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Nigeria to shut it's borders due to Rice smuggling
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rice2 the nigerian government says it will shut the land border between it and a neigbouring country in a few days time to avoid smuggling of foreign rice into the country. chief audu ogbeh1 the minister of agriculture and rural development1 made the disclosure in abuja on monday while speaking with youths in a leadership clinic under the auspices of guardians of the nation international gotni. ogbeh who did not mention the particular country and border1 said that shutting the borders had become n1 rice smuggling in nigeria1 rice production1 -
Fayemi, Fayose hurl brickbats again
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the pdp chairman claimed that documents from the dmo and the federal ministry of finance agencies in charge of the debts and statutory allocations revealed that the debts were incurred under several headings1 ekiti state chairman of the peoples democratic party pdp chief gboyega oguntuase has alleged that the debts incurred by the kayode fayemi administration from 2010 to 2014 had so far cost the state n35.34billion1 but the former governor and immediate past minister of mines and steel development fayemi has swiftly denied the allegation describing it as a deliberate falsehood sponsored by gov. ayo fayose to smear his image as well as cover up the failure of his government to deliver on his electoral promises1 fayemi who reacted through the media director of his campaign organization wole olujobi said the campaign of lies was a sign of frustrations from the fayose camp1 fayemi said fayose and his party decided to embark on character assassination because of his rising political profile and the imminence of the pdp candidates rejection at the coming gubernatorial poll1 it is ridiculous that fayose and his aides can still be peddling inaccurate debt figures after the debt management officedmo had published the debts taken by fayose himself alone in the last three years which has amounted to n56billion even though he swore and lied many times that he never borrowed a kobo1 we admit that fayemi borrowed n25b to be defrayed within three years and records are there at the dmo that fayemi paid back n14.5billion of the debts leaving the balance of only n10.5billion before he left office on oct. 16 20141 if the official debt figures are as stated above how then did they come about spending n35.34billion to service an outstanding debt of n10.5billion fayemi queried1 nan reports that the state pdp boss had in a statement issued in ado ekiti raised the alarm that by calculation the n35.34billion sum already paid to service debt allegedly incurred by fayemi meant that the state was servicing the debts at an average of n1.1billion monthly1 he added that it also means about 40 percent of the states allocation was being deducted from source monthly1 the pdp claimed that the n35.3 billion was used in the servicing of debts and deductions from statutory allocations from october 2014 till date1 he added that between october and december 2014 the states allocations had n1.71billion deducted to service the debts1 in 2015 the sum of n7.85billion was deducted from our allocations. in 2016 it was n11.30billion in 2017 it was n12.12billion and from january to may this year the sum of n4.94billion had been deducted1 while we have paid off the commercial agriculture credit scheme we are yet to pay off others and some will run till 20361 the implications of this are many. if we had such a huge sum we wouldnt be owing workers salaries and more welfare programmes and projects would have been executed by the fayose administration1 the debts are under these headings contractual obligations fertiliser foreign loans bonds commercial agriculture credit scheme water projects restructuring of bank loans excess crude loan among others1 for instance under contractual obligations is the vehicles and buses they purchased for traditional rulers and various groups that they did not pay a kobo before they left office1 under commercial agriculture credit scheme is their ycad programme that failed woefully they also took money for the rehabilitation of water scheme and the money they borrowed for ero dam rehabilitation just went down the drain1 we all know the n25billion they borrowed from the capital market to finance some projects but where are the projects they never built any governors office. they did not build a new oja oba market they did not complete their event centre. even the state pavilion was not fully completed1 fayemi is the reason ekiti state is under financial burden. he plunged the state into debts and cant point to any tangible project he executed while in office. his administration also got the highest revenues from the federation account in the history of the state he claimed1 oguntuase who asked the electorate not to vote for fayemi in the coming poll said members of the public could get the details of the debts on the websites of the dmo and the federal ministry of finance and in their offices. nan1 -
U.S. based woman Roberts joins Nigerias presidential race
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the osun-born presidential aspirant in her 50s said at the centre of her heart is the security of lives and property saying we must secure the borders to prevent illegal infiltration and activities1 a u.s.-based woman princess oyenike oyedele roberts has declared for the presidency of nigeria on the platform of the opposition peoples democratic party pdp for the 2019 presidential election1 she said her aspiration was built on five-cardinal plans uninterrupted power supply quality healthcare for all creation of one million jobs annually quality affordable education and security of lives and property1 the pdp presidential aspirant whose campaign slogan is hope 2019 is the vice chair of nigerian-american public affairs committee and the president association of african media practitioners in the u.s1 she blamed the problems of nigeria on what she termed the current faulty structure saying the nigerian president in the next political dispensation must have the will to restructure the country to realise its potential1 notwithstanding the allegation of corruption levelled against pdp when it was in power she urged nigerians to trust her integrity as she had not been tainted by any act of corruption having not held political positions1 roberts said pdp is poised for a major shift ahead of 2019 claiming it was the party to beat and a viable platform because it had national appeal and spread1 our political system is driven by money and thats why we have the kind of leadership. the system should be driven by meritocracy what you know to do how to do it and the will to do it1 that is what should drive people its not how much money you have or how much money you can invest in a person that you can control at the end of the day1 thats what gave rise to the god-fatherism notion that it is who you know that gets you to the top. that system has continued for so long1 but im seeing a new breed of leaders coming a change thats going to cause a shift in how we do politics in nigeria. we dont allow meritocracy to rule we allow money to rule she said1 she called for more determination in the fight against corruption so as to secure notable convictions with commensurate consequences through the executive legislative and judicial commitments1 nike roberts as she is called while addressing supporters in new york also dissociated herself from corruption vowing never to accept any donation from corrupt nigerians to fund her campaign1 as a matter of urgency the national identity system must be concluded in order to account for every individual in the national database1 this will put face to crime and assist law enforcement agencies to deliver efficient services. i will also move for the professionalism of law enforcement agencies through inter-agency cooperation and improve their welfare1 she said apart from creating at least one million jobs annually there would be an urgent review of the minimum wage to living wage to match current trends as well as a relief package for the extremely poor1 the politician said she would advocate for an expansion of the health insurance scheme to include all citizens while there would be incentives to encourage regular health checks1 roberts promised to allocate minimum of 15 per cent of the annual budget to education as well as the total overhaul of the system to allow for early instruction in science mathematics engineering and technology1 she said there must be continuous training and certification for teachers and instructors at all levels. the public school infrastructure must be upgraded as a matter of urgency1 the politician pledged to overhaul the power infrastructure and tackle the ineffective model of operations to increase power generation to at least 20000 megawatts using renewable sources to support the fossil sources1 roberts said she had support base in all the 774 local government areas and expressed confidence in the ability of the independent national electoral commission to conduct credible poll in 20191 nike roberts attended reagan memorial baptist girls secondary school lagos1975-81 before leaving for the united kingdom to study hotel management in oxford. according to her website www.nikeroberts.org nike returned to nigeria to work in the hospitality industry by developing her own brand of lunch delivery services to corporate clients and event catering1 she later left for the us where she attended gwinnett technical college in georgia1 she then started the first multi-cultural television station in atlanta area which showcases the experience of africans in diaspora. she also produced and hosted her own talk show1 nike has degrees in office administration1 -
Wike swears in 23 new council chairmen
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you should always be at home do not stay far from the people do not stay in port harcourt do not distance yourselves from the people stay in your councils to know the problems of your people1 gov. nyesom wike of rivers has charged the 23 newly elected council chairmen to prudently utilize council funds to pay workers salaries and fight insecurity in their areas1 he warned them to avoid non-payment of salaries or payment of half salaries to council workers and to use their positions to make a difference in the administration of local government councils for others to emulate1 he further urged them to use their good offices to proffer solutions to challenges that had caused delay in the development of local government areas1 he also advised them to prioritize projects that would benefit the masses and avoid wastage of funds1 wike underscored the need to the chairmen to be close to the people in order to be abreast of the challenges confronting them1 wike gave the charge on monday in port harcourt while swearing in the chairmen who emerged victorious in the council poll conducted on saturday1 he also urged the chairmen to work with their councillors and security agencies to ensure absolute peace in their domains1 he advised them not to give appointments that they could not pay for adding that such appointmentscould create crisis in the councils1 the governor also urged them to desist from using their positions to create crisis or confusion in the party and to always seek permission before embarking on long journeys outside the state1 he lauded both the rivers state independent electoral commission [rsiec] and the security agencies for conducting free fair and credible council elections in the state1 wike specially commended the security agencies for carrying out their jobs professionally which he noted averted breakdown of law and order during the council elections1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the peoples democratic party pdp clinched all the 23 chairmanship seats in the council elections.nan1 -
Fayose promoting violence in Ekiti: Adeyeye
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this second time he told people that he was a changed person but he is now worse1 a chieftain of the all progressives congress apc dayo adeyeye on monday accused gov. ayodele fayose of ekiti state of promoting violence in the state1 he said in a statement issued by his director of media and publicity mr omoniyi ojo that the governor was also heating up the polity with the threats to the perceived enemies of the administration1 adeyeye also accused fayose of harassing traditional rulers in thestate and sacking civil servants and appointees supporting fayemi1 the former minister however appealed to those affected to endure assuring them that help was underway after the governorship poll1 the ekiti state governor ayodele fayose should be held responsible for the present state of insecurity in the state1 people who are familiar with his antics cannot sleep with their two eyes closed anymore1 he was chased out in his first term in office when he was imposedon the people of ekiti state by the then president olusegun obasanjo1 the former minister of state for works said in ado-ekiti that the governor should be held responsible for the destruction of the campaign materialsof the apc candidate in the july 14 election dr kayode fayemi1 he was impeached because of violence in his term in office evensome of the cases that include murder cases are still in court1 two days ago an apc supporter was killed two days before the billboards of dr fayemi were destroyed in ikere ekit1 if you are looking for who are behind all these violence look in the direction of fayose1 fayose is so intolerant. in 2014 he was holding open meetings with civil servants in the state canvassing for their support and none of them was molested nobody issued threats to sack them1 however i call on those being molested or victimised who are afraid and rightly concerned about their future that help is on the way1 they should bear with the situation now because it would soon be over1 victory is assured for apc on july 14. they shall be restored to those stations immediately after the election1 the pharaoh that you see today you shall see no more the statement said1 -
1500 Nigerians in Italian prisons, says envoy
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thank god the government is doing a lot to repatriate them through chattered flights1 the italian ambassador to nigeria stefanou pontesilli says no fewer than 1500 nigerians are serving jail terms for various offences in italy1 in italy we have about 1500 nigerians in jail for various offences. it is a big number1 we sometimes send them back to nigeria once they finished their terms because they have not behaved well he said1 he however denied reports that italy sometimes send nigerian migrants from italy to libya1 never we never sent anyone not even one single person to libya1 some nigerians are stuck in libya because they were never able to cross over to italy but all those who went to italy no one not even one was ever sent back1 all nigerians who have reached italy and are behaving well have no problem1 not one of them not even one has heard of being sent back to libya he said1 according to him thousands of nigerians unable to cross from libya to italy have been stuck in libya1 pontesilli who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in abuja said the number was huge1 thanks for the help from the european union and the international organisation for migrations that are slowly repatriating them back to nigeria he said1 the envoy said that the relationship between italy and nigeria remained stronger1 that is why italy has been doing so much on the migration by saving tens and thousands of the nigerians lives when crossing the mediterranean1 authority has been doing so much by taking them to italy feeding them getting them jobs giving them house and trying to give them a new life pontesilli said1 he said that italy had also done a lot in trying to help nigeria maintain security and stability1 this to italy is very important the stability and the security of nigeria is our foremost consideration1 we think that without a stable secure country there cannot be development1 so thats why we stand strongly behind president muhammadu buhari trying to establish a strong safe and stable nigeria1 this to us is the number one priority of the country we are doing all we can to support this he said1 the envoy disclosed that the italian government had been involved in training many nigerian officials from the military police and immigration1 -
Boko Haram in show of defiance marks Eid-el-Fitr in Sambisa
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praise be to almighty allah for giving us the opportunity to pray eid-fitr under the leadership of our leader abubakar shekau1 the boko haram terrorists in a flagrant show of defiance have again openly celebrated this years eid-el-fitr in sambisa forest1 the video is believed to have been shot in sambisa forest the sects notorious stronghold in borno state1 watch the video here1 one of the terrorists who did not disclose his identity thanked god for sparing his life1 the five minute 17 second video footage seen by nan correspondent in maiduguri shows the terrorists and their families dressed in festival attires performing salat after completing 29 days of fasting1 we want the world to know that we are alive and happy to witness this festive occasion1 another terrorist also spoke the same way saying there will be more trouble to the infidels1 we want our enemies to know that we are celebrating sallah in sambisa and we shall continue to wage war untill we score victory against the infidels1 nan learnt that the terrorists belong to the shekau although he was not at the prayer1 the nigerian military recently said it has embarked on operation last push to flush the terrorists from their hiding places around the fringes of lake chad1 -
U.S. will not be migrant camp- Trump
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read more at6 democrats and some in trumps own republican party have blasted the administration for separating nearly 2000 children from their parents at the border between mid-april and the end of may1 medical professionals have said the practice could cause lasting trauma to children1 the family separations are the result of the administrations zero tolerance policy that arrests all adults who are caught trying to enter the united states illegally including those seeking asylum1 while parents are held in jail their children are sent to separate detention facilities1 video footage released by the government showed migrant children held in wire cages sitting on concrete floors1 trump who has made a tough stance on immigration a major goal of his presidency responded sharply to critics on monday1 the united states will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility. it wont be1 you look at whats happening in europe you look at whats happening in other places we cant allow that to happen to the united states not on my watch trump said1 he was speaking at the white house while announcing an unrelated policy1 -
Greece, Macedonia sign historic name agreement
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negotiations took place under un auspices beginning in 19951 reutersnanthe foreign ministers of greece and macedonia signed an accord on sunday to rename the former yugoslav republic the republic of north macedonia1 the agreement still requires the approval of both parliaments and a referendum in macedonia1 we have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance and i am confident that we will manage it greek prime minister alexis tsipras said as he and his macedonian counterpart zoran zaev received a standing ovation from guests at a lakeside ceremony1 tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by greeces opposition in parliament on saturday but the depth of public emotion against the deal is strong1 up to 70 per cent of greeks object to the compromise an opinion poll by the proto thema newspaper showed on saturday1 under the deal greece will lift its objections to the renamed nation joining the eu and nato1 our two countries have to turn from the past and look to the future zaev said. we were bold enough to take a step forward1 greece has been in dispute with macedonia since 1991 over the former yugoslav republics name arguing it could imply territorial claims over the greek province of macedonia and an appropriation of ancient greek culture and civilisation1 the subject is an emotional one for many greeks1 on saturday thousands of protesters outside the parliament building shouted traitor traitor as lawmakers debated inside1 greece and macedonia have been at odds over the latters name since macedonia emerged from the disintegrating former yugoslavia in 19911 the landmark accord follows decades of inconclusive talks which had soured relations between the two countries and held up the admission of the balkan state into the eu and nato of which greece is a member1 greece insisted that the name macedonia belongs to its northern province and accused skopje of usurping hellenic history and even territorial aspirations1 athens allowed the country to join the un only with the provisional name of former yugoslav republic of macedonia1 under the new deal announced on tuesday by tsipras and zaev greece allowed its neighbourto retain the key part of its name but with ageographic qualifierafter a complex procedure which will take monthsthe country will become the republic of northern macedonia1 greece will also immediately lift its veto on an invitation for macedonia to join nato andalso allow the european union to open membership talks with skopje1 the un envoy who mediated the talks for 23 years matthew nimetz was joined by euchief diplomat federica mogherini and enlargement commissioner johannes hahn at the signing ceremony1 hahn tweeted that the agreement would contribute to peace andstability andhopefully to tangible progress forthe euperspective of macedonia1 a day earlier tsipras survived a no-confidence motion the opposition launched over the name deal and zaev will have to push aside the veto on the ratification by president gjorge ivanov1 macedonia now needs to ratify the deal in the parliament and confirm it with a referendum presumably in septemberandcement the name change into its constitution1 only after that will greece also ratify it as well macedonias membership in nato1 the agreement enraged nationalists in both countries who feel that their side has conceded too much. conservative macedonian president gorge ivanov has promised to veto the agreement even if parliament ratifies it1 a second vote from parliament would allow the vetoed motion to become law1 greeks opposing the deal protested in athens on friday and saturday while the macedonian nationalists scheduled a rally against it in the south-western city of bitola1