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

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has urged teachers to ensure they were qualified, licensed and registered before 2019 or be flushed out of the classrooms.

Adamu gave the warning while monitoring the 2018 Batch A Teacher Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) in Abuja on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PQE nationwide scheduled to hold from June 7 to 9.

Adamu, represented by Mr Sonny Echono, the Permanent Secretary, stressed that if teachers were not qualified and properly equipped, the products who are the students would also fall short and ultimately the country will suffer.

The person at the centre of it all is the teacher, not the pupils and if the teachers are not qualified and properly equipped then how can they give our children the best.

So as a government we are insisting that we must raise the standards; we must become like other countries of the world.

We have set a deadline for ourselves and we are going to enforce it.

If by 2019 you are not a qualified, certified and registered teacher, you will be removed from our classrooms and we will give the job to those who are qualified.

It is an embarrassment to us that we have so many qualified people without job and we are given the job to people who are not qualified. It is insane.

In the past, we did not have the right numbers, so we appreciate that those not qualified helped us to meet that shortfall, that is why we have given this time of grace, he said.

He urged the teachers to continue to improve themselves while their employers would do their part to continue to train an retrain them.

The minister noted that some people were opposing the use of computer based test, which he said was not going to be scrapped.

According to him, all over the world, even primary school pupils are using tablets and devices.

Adamu said that the world was not going to wait for Nigeria, calling on everyone to be vanguards of upgrading the standards in our schools.

He said that there were some logistics problems during the exercise, however, the officials had been able to overcome them.

We are overwhelmed by the number of teachers writing the examination, which is a good problem to have.

If we need to do a third diet, we will to it to accommodate everybody, he said.

Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), said that the examination was written in 42 centres across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT simultaneously.

Ajiboye, however, said that some states started the examination on Thursday, June 7, due to the number of candidates in those states sitting for the examination.

He listed the states include Bauchi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano and Taraba.

In Kaduna state, we have about 6,000 candidates, in Kano about 2,000 candidates, in Enugu 3,600, and Taraba about 2,000 candidates.

The examination will last for 60 minutes to answer 60 questions.

We have been getting situation reports from the states that all is moving smoothly.

Ajiboye said that the CBT exam was set based on the different qualification of the teachers, which include NCE, Degree, Masters and PhD holders.

He stressed that by 2019 any teacher who was found in the classrooms not qualified, licensed and registered by TRCN would be flushed out.

Many of the candidates, who spoke with NAN after writing the examination, expressed satisfaction with the process and the examination.

However, a few candidates had challenges using the computer and were not able to finish before they were timed out.

No fewer than 900 candidates wrote the examination in the FCT.

Source: NAN

The Borno Police Command onSunday said tragedy was averted when a suicide bomber heading to the market mistakenly detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing himself alone.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Damian Chukwu, who confirmed the incident in a statement released in Maiduguri, said the incident occurred on Saturday, at about 7:20 p.m. at the Monday Market general area.

He said that the bomber was heading to the market where he saw massive crowd to detonate the IED strapped on his body.

The male suicide bomber sighted massive presence of police and other security deployments at Oando Filling station near Post Office and hurriedly detonated the explosives, killing himself alone.

More police personnel have been deployed to most parts of the capital and other flash points in the state.

This isto ensure security of lives and property, especially in the remaining days of the Ramadan fast and asEid el-Fitrapproaches, he said.

He added that the police Explosive Ordinance Device team were quicklydeployed to sanitise the area and render it safe.

Source: NAN

The Police have confirmed the death of eight persons, seven of which are of the same family, on Sunday died in a road accident.

The accident occurred at Ugwuonyeama on the Enugu-Onitsha road on Sunday morning.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Enugu State, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the accident occurred at 8 a.m.

Amaraizu said the accident involved a Toyota car with registration number CM960FKJ and Toyota Hiace bus with registration number ENU75YY, belonging to a mass transit company.

The two vehicles collided, he said.

The PPRO said that seven passengers in the Toyota car, members of the same family, died in the incident.

He added that their bodies had been deposited in the mortuary of the Enugu State University of Teaching Hopsital ESUT, at Parklane.

He said four others sustained injuries in the accident and were receiving medical attention at same the hospital, adding that investigation into the incident had commenced.

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) had also confirmed the killing of five people in a road accident in Lambata Kwakuti Road in Gurara local government area of Niger state.

FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Yusuf Garba, said that the accident involved a white colour BMW car and Scana truck.

According to him, the accident is caused by over speeding and dangerous overtaking.

He said that FRSC personnel in the outposts would continue to monitor road users against overloading, dangerous driving.

Garba advised motorists to always obey speed limits as prescribed by the law and also install speed limiting devices in their vehicles to checkmate the temptation of over-speeding.

He also called on road users to adhere to traffic rules and regulations to avoid unnecessary road crashes.

We have since embarked on a 24-hour patrol on all the federal highways to ensure safety of road users by enforcing traffic rules and regulations, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Popular former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has hit at ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he said wassimply afraid of his shadow.

The former police boss turned advocate, said OBJs recent outburst that his life in under treat, was an indication that he was afraid of nemesis.

Tsav said on Sunday in Makurdi that Obasanjos eight years presidency was full of a lot of atrocities, some of which bordered on criminality.

OBJ on June 8th raised alarm that his life was under treat and that that the Buhari led administration was planning to arrest him over trumped up charges.

He had similarly in 2014 accused then President Goodluck Jonathan of recruiting snipers to haunt down political adversaries.

Obasanjo had written a damning letter to Jonathan after falling out of favour and also recently castigated President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he supported in the 2015 election.

Tsav said that the former President Obasanjo is simply afraid of his shadow.

He has ruled this country and committed a lot of atrocities, some of which border on criminality.

For instance many high profile murder of notable politicians occurred during his tenure and nothing was done to unravel such cases. For example the Bola Ige murder case.

Ige was Obasanjos minister of justice and attorney general who was assassinated in his home.

There was also high profile corruption cases like the $16 billion power contracts and Halliburton bribe scandal

OBJ is afraid that he might be required to explain his role in any of these. He is just pre-empting President Mohammadu Buhari here.

If he believes that he is innocent, why is he crying out? He has stained his fingers and should subject himself for Police interrogation.

The immediate past Federal Commissioner, Public Complaint Commission (PCC), further commended President Buhari for ordering the IGP to re-open the investigation of the late Minister of Justice Mr Bola Ige in 2016 adding that it was a right step in the right direction.

The former Police Commissioner further disclosed that throughout his 30 years in the criminal investigation department of the Police Force he discovered that all criminal cases that government were interested in the culprits were never arrested non justice served.

I have served the nation in the Nigeria Police Force for 35years, three quarters of which was in Criminal Investigation Department in all levels of the Force.

I do know as a matter of fact that, any major crime in which the government is interested, the perpetrators will never be found or arrested neither will they be brought to justice.

The murder of Chief Bola Ige, the Nations Attorney General and Minister of Justice is one of such cases. Or how else can one explain the clinical and gruesome murder of a whole Minister of Justice of the Federation and yet no one will be arrested and brought to justice? This is too glaring.

He further warned governors and other leaders across the country who are using their present positions to commit all manner of atrocities and covering same using their positions to thinks twice as they will never escape Gods justice.

Those leaders at all levels of Government who believe that they can use their positions and power to commit heinous crimes and use the same positions to evade justice, must realise that they may escape mans justice but they shall never escape Gods justice.

Tsav also urged the IGP Ibrahim Idris to use his best and incorruptible detectives to expose the murderers of Bola Ige and many Nigerians who were callously murdered by these nests of murderers masquerading as Leaders. (NAN)

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disobeyed him by replying the letter by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against the administration.

This is even as he said that he had stopped hisSpecial Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina from replying the letter because of Adesinas age.

The president explained the reasons when members of Buhari Support Organisation visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday night.

Buhari explained further that the second reason why he deemed right not to reply the letter was that he and the former president were from the same (military) constituency.

He, however, noted that Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, who disobeyed him not to reply the letter, did a good job.

He observed that the reply by the minister showed Nigerians the realities on ground when the present administration assumed office in 2015 and its ongoing efforts to revive the inherited damaged economy.

I really appreciate how you choose this time during Ramadan to come from across the country to see and congratulate me for what we were able to do.

We were constraint to explain our position when the former head of state wrote a letter; Adesina was agitated and wanted to immediately reply; I stopped him for two reasons; first, he was much younger than me and Gen. Obasanjo.

Secondly, I am from the same constituent with Gen. Obasanjo; so, I wouldnt know howit will affect him if I allow him to go wild or to go public, but when Lai Mohammed came, I said he shouldnt and he insisted. He disobeyed me.

He said I must allow him to talk; then, of course, being a professionally information person, I listened to him and asked him what are going to say.

He said he was going to remind Nigerians where we found ourselves when we came in as a government, where we are now, what we have done in between with the resources available to us.

And I understand he did a good job because a number of people rang me and said Lai Mohammed has done a good job because I went public in several times.

I said it is on record and I challenged anybody to check from Europe, United States and Asia that between 1999 and 2014 the 16 years of previous administration there was an average of 2.1 million per day of crude oil at the average cost of 100 dollars per barrel, he said.

The president said that he deliberately refused to replace the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria when his administration took over the mantle of leadership of the country because he wanted to give him the opportunity to salvage the economy from its terrible condition.

Buhari, who thanked his teachers during his primary school days for their efforts to inculcate good morale to him and his mates, stated that his administration would continue to invest heavily in education to correct social ills in the society.

He said further that his administration had resolved to put money in the area of infrastructural development to address infrastructural deficits and subsequently ensure speedy socio-economic transformation of the country.

It is now that we are struggling to put the structure on the ground the roads to revive the rail and do the standard gauge and try to spend objectively on power.

If we put money in infrastructure, it will create employment opportunities and then Nigerians will mind their own businesses, they wouldnt even mind what the government is doing once the infrastructure is there, he said.

The president, therefore, reassured Nigerians that his administration would continue to spend more funds to upgrade the nations infrastructure.

He said that the government had also expended more than N1.3 trillion on capital projects across the country.

According to him, the government will continue to ensure financial discipline, accountability and effective supervision of its spending to have solid infrastructure to enable the youth to achieve their missions and objectives in life.

He thanked the members of the organisation for their support and sacrifices, noting that none of them had ever made any specific demand from him.

In his remarks, the leader of the organisation, Sen. Abba Ali, who narrated the achievements of the Buhari administration in the last three years, said they were on solidarity visit to the president to further reassure him of their support.

He said that the organisation had established offices in all the 36 states and 774 local government areas of the country, while efforts were being made to ensure the re-election of the president in 2019.

Mrs Paulina Tallen, a member of the Board of Trustees of the organisation, who spoke at the event, assured the president that women would massively vote for him and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections.

She, nonetheless, called on the president to bring more qualified women politicians and professionals in government to address the perceived marginalisation of women by APC-led administration in the country.

Source: NAN

Flamboyant former US basketball star Dennis Rodman has said he will fly to Singapore to support his friends Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un at their historic peace summit on Tuesday.

His tweet came after the White House Thursday ruled out any role for the high-profile retired player in the hotly-anticipated talks with the North Korean leader, with whom Rodman has struck up an unlikely friendship.

Rodman has made five trips to Pyongyang since Kim took power and once called him his friend for life.

Thanks to my loyal sponsors from @potcoin and my team at @Prince_Mrketing, I will be flying to Singapore for the historical Summit, the former Chicago Bulls forward tweeted late Friday.

Ill give whatever support is needed to my friends, @realDonaldTrump and Marshall Kim Jong Un.

Cannabis cryptocurrency PotCoin also sponsored Rodman to visit North Korea in 2017.

The message included a photo montage of Rodman standing between Kim and Trump, who is giving a thumbs-up. The US and North Korean flags appear in the background, and the trio stand above the word UNITE in large capital letters.

In a subsequent tweet Rodman wrote: To all Americans and the rest of the world Im honored to call @POTUS a friend. Hes one of the best negotiators of all time and Im looking forward to him adding to his historic success at the Singapore Summit.

That tweet included a picture in which the basketball star stands next to a broadly smiling Trump.

The White House had earlier shot down any suggestion that the five-time NBA champion Rodman would be present for the negotiations.

Rodman is great on the court but negotiations should be left to those who are good at it Trump is the best, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News on Thursday.

Gidley said he expected Trump and Kim to have an amazing conversation without Dennis Rodman in tow.

Trump confirmed that Rodman would not be attending the summit, as he met with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

I like him. Hes a nice guy. No, he was not invited, Trump told reporters.

After the summit was first announced in March, Rodman said on Twitter he had great respect for both men.

Rodman first visited North Korea in 2013 with members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, and in 2014 put together a team of North Korean basketball players for an exhibition match marking Kims birthday.

His last trip was in June 2017 when he gave Kim a copy of Trumps best-selling book, The Art of the Deal.

Rodman also appeared twice on Trumps pre-presidential reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice.

AFP

Source: NAN

The Taliban announced its first ceasefire in Afghanistan since the 2001 US invasion on Saturday, with a three-day halt in hostilities against the countrys security forces that was greeted with relief by war-weary Afghans.

But the group warned the suspension of fighting for the first three days of Eid, the holiday that caps off Ramadan, did not extend to foreign occupiers, who would continue to be targeted by the militants.

The unexpected move came two days after the Afghan governments own surprise announcement of a week-long halt to operations against the Taliban.

It is the first time in nearly 17 years of conflict that the militants have declared a ceasefire, albeit a limited one.

All the mujahideen are directed to stop offensive operations against Afghan forces for the first three days of Eid-al-Fitr, the Taliban said in a WhatsApp message to journalists.

But it added that if the mujahideen are attacked we will strongly defend (ourselves).

The Taliban said foreign occupiers are the exception to the order sent to its fighters around the country.

Our operations will continue against them, we will attack them wherever we see them, it said.

Even a brief cessation of hostilities would bring welcome relief to civilians in the war-torn country, nearly two decades after the Taliban regime was toppled.

In recent years the resurgent militants, along with the Islamic State group, have stepped up their attacks on Kabul in particular, making it the deadliest place in the country for civilians.

Source: NAN

The Chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission, Dr Saratu Dikko on Friday said election did not hold on Wednesday in Chikun and Kaura local government areas of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission had rescheduled the election after it failed to conduct the exercise on May 12.

Dikko said at a press conference on Friday evening in Kaduna that two different results were declared by separate officials in the election conducted in Jaba Local Government.

She said: Free, fair and credible election was conducted in Jaba local government during the rescheduled polls, but two results were announced from the same election.

According to her, only the tribunal could resolve the issue and advised the two political parties that participated in the exercise to approach the Local Government Election Tribunal on the matter.

On the failed election in Chikun and and Kaura local government areas, the chairman said that the commission would come out with a position later.

Chikun LGA held no elections on June 6 during the rescheduled polls because our office was invaded and staff molested. Elections did not hold, she said.

She added that the result declared by one Dr Sani Mohammed, who claimed to be the returning officer for the local government, was fake.

On the situation in Kaura, she said that some stakeholders had refused to allow the distribution of election materials insisted that the Returning Officers must be around for easy identification at the end of the exercise.

Dikko, however, said that the rescheduled poll held in some wards of Kaduna South local government area, where it was earlier declared inconclusive.

The chairman stated that after the final tally of the votes, Kabiru Yakubu-Jarumi, the chairmanship candidate of the APC won with 50,404 votes while the PDP candidate scored 23,425 votes.

She said that the election was also concluded in Makarfi central ward in Makarfi local government area where Suleiman Adamu of the APC won with 1,770 votes against PDPs Aliyu Lawal who scored 1,615 votes.(

Source: NAN

The Anambra Governorship Election Tribunal has dismissed two of the three petitions against the victory of Gov. Willie Obiano in the Nov. 18, 2017 election in the state.

The Tribunal affirmed Obianos victory in two separate unanimous judgments delivered by its chairman, Justice H.A. Olusiyi, a copy of which was made availbale to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.

Justice A.O. Ayoola and Justice Birnin Kudu were member 1 and Member II respectively of the tribunal.

NAN reports that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were first and second respondents respectively in the matters.

Dr Chukwudi Obianaso and Ms Praise Okechukwu, candidates of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Mega Progressive People Party (MPPP) in the same election had prayed the tribunal to invalidate the victory.

Obianaso in his petition said the election should be nullified because it was marred with corrupt practices perpetrated by Obiano and his agents in connivance with INEC.

INEC should conduct a fresh election and Obiano be disqualified to contest in the fresh election, he said.

In her petition, the MPPP candidate said Obiano was not duly elected or returned by the majority of lawful votes cast and that the exercise did not comply substantially with the Electoral Act.

Obiano did not score the majority of valid votes cast in at least two-third of the 21 council areas in Anambra in the election; thus his return by the third respondent is unconstitutional, irregular, null and void and of no effect whatsoever, she said.

The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgments made available to NAN on Friday by the Tribunal said Okechukwu could not substantiate her claims of electoral malpractice with credible evidence.

It said those allegedly involved in vote-buying and polling units where the alleged corrupt practices took place were not mentioned, and that only one witness was not enough to testify on the claims.

The petitioners have woefully failed to prove by any credible evidence that the first respondent was not duly elected or returned as governor of Anambra by the majority of lawful votes cast.

The petitioners have abysmally failed to prove with any modicum of satisfaction that the election in question was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non-compliance with provisions of Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

On the whole, the petition failed as it patently lacks substance and merit, it is accordingly dismissed in its entirety, consequently we affirm as valid the election and return of the first respondent as governor of Anambra, it ruled.

On his part, Obianaso hinged his case on the claim that Obiano bought some vehicles to unmanned persons, including ward, local government chairmen of the party and council care-taker chairmen.

He also alleged that funds were also disbursed to them all geared toward the election and spent in excess of N200 million allowed by the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

But the Tribunal said though the allegations on expenses were made before the election which it had no jurisdiction, the petitioner did not give names of alleged beneficiaries.

It said the alleged beneficiaries were not also joined as parties in the petition and that the petitioner did not tender any pro-forma invoice in respect of the vehicles given out by Obiano.

The Tribunal said the petitioner listed about 15 documents which he intended to rely upon but could not successfully tender two in evidence, including P1 and P2.

These, according to the tribunal, were CTC of newspaper publications that have no probative value.

He did not call a single witness to corroborate or substantiate his allegations and did not tell the Tribunal where the unlawful campaign took place nor deem it fit to call any election monitor to testify for him.

Allegations of spending money beyond permissible limit, massive sharing of money to voters and unlawful spending on Election Day was grossly unsubstantiated and pitiably tenuous.

With all issues considered, and in the light of all foregoing, we come to the irresistible and compelling conclusion that the petitioner has failed to prove by credible and satisfactory evidence that the election of the first respondent as governor of Anambra was marred by corrupt practices.

The sole issue for determination is resolved in the negative against the petitioner; the petition is dismissed in its entirety as it is bereft of any scintilla of merit.

We hereby, affirm that the first respondent was duly elected on Nov. 18, 2017, the Tribunal ruled.

The Tribunal had earlier struck out the petition of African Peoples Party (APP) against the governor following the preliminary objection raised by the respondents for lack of merit.

Obiano, candidate of APGA, won the election with a total of 234, 071 from the total of 488,771 votes cast.

Source: NAN

An environmentalist, Mrs Folasade Adeboyejo, has warned against the burning of plastic products because it is harmful to the human nervous system.

Adeboyejo, who is the Head of Programming, ProtectOzone, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that the practice of burning plastics daily poses a great risk to the health of Nigerians.

She said plastic waste such as Polystyrene (Styrofoam) and Polyvinyl (PVC) should never be burnt because they release styrene gas which is harmful to the human nervous system.

She advocated recycling as the best way to avoid both the environmental and social problems created by burning of plastics.

Plastics at dump sites show insufficient efforts at recycling and pose great health risk as they absorb water and therefore provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Recycling as a social enterprise offers colossal benefits to the environment, society and economy as it has the potential to contribute to the attainment of multiple sustainable goals.

Plastic recycling can become a community based initiative aimed at empowering youths to become stakeholders in the plastic value chain, she said.

According to Adeboyejo, 60 to 80 per cent of household waste is made of plastic and urged individuals to ensure that such are separated from other waste products.

Polymers are in categories one to seven and recycling is made easier if I know that the plastic I am holding is PET bottle or Low Density polyethylene.

Only plastics in similar categories can be recycled together. This is why sorting is done by the informal waste managers.

The easiest way of identifying plastics is by checking the number written in the recycle logo.

Enforcing this by the government goes a long way in contributing to recycling efficiency, she stated.

Adeboyejo added that Nigeria needed to take proactive actions to preserve sea life.

This puts our own lagoon at very high risk of endangering aqua species, and this indicates the trans-boundary nature of the problem, she said.

Source: NAN

Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde says she owes who she is today to her younger self.

She disclosed this in an Instagram post titled #Lettertoayoungerme.

Referring to her younger self as her woman crush Wednesday (WCW), Jalade-Ekeinde said she had delayed the “self-acknowledgement” because “I thought it was narcissistic”.

According to her, she was young, confused sweet, but was not reckless, available and never wandered.

She also said whenever she is weak, she looks back and draws strength from the young girl she was.

“My #Wcw . Never did this cause I thought it was narcissistic but today I will. It’s Okay,” Jalade-Ekeinde said.

“This lady right here … It’s crazy how you sometimes look back and see things differently isn’t it? You sometimes wish someone showed you then clearly what you now see today.

“Dear lady in this picture, I don’t know how you did it, but thanks. Thanks for laying a good foundation that I enjoy today. Thanks for being so strong, so resilient, so focused.

“You were young but not reckless, sweet but not available, sometimes confused but never wandered. You had your own battles but fought them with grace… and won.

“Even today, when I feel weak, I look at you and draw strength from you… it’s crazy! Thank you.”

(TheCable)

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will release the results of the 2018 West Africa senior school certificate examination (WASSCE) in 45 days.

Damianus Ojijeogu, the council’s head of public affairs, made this known in an interview with NAN on Saturday in Lagos.

The council, he said, was satisfied with the conduct of the just concluded examination for school candidates nationwide.

NAN reports that the WASSCE for school candidates commenced on March 27 and was concluded on May 15.

“We are indeed happy that the examination was conducted in a hitch-free manner. Right now, we have commenced coordination, briefing and subsequently, marking,” he said.

“We are looking at releasing the results in 45 days or earlier than that time.

“It has been the commitment of the council to always give quality service delivery in line with the head of the national office, Olu Adenipekun’s promise to reduce the waiting days from 90 days to 45 days.”

Ojijeogu said technology had been deployed to some marking venues to assist in scanning the scripts.

He said that this would facilitate the marking of the scripts and impact positively in the early release of the results.

The council had also said it would deploy technology that would help detect malpractice in its objective questions.

(The Cable)

The presidency has released the list of dignitaries expected at the post-humous investiture of MKO Abiola as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).

Abiola was the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election but the military government of Ibrahim Babangida annulled the results of the election annulled before they were announced officially.

Earlier in the week President Muhammadu Buhari announced that Abiola, Baba Gana Kingibe, his running mate, and Gani Fawehinmi, late human rights lawyer, would be conferred with national honours.

In a statement issued by Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, family members of Abiola, Kingibe, Fawehinmi were invited to the investiture scheduled for Tuesday.

Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate; Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, and major stakeholders in the struggle for the revalidation of the annulled result were also invited.

Also invited were officials elected on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — the platform Abiola contested the election on — at the state and national levels as well as members of the party’s national executive council at the time the election was annulled.

Former Senate Presidents – Iyorchia Ayu and Ameh Ebute; and Agunwa Anekwe, former speaker of the house of representatives, along with principal officers of the national assembly and speakers of state houses of assembly elected under SDP platform, are also expected at the event.

Others are Senate President Bukola Saraki; Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives; other principal officers of the national assembly; all chairmen of the states traditional councils from the six south-western states

The statement listed others invited to include Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Bisi Akande, former national chairman of the APC.

Other dignitaries are Ayo Obe, Bayo Onanuga, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria; Kunle Ajibade of The News; Nosa Igiebor of Tell, Kayode Komolafe (Media Hope 93), Janathan Zwingina (DG Hope 93), Frank Ovie Kokori and Humphrey Nwosu, chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) which conducted the election.

(The Cable NG)

The federal government has described the allegations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the “concoction of a mind worried by guilt”.

Obasanjo had earlier raised the alarm that the Muhammadu Buhari government was planning to arrest and frame him up.

But in a statement issued on Friday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said it is not in the character of the government or the president to do such.

The minister said only those who have skeletons in their cupboards should be afraid.

“This administration will never engage in a frame-up of innocent citizens,” the statement read.

“That is neither in the character of President Muhammadu Buhari nor in that of his administration. Only the guilty should be worried. To paraphrase an African proverb, a man who has no wife cannot lose an inlaw to the cold hands of death.

“The administration is also strongly committed to the tenets of democracy, including freedom of speech and the right to dissent. But we understand that those who, in their time, were untethered to those principles would find it hard to believe.”

Mohammed said the government would not be distracted by frivolous allegations “from any quarter.”

“Apparently, the impact of this proclamation was too much to bear by those who, through acts of omission or commission, helped to deepen the wounds inflicted by the blow of injustice that followed an election that was widely acclaimed to be free, fair and credible, hence they felt the need for a red herring that will distract the nation,” he said.

“Added to that is the frustration brought about by the fact that the contraption they have so much hyped as a freeway to power has failed to gain traction. Faced with this double tragedy, even the strongest of men may begin to succumb to a figment of their imagination. They may start crying wolf where there is none.”

(The Cable NG)

Crew members of Air Peace have foiled an attempt by two women (names withheld) to traffic a three-month-old baby boy on the airline’s Lagos-Banjul flight.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said this in a statement issued on Friday.

Mr Iwarah said that the incident occurred on Monday.

“On Air Peace Lagos-Banjul flight P47560 on June 4, our vigilant and experienced crew observed a baby crying inconsolably.

“The crew members, therefore, approached the supposed mother to breastfeed the crying baby. She declined, giving a flimsy excuse for her decision.

“The alleged mother of the baby eventually asked our crew for water to give to the baby when he would not stop crying.

“Our crew members, however, observed that the alleged mother of the baby was struggling to give the baby the water.

“At that point, the crew offered to assist and took the baby from the supposed mother but when attempt was made to return him, the baby expressed fright and unwillingness.

“Given the situation, our crew summoned the alleged mother to the aft of the aircraft for questioning on her relationship with the baby.

“She claimed the baby boy was a product of a surrogacy arrangement and was being taken from Nigeria to Banjul in The Gambia.

“Unconvinced, the crew informed our ground staff in Banjul of the development.

“When the flight eventually landed in Banjul, the two women travelling together with the baby were separately questioned and contradictions were observed in their different accounts,’’ he said.

Mr Iwarah said the crew had no choice than to report the case to security operatives at the Banjul International Airport, who took in the alleged mother of the baby for questioning to establish the true identity of the baby she claimed was hers.

He said the matter was still being investigated by relevant security agencies in Nigeria and The Gambia.

Mr Iwarah said the airline would cooperate with the relevant security agencies to unravel the true identity of the baby, and assured that its vigilant crew would continue to ensure the safety of its guests.

(Premium Times NG)

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused the Buhari administration of plotting to slam false charges on him, to pave the way for his indefinite detention.

The former leader said the government was planning to use fake documents and witnesses against him.

Mr Obasanjo said this in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Friday.

The claim is the latest twist after weeks of bitter exchanges between the two leaders, who fell apart after Mr Obasanjo accused Mr Buhari or ineptitude and corruption, and advised him not to seek reelection.

Mr Buhari responded recently by accusing his predecessor of frittering away $16 billion on phoney electricity projects. Mr Obasanjo hit back at the “ignorant” claim.

Speaking via his aide on Friday, the former president said plans to silence him were in two fold, among which is a plot to cause the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen investigation into the activities of his administration.

He said the Buhari administration had also perfected a plan to use fake documents and witnesses against him. He said this will be a re-enactment of the Abacha era in which he (Obasanjo) was detained on trumped up charges.

The presidency could not be immediately reached for comments.

The former president said he had been told that his name was on the government’s “watch list”, and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed.

He however said no amount of campaign of calumny, no matter how well contrived, orchestrated or marketed would deter him from speaking out.

“Since Chief Olusegun Obasanjo declared in his State-of-the-Nation Special Statement on January 23, 2018, the desperation to frustrate, intimidate and blackmail him into abandoning his divine mandate to protect the rights of the people to better life and living continued unabated and has even taken a bizarre dimension,” the statement said.

The statement said the first option to silence him was to seize his international passport and clamp him into detention indefinitely, in order to prevent him from further expressing angst on the “pervasive mediocrity in the quality of governance, economic management and in the protection of lives and property by the Government”.

Part of statement is below:

‘Impeccable security sources have alleged Chief Obasanjo’s name is on their Watch List and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed. According to these informants, many of who are in the top echelon of the Nation’s security management and close to the corridors of power, the operatives are daily perfecting how to curtail the personal liberties of the former President and hang a crime on him’.

‘Ordinarily, we would not have dignified these reports with a response but for the fact that many of these informants are not known for flippant and frivolous talks. Secondly, this Government has demonstrably exhibited apathy, and in some cases, encouraged by its conduct, daily loss of lives and property in many States of the country, the office cannot be indifferent.

“We are currently in a nation where the Number Three citizen is currently being harangued and the Number Four citizen is facing similar threat within the same Government they serve. There is a groundswell of our nationals that live in fear that they could be hounded, harassed, maimed or even killed as the battle for 2019 takes this worrisome dimension.

“For Chief Obasanjo, this is a joke carried too far and being someone who do not act on unofficial information, he had cautioned all informants and adopted a wait-and-see attitude to the bestial propositions allegedly being contemplated to cow, cage and embarrass him.

“The content of the alleged beastly designs, it was learnt are two-fold for now. One, to seize his International Passport and clamp him into detention indefinitely, in order to prevent him from further expressing angst on the pervasive mediocrity in the quality of governance, economic management and in the protection of lives and property by the Government.

“But, since that could expose the Government to a swath of international condemnation, embarrassment and outrage, it is said that another plot being hatched is to cause the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to re-open investigation into the activities of Chief Obasanjo’s administration using false witnesses and documents. This will be a re-enactment of the Abacha era in which Chief Obasanjo was one of the principal victims’.

‘The same EFCC that had conducted a clinical investigation on the activities of Obasanjo in and out of Government, it was said, would now be made to stand down the existing report that gave Chief Obasanjo a clean bill of health on the probes are now to get him indicted, fair or foul for possible prosecution and persecution like it is being done to real and perceived opponents, enemies and critics of this Government’.

‘Dissent is a fundamental principle on which liberal democracy is predicated. A true democrat must be ready to live with and accommodate dissent and opposition. While it is regrettable how the Government has sunk in its shameless desperation to cow opposition, a resort to blackmail, despotism and Gestapo-tactics being employed by the goons of this Government would not hold water. And no government ever remains in power forever.

‘For the record, Chief Obasanjo reiterates his readiness to face probe again after that of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the ICPC, and the EFCC, but before an independent, objective and credible panel of enquiry to account for his stewardship in Government and beyond’.

‘Chief Obasanjo reiterates that he has taken a principled position to ensure that the ship of the Nigerian State does not capsize and he remains steadfast in his resolve to turn the tide of maladministration, poor economic management and rudderless governance model that has tore Nigerians apart on account of religion and ethnicity which is a great threat to our democracy’.

‘We would like the Government and its supporters to understand that no amount of campaign of calumny, no matter how well contrived, orchestrated or marketed would deter Chief Obasanjo from calling a spade by its name. Chief Obasanjo is a patriot whose sole agenda is to ensure that the country’s unity, progress and democracy are not negotiated on the altar of incompetence and provincialism and mediocrity.

‘It is important to point out that Chief Obasanjo is one former President and Head of State who has engaged the current administration privately and in a bilateral manner on several issues of direct interest to the government and other matters of national concern. That channel of private engagement remains open and continues. However, should there be the need for public engagement, the right to free speech will always be exercised and jealously guarded, again in the best interest of Nigeria and the government.”

Source: Premium Times NG