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  • Sen. Ndume resumes in Senate on Wednesday

    Sen. Ndume resumes in Senate on Wednesday

    The Senate has resolved that Sen. Mohammed Ndume ( APC ) should resume sitting on Wednesday Nov. 15, since he had served out his suspension of 90 legislative days.

    The decision was reached after a closed-door meeting by the Senate on Tuesday before its plenary.

    Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy President of the Senate, who presided over the plenary, said Ndume had served out his suspension of 90 legislative days, without prejudice to the current court process.

    The Senate had, on March 29, suspended former Senate Leader Mohammed Ndume over his petition calling for investigation into the allegation that Sen. Dino Melaye, did not obtain first degree at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

    The university authorities later came out and declared that Melaye, APC – Kogi West, passed out with a degree at the institution.

    The suspension order followed the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which investigated the allegation.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Sam Anyanwu, submitted his committee’s report, which recommended that “the Senate should suspend Ndume for bringing Sen. Dino Melaye, his colleagues and the institution of the Senate to unbearable disrepute.

    “This is even at a time of our national life, when caution, patriotism, careful consideration and due diligence should be our watch words.

    “The suspension is with effect from March 29, 2017 to last for six months.

    “After having been properly cleared of any wrong doings by the findings of the committee, Sen. Dino Melaye has been cleared of the allegations made against him and exonerated.”

    Anyanwu had said that the recommendation was signed by seven members of the committee.

    NAN

  • Suspension: Senate okays Ndume’s resumption Wednesday

    Suspension: Senate okays Ndume’s resumption Wednesday

    The Senate rose from a closed session Tuesday to give nod to Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to resume sitting Wednesday.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who presided, announced the resolution of the upper chamber that its former leader, Ndume, should take back his seat among his colleagues having served out his six months suspension.

    Ekweremadu said that the resolution was without prejudice to the legal tussle surrounding Ndume’s suspension.

    Unconfirmed reports on Monday said that Ndume may not be allowed to resume sitting because he is in court with the Senate over his suspension.

    Those behind the plot to bar the Borno South lawmaker from the chamber said that it would be a misnomer to allow a member who is challenging the authority of the institution he belongs to in court to sit in the same chamber.

    Tuesday’s resolution was however seen as a welcome development by many of the lawmakers who saw it as part of the ongoing peace initiative in the chamber.

    The Senate had on Monday filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court, delivered today, 10th of November, 2017 which declared the suspension of Ndume null, void and of no consequence.

    Ndume had told reporters in Abuja that he was prepared to resume sitting on November 15, 2017 at the expiration of his suspension.

  • FG plans N1b support to fight HIV/AIDS through NHIS

    FG plans N1b support to fight HIV/AIDS through NHIS

    The Federal Government said on Monday that it would support the fight against HIV/AIDS programmes through the National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS ) in 2018.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this at the opening of a two-day Nigeria HIV/AIDS intervention symposium in Abuja.

    Adewole said that the support had become important because of the prevalence of the epidemic in the country and the world at large.

    He explained that in 2016, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) report had revealed that 36.7 million people live with HIV and AIDS globally, out of which Nigeria contributed 10 percent of this burden.

    According to him, out of every 10 HIV positive persons in the world is a Nigerian.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is poised to reverse this ugly trend by making prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection one of the signatory projects in the health sector.

    “I am making this pledge that the Nigerian leadership is committed to supporting all interventions that will ensure sustainable reduction of new HIV and AIDS infections in Nigeria.

    “Nigerian’s HIV and AIDS response plan has equally benefitted from increased government funding.

    “Furthermore, an additional one billion naira has been approved by the National Assembly through National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS ), to support the HIV and AIDS programme in the country,” he said.

    The minister said that an estimated 3.2 million people live with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, which ranked only behind South Africa.

    He said that although no fewer than one million Nigerians presently had means to anti-retroviral treatment, access to care by those in need remained a challenge.

    The health boss advised the participants to imbibe sustainable HIV and AIDS control programmes as well as increase health care service delivery services to achieve meaningful growth.

    He also called for proper data management on the number of persons with HIV to encourage strategic planning, realization of fights against the epidemic and also reduce gaps in the national health sector response.

    The event which attracted stakeholders across the country featured discussion on challenges and way forward for preventive strategies on HIV and AIDS.

    NAN

  • 2018 FIFA World Cup ticket sales resumes on Thursday

    2018 FIFA World Cup ticket sales resumes on Thursday

    Ticket sales for the world’s biggest football event, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will resume on Thursday on a first-come first-served basis.

    A total of 622,117 tickets were successfully allocated to subscribers, even though this was subject to payment being made later.

    This was also at the conclusion of the first window of sales phase from Oct. 1 to Oct. 12.

    According to a report by the FIFA Media Office on Tuesday, some 3,496,204 tickets had initially been requested with many ticket products and matches being heavily oversubscribed.

    This requires the allocation of tickets through a random selection draw process carried out in the presence of a public notary.

    During this process FIFA also identified a number of ticket applications which were not eligible to enter into the random selection draw.

    For example, ticket applications for team-specific ticket series — for teams that are no longer able to qualify — as well as ticket applications that violated the household restrictions.

    This is in the category of applying for a maximum of four tickets for up to seven matches.

    From the total number of applications, majority have come from Russia, and based on results of the Random Selection Draw process 57 percent of tickets were allocated to Russian fans.

    Tickets allocated to international fans account for 43 percent of the total number of allocated tickets.

    The US, Chinese, German, Brazilian, Israeli, English, Finnish, Mexican and French fans all rank in the top ten in this category.

    During the upcoming sales period, which starts on Thursday and end on Nov. 28, fans will be able to purchase tickets in real time on FIFA.com/tickets.

    They will get immediate confirmation of successful applications, subject to availability.

    Football fans were advised to place their order as soon as the sales period opens.

    This is because high demand is expected and the remaining inventory following the random selection draw sales period was likely to sell out very quickly.

    Tickets purchased during sales phases 1 and 2 will be delivered free of charge to fans in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

    Deliveries have been planned to start in April or May of 2018, even though this is subject to change.

    Tickets may be purchased using payment cards of Visa, the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA.

    Purchases can also be made by other accepted payment methods.

    FIFA’s Head of Ticketing, Falk Eller, said the world football body was already overwhelmed by the positive response from both Russian and international fans so far.

    “’With only a few teams still to qualify, we are again expecting high demand once sales resume on Thursday.

    “Considering such remarkable interest in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia from fans all over the world, we will like to once again stress that the only official, legitimate and user-friendly source to purchase tickets is the FIFA.com/tickets website.

    “Fans who purchase tickets from other sources put themselves at significant risk of missing out on the World Cup, and of course we will not want that to happen.

    “Category 4 tickets, which are exclusively reserved for Russian residents, will not be available for purchase during the upcoming first-come, first-served sales period.

    “This is due to the full allocation of the currently available category four tickets during the previous sales period.

    “FIFA will also make a dedicated allocation of tickets available for disabled people, people with limited mobility and fans classified as obese,” Eller said.

    NAN

  • Four Gulf of Mexico oil platforms shut after Enchilada fire -Shell

    Four Gulf of Mexico oil platforms shut after Enchilada fire -Shell

    Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday that production at four oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut in the wake of a Nov. 8 fire at its Enchilada platform.

    “Production is shut in at the Shell- operated Enchilada and Salsa platforms, as well as the associated Hess-operated Conger field,” in which has a 37.5 per cent share, it said in a statement.

    In addition, Shell safely shut in all production operations at its Auger platform due to downstream constraints caused by this incident.”

    Production from Auger flows back to Enchilada for transport to shore.

    There was still no timeline for the resumption of normal operations.

    “Shell is in the process of developing a plan to repair damage caused by an operational incident on its
    Enchilada platform and safely re-deploying personnel.”

    NAN

  • Court docks man over alleged theft of bus

    Court docks man over alleged theft of bus

    A 27-year-old man, Johnson Michael, was on Tuesday arraigned in an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court over alleged theft of a Toyota Sienna, valued at N1.8 million.

    Michael is facing a count charge of stealing.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Duro Adekunle, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Oct. 7 at Deborah Event Centre, Osogbo.

    Adekunle said that the defendant stole the Toyota Sienna with registration number LND 974 AZ, worth N1.8 million, property of one Lukman Olatunbosun.

    The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol.11 Laws of Osun, 2003.

    The defendant denied committing the offence.

    Counsel to the defendant, Mr Ranageous Ugwu, prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.

    The Magistrate, Mr Ashiru Ayeni, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N250, 000 and two sureties in like sum.

    He adjourned the case  until Dec.22 for mention.

    NAN

  • Benue Police arrest 4 herdsmen for attempted rape

    Benue Police arrest 4 herdsmen for attempted rape

    The Police Command in Benue says it has arrested four suspected herdsmen for alleged attempt to rape two women Doosul Nambo and Ladi Mhbahme in Guma Local Government area of the state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO ), ASP Moses on Tuesday in Makurdi that the herdsmen also killed one Apesuu Uhula, who came to the rescue of the women.

    Yamu named the suspected herdsmen as Ibrahim Muhammadu, Abubakar Ahmadu, Ibrahim Fulani and Adamu Bature, adding that they were arrested along with their cows.

    He said that the herdsmen were attempting to rape Nambo and Mhbahme both of Isho Village in Guma local government, when they were arrested following security tip-off.

    He further explained that the herdsmen shot dead one Apesuu Uhula who came to the rescue of the women.

    “One Apesuu Uhula, who came to her rescue was shot dead. The Police moved immediately to the scene; while at the scene, some herdsmen were seen trying to convey their cow in a canoe and attempted to flee when they sighted the police.

    “They were eventually rounded up and held in our custody for further investigation.

    This was the first arrest of herdsmen by the police since the beginning of the full implementation of the Anti-Open Grazing law in Benue State on Nov. 1.

    NAN

  • Court remands man, 65, for alleged homosexuality in Niger

    Court remands man, 65, for alleged homosexuality in Niger

    A Minna Chief Magistrate’s  Court on Tuesday remanded a 65-year-old man, Patrick Kalu, in prison for allegedly having anal sex with a 15 years old boy.

    The accused who resides in Railway Quarters, Minna, pleaded guilty to the offence.

    The Chief Magistrate, Hassan Mohammed, however, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison and adjourned the case until Jan, 25, 2018.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Abdullahi Maiyaki, had told the court that the accused was arrested on Nov. 8, for having sex through the anus with a 15-year-old boy.

    He said that Kalu was arrested during the act, adding that he had kept the victim in his house for over one year.

    Maiyaki said that the accused lured the unsuspecting victim from Karimo area of Abuja on the pretext of securing him a job.

    He said that the offence contravened Section 284 of the Panel Code Law.

    The section prescribes a 14-year jail term with no option of fine, upon a High Court conviction.

    NAN

  • Manchester United’s dip in form made it tough for me to score – Lukaku

    Manchester United’s dip in form made it tough for me to score – Lukaku

    Striker Romelu Lukaku believes his recent goal drought at Manchester United resulted from the club not playing at the level they did at the start of the English Premier League season.

    The 24-year-old has scored seven goals from 11 league games but has failed to find the net in the last four.

    United, who have lost two of their last three matches, have dropped to second in the table, eight points below runaway leaders Manchester City.

    Lukaku struck a brace for Belgium in Friday’s 3-3 draw in the friendly against Mexico.

    He has gone on to say he hoped to regain his scoring touch to help his club catch up with the leaders.

    “We started by blowing teams away, being dominant and creating chances. But in the last few weeks, we didn’t play at the same level and that made it more difficult for me,” Lukaku told Sky Sports.

    “That’s the sort of thing you have to go through in the season. But now there are players coming back from injury and hopefully we can deliver performances even better than at the start of the season. We can create more chances and goals.”

    Lukaku said the return of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from injury will motivate him to do even better.

    The Swede is currently working his way towards regaining full fitness after suffering a knee injury last season.

    “It motivates me really because he’s another good player to add to the squad… When you face a team like us, it’s difficult for opponents,” Lukaku said.

    “Ibrahimovic coming back will help us to chase Manchester City (in the title race).”

    Lukaku’s brace in Brussels took his international tally to 30 goals to match Bernard Voorhoof and Paul van Himst.

    He can overtake them when Belgium face Japan in a friendly on Tuesday.

    “I feel great… I was born to score,” added Lukaku. “I don’t think many strikers of my generation have as many goals as me. I am like a leopard in the box.”

    NAN

  • President Buhari updated on 2017 Hajj, NCC activities

    President Buhari updated on 2017 Hajj, NCC activities

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received briefing on 2017 Hajj operation from the Executive Chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria ( NAHCON ), Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar.

    Mukhtar, however, declined to speak with State House correspondents after the briefing.

    The NAHCON boss also briefed the president on preparations for smooth conduct of 2018 Hajj.

    Mukhtar had on Sept. 14 at an interactive session and dinner with members of the 2017 Hajj Media Team in Makkah, disclosed that NAHCON had commenced preparations for 2018 Hajj.

    He said that the commission had already sent a team, headed by the Consul General, to negotiate price of accommodation in Madinah to ensure that Nigerian pilgrims were
    lodged close to the Prophet’s Mosque.

    He said: “To this end, the Commission has sent a delegation to Madina to prepare ground for negotiation of a comprehensive package for pilgrims.”

    The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Sen. Olabiyi Durojaiye, also briefed President Buhari on activities of the commission.

    NAN