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Buhari shocks Oyegun, reverses tenure elongation
News & Trends •
this motion was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last nec meeting even though some of our party members have since spoken up very vehemently against it. others have even taken the matter to court2 buhari said he was optimistic that the on-going meeting would provide an avenue to resolve the outstanding issues and consolidate plans towards making apc stronger1 he told the national executive committee meeting of the party in abuja on tuesday that he had reflected on the elongation and also sought advice and had come to the conclusion that it is unconstitutional1 the apc had in its nec meeting on february 27 extended the tenure of members of national working committee nwc led by john odigie-oyegun by one year1 president muhammadu buhari has ordered the reversal of tenure elongation of chief john odigie-oyegun and other national and state executive officers of the all progressives congress apc1 i have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution. and what i found is that it contravenes both our party constitution and the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria1 while the apc constitution in article 171 and 13.2b limits the tenure of elected officers to four years renewable once by another election the 1999 constitution of nigeria as amended in section 223 also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals which must not exceed four years1 furthermore article 31 of our party constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post must resign from his current post at least one month before the election1 he described the elongation of their tenure by one year as unconstitutional1 buhari explained however that it was expected that a fresh elections be conducted once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end1 a caretaker committee cannot remedy this situation and cannot validly act in place of elected officers1 furthermore i think if we deviate from the constitutional provisions we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. if the tenure of our party executives can be legally faulted then it means that any nominations and primary elections that they may conduct can also be faulted1 this is not to talk of divisions that would arise and is already arising within the party when some of our members feel that they are being denied the right to aspire to executive positions or that internal democracy is not at play within the party1 i am therefore of the firm view that it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and national constitutions rather than put apc and its activities at grave risk1 he said that a timetable had already been approved for the holding of congresses and elections1 i think these should be allowed to go forward and all efforts should now be geared towards making them a great success1 -
Just In: Nigerian youths form political party
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this is not a party registered for the 2019 presidential elections. we are here for the long haul and wish to call on all true patriots of our fatherland to get involved as we embark on this journey towards building nigerias first and truly modern democratic party olateru-olagbegi said1 nigerian youths have formed a political party modern democratic party mdp to enable them place active role in the upcoming elections in 2019 and beyond1 the registration of the political party is an strategy to enable the youths in nigeria to position themselves for political leadership1 the new party led by 27-year old activist and entrepreneur prince bukunyi olateru-olagbegi represents the new face of active youth involvement in politics1 the party which was registered by the independent national electoral commission inec on january 10 2018 intends to galvanise youths into engaging in policy formulation government accountability and running for political office1 according to olateru-olagbegi the party belongs solely to nigerians who yearn to see a difference in politics and governance1 he explained that the mission of the party is to be home for those who are weary of the status quo and want to be part of something fresh new untainted and different1 we are focused on harnessing the mental and physical resources of this unique generation of youth brimming with fresh ideas and innovations which will finally put nigeria in its rightful place on the world stage1 we know that the journey ahead of us will be long1 the formation of the party came at a time that when not too young to run bill is still pending assent of president muhammadu buhari1 last year the nigerian senate passed the not too young to run bill which seeks age reduction for elective officers in the country and allows the youths an opportunity to contest for the office of the president at the age of 35 and governor or senator at the age of 301 as young people across the country are calling on buhari to assent to the bill the modern democratic party has gone ahead to unveil its manifesto and planned activities in preparation for next years general elections1 the party is a youth-driven political organization committed to producing and sustaining efficient transparent and accountable leadership in all spheres of governance for the benefit of nigerian citizens1 the party meant for an emerging generation of young people with an unwavering love and belief in nigeria and her potential to take its rightful place as one of the greatest nations on earth1 nigerias youth have finally come of age they have become mature and they fully understand the shifting power dynamics of nigerian and global politics1 never in the history of nigeria has there been such a technologically-savvy generation with access to information and knowledge that can transform this country profoundly1 mdp hereby offers to nigerias emerging and immensely talented generation a credible and powerful platform to realise their dreams for this great nation he said1 the vision of the party is to build a nation where the aspirations of citizens can be realized irrespective of their social political ethnic or religious convictions1 it values includes fairness inclusiveness transparency and accountability1 -
Tinubu praises Buhari for steering APC back to legality
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while it would have been easy to allow the ill-conceived motion of 27 february to stand president buhari showed principle and courage by steering the party back to its original and correct path1 the all progressives congress national leader asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu on tuesday applauded president muhammadu buhari for steering the party back to the correct path after the president in a surprising announcement ruled against elongation of the tenure of the apc national working committee nwc 1 president muhammadu buhari had earlier on tuesday advised the party to dump the elongation of the tenure of national and state executive officers of the all progressives congress apc1 he told the national executive committee meeting of the party in abuja on tuesday that he had sought advice on the elongation and had come to the conclusion that it was unconstitutional1 the apc at its nec meeting on feb. 27 decided to extend the tenure of members of national working committee nwc led by john odigie-oyegun by one year1 in his reaction tinubu said president buharis action saves the party from serious legal turmoil1 if the elongations were deemed illegal then all subsequent party actions including the nomination of all of our candidates for elective offices might also be of questionable legality1 such a predicament would constitute an unnecessary and mortal blow to the party and its role in promoting progressive governance to nigeria1 moreover president buhari has affirmed for all to see that our party is one based on the rule of law coupled with a firm adherence to internal democracy1 tinubu heaped praises on the president in a statement released by tinubus media officer mr tunde rahman in lagos1 according to him the president has spoken1 today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality1 his action will also serve to strengthen the party by allowing party members including present incumbents to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit1 his action will go far in advancing the process of internal reconciliation that is now underway he said1 tinubu said it was time for the party to move forward and begin to plan and organise the needed congresses according to the existing timetables1 after all a party bearing the name all progressives congress should be the last party to resist holding congresses in which all its people have a fair say and fair chance to aspire to any position in the party for which they are qualified to hold1 again this is a good day for the apc and democratic practice in nigeria1 we shun the politics of old to move toward a new and better way of governing ourselves and this nation he said1 -
Discrepancies in NNPCs remittance stalls FAAC meeting
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the inconclusive federation account allocation committee faac meeting has forced finance minister kemi adeosun to liaise with the nnpc over discrepancies in payment into the federation account1 this is coming after faac noticed discrepancies of about n37.76 billion in revenue presented by the nnpc1 adeosun who is also the chairman of faac said she called for an emergency meeting next week with the group managing director of nnpc mr maikanti baru and other key management staff over revenue payment into the federation account1 the minister in a statement made available to newsmen by her senior adviser on media and publicity mr oluyinka akintunde assured nigerians that the faac meeting would hold on wednesday at 9. a. m1 she said that the accountant general of the federation commissioners of finance and accountant-generals of the 36 states would also be present at the meeting1 similarly she said that other representatives of the nnpc federal inland revenue service nigeria customs service department of petroleum resources would also be at the meeting. nan1 -
Trump cancels special status for Liberians
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president donald trump on tuesday ordered an end to special legal status for certain immigrants from liberia including some who have lived in the united states for decades effective next year citing improved conditions in the west african nation1 liberia is no longer experiencing armed conflict and has made significant progress in restoring stability and democratic governance according to a memorandum signed by trump and released by the white house1 trump has pursued a crackdown on legal and illegal immigration since becoming president last year1 some liberians have been eligible for either temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure since march 1991 due to civil war fragile political and economic conditions and an ebola virus outbreak in 2014 the memorandum said. the special status will end on march 31 20191 liberia has also concluded reconstruction from prior conflicts which has contributed significantly to an environment that is able to handle adequately the return of its nationals trump said1 the 2014 outbreak of ebola virus disease caused a tragic loss of life and economic damage to the country but liberia has made tremendous progress in its ability to diagnose and contain future outbreaks of the disease trump added1 a 12-month wind-down period starting march 31 2018 will allow the liberian government to prepare to re-integrate returning citizens and give time for affected liberians to make necessary arrangements said the memorandum which was addressed to the department of homeland security1 trump previously included three other african countries chad somalia and libya among several nations whose citizens were blocked from entering the united states1 african politicians and diplomats blasted trump in january after he was reported to have used vulgar language to describe african countries and haiti with some calling him a racist1 trump later denied making the remark1 -
Mandelas hands sell for $10m
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mr mandela was jailed for 27 years for fighting white minority rule in south africa1 solid gold castings of the hands of south africas first black president nelson mandela have been sold for 10m 7m in bitcoin1 canadian crypto-currency exchange firm arbitrade bought four casts from south african businessman malcolm duncan according to a report by bbc africa1 the firm said it planned to launch a global golden hands of nelson mandela tour to educate young people about the anti-apartheid icons life1 this is the first time artefacts of mr mandela have been sold in bitcoin1 the castings of the late former south african presidents hand palm and fist are believed to be the only ones left in the world1 he was released in 1990 and served as president from 1994 to 19991 mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. he had turned into a global brand with businessmen and artists cashing in on his name1 mr duncan who now lives in canada bought the casts from mining group harmony gold in 2002 for about 310001 half of the money paid to harmony gold was meant to go to charity but it remains unclear as to whether that happened bloomberg news agency reports1 harmony said it had supplied mr duncan with the necessary paperwork verifying the provenance as requested by his attorneys but declined to comment on what happened to the donation bloomberg reports1 -
Nigeria’s journey in the last three (3) years has been very turbulent - Buhari
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nigeria’s journey in the last three 3 years has been very turbulent - buhari1 turbulent naija1 president muhammadu buhari on monday admitted that nigeria has been turbulent since he came on board in 2015. the president made this comment while inaugurating the food security council chaired by him. at the inauguration1 the president spoke about nigeria’s “very turbulent” journey in the past three years1 -
Super Eagles opponents Iceland, boycotts World Cup 2018
Sports •
super eagles opponents iceland2 boycotts world cup 20181 iceland boycotts world cup1 iceland on monday announced it would stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2018 world cup in russia over the poisoning of a former double agent in britai1 “icelandic officials will not go to the fifa world cup in russia this summer1 ” a statement from the foreign ministry read1 -
Pure water seller and dapchi schoolboy freed by Boko Haram
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dapchi4 dapchi school girls4 dapchi girls3 dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families2 pure water seller and dapchi schoolboy freed by boko haram1 the boy came to the dapchi girls secondary science and tech college to sell pure water1 when he was kidnapped alongside the dapchi schoolgirls1 -
PDP should be axed for playing politics with security issues - Lai Mohammed
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apc8 pdp3 pdp should be axed for playing politics with security issues - lai mohammed1 for alleged politicising dapchi incident1 disgraceful and insensitive politics1 the former ruling peoples’ democratic party pdp deserves to be de-registered1 -
Dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families
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buhari15 dapchi4 dapchi school girls4 dapchi girls3 dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families2 the 105 rescued dapchi schoolgirls1 have reunited with their families amidst celebrations after their meeting with president muhammadu buhari1 -
Yolanda, 9, Martin Luther King Jrs grandchild joins gun protest in US
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afp25 yolanda renee king the nine-year-old granddaughter of civil rights icon martin luther king jr. brought many to tears on saturday with a surprise appearance at the washington d.c rally by american students calling for gun control from congress and president donald trump1 i have a dream that enough is enough she said referencing her grandfathers famous 1963 i have a dream speech on ending racism1 and that this should be a gun-free world period1 watch yolanda speak1 martin luther king jr.s granddaughter yolanda renee king speaking at the march for our lives in washington d.c1 democracy now @democracynow1 demanding action on gun control from lawmakers more than one million americans turned out for emotional nationwide protests on saturday fuelled by teenagers at a florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month1 politicians either represent the people or get out cameron kasky a 17-year-old from marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland florida told the crowd at a huge rally in washington1 stand for us or beware the voters are coming said kasky one of the leaders of a dynamic and passionate student movement which has emerged following the february 14 shooting at his school1 large crowds also turned out for demonstrations in atlanta boston chicago dallas denver los angeles miami minneapolis seattle and other cities more than 800 in all according to the organizers of the march for our lives1 mayor bill de blasio said 175000 people took part at the new york rally tweeting these students will change america1 but the largest protest was in washington where organizers told nbc news the crowd was estimated at more than 800000 people the largest gun control rally in the united states since the million mom march in 20001 the main stage for the event in washington was set up near the us capitol and lawmakers were the target audience as speakers delivered blistering warnings that the time has come for stricter gun laws1 my grandfather had a dream that his four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character yolanda told a rapt crowd1 the people demand we prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines. the people demand universal background checks1 we are going to take this to every election to every state and every city said another stoneman douglas student leader david hogg1 march organisers included a link for people to register to vote on their marchforourlives.com website as they seek to transform their nascent movement into a potent political force1 signs carried by protestors lambasted lawmakers who oppose tougher laws and the national rifle association nra the powerful us gun lobby1 these kids are right said jeff turchin a 68-year-old retired garment manufacturer who came to washington from new york to attend the rally1 theyre basically saying the nra is paying off these republicans turchin said of the party of president donald trump which controls the senate and house of representatives1 the washington rally kicked off with andra day singing rise up and also featured a performances by jennifer hudson whose mother brother and seven-year-old nephew were shot dead in 20081 holding a poster reading never again the slogan for the march miley cyrus performed the song the climb1 but the most riveting appearances were by the stoneman douglas students1 emma gonzalez 17 took the stage wearing a green military-style jacket and ripped jeans and delivered a eulogy for the 14 students and three adults slain by 19-year-old gunman nikolas cruz1 tears rolling down her face she then stood in silence at the podium for a full four and half minutes as the crowd fidgeted and some cried out were with you emma1 since the time that i came out here it has been six minutes and 20 seconds gonzalez finally said the exact amount of time cruz spent spraying bullets inside her school before fleeing1 fight for your lives before its someone elses job gonzalez said. get out there and vote1 the people demand a law banning the sale of assault weapons kasky said1 -
Echoes of restructuring resonate in Yenagoa
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according to him the alliance between the southern nigeria and middle belt is for inclusive nigeria to effect the restricting of the nation to a federal system of government where each and every federating unit shall hold equal and coordinate powers1 some leaders from south west and middle belt at a rally on saturday restated their call for the restructuring of nigeria1 the mega rally was organised by pan niger delta forum pandef in yenagoa where they jointly announced their resolve to work together for the realisation of the goal1 they contended that restructuring was the best solution to the current challenges confronting the nation1 president general igbo apex organisation ohanaeze chief nnia nwodo who said he was in support of restructuring stated that such move would go a long way to better the lives of all nigerians1 what we mean by restructuring is fair treatment and justice restructuring is a called for new nigeria which will enhance unity and justice of the people1 our people need unity equity and justice as citizens restructuring implies the structural and a physical paradigm of nigeria to give all sections a sense of belonging nwodo said1 dr bala takaya president of middle belt forum who decried the level of security challenges in the country stressed the need for restructuring of the nation1 the leaders are from south-south south-west and the south east and middle belt influential have reiterated the need to restructure the country1 he said we hereby invite fellow nigerians desirous of equity fairness and justice in the affairs of our dear country to join us in the task of moving the country forward1 our desire and commitment is that our dear country may resume her delayed journey towards the fulfilment of its manifest destiny takaya said1 in his remark chief edwin clark leader of pan niger delta forum pandef said the leaders of the region were strongly in support of the move for restructuring of the nation1 according to clark nobody is more important than any other person in this country every nigerian is equal and all we are asking for is fair treatment for all citizens1 chief ayo adebayo leader of pan-yoruba socio-political group said afenifere also supported the move to restructure the country1 the host and bayelsa governor seriake dickson commended his guests and their renewed call for restructuring of the nation1 we gathered here in bayelsa the heart of ijaw nation today for a course for an egalitarian and prosperous nigeria dickson said. nan1 -
Dino Melayes recall process resumes Tuesday
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at the appeal court last friday in abuja the three judges led by justice tunde awotoye dismissed the appeal filed by melaye against the judgment delivered by justice nnamdi dimgba at the federal high court in 2017 on grounds that there was no cause of action1 in line with the judgement of the court of appeal recall process embarked upon by the independent national electoral commission inec would begin on march 271 inec said that april 4th will be the last day for the submission of application by interested observers1 it listed april 20 as the last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners1 the electoral umpire is also invoking sections 69 and 110 of the 1999 constitution as amended and section 116 of the electoral act as amended1 voters in kogi west senatorial district of the embattled senators appended signatures for the recall of the senator1 inecs director of publicity and voter education mr oluwole osaze-uzzi had earlier said for now all legal hurdles as far as we are aware have been removed so the commission should proceed as if the case did not occur1 the recall process was commenced by inec but melaye headed for the court to halt it but he lost at the high court and thereafter appealed1 according to the schedule released by inec the notice of verification would be displayed in the constituency in kogi state1 justice dimgba had on september 11 2017 dismissed the suit filed by senator melaye seeking to stop inec from initiating his recall from the national assembly1 he held that senator melayes complaints were hasty premature and presumptuous and therefore ordered inec to go ahead with its planned verification exercise of the 188588 registered voters who were said to have signed a petition in support of the recall process1 unsatisfied with justice dimgbas judgement malaye proceeded to the appeal court two days later arguing that the federal high court judge erred in law when he validated the petition presented to inec for his recall1 but the appeal court in dismissing the suit held that the federal high court ought not to have entertained melayes suit ab initio1 the court held that the 90 days stipulated by the constitution within which a recall process could take place has no time limitation stating that the lower court ought not to have entertained melayes suit ab initio1 asked about the specific steps inec would take in continuing the process based on the judgement mr osaze-uzzi said the commission would get in touch with melaye and ask him to give it an agent after which it would conduct a verification exercise for the signatories to the recall petition1 the electoral body will also release a timetable informing nigerians of every step in the process and the date for each1 -
First Village Headmaster, Ted Mukoro dies at 89
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we were used to seeing them come here and give him briefs to write. he would be up till 4 a.m. he had a great work ethics not a lazy man1 theodore mukoro 89 the pioneer headmaster and lead character in the now rested nta soap village headmaster is dead1 even when he had cataract surgery he came home the same day mrs angela ajetunmobi one of the two surviving children said1 she told the news agency of nigeria nan that late pa mukoro the first person to act the headmaster role in the popular but now rested soap had a brief illness that led to his death1 this illness before his death was very brief now i know what people mean when they say died after a brief illness1 he took ill on saturday was admitted in hospital on sunday and he gave up in the of wednesday march 7 in the arms of my sister-in-law the wife of my fathers only surviving son1 the doctors were wondering why and asking what was the relationship between uncle ted and his daughter-in -law1 they were very close and it was like he had waited for her to arrive in the hospital that morning. he was said to have held her hand and took his last breathe1 he just slipped away while we were planning his 90th birthday for october ajetunmobi told nan1 in terms of broadcasting the late ted mukoro was one of the first 10 people to appear on wntv screen as newscasters when it was set up by the late chief obafemi awolowo the premier of western region at the time she said of her fathers career1 uncle ted was the first person to play the role of the headmaster in the popular soap opera called the village headmaster usually transmitted on the nigerian television authority nta some years ago1 he was also one of the first persons to write scripts for the soap opera1 i recall that the first two or three scripts of the village headmaster series were written by him as well as produced a few episodes. he coined a few of the characters names such as jigabi and bassey okon1 he was very much involved with production of the now defunct household name opera1 ajetunmobi said that her late father also feature in dinner with the devil alongside popular actress omotola jolade ekeinde1 according to her uncle ted continued to work till the week before he died he was consulted widely for the advertising world when many advertising agencies were working on new projects1 my father late theodore mukoro was never ill to the extent of being on admission for once until the last one where he died on march 71 ajetunmobi said that in every job his father did while alive he always left his mark and was very famous. in advertising he retired as the first indigenous creative director of lintas communications nigeria ltd1 he worked for star beer where he coined the phrase shine shine bobo and black tin good o for guinness beer1 i remember patti boulaye obe who also featured in the lux soap advert he shot in miami florida in the us1 he had a lot of achievements in the advertising world. we including my late mother grew up in front of the television participating in adverts angela ajetunmobi told nan1 she added that her father was great with the pidgin language as a warri boy as well as the queens english1 he would get angry with corrupted pidgin english1 he was a typical warri boy and he also considered himself a typical lagos boy because he had lived and worked all his life in lagos she said1 ajetunmobi added that her parents were originally living in warri from where they moved to ibadan where she was born1 they finally moved to lagos ending up at the nigerian television then ntv where he was employed as a news caster1 my father was a very interesting person. he never stopped educating. that was something that i found very interesting about him1 whenever he was watching my interviews on the television he wasnt listening to the thrust of the conversation all he was listening to was how i was pronouncing my words the tenses and things like that1 those were the things he focused on. he was a perfectionist in that regard. he was a great wordsmith. words were his life1 he impressed that upon us. one of the things we his children are really good at is communicating with words1 ajetunmobi added that because of her fathers love for words the family house was and still is full of books. he was a books person he read until his last day1 before he died at 89 i was planning to set up a library in his honour and that of my mother who died in 2010. i would still do it in their honour1