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Rodman, Kim Jong Uns friend going to Singapore for summit
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afp25 flamboyant former us basketball star dennis rodman has said he will fly to singapore to support his friends donald trump and kim jong un at their historic peace summit on tuesday1 rodman has made five trips to pyongyang since kim took power and once called him his friend for life1 thanks to my loyal sponsors from @potcoin and my team at @princemrketing i will be flying to singapore for the historical summit the former chicago bulls forward tweeted late friday1 ill give whatever support is needed to my friends @realdonaldtrump and marshall kim jong un1 cannabis cryptocurrency potcoin also sponsored rodman to visit north korea in 20171 the message included a photo montage of rodman standing between kim and trump who is giving a thumbs-up. the us and north korean flags appear in the background and the trio stand above the word unite in large capital letters1 in a subsequent tweet rodman wrote to all americans and the rest of the world im honored to call @potus a friend. hes one of the best negotiators of all time and im looking forward to him adding to his historic success at the singapore summit1 that tweet included a picture in which the basketball star stands next to a broadly smiling trump1 his tweet came after the white house thursday ruled out any role for the high-profile retired player in the hotly-anticipated talks with the north korean leader with whom rodman has struck up an unlikely friendship1 rodman is great on the court but negotiations should be left to those who are good at it trump is the best white house spokesman hogan gidley told fox news on thursday1 gidley said he expected trump and kim to have an amazing conversation without dennis rodman in tow1 trump confirmed that rodman would not be attending the summit as he met with visiting japanese prime minister shinzo abe1 i like him. hes a nice guy. no he was not invited trump told reporters1 after the summit was first announced in march rodman said on twitter he had great respect for both men1 rodman first visited north korea in 2013 with members of the harlem globetrotters basketball team and in 2014 put together a team of north korean basketball players for an exhibition match marking kims birthday1 his last trip was in june 2017 when he gave kim a copy of trumps best-selling book the art of the deal1 rodman also appeared twice on trumps pre-presidential reality tv show celebrity apprentice1 the white house had earlier shot down any suggestion that the five-time nba champion rodman would be present for the negotiations1 -
Taliban in surprise ceasefire with Afghan forces
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the taliban announced its first ceasefire in afghanistan since the 2001 us invasion on saturday with a three-day halt in hostilities against the countrys security forces that was greeted with relief by war-weary afghans1 but the group warned the suspension of fighting for the first three days of eid the holiday that caps off ramadan did not extend to foreign occupiers who would continue to be targeted by the militants1 the unexpected move came two days after the afghan governments own surprise announcement of a week-long halt to operations against the taliban1 it is the first time in nearly 17 years of conflict that the militants have declared a ceasefire albeit a limited one1 all the mujahideen are directed to stop offensive operations against afghan forces for the first three days of eid-al-fitr the taliban said in a whatsapp message to journalists1 but it added that if the mujahideen are attacked we will strongly defend ourselves1 the taliban said foreign occupiers are the exception to the order sent to its fighters around the country1 our operations will continue against them we will attack them wherever we see them it said1 even a brief cessation of hostilities would bring welcome relief to civilians in the war-torn country nearly two decades after the taliban regime was toppled1 in recent years the resurgent militants along with the islamic state group have stepped up their attacks on kabul in particular making it the deadliest place in the country for civilians1 -
Polls in 2 Kaduna LGs aborted
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chikun lga held no elections on june 6 during the rescheduled polls because our office was invaded and staff molested. elections did not hold she said1 the chairman of kaduna state independent electoral commission dr saratu dikko on friday said election did not hold on wednesday in chikun and kaura local government areas of the state1 dikko said at a press conference on friday evening in kaduna that two different results were declared by separate officials in the election conducted in jaba local government1 she said free fair and credible election was conducted in jaba local government during the rescheduled polls but two results were announced from the same election1 according to her only the tribunal could resolve the issue and advised the two political parties that participated in the exercise to approach the local government election tribunal on the matter1 on the failed election in chikun and and kaura local government areas the chairman said that the commission would come out with a position later1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the commission had rescheduled the election after it failed to conduct the exercise on may 121 she added that the result declared by one dr sani mohammed who claimed to be the returning officer for the local government was fake1 on the situation in kaura she said that some stakeholders had refused to allow the distribution of election materials insisted that the returning officers must be around for easy identification at the end of the exercise1 dikko however said that the rescheduled poll held in some wards of kaduna south local government area where it was earlier declared inconclusive1 the chairman stated that after the final tally of the votes kabiru yakubu-jarumi the chairmanship candidate of the apc won with 50404 votes while the pdp candidate scored 23425 votes1 she said that the election was also concluded in makarfi central ward in makarfi local government area where suleiman adamu of the apc won with 1770 votes against pdps aliyu lawal who scored 1615 votes1 -
Tribunal dismisses election petitions against Gov. Obiano
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on the whole the petition failed as it patently lacks substance and merit it is accordingly dismissed in its entirety consequently we affirm as valid the election and return of the first respondent as governor of anambra it ruled1 the anambra governorship election tribunal has dismissed two of the three petitions against the victory of gov. willie obiano in the nov. 18 2017 election in the state1 justice a.o. ayoola and justice birnin kudu were member 1 and member ii respectively of the tribunal1 nan reports that the all progressives grand alliance apga and the independent national electoral commission inec were first and second respondents respectively in the matters1 dr chukwudi obianaso and ms praise okechukwu candidates of african democratic congress adc and mega progressive people party mppp in the same election had prayed the tribunal to invalidate the victory1 obianaso in his petition said the election should be nullified because it was marred with corrupt practices perpetrated by obiano and his agents in connivance with inec1 inec should conduct a fresh election and obiano be disqualified to contest in the fresh election he said1 in her petition the mppp candidate said obiano was not duly elected or returned by the majority of lawful votes cast and that the exercise did not comply substantially with the electoral act1 obiano did not score the majority of valid votes cast in at least two-third of the 21 council areas in anambra in the election thus his return by the third respondent is unconstitutional irregular null and void and of no effect whatsoever she said1 the certified true copy ctc of the judgments made available to nan on friday by the tribunal said okechukwu could not substantiate her claims of electoral malpractice with credible evidence1 it said those allegedly involved in vote-buying and polling units where the alleged corrupt practices took place were not mentioned and that only one witness was not enough to testify on the claims1 the petitioners have woefully failed to prove by any credible evidence that the first respondent was not duly elected or returned as governor of anambra by the majority of lawful votes cast1 the petitioners have abysmally failed to prove with any modicum of satisfaction that the election in question was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non-compliance with provisions of electoral act 2010 as amended1 the tribunal affirmed obianos victory in two separate unanimous judgments delivered by its chairman justice h.a. olusiyi a copy of which was made availbale to the news agency of nigeria nan on saturday1 on his part obianaso hinged his case on the claim that obiano bought some vehicles to unmanned persons including ward local government chairmen of the party and council care-taker chairmen1 he also alleged that funds were also disbursed to them all geared toward the election and spent in excess of n200 million allowed by the electoral act 2010 as amended1 but the tribunal said though the allegations on expenses were made before the election which it had no jurisdiction the petitioner did not give names of alleged beneficiaries1 it said the alleged beneficiaries were not also joined as parties in the petition and that the petitioner did not tender any pro-forma invoice in respect of the vehicles given out by obiano1 the tribunal said the petitioner listed about 15 documents which he intended to rely upon but could not successfully tender two in evidence including p1 and p21 these according to the tribunal were ctc of newspaper publications that have no probative value1 he did not call a single witness to corroborate or substantiate his allegations and did not tell the tribunal where the unlawful campaign took place nor deem it fit to call any election monitor to testify for him1 allegations of spending money beyond permissible limit massive sharing of money to voters and unlawful spending on election day was grossly unsubstantiated and pitiably tenuous1 with all issues considered and in the light of all foregoing we come to the irresistible and compelling conclusion that the petitioner has failed to prove by credible and satisfactory evidence that the election of the first respondent as governor of anambra was marred by corrupt practices1 the sole issue for determination is resolved in the negative against the petitioner the petition is dismissed in its entirety as it is bereft of any scintilla of merit1 we hereby affirm that the first respondent was duly elected on nov. 18 2017 the tribunal ruled1 the tribunal had earlier struck out the petition of african peoples party app against the governor following the preliminary objection raised by the respondents for lack of merit1 obiano candidate of apga won the election with a total of 234 071 from the total of 488771 votes cast1 -
How burning plastics pose risk to nervous system
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according to adeboyejo 60 to 80 per cent of household waste is made of plastic and urged individuals to ensure that such are separated from other waste products1 an environmentalist mrs folasade adeboyejo has warned against the burning of plastic products because it is harmful to the human nervous system1 she said plastic waste such as polystyrene styrofoam and polyvinyl pvc should never be burnt because they release styrene gas which is harmful to the human nervous system1 she advocated recycling as the best way to avoid both the environmental and social problems created by burning of plastics1 plastics at dump sites show insufficient efforts at recycling and pose great health risk as they absorb water and therefore provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes1 recycling as a social enterprise offers colossal benefits to the environment society and economy as it has the potential to contribute to the attainment of multiple sustainable goals1 plastic recycling can become a community based initiative aimed at empowering youths to become stakeholders in the plastic value chain she said1 adeboyejo who is the head of programming protectozone told the news agency of nigeria nan in lagos on saturday that the practice of burning plastics daily poses a great risk to the health of nigerians1 polymers are in categories one to seven and recycling is made easier if i know that the plastic i am holding is pet bottle or low density polyethylene1 only plastics in similar categories can be recycled together. this is why sorting is done by the informal waste managers1 the easiest way of identifying plastics is by checking the number written in the recycle logo1 enforcing this by the government goes a long way in contributing to recycling efficiency she stated1 adeboyejo added that nigeria needed to take proactive actions to preserve sea life1 this puts our own lagoon at very high risk of endangering aqua species and this indicates the trans-boundary nature of the problem she said1 -
List of Dignitaries to Abiola's Investiture include Soyinka, Falana
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june 12 1993 was the day democracy was born in nigeria. it was the day nigerians negated all the social and political constructs that had been thought would make national unity impossible and democratic governance impossible but nigerians in their heterogeneity overwhelmingly voted for a candidate whose very essence was in defiance of religious ethnic and regional categorisation6 mko abiola5 june 125 list of dignitaries at abiolas investiture include soyinka1 falana1 -
Trump offers condolences to Bourdains family
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source63 president donald trump has extended his condolences to anthony bourdains family and remembers him as quite a character1 i think it is sad i want to extend to his family my heartfelt condolences it was very shocking when i woke up this morning to hear that anthony bourdain is dead1 i enjoy his show he was just a character he said1 us celebrity chef anthony bourdain host of cnns food-and-travel-focusedtelevision series died at the age of 611 the cause of death was suicide the network said in a statement1 he was found dead in a hotel room in strasbourg france where he had been working on an upcoming episode of his program the network said1 bourdains death was the second suicide this week of a high-profile american figure1 -
Landlady burgles tenants apartment
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the accused retained the duplicate claiming some of her belongings were still in the room1 a 58-year-old landlady mariam abdullahi was on friday brought before an ikeja magistrates court for allegedly burgling her tenants apartment to steal valuables and cash totaling n1390001 abdullahi who resides at iyana-iyesi ogun however pleaded not guilty and was admitted to a bail of n250000 with two sureties in like sum1 george said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and also show evidence of two years tax payment to the lagos state government1 the prosecutor sgt. godwin awase told the court that the accused committed the offences on march 10 at capitol road agege in lagos state1 he said that the accused broke into the one-room apartment already rented out to one miss blessing nwakibu to steal her valuables and cash totaling n139 0001 when abdullahi rented out the apartment to nwakibu the accused gave the complainant a pair of the key to the room1 the accused is facing a two-count charge of burglary and stealing before magistrate f.f. george1 when the complainant entered the room few days after packing in she discovered that the accused had already packed her remaining belongings1 she also discovered that her own property had been stolen1 the accused stole six pieces of wrappers five pairs of shoes three pairs of sandals three pairs of slippers all valued at n132000 and a n7000-cash all totaling n1390001 the case was reported at the police station which led to the arrest of the accused the prosecutor said1 the prosecutor said that the offences contravened sections 287 and 307 of the criminal law of lagos state 2015 revised1 section 287 attracts three years jail term for stealing while section 307 prescribes seven years for burglary1 the case was adjourned until june 26 for mention1 -
NASS will fast track passage of minimum wage bill Ohuanbuwa
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by joan nwagwu2 but the federal government had also resolved to set up a joint government labour committee to begin negotiation1 sen. mao ohuanbuwa deputy chairman of the senate committee on labour made this known while speaking with newsmen on friday in geneva switzerland1 ohuanbuwa said that the senate president had already given the assurance that the bill would be given express hearing and passage by the legislature1 he said w are going to fast track the bill for accelerated passage and that is what the senate president had said1 it is unfortunate that both the ministry and the executive have been going back and forth. we thought that by now that would have been resolved1 so we are looking forward to that bill because it is going to come out as an executive bill1 we are looking forward to rounding off or concluding that bill before we go on our annual break1 but the way it is it looks like we are going to wait. you know there is little or nothing we can do because it is an executive responsibility1 they are the ones who will make the payment. ours is that we have to support and agree that there is very urgent need to review the minimum wage1 he said the need to review the minimum wage is sacrosanct1 but we cannot go ahead as a parliament to legislate on that without the executive coming up with a bill. we are waiting for them to do that1 we will allow the executive and the labour leaders to resolve their differences. what we had promised and we still stand on is that once that bill comes to us we are going to give it accelerated hearing1 he called on the federal government and the organised labour to resolve their differences on the issue of the new national minimum in the interest of nigerian workers1 the national assembly will fast track the passage of the new national minimum wage bill once the executive bill is sent to it1 on whether the national assembly allow labour matters to remain on the exclusive legislative or concurrent list1 he said that but personally and since i am one of the advocate of devolution i still believe that the issue of labour should go into concurrent list1 he said that because there are states which can decide to negotiate with labour and pay within their limits. you cannot compare somebody working in abuja with somebody working in zamfara1 they can look at the rate of transport accommodation feeding and all that. they are not the same and you cannot compare abuja level to zamfara or bayelsa1 so you should allow the states some liberty to negotiate and decide and have their own pay. the only thing the federal government can do is decide what the minimum wage would be1 as some states can pay some cannot pay and you can see the level of wage debt across the country. most states cannot pay1 so we can allow some freedom. it is just like in the oil companies. they dont pay the same rates construction companies dont pay the same rate1 even in nigeria if you are working in the ministry you do not earn the same pay with a person working in central bank or in nnpc he explained1 also speaking to newsmen sen. chris ngige minister of labour and employment said that the september date for the minimum wage was just a target date1 ngige said that the minimum wage might not be feasible in september due to the processes and procedures involved1 he explained that the tripartite committees the report would pass through the federal executive council and the national economic council before an executive bill is sent to the national assembly for passage1 nlc and tuc had on may 1 jointly proposed n56000 as new national minimum wage since the existing wage was due for review on the basis of the extant labour law1 ohuanbuwa said that states should be allowed to negotiate with labour on what they would be able to pay1 -
Buhari shows uncommon courage on June 12, says Mohammed
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the minister reiterated that president buhari never made the declaration out of expediency but because that was the right thing to do1 the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed on friday said president muhammadu buhari demonstrated uncommon courage by declaring june 12 as democracy day1 the news agency of nigeria nanreports that the minister was accompanied on the visit by senior officials of government media organisations1 the minister added that the president has shown that he is a democrat and a listening leader with the declaration to immortalise late mko abiola the presumed winner of the june 121993 election1 he also said buhari has strengthened his human rights credentials by conferring the gcon award on late human rights activist chief gani fawehinmi san1 president buhari has actually demonstrated uncommon courage and shown that he is a listening president by the decision to make june 12 democracy day as against may 291 simply put the president has immortalised mko abiola and that is no mean feat. all lovers of democracy must stand with the president on the decision1 by hearkening to the yearnings of nigerians president buhari has shown he is indeed a consummate democrat1 with the decision he has shown he is a better democrat and more courageous leader than those who despite the significance of june 12 opted to celebrate may 29 for many years he said1 the minister faulted the claims by critics especially the peoples democratic party pdp that the president was playing politics with the declaration1 the minister questioned the moral authority of the pdp to make the claim as they refused to honour abiola throughout their 16 years in power1 mohammed said successive presidents merely danced on abiolas grave for 16 years as they bluntly refused to listen to the voices of nigerians1 he said the pdp did not recognise the date because members of the party lacked the sincerity and courage to do so1 the minister said this while speaking with newsmen after a condolence visit to the office of punch newspapers over the death of its chairman mr gbadebowale aboderin1 we are fortified and glad that both the families of abiola and fawehinmi have lauded the president for the declaration he added1 mohammed also described the death of the late punch chairman as a painful loss adding that aboderins demise was shocking1 the minister described aboderin as an enterprising young man who did a lot to lift the media industry as well as impact on many with his philanthropic activities1 he said the federal government shared in the loss of punch newspapers1 it is quite sad when the life of a young man like aboderin is cut short1 he was a wonderful person a dynamic and enterprising young man who did a lot to take punch to a new level both as a business and as a newspaper he said1 mohammed disclosed that president buhari was personally touched by aboderins demise hence his condolence statement1 reacting the managing director of punch newspapers mr ademola osinubi thanked the minister for the visit1 he said the newspaper was grateful as the minister made the visit out of his tight schedule1 the managing director also thanked the president for his condolences saying the organisation was moved by his concern1 nan reports that mr austeen elewodalu a director of news at voice of nigeria mr ibrahim mamanga the head of lagos operations for nan mr pius ojeh deputy director marketing nigeria television authority were in the ministers delegation1 also in the delegation was adeyinka amosun executive director of lagos operations for federal radio corporation of nigeria1 -
Buhari approves financial autonomy for state judiciary, assembly
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and then that of the state houses of assembly will stand transferred to the house of assembly of the state1 president muhammadu buhari has assented to the constitution fourth alteration bill which grants financial autonomy to the state houses of assembly and the judiciary1 enang explained that with the signing into law the constitution alteration bill the state houses of assembly would now operate like the national assembly where federal ministry of finance automatically transferred budgetary allocation direct to the account of the nass1 he said that the judiciary in the states would also enjoy similar financial independence as their budgetary allocations would no longer go through the budgeting process of the executive arms at the state level but would be transferred directly to the account of the judiciary1 therefore upon this signature the amount standing to the credit of the judiciary are now to be paid directly to the judiciary of that state no more through the governor and no more from the governors1 and then amounts standing to the credits of the houses of assembly of the respective states are now to be paid directly to the houses of assembly of that state for the benefit of the legislature and the management of the state houses of assembly1 this grants full autonomy now to the judiciary at the state level and the houses of assembly at the state level he explained1 he said well this allows the state houses of assembly to operate like the national assembly does because the national assembly does not get its money from the executive1 it provides money in the statutory transfers which the ministry of finance will automatically transfer to the account of the national assembly1 just like that of the federal judiciary you see the judiciary sometime get n150 to n170 billion sometime a little bit about a n100 billion1 it does not go through the executive and it does go through the budgeting process of the executive. it is transferred directly to the account of the judiciary which is the head of courts1 when the houses of assembly are doing their budgets the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary will now be among the statutory transfers which will be statutorily transferred to the heads of the courts1 the senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters senate sen. ita enang confirmed this development to state house correspondents in abuja on friday1 according to enang the president also signed into law the constitution amendment no. 21 which relates to determination of pre-election matters1 he said the new bill had reduced the days and time of determining pre-election matters to ensure that pre-election matters in courts do not get into the time of election and do not pend thereafter1 the relevant section of the constitution has also been amended by this act therefore amending the constitution he added1 besides enang said that buhari signed into law the act or bill no. 161 he said the intent of the bill no. 16 is to ensure that where a vice-president succeeds a president or a deputy governor succeeds a governor he can no more contest for that office more than once more1 the fact is that having taken the oath as president once and you can only contest for the office once again and no more. that is the intent of this amendment1 he said the president also signed the bill no. 9 into law1 according to him the bill no.9 gives the independent national electoral commission inec sufficient time to conduct bye-elections1 he said with the presidents signature on the bill the days for the conduct of bye-elections had been increased from seven to 21 days1 these four bills added to the not too young to run act have now been assented to by mr president and they have now become laws1 and then the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999 as amended is hereby further amended by the assents of mr president to these bills today he said1 -
Offa robbery: group urges police not to politicise case
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a youth group the concern kwara youth movement has called on the nigeria police force not to1 a statement signed by the coordinator of the group mr salahudeen lukman and made available to the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on friday called for proper investigation into allegations made against senate president dr bukola saraki. lukman said the group sympathised with the victims of the ugly incident and commended the state government and the nigeria police force for their swift response in reinforcing security in the area.1 silence in the face of injustice is sin against humanity hence the leadership of this group has deemed it necessary to make its position known on the investigation of the case1 the nigeria police force is greatly commended for the rapid action in apprehending the suspects but we are also calling on the police to ignore any form of tricks to politicise the case1 we condemn in strong term the attempt to use the souls of 33 people including a pregnant woman and nine police officers to play politics on the altar of political vendetta1 we demand that the suspects be treated as armed robbers and not political thugs since they were all arrested in connection to robbery and not as political thugs he said1 lukman urged the police not to give the incident a political name yet but face the investigation with all honesty to clear the suspicion of the people1 it is obvious that the mention of saraki as their political god father is an attempt to draw political coloration to escape or extend the judgment1 we urge the police not fall for the trick but immediately investigate to get the real culprits and prosecute them he said1 lukman said that the mention of the senate president in the case was nothing but a deliberate attempt to ridicule and tarnish his image and asked that the issue be handled with caution to avoid unintended damage to his personality.nan1 -
Air Namibia hits Nigerias sky
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read more18 the new air namibia is to launch the windhoek-lagos-accra with the return routing from accra-lagos-windhoek and will reduce flight hours in west africa by 60 per cent1 the airline said the new route fits in with growing the business and increasing our footprint on the african continent1 the air namibia route to ghana and nigeria will reduce travelling time to west africa by 60 per cent1 the acting managing director of the airline mr mandi samson said on that the airline anticipates closing a gap in the market by competitively connecting southern africa to west africa within less than six hours1 this much-needed service gives our passengers a better alternative travel option reducing travel times between namibia and west africa by more than 60 per cent1 we are happy to introduce our award-winning service in this market and we are already receiving positive feedback on the launch of this new route samson added1 the new flight would resume on june 29 2018 in lagos-accra route1 air namibia will service this new route with the airbus a319-100 offering a seat configuration of 16 business class and 96 economy class seats and offers two tonnes of cargo space. the service will operate four times a week on sunday monday wednesday and friday1 apart from providing direct connection from namibia to west africa the operation will further transport passengers and cargo on the lagos-accra-lagos route using the fifth freedom traffic rights granted by the ghanaian and nigerian governments as contained in the existing bilateral air service agreements1 the operating schedule and flight timings allow smooth and convenient connections inbound and outbound to our regional flights connecting west africa via windhoek to johannesburg cape town luanda harare lusaka vic falls gaborone walvis bay and durban samson went on1 air namibia has also appointed apg network as sales representatives in nigeria and ghana to provide full sales and marketing services as well as call centre and customer care services on its behalf1 air namibia is making a comeback to the west africa sky after abandoning the flight route to accra in 2013. the airline launched the route in 2009 but has to terminate it citing low traffic that was not enough to sustain the route1 the operation fits within our existing capacity in terms of aircraft and crew improving the utilization rates of these resources while increasing revenue generating opportunities. especially as it means we are entering africas largest regional air travel market1 -
Tinubu: Buhari confirms Abiola won June 12 election
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june 12 more than any other day symbolises the struggles and sacrifices made by countless nigerians to establish democracy as our way of national governance2 tinubu also commended the award to mko abiolas running mate amb. babagana kingibe and chief gani fawehinmi1 he said that the award of the gcfr was also an acknowledgement that abiola should have been allowed to serve as president after winning the free and fair expression of the popular will of the people1 buhari had on wednesday declared june 12 as new national democracy day with effect from 20191 buhari also said that the presumed winner of the june 12 1993 election chief mko abiola would be posthumously awarded the highest award of gcfr1 he added that abiolas running mate in the election amb. babagana kingibe and late human rights lawyer gani fawehinmi san would be vested with grand commander of the niger gcon1 tinubu said that the declaration was a good news for democracy and a proud moment for nigeria1 according to him buhari s decision has corrected the wrongs of the past1 along with all democratic and fair-minded nigerians i welcome the news that june 12 will replace may 29 as democracy day. i too applaud buhari for making this courageous and rightful decision1 he has shown all nigerians and the world that we have the moral fortitude to objectively face our history learn from it and improve our society by virtue of this learning1 president muhammadu buhari by declaring june 12 as democracy day and awarding grand commander of the federal republic gcfr to late mko abiola has confirmed that abiola won the 1993 election asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu said on thursday night1 chief mko abiola and others gave their lives that we might have democracy that the will of the people will be sovereign and not suppressed by the will of the few1 this proclamation by buhari will forever immortalise the sacrifices made by these patriots who gave off themselves in service of such a noble and rightful purpose he said1 tinubu a former senator and governor of lagos and one of the pro-democracy activists who spent years in exile made the assertion in a message entitled the immortalisation of chief mko abiola. the message was made available to the news agency of nigeria nanon thursday in lagos by tinubus media officer mr tunde rahman1 he said that chief fawehinmi was a fearless advocate for democracy and the human rights of the common man1 according to him whenever and wherever late fawehinmi spoke he spoke the language of truth to power1 tinubu said that the designation of june 12 as democracy day was the fulfilment of the dream and efforts of many of the progressives1 this fulfilment comes with a civic responsibility. we must consecrate this new holiday and ourselves so that we make it a living holiday1 more so than ever before the spirit of june 12 must live within us. it must guide our politics and how we govern ourselves1 we must continuously dedicate ourselves to the freedoms and rights as well as the duties that democracy bestows on us all political friend and foe alike he said1 tinubu said that the presidential proclamation should forever bury ill-conceived notion that president buhari was ambivalent about democracy1 according to him president buhari has shown that he not only respects democracy but duly honours it1 democracy may be rough and untidy at times but it remains the form of government best suited for a society as diverse and multifaceted as ours1 today the sun shines a bit more brightly. the sound of democracy peals more resolutely across the land. the sacrifices of chief abiola and others have been affirmed by the federal government he once should have led1 democracy has been given its proper seat. history has been corrected to the extent humanly possible. nigeria continues to define its better self1 of this new democracy day and what it symbolises we all should be equally proud he said1