-
Iwuanyanwu says hell retire from politics if Atiku wins
News & Trends •
a leader of the peoples democratic party and businessman chief emmanuel iwuanyanwu said he will retire from politics once atiku abubakar becomes nigerias president1 iwuanyanwu who will be 76 on 4 september declared his support for the presidential aspiration of former vice president of nigeria1 -
U.S. Father kills man for following daughter into bathroom
News & Trends •
harris fled the scene. armstrong was taken to the hospital where he later died. he suffered brain swelling a nasal fracture and loss of oxygen1 tragedy has struck in arizona u.s. after a father decided to take care of a situation his own way by killing a man who attempted to enter a bathroom stall where his daughter was1 harris was taken into custody earlier this month after the deadly encounter at a quiktrip convenience store in phoenix involving his 16-year-old daughter1 the 40-year-old was waiting in the parking lot to pick up his daughter and two friends when armstrong approached him asking for money. harris gave him some change and armstrong went into the store1 harris daughter came out of the store and told her father that a man tried to enter her bathroom stall by violently shaking the door police said. she said she told the employees who alerted the security guard1 she then identified armstrong as the alleged harasser when she spotted him walking out of the store1 possibly thinking not enough was being done harris approached the security guard and told him to take care of the situation or he would do it himself. the guard said the incident was being handled1 the protective father however confronted armstrong about the incident and then attacked him authorities said1 witnesses told police harris repeatedly stomped punched and kicked the man1 police say melvin harris iii faces a second-degree murder charge in the beating death of leon leevon armstrong azfamily.com reports1 harris was arrested at his home. he later admitted he struck armstrong in the face but claims he didnt throw the first punch the report stated1 he also denied hitting armstrong when he was on the ground1 harris fiancee diana jackson told azfamily.com that harris was protecting his daughter1 im not mad at him. i dont feel like he did anything wrong. i love him. he did what he was supposed to do for our kid1 you cannot tell someone theyre wrong for protecting their children1 i would have done the same thing. i dont feel bad at all for his actions. i feel bad that the man ended up dying in the process. i do jackson told the station1 jackson said its unfair her fianc is being treated as a criminal for protecting his child1 armstrong reportedly also had a criminal history that included shoplifting trespassing and obstructing justice1 -
Troops kill 5 bandits, recover arms in Birnin Gwari
News & Trends •
among the eliminated bandits was a notorious bandit from zamfara identified as sani danbuzuwa1 the troops of 1 division nigerian army kaduna on thursday said it had eliminated five bandit and recover arms in birnin gawri local government areas in kaduna state1 dole said the troops of the division under operation whirl punch responded to a distress call about an armed robbery along birnin gwarifuntua road1 while on pursuit of the armed robbers they were ambushed by suspected bandits. however they fought their way and overpowered the bandits who hastily withdrew into kwuyambana forest in zamfara state1 he said during the pursuit of the bandits in the forest the bodies of five bandits were found1 the deputy director army public relations 1 divisions nigerian army col. muhammad dole made the disclosure in a press statement in kaduna1 regrettably we lost one soldier and two were injured. the wounded soldiers were evacuated and they are responding to treatment at the military hospital in kaduna1 after thorough searched of the ambush area the following items were recovered 1 x ak47 rifle 3 magazines 87 rounds of 7.62mm special 1 g3 rifle 4 magazines 61 rounds of 7.62mm nato1 he also disclosed that a wanted kidnapper and expert in negotiations for ransom called yinusa suleiman from sambuwa village was apprehended by troops on aug. 141 he is currently assisting the security operatives in further investigations he said1 dole restated the troops commitment to ensuring security and safe passage to all commuters along highways of kadunaabuja and kadunabirnin gwari roads as well as the adjoining towns and villages1 -
Nigeria, India trade hits $12 bn High Commissioner
News & Trends •
the envoy said that 2018 also marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between both countries adding that several programmes were being organised to harness various areas of cooperation1 the trade volume between india and nigeria hit 12 billion dollars between april 2017 to march 2018 indian high commissioner to nigeria nagabhushana reddy has said1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the trade figures between both countries as at january 2018 was 10 billion dollars1 in 2015 the volume of trade between both countries was and fell to1 the high commissioner however said that the current figures represented a 26 per cent increase from the previous financial year1 looking at the bilateral relations our financial year is from april last year to march this year. we have been able to register 12 billion dollars of bilateral trade which marks an increase of 26 per cent from the previous year1 he reiterated that nigeria remained one of indias major exporter of crude oil adding that both countries were exploring other areas of bilateral relations1 we are looking at bringing more indian companies here and looking at not just a buyer-seller arrangement but to do more investments1 as of today indian companies have invested about 10 billion dollars and i think there are about 135 indian companies in nigeria1 i can mention that indian investments are in the field of pharmaceuticals electrical manufacturing assembly lines for automobiles particularly agricultural related1 reddy said this while speaking with newsmen at a flag hoisting ceremony to mark the 72nd independence of india in abuja on wednesday1 reddy said that the upcoming india-west africa conclave was one of such programmes being organised to bring together chambers of commerce business people and policy makers1 we will be inviting all the 15 west african countries at the trade ministers level to review existing arrangements and to see how we can harness the complementarities that exist between our two regions1 with a number of planned events we are looking at within the year i am very confident that we will be able to take the already existing strategic partnership that india has with nigeria to the next high level1 he added that the recently announced 10 guiding principles for deepening indias engagement with africa would foster future relations with nigeria in line with the federal governments economic growth plan1 in november 1958 india established the diplomatic house in lagos that that was the beginning of our journey1 our prime minister has initiated the 10 guiding principles of india and our prime ministers drive is to see that we can support your national efforts to merge with your economic growth plan and national priorities1 we would like to bring about a transformation in our engagement which is mutually beneficial1 furthermore the envoy said that india had trained about 8000 african nationals since 2015 in various capacity building programmes with more than 500 nigerian officials benefiting from the training opportunities1 he further reiterated the indian governments commitment to stronger relations with nigeria and africa as a whole1 -
Osinbajo, Service chiefs, IG-P, governors at NEC meeting
News & Trends •
the acting president prof. yemi osinbajo is currently presiding over the national economic council nec meeting at the council chambers of the presidential villa1 the presence of services chiefs the national security adviser and the inspector-general of police suggests that security may be top on the agenda being discussed at the thursday meeting1 in attendance are the chief of army staff lt. gen. turkur buratai the chief of air staff air vice-marsall sadiq abubakar the inspector-general of police mr ibrahim idris and the national security adviser maj.-gen. babagana mungono rtd1 no fewer than 12 state governors are also attending the meeting1 they include akinwumi ambode of lagos state willie obiano of anambra state udom emmanuel of akwa ibom state david umahi of ebonyi state abubakar bello of niger state and godwin obaseki of edo state1 others are the abdulaziz yari of zamfara state nasir el-rufai of kaduna state rotimi akeredolu of ondo state abubakar badaru of jigawa state aminu bello masari of katsina state and simon lalong of plateau state1 among deputy governors attending the meeting are cecilia ezeilo of enugu state benson abounu of benue state and ude oko chukwu of abia state1 also in attendance are the secretary to the government of the federation boss mustapha and minister of finance kemi adeosun1 -
#EndSARS: Ag President Osinbajo directs investigation, overhaul of SARS
News & Trends •
by ifeanyi nwoko15 acting president prof. yemi osinbajo has directed investigations into the activities of the special anti-robbery squad sars following persistent allegations bordering on human rights violations1 this is even as he has directed the inspector general of police ibrahim idris to immediately overhaul the management and activities of the squad1 in a statement signed by laolu akande senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity office of the vice president osinbajo said that a new sars that is intelligence driven should emerge from the process1 he also directed the national human rights commission to set up a panel to investigate the alleged unlawful activities of sars1 following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the special anti-robbery squad sars that border on allegations of human rights violations acting president yemi osinbajo san has directed the inspector general of police igp to with immediate effect overhaul the management and activities of sars and ensure that any unit that will emerge from the process will be intelligence-driven and restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery and kidnapping and apprehension of off1 the acting president has also directed the igp to ensure that all operatives in the emerging unit conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to international human rights law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects. the operatives should also bear proper identification anytime they are on duty1 the acting president has directed the national human rights commission to set up a special panel that will conduct an investigation of the alleged unlawful activities of sars in order to afford members of the general public the opportunity to present their grievances with a view to ensuring redress it read1 the social media especially twitter has been awash with posts by some nigerians alleging human rights violations by sars and calling on the federal government to end sars1 on twitter the hashtag trended for several months1 -
Osinbajo orders re-organisation of SARS
News & Trends •
acting president yemi osinbajo has ordered an immediate re-organisation of the polices special anti-robbery squad sars1 the acting president gave the order following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the special anti-robbery squad sars1 the allegations border on human rights violations1 osinbajo ordered the inspector general of police igp to with immediate effect overhaul the management and activities of sars1 the igp according to a statement by mr laolu akande the senior special assistant to the president on media1 such unit he said should be restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery and kidnapping and apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences and nothing more1 the acting president has also directed the igp to ensure that all operatives in the emerging unit conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to international human rights law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects1 the operatives should also bear proper identification anytime they are on duty1 meanwhile the acting president has directed the national human rights commission to set up a special panel that will conduct an investigation of the alleged unlawful activities of sars in order to afford members of the general public the opportunity to present their grievances with a view to ensuring redress1 -
Hold leaders accountable, NGO tasks journalists, CSOs
News & Trends •
similarly in her presentation mrs nkechi okoronkwo acting editor-in-chief news agency of nigeria nan underscored the importance of investigative journalism in order to uncover present and publish reports on facts that people try to hide1 actionaid nigeria an ngo has urged the media to effectively discharge its watchdog responsibility by holding leaders accountable to their obligations to the people in the implementation of policies programmes and projects1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that acdeg was adopted in 2007 at the 8th ordinary session of the assembly of the african union heads of state and government1 aremus lecture was entitled understanding the articles and provisions of acdeg and its relevance to the nigerian democracy1 he said that the charter seeks to promote adherence by each state party to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights among other global standard best practices1 he said that journalists needed to highlight the socio-economic challenges confronting the people in their reportage as well as interrogate government policies and programmes with a view to engendering development and improving general well-being1 the organisations consultant mr tunde aremu made the call at a media training on mobilising civil society support for the implementation of african governance architecture aga and african charter on democracy elections and governance acdeg1 she said that they could also be corrupt steal money break laws and do all sorts of things which harm other people or they might just be incompetent and unable to do their jobs properly1 she said that such people would usually try to keep this knowledge secret so it behoves journalists to try to expose such abuses1 she said that in view if the role of the media it had a duty to watch how well people in power performed their jobs especially those who had been elected to public office1 okoronkwo therefore urged journalists to constantly ask whether such people were keeping their election promises adding that politicians and others who failed in their promises should be exposed1 she urged the media to be diligent in its duty respect the ethics of the profession fact-check their reports and present only the truth to the public1 according to her when the media is up to its task the government will sit up the rule of law will be upheld policies would be implemented and the nation will be better off1 -
FG to commercial banks: reduce lending rates for farmers
News & Trends •
the minister said government was committed to encourage youths to venture into modernizing agriculture by using mechanized farming inputs such as machines for planting spraying tilling and harvesting among others1 the minister pointed out that the government was committed to encourage youths participation in agriculture1 the banks do not give consideration to the gestation period before they start the charges this is a big challenge1 nigerias banks interest rates have been viewed as one of the highest in the world1 there is no farmer that could survive the high interest rates something needs to be done because it poses a big threat to food security and development of agriculture1 the minister said government was committed to the development of agriculture as part of the determination to feed the growing population1 to this end the federal government was determined to provide more mechanized farming inputs to farmers in the country to boost food production he said1 some banks are saying that the lowest they can give is 25 per cent interest on their loans and no farmer can survive with this rate1 also prof. titus awokuse department of agriculture food and resource economy michigan state university u.s. said the university and the department had worked in partnership with research and teaching institutions in west africa for 50 years1 awokuse who is the chairman of the occasion said the institution would continue to work towards the development of agriculture in nigeria and african countries1 dr george mavrotas chief of the project head of ifpri nigeria office noted that ifpri work centres around six strategic research areas with gender as cross cutting theme1 according to him ifpri is working to ensure sustainable food production by enhancing groundwater governance promoting healthy food system improving markets and trade building resilience and strengthening institutions and governance1 mavrotas said ifpri would always do its best to ensure adequate policy for the development of the nigerian agriculture1 he said this had become imperative because through adequate policies and research programme food systems could be strengthened to better serve the interest of smallholder farmers and the poor consumers1 participants at the conference were drawn from various sectors of agriculture to deliberate on food security nutrition challenges food system transformation and climate change among others1 -
Aso Rock: Fake news, no foreign pressure on Buhari
News & Trends •
a statement by femi adesina president buhari media adviser slammed the report as fake news and chided the paper linked with former governor of delta state james ibori for embarrassing itself by abandoning good journalism1 the newspaper can surely do better adesina advised1 under the headline pressure mounts on buhari not to seek re-election the fiction parading as news claims that foreign powers including the european union united states of america united kingdom and saudi arabia are putting pressure on president buhari not to seek re-election due to some concocted reasons1 we thought fake news was the sole preserve of the social media in this season. alas a traditional medium has caught the bug. obviously the author of the story just got a brain wave or got procured by anti-democratic elements and then penned the mischief1 if there are quarters in which president buhari is held in very high esteem and the work he is doing for nigeria highly lauded it is in the countries mentioned. some of them are equally bastions of democracy and will not interfere in the democratic affairs of a sovereign country. the newspaper should simply tell its story to the marines1 president buhari is not a flippant or frivolous individual. he gave deep thought to the prospect before announcing his bid for a second term in office. it is only those who fear that their goose would be cooked if they meet with him at the polls that are trying to dissuade him from running by all means including sponsored newspaper stories1 by saying it got feelers that president buhari may opt out of the 2019 presidential election daily independent embarrassed itself and all those who love good journalism. the newspaper can surely do better1 -
Saraki, Bafarawa, Dankwambo go to the hilltop to stop Buhari
News & Trends •
a day after saraki left abeokuta gombe governor ibrahim dankwambo also came knocking at obasanjos hilltop home along with a retinue of aides. the two-term governor and former accountant-general of the nigerian federation is the latest declarant for the highest position in the land1 presidential aspirants in the peoples democratic party such as attahiru bafarawa ibrahim dankwambo and senate president bukola saraki appear to be competing for the endorsement of retired leaders of nigeria hopping from minna to abeokuta where coincidentally the ex-leaders have their homes on the hilltop1 senate president saraki who is still coy about his presidential ambition was the second among the latter group to join the endorsement train to the hilltops when he visited former military president general ibrahim babangida on wednesday 8 august1 former governor of sokoto bafarawa had beaten him to the front seat when he visited obasanjo on sunday 5 august. as he confessed he had learnt from obasanjo leadership school in the past a lesson that made him to save about n11.5 billion in his state which he bequeathed to his successor. he came to learn more as he hoped to clinch the pdp presidential ticket to square up to incumbent president muhammadu buhari in next years february election1 obasanjo who considers himself probably the best leader nigeria ever had even gave his guest some extra leadership lessons. he charged bafarawa to strengthen the leadership qualities he identified in him including humility diligence selflessness and lack of discrimination1 on monday saraki surfaced in abeokuta to meet former president olusegun obasanjo who has floated his own party and has turned himself into a rallying force for anti-muhammadu buhari politicians. cornered by media men on the purpose of the visit he dropped a not too-honest excuse. he said he came to see the grand olusegun obasanjo presidential library which was formally opened last year1 you know i missed the official opening of the library and that is why i have decided to come and see the place and honestly it is beautiful. we are very proud of what he has done here he said1 only one pdp presidential aspirant has made a distinctive difference adding former president goodluck jonathan to his endorsement itinerary. the others have made minna and abeokuta hilltop palaces their favourite destinations1 in minna on monday night general ibrahim babangida also hosted another presidential aspirant attahiru bafarawa former governor of sokoto state. bafarawa visited obasanjo last week with the former leader urging him to improve on his leadership weaknesses1 obasanjosaid atiku should never count on his support1 i know atiku very well. and i have mentioned my position with atiku. my position has not changed he said1 on a personal note he added if my children are getting married he has sent representatives. if his children are getting married i have sent representatives. that is social. that is not political1 but on political ground my position has not changed. if i support atiku for a political office other than the one i supported him in the past when i did not know him maybe but not now that i know him god will not forgive me1 since 4 august came out openly to disrupt atikus campaign campaign activities and footworks have slowed down a bit1 -
Aisha Buhari dedicates award to Nigerian women, children
News & Trends •
the wife of the president mrs aisha buhari has dedicated her award ofdoctor of humanity by the sun moon university south korea to nigerian women and children1 buhari in a tweet on monday saidi dedicate this honour to all nigerian women and children1 she also commended thelove and support shown to her pet project the future assured initiative1 with gratitude to god for an honour done to me by the governing council of sun moon university south korea for being decorated today with a doctor of philosophy in public administration honoris causa1 my gratitude goes to the president of the university dr. sun-jo hwang and the entire members of the governing council of the university for this honour1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the university in july 2018 delegated some members of the university to nigeria to inform buhari of their intention to honour her1 buhari was given the award in recognition of her humanitarian services to less privileged in nigeria especially tothe idps1