President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday arrived in Taraba as part of his tour of troubled states which included Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers.

Buhari would visit Mambilla, Taraba state where some people were killed in a communal clash last week.

The President would also embark on a trip to Ghana, to attend the 61st independence anniversary of the country.

A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, the Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, issued in Abuja on Monday, said the President decided on the visits after reviewing security reports on the incidents.

The presidential aide noted that the unfortunate incidents in the affected states had led to tragic loss of lives and kidnapping of innocent Nigerians, including 110 schoolgirls stolen by Boko Haram on 19 February, in Dapchi, Yobe State.

Adesina recalled that the President had earlier directed the Armed Forces and other security agencies to compile comprehensive reports on the various incidents.

He said: Having received and studied the reports, the President has decided to undertake an on the spot assessment of the various occurrences and to meet and console the communities affected.

From today, March 5, he will visit Taraba, and subsequently Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers States.

According to Adesina, President Buhari has been receiving daily briefings and is in constant touch with the Governors for update on the situations.

NPower beneficiaries welcome Buhari to Jalingo.

He quoted the President as calling on all Nigerians especially those in the affected areas, to cooperate fully with security agencies to enable them curb the spate of crimes, prevent further occurrence, arrest perpetrators and bring them to justice.

In a tweet, N-Power Team Taraba State Welcomes President Muhammadu Buhari To Taraba At The Entrance Of The Taraba State Government House. #PMBinTaraba pic.twitter.com/GOLFhgr9k5

M.kabir Salim Babajo (@SalymBabajo) March 5, 2018

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has presented an ostrich egg with the map of Africa painted on it to the the President of Ghana,Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Saraki who is in Ghana for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Ghanaian Parliament presented the painted and lacquered egg which was made in Bauchi state, Nigeria, to promote made in Nigeria goods and arts.

Decorated ostrich eggs were traded as luxury items from the Middle East to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron Age (1200-300 BC).

The presentation of the egg was the highlight of the meeting between the President of the Nigerian Senate and the President of Ghana on the sidelines of the anniversary celebration.

Speaking at the meeting with Ghanaian President, Saraki reviewed the history of Nigeria-Ghana diplomatic relationship submitting that it has improved democracy and good governance for the people of both countries.

He appreciated the relationship of the countries pointing out that the invitation of President Mohammadu Buhari and himself to witness the celebration of Ghanas 25 years of parliamentary democracy is a sign of the growing good relationship between the two nations.

According to Saraki, Nigerias Senate and the National Assembly in general is committed to improving the quality of governance in favour of the people, a resolve which he said had resulted in the enactment of several laws and passage of important resolutions.

In his remark, Ghanas President, Akufo Addo, noted that because of the key roles played by parliaments in good governance, the two countries are paying much attention to boosting parliamentary relationship.

Akufo Addo who noted that parliaments in both countries had become very robust and rich in the quality of legislations, said that it was in the best interest of the people that support must be accorded the legislature to continue its work.

He stated that the collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana in good governance and democracyhas been of great benefits to Africa and its people.

Source: NAN

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and three other heads of international election observation missions in Sierra Leone on Monday pledged to remain impartial and ensure that the election complied with the relevant regional protocols and international best practices.

Mr Paul Ejime, spokesman of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), on behalf of others,said the missions agreed to continue constructive engagements with the countrys stakeholders and to hold further consultations among themselves before and after the elections.

Sierra Leoneans would vote in the countrys presidential, parliamentary and local Council elections on Wednesday.

The meeting of the monitors, coordinated by ECOWAS and the African Union, was held to strategise on effective value addition to the electoral process ahead of the election on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Prof Amos Sawyer, Liberias former Interim President, for ECOWAS; and Kgalema Motlanthe, the former South African President for AU.

The two other leaders were Ghanas former President John Dramani Mahama, for the Commonwealth and Nigerias former President Goodluck Jonathan, for the Election Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).

After an exchange of information on the work of the observers on ground, the Heads of Missions discussed the level of preparations for the poll.

They also discussed emerging scenarios, identifiable challenges, especially the and legal issues before the Supreme Court and the way forward.

They noted that while international observers could render support, the success of the electoral process is the primary responsibility of Sierra Leoneans, the missions said.

According to the missions, the new ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Gen. Francis Behazin had joined the Prof. Sawyer-led ECOWAS Observation Mission as leader of the Commissions Technical Support Team to the Mission.

NAN reports that the Sierra Leone Telegraph, reported that both Dr Samura Kamara of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) and Dr Kandeh Yumkella of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) Presidential candidates are facing separate suits against them at the Sierra Leone Supreme Court.

The separate petitions are to determine if they are qualified to contest the presidential election.

The petitioner against Kamara wants the Supreme Court to disqualify him for violation of electoral laws, which states that all public officials wishing to contest the elections must have resigned from their posts at least 90 days prior to the elections.

He is alleged to have been receiving his government salary as foreign minister and had failed to resign his job in accordance with the law.

It is also alleged that Samura has both Sierra Leone and British citizenships, and has failed to renounce his British citizenship before his nomination as the presidential candidate of the ruling APC.

On the other hand, the case against Yumkella, who is also contesting Parliamentary election at the same time, was filed by APC, claiming he is ineligible to contest the constituency election in Kychum, his place of birth, in the Northern district of Kambia.

The Sierra Leones National Electoral Commission (NEC) has declared that Yumkella was free to contest the parliamentary election until decided otherwise by the Supreme court.

It was reported that Yumkellas name is on the ballot papers for both presidential and parliamentary elections.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, in the National Assembly, Senator Andy Uba has condemned the violent clashes between youths of Umunze and operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) in the state.

In a statement issued by Joseph Itazi, Media Assistant to the Senator, Uba called for peace and restraint on the part of the two waring parties.

As the Senator representing the good people of Anambra South, I received the news of the clash, between the youths of Umunze and agents of SARS with immense sadness.

I immediately reached out to my Constituency office members and mandated them to do an on the spot assessment of the present situation and report back to me.

I will also get in touch with the Inspector General of police and request for immediate investigation and resolution of the crisis.

Peace must be restored in the community.

I hereby urge the warring youths and SARS operatives to desist from any action that will further fuel the clash.

I am calling for peace and restraint from both parties, enough blood has been shed already, further loss of lives will not help in solving the problem. he said.

The senator expressed optimism that the Police IG will do all in his power to ensure peaceful resolution of the clashes.

Many people are feared dead after youths in Umunze community in Orumba South local government area of Anambra state, clashed with men of the State Anti-Robbery squard SARS,over the weekend.

According to reports, trouble startedon the evening of Saturday March 3rd when a hilux car belonging to SARS parked in front of a popular relaxation spot known as guzoro and operatives of the squad started have altercations with customers that were having drinks.

Source: NAN

Tottenham Hotspur will look to use the momentum of a brilliant comeback as a springboard to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Spurs host Juventus in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday with little between the sides following an opening 2-2 draw in Italy.

That scoreline seemed unlikely after Gonzalo Higuains brace in the first nine minutes put Juve in control.

But striker Harry Kane pulled one back and after Higuain missed a penalty, Christian Eriksen completed the fightback.

That leaves it all to play for at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham are brimming with confidence, with two away goals possibly proving crucial.

Probably we were not the favourites before but people are looking at us after that performance at Juventus and saying we should go through now, Kane said.

We know we played well out there and on another day we could have won but we are not getting carried away.

We know it is a big game. Champions League nights are what we all want to be involved in and this is a chance to get into the quarter-finals.

Spurs are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions and Wembley, their temporary home while their new stadium is being built, has become somewhat of a fortress.

That couldnt be said back in August, when talk of a curse ran rampant following their past failures at the English national stadium.

Tottenham won just one of four Champions League and Europa League matches there last season as construction on their new ground began.

Moving there for the entire 2017-18 home campaign, they started with a loss and a draw to leave them with just two wins in 12 games at Wembley since it re-opened in 2007.

However, they rebounded to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in their Champions League group-stage opener, kick-starting a current run of one loss in 21 home games.

I think its a fantastic run at home, manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

We can say Wembley is our home and that is so important for the team.

Since the beginning of the season and last season when we used to play here in the Champions League or Europa League, it was a strange feeling, a difficult feeling.

Now I think for our fans and us, its like our home.

Pochettinos men seem to relish playing big teams at Wembley this season.

Since losing to Chelsea in August, theyve beaten Liverpool, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal there.

And next up is Italian giants Juventus, twice Champions League winners and runners-up twice in the past three seasons.

Of course, we are going to play one of the best teams, or clubs, in Europe, Pochettino said.

It will be very tough but I think we are going to arrive in a perfect condition to challenge them.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN

Africas richest business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Tuesday described Lagos as the most convenient and peaceful state for doing business.

I am not advertising for Lagos, but try another state, you will see hell, he said in a terse remark at the forum of `Lagos Means Business.

He also supported the Governor Akinwumi Ambodes appeal to Lagos residents and business community to continue to pay tax.

You should pay your taxes to Lagos state, Dangote said.

During the question and answer session, Ambode assured every Lagosian that he would make their taxes work for them with a transparent and incorruptible government with good value for taxes paid.

We are not true citizens until we become responsible tax payers.

If the vision of a prosperous Lagos is to be achieved, the State must retreat from borrowing to finance its infrastructure and pay back later in the future with high interest rate.

He also appealed to residents to embrace the Land Use Charge and ensure that commercial property owners pay the charge.

The governor explained that pensioners, owner occupiers, NGOs, churches and Mosques are exempted from the payment of Land Use Charge.

The good part of the arguments trailing the Lagos Land Use Charge is that the State Government is ready for dialogue and will welcome the complaints of dissatisfied members of the public in this regard.

The good part of the arguments trailing the Lagos Land Use Charge is that the State Government is ready for dialogue.

Business owners paying Land Use Charge should see it as part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities.

He also urged citizens to have a change of orientation on how governments properties were handled.

The properties should be protected so that resources expended on repairs could be channelled to other areas of needs.

Although the state spends a large chunk of its revenue on recurrent charges, but could not retrench civil servant.

They are only about 103,000 taking care of 24 million people. They help to keep the social fabric together, he said.

Source: NAN

By Ijeoma Ndubisi

An expert, Prof. Haruna Ayuba, has proposed evaporation suppression as an alternative technique of restoring Lake Chad to save it from extinction.

Ayuba, an environmental scientist at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), made the proposal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that water transfer was the first option in restoring the lake, adding that this would require the movement of water from another river.

Suppressing evaporation can also help in the restoration of Lake Chad. We live in the tropics and we receive much water from rainfall.

The water disappears through evaporation; we can suppress the evaporation which is the amount of moisture that goes up into the atmosphere.

Part of the reasons for the drying up of Lake Chad is the high rate of evaporation of water, he opined.

The don said that there was need to create more awareness through stakeholders on how to devise measures to save the shrinking of the lake.

Climate change is a developmental issue, every hand must be on deck.

We need to build capacity, tell people the signs of climate change, because some people dont understand that.

We need all the experts, stakeholders to develop a policy framework that people need to follow, he said.

Similarly, he said that science and technology, if properly utilised by indigenous scientists, could ameliorate the challenges of restoring the lake.

According to him, development of science and technology in the country is still laid-back, adding that there is lack of a strategic plan to build the sector.

He decried lack of equipment in tertiary institutions for the study of science-related courses, adding that it remained the bedrock of technology development.

Ayuba noted that polytechnics in the country, which were established to drive the technology sector, had been allegedly disregarded.

We have also killed our polytechnics; the polytechnics are supposed to help in building the technical manpower in the country.

Now, the emphasis is on paper qualification, even those who graduate from polytechnics are coming to take degrees all over again, he said.

He stressed the need for the nation to lay serious emphasis on practical application of acquired knowledge as against the present craze for paper qualifications.

Lake Chad Basins 25,000 square kilometres size in the 1960s had shrunk to 2,500 square kilometres in 2000.

Source: NAN

Florida lawmakers have voted to enact new gun control measures, weeks after one of the worst school shootings in US history took place in the state.

The Senate narrowly passed a bill that would raise the age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21 and require a three-day waiting period for most weapons.

Senators voted 20-18 in favour, after an amendment removed a provision to arm classroom teachers.

The law now requires approval from the House of Representatives and

Seventeen people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Florida city of Parkland on 14 February by former student Nikolas Cruz.

Many of the

The national minimum age to buy a handgun is already 21, with a three-day waiting period. However, a person can be as young as 18 to buy a rifle in Florida, with no waiting period.

Source:

Source: NAN

Saudi Arabia has donated of $10 million to aid the fight against the insurgency as Nigeria.

Saudi Arabias donation is part of the King Salmans Humanitarian Aid and Relief Programme.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabias Defence Minister, Mr. Nasir Mutbak, said in Abuja on Tuesday that the donation is for the provision of food and basic amenities in camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East.

We are here to implement King Salman issued to help our brothers in IDPs and refugees in North-East, we are here to reach out, and provide assistance for our brothers in that region. And of course, the donation will be $10 million.

Nigerias Defence Minister, Retired Brigadier General Mansur Dan while receiving the team from Saudi Arabia said the fund will go a long way in helping to fight terrorism in the country.

Source: NAN

France plans to fix the legal age of sexual consent as 15, so that an adult who has sex with someone younger than that will be charged with rape.

Equality Minister Marlne Schiappa welcomed the move with advice from doctors and legal experts.

Currently, prosecutors must prove sex with someone under-15 was forced in order to bring rape charges.

The change came amid uproar over two recent cases of men accused of having sex with 11-year-old girls.

The government is to approve the new age limit as part of a package of other laws against sexual violence and harassment in the coming weeks.

It had been discussing whether to set the age as 13 or 15, which is what groups fighting violence against children had campaigned for.

Under the existing legislation, if there is no violence or coercion proved,.

This has a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 (66,000; $87,000).

, but rape convictions carry much harsher punishments.

Ms Schiappa told AFP news agency that she was very glad that the higher age was chosen. The limit is also supported by President Emmanuel Macron.

Minister of Solidarity and Health Agns Buzyn saidand that everyone would see what was legal and illegal, Le Figaro newspaper reports

Read more at :http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43300313

Source: NAN