PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. PRESIDENT DURING HIS VIST TO THE UNITED STATES 30TH APRIL, 2018

 
Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media.
It has been a pleasure and honour to visit Washington DC at the kind invitation of President Donald Trump.

Nigeria and the United States share a long history of close and cordial relations, which encompass political, economic, military, social and cultural cooperation.  Our two countries maintain a strategic partnership for peace and security, conflict resolution as well as the global fight against terrorism.

We also share common features as secular federal states, practicing a similar democratic model of governance and committed to the universal values of fundamental human rights and freedoms, free enterprise, social justice and the rule of law.
President Trump and his team and myself and the Nigerian team discussed issues related to security, trade, governance, human rights and humanitarian crises.

SECURITY

We congratulated the leaders of North and South Korea on their historic summit and we applaud them for the positive commitment they have made towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. President Trump deserves a great deal of credit for his statesmanly role in transforming so dramatically the course of events in that region.


We also congratulated the US government on the important role it played in the defeat of ISIS, although some of the remnants have found their way to the Sahel region.  We recognized the strong US support in our fight against terrorism and also appreciated very much the US’ agreement to sell twelve Super Tucano A-29 war planes and weapons to Nigeria to effectively fight terrorism.

​ To contain the spate of insurgency in Nigeria, the Federal government has adopted a multi-sectoral approach, involving relevant government agencies to address the socio-economic and political dimensions while the Armed Forces of Nigeria assist the civil authority to provide security and maintain law and order.

​As part of efforts to address emerging cases of insurgency in the country, the Nigerian Military adopted a non-kinetic counter terrorism/counter insurgency approach code-named “Operation safe corridor”, to de-radicalize, re-habilitate, and re-integrate willingly surrendered Boko-Haram members into the larger society.  This programme is currently embarking on a number of projects including: skill acquisition centers and integrated farms; comprising poultry, fish pond and greenhouse farming, among others.  A number of international partners, including the International Organization for Migration have contributed to the success of Operation Safe Corridor.  We indicated that we would appreciate whatever support we could also get from the US.

​We expressed gratitude for US support in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the North East of Nigeria, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), through agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international partners.  The USA has been to date the biggest contributor to the humanitarian response and last year gave approximately 500 million US Dollars in cash and in-kind contributions through the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations.  These have mainly supported protection activities, health, food assistance and shelter.

7,7​ We are doing all we can to secure the release of the remaining abducted school girls from Dapchi and Chibok.  In this context, we will continue to welcome US collaboration in intelligence gathering, hostage negotiations and information-sharing.


VIOLENCE BETWEEN HERDSMEN AND FARMERS

​ The government is taking necessary steps to promote the peaceful co-existence of herdsmen and farmers, by focusing on boosting security and enforcing legislation that will guarantee herders and farmers access to land;

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

​I extended sincere congratulations to President Trump and his government on the impressive performance of the US economy under their watch.

​Our aim is to diversify our own economy by focusing on agriculture and food security; power and infrastructure. We have cut the importation of rice by about 90% thereby saving a significant amount of money.   We very much welcomed increased US investment in the Nigerian economy, especially in the non-oil sector.
​ Economic relations between Nigeria and the United States are anchored on three major instruments, namely: the Bi-National Commission (BNC), Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The Bi-National Commission in particular, comprising bilateral political, economic, developmental and humanitarian partnership, is a basic economic framework for engagement between our two countries.

​Nigeria’s trade volume with the United States stood at $6.07 billion according to 2016 statistics and comprised $4.176 billion worth of Nigerian exports to the US and $1.894 billion US exports to Nigeria.  We urged greater effort to increase these figures substantially.


GOVERNANCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION

​ We thanked the US government very much for the cooperation we have received in our effort to recover stolen funds.  Our two governments have put the machinery in place for their respective Attorneys-General to collaborate in ensuring the return to Nigeria of over five hundred million United States Dollars ($500) of looted funds siphoned away in banks around the world.   In this connection, we congratulated the US government on launching a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative which was spearheaded by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering. We hoped that we could continue to count on US support in this area.

HUMAN RIGHTS

​ The Government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights as well as the promotion and protection of people’s freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.   We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated and those responsible for violations held accountable for their actions.PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. PRESIDENT DURING HIS VIST TO THE UNITED STATES 30TH APRIL, 2018

Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media.
It has been a pleasure and honour to visit Washington DC at the kind invitation of President Donald Trump.

Nigeria and the United States share a long history of close and cordial relations, which encompass political, economic, military, social and cultural cooperation.  Our two countries maintain a strategic partnership for peace and security, conflict resolution as well as the global fight against terrorism.

We also share common features as secular federal states, practicing a similar democratic model of governance and committed to the universal values of fundamental human rights and freedoms, free enterprise, social justice and the rule of law.
President Trump and his team and myself and the Nigerian team discussed issues related to security, trade, governance, human rights and humanitarian crises.

SECURITY

We congratulated the leaders of North and South Korea on their historic summit and we applaud them for the positive commitment they have made towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. President Trump deserves a great deal of credit for his statesmanly role in transforming so dramatically the course of events in that region.


We also congratulated the US government on the important role it played in the defeat of ISIS, although some of the remnants have found their way to the Sahel region.  We recognized the strong US support in our fight against terrorism and also appreciated very much the US’ agreement to sell twelve Super Tucano A-29 war planes and weapons to Nigeria to effectively fight terrorism.

​ To contain the spate of insurgency in Nigeria, the Federal government has adopted a multi-sectoral approach, involving relevant government agencies to address the socio-economic and political dimensions while the Armed Forces of Nigeria assist the civil authority to provide security and maintain law and order.

​As part of efforts to address emerging cases of insurgency in the country, the Nigerian Military adopted a non-kinetic counter terrorism/counter insurgency approach code-named “Operation safe corridor”, to de-radicalize, re-habilitate, and re-integrate willingly surrendered Boko-Haram members into the larger society.  This programme is currently embarking on a number of projects including: skill acquisition centers and integrated farms; comprising poultry, fish pond and greenhouse farming, among others.  A number of international partners, including the International Organization for Migration have contributed to the success of Operation Safe Corridor.  We indicated that we would appreciate whatever support we could also get from the US.

​We expressed gratitude for US support in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the North East of Nigeria, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), through agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international partners.  The USA has been to date the biggest contributor to the humanitarian response and last year gave approximately 500 million US Dollars in cash and in-kind contributions through the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations.  These have mainly supported protection activities, health, food assistance and shelter.

7,7​ We are doing all we can to secure the release of the remaining abducted school girls from Dapchi and Chibok.  In this context, we will continue to welcome US collaboration in intelligence gathering, hostage negotiations and information-sharing.


VIOLENCE BETWEEN HERDSMEN AND FARMERS

​ The government is taking necessary steps to promote the peaceful co-existence of herdsmen and farmers, by focusing on boosting security and enforcing legislation that will guarantee herders and farmers access to land;

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

​I extended sincere congratulations to President Trump and his government on the impressive performance of the US economy under their watch.

​Our aim is to diversify our own economy by focusing on agriculture and food security; power and infrastructure. We have cut the importation of rice by about 90% thereby saving a significant amount of money.   We very much welcomed increased US investment in the Nigerian economy, especially in the non-oil sector.
​ Economic relations between Nigeria and the United States are anchored on three major instruments, namely: the Bi-National Commission (BNC), Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The Bi-National Commission in particular, comprising bilateral political, economic, developmental and humanitarian partnership, is a basic economic framework for engagement between our two countries.

​Nigeria’s trade volume with the United States stood at $6.07 billion according to 2016 statistics and comprised $4.176 billion worth of Nigerian exports to the US and $1.894 billion US exports to Nigeria.  We urged greater effort to increase these figures substantially.


GOVERNANCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION

​ We thanked the US government very much for the cooperation we have received in our effort to recover stolen funds.  Our two governments have put the machinery in place for their respective Attorneys-General to collaborate in ensuring the return to Nigeria of over five hundred million United States Dollars ($500) of looted funds siphoned away in banks around the world.   In this connection, we congratulated the US government on launching a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative which was spearheaded by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering. We hoped that we could continue to count on US support in this area.

HUMAN RIGHTS

​ The Government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights as well as the promotion and protection of people’s freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.   We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated and those responsible for violations held accountable for their actions.
*TNF*PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. PRESIDENT DURING HIS VIST TO THE UNITED STATES 30TH APRIL, 2018

Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media.
It has been a pleasure and honour to visit Washington DC at the kind invitation of President Donald Trump.

Nigeria and the United States share a long history of close and cordial relations, which encompass political, economic, military, social and cultural cooperation.  Our two countries maintain a strategic partnership for peace and security, conflict resolution as well as the global fight against terrorism.

We also share common features as secular federal states, practicing a similar democratic model of governance and committed to the universal values of fundamental human rights and freedoms, free enterprise, social justice and the rule of law.
President Trump and his team and myself and the Nigerian team discussed issues related to security, trade, governance, human rights and humanitarian crises.

SECURITY

We congratulated the leaders of North and South Korea on their historic summit and we applaud them for the positive commitment they have made towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. President Trump deserves a great deal of credit for his statesmanly role in transforming so dramatically the course of events in that region.


We also congratulated the US government on the important role it played in the defeat of ISIS, although some of the remnants have found their way to the Sahel region.  We recognized the strong US support in our fight against terrorism and also appreciated very much the US’ agreement to sell twelve Super Tucano A-29 war planes and weapons to Nigeria to effectively fight terrorism.

​ To contain the spate of insurgency in Nigeria, the Federal government has adopted a multi-sectoral approach, involving relevant government agencies to address the socio-economic and political dimensions while the Armed Forces of Nigeria assist the civil authority to provide security and maintain law and order.

​As part of efforts to address emerging cases of insurgency in the country, the Nigerian Military adopted a non-kinetic counter terrorism/counter insurgency approach code-named “Operation safe corridor”, to de-radicalize, re-habilitate, and re-integrate willingly surrendered Boko-Haram members into the larger society.  This programme is currently embarking on a number of projects including: skill acquisition centers and integrated farms; comprising poultry, fish pond and greenhouse farming, among others.  A number of international partners, including the International Organization for Migration have contributed to the success of Operation Safe Corridor.  We indicated that we would appreciate whatever support we could also get from the US.

​We expressed gratitude for US support in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the North East of Nigeria, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), through agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international partners.  The USA has been to date the biggest contributor to the humanitarian response and last year gave approximately 500 million US Dollars in cash and in-kind contributions through the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations.  These have mainly supported protection activities, health, food assistance and shelter.

7,7​ We are doing all we can to secure the release of the remaining abducted school girls from Dapchi and Chibok.  In this context, we will continue to welcome US collaboration in intelligence gathering, hostage negotiations and information-sharing.


VIOLENCE BETWEEN HERDSMEN AND FARMERS

​ The government is taking necessary steps to promote the peaceful co-existence of herdsmen and farmers, by focusing on boosting security and enforcing legislation that will guarantee herders and farmers access to land;

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

​I extended sincere congratulations to President Trump and his government on the impressive performance of the US economy under their watch.

​Our aim is to diversify our own economy by focusing on agriculture and food security; power and infrastructure. We have cut the importation of rice by about 90% thereby saving a significant amount of money.   We very much welcomed increased US investment in the Nigerian economy, especially in the non-oil sector.
​ Economic relations between Nigeria and the United States are anchored on three major instruments, namely: the Bi-National Commission (BNC), Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The Bi-National Commission in particular, comprising bilateral political, economic, developmental and humanitarian partnership, is a basic economic framework for engagement between our two countries.

​Nigeria’s trade volume with the United States stood at $6.07 billion according to 2016 statistics and comprised $4.176 billion worth of Nigerian exports to the US and $1.894 billion US exports to Nigeria.  We urged greater effort to increase these figures substantially.


GOVERNANCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION

​ We thanked the US government very much for the cooperation we have received in our effort to recover stolen funds.  Our two governments have put the machinery in place for their respective Attorneys-General to collaborate in ensuring the return to Nigeria of over five hundred million United States Dollars ($500) of looted funds siphoned away in banks around the world.   In this connection, we congratulated the US government on launching a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative which was spearheaded by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering. We hoped that we could continue to count on US support in this area.

HUMAN RIGHTS

​ The Government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights as well as the promotion and protection of people’s freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.   We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated and those responsible for violations held accountable for their actions.PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. PRESIDENT DURING HIS VIST TO THE UNITED STATES 30TH APRIL, 2018

Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media.
It has been a pleasure and honour to visit Washington DC at the kind invitation of President Donald Trump.

Nigeria and the United States share a long history of close and cordial relations, which encompass political, economic, military, social and cultural cooperation.  Our two countries maintain a strategic partnership for peace and security, conflict resolution as well as the global fight against terrorism.

We also share common features as secular federal states, practicing a similar democratic model of governance and committed to the universal values of fundamental human rights and freedoms, free enterprise, social justice and the rule of law.
President Trump and his team and myself and the Nigerian team discussed issues related to security, trade, governance, human rights and humanitarian crises.

SECURITY

We congratulated the leaders of North and South Korea on their historic summit and we applaud them for the positive commitment they have made towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. President Trump deserves a great deal of credit for his statesmanly role in transforming so dramatically the course of events in that region.


We also congratulated the US government on the important role it played in the defeat of ISIS, although some of the remnants have found their way to the Sahel region.  We recognized the strong US support in our fight against terrorism and also appreciated very much the US’ agreement to sell twelve Super Tucano A-29 war planes and weapons to Nigeria to effectively fight terrorism.

​ To contain the spate of insurgency in Nigeria, the Federal government has adopted a multi-sectoral approach, involving relevant government agencies to address the socio-economic and political dimensions while the Armed Forces of Nigeria assist the civil authority to provide security and maintain law and order.

​As part of efforts to address emerging cases of insurgency in the country, the Nigerian Military adopted a non-kinetic counter terrorism/counter insurgency approach code-named “Operation safe corridor”, to de-radicalize, re-habilitate, and re-integrate willingly surrendered Boko-Haram members into the larger society.  This programme is currently embarking on a number of projects including: skill acquisition centers and integrated farms; comprising poultry, fish pond and greenhouse farming, among others.  A number of international partners, including the International Organization for Migration have contributed to the success of Operation Safe Corridor.  We indicated that we would appreciate whatever support we could also get from the US.

​We expressed gratitude for US support in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the North East of Nigeria, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), through agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international partners.  The USA has been to date the biggest contributor to the humanitarian response and last year gave approximately 500 million US Dollars in cash and in-kind contributions through the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations.  These have mainly supported protection activities, health, food assistance and shelter.

7,7​ We are doing all we can to secure the release of the remaining abducted school girls from Dapchi and Chibok.  In this context, we will continue to welcome US collaboration in intelligence gathering, hostage negotiations and information-sharing.


VIOLENCE BETWEEN HERDSMEN AND FARMERS

​ The government is taking necessary steps to promote the peaceful co-existence of herdsmen and farmers, by focusing on boosting security and enforcing legislation that will guarantee herders and farmers access to land;

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

​I extended sincere congratulations to President Trump and his government on the impressive performance of the US economy under their watch.

​Our aim is to diversify our own economy by focusing on agriculture and food security; power and infrastructure. We have cut the importation of rice by about 90% thereby saving a significant amount of money.   We very much welcomed increased US investment in the Nigerian economy, especially in the non-oil sector.
​ Economic relations between Nigeria and the United States are anchored on three major instruments, namely: the Bi-National Commission (BNC), Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The Bi-National Commission in particular, comprising bilateral political, economic, developmental and humanitarian partnership, is a basic economic framework for engagement between our two countries.

​Nigeria’s trade volume with the United States stood at $6.07 billion according to 2016 statistics and comprised $4.176 billion worth of Nigerian exports to the US and $1.894 billion US exports to Nigeria.  We urged greater effort to increase these figures substantially.


GOVERNANCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION

​ We thanked the US government very much for the cooperation we have received in our effort to recover stolen funds.  Our two governments have put the machinery in place for their respective Attorneys-General to collaborate in ensuring the return to Nigeria of over five hundred million United States Dollars ($500) of looted funds siphoned away in banks around the world.   In this connection, we congratulated the US government on launching a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative which was spearheaded by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering. We hoped that we could continue to count on US support in this area.

HUMAN RIGHTS

​ The Government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights as well as the promotion and protection of people’s freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.   We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated and those responsible for violations held accountable for their actions.
*TNF*

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Court Convicts Joseph Nwobike (SAN) Of Justice Perversion

A high court in Lagos has convicted Joseph Nwobike, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of perverting the course of justice.
In a four-hour judgment, Raliat Adebiyi, a judge, found the senior lawyer guilty of counts three to 17 of the 18-count charge slammed on him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Adebiyi, however, acquitted him of counts one, two, four, six and 18.
In her judgment, she found the behaviour of Nwobike of “unbecoming of a senior member of the bar”.
“The evidence against the defendant is damning, the court finds that the behaviour of the defendant is unbecoming,” she said.
“Why does the defendant, a senior member of the bar with juniors and other lawyers have the need to personally liaise with court registrars? The court finds that the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant perverted the course of justice by sending text messages to court registrars.”
After the judgment was read, Olawale Akoni (SAN), Nwobike’s lawyer, asked the court to temper justice with mercy.
“The fact that the defendant is a first-time offender who has never had any brush with the law before until now,” he said.

“He is a senior member of the bar who has conducted himself appropriately, he has run a law firm which has quite a number of practitioners, he is a family man with aged parents and children.
“Your Lordship, we listened to your judgment carefully and ask that a non-custodial sentence be appropriate. He has a lot to offer and I pray that Your Lordship considers this in deciding the nature of punishment to give. I pray the court tempers justice with mercy and impose a very heavy slap on the wrist.”
Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to EFCC, appealed to the judge to impose a two-year jail sentence on the lawyer in order to serve as deterrence to others
The judge adjourned proceedings, saying she would deliver her judgement later.

Nwobike was first arraigned on a five-count charge on March 9, 2016 but the EFCC later amended the charges on two different occasions, each time leading to the re-arraignment of the SAN.
The last amendment to the charges saw Nwobike re-arraigned on February 8, after which the lawyers canvassed their final arguments.
In the charges, EFCC claimed that Nwobike offered N750,000 and N300,000 gratifications to Mohammed Yunusa and Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, two judges of the federal high court.
The EFCC alleged that Nwobike offered them the money to pervert the course of justice but the lawyer pleaded not guilty.
Akoni had urged the court to discharge and acquit his client, contending that the EFCC failed to substantiate its allegations against him.
Akoni said contrary to the claim by the EFCC, the N750,000 that Nwobike gave to Yunusa was not a bribe but for the specific purpose of helping the (sick) mother of the gentleman.
He said all the judgments which the EFCC claimed that Nwobike paid Yunusa to give in his favour were all upheld by the court of appeal.

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Breaking : Attempt to recall Dino Melaye fails

As verification materials hijacked
The recall verification exercise of the senator representing Kogi West, Mr Dino Melaye has failed after the verified signatories to the petition for his recall fell short of requirements.
For the verification exercise to succeed, 50 percent plus one of the signatories to the petition

                           Dino Melaye

However, based on the results announced by Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti, the Declaration Officer for the exercise held in the senatorial district on Saturday, only 18,742 of the 189,870 of the signatories to the petition for the Senator’s recall were verified by INEC.
Although some hoodlums attacked the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in Mopamuro Local Government of Kogi state on Saturday.
The hoodlums disrupted the collation of results, shot in the air, damaged vehicles and escaped with results sheets, while the INEC staff fled for safety.
One of the INEC staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the hoodlums were political thugs who accompanied an aide of the governor to the INEC office to challenge the outcome of the verification exercise as it did not favour them.
The hijack of the result sheets at the council, was one of the low points of the exercise to recall Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West in the Senate.
The verification of the signatures calling for his recall was marred by low voters turn out at many polling units.
Correspondent who monitored the verification exercise reports that between 70- 80 per cent of the petitioners in all the 10 wards in the council failed to come out to verify their signatures.
The exercise which lasted for six hours from 8am to 2pm, was very peaceful, free, fair and credible as the scanty petitioners were seeing verifying their signature with low turnout.
In Ward 01 (Units: 001; 002; 003) , Ward 03 (Units: 01; 02; and some other units in other wards, only 20 to 25 per cent of the petitioners were recorded as counted by the poll officers.
However, one polling unit each in Ward 06 and 07, Orokere and Takete-Ide respectively recorded 40 and 45 per cent turnout while only one polling unit recorded 90 per cent turnout (103 out of 110 petitioners.
Many voters expressed their displeasure over the appearance of their names on the recall register, saying they were shocked because they never at anytime signed any document for Melaye’s recall.
One of the voters at Ward 06, unit 04, Mrs Funmilayo Ojo, said that she was surprised to see her name among the petitioners, saying “it shall not be well with the perpetrators of such act”.
Also INEC has said that it cannot be held responsible for the poor turnout of petitioners in Saturday’s verification of signatures for the recall of Sen. Dino Melaye.
The INEC Federal Commissioner in-charge of Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states, Alhaji Mohammed Haruna, made the statement in Lokoja shortly after the end of the exercise.
Haruna said that the main concern of INEC was to ensure transparency in the process, insisting that the organisation was neutral in the bid to recall Melaye from the Senate.
“Turnout is not our problem; turnout is the problem of parties concerned, ours is to ensure transparency,” Haruna said.
Commenting on insinuations that INEC might tamper with the wish of the people, the commissioner said that nothing like that would happen, stressing that the agency had no interest in who won or lost in the matter.
“Nothing untoward will happen, I assure you . Whatever happened at the polling units is what INEC will announce,” he stated.
Commenting on the mix up in the list of petitioners, Haruna said that mistakes in such exercise was normal but gave an assurance that the mistakes would be corrected.
He lauded the peaceful conduct of the people before and during the exercise.
In Koton Karfe and Lokoja, the people conducted themselves well, although the turnout was poor.
At Ukwo polling unit in Koton Karfe, 18 out of 440 petitioners came for the verification, while at Oworo polling unit in Felele area of Lokoja, none of the 815 petitioners showed up.
Also at polling unit 004 of Ward 3 in Lokoja, 32 out of the 1,251 petitioners showed up.
During the exercise, there was no case of malfunctioning of card reader machines while security personnel adequately manned the polling centres.
Melaye, representing Kogi West in the Assembly, has been struggling to retain his seat following a petition by some of his constituents in 2017 that he was not representing them well.
The senator’s accusers gathered signatures to demand his recall but Melaye, who accused the state Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, of being the mastermind of the plot, mobilised his supporters to resist the move.
He subsequently approached the court to stop the process but could not get the relief he sought at the Court of Appeal. (NAN)

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54th anniversary: NAF organises Juma'at prayers to mark celebration.

- Activities to mark the 54th anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has started
- A special Juma'at prayer is the first in the series of activities lined up for this year's NAF day celebration
- The theme of this year’s celebration is “Enhancing Nigerian Air Force Operational Capability for Timely Employment of Air Power in Response to Contemporary Security Challenges.”
A special Juma’at prayer was held on Friday, April 27, at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Mosque in Abuja, as part of activities earmarked to commemorate the 54th anniversary celebration of the NAF.
The Juma'at prayer is the first in the series of activities lined up for this year's NAF day celebration, scheduled to take place from Thursday, May 3 to Saturday, May 5.

Muslim officers, airmen/airwomen and other civilian staff of the NAF offered prayers for the service, the rest of the armed forces and the nation at large. Photo credit: NAF

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Enhancing Nigerian Air Force Operational Capability for Timely Employment of Air Power in Response to Contemporary Security Challenges.”
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented at the occasion by the Chief of Training and Operation, Air Vice Marshal Nurudeen Balogun, led other Muslim officers, airmen/airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF to offer prayers for the service, the rest of the armed forces and the nation at large.

In his sermon during the Juma’at prayers, the Chief Imam who is also the Deputy Director of Islamic Affairs of the NAF, Group Captain Lukeman Lawal, urged all Muslim faithful in the country to continue maintaining peace and building trust irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.
He also used the occasion to remind all Nigerians that the country is a trust bestowed by the Almighty Allah and must thus be jealously guarded through harmonious coexistence, appealing to Nigerians to be mindful of their conduct and utterances noting that there is no other nation we could call “our own.”

He therefore urged all to constantly pray for the nation and its leadership at all times. The cleric thereafter offered prayers for the leadership of the NAF and other personnel especially those deployed to internal security operations across the country.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, the cleric said: “Today, we are commemorating the anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force, this year is not different from the previous ones, we normally celebrate it with prayers, for the leadership of this nation, and of course the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force and the officers and men of the force.”
The NAF day celebration is an annual event to commemorate the establishment of the service while reflecting on achievements, challenges and future prospect of the NAF.
Other activities lined up for the celebration include, interdenominational church service, medical outreach, historical photo gallery display, gala night, ceremonial parade, aerial/static display, commissioning of some helicopters and presentation of colours to the newly established Air Training and Ground Training Commands.

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Senator Urhoghide denies calling for President Buhari's impeachment.

- The senator said he only called for invoking of a relevant section of the constitution and not impeachment
- The section quoted, he said, would make it imperative for President Buhari to explain his decision carried out without National Assembly contribution
- The Senator said an impeachment is a much larger process than what he called for
Senator Matthew Urhoghide has denied calling for President Muhammadu Buhari’s impeachment.
The lawmaker representing Edo South senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate, who moved the motion question the legality of President Buhari's withdrawal of $496m from the Excess Crude Account to by military aircraft from the United, said he was misquoted.
Punch reports that the Edo lawmaker said this in a chat with pressmen at the Benin Airport in Edo state.
Urhoghide said he never called for President Buhari's impeachment but only urged the Senate to invoke the relevant section of the Constitution so that President Buhari could explain why he took the decision to purchase the 12 aircrafts.

He said: “ The President had a good intention of buying the equipment but the procedure was wrong. And he too has accepted that it was wrong. We (lawmakers) swore to uphold the Constitution.
“An impeachment, if you check Section 143, is a long process. The first thing is you have to do an investigation and then correspondences will be entered into; the President has to be written by the President of the Senate, who is the chairman of the National Assembly.
“Then, of course, he (Buhari) too will reply and this has to go on for a long time. We have not reached this issue of an impeachment. Nobody on the floor of the Senate mentioned that the President should be impeached.”
He added: “ So if the papers said that somebody said that the President should be impeached, it is out of ignorance. I am very proud to be a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Edo South senatorial district.
“As the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, all revenues and expenditure fall on my table. So, this is part of it. So, they (critics) should be proud that this is what it is. The Constitution is above every person. So, we have not reached the point of impeachment.”
He noted further that it would be ignorant and stupid of him to call for President Buhari's impeachment outright without following due process.

“That was why the Senate President said that we should refer it to the judiciary, so that it would advise on what to do. So, an impeachment is not the first thing; if I come and even say that the President should be impeached, I am ignorant.
“Section 143 is a very long section. So, if you look at the processes, you will know that it will take a lot of actions. So, if I moved a motion that the President should be impeached, then I must be stupid.
“I only said, ‘Invoke Section 143’ so that processes will be followed; the President will still explain and the National Assembly will still have do some enquiries,” Senator Urhoghide added.

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Don't Link Buhari With Melaye’s Problems, Tinubu Tells Senators

 The lawmaker representing Lagos Central in the National Assembly, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday asked her colleagues in the red chamber not to link President Muhammadu Buhari to the ongoing ordeals of another member, Senator Dino Melaye in the hands of the Police.

The lawmaker, who is the wife of Bola Tinubu, national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke during the debate on the arrest and subsequent hospitalization of the Kogi Senator at the upper chamber.

”If we are talking about a particular issue, we should stay with it, but when we are bringing in a government that a lot of people supported to be here, using whatever happened to implicate the government, I think I am against that.

We should face the issues. I am not in support of what happened to Dino. If we have anything against the executive, we have the leadership here who is supposed to go and meet with Mr. President," Tinubu said.

Speaking ‎in the same vein, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West) also warned his colleagues against adopting a confrontational stand against the executive over the ordeal of Melaye.

Adamu said: “In moments like this, it is not a matter of what he did or didn’t do on the floor of this hallowed chamber:‎ "I think the issue is how we get him out of the situation he is in. The emphasis now is what can we do as colleagues to bring him out of this present predicament he is now in. The outpouring of confrontational languages does not help us in this situation.”

The Senators had on Wednesday adjourned plenary in solidarity with Melaye, who is being held by the police in Abuja.

The Senators also agreed to invite Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to explain the circumstances that led to the arrest and detention of Melaye.

Idris is to appear before the Senate in plenary by 11am today to explain what the senators described as the inhuman treatment being meted to Melaye.

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How we arrived at Nigeria’s latest population figure — NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) says Nigeria’s estimated 198 million population figure recently announced by the commission is based on an annual population growth of 3.2 per cent, spanning from 2006 till date.
The NPC Chairman, Eze Duruiheoma, made the disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
The NPC had on April 11, put Nigeria’s current population at 198 million people, with urban population growing at an average annual of about 6.5 per cent.
Mr Duruiheoma announced the figure in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration at the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development.
The NPC boss told NAN that the current estimated figure of 198 million was not just concocted but from annual growth of 3.2 per cent, judging from the last census of 2006.
He added that “there are deaths and births and nobody imagined that there will be more deaths than births.
“Irrespective of what anyone thinks about deaths, there is always more births than deaths and that is why the 3.2 annual growth rate is used in arriving at the current population figure.
“The most important thing now is to conduct another census to ascertain the country’s actual population.
“We want to do away with the projected figure because there is more to census than funds and we are waiting for a presidential proclamation that will empower NPC to conduct the head count.’’
Mr Duruiheoma said having accurate data about a country’s population was essential in planning as it would be used for social, economic, political and other needs.

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Police arrest 10 suspects over viral rape video

Police in Kenya arrested on Thursday , 10 suspects in connection with the viral video of a woman being raped on River Road , Nairobi .
The police had , on Wednesday , begged the woman in the viral video to come forward and help police investigations by identifying her rapist and his gang .
While the woman was yet to come forth , the police had gone ahead to arrest those suspected to be involved in the rape incident.

Nairobi police boss , Joseph Ole Tito, speaking about the arrest said , “The suspects are all street urchins and they know the woman.
‘ Inasmuch as they knew each other, the manner in which it happened is wrong. ”
He appealed to the woman to go to Central police station and record a statement .
The woman was raped by a man believed to be a street boy , as about four others watched and cheered him on.

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Police put Dino Melaye in Handcuffs while ‘Unconscious’ on hospital Bed(PHOTO)

Still, on his hospital bed, Senator Dino Melaye has been placed in Handcuffs by officers of the Nigerian police force. It will be recalled that Melaye was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly smuggling guns and conspiring with criminals.

Melaye escaped from police custody by jumping out of a moving vehicle from where he was picked by thugs loyal to him in two Hilux trucks and then transported to a Zankli hospital in Abuja.

Police officers stormed the hospital complex and re-arrested the senator. PoliticsNGR obtained the photo above from the scene.

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CA DEPUTY GOVERNOR CAUGHT IN BED WITH ANOTHER MAN’S WIFE

Kirinyaga Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri Njagi was reportedly caught red handed in bed with someone else’s wife. A video that has gone viral on the social media shows the politician and the woman in their birthday suits receiving beatings from a group of men, among them am man who introduces himself as the woman’s husband.
In the video, Njagi and his reported lover have been forced to sit on the floor of what appears like a guest room, both completely naked. The men who busted them can be heard questioning Ndambiri in Kikuyu. They ask him to introduce himself. In response, the Deputy Governor identifies himself as Ndambiri Njagi, a businessman.

However, the men seem to be aware that he is Anne Waiguru’s deputy, and ask him why he left the name Peter while introducing himself amid slapping him.
He confesses that he has slept with the woman countless times and that he didn’t know she was married. He also says that he had planned to visit the woman’s parents for dowry talks and apologizes to the husband.
“I want to tell that man that I’m very sorry. I did not know she is married, I was even planning to meet her family,” he says.
Here is an except from the conversation between Njagi and the alleged woman’s husband:

Man: Say who you are, say your name.
Njagi: Ndambiri wa Njagi.
Man: Why are you leaving out the name Peter? Tell us what you do.
Njagi: I’m a business man.
Man: Are you not the deputy governor of Kirinyaga?
Njagi: I’m a politician.

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Dino Melaye Jumps out of Police Vehicle, runs into Bush enroute K

 

On Tuesday afternoon in Abuja, embattled senator, Dino Melaye, while being conveyed to his native state, Kogi to face criminal charges by the Police, did the unthinkable, as he jumped out of the moving vehicle and made for the thick bush nearby.

The Sun reports that on seeing what happened, security operatives attached to observe him in the journey, also spontaneously jumped out of the vehicle and gave the fleeing senator a hot chase.

More details soon…..

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APC FACTION, PDP, SDP AND OBASANJO’S COALITION FOR NIGERIA MOVEMENT SET TO FORM COALITION

A grand coalition of opposition political parties, including a chunk of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and influential political stakeholders across the country is being firmed up ahead of the 2019 general election to wrest power from President Muhammadu Buhari’s party.
The new coalition may be unveiled in the next few weeks in a move designed to jolt all political permutations towards the next general election.
In the unfolding coalition are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), certain leaders of the APC, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), about 23 other smaller parties and the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) formed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The coalition is also said to enjoy the backing of other former presidents and retired generals, including General T. Y. Danjuma.
“This is not like the arrangement that produced the APC. We are not considering sending any application for change of name to INEC. There are not less than eight brand new political parties in the pockets of people across the various groups. We are thinking of fusing into one of them as the new platform.
You know, such a new party will give all sides equal opportunity. We will also avoid traps of the APC which is waiting to frustrate any attempt by, especially, the PDP to apply to the INEC for a change of its name,” a key figure in the coalition told Saturday Tribune on Friday.

The coalition is said to enjoy the support of some leaders of the National Assembly, about 19 governors, including some from the APC and about 60 percent of the membership of the legislature across the country.
The last four weeks have seen persons involved in the plan holding strategic meetings at various levels at which, competent sources said, significant concessions were granted by the various groups to accommodate one another and move forward.
“One of such meetings was held in London last month. Two of these governors and some legislators were present,” another source told Saturday Tribune during the week.
National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Uche Secondus, on Thursday, confirmed that his party would soon go into a coalition with other like minds to defeat Buhari’s APC next year.
It was learnt that leaders of the PDP moved away from the initial ‘we can do it alone’ posture when they saw the resolve of the APC “to remain in power at all costs” even with the myriad of problems besetting the country.

“The PDP thereafter commenced merger or coalition talks with national political leaders, former officeholders and influential voices across the land. The new rapprochement will soon engineer a broad-based coalition that will give the APC the red card next year,” a PDP source said on Friday.
Members of the National Executive Committee of the PDP were on Thursday briefed on the developments so far by the National Chairman, Secondus, who told the meeting that the party was already working with former presidents, other leaders and like minds to unseat the APC in 2019.
“Consultations with various groups are useful and in coming days, a broader platform will be raised to wrest power from APC. We commend our elder statesmen and other patriotic Nigerians who have spoken up on the urgent need to rid the country of the current APC government and enthrone a government that will serve the people’s needs.
“We, therefore, invite our brothers, sisters, youths and women from other political parties to join us to rescue our country that is in distress socially, politically, economically and security wise.
“Our consultations have taken us to meet with various interest groups who are willing to do business with us and I can report to you that they are very fruitful. We expect, in coming days, to have a broader political family working dedicatedly to rescue this democracy and our beloved country from the hands of APC,” Secondus said.
It, was however, gathered that some state chairmen of the party objected to the likely name change as a source added that the matter could not be resolved at the NEC meeting.
“The matter is only on the table but we are determined to accommodate all interests willing to work with us. The idea of name change is tricky. We are discussing the matter further and we will get to the right decision at the end of the day,” a source in the PDP said .
Some sources however said that rather than dissipate energy on name change, the party “should adopt a more positive outlook towards national development and roll out its plans to oust the APC. One thing is sure, we will not allow the name debate to derail the emerging coalition ahead of 2019.”

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BIG TROUBLE In Ekiti State As PDP Chieftain Is Flogged Mercilessly – (FULL DETAILS)

L atest update as Crisis on Saturday rocked the delegates’ congress of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti leading to an attack on a former Chairman of Ikere Local Government, Mr. Mr Banji Aluko.
Aluko was beaten up by persons suspected to be political thugs over allegation that he was working against ‘Ikere Agenda’, fashioned by Gov. Ayo Fayose in support of his deputy, Prof Kolapo Olusola.
Aluko, who led a group of youth to the secretariat of the party to register his protest over alleged subversion of the opposition’s will, was chased away from the congress.
The supporter of former works minister, Mr, Dayo Adeyeye, was beaten with canes and cudgels and his sparkling apparel heavily stained.
Aluko accused the Deputy governor and a member of the House of Assembly representing Ikere constituency 1, Mr. Wale Ayeni, as the masterminds of the attack.
“Our group won election at Ogbonjana ward 7 and we were rejoicing only for these thugs to pounce on me and started beating me.
“I have reported the case to the police and proper action will be taken against the sponsors,” he added.
The fragile peace brokered recently in the party broke down as the political gladiators squared up in virtually all the 177 wards, where elected delegates were expected to emerge, preparatory for the May 8 governorship primary.
The major gladiators are Governor Fayose; former Minister of Works, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye and Senator representing Ekiti south, Sen. Abiodun Olujimi.
They engaged in battle of wits in the delegates’ election.
While Fayose is backing his deputy, Olusola to succeed him in the July 14 governorship poll, the duo of Adeyeye and Olujimi were also contesting the same seat.
Adeyeye described the congress as a charade, calling for outright cancellation of the exercise to prevent anarchy.
Adeyeye said the election was “brazenly manipulated” in all the 177 wards , accusing the leaders of PDP Ad hoc committees sent to the 16 local governments of diverting the materials meant for the election.
Former Senate President, David Mark , led other top hierarchy of the party to conduct the congress.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Uche Secondus and members of the National Working Committee, as well as Senator Mark, were in Ado Ekiti last Wednesday to mediate between the opposing camps.
Tension was particularly high in Ikere Ekiti, hometown of the Fayose’s deputy , as factions fought over the control of the Ikere local government delegates in all the eleven wards in the council.
Adeyeye, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Niyi Ojo, said: “There was no election anywhere in the state. Those loyal to Fayose sat somewhere and wrote the list of delegates.
“What really marvelled us was that the committees sent by the national headquarters to conduct the election didn’t go to the wards, they
diverted,” he alleged
-NAN...

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APC caucus meeting turns into Bloody clash, many feared dead

An APC Caucus zonal meeting in Otukpo, Benue state has left several injured and many feared dead after the meeting broke into a clash.
It was gathered that during the meeting, a fight broke out between some boys believed to be loyal to the current chairman of the party in the state and a senatorial aspirant, leading to the death six persons, including one Pastor Sam and several other persons badly injured.
Speaking on the development, the Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, Mr Obo Ukam Obo, said the police were aware of the meeting scheduled for Double K Resort and were shocked that some persons decided to forment trouble.
He revealed that investigations have commenced into the matter.

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Mourinho pays tribute to old rival Wenger

Jose Mourinho once called Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure’’ but, after the Arsenal manager announced he was stepping down at the end of the season, there was only respect.

Asked by reporters on Friday whether he regretted some of his behaviour towards the Frenchman over the years, the Manchester United boss suggested the question betrayed a lack of understanding.

“You are not a manager. You are not a player of course,” he said.

Read Also.

“You do not know the way we respect each other, even when sometimes it looks like in some moments we don’t.

“In the end, probably the ones that respect each other more are the ones that have the problems,” added the Portuguese.

“It is power against power, it is quality against quality, it is ambition against ambition.”

Wenger, 68, announced on Friday that he would end a near 22-year reign at the north London club, during which he has become Arsenal’s most successful manager.

Mourinho’s rivalry with Wenger dates from the younger manager’s arrival at Chelsea as a self-proclaimed “Special One’’ in 2004.

In 2005, the Portuguese famously labelled the Frenchman a “voyeur” after becoming annoyed at comments from him about his Chelsea team.

By 2014, when the “specialist in failure’’ comment was made, the rivalry had become so heated.

Wenger even pushed Mourinho as the pair clashed in the technical area during a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

On Friday, Mourinho said he hoped Wenger did not retire from football.

“If he’s happy I’m happy. If he’s sad, I’m sad,” he declared. “I always wish the best for my opponents.

“Mr Wenger and Arsenal were for many, many years the biggest rivals of Sir Alex Ferguson’s era. I’m pretty sure that we as a club will show Mr Wenger the respect he deserves.”

Mourinho, an English Premier League title winner with Chelsea, recognised what Wenger had achieved.

“For us football people, the real football people, who are the ones inside the four lines, playing, or the managers… the football people don’t have short memories,” he said.

“I know what it means, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, what he did in Japan and France…

“What he brought to French football and what he gave to Arsenal in the period without Premier Leagues, the transition from stadium to stadium.

“We know what he did,” he said.

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All former presidents and leaders of Nigeria are in unison to effect a change in the leadership of the country in 2019, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), revealed on Thursday.
The National Chairman of the party, Mr Uche Secondus, hinted on Thursday at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday,
He hinted that all former presidents and former leaders of Nigeria were in unison to make sure that in 2019 a fresh and new government was formed in the interest of the nation.
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Secondus called on members of the party and other political parties to join forces to rescue power from the APC.
He said that the party was consulting various interest groups and political stakeholders for synergy to enable regain power in 2019 elections.
Secondus said that the consultation with the groups was useful, and that in coming days, a broader platform would be raised to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said that PDP had taken it upon itself as the leading opposition party to broaden its scope, open its doors and allow ideas to flow in for a more robust democratic process.
“Our consultations have taken us to meet with various interest groups, who are willing to do business with us.
“I can report to you that it has been very fruitful.
“We expect in the coming days to have a broader political family, working hard to rescue this democracy and our beloved country from the hands of APC.”
“We, therefore, invite our brothers, sisters, youths and women from other political parties in this platform to join us to rescue our country that is in distress, socially, politically, economically and security-wise.”
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On Wednesday’s Mace at the Senate chamber, he called for the prosecution of those responsible for the act.
The chairman described the incident as ugly and sad, which underscored the fact that the country’s democracy was seriously under threat.
He said, “how did the hoodlums pass through all the security checks, majestically walked into the chambers to cause such havoc, leaving much to chew to all discerning minds.
“What happened in the Senate yesterday is a clear assault on democracy, a coup against the legislature and should not only be condemned but those responsible should be tried for treason as demanded by the law.
“Herdsmen brazenly invade our homes and farms, rape, maim and kill our people daily, and thugs do the same in our parliament, yet we have a government.
“This obnoxious development has placed enormous challenge on us as the main opposition party to up our game and quickly rescue this country from the appalling APC administration.”
Secondus also expressed disbelief on the news credited to President Muhammadu Buhari, describing Nigerian youths as lazy people and “his continued de-marketing of Nigeria each time he travels outside the country.’’
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“Our youths are not lazy, they are resourceful and indeed they are our future leaders.”
On his part, Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, who explained Senate incident, said it was not just a coincidence but collusion.
According to him, this will send a wrong signal to foreign investors interested in investing in the country.
Ekweremadu, however, pledged the support of PDP senators for all PDP activities.
In his part, Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Ayodele Fayose, pledged that the hope of Nigerians in the party would not be let down.
Fayose also expressed optimism that the PDP would emerge victorious in the July 14 governorship election in his state.

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Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied allegation that he was involved in a N10bn fraud.

          Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied allegation that he was involved in a N10bn fraud
          Saraki stated that he had nothing do with any payment, receipt or disbursement of any extra-budgetary funds
          Senate President Bukola Saraki, on Friday, April 20, has reacted to reports on some online media that he was involved in a N10billion fraud scandal.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that he had nothing do with any payment, receipt or disbursement of any extra-budgetary funds.
          The statement read in full: "Again, our attention has been drawn to a publication by an online platform which unethically alleges without any proof, reference, attribution or justification that the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was involved in receiving or sharing any unauthorized funds.
          "The article, entitled “EXCLUSIVE: Minister Adeosun, Saraki, Dogara, Accountant General in N10 billion fraud scandal”, in its style, substance, and deliberate spin struggles to connect the Senate President to the receipt and apportioning of funds which the publication describes as “illegal.”
"In the absence of any doubt, the Senate President has nothing to do with any payment, receipt or disbursement of any extra-budgetary funds.
"It is also important to state for the record that the Online article in question is pure and unmitigated false news. A simple check by this media would have revealed that all funds in the National Assembly are in the custody of the National Assembly Management, which is headed by the Clerk, and not its presiding officers.
          "Additionally, all contract awards are equally overseen by the National Assembly management, not the presiding officers. We are aware that for some weeks now, this Online platform has had this story.
          "However, they only contacted us on Wednesday, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, after a phone call from the Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to the Senate President, promised to give them all necessary explanation and documents on this issue.
          "However, it is obvious that in the bid to rope in Senator Saraki, the reporters of this Online media platform could not wait to see the Clerk and rushed to publish the story less than 24 hours after the clerk made the aforementioned promise — with outright falsehood.
          "We are surprised that without any proof whatsoever, this online platform was using expressions like: “Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, have just illegally received and shared”; “Saraki and Dogara submitted”; and “Investigations by this online media showed that at least 44 of the 82 contractors Messrs Saraki and Dogara…” These are highly defamatory and careless expressions.
          "It is expected, that the Editors of Premium Times will not be ignorant of the internal procurement and payment process in an organization like the National Assembly that they have covered and “investigated” for as long as they (the online media) has been in existence.
          "We consider this as part of the orchestrated campaign of calumny being waged against Dr. Saraki by some political elements using media platforms in which they have interests.
          "In this regard, for this careless and unwarranted assault on the person of the Senate President — after several previous warnings — the lawyers of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will be initiating legal action on this particular matter. Finally, we ask the public to disregard the Online media piece, and take it for what it is, and will continue to be: “Fake News.”
          Saraki has blamed the delay in the passage of the 2018 budget on 20 Senate sub-committees.
Saraki spoke on Thursday, April 12, at the plenary saying they were holding the country to ransom by refusing to submit their budget report.
          The Senate president asked them to submit their report on Friday April 13, to the Senate Appropriation Committee.

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Mr Ayodele Fayose's response to the remark of the Present Muhammadu on the Nigerian youth.

          Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has called on youths in Nigeria to show President Muhammadu Buhari that they were not lazy and uneducated by voting against him in 2019, saying; “it is painful that the President could describe youths in Nigeria that are daily struggling to make a living under a harsh economy as lazy people.”

          Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said; “Contrary to the morale-killing comment of the President, Nigerian youths are hardworking, intelligent and enterprising. Their future was mortgaged by past leaders like President Buhari, who had everything at their beck and call as youths. I imagine the youths of today having half of the opportunities available in the 50s and 60s.”

           He said; “At 19, President Buhari left Secondary School to join the Army. At age 21 (two years in the army), he was commissioned a second lieutenant and appointed Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Within his 24 years in the Army, the President was Governor of North Eastern State, Minister of Petroleum, Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Head of State. Where can our youths get such opportunity today?

         “Under his watch as Minister of Petroleum, N2.8 billion went missing from the accounts of the NNPC in Midlands Bank in the United Kingdom. That N2.8 billion as at that time is like $2.8 billion (over N1 trillion) now and here is he insulting the youths whose existence his likes mortgaged.”

          While telling the President to stop de-marketing Nigeria and its people in foreign lands, Governor Fayose reminded Nigerians how he (Buhari) said in an interview with UK Telegraph in February 2016 that some Nigerians in the United Kingdom were disposed to criminality and should not be granted asylum there.

         The governor, who insisted that the negative foundation the likes of President Buhari laid for Nigeria has made life impossible for the youths, asked; “As Military Governor of the North Eastern State, what difference did President Buhari make in the lives of youths in the North?”

          He described Buhari as an analogue President, saying; “There is no connection between him and the youths because I doubt if he can even use common android phone. One can’t really blame the President; he does not understand what is obtainable in the country anymore. That’s the reason he was still seeing West Germany and Deutschmark in 2015.”

         Urging the youths to use their votes to send President Buhari out of office in 2019, Governor Fayose said; “I did say before now that majority of the youths that voted for President Buhari in 2015 never knew who they were voting for because they did not experience him (Buhari) as a Military ruler. Most of them were those that were born in the 80s and they did not witness Buhari’s clueless and draconian government.

         “Now that our youths have seen President Buhari and he has top his cluelessness up by going to London to insult them by calling them lazy and uneducated people, they should be prepared to vote against him next year and installed a President that will value and respect them.”

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President Muhammadu Buhari's view on Nigerian youth.

          At a Commonwealth  business forum in Westminster, London, Wednesday, April 18, the president said a lot of Nigerian youths have not been to school and expecting to get things free of charge.

         President Buhari said: “About the economy, we have a very young population, our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. This is a very conservative one.”
         “More than 60 percent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven’t been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria is an oil producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare, education free.”
        He furtherly said  that he has achieved much on the major aspects of his campaign such as economy and security.
The president also divulge that: “Recently, my minister for information was constrained to answer a question on people accusing this administration of doing nothing, he said "let Nigerians be reminded what position we were before May 2015, what condition we are now, and what we have achieved between then and now and I think people were impressed with the answer. For security, we have done quite well. Economy, we are doing very well, especially with agriculture; we are providing soft loans, and guarantee is that you have to belong to a certain locality and you have got land, you don’t have to go to the bank and need a physical collateral. I think a lot is being done.”

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