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  • RUGA: We didn’t receive N6.2b from Buhari – Ohanaeze

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo has denied the allegations making rounds in the social media that its president general, Chief Nnia Nwodo alongside former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu received N6.2billion from President Muhammadu Buhari for the establishment of RUGA in the Southeast.

    In a statement issued on Friday, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization said neither Nwodo nor Ekweremadu have authority over lands in the Enugu or anywhere in the Southeast.

    In a statement by the group, it says:

    “Our attention has been drawn to an insidious social media story making the rounds that the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, and a Distinguished Senator and former Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Ike Ekweremadu, collected a whopping N6.2 billion from President Buhari out of N22.2 billion budgeted to plant RUGA in the country.

    “The story which was purported to have emanated from a faceless traditional ruler from Umuchigbo Abakpa in Enugu State sounded preposterous and deserves to be consigned to the dust bin where it rightly belongs knowing that the purveyors of the story may have underestimated the intelligence of some audience of the social media but who certainly may not be as gullible as they think and will do with some clarifications.

    “Why did the writer not mention the name of the traditional ruler and whether he was there when money exchanged hands? One would have expected their detractors to have established the veracity of their claim by giving an insight into how the money exchanged hands or through which bank accounts they were remitted to Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu.

    “It will also would have been good if the accusers had clarified if Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu collected the money as individuals or on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. For the sake of clarity, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has no control over land in Enugu State or in the South East neither does Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu.

    “Again, Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu are not traditional rulers and therefore don’t have custody over land in the South East. They should also have authenticated their allegation by stating where the said RUGA settlements are in Enugu State or in the South East.

    Read Also; Still on the RUGA issue

    “It is sad that upon all Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been doing to improve the image of Ndigbo in the comity of Nigerian Nations and efforts to restore Ndigbo to their rightful place in the country, either some Igbo sons and daughters still allow themselves to be used to deride their own or some external forces are determined to undermine the unity of Ndigbo, afraid of what strength Ndigbo can derive from such unity. It is pertinent to put the public on notice that more of these senseless, vitriolic and demented attacks are expected to come from the stable of these traducers.

    “It is also worthy of note that many Igbo organizations abound which are out to enrich their pockets and have opened bank accounts where they deceive Ndigbo to pay money into, money that is usually unaccounted for.

    “These organizations only lay claim to their existence by attacking Ohanaeze Ndigbo and its leadership. The consolation is that social media users are knowledgeable and discerning to disregard such mercenary organizations.”

  • JUST IN: Buhari, Northern monarchs meet in Abuja

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with traditional rulers from the north.

    The meeting started at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa around 11.30am.

    Among those at the meeting include the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, the Emir of Bida, and Emir of Daura.

    It was still in progress at the time of filing this report

  • Group protests alleged harassment of APC members in Imo

    A group known as the All Progressives Congress Network For Good Governance in Nigeria has protested the alleged harassment of members of the APC in Imo State by the government.

    Coordinator of the group, Okpekor Ndep Okpa, in a statement made available to The Nation in Calabar, called on the Imo State government to also desist from the alleged harassment of former governor, Rochas Okorocha.

    The statement read, “The APC Network For Good Governance Nigeria has called on Governor of Imo State to stop harassing and intimidating APC members in the state. We also ask the government to further stop fuelling and sponsoring groups going against the APC Leader in the state Senator Rochas Okorocha. All we want from them is to face governance and follow due process.

    “They should sustain the gains of the previous administration for Imo people and not to erase the legacies of Okorocha’s administration. Imo is becoming unsafe for APC members due to constant intimidation and harassment of its members.

    Read Also: Kogi 2019: APC commences screening of aspirants

    “We also condemn the harassment of Okorocha’s family and business places. The present administration should be guided by the laws of due process. Okorocha is a well respected person not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa. If it continues we will not hesitate to demonstrate against the present Government in Imo state.

    “APC Network For Good Governance Nigeria is a socio-political organization that is out to showcase the good works in APC controlled states and the nation at large and to make sure Nigerians truly benefit and believe in the next level agenda of the party. Our interest in Imo State is born out of the fact that Okorocha did very well in terms of projects, programmes and turning the state into one of the tourism states in the country.

    “Governance is a continuous process but with what the incumbent Governor is doing by demolishing and constant attack on the former administration it shows that he is out to destroy the Okorocha’s legacies.”

  • BBNaija: Again! ‘The Icons’ wins wager task

    ‘The Icons’ group of the ongoing Big Brother Naija reality show, have won this week’s wager task.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group has been on a streak as this is their third win in a row following their nomination task win and previous wager win.

    ‘The Icons’ beat out ‘Cruisetopia’, whose members except Venita are already up for eviction, in the series of games set by Biggie on Thursday.

    In line with the theme of the week, the ‘Pepper Dem Gang’ were tasked on three elements around the subject of healthy living.

    Judged on creativity, participation and holistic messaging, ‘The Icons’ and ‘Cruisetopia’ teams each displayed elements which reflected the three features around the subject of healthy living.

    For the first segment of this challenge, the teams were required to contribute to a cleaner environment by recycling items otherwise considered as waste in the House.

    In this element, three members of each team took turns as they presented the recycled projects accomplished by the team.

    ‘The Icons’ presented a bunch of recycled items in the form of a television set, a chessboard, a teddy bear and an hourglass.

    While team ‘Cruisetopia’ displayed their reused items in the form of an aeroplane, a mosaic painting and a car.

    For the second presentation, both teams explained how relationships can be nourished and also how a healthy space for all to thrive can be created.

    To this end, the teams were tasked to develop two separate talks on healthy relationships in seven minutes.

    With Jackye and Esther representing team ‘Cruisetopia’, Elozonam and Cindy for ‘The Icons’, each team gave insightful points as they individually took turns to present separate talks on healthy relationships.

    Read Also; Video: BBNaija: Frodd, Sir Dee prank Esther on birthday

    The third element challenged the teams to present twelve yoga poses as a means of creating a happy mind.

    On this challenge, Sir Dee and Frodd represented ‘Cruisetopia’, while Mercy and Diane displayed on behalf of ‘The Icons’.

    For the final wager presentation, Khafi (for ‘The Icons’) and Mike (for ‘Cruisetopia’) each had five minutes to present a single illustrated original positive and uplifting quote for both teams.

    NAN reports that Frodd, Sir Dee, Ike, Tacha, Mercy and Diane were given verbal awards for individual efforts.

    Meanwhile, for losing this week’s Wager Challenge, Biggie announced that team ‘Cruisetopia’ will be awarded a losing punishment reward.

    For winning, ‘The Icons’ left the Arena with this week’s Wager trophy and a bonus of 20 Bet9ja Coins for each team member.

  • 5 Cool things you can do with the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 camera

    If you own a HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019, then you most likely love your phone. Of course there’s plenty of things you’ll be fascinated with from the HUAWEI Ultra Fullview display to the auto pop-up selfie camera, but that’s not all. In fact, here’s a list of 4 other cool things you can do with the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 camera.

    A cool auto pop up camera:

    The 16MP auto pop-up camera is the reason behind this massive viewing experience. It is invisible to the eye and hides within the body. Activate it and it shows out of the top edge of the phone within one second and retracts when you do not want to take any more selfies.

    And for those fans of diverse photographic effects, this phone comes with 3D Portrait Lighting so you get studio-quality portraits and selfies wherever and whenever you want.

    A versatile camera to meet all your needs

    Nobody likes their pictures blurry and unclear, true? On the back of the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019, there are three cameras: 16MP + 8MP + 2MP. The 16MP + 8MP work together to let you capture images that are clear with top quality and high contrast. Even at night and in low-light scenarios you are still able to snap vivid and colorful pictures because the 16MP lens with F/1.8 lets extra light into the sensor. And if you want your pictures to look authentic like the world around you, the 2MP camera works in tandem with the 16MP to provide you with pictures that have a lifelike depth of field.

    Let the camera decide what you’re capturing

    Whether you were walking through vast meadows or wading through the beach, a picture is worth it. HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019’s front 16MP auto pop-up camera is supported by artificial intelligence for instant and accurate scene and object recognition. It can identify blue skies, greenery, indoor scenes, and beautiful landscapes, and adjust the parameters to optimize the natural lighting conditions. A total of eight scenarios are supported by the AI feature.

    Nighttime or daytime! The camera never stops

    You are touring downtown with friends and came across a scene worthy of a picture, but it is nighttime and no enough lighting? No worries. HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 uses AI image stabilization algorithms to support handheld long exposure shots for a maximum of six seconds at nighttime. This improves the dynamic range and makes vivid colorful photography possible.

    Make Every Second Count

    Some moments in life take our breath away and must be savored slowly. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019’s super slow-motion feature records videos at 480 frames per second, then plays them back at 1/16th of the normal speed (for example, extending a 0.5s clip to 8 seconds). Relive your moments over and over again!

    HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 comes in three colors – Midnight Black, Sapphire blue and Emerald Green.

    The phone is available at SLOT, Pointek, 3CHUB and Jumia.

    Buy Now: http://bit.ly/2XTcNu2

  • Dare laments 38 per cent youth unemployment

    Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has pledged to work with relevant agencies and stakeholders to address youth unemployment.

    The minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the 2019 International Youth Day, with the theme “Transforming Education’’.

    He lamented the large number of Nigerian youths out of school and the growing number of those unemployed with a pledge to address it headlong.

    “Youth unemployment as at the 2nd quarter of 2018 stood at 38 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “We will work hard to reduce this figure by applying principles and objectives that cut across different sectors of development.

    “We must consciously work to provide enabling environment for the Nigerian youth to excel and reach his full potentials,’’ he said.

    Read Also: Veteran Journalist Sunday Dare is new sports minister

    Dare said the ministry would collaborate with relevant agencies of government as well as development partners to improve the employment situation of Nigerian youths.

    “The ministry will seek and explore linkages with other federal ministries, agencies and development partners towards leveraging on technology and innovation.

    “We have already identified ministries such as Trade, Industry and Investment; Communication; Science and Technology; Agriculture, and Education,’’ he added.

    He said the Federal Government was ready to tap into the large population and vibrancy of the youth to fast track national development.

    Dare is to convene a meeting of the various factions of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) as part of efforts to resolve lingering issues in youth development in the country.

    In his keynote address, he said: “As a practical demonstration to this cause, I will in a couple of days convene a meeting of critical stakeholders in the area of youth development. Unity of minds and purpose must drive our engagements going forward.

    “In this way the Youth Organisations and in particular, the National Youth Council of Nigeria will be refocused to complement the efforts of Government to expand the reach and advance the cause of transforming education among our youths.

    “Furthermore, Government will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to adequately empower the youth; enhance youth civic engagement and participation in the political processes and in decision-making as well as established institutions,” the minister explained.

    NYCN is split across factional lines with contenders either laying claim to the group’s leadership.

    The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Olusade Adesola, called on youths to be good ambassadors of the country and contribute to national development.

    The International Youth Day is celebrated yearly, on Aug. 12.

    The 2019 commemoration was postponed in Nigeria because of the Eid-el Kabir festivity.

    The event was attended by officials from UNFPA, NYSC, Ministry of Labour officials and other development partners.

  • ‘My tribe played no role in my appointment’

    Minister of State for Environment Sharon Ikeazor has said President Muhammadu Buhari never judged her by her tribe or religion in appointing her as a minister.

    Ikeazor, who spoke at a reception organised in her honour by friends and associates in Abuja, said the President judged her solely on the mandate she was given at the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and how she was able to execute that mandate, assuring that she will strive to deliver on her new mandate.

    The minister, who said the turning point her life was the Sosoliso air crash which claimed the life of about 60 children, added that she decided to join politics to help fight social injustice when nothing was done about the crash.

    Read Also: Pensioners applaud appointment of PTAD boss, Ikeazor as Minister

    She said: “I keep saying that the Nigeria of our dream is possible and we can achieve it. How was I able to achieve mine? I joined politics. Politics is life and life is politics. I left the law school in 1985 and followed my father’s footsteps. I didn’t get much satisfaction from law and I got into project management, consulting.

    “The Sosoliso air crash was the turning point in my life. 60 children died in a plane crash and you tell me it is an act of God? It was not an act of God, but pure negligence by those who operated the aircraft and the airport facilities. We protested and there was no action taken. No minister resigned and nothing happened.

    “We the women made up of Catholic Women Organisation and Muslim Women were protesting daily and nothing happened. It was then I decided that I needed a platform where my voice will be heard and I can make the difference and that platform was politics. Which was the most decent political party that I could join and maintain my integrity? It was the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) under President Buhari. Everybody thought I was crazy, but I was there for a purpose. Buhari was fighting social injustice and I was fighting social injustice.

    “I can stand here before you  today and say that President Buhari never judged me by my tribe or my religion. He only judged me by the mandate he gave me. I am glad that I was able to deliver on the mandate he gave me and I hope to deliver on the next one. Environment is life and so, we must sought out the issues in the environment. Desertification is there, erosion, flooding, climate change, we will work on it with all your support and prayers.”

  • Ngige: 60 per cent of 2019 budget to be rolled over to 2020

    Chances are high that about 60 per cent of the 2019 budget will be rolled over to the 2020 budget, Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige said on Thursday.

    “Part of the reasons why our budget has suffered is that once it suffered distortion down there at the National Assembly, the Executive is reluctant to implement it because they will feel that foreign items have been introduced into the budget,” he said.

    Ngige spoke when he resumed duty at the ministry alongside Minister of State for Labour and Employment Tayo Alasoadura.

    He said: “We have been warned that we must bring back the January/December budget circle. Therefore, the President of the Senate and officers of the National Assembly have, in one voice, requested from us that the budget should come in September and once they get it in September, they will give it to us in December.

    “So, we must do our part and what that mean is that parastatals themselves must submit their budget here and come and defend it. We are going to be serious about that because we hear of budget padding because parastatals invite Assembly members to come and carry padded things into their places.

    “We must stop that and we have to be serious about that any parastatal under this ministry that does that will be sanctioned so that we can live within our means and we can stay within what we have proposed for the work of the administration.

    Read Also: My immediate task is to put minimum wage issue to rest, says Ngige

    “Section 80 and 81 talks about the budget and how it can be used. If we do our work well, it will be a co-administered thing. We can set up committees and agreed on how it can be done so that it does not suffer distortion out there.

    “It is even appropriate that before we do down to the National Assembly to defend our budget, we should have met with our committee to agree on items or what you called budget lines are not supposed to be tampered with by the National Assembly.

    “The National Assembly can tamper with figures and amount because they have the power of the purse. But line items are not supposed to be tampered with because it is the ministry that does the planning of project, the scaling and the final plans as well as the financial implication.

    “The executive must take the lead by putting its house in order. So, I am sounding a note of warning that we must immediately start our budget planning to ensure that we submit it by September.

    “The call circular from the budget office will come, but before it comes, you can be doing your work because you already know that the 2019 budget has not been aggressively executed.

    “From the retreat we had, we now know that about 60 percent of it has to go back into the 2020 budget and rolled over. That was agreed and so, we can start our work ahead.”

    Ngige, who said he never lobbied to be reappointed as minister, said: “I am happy to come back home. A lot has happened within the last few weeks. Many people were busy here in Abuja lobbying to be appointed minister. But I was not around because I had to take my well-deserved vacation.

    “I travelled to Geneva on the invitation of a few of my African friends and from there I went on vacation in the United States of America. I came back a few days before the announcement of the new ministers.

    “The President reserves the right to make appointments because the constitution gives him that power. We are all product of the constitution. I have taken an oath to defend the constitution and I will discharge my responsibilities without fear or favour.

    “My reappointment and redeployment to the Ministry of Labour and Employment is an endorsement of the work  I have done here which is not personal, but collective. We have differences and I drive people because it is my nature.

    He said the disagreement between him and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shortly before leaving office was a family disagreement, which has been resolved.

    Alasoadura said he would have no reason to disagree with Ngige. He said having two ministers in a ministry meant that they must work as a team to actualise the programmes of the government.

  • Fayemi urges positive change

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has advised National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in the state to use their academic knowledge and professional skills to tackle the socio-economic problems afflicting the country.

    Dr. Fayemi said the mandatory one-year service was designed towards ensuring elimination of ignorance, mistrust and suspicion among Nigerians from different backgrounds. The governor said the scheme was also meant to unite the nation’s diverse multi-ethnic and religious groups.

    Dr Fayemi spoke yesterday during the swearing-in of this year’s Batch “B” Stream II corps members at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, in Ise/Orun/Emure.

    Read Also: Gov. Fayemi bans use of English Language during traditional events

    Represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Sport Development, Michael Awopetu, the governor advised the 1,451 corps members to always accept responsibilities and engage in productive activities that will impact on their host communities.

    He also advised them to take the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) seriously to make them self-reliant, creators of wealth and employers of labour.

    The NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Emmanuella Okpongete,  requested the assistance of the state government to complete the renovation of some dilapidated structures and construction of a lecture hall in the camp to bring it to a standard level.

  • Oyetola to use culture, tradition to develop tourism

    Osun State governor Adegboyega Oyetola has said that his administration will promote culture and tradition to develop the state’s tourism sector and attract foreign investment.

    The governor, who spoke at the celebration of this year’s Isese Day in Osogbo, the state capital, said the dynamism of Yoruba culture and tradition has made the race attractive to many world civilisations.

    The  governor, who was represented by the Supervisor for Home, Tourism and Culture, Dr. Bisi Babawale, said many traditional religion adherents at home and in the diaspora have the potentials to attract foreign investment, if the cultural aspect of African tradition is properly harnessed.

    Read Also: Oyetola seeks private partnership to revamp agric sector

    Also yesterday, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, and the Araba of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, have called on the people to pay their taxes promptly to make the state government provide for social and public needs.

    However, they advised the government at all levels to avoid multiple taxation that can put pressure on the people, adding that  though payment of taxes was germane to the socio-economic growth of any society, much burden should not be created for the downtrodden.

    Elebuibon said: “We are aware that people must pay tax but the government at all levels must put into consideration the plight of the masses. God wants us to show love towards each other and be our brothers’ keepers and jettison hatred in our society because there is too much hate around us. We need to show love towards each other so that there will be progress and development in the land.”