Two Norwegian lawmakers have nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize after the Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Christian Tybring-Gjedde and Per-Willy Amundsen, lawmakers with the populist Progress Party, told Norwegian news agency NTB on Wednesday that Trump “had taken a huge and important step in the direction of the disarmament, peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea.”

A group of U.S. lawmakers also are backing Trump’s nomination for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

The process of considering candidates and awarding the Nobel Peace Prize is done in Norway.

Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee before Feb. 1.

The committee doesn’t publicly comment on who was nominated, information which is required to be kept secret for 50 years.

Source: NAN

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of 3,665 senior police officers.

The commission’s Head, Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that approval for the promotion was one of the high points of the commission’s 28th Plenary Meeting which was held in Abuja on June 8.

He said that two commissioners of police, Igbodo David, who is in charge of Legal department at the Force Headquarters and Olalekan Abdulfatai, were promoted to substantive Assistant Inspectors-General of Police.

Ani said 16 Deputy Commissioners of Police were also promoted to commissioners of police.

He said that the commission also approved the promotion of 13 Assistant Commissioners of Police to Deputy Commissioners, 60 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners and 631 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents.

The spokesman said that 820 Deputy Superintendents of Police were promoted to substantive Superintendents, while 1,922 Assistant Superintendents of Police, ASPs, promoted to Deputy Superintendents.

Others promoted include 201 Inspectors who were promoted to Assistant Superintendents of police.

“The commission also approved confirmation of appointments of 42 officers of different ranks, approved acting appointment for another 73 and converted 1,060 Specialists to General Duty,” he said.

He said that the approvals have been forwarded by the commission to the I-G for implementation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was the last official function of the chairman of the commission, Mr Mike Okiro whose tenure came to an end on Monday, June 11.

Source: NAN

The Super Eagles on Tuesday had their first training session in Russia after arriving their Sanatorium Istochnik Hotel, Essentuki team base at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The training started from 5 p.m. Russian time.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team, in its sixth appearance at the World Cup in Russia, is in Group D alongside Croatia, Iceland and Argentina.

The Eagles will play their first match on Saturday, June 16, 2018.

A statement by the Director of Communication, Ademola Olajire, revealed that the players and the technical crew departed Vienna to Russia on Monday.

“A delegation of 23 players and technical and administrative staff flew by executive jet from Vienna to Essentuki Airport in South West Russia on Monday, arriving at a few minutes after 10 p.m.

“Large gatherings of people showed excitement at seeing the three–time African champions arrive in very Nigerian buba-and-sokoto uniform sown in Nigerian colours, complemented with white bowler hats and footwear.

“Essentuki is located in the Stavropol region of southern Russia.

“There was a brief airport reception coordinated by staff of the Local Organising Committee and the world football governing body, FIFA,” said Olajire.

He said a reception was organised for the team by the Governor of Essentuki.

“At the hotel, a welcome reception organised by the Governor of Essentuki, the Minister of Sports in the Stavropol region and the Manager of Sanatorium Istochnik also held.

“On Tuesday morning, FIFA and LOC conducted the team arrival meeting, ahead of the training session in the evening.

“The Super Eagles will train again on Wednesday evening, before flying to Kaliningrad on Thursday for their first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Croatia on Saturday at the 35,000 –capacity Kaliningrad Arena.

“Departure from Kaliningrad is set for 4 p.m. Russia time,” Olajire said in the statement.

(NAN)

Full text of the stirring speech by Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of MKO Abiola at the posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic to her father on June 12 in Abuja

“It is difficult to try to stand in the shoes of a giant, one of the greatest humans that the world ever had, but that is the responsibility of why we are here today.

And indeed, even for MKO Abiola it was difficult for him to imagine how he would speak to Nigerians on his inauguration.

My mum told me how he would stand in the mirror while he was preparing his speech as the results were coming in. He thought he was going to deliver it.

And you know he stammered, so he would start… “Dear fellow Nigerians”, but he never really got past ‘fellow Nigerians’.

He would say a few words, and then start again. He kept struggling to say what he wanted to say to Nigerians.

Because, what MKO wanted to say to the Nigerian people, and all that MKO did say to the people of Nigeria is, “I love you the people of Nigeria. I believe in you the people of Nigeria.”

He was born Yoruba but he loved Hausa people, he loved Kanuri people, he loved Efik people, he loved Igbo people, he loved all. You just needed to be a Nigerian and MKO was your man. If he could help, he would do.

There are so many things he already did to show that, and that was why the people of Nigeria rewarded him with the mandate of June 12, 1993.

But we know that he was never able to deliver that speech, but in many ways, the event that transpired later, revealed to Nigerians the eloquence in his heart, the fidelity of his commitment, and even his own deep abiding wish that if there was any way his own actions would in any way comprise the people of Nigeria, MKO preferred to die.

He preferred to leave the earth rather than compromise about you, about your integrity as a people, and your sovereignty as a nation.

Which was why the day before he died, when he was still being pressurised, he asked the question, “How do you shave the people’s heads in their absence?”

He knew he was being put under pressure, but he also knew that so long as he refused to allow his own head to be shaved, it would be a symbolic message to you the people of Nigeria, that Nigeria will be saved.

And when he died, we accepted his body. We have watched as year after year, till now the 25th year, you the people have suffered and he was not recognised at all.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Nelson Mandela it was who said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

Who would have ever believed, given the relationship that you had with Chief MKO Abiola, that you would be the instrument God would use to honour this man, and to bring recognition and healing to the country.

You apologised to my family and it touched my heart. You know that I also lost my mother in this struggle, so your apology meant so much to me.

Let me use this opportunity, on behalf of Chief MKO Abiola – because I know what he would have done – I use this opportunity to apologise to you, to apologise to your family, for anything that he might have done to harm you and to harm your family.

Let me also say at this juncture that Chief MKO Abiola was committed to us saying farewell to poverty in Nigeria, but today we have more people in poverty in Nigeria than we had in 1993.

I read the statement that you made, where you said we should prepare now to wage a battle for the defence of the people of Nigeria against those who think of themselves as the landlords of Nigeria.

Let me say to you that by recognising June 12, you have awakened so many heroes and heroines of Nigeria’s struggle, who have shown because they stood firm on June 12, that money cannot buy them.

If there is any march that we need to march, if there is any protest that we need to be present at to protest, you have called up your own new Army for the defence of this country.

And President Muhammadu Buhari, this fight will not take you, God willing, as it has taken MKO, but let us fight and bring about the conclusion of MKO’s struggle that the Nigerian people should be the ones in full control of this country.

It is not for a few landlords whoever they maybe, it is for the 200 million people of Nigeria.”

~ Hafsat Abiola-Costello

(NAN)

The Centre for Basic Space Science of the National Space Research and Development Agency (CBSS-NASRDA) had predicted that the Astronomical Lunar Crescent would be sighted on June 14.

Dr Felix Ale, Director Media and Corporate Communications said this in a statement he signed on Tuesday in Abuja.

NASRDA through its Centre for Basic Space Science has successfully calculated and predicted that the appearance of an astronomical lunar crescent will be sighted on June 14.

The conjunction of the moon will first occur on Wednesday June 13 by 8:43pm, but will appear in Nigeria on Thursday June 14 at about 2:43pm, that is 18 hours after its conjunction.

According to him, the moon can only be sighted with the naked eyes given a clear sky without any obstruction.

He, however, said that the tiny lunar crescent could be sighted with the aid of Charged Couple Device (CCD) and astronomical telescope or any other advanced astronomical instrument.

The young lunar crescent will only be seen with an unaided eye on Thursday June 14 between 6:53 pm and 7:57 pm after sun set.

Yola will be the first to witness the young lunar crescent from about 6:53 pm to 7:21 pm, followed by Maiduguri from 6:55 pm to 7:23 pm.

Kebbi will witness the lunar crescent last by 7:32 pm and 8:00 pm and Sokoto between 7:29 pm and 7:57 pm. It will be seen in Lagos and Ogun between 7:26 pm and 7:56 pm concurrently.

The Lunar crescent will be seen in Abuja between 7:16 pm and set at about 7:45 pm.

Kano will experience the appearance of the first lunar crescent between 6:51 pm and 7:42 pm with sunset and moonset occurring at about 6:51 pm and 7:42 pm respectively, he said.

He further said that Katsina would witness the lunar crescent appearance between 7:19 pm and 7:47 pm, while Jos and Enugu will both experience the first lunar crescent between the hours of 7:08 pm and 7:37 pm.

Ale said the sunset and moonset in Jos would occur at 6:46 pm and 7:37 pm respectively, and in Enugu at 6:45 pm and 7:37 pm respectively, whileKaduna would experience the lunar crescent between 7:16 pm and 7:44 pm.

Dr Bonaventure Okere, the Acting Director of CBSS told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Astronomical Lunar Crescent is the new part of the moon that usually appeared at this time of the year.

Okere said that the sighting of the Lunar Crescent was significant to both Christians and Muslims.

He, however, said it was more significant to the Muslims because it helped calculate the beginning and the ending of Ramadan fast.

Ale added that the results of the Lunar Crescent sighting were available at NASRDA for the general public and those who required it for religious and academic purposes.

Source: NAN

A Federal High Court judge handed over a 14 year sentence to former Plateau governor Joshua Dariye on Tuesday and chastised him for being irresponsible and betraying the public trust.

Dariye now a senator was found guilty for a N1.16bn fraud and for criminal breach of trust. In addition, he was jailed two years for misappropriation of public funds. Both sentences will run concurrently.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High court, before whom he stood trial for a 23-count amended charge, found him guilty of 15 of the counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds. He was discharged on eight of the counts.

After the judgment that lasted about eight hours, Justice Banjoko held that:

I cant imagine such brazen act, is it the transfer of as much as about half a billion naira from the states Ecological Fund into a personal venture account; theres a litany and trail of woes, which also affects the people of Jos the beautiful Tin City, where everybody wanted to be, and to find out that its Ecological Fund was misappropriated is the shocking aspect.

Theres a deep sense of irresponsibility; the defendant was in fact richer than his state. This is a trauma of the trial; and there should be no compromise to corruption, by whatever shade or colour, or region, rich or poor; corruption will forever be corruption.

Every case is different on its own, and I have no personal animosity, Im just doing my job the way I know how to, and not only the Ecological Funds [were misappropriated], but funds from the Plateau State government.

Indeed, Dariye, who was first arraigned before the Judge on July 13, 2007, had his application to quash the charges dismissed.

He went to the Court of Appeal, but failed. He also took his case to the Supreme Court.

On February 27, 2015, the court dismissed his application and reprimanded him, condemning his application as a disservice to the criminal process in Nigeria.

The Apex Court also ordered accelerated hearing of the fraud case against him, thus necessitating the continuation of his trial on January 25, 2016 before Justice Banjoko.

Dariye was accused by the EFCC to have diverted about N1.16 billion Ecological Fund meant for the state, to his personal use, including transferring monies to Ebenezer Retnan Ventures (an unregistered company managed by him) and Pinnacle Communications Limited.

In proving its case against Dariye, the prosecution team led by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, called 10 witnesses, including Musa Sunday, the EFCC investigating officer, and Peter Clark, a detective constable with the UK Metropolitan Police in London, who investigated Dariye in the UK for money laundering offence.

Presenting several documents in court, including bank documents, the prosecution established that Ebenezer Retnan Ventures was not a registered company, and that its account opening process with then All States Trust Bank, was riddled with irregularity indicating dishonest intent for opening the account.

The defence team, which was initially led by G.S. Pwul, SAN, before Kanu Agabi, SAN, later stepped in at the tail end of the trial, presented 16 witnesses in its defence.

In the allocution of the defence, which was made by Paul Erokoro, SAN who stood in for Agabi, he urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that the Bank in question misled the governor into engaging in such practice of private banking.

He is actually a victim; mistakes were made, but my lord should temper justice with mercy; the lawyer that represented him before did not do a particular good job; this man has suffered, he argued, further noting that the prisons are congested and he is a serving Senator and he served his state.

In its counter-argument, Jacobs, called on the Court to consider the aggravating factors on the state, arguing that Dariye exploited his position as a public servant and took government money and misappropriated it.

Jacobs, further noted, that yes, the prisons are congested but they are congested with poor people, the big men are not there and thats why they are congested because those who are in power and supposed to do something about it have not done anything.

He said: The era of go and sin no more can no longer be done in the new era of the Administration of Criminal justice Act. A lesson must be told. He is not my enemy, but people should bear the consequences of their acts. If you cant bear it, then dont do it.

In addition to the sentencing, Justice Banjoko also ordered that N80 million so far recovered by the EFCC be returned to the Plateau States

Source: NAN

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has expressed optimism for the realisation of the entrenchment of fiscal federalism as the only way to achieve true nationhood.

Ambode said on Tuesday at a public lecture with the theme, Restructuring: An Antidote for Effective and Efficient Polity, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the annulled 1993 Presidential election.

Our present democratic experience may still be far from ideal but we are absolutely convinced that it is the right way to go for us to realise the optimum potential and prosperity of the federating states and the nation.

On this historic day, I am convinced more than ever before that this ideal will be realised sooner than we can imagine, Ambode said.

The governor said that the theme of the celebration was apt as it dwelt on the real topical issues bedeviling the country.

The theme of this historic edition of June 12 celebrations speaks for itself. As a state and people, our stand on a restructuring process that will lead to fiscal federalism, devolution of power is very clear, he said.

Ambode described this years commemoration as a victory for democracy with the award and conferment of the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the Late MKO Abiola and his running mate, Amb. Babagana Kingibe, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

By this singular act, including the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on the fearless Human Rights Activist, Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, President Muhammadu Buhari has written his name in Gold in the political history of Nigeria.

We salute President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating exceptional courage to stand by justice and the truth, he said.

Ambode said that June 12 was a day Nigerians demonstrated unity and put aside ethnic and religious biases to speak overwhelmingly with one voice.

Sadly, the aspiration of Nigerians expressed through the ballot was truncated by the military.

Since then, the struggle for democracy has been relentless, championed by progressive Nigerians, men of character and courage, who challenged the military junta.

You can imagine our delight when the President announced the recognition of June 12 as the authentic Democracy Day in Nigeria.

This formal recognition is a crown of victory to the struggle that had taken the lives of so many nationalists and patriots, he said.

The governor saluted all those who stood for the actualisation of June 12 and also paid tributes to the memories of patriots who died in the struggle.

Today, we salute leaders of the struggle including Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Amb. Walter Carrington, Justice Dolapo Akinsanya and Chief Frank Kokori.

Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Mr Wale Oshun, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and other Nigerians and Civil Society Organisations as well as trade and labour unions.

We also pay glowing tribute to patriots such as Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Pa Abraham Adesanya, Chief Michael Enahoro and Chief Alfred Rewane.

Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo and several others, including innocent ordinary Nigerians, young and old, who were murdered in cold blood on the streets of Lagos and in other major cities of Nigeria.

Today, we declare that their sacrifice has not been in vain, Ambode said.

As part of activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the annulled June 12 Presidential election in Lagos, the state government held the 25th edition of the June 12 Annual Lecture and unveiled a 37-ft statue of the late MKO Abiola at Ketu-Alapere, Lagos.

Earlier in his lecture, Dr Dele Ashiru of the Political Science Department, University of Lagos, advocated a review of the constitution and a special status for Lagos State.

According to Ashiru, there have been a number of structural deficiencies since the emergence of the Nigerian state.

He said that the structural imbalance had led to many problems including corrupt practices, armed robbery and other crimes.

How do we restructure? It has to be more fundamental than cosmetic restructuring.

It has to be at the level of politics, governance, education and so on, Ashiru said.

He also called on leaders in all political offices to learn to live and uphold the ideals that Abiola represented while he lived.

Also speaking, an Activist, Mr Linus Okorojie, commended the state government for its continued support for the June 12 struggle.

Okorojie also commended President Buhari for the declaration and for according Abiola the highest national honour.

The Federal Government must however, go further to conclude the process by asking INEC to announce the result of the I993 Presidential elections and proclaim MKO Abiola winner, posthumously, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

U.S. President Donald Trump made a stunning concession to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday about halting military exercises, pulling a surprise at a summit that baffled allies, military officials and lawmakers from his own Republican Party.

At a news conference after the historic meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump announced he would halt what he called very provocative and expensive regular military exercises that the United States stages with South Korea.

That was sure to rattle close allies South Korea and Japan. North Korea has long sought an end to the war games.

Retired Adm. Harry Harris, the former head of U.S. Pacific Command and the Trump administrations chosen ambassador to South Korea, explained the logic behind the military exercises in congressional testimony last year. We are obliged to defend South Korea by treaty. They have a strong and capable military, as we do. But if were going to defend or if were going to fight with them on the peninsula then we have to be able to integrate with their military, Harris told the House Armed Services Committee. We have to maintain our degree of readiness, not only unilateral readiness, but also our combined and joint readiness with our brothers and sisters in the ROK [Republic of Korea] military.

Equally surprising as Trumps military announcement was the fact that he reportedly took this unilateral step without notifying South Korean and Japanese allies, or the Pentagon. The cancellation of the exercises has been a North Korean priority for decades, and in calling them war games and provocative, Trump adopted the rhetoric of Pyongyang.

Trump and Kim promised in a joint statement to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the United States promised its Cold War foe security guarantees. But they offered few specifics.

The summit, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was in stark contrast to a flurry of North Korean nuclear and missile tests and angry exchanges of insults between Trump and Kim last year that fueled worries about war.

Noting past North Korean promises to denuclearize, many analysts cast doubt on how effective Trump had been at obtaining Washingtons pre-summit goal of getting North Korea to undertake complete, verifiable and irreversible steps to scrap a nuclear arsenal that is advanced enough to threaten the United States.

In statements relayed by North Koreas state-run news agency, Kim called for Pyongyang and Washington to end irritating and hostile military actions against each other. But it made no mention of North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons program.

If the United States takes genuine measures to build trust with North Korea, the North will take additional goodwill measures, Kim said, according to a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report.

Critics in the United States said Trump had given away too much at a meeting that provided international standing to Kim. The North Korean leader is isolated, his country accused by rights groups of widespread human rights abuses and under U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

If implemented, the halting of the joint military exercises would be one of the most controversial moves to come from the summit. The drills help keep U.S. forces at a state of readiness in one of the worlds most tense flashpoints.

Source: NAN

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been rated as “team with the best travelling uniform” in Russia by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), few days to the commencement of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The rating comes days after a world fashion magazine GQ rated Nigerian Super Eagles jersey as the best for the 2018 World Cup.

See the travelling uniform in pictures below:

(NAN)

President Muhammadu Buhari has brought reconciliation and healing to Nigeria by recognising June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria, Hafsat Abiola, daughter of Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, said on Tuesday in Abuja.

In an emotion-laden speech to thank the Federal Government after the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Chief Abiola, Hafsat said the award and President Buhari’ apology to the wrong done to his father and the people of Nigeria, meant so much to her.

Hafsat was invited by her senior brother, Kola to speak on behalf of the Abiola family after he received the posthumous award for his father.

‘‘It is difficult to try to stand in the shoes of a giant of one of the greatest human beings that the world ever had. But that is the responsibility that I bear today.

‘‘Even for Chief MKO Abiola, it was difficult to imagine how he would speak to Nigerians in his inauguration speech.

‘‘My mum told me how he would stand in front of the mirror, preparing the speech because the results were coming in and he taught he would surely deliver the speech.

‘‘You know he was a stammerer and he would start … fellow Nigerians and he never really got pass fellow Nigerians. He would say a few words and then reply not like that, and he would start again,’’ Hafast said

According to Abiola’s daughter, his father’s love for Nigerians was unparalleled and he preferred to die for Nigeria rather than compromise on the integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

‘‘Although he was Yoruba he loved Hausas, Kanuris, Efiks, Igbos and all, you just needed to be a Nigerian,’’ he said.

(NAN)