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  • APC to Ndume: respect party supremacy

    The Yobe Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), has advised Sen. Ali Ndume (Borno-APC), to respect supremacy of the party and avoid placing personal interest above collective interest.

    Alhaji Abubakar Bakabe, the state’s secretary of the party, disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Damaturu.

    “The interest of the party supersedes all other interests,” Bakabe said.

    He cautioned the lawmaker against working with the opposition to ridicule the party.

    “Ndume should avoid the pitfalls of the Bukola Saraki’s Senate presidency, this must not be repeated in the interest of the party, Nigeria and democracy,” he said.

    Read Also: My visit to Osinbajo not on Senate President, says Ndume

    He commended returning and newly elected senators for identifying with the position of the party and presidency on the proposed leadership of the National Assembly.

    “The state chapter of APC expresses optimism that the Borno senator will remain loyal to the party, its leadership and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “As a party, we can not afford to accommodate any sabotage and a divided house after the bitter experience of the last four years.

    “The endorsement of Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, for Senate President will provide the required leadership and coordination for the APC led administration to effectively execute its policies and programmes for the benefit of Nigerians.

    “Lawan will run an inclusive leadership that will give every Nigerian a true sense of belonging and fulfilment, he has the required experience, knowledge and administrative skills for the senate to reclaim its glory as a progressive arm of government,” he said.

  • Candidates forced to abandon WASSCE for UTME

    Some candidates writing the ongoing 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for schools were not able to sit for their examination on Thursday because it clashed with the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which started the same day with three sessions scheduled daily.

    JAMB and WAEC had promised to sought out the clash in timetables which affects about 23 Entrepreneurship/Trade WASSCE subjects scheduled to hold during the six days that the UTME would last.

    SS3 candidates writing the WASSCE were scheduled to write Animal Husbandry and Store Management today (April 11, 2019) but because the time clashed with the UTME, missed the examination.

    A parent who does not wish to be named, said his daughter and about 20 others at Providence High School, Fagba, could not sit for Animal Husbandry scheduled to start 9.30am – 30 minutes after they were to write their UTME at the Lagooz CBT Centre, O’Riley Agege, Lagos.

    “My daughter could not write Animal Husbandry today. She was to write UTME at Lagooz School by 9 a.m. But the exam did not start until 11am. By the time she got back to her school, she did not meet the invigilators for (Animal Husbandry). She was not the only one affected.

    “There were about 20 of them. But their teachers told them they could get a chance to do an alternative version of the paper on the 15th,” he said.

    A teacher at Winners Treasure Kids School, Ketu, also said the clashing timetables did not affect most pupils in her school.

    A pupil from another school said nobody was affected in his school because none of them offered the subjects written on Thursday.

    Meanwhile, the UTME went well in centres monitored by The Nation.

    At Connection Computer training Institute, Cele, Ojo, accreditation and biometrics of candidates started late and was slow.

    There were four sessions for the exam – 7am, 9am, 1:30pm and 3:00pm.

    Miss Shittu Ronke, a candidate in the first batch, said the examination went well save for minor delays.
    ‘’I started the examination after 8 and finished after 10. I am a science student. I did English, Chemistry, Biology and physics. The physics was hard for me but I did my best. I am happy because my computer did not trip off during the examination. After the examination, we were told to stay in a room from there we queued up and thumb printed out’’.

    Mr Kalu Uche, another candidate in the second batch, also said his system did not malfunction.

    However, a female candidate, who was meant to write Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English 7am, missed her examination.

    Read Also: JAMB to investigate inability of candidates to do biometric verification

    She said she was late because she lived too far from the CBT Centre. She got to the centre some minutes to 8am.

    The candidate who identified herself as Oge, blamed her lateness on traffic.

    ‘’I stay at Ota. I left the house around to 6am this morning. On my way, there was traffic. When registering, I picked a centre closer to my place which is Festac but I was posted here. I was told to write a letter to the Jamb Zonal Regional Office if I have a reasonable excuse,’’ she said.

    A parent who simply called himself Mr Orji, said stopping Oge from writing the exam was pure wickedness.

    ‘’With this new order now, a girl missed her examination and there is no way or remedy for it. She was asked to write a letter to the jamb headquarters office. For me, if they had allowed her to write before immediately she came, she will almost be true by now. It is just pure wickedness,” he said.

    Speaking on the conduct of the examination, Mr Kayode Gbenga, a parent urged Jamb to improve on their biometrics.

    ‘’With what I have seen, JAMB is trying. But they should improve on their biometrics. In my opinion, thumb printing out should be done immediately after the examination. Why do the candidates have to stay in a room, queue up before they thumbprint out. It is a long process,’’ he said.

  • Speakership: Why I stepped down for Gbajabiamila , by Monguno

    The candidacy of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speakers of the 9th House got a boost on Thursday as Muhammad Monguno withdrew from the race.

    Monguno, one of the front line contenders, immediately declared support for Gbajabiamila based on the party’s decision and personal conviction.

    Monguno, who is Chairman Committee on Agricultural Productions and Services, said the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) supercedes personal ambitions.

    Besides being an advocate of party supremacy, Monguno said having zoned the Senate Presidency to the Northeast, fairness dictates that House members from the same region should naturally drop their ambition.

    Monguno, who represents Marte/Monguno/Nganzai Federal Constituency of Borno State, said there was no reason to disrespect the party’s decision.

    The lawmaker said Gbajabiamila ranks highest and most qualified among all contenders for the seat being very experienced and the most senior APC member in the House, having spent 16 years in the House since 2003.

    Read Also: My agenda for House of Reps, by Gbajabiamila

    He said: “I believe we should all rally round the party and give them the necessary support. I can’t continue with my ambition because the party has zoned the Senate President’s seat to my zone.

    “I’m a loyal party man and I should be the one to be calling on my colleagues to support the party on this. I decided to drop my ambition and support Femi to emerge.

    “If we’ll tell ourselves the truth, Femi is the most ranking among us, and he knows the job.

    “He has been a Principal officer since 2007. You can see that he has all it takes.

    “He led the opposition as the Minority Leader very well during the 7th Assembly and now we all can see how he has been able to bring us together as APC members in the majority party, being House Leader”.

  • Updated: Presidential poll: FG warns Atiku against self-help

    The Federal Government on Thursday warned the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alh. Atiku Abubakar against resorting to self-help over the outcome of the February 23 presidential election.

    It asked Atiku to realize that the only lawful channel for challenging the result of an election is through the courts.

    It warned that any act of anybody capable of triggering local crisis will not be condoned by this government.

    The government said it was absurd that Atiku had hired a lobbying firm to convince the United States not to recognize the re-election of President Buhari until the Supreme Court has ruled on the suit he filed.

    It said having lost by almost four million (4m) votes, it was US recognition as the winner of an election

    It said it was unfortunate that Atiku was thinking of replicating the Venezuelan model right here in Nigeria.

    The government made its position known at a briefing in Abuja by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, which was attended by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

    Mohammed said: “As you must have noticed in recent times, posters bearing the picture of former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, with the inscription: ”THE PUKKA, H.E. ATIKU ABUBAKAR, THE REAL AND THE RIGHT”, have surfaced across major streets in Abuja.

    “The appearance of these posters coincide with the media report that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has hired a US lobbying firm to convince the United States not to recognize the re-election of President Buhari until the Supreme Court has ruled on the suit by the PDP presidential candidate

    “The posters and the hiring of US lobbyists, the latest of such by the PDP candidate, have triggered questions about what Alhaji Abubakar is up to. Is he starting a fresh campaign after the elections have been won and lost?

    “Has he rescinded his decision to challenge the results of the presidential election in court, perhaps after realizing that the results he claimed to have obtained from the INEC back server are cooked? Is he now going for self-help? What really is Atiku’s motive?

    “Gentlemen, we are aware of media reports that the PDP presidential candidate on Wednesday distanced himself from the posters that are circulating in Abuja. He also reportedly denied hiring US lobbyists, claiming tongue-in-cheek that the APC fabricated the report.

    “If the media reports are right, it means that the former Vice President has suddenly realized the grave implication of his actions, hence has decided to beat a quick retreat before it is too late.

    “As a self-avowed democrat, he should realize that the only lawful channel for challenging the result of an election is through the courts. Resorting to self-help, as he seems to be doing now, is an act of desperation and the consequences are dire.”

    The Federal Government described Atiku’s plot to replicate the Venezuelan model in Nigeria as sheer daydreaming.

    Mohammed added: “There is no doubt that the PDP presidential candidate, out of desperation, is thinking of replicating the Venezuelan model right here in Nigeria. But he should realize that Nigeria is not Venezuela, and that the situations in both countries are not the same.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari won the Feb. 23rd 2019 presidential elections fair and square, with a margin of 3,928,869 million votes. The election’s credibility was attested to by local and foreign observers.

    “There is no doubt that President Buhari’s victory is well- deserved. As I said at a different forum, it represents the triumph of the ordinary Nigerians over the elite.

    “The election is a direct contest between ordinary Nigerians and the elite, most of whom are rent seekers. Of course, the ordinary Nigerians have won. This is not a surprise, considering the pro-poor policy of the Administration.

    “Despite the antics of the naysayers, Nigerians demonstrated that they appreciate the giant strides that have been made by the administration; whether in the areas of economy, fight against corruption or in tackling insecurity.”

    Although the Minister admitted that it is within the fundamental human rights of Atiku to go to court on the results of the Presidential Election, he cautioned him against seeking US recognition as the winner of the poll.

    He said: “ Alh. Atiku Abubakar has the right to do whatever is lawful to
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  • Gunmen kill groom-to-be in Abia

    Gunmen have killed an unidentified groom-to-be in a drinking bar at Ogbor Ancient Kingdom in Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State.

    The incident, which our reporter gathered took place at Uwakwe Street off Ukaegbu Road in Ogbor-Hill axis of the commercial city, has thrown the residents of the area into panic.

    Sources disclosed the deceased visited his parents living on Medical Driver, near the bar where he was killed.

    It was discovered the victim was scheduled to his wedding later in the year.

    It was gathered only the deceased was killed by the gunmen who equally dispossessed others of their belongings.

    The source said the residents of the area were gripped by fear when the murder took place because they suspected his killing to be related to the series cult rivalry going on in the city.

    “We don’t know the young man but some persons are saying he came to visit his parents at Medical Drive, which is also within this Ukaegbu Road.

    “While reports have it that the young man walked into the bar when the armed men had started operating, other reports has it that he was already seated in the joint when the gunmen struck.

    “His killing gave the suspicion that he was being targeted by his assailants who only robbed other people in the vicinity.

    “I also learnt that he was about to wed and came to inform his people who live at Medical Drive before the unfortunate incident.

    Read Also: Gunmen abduct council chair’s dad

    “Most residents ran into their houses when we heard what happened because we all thought that the cult boys are at it again, but later did we found out that it was one man that was targeted.

    “As I speak to you now, nobody is comfortable in our street again, because of fear of the unknown.

    “Events surrounding the death of that young man were like a movie to everyone and we don’t know what the security agencies will do next here.

    “This is one out of many cases of armed robbery and cult related activities going on in the area that has large youth population,” the source said.

    Spokesman of Abia State Police Command, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our reporter when contacted.

    Ogbonna promised to furnish our correspondent with details of the incident, stressing he was yet-to-be properly briefed on what happened.

    Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased has been moved away from the street and reportedly deposited at the mortuary as police investigation into the matter was ongoing at the time of filing the report.

  • Ooni narrates histories behind 401 tourist sites in Ile-Ife

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, late on Wednesday said that there were 401 historical and religious sites in Ile Ife that could be likened to those found in other parts of the world.

    The oba also narrated the mysteries and the histories behind most of the sites that served as the living places for those deities while alive in Ile-Ife.

    He said that was why Ile Ife was and, is still, regarded as the cradle of civilisation.

    Ogunwusi said that these sites in Ile Ife had become tourists’ sites that are now visited by both local and international tourists, visitors and researchers alike.

    Ogunwusi gave the various historical accounts during a press tour of the ancient city ahead of the Tourism Innovation and Development Conference (TIDA) slated for April 24.

    The theme of the conference is: “Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development and Marketing of Tourism Destinations on Host Communities’’.

    The Ooni said that the 401 mystical and mysterious deities, who existed and had their living places in Ile Ife had also defied human science.

    He added that the living places of the deities had all become national monuments and tourists’ sites.

    He listed some of the deities’ living places as those of : ‘Olokun’ , ‘Osun’ and ‘Osara’ .

    Others include those of: ‘Oke Agbanmere’ , ‘Oke Ileri’ , Oduduwa, Moremi, ‘Aje’ , ‘Agidi’ , ‘Orun Oba Ado’ , ‘Orisa Oke’ , ‘Oranmiyan’ groves, and ‘Ile Igbo’.

    According to him, the ‘Olokun’ Grove is the head of the oceans, connecting all the oceans in the world. It used to roar like oceans and changes its colour from blue to green and vice versa.

    “The Oke Ileri Grove symbolises the biblical tower of Babel where the Almighty God scattered everybody’s language, till date people come from across the globe to see it.

    “’Orun Oba Ado’ Grove is where the remains of our past ancestors are buried and we also have the first place in the world where iron, brass and bronze were discovered.

    “’Agidi’ Grove is where a group of Ife people angrily marched to and turned into stones.

    “Also ‘Aje’ Grove is where we have the first market in the world, when people started gathering in the world for business purpose, now known as ‘Igbomekun’ market.

    “Anthropologists have come to test if actually, all these are true and their findings have been positive.

    “’Oke Agbanmere’ Grove is where the first palm tree in the world is situated, Orunmila lives there,’’ the Ooni said.

    He added that each of these sites was being properly preserved to ensure they did not lose their value and continued to attract both local and international tourists.

    Oba Ogunwusi urged Nigerians to visit each of the sites to familiarise themselves with the nation’s rich culture, history and tradition.

    “One needs at least a month to tour all the tourist sites in Ile-Ife because they are many,’’ the monarch said.

  • Senate to FG: explore dialogue to free Leah Sharibu, others

    The Senate on Thursday asked the Federal Government to expedite action to secure the release of Leah Sharibu and other remaining school girls adopted by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    The resolution followed a point of order raised by the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani on the need for the Federal Government to hasten action on the release of Leah Sharibu.

    Recall that a splinter group of Boko Haram insurgents on the 19th of February, 2018, abducted a total of 115 girls from Science Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe State.

    The insurgents released 109 of them a month after and claimed that five out of the abducted girls died in captivity, while Leah Sharibu was held back for refusing to renounce her Christian faith .

    The Federal Government promised Leah Sharibu’s parents that her release from captivity would be achieved by all means possible.

    About 13 months after, Leah Sharibu is still in captivity of her abductors.

    Sani, in his point of order that was not debated, noted that there is the need to urge the Federal Government to expedite action by whatever means possible to secure the release of Leah.

    Relying on Order 43 (personal explanation) Sani said: “Fourteen months of Leah Sharibu in the captivity of Boko Haram insurgents and five years of the yet to be released Chibok girls , call for national concern and urgent need by relevant authorities to do all within their powers in getting them released .

    “What perhaps may be the most important strategy to be adopted in getting Leah and others out of captivity is the option of dialogue with the their abductors .

    “It has worked in so many other places where similar abductions took place like Afghanistan , Pakistan terrorised by the Talibans .

    “Though government cannot be said not to have taken actions in getting Leah and others released, but there is need for it to redouble and expedite actions in that direction for parents and relatives of the abductees be freed from psychological trauma they must have been facing and for the abductees to know that they have a country that cares for them.”

    Sani noted his submission was meant to ignite action on the side of government towards securing the release of Leah and others held captive by insurgents.

    The Kaduna Central lawmaker said that there seemed to be a lull on the side of government on the release of Leah and other school girls held by insurgents.

    He said: “I raised the issue of Leah to prick the conscience of government to act. Leah symbolizes resistance. Such a young soul should not be allowed to perish due to inaction of government.

    ‘I raised the issue of dialogue through negotiators. I am confident that Leah can be freed through negotiation. Negotiation has worked in some dangerous places.

    Read Also: Senate presidency: Lawan ‘ll ensure all-inclusive Senate, says Abdullahi

    “Each day Leah stays in the hands of her abductors is a dent on the government. I am sure Leah is alive. If she is dead, her abductors should have announced it.

    “If Leah is the daughter of a high ranking government official she should have been released. The silence of those who should speak up on the issue of Leah is also worrisome.

    “It is a serious dereliction of responsibility for anyone who should speak truth to the authority to keep quite.

    He went on: “The life of any hostage is more important than any grandstanding that we should not negotiate and dialogue with terrorists.

    “I want the government to do all it can to secure the release of Leah. It is hypocritical to say you will not dialogue with terrorists when people are paying ransom. I will continue to speak about Leah until the last day I will leave this Senate.”

    Sani also said that negotiation to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls was abandoned.

    He insisted the remaining Chibok girls, the Dapchi girl will continue to prick the conscience of the country until that are released.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that all efforts should be made by the Federal Government to secure the release of Leah and others held by abductors.

  • VIOs cause tanker accident in Minna

    Two Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) in Minna have caused a tanker accident injuring the driver and his boy.

    A struggle for the steering of the tanker caused the tanker which was filled with water to overturn at the eastern bypass in front of the Nigeria Customs Service office in Minna.

    One of the Officers was said to have jumped on the driver’s side of the tanker and started struggling for the steering with the driver which led to both losing control of the tanker.

    The other one was in hot pursuit with a motorcycle belonging to the VIO office.

    Eyewitnesses said that the driver and the VIO officer had been struggling with the steering from the Minna City gate however the reason why the officer had to jump into the tanker remains unknown.

    The driver and his boy sustained serious injuries when the tanker overturned while the VIO officer sustained minor injury.

    The victims were left unchecked as the VIO whisked their man who sustained injury in their van leaving bystanders to rescue the victims.

    The victims were taken to the IBB Specialist Hospital.

    The action of the Vehicle Inspection Officers angered tanker drivers who used their trucks to block the road preventing movement for hours demanding for the presence of government before they leave the road.

    Speaking to The Nation, the Discipline Officer of Water Tankers Association in Minna, Mohammed Musa lamented over what he termed ‘the overzealousness of the VIOs in Minna’.

    Read Also; FG flags-off project to deliver additional 624mw in FCT

    He said that they (water tankers drivers) are harassed at will by the officers who demand money from them, “despite the fact that we pay tax to the state government through the water board.”

    “We blocked the road because we want the VIOs and government to come and tell us why the VIOs continually disturb us when we are carrying out our business.

    “They disturb us for minute issues just to give us problem. We want the government to warn the VIOs to leave us alone. If they have any problem with any of our drivers, they can trace the driver to our association office or the water board instead of struggling with the steering with them.”

    It took the presence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Abdullahi Imam and the Police to quell the tempers of the tanker drivers before they willingly took their trucks off the road.

    The Permanent Secretary promised to take up the bills of the two injured persons and instructed that a young van come to toll the tanker away at the expense of the state government.

  • FG flags-off project to deliver additional 624mw in FCT

    The Federal Government on Thursday kick-started the implementation of the construction of nine 330 KV lines to deliver additional 624mw to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs,

    At completion, the project will add 1,380MVA transformer capacity that is expected to improve power transmission and supply within Abuja and its environs as well as positively impact the socio-economic well-being of the people.

    Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony in Dawaki-Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Dr. Louis Edozien, charged the Managing Director, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Mr. Ernest Mupwaya and the Generation Company, to ensure optimal utilization of the facility when it is completed in the next two years.

    Edozien said that: “It is the distribution company that must play the role in taking this extra capacity and delivering it to customers. At the same time, the partnership also expects from the generation companies because if they don’t produce another 624mw, it is only the engineers that will at the end of two years admire the facility.”

    He noted that the ministry aimed at an end -to -end delivery of electricity, which requires a crucial role of the DisCo, recalling that the financing partner, AFD, was into a distribution projects that did not go well in the past.

    The Permanent Secretary insisted that it was “time now to reconsider a more purposeful and successful financing intervention at the distribution and retail end of the industry.”

    It is, however, an irony that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is siting the project on the right of way of the high tension passing through Dawaki in Abuja.

    The company is presently weeding out all structures on the right of way through out the country with the support of the state governors.

    Read Also: FG spent N79.2bn on monthly pension in 2018, says PTAD

    The TCN Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, noted that the project was to tackle the problem of electricity transmission in Abuja.

    He noted that the TCN saved about 25million from the procurement process of the project because the contractors were even ready to commence implementation before payment.

    According to him, Transmission Rehabilitation Expansion Programme, which TCN was implementing was on course as all the components that included the frequency control has been achieved 65 per cent.

    His words: “I am happy to tell you that as from achieved frequency control of 59.8 and 2Hz for 65% of the time from December 23 to date, being the best in the history of the country.”

    He said that the company was enforcing the free governor control, which was targeted at attaining the best frequency control in West Africa.

    He said that the TCN had also achieved the complete procurement of spinning reserve, which was undergoing the final consultation for the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for approval and deployment.

    He added that the company had done everything possible to make the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) work having fixed all the deficiencies that inhibited the achievement in the past.

    Mohammed said that the TCN has installed 40 transformers in the last two years, recovered 730 containers from the over 800 containers that were stranded in the ports.

  • Appeal Court strikes out motion setting aside gazette on approval of 48 Obas in Oyo

    The Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Thursday struck out a motion filed by Sen. Rashidi Ladoja, challenging the powers of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to gazette and approve “ beaded crowns and coronets” to 48 Obas across the state.

    Ajimobi appealed the Jan. 20, 2018 decision of Justice Olajumoke Aiki of the Oyo State High Court, which set aside recommendation of a committee of inquiry on the review of the 1957 Ibadan Chieftaincy declaration, which recommended crowning of 21 new Obas in Ibadanland.

    The three-man panel of judges headed by Justice Nonyerem Okoronkwo, held that the thrust of the relief sought was invoking the court to set aside the gazette which approved the crowing of the Obas.

    The court which has Justice A. Talba and Justice F. Ojo as members, held that the gazette which the motion seeks the court to set aside was not the subject matter at the lower court.

    Okoronkwo said dealing with such issue at this point may involve dwelling into the main appeal.

    “We refuse to entertain the issue and urged the appellant to incorporate it in the main appeal and the motion is hereby strike out,’’ Okoronkwo said.

    The judge adjourned the matter until May 27 for hearing of the main appeal.

    Read Also: Ekiti community seeks implementation of S’Court judgement

    Ajimobi set up a commission of inquiry headed by Justice Akintunde Boade, to review the 1957 Ibadan Chieftaincy declaration and to make recommendation.

    Osi Olubadan, Rashid Ladoja went to the Oyo state High Court to challenge the composition of the committee and to set aside their report and the lower court grants his request on Jan. 20,2018.

    The Governor on April 26, 2018 after the court ruling approved the beaded crowns and coronet for 48 Obas across Oyo State including the Ibadan’s recently crowned 21 Obas and other traditional rulers.

    The governor gazette the approval in line with section 28 (1) of the Chiefs Laws of Oyo State and with this gazette 26 Obas would wear beaded crowns while 22 would wear coronet.