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Finally, APC accepts responsibility for Nigeria's poor economic situation, promises solution - Premium Times Nigeria : President Muhammadu Buhari met with the APC governors behind closed doors.

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2019: Nigeria Will Witness Violence, APC May Intimidate Opposition – US Agency

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's official. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, has emerged the running mate for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Obi emerged candidate on Friday after a marathon of the opposition party's decision-makers. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Obi's emergence was "highly likely", however, given the earlier case for using a candidate from the South-West to nullify Buhari's 'Osinbajo effect', a u-turn wasn't completely ruled out.

Alhaji Muhammad Ribadu, Senatorial candidate, Gombe North Senatorial District under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has relinquished his candidature to Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state. Ribadu stated this in Gombe on Thursday during a welcome reception organized by the party in honour of Dankwambo, who was one of the PDP presidential aspirants that lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the party primaries He said that he decided to forfeit his candidature to Dankwambo to compensate him for the loss in the presidential primaries. He described Dankwambo as a visionary leader and the architect of modern Gombe, adding that and if given the chance to become a senator, he would do more. He urged Dankwambo to accept the gesture as he was in the right position to contest for the senate. In his remarks, PDP governorship candidate in the state, Alhaji Usman Nafada, commended Ribadu for his decision and his loyalty to D

The World Bank Group has decried the poor level of investment in health, education and technology by the Nigerian government. The president of the multilateral institution, Mr. Jim Yong Kim, said this Thursday, while responding to questions during a media briefing at the ongoing IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bali, Indonesia. This is just as Nigeria was ranked 152 out of 157 countries surveyed in a Human Capital Index (HCI) that was unveiled by the bank yesterday. The HCI measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18, given the risks of poor health and education that prevail in the country where he or she lives. The index measures each country’s distance to the frontier of complete education and full health for a child born today. In a related development, the Managing Director of the IMF, Ms. Christine Lagarde, yesterday also advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to sustain its current tig

APC National Chairman The All Progressives Congress (APC) has not issued certificate of return to any candidate after its primary elections across the country. The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Yekini Nabena, made this known in an interview in Abuja on Thursday. He was reacting to reports that Mr Uba Sani from Kaduna Central had been issued certificate of return. The spokesperson said, “no candidate has been given the certificate of return. “Since you have been following the primaries, has anybody been given the certificate of return? On the pending motion filed in court by Uba Sani in a Kaduna High Court for omission of his name, Nabena said, “we are going to take a look at all these cases and their merits. “That is why we have a legal adviser. In the areas of the court, the legal adviser is going to look at all the situations and advise the working committee appropriately. “We will take a look at everything and those that

THE Senate yesterday approved N189.2 billion for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the 2019 general elections. A sharp disagreement may have broken out between the Presidency and the upper chamber over the source of funding for the INEC budget. The Senate refused to approve that the N189.2 billion for INEC should be sourced from the Constituency Intervention Fund to fund the 2019 general elections. The upper chamber resolved that the fund should be sourced from the Special Intervention Programme, as provided in the Service Wide Votes of the 2018 Appropriation Act. President Muhammadu Buhari, in a letter addressed to the Senate President in July, requested the Senate to vire over N242 billion from the N500 billion the National Assembly inserted into the 2018 budget as its Constituency Intervention Funds. The fund, Buhari said, was to enable the INEC and security ag

A suspected electricity cable vandal, said to be a vulcaniser, was electrocuted at a transformer close to the NIA Quarters on Kalabari Road, Karu, Abuja. City News gathered that the middle-aged man, who was identified as Innocent Ajayi, climbed the transformer during a power outage to cut cables at about 4:00am on Wednesday morning. Ahmed Mohammed, a resident of the area said just as he was about to vandalise the transformer, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) restored power and he was electrocuted. He said the deceased was released from prison having spent time for a similar offence. He explained that AEDC officials from a nearby office, with assistance from the fire service, came and brought down the charred corpse which was hunging on the electric pole. “AEDC officials and firefighters accompanied by policemen from the Karu division brought down the corpse from the pole. It was a horrible sight,” he said. The FCT police comm

Two eminent jurists, Prof.  Itse Sagay (SAN) and Prof. Akin Oyebode yesterday expressed divergent views on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of his one-time deputy, Atiku Abubakar, for president. In separate telephone interviews, Sagay, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) chairman, said Obasanjo’s endorsement of Atiku was of no electoral value. Obasanjo and Atiku, he claimed, performed woefully while in power. But Oyebode, a retired professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, said President Muhammadu Buhari, who is Atiku’s main rival in next year’s election, was overrated, having “underperformed”. He said Obasanjo’s endorsement of Atiku was a welcome development, adding that it would increase the former vice president’s chances of winning the election. Sagay said: “The endorsement will make absolutely no impact, absolutely no impact on the election. The value is not more than the announcement. It won’t add one extra

Ibe Kachikwu The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has described as false and baseless report making rounds that he claimed graduating from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), with a First Class degree. The minister made the clarification in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Idang Alibi, in Abuja, on Thursday. Alibi said at no time did Kachikwu claim that he graduated with a First Class from the UNN. He said that the minister graduated from the institution with a ‘Second Class Honours (Upper Division) degree from the Faculty of Law in 1978, and also emerged the best student. “The assertions in the publication are wrong and baseless and a careful check with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources would have cleared this misrepresentation. “By every measurement index, the Minister has performed outstandingly in his school work and has records to show for it,” he said. He further s

Adeniji Ayokunnunmi, a retired Deputy Director, Banking Supervision Division of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has told the Federal High Court In Ikoyi, Lagos that the defunct Bank PHB had in troubled waters long before his team carried out a special examination on the bank. Ayokunnunmi, who stood as a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said this on Thursday during the criminal trial of Francis Atuche, Managing Director of defunct Bank PHB Plc, now Keystone Bank Plc. Atuche is standing trial with Charles Ojo, a  former Managing Director of the defunct Spring Bank Plc. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the duo for alleged fraud of N125 billion. They were accused of conspiracy, reckless granting and approval of loans and money laundering between September 1, 2006 and 2009, to which they pleaded not guilty. When asked by Atuche’s counsel how Ayokunnunmi got to know that Bank PHB was experi

RIGHTS lawyer  Mr. Femi Falana has urged the Inspector General (IG), Ibrahim Idris to arrest and prosecute parents and guardians, who refuse to allow their children and wards to acquire basic education. He gave the advice sequel to the grant of N291 billion Universal Basic Education Fund (UBE) by the World Bank to fund primary education. He gave the advice in a statement, titled: “Stakeholders must monitor disbursement of N291 billion Basic Education Fund”,  issued in Lagos yesterday. Falana urged the IG to direct state police commissioners to arrest and prosecute parents and guardians, who refused to allow their children and wards to acquire basic education, which, he said, is compulsory from primary to junior secondary school to ensure the success of the UBE scheme. The senior lawyer counselled the IG to comply with the provisions of the “compulsory, free Universal Basic Education Act”. Falana, who is the president of Peoples Alternative Fro

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will be backing Atiku Abubakar, his former deputy, ahead of the 2019 presidential election, having described him as "President-to-be" following a meeting between the two men in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State, on Thursday. Obasanjo is set to address the media at the end of the meeting, with his media team confirming to Saharareporters that he had already "congratulated President-To-Be Atiku Abubakar".

A grand jury in New Jersey has indicted rapper Fabolous on counts of domestic violence and making terroristic threats. The rapper, whose real name is John Jackson, was charged in connection with two alleged incidents in Englewood in March. The indictment handed up last week in Bergen County charges him with one count of domestic violence stemming from an incident on March 7. He's charged with two counts for allegedly threatening to shoot or kill three individuals on March 28, including the alleged victim from the earlier incident. He also faces a weapons count for allegedly brandishing a pair of scissors with intent to use them unlawfully.

Ethiopia is taking the dream of free movement in Africa one step further. The country will soon a llow African citizens to enter without obtaining visas in advance, president Mulatu Teshome told parliament on Monday (Oct. 8). The move follows the decision in June by new prime minister Abiy Ahmed to start issuing online visas for tourists and visitors coming from all over the world. Currently, all travelers, except those from Kenya and Djibouti, have to get a visa before departure or receive it on arrival. The decision to relax the visa regime will likely be a boon for the country’s hospitality and conference tourism sectors. The capital Addis Ababa is one of the world’s largest diplomatic hubs, hosting the seat of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and dozens of foreign embassies. The announcement also has big political ramifications especially for Abiy, who has promised to open up the country and attract foreign investment. Relax

Environment Minister January Makamba, a friend of Mr Dewji, tweeted that he had spoken to Mr Dewji's father and the family confirmed that he had been kidnapped. What more do we know about his abduction? The abduction took place in the affluent neighbourhood of Oysterbay. The kidnappers fired shots in the air before driving away with the billionaire, eyewitnesses said. Mr Dewji, a fitness enthusiast, had no security guards with him and had driven to the gym on his own, Dar es Salaam regional police commissioner Paul Makonda told reporters. Two of the kidnappers were white men, he added. Security personnel across Tanzania have been put on high alert in the hunt for the abductors, police said. The man said to be Africa's youngest billionaire has been kidnapped by masked gunmen in Tanzania's main city Dar es Salaam, police say. Mohammed Dewji, 43, was abducted outside a swanky hotel gym where he was going for his routine morning workout. Three people have b

Sarkodie has finally responded to Shatta Wale's recent jabs directed at him. For those who have no idea about how the beef started, here's it. The beef can be traced back to early September when Shatta Wale appeared on Hitz FM to discuss his 'Reign' album. During the interview, he called out Ghanaian artistes for not 'supporting each other'. He further claimed Sarkodie failed to show up for the video shoot for their collaboration titled 'Dancehall Commando', adding that he [Sarkodie] was rather busy shooting music videos with Nigerian musicians. Sarkodie ignored him on countless occasion but Shatta Wale fired missiles at any least chance. He even went on live on Facebook on several occasions to jab him but was ignored. But today (October 10, 2018), Sarkodie decided to shut him down - and it came in form of a freestyle, titled 'My Advice'.Sarkodie and Shatta Wale performing together Sarkodie tackled Shatta Wale's boisterousness, constant b

Professor Adegboyega Obadofin, a Senior Lecturer at the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), has been burnt to death. Obadofin, who is the acting Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the institution was found around 12:50 am on Tuesday morning. The remains of the 65-year-old Professor were found by his neighbours at his Ayeka residence in Okitipupa area of Ondo State. A family source, who confirmed the sad news told SaharaReporter, that the midnight fire was "mysterious", as no one could ascertain the real cause of the fire. Narrating the incident, one of his neighbours said: "This is mysterious because there was no power supply to the house nor was his power generating set on, when the incident occurred. So, no one could state the cause of the fire incident and we at the other side of the neighborhood cannot state the cause. We have informed his family who are in Lagos about the incident and I heard the school managem

The University of Jos has remained deserted despite an announcement informing all students to resume fully on October 8, 2018, after the recent attacks that resulted in the death of Shedrach Kums, a student of the university. A statement by Monday Danjem, the school registrar, read: "Following wide consultation of all stakeholders in the University, including Deans and Directors, Heads of Departments, the four Staff Unions — ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT — leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Students Union Government (SUG), it was resolved that activities should resume in the best interest of the University. "In view of the gradual return of normalcy to Jos Metropolis, Management wishes to assure all members of the University Community that adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure their safet y." However, reports from the university indicated that the school is still deserted as students have refused to resume, f

Justice Chiwendu Nwogu of a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has nullified the nomination of Tonye Cole as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State. The judge made the pronouncement on Wednesday, on the ground that his nomination is a function of illegality and unconstitutional acts. The court also nullified the the Rivers State APC Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly primaries, citing illegalities. The High Court further nullified all the elections of Rivers APC ward executives, local government executives and State Executive Committee that arose from the said ward congresses. In a judgment delivered by Justice Chiwendu Nwogu in a suit filed by Ibrahim Imah and 22 others against the APC, the court declared that the ward congresses of Rivers APC were illegal, because they were not conducted in line with the APC guidelines and the party's constitution. He set aside the ward congresses of Rivers AP

Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has insisted that the party will present candidates for elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general election. He stated this in a statement he signed on Wednesday, in response to the directive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the party could not field candidates for the 2019 elections in ths state, on the premise that primaries did not hold to select candidates for political positions. In a letter to the party, signed by the acting Secretary to the Commission, Okechukwu Ndeche, INEC had stated that according to the timetable released, all primary elections should have been between August 18 and October 7, 2018, but APC failed to conduct any in the state, and as such could not field candidates for the 2019 elections. primary elections were conducted between October 6 and 7, 2018, however, following “the high level of friction, disagreements and threatened

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has vowed that the federal lawmakers will resist any attempt to continue to frustrate the enactment of the Electoral Act Amendment bill, particularly the use of card readers for 2019 elections. Describing such move as an effort to erode the gains of the successes recorded in the 2015 elections, Dogara, in a speech to mark the resumption of the House from its annual recess, said the passage of the bill will address fears that some forces plan to manipulate the forthcoming elections by exploiting loopholes in the Electoral Act as it is presently. According to the Speaker, “The new Electoral Act amendment bill has provisions that are designed to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria, entrenches the Smart Card Reader and electronic transmission of results, among others,” adding that “the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) supplementary budget bill must also be accorded expeditiou

Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has told governors of northern states to deliver on education or quit government. He read the riot act at the Northern Nigeria Traditional Leaders Conference on Out-Of-School Children yesterday in Kaduna State. At the event, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and other speakers had admitted that “northern Nigeria contributes a large chunk” to the 13.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. The emir said that Nigeria could only fix the problems facing education by addressing issues of misplaced priorities and accountability exhibited by those responsible for delivering education, healthcare, nutrition and development. According to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), elected politicians who are not being held accountable do not want such discourse. In the same vein, the Sultan, who chaired the conference, said: “As we look forward in our quest to revitalise the education sector, we

Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, last night threatened to pull out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) if the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party fails to uphold the candidacy of his anointed governorship candidate, Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade. This is coming a few hours after Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Umar Ganduje (Kano), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and Kashim Shettima (Borno) met with President Muhammadu Buhari to seek his intervention in the contentious primaries in the states. Amosun issued this threat during a meeting with some party leaders and his loyalists across the 20 local government areas of the state held at his private residence located inside Ibara GRA, Abeokuta. According to a source who was present at the meeting, the governor, who briefed his loyalists on the outcome of his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the national leadership of APC, did not give any hint on the party he may join. He f

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to ensure that Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited, faces fraud charges in court. This was contained in a statement by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC on Wednesday, after Justice Olusola Williams of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, struck out the case of fraud the commission instituted against Chukwuma. The Judge struck out the case after the EFCC failed to produce Chukwuma in court to face trial.  Chuwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited, were to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain by false pretences, obtaining by false pretence, stealing and forgery. The defendants allegedly committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos. The defendants were alleged to have conspired to obtain, by false pretences, containers of motorcycles, spare parts and raw materials, property of Guaranty Trust Bank, from Mit

Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) from the South West have called on people of the Yoruba ethnic group to vote out President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming general election, for disrespecting the rule of law. They stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, when the South West Coordinator of the group, Muftau Zakariya, led members of the group on a protest in Abuja. They marched to the entrance of the Presidential Villa to demand the release of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky. Zakariya said: "We came to protest today in Abuja to seek the release of our leader and convince government to obey  court order. The court has ordered that El-Zakzaky should be released and should be paid N50 million as damages to him and his wife, because of the illegal detention he has been subjected to. But today, the government has refused to obey that order. "I am especially using this opportunity to talk to my fellow Yoruba men. No Yoruba man that is freely born should vote for B

Chris Ngige, Nigeria's Minister of Labour and Employment, has said the Federal Government has proposed N24,000 as the new minimum wage for civil servants in the country.   Ngige revealed that the N6,000 addition to the existing N18,000 is coming after series of consultation with state governors.   Briefing state house correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, Ngige said the tripartite committee discussions on the new minimum wage is ongoing, and all parties have brought forward their proposed new wages. "The organised labour came down to N30,000, while the organised private sector came down to N25,000," he said. The Minister of Labour stated that the Federal Government proposed to increase the minimum wage to N24,000, while state governments proposed N20,000. He, however, maintained that the committee is yet to agree on a unified amount but it would be done in subsequent meetings. The organised labour union had said the labour act stipulated that the minimum wage

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has said it will support any presidential candidate that promotes restructuring in the 2019 general election. The organisation also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to task the relevant agencies on the East-West road to release the needed funds to ensure the rehabilitation of the road. A statement by Roland Oweilaemi, President of the IYC noted that the road had become a "death trap". The statement read: “We want President Muhammadu Buhari to give directive to the Niger Delta Ministry and other agencies involved in facilitation of funds for the speedy completion of the East/West road that has become a death trap which claims innocent lives daily." On whom the organisation would support for president in the 2019 general election, the statement continued: "On the recent conclusion of party primaries, the Council congratulates the presidential flagbearers of the various political parties in the forthcoming 2019 presidential election

"I have been doing this campaign to get through @ rihanna on all my social media handle... Yeah.. I have tribal marks and want to model for her. I need my Nigeria n peeps to help get through to her. Please It's not easy growing up with Tribal marks... . The bullying was much though it hasn't stopped yet... I still get insulted whenever I go out. I want to thrive in what was meant to make me feel bad... I want to model for @ rihanna. It will be a dream come true."

<strike>Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti has denied that he insulted Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari and former vice-president Abubakar Atiku on the account of their age and ambition. Buhari, 75, is seeking re-election while Atiku, 71, looks to unseat his former political all y. Kuti, 56, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government, much like his father and founder of Afrobeat Fela Kuti, denied insulting the two men. He also denied endorsing the presidential push of African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore's presidential push. He said; "Where did u hear me abuse. Saying I don't support is abusing? Endorsement? I said I wish him the best. Again I said young people should start to take up their destiny," Femi Kuti said in a reply to a follower on Twitter. Kuti, however, said both said both Atiku and Buhari should have retired and given chance to younger persons to lead the country. "Buhari should have retired. Atiku should have retired. Only a youn