Hope diminishes for Brexit as senior negotiator resigns
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in his resignation letter davis said the common rule book policy hands control of large swathes of our economy to the eu and is certainly not returning control of our laws in any real sense1 britains hope of exiting the european union has been dealt a big blow with david davis the most senior official in charge of the negotiation resigning two days after prime minister theresa may announced she had finally united her quarrelsome government to support the plan1 his resignation sunday night undermined mays already fragile government which has lost several ministers in the past year over sexual misconduct allegations and other scandals1 davis was a strong pro-brexit voice in a cabinet divided between supporters of a clean break with the bloc and those who want to keep close ties with britains biggest trading partner1 the staunchly pro-brexit conservative lawmaker andrea jenkyns tweeted fantastic news. well done david davis for having the principal and guts to resign1 jenkyns said steve baker a junior minister in the brexit department had also quit. there was no immediate comment from baker1 less than nine months remain until britain leaves the bloc on march 29 2019 and the eu has warned britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a divorce deal1 on friday davis and the rest of mays fractious cabinet finally agreed on a plan for future trade ties with the eu1 may is due to brief lawmakers monday on the plan hammered out during a 12-hour meeting at chequers the prime ministers country retreat1 it seeks to keep the u.k. and the eu in a free-trade zone for goods and commits britain to maintaining the same rules as the bloc for goods and agricultural products1 some brexit-supporting lawmakers are angry at the proposals saying they will keep britain tethered to the bloc and unable to change its rules to strike new trade deals around the world1 davis who was brexit secretary told may in a letter that the governments proposals for future trade ties with the bloc will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position and possibly an inescapable one1 he said he was worried the governments negotiating approach would lead to further demands for concessions from brussels1 it seems to me that the national interest requires a secretary of state in my department that is an enthusiastic believer in your approach and not merely a reluctant conscript he wrote1 in a letter to davis may disagreed with his characterization of her plans saying the deal she seeks will undoubtedly mean the returning of powers from brussels to the united kingdom1 daviss resignation could embolden brexit-supporting conservative lawmakers to challenge mays leadership1 conservative lawmaker jacob rees-mogg a leader of the partys hard brexit faction compared mays plan to an egg so softly boiled that it isnt boiled at all1 a very soft brexit means that we havent left we are simply a rule-taker he said1 some brexiteers dream of replacing may with a staunch brexiteer such as foreign secretary boris johnson who in the past has disagreed publicly with his boss1 johnson has not commented publicly since friday. but some senior pro-brexit ministers have backed mays plan1 environment secretary michael gove said sunday that it did not contain everything he wanted but im a realist1 all those of us who believe that we want to execute a proper brexit and one that is the best deal for britain have an opportunity now to get behind the prime minister in order to negotiate that deal he told the bbc1

Your votes will count, INEC assures Ekiti electorate
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be assured that no election material will be tampered with if anything we have introduced additional safeguard measures of transparency to protect the integrity of our manual and electronic processes as well as procedures he said1 by ariwodola idowuopeyemi gbemiro1 yakubu spoke at a stakeholders meeting held on monday in ado-ekiti which had in attendance some of the gubernatorial candidates and their party officials1 he said the commission had trained all the ad hoc staff required for the election while it had made adequate arrangements for the delivery of personnel and materials to all polling units1 i wish to assure you that the choice of who becomes the next governor of ekiti state is strictly in the hands of ekiti people1 please take my words your votes will count only the choice made by the ekiti people will determine the outcome of the election1 we have listened to the views and concerns expressed by different political parties and their campaign organisations1 please note that the commission would not take any action to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate1 ahead of saturdays governorship election in ekiti prof. mahmood yakubu the chairman of the independent national electoral commission inec has assured the electorate that their votes will count1 the inec boss added that three national commissioners and five resident electoral commissioners had been deployed in the state1 also speaking the inspector general of police ibrahim idris said the force had put in place adequate security measures to tackle those who may want to disrupt the exercise1 idris said the a security cordon was in place to check intrusion from the neigbouring states of kogi osun ondo oyo and kwara1 he warned that anyone caught fomenting trouble in any part of the state would be made to face the consequences no matter how highly placed1 idris also warned politicians and their followers against attempting to bribe any of the police officers on election duty saying adequate arrangements had been made for their welfare1 dont arm your thugs dont wear party insignia to voting venues dont blow siren dont ignore restriction order on human and vehicular movements dont bribe any policeman1 dont attempt to steal votes or manipulate the process. whoever that does any of these will be made to face the consequences he said1 nan reports that high point of the event was the signing of a peace pact agreed to by the candidates1

PDP leads CUPP Alliance to battle APC in 2019 elections
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in an imitation of the formation of the all progressives congress in 2014 the opposition peoples democratic party pdp today cobbled up together a loose alliance of about 30 political associations in readiness for the 2019 elections2 the new group a replay of the alliance that toppled the jonathan administration was christened coalition of united political parties cupp at a meeting at the shehu musa yaradua centre in abuja on monday2 it was not clear whether they were going to seek inec registration to run on the cupp platform as the alliance of acn cpc and anpp did in 20142 however the collaborating partiessigned a memorandum of understanding mou with the aims of defeating president muhammadu buharis all progressives congress apc at the centre states and the legislature2 pdp national chairman uche secondus former vice president atiku abubakarformer senate president david mark and chairman of the so-called r-apc buba galadima were also present at the meeting2 leaders of president olusegun obasanjo-backed african democratic congress adc social democratic party of nigeria sdp national conscience party ncp labour party and a host of other newly registered parties were in attendance2 that the new group was the brainchild of the pdp was not in doubt as the party summoned all its presidential aspirants former ministers and legislators to attend what it called a crucial meeting at the shehu musa yaradua centre in abuja2

2019: Group drums support for Okories governorship ambition in Ebonyi
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by douglas okoro3 we are committed to positive change in our state and we want every eligible adult voter to be part of the change we all need by participating in choosing who becomes the next governor of the state igwe added1 okorie is among leading apcs contenders for the governorship position in 20191 the group coordinator mr boniface igwe made declaration at a briefing in abakaliki on monday1 igwe said that the group would throw its weight behind okorie if given his partys nomination1 he said that the groups support for okories emergence was predicated on his leadership track record and achievements as a commissioner in the state1 igwe said that the group is non partisan but that it is committed to promoting and entrenching good leadership and qualitative governance in all aspects of political leadership1 he noted that okories leadership prowess manifested during his tenure as the general manager of the ebonyi water corporation where he made epileptic public water supply regular and uninterrupted1 igwe said that the apc governorship aspirant demonstrated similar sterling leadership quality when he was appointed as commissioner for works and transportation under gov. sam egwu led-administration1 he also said that former gov. martin elechi appointed okorie as the pioneer commissioner for environment which was created by the administration1 forum for good leadership in ebonyi fgle has declared support for dr paul okorie the all progressives congress apc governorship aspirant in ebonyi1 okorie has demonstrated these qualities because of his achievements in those sectors that he had presided over1 the edifice housing the offices of ebonyi ministry of water resources was built by okorie as a general manager of the defunct ebonyi water corporation1 he also built the works and transportation office complex as commissioner for works transportation and housing1 we have carried a discreet investigation into the political and leadership credentials of the other governorship aspirants and discovered that okorie is the man fit for the job1 we are appealing to his party apc to field him because he belongs to grassroots and remains the only person who can defeat the incumbent gov. dave umahi1 we are sadden by leadership failure of the ruling peoples democratic party pdp hence our clamour for leadership change igwe said1 he said that the group had embarked on sensitisation in the 13 local government areas to mobilise all eligible electorate to register and obtain their voter cards to enable them to vote1 power belongs to the people hence we are persuading our people who are of voting age to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration to go and register and obtain their permanent voter card pvc1 at a time our state is seriously in search of a leader to steer the ship of the state. the best man for the job is a man with right leadership skill selfless and patriotic1

Life is sacred U.S. condoles Plateau over killings
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by peter amine2 the governor assured that the state government would continue to work to ensure that plateau remains the home of peace and tourism1 young who extended his country condolence on monday in jos when he visited gov. simon lalong urged nigerians to embrace peace and promote unity in the country1 he emphasised the need for the people to speak peace and work ways to ensure that the realisation of and affirm the need for peaceful coexistence among them1 the deputy chief of mission said that life was sacred irrespective of who and where the citizens might belong. life is sacred whether herdsmen or farmers christian or muslim or whatever ethnic.1 mr david young deputy chief of mission u.s. embassy in nigeria has condoled with the people of plateau over the recent killings in the state1 young stressed the need for the promotion of interfaith and interethnic dialogues to address causes of violence1 he however urged government to apprehend criminals perpetrating the act across the country1 receiving young lalong commended the american embassy for the show of concern over the ugly situation in the state1 he said the recent incident that led to the loss of lives reminded the state government on the need to review its security structure1 the violence should be a major concern to both the state and federal government and must be addressed adequately. there is the need to put more efforts toward ending this menace in the country he said.1

Only 4 Thai Schoolboys, coach remain trapped in cave
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authorities then struggled to determine the best way to save the wild boars with the group stuck on a shelf above the floodwaters in pitch darkness1 only four of the thai schoolboys and their soccer coach remain in the flooded cave as elite divers in a stunning rescue mission hauled four more young footballers out bringing to eight the number saved1 thais have been fixated on the crisis hoping desperately for the safe return of the 12 boys and their 25-year-old football coach after they ventured into the tham luang cave complex after practice and became trapped by rising waters more than a fortnight ago1 the extraction of the four on monday followed a similar pattern to the previous day with the youngsters emerging in quick succession just before nightfall after navigating a treacherous escape route of more than four kilometres 2.5 miles1 the saga has dominated global headlines with the team spending nine days unaccounted for inside the cave before british divers found the emaciated and dishevelled group huddling on a muddy bank above the flooding1 hooyah the thai navy seals who have played a crucial role in the against-the-odds operation said in a facebook post as they announced that a total of eight members of the wild boars football team had been rescued on sunday and monday1 among the ideas were drilling an escape route through the mountain or leaving them for months until the monsoon season ended and the flooding subsided1 but with oxygen levels inside dropping to dangerous lows and the prospect of heavy rains flooding the area completely authorities decided they had to move quickly and take the group out through the water-filled tunnels1 dozens of foreign divers and other experts from around the world were brought in to help the rescue effort working alongside thai navy seals1 rescue operations chief narongsak osottanakorn described sundays initial rescue bid as d-day when it was launched and there were fears that any one of many potential pitfalls could prove deadly1 among these were that none of the boys had scuba diving experience and that they could easily panic while swimming underwater in darkness1

PDP leads CUPP Alliance to battle APC in 2019 elections
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in an imitation of the formation of the all progressives congress in 2014 the opposition peoples democratic party pdp today cobbled up together a loose alliance of about 30 political associations in readiness for the 2019 elections2 the new group a replay of the alliance that toppled the jonathan administration was christened coalition of united political parties cupp at a meeting at the shehu musa yaradua centre in abuja on monday2 it was not clear whether they were going to seek inec registration to run on the cupp platform as the alliance of acn cpc and anpp did in 20142 however the collaborating partiessigned a memorandum of understanding mou with the aims of defeating president muhammadu buharis all progressives congress apc at the centre states and the legislature2 pdp national chairman uche secondus former vice president atiku abubakarformer senate president david mark and chairman of the so-called r-apc buba galadima were also present at the meeting2 leaders of president olusegun obasanjo-backed african democratic congress adc social democratic party of nigeria sdp national conscience party ncp labour party and a host of other newly registered parties were in attendance2 that the new group was the brainchild of the pdp was not in doubt as the party summoned all its presidential aspirants former ministers and legislators to attend what it called a crucial meeting at the shehu musa yaradua centre in abuja2

NYSC confirms Adeosun applied for NYSC exemption certificate
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the national youth service corps nysc has confirmed that the minister of finance mrs kemi adeosun applied for an exemption certificate1 mrs adeyemi adenike the nysc director of press said in a statement in abuja on monday that the scheme would however investigate the origin of the allegedly forged exemption certificate purportedly being used by the minister1 our attention has been drawn to the issue of the alleged forgery of an nysc exemption certificate by the honorable minister of finance mrs kemi adeosun1 checking our records mrs adeosun did apply for an exemption certificate. we shall investigate the origin of the purported exemption certificate in question adenike said1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that a media report published on july 7 which had gone viral had claimed that the minister did not only fail to participate in the mandatory one year national youth service but procured a fake exemption certificate in 20091 the year-long service organised by the national youths service corps nysc is compulsory for all nigerians who graduate from universities or equivalent institutions and are less than 30 years of age1

Ekiti teems with APC big guns, Tinubu urges voters sweep away PDP poverty
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the only remnant of them is ekiti. i therefore want to appeal to you that dr kayode fayemi the candidate of our party in the saturday election is our brother and colleague and has learnt a great lesson about governance1 ekiti state where a crucial governorship election will take place on saturday was teeming with many big guns of the all progressives congress on monday led by their national leader asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu ahead of the visit tuesday by president muhammadu buhari1 others are governors of ondo rotimi akeredolu ibikunle amosun of ogun and the kebbi state governor alhaji isa bagudu who is also the chairman of the campaign committee of the ekiti gubernatorial election for the apc among other leaders. has appealed to the people of ekiti to vote for the party in saturdays governorship election1 tinubu in an interview with the news agency of nigeria appealed to the people of ekiti to vote for the party in saturdays governorship election1 he said the apc is the solution to four years of frustration disappointment and poverty that had enveloped the state since the emergence of governor ayodele fayose in 20141 tinubu in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in ado-ekiti on monday said that apc is the only party that can improve nigeria in all sectors1 nan reports that president muhammadu buhari is expected in ekiti tomorrow to meet with the traditional rulers apc leaders and supporters in the state and as well close the rally of the apc candidate dr kayode fayemi ahead saturdays governorship election in the state1 tinubu said we thank the people of ekiti for being kind and hospitable to us all along. we the leaders of apc are here to greet ekiti people and commend them for being tolerant to the maladministration of the peoples democratic party pdp before the emergence of the apc at the federal level and ekiti in particular1 we have had 16 years of maladministration bad governance misrule and series of complaints on our economy education non-development and several other segments of our country. it is all from the poor foundation laid by the pdp government for 16 years and thank god for our timely intervention at the federal level the nation would have collapsed1 aside tinubu and chief bisi akande other leaders already in the state are former governors segun osoba ogun segun oni ekiti and the deputy chairman south of the party otunba niyi adebayo who was also the first democratically elected governor of ekiti in 19991 that is why we the leaders in the party are standing as guarantors of the commitments that definitely ekiti will experience rapid development if you vote for our party and we appeal to you to vote dr kayode fayemi as the next governor of ekiti he said1 the former lagos governor reminded the youths that the future is now saying that the future is yours and the government is ours. the apc is ready to lay the foundation for a better future for you. dont because of two slices of bread today mortgage your future1 dont because of intimidation of a lone ranger fail to exercise your franchise.the broom is a bunch of unity the symbol we offer to you today is the broom. we want you to vote en masse there will not be violence or intimidation. all i am appealing is that you should give apc a chance to show its worth to the people of ekiti1 in another interview with nan former interim national chairman of the party chief bisi akande said saturdays election is a must for the party to win1 he said ekiti cannot afford to be in the opposition in the southwest1 the saturday election will go in peace. it is therefore time for all yorubas to come together. ekiti cannot afford to be in the opposition. it is certain that apc will win on saturday he declared1 the governorship election in ekiti is scheduled to hold across the 16 local government areas of the state on saturday while the new administration would be inaugurated on october 161 remi koleoso 08038292995 [email protected]1

PDP mulls legal action on seizure of assets acquired with stolen funds
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it is instructive to emphasize that the pdp is not in any way opposed to the fight against corruption1 the peoples democratic party pdp on friday in abuja said it was considering a legal action against president muhammadu buharis executive order authorising seizure of assets acquired with stolen public funds1 the party described the asset seizure executive order as total disregard to the provisions of 1999 constitution1 already our lawyers are considering a legal action against the federal government on the illegality of mr. presidents action in the interest of nigeria and nigerians1 the party said that the nigerian constitution did not under any section confer such fascist powers on the president under democracy1 it said that there could be no legitimate latitude of interpretation placed on sections 5 and 15 5 of the 1999 constitution cited as justifications for the executive order1 pdp claimed that the presidents executive order was a travesty of justice and rule of law as it vehemently seeks to hijack and usurp the powers of both the legislature and the courts1 it added that the president also vest to take the power on himself in order to use it at will as a political instrument to haunt traumatize harass and victimize perceived political opponents1 mr president wants to change our democratic governance to a military regime in line with his lamentation two days ago that the fight against corruption will be better under a military regime than under a democracy1 pdp in a statement issued by its national publicity secretary kola ologbondiyan described the order as illegal unconstitutional reprehensible and a dangerous step towards a descent to fascism1 rather the party holds that the imposition of this executive order which is radically at variance with the provisions of the constitution is totally unacceptable1 pdp takes this executive order 6 of 2018 as a re-enactment of the obnoxious decree 2 of 1984 which incidentally was also an enactment under then military head of state general muhammadu buhari1 this must not be permitted in our current democratic dispensation1 pdp said that if the order was allowed it would confer limitless powers on mr president1 in a democracy the role of the executive arm of government is to enforce court orders or judgments handed down based on the interpretation of existing laws1 any suggestion to the contrary as clearly intended by this executive order is totally an aberration and inconsistent with the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria1 the party urged the judiciary and the legislature to save nigeria by rejecting the executive order1 nigeria is a democratic state run by the dictates of the law and the constitution and not by the rule of the thumb of any elected officer it added1

Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency: Olajengbesi challenges Oke to public debate
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i contest on the merit of my qualifications and good plans for our people. i have utmost respect for oke i have respect for our party and i will always respect the decision of the leadership of the party1 mr pelumi olajengbesi an aspirant for the house of representatives seat in oriadeobokun federal constituency osun state under platform of the peoples democratic party pdp has challenged his rival wole oke to a televised public debate1 he said that overtimefor four consecutive tenures the legislative ticket of oriadeobokun in the house of representatives had been reposed in oke by pdp who trusted his capacity to deliver1 according to olajengbesi it is however puzzling to submit that oke is the only one fit for said office in the whole constituency1 he said that he did not consider himself the most qualified or the only alternative in a constituency blessed with an abundance of acute minded men and women1 the legal practitioner said he believed that he was pre-eminently qualified to contest a position that should not be treated as the sole proprietorship of anyone1 olajengbesi said that prospective public officers must be assessed on the basis of their pedigree and subjected to a fair contest for the peoples mandate by the public1 olajengbesi in a statement on saturday said that his call for debate was necessitated by many unsavoury utterances credited to oke and his media team1 it is much too simplistic for a constituency of great intellects and wisdom to make wealth the primary yardstick to measure ability or competence1 and that i can be abused by okes media men for using vehicles donated to my campaign was not just a shame it is more1 yes people are donating their vehicles to us because they believe the ideas we share with them for oriadeobokun that should be applauded not ridiculed. money politics is bad politics lets face real issues henceforth1 it is in view of this that i hereby humbly challenge oke to a public debate organised by our great party in oriadeobokun and televised for general consumption1 he said that such public debate would help in keeping with the best standards in practice for such elections and more importantly to provide the voting delegates with an opportunity to adjudge or assess each candidate strictly on their individual merits qualifications and grasps of issues relevant to our constituency1 olajengbesi who is the executive secretary united global resolve for peaceugrfp said that the much important public debate would afford listening public the opportunity to assess him and oke on the basis of their individual strengths or inadequacies1

MKO Abiola: What manner of man?
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indeed june 12 was the culmination of a tremendously remarkable life1 following the honour bestowed on mko abiola by president buhari and the re-focused attention on abiolas legacy my daughter oreoluwa who by the way read politics and philosophy at cambridge and was only one year old when mko was killed called me to find out more about him1 oreoluwas question set me thinking and it suddenly dawned on me that many younger nigerians certainly the twenty-somethings and even thirty-year olds may just have only a vague memory of mko abiola or none at all let alone knowing who the real mko abiola was1 because of oreoluwa and others of her age i have decided to reproduce in full the first chapter of the book legend of our time the thoughts of mko abiola which is a published collection of abiolas key speeches and lectures edited by dr. chidi amuta and myself1 the book which was published on the eve of his presidential campaigns predates the june 12 saga1 obviously he will now for ever be remembered for his june 12 victory and as an embodiment of our democratic ideals. but he was more than june 121 here is how she put it dad i know all about june 12 and how chief abiola was denied the presidency and later died in prison but what kind of man was he1 in some ways there was none like him and there probably would be none quite like him again1 he was among other things a man of prodigious intellectual talent a true legend of our time. just months before his death i visited him in prison. although tired and suffering from a lower back pain he was even in his dismal conditions his old self. he oscillated between anger anxiety frustration and even optimism but not bitterness1 then when a prominent egba chief now late came in to see him apparently carrying with him some message from the council of islamic affairs in what seemed to be another of several previous visits mko flared up and his defiant self resurfaced then after the chief took leave of us he turned to me and asked me how i thought he had done i gave him the thumbs up instantly the young security guard who had listened in on our entire discussion told me it was time for me to leave. i never saw mko again1 again there are seeming contradictions here. but what is a great man if not a bundle of opposites contrasts and even contradictions isnt it the rich admixture of warmly human virtues and failings that change our admiration into love especially too in our assessment of great men and in the case of bashorun abiola given his sheer vitality and energy the contrast are sometimes even more dramatic and startling1 so in reproducing this lengthy piece which was written in late 1992 and titled behind the legend i have felt no need to change embellish or delete any details. the man i wrote about then remained the man i saw in prison months before his death in 1998 determined defiant uncowed and unbowed1 because of this man there is both cause for hope and certainty that the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to peace and human dignity. the enemies which imperil the future generations to come poverty ignorance disease hunger and racism have each seen effects of the valiant work of chief abiola. through him and others like him never again will freedom rest in the domain of the few1

North West gets Buharis support volunteers
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other reasons why we voluntarily support buhari osibanjo 2019 presidency includes his sincerity of purpose integrity transparency accountability discipline ethics trust and tolerance displayed over the years. the strong desire of the administration for continuity in progress readiness to create opportunities for leadership experience among the youth also makes a basic requirement for their re-election in 2019 he added.1 senate leader ahmad lawan has inaugurated volunteers drawn from 186 local governments in north west to drum support for president muhammadus buharis re-election1 lawan represented by sen. abu ibrahim said that the volunteers were carefully selected to diligently work under the buhariosibanjo 2019 presidency re-election organization1 he added that they would propagate the policies and programmes of the administration and canvass support ahead of the 2019 general elections1 he stressed that the volunteers would highlight the landmark achievements of the buhari administration especially in the area of security economy fight against corruption and infrastructural development with consequent redemption of hitherto soiled image of nigeria in the comity of nations1 there is no gainsaying that president buhari took the mantle of leadership of nigeria when it was almost on a brink of collapse evident in the activities of boko haram terrorist which had captured over 14 local governments1 the economy was battered by the government that buhari succeeded to the point that payment of workers salaries was about to be impossible due to embezzlement bribery and other related economic and financial recklessness1 lawal noted that apart from decimating boko haram the administration has so far succeeded in fighting corruption through the enforcement of treasury single account which controlled government finances effectively and blocked the siphoning of public funds by fraudulent officials1 the volunteers were inaugurated on the platform of all progressive congress apc north west chapter1 also chairman northern senators forum sen. aliyu wamakko said that the administration had taken good measures within three years to address some of the challenges facing the country1 wamakko said the diversification of nigeria economy from old age reliance on oil as the mainstay of the countys economy to agriculture and mining had produced positive results1 yet again the government also engages in providing infrastructure service to nigerian in terms of good roads railways houses across the country1 also speaking sen. jibrin barau apc kano expressed support for the laudable achievements of president buhari adding we must work together to sustain the good work as what president buhari administration has done pdp has not done in their 16 years1 in his remarks alhassan ado-dogowa chief whip in the house of representatives said president buhari is for all nigerians including the young women and old1 ado-dogowa said the president should be commended for accepting to contest for another term declaring that his contest is a sacrifice for the betterment of nigeria not for any selfish benefit1 we are for buhari to continue come 2019 and we must make sacrifices to achieve it1 the governor of kaduna state malam nasir el-rufai represented by his deputy bala bantex called on the coordinators to remain steadfast in the task ahead to ensure success. nan1

Killing of another Nigerian in South Africa unfortunate
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dabiri-erewa expressed disappointment over an early warning signal put in place by both ministries which she said had still not been implemented1 mrs abike dabiri-erewa senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora is worried over the killing of another nigerian in south africa describing it as unfortunate1 the nigeria consulate-general in south africa said that the ugly incident was said to have occurred at 10 koppe middleburg mpumalanga south africa on july 61 the mission said that lawrence was shot six times by his assailant and died before reaching hospital1 dabiri-erewa in short message sent to the news agency of nigeria nan on sunday in abuja described the recent killing as unfortunate1 she said that further enquiry over nigeria issue with south africa should be directed to the ministry of foreign affairs1 all enquiries should be directed to the minister of foreign affairs geoffrey onyeama who has vowed to take decisive action with the new foreign affairs minister in south africa1 the nigeria mission in south africa had on sunday confirmed the killing of mr ozumba tochukwu-lawrence by an unknown gunman in the country1 she stated that no fewer than 117 nigerians were extra-judicially killed in south africa between 2016 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other1 she said that many more had followed since then1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that killing of nigerians in south africa had been on the increase in recent times1 before the latest one there was the assassination of thankgod okoro who was reportedly shot dead in hamburg florida west rand johannesburg on april 9 2018 by the south african police flying squad1 there was also the killing of clement nwaogu in april a father of two who was burnt to death by his assailant1 these wanton killings of nigerians in south africa had sparked a number of protests there1 for demanding justice on behalf of their fallen compatriots 14 of the protesters were taken into custody and branded drug peddlers1

Swiss to strengthen ties with Kenya
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source63 switzerland has started diplomatic forage in kenya to strengthen trade economic and political relations1 the president of the swiss confederation mr. alain berset arrived in kenya on sunday for a three-day official visit to open new vistas and cement existing relations1 berset will hold bilateral talks with president uhuru kenyatta and the two leaders are also expected to explore areas of collaboration under kenyattas big four agenda1 the agenda is food security affordable housing manufacturing and universal healthcare according to state house in nairobi1 the areas of cooperation highlighted for the visit include the swiss development agencys work in kenyas arid and semi-arid lands regions as well as the swiss for life project in kakuma refugee camp which is home to thousands of south sudanese refugees1 other areas of cooperation are igad-switzerland cooperation and swiss support to kenyas big 4 health pillar1 it would be recalled that early this year the swiss embassy inaugurated in kenya its new embassy building in nairobi1

Sugar lands Kenya in trouble
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read more18 kenya is facing the risks of suspension from the common market for eastern and southern africa comesa after disregarding its rules on importation of sugar1 the controversial importation of an unknown quantity of sugar which has raised a storm in kenya with claims of the commodity being contaminated was done without the approval of comesa1 under the rules of the 19-member trading bloc any sugar imports from outside comesa attract a common external tariff cet of 25 per cent1 goods qualify for preferential tariff treatment only if they originate in the member states and are traded within the bloc1 kenyas move has not been well received and could hurt its trade relations with other member states1 ironically the country enjoys a comesa safeguard measure which limits the amount of sugar that can be imported duty-free from the blocs members. this special consideration was made in 2002 to give the country time to make its sugar production competitive as it was feared imports from the bloc would kill local manufacturing1 the safeguard which restricts duty-free sugar imports from the comesa member countries to 350000 metric tonnes per year expires in february 20191 the government is therefore keen on an extension after failing to meet key conditions including privatisation of its ailing state-owned millers1 the drama surrounding kenyas sugar imports is dragging as regional players kick1 suspension from the bloc would deal the country a heavy blow as the rest of the members consume about 12 per cent of kenyas total exports including tea coffee and horticulture articles of apparel and clothing accessories and iron and steel1 comesa rules allow member countries to import goods from non-member states on condition that the goods attract duty. however it is understood that kenya unilaterally passed a domestic law to allow the importation of sugar duty-free1 kenya should have told other comesa countries before passing a law to import sugar from the rest of the world because failure to do this caused challenges and we had to step in as the secretariat to explain their action1 the way this law was communicated was not effective said francis mangeni director in charge of trade and customs at the comesa secretariat1 while allowing importation of duty-free sugar opened the door for all countries to sell sugar to kenyas importers the kenya revenue authority is said to have blocked sugar from some comesa member countries such as mauritius prompting the intervention of the secretariat1 it is alleged that kenya has also denied mauritius a licence to export sugar to the country pending the conclusion of investigation into adulterated sugar in the local market1 kenya is understood to have requested a discussion of its sugar issues during the 20th comesa heads of state and governments summit scheduled to take place from july 9 to july 19 2018 in lusaka zambia1 with its outright disregard of comesa rules kenya now risks being denied more time to limit the amount of cheap and duty-free sugar brought into the country to protect its ailing sugar sector1

Banks restricts ATM cash withdrawal overseas
News & Trends •
read more18 nigerian banks have restricted cash withdrawals from overseas automated teller machines atm only to those whose cards are linked to their domiciliary accounts funded locally1 according to the lenders are also raising their card spending limits on point of sale pos and online card transactions abroad an indication of increased dollar liquidity and rising exchange rate stability1 guaranty trust bank gtbank and first city monument bank fcmb it said at the weekend raised their monthly card spending limit on overseas pos and online transactions from 1000 to 3000 and around 2000 to 50001 we would like to inform you that our monthly spending limit on your gtbank naira mastercard has been reviewed to 3000 from 1000 for your international online and pos transactions. kindly note that international atm cash withdrawal is still restricted gtbank said1 clothing shoes electronics bookswhatever your needs are fcmb naira debit card gives you instant full access to 5000 monthly to shop online fcmb said in an email sent to its customers at the weekend1 gt bank had nearly two years ago during the height of the dollar scarcity limited monthly transactions on pos and online transactions using cards to 100 british pounds sterling 90 euro 130 and canadian dollar 360. the prevailing dollar scarcity at that time made it difficult for travellers to pay their hotel bills and make reservations and other transactions using their debit cards1 many banks which announced the suspension of their overseas atm card services in october 2016 have all lifted the suspension and raised monthly transaction volumes for customers on foreign currency-denominated deals including those conducted on pos machines and online1 the dynamics changed in april last year when the central bank of nigeria cbn introduced the investors1 the banks have therefore suspended such withdrawals and encouraging travellers to open and fund dollar accounts1 for instance in the first half of 2018 transactions in the i1 according to an afrinvest report titled nigerian economy and financial market h12018 review released at the weekend the investment and research firm said nigerias economic recovery path had been reinforced by the sustained stability in oil prices with four consecutive quarters since second quarter of 2017 of positive slow but steady growth1 it however said economic activities slowed in the first half of this year given the delayed passage and implementation of the 2018 budget of consolidation a major limiting factor in the drive towards implementing the federal governments economic recovery and growth plan ergp the fiscal paper drafted to address some of the deep-rooted structural imbalances in the economy1 in addition food supply disruptions resulting from the current security crises which in turn fuelled inflationary pressures coupled with tighter monetary stance of the cbn towards stabilising the currency market contributed to the slow growth rate reported. nonetheless the domestic macroeconomic performance has been largely satisfactory on the back of persistent disinflation rising oil prices and external reserves increased foreign exchange liquidity with frequency of interventions improved to1 it said the rise in oil prices impacted positively on nigerias foreign reserves rising 22.7 per cent to 47.6 billion on june 13 2018 from 38.8 billion on december 29 20171 consequently the cbn maintained its exchange rate peg with the naira appreciating to n305.801 june 2018 from n3061 december 2017 in the official window while the stability and liquidity in the foreign exchange market improved as seen in the growing confidence by investors in the i1 the forex window has largely removed the pressures from the parallel market rate which now sometimes trades at a discount to the nigerian autonomous foreign exchange nafex rate1 financial analysts at afrinvest west africa said stability in the forex market followed the increased volume of forex interventions and the coming of i1

FIFA disgraces Kenyan referee
News & Trends •
fifa disgraces kenyan referee1

Buhari celebrates Army Day in Monguno
News & Trends •
buhari celebrates army day in monguno1

Saraki hails S/Court verdict, insists trial was political
News & Trends •
saraki hails scourt verdict1 insists trial was political1