A revised animal protection law that aims to ban killings of dogs has been proposed by lawmakers in Seoul.

The proposed legislation seeks to prohibit unlawful killings of animals such as dogs and cats that are not categorized as livestock.

It also mandates people in slaughtering business to prepare measures to minimize sufferings of animals in a killing.

The current law doesnt force suffering preventions but states that slaughtering should not cause fear or stress to animals.

This proposed bill aims to ban arbitrary killings of animals and stop any gruesome acts of killing.

It will give lawful protection to animals and ban any killings of animals that fall into the gray area of the current animal protection law, Pyo Chang-won of the Democratic Party of Korea said in the press statement.

Across the country, dogs are raised and slaughtered for the dog meat trade, but are not regulated by the sanitary processing of livestock act, said Lee So-young, Pyos secretary officer.

Eating dog meat has been practiced for many pears here. However, it has met criticisms for the horrific conditions and ways in which dogs are raised, treated and later killed for the dog meat trade.

As dogs fall into the gray area in the law, there are still many cases in which dogs are slaughtered cruelly in unreported places, Lee So-young, secretary of lawmaker Pyo Chang-Won of the Democratic Party of Korea, told UPI.

This revised law responds to the growing interest in animal protection and the need for a legislation that would offer practical measures to prevent animal abuse and illegal killings, said Lee.

Source:

Source: NAN

The Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has dismissed Prof. Richard Akindele who was allegedly involved in a sex-for-marks scandal.

Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Vice Chancellor of OAU, announced Akindele’s dismissal in a statement on Wednesday in Ile-Ife.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vice chancellor of the university had on April 19 confirmed the suspension of Akindele pending the findings of the investigative panel.

Miss Monica Osagie, a student in the Masters of Business programme, had released a recorded telephone conversation, which went viral, in which the lecturer identified as Akindele demanded five rounds of sex to enhance her marks.

Ogunbodede said that the University Senate at its meeting on June 14 considered the committee’s finding that Akindele had an inappropriate relationship with his student.

He said this was established through their conversation in the audio recording, his reply to the query, the oral evidence and the printed ‘WhatsApp conversations’ tendered before the committee.

The vice chancellor said Akindele had acted in a manner that compromised his position as a teacher and examiner in that his conversations with Osagie were about examination scores and inducement of favour for the alteration of examination scores.

Ogunbodede said : ” He offered to change Miss Osagie’s purported “33%” result to a pass mark in consideration for sexual favours; this was established in the audio recording which he admitted.

” His claim that Miss Osagie knew that she had passed with a score of ‘45’ but was seeking to score an ‘A’ and that this led to him being sexually harassed by Miss Osagie cannot be supported by any evidence.

” Professor Akindele’s actions in requesting for sexual favours from Miss Osagie to change her examination scores was scandalous behaviour that has brought ridicule to the name of the university and has tarnished the reputation of the university, as it portrays the university as an institution where its teachers and examiners trade marks for sexual favours.

” From the evidence, Miss Osagie had no idea that she scored ‘45’, a pass mark as later claimed by Professor Akindele, although she later found out she did not fail the course.

” Professor Akindele’s claim that he reported Miss Osagie’s ‘harassment’ to his colleagues cannot be supported by any evidence as all his colleagues denied it and one mentioned that she only talked about the matter with him after the audio recording was released over the internet.

” Professor Akindele operated in a position of power and authority over Miss Osagie and as such sexually harassed her.

” Professor Akindele was liable for all the allegations of misconduct levelled against him.’’

The vice chancellor said the Senate recommended that Akindele, having been found liable on all the allegations against him, should be dismissed from the services of the university.

” The Council, at its meeting of today, Wednesday, 20th of June, 2018, having considered the recommendation of Senate, as well as the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, decided that Professor Richard I. Akindele should be dismissed from the services of the university for gross misconduct.

” The university has also taken further steps to ensure the total elimination of Sexual Harassment (SH) in the OAU community.

“The university has a legal duty to prevent sexual and gender-based harassment within the institution and ensure that both men and women are protected from this menace; and thereby provide conducive environment for teaching and learning,’’ he said.

Ogunbodede said in order to create conducive environment for teaching and learning, the university was creating more awareness and disseminating information on what constitutes sexual harassment within the university.

He said the veracity of sexual harassment concepts includes sexual solicitation and advances, sex exploitation, prostitution, seduction, pimping, sexual assault, unwanted touching, vulgar sexual jokes and rape among others.

Ogunbodede said that OAU was fully committed to the eradication of sexual and other types of harassment from the university and would do all that was possible to nip the menace in the bud.

” OAU has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and as a renowned university will do everything humanly possible to maintain the rules and regulations of the university,’’ he said.(NAN)

More than 11,000 Australians who rushed for the chance to strip for American photographer Spencer Tunick will soon wear only smiles after a national supermarket chain changed its mind about allowing the shoot to go ahead on a suburban rooftop carpark.

“We’re over the moon,” John Lotton, director of the Provocare Festival of the Arts, told Reuters on Saturday.

Tunick has photographed thousands of nudes in group shots around the globe from Bogota to Vienna. But Australian retail giant Woolworths had refused to allow him access to a car park in the up-market suburb of Prahran, in the nation’s second-largest city of Melbourne, as they feared it would inconvenience their customers.

Organizers of the Chapel Street Provocare arts festival had hoped Tunick’s photo shoot would propel their event onto the world stage.

After festival organizers agreed to move the event from busy weekend trading hours to a quiet Monday morning, Woolworths shed its inhibitions to allow the event to go ahead on July 9.

“It’s a good outcome,” a Woolworths representative said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

Lotton said 11,000 people had registered to disrobe, with a week still left before entries close. Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part, he told Reuters from Melbourne.

It is not known exactly how many au naturel volunteers are needed or how Tunick will choose them, but Lotton said there will not be enough places for all that want to participate.

“It’s well and truly oversubscribed,” Lotton said.

In 2007 in Mexico City, 18,000 people stripped off in the heart of the city’s Zocalo Square for Tunick, an internationally renowned photographer from New York.

Volunteers have also posed naked in freezing temperatures on a Swiss glacier.

(Reuters)

Russia’s phenomenal run in the World Cup is about to take a hit — at least if you believe in Harry, a so-called “oracle” otter in Sochi who correctly forecast the hosts’ first two victories in the tournament.

After trouncing Saudi Arabia 5-0 and then beating Egypt 3-1, Group A leaders Russia will lose to South American powerhouse Uruguay on Monday, Harry was interpreted as predicting.

When a Sochi aquarium employee tossed two balls into a pool on Wednesday, Harry swam straight over to the one labeled Uruguay, grabbed it in its mouth and dropped it on the side of the pool. The white, blue and red ball symbolizing Russia was left floating.

But even if Harry’s forecast were to come true, Russia have virtually booked their place in the second round. Should Uruguay (3 points) beat Saudi Arabia (zero points) later on Wednesday, it will ensure that the South Americans and the Russians go through to the round of 16 before the they meet in their group game. A draw would also be enough to send the hosts through.

Harry also predicted that defending champions Germany, who crashed to defeat in their first game, will make a comeback: He foresees they will win against Sweden on Saturday.

Spain, however, will have to content themselves with a draw against Iran later on Wednesday, according to Harry.

Harry is one of a menagerie of animals predicting World Cup games, with rivals including Samara’s white goat Zabiyaka, St. Petersburg’s cat Achilles, Kaliningrad’s hippos Milya and Glyasik and Nizhny Novgorod’s tapir Cleopatra.

The Sochi aquarium took Harry in as a baby.

“He was brought here by people who found him at a car wash, they saved him and brought him to us asking if we could take this amazing little otter. Of course, we did,” said aquarium director Zhanna Zazina.

Neymar limped out of Brazil's training session at the World Cup on Tuesday because of pain in his right ankle.

The Brazilian soccer confederation said the injury was not serious, adding Neymar left as a precaution and would be back in training on Wednesday.

The federation said Neymar has been in pain since the team's 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Friday, when he was consistently fouled.

Neymar started practising with the rest of the squad but left accompanied by a doctor about 30 minutes into the session in Sochi.

He had been playing keep-away with a few other players when he started showing signs of discomfort in his ankle. He was visibly in pain after he tried to intercept a ball with his right foot while at the center of the keep-away circle.

At one point, he bent down and grabbed his ankle, but tried to continue playing anyway. A few moments later he finally decided to leave, kicking a ball away with his left foot before limping away beside the team doctor.

"Neymar left the training session with some pain in his right ankle because of the number of fouls he suffered in the game against Switzerland," federation spokesman Vinicius Rodrigues said. "Since today was only a recovery session for the starters, and he complained about pain, he ended going to rehabilitation."

Rodrigues said Neymar would continue his recovery process but was set to practice normally on Wednesday, two days before the team's match against Costa Rica in St. Petersburg. Brazil and Switzerland are two points behind group leader Serbia, which defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in its opener.

Neymar had already practiced separately from his teammates on Monday.

Rodrigues said the pain Neymar felt Tuesday was not in the same place where he injured his foot earlier this year. Neymar was sidelined for about three months because of the injury and was not fully fit when he arrived in Russia for the World Cup.

Heavily marked and far from his best, Neymar was fouled 10 times in the match against Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don. He was limping when he talked to reporters after the match, when doctors dismissed anything serious.

Brazil coach Tite said before the tournament started that Neymar wouldn't likely be in his best form until the third match of the group stage.

"Neymar is one of the best players in the world and it's a great plus to have him in the team," said Philippe Coutinho, who has gained a bigger role as Neymar struggles with his fitness. "When he is on the field he helps us a lot. He is a very important player for us."

Dele Alli participation at the World Cup will be carefully managed amid fears he could be a doubt for both of England’s final group matches with a thigh problem.

The FA released an update last night confirming that the Tottenham midfielder had suffered a minor strain. However, it is understood that there are concerns within Alli’s camp that the injury could worsen to the extent his involvement against Panama and Belgium is in jeopardy.

The players were given today off to relax after arriving back yesterday at their Repino base following Monday’s 2-1 win over Tunisia in Volgograd.

It is believed that the players’ families — many of whom are based here, about a 45-minute drive from Repino — have been invited to visit the team hotel, while the squad have also been given the option of exploring the surrounding area, if accompanied by a member of the team’s security detail.

Alli is unlikely to train tomorrow for fear of aggravating his injury, but even without the Spurs midfielder, England are hot favourites to beat Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday and all but seal their progression to the last 16.

Manager Gareth Southgate is keen not to plan too far ahead, but the appetite for winning the group could be diminished given Germany lost their opening game to Mexico. That means the defending champions could face Brazil in the last 16. Were England to finish second in Group G, they would avoid the winners of a Germany versus Brazil clash in the quarter-finals.

Of more immediate concern, however, is who replaces Alli against Panama should he miss out. Southgate planned to introduce Fabian Delph when Alli pulled up with the problem during the first half against Tunisia, but the 22-year-old continued until the 80th minute, when he was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. When asked if he is hoping to start against Panama, Loftus-Cheek said: “I am happy if I start or if I don’t. I will be ready.”

(MSN)

Ronda Rousey is quickly finding her niche in pro wrestling.

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey had quite the weekend in a WWE ring. The former fighter turned pro wrestler had her first singles match on Sunday at Money in The Bank, challenging Nia Jax. She didn’t come out on top there, through no fault of her own, but she got her revenge the next night.

At the PPV, Rousey competed in a realistic-looking match against a woman almost twice her size in Jax, using her MMA experience to attempt submissions and fight her way out of the grasp of the Raw women’s champion. At a point where it looked like she had an advantage, superstar Alexa Bliss entered the fray. Using the Money in the Bank briefcase she won just a couple of hours before that, Bliss clubbed Rousey to knock her out of the ring and finished off the champ, taking the belt home in the process.

Needless to say, Rousey was pissed.

In the opening segment of Raw the next night, Bliss berated Rousey and the crowd on the mic, playing up the fact that she outsmarted everyone. Rousey came out, but was held back by Raw GM (and wrestling Olympic gold medalist) Kurt Angle. Until Bliss went too far, that is. Rousey attacked with the MITB briefcase, and Angle tried to hold her back. So she beat the holy hell out of Angle with it too. Four referees jumped in the ring...and they got dusted as well.

Ronda Rousey is suspended after launching an attack: Raw, June 18, 2018 – 04:38
— WWE

Due to her actions, Angle had no choice but to “suspend” her for 30 days. Which probably means she’s going to film a movie or something. But regardless, her match was high-quality, the Raw segment was one of the best of 2018 involving anyone, and there’s only one conclusion to draw - Ronda Rousey is really good at pro wrestling.

Source: MSN

Super Eagles supporters clubs have refuted a report that they requested permission from the Russian authorities to bring along live chickens while attending the team’s matches during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The refutal was made by both the Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC) and Nigerian Eagles Supporters Club (NESC), in interviews with According to KweseESPN.

“That is ridiculous,” NFSC president Rafiu Ladipo said.

“I have been leading this group for decades, and we have never carried a live chicken into any stadium. The only things we carry are our musical instruments and we pray. Prayer is the only charm we have. Why should we need a chicken? Maybe someone just wants to deceive them [the Russians].”

The Super Eagles in Group D, will next meet Iceland on Friday.

The Eagles lost their opening match against Croatia on Saturday by 2-0.

Hopes that they would qualify for the Round of 16 would only be realised if they are able to beat Iceland and also Argentina, their last match.

Last week, news reports quoted Andrei Ermak, Kaliningrad minister of culture of denying permission to the Eagles supporters to bring live chickens into the stadium, where Eagles was eventually beaten by Croatia.

“Our information centre MCH-2018 receives a lot of various questions: fans from Nigeria asked if it’s possible to go to the stadium with a chicken, it’s their symbol, the chickens are seen with them at all matches.

“We told them that it’s by no means possible to come with a live chicken,” Ermak, told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

“If the Nigerians are rooting for their team in other places, we will of course advise them where the chicken can be bought,” he added.

I found this interesting.

A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oshodi Local Government, Lagos State, Chief Remi Adiukwu on Tuesday defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with thousands of her followers ahead of 2019 General Elections.

Adiukwu, a former commissioner in the state said that her defection was motivated by the sterling performance of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and the foundation of the ruling party.

“I am back in the party, when I say I am back, I am actively back. I am enlightened now.

“Election is coming, we will do it with all our strength to deliver back to the party all the slots and mandates we took from APC to PDP during the 2015 election.

” PDP is now dead in this council, no more opposition. This council is completely for APC now. I pledge my loyalty.

“My sojourn away from the party was based on principle just as my return today is encouraged today by the same principle of supporting only good things that will be beneficial to Lagos,” she said.

The Chairman of APC in Oshodi Local Government, Alhaji Olamide Kasali said that the ruling party knew the weight of the defector and the challenge she gave the party in 2015 elections.

“She is the bedrock of opposition in the council,” Kasali said as he presented APC flag to the defector.

According to him, with Adiukwu’s defection. the fear of APC during elections has gone as the development marks an end to the opposition in the council.

The Executive Chairman, Oshodi LG, Mr Bolaji Muse-Ariyo said that the defection would make things easier for the council during elections as he presented a broom, the APC symbol to Adiukwu.

Presenting the Party’s Constitution to the defector, Olusola Sokunle, representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly said that Mrs Adiukwu was behind his election to the House in 2015.

“I am happy because the PDP stalwart we are accepting today into the APC happens to be my political mother. I was not happy that she was still in PDP when I moved to APC.

” This development has cancelled the existence of other political parties in Oshodi LG. Now that Chief Mrs Remi Adiukwu is with us, there is no more opposition in Oshodi LG,” Sokunle said.

According to Sokunle, who has also defected from PDP to APC in the House, without Adiukwu, he will not be in the House as a lawmaker representing the constituency.

Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, a chieftain of the APC in the council described the defector as a strong opposition in the council, commended Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of APC for his forgiving spirit.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, held at Oshodi, had several party chieftains and hundreds of party supporters in attendance.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), has described Ekiti a state where change is necessary.

At the mega rally of APC’s governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, Tinubu said that Ekiti would join the progressives after the change.

“We will not take Ekiti back to the past. You all must use your Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVC) to vote in APC.

“Your PVC is your red card. Use your PVC to give PDP a red card on July 14,’’ Tinubu advised the crowd.

Former Edo state governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, who spoke after Tinubu narrated how his plane was grounded and prevented from travelling from Benin to Ekiti in 2014 to campaign for Fayemi.

Oshiomhole, who is gunning for the APC National Chairmanship position at the party’s convention on Saturday said that the injustice meted on him in 2014 was a play of dictatorship of the past administration,

He urged Ekiti people not to be afraid because those who assisted in perpetrating the crime have been relegated.

“Those people are no longer there. There is no more need to be afraid. Come out and vote on July 14. You will be protected.

“The good news is that on July 14, Fayemi will be the candidate you will vote for.

“It will no longer be bad for Ekiti but good.

“The past four years was for the thief, but July 14 is for the owner.’’

Prince Dayo Adeyeye, former spokesman of PDP and former works minister formally defected from his party to APC at the rally.

Adeyeye, who was also a governorship aspirant of PDP, said: “PDP died in Ekiti since May 29.’’

“I have decamped from PDP and many others would soon join the APC.’’

He said he was now committed to APC to ensure that Ekiti came up again in terms of development

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, national Chairman of APC, received Adeyeye and other defecting PDP party chieftains.

He congratulated them and assured them of celebration of Fayemi’s victory on 14 July.

The Nigerian Government has demonstrated commitment to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix to boost electricity generation in the country.

Mr Dmitry Shornikov, an expert and Chief Executive Officer, Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation (ROSATOM), said this in an interview text emailed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

According him, Nigeria is most certainly following all the correct steps required to be ready for nuclear power production.

“The Nigerian Government has shown firm commitment to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix.

“As part of the government’s programme to deploy nuclear power plants for electricity generation in the country, the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission was activated in April 2006.

“One of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines for newcomer countries envisages assistance to adapt national energy grids for special requirements of reliability and safety.

“If a country that wants to develop nuclear programme does not have adequate grid infrastructure, it should follow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines in order to rectify this.

“In the summer of 2015, the IAEA conducted two missions to Nigeria in support of its nuclear programme.

“These missions found that Nigeria’s emergency preparedness and response framework was consistent with IAEA safety standards, and that the country needed to further refine its policies and strengthen capacities on the management on nuclear initiatives.”

NAN recalls that Nigeria started developing its peaceful nuclear programme a decade ago and ROSATOM has been working with Nigeria for roughly half of this time.

A great deal has already been done in terms of the legal framework and educating specialists, both of which are part of the nuclear infrastructure development programme.

The two countries started their partnership in nuclear power development in 2009, by executing an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of the peaceful usage of nuclear technologies.

On Oct. 30, 2017, Russia and Nigeria signed project development agreements on construction and operation of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and a Research Centre housing a multi-purpose nuclear research reactor on the territory of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The parties also signed a roadmap for cooperation in the field of peaceful usage of nuclear technologies.

Dmitry, overseeing Central and Southern Africa of ROSATOM, said it was important for Nigeria to harness all available energy mix, including nuclear to improve its power generation, given the huge demand for electricity supply in the country.

“Today, Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa, however, its power sector is performing far below the level of an economy of this magnitude.

“Over half of the population has no access to grid-connected electricity and those who are connected to the grid suffer extensive power outages.

“Nigeria’s current installed capacity is estimated at around 12,500 MW, only half of this is operational, and only about 5,000 MW reaches the grid.

“Restricted output has been blamed on gas supply problems, water shortages, grid constraints and breakdowns.

“Existing energy mix in Nigeria is made up mostly of hydro and gas turbine power plants and will certainly benefit from the addition of sustainable base load generation.

“There are three important factors that should be considered when designing the optimum energy mix, this include economics, security of supply and environmental impact.

“Nuclear is one of the only power sources that is capable of producing all the three factors and is, therefore, crucial to help balance any energy mix,” Dmitry explained.

He said ROSATOM was committed to assisting Nigeria archive its nuclear energy production ambition.

Dmitry, however, said skills development was a key requirement in Nigeria getting ready for the development and running of nuclear energy plants, adding that ROSATOM was willing to further assist in developing the needed skills.

“Since 2010, ROSATOM has been running a project on training staff for partner countries.

“The project is aimed at supporting the partner country in creating an integrated system for training qualified specialists for the nuclear power industry.

“From highly professional construction, installation and operating staff to providing the most modern specialised university education and retraining of executives, both for nuclear power and national regulatory authorities in the nuclear sphere.

He disclosed that 17 students from Nigeria were presently studying in Russia, adding that Nigeria was part of special ROSATOM’s bursary programme on free education for talented students.

According to him, ROSATOM will give its best to support development of science in Nigeria which remains a veritable key to further develop the country.

Two persons died when a truck loaded with boards and plywood tilted on the Ojuelegba Bridge, Surulere, Lagos State late on Tuesday evening.

Two other persons were also injured, according to an update provided by the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr Adesina Tiamiyu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accident occurred at 8.p.m..

Similar accidents had claimed lives in the last three years. In one of the accidents in September 2015, in which three members of the same family died, the relations are pursuing a N10billion compensation suit at the Lagos High Court. Both the Lagos and Federal governments, along with the owners of the truck, are defendants in the case.

Tiamiyu spoke with newsmen at the scene of the latest accident; as remnants of the plywood were being cleared to ease vehicular movement in the area.

“A flat bed truck laden with plywood and finished boards tilted on top of Ojuelegba bridge and fell on three commercial buses and a Toyota Corolla Camry.

“Unfortunately, two people died while two other people sustained injuries but what we are doing now is recovery.

“We have removed the vehicles from the road and we have also taken the trucks off the bridge.

“We are now trying to clear the remnants of the plywood at Ojuelegba under-bridge and the top of the bridge.

“That vehicle was definitely overloaded and that was what I think caused the accident, ” Tiamiyu said.

He, however, urged commercial drivers to park at designated bus-stops and to stop parking indiscriminately.

Tiamiyu said: “If the buses were not parked indiscriminately, the accident would not claim lives.

“Commercial drivers should not turn Ojuelegba into a bus-stop.

“Let’s have free drive under Ojuelegba Bridge. ”

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the 2019 general elections will probably be the least expensive elections for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking to TheCable, he said the current administration has performed well and doesn’t need to convince anyone.

When asked about how the APC will fund the 2019 polls and its government control how much other parties spend, he replied: “INEC is the statutory body saddled with the responsibility of monitoring campaign expenditure, but one thing I can assure you is that for us, 2019 election will probably be the least expensive for us, because we have performed, we have delivered.

“Just talking to you now, we feed 8.2 million pupils everyday, one free meal a day, they have parents. I just told you what we’ve done in infrastructure.

“I was about to tell you what we have achieved in tackling insecurity. When we came in in 2015, 20 out of 27 local governments in Borno state alone were under the influence of Boko Haram, today not a single local government in the entire northeast.”

Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a former Governor of Kaduna State and former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has formally joined those jostling for the party’s 2019 presidential ticket.

Former Cross River State governor Donald had last week also declared his intention to run for the 2019 presidential ticket on the same party platform.

Also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who recently defected from ruling All progressives Congress (APC) back to his original PDP, is currently on nationwide consultation to galvanise support for the party’s presidential ticket.

Makarfi disclosed his intention in Kaduna on Sunday.

He explained that he had consulted widely and arrived at the conclusion that the time had come for him to contest for the exalted position.

He said unveiled his programme if elected in 2019.

“Restructuring the country, tackling insecurity, fighting corruption with due process and rule of law, improving the economy, reuniting the nation are top among what my administration will do for the country,’’ he said.

Makarfi said the crisis rocking the ruling APC was an advantage for his party to emerge victorious in the election.

Makarfi, however, commended president Buhari’s administration’s fight against insurgency.

The Nigerian Government says it will shut the land border between it and a neigbouring country in a few days time to avoid smuggling of foreign rice into the country.

Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday while speaking with youths in a leadership clinic under the auspices of Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI).

Ogbeh who did not mention the particular country and border, said that shutting the borders had become necessary to encourage local production and sustain the economy of the country.

The minister said that a neighbouring country was bent on destroying the economy of the country and discouraging local production of rice, hence the need to shut down the border.

“Our other problem is smuggling. As we speak, a neighbor of ours is importing more rice than China is importing.
“They do not eat parboiled rice, they eat white rice, they use their ports to try and damage our economy.
“I am telling you now because in a few days, you will hear the border has been shut, we are going to shut it to protect you, us and protect our economy.

“You will start seeing all sorts of negative things on the internet.
“Let me tell you why we need to shut the border, I grow rice, I was the first Nigerian to mill rice free of stones, if you plant rice in certain parcels of land, some poisonous materials gets into the rice.

“There are three kinds of water in their natural state; there is fresh water from the river, salt water from the sea, blackish water.

“If you go to the Delta in many countries, in South East Asia where they grow the rice, if you plant rice in the same place like four to six years continuously, the quantum of arsenic begins to increase and arsenic causes cancer and that is what they are dumping for us.

“Some people say they prefer Thai rice because they are very sophisticated, welcome to poison,’’ Ogbeh said.

He said that the Federal Government in two years reduced rice importation by 95 per cent and increased the number of rice farmers from five million to 30 million.

The minister said that states like Anambra, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa were doing well in rice production.

“We just have to handwork you to prosperity otherwise, this country will not grow. My wish for you is to have a better time that we had,’’ Ogbeh said.

The President of GOTNI, Dr Linus Okorie, commended the minister for sharing prosperity experiences with the youth.

Okorie noted that the leadership clinic was organised by GOTNI to expose young people to practical leadership principle for life success.

According to him, GOTNI is committed to changing the narratives of poor leadership in Nigeria by consciously developing the capacities of generational leaders.

“A lot of young people are asking questions, seeking answers to their questions, wish that they have an experienced person who will hold them by the hands and show them the way to achieve success.

“There are a few people that are readily available to do this; a lot of them are making decisions everyday on the basis of their limited exposure.

“If Nigeria must make progress, if we must consciously build the next generation of leaders then, we must expose these young people to experienced leaders that have gone ahead for a conscious transfer of knowledge and experiences,’’ he said.

Some of the youths who spoke at the meeting called for continuous mentorship from leaders, access to finance and low interest rates to assist them in businesses.

GOTNI is a non-profit youth leadership capital development organisation with a passion to nurture various categories of young people under 40 years of age, into transformational leaders.

(NAN)

Ekiti State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, has alleged that the debts incurred by the Kayode Fayemi administration from 2010 to 2014 had so far cost the state N35.34billion.

The PDP claimed that the N35.3 billion was used in the servicing of debts, and deductions from statutory allocations from October 2014 till date.

But the former Governor and immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Fayemi has swiftly denied the allegation, describing it as a deliberate falsehood, sponsored by Gov. Ayo Fayose to smear his image as well as cover up the failure of his government to deliver on his electoral promises.

Fayemi who reacted through the Media Director of his Campaign Organization, Wole Olujobi, said the campaign of lies was a sign of frustrations from the Fayose camp.

Fayemi said Fayose and his party decided to embark on character assassination because of his rising political profile and the imminence of the PDP candidates rejection at the coming gubernatorial poll.

It is ridiculous that Fayose and his aides can still be peddling inaccurate debt figures after the Debt Management Office(DMO) had published the debts taken by Fayose himself alone, in the last three years which has amounted to N56billion, even though he swore and lied many times that he never borrowed a kobo.

We admit that Fayemi borrowed N25b to be defrayed within three years and records are there at the DMO that Fayemi paid back N14.5billion of the debts, leaving the balance of only N10.5billion before he left office on Oct. 16, 2014.

If the official debt figures are as stated above, how then did they come about spending N35.34billion to service an outstanding debt of N10.5billion? Fayemi queried.

NAN reports that the state PDP boss had in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti, raised the alarm that by calculation, the N35.34billion sum already paid to service debt allegedly incurred by Fayemi, meant that the state was servicing the debts at an average of N1.1billion monthly.

He added that it also means about 40 percent of the states allocation was being deducted from source monthly.

The PDP Chairman claimed that documents from the DMO and the Federal Ministry of Finance, agencies in charge of the debts and statutory allocations, revealed that the debts were incurred under several headings.

He added that between October and December 2014, the states allocations had N1.71billion deducted to service the debts.

In 2015, the sum of N7.85billion was deducted from our allocations. In 2016, it was N11.30billion, in 2017, it was N12.12billion and from January to May this year, the sum of N4.94billion had been deducted.

While we have paid off the commercial agriculture credit scheme, we are yet to pay off others and some will run till 2036

The implications of this are many. If we had such a huge sum, we wouldnt be owing workers salaries and more welfare programmes and projects would have been executed by the Fayose administration

The debts are under these headings: Contractual obligations, fertiliser, foreign loans, bonds, commercial agriculture credit scheme, water projects, restructuring of bank loans, excess crude loan among others.

For instance, under contractual obligations is the vehicles and buses they purchased for traditional rulers and various groups that they did not pay a kobo before they left office.

Under commercial agriculture credit scheme is their YCAD programme that failed woefully, they also took money for the rehabilitation of water scheme and the money they borrowed for Ero Dam rehabilitation just went down the drain

We all know the N25billion they borrowed from the Capital Market to finance some projects, but where are the projects? They never built any Governors Office. They did not build a new Oja Oba Market, they did not complete their Event centre. Even the state pavilion was not fully completed,

Fayemi is the reason Ekiti State is under financial burden. He plunged the state into debts and cant point to any tangible project he executed while in office. His administration also got the highest revenues from the Federation Account in the history of the state, he claimed.

Oguntuase who asked the electorate not to vote for Fayemi in the coming poll, said members of the public could get the details of the debts on the websites of the DMO and the Federal Ministry of Finance and in their offices. (NAN)

Source: NAN

A U.S.-based woman, Princess Oyenike Oyedele Roberts, has declared for the presidency of Nigeria on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 presidential election.

Nike Roberts, as she is called, while addressing supporters in New York, also dissociated herself from corruption, vowing never to accept any donation from corrupt Nigerians to fund her campaign.

She said her aspiration was built on five-cardinal plans: Uninterrupted power supply, quality healthcare for all, creation of one million jobs annually, quality affordable education and security of lives and property.

The PDP presidential aspirant, whose campaign slogan is Hope 2019, is the Vice Chair of Nigerian-American Public Affairs Committee and the President, Association of African Media Practitioners in the U.S.

She blamed the problems of Nigeria on what she termed the current faulty structure, saying the Nigerian president in the next political dispensation must have the will to restructure the country to realise its potential.

Notwithstanding the allegation of corruption levelled against PDP when it was in power, she urged Nigerians to trust her integrity as she had not been tainted by any act of corruption having not held political positions.

Roberts said PDP is poised for a major shift ahead of 2019, claiming it was the party to beat and a viable platform because it had national appeal and spread.

Our political system is driven by money and thats why we have the kind of leadership. The system should be driven by meritocracy what you know to do, how to do it and the will to do it.

That is what should drive people; its not how much money you have or how much money you can invest in a person that you can control at the end of the day.

Thats what gave rise to the God-fatherism notion that it is who you know that gets you to the top. That system has continued for so long.

But Im seeing a new breed of leaders coming; a change thats going to cause a shift in how we do politics in Nigeria. We dont allow meritocracy to rule; we allow money to rule, she said.

She called for more determination in the fight against corruption so as to secure notable convictions with commensurate consequences through the executive, legislative and Judicial commitments.

The Osun-born presidential aspirant, in her 50s, said at the centre of her heart is the security of lives and property, saying: We must secure the borders to prevent illegal infiltration and activities.

As a matter of urgency, the National Identity system must be concluded in order to account for every individual in the national database.

This will put face to crime and assist law enforcement agencies to deliver efficient services. I will also move for the professionalism of law enforcement agencies through inter-agency cooperation and improve their welfare.

She said apart from creating at least one million jobs annually, there would be an urgent review of the minimum wage to living wage to match current trends as well as a relief package for the extremely poor.

The politician said she would advocate for an expansion of the health insurance scheme to include all citizens while there would be incentives to encourage regular health checks.

Roberts promised to allocate minimum of 15 per cent of the annual budget to education as well as the total overhaul of the system to allow for early instruction in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

She said: There must be continuous training and certification for teachers and instructors at all levels. The public school infrastructure must be upgraded as a matter of urgency.

The politician pledged to overhaul the power infrastructure and tackle the ineffective model of operations to increase power generation to at least 20,000 megawatts using renewable sources to support the fossil sources.

Roberts said she had support base in all the 774 Local Government Areas and expressed confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct credible poll in 2019.

Nike Roberts attended Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls Secondary School, Lagos(1975-81) before leaving for the United Kingdom to study hotel management in Oxford. According to her website, www.nikeroberts.org, Nike returned to Nigeria to work in the hospitality industry by developing her own brand of lunch delivery services to corporate clients, and event catering.

She later left for the US where she attended Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia.

She then started the first multi-cultural television station in Atlanta area, which showcases the experience of Africans in Diaspora. She also produced and hosted her own talk show.

Nike has degrees in Office Administration

Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers has charged the 23 newly elected council chairmen to prudently utilize council funds to pay workers salaries and fight insecurity in their areas.

Wike gave the charge on Monday in Port Harcourt while swearing in the chairmen who emerged victorious in the council poll conducted on Saturday.

He warned them to avoid non-payment of salaries or payment of half salaries to council workers and to use their positions to make a difference in the administration of local government councils for others to emulate.

He further urged them to use their good offices to proffer solutions to challenges that had caused delay in the development of local government areas.

He also advised them to prioritize projects that would benefit the masses and avoid wastage of funds.

Wike underscored the need to the chairmen to be close to the people in order to be abreast of the challenges confronting them.

You should always be at home; do not stay far from the people; do not stay in Port Harcourt; do not distance yourselves from the people; stay in your councils to know the problems of your people.

He also urged the chairmen to work with their councillors and security agencies to ensure absolute peace in their domains.

He advised them not to give appointments that they could not pay for, adding that such appointmentscould create crisis in the councils.

The governor also urged them to desist from using their positions to create crisis or confusion in the party and to always seek permission before embarking on long journeys outside the state.

He lauded both the Rivers State independent Electoral Commission [RSIEC] and the security agencies for conducting free, fair and credible council elections in the State.

Wike specially commended the security agencies for carrying out their jobs professionally, which he noted, averted breakdown of law and order during the council elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinched all the 23 chairmanship seats in the council elections.(NAN)

Source: NAN

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dayo Adeyeye, on Monday accused Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State of promoting violence in the state.

The former Minister of State for Works said in Ado-Ekiti that the governor should be held responsible for the destruction of the campaign materialsof the APC candidate in the July 14 election, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

He said in a statement issued by his Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Omoniyi Ojo, that the governor was also heating up the polity with the threats to the perceived enemies of the administration.

Adeyeye also accused Fayose of harassing traditional rulers in thestate and sacking civil servants and appointees supporting Fayemi.

The former minister, however, appealed to those affected to endure, assuring them that help was underway after the governorship poll.

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, should be held responsible for the present state of insecurity in the state.

People who are familiar with his antics cannot sleep with their two eyes closed anymore.

He was chased out in his first term in office when he was imposedon the people of Ekiti State by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

This second time, he told people that he was a changed person, but he is now worse.

He was impeached because of violence in his term in office, evensome of the cases that include murder cases are still in court.

Two days ago, an APC supporter was killed, two days before, the billboards of Dr Fayemi were destroyed in Ikere Ekit

If you are looking for who are behind all these violence, look in the direction of Fayose.

Fayose is so intolerant. In 2014, he was holding open meetings with civil servants in the state canvassing for their support and none of them was molested, nobody issued threats to sack them.

However, I call on those being molested or victimised who are afraid and rightly concerned about their future , that help is on the way.

They should bear with the situation now because it would soon be over.

Victory is assured for APC on July 14. They shall be restored to those stations immediately after the election.

The Pharaoh that you see today, you shall see no more, the statement said.

Source: NAN

The Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Stefanou Pontesilli, says no fewer than 1500 Nigerians are serving jail terms for various offences in Italy.

Pontesilli who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Abuja said the number was huge.

In Italy we have about 1500 Nigerians in jail for various offences. It is a big number.

We sometimes send them back to Nigeria once they finished their terms because they have not behaved well, he said.

He however denied reports that Italy sometimes send Nigerian migrants from Italy to Libya.

Never, we never sent anyone not even one single person to Libya.

Some Nigerians are stuck in Libya because they were never able to cross over to Italy, but all those who went to Italy no one, not even one was ever sent back.

All Nigerians who have reached Italy and are behaving well have no problem.

Not one of them not even one has heard of being sent back to Libya, he said.

According to him, thousands of Nigerians unable to cross from Libya to Italy have been stuck in Libya.

Thank God the government is doing a lot to repatriate them through chattered flights.

Thanks for the help from the European Union and the International Organisation for Migrations that are slowly repatriating them back to Nigeria, he said.

The envoy said that the relationship between Italy and Nigeria remained stronger.

That is why Italy has been doing so much on the migration by saving tens and thousands of the Nigerians lives when crossing the Mediterranean.

Authority has been doing so much by taking them to Italy, feeding them, getting them jobs, giving them house and trying to give them a new life, Pontesilli said.

He said that Italy had also done a lot in trying to help Nigeria maintain security and stability.

This to Italy is very important, the stability and the security of Nigeria is our foremost consideration.

We think that without a stable secure country there cannot be development.

So thats why we stand strongly behind President Muhammadu Buhari trying to establish a strong, safe and stable Nigeria.

This to us is the number one priority of the country, we are doing all we can to support this, he said.

The envoy disclosed that the Italian government had been involved in training many Nigerian officials from the military, police and immigration.

Source: NAN