The United States on Monday will adopt an aggressive posture against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, threatening sanctions against its judges if they proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Americans in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, is to make the announcement in a midday speech to the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in Washington. It will be his first major address since joining the Trump White House.

The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court, Bolton will say, according to a draft of his speech seen by Reuters.

Bolton will also say that the State Department will announce the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington out of concern about Palestinian attempts to prompt an ICC investigation of Israel.

The PLO office in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States will always stand with our friend and ally, Israel, says Boltons draft text.

The draft speech says the Trump administration will fight back if the International Criminal Court formally proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan.

If such a probe proceeds, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in the American court system.

We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us, says Boltons draft text.

In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to the Hague court, says the text.

The courts aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The United States did not ratify the Rome treaty that established the International Criminal Court in 2002, with then-President George W. Bush opposed to the court. President Barack Obama took some steps to cooperate with the organization.

We will consider taking steps in the U.N. Security Council to constrain the courts sweeping powers, including to ensure that the ICC does not exercise jurisdiction over Americans and the nationals of our allies that have not ratified the Rome Statute, says Boltons draft text.

Source: NAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has been hit with another defection as the partys leader in Ika Local Government Area, Dr Francis Udoikpong joined the All Progressives Congress.

Dr Udoikpong, a PDP state caucus member and former Commissioner for Health, defected with about 5,000 others, including Sir Godwin Idungafa, a former Ika local government vice chairman; Mr Harry Eduo, a former Ika local government secretary and councillor; and Uyo Udom, a lawyer and politician.

The defection of the PDP leader happened barely a month after Deputy Inspector-General of Police Udom Ekpoudom (rtd) and Obong Otu Robert Akpan, his counterparts in Etim Ekpo and Ini local governments, joined the APC with Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Senate Minority leader.

Dr Udoikpong, also a former chairman of Ika Local Government and past Chairman of the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA) said they were leaving the PDP because the Udom Emmanuel Administration had neglected Ika, a boundary local government with Abia State.

He condemned inclusion of their names in Emmanuel campaign organisation without their consent, and demanded their names be removed.

Mr Ini Okopido, state chairman of APC, who received the defectors, noted that with their coming Ika is now APC.

Mr Okopido, himself an indigene of Ika, assured them of accommodation and equal rights as old members in the APC.

Gabriel Toby, member for Ika/Etim Ekpo State Constituency, who joined the APC recently, told the crowd that with major Ika political gladiators in one camp, APC would sweep the 2019 elections in the area.

Among APC chieftains that witnessed the defection were Sir Ernest Ukpong and Akanimo Edet, former House of Assembly members and Chief Edem Obot, the Adaha Ika.

Reported by The Nation

Source: NAN

No fewer than 3,000 residents have so far benefited from the Lagos State Governments Rent-To-Own schemes, according to the Commissioner for Housing, Mr Gbolahan Lawal.

Lawal said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the states housing policies captured both those in the formal and informal sectors.

He said that the informal sector constituted about 65 per cent of the population of the state and that a mechanism had been put in place to determine their incomes and eligibility for the homes.

All our estates are for everybody irrespective of your status. We have special consideration for Lagosians and we have accommodation for all categories of people in Lagos.

My Christmas promise will be achieved for those prospective buyers who have applied for Gbagada, Igbogbo, Amuwo Odofin, Sangotedo Phase 1 houses. Celebrating Christmas in their new homes is feasible.

It is important to also use this medium to let Lagosians know that we are committed to completing all the projects we met on ground and we are also building new ones.

So far over 3,000 Lagosians are now beneficiaries of our Rent-to-Own Scheme, he said.

The commissioner said the housing deficit of about 2.5 million was huge, adding that the various sustainable efforts were underway including an affordable housing trust fund to be inaugurated soon.

He said that the initiative would be unveiled before the expiration of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambodes administration in May 2019 which would give cooperative societies ample opportunities to take part in housing finance.

Lawal disclosed that the ministry took over 27 housing estates at various stages of between 20 and 60 per cent completion from the last administration which needed more resources to complete.

He said Ambode administration also met a mortgage system on ground which had been reviewed downward because most applicants could not afford the 30 per cent down payment.

The state government introduced the Rent-To-Own scheme where beneficiaries are required to pay only five per cent of the cost of building as commitment fee while the balance is spread over a period of 10 years.

A recent study revealed that the housing deficit for Lagos is 2.5 million and the government also found out that it will take 187,500 housing units yearly for five years to bridge the gap.

The government of Lagos State alone cannot bridge the existing gap and so we decided to come up with Lagos State Affordable Public Housing and that is working with the private sector as a joint venture initiative.

Government contribution is land, then all the statutory charges, the permits, will also be part of the governments equity while the private sector will come up with the technical expertise, the finance and all that are geared towards the supply side. The Rent-to-Own is the demand side, he told NAN.

On the various estates, Lawal said the Igando Gardens which has 492 units was more than 90 per cent completed and that the sewage would be fixed before delivery.

Gbagada Estate is over 95 per cent completed while Igbogbo in Ikorodu which has 360 units is at 85 per cent completion. Amuwo Odofin Estate which has 84 units has been completed and will be handed over in few weeks to allottees.

Akerele Estate in Surulere has only two blocks and the beneficiaries are already moving into their houses.

Sangotedo Estate in Lekki has 1,118 units and is at an advanced stage of completion and Phase 1 is above 80 per cent completed; the water and sewage will be ready before the end of September, the commissioner said.

On the Egan/Igando Estate in Alimosho council area which was started by the Bola Tinubu administration, he said efforts were on to rehabilitate and complete the houses after successful integrity tests of the buildings, adding that a major road leading to the estate had been constructed.

Before May 2019, we should be able to hand over keys to the allottees.

Source: NAN

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has identified more than 6,772 billionaires’ tax defaulters whose bank accounts have been screened.

The tax agency would soon go after the bank accounts of defaulting taxpayers who are raking in billions in Nigeria and are not paying taxes.

Mr. Tunde Fowler, FIRS Chairman, said on Sunday in Lagos that all banks in the country would do substitution on accounts for such identified taxpayers.

“There are over 6,772 of such defaulting billionaire taxpayers that have been identified by the FIRS, leveraging on banks data,” Fowler said.

He noted that most of such taxpayers, who have between N1 billion and N5 billion in their accounts have no Taxpayer Identification Number, TIN, or have TIN and have not filed any tax returns as taxpayers.

“What we have done is what we call ‘’substitution‘’ which also is in our laws which empowers us to appoint the banks as collection agents for tax.

” So, all these ones of TIN and no pay and no TIN and no pay, to the total of 6772 will have their accounts frozen or put under substitution pending when they come forward.

” First, they refused to come forward in 2016, they refused to come forward under VAT and are still operating here.

” So, we are putting them under notice that it is their civic responsibility to pay tax and to file returns on these accounts,” Fowler said.

He explained that all businesses, partnerships, corporate accounts that have a minimum turnover of N1 billion per annum for the past three years were considered.

He said that the law stipulated that before you open a corporate account, part of the opening documentation is the tax I.D.

” From the 23 banks, we have analysed so far, we have 31,395 records, out of which effectively minus duplications we had 18,602.

“We broke those into three categories: Those that have TIN tax I.D, those that don’t have no TIN and of course no TIN no pay and those that have TIN and have not even paid anything.

“So, on a minimum, every company or business included here over the last three years have had a banking turnover of N3 billion and above.

Some of them have had banking turnover of over N5 billion and have not paid one kobo in taxes. Now the total number of TIN and no pay is 6772.” Fowler said.

He noted that FIRS is also paying closer attention to Audit.

” We have started a comprehensive Audit exercise that involves both national and regional Audits

”We got to a position where we found out that majority of the major organizations that were allowed to do self-assessment, do not truthfully declare or pay the taxes that were due.

”To date we have raised assessment of over N805 billion from 1324 national audits, out of which 499 (taxpayers) have N219 billion.

“N219 billion can do a lot of things. It can provide certainly a lot more infrastructure, healthcare and educational facilities.

”These monies that are supposed to go into the Federation Account are shared between Federal, Local and State governments.

”So, every state can get an additional 1 billion from such monies, hopefully if you vote right, that governor, that governor would deploy it to the right place,” Fowler said.

The tax chief warned his staff to be honest in dealing with tax payers.

He did not spare the FIRS either, even though it had made over N1 trillion over its 2017 collection between January to August by N1 trillion.

“If you look at 2018 revenue to date, between January and August, we have done N3.5 trillion, which is N1 trillion over 2017.

”But the main point I want to make is that majority of taxpayers that accounted for this revenue have not changed.

”The laws have not changed. And to a great extent, the consultants to these companies have not changed.

” If you look at 2017, there is an increase of close to N800 billion over the 2016 collection.

“The increase in 2018 so far showed N 1 trillion.

If the same consultants advised or reviewed the accounts of the majority of the taxpayers, one would wonder why such large increases occurred.

”It is either the taxpayers did not disclose fully their financials to the consultants or the consultants involved in tax planning.

”Either way, it is not good for to the wellbeing of our nation, Nigeria,” Fowler said.

He noted the perfidy of businesses who collect VAT and not remitting to government coffers.

“We have found out that a number of businesses , collect VAT that do not remit to government,

” So we are going back to the old school way were VAT certificate would be given to all tax payers and we expect them to display it in their places of business.

”We also found out the number of businesses were not even registered tax payers and were collecting VAT. Without having a tax, I.D.

”As an agent or a collector of VAT, there is no way you can remit that VAT to government. So, in short, they were collecting and adding it to their income and spending it,” Fowler said.

The FIRS Chairman noted that taxpayers can now enjoy the flexibility of choosing their tax offices and paying online.

“Prior to now, at times your tax office can be an hour away from your office, taxpayers can now choose where their files reside .

”You can pay anywhere in the world: London, Dubai, New York, pay your taxes online and download your receipt immediately,” he said.

Citing the example of taxes FIRS is levying on corporates which have property, but are now being assessed on the value of their property’s turnover, Fowler clarified on why such property owners were being assessed for tax.

“First of all, banking turnover does not mean that is the turnover of your business it simply means the money that has gone in and out of your account.

”But what the tax law says is that’’ if you do not file your returns and you are in constant default we use turnover as a basis of estimating your tax liability.

For example, if your turnover is N100 million we assume that 20% of that is profit and we tax that at 30%.

“Some of them claim not to own the property, those of them that claim not to own the property and of course were sent to government,

” The Presidency will decide what would happen to those properties that have no owners. To those that have owners and have not paid they would be prosecuted.

”We are also in the process of going to court to get the approval of the court orders to sell those properties.

” We are not only doing that in Abuja, we have also concluded in Lagos. We are currently doing it in Osun, Oyo, Kaduna and eventually we would cover the whole federation.

“The idea here is simple if you have had the opportunity to make your wealth in this economy, in this society, the least you can do is pay your tax.

“We have not included any group who by law are not meant to pay tax in this group.

”So far, we have sent out 2980 letters and we believe that before the end of September we would get most of them out,” he said. (NAN)

Outgoing governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti on Sunday allayed the concerns of governor-elect Kayode Fayemi, who feared he would inherit humongous debt nearing N117 billion.

With exactly 35 days to leave office, Fayose said his handover note was ready for the scrutiny for those making enquiries about his government.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the governor did not cooperate with the Transition Committee set up by Incoming-Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose snubbed the request by the committee, for certain records of his tenure.

He claimed the committeee is illegal.

Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, urged the Governor-Elect to stop spreading falsehood about him or the finances of his administration.

He described as mere fabrication, the claim that his government had accumulated a debt of N117 billion as against the N18 billion it inherited.

Fayemi was already preparing excuses for his impending failure at the tribunal, Fayose said.

Fayose insisted that the State Government under him has no obligation to relate with any committee not empowered by law, stating that the governor-elect should wait for the handing over note that will be handed to him on October 16.

He said it was funny that the same Transition Committee that claimed it did not get any information from the State government estimated the state debt at N117 billion.

He reiterated that his government only received N10 billion grant from the Excess Crude Account, which was released to all States for capital projects as well as Budget Support fund released to states by the Federal Government.

It is on record that Ekiti State Government was indebted to the tune of N86, 013,689,097 as at October 16, 2014 that Governor Fayose took over.

The debts are broken down as follows: Bank Loans; N15, 831,613,425.62, Bond; N26, 749,796,784.75, Outstanding Warrants; N15, 522,552,900.76, Outstanding to Road Contractors; N21, 286,126,749, Outstanding Remittances to FG; N709, 883,656.75, Outstanding Remittances (State Govt); N592, 995,374.89 and EKSG Public Servants Outstanding Emoluments; N5, 137,888,224.37, he said.

The governor counselled Fayemi to face the task of defending the mandate that he stole and his fraudulent emergence as the APC candidate instead of treading the usual path of deceiving the public to cover up his failure.

Source: NAN

The All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Sunday called for support for the partys candidate in the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.

Tinubu said in Lagos that Oyetola wasthe best man for the job and the one to beat in the race.

He said he was backing the renowned insurance guru and corporate player to help replicate the economic and infrastructure development witnessed in Lagos State in Osun.

With the impeccable credentials, competence and the sterling performance of the outgoing Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, the APC flag bearer is the best man for the job and the one to beat in the race, he said in a statement by his Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman.

Tinubu described Oyetola as a technocrat, shrewd manager and administrator, recalling how he single-handedly founded and raised his own insurance company to a place of enviable status.

Ogbeni Aregbesola has laid the infrastructural foundation for the state; Oyetola with his experience and expertise in the corporate world will take Osun to the next level by raising its economic and investment profile, Tinubu said.

Source: NAN

By Moses Omorogieva

The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 60-year-old Ifa chief priestess and her two sons in connection with some kidnap cases in the state.

The spokesman for the command, CSP Chike Oti, made the development known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

Oti said that the suspects were arrested on Saturday at their home at No.15, Irepodun Street, Egan, Igando, a Lagos suburb.

He said that the woman was said to be a chief priestess and custodian of an Ifa shrine.

She was alleged to be aiding her sons, aged 26 and 32, who allegedly lure their victims with charms to their home.

Oti described the suspects as deadly bunch of kidnappers.

He said that they used the social media to lure their victims and put them in captivity until they paid ransoms for their release.

The trio met their waterloo when one Bridget Obazee came to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Igando Police Station, CSP Taiwo Kasumu, on Sept. 7 and complained that her brother, Osahon, was missing.

The complainant told the DPO that the kidnappers were threatening to kill Osahon if they (family) failed to pay a N1.5 million ransom.

She added that they warned her not to involve the police, otherwise her brother would be killed.

Oti said that the DPO quickly contacted the Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, who deployed men from the Intelligence Unit of the command to reinforce the DPOs team.

He said that the team immediately set out in search of the suspects.

The same day, at about 11a.m., through discreet investigation, the team arrested the woman and her sons, Akeem Bashiru and Ojo Solomon, he said.

He said that besides Osahon, the police also rescued two other victims in the home of the suspects, which doubled as their hideout.

He gave the names of the other victims as Adugbagbe Akindele of No.7 Peace Crescent Salolo, Meiran, Lagos and one Ekwegbalu Augustine, who was lured from Anambra with the promise for a job in an oil company.

Oti said, the victims have been held for weeks, pending the payment of ransom by their families.
He said that those rescued had been re-united with their relations.

He said that during interrogation, Solomon confessed that he lured the victims with the promise of getting them employment.

He further confessed that he lured some victims for a gay relationship and that their mother empowered him and his brother spiritually, Oti said.

He said that the mother used charms to intimidate and instil fear in victims.

He hailed residents of Lagos State for assisting the command with useful information and urged them not to relent.

Source: NAN

Nigerias Aruna Quadri on Sunday won the Mens Singles title at the 2018 ITTF African Championships in Mauritius, the first time in his career.

He beat veteran and three time champion, Egypts Ahmed Ali Saleh (11-7, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-1). The victory came one month after he won the 2018 ITTF Challenge Seamaster Nigeria Open in Lagos.

In Agadir two years ago, Aruna was the runner up.

Aruna in the semi-final in Mauritius had beaten compatriot Olajide Omotayo (11-9, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3), while Ahmed Ali Saleh who will celebrate his 39th birthday next month accounted for Nigerias 44 year-old Segun Toriola (8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-9).

I am so happy that I was able to win this title for the first time having come close in 2016.

My next target is the All African Games title because the likes of Segun Toriola and Omar Assar have won this and I am hoping that I can win this as well.

I must express my appreciation to the Mauritians for their support; their enormous support kept me going throughout the competition.

It is great again winning another title 28 days after winning the ITTF Challenge Seamaster Nigeria Open in Lagos. Aruna told reporters in his post-match reaction.

Arunas title will make it the ninth to be won by Nigerians in the Mens Singles events at the African Championships. Atanda Musa blazed the trail in 1985 in Alexandria, Egypt, when he beat fellow Nigerian Yomi Bankole .

Nigeria has not won the title since 2002 when Segun Toriola beat colleague Monday Merotohun in Bizerte, Tunisia.

Toriola followed up winning the Mens Singles title at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the first time table tennis was included in the multi-sport event.

Although Ahmed Ali Saleh lost to Aruna in Mauritius, he remains the most successful African singles player, making five finals and winning three.

He won in Addis Ababa in 2000, Brazzaville 2007 and Yaound 2010

Source: NAN

No fewer than 52 cattle have been killed by a train in Kasarami Jere axis in Chikkun Local Government Area in Kaduna State.

The Kaduna State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the accident.

The Commissioner, Malam Ahmad Abdulrahaman refuted reports that the cattle were killed by other means.

There is nothing like attack but purely a train accident, so nobody should panic, he told newsmen in Kaduna.

According to him, the cattle were crushed to death at about 11:45 this morning by a speeding train going to Abuja from Rigasa Railway Station.

He also explained that the 27 cattle that sustained injuries were slaughtered by the chief butcher of Kasarami village.

He said no human casualty was recorded.

When the information of the accident reached the command, I quickly mobilised our men to the scene to assess the situation.

He described the accident as pathetic. He said the herdsmen were moving to Funtua Local Government in Katsina State.

They innocently inquired on whether there were rail services on Sunday, but were misinformed that there was none.

I have summoned the traditional rulers of the area, youths and farmers on the need to continue to live in peace and to avoid crossing the rail track indiscriminately with farm produce and animals.

He added that a similar meeting will hold with officials of the railway corporation on how to avert such an accident in future. (NAN)

Source: NAN

A 22-month-old girl miraculously survived 88 hours in the wild without food and water before she was found on Friday in mountainous area in Yulin, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Nicknamed Xiaojiao, the girl went out to play together with her 6-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister while their father, Chen Qingran, was running an errand away from home in a village nestling in mountains in the afternoon on Aug 27.

It did not occur to Chen that the youngest one of his six children had not come back home until he began serving dinner to his children that day.

After searching for his daughter, Chen reported her as missing to police the next afternoon.

The police, along with police dogs and drones, launched the search operation immediately.

"We searched each and every corner of the village, even the cesspool," a police officer said. The rain made the operation harder.

As the search continued into fourth day, a vital clue was provided to the police. Huang Guanglin, a villager, said he heard a faint sound of a child on a hillside.

Chen and police rushed to the scene and found Xiaojiao lying on the grass, pale and weak with insect bites and stings on her feet. But fortunately, she was alive without any major injury.

The girl was immediately sent to hospital. The doctors said the girl survived the ordeal by saving her energy by lying on the ground and drinking rainwater.

Japanese Star Naomi Osaka trounced her idol, Serena Williams to lift her first Grand Slam in New York, winning 6-2 6-4.

Her victory, the second over Williams, denied the American her dreamrecord-equalling 24th Grand Slam, that would have put her on the same pedestal with Australian Margaret Court.

The match was marred by rantings by Serena after the umpire Carlos Ramos, warned her about a non verbal message passed to her by her French Coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He also warned her about her misbehaviour, smashing her racket.

But Serena was unhinged thereafter, shouting expletives on the umpire, who imposed the sanction of awarding one game penalty to her opponent. This took Naomi 5-3 in the second set.

The sanction brought out tearful emotions from Serena. US Open officials could not help her and after gathering herself, Serena held her game to reduce the score to 5-4.

Thereafter, she sank on her seat crying during the short break before Naomi served for the match to win her firstrecord Grand Slam as a Japanese player.

She also picked the $3.8 million winners cheque.

Osaka and Williams had played against each other once before, at Miami in March, and it was the Japanese upstart who used her formidable power to topple her idol in straight sets.

She repeated the same feat on Saturday night. But more important for her was that she had lived a dream.

Even when I was a little kid, I always dreamed that I would play Serena in a final of a Grand Slam. Just the fact that its happening, Im very happy about it, Osaka said after her semi-final win over 2017 runner-up Madison Keys.

Source: NAN

Alibaba co-founder and chairman Jack Ma will not step aside on Monday as widely reported, he will only unveil a succession plan, the South China Morning Post reported Sunday.

The SCMP, which is owned by Alibaba, said Chinas most famous tech billionaire will unveil a succession strategy on Monday his 54th birthday but remain the companys executive chairman for the foreseeable future.

The New York Times ran an article on Friday, based on an interview with Ma, saying the former teacher turned billionaire planned to use his birthday to announce his retirement as chairman of Alibaba to focus on philanthropy.

The paper quoted Ma as saying the decision was the beginning of an era.

But an Alibaba spokesman told the SCMP that the New York Times story was taken out of context, and factually wrong.

An Alibaba spokesman said Ma remains the companys executive chairman and will provide transition plans over a significant period of time, the SCMP wrote.

The paper added that the Monday succession strategy was part of a plan for grooming a generation of younger executives to take over the reins of the company.

Eileen Murphy, a spokesperson for the New York Times, said the newspaper stood by its story.

Ma was an English teacher before starting Alibaba in 1999 and built it into a multibillion-dollar internet colossus, becoming one of the worlds richest men and a revered figure in his homeland.

His own worth has soared along with that of the company, which has added cloud computing, films and e-payments to its growing portfolio and was valued at $420.8 billion when the stock market closed on Friday.

The New York Times report surprised many in the global business community because of Mas comparative youth, especially in China where it is not unusual for tycoons to remain in place into their eighties.

Alibaba did not return requests for comment on Saturday after the story ran.

Ma gave up the title of Alibaba CEO in 2013 but remains a pivotal figure within the company as well as its most recognisable face.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV released on Friday, Ma hinted at his retirement plans, saying he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the worlds most prolific philanthropists.

Theres a lot of things I can learn from Bill Gates. I can never be as rich, but one thing I can do better is to retire earlier, he said.

The SCMP report ran quotes from Ma himself, but they did not address when exactly he would retire. Ma said he met with company executives 10 years ago to work out what Alibaba would do without me.

Anybody who knows me knows I embrace the future. This is not about retiring, stepping away, or backing off. This is a systematic plan, the paper quoted Ma as saying.

The SCMP said Ma would be in Russia next week for Alibaba business meetings as well as an upcoming trip to South Africa and a planned speech at the companys investor day in mid-September.

Source: NAN

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, one of the numerous presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken his campaign to another aspirant, Sen. Ahmad Makarki.

Abubakar was Nigerias former Vice President on the platform of PDP from 1999-2007 and Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna state was also the immediate past National Chairman of PDP.

Abubakar, on Saturday visited Makarfi, at his residence in Kaduna to seek blessings of the PDP chieftain ahead of the partys presidential primary for the 2019 general elections.

Atiku said the visit was aimed at seeking the support of Makarfi, who is also a presidential aspirant, as the party struggles to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He described the APC government as a total failure and therefore, said the party must not be allowed to continue in office in 2019.

Atiku said he was willing to support any other candidate of the party that emerged through a credible process, if he loses in the presidential primary.

On his part, Makarfi said both himself and Atiku Abubakar were eminently qualified for the countrys number one seat, adding that his presidential ambition was not a do or die affair.

In attendance at the meeting was the Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organization and former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as well as close associates of Senator Makarfi. ()

Other aspirants that Abubakar would have to contend with on the platform of PDP are the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; his predecessor, David Mark; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.

Others are a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; a former governor of Plateau State, David Jang; a former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki; a former Kaduna North senator, Datti Baba-Ahmed; and former senate President David Mark, the latest to join the race.

Source: NAN

Mo Farah delivered a dominant performance to claim a record fifth victory in the Great North Run on Sunday in the latest step in his bid to win a major marathon.

The British runner led from the front to cross the line in 59min 26sec, just four seconds short of the personal best he set in winning his second title in 2015.

It was also his fifth consecutive win in the race.

Farah shrugged off New Zealands Jake Robertson in the final section of the race in Newcastle as he set himself up in style for his attempt to win his first major marathon crown in Chicago next month.

Trainings different now as Im not in the track season. Ive been doing a lot more long runs and in terms of endurance Im definitely fitter, four-time Olympic champion Farah told the BBC.

Just coming into that headwind it was so tough, I wasnt going smooth, I was going up and down. I honestly thought I could beat my personal best today, but those last two miles really hurt.

Favourite Vivian Cheruiyot saw off fellow Kenyan Brigid Kosgei to win her second womens title in 67:43.

Source: NAN

The addiction to mobile phone from early age could lead to poor academic performance, skiving of class, sleep disturbances and mental problems in more serious cases, a medical doctor in Kano State, Dr Tijjani Haruna, has said.

Haruna, who is working with the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Kano, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Sunday that the trend could make users prone to obesity, lack of concentration and other diseases.

He said that schools and the family have an important role to play in checking the ugly trend by preventing children from using mobile phones from childhood, before they become addicted to it.

Some parents in Kano have also expressed concern over the addiction of youths in the use of smart phones, describing the menace as disturbing and dangerous to their health.

Malam Ali Sadiq, a parent, lamented that most of the youths who are in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years are addicted to smart phones, while few of them who are outside of this age bracket are also in the habit of using mobile phones anywhere they find themselves.

Sadiq appealed to parents and other stakeholders in the state to educate their children on the dangers associated with persistent use of cell phones.

Another parent, Mrs Maimuna Bala, also expressed dismay over phone addition and cautioned that it caused serious distraction.

Many parents are out of touch with the dangers faced by their children on tablets and smart phones, she said.

Mr Gabriel Adekoya, another parent, also said: Our youths nowadays are always glued to their phones, tapping away on WhatsApp, posting selfies or scrolling YouTube for the latest videos, some of them hardly relate directly with real people around them because of addiction.

Mr Abass Yusuf, an Electronics engineer in the city, said that one could hardly see young people without smart phones.

The most annoying thing is people over concentrate by surfing through their smart phones while at places of work, eateries or places of worship, Yusuf said.

However, Dr Arikawe Adeolu, a Medical Practitioner, Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, advised Nigerians to develop good phone hygiene as the device had the capacity to hold millions of micro-organism.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that 3.65 million air passengers traveled through Nigerian airports in the second quarter of 2018 as against 3.84 million recorded in the first quarter.

The NBS disclosed this in its Air Transport Data (Q1 and Q2 2018) report posted in its website.

The bureau said the figure declined by 33.51 per cent year-on-year and increased by 15.24 per cent quarter-on-quarter.

The report said there was a consequent 4.9 per cent decline in passengers for the second quarter when compared to the preceding quarter.

The report said the total aircraft traffic declined year-on-year for both the first quarter (1.48per cent) and second quarter (10.17per cent) when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2017.

In the first half of 2018, aircraft traffic totaled 96,659, a 5.9 per cent decline from total aircraft recorded in the same period last year, it stated.

The bureau said there was a significant year-on-year decline in air cargo traffic via Lagos for both the first quarter (49.8 per cent) and second quarter (65.4 per cent).

This, the NBS said led to an overall year-on-year decline of 37.8 per cent for the first half of the year.

It said that a growth of 25.6 per cent was, however, recorded between the second quarter and the preceding quarter.

According to the bureau, a 34.2 per cent increase in total mail traffic was recorded in the first half of the year when compared to the same period in 2017.

Total mail traffic for the first half of 2018 increased from 14,779,558 KG in half year 2017, to 19,831,650 KG in half year 2018, a 34.2per cent growth between the stated periods.

Total mail for first quarter was recorded at 8,313,112 KG and grew by 38.56 per cent to 11,518,538 KG in the second quarter.(NAN)

Source: NAN

The Speaker Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr Konbowei Benson, has lampooned legislators from Niger Delta and described them as ineffective.

He said that the neglect of the Niger Delta region by successive administrations was due to the ineffective representation by legislators from the region.

Benson, a two-term speaker in the state assembly, said on Sunday when he spoke with newsmen at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Yenagoa.

The speaker had on Thursday picked a nomination form to vie for the House of Representatives seat for Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency.

He noted that Southern Ijaw, despite being one of the top most local governments producing wealth for the country, has yet to have access road, electricity, hospital and other basic amenities.

The speaker added that these were reasons he was aspiring to the National Assembly to attract Federal Government presence to the area.

As at now, there are many things we are still lacking, despite our contributions to economic development of Nigeria.

We have no road connecting Southern Ijaw to other places in the state; no power supply, we are not connected to the national grid; we have no good hospital.

Nothing to write home about and those are the things that moved me to aspire to represent the area in the House of Representatives.

So, I will use my experience in legislation which span more than 12 years to attract development to my area, he said.

He decried the continued neglect of Southern Ijaw and other Niger Delta communities, which, he said, had nothing to show for producing most of the wealth for the nation.

Benson said that with good representatives at the National Assembly, they can attract Federal Government presence to the area.

How can we produce so much but have nothing to show? Its pathetic; a big oil producing local government like Southern Ijaw cannot boast of a road, even functional hospitals.

Someone will spend four or five hours in the water before getting to Yenagoa; by the grace of God, when we get there, we will be able to argue our way out.

Niger Delta and Southern Ijaw have to be carried along; our people have been neglected for long; that is why we need quality people at the National Assembly, people who will bring development to the deprived areas, the speaker said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The identity of late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu to the Igbo people, has propelled the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), to endorse Mrs Bianca Ojukwus bid to contest the Anambra South Senatorial election in 2019.

Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, Leader of MASSOB, made the endorsement when Bianca, wife of late Dim Ojukwu and Dr Godwin Maduka, billionaire US-based Nigerian surgeon, visited Ojukwu Memorial Library Owerri on Sunday.

He said that he supports Bianca because her late husband meant everything to the identity of the Igbo people and was his bosom friend and mentor, who struggled for the emancipation of Ndigbo.

Uwazuruike, who also doubles as the leader of Biafra Independence Movement, said that though he was not from Anambra Senatorial District, but that he would deplore tools available to him to ensure Bianca emerged victorious.

Bianca already has the backing of more than 15 Igbo billionaires for her 2019 senatorial project, and I make bold to say that she has my full support and we call on Anambra people to look back on our history and support her, Uwazuruike appealed.

Mrs Ojukwu had recently declared to vie for the senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), a party which her late husband founded in 2003.

Mrs Ojukwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she commended Uwazuruikes zeal and interest in engraving the name of her husband and Ndigbo in the sands of time.

When Uwazuruike started this Ojukwu Memorial Library project after the death of my husband, it was like a bourgeois dream, but the project today is almost completed, she said.

Although Bianca said that her visit to the project site had no significance to her political ambition, she however, described her visit as home coming.

NAN reports that the Ojukwu Memorial Library complex has 2,000 capacity auditorium and E-library which on completion would serve as meeting place for discussion on Igbo historical heritage and issues affecting them.

Also, Maduka, who described the auditorium as magnificent, expressed delight on the thoughtfulness of Uwazuruike on the library and conference centre.

I am indeed happy to see this kind of magnificent structure that could be likened to aesthetic buildings in the Netherlands, I will certainly identify with the initiator of this project in seeing to its completion.

I must add that doing this is to demonstrate that I am a core Igbo man and I feel any privileged son or daughter of Igbo nation should show interest in this project that represents our history and unity, he said.

Maduka, the Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Centre, Nevada, U.S. criticised what he called the continued marginalisation of a section of the country in favour of others.

He said that the beauty of Nigeria was the unity of all segments, and urged the leaders to kick against tribalism and nepotism to take the country to the next level.

NAN also reports that Maduka, who recently commenced construction of police academy at his Umuchukwu country home had completed a 16-storey skyscraper Medical Research Centre at Umuchukwu community in Orumba South Local Government, Anambra State.

He equally built and handed over High Court and Magistrates Court complex as well as involved in litany of developmental projects in a bid to turn his obscure community to a centre of medical destination in Nigeria and entire African continent.

Source: NAN

A motorcyclist was on Sunday morning crushed to death by a hit-and-run truck driver around Van Milk roundabout on Iloawela road in Ogun.

Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Public Relations Officer, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), disclosed this to newsmen in Abeokuta.

Akinbiyi said that the accident occurred around 12:59 a.m. and that it involved an unidentified truck and a red Boxer Motorcycle with registration number ABG 973 QB.

He said that the accident was caused by dangerous riding by the motorcyclist and also excessive speeding on the part of the truck driver.

“The truck hit the motorcycle and in the process ,the rider died on the spot while two other passengers sustained injuries,” he said.

The public relations officer said the injured persons were taken to Ifo General Hospital, while the deceased’s body was deposited at the mogue of the same hospital.

Source: NAN

The feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B just turned physical.

On Friday night, the rappers got into a fight at the Harper’s Bazaar ICONS party that left Cardi bruised, a source confirms to PEOPLE. The bash was part of the festivities for New York Fashion Week.

An insider tells PEOPLE that Cardi arrived at the event first. After Nicki showed up, there was an “altercation” on the second-floor balcony during a Christina Aguilera performance.

“The scene was f—— crazy,” the insider tells PEOPLE. “It was entourage against entourage.”

“They had their altercation on the second-floor balcony, right above the red carpet. All of the sudden there was a big commotion and everyone didn’t know what was going on.”

Immediately following the incident, Cardi was escorted out by security while Nicki stayed inside. Cardi was seen leaving the party with a large lump on her forehead but no shoes.

“She left barefoot with her dress ripped and butt out,” source said. Cardi was wearing a red Dolce & Gabbana gown.

Videos of the incident were posted on social media. In one video posted by Twitter user Mihaela, Cardi B can be seen making a lunge towards someone, though it is not entirely clear if it’s the “Barbie Dreams” rapper.

CARDI B AND NICKI MINAJ FIGHT pic.twitter.com/Y3vDRmBwMq

— Mihaela (@mihaeladxl) September 8, 2018

Source: People.com