It paves the way for compensation to be paid to people who were sexually abused as children by church figures and puts pressure on other institutions to follow suit.

The countrys Catholic bishops and leaders of its religious orders committed to signing on to the 3.8 billion Australian dollar (2.2 billion) national plan on Wednesday.

The church is the first non-government institution to opt into the plan and estimates it will itself be liable for about one billion dollars (568 million) in compensation.

Federal Social Services Minister Dan Tehan expects more institutions to follow, saying there could be further announcements as early as Thursday.

Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson last week became the most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse.

He faces a potential two-year prison term when he appears in court in June to be sentenced for protecting a paedophile priest in the 1970s.

Source: NAN

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Not-Too-Young-To-Run.

The bill is for an act to alter the provisions of the constitution to reduce the age for some political offices.

He also noted that noted that the National Assembly has delivered on its promise.

Ekweremadu, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, on Thursday said the new amendment to the Constitution would open up the political space for the Nigerian youth.

He urged them to capitalise on it to take their proper place in the scheme of things.

He also urged President Buhari to also attend to other Constitution Amendment Bills awaiting his assent, describing them as critical to the good governance of the nation.

I am happy for the Nigerian youth and congratulate them on this new vista of political relevance and attainments.

We have delivered on our promise and it is my hope that the youth will capitalise on it to take their rightful place in the governance of the country. As I have always maintained, today, not tomorrow, belongs to the youth. It is theirs to organise and mobilise to take it.

I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Bill to motivate our youth to start preparations for the 2019 elections.

However, I equally urge him to assent to the remaining Bills already transmitted to him, including the Bill seeking financial autonomy for State Houses of Assembly

He assured that the National Assembly would continue to make laws that would deepen the nations democracy and promote good governance.

Meanwhile, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has claimed credit for the bill.

The party said the bill was pursued and sponsored by members of the PDP at the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

According to Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the party, this development is indeed a democratic victory for the Nigerian youths over forces.

The party commands the sponsor of the bill, Hon. Tony Nwulu (PDP, Lagos) and the resilience of the Nigerians youths in getting the initiative through, in line with the vision of the PDP to allow younger Nigerians to actively participate in elective positions in governance at all levels.

Source: NAN

Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has kicked off a 3,000-hectare oil palm plantation owned by Norsworthy Farms and Allied Industries, as a major investment that would boost the states economy.

At the ground-breaking for the plantation and processing plant at Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North Local Government Area, Okowa said the project would change the face of oil palm industry in the state when operational.

Norsworthy Farms and Allied Industries is also setting up a palm oil refinery, palm kernel crushing plant and 10-tonne per hour palm oil mill.

He observed that with the oil palm investment, his administrations drive for investors to come to the state was yielding results.

I see this exercise as a good example of private sector participation in the economy.

It is really ennobling when private sector organisations partner with government in the pursuit of sustainable development.

There are many avenues through which the private sector and non-governmental organisations can partner to bring sustainable development to the doorsteps of the people.

I am convinced that this is a major step forward in the development of viable business in the agriculture sector, which is a part of the key element of private sector participation in the development of our dear state.

The governor promised the people of Akwukwu-Igbo that the road from the community to Ugbolu would be captured in the 2019 budget.

He appealed to the traditional rulers across the state to make land available to investors.

The Managing Director, Norsworthy Farms and Allied Industries Limited, Mr Gabriel Ugbechie, said that over N6 billion had been budgeted for the project.

Earlier, the Council Chairman, Mr Louis Ndukwe, in his address, noted that oil palm played important roles in the development of Nigerias economy in the past.

He added that it could do more to turn the economies of both the state and country around.

He said the sectors value chain would bring about speedy development of the rural community and boost jobs and wealth creation for the people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor later unveiled the ground breaking plaque.

He also planted a palm seedling and took a tour of the site in company of some government functionaries, traditional rulers, industrialists and farmers, among others. (NAN)

Source: NAN

No fewer than 17 million Africans left the continent in 2017 in search of greener pastures, a new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.

The Economic Development in Africa report also said 5.5 million people moved to Africa from other continents while some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa.

Overall, some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa, and 17 million Africans left the continent during last year. The continent was also the destination for about 5.5 million people from outside, the report found.

It said the large-scale migration of people within Africa tended to boost growth and lifted the continents whole economy, urging the world to dispel misconceptions and harmful narratives targeting migration.

The report also said cross-border movement offered a chance for a better life, with the social and economic benefits extending to both source and destination countries, as well as future generations.

Mukhisa Kituyi, the Secretary-General of (UNCTAD), said at the launching the report: Our analysis shows this to be true for millions of African migrants and their families.

Kituyi added that public perception, particularly as it relates to international African migration, is rife with misconceptions that have become part of a divisive, misleading and harmful narrative.

The report said remittances travelling back home from migrant workers both outside and inside Africa rose on average from 38.4 billion dollars between 2005 to 2007, to 64.9 billion dollars, during the two-year period up to the end of 2016.

According to the report, therefore, remittances accounted for over half of the capital flows within the continent.

Likewise, migrants contributed nearly 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Cte dIvoire according to figures from 2008, and 13 per cent in Rwanda (2012 figures).

Junior Davis, the lead author of the report, said it provided evidence of the intimate correlation between migration and trade two sides of the same coin.

Africa is on the cusp of tremendous change, he said, noting the recently agreed African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.

In this context the report contributes to a better understanding of the implications of intra-African migration for the continents socio-economic transformation, Davis added.

However, alongside the numbers of migrants moving and working within Africa, the continent also has some of the highest number of people forced from their homes due to conflict or natural disasters.

On top of the development gains lost at home, there is a significant economic and social burden faced by host countries, leaving many migrants dependent on international humanitarian aid, the report stated. (NAN)

Source: NAN

A 39-year-old woman, Sholade Adegoke, who allegedly set her uncle ablaze over refusal to move out of her apartment, was on Thursday brought before a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Adegoke, who resides at No. 23, Oyenuga St., Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Lagos, is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on assault.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Ikechukwu Edumodior, told the court that the accused committed the offences on May 12, at the same address.

Edumodior said that the accused had told her uncle, Mr Ibikunle Akinpelu, who was looking for accommodation, to occupy a two bedroom at Onyenuga Street for a period of time.

He stated that the accused explained to her uncle early in 2017 that she needed to rent out the apartment and insisted that he should move out before the end of the year.

The prosecutor said that the accused, who was tired of waiting for her uncle to move out, had confidently walked into her uncle’s room, poured a keg of petrol on him and immediately lit a match that set him on fire.

He added that neighbours who saw her with a match and the keg reported the incident at the police station.

The prosecutor noted that the offences contravened Sections 173 and 245 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.I Adelaja, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

She ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of tax payment to Lagos State Government.

Adelaja adjourned the case until June 11, for trial.

Source: NAN

The Ugandan parliament on Thursday passed a law imposing a tax on people using mobile social media networks in an attempt to increase revenue, but rights groups say the levy is actually aimed at silencing dissent.

The tax for users of WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook is minimal, at 200 Ugandan shillings (five cents) a day, but adds up to about 18 dollars a year – not a small amount of money in the impoverished East African country.

“As a government, we thought it would be good to impose taxes on some aspects of the social media,” deputy government spokesman Shaban Bantariza told dpa Thursday, the day after parliament passed the law.

He added that “government is installing infrastructure like WiFi in areas around the country and it will not do this without our contribution through taxes.”

It was not quite clear how the tax would be implemented, but 24 millions Ugandans – about half the population – have access to the internet, according to the Uganda Communications Commission, mostly through mobile phones.

However, human rights groups expressed concern over the move, which reportedly came about after long-time leader Yoweri Museveni said social media helped spread gossip.

“This tax is detrimental to the enjoyment of freedom of expression,” said Livingstone Sewannyana, director of Uganda’s Foundation for Human Rights Initiative.

“Its prohibitive. It shows the repressive nature of the state which is amassing as much revenue as it can to its advantage,” he added.

During the 2016 elections, social media networks were shut down because people were using them to communicate and mobilize anti-government demonstrations.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has fulfilled his administration’s third anniversary promise by signing into law, the `Not Too Young To Run Bill’.

While signing the bill on Thursday, the president, in a jocular mood, ‘appealed’ to young people to defer their presidential ambitions till after the 2019 general elections.

President Buhari in a tweet on Thursday shared the video of the event.

https://twitter.com/MBuhari/status/1002192959998226432

President Buhari had on Tuesday in his Democracy Day broadcast, pledged to sign the bill.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly in July 2017 to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution to reduce the age qualification for president, from 40 to 30; House of Representatives membership, from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership, from 30 to 25.
President Buhari, however, noted that the new bill did not tamper with the age qualifications for governor and the senate, which remained at 35.

He congratulated the young people over the signing of the bill, and urged them to be more enterprising and self-sustaining.

Source: NAN

Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba State and clergyman, has been sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison, 14 years of which was for criminal breach of trust.

An outraged Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal High Court, while handing out the sentence, lashed out: “There’s no moral justification for the level of outright theft, and the Court must therefore, impose a statement, hopefully as a deterrent to other public officers, who may be similarly inclined”

The former Taraba state helmsman also bagged two years for criminal misappropriation, seven years for gratification and five years for obtaining money by dishonesty.

Nyame, whose trial began on July 13, 2007 before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Guru, was charged with 41 counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for criminal misappropriation, diversion of public funds, and breach of public trust.
In a ruling which lasted more than 4 hours, Justice Banjoko found Nyame guilty of 16 counts, bordering on criminal breach of public trust.

He was also found guilty of 11 counts bordering on misappropriation of public funds; two counts bordering on gratification.

He was, however discharged of 12 counts, out of 41.

Justice Banjoko, noted that Nyame, a clergyman, as governor of Taraba, breached the trust reposed in him by the indigenes of the state, when he misappropriated N250 million which he approved purportedly for the purchase of stationery for the state.

“From the totality of facts before the court, Nyame approved N250 million for purchase of stationery, but is found to have no intention to fulfil the purpose,” the trial judge held.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution called 14 witnesses and presented documentary evidence, which among other things revealed that the N250 million was shared and never utilised for the purpose for which it was approved. A total of N180 million was diverted to the bank account of Salman Global Ventures Limited, which provided no services for the state.

Nyame had during the trial denied knowledge of Salman Global Ventures Limited. But Justice Banjoko noted that, “immediately the fund was released, his verbal instruction was given, that N180 million be paid to Salman Global Ventures”.

The judge further added that: “the audacity of the defendant to divert N180 million from the N250 to the company, shows that he had more than a casual interest and so can’t hide behind a screen”.

“There was no evidence to show that Salman Global Ventures bid for any contracts,” the trial judge said, noting that within five weeks, Salman Global Ventures received over N300 million from the state coffers.

Nyame was also found guilty of “misappropriation and misapplication of N165 million with dishonest intention”, and the misappropriation of N24,300,000 purportedly approved for “purchase of grains”.

Justice Banjoko held that Nyame was “guilty of criminal breach of trust beyond reasonable doubt”, while also finding him guilty of the offence of gratification as stated in count four of the charge.

The EFCC had accused him of accepting a gratification of N80 million from Abubakar Suleiman of Alusab International (Nig) Ltd through Salman Global Ventures “as a reward for the award of contract by the Taraba State Government to USAB International (Nig) Ltd”, an offence punishable under Section 115 of the Penal Code Act 1990.

In the allocution of the defence, which was made by Olalekan Ojo, he urged the court to consider that Nyame was a first-time offender, and a family man who had dependents to cater for.

“He served the people of Taraba State for eight years, and through him the lot of the people in the state was bettered,” he said.

Ojo urged the court to “take into consideration the selfless service of the convict, who has no criminal record of any sort and is still less than 60”.

In its counter-argument, prosecution counsel, O.A. Atolagbe, urged the court to take into cognisance the aggravating effect the action and inaction of Nyame had on the people of the state.

Citing Section 416 2 (a) (d) (e) and (f) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, he urged the court to consider the aggravating factors on the state. He also pointed the attention of the court to the FCT Courts Practice Direction 2016, stressing that Nyame, played a leadership role in the commission of the offence.

“He abused his position of trust and caused severe harm to the society and economy of the state, and so the effect of the offence must be put into consideration,” he argued, adding that, “claim of selfless service is far from the truth”.

After listening to the arguments of both counsel, Justice Banjoko, gave her sentencing and noted that despite the claim of being a first-time offender, a family man, and his service, “I am morally outraged with the facts of this case”.

“There’s no moral justification for the level of outright theft, and the Court must therefore, impose a statement, hopefully as a deterrent to other public officers, who may be similarly inclined”.

Source: NAN

Senator Dino Melaye, APC-Kogi West, and Hon. Adams Jagaba representing APC in Kacha/Kagarko in Kaduna, may have defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Embattled Melaye announced his preference for a seat on the side of the senators of the opposition PDP , an indication of defection at the plenary on Wednesday, causing rowdy session.

He caused the commotion after weeks of being away from the Senate Chambers.

Melaye resumed plenary and asked to be moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) side of the chamber to the opposition.

He sought Senate President Bukola Sarakis permission to leave his allotted seat and move to the side of PDP members at the Senate chamber.

He specifically asked that he wants to sit beside the former Senate President, David Mark, an indication of carpet crossing.

According to Senator Melaye, his reason for wanting a change of seat is because his present seat is no longer comfortable after his ordeal with the police and his health issues.

But the lawmakers from the ruling APC kicked against the move by Senator Melaye, arguing that his action was against the constitution.

Meanwhile, the opposition lawmakers, welcomed the change of seat by Senator Dino Melaye.

The decision of Melaye came barely 24 hours after Prince Dayo Adeyeye, one of the aspirants for the governorship ticket of PDP in Ekiti State, dumped the party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In preparation for his change of seats, Melaye raised a point of order and thanked his colleagues, members of the House of Representatives, his constituents and the Nigerian populace for standing by him during his travails with the Senate.

He thanked the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their support.

Melayes travail started when he refused to appear before the police to answer to accusations by some arrested suspects, who alleged that the senator supplied them with arms and ammunition.

The senator had had persistently refused to appear before the police on invitation, but was later arrest and jumped out of the police vehicle that was taking him to Lokoja to appear.

The Senator landed in the National Hospital after jumping out of a moving police vehicle on Tuesday, April 24.

The police confirmed that Melaye was arrested for his pending offences of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

He was granted bail in the sum of N90 million by the Wuse Magistrates Court.

He was re-arrested after perfecting the bail.

According to the police, the investigation team re-arrested Melaye on May 2, 2018 after his arraignment at Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse for the pending offences of Criminal Conspiracy and Unlawful Possession of Prohibited Firearms already filed in a Court of competent jurisdiction in Lokoja for which he will be arraigned without further delay.

Mr. Jimoh Moshood, Force PRO, said that Melaye was arraigned at the Wuse Magistrates court for criminal conspiracy, causing damage to government property, attempted suicide and escape from lawful custody.

Melayes arraignment according to the police, was subsequent to his discharge from the National Hospital after he was confirmed fit for trial.

Melaye was also arraigned before a Lokoja Chief magistrates Court.

The lawmaker is currently on bail.

Jagabas defection was contained in a letter read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara. He had on May 7 announced his defection in Kaduna.

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Jagaba, who had earlier in the month defected to PDP, is currently having a running battle with Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Nasir El-Refuai and his former party, APC.

The official announcement of his defection did not come as a surprise.

officially decamped to the today in a ceremony that held at Zonkwa in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna state. Welcome home the peoples Honourable. Goodbye to the brooms, the umbrella is large enough.

Kuyet Simon Karick (@KarickSKuyet)

He announced his defection in his twitter handle on May 7. He defected at a ceremony that held at Zonkwa in Southern Kaduna, but was officially announced on Wednesday.

Thanks for coming.

Jagaba Adams Jagaba (@AdamsJagaba)

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has given assurances to the new President of Sierra Leone, Mr Julius Maada Bio, of Nigerias support, including military assistance, as the country works towards a stable and improved economy.

The president gave the assurance when he received the Sierra Leonean President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

President Buhari congratulated Bio on the successful elections and the transition that had ushered in a new government in the country.

We will continually stand by you to ensure stability in your country. We believe security in the West Coast region, Africa and the world should be a collective concern, he said.

The President said Nigeria had for a long period provided security support for the country, especially during the 11 years of civil war, and would continue to assist the forces on the ground to ensure the peace and stability needed for development.

According to him, he shares a lot in common with the Sierra Leonean President, which includes ruling the country as a military general, contesting several elections as opposition and winning to face the challenges of security and an ailing economy.

In his remarks, the President of Sierra Leone said his country remained grateful to Nigeria for the brotherly role it had played in ensuring an end to the protracted civil war in the country and the successful political transitions since then.

Bio said he would work towards deepening the bilateral relations with Nigeria, and the strengthening of the regional bond, particularly in the areas of security and trade.

Source: NAN

Human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana on Wednesday told governors of the 36 states of the federation not to expect President Muhammadu Buhari to help them maintain law and order in their states.

He said the governors have the power to control the police in their states.

Falana spoke at a Colloquium in honour of the Executive Editor, The News/PM News, Kunle Ajibade who turned 60 two days ago.

The event, under the theme, A Brighter Future for Nigeria and how to get there. was held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Noting the many killings in the land, Falana said unequivocally that it was not the duty of the Federal Government to maintain law and order in the states, as such duties belonged to the governors.

A governor cannot go to the television and be crying that his people are killed. No. Under the constitution of 1999, Section 214, we dont have a federal government police, we have the Nigerian Police Force which shall be controlled, organised and supervised by the Nigerian Police Council.

Who are the members of the Nigerian Police Council? The president as Chairman, Inspector General of Police, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the 36 state governors. So, we have a body where the governors constitute the largest number to determine the fate of the police.

A governor cannot go to the television and be crying that his people are killed. No. Under the constitution of 1999, Section 214, we dont have a federal government police, we have the Nigerian Police Force which shall be controlled, organised and supervised by the Nigerian Police Council.

The president cannot appoint the IGP without seeking your consent or remove one. But what has happened since 1999? The governors have totally abdicated the responsibility of managing the Nigerian police force to the president. No governor is informed, they are only informed in a meeting and nobody will oppose it and that is the end of the matter. That is why we are in this mess.

We are in a republic where the Supreme Court has held that the governor of a state is not for decoration, you have the power to give instruction to the police. The only time the commissioner of police can disapprove your instructions is when he says, please, I want to confirm from the president, said.

Falana stated that under this dispensation, he has never heard of a situation where a governor ordered a Commissioner of Police to look for kidnappers who were causing problem in his state and the commissioner refused to do so.

The only thing Abuja does for the police is the payment of their salary. The operational allowances, equipment and the rest have been abandoned to the states. Why then are the governors not taking control of the law and order in their states?

Lamenting that people are still being killed in Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue and Taraba, the human rights activist added that robbery and kidnapping were also going on in other parts of the country.

How did we get here? So, if we are gathered here to discuss the future of Nigeria, there has to be peace before we can plan ahead. Armed bandits have killed about 5,000 people in the last one-year in Zamfara State.

Since the government has lost the monopoly of violence to criminals as it is happening now, it is high time we called on the National Assembly to enact a law to allow military training for Nigerian citizens. Pending the enactment of that law, I am calling on President Buhari to make facilities available in those states where lives have become totally endangered is in line with section 220 of the Nigerian constitution, he said.

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbeola aligned with Falanas position, while urging Nigerians not to be despaired.

The success of any African country as said by former Ghanaian president will be nothing if it is not linked to the success of the people.

My vision is for a Nigeria that will give leadership to other nations, particularly within the Lake region of Africa, where the wealth of our race is actually. Nigeria has the potential to rally the annexation of the resources in Central Africa namely Congo, Kenya and others. Only Nigeria has the means to lead the process of using the resources for the uplift of black race, he said.

Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba said former President Olusegun Obasanjo used the police to rig him and others out of power in 2003.

In my own case, I had Israel Ajao as Police Commissioner. Weeks before the poll, he was working effectively and furnished me with security reports.

But the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, transferred him to Abuja. I had to fight before he was redeployed to Ogun State and that tells you how the President could disrupt things in the states, he said.

While recalling how former IGP, Musiliu Smith, was removed from office, Osoba lamented that these were some of the issues that had affected the countrys democracy.

Dignitaries at the event included the Publisher, Vanguard newspapers, Sam Amuka; former Civil Liberties Organisation President, Ayo Obe; Odia Ofeimum, lawyer Lai Babatunde, Amb. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu; Mike Awoyinfa, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Prof. Tunde Babawale, Tunde Rahman, Gbenga Adefaye, Alh. Sanni Kabir, Owei Lakemfa, Omoba Yemisi Shyllon, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, and others.

*Adapted from PMNEWS

Source: NAN

Sierra Leones Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Allie Kabba, has requested Nigerias assistance in energy, education and health sectors.

Kabba, who made the call on Wednesday in Abuja when he visited his Nigerian counterpart, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, also requested Nigerias help for his countrys energy sector.

He said that the new government in Sierra Leone was voted on the basis of its manifesto and was committed to providing disciplined leadership.

He explained that the provision of quality education was the flagship of the governments programme and said the government would not let the people down in delivering its mandate

We will instil discipline in the leadership and make sure that every child in our country has access to quality education. So, that is why education is the centrepiece.

In fact, it is the flagship programme of our new government and we are working on that.

I hope that we can count on the support of Nigeria not just in the area of providing classrooms but also providing the teachers.

Our joint commission over the years stipulates that trained teachers from Nigeria should be sent to help us.

According to him, the technical assistance will make a big difference as the government moves forward in translating its manifesto into reality.

He said that the administration also takes the health sector very central noting that the country has been trying to rebuild its health infrastructure after its civil war.

The diagnostic tools are really challenges to us and that is why those who have the means have to come to Nigeria or Ghana

And, of course they require foreign exchange that is straining on us too and we want to make sure that those diagnostic tools are available locally, he said.

He expressed gratitude to Nigeria for sending doctors and nurses to assist in the health sector.

We are very grateful for that, because that is the area we need more help.

So that those who served their two years are replaced quickly so we dont create a gap in the health delivery system.

We also need the help of Nigeria in the energy sector, he added.

Onyeama pledged Nigerias support to the new government, stressing that the present administration had been supportive to the country.

The Minister said that President Muhammadu Buhari supported the country during the election and also during the tragic mudslide in the country.

He promised Nigerias assistance through the Technical Aid Corps.

We have a joint cooperation of bi-national commission that has been moribund to certain extent and we will certainly cooperate to reinvigorate it.

So we will get started on that on time and other areas that we have to cooperate

We have an extensive programme, the Technical Aids Corp Programme and Sierra Leone is one of the beneficiaries of that programme as structured to address more emphasis on the area of priority for your government (NAN)

Source: NAN

Former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on Wednesday in Lagos likened the risks in pursuing investigative journalism in Nigeria to fighting corruption.

He said both are very dangerous acts to pursue in the country.

Osoba spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a colloquium in honour of Mr Kunle Ajibade, who clocked 60.

The ex-governor, a former editor, journalist and newspaper administrator, who was the chairman of the occasion, stressed the dangers of investigative journalism.

According to him, digging beyond the surface by journalists has led to a number fatalities in the country.

It is as dangerous as fighting corruption in our country. They are both extremely dangerous, he said.

Osoba, during the colloquium, called for Open Ballot Electoral System in the country, which produced him as governor against the preference of political godfathers of the day.

The event, under the theme: A Brighter Future for Nigeria And How To Get There, attracted mediamen, civil society organisations, lawyers and other prominent Nigerians, including Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun.

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; poet, Mr Odia Ofeimun; Mrs Bisi Fayemi; Mr Femi Falana (SAN); former president of Civil Liberties Organisation, Ms Ayo Obe; Amb. Tokunboh Awolowo-Dosunmu, were also at the event.

Mr Ajibades professional colleagues, who went through turbulent periods under both Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha military regimes, including Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, Mike Awoyinfa, Owei Lakemfa, and others, were also on hand to lend support.

Presidential aspirant and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore, was also in attendance.

Soyinka, Falana and Ofeimun, spoke at the event, dwelling on the dangers of investigative journalism, which made Ajibade famous.

They praised the author of the books titled: Jailed for Life and What a Country, for his doggedness and commitment.

I owe Kunle inestimable debt for dragging him into the dangerous terrain of investigative journalism, which he discharged with deep investigative zeal, Soyinka said.

He, however, lamented that the job is yet to be over as the question of who corrupted the institutions remains germane.

It is not enough to trace various bank accounts of a former Inspector General of Police, but where do all the monies come from?

He was not even operating most of these accounts.

There is a nexus between this expose and how elections are rigged in the country. Who corrupted the IG? Why is it so difficult to pursue the original owners of the loot? Soyinka queried.

Describing Ajibade as a pioneer of investigative journalism in Nigeria, Soyinka pointed out that the number of journalists killed in the pursuit of investigative journalism is more than those killed covering war.

On his part, Ofeimun recalled Ajibades journey through journalism and various face-offs with military dictatorship, which culminated in his being sentenced to life in prison for treason.

NAN recalls that as many as 13 staffers at TheNEWS group were in various jails across the country at a particular time under the administration of General Abacha.

Ajibade was released after Abacha died in office in June 1998.

He was released in July 1998 by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abachas successor.

Others at the colloquium, including Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Sam Omatseye, Ayisha Osori, Idowu Obasa and Lai Babatunde (SAN), also spoke in similar vein on investigative journalism.

Mrs Fayemi, who stated that she was not attending to represent her husband, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also recalled her foray into investigative journalism with Radio Kudirat, where she was a broadcaster under a pseudo-name, Iyuade.

Either for good or for evil, we must remember that we would be remembered somehow.

How do you want to be remembered? was her admonition for continuous good to the society.

Falana, on his part, said that military training for all Nigerians should be considered.

He said this was in view of growing concerns over ceaseless fatal invasion of communities in the country by armed bandits.

Falana also said that the state governors had a role to play in improving security in their respective states, especially with their presence in the Police Commission.

He insisted that by the provisions of section 214 of the Nigerian Constitution, the governors have powers to control the police.

The only thing the Federal Government needs to do is pay the salary of the Police.

Over 300 assailants have been apprehended, but none has been prosecuted.

This is the work of state attorney generals, not the federal government, Falana said.

According to him, the governors are abdicating their responsibilities, and this is why the killings would continue.

Murder is not a federal offence, but states, he said.

Ajibade, who turned 60 on May 28, thanked the dignitaries and others for their turnout at the colloquium.

Source: NAN

A yet-to-be identified 27 year-old Nigerian is awaiting extradition by Poland to the United States over an estimated $7m cybercrime.

The Nigerian was arrested by Polands police in the southwestern city of Wroclaw in connection with alleged cyberfraud and extortion done over the internet.

The Police Central Bureau of Investigation said in a communique Wednesday that the Nigerian was nabbed as a result of cooperation with the FBI and Interpol, which had circulated a warrant for him.

The police raid took him by surprise, the communique said.

The man is suspected of banking fraud, extortion and theft of online banking access data.

Source: NAN

Nigerian students are happy with President Muhammadu Buharis resolve to deepen democracy with the assent to Not-too-Young-to-Run bill.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has applauded the president after assessing Buharis Democracy Day Speech on Tuesday.

Buhari had promised that he would be joined by few promising youths to sign the bill.

The National President of NANS, Comrade Kadiri Aruna, told NAN in Enugu that the Buharis decision was laudable.

Kadiri noted that NANS and other pro-young peoples group had long waited for Mr Presidents positive stance on the Bill.

This Bill will deepen democracy and give all especially youths that constitute the bulk of the population of the country as sense of belonging.

It will also make the political space more inclusive and dynamic as more young people will bring in their innovations, he said.

The students leader, however, urged all political parties in the country to implement the provisions of the Bill when signed into law to create a space for young people to contribute to the nations growth and progress.

By this action, President Buhari has demonstrated that he is a listening President and father who seeks for the betterment of the youths at heart, he said.

According to him, Nigerian students will continue to support Mr Presidents programmes meant to better the lots of Nigerians.

Meanwhile, a law Student at the University of Calabar, Mr. Ekpeyong Bassey has said that the Nigerian democracy was still at its experimental stage.

Bassey said though, we celebrate May 29 of every year in Nigeria as democracy day, we have not really enjoyed the dividends of democracy.

He said our democracy is bedeviled with a lot of setbacks like bad leadership.

Those who are suppose to be in power never get the opportunity of being in power while those in power are those who are not suppose to be in power.

Asking for the military to take over power is not the solution to our problem, the right thing to do is to put the right people into leadership positions, he said.

A businessman in Calabar, Godwin Joseph said democracy in Nigeria is for the politicians and not for the masses.

He said those who were not in government find it difficult to believe that Nigeria practices democracy because it is just for the elites and political class.

It is hard for someone who is not in government to talk about democracy, people that occupy offices in Nigeria only think of themselves and their family, they dont care about others, democracy should touch lives.
(NAN)

Source: NAN

The faction of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara has alerted that members of nPDP in the party were out to destroy APC in the country.

The Chairman of the faction, Hon Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, declared onm Tuesday that the divisionary tactics of nPDP members were aimed at bringing down the chances of the APC in the coming elections.

We have come to the conclusion that fragmenting a ruling political party into fractions at this material time is injurious, self-serving and the promoters should only be seen as agents of destabilization but fifth columnists.

We may need to refresh ourselves that the antics of the nPDP members is to demonize our great party and make it less in value before Nigerians.

It is part of their plot to de-market the party while they are seeking alternatives.

The grievances advanced by these people bent on destroying the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Government can be likened to the proverbial woman seeking to divorce, he said.

Bolarinwa alleged that members of nPDP under the leadership Alhaji Kawu Baraje were already hobnobbing with other political parties.

Baraje was recently sighted in Abuja at a meeting convened at the instance of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and such a man is championing the cause of nPDP members within APC.

The other arrow head of the nPDP seemingly on a journey to his political desert resigned from a Federal Board to join Africa Democratic Party (ADC) in less than five days from the date of resignation.

How sincere is a woman whose divorce was premeditated by another man and could pack into his house within the shortest time?

It will be safe to say that she has been having extra -marital affairs, he said.

While the grievances advanced by nPDP remain frivolous, they have done worse to the legacy bloc in Kwara State, he added.

Bolarinwa added that members of the legacy group were marginalized in the state, saying that despite this, his group remained loyal to the leadership of the party and the President.

He added that APC ended up having two congresses in Kwara because of the selfish nature of a clique that believed everyone must kowtow to a personality even when principle of fairness and equity were not respected.

Our members were denied nomination forms, and level play field to contest even if they will lose, they should have allowed them the chance to contest in the first place.

Source: NAN

Prince Dayo Adeyeye, one of the aspirants for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, has dumped the party to join the All Progressives Congress.

Adeyeye, a former spokesperson of the Makarfi faction of the PDP, announced his defection and those of his supporters to the APC on Tuesday.

The lawyer-journalist, who was former Minister of State for Works during the PDP regime of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, lost the primaries of the party to the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka.

He accused Governor Ayo Fayose of having given undue advantage to Olusola-Eleka.

Adeyeye said he left to support the candidate of the APC, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in the bid to rescue Ekiti State from the maladministration of Fayose.

Adeyeye, told a news conference at his Ado Ekiti residence that he defected because he could no longer operate on the same pedestal with the state governor, Ayo Fayose.

He claimed that Fayose was too dictatorial and overbearing in his handling of internal affairs of the PDP in the state.

He said he had consequently directed all his teeming supporters across the state to follow suit and join the APC.

He said he preferred to work with the APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who he described as better equipped.

Adeyeye, who was also the former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee and former spokesman of the Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, said his defection to APC was his Democracy Day gift to the nation.

He, however, denied that he defected because he had reached an agreement with Fayemi purposely to become his running mate in the July gubernatorial poll.

Nothing can be farther from the truth in that regard. I never planned to leave PDP so as to become Fayemis deputy.

As far as I know, Fayemi will announce his deputy tomorrow or the day after, and as far as I know, I will definitely not be the one to be so announced.

Leaving the PDP was not an easy decision to make. That was a party to which I have rendered invaluable service at the most trying period of its history.

Expectedly, patriotic leaders of the party appealed to me to reconsider my decision in the light of my previous service and loyalty to the party.

But the issue was never about me as a person. It was about the interest of the very many people who associate with me and more importantly the collective interest and future of Ekiti people.

For me, politics has always been an opportunity to serve and make contributions toward the development of my community and the nation.

Therefore, when I am compelled to make a choice between loyalty to a political party and loyalty to my community, l will readily choose my community or state.

Political parties come and go but the community remains. I cannot change my state or hometown but I can always change my party if I feel that it can no longer serve as a vehicle for our collective good as a people.

As a thorough bred Ekiti person with a deep love of this land and the people, it is incumbent on me to resist and stop the evil agenda of one man to put our people in perpetual enslavement, he said.

He said that Fayose does not believe in reconciliation, adding that no effort at reconciliation would work with him.

My supporters and I have decided to leave Egypt, which the Fayose administration represents and join hands with patriotic Ekiti people to board the train of the APC for the onward journey to our promised land.

He said his defection was to set Ekiti land free and entrust the land unto the hands of Fayemi, who had come to right the wrong and not on a vengeance mission as being touted by Fayose and his cohorts.

Fayemi is now better equipped, well focused and better prepared to move Ekiti forward,Adedeye said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ekiti governorship election will hold on July 14.

Source: NAN

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti said the defection of former Minister of State for Works, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye from the Peoples Democratic Party to All Progressives Congress will not affect the partys fortune in the 14 July election.

The governor made the claim in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday.

Fayose said that Adeyeyes defection to the All Progressives Congress had merely confirmed his earlier position that he was never a loyal and committed member of the Peoples democratic Party.

I am not bothered by the action taken by the former aspirant in the just concluded PDP governorship primary election in the state.

His move to APC will not in any way affect us. This is because majority of those he thought were behind him did not defect with him.

In fact, one of his two party agents for the last primary is still with us in PDP and you know what that means.

If somebody is your party agent and could not go with you to another party it tells a lot and even as he is moving from PDP, many others from APC are coming to us, so we have nothing to lose with his defection, he said.

The governor said that he held no grudge against him because he had the right to move from one political party to the other adding that he wished him well in his new party.

While he was the PDP national spokesman, he had spoken terrible things against the APC and he has now gone to join the same party, Fayose said.

Source: NAN

Cdr. Olufunmilayo Amodu, serving with the UN Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), has been decorated with medal for her outstanding service.

She was decorated with the medal by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.

The UN will also honour three fallen Nigerian peacekeepers on June 1, at the UN headquarters in New York.

They are Lt. Col. Ali Suleiman, who served with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Others are Warrant Officer Remmy Amakwe, who was deployed with the African UnionUnited Nations Mission in Darfur; and Mr Kolawole Shogaolu, who served in a civilian capacity in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.

NAN reports that the honour is an acknowledgement of the contribution of Nigeria to UN Peacekeeping Operations to ensure global peace and security.

The decoration was part of activities to honour the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers around the world to mark the 2018 International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Guterres also awarded a medal to appreciate the outstanding service of Maj. Mohammad Khan from Bangladesh, a military staff officer based at MINUSMA Force headquarters.

Speaking after receiving the award, Amodu said: The medal is very important. It symbolises what it is to be a peacekeeper at MINUSMA. Receiving it from the Secretary-General is a very unique privilege.

The terrorists are not relenting in what they are doing. And obviously, we are not backing out in what we have come to do, she added, underscoring the worrying security situation in Mali.

She further said: The UN is all about peace. And when there is peace, there is development.

When there is peace, there is promotion of technology. When there is peace, every other thing works the way it should work.

And for any person who would want to join MINUSMA, you should have at the back of your mind that when you are coming, it is to support the peace process.

NAN reports that more than one million men and women have served under the UN flag, saving countless lives just as over 3,700 blue helmets have paid the ultimate price over the past seven decades.

Troops with the mission have increasingly become the target of attacks.

Meanwhile, Guterres attended a ceremony at MINUSMAs base in Bamako where he paid tribute to fallen peacekeepers and laid a wreath at the memorial inside the camp, engraved with the names of those killed in the service of peace.

Dear peacekeepers, you have demonstrated that you are capable of all forms of sacrifice. For many of your colleagues, this has meant the supreme sacrifice of giving their lives to protect the lives of Malian civilians.

I want to thank you very much for this effort; these sacrifices, to pay tribute to you, and to say how proud I am to work with you.

As peacekeepers, you are the foremost symbol of the United Nations itself, Guterres said.

Also, Mahamat Annadif, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Mali and Head of MINUSMA, said that honouring the fallen warms the hearts of their comrades and encourages us to continue to defend even more resolutely the values of the United Nations.

Guterres was accompanied on his visit to Mali by Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, Head of UN Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and the Executive Director of UN Childrens Fund, Henrietta Fore.

He was received at the airport by Malian President Ibrahim Keita.

He was also scheduled to meet with Keita and other Malian officials as well as UN officials working in the country.

UN has declared the north-west African country as the most dangerous place in the world to be a blue helmet as 21 troops and seven civilians serving with MINUSMA died in 2017. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has commended President Muhammadu Buharis strides in security, economy, fight against corruption as the administration marks three years in the saddle.

The National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, praised Buhari in a statement released on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Ibrahim said that three years of Buharis administration in the opinion of ACF, has experienced both challenges and successes that are natural process of nation building.

The Forum therefore congratulates Nigerians for a successful navigation despite the challenges and noted the governments ability to confront the situation with unity of purpose.

He noted for commendation, the continued degradation of the Boko Haram insurgency across the North and localization of their activities to the fringes of the Northeast.

Others are the rescue of over 100 Chibok girls and the 104 Dapchi girls that were kidnapped and held in captivity by the Boko haram terrorists.

The rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons have been reassuring measures to restore normalcy and hope in the lives of the people and confidence in the government.

ACF commended also the various military and other security operations in tackling insecurity nationwide, particularly the farmers/herders clashes and bandits attacks in the states of Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba

The ACF noted that those others are practical demonstration by the government of its resolve to overcome these menace.

However, he said there was the need for greater effort in order to quicken the pace of bringing about the needed peace by way of emphasising community peace building advocacy that will make communities responsible for peaceful coexistence in their areas.

ACF also called on the government to sustain its efforts in the rescue and release of the remaining Chibok and Dapchi girls still in captivity.

Speaking On the anti-corruption fight, he said agencies responsible have lived up to their responsibilities with the arrest and prosecution of suspected public treasury looters.

He noted that the discoveries of stolen public funds hidden in banks and obscure places both in Nigeria and abroad, the forfeiture of such monies to the Federal Government are laudable efforts.

The forum stressed the need for government to do more by strengthening the anti-corruption agencies through legislation in order to ensure quick dispensation of justice by the Courts.

Its further called on government to muster the political will to make public officials, however highly placed, to account for their malfeasance while in office.

ACF noted that the economy could not flourish in a situation of insecurity and corruption, hence the need to tame them.

On the infrastructural development, there has been considerable effort on the rehabilitation and building of roads, completion of vital projects in transport, housing, agriculture and many others in view of their economic values and direct bearing on the lives of the people.

The Federal Government may consider practical steps to ensure that the Generating and Distributing Companies Gencos and Discos live up their responsibilities by improving power generation and distribution, he stated .

The private investors should also be encouraged through liberal policy framework in the renewable energy and coal sector to compliment the thermal and hydro generating plants.

He said the governments N-power programme, Social Investment Project, diversification in agriculture and solid minerals, recruitment into the Military, Police Force and other departments and agencies are commendable measures to reduce unemployment, tame insecurity and also boost the economy.

ACF has observed with concern the face-off between agencies of government and the legislature which has not been helpful, in fact, it has been a distraction.

Source: NAN