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  • ‘Ex-footballer’ arrested for dealing in drugs

    A man who claimed to have played for Shooting Star Football Club, Oyo State has been arrested by the police in Imo State for unlawful possession of cocaine.

    28-year-old Aidomoaki Samson was arrested on September 30 at Aleke Hotel, Nekede, Imo State alongside with his girlfriend, Ezinne Iwuagwu who he contracts to send text messages in pretence as his sister overseas.

    Upon interrogation, he confessed at the State Command headquarters that he was an ex-footballer barred from playing football due to drug related offence.

    Read Also: Police arrest one-eyed man over serial murder of 15 people in Ogun

    Police Commissioner Rabiu Ladodo said while parading them that the suspect claimed he was based in Benin Republic and Ghana.

    “He impersonates as a national of Ghana while investigation has revealed that he is from Edo State, Nigeria,” he stated.

    The Police boss said that the suspect deals with hard drugs in several countries like Uganda, Addis Ababa, Turkey, Ghana, Morocco, Colombia and then Nigeria.

    “His syndicate member one Mr. Eric in Italy disappointed him in Nigeria hence he then started the manufacturing of fake hard drugs with the intention to dupe and defraud people,” he alleged.

  • Tribunal: Sokoto APC rejects ruling, heads for Appeal Court

    THE All Progressives Congress(APC) has rejected the tribunal ruling delivered against its Sokoto State Governorship candidate in the March 2019 General elections, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto.

    The party said it will end to the Appeal Court to further pursue justice, stating ” we believe that the judgment has turned justice on its head.”

    The Tribunal, which sat in Abuja, at its verdict, validated Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s reelection after dismissing the petition filed by APC’s guber candidate, Aliyu Sokoto challenging the victory of Tambuwal declared by INEC.

    In a statement on Thursday morning by APC Sokoto Chairman, Alhaji Sadiq Isah Achida, the party said: “In view of the unfair and unjustifiable ruling delivered by the Sokoto state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, on Wednesday 2nd October, 2019 the party wishes to state categorically that it rejects the ruling.

    Read Also; Sokoto: Tribunal admits facts presented by APC’s Lead Counsel

    ” Our lawyers are studying details of the judgment , with a view to filing an appeal at the appropriate court of law.”

    “Meanwhile, the APC wishes to call on its teeming members across the state to remain calm and peaceful , while the party explored all available legal means to reclaim its stolen mandate.

    “We wish to thank all our members and electorates in the state for their continued support and loyalty . We remain committed to defending your interest at all times.”

  • Nigeria, South Africa to review 32 agreements

    The Presidency on Thursday disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s three-day state visit to South Africa will enable more harmonious relations between the two largest economies in Africa.

    It said it will also open up more frontiers of opportunities for prosperity by encouraging more exchange and investments, especially for Nigerians.

    This was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu.

    According to him, 32 agreements and Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) signed at the Bi-National Commission and mutually beneficial to both nations, will get opportunity for progress review during the meeting.

    “President Buhari is on a state visit to South Africa. While in South Africa, the two leaders will review a number of issues in our Bi-National Commission, including issues that affect citizens,’’ he said.

    The Bi-National Commission meeting, he said, was elevated to the level of Presidents’ participation, following the strategic position of the two economies in Africa and need for stronger relations.

    According to him, President Buhari and his host, President Cyril Ramophosa, will co-chair the meeting on Thursday.

    Read Also; Buhari, others mourn NSCIA Deputy President General Babalola

    The statement said President Buhari had arrived in Pretoria, South Africa on Wednesday night for a state visit and 9th meeting of Bi-National Commission, which will for the first time witness participation of the two Heads of State after an elevation.

    “The President’s plane arrived in the South African Air force Base, Waterkloof, at 9.10pm, and he was received by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor and Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu.

    “Before the meeting, which will be held at the Union Building, both Presidents will have a tête-à-tête to discuss issues of mutual interests relating to the welfare of citizens, and expanding economic and cultural ties.”

    Before returning to Abuja on Friday, he said President Buhari will hold an interactive meeting with Nigerians in South Africa.

  • Fayemi appoints four new Permanent Secretaries

    Ekiti Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi has approved the appointment of four new Permanent Secretaries in the civil service.

    The new Permanent secretaries are Mr.Tokunbo Ayokunle Alokan, Mr.Ezekiel Olufemi Adedipe, Mr. Sola Ogunmiluyi and Mr. Adedapo Kayode Akinola.

    Read Also; I’ve no candidates for council polls, says Fayemi

    According to a statement signed on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, the appointments take effect from October 1, 2019.

    Oyebode added the swearing-in ceremony for the new permanent secretaries would take place on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at the Conference Hall, Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti.

  • FUOYE student emerges Miss Ekiti 2019

    Akindele Justina Temitayo, a 200-level student of History and International Studies department, Federal University Oye-Ekiti has emerged Miss Ekiti 2019.

    The event was witnessed by students, captains of industries, traditional rulers, political persons and entertainment personality at AB Civic Centre, Ado Ekiti at the weekend.

    Saheed Balogun, a popular veteran actor and Taiyelolu, were host and co-host for the event while OAP AyNigeria and Queencyglo were red carpet hosts.

    Raji Abimbola 23 Foundation is the organizer of the event.

    The purpose of Miss Ekiti yearly is to encourage young ladies across the Continent to live their dreams.

    The judges for the pageantry show were Miss Ekiti 2017, CEO of DE Elegant Expertise Palais; Owajoba Busayo, CEO of Seatop Media/Printing and Publishing; Seun Awopegba and Award winning Nollywood actress; Dupe Jaiyesimi.

    The process of selecting the winner by the Judges was based on “Communication, Education, Health, Entrepreneurship, Arts & Culture, Environment, Welfare, Technology and Financial Management, the sole objectives are to uplift, empower and cater for the dignity of young ladies, women and the less privileged in all facets of life using this Vital Values”, as announced by the organiser.

    Temitayo emerged defeated 20 others contenders while Iyeku Peace emerged as first runner up and Adesioye Adetutu as second runner up.

    The winner of Miss Ekiti 2019, is entitled to a Brand new car, one year wardrobe allowance, trip abroad and a well furnished office.

    Read Also: 42nd Miss Nigeria grand finale holds tomorrow

    First runner up is entitled to N200,000, well furnished office, one year free makeover, spokesperson and brand ambassador for every child deserves to be in classroom campaign.

    Second runner up is entitled to 100,000, well furnished office, one year free makeover, spokesperson and brand ambassador for every child deserves to be in classroom campaign.

    The winner expressed excitement over winning the contest and promise to impact the society through her office.

    ” I felt very good and so happy that I was crying. I didn’t expect it We were 20 that participated in the contest.

    “I intend to use my office to impact the society in the best way I can. I have a project am working on which will be revealed very soon. I am sure by the time I carry out my project the impact will be felt in Ekiti and outside Ekiti,” she said.

    Awodola Oluwaseun, The Students Union President of Federal University Oye-Ekiti, in a statement congratulated Miss Ekiti 2019 for bringing the crown home.

    He said: “Projecting the beauty and royal dignity of the institute,even in adverse, we choose to be of positive impact and being of virtue.

    “The Student Union hereby felicitate and congratulates our very own Justina for topping and bringing the crown home.”

    Miss Ekiti 2019Miss Ekiti 2019Miss Ekiti 2019

  • It’s too late for Atiku to resolve Kogi PDP crisis, says Adeyemi

    It’s too late in the day for  Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to resolve the festering crisis in the Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Director General of the Yahaya Bello campaign organisation, Senator Smart Adeyemi has said.

    Major PDP stakeholders in the state, including some aspirants in the  September 3 governorship primaries, have continued to bicker over the outcome of the exercise, which saw Mr Musa Wada emerge as winner.

    Some of the aggrieved aspirants have gone to court to challenge the outcome of the primaries, with one of the defeated aspirants, Senator Dino Melaye turning down an offer to lead the PDP campaign ahead of the November 16 governorship election.

    Worried by the development, Atiku had been meeting with interested parties in the Kogi PDP crisis, with the view to uniting the party for victory at the poll.

    But speaking with reporters in Abuja yesterday, Senator Adeyemi called on Atiku not to waste his time trying to resolve the crisis, saying that the situation in the Kogi PDP has gone beyond redemption.

    Adeyemi said: “My advice to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is that he should not waste his time and money. It is too late. I wish he did that six months ago.

    “The crisis rocking the Kogi PDP are fundamental. They are without planning, they are without focus and people have made up their minds in Kogi State.

    Read Also: Atiku Abubakar and Nigerian citizenship

    “How can you present the son in-law of a former governor who is also the younger brother of another former governor. Even if you are picking someone from the same zone, are there not other very competent persons from the zone?”

    Adeyemi said the PDP was already dying in Kogi as a result of attempts by just interrelated families to dominate political power in the state, stressing that a former governor, his son and his in-laws were seeking to convert the state to their private fiefdom.

    The campaign DG dismissed the widely held belief that the incumbent governor might lose the election to poor performance, saying that Governor Bello had preformed better than his predecessors who were elected on the platform of the PDP.

    Adeyemi said he accepted to lead the governor’s re-election campaign on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the conviction that the governor had recorded concrete achievements in terms of project execution and security in the state.

  • P&ID: UK judgment saved Nigeria’s assets, says Fed Govt

    The Minister of Information and Culture,  Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday said the judgment of the United Kingdom’s  Commercial Court saved Nigeria’s assets from being seized by an Irish firm, Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID).

    He said granting of the stay of action on the enforcement of the $9.6 billion award granted P&ID was historic and good for the nation.

    Mohammed added that the Federal Government had mandated its lawyers to file an appeal against the court order for a security deposit of $200 million to make the stay of execution valid.

    He said Nigeria will be able to demand a refund of the £250,000 payment to P&ID after winning the appeal

    Mohammed explained that all but one of the six proposed grounds of appeal by the Federal Government were  allowed by the Commercial Court.

    The minister spoke in Abuja on the outcome of the proceedings in the UK Commercial Court against the backdrop of allegations that the Federal Government failed in its application before the UK Commercial Court.

    Read Also: P&ID: Fed Govt probes six other suspicious petroleum deals

    Nigeria sent a delegation to the UK, comprising the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami; Mohammed; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele; Inspector-General Mohammed Adamu; Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Ibrahim Lamorde;  and Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),  Ibrahim Magu.

    The minister said the delegation went to London with three objectives which were achieved.

    But he said the stay of action on the $9.6billion award averted economic setback for Nigeria.

    Mohammed said: “For those who may still not understand the gravity of the judgment of the Commercial Court in London last week, let me say this: Had we lost our quest for a stay of execution and application to appeal in London last week, P&ID would by now be attempting to seize our assets all over the world.

    “Remember they boasted, before the judgment, that they have started compiling a list of our assets which they will attach. But now, that’s an empty boast, thanks to the successes recorded in the court of law and the court of public opinion last week.”

    He said Nigeria did not lose out in the UK Commercial Court. “It was indeed a huge victory, and P&ID has every reason to be worried that the $9.6billion arbitration award to it has a good chance of being overturned.”

    On the $200 million security deposit, Mohammed  said Nigeria had instructed its lawyers to seek the leave of the Court of Appeal to appeal against that payment

    He said: “ Please note, gentlemen that Nigeria will be able to demand for a refund of the £250,000 payment to P&ID where the government wins on the appeal. This fact is being hidden by those who have been spinning the London judgment in their own favour.

    “On the $200 million payment as a condition for the granting of the stay of execution, Nigeria has instructed its lawyers to seek the leave of the Court of Appeal to appeal against that payment.

    “In the words of Mr. President at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York last week, we are giving notice to international criminal groups by the vigorous prosecution of the P&ID scam attempting to cheat Nigeria of billions of dollars.

    “The Federal Government has succeeded in changing the false narrative being peddled by P&ID both within and outside Nigeria by putting across strong evidence that the company is nothing but a fraud.

    “Please permit me to thank the Nigerian media for its largely objective and patriotic reportage of this whole issue, despite the attempts by the desperate P&ID to muddy the waters.”

    The minister gave insights into the activities of the delegation in the UK.

    He added: “The team set off to achieve three main objectives which, even to the greatest optimist, seemed an uphill task at the time:

    • Change the narrative, especially on the international stage, on the entire P&ID issue, more so in the run-up to the 26 Sept 2019 court hearing on the case.
    • Apply for leave of the commercial court to appeal the judgement that recognized the humongous and unprecedented arbitration award.
    • Seek a stay of execution on the UK judgment that recognized the approximately 9.6 billion-dollar arbitration award to P&ID over a botched, 20-year gas deal with Nigeria.

    “Gentlemen, without being immodest, I can say categorically that we achieved all three objectives.

    He said: “The Federal government now has an unconditional permission to appeal against the decision of the Commercial Court recognising and converting the $9.6 billion UK  arbitration award in favour of P&ID to a domestic judgment. The Nigerian government won a leave of the commercial court to appeal the judgment which P&ID had vehemently resisted.

    “The judge also recognised that the ownership of P&ID was opaque, and that a vulture fund stands behind it which had engaged lawyers determined to pursue a strategy including the temporary seizure of assets, regardless of state immunity claims.

    “The Federal Government is pleased that the Judge fairly recognised the merits of its arguments and the true nature of P&ID and its strategy, and that he granted permission to appeal against his own decision and a stay pending appeal.

  • U-23 Nations Cup: Nigeria to battle Zambia, South Africa

    Nigeria’s Under 23 side will face Zambia, South Africa and Cote d Ivoire in Group B of this year’s U-23 Nations Cup holding in Egypt.

    The draw for the championship was held yesterday in Alexandria with host country Egypt pitched against Mali, Cameroon and Ghana in Group A. The championship proper which will hold from November 8 and 22 will begin with opening match on the 8th between hosts Egypt and Mali at the Cairo international Stadium.

    The Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations is held every four years and showcases some of African football’s emerging talents while also acting as a qualifier for the Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

    Read Also: 2019/2020: Quadiri, 17 others listed for CAF/FIFA competitions

    Former Egyptian forward Emad Meteab assisted CAF Director of Competitions, Samson Adamu to conduct the draw that divided the eight qualified teams into two groups of four teams each.

    Group A games will be played at Cairo international Stadium while Group B matches will be played at the Al Salam Stadium.

    The top three teams of the Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations will qualify to represent Africa at the Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

    Nigeria has made three appearances in the tournament emerging as champions in the 2015 edition. Cameroon and Ghana are debutants of the championship.

  • Akinrinade advises Obasanjo on letter-writing

    Former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Alani Akinrinade has advised his former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to adjust his style as a leader and statesman.

    He said the former president should desist from public letter-writing, in a bid to make a point, which is his fundamental right.

    Gen. Akinrinade, a hero of the civil war when Obasanjo was the Commander of the Third Marine Commando, said since his former boss has unfettered access to those in power, letter-writing may not be a good option.

    He also said whenever Obasanjo wrote his letters to the president, what came to his mind was how he handled similar matters when he was in the saddle.

    Acknowledging Obasanjo’s role in history, Akinrinade said statesmen should consult with those in power and offer constructive criticisms,  instead of going to the public.

    The former Army chief spoke with reporters in Lagos, ahead of his 80th birthday holding in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    Akinrinade said:”If I have an opportunity to advise him, I will say he should not write letters again. Each time he writes letter, the question I ask is: when he was there, how did he do it? He should not write letters again. He has access to them and he can give his advice, instead of writing.”

    The retired soldier lamented the pollution of the military by acts inimical to professionalism.

    He said there was no discipline in the Armed Forces,  adding that soldiers had been misused for businesses they were not trained for.

    Akinrinade urged Nigerias to stand for unity, saying that the country could be better.

    He, however, said the conditions for unity and harmony should not be ignored.

    Noting that Nigeria is a highly heterogeneous country, he said the basis for peaceful coexistence should be mutually worked out.

    Akinrinade frowned at the neglect of the 2014 National Conference report by the Buhari administration.

    He said it was curious that the administration that had ignored the report later set up an intra-party committee to discuss the possibility of true federalism.

    He said restructuring cannot be compromised again, stressing that it is the key to the resolution of the national question.

    Akinrinade, who assessed the 20 years of stable civil rule, said it could have been better.

    He said:”We have not found exactly the formula. My assessment is that we have done very poorly. We could do much better.”

  • Fed Govt to attach 104 unity colleges to govt hospitals

    The Federal Government on Wednesday said it had decided to attach the 104 unity schools in the country to government hospitals that are close to them.

    The government said where government hospitals are not very close, it would attach the college to private hospitals not more than 500 metres from the gate for rapid response.

    The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Mr. Sonny Echono, stated these during a briefing to celebrate this year’s World Teachers’ Day in Abuja.

    Echono said this would allow for quick response during outbreak of any epidemic or disease within the school.

    Read Also: No outbreak of epidemic in Queens College – Perm Sec

    He said: “We have taken some policy measures in the ministry that all our unity schools must be attached to government hospitals that are at close proximity. Where the government hospital is not very close, we will allow them to also be attached to private hospitals not more than 300 to 500 metres from the gate for rapid response.

    The permanent secretary also said some colleges, including Queen’s College, Lagos, would be provided with ambulances for rapid response.

    He said the government decided to employ more health personnel to assist the colleges in their clinics.

    Echono added: “Unfortunately, we have not reached the stage where we have doctors and the full complement of medical personnel in all our schools. But it is a big community. Going forward, we are looking towards that.

    “Right now, most schools are headed by nurses with community attendants. So, some times, that affects the response time and the ability to contain it immediately when they are overwhelmed by huge numbers.

    “We have also directed that from next year, all those who do not have ambulances will be provided with ambulances dedicated to attending immediately to health and similar cases. That is under implementation.

    “Many of them already have, but some, like Queen’s College, do not have. We are going to be assisting Queen’s College to acquire one in the next few days. We are also engaging a few more health personnel within the level of the ministry’s approval threshold to assist them in their clinics.”