Landlady burgles tenants apartment
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the accused retained the duplicate claiming some of her belongings were still in the room1 a 58-year-old landlady mariam abdullahi was on friday brought before an ikeja magistrates court for allegedly burgling her tenants apartment to steal valuables and cash totaling n1390001 abdullahi who resides at iyana-iyesi ogun however pleaded not guilty and was admitted to a bail of n250000 with two sureties in like sum1 george said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and also show evidence of two years tax payment to the lagos state government1 the prosecutor sgt. godwin awase told the court that the accused committed the offences on march 10 at capitol road agege in lagos state1 he said that the accused broke into the one-room apartment already rented out to one miss blessing nwakibu to steal her valuables and cash totaling n139 0001 when abdullahi rented out the apartment to nwakibu the accused gave the complainant a pair of the key to the room1 the accused is facing a two-count charge of burglary and stealing before magistrate f.f. george1 when the complainant entered the room few days after packing in she discovered that the accused had already packed her remaining belongings1 she also discovered that her own property had been stolen1 the accused stole six pieces of wrappers five pairs of shoes three pairs of sandals three pairs of slippers all valued at n132000 and a n7000-cash all totaling n1390001 the case was reported at the police station which led to the arrest of the accused the prosecutor said1 the prosecutor said that the offences contravened sections 287 and 307 of the criminal law of lagos state 2015 revised1 section 287 attracts three years jail term for stealing while section 307 prescribes seven years for burglary1 the case was adjourned until june 26 for mention1

NASS will fast track passage of minimum wage bill Ohuanbuwa
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by joan nwagwu2 but the federal government had also resolved to set up a joint government labour committee to begin negotiation1 sen. mao ohuanbuwa deputy chairman of the senate committee on labour made this known while speaking with newsmen on friday in geneva switzerland1 ohuanbuwa said that the senate president had already given the assurance that the bill would be given express hearing and passage by the legislature1 he said w are going to fast track the bill for accelerated passage and that is what the senate president had said1 it is unfortunate that both the ministry and the executive have been going back and forth. we thought that by now that would have been resolved1 so we are looking forward to that bill because it is going to come out as an executive bill1 we are looking forward to rounding off or concluding that bill before we go on our annual break1 but the way it is it looks like we are going to wait. you know there is little or nothing we can do because it is an executive responsibility1 they are the ones who will make the payment. ours is that we have to support and agree that there is very urgent need to review the minimum wage1 he said the need to review the minimum wage is sacrosanct1 but we cannot go ahead as a parliament to legislate on that without the executive coming up with a bill. we are waiting for them to do that1 we will allow the executive and the labour leaders to resolve their differences. what we had promised and we still stand on is that once that bill comes to us we are going to give it accelerated hearing1 he called on the federal government and the organised labour to resolve their differences on the issue of the new national minimum in the interest of nigerian workers1 the national assembly will fast track the passage of the new national minimum wage bill once the executive bill is sent to it1 on whether the national assembly allow labour matters to remain on the exclusive legislative or concurrent list1 he said that but personally and since i am one of the advocate of devolution i still believe that the issue of labour should go into concurrent list1 he said that because there are states which can decide to negotiate with labour and pay within their limits. you cannot compare somebody working in abuja with somebody working in zamfara1 they can look at the rate of transport accommodation feeding and all that. they are not the same and you cannot compare abuja level to zamfara or bayelsa1 so you should allow the states some liberty to negotiate and decide and have their own pay. the only thing the federal government can do is decide what the minimum wage would be1 as some states can pay some cannot pay and you can see the level of wage debt across the country. most states cannot pay1 so we can allow some freedom. it is just like in the oil companies. they dont pay the same rates construction companies dont pay the same rate1 even in nigeria if you are working in the ministry you do not earn the same pay with a person working in central bank or in nnpc he explained1 also speaking to newsmen sen. chris ngige minister of labour and employment said that the september date for the minimum wage was just a target date1 ngige said that the minimum wage might not be feasible in september due to the processes and procedures involved1 he explained that the tripartite committees the report would pass through the federal executive council and the national economic council before an executive bill is sent to the national assembly for passage1 nlc and tuc had on may 1 jointly proposed n56000 as new national minimum wage since the existing wage was due for review on the basis of the extant labour law1 ohuanbuwa said that states should be allowed to negotiate with labour on what they would be able to pay1

Buhari shows uncommon courage on June 12, says Mohammed
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the minister reiterated that president buhari never made the declaration out of expediency but because that was the right thing to do1 the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed on friday said president muhammadu buhari demonstrated uncommon courage by declaring june 12 as democracy day1 the news agency of nigeria nanreports that the minister was accompanied on the visit by senior officials of government media organisations1 the minister added that the president has shown that he is a democrat and a listening leader with the declaration to immortalise late mko abiola the presumed winner of the june 121993 election1 he also said buhari has strengthened his human rights credentials by conferring the gcon award on late human rights activist chief gani fawehinmi san1 president buhari has actually demonstrated uncommon courage and shown that he is a listening president by the decision to make june 12 democracy day as against may 291 simply put the president has immortalised mko abiola and that is no mean feat. all lovers of democracy must stand with the president on the decision1 by hearkening to the yearnings of nigerians president buhari has shown he is indeed a consummate democrat1 with the decision he has shown he is a better democrat and more courageous leader than those who despite the significance of june 12 opted to celebrate may 29 for many years he said1 the minister faulted the claims by critics especially the peoples democratic party pdp that the president was playing politics with the declaration1 the minister questioned the moral authority of the pdp to make the claim as they refused to honour abiola throughout their 16 years in power1 mohammed said successive presidents merely danced on abiolas grave for 16 years as they bluntly refused to listen to the voices of nigerians1 he said the pdp did not recognise the date because members of the party lacked the sincerity and courage to do so1 the minister said this while speaking with newsmen after a condolence visit to the office of punch newspapers over the death of its chairman mr gbadebowale aboderin1 we are fortified and glad that both the families of abiola and fawehinmi have lauded the president for the declaration he added1 mohammed also described the death of the late punch chairman as a painful loss adding that aboderins demise was shocking1 the minister described aboderin as an enterprising young man who did a lot to lift the media industry as well as impact on many with his philanthropic activities1 he said the federal government shared in the loss of punch newspapers1 it is quite sad when the life of a young man like aboderin is cut short1 he was a wonderful person a dynamic and enterprising young man who did a lot to take punch to a new level both as a business and as a newspaper he said1 mohammed disclosed that president buhari was personally touched by aboderins demise hence his condolence statement1 reacting the managing director of punch newspapers mr ademola osinubi thanked the minister for the visit1 he said the newspaper was grateful as the minister made the visit out of his tight schedule1 the managing director also thanked the president for his condolences saying the organisation was moved by his concern1 nan reports that mr austeen elewodalu a director of news at voice of nigeria mr ibrahim mamanga the head of lagos operations for nan mr pius ojeh deputy director marketing nigeria television authority were in the ministers delegation1 also in the delegation was adeyinka amosun executive director of lagos operations for federal radio corporation of nigeria1

Buhari approves financial autonomy for state judiciary, assembly
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and then that of the state houses of assembly will stand transferred to the house of assembly of the state1 president muhammadu buhari has assented to the constitution fourth alteration bill which grants financial autonomy to the state houses of assembly and the judiciary1 enang explained that with the signing into law the constitution alteration bill the state houses of assembly would now operate like the national assembly where federal ministry of finance automatically transferred budgetary allocation direct to the account of the nass1 he said that the judiciary in the states would also enjoy similar financial independence as their budgetary allocations would no longer go through the budgeting process of the executive arms at the state level but would be transferred directly to the account of the judiciary1 therefore upon this signature the amount standing to the credit of the judiciary are now to be paid directly to the judiciary of that state no more through the governor and no more from the governors1 and then amounts standing to the credits of the houses of assembly of the respective states are now to be paid directly to the houses of assembly of that state for the benefit of the legislature and the management of the state houses of assembly1 this grants full autonomy now to the judiciary at the state level and the houses of assembly at the state level he explained1 he said well this allows the state houses of assembly to operate like the national assembly does because the national assembly does not get its money from the executive1 it provides money in the statutory transfers which the ministry of finance will automatically transfer to the account of the national assembly1 just like that of the federal judiciary you see the judiciary sometime get n150 to n170 billion sometime a little bit about a n100 billion1 it does not go through the executive and it does go through the budgeting process of the executive. it is transferred directly to the account of the judiciary which is the head of courts1 when the houses of assembly are doing their budgets the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary will now be among the statutory transfers which will be statutorily transferred to the heads of the courts1 the senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters senate sen. ita enang confirmed this development to state house correspondents in abuja on friday1 according to enang the president also signed into law the constitution amendment no. 21 which relates to determination of pre-election matters1 he said the new bill had reduced the days and time of determining pre-election matters to ensure that pre-election matters in courts do not get into the time of election and do not pend thereafter1 the relevant section of the constitution has also been amended by this act therefore amending the constitution he added1 besides enang said that buhari signed into law the act or bill no. 161 he said the intent of the bill no. 16 is to ensure that where a vice-president succeeds a president or a deputy governor succeeds a governor he can no more contest for that office more than once more1 the fact is that having taken the oath as president once and you can only contest for the office once again and no more. that is the intent of this amendment1 he said the president also signed the bill no. 9 into law1 according to him the bill no.9 gives the independent national electoral commission inec sufficient time to conduct bye-elections1 he said with the presidents signature on the bill the days for the conduct of bye-elections had been increased from seven to 21 days1 these four bills added to the not too young to run act have now been assented to by mr president and they have now become laws1 and then the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999 as amended is hereby further amended by the assents of mr president to these bills today he said1

Offa robbery: group urges police not to politicise case
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a youth group the concern kwara youth movement has called on the nigeria police force not to1 a statement signed by the coordinator of the group mr salahudeen lukman and made available to the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on friday called for proper investigation into allegations made against senate president dr bukola saraki. lukman said the group sympathised with the victims of the ugly incident and commended the state government and the nigeria police force for their swift response in reinforcing security in the area.1 silence in the face of injustice is sin against humanity hence the leadership of this group has deemed it necessary to make its position known on the investigation of the case1 the nigeria police force is greatly commended for the rapid action in apprehending the suspects but we are also calling on the police to ignore any form of tricks to politicise the case1 we condemn in strong term the attempt to use the souls of 33 people including a pregnant woman and nine police officers to play politics on the altar of political vendetta1 we demand that the suspects be treated as armed robbers and not political thugs since they were all arrested in connection to robbery and not as political thugs he said1 lukman urged the police not to give the incident a political name yet but face the investigation with all honesty to clear the suspicion of the people1 it is obvious that the mention of saraki as their political god father is an attempt to draw political coloration to escape or extend the judgment1 we urge the police not fall for the trick but immediately investigate to get the real culprits and prosecute them he said1 lukman said that the mention of the senate president in the case was nothing but a deliberate attempt to ridicule and tarnish his image and asked that the issue be handled with caution to avoid unintended damage to his personality.nan1

Babagana Kingibe speaks on June 12 recognition
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june 125 babagana kingibe speaks on june 12 recognition1 babagana kingibe1

Air Namibia hits Nigerias sky
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read more18 the new air namibia is to launch the windhoek-lagos-accra with the return routing from accra-lagos-windhoek and will reduce flight hours in west africa by 60 per cent1 the airline said the new route fits in with growing the business and increasing our footprint on the african continent1 the air namibia route to ghana and nigeria will reduce travelling time to west africa by 60 per cent1 the acting managing director of the airline mr mandi samson said on that the airline anticipates closing a gap in the market by competitively connecting southern africa to west africa within less than six hours1 this much-needed service gives our passengers a better alternative travel option reducing travel times between namibia and west africa by more than 60 per cent1 we are happy to introduce our award-winning service in this market and we are already receiving positive feedback on the launch of this new route samson added1 the new flight would resume on june 29 2018 in lagos-accra route1 air namibia will service this new route with the airbus a319-100 offering a seat configuration of 16 business class and 96 economy class seats and offers two tonnes of cargo space. the service will operate four times a week on sunday monday wednesday and friday1 apart from providing direct connection from namibia to west africa the operation will further transport passengers and cargo on the lagos-accra-lagos route using the fifth freedom traffic rights granted by the ghanaian and nigerian governments as contained in the existing bilateral air service agreements1 the operating schedule and flight timings allow smooth and convenient connections inbound and outbound to our regional flights connecting west africa via windhoek to johannesburg cape town luanda harare lusaka vic falls gaborone walvis bay and durban samson went on1 air namibia has also appointed apg network as sales representatives in nigeria and ghana to provide full sales and marketing services as well as call centre and customer care services on its behalf1 air namibia is making a comeback to the west africa sky after abandoning the flight route to accra in 2013. the airline launched the route in 2009 but has to terminate it citing low traffic that was not enough to sustain the route1 the operation fits within our existing capacity in terms of aircraft and crew improving the utilization rates of these resources while increasing revenue generating opportunities. especially as it means we are entering africas largest regional air travel market1

Tinubu: Buhari confirms Abiola won June 12 election
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june 12 more than any other day symbolises the struggles and sacrifices made by countless nigerians to establish democracy as our way of national governance2 tinubu also commended the award to mko abiolas running mate amb. babagana kingibe and chief gani fawehinmi1 he said that the award of the gcfr was also an acknowledgement that abiola should have been allowed to serve as president after winning the free and fair expression of the popular will of the people1 buhari had on wednesday declared june 12 as new national democracy day with effect from 20191 buhari also said that the presumed winner of the june 12 1993 election chief mko abiola would be posthumously awarded the highest award of gcfr1 he added that abiolas running mate in the election amb. babagana kingibe and late human rights lawyer gani fawehinmi san would be vested with grand commander of the niger gcon1 tinubu said that the declaration was a good news for democracy and a proud moment for nigeria1 according to him buhari s decision has corrected the wrongs of the past1 along with all democratic and fair-minded nigerians i welcome the news that june 12 will replace may 29 as democracy day. i too applaud buhari for making this courageous and rightful decision1 he has shown all nigerians and the world that we have the moral fortitude to objectively face our history learn from it and improve our society by virtue of this learning1 president muhammadu buhari by declaring june 12 as democracy day and awarding grand commander of the federal republic gcfr to late mko abiola has confirmed that abiola won the 1993 election asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu said on thursday night1 chief mko abiola and others gave their lives that we might have democracy that the will of the people will be sovereign and not suppressed by the will of the few1 this proclamation by buhari will forever immortalise the sacrifices made by these patriots who gave off themselves in service of such a noble and rightful purpose he said1 tinubu a former senator and governor of lagos and one of the pro-democracy activists who spent years in exile made the assertion in a message entitled the immortalisation of chief mko abiola. the message was made available to the news agency of nigeria nanon thursday in lagos by tinubus media officer mr tunde rahman1 he said that chief fawehinmi was a fearless advocate for democracy and the human rights of the common man1 according to him whenever and wherever late fawehinmi spoke he spoke the language of truth to power1 tinubu said that the designation of june 12 as democracy day was the fulfilment of the dream and efforts of many of the progressives1 this fulfilment comes with a civic responsibility. we must consecrate this new holiday and ourselves so that we make it a living holiday1 more so than ever before the spirit of june 12 must live within us. it must guide our politics and how we govern ourselves1 we must continuously dedicate ourselves to the freedoms and rights as well as the duties that democracy bestows on us all political friend and foe alike he said1 tinubu said that the presidential proclamation should forever bury ill-conceived notion that president buhari was ambivalent about democracy1 according to him president buhari has shown that he not only respects democracy but duly honours it1 democracy may be rough and untidy at times but it remains the form of government best suited for a society as diverse and multifaceted as ours1 today the sun shines a bit more brightly. the sound of democracy peals more resolutely across the land. the sacrifices of chief abiola and others have been affirmed by the federal government he once should have led1 democracy has been given its proper seat. history has been corrected to the extent humanly possible. nigeria continues to define its better self1 of this new democracy day and what it symbolises we all should be equally proud he said1

Oduah declares for Senate under APGA, gives reason for defection
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as you all know the south-east is a region with the least federal government presence in terms of projects. the region grapples with ecological problems bad roads poor electricity unemployment and decrepit infrastructure. it is also the region with the least appointment in the federal government. besides other factors i believe the neglect of the region fuelled the recent agitations for an independent state by some groups1 the senator representing anambra north in the national assembly senator stella oduah has officially declared to run for a second term under the platform of the all progressive grand alliance apga1 recall that that during the build up to the 2017 anambra governorship election1 however oduah did not state why she was dumping the party rather she said she chose to join apga because of the igbo agenda youths and women empowerment which she described as the center piece of her politics1 my brothers and sisters despite my global orientation the igbo agenda and that of my core constituency has always been the centrepiece of my politics1 as a senator my first obligation is to my constituency then my state and igbo-land it is on this note that i announce my intention to run for the anambra north senatorial seat under the all progressive grand alliance apga1 my joining apga is born out of the conviction that the party is the conscience of the igbo and because every politics is local1 apga possesses the midas-touch to turn the south-east into a land of gold1 my brothers and sisters apga bu nke anyi1 oduah who commended governor willie obiano for being one of the very few governors who does not owe workers salaries described him as one who had reformed anambra state1 read the full text of her speech officially declaring to run under apga1 my brothers and sisters it is with great delight that i come before you today. this occasion is momentous because it marks the beginning of a new political chapter for me1 the igbo often sayonye aghana nwane ya. this aphorism rings loudly the essence of brotherhood among the people of the rising sun. before the incursion of the british the igbo had sacerdotal institutions that fostered strong communal bond. even now these institutions such as the age-grades remain but with modifications. pursuing communal goals for the benefit of the community has always been the way of the igbo1 since the civil war we have survived neglect and ostracisation because of ourofu obiprinciple. this communal spirit of ours has always been tested and threatened but we have at each time proved thatobala aburo nmili1 the igbo are known to stand up for their own at the risk of being called bigots or tribalists by other ethnic groups. i know this because i have had my own share of ethnic attacks1 in 2013 when as minister of aviation i supervised the remodelling and upgrading of akanu ibiam airport enugu to international standard i faced stiff opposition. i was accused of influencing the project to favour my people. but i was not deterred because of myonye aghana nwane yaprinciple. at the time the south-east was the only region without an international airport. so i saw to it that justice was done in this regard1 when i sponsored the south-east development commission bill in the senate in 2017 it was to drive the igbo agenda. it was an expression of a potent desire to see a change in my homeland and an exemplification of that sacred igbo philosophy1 the bill sought among other things to create a commission which will provide and implement a roadmap for the development of infrastructure and social services in the five states of the south-east anambra abia enugu ebonyi and imo. let me say this here as senator representing anambra north the bill will see the light of day again1 oduah who officially defected from the peoples democratic party pdp to apga on wednesday said that she had chosen to continue her fight for her people under the new platform1 i must say the igbo have achieved some progress even without the intervention of the federal government. anambra state for instance has made tremendous progress under his excellency governor willie obiano with meagre federal government monetary allocations1 anambra state under governor obiano has not owed workers their salary unlike some other states. anambra state has witnessed robust growth in agriculture and education under governor obiano. i must salute this great reformer of our time. anambra state is working because willie is working. also i know some igbo citizens even volunteer to construct the roads of their communities out of love and dedication to their people1 my brothers and sisters it is a fact that the south-east is a commercial hub it is for this reason that i sponsored a motion for the development of inland ports in onitsha enugu and other parts of the region. the region is at a disadvantage having to depend on lagos for every import and export. we have an international airport already with the development of a cargo export terminal and a cargo inland terminal more investments will be attracted to the region and businesses will flourish1 as a matter of fact the inland ports will be a catalyst for the economic development of the south-east. they willprovide services for the unloading of import cargoes for splitting to smaller units and for the consolidation of export cargoes for shipment to destinations abroad. this means products manufactured in nnewi and aba can easily find their way to buyers in west africa and other parts of the world.this should be celebrated. i intend to keep this issue on the front-burners in the senate1 our people sayana esi nulo amara mma were buwa irothat is charity begins at home.as a true daughter of igboland i have lived by this wise saying. i believe human capacity development is the best form of empowerment. with the uptick in crime and criminality fuelled by youth unemployment we must steady attention on equipping our youth with the needed skills and means to survive in these hard times1 it is for this reason that i have made it a routine to empower the young men and women of my constituency with skills and cash for business. last month i empowered dozens of entrepreneurs in my constituency with cash grants to boost their business. i am happy to report that some of them are already making progress. so far i have empowered thousands of young men and women in my constituency. i have also given scholarships to brilliant but indigent students in anambra north1 recently i sponsored the establishment of the federal university of aquatic studies bill which has been read a first time in the senate. the bill seeks the establishment of the university at ogbaru which is a fishing community1 the bill is expected to develop the aquaculture sector in the predominately fishing community by ensuring the availability of highly skilled manpower and development of cutting-edge research and technology for the industry. the impact of this bill when passed is countless our people will be equipped with modern-day fishery skills and qualifications which will boost their business and others along the value-chain1 also i have sponsored motions targeted specifically at vulnerable people in the rural communities of anambra north and the state1 one of such motions is that demanding the urgent need to embark on massive provision of boreholes in rural communities in anambra state1 the motion sought to address the dearth of drinking water in anambra north to help those rural communities that rely on unhealthy sources of water for their daily lives. these communities require adequate water for survival and even for their agricultural activities1 i am happy to report that the local economy and social architecture that is in my constituency is feeling the impact of my interventions1 my people charity begins at home1 as a woman my job is not complete until all women are empowered and until more women are represented in government. my idea of women empowerment is giving our mothers sisters and daughters the wherewithal to support themselves their homes and children and also a voice in their communities1 to address the discrimination against women in government appointment i sponsored a motion on the need to stop women underrepresentation in elective and appointive positions at all levels of government in nigeria and to implement affirmative action of thirty percent of women1 i will continue this advocacy until change comes1 my brothers and sisters despite my global orientation the igbo agenda and that of my core constituency has always been the centrepiece of my politics. as a senator my first obligation is to my constituency then my state and igbo-land it is on this note that i announce my intention to run for the anambra north senatorial seat under the all progressive grand alliance apga1

Austria shuts 7 mosques, expels political imams
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austria will expel several foreign-funded imams and shut seven mosques in a crackdown on political islam chancellor sebastian kurz announced on friday1 kurz said the moves came after an investigation by the religious affairs authority into images which emerged earlier this year of children in turkish-backed mosques playing dead and reenacting the world war i battle of gallipoli1 parallel societies political islam and radicalisation have no place in our country kurz said1 the photos published by the falter weekly showed the young boys in camouflage uniforms marching saluting waving turkish flags and then playing dead1 their corpses were then lined up and draped in the flags1 the mosque in question was run by the turkish-islamic cultural associations atib organisation based in the german city of cologne and a branch of turkeys religious affairs agency diyanet1 atib itself condemned the photos at the time calling the event highly regrettable1

Russia: Saraki to address Russian Parliament, cheer Super Eagles
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by ifeanyi nwoko15 he listed those that would be accompanying saraki on the trip to include minority leader of the senate senator godswill akpabio majority whip senator adeyeye senator danbaba senator sunmonu and others1 saraki who announced the visit on thursday at plenary told his colleagues that he would be addressing a special plenary session at the russian federal council1 this is to inform the distinguished senate that i will be leading a delegation of the senate to the federal council of the federal assembly of the russian federation on an exchange visit from the 19th to the 22nd of june 20181 during the visit i will address a special plenary of the federations council saraki said1 the president of the senate dr bukola saraki will be addressing the russian parliament during an exchange visit between june 19th and june 22 20181 they exchanged ideas and she invited the senate president to deliver a speech during a joint special session1 the event will also have a wreath laying ceremony at tomb of unknown soldier and other meetings to strengthen parliamentary relationship between both russia and nigeria1 at the 2017 ipu saraki also began negotiations for a1 omishore disclosed that saraki will also make out time to support the super eagles during one of their games at the world cup1 speaking to our correspondent on the visit special assistant to saraki onforeign affairs and international relations bamikole omishore said that the visit is sequel to the meeting of saraki with the chairperson of the federal council madam valentina matviyenko at the 2017 inter-parliamentary union assembly ipu1

NOUN-CLE standoff: Malami promises to wade in
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we make bold to remind you sir that the university was established by the federal government of nigeria accredited by the national universities commission nuc1 the minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation mr abubakar malami has promised to do justice to the lingering standoff between the national open universitynoun and the council of legal educationcle1 a key point in their discussion was the contentious issue of cle ban on noun law graduates from attending the nigeria law school1 recall that the national association of nigerian students nans recently issued three months ultimatum to the federal government to admit law graduates of noun into the nigerian law school1 the student gave the ultimatum in a statement signed by taiwo bamigbade nans senate president and abdulakeem rufai clerk of the association on thursday in abuja1 they said nans had patiently watched how after five years of graduation the noun law graduates had been denied admission into the nigerian law school as provided in the noun students handbook which is a legally binding contract1 the students said that nans had through a communiqu addressed to president muhammadu buhari called on him to use his good offices to ensure the matter was resolved1 malami made the pledge during a courtesy call on him by nouns vice-chancellor prof. abdalla adamu in abuja1 off course nans as a body is not concerned on the continuation of law programme in noun if opposed by the professional bodies1 but strongly disagree those innocent nigerian students who suffered themselves with their hard earned money to undertake an accredited course of study in noun as promoted by the federal government will in any way be jeopardized. we say no no and no1 we state categorically that any injury to one nigerian student is an injury to all nigerian students and youths in general1 in the light of this nans as a body will no matter the price fight against this prolong injustice intimidation and mischief1 if after the forthcoming august 2018 admission the innocent noun law graduates are still excluded from lists of intakes into the nigerian law school thus three months ultimatum to do the needful1 we therefore implore you sir to use your good offices as a matter of urgency to resolve the lingering crisis as nans will no longer tolerate any excuses or tactical delays he said1

New Chinese anti-HIV drug has fewer side effects on liver
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new chinese anti-hiv drug has fewer side effects on liver1 hiv drug1 chinese hiv drug1 the china food and drug administration has approved the domestically developed1 long-acting injectable hiv drug albuvirtide1 science and technology daily reported on tuesday. developed by the nanjing-based frontier biotechnologies inc1 the drug can block the fusion of the virus and host cell membranes1 interrupting the hiv life cycle in its earliest stage1 the xinhua news agency reported. albuvirtide is injected once a week and is secure1 a staff from the nanjing-based frontier biotechnologie1

Textile union elated over June 12
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though the results of the election were not fully announced before it was annulled abiola was believed to have won the election based on collations from all the states aremu said1 the general secretary textile workers union mr issa aremu has hailed president muhammadu buhari for declaring june 12 as democracy day1 by posthumously honouring chief mko abiola acclaimed winner of june 12 1993 presidential election long demanded for by democratic forces for the past two decades1 the buhari has rekindle faith in sustainability of democracy by conferring the grand commander of the federal republic gcfr on late chief mko abiola1 the president gave the correct signal that never again would any group of people violate the mandate of nigerian people through mandate annulment 1 president buhari on wednesday directed that henceforth democracy day will be marked every year on june 12 rather than may 29 which had been observed as democracy day since 1999 when the current democratic dispensation began1 aremu commended the president in kaduna on thursday and said the organized labour had saluted what it called the courage and sensitivity of president muhammadu buhari for ensuring democratic consolidation1 he said that the honour reserved for president would be conferred on the late politician posthumously on june 12 which is the 25th anniversary of the election1 he also hailed the president for honouring abiolas running mate alhaji babagana kingibe and late human rights activist chief gani fawehinmi san1 aremu said president buhari had brought integrity to governance by shunning the hypocrisy and shameless denials of past leaders of nigeria that june 12th was truly a watershed in the struggle for democracy in nigeria1 he said labour agrees with the administration that june 12 1993 was far more symbolic of democracy in the nigerian context than may 29 as it was june 12 1993 that nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest fairest and most peaceful elections since our independence1 aremu recalled that in 2015 organized labour urged president buhari to offer leadership and build a groundswell of national consensus to posthumously accord acceptable deserved national and global honour to the winner of the june 121 the honour for abiola and others is honour for the nation adding that by dignifying the victims of june 12 nigeria has invariably damned those behind the decades of impunity in nigeria.aremu said nan1

Chinese approves drug for HIV-1 treatment
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adeyeye said the absence of officers at the nations ports was the main cause of rising cases of illicit drugs like tramadol and codeine coming into the country1 china food and drug administration has approved the sale of a new drug for the treatment of hiv-1 infection1 it said data from clinical trials showed that aikening was effective against major strains of hiv including resistant viruses with long acting efficacy1 plateau government has confirmed two positive cases of monkey pox in shendam local government area of the state1 dr kunden deyin the state commissioner for health urged the public to report any sign of unexplained rashes to the nearest health facility1 he pledged the collaboration of the epidemiology and surveillance unit of the ministry to monitor contacts to curtail the spread of the disease1 prof. moji adeyeye director-general national agency for food and drug administration and control says the agencys officers have returned to the nations ports after seven years to check importation of illicit drugs1 makers of the drug frontier biotech a pharmaceutical company based in china said aikening or albuvirtide injection said it can be used with other antiretroviral drugs to treat infected patients who suffer from viral replication1 the nigerian army says it is providing free medical outreach to indigent residents of yobe for two weeks1 the commanding officer of the task force brigade major emmanuel oqua said the exercise had commenced in rigan-koggo nguru local government area of the state to strengthen civilian-military cordial relationship1 mrs hafsat abiola-castelo daughter of mko abiola the presumed winner of the june 12 1993 presidential election in nigeria has commended the federal government for declaring the day as the new democracy day1 other prominent nigerians who joined in commending president muhammadu buhari for declaring june 12 as nigerias new democracy day were chief ayo adebanjo leader of afenifere chief tony momoh nuhu ribadu and gov. rauf aregbesola1 the nigeria football federation has paid tribute to the late head coach of the super eagles stephen keshi who passed away two years ago1 keshi who died at 54 led nigeria to win the 2013 africa cup of nations in south africa and also won the africa cup of nations title as a player in 19941

Buhari hosts small doctor, others
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the recent tradition of breaking ramadan fast by president muhammadu buhari continued on thursday when he hosted some popular entertainers1 those who broke the fast with buhari were popular musician temitope adekunle small doctor ali jita and olanrewaju fasasi sound sultanand former bbnaija housemate tobi bakare.1 president buhari has been breaking the daily ramadan fast with players from different sectors of the country1 the president had previously hosted the leadership and members of the national assembly africas richest man aliko dangote and members of the business community and traditional and religious leaders to break the ramadan fast1 the bank of 21-year-old small doctor is a unique brand known for its unique sound and style which does appeal to all age and class group home and abroad1 small doctor has been signed on as the latest brand ambassador for gaming and entertainment platform western lotto1 the wave-making hip-hop artiste who featured in dj lambos latest music kunta kunte officially became the face of the gaming brand effective june 11 small doctor featured in an action-packed television commercial tvc recently shot by western lotto1 south sultan is a 27-year-old nigerian rapper singer-songwriter actor comedian and recording artist1 he is regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in nigeria1

Police to rid FCT of illegal arms
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he said that the fct command recovered a number arms and ammunition in march1 fct commissioner of police sadiq bello has vowed to rid abuja of illegal firearms ahead of the 2019 general elections1 news agency of nigeria nan reports that the conference was organised by nigeria salute initiative and finger off the trigger a non-governmental organisation ngo that educates youths on peaceful coexistence1 bello called on those in possession of illegal firearms in the fct to voluntarily submit them as directed by the inspector general of police1 the inspector-general of police mr. ibrahim idris recently directed commissioners of police of all the state commands to commence the recovery of illegal firearms in the country1 bello said the command is still calling on all those who possess firearms illegally to surrender them before the expiration of the time given1 we want the residents to know that the submission of the illegal firearms is still open1 so anyone who is in possession of these firearms can go to any nearest police station or come to the fct command to surrender them because the ig has given an extension grace for the submission1 because after the expiration of the grace anyone found in possession of illegal fire arms would be prosecuted in accordance with the law1 the commissioner represented by the police public relations officer mt. anjuguri manzah made the vow at a briefing on operation finger off the trigger national disarmament and peace campaign1 in march we recovered 778 illegal arms 222 live cartridges that were voluntarily surrendered in the fct as part of the efforts to ensure that we dont have firearms in the command1 bello lauded the coordinator of the initiative and stressed that the campaign could not come at a better time than now when the nation is preparing for 2019 elections1 the coordinator general salute nigeria initiative amb chielo ojirika said that the campaign was targeted at local communities schools churches mosque market places motor parks among others1 he said that the present ethnic-religious violence and insecurity in the country had prompted more the need for proactive programmes like the campaign1 he stated that thus we need virtuous programmes that provide sustainable unity in nigeria as a whole1 nigeria remains the biggest market in africa but this is being hindered by insecurity thereby slowing down her economic growth and development1 boko haram has been pushed back but other tensions are also growing. for example frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers robbery and kidnapping are threatening the existence of nigeria1 it is therefore important to propagate socio-cultural cooperation among nigerians. we believe that the yearning of the average nigerian is that of peace unity and stability hence finger off the trigger he said. nan1

US confirms diplomats in China hit by strange illness
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if theres really a problem then the u.s. side can directly contact the chinese side and communicate and china will continue to conscientiously investigate and coordinate with a responsible attitude hua said1 the u.s. state department has brought a group of diplomats home from guangzhou china over concern they were suffering from a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected u.s. personnel in cuba a spokeswoman said1 as a result of the screening process so far the department has sent a number of individuals for further evaluation and a comprehensive assessment of their symptoms and findings in the united states nauert said1 medical professionals will continue to conduct full evaluations to determine the cause of the reported symptoms and whether the findings are consistent with those noted in previously affected government personnel or possibly completely unrelated she said1 the new york times reported that the state department had evacuated at least two americans who fell ill after hearing strange noises in china1 chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman hua chunying said on thursday that as far as she was aware the government had not had any formal communication with u.s. officials on any new cases and that it had investigated an initial incident1 at present theres been no discovery of clues or the reason causing the situation the united states mentioned hua told a regular news briefing in beijing adding that china protected diplomats according to international convention1 after confirming one government employee had suffered a medical incident in the southern chinese city the department deployed a team to screen employees and family members at its consulate there spokeswoman heather nauert said in a statement on wednesday1 four american members of staff at the u.s. consulate in guangzhou referred reuters to the beijing embassy press office when asked about the situation1 a u.s. government official there reiterated that there had been only one confirmed case in china announced last month and the state department was offering screening to anyone in the u.s. embassy or consulates in china who requested it1 in addition to the beijing embassy and guangzhou consulate the united states operates consulates in the mainland chinese cities of chengdu shanghai shenyang and wuhan1 last year 24 u.s. government employees and family members in cuba displayed the symptoms which were similar to those related to concussion and mild traumatic brain injury according to the state department1 the illnesses among the american diplomats stationed in havana heightened tension between the old cold war foes1 secretary of state mike pompeo released a statement on tuesday saying the department established a task force last month to direct a multi-agency response to the unexplained health incidents1 the precise nature of the injuries suffered by the affected personnel and whether a common cause exists for all cases has not yet been established pompeo said1

June 12: Buhari asks Malami to gazette Abiolas GCFR
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president muhammadu buhari has directed the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice mallam shehu malami to take immediate steps to gazette the presidential order awarding the nations highest honours to chief mko abiola and two others1 the order will be publishedin the federal gazette as announced yesterday by president buhari1 chief mko abiola grand commander of the federal republic posthumous1 ambassador baba gana kingibe grand commander of the order of the niger1 chief gani fawehinmi -grand commander of the order of the niger posthumous1 the president also directed that this should be done so that the awards slated for june 12 2018 can go on as planned1 president buhari in an earth-shaking move on wednesday declared that henceforth june 12 will be observed as democracy day in nigeria and that some heroes of democracy be given national honours1 babagana kingibe was abiolas running mate in the annulled june 12 election in 1993 while chief gani fawehinmi was the human rights crusader who campaigned for the actualisation of june 121 the presidents action has been roundly applauded even by his political opponents1

Reps in rowdy session over June 12
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pwajok said that for the declaration of the president to take effect the public holidays act had to be amended1 lawmakers in the house of representatives on thursday were divided over the declaration of june 12 as national democracy day by president muhammadu buhari1 buhari had on wednesday declared june 12 as national democracy day with effect from 20191 buhari also said that the presumed winner of the june 12 1993 election chief moshood abiola would posthumously be awarded the highest award of the land grand commander of the federal republic gcfr1 he added that abiolas running mate in the election amb. babagana kingibe and late human rights lawyer gani fayehinmi san would be vested with grand commander of the niger gcon1 moving the motion raji called on the independent national electoral commission inec to release the result of the 1993 election and declare moshood abiola president-elect1 raji said that the 1993 presidential election was widely acclaimed as the freest fairest and most credible election in the nations history1 he lamented that the result of the election was however annulled by the then military head of state gen. ibrahim babangida1 according to him since the return of democracy in 1999 successive governments had failed to recognise june 12 as national democracy day1 he urged the house to commend buhari for the courageous step adding that it was a sign that he listened to the voice of the people1 also rep. chris azubogu pdp-anambra commended the mover of the motion saying that it was a worthy initiative1 he however drew the attention of the house to the exclusion of the electoral umpire mr humphrey nwosu who conducted the election from the list of those honoured1 azubogu said that nwosu was a key actor in the june 12 election and risked his life to conduct a free and fair election1 he said that nwosu should be given due recognition for the role he played in the election as it would encourage future umpires of the electoral process to be free and fair1 in his contribution rep. edward pwajok apc-plateau drew the attention of the house to the public holidays act which stated that may 29 should be recognised as national democracy day1 the division followed a motion by rep. wale raji apc-lagos brought under urgent matter of national importance on the need to commend buhari for the june 12 democracy day initiative at the plenary1 he said that for a contestant to be referred to as president-elect he had to be declared winner of the election by the national returning officer1 pwajok a senior advocate of nigeria san also said that there was a court order prohibiting inec from releasing the result1 he explained that until the courts decision was stepped down by the same court or a higher court the decision remained1 in his contributions rep. mojeed alabi apc-osun said that there would have been no may 29 1999 without june 12 19931 he said that prior to the presidential declaration only osun recognised june 12 as democracy day1 alabi commended buhari and urged the house to support the motion1 a rowdy session however erupted in the chamber when rep. nicholas ossai pdp-delta challenged the presidential declaration1 he said that the usurpation of the powers of the legislature by the executive was becoming too rampant.ossai argued that an act of parliament could not be changed by a presidential declaration and that if june 12 must stand it should follow due process of amendment of the public holidays act1 members roared in disapproval and tried to shut him up while others waved at him to sit down1 supporting him rep. toby okechukwu pdp-enugu said that the country must be ruled by law and not by persons or groups1 he said though the intention of the president was good the declaration needed to be guided by the law explaining that it was necessary so that nobody would in the future challenge the honour to abiola1 after he spoke the rowdiness in the chamber became intense and members left their seats to engage one another in shouting matches1 this lasted for over 20 minutes and when the speaker of the house mr yakubu dogara restored order he referred the motion to the committees on justice and rules and business for further consultation1 he mandated the committees to look into the matter and make recommendations to the house before a decision would be taken. nan1