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Tag: Nigerian Newspaper

  • Mission denies collecting 500 rand from Nigerian returnees on Air peace

    Nigerian Mission in South Africa has denied the report making the rounds that its officials were collecting money from Nigerian returnees.

    A video which has gone viral had alleged that consulate officials were collecting 500 rand to process Nigerian passengers on Air Peace flight.

    Air Peace management had offered to airlift Nigeria wishing to return home following the recent xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and their businesses by the South African youths.

    Reacting to the claim, Nigeria’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr. Godwin Adama, said there was no truth in the claim.

    Adama described the information as misleading and saying that it was a ploy by some people to frustrate the evacuation process.

    According to him, it is not true.

    He noted that the information is malicious intent by discredited members of Nigerian Union in South Africa who are not on ground, but frustrating the exercise.

    Adama said, “The mission works with Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa.

    “The same people sent notice to Nigerians from across the provinces to park their luggage and go to the consulate to travel the same day.

    “This created serious logistics challenges and I had to accommodate all the women with children.

    “Everything has gone on well so despite attempts by these groups of discredited individuals.”

    The President, Nigeria Citizens Association (NICASA), South Africa, Ben Okoli, who also reacted to the allegation said nothing of such happened.

    Okoli stressed that the allegation came from mischief-makers who do not want to see anything good from Nigerians.

    Read Also; Air Peace boss, Onyema’s masterstroke

    “These crop of diplomats that are working in the Consulate are just great and are the best we have ever seen.

    “There is nothing like money being collected by anyone; not NICASA, not even the Consulate.

    “These services were rendered free of charge, no one has ever said anyone collected money from him.

    “So I am unhappy with this fake news that people are just circulating. It is a lie.

    “We are discountenancing the lie and it is unacceptable.”

    He that the second batch of Nigerian returnees left 12 noon South African time and should be expected to arrive Nigeria between 6 to 7p.m.

    He noted that everybody cleared for evacuation left with the flight and that none of those people was left behind in that country.

  • Wike hails Fayemi’s leadership qualities

    Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesome Wike has described his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi, as a highly focused leader who does not discriminate against members of the opposition party, but sees them as partners in progress.

    Governor Wike gave the commendation, Wednesday in Port Harcourt, during the commissioning of the ultra-modern Rumuwoji Market as part of activities marking the first 100 days of his second term in office.

    According to a statement signed by Governor Fayemi’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, Wike said Governor Fayemi was given the honour of commissioning the market in recognition of his rare qualities as a leader who does not discriminate based on political party affiliation.

    He said: “My brother, the Chairman of NGF, Governor Fayemi is a great leader. He has never discriminated against opposition parties. He sees everybody as partners in progress.

    “He is one of the few leaders who understand that a political party is a vehicle to get into government and that party affiliation should not bring animosity, especially when development is the focus.

    READ ALSO: Police tender report on Wike’s victory

    Governor Wike recalled how Governor Fayemi’s intervention helped to douse the tension that was brewing over the issue of mosque demolition in the state earlier in the month.

    “He called me when he heard about the development. He came here and intervened in the matter, not minding our political party affiliation. That is leadership. And such a leader should be encouraged” He added.

    Governor Fayemi, in a short remark before commissioning the market complex also has hailed his Rivers State counterpart, Barr. Wike for his developmental strides in the state.

    He described Wike as a frontline member of the NGF, adding that he was impressed by the Rivers State Governor’s penchant for people- oriented projects, which he said had earned him the nickname ” Mr Project”.

    Dr Fayemi who was the special guest of honour at the event, said government is about affecting the lives of the people positively and ensuring that “we fulfil promises made during electioneering period.

    He said his role as NGF Chairman is to support, protect and defend members of the Forum regardless of party affiliation.

    The two governors later led other dignitaries and traders on an inspection of facilities in the ultra-modern market.

  • Tribunal upholds Abaribe’s election

    The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital has upheld the declaration of the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Delivering the judgement, a member of the three member panel, Justice Wasiu Animahun faulted the decision of the petitioners to rely on card reader accreditation.

    He noted that the machine could not take the place of the voters’ register as it was only complimentary.

    The panel held that if the number of over-voting claimed by the petitioners was removed from the figure with which Abaribe was declared winner, he would still maintain a reasonable margin of lead over the petitioners.

    Dismissing the petition for lack of merit, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove their allegation of irregularities.

    It, however, awarded the cost of N500, 000 against the petitioners in favour of the second (Abaribe) and third PDP respondents.

    But the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, candidate Chief Chris Nkwonta, has faulted the judgment of the election petition tribunal.

    But In an interview, Nkwonta said the tribunal erred in law when it failed to consider that the fact that the INEC guideline on the use of smart card readers for accreditation of voters, was part of the electoral process.

    He alleged that going by the total number of accredited voters by the card reader, the results announced by INEC is higher than what is recorded in the card readers.

    Read Also: Seadogs, Abaribe, Sani: enough is enough

    The APGA chieftain lamented that the tribunal also ignored the various cases of over voting and numerous mutilations results entered in favour of his opponent and expressed hope that the Court of Appeal would rectify the matter.

    “The tribunal erred in its judgment. It ignored the major flank of the petition which was the issue of use of smart card readers to accredit voters. The use of smart card readers as an INEC guideline to accredit voters is part of the electoral process meant to ensure the integrity of the system. The tribunal also ignored the serial mutilation of results across polling units in the zone, especially in Obingwa where my opponent comes from. The question is, if my opponent is popular, why did he have to resort to rigging in his local government?

    “Our judicial system must check the issue of desperation among political office seekers. The issue is that during election, a candidate will manipulate the system to be declared winner because he knows that his action will be rendered a fait accompli by the tribunal. This is unfair. There is no doubt that the Court of Appeal will not ignore such facts.”

  • Funding gaps working against road constructions – Fashola

    The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Wednesday declared that budget funding gaps had worked against completion of roads projects in the country in the last four years.

    He was answering question on the poor state of roads in the country against the series of approvals given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during the first tenure.

    At the post FEC briefing on Wednesday, Fashola also disclosed that not all the over N300 billion budgeted was released.

    According to him, his office is yet to get any money since he got reappointed as minister as there are still paper work processes going on.

    He explained that some of the road works going on are based on goodwill.

    Stressing that there have been criticism against borrowing during the first tenure, he said that community support is also needed to facilitate construction of roads projects in the country.

    He gave an instance of over N10 billion already accruing as compensation on the 2nd Niger Bridge.

    The Minister also disclosed that the FEC approved a total of N8.2 billion for roads projects on Wednesday.

  • Malabu Oil Block: Magu releases probe details, says Adoke is liable

    The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu has said a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN) has a case to answer over the Settlement Agreement on Malabu Oil Block (OPL 25).

    He said Adoke has been offering the reading public in the account of his sojourn in governance a bouquet of half-truths and plain lies.

    He said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo did not discuss, counsel, or direct him in any way on any issue concerning Adoke.

    He said the EFCC is not the battle axe of political figures and could not have been called out to deal with anyone as being insinuated by Adoke.

    He said after satisfying his long desire to titillate the public with some tales by moonlight Adoke should make himself available for trial.

    Magu, who made his position known in a statement through the Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission’s investigation has implicated Adoke in the matter of the implementation of the settlement and resolution of agreements on Oil Prospecting License OPL 245 and OPL214.

    Read Also: EFCC arrests Prison’s staff, five others for ATM fraud

    He said the probe of OPL 245 was not a witch-hunt in any form.

    He said: “It is important for the public to know that the investigation of the lucrative Oil Prospecting License 245 Settlement deal, otherwise known as the Malabu Scandal, by EFCC was not an enterprise in witch-hunt or malice.

    “The Magu-led leadership of the commission, in consideration of persistent public demand for closer scrutiny of the transaction, coupled with emerging information suggestive of opacity in the consummation of the deal, acted in national interest to determine that overall public good was not sacrificed on the altar of personal interest of those who perfected the deal.

    “The investigation had been discreet, with no threat of direct physical harm to Adoke or any other person implicated in the deal.

    “The commission’s investigation holds Adoke liable in the matter of the implementation of the settlement and resolution of agreements on Oil Prospecting License OPL 245 and OPL214 between Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd, belonging to former Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete and the federal government of Nigeria in 2010.”

    The EFCC chairman released the details of the investigations into Malabu Oil Block scandal.

    He added: “It could be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had revoked the OPL 245, which the late General Sani Abacha granted to Etete, who was his Petroleum Minister and reassigned it Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company. Etete’s Malabu Oil and Gas, however, reclaimed the oil block in 2006 through the court. While Shell challenged the decision, a fraudulent settlement and resolution was perfected under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government with Shell and Eni buying the oil block from Malabu in the sum of $1.1billion.

    “EFCC’s investigations however revealed crimes, that border on conspiracy, forgery of bank documents, bribery, corruption and money laundering to the tune of over $1.2 billon against Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd, Shell Nigeria Ultra deep (SNUD) Nigeria Agip Exploration (NAE) and their officials. Some of those officials are already facing criminal trials in Switzerland and Italy.

    “The investigations further revealed that Etete and others fraudulently received an aggregate sum of US$ 801,540,000 (Eight Hundred Million, Five Hundred and Forty Thousand United States Dollars) from Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company, Nigeria Agip Exploration Ltd and ENI SPA in relation to the oil prospecting license.

    “Adoke as the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice allegedly abused his office in respect of the granting of the oil prospecting license OPL 245 to Shell and ENI.

    “A prima facie case, bordering on official corruption was established by the Commission following the investigations, culminating in court charges against Adoke, Etete and others, which is still pending before the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court.”

    He advised Adoke to return home for trial.

    “The arraignment of Adoke SAN, Etete and others could not take place because they along with other defendants have remained at large, refusing to make themselves available for trial.

    “The former chief law officer of the federation prefers to remain in self-exile, and engage the Commission in needless media war.

    “Having now satisfied his long desire to titillate the public with some tales by moonlight in the mould of a semi author-biography, Adoke should now make himself available for trial,” he said.

    Magu however faulted alleged attempts by Adoke to rewrite history.

    He said: “The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Ibrahim Magu is alarmed by the brazen attempt by former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), to rewrite history and portray himself as victim of persecution regarding the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC’s) investigation of the OPL 245 Settlement Agreement (Malabu).

    “In the last few days the Nigerian media has been awash with previews of Adoke’s book, titled: “Burden of Service: Reminiscences of Nigeria’s former Attorney General,” in which he took aim at the EFCC boss as being part of a deadly triumvirate that had been hounding and persecuting him since he left office in 2015. The other two alleged traducers, mentioned by Adoke are the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and former senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume. Adoke claims that he had been viciously maligned by this threesome to the extent that he contemplated suicide.

    “Specifically, he claimed in Chapter 8 of the book, that Magu was recruited by Prof. Osinbajo to hound and persecute him despite, as he claimed, his role in reinstating Magu to the EFCC from the police “where he had been vegetating.”

    “Adoke attributes his source of information on the alleged Osinbajo instruction to Magu against him to an unnamed governor from the North West, who according to him, claimed Magu told him that he had the instruction of Osinbajo to “deal with Adoke.”

    “Adoke also claims that an unnamed senator also confided in him that Magu nursed a personal grudge against him because he believed that he (Adoke) owned half of the Centenary City in Abuja.

    “That Adoke neither named the North-West governor nor the Senator that provided the weighty intelligence on which he took Magu to the guillotine in his book, could only mean one thing: the claims are tissues of lies, contrived to entertain and attract underserved attention to himself.

    “The acting Chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Magu categorically states that at no time did the Vice President discuss, counsel, or direct him in any way on any issue concerning Mr. Adoke. It is wicked and evil to make such a false allegation against anybody especially where it is based on hearsay.”

    Magu accused Adoke of employing marketing gimmick to wet public appetite for his book.

    He added: “These yarns, being spewed by hirelings of the former AGF are nothing but a marketing gimmick, dubiously orchestrated to wet public appetite and sufficiently stir curiosity ahead of the official release of the book on Monday, September 16, 2019.

    “But it is obvious that what Adoke is offering the reading public in the account of his sojourn in governance is nothing but a bouquet of half-truths and plain lies.

    “The accounts in Chapters 8 and 9 as it relates to the EFCC and its Chairman, Ibrahim Magu are not only inaccurate but self-serving.

    “For the records and emphasis, Magu never received any instructions from the Vice President, neither had he communicated verbally or in writing to any governor from the North-West or senator about such a patently false purported instruction from Osinbajo to “deal with Adoke.”

    “The EFCC is not the battle axe of political figures and could not have been called out to deal with anyone. Adoke’s ploy is simple. He wants to create a false narrative that the offenses for which he has been charged are not genuine but are the product of some high level conspiracy against him. But, first of all, there is no discernible reason for such a conspiracy. Secondly, it is an entirely false premise. It is clear that this is symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws.

    “Adoke ran well outside the track when he said he was instrumental to reinstating Magu, to the EFCC from the police “where he had been vegetating.”

    “ The Commission is unaware of Adoke’s role in Magu’s return to the Commission in 2012 after being away for a few years. It is well known that the EFCC Acting Chairman is a pioneer staff of the Commission, with many stripes to his sleeves by way of accomplishments that have no link to Adoke.

    “Magu and the EFCC have no interest in any public spat with Adoke who remains a suspect under investigation for criminal offences and against whom a competent court had issued a subsisting warrant for his arrest.

    “ The said warrant has already been executed by the International Police Organization (INTERPOL) which placed him on its wanted list. The option before Adoke is to return home and answer to his charges.

    “It is however gratifying that the former AGF abandoned the idea of committing suicide as taking that route would have amounted to a monumental waste of resources on the part of the EFCC. So much has been spent in diligently investigating the OPL 245 scandal that the Commission needs Adoke to be alive to answer to his charges, and clear his name before the court.

    “It makes no sense to deceive the people with claims that he had been exonerated of any wrong doing by the court. As a senior advocate, he should know that a civil suit cannot exonerate one from criminal liability.”

  • BREAKING: $9.6bn judgement: Reps summon Malami, Sylva, others

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday set up a 17-man ad hoc committee to as a matter of urgency, invite the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Timpriye Sylva.

    They are to give situational report on the matter and explain the lapse in judgement of time and due diligence in the (miss)handling of the case with a view to finding lasting solutions to the avalanche of extant and future cases.

    The ad hoc committee is headed by Hon. Sada Soli (APC Katsina).

    The lawmakers are also to invite other officials of the ministries, saddled with the responsibility to negotiate the agreement with P&ID and the prosecution of the matter before the tribunal.

    This was sequel to the passage of motion of urgent national importance sponsored by a member, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.

    Ihonvbere, while moving the motion noted that the recent judgement debt of $9.6 billion (with daily interest accruing) by a commercial court in the United Kingdom against Nigeria, in a matter between Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Limited “leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.”

    He said for a country with a foreign reserve of only $45 billion and a sovereign debt profile of over $80 billion, the judgment debt is not only punitive but would devastatingly affect the Nigerian economy.

    Details shortly…

  • Side hustles you can do for extra incomes

    By Samuel Oamen

     

    In this age and time, there are many side jobs you can do to add to your monthly income. These jobs can be executed part time, full time or remotely. Some of these jobs don’t even require you to have an office or shop before you can do them.

    Many people are already making huge sum of money from these jobs. There are actually many of such jobs but in this article I listed only ten of such side hustles you can do to make extra bucks for yourself, either as a student, youth corp member, job seeker, even as an employed graduate.

    Below are the hustles:

    1. Computer/Phone Repair Service.

    If you’re good at fixing things, you could start a phone and computer repair service. We live in a world where everyone owns a mobile phone or computer. This means that there is a big market for phone/computer repairers in Nigeria. You must not be a science student to become a computer or phone engineer.
    There is a big market for phone engineers in Nigeria. You could even offer a delivery service to serve your customers better. This you can do by adding an extra sum of about N1,000 for the delivery of the gadget after repair. You can as well become a phone repairer that is well sought after by including home services to your services. Some people might want you to come fix their phones at home because they are busy, the rate of doing home services should be higher.

    2. Car Washing

    Car wash business is really blooming because a lot of people are becoming car owners every day and because they would like to keep their cars clean. Some car owners will always visit a car wash every day. It is a side hustle you can venture into with little or no capital.
    In fact you can start off this hustle with just bucket and detergents, visit place where cars are parked, tell car owners that you can wash their cars and make it sparkle inside out.

    3. Buying and reselling on social Media

    The advent of technology has greatly increased the rate of buying and selling on the internet. This has made a lot of young people become remote traders. They buy and sell using the various social media platforms like Facebook, twitter, Instagram.
    This is how a lot of people start their e-commerce journey, buy from from Amazon, Alibaba, Jumia, Konga and the likes and resell either on social media or directly to their friends. You can even spend some little cash promoting the products on Facebook or Instagram, just to make people aware of what you are selling, and sell off your products quicker.

    4. Laundry / Dry cleaning services

    Many working class men and ladies today hardly have time to do their laundry after work or during weekends. So what they do is to pack all the clothes they had used during the week to a laundry shop. This particular hustle is recently the most sought after hustle. You can decide to render some home services, by going to the house of big men around your neighborhood during the weekends to wash and iron their used clothes.
    You can choose to take them home to wash if permitted. In fact these days some people prefer you come and wash for them at home to avoid stories that touch the heart. We have heard of laundry men who wear their customer’s clothes to parties and events. So some people really don’t like giving out clothes to small laundry shops anymore, except you can prove to be trust worthy.
    Another way you can go about this side hustle is to tell people you run laundry and dry cleaning service even without having a shop or a washing machine, and all you do is collect the clothes from them, take the clothes to a good dry-cleaning shop, beat down the price and make your own gain from the change, you don’t even need to own a shop, it is like running errand for your customers. Remember to add that you also do delivery services.

    5. Social media consultant

    Almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, instagram, and Pinterest these days. But do you know that many companies are ready to pay you to help them manage their social media accounts either as their employee or as a remote digital marketer? You don’t need to study marketing to be qualified for this. All you need to be is being tech savvy, be conversant with the new trends on various social media platforms, learn how to create contents, do online advertisements, engage followers by creating engaging posts, then take some digital marketing certifications to boast your chances of getting a client. As a social media consultant you should be conversant with
    * search marketing (SEO search engine optimisation, PPC pay per click), content creation, inbound marketing, digital display advertising, e-mail marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing, analytics and so on. With these you can start working as a social media consultant.

    Read Also: 31 work-from-home websites/companies

     

    6. Cook / Personal chef

    Are you a foodie or do you cook and people start asking for more after eating, you should better make it a side hustle, cook for people and get paid. There are many people who don’t have that time to cook for themselves at home and are seeking the services of a chef, who would do all their cooking for them. You can do this hustle even as a student living in the hostel. You can cook stews, rice, soups etc and sell to students who are too busy on campus. This is a very lucrative side job. You can as well cook for events and parties, let people know what you can do, sell yourself by cooking delicious delicacies. Be sure you don’t disappoint, you must be very careful and attentive, and you must not be a talkative if you must be successful in this hustle.

    7. Event DJ

    Are you a lover of music? Do you have a good laptop with numerous musical compilations in and around the world? You can become an event DJ just with these. All you need is a laptop, get the victual DJ application installed in it and that’s all. Be updated with the latest music and make sure you have a playlist. When you start making money, you can buy the other instruments. Such instruments are the DJ controller, amplifiers, speakers and likes. But for the main time, you can always hire those equipment you can’t afford for now. Just be sure you update your playlists and make mix-tapes with your stage name.

    8. Photography

    Photography is blooming in Nigeria. Gone are the days when old men and papas are the only photographers we have around our neighborhood. The advent of software like Photoshop, Corel draw, fireworks and likes means you can edit pictures and make them look perfectly beautiful.
    All you need is a camera and a laptop for editing your work. These days we hardly see a wedding without a pre-wedding photos and people especially ladies hardly celebrate their birthdays without going to get a birthday photo shoot. So photography market is big, you can visit places like the beach, leisure parks, with your clients and give them a mind blowing shots. Good thing about photography is that you can also add your name as the water mark for reference purpose.

    9. Cleaning and fumigation

    Cleaning is a job you can start up without any equipment save for your broom, dusters and buckets. To do this side job you must be very humble and be industrious. There are so many big men around in Nigeria who need trust worthy part-time cleaners who would always come around to help in cleaning, reach out to such people and tell them what you can do. You can as well add Fumigation services to your cleaning job, learn about insecticides that eradicates insect and those ones that can also kill grasses, a lot of people require the services of Fumigator.

    10. Teaching musical instruments

    If you are good at playing musical instrument (basically the piano, guitar and Sax) and you are someone with a good temperament, you’ve got what you need to teach others and make money. People have built houses from this hustle, I know someone in particular who goes to schools to teach music part-time and also does private teaching, he also has tutors working for him, they cover some other schools for him.
    You can take up this side job even without having your own instruments to teach with, many of these schools have numerous instruments, all they need is a tutor to come teach their pupils. You can also add instrument repairs, buying and selling of instruments to this side job and in little or no time you will be smiling home with cool cash.
    Finally in anything you do, be sure to add some spice to give your hustle some hedge over others.

  • BREAKING: Running mate crisis: Dickson sacks special adviser

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has dismissed Mrs. Helen Bob, as a Special Adviser in his administration.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said that Bob was dismissed for repeated acts of gross misconduct, indiscipline, irresponsibility and acts unbecoming of a person occupying the high position of Special Adviser in any government whatsoever.

    Soriwei said that Bob, who was a governor’s aide for almost eight years, was among 130 special advisers out of over 2000 appointees engaged by the governor.

    It was gathered that the development was in connection with Bob’s recent public outburst over Dickson’s choice of candidate and running mate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16 governorship election.

    Bob had condemned some decisions taken by the governor describing them as recipes for failures in the election and saying she was ready to be relieved of her post in the government.

    Bob, who was former Chairperson of Brass Local Government Area, particularly expresses her angst over governor’s choice of Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor as the party’s running mate.

    She also described a stakeholders’ meeting proposed by the governor to seek possible substitution of Erwujakpor as unnecessary since according to her the governor had the knife and the yam.

    She said: “For me, there is no need calling stakeholders to hear governor’s briefing as usual because they may not be given opportunity to speak out their minds. Even if they do, their opinions will never count because of our past experiences.

    “We all recalled how three aspirants emerged from him to speak for a Restoration political family and the entire PDP. Not even the party leadership could call a meeting to discuss the way forward but strongly supported the governor to ensure one of them won the PDP ticket while others were disgraced.

    “He may be the last PDP governor if he doesn’t fix all these disheartening issues that have clouded our dear PDP. The governor is a very intelligent and experienced personality that knows what best to do at the right time.

    Read Also: Dickson to PDP leaders: stop issuing unauthorized statements

    “He need not any stakeholders meeting to fix the party back to the way it used to win general elections. Since 2015 that the model of choosing who bears the PDP flags in state House of Assembly, House of Reps and Senate seats changed to imposition of candidates due to favouritism, family and friends, we have lost more seats than ever.

    “With all due respect my boss, the truth is bitter but I have to state it here clearly that this imposition of candidates is an unpopular and old school kind of party primary model that is why we lost those seats to the APC.

    “Frankly speaking, even those who are close with you are only there to ensure there salaries read hence will never tell you the truth. Please take a good decision yourself as you have always done to fix all the collapsing walls of the party as no stakeholders have any role to play at this point”.

  • WAEC Registrar bows out month end

    Registrar, West African Examinations Council (WAEC) International office, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, will complete his tenure month-end.

    During a teleconference from Ghana headquarters of the examining body on Wednesday, Uwadiae told journalists gathered at the WAEC International office in Agidingbi, Lagos that his seven-year tenure (consisting of a five-year official tenure and two year extension) as the 12th registrar of the Council, had been successful.

    Uwadiae, who took over from another Nigerian, Alhaja Mulikat Bello on October 1, 2012, however, refused to name his successor. He said the successor, who has already been appointed would be named when he assumes office on October 1, 2019.

    “I anticipate that you will be anxious to know who is going to succeed me. I am glad to inform you that my successor has been appointed. I will, however, want to appeal to you to grant me the indulgence of not unveiling the personality at this forum, as you are quite aware that the Council has an official process of doing so soon after assumption of office. There will be a press release or conference to that effect,” he said.

    During his tenure, Uwadiae said the council was able to complete its headquarters which took 15 years to build in 2016. He added that Liberia fully adopted the WASSCE from 2018, while the Council increased additional diets of the WASSCE and Basic Education Certificate Examination for private candidates in member countries.

    To prevent examination malpractice and leakages, the Registrar said the Council decided to acquire facilities to print in-house.

    Read Also; WAEC opens five-day African assessment bodies’ conference today

    “The Secretariat paid the deserved attention to the issue of examination leakage and resolved to settle for nothing short of total eradication of the nuisance. We pursued a status of self-reliance in printing services which could guarantee our set target of 100% in-house printing of question papers. As at now, each national office has reached a certain stage in the establishment of an in-house printing press. Other types of malpractice also received our deepest reflection, as the Council constructed or furnished for use its own standard/model examination halls in places like Lagos and Benin City in Nigeria, Accra, Cape Coast, Wa and Koforidua in Ghana and Tubmanburg in Liberia,” he said.

    Regarding the use of technology, Uwadiae said the Council under him had used software and various gadgets to prevent and check examination malpractices.

    “We built tighter security around our examination materials and conduct as various gadgets and software were deployed for identification of candidates, capturing of data and detection of irregularities at examination centres,” he said.

    Uwadiae also said the teleconference facility used for the press conference was being used for the first time. He said the facility was in place in three of the five member countries, namely Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia.

  • Trump names Robert O’Brien as new national security adviser

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Robert O’Brien, the current envoy for hostage affairs, as national security adviser following the ouster of John Bolton last week.

    “I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

    In his current role, O’Brien “leads the U.S. government’s diplomatic efforts on overseas hostage-related matters,” according to his biography on the State Department’s website.

    O’Brien was involved in the release of US.. rapper ASAP Rocky by Swedish authorities in August, after the musician had been detained in connection with a street brawl in Stockholm.

    The special envoy was in the courtroom during the trial, which stirred diplomatic tensions as Trump demanded the rapper’s release.

    O’Brien previously co-chaired the State Department’s justice reform initiative in Afghanistan, as well as advised the government on the trafficking of antiquities, according to his biography.

    He worked with Bolton at the United Nations under President George W. Bush, who appointed him in 2005.

    O’Brien takes over as Trump’s fourth national security adviser, following the departures of Bolton, Michael Flynn and HR McMaster.

    Trump said last week that he had asked Bolton to resign, citing strong differences of opinion with his hawkish assistant in the latest shake-up of an already turbulent White House.

    Bolton’s ouster came as a surprise, with the White House putting out an advisory just an hour before Trump’s announcement, saying that Bolton would be taking part in a media briefing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

    Bolton also continued to post administration policy on social media right up until Trump’s announcement.

    However, Trump had previously hinted at his disagreements with Bolton on foreign policy, and observers had regularly noted that the two made an odd couple, with the president more isolationist and the national security adviser an interventionist.

    Bolton appeared to be waging numerous battles within the White House, most recently over Afghanistan and North Korea, that seemed at odds with the president’s wishes.

    He was also behind the hard-line approach to countries such as Iran and Venezuela.

    Bolton’s deputy, Charlie Kupperman, stepped into the role until the appointment of a new security adviser.