Nigerian looters: Secondus, PDP reply Lai Mohammed
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dr raymond dokpesi chairman of daar communications on trial for taking n2.1 billion from the office of then nsa1 the national chairman of the peoples democratic party pdp mr uche secondus has challenged the minister of culture and information alhaji lai mohammed to be ready to proof in court that he collected n200m from the national security adviser nsa1 he said he is challenging mohammed to be ready to establish his allegations in court immediately1 secondus said that the agenda of the minister was to damage his reputation and distract him from serving pdp adding that such agenda would fail woefully1 for the purposes of some gullible public prince secondus never collected any money from the nsa under any guise1 also listed at the news conference by mohammed were former pdp financial secretary who allegedly collected n600 million from the same source on the oct. 24 20141 then national publicity secretary olisah metuh who is on trial for collecting n1.4 billion from the office of then nsa1 secondus made the challenge in a statement issued by his spokesman mr ike abonyi on friday in abuja1 former ssa to president jonathan dudafa waripamo-owei on trial over n830 million kept in accounts of four different companies1 former president jonathans cousin robert azibaol on thursday a federal high court ruled that he has a case to answer for collecting 40 million from the office of then nsa1 mohammed in giving the teasers was responding to an earlier challenge by the pdp asking the federal government to name the countrys looters1 also the pdp in a statement by its national publicity secretary kola ologbondiyan described the teasing list released by the minister of information as hollow and laughable1 the party described the list as an extension of federal governments media trial and challenged it to come up with names of its members against whom the government had secured convictions1 ologbondiyan stated that the list put forward by the federal government as purported looters amounts to a cheap blackmail saying that none of those listed have been indicted or convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction or any panel of enquiry in the country1

Photos: Buba Jibril Reps deputy majority leader buried
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it was unfortunate that we have to do this again our prayer to god is that the death of lawmakers should stop and god should preserve all of us1 buba jibril the house of representatives member representing lokojakogi federal constituency has been buried at kabawa cemetery in lokoja amid tears and prayers from families friends and colleagues1 the burial which was concluded at around 3 p.m. was attended by the speaker of the house of representatives mr yakubu dogara kogi deputy governor mr simon achuba kogi house of assembly speaker mr matthew kolawole members of the house among others1 reps speaker mr yakubu dogara said we have lost one of our own buba jibril of whom if wishes were horses we wished he would live forever1 but we are mortals and all of us have to answer one day or the other. however jibril has answered the call1 he had a dogged spirit. when we recently visited him in london with the leadership of the house we chatted and laughed together apparently we didnt know that he would answer this call today1 it is very unfortunate. we have lost a leader and a brother who was an accomplished legislator par excellence and for me personally he was my die-hard supporter. we will surely miss him1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that jibril 58 a three time member of the house of representatives and deputy majority leader died in the early hours of friday in abuja1 i dont think it has happened before not to my recollection that we have lost about three senators and five members of the house of representatives1 our prayer is that god should grant his entire family members the government and the people of kogi and the entirety of nass the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss dogara said1 mr matthew kolawole the speaker kogi house of assembly told newsmen that the state government the kogi house of assembly would miss him a lot1 dont forget that he was a former speaker of kogi house of assembly. we will miss him a lot1 i pray that god almighty will give all of us the heart to bear the irreparable lost1 what happened today is a big lesson to all of us who are still living.in any position we are no matter how rich you are just remember sometime someday you will drop dead and when you do you are going to give account of your life and stewardship to god1 it is a debt we will all pay sometimes someday kolawole said1

Russia hits West, expels 23 diplomats
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read more18 aside the 60 american envoys axed in a retaliatory expulsion by russia diplomats from 23 countries have been asked to go in the biggest ever diplomatic row between russia and the west1 the russian foreign ministry had summoned the heads of missions from 23 countries to tell them that some of their diplomats had to leave1 france germany canada and poland each said that russia was expelling four of their diplomats1 other countries including ukraine the netherlands sweden the czech republic finland lithuania and norway were also told to pull their envoys1 the moves came in retaliation for the coordinated expulsion of russian diplomats by britain and its allies over a nerve agent attack against former double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in the english city of salisbury on march 41 this is certainly not a surprise dutch foreign minister stef blok said through a spokeswoman referring to moscows expulsion of two of the countrys diplomats1 britain has said it is highly likely that russia was responsible for the skripal attack using the novichok nerve agent developed in the soviet union but russia has angrily denied any involvement1 after the poisoning britain kicked off the global response by announcing it would expel 23 russian diplomats suspend high-level diplomatic contact with moscow and not send any members of its royal family to the 2018 football world cup hosted by russia1 russia has expelled the envoys from the 23 countries in retaliation against the west in an escalating spy row1 in further measures against the uk the russian foreign ministry gave britain a month to cut the number of diplomatic staff in russia to the same number russia has in britain a move london called regrettable1 this doesnt change the facts of the matter the attempted assassination of two people on british soil for which there is no alternative conclusion other than that the russian state was culpable a spokeswoman for britains foreign office said1 two australian diplomats were expelled with prime minister malcolm turnbull saying it was a disappointing although not unexpected reaction by the russian government to the decision of the australian government to expel two russian diplomats working as undeclared intelligence officers1 in the kremlin president vladimir putin presided over a meeting of the countrys security council which discussed the most recent retaliatory steps against britain and its allies1 russia did not unleash any diplomatic war putins spokesman dmitry peskov said. russia never initiated any exchange of sanctions1 moscow announced thursday that it would expel 60 us diplomats and close the us consulate in saint petersburg after the expulsion of its own diplomats and the closure of one of its us consulates1 in all more than 150 russian diplomats have been ordered out of the us eu members nato countries and other nations which are accusing russia of being involved in the skripal poisoning1 russia then responded by closing a british consulate in saint petersburg and the british council educational and cultural organisation1

APC to PDP: Confess your sins like Mantu
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the all progressives congress apc has called on the opposition peoples democratic party pdp to follow the example of one its leaders and former deputy senate president sen. ibrahim mantu1 mantu in a recent tv programme confessed the he took part in rigging elections for the pdp1 now the apc wants the pdp to borrow this example and confess to their sins against the country instead of indulging in name calling1 apparently burdened by guilty conscience the pdp national chairman had last week apologised to the nation for the years of misrule that his party had brought to the country1 the apc noted this apology but asked the pdp to go a step further and confess to their sins before restitution could be considered1 instead of taking this path to redemption pdp has engaged in fruitless you too accusations and name calling1 this is further evidence that pdp is not ready for repentance and only offered the apology with the hope that nigerians will grant them amnesty and a short-cut back to power said apcs publicity secretary malam bolaji abdullahi1 however now that senator mantu has belled the cat by confessing to how he has helped the pdp to rig elections in the past we hope that pdp will follow the bold example of the former senator and confess to their other sins against nigeria abdullahi said1

Looters List: Metuh says hell seek legal redress
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he said that the charge was brought regardless of the fact that neither jonathan who directed the release of the funds nor dasuki who effected the release had ever been interrogated nor even interviewed in this regard1 chief olisa metuh the former spokesperson of the peoples democratic party pdp said he has directed his lawyers to review the implications of including his name in federal governments list of looters1 the former national publicity secretary of pdp said he was reacting to the recent release of names of looters by the all progressives congress led-federal government through the minister of information alhaji lai mohammed1 metuh said that by the publication the federal government had breached nigerias constitution by seeking to burden him with two criminal trials on the same charge one before justice okon abang and the other before the media1 in response to the scandalous publication i wish to state as follows1 since my arrest on january 5 2016 and subsequent arraignment i have refrained from publicly discussing my persecution and travails by the government1 this is because as a lawyer trained in the finest traditions of the bar i know that it is wrong to discuss a matter that is subjudice1 however the present action of the government leaves me no option than to defend my name and integrity1 i have therefore decided to avail the public of the true state of the contrived case against me1 the charge against me is that i received the sum of n400 million from the office of the national security adviser to carry out duties assigned to me as the then spokesman of the pdp by then president1 metuh added that the major crux of the prosecution argument was that he ought to have known that the money was a part of an alleged and yet to be proven unlawful activity of col sambo dasukirtd former nsa to president jonathan1 metuh in a statement issued on saturday in abuja said he had also asked his lawyer to take appropriate steps for redress1 he added that as a matter of fact officers of the office of nsa had testified in court that the payment made to him followed all due process usually observed in the establishment1 it is of interest to note that the prosecution has not alleged any collusion on my part other than the suggestion that i ought to have known of an alleged unlawful activity1 also the alleged illegality of the funds has neither been established in law nor in fact1 i have never held a government office andor position and could not therefore have had any access to government funds1 metuh said that in view of the weakness of the case against him the apc led federal government resorted to all kinds of tactics to dehumanise and intimidate him1 he said that the party had done everything humanly possible to ensure complete persecution starting from bringing him to court in handcuffs1 he said that he was also paraded as the capture of nigerias most wanted to media trials and constant interference with my case1 i have been reliably informed that the federal government has ordered a conviction at all cost to ensure that the pdp is tainted before the elections1 the governments determination to achieve this objective is clearly highlighted by the refusal to allow me attend to my deteriorating health notwithstanding several expert medical opinion on the matter1 he condemned the going to the media to name him as a looter without cross-checking the definition and dictionary meaning of the word1 he said that going by that action the federal government had not only given a body language but has issued a direct intimidation and threat to the judiciary to get a compulsory conviction1

Gold miners in Niger seek govt assistance
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abida said that in the past the state government was not comfortable with illegal miners as they were arrested but now there was no such thing1 by obinna unaeze the association of gold miners zone one in chanchaga local government area of niger has appealed to the state government to organise the local miners professionally.1 he said that such gesture would make the miners to protect the environment in the course of their operation and contribute meaningfully to the society1 abida said that the gesture would also expose the miners to modern techniques in mining and ensure that the artisans paid taxes to government1 the chairman said that the miners would surely pay back if government introduced them to modern mining techniques and provided equipment to them1 we want government to organise us into corporative societies and train us on new methods of mining considering local content and issue licenses to us1 we also appeal to government to provide us with locally fabricated machines so that in the end we will pay revenue to government and service our loans he said1 mr michael abida the chairman of the association made the call on saturday in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in minna1 the government realised that right now many nigerians are jobless that is why they allowed us to help ourselves but with a warning not to destroy the natural environment during our operations1 he said that sometimes he made one to two points of gold per day and when you are lucky you make 10 points1 the miner said that a point of gold was sold for n1500 or at least n12001 abida said that there were also marbles in chanchaga river the mining site but no market for it yet. the artisan miner from benue state said he was born in 1949 and had been in the local mining business since 1984.1 nan recalls that the state commissioner for environment and forestry alhaji idris amin at a recent public function said that the ministry would collaborate with the standards organisation of nigeria son for a safer and quality environment1 according to amin since my appointment as the commissioner of environment and forestry i have been concerned with the way our environment has been degraded by artisanal miners and forest depleted by individuals and groups for fossil fuel in commercial quantity1

FRSC returns recovered N2m to crash victims mum
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the federal road safety corps frsc has rescued crash victims involved in a lone accident on the lagos ibadan expressway and returned over n2million recovered from the scene to the mother of the owner1 mr clement oladele the frsc sector commander in ogun disclosed this to the news agency of nigeria nan in abeokuta on saturday1 oladele said that the accident happened around 1015am and it involved 11 people comprising of three men six female adult and two female children1 the sector commander noted that though there were no deaths recorded nine of the passengers who included three male and six female adults sustained serious injuries1 the lone crash involved a yellow toyota liteace bus with registration number wwd 558 xa travelling from ibadan to lagos1 the suspected cause of the crash was tyre burst by the speeding bus which lost control1 the injured victims were taken to ifeoluwa hospital ogunmakin for medical treatment and the road obstruction cleared he said1 the frsc boss said the victims belongings inside the ill-fated bus were conveyed to frsc command at ogunmakin where on routine documentation the sum of n2. 096million was recovered1 upon diligent investigation a female passenger of the crashed bus mrs asabi adenike of kuola street apata ibadan who sustained injuries and undergoing medical attention was identified as the owner of the bag containing the recovered money1 after contacting her relatives she authorised that the frsc hands over the recovered money to her mother mrs bisola adedeji he said1

Easter: Local rice witnesses higher patronage
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mr reuben obi who sells rice at the kenyatta market said he had made a lot of profit since the beginning of the holy week from selling local rice1 ahead of easter celebrations patronage of local rice has shot up in enugu as dealers make brisk business1 mr edward nneji a local rice seller at garki market told nan that many residents now prefer local rice to foreign rice due to the difference in their prices1 according to nneji a 25 kg bag of local rice goes for n7 500 in the market while the 50kg goes for between n15.000 and n16 5001 a 25 kg bag of foreign rice goes for n9 500 and the 50kg for between n18 500 and n19 500. a cup of local rice sells for n70 and a cup of foreign for n1001 mrs juliana ubochi a rice seller at mayor market confirmed that many consumers now buy local rice for the price difference1 i am sure that it is because of price difference that has been making people to buy more of local rice since a cup of local rice is n70 many prefer buying in cups than in bags1 due to the high cost of foreign rice many people are now going for the local especially people with large family she said1 a news agency of nigeria nan reports that local rice business had been booming since the beginning of the holy week1 obi said that he was sure that the patronage would continue even after the easter celebration because the price of the foreign rice would continue to rice due to the ban on importation on the foreign rice1 at ogbette market mr david ngwoke another rice seller said with the high patronage experienced in local rice there was need for rice farming to increase so as to have enough in future1 meanwhile in benin traders are worried over low patronage despite stable price of food items at benin market1 a nan check at ikpoba hill market a major food market in benin shows that the price of food items remain the same unlike christmas and new year celebrations1 a 50 kg bag of rice on saturday at the market sold for between n16800 and n17500 while a four litre keg of vegetable oil and red oil sold for n2000 and n1700 respectively1 a cartoon of frozen fish turkey and chicken went for n13000 n15000 and n13500 respectively while a live chicken sold for between n2000 and n80001 nan also reports that a basket of tomatoes sells for between n10000 and n15000 small bag of fresh pepper goes for n8000 while big bag sells for n18000. nan1

Counting of votes begins in Sierra Leone
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ballot counting has begun in sierra leone after official close of voting at 5 pm gmt in the rescheduled presidential run-off election1 a statement issued by a member of the ecowas observation mission mr paul ejime said that prof amos sawyer head of the mission and his team watched the counting process at freetowns aberdeen polling centre1 sawyer according to the statement had earlier witnessed the commencement of voting at 7 am1 it noted that agents of the two rival political parties and security personnel also witnessed the process1 counting and tallying in the 16 administrative districts with 3300 polling centres and 11122 polling stations nationwide1 this will be followed with tallying at the regional centres and then moved to the national office for the announcement of the final results1 the ruling apc has dr samura kamara as its candidate running against the main opposition slpps julius maada bio a former head of state in this second election1 both emerged front runners from the inconclusive march 7 first round that had 16 candidates1 the run-off was originally scheduled for march 27 but had to be postponed due to a petition filed by a private lawyer. a lower court gave an interim injunction halting the poll1 the vacation of the court order by the supreme court and the preventive diplomacy initiate by heads of international observation missions helped to douse the political tension and paved the way for saturdays run-off which was generally peaceful1

Reality TV show KingTonto to hit screens soonTonto Dikeh
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controversial nollywood actress tonto dikeh says her much anticipated reality tv show kingtonto will hit screens across the country and beyond soon1 the 33 year-old singer and mother of one revealed this on thursday via her instagram handle @tontolet with a 30 seconds sneak preview video of herself in different outfits with a crown on her head1 the most anticipated reality tv showi promise you drama love motherhood in its purest adorable form work and everything i am made up of and moretell your friends to tell their friends the wait is almost over1 mr olakunle churchill the estranged husband of the actress had in january filed a suit at the family court of the lagos magistrate court against his son king andrea appearing in the reality tv show1 churchill said he filed the suit to save his son from any form of embarrassment in future1 he pointed out that the production was entirely an adult content that would expose the life and times of the boy at a period when he cannot make a decision for himself1 in her swift reaction the philanthropist from the family of seven with 2.9 million followers on her instagram said she was unstoppable1 she had informed her fans that her reality show produced by linda ikeji media would be air soon1 with this current post on her instagram she had clear the air on her intention to broadcast the show which she underwent cosmetic surgery before shooting commenced1

Heavyweight sniper Joshua has Parker in his sights
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im taking all those belts back to new zealand parker said at tuesdays final press conference in london1 britains heavyweight world champion anthony joshua says he aims to be more calculating when he takes on joseph parker for the new zealanders wbo title in cardiff wales on saturday1 someone asked me if i get parker hurt will i go in and execute im trying to be a sniper. thats my mindset now said joshua1 im dealing with a guy who has his country on his back that obviously gives him a little bit of fuel as well. hes a man of pride1 but no matter about all these positive things i say about him my job is to knock one off the list as each round goes on and just break him down1 when he goes back to his corner in round one i just want him to realise his trainer lied to him1 hell soon realize hes in with a real fighter and i know 100 per cent i will break his spirit and mentality1 parker is two years younger than 28-year-old joshua and is undefeated in 24 contests with 18 knockouts1 the auckland fighter of samoan descent became his countrys first ever heavyweight champion after winning the wbo belt against andy ruiz in december 2016 and he hopes to be boarding a flight back to his homeland with extra luggage1 the proud owner of the wba ibf and ibo heavyweight title belts is unbeaten in 20 contests with a perfect knockout record and he wants parker to be the next man on his hit list to maintain his destructive streak1 im young im fresh im strong and im determined to win. we respect anthony joshua we think hes a great champion and on the night therell be no excuses. im at my best hes at his best and were here to be part of history and take those belts back1 he added i havent decided how im going to beat him but whether its a knockout or on points those belts are mine1 joshua and parker will meet in the middle of cardiffs principality stadium in front of an 80000 sell-out crowd. its a sight joshua has become familiar with in his last two fights against carlos takam and wladimir klitschko at wembley stadium in london1 the atmosphere can swallow you up said joshua1 its crazy. a certain amount of noise can smash glass based on the frequency. and that sort of noise booming it gets you in a fight1 its an experience parker hasnt faced yet. it is daunting it is overwhelming1 the fight is won or lost in training camp but the last bolt is screwed on during the spell from your changing room to the first bell1 he added its going to be electric. you know when you come here to fight myself you know theres going to be blood a fighter hurt and 20 times out of 20 ive been victorious so expect the same routine.dpanan1

Kenya demotes Okumbi Harambee Stars coach
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stanley okumbi the stand-in coach for the kenyan soccer team the harambee stars has been demoted to the youth ranks to take charge of the kenyan under-20 team1 football kenya federation fkf president nick mwendwa on wednesday confirmed the changes which pave the way for the country to name a new foreign coach to lead the harambee stars after the resignation of belgian paul put last month1 fkf is expected to announce a foreign tactician soon with dutchman ruud krool tipped to take over as coach1 okumbis demotion was catalyzed by kenyas failure to win in their last two international friendly matches against lowly-ranked opponents in marrakech morocco1 the harambee stars lost 3-2 on tuesday to the central african republic just three days after forcing a 2-2 draw with the tiny island state of comoros. the result will have a negative impact on kenyas ranking by fifa1 okumbi has been redeployed to handle the under 20 side. coach frank ouna will now focus on the kenyan premier league side wazito fc while goalkeeper coach haggai azande goes back to tusker fc. both ouna and azande will be redeployed soon for other national team roles mwendwa said in a statement issued in nairobi1 okumbi was first named harambee stars coach in feb. 2016 but failed in his core mandate to guide the team to win qualification to the 2017 african nations cup1 mwendwa said kenya was still on course to qualify for the 2019 africa nations cup which will be the main goal of the new foreign coach once named1 kenya lost in the first leg match against sierra leone and must up their game against giantsghanaand ethiopia if they are to make it to the finals in cameroon in 20191 in addition to hosts cameroon the 12 group winners will qualify alongside the three best runners-up. enditem1

Sloane Stephens knocks out Azarenka for first Miami final
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i just knew i had to keep fighting. in the first set i was down but i battled back so i knew if i did that in the second id be right in there the 25-year-old american said in an on-court interview1 us open champion sloane stephens has rallied her way to her first miami open tennis final beating victoria azarenka in three sets1 on thursday the no.13 seed did it again but via a tougher route overcoming the wildcard 3-6 6-2 6-1 and ending an 11-match floridian winning streak that stretched back to 2015 for azarenka1 this time last year stephens foot was in a cast as she recovered from surgery and azarenka was nursing a three-month old. both returned to competition during the grass season last year but while the past nine months have seen the american make a phenomenal slam-winning comeback the former world no.1 has been confined to just four events in the same time-frame due to personal issues1 stephens was excited about her feat this is so cool ive been playing tennis in key biscayne since i was 11 years old. for me this is so incredible to have friends and family here. just have to take advantage of the last year here1 it was the second time in three weeks that the american would halt victoria azarenkas comeback from maternity leave. she did it in the second round of indian wells1 i ended up winning a lot of games in a row and i just tried to keep the momentum going1 wednesday night qualifier danielle collins overpowered her childhood idol venus williams 6-2 6-3 in a stunning quarter-final upset1 collins belying her 93rd ranking pounded winner after winner to beat fellow american williams at her own game and set up a semi-final against french open champion jelena ostapenko1 latvian ostapenko overpowered ukrainian fourth seed elina svitolina in two tiebreaks to win 7-63 7-65 in an afternoon match to reach the miami semis for the first time1 the two players will meet at 2am friday nigerian time to decide the second finalist1

Zverev, Busta set up semi-final clash in Miami, Anderson out
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for carreno busta who arrived on court in fine form having dropped only 12 games over his previous tee matches the win was his first in five meetings against anderson and avenged his fourth-round indian wells loss to the world number eight1 fourth seed alexander zverev overcame a slow start on thursday to wear down borna coric 6-4 6-4 and set up a miami open semi-final against pablo carreno busta who earlier defeated kevin anderson1 one break in each set was enough for the german to clinch his first win in three career attempts against the croat1 zverev advances to a friday semi-final against spanish 16th seed carreno busta who survived a match point to upset south african sixth seed anderson 6-4 5-7 7-661 the other semi-final pits argentine fifth seed juan martin del potro against american 14th seed john isner1 zverev did not use the power failure as an excuse for his slow start1 i didnt particularly care he said adding that he spent the time watching an nba game on a locker room television1 i think i lost the first six points of the match. it wasnt the best start. im just happy to get through1 after a power failure delayed the start of the match by more than an hour zverev faced two break points in the second game but then settled down and took command1 it was an amazing match no carreno busta said1 he played some unbelievable points passing shots1 i lost to him 7-6 in the third set at indian wells. and today well at the beginning of the match i started playing really good returning good serving good being very aggressive1 anderson saved a pair of match points in the second set and shifted momentum in his favor but carreno busta seeded 16th at crandon park regrouped in the decider where the two players stayed on serve until the tiebreak1 carreno busta was staring at defeat when 6-5 down in the tiebreak but was let off the hook when anderson missed with a forehand1 from there the south african pushed a backhand volley wide and then mishit a second serve that handed the win to carreno busta after two hours 42 minutes1 anderson whose year already includes an atp tour title at the new york open and runner-up finishes in acapulco and pune has now lost all 10 of his quarter-final matches at the masters 1000 level the highest-tiered tournaments after the four grand slams1

Ostapenko books Miami final with Stephens
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reported by6 french open champion jelena ostapenko will meet us open champion sloane stephens in the miami open final after putting a decisive end to american qualifier danielle collins dream run1 the 20 year-old latvian needed just two sets and just under two hours to defeat collins 7-61 6-3 and become the youngest player to reach the miami final since 2009 when 19-year-old victoria azarenka claimed the title1 her opponent collins came into the matchup having already played almost 12 hours of tennis in miami alone battling through two rounds of qualifying to bring her total of matches to seven. along the way shes knocked out the likes of childhood hero and no.8 seed venus williams as well as coco vandeweghe and monica puig putting together a fairytale run into the semifinals1 but she finally met her match in latvian powerhouse ostapenko who notched wins over no.9 seed petra kvitova and no.4 elina svitolina in to register multiple top 10 wins in the same tournament for the first time in her career1 the match will be played at 18.00 nigerian time on saturday1 but despite the pressure it was the latvian who broke first getting ahead with a break to love at 3-1 on a sloppy collins service game. collins was undaunted and kept apace with ostapenkos heavy hitting the gambit worked and she broke straight back to level the score1 the pair stayed toe-to-toe as they marched into the first set tiebreak. here it was ostapenko who has yet to lose a tiebreak here in miami that rose to the occasion extending that record against collins. she played almost perfect tennis to snap up four points in a row and allow her opponent just one point closing it out 7-11 ostapenko carried the momentum into the second set starting off with a break right away. although collins was able to create seven break chances in the first set converting two she wasnt able to make a dent at all on the ostapenko serve in the second set. instead the big-hitting latvian bracketed the set with another break of serve to finish closing out the match after an hour and 41 minute battle1 through to the final without dropping a set the win guarantees ostapenko will reach a new career-high ranking come monday jumping up one spot to world no.4. i think now im playing more consistent and im just really happy to be hereshe said1 ostapenko found herself under pressure from the get-go against collins gutsy tennis. the american was crushing the returns and brought up five break opportunities in ostapenkos first two service games alone pushing her to deuce seven times1

Shehu Sani, 2 Kaduna senators block El-Rufais $350m loan request
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the three senators from kaduna state led by shehu sani on thursday blocked the approval for a 350million loan request by governor nasir el-rufai1 it was like a vengeance of sort as all the senators spoke against the loan1 el-rufai has had a very poor relationship with the trio even demolishing the home of one of them senator suleiman hunkuyi used as an office for a faction of the all progressives congress in the state1 the position of the senators was clearly demonstrated during the debate at the senate on thursday before the rejection of the loan request1 too bad for the governor. his most trenchant political opponent senator shehu sani heads the senate committee on local and foreign loans and debts1 in the report presented as the chairman of the committee senator shehu sani said the committee rejected the request1 senator suleiman hunkuyi and danjuma lai also spoke against the approval of the loan1 the committee said if approved the loan will make the state the second most indebted in the country1 sani said the loan obtained by the state from 1960 till now was 232 million adding that if approved the additional 350 million will bring the states indebtedness to 582 million1

Senate passes 201 bills in 3 years Full list
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bukola saraki @bukolasaraki8 37. petroleum industry governance bill 20161 the president of the senate dr bukola saraki took to his twitter handle @bukolasaraki to make the announcemnet and to congratulate his colleagues for a job well done1 saraki expressed optimism that in the 15 months that were left the senate would pass more bills that will affect the lives of nigerians1 as of today the senate has passed 201 bills. we still have 15 months to go yet we have reached this milestone. i would like to thank my distinguished colleagues for their hard work and cooperation over the last 33 months1 as of today the senate has passed 201 bills. we still have 15 months to go yet we have reached this milestone1 i would like to thank my distinguished colleagues for their hard work and cooperation over the last 33 months1 see the full list here1 as of march 29 2018 33 months after its inauguration the 8th senate had passed a total of 200 bills including senate bills concorrence bills and constitution amendment bills1 below is the full list of the bills passed by the senate1 1. national railway corporation act 1955 n129 lfn 2004 repeal1 2. bankruptcy and insolvency act cap b2 lfn 2011 repeal and re-enactment 20151 3. national institute for cancer research and treatment estetc bill 20151 4. forestry research institute of nigeria est. etc bill 20151 5. electronic transaction bill 20151 6. agriculture credit guarantee scheme act amendment bill 20151 7. commercial agriculture credit scheme estetc bill 20151 8. discrimination against persons with disabilities prohibition bill 20151 9. national poverty eradication commission estetcbill 20151 10. north east development commission nedc estetc bill 20151 11. erosion control and prevention commission est etc bill 20151 12. counterfeit and fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods miscellaneous provision amendment bill 20151 13. federal university of petroleum resources effuru est etc bill 20151 14. food security bill 20151 15. nigerian agricultural quarantine service establishment etc bill 20151 16. environmental managers registration council of nigeria establishment etc bill 20151 17. nigeria institute of soil science establishment etc bill 20151 18. nigeria football federation establishment etc bill 20151 19. national sports commission establishment etc bill 20151 20. federal competition and consumer protection bill 20151 21. witness protection programme bill 20151 22. supplementary appropriation bill 20151 23. defence space agency establishment etc bill 20151 24. high court of the federal capital territory abuja amendment bill 20151 25. air force institute of technology establishment etc bill 20151 26. credit bureau reporting bill 20151 27. 2015 appropriation act amendment bill 20151 28. 2016 appropriation bill1 29. federal roads authority establishment etc bill 20161 30. national assembly budget and research office establishment etc bill 20161 31. mutual assistance in criminal matters bill 20161 32. federal capital territory statutory appropriation act amendment bill 20161 33. federal university of petroleum resources effurun bill 20161 34. national lottery act 2005 amendment bill 20161 35. electoral act 6 2010 amendment bill 20161 36. public procurement act amendment bill 20161 from its inauguration on juna 9 2015 the 8th senate had surpassed the 7th 6th and 5th senate in the number of bills passed. while the 7th senate passed only 128 bills in four years the 6th passed 82 and the 5th senate passed 129 bills1 38. national inland waterways act cap n47 lfn 2004 repeal and re-enactment bill 20161 39. nigerian ports and harbours authority act amendment bill 20161 40. jamb act amendment bill 20161 41. nigerian customs service bill 2016 and nigerian customs service act repeal and re-enacment bill 20161 42. warehouse receipts bill 20161 43. secured transactions in movable assets bill 20161 44. sexual harassment in tertiary educational institution bill 20161 45. federal university of wukari establishment etc bill 20161 46. maritime university of nigeria okerenkoko establishment etc bill 20161 47. 2016 fct appropriation bill1 48. appropriation bill 20171 49. nigerian peace corps establishment etc bill 2015 sb 1731 50. national unity and peace corps establishment etc bill 2015 sb 1831 51. national open university of nigeria act amendment bill 20171 52. federal university of maritime studies oron bill 20171 53. national institute for legislative studies act amendment bill 20171 54. national research and innovation est etc. bill 20171 55. compulsory free universal basic education act 2004 amendment bill 2016 and universal basic education act 2003 amendment bill 20161 56. nigeria financial intelligence agency est etc. bill 20171 57. institute of chartered biochemist and molecular biologist bill 20161 58. whistle blowers protection bill 20151 59. abduction wrongful restraints and wrongful confinement for ransom bill 20171 60. prohibition and protection of persons from lynching mob action and extra judicial executions bill 20171 61. nigerian tourism development corporation act repeal and re-enactment bill 20171 62. hydroelectric power producing area development commission amendment bill 20151 63. chartered institute of entrepreneurs est. etc. bill 20151 64. chartered institute of capital market registrars bill 20171 65. presidential inauguration bill 20161 66. national institute for hospitality and tourism establishment etc bill 20161 67. fct statutory appropriation bill 20171 68. niger delta development commission nddc act amendment bill 20171 69. federal university of agriculture kaaba establishment etc bill 20161 70. federal colleges of education act amendment bill 20171 71. niger delta development commission amendment bill 20171 72. nigeria arabic language village ngala establishment etc. bill 20171 73. nigeria french language village badagry est. etc. bill 20171 74. demutualization bill 20171 75. the revised edition laws of the federation of nigeria bill 20181 76. 2017 fct appropriation act amendment bill 20181 77. arbitration and conciliation act cap a18 lfn 2004repeal and re-enactment bill 20181 78. emergency powers repeal and re-enactment bill 20181 79. federal university gashua establishment etc. bill 2018 sb4591 80. national transport commission est. etc. bill 2018 sb. 2421 81. real estate regulation and development bill 2018 sb. 2161 82. river basin development act cap r9 lfn 2004 amendment bill 2018 sb. 3581 83. national centre for disease control prevention establishment etc bill 2018 sb. 2561

Easter: Lets emulate virtues of Christ Saraki
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as the world celebrates easter the president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki has called on christians and nigerians across the nation to work towards emulating the virtues of jesus christ as epitomized by his passion persecution death and resurrection1 in a message signed by his special adviser on media and publicity yusuph olaniyonu in abuja saraki also stated that all nigerians must remain constant in their efforts to promote unity across all lines1 he noted that it was imperative for all nigerians to come together in order to build a country that both present and future generations can take pride in just like the work of christ which has endured for over 2000 years and has continued to inspire generations1 this weekend we join our christian brothers and sisters in nigeria and across the world to celebrate the easter festivities1 this commemoration is a time for deep reflection as it marks the sacrifice of jesus christ and his victory over death. it is a time to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need1 it is also a time for all of us regardless of faith or ethnicity to come together to pray for the peace of our nation1 we must all remain constant in our efforts to promote unity across all lines because united our nation remains stronger and we thrive as a people1 as we do this we must all collectively work towards playing our part in the development of our nation and its economy saraki stated1

Security chiefs warn of plans to disrupt 2019 election process
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similar institutions across the world have passed through this phase. what is however important is for the right lessons to be learnt from these developments1 the security operatives have raised the alarm of plans by some groups to disrupt the processes leading to the 2019 elections1 they warned the media against the activities of some unregistered groups that had lately been active in trying to undermine critical institutions such the law-enforcement agencies and the independent national electoral commission inec1 malam garba shehu the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity in a statement issued in abuja on thursday said the security chieftains made this known at an interactive meeting with owners and decision makers in the media industry1 the meeting which was held at the state house conference centre in abuja on tuesday was addressed by the directors-general of the department of state services mr. lawal daura and his counterpart in national intelligence agency mr. ahmed rufai as well as the chief of defence staff gen. gabriel olonisakin1 the security heads however assured that security situation in the country was within the control of the government but could be helped where the media reduced sensation from their daily coverage1 in their own assessment our state of national security is not as bad as it is painted by the media1 shehu said in seeking the support from the media towards the achievement of security for everyone the heads of the agencies emphasized that sharing and coordination among security agencies and the media is essential to counter the ever-changing threats faced by the nation1 the security chieftains also called for closer cooperation from the media to prevent terrorists and radical ideologies directed from abroad from undermining the ongoing efforts to restore security in parts of the country facing the challenges of terrorism economic sabotage criminality farmers-herdsmen clashes and the spread of illegal weapons1 in a special submission by the nia its director-general ahmed rufai recalled unsavoury developments of the last one year which had put the agency in a negative limelight but said that such developments were not peculiar to the agency1 the evil plan according to security was for the groups to create a stalemate1 i see these challenges as impetus to reposition the agency for effective service delivery in realization of its core mandate as a critical component of our national security architecture he said1 he appealed for media support to enable the agency to reform and remain focused on tackling the challenges of international nature facing the nation which included terrorism and violent extremism manifested in activities of boko haram bh isis aqim al shabaab al qaeda ansaru among others1 he said the nation also faced threats from the human trafficking and illegal migration smuggling slavery forced labour prostitutions drugs trafficking activities of drug cartels and their networks as well as trafficking in small arms and light weapons salw1 he pledged that the nia would henceforth accord much attention toward addressing the challenges of financial crimes identification of financial resources and properties suspected to be obtained by corrupt means belonging to nigerians especially politically exposed persons peps1 rufai said herdsmen and farmers clashes cattle rustling etc piracy and militancy particularly in the niger delta oil theft illegal oil bunkering pipeline vandalism and cyber crimes cyber security activities of online fraudsters and hacking would also receive priority attention1 the intelligence and security chieftains also expressed the view that the nigerian media has a role in securing nigerias national interest1 this expected role of the press is in tandem with global best practices particularly on issues that have bearing on national security they observed1 they therefore invited the media as partners to continue to be security conscious and exercise restraint in disseminating information that could expose the services to ridicule or harm our national security1 they therefore maintained that prior consultation with appropriate members of the intelligence community is the best way to go.nan1

Saraki mourns, extols late Jibrin
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bukola saraki @bukolasaraki8 may the almighty forgive his shortcomings and grant him a place amongst the righteous ones in aljannah firdaus. amin1 my thoughts and prayers are with the family and constituents of the late rt. hon umar buba jibrin deputy leader of the house of representatives who passed away early this morning1 as a former speaker of the kogi state house of assembly rt. hon. jibrin was a seasoned legislator and a conscientious lawmaker who always put the interests of the common man first and championed them at the federal level. he will be greatly missed1 my deep condolences go out to speaker dogara his colleagues in the house of representives and the government and people of kogi state over this great loss saraki said1 my deep condolences also go out to speaker dogara and the government and people of kogi state over the loss of hon. jibril1 in posts on his social media pages saraki said that nigeria has lost another seasoned legislator and champion of the common man1 president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki has expressed sadness over the jibrin the deputy leader of the house of representatives who died in the early hours of friday1 jibril a three time member of the house died in the early hours of saturday in abuja one of his political associates mr amuda dan sulaiman confirmed to the news agency of nigeria nan 1 he was until his death the deputy majority leader of the house as a member of the all progressives congress. he was also a former speaker of the kogi state house of assembly.1 kogi state governor yahaya bello expressed deep shock over the demise of jibril who he described as one of the states most astute politicians1 bello described the late jibril as a man who lived in the hearts of his people saying the vacuum he left in the state and the ruling party will be difficult to fill according to a statement by kingsley fanwo the director general of media and publicity1