other grand tour titles but was picked up when left unattended at the nec in birmingham recently1 we accept full responsibility and have personally apologized to geraint1 we hope that the trophy can be recovered hemington said1 team sky said police were investigating the matter and they were liaising with all relevant parties to agree on the best course of action to resolve the issue1 thomas won the teams sixth tour de france title in seven years in july1 it was the fourth successive grand tour win for the team after chris froome won the tour and the vuelta a espana last year before clinching this years giro ditalia1 -
Flood submerges 500 rice farms in Bayelsa
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as you can see this is a colossal loss we are calling on the federal government to come to our aid as the people here are suffering. we need relief materials such as rice garri cement and roofing sheets he said1 by shedrack frank1 mr ezekiel ogbianko chairman rice farmers association in the state who inspected the submerged farms on wednesday called on the federal and state governments to come to the aid of the affected farmers1 at ondewari a community leader prof. itimi godwin said that the rice farms were ready for harvest before the disaster1 we need a lot of things particularly we want the national emergency management agency nema to come and see the level of damage done here1 no fewer than 500 rice farms at okpotuwari and ondewari communities in southern ijaw local government area of bayelsa have been submerged by flood the news agency of nigeria nan reports1 nan recalls that nema had earlier said that over 150000 people have been displaced by flood in bayelsa this year1 the site manager of ondewari rice farm mr fredrick adam said the loss was colossal and the farmers would appreciate immediate support fromgovernment1 also the paramount ruler of okpotuwari community chief tiger moses said that the community was expecting bountiful harvest before the flood1 as you can see the flood is very disturbing our crops have been destroyed fish settlement and plantain farms are also damaged1 we want the assistance of the federal government and other stakeholders right now our sources of water have been contaminated he added1 -
Political parties unfair to women NCWS
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by dorcas jonah2 mrs buhari urged the apc women to always respect the constitution of the party and called on them to continue to support the apc administration1 mrs gloria shoda the president of the council told the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on wednesday that the actions of political parties in the primaries discouraged women from participating further in the electoral process1 we assembled all women aspirants and party leadersin a summit where we discussed and they agreed to give the women a soft landing1 this however was not adhered to by the political parties as the cost of nomination forms and violence that ensued at the primaries did not allow women to come out to vote1 beside this i dont see how a woman will be able to get n12 million not to talk of n45 million for nomination form for presidency in the case of the peoples democratic parties pdp and all progressives alliance apc respectively1 i watched the just concluded primaries with keen interest the first thing that struck my mind was the amount women were asked to pay for the nomination forms she said1 shoda said that it was worrisome that the apc had no concession for women asking how do they expect women to feel1 the national council of women societies ncws has accused major political parties in the country of being unfair to womenfolk in the just concluded primary elections preparatory to 2019 general elections1 some political parties did not even collect money at all from women to encourage them to participate in the electoral process1 this means that the big parties do not want women to participate in the electoral process further because making nominations forms costly means that women will not participate she observed1 but nan reports thatthe wife of the president mrs aisha buhari recently assured the women aspiring for elective positions on the platform of all progressives congress of her support to achieve the 35 per cent affirmative action for women1 mrs buhari gave the assurance when the newly elected apc national women leaders and their women wing in the 36 states and fct paid her a courtesy visit at the presidential villa abuja1 the group including women leaders of north-central north-east north-west south-east south-west and south-south were led to the presidential villa by the national woman leader of apc mrs salamatu baiwa1 the wife of the president maintained that women were responsible for the successes recorded in many elections in nigeria1 it is time to start mobilisation of women at the grassroots level because women are responsible for the successes of every elections in nigeria she said1 we hear that the pdp had some concession for women. women were only asked to pay expression of interest form which was reasonable because women are not moneybags1 -
Senate confirms Banire for AMCON, Adebisi Shonubi CBN deputy gov
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the nigerian senate @ngrsenate2 shonubi will replace adebayo adelabu who resigned to take part in politics in oyo state. adelabu is now the apc governorship candidate in the state1 mr. folashodun adebisi shonubi is confirmed for appointment as the deputy governor of cbn1 the nigerian senate on wednesday confirmed the appointments of folashodun adebisi shonubi as deputy governor of central bank of nigeria and muiz banire as chairman of the governing board of assets management corporation of nigeria amcon1 the nomination of mr. banire muiz adeyemi ph.d san for appointment as chairman of the governing board of the assets management corporation of nigeria amcon is hereby confirmed1 the confirmation of the two appointments followed the recommendations of the senate committee on banking insurance and other financial institutions headed by senator rafiu ibrahim1 president muhammadu buhari had nominated shonubi for the cbn post in june. the presidents letter was read on 3 july weeks before the senate went on its long recess on 25 july1 buhari sent banires nomination to the senate for approval on july 18. banire from lagos is a senior advocate of nigeria a former commissioner in lagos and the pioneer legal secretary of the all progressives congress1 the two confirmations were announced by the senate on its twitter handle @ngrsenate1 shonubi was the managing director of the nigeria inter-bank settlement system plc nibss the financial payments facilitation and settlement platform before his appointment1 before assuming the headship of nibbs in 2012 shonubi had garnered decades of executive-level experience in financial service operations notably as executive director at union bank of nigeria plc renaissance securities nigeria ltd and ecobank nigeria plc1 on the website of nibbs he is described as an information technology-driven banker with over 22 years professional experience1 prior to his appointment as the managing director of nibss plc. mr. shonubi was executive director information technology and operations at union bank of nigeria plc a member of the board of union homes and director information technology and corporate services in renaissance securities nigeria limited with responsibility for the groups it infrastructure in africa1 mr. shonubi also had a stint with citibank nigeria limited as its head treasury operations 1990-19931 between 1999 and 2007 he worked in mbc international as deputy general manager and supervised their it operational platforms. he served in first city monument bank limited as vice president and in ecobank nigeria limited as executive director1 he has served on a number of sub-committees of the bankers committee including the ethics and professionalism sub-committee1 shonubi holds double masters degree respectively in business administration and mechanical engineering from university of lagos1 -
World Sight Day: Optometrists want eye treatment equipment produced locally
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by felicia imohimi11 the theme of the 2018 world sight day is universal eye-care and the days call for action is eye-care everywhere1 the president of the association dr ozy okonokhua made the plea in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan ahead of the of the observance of world sight day on every october 111 okonokhua further explained that local production of drugs and preparations would further reduce the current rate of blindness and vision impairment in the country1 reduction in tariff on importation of ophthalmic equipment and engagement of local players in the producing ophthalmic drugs and preparations are also part of remedies in ensuring availability accessibility to quality affordable eye care by majority of the populace he said1 okonokhua attributed the present burden of blindness in the country to high cost of ophthalmic equipment and drugs high cost of living and lack of access to eye-care in the rural areas among others1 nigerian optometric association noa on wednesday in abuja solicited the local production of ophthalmic drugs and equipment eye medications to make eye care services accessible to more people1 eye-care is not isolated from the general issues affecting healthcare in the country and on the global scene1 most of the people who should access healthcare are not able to do so because of location and finance he said1 he said that the observance of world sight day is an avenue for eye-care providers to enlighten the public on measures to adopt in order to reduce the prevalence of blindness1 okonokhua therefore urged governments to collaborate with non-governmental organisations in preventing blindness1 he observed that if the government reduced the tariff on imported ophthalmic equipment and drugs eye care services would be more affordable to large number of nigerians1 -
EFCC to Innocent Chukwuma: We are coming for you
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the defendants were said to have forged a bill of lading numbered 598286020 of maersk line limited and 11007950841 of mutsui o.s.k. line by knowingly putting a false gtb stamp and signature of the bank staff1 the economic and financial crimes commission efcc has vowed to ensure that the chairman innoson motors nigeria limited innocent chukwuma is arrested to face a fraud charge in court1 the judge struck out the case after the efcc failed to produce chukwuma in court to face trial1 chukwuma and his company innoson motors nigeria limited were to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain by false pretences obtaining by false pretence stealing and forgery1 the defendants allegedly committed the offences between 2009 and july 2011 in lagos1 the defendants were alleged to have conspired to obtain by false pretences containers of motorcycles spare parts and raw materials property of guaranty trust bank from mitsui osk lines limited apapa lagos1 they were also alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of mitsui osk and maersk line to deliver to them via their clearing agents the goods that were imported from china in the name of gtb by falsely pretending that they were authorized by the bank to clear the goods1 the commission made the vow wednesday after justice olusola williams of the special offences court sitting in ikeja lagos struck out the case of fraud it instituted against chukwuma1 the alleged fraud was to enable the forged documents to be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person within lagos or elsewhere1 however since the suit was instituted first before justice mojisola dada of the same court the defendant has refused to appear in court to face his trial1 in a short ruling today justice williams held that it was the responsibility of the efcc to produce him in court1 this court is not an investigator or a prosecutor. this court cannot waste precious judicial time prosecuting a matter that is going nowhere1 this is a criminal matter that can be instituted anytime the prosecution is ready. the court hereby strikes out the matter the judge held1 justice dada on june 22 2018 stepped down from presiding over the matter on the recommendation of the national judicial council njc1 all efforts by the efcc to arraign the defendant before justice dada on five consecutive occasions failed despite being declared wanted on may 23 2018 and also procuring a bench warrant for his arrest1 -
2019: Atiku cant stop Buharis victory APC UK
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he further said that nigerians in the diaspora were delighted at the enormous recovery tasks undertaken by the buhari-led administration in securing the country growing the economy and curbing corruption within the polity1 uk chapter of the all progressives congress apc saysthe emergence of atiku abubakar as presidential candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp has made the re-electionof president muhammadu buhari easier1 according to himpresident buhari remains the best candidate for the 2019 presidential election among the array ofpresidential candidates being paraded byother political parties1 he maintained that atikus candidature would not stop the victory of the apc1 the task for 2019 election has just been made easier by the leading opposition party by electing a presidential candidate who was part of the countrys problem in the 16 years of pdp rule1 nigerians should be wise enough to know therefore that he has nothing new to bring to the table1 while i want nigerians to vote wisely in 2019 i assure that as we did in 2015 we will work hard again to ensure that president buhari is re-elected1 on behalf of nigerians and the progressives in the diaspora i congratulate president buhari for accepting his nomination to be the apc presidential candidate for 2019 election1 his election by over 14 million registered members of the party during the apc presidential primaries held across the federation speaks volumesomole said1 mr ade omole leader of apc uk made the assertion in a statement made available to the news agency of nigeria nan on monday in abuja1 the leader of the apc uk chapter commended buhari and his cabinet for laying the foundation for a better nigeria1 he however urged apc members across the world not to be distracted but continue to work hard to ensure the partys victory at all levels of government in 20191 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that presidentbuhari scored a total of 14842072 votes at the partys recent direct primaries held in 36 states and the federal capital territory to pick the apc presidential ticket1 his candidacy was affirmed by 7000 delegates from 36 states of the federation and the fct at the apc national presidential convention on saturday1 aside the statutory delegatesthree delegates were drawn from 774 local government area of the 36 states of the federation and the fct who got elected at the partys congresses held earlier1 nan further reports that atiku a former vice president beat 11 contestants to secure the pdp ticket with 1532 votesduring the partys presidential primaries held in port harcourt1 a total of 3274 delegates participated in the election with his closest challenger gov. aminu tambuwal of sokoto state having just 693 votes1 other presidential candidates seeking to upstage buhari include mr donald duke of social democratic party sdp dr oby ezekwesili of allied congress party of nigeria among others1 the presidential election will hold on feb. 1420191 -
APGA picks Army General as candidate
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he said that apga would produce a leadership were all lives and property would be protected adding that nigerians needed not to despair because hope had come1 as the deadline for the conduct of primaries ended on sunday the all progressives grand alliance apga has nominated retired gen. john ogbor as its presidential candidate for the 2019 elections1 he said he was contesting for president in order to restructure the country so that it could become a developed nation1 i want to be your president so as to fix nigeriamy government will be unequivocally committed to a unified and prosperous nation where no one and no place will be left behind1 right now nigeria is confronted with many challenges such as insecurity unemployment poverty and illiteracy1 ogbor said that the time had come for nigerians to feel the impact of leadership1 ogbor who was elected during the partys primary election held in abuja were a running mate mr jerry chukwueke was also picked1 he said that he would transform nigeria with his five point agenda of true federalism social reconstruction and security1 he also listed economic reconstruction youth and women empowerment as part of the agenda1 the national chairman of the party dr victor oye said ogbor had satisfied the requirement of apgas constitution 1 oye said that the party would strive to ensure his victory in 20191 he urged nigerians to vote for apga for a paadigm shift in the nation1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that gen. ogbor is a former commandant of the nigerian army education corps.nan1 -
Trending Video: What Obasanjo said about Atiku
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when the man finished i thanked him without passing any comment. the man was surprised at my reaction and asked you have nothing to say to these i said that i had nothing to say and i immediately called my adc chris jemitola to play a game of squash with me1 nigerias twitterati have been dredging out atikus testimonial as given by obasanjo who said in a bbc tv interview why he will never support atiku for nigerias highest office. he even stated the reason in his book about his eight-year presidency. watch the video1 all his plans appointments of people and his actions were towards the actualisation of his marabouts prediction. once i realised his intention and programme i watched him like a hawk without giving any indication of what i knew and letting down my guard. i could not succumb to the distraction diversion and malevolence of an ambitious but unwise deputy1 the work in hand was more important than a confrontational relationship with my deputy a man over whom i knew i had far more experience and outreach in all matters. to alert him of what i knew he was up to would only lead to lying denial more mischievous plans and more duplicity on his part1 he was better managed that way. what was important was not allowing myself to be surprised or outmanoeuvred by him. i must always seize the initiative and know what was going on if not in his mind but at least in his camp. that i did very effectively1 sometime in the fourth quarter of 2004 an associate of atiku came to my residence at the aso villa from atikus official residence. he felt uncomfortable and i tried to make him feel at ease. then he settled to tell me the story of what had just transpired in atikus residence. i listened with rapt attention1 the seven ingredients he needed for his enthronement were already in his hands. he controlled the national assembly because both the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives were in his pocket. he controlled twenty-eight out of thirty-six governors. he had control of the media. his influence over the judiciary was overwhelming1 that was what i brought him for but he was impatient and over-ambitious. he was not ready to learn and to wait. his marabout who predicted that despite being elected as governor he would not be sworn in as a governor which happened also assured him that he would take over from me in a matter of months rather than years1 on our way to the squash court with my adc i said people at times make plans and leave god out of their plans. my casual remark struck chris and he said sir that was a profound statement. i said that i made the statement because of what i had just heard of atikus plan. i was not convinced he had put god in his plans1 he thought i was powerless and had no clue about the execution of his plan with his group part of his attack on me was for national chairman of the party to give the first salvo then other things would follow as his grip on the party would be firm and consolidated1 i spent that night writing my reply and i sent it in the morning. my reply was clear. i wondered why atiku and his group did not realise that with my reply the battle line was clear or maybe they thought that the seven ingredients would remain intact to the end1 my assistants had moles within the atiku group. anything that they planned would be reported. that was the case after ogbehs letter. they decided that ogbeh should appear remorseful and come with the national working committee to apologise to me. it was not from their hearts but to lure me to a killing ground1 timely information is a very important principle of war and also of politics. in politics just as in war what matters is not just your plan but knowledge of your opponents plan. knowing their plan i had the choice of playing along with them or being firm i chose the latter1 i told ogbeh that my relationship with him as national chairman and me as national leader of the party was based on mutual confidence and trust. but with his letter my reply and what i knew of him then i could no longer work with him in confidence and trust1 -
Dangote canvasses free trade to deepen Africas economy
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according to him all hands are on deck to complete the process of listing the development which he said is being looked towards for by the business community2 asked about when the much touted listing of dangote cement on the london stock exchange he told his audience comprising of investors business magnates captains of industry and african heads of government which included president nana akufo-addo of ghana and ali bongo of gabon that the listing might happen in 20191 the nigerian entrepreneur said the key to africas economic growth and strength is in the development of the regional market saying regional markets in africa must work1 dangote said africans must patronise african markets which is why the free trade agreements by african nations is the direction to go to strengthen african markets1 the president of dangote group cited neighbouring benin republic which continues to import cement from china while his nigerian factory is only 35 miles away from the border1 we need to trade with ourselves dangote stated as he spoke glowingly about the prospect of african economy the free trade agreement and the availability of huge raw materials to attract investors1 dangote spoke in london during one to one conversation at the on-going 5th annual financial times african summit1 africas leading businessman aliko dangote has called for conscious efforts at deepening african regional market by african investors and governments to aid rapid growth and development of the continents economy1 prompted by the editor of the newspaper lionel barber to speak about difficult markets like tanzania and ethiopia dangote dismissed the issue difficulty and re-affirmed our aim is to always provide jobs and worth. as an african investor i dont want any investor anywhere in africa to have a bad experience1 dangote repeated his central mantra for african growth urging the reduction of exports of raw materials to other continent but create greater wealth within african economies1 we need to continue to transform the structure of african economies. he alluded to his companys entry into the ghana sugar market pointing that he is further expanding his sugar business to ghana for the main reason of helping to revitalise its economy1 we are going to help ghana grow its own sugar for the first time1 -
FG to announce new minimum wage
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by joan nwagwu2 the three unions had demanded n65500 as new minimum wage for workers while the private employers and some state governors were proposing n25000.nan1 mr ayuba wabba nlc president made this known while speaking with newsmen on monday in abuja1 according to him the committee used the two-day to reconvene and deliberate on a new minimum wage figure that was acceptable to all employers of labour in the country1 i want to assure workers that all has been concluded and will be passed for signing within the week1 the federal government is set to announce the new minimum wage as the tripartite committee completes its assignment for onward submission to president muhammadu buhari1 the nlc president however refused to disclose the figure arrived at by the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage1 wabba said the presidency would make it public after deliberation by the national economic council meeting1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the organised labour comprising the nigeria labour congress nlc trade union congress tuc and the united labour congress ulc on sept. 30 suspended its warning strike on a new minimum wage embarked upon on sept. 261 the organised labour had embarked on the strike after a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government for failing to reconvene meeting to come out with its own figure on the new minimum wage1 i also want to appreciate the organised private sector manufacturers association of nigeria and nigeria employers consultative association neca for their resolve to pay the new minimum wage when it is signed into law he said1 -
Dangote Cement set to list on London Stock Exchange
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according to him all hands are on deck to complete the process of listing the development which he said is being looked towards for by the business community2 dangote cement is already the most capitalised stock on the nigerian stock exchange accounting for about 25 per cent of the value. listed on the exchanges premium board the companys market capitalisation as at october was n3.41 trillion out of the entire n13 trillion value of the nigerian exchange1 dangote spoke during one to one conversation with lionel barber the editor of financial times at the on-going 5th annual financial times african summit1 he told his audience comprising of investors business magnates captains of industry and african heads of government which included president nana akufo-addo of ghana and ali bongo of gabon that the listing might happen in 20191 africas biggest cement producer dangote cement may be listed on the london stock exchange in 20191 asked who the bankers could be for the ipo dangote said the usual onesbank of america merrill lynch standard chartered1 the companys president aliko dangote made this known in london on monday1 the company which began operation in 2007 has manufacturing operations in obajana ibese and gboko1 the obajana plant in kogi state nigeria is the largest in africa with 13.25mta of capacity across four lines. the ibese plant in ogun state has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12mta and the gboko plant in benue state has 4mta. the company dominates cement supply market in nigeria accounting for 66 per cent of market share1 through the investments dangote cement has eliminated nigerias dependence on imported cement and has transformed the nation into a net exporter of cement serving neighbouring countries1 the company also invested almost 3 billion to build manufacturing plants and import and grinding terminals in cameroon congo ghana ethiopia senegal sierra leone south africa tanzania and zambia 1 according to the companys first half year result for this year group revenue hit n482.4 billion1.34 billion up 16.9 per cent1 exchange rate 360naira1 usd1 -
Germany steps up migrant deportations to N.Africa
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public fears have been heightened by several extremist attacks especially a 2016 truck rampage through a berlin christmas market that killed 12 and was attributed to tunisian rejected asylum seeker anis amri1 germany has boosted the number of repatriations of rejected asylum seekers to algeria morocco and tunisia berlin said on monday following years of diplomatic pressure on the maghreb states1 between 2015 and last year repatriations from the biggest eu economy to algeria rose from 57 to 504 he said1 to morocco they increased from 61 to 634 and to tunisia from 17 to 251 over the same period1 immigration and refugee flows became a flashpoint issue in germany after chancellor angela merkel decided in 2015 to keep borders open to a mass influx of people fleeing war and misery half of them from iraq syria and afghanistan1 the move earned her praise from liberal commentators but also sparked a xenophobic backlash that a year ago saw the far-right and anti-islam alternative for germany afd enter parliament for the first time1 we have managed to improve cooperation with these countries which has resulted in a rise of repatriations said an interior ministry spokesman1 germany has since pushed hard to reduce migrant flows especially of those deemed to be fleeing poverty rather than conflict1 bild daily quoted unnamed german security sources saying that intensive negotiations had improved cooperation with the maghreb states especially in exchanging biometric data to identify deportees and issue them new travel documents1 merkels government has also repeatedly tried to add the three north african states to its list of safe countries of origin which would vastly raise the hurdles for asylum requests by its citizens1 however passage of the bill into law has been blocked in the upper house by states ruled by the left-leaning greens party which argues the three maghreb nations cannot be considered safe as long as journalists gays and other minority groups are targets of state persecution there1 germany on sunday has denied an italian newspaper report that it planned to fly migrants back to italy after the allegation drew a threat from italys interior minister to refuse landing permission to unauthorised planes carrying asylum seekers1 -
Lawyer Otike-Odibi killed by wife found with genitals, intestines cut
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the offences contravened sections 165 b and 223 of the criminal law of lagos state 20152 the deceased intestines were outside i ran out and met the deceased sister coming up to the room i tried to stop her from entering the room but she ran past me and entered grange-koko said1 udeme otike-odibi a 48-year-old lawyer was on june 13 arraigned by the lagos state government on a two-count charge of murder and misconduct with regard to a corpse before an igbosere high court in lagos1 she pleaded not guilty and was remanded in kirikiri prison1 at the resumed hearing of the case on monday symphorosas friend and neighbour mr stanley grange-koko was led in evidence by the attorney-general of lagos state mr adeniji kazeem san1 he told the court how the deceaseds younger sister dr anwuli akwukwuma called him at 2.00am on may 2 to go to the deceaseds symphorosa house and check what was happening1 grange-koko said he rushed out of his car but could not gain access to the compound because no one answered when he knocked the gate and called out the deceaseds name several times1 grange-koko said he went back to his house but rushed back to the deceaseds house the second time when akwukwuma called him back1 dr akwukwuma called me back and said i should go back to the deceased house because it seems life is involved1 at this point i went with my wife also called the estate security men we had to climb the fence into the deceased compound1 we also broke down the front door to gain access to the house because no one answered our several knocks he said1 grange-koko said that he ran upstairs and saw blood on the floor adding that he followed the blood trail to the bathroom and to the deceased room1 he said both he and the security men had to break the door to the deceaseds room1 i saw the deceased lying on his bed with his wife the defendant lying beside him and there was blood everywhere1 two siblings of the lawyer and his friend gave the graphic details in testimonies before the court on monday1 he said the deceased sister ran out of the room shouting that her brother was dead but the defendant was breathing1 grange-koko said the defendant was however taken to hospital for further valuation1 after grange-kokos evidence the second witness dr akwukwuma was called1 she narrated exactly what grange-koko had told the court but added that she called grange-koko because he was living in the same estate with the deceased and was a family friend to the deceased1 akwukwuma also added that she got the information about the problem through her mother whom the deceased called earlier to complain that his wife was hitting him and had a knife1 she added when i got to the deceased house and saw him lying on his bed with his intestines out i checked him and saw that he was already cold and stretched out1 i noticed that he had died for hours and he was holding something in his arm but i couldnt see what it was because he was already stiff1 the police told me that it was his genitals that he was holding and asked me if there was another person in the room when i got there i answered no akwukwuma narrated1 the prosecutor also called a third witness a younger brother to the deceased mr andrew otike-odibi who narrated the same story1 after listening to the three witnesses justice adedayo akintoye adjourned further hearing until oct. 101 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the prosecutor had during arraignment told the court that the udeme committed the offences on may 3 at diamond estate sangotedo lekki lagos1 he said that udeme stabbed her husband and mutilated his corpse by cutting his genitals1 symphorosa otike-odibi the 50 year-old lawyer who was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife udeme also a lawyer was found on his matrimonial bed with his genitals and intestines cut off1 section 165 b provides five years imprisonment while section 223 stipulates death penalty for offenders1 -
Jonathan: Nigeria will have PDP President next year
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former president goodluck jonathan using his crystal ball has predicted that any candidate elected out of the 13 at the peoples democratic party convention will be the next president of nigeria1 jonathan who spoke at the convention in port harcourt early on sunday said that all the aspirants are qualified to lead the country having interacted with them since 19991 according to him the greatest problem with nigeria is that of unity and urged nigerians to elect a leader that would unite the county1 all the aspirants are eminently qualified to lead the country and urged the delegates to select a person who will bring nigeria together1 pdp is clearly the party to take over power. if you select one among the aspirants lm sure the person will make nigeria proud he said1 jonathan said that all the aspirants during their meeting had pledged a commitment to support whoever emerges as the pdp presidential flag bearer1 -
Breaking: Atiku emerges PDPs Presidential candidate Agents
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he ran for the office of governor in the gongola state now adamawa and taraba states in 1991 and for the presidency in 1993 placing third after mko abiola and babagana kingibe in the social democratic party sdp primaries1 the chief agent of former vice president atiku abubakar otunba gbenga daniel has confirmed that his candidate has won the presidential primary of the peoples democratic party pdp1 also senator ben bruce another agent of atiku emerged from the vote sorting platform to say that atiku has won1 other aspirants were governor of sokoto state aminu tambuwal governor of gombe state ibrahim dankwambo a former governor of kano state senator rabiu kwankwaso a former governor of sokoto state alhaji attahiru bafarawa1 others are the president of the senate senator bukola saraki a former president of the senate senator david mark a former minister of special duties and inter-governmental relations alhaji tanimu turaki san and a former governor of plateau state senator jona jang1 also in the race are a former governor of kaduna state senator ahmed makarfi a former governor of jigawa state alhaji sule lamido and dr. datti baba-ahmed1 72-year-old atiku abubakar a businessman who served as the second elected vice-president of nigeria from 1999 to 2007 on the platform of the peoples democratic party pdp with president olusegun obasanjo1 abubakar worked in the nigeria customs service for twenty years rising to become the deputy director before he retired in april 1989 to go into politics1 he said even before the count of the votes that i have not doubt that atiku abubakar has worn the primary1 in 1998 he was elected governor of adamawa state. while still governor-elect he was selected by the peoples democratic party pdp presidential candidate olusegun obasanjo as his running mate1 the duo went on to win elections in february 1999 and abubakar was sworn-in as nigerias second democratically elected vice president on 29 may 19991 abubakars second term as vice president was marked by a stormy relationship with president obasanjo1 abubakar ran for presidency on the platform of the action congress having quit the pdp on account of his issues with president obasanjo1 abubakar lost the election placing third after umaru yaradua and muhammadu buhari of the all nigeria peoples party anpp1 he joined the ruling all progressives congress apc and sought the partys ticket in 2014 but lost to president muhammadu buhari at the primary held in lagos1 abubaker defected again in may to pdp where he on sunday clinched the ticket to tackle incumbent president buhari in the 2019 presidential election1 abubakar is a co-founder of intels an oil servicing business with extensive operations in nigeria and abroad and founder of the american university of nigeria aun1 -
Buharis Keyamo welcomes Atiku
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also senate president bukola saraki who came third in the primary also congratulated abubakar and promised to work with him1 few hours after former vice president atiku abubakar was picked as the presidential candidate of opposition peoples democratic party pdp the ruling all progressives congress apc has welcomed the candidate into contest1 the spokesman of president muhammadu buharis campaign organisation mr. festus keyamo formally welcome the abubakar to the campaign trail1 he said that nigerians are now left to decide on a candidate with credibility problem and the one with transparency1 in a tweet keyamo @fkeyamo said we welcome h.e atiku abubakar to d 2019 campaign trail1 nigerians would now decide bw a candidate with a history full of credibility crises damning reports on corruption both home abroad1 we welcome h.e atiku abubakar to d 2019 campaign trail. nigerians would now decide bw a candidate with a history full of credibility crises damning reports on corruption both home abroad1 festus keyamo san @fkeyamo1 the 72-year-old waziri of adamawa polled 1532 votes to beat 11 other candidates in primary conducted in port harcourt1 bukola saraki @bukolasaraki said we always knew from day 1 that only one candidate would emerge1 on behalf of all the aspirants i want to assure alhaji @atiku abubakar that we will work with you to ensure that come 2019 you emerge as nigerias next president. pdppresidentialprimaries1 govenor nyesom wike of rivers state also congratulated abubakar and said i congratulate our presidential candidate your excellency alhaji @atiku abubakar for your victory. you have stayed on course over the years and truly you deserve this victory. pdppresidentialprimaries1 governor wike congratulates former vice president atiku abubakar on his emergence as pdp presidential candidate1 gov n e wike information. @govwike1 i want to congratulate my brother and friend @atiku for emerging victorious in the pdpconventionphc you havent missed an opportunity to prove how much of a unifier you are1 the rivers state government and its entire people shall throw our weight behind you1 -
PDP protest: Melaye, Bruce to report to FCT Police Command
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by joseph edeh2 the nigeria police force says sen. dino melaye and sen. ben murray-bruce are to report to the police command in the fct on oct. 8 and not to the igp monitoring unit for investigation as earlier stated1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the force on oct. 5 had invited the duo to report to the igp monitoring unit for investigation for public disturbance in abuja1 nan also reports that the duo who were members of the pdp that protested the outcome of the osun governorship election at the force headquarters on oct. 5 allegedly attacked policemen1 a statement by the force spokesman acting dcp jimoh moshood on sunday in abuja said that the two senators were captured on camera for their roles in the disturbance1 moshood alleged that the duo pushed and hit policemen to forcefully gain entrance into the force headquarters to cause damage to police equipment and government properties1 he said that further investigation was ongoing to determine the level of involvement and culpability of other individuals during the protest1 the spokesman said that the invitation letters have been sent to them for compliance1 the federal capital territory fct police command has the statutory jurisdiction to investigate the matter he said1 -
Bakare seeks presidential order on restructuring
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the chairperson should evolve the presidential commission into six zonal commissions and appoint for each zone a zonal commissioner1 by egbogota clara1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that bakare gave the advice against at a news conference in ikeja against the backdrop of the persistent call by opinion leaders for nigeria to be restructured to engender equity unity peace and progress1 bakare said that the executive order should be proclaimed in consultation with the national assembly and the council of state to establish a presidential commission to facilitate the restructuring1 the tele-evangelist and politician was speaking on the state of the nation at his latter rain assembly church1 bakare said that restructuring would return nigeria to the winning formula of the past that facilitated the countrys socio-economic development1 to chair the presidential commission the president should appoint a wise and discerning nigerian who must be incorruptible and of unquestionable integrity and highly respected1 the person should be able to build bridges among the diverse interest groups in the country and willing to serve his or her fatherland without remuneration1 the convener of save nigeria group pastor tunde bakare told president muhammadu buhari on sunday to proclaim an executive order urgently to facilitate national reconciliation reintegration and restructuring1 the zonal commissioners should be technocrats mandated to create and implement a master plan for their respective geo-economic zones and coordinate the transition of the economy in their zones1 the presidential commission will launch a nationwide reconciliation and reintegration drive and should creatively communicate the new nigeria with a compelling national vision and a brand identity1 the commission should institute a social impact bond for the implementation of the zonal economic master plan. the financing scheme should be structured into key sectors including agriculture which we have neglected1 we should be ready to reject who we are not and reaffirm who we are1 its time we say no to a defective system that throws up the worst of us for leadership. its time to say no to a system that only breeds defectors because it is only defective people that defect1 it is time to build systems that will serve the common good structure that works for every nigerian and a nation that caters for every citizen. it is time to make the right choices1 bakare also advised the federal government to prioritise the welfare of every nigerian1