MKO Abiola: What manner of man?
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indeed june 12 was the culmination of a tremendously remarkable life1 following the honour bestowed on mko abiola by president buhari and the re-focused attention on abiolas legacy my daughter oreoluwa who by the way read politics and philosophy at cambridge and was only one year old when mko was killed called me to find out more about him1 oreoluwas question set me thinking and it suddenly dawned on me that many younger nigerians certainly the twenty-somethings and even thirty-year olds may just have only a vague memory of mko abiola or none at all let alone knowing who the real mko abiola was1 because of oreoluwa and others of her age i have decided to reproduce in full the first chapter of the book legend of our time the thoughts of mko abiola which is a published collection of abiolas key speeches and lectures edited by dr. chidi amuta and myself1 the book which was published on the eve of his presidential campaigns predates the june 12 saga1 obviously he will now for ever be remembered for his june 12 victory and as an embodiment of our democratic ideals. but he was more than june 121 here is how she put it dad i know all about june 12 and how chief abiola was denied the presidency and later died in prison but what kind of man was he1 in some ways there was none like him and there probably would be none quite like him again1 he was among other things a man of prodigious intellectual talent a true legend of our time. just months before his death i visited him in prison. although tired and suffering from a lower back pain he was even in his dismal conditions his old self. he oscillated between anger anxiety frustration and even optimism but not bitterness1 then when a prominent egba chief now late came in to see him apparently carrying with him some message from the council of islamic affairs in what seemed to be another of several previous visits mko flared up and his defiant self resurfaced then after the chief took leave of us he turned to me and asked me how i thought he had done i gave him the thumbs up instantly the young security guard who had listened in on our entire discussion told me it was time for me to leave. i never saw mko again1 again there are seeming contradictions here. but what is a great man if not a bundle of opposites contrasts and even contradictions isnt it the rich admixture of warmly human virtues and failings that change our admiration into love especially too in our assessment of great men and in the case of bashorun abiola given his sheer vitality and energy the contrast are sometimes even more dramatic and startling1 so in reproducing this lengthy piece which was written in late 1992 and titled behind the legend i have felt no need to change embellish or delete any details. the man i wrote about then remained the man i saw in prison months before his death in 1998 determined defiant uncowed and unbowed1 because of this man there is both cause for hope and certainty that the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to peace and human dignity. the enemies which imperil the future generations to come poverty ignorance disease hunger and racism have each seen effects of the valiant work of chief abiola. through him and others like him never again will freedom rest in the domain of the few1

North West gets Buharis support volunteers
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other reasons why we voluntarily support buhari osibanjo 2019 presidency includes his sincerity of purpose integrity transparency accountability discipline ethics trust and tolerance displayed over the years. the strong desire of the administration for continuity in progress readiness to create opportunities for leadership experience among the youth also makes a basic requirement for their re-election in 2019 he added.1 senate leader ahmad lawan has inaugurated volunteers drawn from 186 local governments in north west to drum support for president muhammadus buharis re-election1 lawan represented by sen. abu ibrahim said that the volunteers were carefully selected to diligently work under the buhariosibanjo 2019 presidency re-election organization1 he added that they would propagate the policies and programmes of the administration and canvass support ahead of the 2019 general elections1 he stressed that the volunteers would highlight the landmark achievements of the buhari administration especially in the area of security economy fight against corruption and infrastructural development with consequent redemption of hitherto soiled image of nigeria in the comity of nations1 there is no gainsaying that president buhari took the mantle of leadership of nigeria when it was almost on a brink of collapse evident in the activities of boko haram terrorist which had captured over 14 local governments1 the economy was battered by the government that buhari succeeded to the point that payment of workers salaries was about to be impossible due to embezzlement bribery and other related economic and financial recklessness1 lawal noted that apart from decimating boko haram the administration has so far succeeded in fighting corruption through the enforcement of treasury single account which controlled government finances effectively and blocked the siphoning of public funds by fraudulent officials1 the volunteers were inaugurated on the platform of all progressive congress apc north west chapter1 also chairman northern senators forum sen. aliyu wamakko said that the administration had taken good measures within three years to address some of the challenges facing the country1 wamakko said the diversification of nigeria economy from old age reliance on oil as the mainstay of the countys economy to agriculture and mining had produced positive results1 yet again the government also engages in providing infrastructure service to nigerian in terms of good roads railways houses across the country1 also speaking sen. jibrin barau apc kano expressed support for the laudable achievements of president buhari adding we must work together to sustain the good work as what president buhari administration has done pdp has not done in their 16 years1 in his remarks alhassan ado-dogowa chief whip in the house of representatives said president buhari is for all nigerians including the young women and old1 ado-dogowa said the president should be commended for accepting to contest for another term declaring that his contest is a sacrifice for the betterment of nigeria not for any selfish benefit1 we are for buhari to continue come 2019 and we must make sacrifices to achieve it1 the governor of kaduna state malam nasir el-rufai represented by his deputy bala bantex called on the coordinators to remain steadfast in the task ahead to ensure success. nan1

Killing of another Nigerian in South Africa unfortunate
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dabiri-erewa expressed disappointment over an early warning signal put in place by both ministries which she said had still not been implemented1 mrs abike dabiri-erewa senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora is worried over the killing of another nigerian in south africa describing it as unfortunate1 the nigeria consulate-general in south africa said that the ugly incident was said to have occurred at 10 koppe middleburg mpumalanga south africa on july 61 the mission said that lawrence was shot six times by his assailant and died before reaching hospital1 dabiri-erewa in short message sent to the news agency of nigeria nan on sunday in abuja described the recent killing as unfortunate1 she said that further enquiry over nigeria issue with south africa should be directed to the ministry of foreign affairs1 all enquiries should be directed to the minister of foreign affairs geoffrey onyeama who has vowed to take decisive action with the new foreign affairs minister in south africa1 the nigeria mission in south africa had on sunday confirmed the killing of mr ozumba tochukwu-lawrence by an unknown gunman in the country1 she stated that no fewer than 117 nigerians were extra-judicially killed in south africa between 2016 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other1 she said that many more had followed since then1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that killing of nigerians in south africa had been on the increase in recent times1 before the latest one there was the assassination of thankgod okoro who was reportedly shot dead in hamburg florida west rand johannesburg on april 9 2018 by the south african police flying squad1 there was also the killing of clement nwaogu in april a father of two who was burnt to death by his assailant1 these wanton killings of nigerians in south africa had sparked a number of protests there1 for demanding justice on behalf of their fallen compatriots 14 of the protesters were taken into custody and branded drug peddlers1

Swiss to strengthen ties with Kenya
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source63 switzerland has started diplomatic forage in kenya to strengthen trade economic and political relations1 the president of the swiss confederation mr. alain berset arrived in kenya on sunday for a three-day official visit to open new vistas and cement existing relations1 berset will hold bilateral talks with president uhuru kenyatta and the two leaders are also expected to explore areas of collaboration under kenyattas big four agenda1 the agenda is food security affordable housing manufacturing and universal healthcare according to state house in nairobi1 the areas of cooperation highlighted for the visit include the swiss development agencys work in kenyas arid and semi-arid lands regions as well as the swiss for life project in kakuma refugee camp which is home to thousands of south sudanese refugees1 other areas of cooperation are igad-switzerland cooperation and swiss support to kenyas big 4 health pillar1 it would be recalled that early this year the swiss embassy inaugurated in kenya its new embassy building in nairobi1

Sugar lands Kenya in trouble
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read more18 kenya is facing the risks of suspension from the common market for eastern and southern africa comesa after disregarding its rules on importation of sugar1 the controversial importation of an unknown quantity of sugar which has raised a storm in kenya with claims of the commodity being contaminated was done without the approval of comesa1 under the rules of the 19-member trading bloc any sugar imports from outside comesa attract a common external tariff cet of 25 per cent1 goods qualify for preferential tariff treatment only if they originate in the member states and are traded within the bloc1 kenyas move has not been well received and could hurt its trade relations with other member states1 ironically the country enjoys a comesa safeguard measure which limits the amount of sugar that can be imported duty-free from the blocs members. this special consideration was made in 2002 to give the country time to make its sugar production competitive as it was feared imports from the bloc would kill local manufacturing1 the safeguard which restricts duty-free sugar imports from the comesa member countries to 350000 metric tonnes per year expires in february 20191 the government is therefore keen on an extension after failing to meet key conditions including privatisation of its ailing state-owned millers1 the drama surrounding kenyas sugar imports is dragging as regional players kick1 suspension from the bloc would deal the country a heavy blow as the rest of the members consume about 12 per cent of kenyas total exports including tea coffee and horticulture articles of apparel and clothing accessories and iron and steel1 comesa rules allow member countries to import goods from non-member states on condition that the goods attract duty. however it is understood that kenya unilaterally passed a domestic law to allow the importation of sugar duty-free1 kenya should have told other comesa countries before passing a law to import sugar from the rest of the world because failure to do this caused challenges and we had to step in as the secretariat to explain their action1 the way this law was communicated was not effective said francis mangeni director in charge of trade and customs at the comesa secretariat1 while allowing importation of duty-free sugar opened the door for all countries to sell sugar to kenyas importers the kenya revenue authority is said to have blocked sugar from some comesa member countries such as mauritius prompting the intervention of the secretariat1 it is alleged that kenya has also denied mauritius a licence to export sugar to the country pending the conclusion of investigation into adulterated sugar in the local market1 kenya is understood to have requested a discussion of its sugar issues during the 20th comesa heads of state and governments summit scheduled to take place from july 9 to july 19 2018 in lusaka zambia1 with its outright disregard of comesa rules kenya now risks being denied more time to limit the amount of cheap and duty-free sugar brought into the country to protect its ailing sugar sector1

Banks restricts ATM cash withdrawal overseas
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read more18 nigerian banks have restricted cash withdrawals from overseas automated teller machines atm only to those whose cards are linked to their domiciliary accounts funded locally1 according to the lenders are also raising their card spending limits on point of sale pos and online card transactions abroad an indication of increased dollar liquidity and rising exchange rate stability1 guaranty trust bank gtbank and first city monument bank fcmb it said at the weekend raised their monthly card spending limit on overseas pos and online transactions from 1000 to 3000 and around 2000 to 50001 we would like to inform you that our monthly spending limit on your gtbank naira mastercard has been reviewed to 3000 from 1000 for your international online and pos transactions. kindly note that international atm cash withdrawal is still restricted gtbank said1 clothing shoes electronics bookswhatever your needs are fcmb naira debit card gives you instant full access to 5000 monthly to shop online fcmb said in an email sent to its customers at the weekend1 gt bank had nearly two years ago during the height of the dollar scarcity limited monthly transactions on pos and online transactions using cards to 100 british pounds sterling 90 euro 130 and canadian dollar 360. the prevailing dollar scarcity at that time made it difficult for travellers to pay their hotel bills and make reservations and other transactions using their debit cards1 many banks which announced the suspension of their overseas atm card services in october 2016 have all lifted the suspension and raised monthly transaction volumes for customers on foreign currency-denominated deals including those conducted on pos machines and online1 the dynamics changed in april last year when the central bank of nigeria cbn introduced the investors1 the banks have therefore suspended such withdrawals and encouraging travellers to open and fund dollar accounts1 for instance in the first half of 2018 transactions in the i1 according to an afrinvest report titled nigerian economy and financial market h12018 review released at the weekend the investment and research firm said nigerias economic recovery path had been reinforced by the sustained stability in oil prices with four consecutive quarters since second quarter of 2017 of positive slow but steady growth1 it however said economic activities slowed in the first half of this year given the delayed passage and implementation of the 2018 budget of consolidation a major limiting factor in the drive towards implementing the federal governments economic recovery and growth plan ergp the fiscal paper drafted to address some of the deep-rooted structural imbalances in the economy1 in addition food supply disruptions resulting from the current security crises which in turn fuelled inflationary pressures coupled with tighter monetary stance of the cbn towards stabilising the currency market contributed to the slow growth rate reported. nonetheless the domestic macroeconomic performance has been largely satisfactory on the back of persistent disinflation rising oil prices and external reserves increased foreign exchange liquidity with frequency of interventions improved to1 it said the rise in oil prices impacted positively on nigerias foreign reserves rising 22.7 per cent to 47.6 billion on june 13 2018 from 38.8 billion on december 29 20171 consequently the cbn maintained its exchange rate peg with the naira appreciating to n305.801 june 2018 from n3061 december 2017 in the official window while the stability and liquidity in the foreign exchange market improved as seen in the growing confidence by investors in the i1 the forex window has largely removed the pressures from the parallel market rate which now sometimes trades at a discount to the nigerian autonomous foreign exchange nafex rate1 financial analysts at afrinvest west africa said stability in the forex market followed the increased volume of forex interventions and the coming of i1

FIFA disgraces Kenyan referee
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fifa disgraces kenyan referee1

Buhari celebrates Army Day in Monguno
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buhari celebrates army day in monguno1

Saraki hails S/Court verdict, insists trial was political
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saraki hails scourt verdict1 insists trial was political1

Sharif Pakistani ex-PM jailed 10 years in absentia
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the nab court ordered sharif to pay a fine of 8 million pounds 10.6 million and fined maryam 2 million pounds while ordering the confiscation of the london properties on behalf of the pakistani government abbasi said1 a pakistani court on friday sentenced ousted prime minister nawaz sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his familys purchase of upscale london flats in a major blow to his party ahead of general elections on july 251 a political ally said sharif would return to pakistan from london to file an appeal facing arrest on arrival just before the election in which his party is in a close race with opposition figure imran khans party1 todays verdict shows that these avenfield apartments were purchased using corruption money prosecution lawyer sardar muzaffar abbasi told reporters citing the name of the apartment building in london1 sharifs daughter maryam widely seen as his chosen political heir was sentenced to seven years in prison. maryams husband and pml-n lawmaker muhammad safdar was handed a year in jail he said1 the people of pakistan and pml-n reject this decision said sharifs brother shehbaz who took over as pml-n president after his brother was banned from holding office for life and is expected to be its prime ministerial candidate1 this decision is based on injustice1 sharif and his daughter were in london on friday with sharifs wife kulsoom who is being treated for cancer and is in a coma after suffering a heart attack last month1 both denied wrongdoing and will appeal the decision said sharif ally tariq fazal chaudhry adding that the former premier would return to pakistan before the election1 the guilty verdict in absentia against sharif 68 threatens to end the career of one of pakistans most high-profile politicians of the last four decades a political survivor who was prime minister three times1 the national accountability bureau nab court accused sharif and his family of money laundering and being unable to legitimately show the money trail for the purchase of several luxurious properties in london mostly in the mid-1990s1 a copy of the verdict said the sharif family had failed to prove a legal source of income for the purchase of avenfield apartments in 1993 1995 and 19961 sharif was ousted by the supreme court in july 2017 and barred from politics for being dishonest by failing to report a monthly income of 10000 emirati dirhams 2723 from a company owned by his son. he denies drawing the monthly salary1 but he has kept de facto control of the pakistan muslim league-nawaz pml-n party that he founded1 the decision comes at a time of growing suspicion of military meddling in politics ahead of the polls as well as media complaints of being muzzled1 sharif had denounced the court proceedings against him as politically motivated and a judicial witch-hunt often suggesting the military was to blame1 justice has been massacred maryams husband safdar said after the verdict1 pakistans military which has ruled the nuclear-armed country for almost half its history denies involvement in civilian politics. but the military ended sharifs second stint in power in 1999 in a bloodless coup1

Nigeria: Number of active mobile lines nears population figure
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according to ncc the number of voice-over internet protocol voip was 93080 in may compared with 89477 recorded in april representing a rise of 36031 the nigerian communications commission ncc says active mobile telephone lines in nigeria has increased to 162 million1 it said in its monthly subscribers operator data posted on its website on friday that the mobile lines figure was as at the end of may adding that it rose from 160 million recorded in april1 with 162 075116 lines in may and 160 081051 in april the increase in the number of lines was 19940651 however the code division multiple access cdma for active mobile lines had 217566 users in may same as in april1 the report said that the number of fixed wiredwireless for active mobile lines in may was 137 010 compared to april which had 136 496 lines indicating an increase of 514 lines1 this figure is close to the nations population figure which is now put at 195 million1 it also revealed that teledensity rose by 143 in may to 11609 as against 11466 in april1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area and it varies widely across the country1 ncc also said that the number of connected mobile lines in may increased to 240259751 from 238032318 in april recording an increase of 2 2274331 the cdma for connected lines for may was 3586095 the same figure with april the subscribers data revealed1 the report said the number of fixed wiredwireless for connected lines in may was 345210 compared to april that had 344 892 an increase of 318 lines1 it also showed that the number of voip for connected lines in may was 611376 as against 575712 in april rising by 35644 lines1

Niger Delta youths canvass support for Amnesty boss, Dokubo
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the niger delta youth councilndyc says the special assistant to the president on niger delta and coordinator of the amnesty programme prof. charles dokubo needs the support of everybody ethnic nationality in the region1 this appeal is conveyed in a position paper drafted after ndyc stakeholders meeting held in abuja1 the paper was jointly signed by comrade jator abido ndyc coordinator and comrade kede michael secretary1 we appeal to all ethnic nationalities in the niger delta region to be calm and support our own dokubo1 to stop the castigation falsehood and blackmail against dokubo in all ramifications1 we should learn not to wash our dirty linen in public and desist from the act of pulling those that meant well for our region. niger delta must be united1 we should learn to channel our grievances and all other matters through the appropriate leadership organs1 we should learn to support our own to achieve successes in their primary place of assignment they said1 ndyc urged president muhammadu buhari to call on the various security agencies to do their job effectively in order to curb the high spate of insecurity in the nation1

Girl dies trying to save her sister from waterfall accident
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more than 40 agencies including forest services and multiple volunteer fire departments aided in the search for the girls body1 a teenage girl has sacrificed her life to save her younger sister from falling down a north carolina waterfall in the united states u.s. during the july 4 holiday1 she tried to help her younger sister get out of the river but fell down the waterfall1 an older family member managed to grab the other girl a u.s. forest service spokeswoman said1 multiple news outlets reported the fall occurred around noon1 hmoney siu 16 of charlotte and her sister 11 had fallen into a river 120 to 150 feet above rainbow falls in transylvania county a u.s. forest service spokeswoman said1 about 100 people were evacuated from the river below the falls during the search1 divers recovered the body around 5 p.m. from a pool about 25 feet deep1 sius accident marks the sixth waterfall-related death in western north carolina this year1 safety officials have urged visitors and hikers to exercise caution around the dangerous falls1 rainbow falls are about 150 miles from sius familys home in charlotte. they are originally from vietnam1

Ekweremadu salutes Ugwuanyi, Saraki on Supreme Court verdicts
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on sarakis victory ekweremadu said the apex courts unanimous decision dismissing the assets declaration charges against him before the code of conduct tribunal cct was avictory for the legislature and democracy1 the deputy president of the senate mr ike ekweremadu has congratulated enugu state governor mr ifeanyi ugwuanyi and senate president dr bukola saraki on their victories at the supreme court on friday1 ekweremadu said that ugwuanyi was an agent of peace and development in enugu1 on the victory he said this is victory not just for gov. ugwuanyi but more importantly a victory for peace equitable development and unusual transformation in enugu state1 i believe it is a motivation for the governor to do more and a veritable launch pad into the 2019 general elections for the pdp in the state1 it is instructive that the three senatorial districts of enugu state have already endorsed him unanimously for a second term in office because he has justified our decision in electing him in 20151 ugwuanyi was having a legal battle with sen. ayogu eze over election primaries of the peoples democratic party pdp for the 2015 governorship poll in enugu state1 ekweremadu said i salute the courage of the supreme court jurists1 this decision has no doubt strengthened faith in the judiciary as a sanctuary of justice and defender of rule of law1 it has once again distinguished the judiciary as the bastion of democracy and last hope of the oppressed1 he added that it was victory not only for the president of the senate but for the national assembly our democracy and every nigerian who stood up against all forms of political intimidation high-handedness and impunity1 i salute the president of the senate for his resilience courage and undying commitment to the immutable democratic principles of the rule of law and separation of powers as well as the integrity and independence of the legislature1

NILDS can solve perception problem plaguing the legislature CNA
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to further open the legislature to the public at the national level he disclosed that national assembly in consolidating legislative openness and in line with international best practices will for the first run an open week 16th to 19th of this month1 the clerk to the national assembly cna alhaji mohammed sani-omolori has said that legislatures across the globe face a common problem of public perception1 according to him the public are neither knowledgeable about nor particularly satisfied with workings of the legislatures and unless the public are informed about what parliaments are doing they cannot influence the institution and unless they can influence the institution they cannot hold it and their elected members fully to account1 he said that it was for the reason that the workshop had become more apt stressing that with more of such engagements as have been exemplified by nilds the public can become more knowledgeable of the working of the legislature and appreciate them better1 he explained that at the national level the national assembly has taken active measures to engage more with the public through information provision and involvement in legislative processes1 the cna who stated this in his key note address at a 2-day workshop on state legislatures and public engagement organised by the national institute for legislative and democratic studies nilds said the perception problem arose as a result of lack of required engagements from time to time1 this he explained is to further open the legislature to the public foster interaction between the public and their elected representatives and deepen public understanding of the workings of the national assembly in promoting accountability and good governance1 in making the public engagement robust the speaker called on the civil society organizations to see the legislature as partners in the quest for good governance anchored on transparency and accountability and not as a body to be attacking all the time1 more often than not csos constitute themselves as opposition to the legislature rather than as partners . such disposition is not helpful to consolidating democracy that csos seek to achieve in the first instance1 in the long run there can be no genuine democracy without the legislature . indeed it is arguably not in the extreme to postulate that the presence of legislature is the democracy he said1 in her remarks at the occasion the director general of nilds prof. ladi hamalai said the essence of organising the workshop for clerks of state houses of assembly was to replicate public engagement moves being made at the national assembly at the state levels1

Badminton Federation trains 67 umpires for intl engagements
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he said when you have people at that highest level it means that there is no aspect of the game that they do not know1 the badminton federation of nigeria bfn says it will ensure nigerian umpires are recognised by the world body especially in the officiating of international competitions1 orbih said the course which held between july 2 and july 5 for 67 umpires was designed to expose them to the latest developments in the game1 he said the course was also organised to build the capacity of the match officials and prepare them for international assignments1 i can tell you that for any championship if the standard of officiating is poor it can mar the game. we feel that our umpires should be grounded in the rules and technicalities of the game1 as we are today in nigeria we do not have one single referee in africa there is no nigerian referee recognised by the world body1 so we think and feel strongly that with the level the game has reached in nigeria we should have our umpires participating in international competitions1 it is not only our athletes that should be excelling at international events our umpires should excel too we want a situation where other african countries will come to nigeria and employ coaches1 we want to train our coaches and umpires to that level. we want to have as many referees as possible recognised and invited by the world body to officiate matches orbih said1 according to orbih the umpires course will make more meaning to the federation when the match officials are invited to officiate at the highest level1 bfns president francis orbih told news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on thursday that the federation had started the move with the umpires course held at the national stadium abuja1 but first and foremost we want to make sure that we organise national championships for them before we begin to look at sending them on international training1 it is the number of games an umpire officiated that add up to qualify him or her to be invited for african championships1 when i addressed the umpires during this course i told them that if they do not have competitions where they will go and practice what they have learnt then we have wasted our time1 from the response we have received we are going to have a second batch of this course after the lagos international badminton classics this july we have seen that we need to do more1 akinyemi akindele the chairman caretaker umpires committee of bfn said 67 participants from 27 states including army frsc and prisons attended the course1 we had this course last in 2003 because the people there before did not deem it fit to conduct it. but when we came in last month we pleaded with bfn to assist us financially to organise the course1 our aim is that since we are getting old we are supposed to leave officiating for the younger ones and that is basically why we are organising it1 the new bfn board is working hard to ensure that they take one umpire to every competition who will later impact the knowledge learnt on others akindele said1 akindele noted that nigerian umpires would be the toast of other african countries if the federation continued with the current trend1 he said the umpires committee had pegged the age limit for entry point at between 20 and 40 years1

World Cup: France, Brazil, Uruguay, Belgium battle for semi-final spots
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if i seem more relaxed its because the players have put me in this position by playing better said tite1 the world cup bursts back into life on friday as tournament favourites brazil take on a belgium side brimming with talent while a young france team face battle-hardened uruguay1 neymars brazil are aiming to win a record-extending sixth world cup at moscows luzhniki stadium on july 151 but first the worlds most expensive player and his star-studded supporting cast have to get past belgium who boast an array of their firepower to reach the semi-finals1 in a kazan arena expected to be dominated by yellow-clad brazil fans eden hazard romelu lukaku and kevin de bruyne have a chance to prove they can cut it at the highest international level1 they will have to be wary of attacking threats coming at them from every direction1 individually brazil are the strongest team in this world cup said vastly experienced belgium defender vincent kompany1 but it doesnt affect our chances against them. none of us are going to sleep at night thinking we have already lost to brazil1 we are going to look them in the eye. but if we make this a match of individuals then well lose he said1 brazil coach tite said he was desperate to win the match without resorting to the horror of penalties after three of the last-16 ties were settled by spot-kicks1 a football match should never be settled with the horror of penalties. i dont see that as a valid result tite told a packed press conference on thursday. for me there has to be another way1 brazil made a slow start in russia but hit their stride with an impressive performance to shut down mexico in the last round even though neymar was roundly criticised for once again play-acting at the merest contact from an opponent1 the first match uruguay-france will take place at 3pm nigerian time and the second at 7pm1 france overran argentina in a last-16 match that appeared to signal the passing of a torch to a new generation of superstars as 19-year-old kylian mbappe scored twice to outshine lionel messi and dump the 2014 finalists out of the competition1 uruguay have so many assets so many qualities said france coach didier deschamps. they defend as a unit they play together and they love to do that1 uruguay are crossing their fingers that prolific striker edinson cavani will recover from the calf injury he sustained in his impressive two-goal performance that ended the hopes of cristiano ronaldos portugal1 cavani was back in training on thursday and france are acutely aware of the threat posed by the man who plays his club football for paris saint-germain1 i am preparing my team for if cavani plays deschamps said although he suggested uruguay were keeping their cards close to their chest if he plays or not i will only know 90 minutes before the game1 in england world cup fever is building as hopes rise that gareth southgates young team can beat sweden on saturday and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 19901 even bank of england governor mark carney is getting swept up in the excitement saying that if the three lions were to win the tournament for the first time since 1966 it would be an unalloyed unadulterated absolute good1 coach gareth southgate has urged his young squad to seize their chance1 its a great opportunity and although our team will be individually better in two years we might not have this opportunity again southgate told the bbc1 in saturdays other quarter-final host nation russia will hope to keep their rollercoaster ride through the finals going when they face croatia1 written off as no-hopers before the tournament russia are now within reach of their first semi-final since 19661

Ndume dismisses R-APC, Oshiomhole appeals
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he added that forcing the eyes to open over night would create more problems and damage the eye the more2 mr adams oshiomhole national chairman of the all progressives apc has reiterated his appeal to aggrieved members of the party to be patient with his leadership in an apparent response to the emergence on wednesday of a rebel group reformed apcr-apc2 however former senate leader and the senator representing southern borno alhaji ali ndume dismissed the new group saying that only god and time could determine the direction of the apc in 20192 oshiomhole spoke to newsmen after receiving the report of the partys just concluded national convention appeal panel committees report on wednesday in abuja2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that alhaji buba galadima who is the national chairman of the reformed apc announced its formation at a news conference at the sheraton hotels in abuja on wednesday2 the assurance is that under my leadership we will make honest mistakes and once our attention is drawn we will find courage to make up for our mistake2 some people say how can people eat their words for me i will eat my words if it is nutritious enough and if that is what i have to do to have peace in the family oshiomhole said2 he expressed appreciation to members of the party for his election and for entrusting with him the responsibility to pilot the partys affairs at this time2 he acknowledged that he new of the partys challenges before accepting the task saying that it wasa huge opportunity for him and other newly elected executives of the party to make a difference2 this oshiomhole said was not only for the party but for the country generally2 so i appeal to people to realise that a blind man can redeem his eyes if he applies the correct medication but you cant force it to open over night he said2 my appeal to all those who are aggrieved is to be patient oshiomhole said2 the apc national chairman maintained that he would do everything possible to sustain confidence and trust adding that everybody was important in the party2 he also said that everybody in the party matters adding that he would run an inclusive party2 i pray for wisdom and courage and i believe that we have it and we will deploy it for peace within the apc familyoshiomhole said2 senator ali ndume in a separate interview dismissed the new group2 he said the threat by the r-apc and npdp to leave the apc would never spell doom for it but only god and time would tell2 the senator who admitted that politics is all about interest said there was however nothing wrong if an aggrieved group voices out its displeasure2 he added that movement from one political party to another is normal in politics2 what is happening is part of politics especially now in our political days all of us are nigerians and we know what is happening2 so politics is about interest and if somebody feels that his or her interest will be more protected by voicing out his dissent it is ok2 this party is a party of time decided by nigerian masses and it is only god that can decide the time of a political party god and nigerians know that apc government is the light at the end of the tunnelthe senator said2 malam bolaji abdullahi apc national publicity secretary was more laconic in his reaction. he said the party leadership would get the full details of what happened2

Boko Haram: Focus on intelligence gathering Ndume to FG
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by naomi sharang2 he commended the world food programme saying it was visible when compared with others1 ndume who represents borno south senatorial district at the senate made the call when he featured on the news agency of nigeria nan forum in abuja1 he suggested that security agencies should collaborate with various communities in troubled areas to gather intelligence on where explosive devices used for suicide bombing were manufactured1 everybody in borno knows that the major black spot of boko haram is sambisa and the lake chad basin fringes1 ndume expressed dismay that many people still did not understand what people in the north-east were passing through with regards to the humanitarian crisis1 many people are under-rating and under-estimating the humanitarian crisis in the north-east. people dont know and are under-estimating the level of destruction to infrastructure to ecosystem and to the people1 there are many children out of school in borno for nine yearsthat were not able to go to school. many children dont know where their parents are1 a member of national assembly sen. ali ndume has urged the federal government to concentrate on intelligence-gathering in its effort to win the fight against insurgency in the country1 the lawmaker however said that the action of government in the fight against insurgency was commendable adding but we are not there yet1 we as citizens are expecting peace that we know to be back he said1 on the grants given to internally displaced persons idps ndume said i am on the financial tracking system of the us1 the international development partners have contributed 740 million dollars if you convert that to naira it translates to n280 billion or more1 out of the 740 million dollars they spent close to 80 percent on overhead and it is only 20 per cent that went to the people1 he however decried existing situation where there was no synergy between the 75 non-governmental organisations ngos operating in the state1 it is not that they are not doing anything at all but when you look at the money 740 million dollars if you decide to give the displaced persons conditional cash transfer they would have settled themselves1 the institution of government is not working so since im here to represent my people i shouldjust keep quiet and concentrate he said1

Politicians, leaders planning disorder in Nigeria
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opposition politicians and some past leaders have been accused of holding secret meetings within and outside the country to plan how to cause disorder in nigeria 1 the buhari media organisation bmo on thursday alerted nigerians on the plan1 the chairman of bmo mr austin braimoh said the meetings were parts of their alleged agenda to cause public disaffection and disorder in the country1 according to him the primary objective of the sponsors is to stop the re-election of president muhammadu buhari in the 2019 general election1 this group of nigerians were powerful in the past and misused the opportunity of running the affairs of this country while in position of authority1 they are opposed to the anti-corruption action of the government of president muhammadu buhari because they directly or indirectly contributed to the economic adversity of the country he said1 the bmo chairman said that instead of these questionable leaders to apologise to nigerians on the ignoble roles they played in ruining the economy they have chosen to embark on campaign of calumny and mis-information against the country under the guise of exercising their freedom of expression1 it is ironic that while president muhammadu buhari is working hard to rebuild the economy restore the image of nigeria in the international community and take its rightful place in the comity of nations1 these politicians are out there portraying the country in bad light be-littling its status as a medium power in the world and discouraging foreign investors braimoh added1 while advising them to retrace their steps he described such plans as regrettable that people of their calibre have chosen to downgrade their status by their action. he also urged those involved in the perpetuation of this evil to support the current administration in its ongoing serious infrastructural development effort aimed at repositioning the country for the benefit of all nigerians. nan1