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Daura betrayed Buhari to Saraki, says ex-aide in a tell-all interview
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mr abdulrahman said when they resumed they always closed late at work often at about 2am. what we were doing was mostly receiving ghana must go filled with cash brought by enemies of government to him1 abdulwahab abdulrahman a former assistant to the sacked director general of department of state services lawal daura has accused his former boss of extensive corruption and portrayed him as a man who serially betrayed his boss president muhammadu buhari for money1 he will go and get information on plans for senate president bukola saraki and then leak it to him he said1 the former aide of daura said he quit the agency in 2016 because of the scale of corruption and abuse there1 mr daura who led nigerias domestic spy agency since 2015 was abruptly fired on tuesday by acting president yemi osinbajo after he ordered a blockade of the national assembly1 mr abdulrahman said president buhari never knew daura until he was introduced to him by the late senator mustapha bukar in 2015. he then disclosed how daura wormed his way into the heart of president buharis cousin mamman daura1 he claimed that after daura was appointed in july 2015 daura was receiving money from everyone including the presidents enemies1 abdulrahman who retired as a senior dss official claimed in a interview that daura also betrayed buhari by serving as a mole for bukola saraki the senate president1 the rate of corruption on that fourth floor was too much and the president doesnt deserve this he said1 similar allegation emerged tuesday after mr dauras removal with many administration supporters accusing him of working for mr saraki against the government1 on wednesday mr saraki said claims he compromised mr daura in respect of the national assembly siege constituted an insult on the intelligence sic ignorance of nigerians1 but as premium times reminded its readers messrs. saraki and daura clearly enjoyed cooperation in the past. in the heated days of the national assemblys standoff with the executive over the appointment of ibrahim magu as head of the economic and financial crimes commission it was mostly memos from the sss that the lawmakers referenced as basis for rejecting mr magu1 asked what the real issue was between mr magu and the dg sss mr abdulrahman said mr daura wanted mr magu to share information on high profile cases with him1 magu is a smart officer and he knew daura wanted to use such information to extract money from people. he told daura to his face that i cant report to you i only report to the president who appointed me he said1 -
NIMC, UBA partner on e-ID card
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the national identity management commission nimc and the united bank for africa uba have entered into a partnership for the financial institution to adopt the national e-id card as a payment card1 the partnership is expected to revolutionise the nations financial inclusion drive and the nigerian economic landscape1 this collaboration is seen as an important opportunity to enhance and intensify the robust relationship between the nimc and uba loveday chika head of corporate communications of nimc has said1 it also affirms a commitment to bring about an all-round implementation of the identity management system and ensure speedy issuance and activation of cards using available channels1 the collaboration is poised to ensure that the national electronic identity card which combines a proof of identity and access to financial services will make it possible for nigerians to receive a universally accepted identity card and also gain access to formal financial services1 the all-embracing card is one of the main components of the national identity management system1 the commission is charged with the mandate to establish and operate a national identity management system maintain and manage the national identity database as well as issue a unique national identification number nin and a general multipurpose national identity card to eligible nigerians and legal residents1 the group head- cards digital banking uba mr. adeyinka adedeji had before now appreciated nimc for finding the bank professionally worthy of taking up such a huge and technical project as that of the national e-id card1 we are more than delighted and would ensure that we will further raise the bar in delivering the top-notch service uba is known for1 he further added that the card is embedded with the full functionalities of a prepaid card and can be loaded with funds and is acceptable on any payment platform including pos atm1 -
NASA to launch car-sized spacecraft to study Sun
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it allows the spacecraft to operate at about room temperature1 the u.s. national aeronautics and space administration nasa is preparing to launch a probe on saturday to study the sun closer than any other human-made object before revealing mysteries behind the fiery surface.1 nasa sais one science task of the probe is to study the acceleration of the solar wind and the suns constant outflow of material while the other is exploring the secret of the coronas enormously high temperatures.1 besides parker solar probes instruments might reveal the mechanisms at work behind the acceleration of solar energetic particles which can reach speeds of more than half the speed of light as they rocket away from the sun.1 such particles can interfere with satellite electronics especially for satellites outside of earths magnetic field.1 according to nasa the biggest breakthrough for the spacecraft is its cutting-edge heat shield1 the thermal protection system the heat shield is one of the spacecrafts mission-enabling technologies said andy driesman parker solar probe project manager at the johns hopkins applied physics lab.1 according to nasa the car-sized spacecraft called parker solar probe is set to lift off on a united launch alliance delta iv heavy carrying instruments to study the sun both remotely and directly.1 the heat shield is a sandwich of carbon-carbon composite surrounding nearly four and half inches of carbon foam which is about 97 per cent air.1 the solar array cooling system and on-board fault management system are also innovations of the probe1 the cooling system allows the solar arrays to produce power under the intense thermal load from the sun and the fault management system protects the spacecraft during the long periods of time when the spacecraft cant communicate with the earth.1 the launch energy to reach the sun is 55 times that required to get to mars and two times that needed to get to pluto said guo yanping from the johns hopkins applied physics laboratory who designed the mission trajectory.1 during summer earth and the other planets in our solar system are in the most favorable alignment to allow us to get close to the sun guo added.1 the sun constantly sends magnetized material outward and the magnetic energy can burst out with light and particle radiation that travel through space and create temporary disruptions in our atmosphere sometimes garbling radio and communications signals near earth.1 the key to understanding its origins lies in understanding the sun itself and thats where parker solar probe comes in according to the researchers at nasa. xinhuanan1 -
Group calls for extension of voter registration exercise
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it is our well- considered view that inec has had enough time to perfect the process of registration and other activities to run concurrently with the preparation for elections the leader group added1 a group under the aegis of our mumu don do movement headed by charles oputa aka charlie boy has appealed for the extension of the continuous voters registration exercise until dec.141 the letter signed by the governor of the group mr charles oputa said there are thousands of nigerians eager to register1 he stated that the group had been inundated by calls and complains from other notable groups and concerned citizens1 oputa noted that since the inec announced the suspension of the continuous voters registration exercise on aug.17 individuals groups and disturbed nigerians all over the country had become frustrated1 while commending inec for various improvements in the registration exercise the extension of time and weekend registrations the group said the aforementioned did not make the exercise a continuous one1 the call was contained in a letter addressed to the chairman of the independent national electoral commission inec dated aug. 8 and made available to the press in abuja1 oputa maintained that best practices demanded that inec should be decentralized to handle core and big operations simultaneously and seamlessly by putting in place special structure to handle registration of voters1 the group which carried out a peaceful demonstration outside the premises of the inec demanded that the exercise be extended to dec.14 20181 this it said was in accordance with the 60 days before the first election as guaranteed by the electoral act 2010 so that justice would be seen to have been done to everyone1 the group expressed its willingness to engage in further discussions with inec on how the process of registration could be reviewed and made less strenuous for nigerians to register1 the group urged that the registration should remain a continuous process as part of inecs responsibility to nigerians so that eligible nigerians can have the opportunity to exercise their franchise1 -
Operationalise "Not-Too-Young-To Run Law" - CSO urges political parties
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lawal said that that there was need for political parties to prescribe and enforce spending limits for party nomination fees and charges adding that the cost of nomination forms should not exceed n2000000 for presidential aspirant1 itodo said that the rally was organised in order to make some demands to political parties on youth inclusion1 we are asking political parties to prescribe and enforce spending limits for party nomination fees charges and cost for nomination of young candidates1 itodo said that the call became imperative because there were challenges hampering youths participation in spite of the signing into law of the age reduction bill1 according to him the bill cannot be a reality if political parties dont give young people who have the capacity competence and character the opportunity to pick tickets1 he said the movement also wants the parties to reduce the cost of nomination forms and running for primary election1 this is our time. no ticket to young people no youth votes. we want to see young people in the state houses of assembly house of reps senate governors and even the presidency1 itodo said that the movement consisted of over 50 youth groups in the country and would mobilize 50 million youths to vote against any party that failed to keep to the demands of the group1 mr hamzat lawal another convener of the movement said that the group recognized that high cost of forms undermined youths1 the movement is demanding that political parties reserve tickets for young people with character capacity and competence ahead of the 2019 general elections1 according to him the movement highlighted intended cost for picking nomination forms which is n2 000 000 for presidential aspirant n1 000 000 for governorship aspirant and n600 000 for senatorial aspirant1 he said that for state house of assembly aspirant the form should be n200000 while that of house of representatives aspirant should be n400 0001 he said that political parties should adopt transparent democratic and direct party primaries in the candidate selections process for the 2019 general elections1 responding on behalf of the all progressives congress apc national working committee nwc mr adamu fanda national treasurer said that the party was already acting on two of the demands of the group1 fanda said that apc was the only party that did not only give persons with disability opportunity to contest but made nomination forms free for women1 he said that it was time to practice an inclusive system in nigeria because the country belonged to everybody adding that youths had the highest demography in nigeria and therefore could not be ignored1 i will convey your message to the party on the issue of reduction in nomination forms because your other demands have been met by the party except the fees1 i assure you that youths will be carried along in the party under the leadership of adams oshiomhole who is an activists and a freedom fighter so your demands would be looked into he said1 -
2019: Nobody can defeat Buhari, says group
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by emmanuel afonne7 even if pmb stands alone in apc the good news is that our votes will count and he will still win the election1 williams ozi-raji chairman north-central zone of pmb-swc said this on tuesday in abuja while addressing journalists on the activities of the group ahead of the 2019 general elections1 ozi-raji said the group had concluded plans to carry out sensitisation programmes across states in the zone to ensure the re-election of buhari1 he described pmb as a man who exhibits zero tolerance for corruption and injustice and whose political will helped in transforming the nigerian economy1 within the age bracket of those who have served in government we do not have anybody that equals pmb in terms of character credibility among others he said1 according to ozi-raji the group will also work for the election of other contestants in the all progressives congress apc from ward to the federal level1 a political campaign group pmb sensitisationworkshop committee pmb-swc north-central chapter says nobody in the country can defeat president muhammadu buhari in the 2019 general elections1 we are also to ensure that every nigerian in the north-central is properly educated on what pmb has done for nigerians for him to deserve a second term1 this will be from the ward local and state level in the north-central states the road transport workers civil servants the less privileged and the physically challenged will all be carried along ozi-raji said1 he attributed the herdsmen killings across the country to ploy by desperate politicians to discredit the present government and to frustrate the re-election of buhari in 20191 the election of mr president in 2015 was not because some politicians decamped from pdp to apc but because he was one man who nigerians felt it was time to do the right thing and they gave him their votes1 those that defected to apc in 2015 did that because they wanted a situation where they would destabilise the efforts of mr president and apc1 now that the opportunity was lost they thought it was time to return to their original party to carry out their enterprise1 in achieving this a lot has been put on ground structurally because if you do not plan it simply means you have planned to fail1 -
Three months after formation, ADC splits into factions
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he disclosed that the factional group had already written the independent national electoral commission inec to notify it of the formation of n-adc with temporary national secretariat in maitama abuja1 protem national chairman of the group chief precious elekima made the announcement at a news conference in abuja1 these teeming nigerians believed in the good intentions as set out in the clarion call so meekly embraced by the adc1 they gave flesh and blood to the adc reinvigorated and rebranded it to aspire as the third-force in the political landscape of the country1 according to him nigerians cannot be fooled as adc has become just another vehicle for recirculation of the people that were common problem of the nation1 elekima who was coordinator of cnm in rivers apologised to nigerians saying that his group was not part of decision to join cupp1 he said that by joining the alliance the adc defied the clarion call by obasanjo for the rejection of peoples democratic party pdp and all progressives congress apc1 this he said was important in order to meet up inecs time table for 2019 general elections1 we will come out with a decision that will be all-embracing and will create a path way for nigerians to follow1 reacting to the development national publicity secretary of adc chief anayo arinze said that elekima was not a card-carrying member of adc and could therefore not form faction of the party1 arinze added that elekima and his group could not be consulted on the partys decision because they were not members of adc1 should we go about the streets and be consulting people who are not our members before we make decision as a party he asked1 -
Police not involved in NASS invasion IGP Idris
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by ismaila chafe7 the nigeria police force will continue to ensure that the rule of law prevails sustain unflinching respect support and protection of all constituent authorities and democratic institutions in the country while maintaining law and order protection of lives and property nationwide1 idris stated this after a closed door meeting with the acting president yemi osinbajo at the presidential villa abuja on tuesday1 he said the blockade of the nass complex was a surprise to him adding that the police would soon issue a statement on the incident1 obviously like i said i have not got a detailed brief on that. so when i get the brief in fact we are going to issue a press release he said1 osinbajo had on tuesday sacked the director general department of state service lawal daura with immediate effect over the invasion of the premises of the national assembly1 osinbajo condemned the unauthorized takeover of the national assembly complex describing it as a gross violation of constitutional order rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order1 the inspector-general of police igp alhaji ibrahim idris has exonerated the nigeria police force from the tuesdays blockade of the national assembly nass by security operatives1 the acting president assured nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty would be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action1 the sacked dss boss had earlier met behind closed door with the acting president with the igp idris and the chief of staff to the president malam abba kyari in attendance1 in a statement later on tuesday by acting deputy commissioner jimoh moshood the police categorically denied the involvement of their men in the blockade at the assembly1 the nigeria police force wishes to categorically state that its personnel was not involved in any way whatsoever in the blockade of the national assembly in the early hours of today 7th august 20181 the force was not informed and has no pre-knowledge of the blockade1 the nigeria police force hereby implores the media and the general public to disregard in entirety insinuations that police personnel were involved in the blockade as untrue misleading and a misinformation1 he maintained that the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable1 -
NASS siege destructive, threat to democracyNorthern leaders
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the northern leaders and stakeholders assembly nlsa has described as destructive tuesdays siege on national assembly by operatives of the department of security services dss1 dr umar ardo secretary nlsa in a statement in abuja said the national assembly incident constituted a huge threat to nigerias democracy1 he urged the leadership of the national assembly to as a matter of urgency reconvene and summon the leadership of the executive to explain the dss action1 ardo said that disciplinary actions should be applied where necessary as provided for by the constitution1 he said that the position of nlsa was that all nigerians should protect the nations democracy1 meanwhile acting president prof. yemi osinbajo had in a swift reaction sacked the lawal daura the director-general dss over the unathorised blockage on the national assembly1 osinbajo directed him to hand over to the most senior director in the services1 -
Mathew Sieyefa from Bayelsa appointed acting DG DSS
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according to him the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable2 he once worked in the service and retired2 daura born 5 august 1953 was appointed by president muhammadu buhari on 2 july 2015 following the dismissal of his predecessor ita ekpeyong1 osinbajo described the blockade asa gross violation of constitutional order rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order1 mr. matthew b. seiyefa has been appointed the acting d-g of the department of state services1 professor osinbajo assured nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action1 the appointment followed the sacking today of the former d-g lawal daura by acting president yemi osinbajo. he was ordered to hand over to the most senior official of the agency1 seiyefa from bayelsa state is the most senior director in the dss. a twitter post by the presidencynigeria said he will act as director-general until further notice1 seiyefa dauras successor had earlier served as the director of the institute of security studies iss before he was transferred to the dss headquarters1 he met with acting president yemi osinbajo on tuesday at the presidential villa abuja1 he arrived the presidential villa in an official suv at4pm clutching a file and was received at the entrance by the adc to the acting president1 with about 34 years of experience seiyefa had served in different capacities including state director in osun akwa ibom and lagos states1 seiyefa is also a member of the national institute1