Nigerias strongest selling point remains an intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious populace that always seeks self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world, President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday in Rabat, Morocco.

In an audience with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the Royal Guest Palace, President Buhari said Nigerias visionary and resilient population works hard to always position the country for more growth.

He said the population is fuelled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute to development.

Nigerians are intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious. I received some of our students here yesterday and I am really impressed with the zeal and fearlessness they exuded.

In Nigeria we have a very young and aggressive population and we are working very hard to create the enabling and inclusive environment for their contributions to be better appreciated, the President told the Prime Minister.

President Buhari said his government is harnessing the human and material resources available in the country, especially in the educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with countries that can explore the huge potentials in Nigeria.

The President noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by 90 per cent in 18 months.

We need to do more to improve our statistics on food production and graciously, the weather has been auspicious in the last couple of years for agricultural growth. We are happy that through partnership with you and hard work the price of fertilizer is already down by 50 per cent, he said.

On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely, Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the President assured the Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.

We have a huge gas reserve in Nigeria, and we should be known more for gas exploration than for crude oil. So, we are happy with the new partnership with Morocco, he added.

The Prime Minister said his country had always been impressed by Nigerias intellectual zeal and strength, noting that many Moroccans appreciate the intellectual contribution of Nigerians, especially in literary works.

Your visit to our country is historic and we are looking forward to more partnerships, especially among our universities, which would further consolidate our relationship, Othman said.

President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature, Habib El Malki and the President of the Advisers on Commerce, Ben Chemmas.

The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of past kings.

Source: NAN

North Koreas Kim Jong Un has brought with him his own portable toilet to Singapore ahead of the Tuesday summit with U.S. president Donald Trump.

President Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un are both in Singapore for their highly anticipated summit, the first of its kind between a U.S. president and a leader of North Korea.

While officials remain as to what exactly will come out of Tuesdays unprecedented discussions, Mr. Trump has stated that he wants to strike a deal to get the Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

South Korean news agency reported that when Kim arrived in Singapore on an Air China Boeing 747 and was accompanied by an IL-76 transport plane carrying food, his bullet-proof limousine and a mobile toilet.

Accordingly to Lee Yun-keol, who worked in a North Korean Guard Command unit before defecting to South Korea in 2005, thats par for the course.

Rather than using a public restroom, the leader of North Korea has a personal toilet that follows him around when he travels, says Lee Yun-keol.

The reason? They are protecting against a literal info dump.

The leaders excretions contain information about his health status so they cant be left behind, Lee Yun-keol explained.

Similar travel considerations are reportedly made whenever the North Korean leader conducts on-site inspections of military bases and state-run factories across the country.

In fact, according to the South Korean news agency Daily NK, there is a customised bathroom built into Kims convoy of vehicles at all times.

The restrooms are not only in Kim Jong Uns personal train but whatever small or midsize cars he is traveling with and even in special vehicles that are designed for mountainous terrain or snow, a source in South Pyongan Province familiar with Kims Escort Command told in 2015.

There are multiple vehicles within the convoy so that people cannot tell which one he is in, and there is a separate car that acts as his restroom.

So, in this respect at least, it seems this historic summit is no different than Kims other excursions.

He simply always uses a personal, highly guarded toilet in loo of public facilities.

Source: NAN

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday said it has destroyed a 10-hectare Indian hemp farm at Area 5, Ife-South Local Government Area of Osun.

The State Commander of the agency, Mr Egbeola Samuel, said 19.3 kg of already harvested Indian hemp was also seized at the farm while one suspect was arrested.

Samuel, who said the command was set to destroy more Indian hemp farms, solicited the support of the state government.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the state government for the support it rendered to the agency in carrying out its latest seizure.

The NDLEA boss also commended Mr Remi Kolajo, the Chairman of the Task force on Eradication of Planting, Distribution and Usage of Cannabis Sativa and Psychotropic Substances, for his support.

Samuel said the NDLEA would not relent in its efforts to make Osun a drug-free state. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Former Publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Prince Dayo Adeyeye on Sunday, described the decision of the Ekiti Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose to employ 2000 applicants before the end of his tenure as a scam.

Adeyeye, in a signed statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti, warned prospective jobs seekers to beware of the governors antics.

NAN reports that the tenure of Governor Fayose will expire on October 16 when the new governor to be elected in the July 14 gubernatorial election would be sworn-in.

Adeyeye, defected to the All Progressives Congress, (APC) shortly after he lost the PDP primary to the incumbent Deputy Governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, who emerged as the candidate of the party.

Adeyeye, who was also a former Minister of State for Works, queries why the governor was just waking up to the facts that hundreds of youths in the state need jobs.

Few weeks after his inauguration as the state governor, he instructed the unemployed youths in the state to submit their curriculum vitae for jobs that he promised to create for them.

Over ten thousand youths in the state paid the sum of one thousand naira each, to collect the forms for the jobs, but unfortunately, up till now, he has not employed one single youth in the state, he said.

He assured the youths that nothing would come out of the exercise, which he is only using as political gimmicks to trick the people of the state into voting for his ordained candidate.

I wonder how a state governor, who has not paid the state workers for over seven months, owing pensioners months of gratuity and local government workers as well, is going to fund the employment of two thousand fresh employees.

Here is somebody, who sacked all that were employed by the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration that now wants to employ 2000 workers.

Workers and the youths should know that he is only deceiving them and does not have their interest at heart. The people cannot be deceived because an average Ekiti worker is more educated and enlightened than he is , he said

Source: NAN

A top European Union official mocked President Trump on Sunday with a tweet suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has incriminating information on Trump.

Guy Verhofstaft, the EU parliaments representative in Brexit negotiations and a former prime minister of Belgium, shared a now-viral photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel staring down President Trump during a meeting at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Quebec.

Just tell us what Vladimir has on you, Verhofstadt wrote. Maybe we can help.

The photo, first posted Saturday by Merkels office, quickly went viral, with many social media users pointing out the apparent tension between the two leaders.

Verhofstadts tweet comes amid a tumultuous 24 hours since Trumps departure from the G7 summit.

Though Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all seven leaders had signed onto a joint statement, Trump withdrew his support in a tweet criticizing Trudeau over the two leaders trade dispute.

After Trump left the summit, Trudeau in a news conference criticized the presidents tariffs on Canada, saying it was insulting that they were implemented on the basis of national security, and vowed to retaliate.

Trump and his aides have since engaged in a war of words with Canadian officials.

The comments drawing the most attention came from Trumps trade adviser Peter Navarro, who said there was a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.

An EU official had since replied, saying there is a special place in heaven for Trudeau.

Top European Union official Donald Tusk said this in a sly rebuke of recent comments made by one of President Trumps trade officials.

There is a special place in heaven for @JustinTrudeau, tweeted Tusk, the president of the European Council. Canada, thank you for the perfect organisation of G7!

Source: NAN

Cuban authorities on Sunday said they remained baffled by a mystery ailment that has afflicted numerous US diplomats on the island, with the latest case reported last month.

More than 20 US officials posted in Havana have suffered injuries consistent with brain injury, which the US State Department has said could have been the result of a health attack, from an unidentified secret weapon, possibly an acoustic or microwave device.

The bulk of cases took place between the end of 2016 and the summer of 2017, with symptoms including hearing loss, cognitive impairment, vertigo, insomnia or vision problems.

Holding Cuba responsible for either carrying out the attacks or failing to protect its officials, the US recalled more than half of its diplomats and expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington, sparking a major diplomatic downturn following the revival of ties in 2015.

After more than a year of investigation led by specialized agencies and Cuban and US experts, we can confirm that we have no credible hypothesis or scientific explanation that justifies the retaliatory US measures, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement said Cuba reaffirmed its desire to cooperate with the US authorities to clarify the situation.

It added that Havana had taken note of the most recent case, reported by the US embassy on May 29, about an employee who was said to have fallen ill as a result of undefined sounds at his place of residence.

The US embassy in Beijing on Friday issued a health alert for its citizens after government employees were evacuated, the second alert in two weeks, sparking fear the case may be linked to events in Cuba.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has set up a task force to oversee the response to the mystery ailments in both countries.

Source: NAN

Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says no fewer than 35 containers of Tramadol have been seized at various ports in the country.

Adeyeye disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

She said nine out of the seized containers of tramadol were released to NAFDAC by the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), and had been destroyed by her agency.

“We are seriously working with the Customs on this and each time they seize any container, they usually invite us to come and see the containers with Tramadol.

“So far, 35 containers were seized and only nine of them have been handed over to NAFDAC which we have destroyed,” she said.

She, however, decried the delay by the Customs in handing over the rest of the containers to her agency.

The NAFDAC boss stated that tramadol was a restricted drug but had been abused by Nigerian youths who use it without prescription.

According to Adeyeye, who is also a professor of pharmacology, the drug destroys children’s brain thereby threatening the future generation of the Nation.

She lauded the present administration for placing an embargo on codeine, which she said, like tramadol, should only be given through prescription as done in advanced country.

The director general said the agency was more determined to stem the menace of illicit and fake drugs in the country.

What is Tramadol?

Tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram among others, is an opioid pain medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release formulation, the onset of pain relief usually occurs within an hour. It is often combined with paracetamol (acetaminophen) as this is known to improve the efficacy of tramadol in relieving pain.

Common side effects include: constipation, itchiness and nausea.Serious side effects may include seizures, increased risk of serotonin syndrome, decreased alertness, and drug addiction.A change in dosage may be recommended in those with kidney or liver problems. It is not recommended in those who are at risk of suicide. While not recommended in women who are breastfeeding, those who take a single dose should not generally stop breastfeeding.

It works by binding to the μ-opioid receptor and by acting as a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Tramadol is in the benzenoid class. In the body it is converted to desmetramadol, which is a more potent opioid.[10]

Tramadol was launched and marketed as “Tramal” by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH in 1977 in West Germany, and 20 years later it was launched in the UK, US, and Australia. It is marketed under many brand names worldwide.

(NAN, Wikipedia)

Nigerian reggae icon, Ras Kimono, has died, sources close to the musician said, according to multiple reports on Sunday. He was 60 years old.

The online news platform, Q.ED said Kimono was said to have taken ill on Saturday on his way to the US.

Friends rushed him to a hospital in Ikeja from where he was transferred to Lagoon Hospital in Ikoyi.

He died on Sunday morning.

According to several biographical sketches, Kimono served a long apprenticeship on the Nigerian music circuit, experimenting with a number of styles, before making his late 80s breakthrough as a reggae singer.

Together with his Massive Dread Reggae Band, Kimono released his debut album, Under Pressure, in 1989. Accompanied by the popular single, “Rum-Bar Stylee”, this revealed both a Jamaican and native African influence.

Before he released his solo album, he was in a group called The Jastix along with Amos McRoy and Majek Fashek.

Born in Delta State, Nigeria, he went to Gbenoba Secondary School, Agbor and later joined the legendary Jastix Reggae group, alongside Majek Fashek, Amos McRoy Jegg and Black Rice Osagie.

He won several awards including the Nigeria Music Awards, Fame Music Awards and many more.

(NAN)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he is ready to hold a summit with President Trump whenever the U.S. is ready, the AP reports.

Putin during a visit to China also welcomed Trumps call to bring Moscow back into the G7.

He said that he shares Trumps concern about the escalation of an arms race between the U.S. and Russia.

The U.S. president has repeatedly said that its reasonable to hold such a meeting.

As soon as the U.S. side is ready, the meeting will take place, depending, of course, on my working schedule.

Source:

Source: NAN

Enugu State Police Command says it willprovide adequate protection for residents during the World Cup through its 24-hour patrol and surveillance.

The Commands spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Enugu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigerias Super Eagles and 31 other countries would trade tackles at the June 14 to July 15 football fiesta.

Nigerias Super Eagles are in Group D comprising Argentina, Croatia and World Cup debutantes, Iceland.

The event would feature 64 matches, all of which would be televised by various Pay Television Networks being subscribed to by football match viewing centres, relaxation spots and hotels.

Amaraizu said that residents of the state are free to watch the World Cup matches even very late into the night without fear as there would be adequate police presence.

We dont sleep in our duty especially on minute-by-minute patrols in the state. That is why there is always night life in Enugu.

However, we are redoubling our efforts to strengthen the existing patrol and other security frameworks during this World Cup season.

This is knowing what it means for the residents and visitors to watch the matches live in a secured environment, he said.

The spokesman also urged football lovers and residents to be of good conduct especially in the aspect of controlling their emotions as a match progresses.

Do not allow your emotions to cause commotion. Football is a game meant to promote peace, love and oneness among people.

Residents should watch matches and make new friends notwithstanding the outcome, he said.

According to him, the officers and men of the command are wishing the Super Eagles a fruitful outing and superlative performance that would make the country proud.

For those who cannot make it to Russia due to one circumstance or the other; the person, family or group can come to Enugu and watch the matches through Pay Television Network in viewing centres and hotels as well as experience the peace and hospitality the state offers, he advised.

Source: NAN