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  • UNDP releases $30m to Nigeria for humanitarian crisis in North East

    The UN Development Programme (UNDP), has released 30 million U.S. dollars to Nigeria from the regional stabilisation facility for the humanitarian crisis in the North East.

    UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Yahyadisclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the first inaugural meeting convened by UNDP on the way forward in actualising the ‘Nigeria window’ of the Regional Stabilisation Facility.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Regional Stabilisation Facility was launched in July in Niamey, Niger at the second Governors Forum to contribute support to the affected regions of Nigeria,

    NAN also reports that the project was expected to be implemented between Sept. 1, 2019, and Aug. 31, 2021.

    Governors from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and regional stakeholders attended the meeting in Niamey under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

    Those who pledged to deploy funds in Niamey to support the project, which will be monitored by the UNDP and the African Union (AU), include the governments of Sweden and Germany and the regional governors from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe (Nigeria), Lak, Hajder-Lamis (Chad), Diffa (Niger) and Far North and North regions in Cameroon.

    Read Also: UNDP begins reconstruction of northeast, seeks Buratai’s support

    NAN reports that the UNDP is expected to provide seed funds to run the facility yearly.

    He said the regional stabilisation facility is aimed at providing rapid response to support immediate stabilisation in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe affected by insurgency.

    He also said that the ‘Nigerian window’ was expected to receive over 30 million USD which would facilitate recovery and stabilisation interventions including; livelihood support for communities, massive civil engineering works and strengthening of local security structures.

    Yahya, said that the board had two years to provide work of stabilisation in the affected states.

    He said that the entire facility might not work if there was no local authorities such as the military and the police, adding that more work needed to be done in terms of coordination.

    Also speaking, Minister of Finance,Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed said that the government of Nigeria was optimistic that the facility would support in addressing the immediate stabilisation needs in the newly liberated areas.

    She said this would also sustain development in the region and allow the return of Internally Displaced Persons to their various permanent place abode.

    According to her, the facility will in no doubt assist the government to demonstrate its value to the citizens in providing resilience and stabilisation for the population affected by Boko Haram insurgency in the north east.

    She said that the Ministry would collaborate with UNDP, the three affected states and all relevant stakeholders to ensure accountable utilisation of the stabilisation facility fund.

    Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Amb. Mamman Nuhu expressed the Commission’s readiness to provide strategic regional guidance for the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy at the national and state level through the facility.

    He said the commission would provide enabling environment by mobilising regional support to ensure coordinated approach yo the challenge.

    “Our transboundary mandate provide us the requisite platform to mobilise the political and strategic spaces available across the region for the success of the regional stabilisation strategy.

    ” Our objective is to ensure local, national and regional ownership in the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy through the regional stabilisation facility.

    ” We urge all national partners to ensure consistent coordination with the Lake Chad Basin Commission through the Secretariat of the regional stabilisation strategy” Nuhu said.

    According to him, Nigeria is the worst hit country, with the biggest humanitarian and development needs of all the four affected countries.

    “It is therefore expected that Nigeria should demonstrate not only in the fight against boko Haram but also in ensuring that the thousands of people affected across the three front line states are supported to live a life of dignity” he said.

    The Governors expressed their readiness to ensure effective implementation of the regional stabilisation facility.

    (NAN)

  • CBN backs FG’s plan to increase VAT, says Nigeria has lowest

    Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the plan to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.5 per cent is in the right direction to raise country’s revenue.

    Emefiele stated this while fielding questions from journalists after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting held in Abuja.

    He said the government had responsibility to fend for every citizenry by providing basic infrastructure like roads, electricity and hospitals among others.

    He explained that the government had only two ways to fund such projects, which are by raising revenue and through loan collection.

    Read Also: VAT: What you need to know about ‘proposed increase’ from 5% – 7.5%

    According to him, the present government has been criticised by some people for high rate of debt incurred.

    “Government unfortunately has no option, if it does not borrow, it must raise revenue and you all agree with me that it has obligations to meet up with.

    ” The increase of VAT to 7.5 per cent is low compare to other countries, in fact, with this increase, Nigeria has the lowest in the world.

    “If the government can meet its obligation through this increment, it should be supported,” he said.

    He appealed to Nigerians to show understanding and support government’s policies.

     (NAN)

  • Tanker truck laden with diesel fell off Otedola bridge

    A tanker truck laden with 33,000 litres of automated gas oil (diesel) fell off while driving toward Berger shortly after the Otedola bridge and caused a lot of traffic jam around Lagos metropolis.

    The Director General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

    According to him, the immediate cause of the accident was due to mechanical error (brake failure), but no casualties and no damage of vehicles was recorded.

    Read Also: Video: Tanker falls, spills fuel on Otedola bridge

    “The truck fell off at about few minutes to 5 p.m while its content was still spilling due to the impact of the accident.

    “Physical assessment is being conducted in order to avert the occurrence and fire incident.

    “All emergency responders have been activated,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

    He said that presently, the trans loading of content was on going to prevent the truck from exploding.

    Oke-Osanyintolu, however, said that the tanker truck would be removed from the road to ensure free flow of traffic.

    (NAN)

  • SGF, FCT Minister, ex-Governor Bindow, Ribadu, 35 others to reconcile Adamawa APC

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, are to co-chair a 39 -member Central Steering Committee to reposition the Adamawa state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and rebuild it into a winning party.

    The immediate past governor of the state, Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow will also sit on the committee which has one of his major opponents in the last governorship election and former EFCC Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as member, alongside former Director General of the National Boundary Commission, Dahiru Bobbo, Sen. Jonathan Silas Zwingina, Sen. Ahmed Hassan Barata, among many others.

    Alhaji Abdulrahman Adamu is to serve as the main Chairman of the Committee expected to work hand in hand with the National Working Committee of the party in addressing the grievances within the party that saw it losing the governorship election in the state to the PDP.

    The APC in Adamawa state was divided into several camps during the last general election with groups loyal to the Wife of the President and her brother and those loyal to the former SGF, Babachir Lawal and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu working against former Governor Bindow.

    Read Also: Bayelsa governorship: fresh crisis hits PDP as pressure mounts on Speaker to resign

    According to a document to newsmen in Abuja, the committee is charged with the responsibility of reconciling all aggrieved aspirants /candidates that vied for positions during the 2019 general election.

    The committee is also charged with the task of developing programme of action to reposition and strengthen APC in Adamawa, as well as propose modalities that ensure free and fair primaries ahead of the coming local government election and future elections in the state.

    The committee is also expected “to propose ways and means of raising funds for running the affairs of the party in Adamawa state, to develop an effective media and public enlightenment programme for repositioning the party to its winning ways in the state.

    “To co-ordinate and support the various election petitions by the party at various tribunals and courts and carry out any other functions as may be directed by the National Work Committee of the APC.”

  • APC Governors set to improve governance structure

    Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of Progressive Governors Forum have taken steps to deepen its governance structure and synergise their activities for the benefits of their states and federal government.

    The forum has step up a steering committee to advise it and the federal government on how better to deliver on their campaign promises.

    Announcing the formation of the steering committee, its Chairman and Governor of Jigawa state, Abubakar Badaru, said the committee was tasked with the responsibility of looking at the governance structure and advice both the states and the federal government.

    READ ALSO: Progressive Governors Forum will support Buhari’s drive for investment – Obaseki

    He also said that the committee will also embarked on a peer review of activities of their government and see areas of improvement in the states.

  • Kanye West becomes richest rap artiste 2019 – Forbes

    American rapper and fashion designer, Kanye West has been named the highest-paid hip-hop act in the world, earning 150 million dollars in a year.

    According to Forbes, Kanye West top the 2019 list, edging out JAY-Z who earned 81 million dollars and Drake who made 71 million dollars, to stand at second and third positions respectively on the list of top 20.

    JAY-Z has always been one of the top earners in hip-hop, but for the first time ever he has lost out to Kanye West,his former protégé.

    The top ten consists entirely of male hip-hop artists, as Eminem, DJ Khaled, Kendrick Lamar, Migos, and Childish Gambino round out the rest of the list.

    The only female artists to make it into the top 20 are Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, who come in at the number 12 and 13 slots respectively.

    Nicki Minaj made 29 million dollars earnings, and Cardi B, the youngest to make the list at 26, raked in 28 million dollars in earnings.

    In 2018, Kanye West stood at number 10 on the list with 27.5 million dollars, while Jay came in at number one with 76.5 million.

    It’s a huge surge for Kanye, as his partnership with Adidas is expected to pull in over 1.5 billion in sales in 2019.

    Read Also; Kim Kardashian, Kanye West welcome fourth child

    Check out the top 20 list below:

    1. Kanye West – $ 150 million

    2. Jay-Z – $ 81 million

    3. Drake – $ 75 million

    4. Diddy – $ 70 million

    5. Travis Scott – $ 58 million

    6. Eminem – $ 50 million

    7. DJ Khaled – $ 40 million

    8. Kendrick Lamar – $ 38.5 million

    9. Migos – $ 36 million

    10. Childish Gambino – $ 35 million

    11. J. Cole – $ 31 million

    12. Nicki Minaj – $ 29 million

    13. Cardi B – $ 28 million

    14. Swizz Beatz – $ 23 million

    15. Meek Mill – $ 21 million

    16. Birdman – $ 20 million

    17. Future – $ 19.5 million

    18. Nas – $ 19 million

    19. Wiz Khalifa – $ 18.5 million

    20. Pitbull – $ 18 million

    (NAN)

  • Tribunal validates re-election of Ikpeazu, dismisses Otti’s petition

    The Governorship and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Friday affirmed the reelection Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    It threw away the petition brought before the tribunal by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, challenging the declaration of Ikpeazu as the winner of the 2019 polls in the state.

    Otti had approached the tribunal seeking the nullification of Ikpeazu as the winner of the poll, but the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said that the petitioner failed to prove the alleged non compliance to the Electoral Guidelines in the said 15 LGAs.

    Ogunmoye further stated that the petitioner failed to prove the case of over-voting and alleged irregularities.

    According to Justice Ogunmoye all the reliefs sought by Otti and APGA were dismissed and described the application as unmeritorious.

    Read Also:  Buhari meets Ag. Head of Civil Service, Yemi-Esan

    Counsel to the respondent, Chief Paul Ananaba (SAN) appreciated the Tribunal for delivering what he described as unbiased and sound judgment. But Otti’s lead counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) said “the judgment has moved the law forward. The position of the tribunal is that the decision of the Supreme Court in the case regarding card reader is no longer the law.

    “The law has been amended as was decided in Wike and others and the tribunal actually agreed that the law has changed. There is an amendment now.

    “However they believe that the infraction which has been done to the election, in this case, is not substantial enough to nullify the election.”

    Reacting to the judgment, Ikpeazu who spoke at the Governor’s lodge, Umuahia invited Otti to join hands with him in the development of the state.

    Ikpeazu said the “APGA candidate should sheath his sword and respect the will of the people and join hands to build Abia,” adding, “there is a space for everybody.”

  • UPDATED: Tribunal upholds Okowa’s election

    Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has urged his rival in the March 9 gubernatorial election, Chief Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to join hands with his administration in building a stronger state.

    The governor made the call on Friday at an inter-denominational thanksgiving service shortly after the reaffirmation of his electoral victory by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which sat in Asaba.

    “I appeal to my brother, Ogboru, that the time has come to stop fighting; it is time to partner together to do the best that we can for our people.

    “I appeal that enough is enough; it is time to build Delta State together for the good of our people.

    “I ask for the hands of the opposition, because Delta State is for all of us; we cannot do it alone and I want to thank our supporters and all Deltans for praying for us.

    “We require the assistance of all in prayer and in human partnership.

    Read Also: Delta won’t regret voting for me, says Okowa

    “We must continue to pray for our state and our country, because we believe that our prayer will save our country.

    “As Deltans, we must hold firmly to the Lord, because Delta State will continue to remain peaceful and united as we will prosper together,” Okowa said.

    The governor thanked his legal team and former President of the Senate, Sen. David Mark, who attended the service in company with his wife.

    He assured Deltans that the next four years would be more fruitful than his first tenure.

    Earlier in his sermon, the Government House Chaplain, Venerable Charles Osemenem, said that God rules the affairs of men.

    According to him, because God is interested in the affairs of man, we should be careful and mindful of what we do.

    “Let us acknowledge God in all our ways because our God never fails.

    “When He opens a door, nobody can close it,” the chaplain said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor’s wife, Dame Edith Okowa; the Deputy Governor, Mr Kingsley Otuaro; Sen. James Manager; House of Representatives member, Ndudi Elumelu; Speaker, Delta House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborovweri, were among dignitaries at the service.

  • Kidnapping: ASUU wants FG to close gap between rich, poor

    The President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, wants the Federal Government to close the gap between the rich and the poor to reduce the high rate of insecurity.

    Ogunyemi described as worrisome the continued kidnapping of its members,saying the situation is causing apprehension on the campuses.

    “It has led to a general feeling of insecurity on many campuses; recently, we had one of our colleagues abducted and eventually killed; that was a professor of Mathematics from Ondo State University of Science and Technology,” he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “ASUU believes that you cannot get the problem resolved until and unless we address the socioeconomic problems in the country.

    “Our belief is that the gap between the rich and the poor has continued to expand and it’s almost coming to a point whereby the rich will not be able to sleep, when the poor are hungry, because they say a hungry man is an angry man.

    “We have seen people travelling on commercial vehicles and they were waylaid. That is to say that if that happens, it could be anybody.”

    Read Also: We were framed up, dismissed ASUU-LASU members say

    Ogunyemi urged all tiers of government to take a comprehensive look at the general social-economic problems bedeviling the country.

    He said the union had called for a socialist democracy where resources would be distributed.

    According to him, there is a need for a new model of development that is people-oriented which also ensures social economic justice.

    His words:“What we have in the country today is chronic capitalism and in which case, you can have everything while others have nothing, and that doesn’t work for any society.

    “What we have in this country now is injustice in all spheres of life, education, health, housing and transportation have been priced out of the reach of the poor and can hardly be afforded.

    “Until we are prepared to drop this model of development that does not allow for popular participation in the ownership and control of the means and production of wealth distribution, we cannot have lasting peace.”

  • Jukun-Tiv conflict: Catholic bishops call for peace

    Catholic Bishops of Abuja and Jos Ecclesiastical provinces have called for peace and an end to the recent upsurge of violence between Jukun and Tiv communities in Taraba State.

    The bishops, rising from a meeting in Abuja, said they were “saddened about the continuous disturbing trend leading to deaths, destruction of homes and means of livelihood in the affected regions, among tribes that should be best of neighbours.”

    “As Christians we believe and uphold the sanctity of life from birth to natural death (cradle to the grave),” they added.

    “We know that scripture and teachings of the Church are uncompromising about the sacredness of life.”

    They pointed out that since many of the Tiv, Jukun, Idoma, Igala, Angas, Berom, Eggon, Alago, Bassas, Mumuye, Kuteb who occupy that part of the country are Christians, “the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians should be their binding force.”

    “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28).

    “By the same understanding, we are saying that in Christ there is neither Tiv, Jukun nor native, indigene nor foreigner, neither visitor nor stranger.

    “We are all one in Jesus Christ the Saviour of all mankind. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. He gave us the land to inhabit and improve for our own benefit and development.”

    The bishops called attention to the embarrassing conflict with attendant mutual atrocities, which contradict the local traditions, cultural and Christian values.

    They asked government to get to the root cause of the recurring conflicts which have caused great setbacks and obvious hardship in different forms for the people.

    READ ALSO: Jukun-Tiv crisis: Workers, students relocate to Benue from Wukari

    Continuing,they said: “We would appreciate moderate and reconciliatory utterances from our political, traditional and religious leaders and elders, with more concrete and deliberate actions in favour of peace and not war.

    “Silence during such conflicts is not golden but very unhealthy.”

    The statement was signed by 16 bishops, including His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Mattew Audu of Lafia, William Avenya of Gboko,Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi and Charles Hammawa of Jalingo.

    The Tiv/Jukun crisis which erupted from Kente, a border town of Benue and Taraba has led to the loss of many lives including, women and children, in the last three months.

    On August 29, bandits ambushed and killed a Catholic priest, Rev Fr. David Tanko at Kufai Amadu in Takum Local Government Area, by setting him and his vehicle ablaze.

    The cleric was said to be on his way to Takum for a peace meeting with fellow clergymen on how to resolve the lingering Tiv, Jukun crisis.