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FG begins disbursement of promotion arrears to civil servants
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the federal government has promised to pay promotion arrears and backlog of allowances owed public servants1 the head of civil service of the federation hcsf mrs winifred oya-ita gave the assurance on thursday in abuja at a peer review mechanism prm meeting for permanent secretaries in the federal civil service1 public servants can now breath a sigh of relief as backlog of outstanding liabilities such as promotion arrears would soon be addressed1 the ministry of finance has begun the disbursement of promotion arrears to some civil servants she said1 speaking on the prm the permanent secretary ministry of defence mrs nuratu batagawara said the programme had provided a veritable platform for the exchange of ideas and information to strengthening public policy implementation1 according to batagawara through the mechanism participants have identified the nexus between foreign and security policies and the need to strengthen both1 participants at the meeting also gave recommendations on measures required to improve and strengthen public policy implementation1 they also undertook a tour of the ship house headquarters of the ministry of defence with specific emphasis on the crche and the medical centre1 -
Everything ready for summit with Korean leader says Trump
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source63 u.s. president donald trump says on thursday that everything was ready to go for the next week summit with the korean leader kim jong-un1 trump made the remarks when he welcomed japanese prime minister shinzo abe at the white house for preparatory talks before the summit1 the summit is all ready to go trump told reporters. its all going along very fine. i hope it continues on this track1 trump and abe were to hold a joint press conference at the white house at about 200 pm local time before heading to canada for what promises to be a tense group of seven g7 summit clouded by the us leaders controversial trade tariffs1 but before tackling the thorny trade issue trump expressed unbridled optimism about his june 12 summit with kim in singapore1 his enthusiasm to hold the meeting with kim has reportedly prompted concerns in tokyo that a hasty deal between the us and north korea would leave japan exposed to a perceived north korean missile threat1 japan has been anxiously watching ever since a thaw began first between pyongyang and seoul and then between north korea and the us1 japan also reportedly fears that trump could eventually agree to reduce us military forces in south korea leaving japan which has been highly dependent on us military protection since tokyos defeat in world war ii to fend for itself1 -
Abuja Light Rail to create 20,000 jobs says Perm. Sec.
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he said the abuja rail project which started in 2009 would help to curtail drastically traffic congestion in the nations capital city1 the permanent secretary federal capital territory fct chinyeaka ohaa has said that the coming into operation of the abuja light rail service would accelerate fct economy by boosting investments and creating job opportunities1 he reaffirmed fct administrations commitment to ensuring that the mass transit service was inaugurated in a matter of weeks1 according to him already the fct administration has written to the presidency for a convenient date for its inauguration1 the benefits of the project include the potential for over 20000 jobs aside boosting the economic fortunes of the territory1 ohaa gave the assurance on thursday in abuja when he led directors and management staff of the administration on an inspection of the 78km abuja light rail1 ohaa added that all the necessary infrastructure and human personnel have been put in place for a successful event1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the tour of the project from the metro station up to the airport terminal station up to kubwa station showed that about 98 per cent of the work had been completed1 the permanent secretary who described the project as a new experience in africa added that he wasmpressed with the level of work done so far1 he further revealed that the facility has ample escalators and lifts for physically challenged and adequate security devices for protection of passengers1 ohaa said that both president muhammadu buhari and fct minister have shown tremendous commitment to ensure the abuja rail mass transit comes on stream while calling on residents to own the project.nan1 -
Reps probes Kazaure, Jibrin over Buhari
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he was consequently directed to appear before the house committee on rights and privileges for questioning2 the house of representatives has directed the investigation of muhammed kazaure for daring to reveal the collection of signatures for the impeachment of president muhammadu buhari2 the lawmaker was said to have accused some lawmakers of collecting signatures from their colleagues2 he reportedly made the allegation on tuesday during an interview with reporters in abuja shortly after the emergency joint executive session of the national assembly2 kazaures colleagues nicholas ossai and kingsley chinda told the house during wednesdays plenary that the lawmaker accused them of gathering signatures to impeach the president2 the house of representatives resolved to investigate kazaure on wednesday over his comments on an alleged plot to impeach buhari2 meanwhile the house has also resolved to investigate another member abdulmumin jibrin for allegedly accusing some lawmakers of the peoples democratic party pdp of planning to impeach the president2 shortly after the joint session of the national assembly on tuesday in abuja mr jibrin issued a statement on behalf of lawmakers under the aegis of the parliamentary support group of the senate and house of representatives2 in the statement he faulted the resolutions of the lawmakers and asked the national assembly leadership to remove the log in its own eyes before removing the speck in the eye of the president2 the lawmaker who represents bebejikiru federal constituency of kano is being probed barely three months after he returned from a suspension which lasted for 17 months2 a federal high court has nullified the suspension as illegal and unconstitutional2 -
Balarabe Musa, activists commend Buhari on Abiola, June 12
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it is our wish that the essential spirit of june 12 takes firm root in our land with free and fair election and become a norm in our land2 dr joe okei-odumakin president of women arise for change initiative wa said we accept these honors no matter how belated because we and other nigerians have campaigned around these issues over the years2 she said june 12 could not be forgotten so fast by nigerians because it was the day nigerians freely elected a president in the freest and fairest election2 the rights activist prayed that the spirit of june 12 would take firm root in nigeria future elections2 from the ekiti elections scheduled for july 14 and the general elections in 2019. that is the moment the spirits of abiola and all martyrs of june 12 will forgive nigeria. she said2 alhaji balarabe musa national chairman of peoples redemption party and former governor of old kaduna state said buharis action had given nigerians renewed hope2 the actions give hope that president buhari can do the right thing and correct wrongs before its too late for him and for the nation musa said2 he also conferred a posthumous national honour of grand commander of the federal republic on the winner of june 12 1993 presidential election mko abiola1 president muhammadu buhari has scored a big goal as activists on thursday commended him for declaring june 12 as the new democracy day and bestowing the highest national honour on the winner of the election mko abiola1 president buharis action with regards to declaration of june 12 as democracy day and award of the highest honour to late chief mko abiola are relevant just courageous and patriotic1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that president buhari on wednesday declared that june 12 will henceforth be celebrated as democracy day1 hafsat abiola-costello daughter of mko composed a special poem to thank president buhari for honouring her father after 25 years1 dear friends words cannot truly express how happy i feel. here is president buharis executive order declaring that june 12 the day of the election that my father won would henceforth be nigerias democracy day and conferring on my dad the title of grand commander of the federal republic a title reserved for presidents. twenty five years after june 12please celebrate with me1 -
June 12: Commendation galore
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dr joe okei-odumakin president of women arise for change initiative wa said we accept these honors no matter how belated because we and other nigerians have campaigned around these issues over the years2 she said june 12 could not be forgotten so fast by nigerians because it was the day nigerians freely elected a president in the freest and fairest election2 the rights activist prayed that the spirit of june 12 would take firm root in nigeria future elections2 it is our wish that the essential spirit of june 12 takes firm root in our land with free and fair election and become a norm in our land2 from the ekiti elections scheduled for july 14 and the general elections in 2019. that is the moment the spirits of abiola and all martyrs of june 12 will forgive nigeria. she said2 alhaji balarabe musa national chairman of peoples redemption party and former governor of old kaduna state said buharis action had given nigerians renewed hope2 the actions give hope that president buhari can do the right thing and correct wrongs before its too late for him and for the nation musa said2 but god and allah said that this day shall come and it came without rancour but happiness and warm smiles everywhere1 all the states in the west have always observed june 12 as democracy day1 president muhammadu buharis surprise replacement of may 29 with june 12 as democracy day celebration has spiralled commendations from across all activists and groups1 the president also conferred a posthumous highest national honour on the presumed winner of june 12 1993 presidential election mko abiola1 musa who has never seen anything about buhari said president buharis action with regards to declaration of june 12 as democracy day and award of the highest honour to late chief mko abiola are relevant just courageous and patriotic1 abiolas vice presidential candidate babagana kingibe and late human rights and fiery lawyer gani fawehinmi are also to be bestowed with national honours on june 121 yoruba ronu leadership forum socio-cultural group in south west considered the declaration as a reward for all progressives in the country1 mr akin malaolu secretary-general of the forum applauded the decision of buhari and said the decision and recognition provoked emotions and tears of joy throughout the country especially in the western region1 he noted that abiola was a political figure that was respected by all tribes in the country and across the world in his life time1 we had this opportunity in 1999 when ex-president olusegun obasanjo was president but despite all appeals to him he turned the teeming masses down1 activists and non-activists on thursday commended president buhari for the declaring june 12 which he said would henceforth be celebrated as democracy day beginning from next year1 candidly when the news broke artisans market women and workers were in jubilation commercial drivers and passengers hugged one another with smiles1 every word that came out from the jubilant crowd can be interpreted as do good and good will follow you malaolu said1 he congratulated nigerians and the victims of brutal killings during the struggle for the actualisation of june 12 in 19931 he also thanked president buhari the vice president and others including asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu for the decision1 governor akinwunmi ambode of lagos state hailed the announcement and lauded the president saying that the development was a historic and symbolic moment in the nations political trajectory1 this is a welcome development. it is a historic moment in our nation and i join other nigerians to commend president buhari on this announcement1 by this move he has done what previous administrations failed to do1 this not only shows that the president is a man of history and character but also eloquently confirms that the heroes of democracy did not die in vain after all ambode said in a statement by his chief press secretary mr habib aruna1 a chieftain of the peoples democratic party pdp chief ebenezer babatope also commended president buhari. he said abiola was the presumed winner of the june 12 1993 presidential election until his death on july 7 19981 babatope a former minister of transport and member pdp board of trustees told the news agency of nigeria nan on phone that the presidents motivation was right1 even though one may question the timing the motivation is right1 we should commend buhari for the declaration of june 12 as democracy day and the conferment of gcfr on the late mko abiola he said1 also mr wasiu eshinokun-sanni the deputy speaker of the lagos state house of assembly said that the truth had prevailed1 eshinokun-sanni who noted that he received the news with a mixed feeling commended the lagos state government to have recognised abiola and chief gani fawehinmi a late human rights lawyer1 the good part is that effort of nigerians in forgetting religious and tribal sentiments as exhibited by the june 12 elections is not in vain. june 12 is democracy day is also symbolic1 what obasanjo former president failed to recognise all this while in spite being the greatest beneficiary of june 12 a nigerian of northern extraction has brought it to the front burner he said1 -
June 12: Aregbesola applauds Buhari for courage
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june 12 1993 was the day democracy was born in nigeria. it was the day nigerians negated all the social and political constructs that had been thought would make national unity impossible and democratic governance impossible but nigerians in their heterogeneity overwhelmingly voted for a candidate whose very essence was in defiance of religious ethnic and regional categorisation6 osun governor rauf aregbesola has applauded president muhammadu buhari for recognising june 12 as democracy day in place of may 291 in a statement by his media adviser sola fasure governor aregbesola commended the president for mustering the courage to take this historic step 25 years after the freest and fairest presidential election ever held in the history of nigeria1 according to governor aregbesola president buhari has secured for himself an incomparable position in history for summoning the courage to take this historic step of recognising june 12 as democracy day and honouring chief moshood abiola posthumously1 it is most regrettable that the election was annulled and chief abiola clamped in illegal detention where he later died1 successive administrations had suppressed the significance of june 12 and resisted every admonition to recognise the date and honour chief abiola1 we have since the advent of our administration shunned may 29 and celebrated june 12 as democracy day1 we are glad therefore that president buhari has taken this bold step and set the record straight. history will be kind to him for this. i commend him for this uncommon courage and demonstration of leadership the statement said1 -
Farmer jailed for stealing chicken, eggs
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for stealing chickens and eggs from his neighbors poultry a 31-year-old farmer samuel asam is to spend the next two months in prison1 an epe magistrates court in lagos state handed down the sentence to asam on thursday1 the magistrate mrs o.a. fowowe-erusiafe however gave the convict an option to do 40 hours of community service1 asam a resident of igbojia village in ibeju-lekki near lagos was convicted on a two-count charge bordering on breaking and entering and theft1 he was accused of stealing chickens and eggs worth n527 600 from his neighbors poultry1 the convict had admitted committing the offences and begged the court to tamper justice with mercy saying that he did not know what came over him1 police prosecutor sgt. moses oyekanmi had earlier told the court that one tosin fadayemi of igbojia village had on june 2 reported incident of theft at his poultry1 oyekanmi said that asam had stolen 120 broilers valued at n420 000 17 cockerels valued at n51 000 five red cocks valued at n17 500 and 46 crates of eggs valued at n39 1001 he said that during police investigation asam had confessed to the crime but that the police was however unable to recover all the stolen items from the convict1 the prosecutor said that the offences contravened sections 287 and 308 2 of the criminal laws of lagos state 20151 -
NABDA, Nigerias Biotechnology Agency gets new boss
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he is also a fellow of the institute of corporate administration of nigeria fcai1 by perpetua onuegbu1 mrs ifeoma ndefo the head of communication and protocol of the agency made this known in a statement on thursday in abuja1 she said the appointment which was made by dr ogbonnaya onu the minister of science and technology would take immediate effect1 akpa is the most senior director of nabda and had served as director and head of the medical biotechnology department in nabda from june 1 2008 to june 1 20161 akpa took over from mr abayomi oguntunde a director in the ministry of science and technology who was the overseeing director-general following the completion of the tenure of prof. lucy ogbadu1 he is a professor of pharmaceutical microbiology and biotechnology a fellow of the world health organisation fwho the royal society of tropical medicine and hygienefrstmh1 the federal government has appointed prof. alex akpa the acting director-general of the national biotechnology development agency nabda1 he has four patents granted for his original inventions and had won several international grants for the development of medical biotechnology in nigeria1 the statement described the new nabda boss an astute professor who has 57 publications including technical reports and scientific papers in both local and international peer reviewed journals1 akpa was a five time winner of the internationally competed for undpworld bankworld health organization tropical diseases research who-tdr research trainingoperational research grants1 the professor of pharmaceutical microbiology and biotechnology had served as a consultant to several international agencies and bodies including the who-tdr on onchocerciasis1 others are undp on infectious diseases including hiv and aids control at community level unicef on childhood diseases1 the carter centre global 2000 on operational research involving the assessment and evaluation of the guinea worm eradication programme in nigeria and the rehabilitation of broken down boreholes in guinea worm endemic parts of enugu and ebonyi states1 nabda is an agency under the ministry of science and technology established to promote coordinate and set research and development priority in biotechnology for nigeria1 -
U.S. man wrongly detained for 25 yrs gets $10m reward
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u.s. man wrongly detained for 25 yrs gets 10m reward1 a u.s. man who was found innocent after serving 25 years in prison has received 10 million u.s. dollars on wednesday as compensation. the settlement set a record for the city of philadelphia1 in the u.s. state of pennsylvania1 where anthony wright1 who was 20-years-old when the alleged crime occurred1 was sentenced to life without parole for a 1991 rape and murder case1 -
Alice Marie Johnson granted clemency by Trump
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source63 president has announced he commuted the life sentence of alice marie johnson a 63-year-old serving for a first-time nonviolent drug offense on wednesday1 kardashian has spent months using her platform . she met with the president to discuss the possibility of revisiting johnsons sentence1 i would like to thank president trump for his time this afternoon kardashian visit in may1 it is our hope that the president will grant clemency to ms. alice marie johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offense1 johnson wasfor helping a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring something johnson said she and was unable to support her family1 in an op-ed titledfor cnn johnson wrote that her life began to spiral out of control after the loss of her son and her divorce1 trumps decision comesdays after reality star spoke with the about prison reform and sentencing1 this was a road i never dreamed of venturing down. i became what is called a telephone mule passing messages between the distributors and sellers1 i participated in a drug conspiracy and i was wrong1 the white house released a statement on wednesday commending johnson for her ability to rehabilitate herself in prison1 johnsons clemency was supported by her warden arcala washington-adduci who told the white house she is a model inmate who is willing to go above and beyond in all work tasks1 while this administration will always be very tough on crime it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance the white house statement read1 i made the biggest mistake of my life to make ends meet and got involved with people selling drugs johnson wrote in her cnn piece1 -
Buhari: June 12 now Nigerias Democracy Day, Abiola gets GCFR
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june 12th 1993 was the day when nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest fairest and most peaceful elections since our independence2 the first time this happened was on october 1st 1979. but in the view of nigerians as shared by this administration june 12th 1993 was far more symbolic of democracy in the nigerian context than may 29th or even the october 11 president buhari said abiolas running mate ambassador babagana kingibe will also be honoured with grand commander of the order of the niger the second highest honour. and so will chief gani fawehinmi the indefatigable lawyer and senior advocate who campaigned for the actualisation of june 12 up till abiolas death in 1998. the event will hold on june 121 from 2019 june 12 will now replace 29 may the day the military handed over to civilians in 1999 as nigerias democracy day. and it means that the rest of nigeria will join states in the south west to celebrate the day1 south west nigeria since 1999 has been observing june 12 as democracy day but failed to convince their son former president olusegun obasanjo to accord the date national recognition when he ruled from 1999-20071 president buhari said he decided to honour abiola and the immortal date after consultations with nigerians1 in the view of nigerians as shared by this administration june 12 1993 was and is far more symbolic of democracy in the nigerian context than may 29 or even october 1 president buhari said1 in a statement signed by buharihe said for the past 18 years nigerians have been celebrating may 29 as democracy day. that was the date when for the second time in our history an elected civilian administration took over from a military government1 the election adjudged to be the freest and fairest up till that year in nigerias history was annulled by the military junta headed by ibrahim babangida plunging nigeria into a five-year political crisis. abiola died in 1998 and general sani abacha who was one of the beneficiaries of the annulment died some weeks before him1 president muhammadu buhari in a surprise move wednesday declared june 12 nigerias democracy day and also awarded nigerias highest honour grand commander of the federal republic gcfr to the late businessman moshood kashimawo abiola winner of the election held on same date in 19931 the fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military government does not detract from the democratic credentials of that process1 accordingly after due consultations the federal government has decided that henceforth june 12th will be celebrated as democracy day. therefore government has decided to award posthumously the highest honour of the land1 gcfr to late chief mko abiola the presumed winner of the june 12th 1993 cancelled elections1 his running mate as vice president amb. baba gana kingibe is also to be invested with a gcon1 furthermore the tireless fighter for human rights and the actualization of the june 12 elections and indeed for democracy in general the late chief gani fawehinmi san is to be awarded the gcon1 the investiture will take place on tuesday june 12 2018 a date which in future years will replace may 29 as a national public holiday in celebration of nigeria democracy day1 here is president buharis statement1 -
Reps probes Kazaure, Jibrin over Buhari
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he was consequently directed to appear before the house committee on rights and privileges for questioning2 the house of representatives has directed the investigation of muhammed kazaure for daring to reveal the collection of signatures for the impeachment of president muhammadu buhari2 the lawmaker was said to have accused some lawmakers of collecting signatures from their colleagues2 he reportedly made the allegation on tuesday during an interview with reporters in abuja shortly after the emergency joint executive session of the national assembly2 kazaures colleagues nicholas ossai and kingsley chinda told the house during wednesdays plenary that the lawmaker accused them of gathering signatures to impeach the president2 the house of representatives resolved to investigate kazaure on wednesday over his comments on an alleged plot to impeach buhari2 meanwhile the house has also resolved to investigate another member abdulmumin jibrin for allegedly accusing some lawmakers of the peoples democratic party pdp of planning to impeach the president2 shortly after the joint session of the national assembly on tuesday in abuja mr jibrin issued a statement on behalf of lawmakers under the aegis of the parliamentary support group of the senate and house of representatives2 in the statement he faulted the resolutions of the lawmakers and asked the national assembly leadership to remove the log in its own eyes before removing the speck in the eye of the president2 the lawmaker who represents bebejikiru federal constituency of kano is being probed barely three months after he returned from a suspension which lasted for 17 months2 a federal high court has nullified the suspension as illegal and unconstitutional2 -
Another bridge built by Gov. Okorocha collapses in Owerri
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the bridge at the children’s amusement park located at the ikemba ojukwu centre in owerri1 imo1 built by gov. rochas okorocha’s administration has collapsed. witnesses at the scene told the news agency of nigeria nan in owerri on wednesday that nobody was killed or injured in the incident. the incident which caused pandemonium in the area1 gave room for criticism by some parents whose children visited the place on may 27 during the 2018 children’s day celebration. a nan correspondent1 who v1 -
Missing plane: Vehicle carrying Kenya search team crashes
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a kenya red cross vehicle carrying a team headed to join the search and rescue efforts for the missing flysax plane has been involved in an accident1 the red cross vehicle carrying the search team collided head-on with a lorry as it headed for the rescue mission1 three patients were rushed to the nakuru general hospital in critical conditions while eight others were taken to the jm memorial hospital in ol kalou nyandarua county1 the cesna c208 craft registration number 5y-cac was flying from a kitale airstrip in trans-nzoia county when it lost contact with control tower at 5p.m. tuesday in the aberdares1 the plane left kitale shortly after 4p.m. with eight passengers and two crew members on board and was expected in nairobi about an hour later1 the missing 12-passenger plane is operated by east africa safari air express a subsidiary of fly540.a statement from the airline acknowledged its aircraft was indeed missing but combined efforts of kcaa kenya wildlife services kws and the air accident investigation division of kenya aaid had been going on to locate it1 -
Uganda goes tough on corrupt officials
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xinhuanan ugandan president yoweri museveni on wednesday announced the establishment of a new anti-corruption unit and encouraged the public to report corrupt officials to the unit1 museveni while delivering his state of the nation address said the move was aimed at fighting rampant corruption and poor service delivery1 he said the unit would be based in his office1 the only enemy we need to fight is corruption and poor implementation of government programmes1 report any corruption you come across to this unit museveni said in a nationwide televised address1 people expect money for every little task1 we could not have liberated this country if we did not have a high degree of altruism1 this attitude of altruism must come back1 the president has put fighting corruption infrastructure development job creation and electricity as key priorities of his ruling party the national resistance movement1 anti-corruption activists argue that uganda has good legal and policy frameworks to fight corruption but the challenge lies in the implementation1