If I offended any of you here please forgive me. I didnt do that deliberately, Governor Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa has told party chieftains.

Bindow urged stakeholders and other members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to forgive him, if he wronged them.

Bindow made the plea Monday at a stakeholders meeting in Yola to discuss the upcoming party congress.

The governor assured all the stakeholders that he has no candidate for the coming party congresses, and urged all those seeking positions to go and mobilize support.

My administration is ready to work with all those elected in the congresses, he stressed.

Bindow expressed satisfaction with the turnout of stakeholders from various interest groups in the state and urged for more unity in the party.

Speaking at the occasion, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustafa stressed the need to abide by the party guidelines for hitch free congresses.

We are one family and must not allow internal political bickering to affects our party in the state.

We won in 2015 general election and shall win in 2019, but we need to create a situation that would make it much easier for us to win again, Mustafa said.

In his remarks, the APC National Vice Chairman North East, Alhaji Mustafa Salihu, lauded the stakeholders for putting aside their differences to attend the meeting and urged contestants to show sportsmanship.

We must work to retain government at all levels; we need to put all our personal interests aside for our party, Salihu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former SGF, Babacir Lawan. who also attended the meeting however criticized the meeting for not discussing the issue of zoning ahead of the congresses.

According to him, the APC constitution promotes zoning of positions particularly in diverse states like Adamawa and wonder why the issue was not discussed.(NAN).

Source: NAN

Gov. Rochas Okorocha has said that the members and leaders of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Imo are not aware that Sen. Hope Uzodinma has joined the party.

The party in the state heard about the rumour of his entry into the party like any other Nigerian, Okorocha said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, in Owerri on Tuesday.

He said leaders of the party, including state, local government and ward executives as well as National Assembly and State Assembly members met at Imo International Convention Centre, Owerri, to deliberate on issues.

It is insulting on the party in the state for someone to be talking about joining the party from Abuja.

The procedure is that you start from your ward to your Local Government and then the State, and the state will inform the Party at the national level that you are now a member, the governor said.

He said Uzodinma could not come from nowhere to join the party and still believe he could be relevant.

None of the big names in Imo Politics identified with us when we were forming APC rather they told our people that we were working with Muhammadu Buhari to Islamise the state and Igbo land.

They called me Alhaji in Government House, They called me Okoro-Hausa, they attacked us harassed us, intimidated us, humiliated us with security agents under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, he said.

Okorocha said those who wanted to join the party now through backdoors never believed there could be tomorrow.

He said unless Uzodinma joined APC from the right source, we will not welcome him to APC in Imo State.

Okorocha said that no one should join APC from the window.

The worker deserves his wages and where you have worked is where you will be paid from.

Now, I have to tell you people all that concerns our party, how and where we have to strategise to win the 2019 election.

Let me remind you all that this journey didnt start today, he said.

Uzodinma was among leading members of the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who formally defected to APC in Abuja on Thursday.

The defectors included 34 state chairmen of the group and former senators Gbemisola Saraki and Teslim Folarin.

The defectors were led to the APC National Secretariat, Abuja, by Mr Cairo Ojougboh, and were received by the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari, has for the first time, made a brief remark on former President Olusegun Obasanjos controversial letter and called it abusive.

Buhari said he did not want a response to the letter which derided the government and urged Buhari not to seek a second term

Even when the Minister of Information and Culture wanted to reply that abusive letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo I had wanted Lai not to reply to the letter, but I said I should allow him to highlight the achievements of our administration.

Obasanjo wrote a damning letter on 23 January to President Buhari and touted a Coalition for Nigeria Movement which has been launched in Abuja to topple the APC and Buhari from office.

The movement was launched at the Shehu Musa YarAdua Centre .

Buhari in a special interview session with Voice of America, Hausa service, in Washington, United States on Tuesday morning dismissed the letter in few words.

On his purported comment on youth while in London, President Buhari also dismissed the report, saying that the media only preferred to interpret and report what they like instead of concentrating on developmental journalism.

You know Nigerias population is now between 180 and 190 million and 60 per cent of this population is youth that is 30 years down ward.

You know in the North most youths are uneducated or are school dropouts. If not because we had good harvests in the last two farming seasons the situation would have been worsen.

Even if these youths travel out of the North for greener pasture they hardly make it economically because what they earn as income cannot afford them to meet their basic needs or return home.

All these explanations I made, they refused to highlight them in their report and you know the media in Nigeria in most cases only do what they like.

He said, for instance the nations achievements in the agricultural sector where millions of Nigerians benefitted financially was left unreported by the media.

Buhari also used the opportunity to debunk the insinuation that Christians were being killed by herdsmen.

He said that clashes between farmers and herdsmen had been in existence for the past years, saying that Nigerian herdsmen were not of the habit of carrying dangerous weapons while moving their animals around the country.

Buhari said he approved the recruitment of 6,000 policemen in addition to the current strength.

The recruitment is part of measures to address the nations security challenges including the clashes between farmers and herders.

Buhari is in the U.S. on the invitation of the American President Donald Trump.

He revealed that additional security measures were being put in place to check cases of insecurity in Nigeria.

We will put in place more measures to check insecurity in country including increasing the number of policemen and train them.

I have approved the recruitment of 6,000 policemen by the police authorities and I directed that those recruited must come from all the 776 local government areas of the federation.

Even if it means recruiting one person each from the 776 they should do that instead of going to motor parks, railway stations or market for the recruitment exercise.

I gave (Police authorities) them this directive, he said.

In 2015, Buhari also approved the recruitment of 10,000 policemen.

The president, who expressed reservation on the call for the establishment of state police as being advocated by state governors, said Nigerians must abide by constitutional provision in regard to the matter.

Source: NAN

The visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to U.S. President Donald Trump has yielded the finalisation of negotiations to repatriate more than 500 million dollars (about 190 billion Naira) of Nigerias looted money traced to the U.S.

Nigerias Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Washington, DC, that he and the Attorney-General of the U.S. would be meeting on Tuesday to finalise the agreement.

Malami explained that the technicalities involved were being taken care of by both officials of the Nigerian Governments and also from the U.S. side.

He said: On the part of assets recovery, we have made considerable progress through this visit.

Theres goodwill by the two presidents to have a road map for the repatriation of illicit funds and assets traced to the U.S. as proceeds of illicit transactions.

This illicit funds and assets are to the tune of 500 million dollars and above for immediate repatriation.

We are looking at the shortest practicable time for it to be repatriated.

There is political commitment demonstrated by the two presidents.

The over 500 million dollars is not all the recovery, it is only for the immediate repatriation while we continue with our efforts to recover more.

Malami defended Nigerias human rights record, saying the Buharis administration is the first in the history of Nigeria to pay compensation for human rights violations.

He said in April, the Federal Government paid N135 million for the eight Apo traders who were found to have been victims of extra judicial killings by the Nigeria Police.

Of the police officers indicted, two were sentenced to death. The payment of compensation was also as a result of the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission and government did not appeal against it, he said.

He noted that Trump approved of what Buharis administration is doing.

Trump said Buhari is a great leader; he said he has a great respect for him; and he said Buhari has cut down on corruption, Malami said.

Source: NAN

A former Lagos State Commissioner for Information,MrOpeyemi Bamidele has vowed not to step down for anyone ahead of Saturdays governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti.

Bamidele, an aspirant, made the vow while addressing delegates for the primaries in Ado-Ekiti, describing as laughable the rumour making the rounds that he had stepped down.

He said there was no reason for him to quit when he wasconvinced that he had a good chance of clinchingthe partys ticket.

Bamidele stated that with the assurances given by the APC Nationalleader, Bola Tinubu, and other leaders of the partyat a meetingheld in Lagoson Friday, he had no reason to doubt thecredibility of the process.

He said he expected the party leaders to conduct a free, fair and credibleprimary election that would produce a strong candidate capable of defeating the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

It will be tragic for APC to lose after passing throughthis stress; so we must do the right thing for us to get the rightresult.

I have traversed all the 177 wards and I am now visiting all the 16local governments in search of delegates.

At 54, if I want to stepdown, I wont waste time, energy and money, moving around. I will noteven pretend in telling the public about it

Let me say that I am on the field, in the race and on Saturday, weare looking forward to getting the ticket by the grace of God, hesaid.

Counselling the delegates on the choice of candidate they should vote for, Bamidele saidthey shouldchoosesomeone who has the acceptability and clout to win as well as the knack to organise the party andmake it a formidable force.

APC needs an experienced person and someone with scientificunderstanding of what has gone wrong in Ekiti and how to resolve it.

I have been commissioner for over 10 years in executive arm, I havebeen amember ofHouse of Representatives and I am also a lawyer, whichfalls within the judicial arm

I will not in any way disappoint if given the ticket because I am aloyal party man and I know how to work with everybody to get theuseful result, he said.

On the sincerity ofmembers of the Chief John Oyegun-led National Working Committee to conduct credible primary election, Bamidele said: I have no reason to doubt their integrity.

All the aspirants had gone through screening and as we were doingthis, we were given a copy of delegates list each. We all know whowill vote on Saturday.

With this, I dont envisage that anyone would try to tamper with thelist or see anyone trying to do accreditation at another locationdifferent from where they will vote which can give opportunity totransport fake delegates to the venue.

The NWC, National and zonal leaders as well as the aspirants haveagreed on some pacts and I believe these shall be allowed to prevailin this election.

Source: NAN

Sierra Leones President Julius Maada Bio has appointed 27 ministers, four of whom are women and simultaneously created a new super-ministry headed by a Chief Minister.

Appointed to run the super ministry is Professor David Francis, Maada Bios former teacher at Bradford University in UK and chairman of the transition committee.

As explained in a statement by the Presidents office on Tuesday, Professor Francis role combines that of the chief of staff in the previous regime. He is like the prime minister, the man who will run the government.

According to the statement, Francis will ensure that the government

He is expected to provide competent leadership for the day-to-day operational co-ordination, oversight, monitoring and evaluation of government business.

He will serve as the central hub responsible for the overall co-ordination and facilitates the implementation of the Governments Strategic Priorities.

He will work with all Government ministers andco-ordinate the implementation of government policies across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

As directed by the Executive President, the Chief Minister chairs the 3 cross-cutting sectoral ministries for inter-governmental co-ordination including: Education and Social Development Sector Ministries; Finance and Economic Development Sector Ministries, and the Peace, Security and Justice Sector Ministries, government explained.

The Office of the Chief Minister will also supervise the Directorate of Presidential Infrastructural Projects and Service Delivery (DPIPSD); Directorate of Strategy, Policy and Planning (DSPP); Directorate of Performance Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPMME); Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit (MCCU); and Directorate of Institute for Science and Technology (DIST). A Permanent Secretary will provide the administrative leadership for the Office of the Chief Minister.

Women advocates have criticised the new government for appointing only four women into the 27-man full cabinet positions . One of the women appointed is Nabeela Tunis, wife of the Parliamentary Leader of the governing SLPP party.

The head of the 50/50 gender parity group,Dr Fatu Taqi said. While we congratulate the women, we are a little bit disappointed that only four of the 27 full cabinet positions went to women.

She urged the president to put on the gender lens in appointing people to ambassadorial and Parastatal positions.

Most of the nominees are from the southeastern stronghold of the presidents party, although there are northerners in senior positions such as education, health, trade and youth affairs.

President Maada Bio also gave ministerial slots to members of other political parties, excluding the former ruling APC. The presidential running-mate of the ADP party, which did not support Bio in the runoff poll, Haja Isata Abdulai-Kamara was appointed as non-cabinet minister (Resident Minister, Northwest).

Charles Margai, Presidential candidate of of PMDC party, which backed Bio is Attorney General.

Another non-SLP member appointed is Peter Bayuku Konteh. He heads the NGC party and was a former APC cabinet minister. He is the new Minister of Trade-designate.

*Full list of cabinet and non-cabinet ministers:

Chief Minister Professor David Francis
Finance Minister Jacob Saffa
Attorney General and Minister of Justice Charles Margai Attorney General
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Alpha Timbo
Minister of Health Dr Alpha Wurie
Minister of Energy Kanja Sesay
Minister of Information and Communications Mohamed Swarray
Minister of Marine Resources Emma Kowa
Minister of Labour Adekunle King
Minister of Water Resources Dr Jonathan Tengbe
Minister of Social Welfare, Gender

Rapper Kanye West, on the receiving end of criticism in the music world after backing President Donald Trump, sparked fresh outrage Tuesday when he called slavery a choice.

The rapper, never shy about expressing himself, made the comments in passing during one of two free-flowing interviews he gave as he promotes two upcoming albums.

You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice, West told TMZ Live, the broadcast wing of the celebrity gossip site.

West elaborated little on his statement but appeared to be drawing a parallel to how he is presumed to hold certain views as an African American artist.

Were mentally in prison. I like the word prison because slavery is too direct to the idea of blacks. Like Holocaust is Jews, slavery is blacks, West said.

Wests remarks immediately sparked an uproar on Twitter, his favorite medium, and he was taken to task live by a TMZ employee who said he was appalled.

The 40-year-old rapper, designer and husband of reality television star Kim Kardashian re-emerged last month after a year-long absence that followed a purported mental breakdown.

He enraged many fellow artists but was embraced by conservative commentators as he praised Trump, who has since cited the rappers words as evidence of minority support.

In a separate interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God, West said he had not followed Trumps policies but, When I see an outsider infiltrate, I connect with that.

West who in 2005 made headlines by saying that then president George W. Bush doesnt care about black people is one of the few prominent African Americans to support Trump.

The president built his political career by promoting unfounded conspiracy theories about his predecessor Barack Obamas birthplace and has been embroiled in a number of racial controversies since taking office.

Speaking to Charlamagne tha God, West said he was upset that Obama invited other rappers to the White House such as Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z.

Obama, in off-record small talk with a reporter in 2009 that leaked, called West a jackass after the rapper disrupted the MTV Video Music Awards to say that Taylor Swift did not deserve her prize.

You know, he never called me to apologize, West said, explaining that Obama had met him and his mother before being elected president.

The same person who sat down with me and my mom, I think should have communicated with me directly.

Source: NAN

After seven years of stagnation, all public workers in Imo state, are to enjoy automatic promotion.

Governor Rochas Okorocha announced the approval of the promotion for all workers on Tuesday as part of his package for workers supportive role to his administration.

Okorocha gave the approval at the 2018 Workers Day celebration held at the Heroes Square, Owerri on Tuesday.

He said the automatic promotion was to make up for the non-promotion the workers have suffered for seven years.

Workers are the life wire of every organisation. I salute your courage, your commitment and resilience during the trying times with numerous challenges ranging from insecurity, lack of infrastructure and low remuneration.

You have remained partners in the success story of this administration. I am not unmindful of your needs. I am ready to pay you allowances, even sleeping and absenteeism allowances, he said.

On the minimum wage, the governor assured the workers that whatever the Federal Government had agreed to pay workers, Imo government will not be found wanting.

He said his government was able to reduce Imo pension from N1.7 billion to N700 million which would make for easy payment.

Okorocha called on the workers to ensure they registered at the ongoing registration of voters, saying their vote is their power to vote in people of their choice during election.

There is need for you to keep our legacies. Shine your eyes to choose government that will replace me.

Make sure you have your PVCs. The PVC story is not favourable to South-east which has the least number of PVCs.

At the rate we are going, it will come to a point where Ndigbo will become an inconsequential factor in national politics, the governor said.

The state Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Imo State Council, on behalf of the organised labour, complained of ill treatment meted to Nigerian workers by subsequent governments.

He said that the labour union had contributed immensely towards the political development of the country but had faced a lot of challenges in the efforts towards national development.

He said this was because those in authority are not concerned about the country and the welfare of its citizens, but their personal interests.

Akanazu said that while the working condition in America and other countries continued to improve for the better, that of workers in Nigeria had continued to degenerate.

He, however, noted that despite the challenges posed by government at various levels, the labour movement had continued to exist, waxing stronger to carry out its responsibility to the workers and people of Nigeria.

The union leader urged the state government to ensure it honoured the expectation of the workers that their salaries be restored to 100 per cent as against the current 70 per cent to 80 per cent, since the countrys economy has improved.

He also called on the governor to pay and reduce the pensions arrears to a reasonable level and ensure that Imo was not left behind when the new minimum wage to be announced by the federal government becomes effective.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the highlight of the occasion was the presentation of one million Naira to a pregnant woman who led the march of her colleagues at the May Day celebration. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Police have arrested 25 suspected cultists, who gathered for their initiation activities in Enugu state.

The Enugu State Police Command said it recovered a locally made single barrel pistol, a locally made cut to size single barrel gun, four live cartridges and six expended cartridges from the suspects.

The Commands spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said on Tuesday in Enugu that the suspects were arrested on April 30 at 1 a.m. in a bush at the outskirts of Enugu metropolis.

Amaraizu said the suspects were arrested by the commands Anti-Cultism Unit through intelligence information.

To this end, the operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command through intelligence information have raided Obeagu-Amechi Awkunanaw bush.

It was reported that 25 youths from various universities, polytechnics and some secondary schools in the South-East gathered for their initiation activities into membership of Black Axe Ayes confraternity.

During the well co-ordinated raid, which took place inside the bush behind centenary city Awkunanaw, these suspects were promptly apprehended.

Amaraizu noted that the suspects have been helping police operatives in their investigations as it relates their cult activities among other vices.

The command has maintained its readiness and stand and will not rest on its oars in its campaign and onslaught against cultism and other vices among our youths in the state for a safe and secured environment, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Global military spending rose to $1.73 trillion in 2017, up by 1.1 per cent against that of 2016.

The 2017 expenditure is highest level since the Cold War, with the U.S., China and Saudi Arabia topping the list, a Swedish-based research institute said Wednesday.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that the spending translated into $230 per person.

The U.S. remained the worlds largest spender with $610 billion unchanged year-on-year.

The U.S. accounted for over a third of global military expenditure.

The downward trend in US military spending that started in 2010 has come to an end, said Aude Fleurant, head of SIPRIs arms and military expenditure programme.

Second-placed China was estimated to have spent 228 billion dollars, and according to SIPRI accounted for the largest absolute increase in spending 12 billion dollars, measured in constant 2016 prices.

The research institute said it estimated that Chinas share of global spending has doubled since 2008 to 13 per cent.

Saudi Arabia replaced Russia in third place, spending 69.4 billion dollars in 2017.

The Middle East was the region where military spending was estimated to account for the highest portion of GDP, just over five per cent, although SIPRI said data was sketchy from several countries including Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen.

In spite of low oil prices, armed conflict and rivalries throughout the Middle East are driving the rise in military spending in the region, said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI programme.

Seven countries in the Middle East were among the 10 countries with the highest share of military spending as a portion of GDP, including Oman with 12 per cent of GDP, and Saudi Arabia with 10 per cent of GDP.

Russias spending meanwhile dropped by one fifth in real terms compared to 2016 to 66.3 billion dollars.

It was the first drop since 1998. SIPRI attributed the drop to factors such as falling oil prices.

Military modernization remains a priority in Russia, Wezeman said.

India edged France to take fifth place, spending almost 64 billion dollars.

The combined spending of the top five military spenders accounted for 60 per cent of global military spending.

Europe accounted for one fifth of global military spending, but fell compared to 2016 and was only slightly
higher than in 2008.

Four of the top 15 global military spenders were based in Europe: France, Britain, Germany and Italy.

Asia and Oceanias share of global military spending was about one quarter, mainly fuelled by Chinas expenditure.

Other top spenders in the region that were among the top 15 global spenders were India, Japan, South Korea and
Australia.

The institute said Algeria remained Africas largest spender, but its spending dropped in 2017 due to lower
oil and gas prices.

In South America spending increased over 4 per cent, driven by Argentina and Brazil.

SIPRI said its figures include salaries, costs for operations, purchases of arms and equipment as well as
research and development.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN