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Crisis rocks Ekiti delegates congress of PDP
News & Trends •
the major gladiators are governor fayose former minister of works mr. dayo adeyeye and senator representing ekiti south sen. abiodun olujimi3 by ariwodola idowu3 aluko was beaten up by persons suspected to be political thugs over allegation that he was working against ikere agenda fashioned by gov. ayo fayose in support of his deputy prof kolapo olusola3 aluko who led a group of youth to the secretariat of the party to register his protest over alleged subversion of the oppositions will was chased away from the congress3 the supporter of former works minister mr dayo adeyeye was beaten with canes and cudgels and his sparkling apparel heavily stained3 aluko accused the deputy governor and a member of the house of assembly representing ikere constituency 1 mr. wale ayeni as the masterminds of the attack3 our group won election at ogbonjana ward 7 and we were rejoicing only for these thugs to pounce on me and started beating me3 i have reported the case to the police and proper action will be taken against the sponsors he added3 the fragile peace brokered recently in the party broke down as the political gladiators squared up in virtually all the 177 wards where elected delegates were expected to emerge preparatory for the may 8 governorship primary3 crisis on saturday rocked the delegates congress of the peoples democratic party pdp in ekiti leading to an attack on a former chairman of ikere local gvernment mr. mr banji aluko3 they engaged in battle of wits in the delegates election3 while fayose is backing his deputy olusola to succeed him in the july 14 governorship poll the duo of adeyeye and olujimi were also contesting the same seat3 adeyeye described the congress as a charade calling for outright cancellation of the exercise to prevent anarchy3 adeyeye said the election was brazenly manipulated in all the 177 wards accusing the leaders of pdp ad hoc committees sent to the 16 local governments of diverting the materials meant for the election3 former senate president david mark led other top hierarchy of the party to conduct the congress3 the national chairman of the pdp chief uche secondus and members of the national working committee as well as senator mark were in ado ekiti last wednesday to mediate between the opposing camps3 tension was particularly high in ikere ekiti hometown of the fayoses deputy as factions fought over the control of the ikere local government delegates in all the eleven wards in the council3 adeyeye who spoke through his media assistant niyi ojo said there was no election anywhere in the state. those loyal to fayose sat somewhere and wrote the list of delegates3 what really marvelled us was that the committees sent by the national headquarters to conduct the election didnt go to the wards they diverted he alleged nan3 -
Buhari returns to Abuja from London
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kifordu said nigeria is attractive to investors because of buharis fight against corruption in the country4 he claimed that the previous administration gave room for rot and corrupt activities4 we have a president in nigeria that people can look at and trust that if i invest in nigeria my investment will not be stolen4 when we talk of security he has done security in terms of boko haram and in terms of the niger delta he said4 explaining further how president buhari is resetting the country kifordu said it is the primary role of the police and not the military to protect nigerian citizens and president buhari is enforcing this4 the police is the number one organisation that takes care of our security. it is only when we are under attack that the military comes in4 in past years we have seen the issue when the military jumps on board without paying regard to the police. then suddenly when something happens in nigeria mr president says deploy the police people are saying dont deploy the police4 however an earlier statement in abuja by the presidents senior special assistant on media and publicity malam garba shehu said the shell investment ventures would lay the foundation for the next 20 years production and domestic gas supply bringing with it all the attendant benefits both to the economy and the wider society3 but like oliver twist we ask for more investments. we are encouraging more british companies to come to nigeria3 we appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our military particularly in the war against insurgency but we want to also continue to work with you on trade and investment3 buhari also briefed the prime minister on the strides in agriculture which he said had put nigeria firmly on the road to food self-sufficiency3 i am very pleased with the successes in agriculture. we have cut rice importation by about 90 per cent made lots of savings of foreign exchange and generated employment3 people had rushed to the cities to get oil money at the expense of farming. but luckily they are now going back to the farms. even professionals are going back to the land3 we are making steady progress on the road to food security he said3 the president recalled that the all progressives congress-led government had campaigned on three major issues to secure the country revive the economy and fight corruption3 according to him as the 2019 general election approaches politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls while he is bothered more about security and the economy3 we have elections next year politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls but i am bothered more about security and the economy he stressed3 prime minister may in her remarks said britain would continue to work with nigeria in the areas of training and equipping the military3 she also said that her country would continue to assist nigeria on the rehabilitation of abducted schoolgirls freed from by boko haram3 on april 18 president buhari delivered his keynote address at the commonwealth business forum at guildhall london where he enjoined leaders of the commonwealth to avoid trade wars and work collectively to preserve the global trading order3 the commonwealth business forum cbf with the theme making business easier between commonwealth countries was part of events at this years commonwealth heads of state meeting chogm- 253 president buhari said if we are to make business easier between our countries and going beyond the commonwealth we must avoid trade wars and work collectively to preserve the global trading order support regional initiatives as well as support domestic structural reforms that focus on the priorities of individual countries3 he reiterated his belief in wealth creation and employment opportunities within the commonwealth3 president buhari called on the members of the commonwealth business forum and prospective investors to participate in the 2018 uknigeria trade and investment forum at the london stock exchange3 the president also met with the chief executive officer of royal dutch shell plc mr ben van beurden in connection with shell and other partners plan to invest 15b in nigerias oil industry3 nan observed that no statement was issued on the outcome of the meeting which was held behind closed doors3 the president on april 9 left abuja for london after he announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2019 general election3 president buhari also met with the archbishop of canterbury his grace justin welby and chieftain of the all progressives congress apc asiwaju bola tinubu in london3 archbishop welby said it was always a delight to see president buhari whom i have tremendous respect for3 you have my best wishes on your recent decision. i read your declaration speech3 we are neutral as a church but we will pray for you. great statesmen are those who run for the good of their country. we will be praying for you3 the archbishop presented president buhari with a copy of his recent book reimagining britain. foundations for hope3 president buhari on april 15 received members of the buhari diaspora support organisation led by mr charles sylvester. he reassured the group that his administration would always justify the trust and confidence reposed in it by nigerians3 he saidwe will do our best to justify your trust in us and that confidence wont be abused3 i am happy that people like you are here on your own defending the country. you have shown courage and sacrifice3 i assure you that your confidence in us wont be abused we will do our best to justify it3 president buhari also said that nigeria was gifted with tremendous human and natural resources but regretted that the failure of some of the leadership we had in the past led to our not being able to capitalise on resources to improve the lot of the people3 the president said his administration has not done too badly benchmarked against the state of the nation in 20153 he explained that government was doing its best to recover looted funds noting however that it was impossible to identify and recover all the loots3 nan reports that the presidents visit to london witnessed various rallies in support of his administration3 on april 20 some nigerians converged in front of the nigerian high commission in london to rally in support of the apc-led federal government3 the president is resetting the country on the path of growth and development said mr. stephen kifordu from delta state the leader of the group3 according to him there is no credible alternative to buhari and vice president yemi osinbajo in the 2019 election noting that the group represents the aspiration of many nigerians who want progress for nigeria3 president muhammadu buhari has returned to abuja after his visit to the united kingdom where he held bilateral talks on nigeria british relations and also participated in the commonwealth heads of government meeting chogm3 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the presidential aircraft which left london at about 1p.m.nigerian time landed at the presidential wing of the nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja at about 7.10p.m3 president buhari was received at the airport by service chiefs minister of the federal capital territory alhaji muhammed bello and chief of staff to the president malam abba kyari3 others at the airport to welcome the president included the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity malam garba shehu and other presidential aides3 while in london president buhari on april 16 held bilateral talks with british prime minister theresa may where he asked for more british investments in nigeria3 buhari commended british companies unilever cadbury and many others3 the president noted that the companies had stood with nigeria through thick and thin. he said they remained in nigeria even when the country fought a civil war3 president buhari is resetting our country. he is bringing us back to the way things should be3 this support rally came 24 hours after a group bearing biafran flags staged a protest in front of the commonwealth house in westminister london3 -
Manchester United break Spurs hearts for FA Cup final
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manchester united inflicted more fa cup semi-final misery on tottenham hotspur as they recovered from a poor start to win 2-1 at a packed wembley stadium on saturday3 tottenham playing on the ground which has been their temporary home all season got off to a dream start3 dele alli scored from close range but alexis sanchez equalised with a header and ander herrera fired uniteds winner midway through the second half3 while united can look forward to the prospect of finishing the season with some silverware tottenham must pick themselves up after an eighth successive fa cup semi-final loss3 the usual spursy argument will be made and there will come a point when this undoubtedly talented side must back up the bouquets it gets with actual trophies the true currency of success3 spurs flew out of the blocks but simply could not put united away and there was an air of desperation and frustration3 there was also the questions of pochettinos decision to persist with michel vorm in goal and keep first-choice hugo lloris on the bench3 while it is harsh to place defeat solely at vorms door he certainly could have done better with herreras winner3 harry kane could not find his usual sure touch and son heung-min superb this season had one of those days when nothing went right3 standing between united and a record-equalling 13th fa cup triumph will be chelsea or southampton who play on sunday3 -
Sex-for-marks girl Monica Osagie speaks
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let the university do what they are supposed to do by giving her proper invitation. they have all her records because she is their student. the panel has never invited her so when the panel invites her today she would come2 miss monica osagie the student at the centre of a sex-for-mark scandal rocking the obafemi awolowo university ile-ife has denied shunning an invitation by the panel probing her audio tapes of her conversation with disgraced professor richard akindele who demanded five rounds of sex for marks2 her proxy abiola akiyode-afolabi founder women advocates research and documentation centre a non-profit organisation said that the university did not at any point invite miss osagie to face the panel2 she challenged the university to bring evidence that she was formally invited by any means to appear before the panel2 before the matter went viral the university was aware of it and they did not do anything. if the case did not go viral the university probably would have not done anything and it would have been swept under the carpet2 i think that we should focus more on whether the act of that professor amounts to sexual harassment whether it was a breach of the schools code of conduct whether it was a breach of terms of contract for lecturers or whether he abused the relationship that should exist between lecturers and students2 afolabi stated that the university should be responsible and responsive in addressing issues of sexual harassment because miss osagie is ready to come out whenever the university extends a proper invitation to her adding that it appears the school wants to protect its reputation at the expense of the young lady2 she made the denial via proxy and said she was awaiting an invitation by the panel the saturday sun newspaper reported2 akiyode-afolabi further noted that even though miss osagie made the recording to serve as evidence against her lecturer she didnt release the audio. she got the evidence and it was given to one or two people when she was seeking for help. so definitely one of them released the audio and she cannot be blamed for it2 akiyode-afolabi stated that there has not been any threat made against monica. we are not comfortable with the university saying they invited her when they didnt invite her. her name is already out the whole world is aware so we cannot say because of security and safety we wont allow the truth to prevail2 according to the panel report only the suspended lecturer honoured its invitation while the lady neither showed up before the panel to defend her case nor wrote a formal complaint to the institution to defend the leaked audio2 we will like to reiterate that oau will continue to do everything legally and morally acceptable in pursuance of its avowed commitment to zero tolerance for sexual harassment intimidation and or coercion the universitys vice-chancellor prof eyitope ogunbodede said in a statement2 akiyode-afolabi said monica hasnt done anything wrong and is unapologetic about what she did2 i think society should focus on what really happened and whether such should happen in higher institutions of learning and not about what she did2 -
Al Jazeera: Buharis school feeding revolutionises education
News & Trends •
this has created a well-structured market for the farmers since they now know how much to produce and when it is needed said tinuola shopeju oguns programme manager3 dozens of children cheer at the baptist nursery and primary school compound in bode-ijaiye suburb of abeokuta city the capital of ogun state as their friends try to outpace each other on a 100-metre dash in a dusty field3 away from the laughter and shouts of encouragement on the field four female cooks with aprons on top of traditional indigo-dyed adire gowns ladle porridge mixed with vegetables and fish into hundreds of stainless steel bowls with lids3 as the cooks ambled into a nearby classroom and began to place bowls on wooden desks the 64 pupils remained quiet. after the dish was served the students stood and began to sing bless this food o lord for christ sake amen. then they sat down and began to eat3 i want to say a big thank you to the federal government of nigeria and the ogun state government for providing food for us 10-year-old ramon samuel told al jazeera before opening the lid on his bowl3 samuel and his classmates receive free meals every school day thanks to a national programme which aims to provide nutritious meals to young schoolchildren in order to increase enrolment help them stay in school and reduce malnutrition particularly among children from low-income families3 the home grown school feeding initiative a movement launched in 2003 is driven by national governments to improve the lives of schoolchildren and farmers alike. it is practised across the continent including in ghana kenya mali ethiopia namibia botswana ivory coast and south africa3 the concept is not confined just to the continent as brazil japan and italy have similar programmes aimed at keeping children fed while promoting local agriculture3 though the scheme began in december 2016 in nigeria it is not entirely new here. nigerias former president olusegun obasanjo launched a pilot programme in 13 states in september 2005 but after a few years only southwestern osun state maintained it3 the school programme operates in 20 out of nigerias 36 states and has fed nearly seven million pupils in about 40000 public schools the programmes manager abimbola adesanmi told al jazeera. she said more than 68800 jobs have also been created through the initiative3 the plan was reintroduced by president muhammadu buhari in december 2016 as part of his administrations multi-million dollar national social investment programmes to address poverty hunger and unemployment in nigeria3 adeleke adewolu is the commissioner of special duties and inter-governmental affairs in ogun state. he said the meals are not only nutritious but also serve as a social safety net for low-income households3 if children eat nutritious food it will enhance their learning ability and this will have a knock-on effect on their cognitive development and help to encourage enrolment and retention adewolu said3 the programme provides income for thousands of people including farmers cooks recruited from local communities and those involved in the processing and transportation of food he said3 in ogun the coordinating team collaborated with the ministries of education health agriculture womens affairs and community development to divide farmers into cooperative groups and link them to about 3000 cooks who were trained and deployed to more than 1500 schools. farmers received training in seed quality and fertilisers to grow enough food to meet demand3 the cooks who are responsible for procuring ingredients for the daily meals are given a budget of 70 naira 0.23 per child each day. with help from the state government they received 57000 naira 188 in loans to purchase water drums pots bowls uniforms and cooking utensils3 it gives me great joy to help in feeding the children in baptist primary school said omole imoleayo who left a career in banking to join the programme. we receive our payment without delays and i have more time for my family now3 sourcing foods locally helps millions of small farmers who produce up to 90 percent of nigerias food but are mired in grinding poverty3 ogun state inter-school football and track-and-field competitions are just around the corner and teachers want to prepare the children physically and mentally for the task ahead3 shopeju said the initiative is a perfect model for addressing food insecurity and improving local agricultural production in nigeria which imports about 20bn worth of food annually3 the menu differs daily and every state adopts its own meal schedule. in ogun schoolchildren get rice stewed fish and beans but also delicacies such as ikokore a dish made from water yam3 deworming nigerias programme also offers health services including deworming children in public primary schools across 17 states. adesanmi said worms affect the health of schoolchildren potentially causing anaemia malnourishment and the impairment of mental and physical development.3 in the short term children with worms may be too sick or tired to attend school or to concentrate. basically we do not want to feed worms rather children she said3 teachers in ogun say the programme is not only helping young students stay in school but also attracting those from private schools. ogunkola adefunke deborah headteacher of baptist nursery and primary school said her pupils now come to classes regularly and are very punctual3 we have over 80 new pupils most of them came from private schools she said. before you hardly see parents coming here but now they come to ask us why their kids beg to be brought to school early and why they always return home with their pocket money3 deborah shared an anecdote of a boy who refused to go home even when he was sick because he didnt want to miss a meal3 rebecca faronbi 72 was devastated when her son died and left her with four grandchildren to take care of. her three-year-old granddaughter now receives the free meals at school3 until the feeding programme started i was struggling to feed the children. my granddaughter wakes me up before 7am and tells me she wants to go to school because she will get free food there faronbi said in the yoruba language which is widely spoken in southwestern nigeria3 rampant malnutrition research has shown that 42 percent of schoolchildren in nigeria suffer malnutrition and this has caused a high rate of absenteeism.3 unicef estimates about 2.5 million nigerian children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition each year with about half a million children dying from it3 with a quality assurance tracking system known as trackwithus the programme handlers have urged nigerians to visit nearby schools to check if meals meet the required standards and report any cooks who arent serving proper food3 several cooks were fired in southern cross river state last november for serving biscuits in lieu of meals3 the campaign has helped us track activities in schools and strengthened our existing monitoring and supervision mechanism adesanmi said. since there is a reward and sanction system in place we have been able to name and shame cooks who do not comply with our standards3 a major barrier to the programmes success is the inability of state governments to scale up the meals to senior classes in elementary schools. the federal government caters to pupils from grades 1 to 3 but with many states struggling to pay salaries pupils in higher grades are not being fed3 experts hope the government will not repeat the same mistakes made a decade ago when a combination of inadequate funding poor logistics and corruption crippled the scheme3 we need to promote community participation community ownership community implementation community monitoring strong institutional arrangements and multi-sector partnerships adesanmi said3 -
UN deplores Cameroons forced return of Nigerian refugees
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nan5 the office of the un high commissioner for refugees unhcr has deplored cameroons forced return of nigerian refugees to the boko haram violence areas2 they are also a significant setback to progress previously achieved by cameroon in granting asylum to nigerian civilians fleeing boko haram violence2 despite such counselling nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers who fled boko haram violence continue to be returned from cameroon unhcr said2 it said the action underscored the need to accord international protection to those in need2 we appeal once again to the authorities in cameroon to refrain from further forced returns and to ensure protection to those fleeing insecurity and persecution in nigeria2 this is in accordance with cameroons national and international obligations unhcr said2 since the beginning of 2018 385 nigerians refugees and asylum-seekers had been forcibly returned from cameroon the majority of them in march including 160 on april 10 and a further 118 a week later2 in total the un agency has registered some 87600 nigerian refugees in the country2 properly functioning screening registration and asylum systems help safeguard host country security it said2 unhcr reiterated its support to the government of cameroon to ensure that all those seeking international protection have access to efficient screening and registration procedures as well as appropriate reception arrangements2 it had earlier appealed to the government of cameroon to respect human rights of all citizens for the sake of peace2 it said the forced returns are in violation of the principle of no forced returns or non-refoulement2 canhandula said the instability in anglophone cameroon had forced thousands of citizens to seek asylum in nigeria2 he said cameroonian government should explore alternative ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace and that both parties should respect human rights2 unhcr urges the government of cameroon to explore ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace2 we also reiterate the need for respect of human rights by all parties involved canhandula said2 he said the refugees complained of exclusion from the national life by the cameroonian government political processes and important positions in the government2 longstanding grievances against the central government in cameroon took a new turn in 2016 when a group of anglophone cameroonians triggered civil society-led demonstrations2 this was based on allegations of marginalisation by the authorities particularly in the education and justice system2 initially the protesters called for the return to a federal system of government and greater autonomy2 however on oct. 1 2017 the separatist movement ambazonia governing council declared unilaterally the independence of cameroons northwest and southwest regions2 tensions ensued with government security forces clashing with movement resulting in injuries and deaths and leading to an influx of english-speaking cameroonians into nigeria2 critics accused government forces of killing dozens of civilians while the administration is also alleging that suspected separatists have killed more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified in october2 the commissions representative in nigeria and ecowas mr antonio canhandula made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on monday in makurdi2 -
Bandits kill 30 in fresh attacks in Zamfara
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bandits have again killed about 30 people in kabaro and danmani villages in maru local government area of zamfara state2 a witness mr shuaibu kabaro told the news agency of nigeria nan in maru that the suspected gunmen attacked the two communities and the incident was immediately reported to the security agents2 he said three of the bandits were arrested by security agents following the prompt report of the incident to the security personnel2 shuaibu said the gunmen in turn went and mobilized more gangs and returned in multitudes to carry out the attack which left about 30 dead and many others injured in the two communities2 the maru local government council chairman alhaji salisu dangulbi and the police public relations officer in the state dsp mohammed shehu both confirmed the killings2 according to them many of the villagers deserted their homes for fear of further attacks which now characterized the mode of operations of the gunmen2 with the presence of security personnel now in the area many of the villagers had returned home the two officials confirmed in separate interviews2 the ppro further explained that units of mobile police working with the military and other security agents were immediately mobilised to the affected areas and that peace and normalcy have been restored2 the police spokesman said that the actual number of those killed was still being ascertained and until this is done l cannot give you actual figure at the moment2 -
Stolen Senate mace abandoned at Abuja City Gate
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hoodlums that sensationally stole the senate mace on wednesday abandoned it under the flyover before the abuja city gate the police said early today1 the police said they were informed by a passerby who saw it and alerted them leading to its recovery1 the police said they were still in pursuit of the mace thieves and would ensure that they are brought to justice1 while a discreet investigation into the incident is still ongoing to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice the nigeria police force appreciates the spirited members of the public most especially motorists within abuja metropolis for their support cooperation and timely information during the rigorous stop and search operations for the recovery of the mace said police superintendent aremu adeniran the deputy police pro1 adenirans statement mentioned the efforts by the police teams prior to the recovery of the mace1 igp ibrahim idris immediately instituted a high-powered police investigation and intelligence team coordinated by the igp monitoring unit of the force and further directed a total lock-down of the federal capital territory with intense surveillance patrol and thorough stop and search operations at various police check-points with a view to arresting perpetrators and possible recovery of the stolen mace1 the police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spotsflashpoints stop and search operations visibility and confidence building patrols intelligence gathering which forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the mace at a point under the flyover before the city gate where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the police1 -
OAU unveils Monica Osagie as student in sex-for-marks scandal
News & Trends •
the report indicated that many other witnesses appeared before the committee and gave useful evidence1 the authorities of the obafemi awolowo university ile-ife today said monica osagie was the student involved in a sex-for-marks scandal that has sorely questioned the morality of university dons in the training of young nigerians1 he also announced the suspension of prof. richard akindele the don involved in the salacious scandal1 ogunbodedes action followed the submission of the interim report of the committee set up to investigate the allegation of sexual harassment revealed in audio recording1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that a recorded audio conversation of the don demanding for sex to increase the marks of a female undergraduate had gone viral1 listen to the scandalous audio1 the committee observed that a prima facie case of inappropriate relationship with the female student had been established against professor richard i. akindele1 the vice chancellor said that though the investigative committee invited both akindele and osagie only akindele appeared before the committee1 prof. eyitope ogunbodede the vice chancellor of obafemi awolowo university oau said monica osetobe osagie wasstudying for a masters in business administration1 the university is making efforts to ensure that miss osagie appears before the investigative committee so that it can hear her side of the case and promptly submit its final report he said1 explaining why the lecturer was yet to be sacked the vice chancellor said that the provisions of the relevant statute of the university must be followed1 under the provisions of the relevant statute of the university an academic staff can only be dismissed from service or have his or her appointment terminated only when the matter on which consideration is being given has been investigated by a joint council and senate committee1 also the staff has appeared before the committee with his or her counsel if so desired1 this procedure is the minimum requirement of the law and regulations of the university1 it should therefore be noted that the suspension of professor richard i. akindele is on the basis of the findings of the investigative committee that he is prima facie liable1 this decision will abide pending the final determination of the case by the council of the university the vice chancellor said1 ogunbodede said that the university would continue to do everything legally and morally acceptable in pursuance of its avowed commitment to zero tolerance for sexual harassment intimidation and or coercion1 -
Nigerians in UK rally support for Buhari
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the police is the number one organisation that takes care of our security. it is only when we are under attack that the military comes in4 kifordu said nigeria is attractive to investors because of buharis fight against corruption in the country4 he claimed that the previous administration gave room for rot and corrupt activities4 we have a president in nigeria that people can look at and trust that if i invest in nigeria my investment will not be stolen4 when we talk of security he has done security in terms of boko haram and in terms of the niger delta he said4 explaining further how president buhari is resetting the country kifordu said it is the primary role of the police and not the military to protect nigerian citizens and president buhari is enforcing this4 in past years we have seen the issue when the military jumps on board without paying regard to the police. then suddenly when something happens in nigeria mr president says deploy the police people are saying dont deploy the police4 some nigerians on friday converged in front of the nigerian high commission in london to rally in support of president muhammadu buhari1 the president is resetting the country on the part of growth and development mr. stephen kifordu from delta state who is the leader of the group said on friday1 he said there is no credible alternative to buhari and vice president yemi osinbajo in the 2019 election noting that the group represents the aspiration of many nigerians who want progress for nigeria1 president buhari is re-ordering up he is resetting our country. he is bringing us back to the way things should be1 this support rally came exactly a day after a group of people bearing biafran flags staged a protest in front of the commonwealth house in westminister london1 the demonstration took place as president buhari and other leaders of the commonwealth nations meet on thursday1 some of the protesters were seen carrying banners bear inscriptions of biafra while others are calling for a referendum1 president buhari on thursday attended the executive session of the commonwealth heads of government meeting chogm in the united kingdom1 the meeting which held at the lancaster house in london was declared open by queen elizabeth ii1 -
Al Jazeera: Buharis school feeding revolutionises education
News & Trends •
this has created a well-structured market for the farmers since they now know how much to produce and when it is needed said tinuola shopeju oguns programme manager3 dozens of children cheer at the baptist nursery and primary school compound in bode-ijaiye suburb of abeokuta city the capital of ogun state as their friends try to outpace each other on a 100-metre dash in a dusty field3 away from the laughter and shouts of encouragement on the field four female cooks with aprons on top of traditional indigo-dyed adire gowns ladle porridge mixed with vegetables and fish into hundreds of stainless steel bowls with lids3 as the cooks ambled into a nearby classroom and began to place bowls on wooden desks the 64 pupils remained quiet. after the dish was served the students stood and began to sing bless this food o lord for christ sake amen. then they sat down and began to eat3 i want to say a big thank you to the federal government of nigeria and the ogun state government for providing food for us 10-year-old ramon samuel told al jazeera before opening the lid on his bowl3 samuel and his classmates receive free meals every school day thanks to a national programme which aims to provide nutritious meals to young schoolchildren in order to increase enrolment help them stay in school and reduce malnutrition particularly among children from low-income families3 the home grown school feeding initiative a movement launched in 2003 is driven by national governments to improve the lives of schoolchildren and farmers alike. it is practised across the continent including in ghana kenya mali ethiopia namibia botswana ivory coast and south africa3 the concept is not confined just to the continent as brazil japan and italy have similar programmes aimed at keeping children fed while promoting local agriculture3 though the scheme began in december 2016 in nigeria it is not entirely new here. nigerias former president olusegun obasanjo launched a pilot programme in 13 states in september 2005 but after a few years only southwestern osun state maintained it3 the school programme operates in 20 out of nigerias 36 states and has fed nearly seven million pupils in about 40000 public schools the programmes manager abimbola adesanmi told al jazeera. she said more than 68800 jobs have also been created through the initiative3 the plan was reintroduced by president muhammadu buhari in december 2016 as part of his administrations multi-million dollar national social investment programmes to address poverty hunger and unemployment in nigeria3 adeleke adewolu is the commissioner of special duties and inter-governmental affairs in ogun state. he said the meals are not only nutritious but also serve as a social safety net for low-income households3 if children eat nutritious food it will enhance their learning ability and this will have a knock-on effect on their cognitive development and help to encourage enrolment and retention adewolu said3 the programme provides income for thousands of people including farmers cooks recruited from local communities and those involved in the processing and transportation of food he said3 in ogun the coordinating team collaborated with the ministries of education health agriculture womens affairs and community development to divide farmers into cooperative groups and link them to about 3000 cooks who were trained and deployed to more than 1500 schools. farmers received training in seed quality and fertilisers to grow enough food to meet demand3 the cooks who are responsible for procuring ingredients for the daily meals are given a budget of 70 naira 0.23 per child each day. with help from the state government they received 57000 naira 188 in loans to purchase water drums pots bowls uniforms and cooking utensils3 it gives me great joy to help in feeding the children in baptist primary school said omole imoleayo who left a career in banking to join the programme. we receive our payment without delays and i have more time for my family now3 sourcing foods locally helps millions of small farmers who produce up to 90 percent of nigerias food but are mired in grinding poverty3 ogun state inter-school football and track-and-field competitions are just around the corner and teachers want to prepare the children physically and mentally for the task ahead3 shopeju said the initiative is a perfect model for addressing food insecurity and improving local agricultural production in nigeria which imports about 20bn worth of food annually3 the menu differs daily and every state adopts its own meal schedule. in ogun schoolchildren get rice stewed fish and beans but also delicacies such as ikokore a dish made from water yam3 deworming nigerias programme also offers health services including deworming children in public primary schools across 17 states. adesanmi said worms affect the health of schoolchildren potentially causing anaemia malnourishment and the impairment of mental and physical development.3 in the short term children with worms may be too sick or tired to attend school or to concentrate. basically we do not want to feed worms rather children she said3 teachers in ogun say the programme is not only helping young students stay in school but also attracting those from private schools. ogunkola adefunke deborah headteacher of baptist nursery and primary school said her pupils now come to classes regularly and are very punctual3 we have over 80 new pupils most of them came from private schools she said. before you hardly see parents coming here but now they come to ask us why their kids beg to be brought to school early and why they always return home with their pocket money3 deborah shared an anecdote of a boy who refused to go home even when he was sick because he didnt want to miss a meal3 rebecca faronbi 72 was devastated when her son died and left her with four grandchildren to take care of. her three-year-old granddaughter now receives the free meals at school3 until the feeding programme started i was struggling to feed the children. my granddaughter wakes me up before 7am and tells me she wants to go to school because she will get free food there faronbi said in the yoruba language which is widely spoken in southwestern nigeria3 rampant malnutrition research has shown that 42 percent of schoolchildren in nigeria suffer malnutrition and this has caused a high rate of absenteeism.3 unicef estimates about 2.5 million nigerian children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition each year with about half a million children dying from it3 with a quality assurance tracking system known as trackwithus the programme handlers have urged nigerians to visit nearby schools to check if meals meet the required standards and report any cooks who arent serving proper food3 several cooks were fired in southern cross river state last november for serving biscuits in lieu of meals3 the campaign has helped us track activities in schools and strengthened our existing monitoring and supervision mechanism adesanmi said. since there is a reward and sanction system in place we have been able to name and shame cooks who do not comply with our standards3 a major barrier to the programmes success is the inability of state governments to scale up the meals to senior classes in elementary schools. the federal government caters to pupils from grades 1 to 3 but with many states struggling to pay salaries pupils in higher grades are not being fed3 experts hope the government will not repeat the same mistakes made a decade ago when a combination of inadequate funding poor logistics and corruption crippled the scheme3 we need to promote community participation community ownership community implementation community monitoring strong institutional arrangements and multi-sector partnerships adesanmi said3 -
Win 2018 World Cup, get $24m, Pinnick tells Eagles
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he also said that adequate preparation including grade a friendly matches have been secured with england and czech republic to ensure the team do well at the world cup3 he commended president muhammadu buhari for his support for the nff and the super eagles and assured that they would not let him down in russia3 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the world cup will hold from june 14 to july 15 in russia3 pinnick told newsmen in abuja on wednesday at a parley that the money was part of the agreement reached with the players to share 50-50 whatever would accrue to the country if they get to the final and lift the trophy3 i dont put players under pressure. pressure can be put on them unconsciously because we are creating enabling environment for them3 if for example we dont have money to prepare them they can now relax but now we have given them everything upfront and now they should deliver3 if today they get to the final the world cup money will be shared 50-50 between the team and the nff3 winning the final is 48 million dollars it means the team will get 24 million dollars and the football house will take the remaining 24 million dollars pinnick said3 amaju pinnick the president nigeria football federation nff has said that the super eagles stand the chance of pocketing 24 million if they play in the final of the 2018 world cup3 the nff boss further said that the glass house had already secured 2.8 million to pay the players allowances and bonuses during the mundial3 we are ready to play against england on june 2 in london in an international friendly we had a conclusive meeting with the english fa3 after the england match we will play czech republic and from there we move to russia. as it is everything is going on very well3 for the world cup i dont think we have any problem i am in touch with the technical committee. it is the desire of every nigerian to see the super eagles do well at the world cup3 we had a meeting with the team we signed a contract with them and ready to pay them 20 per cent of eight million which is what accrued to us for qualifying for the world cup3 at the end of the day it amounts to 2.8million dollars which will go to the players. the money is almost 100 per cent ready pinnick added3 pinnick also explained that the football house met with some state governors who were ready to assist the nff financially to achieve the countrys world cup dream3 emmanuel afonne2 -
Lance Armstrong agrees $5m settlement for doping fraud case
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i am glad to resolve this case and move forward with my life armstrong said in a statement2 disgraced cyclist lance armstrong has agreed to pay 5 million in order to settle his looming federal fraud case stemming from his use of performance-enhancing drugs during the tour de france his lawyers confirmed thursday2 lance armstrong today announced that he has settled the long-running false claims act case brought against him by former cyclist floyd landis and the u. s. postal service a statement from armstrong lawyer elliot peters said2 this ends all litigation against armstrong related to his 2013 admission that during his career as a professional cyclist he had used performance enhancing substances2 the washington post reported armstrong will also pay 1.65 million to cover the legal costs of former team-mate and whistleblower landis2 the postal service and landis had sought around 100 million in damages from armstrong in the trial which was due to get under way on may 72 the former superstar was due to face a trial next month over claims that he defrauded the us government when he doped while racing for his united states postal service-sponsored team2 i am particularly glad to have made peace with the postal service. while i believe that their lawsuit against me was without merit and unfair i have since 2013 tried to take full responsibility for my mistakes and make amends wherever possible2 i rode my heart out for the postal cycling team and was always especially proud to wear the red white and blue eagle on my chest when competing in the tour de france. those memories are very real and mean a lot to me2 the fallen us cycling star had battled back from cancer to win cyclings most prestigious race the tour de france a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 20052 although rumours of drug use swirled around armstrong throughout his career he never failed a test2 however his reputation imploded when the united states anti-doping agency wrapped up an investigation which concluded he had been at the heart of a sophisticated doping program throughout his career2 armstrong later confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs and was banned from all competitions for life and stripped of his seven tour titles2 -
Arsene Wenger quits Arsenal end of season
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wenger also has world manager of the year in his kitty2 arsne wenger has finally agreed to quit london club arsenal at the end of this season after years of uncertainty2 with the clubs performance in the premier league becoming increasingly disappointing this season marked the first time in 20 years that they failed to qualify for the champions league2 despite having one less competition to worry about they are currently sixth in the premier league and look certain not to achieve a top four finish hanging their only hopes on winning the europa league2 i am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the club for so many memorable years wenger said. i managed the club with full commitment and integrity2 to all the arsenal lovers take care of the values of the club2 wenger played supervised 1228 games and won 704 in his 22-year-reign as arsenals manager winning seven fa cups and seven community shields2 he won three premier league titles and also three times premier league manager of the year2 the frenchman will depart the club a year ahead of the expiration of the two year contract he signed last year despite many calling for his sack2 meanwhile gary neville has paid tribute to departing arsenal manager arsene wenger and urged supporters of all club to celebrate his reign in the clubs final five games of the season2 neville was part of the manchester united team which regularly battled with wengers arsenal during the 1990s and 2000s and has regularly commentated on his teams after becoming a pundit2 he said the frenchmans 22-year reign should be remembered in fond terms having led arsenal to three of their 13 top-flight titles an unbeaten league season in 20034 and seven fa cup successes2 arsene wenger built the best teams that i played against in english football2 the 98 team was amazing2 the biggest compliment is that he played football that made us change the way we played against them2 he now deserves the most incredible send off from all in the coming weeks2 -
Who succeeds Arsene Wenger? Vieira leads contenders
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while popular with the fans vieiras lack of top-level managerial experience would pose a huge risk in arsenals attempts to re-establish themselves as a premier league contender2 arsene wengers decision to finally step aside as arsenal manager after 22 years in charge has sparked fevered speculation over who the gunners will turn to next to succeed the frenchman2 however with one of the biggest budgets in world football and a squad boasting the talents of mesut ozil and pierre-emerick aubameyang the arsenal job remains highly sought after2 here are five contenders to take over at the emirates2 the inspirational captain of arsenals invincibles that went an entire league season unbeaten in 2003-04 vieira is a symbol of the glory years under wenger2 vieira won three league titles and three fa cups during his playing days at arsenal but has taken his first steps in management with another of his former clubs manchester city2 the frenchman took charge of citys elite development squad for 18 months before joining new york city part of a network of clubs around the world owned by the city football group2 he led nycfc to the mls playoffs in each of his two full seasons in charge but lost out in the eastern conference semi-finals on both occasions2 arsenal are struggling to qualify for next seasons champions league with victory in the europa league their only realistic route back into europes premier club competition2 rodgers has restored his reputation in just under two years at celtic with the glasgow giants on the brink of sweeping a treble of domestic trophies under the northern irishman for a second consecutive season2 the 45-year-olds three-and-a-half year spell at liverpool ended on a sour note in october 2015 but he came as close as anyone to ending their 28-year wait for a premier league title in 2013-142 celtics major shareholder dermot desmond said on friday he would not stand in rodgers way2 i dont think you can put handcuffs on anybody if they want to go to a club as good as arsenal he said. it will be brendans decision and brendans decision only2 a world cup winner loew has resisted the temptation to swap international football for the rigours of day-to-day club management and is under contract with the german federation until 20202 despite being one of the favourites for the job with the bookies loews chances are harmed by the fact he will lead germany at the world cup this summer2 arsenal chief executive ivan gazidis conceded the club are likely to favour a quick appointment with an early end to the transfer window in august leaving just three weeks between the world cup final in moscow on july 15 and the closing of the window for premier league clubs on august 92 -
Sex-for-marks girl Monica Osagie speaks
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let the university do what they are supposed to do by giving her proper invitation. they have all her records because she is their student. the panel has never invited her so when the panel invites her today she would come2 miss monica osagie the student at the centre of a sex-for-mark scandal rocking the obafemi awolowo university ile-ife has denied shunning an invitation by the panel probing her audio tapes of her conversation with disgraced professor richard akindele who demanded five rounds of sex for marks2 her proxy abiola akiyode-afolabi founder women advocates research and documentation centre a non-profit organisation said that the university did not at any point invite miss osagie to face the panel2 she challenged the university to bring evidence that she was formally invited by any means to appear before the panel2 before the matter went viral the university was aware of it and they did not do anything. if the case did not go viral the university probably would have not done anything and it would have been swept under the carpet2 i think that we should focus more on whether the act of that professor amounts to sexual harassment whether it was a breach of the schools code of conduct whether it was a breach of terms of contract for lecturers or whether he abused the relationship that should exist between lecturers and students2 afolabi stated that the university should be responsible and responsive in addressing issues of sexual harassment because miss osagie is ready to come out whenever the university extends a proper invitation to her adding that it appears the school wants to protect its reputation at the expense of the young lady2 she made the denial via proxy and said she was awaiting an invitation by the panel the saturday sun newspaper reported2 akiyode-afolabi further noted that even though miss osagie made the recording to serve as evidence against her lecturer she didnt release the audio. she got the evidence and it was given to one or two people when she was seeking for help. so definitely one of them released the audio and she cannot be blamed for it2 akiyode-afolabi stated that there has not been any threat made against monica. we are not comfortable with the university saying they invited her when they didnt invite her. her name is already out the whole world is aware so we cannot say because of security and safety we wont allow the truth to prevail2 according to the panel report only the suspended lecturer honoured its invitation while the lady neither showed up before the panel to defend her case nor wrote a formal complaint to the institution to defend the leaked audio2 we will like to reiterate that oau will continue to do everything legally and morally acceptable in pursuance of its avowed commitment to zero tolerance for sexual harassment intimidation and or coercion the universitys vice-chancellor prof eyitope ogunbodede said in a statement2 akiyode-afolabi said monica hasnt done anything wrong and is unapologetic about what she did2 i think society should focus on what really happened and whether such should happen in higher institutions of learning and not about what she did2 -
Al Jazeera: Buharis school feeding revolutionises education
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this has created a well-structured market for the farmers since they now know how much to produce and when it is needed said tinuola shopeju oguns programme manager3 dozens of children cheer at the baptist nursery and primary school compound in bode-ijaiye suburb of abeokuta city the capital of ogun state as their friends try to outpace each other on a 100-metre dash in a dusty field3 away from the laughter and shouts of encouragement on the field four female cooks with aprons on top of traditional indigo-dyed adire gowns ladle porridge mixed with vegetables and fish into hundreds of stainless steel bowls with lids3 as the cooks ambled into a nearby classroom and began to place bowls on wooden desks the 64 pupils remained quiet. after the dish was served the students stood and began to sing bless this food o lord for christ sake amen. then they sat down and began to eat3 i want to say a big thank you to the federal government of nigeria and the ogun state government for providing food for us 10-year-old ramon samuel told al jazeera before opening the lid on his bowl3 samuel and his classmates receive free meals every school day thanks to a national programme which aims to provide nutritious meals to young schoolchildren in order to increase enrolment help them stay in school and reduce malnutrition particularly among children from low-income families3 the home grown school feeding initiative a movement launched in 2003 is driven by national governments to improve the lives of schoolchildren and farmers alike. it is practised across the continent including in ghana kenya mali ethiopia namibia botswana ivory coast and south africa3 the concept is not confined just to the continent as brazil japan and italy have similar programmes aimed at keeping children fed while promoting local agriculture3 though the scheme began in december 2016 in nigeria it is not entirely new here. nigerias former president olusegun obasanjo launched a pilot programme in 13 states in september 2005 but after a few years only southwestern osun state maintained it3 the school programme operates in 20 out of nigerias 36 states and has fed nearly seven million pupils in about 40000 public schools the programmes manager abimbola adesanmi told al jazeera. she said more than 68800 jobs have also been created through the initiative3 the plan was reintroduced by president muhammadu buhari in december 2016 as part of his administrations multi-million dollar national social investment programmes to address poverty hunger and unemployment in nigeria3 adeleke adewolu is the commissioner of special duties and inter-governmental affairs in ogun state. he said the meals are not only nutritious but also serve as a social safety net for low-income households3 if children eat nutritious food it will enhance their learning ability and this will have a knock-on effect on their cognitive development and help to encourage enrolment and retention adewolu said3 the programme provides income for thousands of people including farmers cooks recruited from local communities and those involved in the processing and transportation of food he said3 in ogun the coordinating team collaborated with the ministries of education health agriculture womens affairs and community development to divide farmers into cooperative groups and link them to about 3000 cooks who were trained and deployed to more than 1500 schools. farmers received training in seed quality and fertilisers to grow enough food to meet demand3 the cooks who are responsible for procuring ingredients for the daily meals are given a budget of 70 naira 0.23 per child each day. with help from the state government they received 57000 naira 188 in loans to purchase water drums pots bowls uniforms and cooking utensils3 it gives me great joy to help in feeding the children in baptist primary school said omole imoleayo who left a career in banking to join the programme. we receive our payment without delays and i have more time for my family now3 sourcing foods locally helps millions of small farmers who produce up to 90 percent of nigerias food but are mired in grinding poverty3 ogun state inter-school football and track-and-field competitions are just around the corner and teachers want to prepare the children physically and mentally for the task ahead3 shopeju said the initiative is a perfect model for addressing food insecurity and improving local agricultural production in nigeria which imports about 20bn worth of food annually3 the menu differs daily and every state adopts its own meal schedule. in ogun schoolchildren get rice stewed fish and beans but also delicacies such as ikokore a dish made from water yam3 deworming nigerias programme also offers health services including deworming children in public primary schools across 17 states. adesanmi said worms affect the health of schoolchildren potentially causing anaemia malnourishment and the impairment of mental and physical development.3 in the short term children with worms may be too sick or tired to attend school or to concentrate. basically we do not want to feed worms rather children she said3 teachers in ogun say the programme is not only helping young students stay in school but also attracting those from private schools. ogunkola adefunke deborah headteacher of baptist nursery and primary school said her pupils now come to classes regularly and are very punctual3 we have over 80 new pupils most of them came from private schools she said. before you hardly see parents coming here but now they come to ask us why their kids beg to be brought to school early and why they always return home with their pocket money3 deborah shared an anecdote of a boy who refused to go home even when he was sick because he didnt want to miss a meal3 rebecca faronbi 72 was devastated when her son died and left her with four grandchildren to take care of. her three-year-old granddaughter now receives the free meals at school3 until the feeding programme started i was struggling to feed the children. my granddaughter wakes me up before 7am and tells me she wants to go to school because she will get free food there faronbi said in the yoruba language which is widely spoken in southwestern nigeria3 rampant malnutrition research has shown that 42 percent of schoolchildren in nigeria suffer malnutrition and this has caused a high rate of absenteeism.3 unicef estimates about 2.5 million nigerian children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition each year with about half a million children dying from it3 with a quality assurance tracking system known as trackwithus the programme handlers have urged nigerians to visit nearby schools to check if meals meet the required standards and report any cooks who arent serving proper food3 several cooks were fired in southern cross river state last november for serving biscuits in lieu of meals3 the campaign has helped us track activities in schools and strengthened our existing monitoring and supervision mechanism adesanmi said. since there is a reward and sanction system in place we have been able to name and shame cooks who do not comply with our standards3 a major barrier to the programmes success is the inability of state governments to scale up the meals to senior classes in elementary schools. the federal government caters to pupils from grades 1 to 3 but with many states struggling to pay salaries pupils in higher grades are not being fed3 experts hope the government will not repeat the same mistakes made a decade ago when a combination of inadequate funding poor logistics and corruption crippled the scheme3 we need to promote community participation community ownership community implementation community monitoring strong institutional arrangements and multi-sector partnerships adesanmi said3 -
UN deplores Cameroons forced return of Nigerian refugees
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nan5 the office of the un high commissioner for refugees unhcr has deplored cameroons forced return of nigerian refugees to the boko haram violence areas2 they are also a significant setback to progress previously achieved by cameroon in granting asylum to nigerian civilians fleeing boko haram violence2 despite such counselling nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers who fled boko haram violence continue to be returned from cameroon unhcr said2 it said the action underscored the need to accord international protection to those in need2 we appeal once again to the authorities in cameroon to refrain from further forced returns and to ensure protection to those fleeing insecurity and persecution in nigeria2 this is in accordance with cameroons national and international obligations unhcr said2 since the beginning of 2018 385 nigerians refugees and asylum-seekers had been forcibly returned from cameroon the majority of them in march including 160 on april 10 and a further 118 a week later2 in total the un agency has registered some 87600 nigerian refugees in the country2 properly functioning screening registration and asylum systems help safeguard host country security it said2 unhcr reiterated its support to the government of cameroon to ensure that all those seeking international protection have access to efficient screening and registration procedures as well as appropriate reception arrangements2 it had earlier appealed to the government of cameroon to respect human rights of all citizens for the sake of peace2 it said the forced returns are in violation of the principle of no forced returns or non-refoulement2 canhandula said the instability in anglophone cameroon had forced thousands of citizens to seek asylum in nigeria2 he said cameroonian government should explore alternative ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace and that both parties should respect human rights2 unhcr urges the government of cameroon to explore ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace2 we also reiterate the need for respect of human rights by all parties involved canhandula said2 he said the refugees complained of exclusion from the national life by the cameroonian government political processes and important positions in the government2 longstanding grievances against the central government in cameroon took a new turn in 2016 when a group of anglophone cameroonians triggered civil society-led demonstrations2 this was based on allegations of marginalisation by the authorities particularly in the education and justice system2 initially the protesters called for the return to a federal system of government and greater autonomy2 however on oct. 1 2017 the separatist movement ambazonia governing council declared unilaterally the independence of cameroons northwest and southwest regions2 tensions ensued with government security forces clashing with movement resulting in injuries and deaths and leading to an influx of english-speaking cameroonians into nigeria2 critics accused government forces of killing dozens of civilians while the administration is also alleging that suspected separatists have killed more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified in october2 the commissions representative in nigeria and ecowas mr antonio canhandula made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on monday in makurdi2 -
Bandits kill 30 in fresh attacks in Zamfara
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bandits have again killed about 30 people in kabaro and danmani villages in maru local government area of zamfara state2 a witness mr shuaibu kabaro told the news agency of nigeria nan in maru that the suspected gunmen attacked the two communities and the incident was immediately reported to the security agents2 he said three of the bandits were arrested by security agents following the prompt report of the incident to the security personnel2 shuaibu said the gunmen in turn went and mobilized more gangs and returned in multitudes to carry out the attack which left about 30 dead and many others injured in the two communities2 the maru local government council chairman alhaji salisu dangulbi and the police public relations officer in the state dsp mohammed shehu both confirmed the killings2 according to them many of the villagers deserted their homes for fear of further attacks which now characterized the mode of operations of the gunmen2 with the presence of security personnel now in the area many of the villagers had returned home the two officials confirmed in separate interviews2 the ppro further explained that units of mobile police working with the military and other security agents were immediately mobilised to the affected areas and that peace and normalcy have been restored2 the police spokesman said that the actual number of those killed was still being ascertained and until this is done l cannot give you actual figure at the moment2