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24 petitions treated by APC appeal panel, Oshiomhole gets report
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we will do everything possible to be different from the way the nwc has operated in the past. i am aware having been a former governor and member of national executive committee nec that there has been a tradition in the past that committees are set up work is done reports are submitted and action is not taken. we will act on every report submitted to us we will not sit on the fence we will side with the truth and we will ensure that justice prevails1 an appeal panel set up to resolve complaints and petitions arising from the recent national convention of the all progressives congress apc on wednesday evening submitted its report to the partys national chairman comrade adams oshiomhole1 we treated each case very seriously. it wasnt our purpose to add kerosene to already raging fire. we made what we consider to be useful suggestions to the new national working committee that will give our members a feeling of justice1 justice does not mean you must win your case it means that you will get a level playing field that you are given the opportunity to make your case. the appellants had tremendous opportunity of presenting their cases and they did1 oshiomhole who received the report accompanied by other members of the national working committee nwc thanked the committee for devoting its time and energy to the assignment. he assured the appeal committee that the nwc will side by the truth and ensure justice in considering the report1 the appeal committee chaired by former senate president ken nnamani disclosed during the report submission ceremony at the partys national secretariat in abuja that twenty four petitions were received by the committee1 my appeal to those aggrieved is the assurance that under my leadership we will make our obvious mistakes but once our attention is drawn we will find courage to make up for our mistakes. he said1 the apc national chairman also used the opportunity to address all party members and leaders over grievances and disputations1 i am very appreciative of the fact that we were all elected and in the case of some of us we were even unopposed. that is a huge responsibility that our members have entrusted us that we can pilot the affairs of the party at this time. we knew there were challenges when we contested for the various offices to which we have now been elected. so we cant claim we didnt know1 for us it is a huge opportunity to make a difference not only for our party but to the country. we will do everything possible to sustain confidence to sustain trust. for us everybody is important everybody matters. we want to run an inclusive party. but as i said in my acceptance speech there are no losers. if we run the party efficiently and democratically those who lost will find that their interests whatever service they wanted to render are being rendered efficiently and democratically1 as the saying goes if god gives you power may he not deny you wisdom i pray for wisdom. i pray for courage and i believe we have it and we will deploy it to make peace within the apc family1 -
Ndume dismisses R-APC, Oshiomhole appeals
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he added that forcing the eyes to open over night would create more problems and damage the eye the more2 mr adams oshiomhole national chairman of the all progressives apc has reiterated his appeal to aggrieved members of the party to be patient with his leadership in an apparent response to the emergence on wednesday of a rebel group reformed apcr-apc2 however former senate leader and the senator representing southern borno alhaji ali ndume dismissed the new group saying that only god and time could determine the direction of the apc in 20192 oshiomhole spoke to newsmen after receiving the report of the partys just concluded national convention appeal panel committees report on wednesday in abuja2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that alhaji buba galadima who is the national chairman of the reformed apc announced its formation at a news conference at the sheraton hotels in abuja on wednesday2 the assurance is that under my leadership we will make honest mistakes and once our attention is drawn we will find courage to make up for our mistake2 some people say how can people eat their words for me i will eat my words if it is nutritious enough and if that is what i have to do to have peace in the family oshiomhole said2 he expressed appreciation to members of the party for his election and for entrusting with him the responsibility to pilot the partys affairs at this time2 he acknowledged that he new of the partys challenges before accepting the task saying that it wasa huge opportunity for him and other newly elected executives of the party to make a difference2 this oshiomhole said was not only for the party but for the country generally2 so i appeal to people to realise that a blind man can redeem his eyes if he applies the correct medication but you cant force it to open over night he said2 my appeal to all those who are aggrieved is to be patient oshiomhole said2 the apc national chairman maintained that he would do everything possible to sustain confidence and trust adding that everybody was important in the party2 he also said that everybody in the party matters adding that he would run an inclusive party2 i pray for wisdom and courage and i believe that we have it and we will deploy it for peace within the apc familyoshiomhole said2 senator ali ndume in a separate interview dismissed the new group2 he said the threat by the r-apc and npdp to leave the apc would never spell doom for it but only god and time would tell2 the senator who admitted that politics is all about interest said there was however nothing wrong if an aggrieved group voices out its displeasure2 he added that movement from one political party to another is normal in politics2 what is happening is part of politics especially now in our political days all of us are nigerians and we know what is happening2 so politics is about interest and if somebody feels that his or her interest will be more protected by voicing out his dissent it is ok2 this party is a party of time decided by nigerian masses and it is only god that can decide the time of a political party god and nigerians know that apc government is the light at the end of the tunnelthe senator said2 malam bolaji abdullahi apc national publicity secretary was more laconic in his reaction. he said the party leadership would get the full details of what happened2 -
Photos: Oshodi skywalk bridge completed
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lagos has installedthe longest free-standing pedestrian bridge in the history of nigeria at the oshodi transport interchange now under construction1 the 53.2m bridge is only supported at the two ends without any support at the middle and it connects two of the terminals of interchange1 the hoisting started on sunday and was completed early today1 managing director of planet projects mr. biodun otunola explained the purpose of the bridge1 this particular oneterminal one and terminal two. we also have another one that is linking terminals two and three and that is about 155metres long. the plan is that people can move from one end of the terminal to another be it from terminal one two and three and then the nature of the terminal is such that we have six lifts and one escalator and so in all we have 18 lifts and three escalators1 for anyone to access each of the sky bridge you have to use the lift and we also have staircase for emergency exit. the skywalk is part of the features of the oshodi transport interchange designed to make travel pleasurable enjoyable safe and more comfortable for commuting lagosians otunola said1 we also have another one that is linking terminals two and three and that is about 155metres long. the plan is that people can move from one end of the terminal to another be it from terminal one two and three and then the nature of the terminal is such that we have six lifts and one escalator and so in all we have 18 lifts and three escalators otunola added1 the oshodi interchange is billed for completion before the end of this year1 -
FG moves to include Admiralty Law in Universities curriculum
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also chief justice of the gambia justice hassan jallow said that admiralty law had not been included in the university curriculum of his country noting the impact of these on the timely resolution of maritime cases1 the federal government on wednesday said it had taken appropriate steps to ensure that admiralty law maritime law was included in the curriculum of universities in the country for speedy resolutions of maritime cases1 he said that the ministry of transportation had set up a steering committee to work collaboratively with the national universities commission nuc to see how admiralty law could be taken as a course in the tertiary institutions1 the national universities commission has been approached to look into making admiralty law a compulsory subject in the universities1 in fact there is no hiding from that it must be done1 we have to have sanctity of contract we have to respect and effect international treaties and then we have to boost our export profile for example1 and we need legal officers lawyers and judges to be conversant with it and if we are conversant with it it must start right at the university1 so we are pushing with that committee very soon you will hear what the committee is doing1 and i hope that they will establish the teaching of admiralty law in our universities1 he said that the inclusion of admiralty law in the curriculum would serve as the bedrock for future lawyers and judges to resolve maritime cases1 alhaji hassan bello the executive secretary of nigerian shippers council nsc disclosed this at the 15th international maritime seminar for judges organised by the council in collaboration with the national judicial institute nji in abuja1 he said that the seminar had impacted participants from his country as they were now abreast of the importance of admiralty law which was alien to most judges in the gambia1 we dont have admiralty law being studied in our university unfortunately we dont have it as a course in the faculty of law or at the law school1 many of us have gone through the university without studying it1 its a very important subject incredible lawyers now recognise the essence of this field and more students will subscribe to it because you need the understanding of the law to be able to regulate the sector1 if lawyers and judges are not familiar with the law things cannot work well1 so the familiarisation programme is important1 justice abdulahamid charm chief justice of sierra leone said that although his country gets limited maritime cases legal practitioners were making efforts to familiarise themselves with the law1 he admitted that maritime law was part of the curriculum of schools in the country adding that efforts would be made to equip legal practitioners with the law1 we dont have maritime law in the curriculum of our universities and we are ready to discuss with the authorities to introduce it1 because that will really help to fully equip our judges and lawyers when they have such cases in court1 -
FIFA reduces referees for World Cups finals
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the 17 referees picked for the next phase include alireza faghani iran and nawaf shukralla bahrain from the asian football confederation afc1 fifas referees committee has reduced the number of referees for the final phase of its 2018 world cup in russia1 pierluigi collina the committees head told reporters in moscow that this was because the number of referees at the 32-day competition has to be reduced at this point in time1 the number of referees has been reduced in view of the number of matches left and the teams that have qualified for the next round1 we have only eight matches left and only eight teams left also1 these are in the quarter-finals four matches the semi-finals two matches third-place or losers final one match and final one match1 only eight matches are involved in this number of matches also1 so there is therefore a need for a reduction in the number the former italian referee said1 it has therefore selected 17 referees 37 assistant referees and 10 video assistant referees vars for the final phase1 others are malang diedhiou senegal and janny sikazwe zambia from the confederation of african football caf1 from the confederation of central american and caribbean football concacaf are mark geiger u.s. jair marrufo u.s. and cesar arturo ramos mexico1 also retained for the competition are andres cunha uruguay nestor pitana argentina and sandro ricci brazil from the confederation of south american football conmebol1 from the oceanic football confederation ofc is matthew conger new zealand1 the rest are from the european football association uefa namely cuneyt cakir turkey bjorn kuipers the netherlands antonio mateu spain milorad mazic serbia gianluca rocchi italy and damir skomina slovenia1 ten vars were also picked to continue on in the competition1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that 36 referees and 63 assistant referees were selected in march for the competition with 13 vars1 they were picked from the 53 groups of three referees placed under fifas radar for the competition since september 2014. nan olalaib1 -
50 African countries in China for security forum
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read more18 fifty african countries are currently in beijing china for a three-week security forum for army chiefs on the platform of china-africa defence and security1 the delegates the forum details indicate are discussing a major military roadmap aimed at protecting chinese interests in the continent as well as improving africans response to crisis situations1 opening the discussions the chief of the office for international military cooperation at the central military commission major general hu changming highlighted the need for understanding and cooperation on security matters between africa and china1 the continental military cooperation plan is expected to be approved at the coming china-africa summit scheduled for september in beijing1 the chinese military cooperation with africa at this particular time is being monitored keenly by both washington and brussels1 chinas ever increasing investment in africa need enhanced security protection. china has been relying on african partners for its business protection in moments of most crisis1 in 2011 during the libya civil war china was forced to send its commando and military vessel to rescue some 36000 chinese citizens working in the country1 the meeting started on june 26 runs till july 12 and is part of the preparations for the launch of a strategic security and military cooperation between beijing and africa1 china is involved in more than 3000 infrastructure projects in africa according to the brookings institute a us-based research organisation1 the chinese africa trade volume totalled 220 billion in 20171 the asian giant has in the recent past also used the participation in united nations peace keeping mission to boost its security role in africa. china has 2400 soldiers under the un in south sudan the democratic republic of congo and mali. its navy also deployed in the red sea state of djibouti1 china-built roads railways and port networks across africa connect the major global sea routes. some of the routes traverse highly militarised global waters such as the red sea and the suez canal which is a crucial route to connect chinese trade between asia and europe1 intelligence sharing joint military training and joint operation between china and african partners is expected to be formally announced soon1 the chinese forays have seen some african countries which are close allies of the western world engage in a delicate balancing act1 according to the china-africa research initiative in 2016 there were more than 224400 chinese workers in africa1 -
China, African trade hits $170b yearly
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source63 chinas bilateral cooperation with africa has grown phenomenally in the past 40 years with trade leaping from 765 million to 170 billion a year1 the minister said this has therefore made china africas largest trading partner during the last few decades1 in the same period chinese investment in africa reached a cumulative 110 billion1 chen said africas debt to her country is economically sustainable and should be no cause for alarm1 chinas deputy foreign minister chen xiaodong said the growth was on the basis of interlocking interests since 19781 china is attentive to the situation in africa and seeks to help the continent to contain the risks of debt and relieve the pressure of payment the minister pointed out1 the minister said that beijing also encourages companies in her country to do more investments as well as to explore new models such as public-private partnerships1 china the official said understands the importance of debt sustainability in africa thereby helping the continent to improve its investment environment1 chinas investments on the continent range from zambian power plants egyptian trade deals cobalt mines in congo rail links in east africa and infrastructure in equatorial guinea1 chen made the announcement in beijing on wednesday at the opening session of the 7th forum of the china-africa expert committee1 -
NEMA warns South East residents of impending flood
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the director noted that it was necessary to begin preparations on time in readiness for such disaster as it might eventually become big and devastating1 the director of national emergency management agency nema south east zonal office mr walson ibarakumo has warned of impending flood risk in specific areas of enugu anambra and ebonyi states1 iberakumo said his warning was based on the forecast by national hydrological services agency nihsa and nigeria meterological agency nimet1 the nema boss said the reason for the impending flood and storm was due to climate change1 the heavy rainfall storm and wind currently experienced in these states is as a result of climate change so the people should not be taken by surprise whenever they start experiencing it1 you know climate change has brought about a lot of changes to our environment amongst which is the flood risk that has been forecasted ibarakumo said1 he therefore advised that residents of the aforementioned states needed to have a change of attitude especially as regards to energy use until the climate returned to its normal state1 ibarakumo said that nema had started creating awareness in the affected states and would be conducting simulation with other relevant response agencies soon1 he disclosed this in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in enugu on wednesday1 ibarakumo went ahead to reel out the names of the forecasted areas describing some as highly probable and probable1 enugu south and east are the highly probable areas while oji river udi and uzo uwani are the probable flood risk areas1 in anambra state aguata idemili north and ogbaru are the highly probable flood risk areas while anambra east and west anaocha ayamelum onitsha north and south dunukofia orumba north njikoka and oyi are the probable areas1 in ebonyi state afikpo south abakaliki ebonyi ezza south ikwo ohaukwu and afikpo itself are areas prone to flood risk he said1 in addition he said nema had been able to effectively and successfully handled 30 emergency situations from january to june 20181 ibarakumo mentioned that these emergency situations involve floods fire outbreaks collapsed buildings and communal clashes1 he said that they were able to manage these disasters with the help of the local emergency management committees at the local government level and the state emergency management agency sema1 he said nema was facing a big challenge in terms of funding which was limiting its operations1 -
FRSC declares war on underage truck, trailer drivers
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he said that such action could lead to crashes on the roads as some of them have no skills and experiences to drive such vehicles1 the federal road safety corps frsc says it is looking out for underage tanker and truck drivers to prevent accidents on the expressway1 according to him the legal limit for driving in the country is 18 years and above but that somebody is looking small does not make him below 18 years1 we are always watching out for underage tanker and truck drivers to prevent crashes on the road especially on the expressway he said1 the frsc official said that there were downward trends in the crashes involving tankers and articulated vehicles since 20161 he said that the corps had intensified its patrol to prevent crashes in all the six geopolitical zones in the country1 it was so serious particularly in 2016 when we were recording tankers and trucks crashes almost regularly until the corps marshal dr boboye oyeyemi flagged off the training and retraining programmes for tanker drivers1 since then the corps has been sensitising them through various programmes to ensure that minimum standards are maintained on the roads he said1 the sector commander also advised tanker drivers to desist from giving their vehicles to motor boys to drive1 mr hyginus omeje the frsc sector commander in lagos state made this known on wednesday at the 3rd quarter overview of 2018 corporate strategic goals and projection at sector command ojodu berger1 omeje urged truck and tanker drivers to follow rules and regulations of driving articulated vehicles by fixing their speed limit devices1 he also charged them to avoid alcohol intake and shun reckless driving for safety on the road1 also mr bisi kazeem the frsc head of public education said that the corps was taking precautionary action following the june 28 tanker explosion at the otedola link bridge on lagos-ibadan expressway1 kazeem said we are charging them to start engaging their members in rigorous traffic training so as to meet minimum safety standards concerning their vehicles1 it is very important to train and retrain them to enable them to follow the rules and regulations at the same time to meet the road standard concerning their vehicle1 in his remarks the national chairman nupengptd mr salmon oladiti on behalf of his members commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in the fire incident1 oladiti described the incident as an unfortunate occurrence saying that members of the nupeng ptd have been avoiding such calamities1 according to him the union has been collaborating with the frsc and other law enforcement agencies in observing minimum safety standards on the highways1 all efforts will be put in place to ensure that this kind of disaster does not recur on our roads he said1 -
Court grants Badeh permission to travel abroad
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the federal high court abuja on wednesday granted permission to former chief of defence staff alex badeh to travel abroad to visit his family and friends1 the judge justice okon abang granted badeh permission following an application by his counsel mr akin olujimi san1 as a result of some reservations by the prosecuting counsel mr rotimi jacobs san abang ordered that one of badehs sureties must sign an undertaking that he would return to face his trial1 he also said the surety must deposit his international passport with the court pending the return of badeh to continue with his trial1 jacobs had said that although he was not opposed to badehs application to travel he was concerned that no reason was given as to whether he was traveling for medical reasons or holiday1 justice abang adjourned the matter until oct. 22 to oct.26 for continuation of trial1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that badeh was earlier re-arraigned on a 14-count charge bordering on fraud to which he entered a not guilty plea to all counts1 the former defence chief is standing trial for allegedly abusing his office by diverting n3.97 billion1 the diverted money is said to have been meant for arms purchase in the face of worsening destructions by boko haram terrorists1 meanwhile the judge adjourned the case of former pdp spokesman olisa metuh until july 6 for continuation of trial1 -
School feeding: Kaduna teachers eating food meant for pupils
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kyari said teachers eating up food meant for pupils have been warned to desist from the act or risk sanction1 a has alleged that some teachers in kaduna state were eating the food meant for pupils in the ongong federal governments school feeding scheme1 ms rachael musa one of the monitors said during a town hall meeting on the federal governments home grown school feeding programme in kafanchan jemaa local government said the ration do not usually go around1 musa also said although every child was supposed to be given an egg once week the eggs do not usually go round because of short supply1 similarly mr monday john another monitor alleged that some politicians were collecting money from food vendors on the ground that they were not members of the ruling all progressive congress1 john also said that some members of the peoples democratic party have equally stopped their children from eating the food saying it could be poisoned1 he described the development as serious and urged those involved to stop the act so as not to sabotage the programme1 mrs esther gushe assistant head teacher aduwan iii primary school confirmed that eggs were always in short supply in her school1 mr yakubu kyari the desk officer of the programme in the local government said he receives between 300 and 400 crates of egg weekly instead of the 730 crates for the 177 schools in the area1 the school feeding field monitors of the ngo connecting gender for development cogen on wednesday made the allegation during a town hall in the state1 cogen head of programmes mr ebenezer omolekun told the town hall meeting that findings by the ngo revealed that one egg is being shared for between two to four pupils in 46 schools whiletwo pupils share juice and biscuit in 26 schools1 he explained that the meeting with the theme together we can build our lga and make it more prosperous was primarily organised to mobilise communities and stakeholders to monitor the implementation of the school feeding programme1 he explained that cogen with support from macarthur foundation is tracking the programme in 60 schools 20 each in kaura jemaa and zangon kataf local government areas1 he said that the goal was to ensure successful implementation of the programme in promoting learning enrolment retention and completion of primary schools by pupils1 the official said that similar town hall meetings were organised in kaura and zangon kataf to enlist community support in monitoring the programme1 what we want is to ensure transparency accountability and responsiveness by all stakeholders involved in the programme omolekun said1 also speaking the chairman of the local council mr peter averik commended the ngo for supporting the federal government initiative and pledged their support because the programme is for the benefit of our children and our community1 also mr hosea david district head of ambam kaninkon commended the ngo for creating the needed awareness on the programme and enlisting their support to ensure success1 the news agency of nigerian nan reports that 420 schools in the state are being tracked by five ngos with support from macarthur foundation1 -
Macron: What happens in the shrine remains in the shrine
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watch the video3 macron described the afrika shrine as an iconic place of strength music culture and the late fela as a politician who wanted a change for the society2 macron challenged nigerian youths to get involved in politics to change the narrative of the nation2 macron while describing politics as important said only nigerians could change their image before the comity of nations2 he noted that the future of africa and the task of making it great rested with africans saying that the youths have a crucial role to play2 africa needs a new generation of africans to share the new narrative about africa all over the world he said2 according to him politics is important because it is a tool to change the society2 i am very happy to be here. let me remind you that this place shrine is a music place as well as politics which is needed to change the society2 so i will say to the youths politics is important be involved he said2 macron also announced the launch of the 2020 african cultures season in france2 he said the event would help create a unique face for african culture in europe2 ambode said the event was also about celebrating african culture which was a positive step for france as it sought to rebuild its relationship with africa2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the event had in attendance personalities including dr peter obi former governor of anambra chief olusegun osoba former governor of ogun prof. wole soyinka sen. ben bruce among others2 but he was not ready to go down memory lane on tuesday night and instead threw the humorous line at the audience1 the french president gave the challenge at the event tagged celebrate african culture1 french president emmanuel macron on tuesday night made the audience at fela anikulapo kutis afrika shrine laugh when he joked that what happens in the shrine remains in the shrine1 in another video of the night posted by afrika shrine on instagram president macron was caught along with host governor akinwunmi ambode applauding the afro-ballistic performance by femi kuti and his positive force band1 earlier gov. ambode said macrons visit was expected to signal the dawn of a new collaboration between france and lagos state in the quest to make the state the culture and entertainment capital of africa1 he was asked to relive some of his nostalgia of having been a patron of the shrine when he worked in nigeria at the french embassy in 20041 some of the memories of his six months stay in lagos he relived when he met president muhammadu buhari in abuja including remembering attending a concert by femi kuti felas first son1 nan reports that the event presented an opportunity for macron and ambode to interact with musicians artists fashion designers and film makers1 reported1 -
Macron urges Nigerian youths to join politics
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macron while describing politics as important said only nigerians could change their image before the comity of nations2 i am very happy to be here. let me remind you that this place shrine is a music place as well as politics which is needed to change the society2 africa needs a new generation of africans to share the new narrative about africa all over the world he said2 according to him politics is important because it is a tool to change the society2 macron described the afrika shrine as an iconic place of strength music culture and the late fela as a politician who wanted a change for the society2 he noted that the future of africa and the task of making it great rested with africans saying that the youths have a crucial role to play2 so i will say to the youths politics is important be involved he said2 macron also announced the launch of the 2020 african cultures season in france2 he said the event would help create a unique face for african culture in europe2 ambode said the event was also about celebrating african culture which was a positive step for france as it sought to rebuild its relationship with africa2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the event had in attendance personalities including dr peter obi former governor of anambra chief olusegun osoba former governor of ogun prof. wole soyinka sen. ben bruce among others2 earlier gov. ambode said the presidents visit was expected to signal the dawn of a new collaboration between france and lagos state in the quest to make the state the culture and entertainment capital of africa1 french president emmanuel macron has urged nigerian youths to get involved with politics to change the narrative of the nation1 the french president who was accompanied by gov. akinwunmi ambode of lagos state gave the challenge during a visit to the afrika shrine in ikeja on tuesday night at an event tagged celebrate african culture1 nan reports that the event presented an opportunity for macron and ambode to interact with musicians artists fashion designers and film makers. nan1 -
Senate plans state police
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bukola saraki @bukolasaraki8 the senate president @spnigeria3 we have talked about the fact that whether these killings were initial acts of aggression or reprisal attacks it is clear that either way it is totally unacceptable and we must condemn it in all totality he said2 secondly these are acts of criminality and we should not encourage any other colouration to it be it religious or otherwise. this is criminality. and as such we have a role to ensure that we must address this criminality to see how we can fight it2 we have spoken on many platforms and made suggestions to the executive on the fact that there is a need for an urgent review of the security architecture of the nation2 having made suggestions and listened to security agencies over the killings saraki said it was important for the lawmakers to do their own part2 we as the senate must come up with our own actions. we do not need to flog the issue. we have told the executive what to do. we have told them privately and we have told them publicly. however on our own part we must decide on what we need to do2 in his comments the senate president condemned the killings once again and said it was necessary for the senate to condemn it and play its role in ensuring the security of lives and property1 in reaction to the killings the senate had previously called for more decisive action with some senators demanding the removal of the service chiefs1 the decision of the senate to amend the constitution in favour of state and community police followed a debate on the killings across the country and in plateau state after a point of order raised by former plateau governor senator jonah jang1 saraki said on tuesday today my colleagues and i in the eighth senate resolved to begin the process of amending the constitution to allow for the creation of state and community police. this is following our debate on solutions to the killings across the country1 he told the conference of state assembly speakers that he and his colleagues in the 8th have resolved to begin the process of amending the constitution to allow the creation of state and community police1 the senate president revealed in a tweet1 today my colleagues and i in the 8th senate resolved to begin the process of amending the constitution to allow for the creation of state and community police. this is following our debate on solutions to the killings across the country1 senate president bukola saraki has said the senate plans to amend the 1999 constitution to allow for the creation of state and community police as a major strategy in combating insecurity1 the plan by the senate comes after years of calls by a section of nigerians for the creation of state police and debate over the issue1 the senate condemned the terrorist attacks mass killings and displacement of the people and occupation of their homes and farmlands1 we must all put aside our political personal and ideological differences and work together to stop the bloodshed he tweeted1 update security senate begins work on creation of state and community police. the senate president speaks1 recent killings in several states have revived the debate over state police with several governors lamenting over time about their helplessness to provide security for residents of the state1 saraki said the security and welfare of the people is primary purpose of government. this is what the constitution we all swore to uphold says. at no time whether in the past or in the present is it okay to lose even one nigerian life1 -
Nigeria, France in $475m deal
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addressing newsmen after the signing of the agreements buhari and macron who addressed a joint press conference at the forecourt of the presidential villa expressed the readiness of their countries to continue to promote socio-economic interests for the general good of both countries1 nigeria and france on tuesday in abuja signed three agreements worth us475 million on social amenities and reforestation1 president muhammadu buhari and the visiting french president emmanuel macron witnessed the signing of the agreements during their bilateral talks held at the presidential villa abuja1 the lagos agreement involved a letter of intent for the financing of urban mobility improvement project through a loan of 200 million dollars1 the urban mobility project will involve development of eight priority bus corridors connected to the lagos mass transit network1 in ogun a french firm in conjunction with the nigeria sovereign investment authority is to mobilise from investors about 200 million dollars for land reclamation to correct the massive degradation of arable land being witnessed in the state1 gov. ibikunle amosun who spoke on the signed agreement said the project aimed to reforest 108000 hectares of depleting forest in ogun1 amosun therefore hailed the signing of the agreement describing it as very vital to not only addressing climate change challenges and recreating the forest but also providing employment to the people of the state among other benefits1 france through its foreign development agency whence francaise de development afd will also extend a credit facility of 75 million dollars towards improving water supply in kano city1 the concessional loan is expected to help kano state government ensure more residents of the city have access to drinking water while improving the financial viability of the state water board to increase its revenues1 the agreements cover urban mobility improvement programme of lagos state sustainable water supply in kano city and reforestation in ogun1 the two presidents pledged to increase the cooperation between nigeria and france in tackling security challenges occasioned by boko haram and isis jihadists in nigeria and the sahel region of africa1 macron said he was more concerned about how african governments organised themselves to effectively tackle the challenges posed by terrorists on the continent1 he said the main plan is an african plan and france is not the one to solve or fix african situations1 so what we want to do is that we will intervene and maintain our presence in africa and sahel to fight against terrorism especially in mali and in the region1 what is important to me is how the different african governments organise themselves to fight against terrorism and get rid of these people and especially jihadism. that is why i do promote the g5sahel initiatives1 as far as we are organised nigeria niger chad and cameroon is also very important it is boko haram. i think first we have to increase the operations and the pressure against these jihadists1 we can fix the situation in the coming months and obviously france will remain present in africa for as long as they want it1 on his part buhari thanked french government for its support and assistance to nigerias efforts in combating insurgency and violent extremism in the country and the sahel region1 he said already nigeria had cultivated the culture of friendship with all its neighbours with a view to ensuring security and political stability in the region1