Fayoses candidate Olusola-Eleka wins Ekiti PDP ticket
News & Trends •
governor ayo fayoses candidate prof. kayode olusola-eleka has emerged the governorship candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp in ekiti state for the july 14 election1 he is at present the deputy governor of the state1 in the primary held on tuesday olusola polled 1190 votes to defeat dayo adeyeye who had 771 votes1 the delegates accredited for the election were 1961 with 7 of the votes voided according to the leader of pdp electoral committee gov. ifeanyi okowa of delta1 nan reports that mr dayo adeyeye who left the venue at about 8p.m accepted the outcome of the primary election which he agreed was conducted under free and fair atmosphere1 in his acceptance speech eleka thanked the delegates for finding him worthy1 he expressed gratitude to mr dayo adeyeye for exhibiting courage throughout the period the pre-primary election1 the deputy governor who praised gov. ayo fayose for standing by him vowed to defeat the candidate of all progressives congress apc in the coming july 14 governorship election in the state1 also reacting gov. fayose promised to embark on meaningful reconciliation by reaching out to aggrieved party leaders especially the duo of dayo adeyeye and mrs abiodun olujimi so that the pdp in the state can be a united house once again1

Leaders, aspirants meet over logjam in Ekiti APCs primaries
News & Trends •
he added that the meeting took a decision on what would be best for the party and the country generally1 south west leaders have stepped into the logjam in ekiti governorship primaries of the all progressives congress apc involving 33 aspirants1 former national chairman of the party chief bisi akande said after the meeting that they would advise the partys national leadership on the proposed fresh primary in ekiti1 we are going to talk to the party about what the aspirants have said and what we all think is best and we know that the party will take the right decision1 we are going to convey our resolution to the party and the party will be able to tell you he said1 the leaders met on tuesday in abuja with the aspirants for the partys ticket for the july 14 governorship election in ekiti1 on whether a consensus candidate would be considered for the election akande said that may be an option for the aspirants1 consensus is already in our constitution and it is an option also primary election is already in our constitution1 but what we want is the general happiness of the leaders of the party the contestants and our party he said1 he however added that the aspirants were asked to think about arriving at a consensus candidate ahead of the rescheduled primary slated for friday1 the party on saturday conducted a primary election to pick its candidate for the ekiti poll but the exercise was marred by violence which led to its cancellation by election committee. nan1

In Pictures: Saraki visits EFCC new office complex
News & Trends •
if we are going to build a better society in our country one of the main things we must tackle is the issue of corruption and how we can do that is by strengthening these institutions1 in a surprise move which he termed efforts to build institutions the president of the senate dr bukola saraki has visited the new office complex of the economic and financial crimes commission efcc1 the senate rejected the appointment of magu as the chairman of the commission over allegations of corruption by the department of state security dss. however the executive had insisted on not substituting magu while he magu continues to allege that some members of the senate are corrupt1 however in a surprise move saraki went on an inspection tour of the headquarters of the commission1 speaking to newsmen after the inspection he said that will continue to support efforts to build and strengthen the nations institutions irrespective of any differences1 he said that he was particularly impressed by the quality of work done and the fact the building was designed by a nigerian architect1 he said he is duty bound to visit the completed project as part of his oversight functions in view of the contributions of the national assembly to its realization1 the senates president said that the nation must continue to build institutions as well as strengthen existing ones to realize its dream of becoming a great democratic country1 i think the most important thing as far as we are concerned is that i have always said that we must always continue to build institutions and that is what is important and we must continue to support in building these institutions1 there has been no love lost between the 8 senate and the efcc especially as it concerns the confirmation of the acting chairman of the commission ibrahim magu1 my presence here is to say that whatever we do in our job the most important thing is that we all represent institutions and we must work and see that it is in the interest of the country1 so my presence here is after a building like this where the national assembly has played a great role it must be my responsibility to see how the money was spent and i can see that that has been done properly and we should continue to work together to see that that goes well for the entire country1 if you look at most projects in abuja i dont think any project like this has been well-funded and that shows that despite all the noise you will hear the national assembly has supported where it matters because this is where it matters and i think we have done that1 if you look at what has been achieved in the last two and half years in putting this building up and bringing it to completion i think it is a remarkable achievement he said1 as the head of the legislature i have responsibilities that goes beyond whatever issues there may be. you see you guys in the media like to hype things. the most important thing is that we must always do the right thing1 we might disagree on what those right things are but at the end we must ensure that we build institutions we support institutions and do what is right and we must continue to do that he said1 saraki said that the fight against corruption must continue in order to bequeath a better future to both present and coming generations1 he insisted that there was no way nigeria can be built if corruption is not fought to the barest minimum1 i have always said that my own strong will is that as we fight it we must fight it in ensuring that we strengthen the institutions and what you see here is part of the process of strengthening that institutions so that whoever comes here will know that this is what we must fight if we want to build institutions he said1

Bayelsa enrolls 80,000 in health insurance scheme
News & Trends •
by nathan nwakamma3 he said that the quick impact of the scheme was informed by the direct result of the determination of the bayelsa government to improve the health status of its citizens2 agadah made this disclosure in yenagoa while signing a memorandum of understanding with an heath maintenance organisation united healthcare international for the schemes technical support2 the state government started an health insurance scheme for its workforce in june 2017 with a plan to extend the scheme to cover the informal sector in due course2 agadah who said that the enrollment was ongoing added that the feedback from the registration desk was encouraging2 he said that in spite of the growing number of enrollees in the scheme government had also met its financial obligations to health care providers2 according to him feedback from the enrollees and other stakeholders in the health sector shows that the scheme is doing well2 the executive secretary attributed the success so far recorded to the adoption of the template already put in place by the national health insurance scheme of the federal government2 the bayelsa health insurance scheme has registered more than 80000 public sector enrollees less than a year after it began operations its executive secretary dr zuoboemi agadah said on wednesday2 agadah said that such collaboration was to overcome the teething problems of the scheme for the benefit of stakeholders2 he said that the scheme was able to face the challenges at the initial stages through an effective quality assurance and compliance management system2 agadah applauded the united healthcare international for its expertise and support for the scheme since inception in june 2017 resulting in high standards in its overall implementation2 he said that the scheme made available quality and affordable health care to enrollees who paid just 10 per cent of the cost of drugs in addition to the monthly premiums paid by civil servants2 agadah lauded gov. seriake dickson of bayelsa for establishing the scheme adding that plans had reached an advanced stage to cover the private sector2 in his response dr kazeem mustapha the executive director united healthcare noted that the zeal and commitment of the managers of the bayelsa health insurance scheme was commendable2 he said that the bayelsa health insurance scheme was also collaborating with other states of the federation where similar schemes were being run2

North Korea frees 3 American prisoners
News & Trends •
a north korean official came to the hotel shortly afterwards to inform pompeo that kim had granted their release according to a senior us official present for the exchange1 north korea released three american prisoners and handed them over to u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo on wednesday clearing a major obstacle to an unprecedented summit between president donald trump and north korean leader kim jong un1 the release appeared to signal an effort by kim to set a more positive tone for the summit and followed his recent pledge to suspend missile tests and shut pyongyangs nuclear bomb test site1 while kim is giving up the last of his american detainees whom north korea has often used as bargaining chips with the united states a release could also be aimed at pressuring trump to make concessions of his own in his bid to get pyongyang to abandon its nuclear arsenal something it has not signalled a willingness to do1 but wednesdays announcement gave trump a chance to tout a diplomatic achievement just a day after his decision to pull out of the iran nuclear deal drew heavy criticism from european allies and others1 i am pleased to inform you that secretary of state mike pompeo is in the air and on his way back from north korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. they seem to be in good health trump wrote in a post on twitter1 the family of tony kim one of freed prisoners thanked trump saying in a statement we are very grateful for the release of our husband and father tony kim and the other two american detainees1 south korea heralded the move as positive for upcoming talks between trump and kim and called on pyongyang to also release six south korean detainees1 the fate of the three korean-americans had been among a number of delicate issues in the run-up to the first-ever meeting of u.s. and north korean leaders1 as pompeo returned to his pyongyang hotel from a 90-minute meeting with kim the secretary of state crossed his fingers when asked by reporters if there was good news about the prisoners1 trump said the three men who were freed after pompeo met kim were on the way home from pyongyang on the chief u.s. diplomats plane. the president planned to greet them when they land at andrews air force base outside washington at 2 a.m. edt 0600 gmt thursday morning1 pompeo replied thats great according to the official1 you should make care that they do not make the same mistakes again the north korean official was quoted as saying. this was a hard decision.they were in the air less than an hour after leaving custody1 the three are korean-american missionary kim dong-chul kim sang-duk also known as tony kim who spent a month teaching at the foreign-funded pyongyang university of science and technology pust before he was arrested in 2017 and kim hak-song who also taught at pust1 north korean state media says they were detained either for subversion or committing hostile acts against the government. many of the foreigners detained by north korea in the past have said the government forced them into making confessions to false or trumped up charges1 speaking to reporters as he returned from north korea pompeo said a place and date had been set for a one-day summit in good productive conversations between u.s. and north korean officials. but he did not offer specifics1 trump viewed the release of the three americans as a positive gesture of goodwill ahead of the planned summit the white house said. it is planned for late may or early june1 the white house said the three americans appears to be in good condition and all were able to walk without assistance onto the plane1 i think there is reason for some optimism that these talks could be fruitful u.s. defense secretary jim mattis said of the coming summit1 there was no immediate sign however that pompeos visit had cleared up the question of whether north korea would be willing to bargain away nuclear1

Mahathir v Najib: Vote counting begins in Malaysia
News & Trends •
before polls closed mahathir said he was worried voters may not get the chance to cast their ballots1 malaysia was counting votes wednesday after one of the countrys fiercest ever election battles which has pitted scandal-hit prime minister najib razak against his one-time mentor 92-year-old former authoritarian leader mahathir mohamad1 angered by a massive financial scandal that has tarnished malaysias international image mahathir has teamed up with an alliance of parties that opposed him when he was in power and which includes jailed opposition icon anwar ibrahim his former nemesis1 najibs ruling barisan nasional bn coalition is seen as likely to retain power mainly due to an electoral system critics say has been heavily manipulated to favour the government but analysts predict it will lose the popular vote for the second consecutive election1 i am confident of winning ex-pm mahathir mohamad told reporters. i feel very good i am confident unless najib cheats1 results started trickling in a few hours after polls closed with bn having a slight early lead with 14 seats to nine for the opposition according to the election commission1 but some key bn figures appeared to have fallen with unofficial results on bernama state news agency showing the heads of the ethnic indian and chinese parties in the coalition had lost their seats1 earlier voters flocked in large numbers to polling stations throughout the day leading to hours-long queues in many places and prompting complaints from voters and opposition leaders about people potentially missing out on voting1 najib is seeking to retain power at the head of a regime that has ruled malaysia since independence in 1957 but veteran ex-leader mahathirs shock comeback has upended the election race1 i have received reports from voting centres that many voters are gathered outside polling stations and that the process was moving quite slowly he said1 i hope people will be given the right to vote1 election officials were yet to disclose the final turnout although analysts said it could be lower than at the 2013 election when it was 85 percent. this would be a blow to the opposition who have said they need a high turnout1 there were other complaints of dirty tricks at the poll with both opposition leaders and senior bn members claiming that their phones had been jammed by a flood of spam calls to stop them from communicating with their teams1 the internet regulator blamed the attacks on bots automated programmes and said it would investigate1 the race has been fiercely contested and the opposition alliance has gained ground in recent weeks as mahathir who ruled with an iron fist for 22 years chipped away at the governments key support base the muslim malay majority1 earlier mahathir cast his ballot alongside his wife in the northern city of alor setar and said he was confident of victory1 najib a political blue blood and son of malaysias second prime minister voted in his constituency of pekan1

IGP incurs senates wrath, gets vote of no confidence
News & Trends •
abaribe said i want to agree with some of our colleagues who have said that we should go into a close door session and agree whether we will accept this insult or not1 the inspector general of police mr ibrahim idris on wednesday incurred the wrath of the senate as the lawmakers unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on him1 idris had on first invitation sent a deputy inspector general of police to represent him but the senate refused to honour the dig1 the senate took the decision on wednesday after about an hour of closed door session1 the president of the senate bukola saraki announced the decision of the senate during plenary1 the senate in a closed session deliberated on the non-appearance of the igp to the senate in plenary after series of invitation1 the senate noted that this amounted to a great disrespect to the institution and constituted authority1 the senate also notes that his earlier refusal to appear before its investigative committee was overruled by a court of competent jurisdiction just in april of this year1 the senate therefore views his persistent refusal as a great danger to our democracy1 therefore the senate resolved to declare the igp as an enemy of our democracy and not fit to hold any public office within and outside nigeria1 the leadership of the senate was also mandated to look into the matter for further necessary action1 earlier sen. enyinnaya abaribeabia-apc condemned the action of the igp saying it was a disrespect for the legislature1 democracies die and it dies in two ways. it either dies abruptly or in bits and what is happening today in nigeria is that democracy is dying in bits1 it dies when people abuse governmental powers and all that we have seen today with the conduct of the chief law officer of the federation is nothing but an abuse of power1 he has no respect for this institution and that is now a fact. there is actually no way we can dress it to say we should give him some more time1 we can say that what he is doing is anything but an abuse of this institution the federation and himself even in the eyes of the international community1 this morning i watched someone who was a police officer in britain and what he said was germaine to what we are saying here1 he said if the chief law officer cannot obey the law of the land how do you now say to other people who are miscreants should obey the law he said1 according to him unless a concrete decision is taken by the senate the disrespect for the national assembly would become widespread1 the senators were angry because idris had personally refused to appear on invitation to answer questions concerning the arrest and issues surrounding senator dino melaye1 i want to appeal to us to remember that if you do not deal with this abuse of power all of us are going to regret it because there is nothing to stop anybody else from doing what it likes in this country he said1 the leader of the senate ahmed lawan said he made efforts to reach the igp for 48 hours but was not successful1 personally i made attempts to call his line and i sent text messages that he should call me as soon as he was able to see my messages1 clearly the ig is not here. i think this is very unusual and very unfortunate1 i personally feel that public officers should do what is in the interest of the public and where any public officer cannot do what is in the interest of the public there is no need for such an officer to continue to occupy that kind of position1 this institution is now at a crossroad on this. i believe that a decision has to be taken on the way forward1 i do not think it will make any further sense to continue to extend invitation until the senate takes a different decision to make the situation better he said1 sen. emmanuel bwachapdp-taraba said it was a sad moment for democracy1 he added that the igps action was inexcusable unacceptable and condemnable1 he called for immediate action to protect the institution of the national assembly1 this senate needs to take very serious action on the way forward. we cannot stand this embarrassment any longer1 i will suggest we have a closed session. i am moving for us to executive session to take very serious consideration on this matter. this is a national disgrace. isah missau.apc-bauchi said the igps action was not just disrespect for the parliament but also the president of the country who appointed him.1 he said i recall i made mention that there is problem with the leadership of the police1 on official capacity there is no any person here that is not bigger than the ig constitutionally. anybody here can invite the ig officially because by the constitution every senator is bigger than the office of the ig1 what the ig is doing is not against the senate it is against the president of the federal republic of nigeria because he is the leader today of this country1 if an appointee of the president will refuse to honour invitation of an institution it is unfortunate1 i think it is left for this government to decide if they have an appointee that will rubbish the image of the country1 i think it is much unfortunate and we will have to do something the image of the president the image of country and the image of our democratic environment that is the institution of the parliament he said.nan1

1,596 corps members desert Adamawa state
News & Trends •
he urged the people of adamawa to appreciate corps members who decided to serve in the state by supporting them to give their best1 the adamawa state coordinator of national youths service corps nysc mallam abubakar mohammed said that about 1596 corps members out of the 2126 registered under the 2018 batch a sought redeployment out of the state1 he said the 530 corps members that concluded their orientation today wednesday were not posted to serve in michika madagali mubi north and mubi south local government areas also for security reasons1 he also said that corp members were not posted to villages in numan demsa and lamurde local government areas because of herdersfarmers clashes1 however there are those who requested to be posted to mubi particularly married women who have their families there which we obliged mohammed said1 mohammed made this known wednesday in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in yola saying they left based on insecurity marriage and health grounds1 in his address at the wednesday closing ceremony of the batch a orientation course gov. muhammadu bindow said his government is committed to improving the welfare of corps members1 bindow who was represented by the commissioner for youth and sports mr suleiman sambo said that his administration was appreciative of the numerous contributions of corps members in uplifting the standard of living of communities they served adding that employers have been directed not to reject corps members posted to their organizations1 i want to urge you to make the best use of your orientation course in the subsequent months awaiting you in the service year1 i want to assure you that adamawa state government is ready to tackle the challenges of the nysc schedule in the state and improve the welfare of corps members1 our government has directed that corps employers should not reject members posted to their organisations under any guise. adequate arrangements have been made to give you decent accommodation and other welfare incentives in order to motivate you1

Number of Tax payers rises by 5m in 1 year Osinbajo
News & Trends •
he said that the free education as well as infrastructural developments enjoyed in south western region of nigeria were only possible with funds from cocoa and tax payment1 vice president yemi osinbajo on wednesday in abuja said that over five million new tax payers have been enrolled in the last 12 months1 he said that tax compliance should go hand in with good governance as the head and tail of the social contract between the government and its citizens1 the government of president buhari is working to change this state of affairs. we are determined to restore the full weight of the social contract1 we are rewriting the old rules and compacts making it clear to nigerians that we will ensure that every naira of public money is put to use for the maximum good of the nigerian people1 we will also simultaneously ensure that every naira due to the public coffers in taxes is promptly and efficiently collected1 this level of commitment to accountability makes it easy to see how we have managed to even in the face of dwindling oil earnings and a recession succeeded in spending significantly more on infrastructure roads rail power and human capital development education health poverty reduction than previous governments1 as of may 2017 only 14 million economically-active nigerians paid taxes. i am pleased to note that that number is now in excess of 19 million and still growing he said1 exemplifying with the wonderful achievements of late chief obafemi awolowo in south west osinbajo said that the giants stride which was achieved before nigeria discovered oil proves how far tax payment can go1 speaking at the 20th annual tax conference of the chartered institute of taxation of nigeria citn osinbajo said that the tax compliances is closely linked to good governance1 he however decried that with the coming of the military and the oil boom everybody forgot about taxation as the central government began to give everybody allocations1 so today the states in the old western region aside from lagos do not earn enough in taxes or anything else to pay salaries let alone do major capital projects1 without federal allocation most states cannot survive. i am sure you are familiar with the statistics lagos state alone takes in as much igr as 31 states combined. it tells you how little the other states manage to bring in igr1 this historical analogy of the old western region and fate of the states that now constitute it explains the low level of tax compliance the now-well-known fact that our tax-to-gdp ratio stands at only 6 percent1 although we are told that it will improve with viads and some of the steps taken already by the firs. this is obviously a dismal figure when compared to other countries at similar levels of development ghana egypt and india at 16 percent south africa at 29 percent1 that our tax-to-gdp ratio is one of the lowest in the world should in fact surprise no one1 as at december 2017 only 943 nigerians pay self-assessed taxes of over n10 million and of that number 941 live in lagos state the other two live in ogun state he said1 he called on citizens to always endeavor to pay their taxes stressing that tax does not excite anybody anywhere in the world1 he assured that the apc government will keep their part of the bargain by ensuring that monies realized from taxes were put to good use1

Djokovic sees off Nishikori at Madrid Open
News & Trends •
djokovic however will be keen to draw on the positives. his movement was better and he delivered in the crunch moments. there were also a handful of breathtaking retrievals the 30-year-old would have been proud of in his prime1 novak djokovic scored his best-ranked victory in almost a year by coming through his nightmare first round against world number 20 kei nishikori at the madrid open on monday1 not long ago djokovic versus nishikori would have been a match for the latter stages of a grand slam but struggles with fitness and form caused these two to meet first up on manolo santana1 djokovic prevailed 7-5 6-4 producing some scintillating tennis when it mattered most to register his first win over a top-20 opponent since the serb beat gael monfils at eastbourne in june last year1 at their best djokovic and nishikori were perhaps the games two outstanding athletes renowned for their speed in defence and stamina over five sets1 but injuries to the wrist for nishikori and elbow for djokovic have left each attempting recoveries and it was certainly evident here that both are still some way away1 if edmund beats medvedev he may fancy his chances against a player he is yet to take a set off in three meetings1 the 12-time major champion could now face kyle edmund in round two if the briton wins his own awkward opener on tuesday against the talented daniil medvedev1 four games both players would have liked to forget prompted an exchange of breaks in the middle of the opening set but djokovic stepped up a gear at 5-41 nishikori resisted two rasping forehands but finally caved two games later as djokovic clinched the frame1 djokovic seemingly defied physics by lashing one smash into the net early in the second but found his groove again at 5-4 breaking nishikori to seal victory in just under two hours1 maria sharapovas clay-court revival is also gathering pace after the russian had earlier eased past romanian big-hitter irina-camelia begu in the womens tournament1 sharapova arrived in spain on the back of four consecutive defeats but two wins the latest a 7-5 6-1 victory over begu have sent the 31-year-old into the last 161 frances kristina mladenovic will now await sharapova who is showing signs of rhythm ahead of the french open later this month which she won in 2012 and 20141

Neymar set to attend French Cup final in Paris
News & Trends •
it would take a shock of seismic proportions for qatar-backed psg even without the still injured neymar to slip up against a team of modest players struggling to stay in frances partly amateur third division1 neymar will attend tuesdays french cup final between paris saint-germain and minnows les herbiers psg captain thiago silva said1 neymar returned to paris on friday to continue his recovery two months after undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his foot in his native brazil1 he is unlikely to play again for psg this season his focus now on being ready in time for brazils world cup bid in june and july1 silva added neymar is doing well. its clear hes making progress. hes already working in the gym1 psg are overwhelming favourites to beat third-tier strugglers les herbiers in tuesdays game at the stade de france having already won the ligue 1 title and the league cup this season1 they were knocked out of the champions league by real madrid in the last 16 shortly after neymar suffered his injury in a game against marseille1 he is fully motivated but sad that he cant train with us. he will be there to support us tomorrow at the stade de france and i think hell be happy silva told reporters at a press conference on monday ahead of the game1 psg are fresh from winning the ligue 1 title and are hoping to secure a clean sweep of the domestic trophies when they run out at the stade de france for a game that will be attended by president emmanuel macron1 revenue of almost 500 million euros 596m last year makes them the seventh-richest club in the world according to deloittes latest football money league1 that helped them splash out a world-record 222 million euros on neymar last year and commit to spending 180 million euros to buy kylian mbappe from monaco1 with average gates of around 1300 les herbiers annual budget is around two million euros and prevents them from offering more than 3000 euros a month to their players1 the figures suggest psg will easily win the french cup for the fourth year running and record 12th time overall but les herbiers are not worrying about that1 that is not how we should look at this match insisted their coach stephane masala as he spoke to the press on monday at the stade de france1 i am a young coach and i am here to learn. i hope the players are there to learn and i hope psgs great players will give us a lesson. we wont be an embarrassment even if we get hammered1

Breaking: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara in closed door meeting (Pictures)
News & Trends •
the president of the senate dr bukola saraki and the speaker of the house of representatives yakubu dogara are currently meeting with president muhammadu buhari at the presidential villa abuja1 it is unclear the agenda of the meeting however last week the senate mandated its leader to interface with the executive over the fragrant disregard of the national assembly by the inspector general of police1 the senate had berated the police ig ibrahim idris for failing to honour its invitation over the killings across nigeria as well as the arrest and harassment and detention of their colleague dino melaye1 as at the time of this report a source close to the president of the senate could not confirm the agenda or the details of the meeting between the number one citizen and the number three and four citizens of nigeria1 our correspondent gathered that the meeting started after buhari returned from daura katsina state where he went to attend the apc ward congress in his ward1 more details shortly1 below are more pictures from the meeting1

2019: Soyode, BEN TV founder joins presidential race
News & Trends •
he said that employment would be one of the cardinal points of his administration adding that in a technology-driven world the innovative and creative minds of nigerians would be empowered1 soyode1 soyode who made the declaration on monday in abuja said that he took the decision after consultations with youths leaders elders trade unions non-governmental organisations among others1 he has yet to announce the platform under which he would contest1 soyode who is also an agriculturist said his ideals were encapsulated in the acronym yeeeeeees hence the slogan yes we can1 he listed the ideals as youth empowerment economy education employment energy enterprises agriculture health elders experts experience quality and enforcement of policies and security1 we have the youth and the experience of our elders and both are needed to make nigeria greater nation1 we have the ability to meet our challenges because we have the most needed resources human capital and blessing of natural resources that abound in the country as well as millions of highly skilled nigerians in the diaspora1 our economy sincerely needs diversification moving away from oil to manufacturing and services1 our education is falling many have called for a national emergency in the education sector and educational standards actually declining in parts of the country1 mr ali soyode an industrialist and founder of europes first ethnic media and satellite television ben tv has declared his intention to run in the 2019 presidential election1 soyode fondly called the bridge said he would also focus on security as the benefits of living in a great nation like nigeria would not be enjoyed without security1 he said he would reform the armed forces and the police by increasing their budgets training them and equipping the necessary tools to fight crime1 to me police officers are as important as any officer or executive in the nigeria1 their job is not to prosecute those that have the resources to hire private security officers but to deal with anyone breaking the law and safeguard the properties and belongings of the common people1 all options will be explored to help reduce crime and as shared before on equality whoever is found guilty will face the full force of the law1 let this be a warning to the foreign killers in nigeria leave the country now it is the end of the road1 the bridge will not allow you to cross over into killing our people burning our people burning our properties he said1 he said that nigeria needed peace and security for the economy to grow for tourism industry to grow and attract tourists1 the presidential aspirant said he was a detribalised nigerian committed to charting a new course for the country1

Police take over Ekiti APC secretariat
News & Trends •
awe who was said to have narrowly escaped assault by the irate party members was ferried to safety from the secretariat by mobile policemen1 the crisis rocking the ekiti state chapter of the all progressives congress apc after saturdaysinconclusive primary took a different dimension on monday as police have sealedthe partys secretariat1 nan reports that the protesters also announced the immediateformation of a pro-fayemi caretaker committee1 armed policemen however arrived the secretariat shortly and drove everyone out before sealing off the party secretariat1 the protesters saidthey were at the secretariat to register their disapproval over the conduct of the members of the state working committee1 the protesters who brandished placards with various inscriptions alsopassed vote of no confidence on awe and the partys spokesman taiwo olatunbosun alleging that they were supporting a particular aspirant1 relying on article 21 7 of the partys constitution the protesters disbanded the swcand set up a caretaker committee headed by the apc chairman in iseorun local government area mr michael egunjobi1 the protestersalso laced thegate of the party withfetish materials made from palm oil and egg1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports thatprotesters who claimed tobe sympathetic to the aspiration of the minister of mines and steel development dr kayode fayemi had besieged the secretariat onthe ajilosun- ikere road where they announced the removal of the state executives led by chief jide awe1 as atthe time of filing this report police vans werestill stationed at the secretariat which was under lock and key1 meanwhile no fewer than 27 aspirants have rejectedthe position canvassed by the national working committee of the partythat the botched primary would continue from where it ended on saturday1 some of the aspirants led by former gov. segun oni on monday met at a location in ado ekiti and rejected the position of the nwc that the committee which conducted the primary should returnand complete the exercise1 the aspirantswho were reacting to a statement credited to thenational publicity secretary of the party mallam bolaji abdullahi said that the ballot cast onsaturday in five local governments before the violence erupted had beenrendered invalid1 among those present at the forum apart from oni weresen. babafemi ojudu opeyemi bamidele bimbo daramola sen. ayo arise sen. gbenga aluko kola alabi muyiwa olumilua dr mojisola yaya-kolade debo ranti ajayi anddr bayo orire1 the spokesperson for the group yaya-kolade said the fact that the votes were not counted collated and announced at the venue had rendered the process invalid1 she declared that the 27 aspirants would not accept attempts to validate unverified results of the few delegates that had cast their votes onsaturday neither would they accept the tanko al-makura-led committee again as umpire1

Secondus letter to UN preposterous: Presidency
News & Trends •
the pdp chairman and all other politicians against whom the countrys anti-corruption agencies have on-going investigations should be assured that it is only a matter of time before the law catches up with them and makes them pay for the grief their mismanagement of the past has caused and is still causing nigerians. nigerians suffered because of the poison sowed by the pdp1 the letter by the peoples democratic party to the united nations secretary-general antonio guterres is preposterous and comical the presidency said today1 the presidency in a statement by senior special assistant on media malam garba shehu said the letter was a demonstration that the pdp was a bad loser desperate for another chance after they were kicked out in 2015 for failing the nation and its people1 pdps lecture on democracy and the rule of law coming from a party with a tradition of undemocratic rule is a desperate attempt to pervert history and the course of justice he said1 the sermon is both trite and hollow coming from a party with intolerance for dissent as its hallmark. a party that humiliated opposition parties and stunted their growth. this was the atmosphere that nurtured the birth of the all progressives congress apc1 the war against corruption for which many more politicians may soon be docked cannot be misrepresented as an attack on human rights and mr. secondus should not try to mislead the un. nigerian politicians at all levels have been used to dispensing with state funds in whatever manner they please and to have someone an administration finally saying no. it doesnt matter how big or important you think you are the law must come against you that is not something they are used to at all. for the pdp as1 the letter signed by the national chairman of the opposition pdp prince uche secondus accused president muhammadu buhari of several sins including alleging that his administration was at the verge of destroying nigerias democracy1 if the public were privy to some of the facts and figures on corruption that president buhari and the anti-corruption agencies are they would understand the passion that drives the determination to nail these callous men and stop them in their corrupt tracks1 regarding the accusation that president buhari is behind the spate of herdsmen and farmer clashes in the middle belt of nigeria all we will say is that it as an embarrassing charge that the pdp would make conveying an allegation from the beer parlours of nigeria to an international body like the un1 the pdp certainly has no shred of evidence to make such an allegation. these are comments driven by tribalism and that age-old trick of balkanisation in a bid to score political points. this should not surprise anyone given the politics of anger violence and polarisation that are the stock-in-trade of the pdp1 the various lengths to which president buhari has gone to end the spate of killings such as mobilising state resources against the attackers approving the setting up of new police and army formations in the affected areas and the recruitment of thousands into the police and other arms of the military are a few of the several steps taken which a more reasonable opposition will acknowledge1 what can president buhari possibly gain from the killings there is no intelligent angle from which you analyse the matter and see any possible gain for this government in the wanton destruction of life and property going on. for the new pdp leadership on the other hand incapable of thinking big about the nation they see and treat the unfortunate spate of killing of innocent nigerians as political gift about which they seem very happy to cite as the basis for a return to power. they feel bad at1

Former President Lula vows to contest Brazils elections from jail
News & Trends •
brazils former president luiz inacio lula da silva says he is very much a candidate in the elections coming up in october despite having been in jail for a month the newspaper folha de sao paulo reported monday1 the message was given by theologian leonardo boff who visited lula in prison in the southern city of curitiba1 lula will only renounce his candidacy if it is proven that he owned a penthouse which he allegedly renovated in a corrupt deal according to boff1 he wants to return to power to give a central place to brazilian policies for the poor boff was quoted as saying1 lula was jailed on april 8 after being sentenced to 12 years for corruption and money-laundering in connection with the renovation of a beachside penthouse1 the renovation was bankrolled by a company seeking contracts with the state oil giant petrobras1 lulas lawyers have launched an appeal process in an attempt to overturn his conviction so he can contest the october 7 elections. opinion polls indicate he would win these with a large majority if he were to run1 lulas workers party has said it has no plan b in case he is not allowed to represent it in the elections. however brazils electoral tribunal is expected to bar him from the poll1

Iran planning to launch barrage of missiles against Israel
News & Trends •
another possible group tamimi said was a palestinian organization linked to hezbollah and the irgc such as the force of return which is currently fighting for the regime of bashar assad in the yarmouk camp outside damascus1 israel is bracing for a barrage of missiles to be launched toward military positions along its northern front from syria by shiite militias trained and funded by irans revolutionary guard corps1 israel has allegedly uncovered involvement by hezbollah commanders and senior operatives from shiite militias in the planning of the retaliatory strike1 it is believed these militias along with experts from hezbollah under the command of the irgcs quds force commander maj.-gen. qassem soleimani will launch precision-guided missiles or armed drones from a base in syria1 the idea is to use heavy iranian missiles including the fateh-110 under the command and with the advisory work of hezbollah but without an irgc presence channel 10 reported on sunday night adding that hezbollah members from lebanon have been brought to syria to train shiite militia members for the attack1 while military officials have briefed mayors across the country on the latest developments the heads of local councils in northern israel have told residents there have been no special instructions or precautions issued1 while hezbollah and the irgc are the only groups that have the weapons and know-how to launch such an attack it is believed the missiles will be launched by one of the many shiite militia groups deployed in syria to give tehran the ability to deny their role1 14 killed in alleged israeli airstrike on syrian airbase april 10 2018 reuters1 according to aymenn jawad al-tamimi a research fellow at the middle east forum there are several key candidates who might launch the missile barrage for iran1 the syrian civil war has led to the expansion of the irgcs network of regional clients tamimi told the jerusalem post1 [there are] a variety of groups that could possibly strike israel on its behalf such as one of the many new syrian hezbollah groups integrated into the registers of the syrian armed forces or one of the iraqi groups that emerged during the war like harakat al-nujaba and its golan liberation brigade1 iran is reportedly very determined to carry out an attack. intelligence reports have indicated such an attack is in the advanced planning stages and might soon be executed as iran vowed to do in retaliation for an alleged israeli air strike against the t4 airbase near homs used by the irgc two months ago1 but it still remains the case that lebanons hezbollah which maintains some bases in syria is the most likely and capable of carrying out an attack tamimi said1 according to michael horowitz senior regional analyst at le beck a middle east-based geopolitical consultancy group having hezbollah carry out the attack would go against the plans by tehran which is said to be trying to avoid full-fledged war with israel1 this would defeat the purpose of using shiite militias which in my opinion was meant to enable iran to respond without actually provoking an escalation horowitz told the post1 in recent months israel has have identified and released pictures of several air bases throughout syria it said are being used by iranian forces. the pictures have been released to the media in an effort to deter iran from carrying out their strike as those bases would likely be targeted by israel in response1 according to horowitz israel chose to publish such threats to send the message that it will see any attack coming from an iranian-backed group as one actually coming from iran and thus will respond in kind1 tensions have risen dramatically between the two arch-enemies recently. in late april ambassador to the united nations danny danon told the un security council that there were over 80000 extremists from all over the middle east who are members of shia militias in syria under iranian control1 israeli officials have been warning of iranian entrenchment on the golan heights an area of key strategic importance for the jewish state. they have stressed that such activity is a red line for jerusalem. officials have also said the northern border is no longer considered two separate entities but one continuous front1 in february oc northern command maj.-gen. amit fisher warned not only of the iranian entrenchment across the border but also of the return of syrian troops to an area which was relatively quiet for close to six years while under the control of rebels1 we must prepare ourselves operationally and in terms of intelligence for the growing threat the return of the syrian army and iranian forces hezbollah and others he said1 source jerusalem post1

Assault allegations: New York attorney general resigns
News & Trends •
we have never seen anything as despicable as what weve seen right here he added1 new york attorney general eric schneiderman who has long been outspoken in his defence of womens rights resigned monday after denying allegations he had physically abused four women1 four women with whom he was romantically involved had accused the 63-year-old of non-consensual physical violence the new yorker magazine reported earlier monday leading new york governor andrew cuomo to call for the lawyers resignation1 michelle manning barish and tanya selvaratnam the two women who went on record with the magazine said they sought medical treatment after schneiderman choked them and slapped them hard across the ear and face1 they did not report the alleged abuse to the police with schneiderman reportedly threatening to kill them if they broke up with him1 he denied the allegations in a statement to dpa1 in the privacy of intimate relationships i have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. i have not assaulted anyone. i have never engaged in non-consensual sex which is i line i would not cross schneiderman said1 the attorney general made headlines in february after filing a lawsuit against disgraced hollywood producer harvey weinstein who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault and by dozens of women which he denies1 they knew what was happening they know how pervasive it was. and yet they did nothing schneiderman told reporters in manhattan at the time1 while these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office they will effectively prevent me from leading the offices work at this critical time schneiderman said in a statement1 under instruction from governor cuomo schneiderman in march began investigating manhattan district attorney cyrus vance jr for his involvement in a 2015 decision not to prosecute weinstein1 it is of great concern that sexual assault cases have not been pursued with full vigour by our criminal justice system cuomo said in a statement at the time1 the district attorneys office reportedly told nbc late monday that it had begun investigating schneiderman over the allegations in the new yorker1 schneidermans ex-wife jennifer cunningham said she found it impossible to believe the accusations1 ive known eric for nearly 35 years as a husband father and friend. these allegations are completely inconsistent with the man i know who has always been someone of the highest character outstanding values and a loving father she said in a statement1 manning barishs former boyfriend novelist salman rushdie told the new yorker that schneidermans behaviour crossed a line1 she called me and told me he had hit her rushdie was quoted as saying1 schneiderman served in the new york senate from 1998 to 2010 before becoming the states 65th attorney general in 2011. he was re-elected in 2014 and rose to recent prominence as a champion of feminist causes. dpanan1

Police confirm attack on residence of District Head in Plateau
News & Trends •
by polycarp auta1 the plateau police command on tuesday confirmed the attack on the residence of john dalyop the district head of gashish in riyom local government area of the state1 the commands spokesman asp terna tyopev told the news agency of nigeria nan in jos that the attack was carried out by some armed hoodlums on sunday at about 10 p.m1 tyopev who could not immediately confirm if there was any casualty however said that the traditional rulers residence and a vehicle were burnt1 immediately we received information of the attack the divisional police officer dpo in riyom mobilised the divisional crime officer dco to the scene1 on arrival it was discovered that the gunmen who are not yet known razed down the residence of the chief and also burnt to ashes a peugeot 406 vehicle1 though no life was lost the district head had shock and was rushed to the jos university teaching hospital juth where he is receiving treatment he said1 tyopev said that normalcy had returned to the area adding that investigations were ongoing for possible arrest and prosecution of those behind the crime1 he urged the residents of the area to be calm and law abiding1

Imo and Zamfara state Governors update President Buhari on Ward Congresses
News & Trends •
imo and zamfara state governors update president buhari on ward congresses1 apc ward congresses1