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Abuja airport terminal ready October
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faan boss expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done adding that the train station would be linked to the existing terminal for seamless movement of passengers1 the new terminal building under construction at the nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja will become operational in october1 he said the government and other stakeholders were prevailing on the contractors china civil engineering and construction company ccecc to ensure the completion of the project by august1 dunoma said all the challenges that hitherto hindered the completion of the project had been addressed1 he explained that the issue of water and power supply had been handled by the government adding that the ministry of federal capital territory had promised to connect the airport to its water supply system1 according to him federal executive council fec has approved an independent power supply for the airport1 so all these works are coming on and by october they will all be functional and that is when we will start using the terminal building1 we are pressing the contractor to finish in august so that we can start operations in october and all the stakeholders are working together to ensure this1 the relocation of control tower and fire station has nothing to do with the terminal building1 he explained that the issues were going to be handle in the next stage of the items of work that needed to be carries out but would not stop the use of the terminal building1 the managing director federal airports authority of nigeria faan mr saleh dunoma gave the assurance when president muhammadu buhari inspected the project after the inauguration of abuja metro line on thursday1 he explained that there were still more works going on within the airport which includes two car park buildings to be constructed on both wings of the terminal1 according to him there are so many things to be done but between now and october when we plan to start operations in the new terminal the road network would have been completed1 abuja and port harcourt airports terminal buildings are on the same level but because of the volume of traffic in abuja we prefer to start operations here first1 you can see there are congestion here and there and if we must ease up operation we must complete this project1 we are also working hard to put old facilities in order so that by the time we start operations here everything will be renewed1 dunoma said that there was a programme in place to ensure the execution of the second runway project1 the minister of state for aviation sen. hadi sirika said the rail would make movement in and out of the airport to be seamless1 sirika said the light rail would also make transportation more efficient adding that it would allow people to connect to their businesses and work places in much faster time than before1 it will reduce the pressure on our roads ease traffic congestion on all the arteries that lead to airports around the world1 -
Ekiti Poll: INEC distributes sensitive materials
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the independent national electoral commission1 inec1 on thursday afternoon began the distribution of sensitive materials in readiness for saturday’s governorship election. the news agency of nigeria1 nan reports that the materials which were being moved from the ado ekiti branch of the central bank1 cbn to the headquarters of each of the 16 local governments1 were accompanied by fully armed security men1 -
Police in Ekiti to keep the peace: DIG Joshua
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the police dig said his men only blocked the road from fajuyi area of the state secretariat on the ado-ekiti-ilesa road to stop miscreants1 the deputy inspector general of policedig operations who is also in charge of saturdays gubernatorial election in ekiti state mr. habila joshuasaid he never ordered his men to attack members of the peoples democratic party1 he told journalists in ado ekiti that all that his men were doing was to keep the peace as well as maintain law and order ahead of saturdays governorship poll1 we are not here to usurp the authority of the governor but we are not going to allow any authorized rally that can trigger violence in the state. you can see that the state is tensed up1 as law enforcement agents we must be proactive and take actions that can prevent crisis rather than trying to quell it after it might have broken out he said1 according to him the government house has not been blocked contrary to the claims by gov ayo fayose1 he also said he was not aware of any attack on the state governor ayo fayose1 he promised to probe the alleged attack on fayose and brief the media afterwards1 nan reports that armed policemen on wednesday stopped a rally scheduled to take place at the new pavilion located at fajuyi which is within the vicinity of the government house1 the policemen shot into the air as they dispersed the pdp members who were called by fayose for a rally in support of prof kolapo olusola-eleka1 fayose who got wind of the development came out of government house to find out the cause of the pandemonium1 the policemen rebuffed the governor for challenging their mode of operations leading to verbal altercations1 when the ambience became rowdy the police used the teargas with the governor claiming later that he lost consciousness that his neck was sprained and was rushed to hospital1 -
Trump stuns NATO allies with demand to double defence spending
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trump arrived on the back of a barrage of criticism of europe on issues ranging from trade to energy and above all his claims that the continent freeloads on the back of america for its defence1 us president donald trump shocked allies at a fraught nato summit on wednesday by suddenly demanding that members double their defence spending commitments1 the summit in brussels is shaping up as the alliances most difficult in years against a backdrop of deepening transatlantic tensions in fields ranging from trade to energy and defence1 nato allies agreed at their wales summit in 2014 to try to spend two percent of gdp on defence within 10 years but the white house said trump suggested that was not enough1 during the presidents remarks today at the nato summit he suggested that countries not only meet their commitment of two percent of their gdp on defence spending but that they increase it to four percent white house spokeswoman sarah sanders said1 the president raised this same issue when he was at nato last year. president trump wants to see our allies share more of the burden and at a very minimum meet their already stated obligations1 bulgarian president rumen radev confirmed that trump had made the demand and asked what it meant for the future of the alliance that has been the bedrock of european security for 70 years1 nato is not a stock exchange where you can buy security. nato is an alliance of sovereign countries united by strategic targets and common values he told reporters1 all 29 nato leaders including trump backed a joint statement committing themselves to greater burden sharing and to the the alliances founding commitment that an attack on one member is an attack on them all with no mention of the four percent1 trumps surprise demand came after he clashed with chancellor angela merkel calling germany a captive of russia because of its gas links and singling out berlin for failing to pay its way1 he then set the tone for the day with a blistering attack on key ally germany at a breakfast meeting with nato chief jens stoltenberg1 germany is a captive of russia because it is getting so much of its energy from russia trump said taking particular aim at the proposed nord stream ii gas pipeline which he has previously criticised1 everybodys talking about it all over the world theyre saying were paying you billions of dollars to protect you but youre paying billions of dollars to russia1 merkel who grew up in communist east germany shot back that she knew what it meant to be under kremlin domination and germany had the right to make its own policy choices1 i myself have also experienced a part of germany being controlled by the soviet union she said1 i am very glad that we are united today in freedom as the federal republic of germany and that we can therefore also make our own independent policies and make our own independent decisions1 the pair later met for a one-on-one meeting and while trump insisted they had a very very good relationship their frosty body language suggested otherwise1 merkel said she welcomed the chance to have an exchange of views with trump1 -
Fela Durotoyes ANN dumps CUPP
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the ann is the second major group to sever links with cupp1 the national chairman alliance for new nigeria ann dr jay osi samuel has dissociated the group from the loose alliance of 30 partiesformed by the peoples democratic party on monday1 i was invited for a meeting which i wasnt properly briefed about the agenda of the meeting and when i got to the meeting and i saw the attendance and what was being discussed i wasnt comfortable because what was being discussed did not represent what alliance for new nigeria ann as a party believes in he said1 so i decided to take my leave. i didnt even have any idea of what they were there for but i knew i was informed but when i got there i was sweating and i finally took the decision of not participating in the meeting1 dr. samuel made this known during the partys nec meeting and the declaration of intention by its presidential aspirants on wednesday in abuja1 ann is clearly focusing on what we believe in and why we came up as a party. from the very beginning we were coming to wrestle with any of the current major political parties whether it is apc or pdp1 we wanted to create our plans. our agenda is to create a new voting bloc not the currently existing crop of leaders and do away with current leaders1 what i saw in that room was the same people that we are committed to retiring. we have our hashtag we have been running almost to a year now to replace. so i wasnt comfortable coming to a room where i saw all the grandfathers and the grand patrons of all and everything that has been wrong with nigeria politically in a room he declared1 he said the party walked out of the coalition of united political parties cupp because the two parties have different ideologies1 on tuesday alhaji balarabe musa the national chairman of the peoples redemption party also denounced cupp for being an opportunistic alliance1 he said his party was not part of the group1 i dont think a coalition like this which is opportunistic will be able to defeat the governing party that is the all progressives congress apc musa told nan1 remember the reason for coming together is simply because they have lost the opportunities for sharing power1 it is not because of anything which they can do which apc didnt do. no it is not because they have a different ideological position1 there is no fundamental difference between them and the apc they are just an electoral gang to defeat the apc. i dont think the coalition is enough he said1 according to him what is needed is an alliance which is ideologically more focused than the apc and not just an aberration of what apc stands for1 in any case also they have to contend with other alliances. i dont think it will make any difference at all musa said1 -
London Breed, San Franciscos first black mayor sworn in
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she promised to be a mayor of everyone a main theme of her campaign in the past six months and help immigrant families small businesses public housing projects and efforts to create a better social security order1 london breed wednesday was sworn in as the first african-american female mayor of san francisco a major tourist city on the u.s. west coast amid challenges ranging from homeless crisis skyrocketing housing prices and a widening income gap between the rich and poor1 breed took oath outdoors on the steps of city hall in a public ceremony in downtown san francisco that was watched by around 1000 audience1 the first black female mayor who grew up in a poor family in the western addition neighbourhood in the city promised to address pressing problems afflicting the city including housing shortage1 we will build more housing and change the politics of no to the politics of yes she said1 the 43-year-old san francisco native succeeded former mayor ed lee who died unexpectedly last december as the 45th mayor after she won 50.55 percent of vote in a tight race for the mayoral office last month1 we have so much to do re-envision our transportation system to make biking safer and improve muni invest in our parks rebuild the seawall reform our criminal justice system support small business and protect all our communities from what comes from washington d.c. she tweeted after her inauguration ceremony1 she said she would try her best to help homeless population off the street and into care and shelter1 there were 7500 people sleeping on the streets every night said jeff kositsky director of the citys department of homelessness and supportive housing last year1 breed served as the president of the san francisco board of supervisors and briefly acted as interim mayor of the city after lees death in december last year1 lee was the first chinese american mayor who had served the city for many years1 -
Another cache of ammunition intercepted at Tin-Can Port
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by aisha cole3 the tin can island customs command of the nigeria customs service ncs has intercepted a cache of ammunition at two terminals on monday and tuesday an official has said1 the customs area controller of the commandmusa abdullahi said in lagos that about 150 rounds of live ammunition were intercepted at terminal c ports1 i directed the transfer of the suspicious container no. tghu 60143419 to the enforcement unit where it was examined and found to contain 150 rounds of live ammunition and 28 pieces of various sizes of jack knives1 these items contravene schedule 4 absolute import prohibition list item 17 of the common external tariffs and section 46 of the customs and excise management act cap c45 lfn 20041 meanwhile the container a suspect and the exhibit are currently being held at the enforcement station pending further investigation he said1 abdullahi also said the command on tuesday at five star logistic terminal while vehicles were being discharged from a vessel mv glovis courage voyage no. 036 discovered a black bag with one unpacked ford edge with chassis no. 2fmdk48c98ba059471 the bag he said contained 149 rounds of 38 mm calibre live ammunition 92 rounds of 9 mm calibre live ammunition two rounds 7.62 mm calibre and 11 cartridges of live ammunition1 the comptroller said that other items found in the bag were 12 expended empty shells of various calibres and an empty magazine1 abdullahi said that both the vehicle and the exhibits were currently at the enforcement unit of the command pending further investigation1 -
Tabiowo, Nigerian emerges West African Parliamentary Press Corps Scribe
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member countries of the west african parliamentary press corps wappc have unanimously elected a nigerian mr. ezrel tabiowo as the secretary general of the regional body1 the election came ahead of the a symposium and media summit which heldin accra ghana1 the west african countries which presently constitute the membership of wappc are parliamentary reporters from ghana nigeria togo sierra leone gambia benin republic and liberia1 tabiowo who is presently the chairman of nigerias senate press corps while addressing wappc members after his election as secretary-general thanked his colleagues for the confidence reposed in him1 he gave the assurance that he would not relent in his effort towards reaching out to other countries in the west african sub region1 he said i want to sincerely thank my colleagues present today for voting unanimously to have me elected as secretary general of the west african parliamentary press corps1 let me assure you that going forward i shall devote my time and energy towards driving the growth of the association and as well ensuring that other countries in the sub region are brought on board he added1 tabiowo also urged parliamentary reporters in the sub region to remain committed to the ethics of the journalism profession as well as ensure the defense of democracy in parliamentary reportage1 -
Ekiti election: Police promise level playing ground
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by opeyemi aremu-gbemiro3 i assure ekiti citizens that no officer will intimidate any one during the process of the election if any officer does such officer will be sanctioned he said1 the deputy inspector general of police dig in charge of operations mr habilal joshak has assured residents of ekiti of a level playing ground during saturdays governorship election1 the dig gave the assurance at a news conference on wednesday in ado-ekiti1 he said the force was ready to perform its statutory duties of protecting lives and property before during and after the election1 joshak noted that a robust security mechanism had been put in place for not only the electorate but all stakeholders participating in the election1 he however said all police officers attached to very important personalities would be withdrawn on the day of the election adding that this is to ensure a level playing ground for everyone1 joshak said any police officer found to have contravened the guidelines of the electoral act 2010 as amended will be sanctioned1 ekiti police bars officers from polling units promises fair play1 he also said that there would be restriction on vehicular movement on the day of the election adding that the entrance and exit points in the state would be properly manned1 the police boss warned the electorate and party agents to be well behaved and avoid loitering saying any attempt to disrupt the orderly manner of the election would be dealt with1 he also warned the people of the state against being armed and wearing of party insignia on the day of the election1 joshak who also warned against distributing money at polling units urged media professionals to ensure accurate unbiased and responsible reportage before during and after the election1 the dig explained that four policemen would be deployed to man each polling unit with the assistance of other sister security agencies1 he pointed out that the military had also been deployed to patrol on the outer perimeter of the state1 they will not be seen at polling units except when there is complete disturbance1 i want every citizen of the state to feel free and come out to cast their votes the dig said1 -
Third Mainland Bridge to be shut for 27 months
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alternative routes will be plied during this period and traffic control will be in place to direct and help traffic movement1 the federal controller of works lagos mr adedamola kuti on wednesday in lagos said that the emergency rehabilitationmaintenance of the third mainland bridge project would begin on july 271 he said that the repair works on the bridge would be staggered over a period of 27 months and would be handled by borini prono construction company1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the meeting was convened by the ministry for stakeholders to brainstorm on effective traffic diversion and management to prevent gridlocks during the period1 some of the stakeholders at the event include nupeng national union of road transport workers nurtw association of maritime truck owners amato lagos state traffic management authority lastma and the police1 he said that the bridge would be totally shut to traffic on the first three days for the contractor to carry out various tests on it1 he said that subsequent closures would be on partial basis1 a dynamic test on bridge expansion joints on third mainland bridge is to be carried out between friday july 27 2018 and sunday july 29 2018 and it has been done in such a way that it will have minimum impact on road users1 consequently the third mainland bridge will be closed to traffic by 12.00 midnight of thursday 26th july 2018 and be opened by 12.00 midnight sunday 29th july 20181 kuti who disclosed this a stakeholders meeting at the ministry of works office in lagos1 we regret any inconvenience this might cause road users as this closure is inevitable he said1 he appealed for the patience of road users and promised that all alternative routes would be repaired to make them smooth for easy access1 also the lagos state sector commander of the federal roads safety corps frsc mr hyginus omeje appealed to motorists to use mass transportation facilities during repair works on the third mainland bridge1 omeje told journalists that the vehicular occupancy ratio in lagos was 11 which meant that there was an average of one driver per vehicle that plied the road hence the usual heavy traffic1 he said that all the traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies at the event were going to work in synergy to prevent gridlock1 instead of everybody coming out with their vehicles within this period can we do the park-and-ride option which we have been advocating to really help us to ease off traffic in lagos he said1 he also appealed to the media to increase its awareness campaign on the dangers of drivers of articulated vehicles parking on the roads and bridges1 they should change their attitudes toward indiscriminate parking of trucks on the roads and bridges omeje said1 -
CUPP: ADP not part of PDP-led coalition Chairman
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according to yabagi what nigerians need at the moment is a new direction championed by true patriots a process he said his party was determined to drive1 the action democratic party adp has disassociated itself from the recently formed coalition of united political party cupp led by the peoples democratic party pdp saying it is an old wine in a new bottle1 you will recall that on july 9 the pdp in conjunction with about 34 other political parties signed a memorandum of understanding mou to field a common presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections after forming the cupp1 the parties are also to collaborate in several other areas to ensure that the all progressives congress apc -led federal government is defeated in the coming elections1 let me say here for the avoidance of doubt that we are not part of the coalitionhe said1 yabagi added that his party however believed that the time had come for a generational shift in leadership but not by putting old wine in new bottles1 this according to the adp national chairman is what the pdp- led coalition represented1 he recalled that similar coalition was formed in 2015 noting that it is time for nigerians to wake up and resist another deceit by desperate and corrupt politicians ahead of 2019 general elections1 he stressed that adp was committed to building a new nigeria that offers hope to all and ensure transformation in health education infrastructure security and employment among others1 national chairman of the party alhaji sani yabagi made the partys position known at a news conference on wednesday in abuja1 we shall be calling on like-minded patriotic god fearing and credible nigerians to join the adp-led coalition to rebuild nigeria and make our nation the pride of africahe said1 he said that adp was a child of necessity that would deepen democracy and good governance to establish the credible political platform that would rescue the country1 he stressed that the party was not prepared to jettison its values and constitutional provisions such as the use of direct primaries as against the often used corrupt delegate system by the other parties in the cupp1 the adp is also not in a hurry to hobnob with those who mismanaged nigeria for sixteen years and now re-grouping in an un-strategic haste to resume unprecedented loot of the nations treasury1 it is important to know that those who pushed nigeria to the precipice are the drivers of the coalition and have nothing new to offer1 to collaborate with them is to sleep with strange bedfellowsthe adp national chairman said1 he maintained that the adp was however not averse to any political coalition that could bring a positive overhaul of the nigerian system but stressed that such coalitionmust be done with true patriots1 he added that such patriots must not be seen to be a part of the nigerian problem1 yabagi added that in the desire to acquire power the adp would not compromise its basic principles and ideology1 -
NCC wades into MTNs labour issues
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he said that ncc activated the mou in the wake of the labour dispute between mtn one of its major licencees and the labour following the protests that had resulted in the vandalisation of telecom infrastructure1 the nigerian communications commission ncc on monday said the organisation has opened talks with critical stakeholders on mtns labour issues1 ncc under the leadership of prof. umar danbatta has opened talks with other critical stakeholders through the office of the executive commissioner stakeholders management mr sunday dare on the issue1 both association of telecommunications companies of nigeria atcon and association of licensed telecommunications operators of nigeria alton leadership are working with ncc on these developments1 the regulator is working behind the scene to protect telecom infrastructure and minimise telecom service disruptions in order not to compromise national security and quality of service and protection of over 160 million subscribers he said1 ojobo said that ncc had also activated the memorandum of understanding mou with nigeria security and civil defence corps nscdc to protect telecom critical national infrastructure1 mr tony ojobo nccs director of public affairsmade this known in a statement by in abuja1 the ncc on monday night activated the mou with nscdc to protect the switch stations and btss belonging to mtn and other telecom operators1 the commission had contacted assistant commandant general acg jonathan iyogho of the nscdc on the matter1 and directed mtn to liaise with the nscdc on the issue of the picketing by nlc and the reported destruction of telecom infrastructure across the country1 ojobo said ncc had also briefed the security agencies on developments particularly the implications of the attempt to shut down the ojota switch station1 a collapse of the telecommunications grid is likely if these attacks on mtn and other telecom facilities are not abated1 ncc recalls clearly that telecom infrastructure was classified as critical national infrastructure under the cyber security act domiciled with the office of the national security adviser he said1 -
WhatsApp introduces new feature to curb fake news
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recently while replying a notice by the indian government to take immediate measures to prevent misuse of its platform whatsapp had said that it was testing a new label that highlights when a message has been forwarded1 whatsapp has announced the launch of a new feature globally that will highlight when a message has been forwarded and not composed by the sender1 in the statement the platform owned by facebook said starting today whatsapp will indicate which messages you receive have been forwarded to you1 this extra context will help make one-on-one and group chats easier to follow whatsapp said in a blog1 it also helps you determine if your friend or relative wrote the message they sent or if it originally came from someone else1 to see this new forwarded label you need to have the latest supported version of whatsapp on your phone whatsapp added1 the messaging application made the move public on tuesday through its official blog following calls from various parts of the world including india to tackle the spread of fake news1 this could serve as an important signal for recipients to think twice before forwarding messages1 because it lets a user know if content they received was written by the person they know or a potential rumour from someone else it had said1 in its blog the instant messaging application added whatsapp cares deeply about your safety1 we encourage you to think before sharing messages that were forwarded. as a reminder you can report spam or block a contact in one tap and can always reach out to whatsapp directly for help1 the company had last month also announced unrestricted monetary awards for research on spread of misinformation on its platform to address the problem1 -
Delta Guber: Aspirant appeals to Emerhor, Omo-Agege to harmonise APC
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ofehe said that he decided to visit emerhor as a leader of the party because he believed he has the capacity to genuinely initial the reconciliation process1 a front line governorship aspirant in delta state chief sunny ofehe has urged leaders of the all progressive congress apc in the state to harmonise in order to confront the ruling peoples democratic party pdp in the governorship election in the state1 ofehe said that leaders of various blocs of the party must bury the hatchet of the past and forge a formidable forge ahead the primaries1 i see the need for apc to take over this state. i see the need for every one of us to work together to deliver this state for apc. there is power in unity he said1 the netherlands-based activist-turned-politician however urged emerhor and other party leaders to ensure a level playing field for all governorship aspirant saying that anyone who is interested in the race should be allowed to go into the field and whoever emergences should be adequately supported without ill-feelings1 according to him it is a fact that the internal wrangling occasioned by the divided congresses has punched a big hole in the partys political machinery but he insisted that the leaders can heal the wounds if they put party interest above personal interest1 you will agree with me that we have been battling a divided house. and i want to use this opportunity to make something clear im not in any of the camps because i am for the unity of the party1 speaking when he led his campaign team on a courtesy visit to delta apc leader olorogun otega emerhor the aspirant particularly called on emerhor and senator ovie omo-agege to come together to harmonise the party to be prepared for the 2019 polls1 according to him while the wrangling lasted he decided not to pitch tent to any of the tendencies because as an aspirants he believe his aspirations would cover everyone bridge the disunity gap and reconcile the people1 he explained that why he attended the congresses earlier heldon saturdayfacilitated by other party leaders including senator omo-agege was because of the exigencies of his scheduled believing that the delta apc as one party would harmonise no matter where one belong at that time1 however i mandated some of my people to also make themselves present for themondayone. so my physical attendance of thesaturdayone didnt in any way put me in the camp of anybody1 but the most important thing is that we would unite because in disagreed we get agreement and we will come together because if our house is divided then we are giving okowa-led pdp a smooth run to a second term which will hypnotize our people for another four year of doom and great recession1 ofehe said that hes in the race because he cannot continue to watch infrastructure decay in delta state as a civil society organisation expert after living in europe for close to 23 years and know hundreds of opportunities that the state can tap into1 he called on the leadership of the party in the state to be fair and bring support a good candidate that can stand the pdp in the election1 -
Dont waste your votes on PDP, elect Fayemi Buhari tells Ekiti voters
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also addressing the crowd the national chairman of the party mr adams oshiomhole said fayemi would redress all the wrongs of the ayo fayose administration1 president muhamadu buhari on tuesday asked the electorate in ekiti not to waste their votes in saturdays governorship election on the peoples democratic party pdp1 buhari who gave the charge in ado-ekiti at the grand finale of the mega rally of the party told the crowd of party faithful and supporters at the oluyemi kayode stadium that there was no better alternative to fayemi1 he said the people of ekiti must not be deceived by the stomach infrastructure programme of the pdp government in the state describing it as at variance with the norms in a functional democracy1 buhari said he was in ekiti not only to campaign for fayemi but also to create awareness as well as sensitise the people on the dividends of democracy so far made available to them1 the president said his administration had so far executed 13 projects in the state with no fewer than 29 contractors handling them1 he said the initiatives most of which were road construction projects had also provided direct and indirect jobs to many residents1 besides he said approval had been given by his administration for the construction of a federal secretariat in ado ekiti to ease the burden of office accommodation faced by federal workers in the state1 he also listed the engagement of many indigenes of the state in the n-power programme of the federal government granting of bailout funds to the state as well as approval of school-feeding programme and conditional cash transfer scheme as some of the achievements of his administration1 the president assured the people of the state of more dividends of democracy if they support fayemi in the election1 rather the president urged voters to elect the candidate of the all progressives party apc dr kayode fayemi given the track record of the ruling apc administration in the country1 he also gave an assurance that all the salaries and emoluments owed workers by the fayose administration would be paid1 speaking in the same vein the national leader of the party sen. bola ahmed tinubu assured residents that the apc was committed to the progress and development of the country1 he accused the pdp of destroying the countrys economy urging the people to embrace the change agenda of the apc1 it was the pdp that destroyed the future of nigeria and those yet unborn. pdp stole all the monies and made life difficult for all the citizens1 it is not easy to rebuild what the pdp has spent long years destroying for many of them that are now complaining where were they when our economy was being bastardised1 you must not allow anybody to intimidate you i urge you to guard your pvc and use it wisely on saturday1 it is your turn in ekiti to get a good government it is not for you alone but for your children and their future tinubu said1 nan reports that at the rally were 12 apc governors seven serving ministers and national leaders of the party1 nan also reports that the high point of the event was the formal defection to the apc by many pdp members including a serving senator fatimah raji-rasaki and a member of the house of representatives oni olamide1 -
Fayose loses Senator Rasaki, Rep member, chief whip to APC
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the switching of allegiances by the pdp legislators was one of the highlights of the todays rally and it was seen as a big deal as the apc national leader asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu telling senator rasaki repeatedly god bless you god bless you when they met before president buhari arrived1 outgoing ekiti state governor ayodele fayoses plan to instal his deputy professor kolapo olusola eleka as his successor may have been dealt a big blow as several key members of his party switched support to the all progressives congress1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the two federal lawmakers were among the defectors along with the chief whip of the state house of assembly. there were indications dropped by the new apc faithful that many assembly members may also be getting ready to abandon the pdp ahead of the crucial 14 july election1 among the defectors was sen. fatimat raji rasaki representing ekiti central senatorial district. she is the wife of a former military governor of lagos. mr. olamide oni house of representatives representing efonijeroekiti west federal constituency also dumped pdp1 senator rasaki represents the largest constituency in the state the same area where fayemi picked his running mate an old political war-horse chief bisi egbeyemi1 political pundits said if the ekiti central senatorial constituency vote for fayemi the election will be lost by the pdp candidate olusola eleka1 president muhammadu buhari received the defectors today at the grand finale of the governorship campaign of dr. kayode fayemi the all progressives congress apc gubernatorial candidate in saturdays election. the mega rally took place at the oluyemi kayode stadium in ado ekiti1 the chief whip of the ekiti state house of assembly sunday akinniyi and the commissioner for justice and attorney-general under fayose administration mr. owoseni ajayi also switched allegiances to apc at the event1 ajayi was also fayoses attorney-general in his truncated first term 2003-20061 nan reports that the national chairman of apc mr. adams oshiomole was also on hand to receive the defectors. he assured them of equal treatment in the party1 speaking on behalf of the defectors senator rasaki said they had to dump the pdp because of the selfishness of governor fayose in the state1 according to her the pdp in the state has been monopolised by a single individual who would not allow justice and fairplay in the day-to day running of the affairs of the party1 former minister of state for works prince dayo adeyeye was the first to jump out of the fayose pdp boat after a controversial primary election the outcome of which the lawyer-journalist said was predetermined in favour of kolapo olusola-eleka1