The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Alhaji Abubakar Kusada of the All Progressives Congress(APC) as winner of the bye-election into the House of Representatives .

The election was conducted in the Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa Federal constituency in Katsina state on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Kusada was the speaker of Katsina state House of Assembly before his election today.
Prof Adedayo Hamza, the returning officer who announced the result on Saturday in Kankiya said Kusada scored 48,518 votes to emerge winner.

Alhaji Abdussamad Yusuf of PDP came second with 20,193 votes, while Nasiru Kankiya of the Peoples Redemption Party scored 1,810 votes as second runner-up.

Abdullahi Umar of the Yes Electorate Solidarity (YES) got 221 votes.

According to Hamza, the total number of registered voters in the constituency is 193,904, while the number of accredited voters was 74,242.

The number of valid votes cast was 70,742 and rejected votes 2,331.The total number of votes cast was 73,073.

Mr Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner, advised political parties to intensify voter education and management of polling units.

He commended the political parties, security agencies, mediamen and other stakeholders for the peaceful conduct of the bye election .

Source: NAN

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress appears to be cruising to victory in the bye election to fill the vacant Kwara House of Representatives seat for Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Irepodun/Isin Federal Constituency.

Collated results from polling booths and wards indicate that the APC candidate, Raheem Olawuyi is ahead of his PDP counterpart, Jimoh Alatise.

In Oro Ward 1, the collated result showed that the APC polled 685 votes, while PDP got 481. In Ajase Ward 1, APC got 1,350
and PDP 1145. The PDP candidate also lost his polling unit to his APC rival 80-120 votes.

Results from polling booths also indicated a similar trend.

The by-election was called by the Independent National Electoral Commission following the death of Ms Funke Adedoyin, who was representing the constituency.

Turnout for the election was impressive, according to a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria.

The conduct was peaceful, hitch-free and orderly in all the voting centres visited.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, voted at PU 006, Ile Onikoyi Ward II, Oro at about 9.45 a.m.

He expressed satisfaction at the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

The minister said this in Oro, Kwara while addressing journalists after casting his ballot.

Mohammed added that the election in Oro and other polling units in the local government was generally peaceful.

He commended INEC for organising a peaceful and hitch-free by-election in the four local government areas of the constituency.

The minister also commended the conduct of the security personnel in maintaining peace and orderliness during the accreditation and voting.

Mohammed, however, added that it was early to start receiving situation reports from the polling booths across the four local governments.

He expressed confidence that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), would emerge victorious at the end.

I am confident that my party, APC will win the election, I cant say otherwise. APC will be victorious, the minister added.

At Ijomu Oro, NAN reports that accreditation and voting started promptly by 8 a.m. with voters in the five polling units in the town on queue for accreditation and voting.

A chieftain of the APC in the town, Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, commended INEC for the prompt commencement of accreditation and voting.

Adedoyin, a journalist, said the initial low turnout of voter was because they saw the by-election as a minor one, adding that they later turned out in large numbers.

He also expressed optimism that APC would win the by-election.

At Isanlu-Isin in Isin local government, all the 14 voting units were filled with voters eager to be accredited.

A chieftain of APC in the town, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, said he was satisfied with the conduct and turnout of voters.

He said the people turned out in their hundreds to cast their votes because they desired a change in governance in the state.

The people, without being coerced, came out to vote because of their yearning to effect a change of government in Kwara, Oyedepo said.

Source: NAN

A teenagerwas mauled by awhile spearfishing off the northern coast of Australia on Sunday, authorities said.

The 17-year-old boy was bitten on his arm and leg about 18 miles offshore from Nhulunbuy, a town in the Northern Territory, according to police in the region.

The teenager was treated by paramedics at the scene and then airlifted to Royal Darwin hospitalhaving suffered deep lacerations, a Careflight spokesmanthe Guardian.

I believe the people on the boat [did] an amazing job to stem the bleeding and to give him first aid treatment prior to the arrival of paramedics, Craig Garraway of St. John AmbulanceThe ABC.

The Australian network also reports that officials believe the boy was attacked by a reef shark.

Garraway said that he couldnt recall a shark attack in the Northern Territory before.

This latest incident comes on the heels of another shark attack in which a man was bitten on the beach Saturday south of Wollongong in Australia.

That man, who is 24 years old, was learning how to surf at the time.

He had wounds to his hand and calf and was later taken to St. George hospital.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar, wife of the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar has said that her husband is a man of integrity, stressing that she married him for his honesty and patriotism.

Mrs Abubakar disclosed while receiving a campaign group, Women for Atiku, that no one knew Atiku better than she does, having been married to him for 47 years.

She stressed that contrary to unverified and vague allegation of corruption by political detractors, Atiku was actually a man whose integrity, honesty and sincerity earned him her love.

I usually got confuse Whenever i read the false allegations of corruption being spread by mischief makers against my husband in the media.

Most times i ask myself if they were referring to my husband whom I have been married to for 47 years or a different person.

Their descriptions only befits the opposite of Atiku Abubakar, because he is not corrupt as alleged, Titi Said.

She further stressed that sice she married Atiku 47 years ago, she had never found him wanting in honesty, sincerity, integrity and patriotism to his fatherland.

She narrated how they were brought together by Divine Destiny.

I was on my way back to Nigeria from Benin Republic wher I went to visit my aunt at the idioroko boarder and was accosted by ofifcers of the Customs Service.

They had demanded that I pay duty for a pair of brocade material which was a gift from my aunt, an argument ensued between us and i told them to have the brocade material for a keep because i couldnt comprehend why i should pay duty for a pair of brocade.

Suddenly an officer by name Atiku Abubakar who heard our argument summoned the officers to come along with me to his office.

He was the head of the command at the time. After listening to both sides, Atiku demanded for the duty charge, dipped his hand into his pocket and paid the duty and handed me the receipt smiling and saying that I will pay him back.

As the head of the command he could have simply commanded them to let me go if he chose to, but his patriotism to fatherland would never allow him do so, and that singular act swept me off my feet and i eventually fell in love, she said.

The National Coordinator of Women for Atiku Mrs Blessing Egbara thanked Mrs Titi Abubakar for the warm reception accorded to her group.

She pledged that the group would continue to mobilise women across every ward to vote for Atiku Abubakar in 2019.

Egbara said that the National leadership and the 36 state coordinators of the group visited to inform her that with the commencement of the campaign, the group is set to penetrate the nook and crannies of Nigeria to mobilise the desired support toward 2019 Atiku victory.

Egbara said that the group would embark on voters mobilisation and education adding that the group would also mobilise all registered voters to collect their Permanent Voters Cards PVCs.

Source: NAN

By Yunus Yusuf

Oil marketers on Sunday appealed to Federal Government to effect quick payment of its outstanding N800 billion subsidy debts.

The marketers, underthe aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), made the appeal in a joint interactive session with journalists in Lagos.

They urged government agencies saddled with the settlement of the payment to expedite action to save marketers from closing shop as interest on loans mounted.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) had in its Oct. 31 resolution directed the Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office (DMO) to meet with oil marketers and other stakeholders on grey areas and report back within one week.

Mr Clement Isong, Executive Secretary of MOMAN,said that the unpaid debts had negatively impacted their working capital leading to their inability to pay their banks and service providers.

He urged government agencies concerned to address the bureaucratic bottlenecks causing the delay in the payment process, adding that the delay had resulted in degrading oil and gas downstream subsector and hampered marketers business operation.

NAN reports that MOMAN is a downstream oil and gas group made up of six major marketers including Mobil, Conoil, OVH Energy, Forte Oil, MRS Oil and Total Nigeria Plc.

The MOMAN scribe re-assured government of their readiness to ensure availability of petroleum products across the country during and after the yuletide period, adding that marketers were fully ready to work with government on effective products distribution.

According to him, the major challenge the Nigerian downstream petroleum sector is facing is the non-payment of the long outstanding fuel subsidy to oil marketers.

We appreciate the efforts of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council in approving payment, but the non-payment creates a significantly negative impact on the operational efficiency of the downstream sector of the oil industry.

`Thereby placing a severe strain on its efforts to continually invest in infrastructure and raise industry standards.

We hope that the debts will be paid in full to the oil marketers as soon as possible, he said.

Isong disclosed that the debt owed MOMAN members alone stood at over N130.7 billion as at August 2018.

He said that once reconciliation had been done and a particular figure was agreed as debt, he could not understand why settlements had not been made.

Similarly, Executive Secretary, Deport and Petroleum Products Marketers of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, said that the processes highlighted for payment by the government were inimical to the operations of their businesses.

Adewole said: The processes they have highlighted is killing our businesses. Immediately the banks read in the media that the National Assembly had approved, they went to court, got injunction and seized our assets.

Adewole said that 60 per cent of marketers have been forced out of business as banks have taken over their depots, assets and properties, due to their inability to pay back monies borrowed to import fuel.

He said many marketers were forced out of business, while others are struggling to survive due to governments inability to settle the subsidy arrears, saying the development is threatening investment in the downstream subsector.

The DAPPMAN scribe stressed that while the Federal Government had earmarked money to clear the debts, the marketers were yet to be paid.

The debt has had very adverse effects on our operations. I am aware of two depots that have been forcibly taken over by banks, because they got injunctions from the courts.

They did so the moment they heard that the National Assembly approved payment of the debt to marketers. Unfortunately, as at today the money was yet to get into our accounts, he said.

Adewole pointed out that the other challenge was that many of the marketers had laid off more than 90 per cent of their staff because of financial constraints.

He however said that government had promised that part of the money would come as promissory note and cash, saying the information gathered was that the government may pay only in promissory note.

It means you have to go back and discount this promissory note in the bank. This means we are losing because the money has been delayed and this adds to the interest to be charged on our accounts.

NAN also recalled the Debt Management Office (DMO) on Oct. 31, says it has commenced the accelerated implementation of settlement of government arrears through promissory notes to oil marketers.

The DMO made this known in a statement issued in Abuja when it met with the Senate Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector to discuss the issue of the outstanding payments to oil marketers.

According to the statement, the implementation is in line with the process approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

It also quoted Sen. Kabiru Marafa, Chairman, Oil and Gas Senate Committee, as calling the meeting to ascertain the status of the implementation of the approvals given by the National Assembly for the settlement of arrears to oil marketers.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Finance, DMO, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and representatives of oil marketers.

The obligations due to the oil marketers represent interest accruals and foreign exchange differentials, it said.

Source: NAN

The Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, commended security personnel for their high level professionalism, civility, politeness, firmness and unbiased conducts during the by-elections conducted on Saturday.

The by-election into House of Representatives were conducted in Katsina, Kwara and Bauchi.

In a statement issued by the Spokesman of the Police, Mr. Jimoh Moshood on Sunday in Abuja, Idris is also elated with the performance of police personnel and that of other security and safety agencies.

He also appreciated the law abiding attitude and peaceful conduct of the good people of the states.

Idris particularly commended the Commissioners of Police in the states and those who presided over security in Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency of Kwara State, Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa Federal Constituency of Katsina State and Toro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State.

The Inspector General of Police deeply appreciates the high level commitment of the Police Personnel and that of other Security and Safety Agencies in ensuring adequate security, secured and conducive environment for free and fair Bye-Elections in the affected Federal Constituencies in Kwara, Katsina and Bauchi States.

The Force equally appreciates the law abiding attitude and peaceful conduct of the good people of Kwara, Katsina and Bauchi States, the Traditional Rulers, Religious Leaders, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Staff, Local and Foreign Election Monitors/Observers, Situation Room Election Observers/CSOs, other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Media and other critical stakeholders for a good working relationship with the security personnel deployed for the election.

The good disposition and spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by most of the political parties in the elections which doused fear and tensions during the elections is gratifying and highly commendable.

As a lead security agency in election security in a democracy, the IGP once again commends the police for their sacrifice, collective patriotism and commitment in ensuring that the elections were conducted in an atmosphere of peace devoid of any breach of public peace and security throughout the period of the elections.

The impressive performance of the Police personnel to ensure law and order, and a successful election is a clear testimony of the capability of the Nigeria Police Force in its renewed commitment to continue to adhere to International Best Practices in the conduct of elections in the country now and the upcoming 2019 General Election.

The Nigeria Police Force, he said would continue to sustain the elections security successes recorded in gubernatorial elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States, and the just concluded by-elections.

Source: NAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says incumbent Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 elections.

Tambuwal finished second behind Atiku Abubakar, who emerged the party presidential candidate at its Convention held in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State on Oct. 6.

Festus Okoye, INECs National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, who confirmed the substitution said Tambuwal now replaces the name of Manir DanIya, earlier submitted as the party flag bearer.

It was believed that DanIya, who was Tambuwals Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, had only held the PDP governorship ticket for Tambuwal in case he (Tambuwal) lost the partys presidential ticket.

DanIya had emerged as PDP consensus candidate.

Okoye also noted that DanIya, by the substitution, automatically becomes the deputy governorship candidate of the party for Sokoto State.

Source: NAN

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

The Federal Government is considering setting up an education bond to finance infrastructure in public universities, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

Buhari made the idea known at University of Ibadan on Saturday on the occasion of the institutions 2018 Convocation and 70th Foundation Day Ceremony.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Office of the Vice President, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said Buhari, who is Visitor to the University, was represented by the Vice President. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Buhari restated that education could not be left to Government alone as none of the worlds leading universities depended wholly or even substantially on government funding.

He said that universities all over the world had evolved innovative means of financing and investment to meet their funding needs and become financially sustainable.

Buhari added that one of the solutions that must be explored was the alumni network, noting the University of Ibadans vast alumni network, by virtue of its age, had a lot to offer.

Amongst other options we are working on the details of an education infrastructure bond for public universities, to involve raising money from the capital market to give a push to infrastructure in our universities.

Our on-going talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) are a fallout of the chequered history of negotiations concluded in 2013 with government.

There is no question that ASUU has a point. However, we must seek to resolve it amicably and with minimum disruption to the academic calendar.

According to him, given the radical changes that technology has brought to bear in both the challenges and opportunities in education, the N-Power employment scheme of the Buhari administration provides a technology platform to train teachers.

Buhari noted that the N-Power programme a technology driven employment and skills training programme, had employed 500,000 young men and women who were hired using a technology platform developed by young Nigerians.

We have had the collaboration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Oracle Academy, Microsoft, Cisco Academy and IBM.

How do we train teachers quickly and efficiently, aside from traditional teacher training institutes which must be refitted to deal with new technology-driven pedagogy? We must use technology platforms to train.

We have had a few eye openers in this regard when we launched our N-Power programme.

We trained them and provided materials for continuous training using our open platform and each of them was provided with an electronic tablet which contains a lot of training and teaching materials for the large number who teach in schools in every local government in Nigeria, he said.

Buhari said that in the next few years, both teacher training and teaching would be largely driven by technology; with university education, especially scientific research, made easy by virtual reality and Artificial intelligence tools.

The president said that the current gaps in educational attainment in the country had made it clear that Nigeria had to change both the substance of education its children received and the methods by which they are taught.

According to him, the early stage investment in primary and secondary school education is key to becoming a knowledge-driven economy.

He said that Federal Governments policy was to develop and introduce STEAM education Science Education, Engineering, Arts and Math curriculum in primary and secondary schools.

Buhari said that the curriculum covered training in skills in cross disciplinary, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and digital technologies, coding, digital arts, design thinking, and robotics.

Other notable Nigerians who spoke on the occasion were Governor of Oyo State, Mr Abiola Ajimobi; Gen.- Yakubu Gowon; the Chancellor of the University and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III as well as the Pro-Chancellor, Joshua Waklek.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari should be allowed to complete the good work he started and would be too risky and dangerous for power to return to the Peoples Democratic Power (PDP) in 2019.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said at an event organised by Buhari Media Organisation in commencement of campaigns for the Feb. 16, 2019 Presidential Election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Jan. 9 released the timetable and schedules of activities for the 2019 general elections.

According to him, the PDP has not shown remorse for what they had done and had not admitted their mistakes and has not taken steps to address those mistakes.

They want to compound matters for Nigeria. It is too dangerous and risky for power to return to PDP, Garba said.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari would win clean and square on the basis of the record that the administration had achieved.

In 2015, we ran on the basis of promises, majorly insecurity, anti-corruption and repositioning of the economy on all of these three counts, he has achieved 90 per cent.

The time has come that we are going to unfold to the nation, all achievements and Nigerians will not make the mistake of taking us back to where we were in 2015.

This election is going to be a tough one but Buhari is going to win.

Dont mind the noise, dont mind all the propaganda. Buhari will come back. He has done it before, he is doing it now. He is going to do it for the country again, he said.

The spokesman added that the president was rebuilding the country saying this was not a time to change a president.

He must be allowed to complete the good work he had started.

Whatever they say, he has minimally 12 to 14 million votes coming from masses in elections. This is not going to change in 2019.

This election will be a work-over for him, he said.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi said 2019 would be about truth and falsehood, reality and illusions.

For me, these two choices are not difficult to choose from. Obviously, we know where we are coming from.

We are coming from a period in time which people just did anything they wanted to.

Today, we are having a different government under our President who is definitely taking things the way they should be.

We had a very serious infrastructural deficit and because of that our productivity is extremely low.

The most sensible thing for anybody to do and which this government is doing creditably is to focus on infrastructure, Abdullahi said.

On her part, the National Coordinator for Women for Buhari and Osinbajo, Fatima Adams said women must support the president for continuity.

Women must mobilise for President Buhari for the future of our children, she added.

Earlier, Chairman, Buhari Media Organisation, Mr Niyi Akinsiju said Buhari had built a new foundation for governance with the change mantra. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reduced the 14-year jail term of former Plateau governor Joshua Dariye.

He will now spend 10 years, according to the judgement delivered on Friday.

The Appeal Court also reduced the 14 year jail term of former governor Jolly Nyame of Taraba state to 12 years.

Both governors got the reprieve on account of being first time offenders.

Justice Banjoko had on May 30, 2018 found Nyame, a former Taraba State governor guilty and sentenced him to 14 years for criminal breach of trust, two for criminal misappropriation, seven for gratification, and five for obtaining by dishonesty to run concurrently.

The trial judge on June 12, 2018 also found Dariye, a former Plateau State governor guilty of 15 out of the 23-count amended charge brought against him by the EFCC bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds, and sentenced him to 14 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, to run concurrently.

The two former governors, who are currently serving their jail terms at Kuje Prison, had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to have their convictions and sentencing set aside.

The three-man panel comprising of Justices Abdul Aboki, Stephen Adah and Atinuke Komolafe-Wilson, which sat on the Dariye appeal, gave its verdict on November 16, 2018.

Reading the lead judgement on behalf of the panel, Adah, stressed that it was a unanimous decision. The Panel upheld the conviction of Dariye based on counts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 13, 17, 21 and 22.

Adah, however, stressed that the lower court ought to have given consideration to the fact that Dariye was a first-time offender, and also set aside his conviction based on count 12, while quashing his conviction based on count 23.

In view of being a first-time offender, their lordship reduced his sentencing of 14 years for criminal breach of trust to 10 years on each count, reduced his two years sentence to one for misappropriation of funds, all to run concurrently.

The forfeiture order of the lower court is also upheld, Justice Adah added.

Meanwhile, Nyame was not so lucky as the Panel that sat on his appeal, comprising of Justices Aboki and Emmanuel Agim, not only upheld his conviction, but also fined him N495 million.

Reducing the sentencing of the lower court in conformity with Section 315 of the Penal Code and Section 416 of the ACJA 2015, Justice Agim who read the judgement, commuted Nyames jail term to 12 years and fined him N100 million each on counts one, two and six; N50 million on count eight; N20 million on counts 10, 12, and 14; N10 million on counts 16, 18, 20, 27, 29, 30, 31, and 32; and N5 million on count 36, totalling N495 million.

Nyame also had his sentence reduced from 14 years to 12 for criminal breach of trust, from seven years to five years for gratification and five years to four, for obtaining by dishonesty.

Source: NAN