Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has advised Nigerians not to take for granted the continued democratic dispensation the country has been enjoying for the past 19 years but guard against actions, statements and moves which can truncate the political process.

A statement signed byYusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity quoted Saraki ascongratulating Nigerians on the 19th anniversary of unbroken elected government in the country.

Saraki was also quoted as advising Nigerians to always be vigilant and speak against anti-democratic policies and actions which are capable of subverting rule of law.

He also canvassed strict adherence to the principles of rule of law, separation of powers, sovereignty of parliament, independence of the judiciary, and freedom of the press, adding that our constitutional institutions must be preserved and protected.

As we celebrate democracy today, I congratulate our people and express my conviction that this system of government is the best so far invented. However, it goes beyond the conduct of elections to put leaders in office.

Democracy involves strict adherence to rule of law as against the rule of men. It is about respect for due process and following laid down procedures. It is about respect for and building of institutions.

That is why we cannot be celebrating Democracy Day without canvassing for caution on some recent negative developments in our polity, particularly as we prepare for next years general elections.

These include abuse of office in a manner that suggests persecution and oppression of perceived enemies, stifling of free expression, undermining of democratic institutions, and impunity on the part of certain persons who behave as though they are above the laws of the land.

These developments should be of concern to all democrats. Other political and opinion leaders who decided to veil their sight as if they are not seeing these infractions on democracy and choose to keep quiet, should know that they equally pose danger to the survival of our country.

History will not be fair to us if we allow our complacency to jeopardize democracy. We all must be able to speak out with strong voice on issues that constitute a danger to democracy. Eternal vigilance, they say, is the price of liberty, the statement quoted Saraki as saying.

According to the statement, Saraki saluted the heroes of democracy who toiled and paid different prices for the country to have elected government, particularly, those who paid the ultimate price with their lives, saying that their labour shall definitely not be in vain.

He called for urgent measures to quickly tackle all issues that can undermine Nigerias democracy, particularly insecurity and lack of good governance.

We must immediately find solution to the security issues and ensure that we return the regime of peace, safety of lives and property in all parts of our country, in the same way, we must do all that is necessary to deliver good governance to our people and fight corruption at all levels.

These challenges must be confronted by all political leaders devoid of party loyalty, ethnicity, religion and personal preferences; we must all set aside our personal interests and work collectively on these aforementioned issues.

It is equally necessary to warn that with the 2015 polls, we have set a very high standard in Africa. We cannot afford to perform less in 2019.

The next general elections must be freer, fairer and more peaceful than the last one. Those responsible for conducting the polls must raise the bar and work to take Nigeria to a higher level of electoral process.

The Senate President highlighted the importance of the 2019 general election and therefore urged the peoplenot do anything that would threaten the existence of the country or its peace, unity and tranquility.

It is important for all of us to note that Nigeria will continue to exist after the 2019 polls. Just as the country is still here after the 2015 polls.

Let me use this occasion to urge all our people to avoid making and circulating hate speech which can further accentuate our fault lines and set one section of the country against the other.

Rather, we should all embrace tolerance and the need to be our brothers keeper. We all have a lot to gain from a united and stronger Nigeria than having a nation embedded in conflict.

As we celebrate Democracy Day, it is my wish that Nigerians will continue to enjoy good governance, provided by freely elected government and sustained by strong and impartial institutions, all of which will lead to the creation of a developed society with the citizens freely enjoying a high standard of living, Saraki stated.

Source: NAN

Stakeholders in the Aviation Industry on Tuesday said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had performed well in the last three years.

The stakeholders in the aviation sector made the assertion while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Those who spoke with NAN were the President, Aviation RoundTable Iniative (ARTI), Mr Gbenga Olowo, the immediate past president of the group, Capt. Dele Ore (rtd) and another aviation expert, Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd).

Olowo said that the process of bringing in reforms was always cumbersome, adding that the government had been making positive impacts in that regard.

From the angle of aviation, on the average I think they have done well because we had an emergency with the Abuja International Airport, they gave their words and they delivered. Kudos to them, he said.

Olowo told NAN that other plans of the administration, particularly the establishment of a new national carrier, the aircraft leasing company and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, would transform the industry.

Olowo added that Transaction Advisers had been appointed to midwife the processes, stressing that the government had also given a target that the national carrier should be in operation by December.

Also, Ojikutu noted that safety of the Nigerian airspace had improved under the administration.

He maintained that safety was a critical aspect of aviation, which was often not given the desired priority by past governments.

He said: In terms of safety, I think the government is doing a good job. It is not visible to people but it is visible to some of us.

You can look at the amount of safety recommendations that have come out from Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and compared it with three years ago.

You can look at what they have done at the Abuja airport. We have been managing that airport runway since 2010 and many foreign aircraft have lost their tyres and their undercarriage.

I am looking at that and we have been talking about it since 2010. They made an attempt in 2010 and another attempt in 2014 but it didnt work but this administration resolved the issue within six weeks in 2017.

According to him, the government also went ahead to rehabilitate the runways of the Enugu and Port Harcourt airports.

Ojikutu said when Dana Air had two successive incidents a few months back, the president immediately directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to audit the airline, which clearly showed his commitment to safety.

He added that the government had also procured more navigational aids for airports while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) had intensified their calibration.

On his part, Ore said the government had given the NCAA more freedom to perform its functions unlike what was obtained in the past administrations.

He said the Civil Aviation Act 2006 provides that the NCAA should be allowed an unfettered opportunity to oversight the industry without undue interference from any quarters.

According to him, previous administrations did not to allow the Director-General of NCAA to perform.

I think I can more or less praise the government for allowing the people who know how to do the job to go ahead and do it but in the past the National Assembly will want to interfere.

They should allow the agencies to do their jobs and if they should allow this to continue, they are creating an atmosphere where there will be no accident and that is the objective of civil aviation.

He also commended the government for the successful rehabilitation of the Abuja Airport runway which according to him had been a huge threat to safety due to neglect by past administrations.

Ore urged the government to consolidate on its promise by establishing more Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in at least five or six states, across the country to create jobs for Nigerians.

Source: NAN

Gov. Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa has ordered the release of 33 prisoners serving various jail terms in prisons across the state to commemorate this years Democracy Day.

A statement signed by the State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, said the beneficiaries were from five prisons in the state.

His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Sen. Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow, acting on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, and in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 212 (I) (d) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, has ordered the release of 33 reformed prisoners in commemoration of the 2018 Democracy Day..

The release is to take effect immediately and all other legal formalities have been concluded with the Nigeria Prison Service.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the breakdown of the prisoners released, all of them males, comprised 14 from Yola Prison, nine from Jada Prison, six from Mubi Prison, three from Numan Prison, and one from Jimeta Prison. (NAN)

Source: NAN

A court in thehas said a third gender should be enshrined in law in a ground-breaking ruling for people who do not identify as either male or female.

The Limburg District Court in the city of Roermond decided an unnamed applicant could be recorded on their birth register as gender undetermined.

Until now, Dutch citizens have had to be registered as either a man or woman.

The time is ripe for the recognition of a third gender, the judges said in a statement. To enable the registration of a third gender X, a legal amendment is crucial. Its now up to the lawmakers.

The case came after the applicant was registered as male at birth in 1961 but had treatment to become a woman in 2001. They later decided they felt neither like a man or woman and asked authorities to include a third, gender-neutral entry in the birth register. It was this that was agreed in court on Monday.

A similar request by a different person was turned down in 2007 by the Netherlands highest court, the High Council.

But transgender activists hailed the new ruling as a momentous step in Dutch law and for European rights.

This can be called revolutionary within Dutch family law, Brand Berghouwer of the Netherlands Transgender Network said in a statement.

A change in legislation would make the Netherlands one of a select group of countries where a third gender is officially recognised in law.,,,andare among those that already provide a third option.

Source:

Source: NAN

Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe risked being charged with contempt by the countrys parliament after he failed to appear on Monday before parliament to clarify a statement he made in 2016 that Zimbabwe could have lost 15 billion U.S. dollars through diamond revenue leakages.

The parliamentary portfolio committee on mines and energy initially wanted Mugabe to appear before it on May 9 but postponed this to May 23.

Mugabe did not come on May 23, resulting in parliament postponing the hearing to May 28.

Committee chairperson Themba Mliswa told journalists on Monday that parliament would now write the third and final letter to Mugabe inviting him to attend, failure of which he would face contempt of parliament charges.

The committee unanimously agreed that we write to the former president inviting him to appear before us on June 11, 2018 at 2 Oclock, Mliswa said.If he fails to attend, we will have no choice but to summon him and its something that we regret. We hope we will not get to that stage of summoning him as his legacy needs to be protected.

Mliswa said Mugabe had not responded to any of their invitations so far.

The meeting, if it happens, will be Mugabes first public meeting since he was forced to resign in November last year following a military intervention.

Mugabe said in 2016 that Zimbabwe could have lost 15 billion dollars through diamond revenue leakages from mining operations in Chiadzwa diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe.

Over the past months, the committee has been trying to get more information on the matter and has since received oral evidence from several serving and former cabinet ministers, security chiefs and mining officials.

Mliswa said they were waiting for Mugabes oral evidence so that they can conclude their report on the alleged 15 billion dollars.

*Xinhua

Source: NAN

Jigawa Governor Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar on Tuesday in Dutse laid the foundation for a prototype six-bedroom bungalow to accommodate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members posted to the state.

Governor Badaru is building 27 of the bungalows, which he called, Corps Members Lodge, in the 27 local councils at a cost of N9.614million each. The total cost is N259.6 million.

Badaru said the gesture was meant to provide security and comfort for corps members posted to the state.

We want to guarantee the safety of NYSC members posted to the state hence the need to construct the lodges.

We want every corps member posted to the state to feel at home and be secured.

I urged the contractors handling the projects to start and finish the work simultaneously in 27 local government areas and finish within three months.

I cautioned the contractors handling the project to be transparent and the work must to be perfectly done.

Mr. Nuhu Kwage, Director Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development NYSC National Headquarters Abuja, who represented the Director General of the NYSC, Brig-Gen Zakari Kazaure, said that the initiative by Jigawa government to build Youth Corps lodges in all local government areas was the first of its kind in the country.

Kwage lauded the idea since about 95 per cent of corps members are posted to rural areas for primary assignments.

He apologised for the absence of the NYSC DG who is an indigene of Jigawa.

Kwage urged other states to copy Jigawa and build lodges for youth corps members.(NAN)

Source: NAN

A Malian migrant, Mamoudu Gassama, who scaled a Paris apartment block to save a four-year-old child was hailed Monday as an “example” by President Emmanuel Macron, who welcomed him to the presidential palace and offered him citizenship.

Two days after his daring rescue — viewed more than 21 million times online — Gassama, nicknamed “Spiderman” by French media for his astonishing climbing ability, met Macron in the splendour of the Elysee Palace.

“You have become an example because millions of people have seen you. It is only right that the nation be grateful,” Macron told the 22-year-old, adding that his immigration status would be “put in order”.

https://youtu.be/mnV70SGVk4s

However several aid groups accused the president of “political exploitation”, “hypocrisy” and covering up a harsh policy towards migrants.

Macron, who presented him with a medal for bravery, also offered him a job with the fire service.

“I did not think twice. I went straight up,” said the sporty youth, who wore jeans and a short-sleeved shirt to the encounter, explaining his climb.

Gassama was also congratulated by Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who phoned him at the Paris embassy to congratulate him “for honouring all of Mali,” the embassy said.

His act of heroism comes as lawmakers debate a controversial bill that would speed up the deportation of economic migrants and failed asylum-seekers, thousands of whom live in squalid camps in the capital.

“There’s a general feeling of shameful political exploitation,” said Jean-Claude Mas, secretary general of La Cimade, which defends migrants.

“It raises a lot of questions when you know what this government is doing.”

“There’s a bit of hypocrisy or cynicism,” added Claire Rodier of GISTI which supports immigrants, noting “the contrast with the repressive policy of this government against migrants and those without documents.”

Gassama has been living illegally in France and working in construction since arriving in September last year following a perilous journey from his homeland to Libya then Italy.

Macron, a centrist, has taken a tough line on economic migrants fleeing poverty rather than refugees escaping war or persecution.

But Gassama’s “exceptional act of heroism” warranted an “exceptional decision”, he said Monday.

He leapt into action Saturday evening on seeing the child dangling from the fourth-storey balcony of an apartment in the 18th district.

The video shows Gassama swiftly pulling himself up from balcony to balcony to reach the boy, to the cheers of onlookers.

Firefighters arrived at the scene to find the child, whose parents were not at home, had already been rescued.

A shy figure who was accompanied to the Elysee Palace by his older brother, Gassama said he had acted instinctively.

– ‘Incredibly brave act’ –

“I saved the child and then went inside the building and I was shaking,” he told Macron.

Reacting to his awards he said later: “I’m pleased because it’s the first time I’ve received a trophy like that.”

Gassama’s story instantly drew comparisons with that of another Malian migrant who was feted as a hero and given citizenship for helping save lives during a January 2015 terror attack.
Lassana Bathily helped hide hostages in the freezer during a jihadist attack on a Jewish supermarket in Paris, in which four people were killed.

Confirming to Gassama his French citizenship, Macron said: “Even if you did not think about what you were doing it was an act of courage and strength that won the admiration of all.”

But in a warning to other African migrants he said he “can not give (papers) to all those who come from Mali or Burkina Faso” — two of the countries from where thousands set out each year for Europe on a perilous journey across the desert and Mediterranean Sea.

Across the political class Gassama received plaudits.

But a senior member of the anti-immigration National Front, Nicolas Bay, said that while he supported Gassama becoming French all other illegal migrants should be deported

Source: NAN

The British Merseyside Police says it is aware of death threats made to Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius after the Champions League final.

The German, 24, and his family were the subject of threats after his two mistakes helped Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over the Reds in Kiev on Saturday.

Karius was in tears at the final whistle and apologised to fans.

"We take social media posts of this nature extremely seriously. Offences will be investigated," police said.

"Officers are aware of a number of comments and threats made via social media.

"Merseyside Police would like to remind social media users than any offences including malicious communications and threatening behaviour will be investigated."

The German gifted Real striker Karim Benzema an easy goal for the opener in Kiev on Saturday night.

Karius later allowed a Gareth Bale shot to squirm in for Real's third as the Spanish club won their third consecutive Champions League trophy.

On Sunday, he posted on social media: "I'm infinitely sorry to my team-mates, for you fans, and for all the staff."

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has backed Karius to bounce back from his Champions League nightmare.

"If he wants to talk then of course I will be there," said the Belgian, who was on the bench for the game in Kiev. "Every goalkeeper can relate to him.

"I've been in this situation before myself and those kind of things you deal with yourself.

"The only thing I told him is that there is a reason we got to this final, and why we played in this final, so think about that.

"But of course it is very difficult to say anything to him and to let him grasp it.

"Liverpool stands for unity, Liverpool stands for 'all together'. I think that will not only be the right ideal for Liverpool, it has always been their history and will always be their future."

Liverpool's goalkeeping coach John Achterberg tried to console Karius after the match.

"Obviously it is not good what happened. It was unlucky for him it happened in this game," said the Dutchman.

"I just tried to pick his head up and show him you have to carry on with it. It is hard to take but that is life in football."

Defender Dejan Lovren said it would be counter-productive to focus blame on Karius.

"It's easy to blame someone, but we are in the same ship together and everyone gave him the best words that they can. He will come back strong," Lovren said.

"Don't make massive stories about that. Of course it's big because it's a final - but everyone makes mistakes."

Source: BBC

The diagnosis for Mohamed Salah’s injury is “instability in the shoulder joint ligaments” and the estimated duration of his treatment is two weeks, according to Egypt’s Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz.

In a post on his Facebook page, Aziz wrote that the medical team at Liverpool club contacted the medical team of the Egyptian football team and sent them X-rays, establishing an agreement on his treatment method.

It was also agreed that Salah would remain in Liverpool to receive proper treatment and rehabilitation, after which he would then join the Egyptian team camp in Italy at a later time determined by the doctors, Aziz said.

Aziz added that Salah would hopefully be in the final list of Egypt’s team at the World Cup, to be officially announced on June 4.

He stated that the faith, determination, and patriotism of Salah would help him pass this difficult period quickly.

Aziz wished a speedy and full recovery for Salah, and that he would lead the Egyptian team to glory at the World Cup.

Salah sustained his injury last night on May 26 during the Champions League final, when Sergio Ramos grabbed Salah by the arm and tackled him. Salah promptly received treatment to return to the field, but was unable to continue for more than two minutes.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi officially wished a speedy recovery for the superstar football player.

“My heartfelt wishes to the Egyptian hero Mohamed Salah for his speedy recovery, and I hope he will return to the field soon and remain a shining Egyptian star,” Sisi stated on his official Twitter account.

Social media witnessed a great campaign of solidarity and goodwill wishes for Salah’s recovery, with hopes that he could return to the field again and catch up with the national team for the World Cup finals in Russia.

Source: NAN

A pair of 125-year-old jeans has sold for nearly 100,000 U.S. dollars, setting a record for vintage denim, U.S. media said Saturday.

The pants, manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co., were sold by an auction house in Maine on May 15 to a buyer in Southeast Asia.

Daniel Soules of the auction house said: “It’s somebody who loves old Levis.”

At this old age, the jeans comes with a fascinating backstory. The fabric was produced by a mill in New Hampshire on the East Coast, but the pants were manufactured in San Francisco on the West Coast.

The first owner of the pants was Solomon Warner, a store owner in Arizona who purchased them in 1893. Warner had barely worn them before his death, so the jeans stayed in good condition as they were passed down in the family throughout the years, helping preserve their value.

Levi had offered to buy back the pants for 50,000 dollars Several features of the pants were distinctively different from today’s model, such as their single back pocket, and their lack of belt loops due to the popularity of suspenders in the 19th century.

Vintage denim is a sought-after item among many collectors. A pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s sold for 60,000 dollars to a Japanese collector, Soules said, and another pair, from 1888, sold for six figures.

Analysts said that blue jeans are coveted because they have been deeply ingrained in the U.S. culture after their first appearance during the years of Western expansion.