The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Assembly to stopfurther action or proceeding on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which President Muhammadu Buhari rejected.

The restraining order was issued on Wednesday, by Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the High Court.

The ruling is a sequel to an oral application made in a suit filed by the Accord Party against the National Assembly, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the ruling, the court ordered the parties to maintain status quo ante bellum.

All the parties are ordered to stay every proceeding pending the determination of the motion on notice filed by the Accord party.

The Accord party had approached the court with a motion seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the National Assembly from taking any further action or actions on the Bill titled Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, particularly, to convene to pass the said Bill into Law, by two-thirds majority of its two chambers, pending the final determination of the substantive originating summon.

Counsel to the National Assembly, Mr. Chinelo Ogbozor, had resisted attempts made by Counsel to the Accord Party, Mr. Wole Olanipekun to move his motion on notice seeking a restraining order against the National Assembly on the grounds that the application was not ripe, and pending the service of hearing notice on the AGF.

Ogbozor said they were served barely 48 hours and insisted that the matter cannot proceed.

In view of Ogbozors opposition, Olanipekun urged the court for Ogbozor to make an undertaking that the National Assembly would not take any action on the subject matter but she refused.

Though the court noted that the motion on notice was not ripe for hearing, it, however, took notice of the oral application made by Olanipekun brought in line with Section 58(5) of Constitution.

Justice Mohammed stated that the court is not granting the prayer contained on the motion paper but is making the preservative order to safeguard the integrity and sanctity of court.

Consequently, the court directed parties to maintain status quo ante bellum at least to the next adjournment.

The matter has been adjourned to March 20 for the hearing of the motion on notice filed by the plaintiff.

The Accord party is seeking among other reliefs A declaration that the legislative powers vested in the National Assembly by the Constitution do not empower or imbue it with the right, liberty or authority to pass or purport to pass any Bill into Law which attempts to interfere with or undermine the independence of the 3rd defendant, as guaranteed by the content, spirit and tenor of the Constitution.

Source: NAN

Mr. Olisa Metuh, on a wheelchair, stormed the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, asking to be granted permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Previous attempts to get the permission of the court to travel abroad for treatment was rebuffed.

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, the embattled former National Publicity Secretary of the People Democratic Party (PDP), informed the court through his counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, that his health was fast failing.

He said his health was failing due to spinal cord compression which requires a corrective surgery at a hospital in London.

The Prosecutor, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, opposed the application on the ground that Metuh had filed similar applications in the past which was not granted.

He added that the present application seeking permission to travel abroad did not provide sufficient materials before the court to enable the court grant his request.

The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, after listening to both counsels adjourned the case to March 15, 2018. for the continuation of trial.

Metuh is standing trial for alleged money laundering being part of the funds linked with former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, on a seven-count charge bordering on fraud and money laundering.

The alleged offences involved the sums of N400 million which the defendants allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014.

Source: NAN

Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers global tax evasion scandal that brought down two world leaders announced Wednesday it would shut down operations, citing negative press and what it called unwarranted action by authorities.

Reputational deterioration, the media campaign, the financial consequences and irregular actions by some Panamanian authorities have caused irreparable damage, resulting in the total ceasing of public operations at the end of this month, Mossack Fonseca said in a statement.

But it added a smaller group would continue working to address requests from authorities and other public and private groups.

Last August, co-founder Jurgen Mossack acknowledged the firm had closed most of its offices abroad after its damaged credibility caused business to flounder.

April 3, 2016 marked the beginning of the Panama Papers scandal a leak of 11.5 million files from Mossack Fonsecas digital archive that revealed how wealthy and influential figures across the world had created offshore businesses to safeguard assets.

The information was obtained by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, who shared it with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It was released as a searchable database, with revelations continuing to be unearthed to this day.

Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was forced to resign after it was revealed his family had offshore accounts while former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for life from office after being implicated in the documents.

Other figures implicated included former British premier David Cameron, football star Lionel Messi, Argentinas President Mauricio Macri, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, to name but a few.

At least 150 investigations were opened in 79 countries to examine possible tax evasion and money laundering, according to the US-based Center for Public Integrity.

Source: NAN

US Students walked out of classrooms on Wednesday to stage the largest grassroots protest against gun violence seen in years, demanding action one month to the day after a deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school.

The protest was staged from east to west, fromWashington to Los Angeles.

Hundreds of teenagers from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House, holding up signs reading Books Not Bullets and Protect People Not Guns before marching on the US Capitol.

We want to show Congress and politicians we are not standing by, we are not silent anymore, said 17-year-old Brenna Levitan, who was at the protest with her mother.

Parkland is going to be the last school shooting.

Students in dozens of other cities in all 50 states staged similar demonstrations and observed a moment of silence to honour the 14 students and three adult staff killed a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

In Washington, several hours after the protests broke up, US lawmakers took their first significant step to address school gun violence since the Parkland shooting.

The House of Representatives voted 407-10 to fund violence prevention measures at schools including boosting security, mental health screening and creating anonymous reporting systems so students can report threats.

But Congress has yet to tackle the more controversial aspects of gun control demanded in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

These include expanded background checks for gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age for some firearms purchases.

Dressed in the schools maroon colors, students at Stoneman Douglas visited memorials to their slain classmates and hugged and cried.

At a high school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, students marched to the football field and assembled in a heart formation to pay tribute to the victims.

In Los Angeles and other cities, teenagers spelled out the protest slogan #ENOUGH by lying down on the ground on sports fields.

In Washington, students were joined by Democratic members of Congress at the Capitol.

Speakers denounced the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby, and demanded that Congress enact tougher laws on gun ownership.

You, the young people of this country, are leading the nation, Senator Bernie Sanders told the crowd.

People are sick and tired of gun violence and the time is now for all of us, together, to stand up to the NRA.

In New York, students many of whom wore orange, the color of gun control walked out from more than 50 schools.

We want change, and Am I next? they chanted.

Press secretary for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Eric Phillips, said just over 100,000 students took part from the citys schools.

The National School Walkout was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim.

But tens of thousands of students around the country decided to skip school entirely and protest instead.

At the White House, 17-year-old Farah Parmah, who goes to Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, said President Donald Trumps controversial proposal to arm and train teachers is just a bad, bad idea.

Gun violence has taken way too many lives this year, said Parmah, who is 17.

There should be no guns in schools.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Trump shares the students concerns about school safety.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton praised the students Wednesday evening, calling them an inspiration to millions of Americans who know commonsense gun reform is long overdue.

The nationwide protest was held one month to the day after Nikolas Cruz, a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas, unleashed a hail of gunfire on his one-time classmates.

Cruz, dressed in a red prison jumpsuit, appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday and a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

His lawyers had said he would plead guilty in exchange for guarantees that he would not face execution, but prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.

The United States sees more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually and Stoneman Douglas students have spearheaded a national gun control campaign, helping to force through a new law on age limits for gun purchasers in Florida.

The US public supports tougher gun laws, according to polls, but there is little backing for meaningful reforms in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Source: NAN

One of the crew members of an Emirates Airlines aircraft due to depart Ugandas Entebbe International Airport has sustained life threatening injuries after jumping off the emergency door.

The Flight EK 730 had just delivered passengers to Entebbe on Wednesday and was preparing to load others passengers for Dubai when the incident happened.

A source at the airport said that the yet-to-be-identified crew member, was immediately evacuated and taken to hospital with life threatening injuries.

The exact cause of the incident was not yet clear, but some eye witnesses cited possible suicide.

She had been seen holding what looked like a glass bottle under her chin before she made the fall.

witnesses said they had seen her in a verbal exchange with colleagues as they boarded the plane.

When contacted, Mr Vianney Luggya, the Principal Public Affairs Officer at the Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed the incident.

In a press statement, Civil Aviation Authority said the crew opened the emergency door and unfortunately fell off without explaining how.

Source: NAN

By Naomi Lagi

The President, Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors in Nigeria (CIFIA) Mrs Victoria Enape has said that forensic accounting was the only way to control fraud.

Speaking on Thursday during a Public Hearing organised by Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service chaired by Sen. Emmanuel Paulker.

The hearing was on four bills, namely Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors in Nigeria; Chartered Institute of Finance and Control in Nigeria.

Others are Chartered Institute of Forensic Accountants of Nigeria; and the Institute of Mediators and Conciliators Bill.

According to Enape, if the bill for Chartered Institute of Forensic Accountants of Nigeria is passed it will help Nigeria to have skilled professionals to deepen fraud prevention, detection and preserve money in government treasury for infrastructural development that is fast disappearing in our country today.

She stressed that the CIFIA was not in conflict with any other established institution or body stressing that the role of the institute was clear cut.

CIFIA should not be seen as a rival to ICAN, just as CIFIA is not seen as a rival to ANAN.

Nothing stops an accountant from becoming a member of ICAN and CIFIA or any other professional body for that matter, she said.

Enape further noted that the accounting profession had many branches with different responsibilities and professional bodies regulating their activities.

Auditing has no professional body regulating it, this gave the opportunity for financial accountants to claim autonomy, and as a matter of fact leads to their inability to control and prevent fraud, corruption and other financial crimes, she said.

She therefore posited that the CIFIA if passed would monitor the serve as a check to the financial statements prepared by accountants and also help the federal government fight fraud and other financial crimes in its agencies.

On his part, representative of the Institute of Forensic Accountants of Nigeria, Prof. Usman Awheela commended the senate for the proposed bills.

Awheela said their members had not been allowed to practice forensic accounting since there was no backing law.

He explained that forensic accounting is the unique blend of education and experience in applying accounting, auditing skills and investigative techniques to uncover truth, form legal opinions in order to assist in litigation support.

Forensic accounting professionals provide assistance on cases which are primarily related to calculation and estimation of economic damages and related issues that includes white-collar crimes.

However, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), kicked against the proposed bills, saying their functions and responsibilities were already contained in the 1965 Act that established the Institute and would therefore amount to needless duplication of functions.

ICAN President, Mr Ismaila Zakari said that the Institute had in 2009 established seven Faculties to provide training for members in their areas of specialisation.

Zakari added that the institute also provided specialist certification courses and issue certificates to qualified members as evidence of expertise and authority to practice their specialised skills.

The Forensic accounting curriculum is carefully drawn to ensure that, to be a forensic accountant, one must necessarily be a qualified chartered accountant, be certain of technical competence and preserved professional integrity.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said the relevance of forensic accounting globally could not be over-stressed, noting that many countries across the world, including Nigeria had suffered from fraudulent practices.

The minister, represented by Director of Home Finance in the ministry, Mrs. Olubunmi Siyanbola, chronicled federal governments efforts in detecting and preventing fraud, including Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit, Efficiency Unit and Whistle blowing programme.

She, however, emphasised the need for Senate to exercise caution such that the essence of professionalism was not destroyed in the course of creating new bodies.

Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Emmanuel Paulker said the passage of the bill on Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors in Nigeria would promote high ethical standards among members.

This is in a bid to stamp out cases of compromised auditing in the country, he said.

Source: NAN

Search giant Google has said it will change its financial product policy in June this year, a move that will see advertisements related to cryptocurrency effectively banned.

In a blog post published Tuesday, the firm indicated that it will change its existing financial product restriction list in June this year, blacklisting ad content "including but not limited to initial coin offerings (ICO), cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets, and cryptocurrency trading advice."

"Such ads will no longer be allowed to serve," the blog reads. The restriction will apply both to Google's proprietary and affiliated advertisement platforms.

The move comes just a month after social media giant Facebook also announced that it would enforce a similar policy that bans advertisements involving bitcoin and initial coin offerings in bid to prevent cryptocurrency-related promotions that may deceive investors.

While Google has not explained in details the reasons of its ban, the new policy comes at a time when regulators in the U.S. have been increasingly scrutinizing cryptocurrency projects that tout unrealistic investment opportunities and promote themselves to investors over the internet.

The latest moves by Google and Facebook - two of world's largest internet and advertising platforms - are also in line with U.S. regulators' effort at both state and federal levels in cracking down ICOs that appear dubious in the government's view.

As reported before, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has also issued multiple warnings regarding its increasing effort in monitoring initial coin offerings that the agency may deem as issuing unregistered securities.

Source: Coindesk

Metropolitan Lagos most famous dumpsite at Olusosun, Ojota has been gutted by fire, leaving residents, motorists and commuters panicky.

Thick black smoke could be seen far from the site, located near the old Lagos Toll Gate.

The unusual fire triggered a heavy traffic jam in the area, according to witnesses.

Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, that the cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained.

Tiamiyu said that what was of utmost importance was to stop the fire, so that it does not extend to the LAGBUS Terminus.

He said that the fire started around 4pm and there was no casualty.

According to him, the emergency response team, the Lagos Fire Service, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) were at the site to curtail the fire.

NAN reports that the Lagos State Government has said that the Olusosun and other dumpsites will be closed down, as part of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).

The government, through an Environmental Utility Firm, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, has commenced the construction of the first engineered sanitary landfill in Epe, to ensure better waste management.

‘Cleaner Lagos’, a Twitter handle of the Ministry of Environment explained the possible cause of the fire:”It is necessary to clarify that the fire at Olusosun dumpsite wasn’t deliberately set by the Lagos state government or any individual. It broke out as a result of the pockets of unstable gases caused by indiscriminate dumping and further compounded by dry weather”.

Source: NAN

Just days after President Muhammadu Buhari's visit to Benue State, Suspected herdsmen, late last night ambushed traders in Guma LGA of Benue State, killing many of them, including market women and children.

According to DAILY POST, it was gathered that the victims were returning from the popular Yelewata Market when the attackers laid ambush on them, hacking some of them to death and inflicting injuries on several others.

Earlier, the suspected herdsmen had attacked Tse Igbe at Nyiev Council Ward in Guma Benue State, killing one Christopher Unenge, a Catholic catechist and another villager identified as Ayem Mbakuughur and many others.

Among those killed in the latest attack, was a man identified as Aondowase Uma, market women and some children.

“They killed Aondowase Uma, many other persons and even injured four people who were returning from Yelewata Market last night.

“As we speak, several persons are still missing; as at this morning, search is still ongoing,” a fleeing resident told our reporter Wednesday morning.

Source: DAILYPOST.NG

The presidency on Tuesday summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for questioning over why he breached President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to relocate to Benue following the January 1 killings in the state.

President Buhari received Idris in a private audience. And Idris left about 30 minutes after without speaking to pressmen.

President Buhari had on Jan. 9 ordered the Inspector-General to move to Benue to check the reported cases of attacks on innocent citizens.

However, President Buhari who was on an official visit to Benue on Monday in continuation of his tour of troubled areas in the country was told by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue that the Inspector-General refused to obey his directive.

Ortom, who is not a fan of Idris, alleged that Idris only spent 24 hours in Benue, and later moved to neigbouring Nasarawa state.

“The president demanded for a full report on police operations till date after which he will make further decisions”, a source told NAN.

“”There is a renewed resolve to make sure that the killings and bad security situation in Benue State abates,’’ the source further said.

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu confirmed the meeting but refused to disclose details.

Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League Tuesday as Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four minutes in the second-half to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals.

It was the first time in 60 years that Sevilla reached this stage of the competition, with a stunning 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

The Spaniards progressed by the same score on aggregate after a goalless first-leg draw.

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout but had to wait for Ben Yedders introduction as a substitute to add a clinical finish.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front 16 minutes from time when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced Uniteds arrears, but it was too little, too late with United boss Jose Mourinhos decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick-off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Jesse Lingard also returned in place of Juan Mata in Mourinhos only other change from the side that beat Liverpool 2-1 at the weekend.

And Lingard nearly had an instant impact as he teed up Lukaku on the edge of the box, but the Belgians effort drifted high and wide.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish number one that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendency for most of the match.

Joaquin Correa headed just over from a corner before Luis Muriel and Franco Vazquez fired off target when well-positioned on the edge of the area.

Indeed, of Sevillas 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Substitute Wissam Ben Yedders second goal looped over the line to finish off United
Mourinhos gamble on Fellaini appeared to have largely backfired as he failed to impose his physical presence on Sevillas ball players in midfield.

Yet, the Belgian nearly made the breakthrough with Uniteds best move of the opening period when he latched onto Alexis Sanchezs layoff and his powerful effort was turned behind by Sergio Rico.

The second period began in the same vein as the first with Sevilla on the front foot, and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle by Eric Bailly denied Correa a clear sight of goal.

Chances kept coming for Sevilla as Muriel then turned a dangerous Pablo Sarabia cross inches wide.

Pogba, who cost United a then-world record 89 million ($116 million) in 2016, was eventually introduced just after the hour mark with Fellaini sacrificed.

However, even the Frenchman couldnt kickstart the hosts and they were eventually made to pay.

Source: NAN

Jose Mourinho insisted European disappointment is nothing new for Manchester United after losing 2-1 to Sevilla at Old Trafford to crash out of the Champions League.

Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four second-half minutes on Tuesday to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals for the first time in 60 years as United suffered a first European home defeat since Alex Fergusons Champions League farewell in 2013.

Mourinho was on the winning side that night as Real Madrid manager and also sent United out of the last 16 when Porto boss in 2004.

Ive sat in this chair twice before with Porto, Manchester United out, and Real Madrid, Manchester United out, so I dont think its anything new for the club, said Mourinho, who bristled at questions over his tactical approach.

I dont want to make a drama of it. We have no time to be sad for more than 24 hours, thats football. Its not the end of the world.

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout, but had to wait for Ben Yedders introduction as a substitute 18 minutes from time to add a clinical finish by taking his Champions League tally for the season to eight goals in seven appearances.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front two minutes later when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced Uniteds arrears, but it was too little, too late with Mourinhos decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

In the first half we played a good game apart from the last 30 minutes, said Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella.

In the second half we were more clinical with Ben Yedder, he made the difference today.

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick-off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish number one that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendency for most of the match.

Indeed, of Sevillas 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Source: NAN

Edin Dzeko was the hero as Roma reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years edging past Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.

Dzekos goal allowed the Italians to win the tie on away goals.

The Bosnian strikers 52nd-minute goal proved enough after a 2-1 first-leg loss in Ukraine, with 10-man Shakhtar failing to find the late strike they needed after Ivan Ordets was sent off late on.

Cengiz Unders goal in the first leg last month ultimately proved crucial for Roma, but Dzeko was the hero on the night and also proved instrumental in Shakhtar defender Ordets being shown a straight red card with 12 minutes left.

That sending-off led to tensions spilling over, with Shakhtars Facundo Ferreyra picking up a booking for shoving a ballboy over an advertising board.

Eusebio Di Francescos side are the second Italian team to advance to the quarter-finals after Juventus, with the draw for the last eight taking place on Friday.

The standing ovation is not for me but for everyone, we are deservedly in the quarter-finals, said Dzeko of the applause which accompanied him off the pitch.

We managed to do something Roma hadnt in 10 years, so going forward to play against the best makes us all very proud.

We are among the eight best sides in Europe.

Roma did not concede a goal at home in the group stage and hammered Chelsea 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, so the home fans in the crowd of 47,693 would have been confident their side could get the job done.

The Ukrainians dominated early possession though, and there was a scare for the hosts when Alessandro Florenzi nearly nodded a free-kick into his own net.

Source: NAN

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els shifted their decades-long friendly rivalry onto the international stage as they were officially named captains for the 2019 Presidents Cup on Tuesday.

Woods, holds the match-play competitions record with 24 match wins for the U.S., and Els, has won an International side best 20 matches.

They will lead their teams to Australia.

Australia will host the 2019 edition of the Cup from Dec. 12 to Dec. 15 at Royal Melbourne.

The announcement was made in the Latrobe Room at Bay Hill, site of this weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour.

Els and Woods have frequently shared golfs main stage.

Four-times major winner Els of South Africa has been runner-up to Woods seven times in his professional playing career, including twice in majors the U.S. and British Open in 2000.

Woods and Els served as captains assistants in the 2017 Presidents Cup.

Then, the 12-man U.S. team won 19-11 at Liberty National in New Jersey for their 10th Cup victory against one loss and one draw in the biennial event.

Els and Woods also shared an iconic moment at the 2003 Presidents Cup when they faced off in a sudden-death playoff to decide the competition.

They battled evenly through three tension-packed playoff holes before failing light forced officials to declare the event in South Africa a draw.

Tiger and I have had some great duels in the past, and I look forward to the challenge of going against my longtime friend yet again in 2019, said Els.

Els might even have to stomach Woods once again wielding a golf club in the matchplay competition.

Woods, who has launched a comeback after his spinal fusion surgery a year ago, finished joint runner-up by one shot last week at the Valspar Championship.

He said on Tuesday with a smile that he had thought about a possible playing captaincy.

The 42-year-old American acknowledged there was a lot of time and a lot of golf to go before the teams are set.

Thats a bridge thats a long way away from now to be crossing but, if it does come to that point, it wont just be my decision, it will be a collaborative effort, what is best for the team, said Woods.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said having contemporary giants such as Woods and Els captain the Presidents Cup teams could have a huge impact on the event and the game of golf.

I think its huge for two reasons. One, theyre going to bring the world at large to the Presidents Cup as they have done every time that theyre competing on a global stage, he said.

And in doing so theyre likely going to be bringing forward future stars.

We dont know who is going to come forward between now and then, but its likely that stars from new countries are going to come with Ernie Els and Tiger Woods leading their respective teams.

So, I think its just going to take the game deeper and wider than its ever been.

In addition to the naming of the captains, two format changes were announced.

Each player will only be required to play one match prior to the final-round singles instead of two as in past competitions.

Also, the top eight players for the International and U.S. team standings will automatically qualify following completion of the 2019 Tour Championship.

Captains will later select four wild-card picks instead of the two they had previously.

This will be the third Presidents Cup to be held at venerable Royal Melbourne, designed by Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

World number three Marin Cilic crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells tournament on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to Germanys Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4.

Caroline Wozniacki, the womens World number two is also out, dumped by Russian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 19. Danish Wozniacki lost 4-6 7-5.

Venus Williams,38 in June, on the other hand continues to defy her age by beating Latvias Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets to move into the quarter finals, winning 7-6 6-4.

Venus is ranked eighth in the world, while her opponent, who is 28 years old, is ranked 20th.

The 29-year-old Cilic, who reached the finals of two of the last three Grand Slams, dropped to a record of 10-4 on the season.

Kohlschreiber advances to the fourth round where he will play unseeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert who won his third round match when fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils retired in the second set with a lower back injury.

Cilic blasted five aces but couldnt overcome Kohlschreibers strong serving game. The German won 76 percent of his first serve points and broke Cilics serve twice, once in each set.

Kohlschreiber is now 7-4 overall against Cilic. He has won three out of their last four meetings, including a straight set victory in the final in Munich on clay in 2012. He won their first meeting on hardcourt in Moscow in 2007.

Cilic, who is considered to be one of the most consistent players on the Tour, claimed his 17th career title in Istanbul last year. He also reached the final at Wimbledon.

In January, he lost in five sets in the final of the Australian Open to Roger Federer, the third Grand Slam final of his career.

In the first set Kohlschreiber got the key break he needed in the third game to go up 2-1. He managed to hold serve for the rest of the set and take the final game on four straight points.

He got another break of serve in the seventh game of the second set to pull ahead 4-3 then held serve in the next game to go up 5-3.

Kohlschreiber closed out the contest on match point when Cilics final backhand shot hit the net cord and fell back into his side of the court.

Source: NAN

By Isaac Aregbesola

The Federal Government says it is working with Libyan Authority to negotiate the release of all Nigerians in Libya slave camps and ensure their repatriation safely to the country.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that negotiations were ongoing with some of the militia groups controlling some camps who were demanding money to allow access to their camps.

The minister said he had a meeting with the outgoing Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Attai Alkhoder, who promised his countrys cooperation to ensure the release of Nigerians in the slave camps.

He said the federal government was working relentlessly to ensure that all Nigerians in Libya slave camps were repatriated safely to the country.

I met with the Libyan ambassador who promised to cooperate on the issue of migrants; I let him know that we appreciate what the Libya is doing.

We agreed on way forward, that the Libya government will continue to help us to access those camps where there are still Nigerians outside the control of the Libyan government, he said.

Onyeama stressed that the efforts required negotiations with the militia groups who were in control of the camps.

We have been given some amount that we have to pay to those rebels before we can get our people out, but it has not been easy.

There is an instance that it has to be negotiated down to 2,500 dollars per camp to get Nigerians out. There is another camp that we have to negotiate around that figure also, he said.

The Minister, however, said that not all Nigerians in Libya were irregular migrants, adding that there were some who were living legally in Libya.

There are Nigerians who are actually in Libya legally and are doing their legitimate jobs and we have some of them who are actually useful in helping us to look for Nigerians in the country, he said.

The minister said that Nigeria would want to work towards ensuring that peace returned to Libya by ensuring that that country has a central government and police central authority.

When a central authority is in control that is when it will be easier to relate with the country and address some of the problems they are having with regards to irregular migrants, he said.

Onyeama said the outgoing ambassador assured that he would support Nigeria in ensuring that irregular migrants were safely repatriated.

He said the envoy also stressed on the need for improved bilateral relations between both countries.

Source: NAN

By Wandoo Sombo

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ruled that the issue of elevation would not stop a judge from carrying out his or her duty.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the ruling in the N9 billion alleged fraud trial against former Benue governor, Gabriel Suswam.

The judge made the clarification as a result of concern raised by counsel to Suswam, Mrs Chinelo Ogbozor, as a result of Justice Kolawoles elevation.

The issue was objected to by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Aminu Alilu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government is prosecuting Suswam and two others over diversion of N9.79 billion.

Part of the diverted funds was said to be for police reform and Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.

Those charged alongside Suswam in the 32- count charge are Omadachi Oklobia, his former Commissioner for Finance, and Janet Aluga, former Accountant , Benue Government House.

In the charge, the trio allegedly cornered the said funds between 2012 and 2015 while Suswam was governor of the state.

They are also accused of conspiracy, conversion of property derived directly from corruption; collaboration to conceal property derived from corruption; obtaining by false pretence and accepting cash payments, exceeding the amount authorised by law.

Counsel to Suswam, Mrs Chinelo Ogbozor told the court that her client had certain concerns with regards to proceeding with the trial.

According to her, in view of the recent development, which is in public domain even though not yet made official, which is with regards to the elevation of my lord, we will be asking for the courts direction.

She said that as a result of their concerns, they were not prepared to proceed with the matter.

Mr A.O. Ochogwu, counsel to the second defendant in the matter said that his client shared the same views with that of the first defendant.

Ochogwu, however, added that since the court had also fixed March 15 to hear the matter, he prayed the court for an adjournment to enable counsel prepare to commence trial.

Alilu, however, maintained that the reason given by the defence for not being ready to proceed was not tenable as there were provisions in law to take care of instances of elevation of a judge.

If a diligent search had been done, the defence will realise that Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) has taken care of the issue of elevation.

We also have our concerns; we transported our witnesses all the way from Benue, so how do we take care of their accommodation and feeding until Thursday?

Kolawole noted that the issue of elevation would not stop a judge from carrying out his or her duty.

In a short ruling he said: When the matter came up the defence raised concerns over proceeding with the matter on account of elevation of a judge.

But the prosecution had a different view because of Section 396 of ACJA that says a judge elevated shall return and conclude the criminal matter he was handling.

Kolawole, however, said that he could not hear the matter because he had fixed a pre-election matter and that since he was assured of another date for the case, he would adjourn it until the next date.

He subsequently adjourned the matter until March 15 for the trial to commence.

The offences are said to be contrary to, and punishable under various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.

Source: NAN

By Angela Atabo

Labour Party has decried the refusal of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to recognise Dr Mike Omotosho as its National Chairman and urged the commission to do without further delay.

Forum of States Chairmen of the Labour Party made the call at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja at the end of a two-day meeting of the body.

Chairman of the group, Mr Joseph Ndirang, said that Omotosho emerged at a special convention of the party in October, 2017, replacing Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who was removed over allegation of fraud.

He said INEC witnessed the convention but had refused to recognise and work with Omotosho as the chairman of the party.

Ndirang said that the situation had remained so in spite of the partys representations, which culminated in a protest to INECs headquarters in Abuja in February.

According to him, INECs silence on the issue is undermining the partys decision at the 2017 convention which brought in Omotosho.

He said that the party was surprised that till date, the commission was yet to recognise Omotosho.

The meeting observed with dismay the inability of INEC, as the regulator of the activities of political parties, to fully comply and impartially implement the overflowing decision of the highest organ.

The Labour Partys convention unanimously removed the former chairman, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, and elected Omotosho as the new Chairman of the party.

The meeting noted that the convention that removed Abdulsalam from office was convened in line with the provisions of the partys Constitution, Article 13c and in conformity with the requirements and guidelines of INEC.

To that extent, there should not have been any reason why Abdulsalams name is still hoisted on INECs website after INEC supervised and monitored the constitutional process that duly removed him, he said.

Ndirang added that for avoidance of doubts, copies of the Nigeria Police report and the forensic audit report carried out on the partys financial accounts that indicted Abdulsalam was made available.

He expressed the forums displeasure over the continuous illegal self-parade of Abdulsalam as national chairman of the party after the National Working Committee and the convention had removed him from office.

He said that this perpetuation of illegality had misled people into assuming that the party was in a kind of crisis, which was not true.

The Chairmens forum re-affirms the outcome of the 2017 special convention and also demands that all relevant stakeholders respect and uphold the decisions of the party.

The meeting demands that INEC recognizes and only deal, henceforth, with Omotosho as the duly elected National Chairman of the party, the forum chairman said.

Ndirang said that the forum also rejected the clandestine move of a former governor to hijack the party through the back door, adding that the governor abandoned the party that made him.

He said that the chairmen also rejected every plan by detractors to drag the party into any unholy coalition for selfish interest.

He said that the party would continue to remain a solid political party with its socialist ideology for the betterment of the Nigerians.

When contacted, Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said that he had no in-depth knowledge of the crisis in the party.

He promised to check and ascertain what the position of the commission was on the chairmanship issue.

When the leadership of the party protested to INEC in February, Assistant Director on Security, Mr Musa Sekpa, had assured that the issue would be looked into.

Source: NAN

Kenyan has taken far reaching steps to stop people with some health conditions, including high blood pressure, from driving.

Those with high blood pressure are among those who may not be allowed to have a drivers licence.

The countrys National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) released the new driving curriculum with recommendation of mandatory medical tests for epilepsy, high blood pressure, sight and hearing problems for all drivers.

According to the new curriculum, drivers are supposed to renew their licences every 10 years, and only after submitting a medical report.

However, motorists above 60 years must submit a medical report every year.

The medical tests will also include a range of brain-related conditions and diseases that disable mobility and muscle movement such as stroke.

In the curriculum, eye conditions lead a long list of mandatory medical tests for new drivers as well as old ones seeking licence renewals.

According to NTSA Deputy Director in charge of safety, Dr, Duncan Kibogong, some conditions will lead to automatic disqualification.

For epilepsy, it is a no. The fact is, no one, including the driver, has any idea when the seizures can occur, said Dr Kibogong.

The medical tests will also include the drivers heart condition as well as sleep, alcohol and drug-related disorders.

The tests will also look out for a drivers susceptibility to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and stroke.

Kibogong said NTSA would work closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that only those who were fit were allowed on the road.

In some cases, it does not make sense to even allow you to train as a driver when we know you are not fit, said Kibogong.

He however insisted that the mandatory health clearance should not be viewed as discrimination against certain conditions.

In most of these cases, it is just about correcting them. For example, for poor eyesight, you can be given glasses and you will be fine. There are only a few conditions that we may not allow, he said.

Drivers to be affected by the new rules are those applying for new licences and those seeking renewals this year.

The practice of pegging the issuance of drivers licences to medical tests may be new in the country but has been in force for years in other parts of the world.

In New York, for instance, if one loses the use of a leg, arm, eye or ear, such information must be included on the driving licence.

Such drivers are then only allowed to operate customised vehicles.

Similarly, if the drivers hearing is not acceptable, a restriction of hearing aid or full-view mirror is added to the driver licence.

Those who wear hearing aids and cannot pass the hearing test must use full-view rear mirrors.

Source:

Source: NAN

South Sudans President Salva Kiir has dismissed army commander Marial Chanuong Yol and Finance minister Stephen Dhieu Dau.

Kiir fired them without giving reasons.

Yol, nicknamed Tiger, was the commander of the presidential guard, before he was appointed the army chief of operations, training and intelligence last year.

He was blacklisted by the UN Security Council in 2015 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the onset of war in December 2013 against members of the the Nuer ethnic group.

Mr Dau was appointed Finance minister in 2016, with the hope of improving South Sudans straining economy.

However, the economy of the young nation has never been stable, especially since the 2015 devaluation of the South Sudanese Pound (SSP).

Former technical advisor at the Ministry of Trade Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, was named the new Finance minister.

South Sudan attained independence in 2011 following a referendum whose outcome favoured the separation from Sudan with a 98 per cent approval.

However, it soon descended into another round of conflict pitting President Kiirs loyalists and those allied to his former deputy Riek Machar.

The current phase of the South Sudan war has claimed more than 100,000 lives, according to the International Crisis Group.

Over 2 million South Sudanese have become refugees in neighbouring countries and another 1.9 million others remain internally displaced, according to the UN.
The war has also caused one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises after the Rwanda 1994 genocide, the UN added.

Multiple human rights abuses have also been documented by various group

Source: The

Source: NAN