EFCC files criminal charges against CCT chairman, Danladi Umar over N10m bribe
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Friday, 2 February 2018
EFCC files criminal charges against CCT chairman, Danladi Umar over N10m bribe
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Amiens explain Olanrewaju Kayode’s transfer situation
The Nigeria international is yet to sign for the Stade de la Licorne outfit after failing to complete his move before the transfer deadline
Amiens explain Olanrewaju Kayode’s transfer situation
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Crystal Palace’s Bakary Sako to miss the rest of the season
The Mali international picked up an injury against the Hammers and is set for a long spell on the sidelines
Crystal Palace’s Bakary Sako to miss the rest of the season
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Politics: FBI agents vow not to let 'partisan politics' distract from their mission after memo release
The FBI Agents Association said in a statement Friday they will not "allow partisan politics to distract us from our solemn commitment to our mission."
- The association representing 14,000 rank-and-file FBI agents said Friday they will not allow "partisan politics" to distract from their mission.
- The statement follows the release of a controversial memo alleging surveillance abuses of a former campaign associate of President Donald Trump.
- Trump has fiercely criticized the FBI and Justice Department, but sought to placate the FBI's rank-and-file agents.
The FBI Agents Association, which represents thousands of current and former rank-and-file agents, said in a statement Friday they will not "allow partisan politics to distract us from our solemn commitment to our mission."
The statement came shortly after the release of a controversial Republican memo alleging the FBI abused its authority when obtaining a surveillance warrant against a former campaign associate of President Donald Trump.
"The men and women of the FBI put their lives on the line every day in the fight against terrorists and criminals because of their dedication to our country and the Constitution," Tom O'Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association, said in the statement. "The American people should know that they continue to be well-served by the world's preeminent law enforcement agency."
The FBI and Justice Department argued vehemently against releasing the memo, saying it would be "extraordinarily reckless" as the memo omitted crucial context. Democrats, too, feared that the memo's release could undermine the credibility of special counsel Robert Muller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Trump and his allies have doubled down in recent weeks on their criticisms of the FBI's leadership, alleging corruption and political bias, but have sought to assuage the bureau's rank-and-file agents.
"The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago," Trump tweeted Friday morning, before the memo's release.
"Rank & File are great people!" he added.
But the FBI Agents Association released a statement the night before voicing support for the bureau's director, Christopher Wray, who has found himself increasingly at odds with the president.
"The FBI Agents Association appreciates FBI Director Chris Wray standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the FBI," the statement read.
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Finance: An Apple legend and ex-Tesla exec says he is 'sad how little progress' Autopilot has made (TSLA)
Former Tesla employee Chris Lattner criticized Autopilot's current state while reviewing the Model 3 on Twitter.
- Chris Lattner, a former Apple developer, spent nearly six months leading Tesla's Autopilot software team in 2017. He left the company last June.
- On Friday, Lattner criticized the software's current state on Twitter.
- He said he was "sad" at the lack of progress he has perceived since he left the company.
- The Autopilot feature gives Tesla vehicles semi-autonomous capabilities in some situations.
Tesla's Autopilot feature has become the subject of controversy again after a Model S that was possibly using the feature crashed into a fire truck on January 22. The feature gives Tesla vehicles semi-autonomous capabilities but is not meant to replace a human driver.
Now, Chris Lattner, the former Apple legend who spent nearly six months leading Tesla's Autopilot software team in 2017, has expressed his disappointment at the software's current state.
In a post on Twitter, Lattner shared a short review of the Model 3, Tesla's first mass-market electric car.
"The hardware is truly great (a big step up from my Model S) but the software is unfinished and buggy," he wrote. "I'm also sad how little progress HW2 Autopilot has made since I last drove it in June…"
Lattner had a strained relationship with Elon Musk
After working for Apple for 11 years and drawing praise for developing Swift, the company's popular programming language, Lattner became Tesla's vice president of Autopilot software in January 2017. He spent almost six months in the position before leaving the company after having a reportedly strained relationship with CEO Elon Musk.
Lattner's departure was a mutual decision, Business Insider reported at the time. It made him the third Autopilot executive to leave Tesla in a period of seven months. Lattner was hired by Google in August 2017 to work on Google Brain, the company's major artificial intelligence project.
Tesla released the last major update for Autopilot in June 2017. The update gave Tesla vehicles the ability to park perpendicularly without driver assistance and removed the speed limit on the Autosteer feature, which allows a vehicle to steer itself in some conditions.
Musk has said that Tesla vehicles have the necessary hardware for fully autonomous driving once the necessary software and regulatory conditions are introduced. The company is competing with tech companies and traditional automakers like Apple, Google's Waymo, Uber, Ford, and General Motors to develop and introduce autonomous vehicles to the general public.
Despite a series of production delays, the Model 3 has begun to arrive at Tesla showrooms. Early reviews have been positive.
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Succor for hundreds of Lagos, Delta children
By Dotun Ibiwoye
Over two hundred less privileged children in Lagos and Delta state today received food items, stationeries and books from Hon Tabuko Emmanuel in commemoration of his birthday today.
The gift item was given to the children randomly by the celebrant while driving around the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos.
Simultaneously, in Delta State, Tabuko’s staff were also giving the same gifts in five different local governments there.
The gifts, which he said his Campaign office’ Corporate Social Responsibility, role to alleviate the lives of the less privileged will also give the children a sense of belonging in the society.
Tabuko, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, is the 2019 All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta State House of Assembly aspirant.
According to him: ’’My birthday today gives me the time to reflect on how to make positive impact in the lives of the people. The youth is the future of this country. When the youth is empowered, there will be less crime and insecurity.
”Before the political position next year, there is a need for us to do our best to touch lives. I chose the children because they are the leaders of tomorrow. The children are the ones who will become teenagers and then become the youth who will rule and determine the course of this country.
”I also implore our elites to assist the less privileged. If I can be driving within the this extreme Lagos traffic since 7.30 am and I am able to achieve 93 percent of my objectives of giving to the less privileged children, other people who have more than me can also do it. It is my birthday gift. We need to touch lives’’
The post Succor for hundreds of Lagos, Delta children appeared first on Vanguard News.
Succor for hundreds of Lagos, Delta children
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Finance: CRYPTO INSIDER: Bitcoin stages a comeback
Everything you need to know about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies today.
Welcome to Crypto Insider, Business Insider’s roundup of all the bitcoin and cryptocurrency news you need to know today. Sign up here to get this email delivered direct to your inbox.
Cryptocurrencies lost close to $100 billion overnight into Friday morning, with the flagship bitcoin sinking as low as $7,720 per coin.
Most cryptos seem to be making a comeback though and are up from their morning lows, with bitcoin down less than 1% on the last 24 hours and back above $9,000 at the time of writing.
Here are the current standings:
- Bitcoin (BTC): $9,071 (-0.1%)
- Ethereum (ETH): $961 (-6.1%)
- Ripple (XRP): $0.93 (-1.5%)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCC): $1,212 (-4.2%)
- Litecoin (LTC): $133 (-5.7%)
What else is happening:
- The bitcoin crash is a blessing in disguise for the US financial system.
- "The mother of all bubbles and biggest bubble in human history comes down crashing," Nouriel Roubini, economist and chairman of Roubini Macro Associates, said.
- South Korea’s defense ministry is taking steps to keep soldiers from getting caught up in the cryptocurrency frenzy.
- Two economists just eviscerated bitcoin, saying it should be trading at $20.
- The iced tea company that said it would buy 1,000 bitcoin mining machines is backpedaling on its plans.
- Ripple's XRP tumbled to its lowest price in months.
- Ethereum sank to its lowest prices of 2018.
Finance: CRYPTO INSIDER: Bitcoin stages a comeback
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Finance: Yellen's new job will ensure she stays active in the debate over Fed policy
Former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke also went to Brookings after leaving the central bank.
- Janet Yellen is heading to the Brookings Institution after Donald Trump failed to reappoint her as Federal Reserve chair, CNBC reports.
- Yellen's move suggests she will remain an active voice in the monetary policy debate.
- Former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke also went to Brookings after leaving the central bank.
Janet Yellen may be leaving the Federal Reserve, but her new position as a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution will ensure she remains highly active in the debate over US interest rate policy.
CNBC's Steve Liesman first reported Friday that Yellen would not be taking any kind of break, and is starting on Monday as a distinguished fellow at Brookings' Hutchins Center for Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Business Insider has confirmed the news.
Yellen became the first Fed chair in modern history not to be reappointed to a second term, despite a strong four-year track record and leadership during the financial crisis, when she proved prescient of many of the problems the economy was facing. She was also the first woman to lead the Fed, which was founded in 1913.
The center often hosts high-powered monetary policy conferences that include current and past officials, academics, and market participants.
Yellen's move follows in the footsteps of ex-Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, who also went to Brookings after leaving the central bank.
Yellen has been a strong advocate of the employment side of the Fed's dual mandate, particularly in a period when inflation has chronically undershot the central bank's 2% target.
Finance: Yellen's new job will ensure she stays active in the debate over Fed policy
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More than 450 Nigerians repatriated from Libya
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More than 450 Nigerians repatriated from Libya
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Sports: The Olympic Village will be stocked with 110,000 condoms, or 37 per athlete — and it could be because of Tinder
The prevalence of dating apps like Tinder could be one reason for the stockpiling of condoms at the Winter Olympics 2018.
- 110,000 condoms will be distributed across the 2018 Winter Olympic grounds.
- This works out at 37 condoms per athlete for a two week period.
- The rise of dating apps like Tinder could be to thank for the increase of sexual activity at the athletes village.
Organisers of the 2018 Winter Olympics are stockpiling condoms in the athletes village.
Athletes at this year's games will be supplied with 110,000 condoms — that's over 37 per athlete for a two week period.
CNN says this year's athletes village includes a fitness centre, a dining area that is accessible 24 hours a day, and a multifaith area for worship. There is also a large selection of shops.
However, it is the sheer volume of condoms that has caught the local media's attention in South Korea, where the games will be held.
According to the Korea Biomedical Review, the condoms have been donated "mostly by domestic developer Convenience" and will be "the biggest amount ever distributed at the Winter Games."
The total cost of Convenience's donation will be $93,370 (£65,649). Organisers will supply each athlete's residence with condoms.
Others will be available in "condom baskets" situated in the athletic towns of Gangneung and PyeongChang, the Main Press Centre and Media Village, as well as the stadia used for events.
Condoms were first publicly distributed at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Since then, the stockpiling has increased. At the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, 100,000 condoms were supplied. This year, an extra 10,000 condoms are available.
Interestingly, the mass stockpiling of condoms could be down to the emergence and availability of dating apps.
Tinder, after all, played a role at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero as usage of the app "skyrocketed" by 129% during the games, according to Tinder spokeswoman Rosette Pambakian.
Even athletes confirmed using it. Marcus Nyman, who competed as a judoka in Rio, said: "A lot of athletes [used] the app."
The Winter Olympics begin on Friday February 9.
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University of Ibadan: UI ranks first in Nigeria, 1099th in the world
The first University in Nigeria affirms its leading position as it ranks first in the ranking web ratings.
The world universities raking website, Webometrics has rated the University of Ibadan as the best university in Nigeria.
The ranking web in its January 2018 edition of institution ranking also rates the premier university 1099th in the world.
According to the site, the ranking is based on the web presence and impact of the institutions it ranks.
In terms of online presence and impact rank, the University of Ibadan scores 2654 and 627 respectively.
Covenant University, Ota occupies the second position in the ranking and it is the only private Nigerian university in the top 40 bracket.
Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos take the 3rd, 4th and 5th positions respectively.
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH is the first state university on the ranking, occupying 14th position, while Lagos State University, LASU takes the 16th position.
Polytechnics occupy the last three positions on the ranking list
The bottom three institutions are Polytechnic Ife, Polytechnic Imesi Ile and Tower Polytechnic taking 207th, 208th and 209th positions respectively.
ALSO READ: 10 pictures that prove OAU is the most beautiful campus in Nigeria
Webometrics is the largest academic ranking of Higher Education Institutions. The ranking web has been rating education institutions in 2004 using institution's online presence as a major metric for ranking.
University of Ibadan: UI ranks first in Nigeria, 1099th in the world
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Developing youth and turning profits – Pietro Pellegri and Monaco's new mission plan
They’ve embraced their place in European football’s food chain – and made the principality the hottest destination for the continent’s future stars
Developing youth and turning profits – Pietro Pellegri and Monaco's new mission plan
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Lekki Toll Gates: Lagosians are not too pleased with new tariff hike
Lagosians have been expressing their disapproval with the increment which started on February 1.
The Lekki Concession Company (LCC) has implemented an increase in the tariff that vehicle owners will pay to gain access through its Admiralty Circle Toll Plaza and the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza, and Lagosians are not too pleased with it.
The company's new pricing system was put in place on Thursday, February 1, 2018, and it's already created a mess as many vehicles tried to access alternative routes which led to massive traffic hold up around Lekki till late on Thursday.
According to the company's Managing Director, Mohammed Hassan, the increment is a reaction to the "current business realities and increasing cost of operation."
He said the current economic and business realities in the country means the company has been hit with increased cost of operations and maintenance of its loan obligations.
New rates
According to the new rates at the Admiralty Circle Toll Plaza, motorcycles are now expected to pay N100; saloon cars and tricycles, N200 (eTag: 180); sport utility vehicles, N250 (eTag: 225); light trucks and 2-axle buses, N400 (eTag: 360); heavy duty trucks or buses with two or more heavy axles, N1000 (eTag: 900), and commercial danfo buses will pay N100 (90).
At the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza, motorcycles will pay N200 (eTag: 180); salon cars, N300 (eTag: 270); mini vans sports utility vehicles and light trucks, N400 (eTag: 360); and light trucks and 2-axle buses will pay N1000 (eTag: 900).
Even though the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has assured commuters that it would not increase transport fare in spite of the tolls review, other vehicle owners have expressed outrage at the increment.
Some of them have taken to social media to air their grievances with the development:
Failed attempt in 2017
The LCC had initially planned to implement the increment in November 2017, but public outrage had prompted the Lagos State government to ask the company to put an hold on it until after the public and critical stakeholders have been consulted on the plan.
The only difference between the rates proposed back then and now is the decrease in the new tariff to be paid by commercial danfo buses which has been reduced from the proposed N150 to N100 in the new rates introduced on Thursday.
Lekki Toll Gates: Lagosians are not too pleased with new tariff hike
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World: 'My Baby Almost Died': Formula Scandal Sends Shudders Through France
When the French dairy giant Lactalis began recalling baby formula, Ségolène Noviant thought she was safe. The milk she had been feeding her 5-month-old son was not on the list.
Then her son, Noan, was rushed to the emergency room with a fever, diarrhea and internal bleeding. His formula was tainted with salmonella — and a broad range of other Lactalis powdered milk products still on the shelves were at risk, too.
It would take three recalls and many weeks for the scope of the problem to finally become clear, stoking public outrage over what has become known in France as “L’Affaire Lactalis.”
In one of the biggest recalls of its kind, the company has pulled more than 7,000 tons of potentially contaminated baby formula and other powdered milk products across more than 80 countries, mostly in Europe, Africa and Asia. And its chief executive said Thursday that the company’s powdered milk products may have been exposed to salmonella for more than a decade.
The massive recall and the missteps along the way have exposed corporate lapses and regulatory gaps that allowed tainted products to make their way into supermarkets and pharmacies, even weeks after the problems were discovered. The episode at Lactalis, which also makes yogurt, butter and cheese, has highlighted what critics say is lax oversight of industrial food companies and weak reporting standards across the European Union.
In the Lactalis case, the French government initially placed blame squarely on the company. But last week, as complaints about weak regulation intensified, President Emmanuel Macron said his government would “draw lessons” from the crisis.
“There will be zero tolerance on the part of the state,” he said.
European governments generally allow food companies to self-report problems to regulators, rather than require their disclosure. Compliance and enforcement of standards also vary from country to country. But the European Union operates as a single market, meaning that tainted products in one country can make their way through Europe and the rest of the world.
The recall is the latest in a series of food safety scandals that Europe has faced in recent years. Millions of tainted eggs were recalled in 2017 after poultry farms in Belgium and the Netherlands were contaminated with an insecticide. In 2013, horse meat was discovered masquerading as beef in Britain and Ireland.
In the Lactalis case, both the company and regulators missed opportunities to identify the problems before tainted products ended up on the shelf.
Lactalis initially found traces of salmonella at its main factory in August and again in November. But it did not alert regulators either time. Under French law, a company does not have to tell authorities if it determines, through its own internal tests, that the food is not contaminated.
Standard inspections do occur once every two years, but they are not necessarily comprehensive. As part of a routine visit, the government inspected the factory in September, after the company had already discovered salmonella. But officials inspected just part of the factory and not the area that produced baby formula.
Lactalis instituted its first recall in early December. But the company did not go far enough. Reports of salmonella cases kept multiplying.
Those cases prompted the government to inspect the factory, located in the town of Craon, and afterward officials demanded that Lactalis vastly expand the recall. But the government did not discover the full extent of the problems. A couple weeks later, the company found more milk had been tainted and had to recall even more products.
In the meantime, Noviant’s baby, Noan, was hospitalized three more times. Overall, at least 38 children have been sickened by tainted milk. No deaths have been reported.
“My baby almost died,” said Noviant, 29, who quit her job as a restaurant manager in the southwestern city of Toulouse to care for Noan. “The company kept selling for profit and acted with impunity, but the government also failed.”
Lactalis started as a small cheesemaking business in 1933 and grew into a multinational behemoth by acquiring brands like Parmalat and Stonyfield Farm, which make cheese, milk and yogurt. The company now has 75,000 employees across 44 countries, and has become one of the world’s biggest producers of infant formula and cereals under the Picot, Milumel and other brands.
Emmanuel Besnier, the chief executive, took over leadership of the company in 2000 from his father and grandfather. Called “the invisible billionaire” by his employees, he has seldom been photographed or interviewed, and has rarely been seen at the Craon factory.
His relative silence about the scandal drew the ire of parents and consumers in France. Besnier, 47, eventually spoke with two French newspapers, Les Échos on Thursday and Le Journal du Dimanche last month.
A spokeswoman for Lactalis said Besnier was not available for an interview. The company declined to comment further.
On Thursday, Besnier acknowledged in the interview with Les Échos that the bacteria in recent milk products was identical to a strain found in the factory in 2005, under a previous owner. More than 140 babies in France got sick back then.
Lactalis bought that factory in 2006, and claimed when the scandal broke that it had disinfected the facilities. But the Institut Pasteur in Paris, a research center focusing on medicine and public health, announced Thursday that at least 25 other infants had been infected with salmonella traced to the factory between the 2005 outbreak and these newest cases.
The latest problems have been building for months.
In August, the company found traces of salmonella on a broom at the factory, Besnier said in one of the interviews. The bacteria typically thrives in poor sanitation conditions, but Lactalis said it may have been introduced during a factory renovation last February.
Government inspectors visited the factory in September, but they did not review the area where baby formula was produced. They found nothing wrong, and Lactalis did not mention the traces of bacteria found the previous month. Under French law, they did not have to. (A independent laboratory, hired by Lactalis, carried out 16,000 product checks and found no contamination, according to Besnier.)
Lactalis found more salmonella in November. Again it cleaned the site. Again it did not alert the authorities, Besnier said.
Soon, reports emerged of babies being rushed to hospitals after drinking the company’s infant formula.
On Dec. 1, the Agriculture Ministry announced that at least 20 children had been infected by salmonella, and that the problem could have originated at the factory in Craon. The next day, regulators returned and found that one of two drying towers used to make powdered milk was “filled with salmonella.”
This time, Lactalis verified the outbreak. The government ordered Lactalis to conduct a limited recall of baby formula.
A week later, as more reports of illnesses emerged, French officials expanded the recall and accused Lactalis of not moving fast enough to contain the crisis. On Dec. 21, Lactalis announced a third recall, expanding its scope to cover more than 7,000 tons of powdered milk products.
Despite the recall, thousands of the affected products were still being sold by pharmacies, hospitals and at least seven of France’s biggest retailers — including Auchan, Carrefour, Casino and Leclerc — during the busy holiday season. Lactalis blamed the retailers for failing to act fast enough, and the government said it would also hold those companies responsible.
The French government ordered the factory closed for decontamination, and Lactalis has said it will not reopen a major production line where the salmonella was discovered. The debacle is expected to cost the privately held company the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars, Besnier said.
The legal fallout is only just emerging.
An organization of families affected by contaminated products filed lawsuits this week against Lactalis for reckless endangerment, and against retailers that it said failed to quickly pull tainted products. One family is suing the French government for inadequate oversight because inspectors gave the plant a clean bill of health in September.
“This is a health scandal of unprecedented scale,” said Quentin Guillemain, who founded the family group.
Guillemain, who has a 3-month-old daughter, said it was unclear how many potentially contaminated Lactalis products remained on the market. The group is pushing for tighter food safety regulation and increased inspections at factories.
Lactalis has offered to compensate victims of the tainted products. Instead, the families say, they will press ahead with their lawsuits.
“Lactalis is a huge multinational,” Guillemain said. “That doesn’t mean it should be allowed to operate above the law.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
World: 'My Baby Almost Died': Formula Scandal Sends Shudders Through France
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2019: APC Embarks On CVR Grassroots Sensitisation In Ebonyi
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has commenced grassroots sensitisation tour to mobilise the electorate in the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi, to register in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
Mr Eze Nwachukwu, Acting APC Chairman in Ebonyi, led other members of the State Working Committee (SWC) to launch the campaign on Friday in Afikpo, Afikpo North Local Government Area.
Nwachukwu, who addressed the people, said that the sensitisation was in line with the directive from the national headquarters of APC.
According to him, the exercise is aimed at mobilising , educating and sensitising eligible grassroots voters on the need to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration.
He said that as the 2019 general elections draw closer, that it was imperative that rural communities were mobilised to fully participate in the ongoing CVR, stressing that bulk of the voters reside in rural areas.
“Registration and collection of the voter cards is the only qualification to vote in the elections; any eligible voter without his or her voter card will have no business at the polling booths during election, ” Nwachukwu said.
He said that current reforms in the electoral system would make it difficult to rig elections in 2019, assuring the people that their votes must count in the elections.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians of commitment to conduct credible elections in 2019.
“The electronic transmission of election results to be adopted in 2019 will make it difficult to rig in 2019, and this will put election riggers out of business.
“We are here today to appeal to the people of Afikpo North to go to any INEC office nearest to them and register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“It is your civic right and obligation to vote and you must resist anything that will deny you opportunity to exercise this important civic duty.
“We again assure you that your votes will count in 2019. “
Nwachukwu urged party faithful and APC supporters to ensure that they effectively participate in the CVR exercise and other vital electoral processes.
He advised the electorate against selling their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and urged them to resist politicians who would come to demand their PVCs in exchange for employment, empowerment or to give them bank loans.
“It is a criminal offence to engage in selling or buying of voter cards and you must report those found to indulge in such illicit transactions.
“Your voter card is your property and the only right you have as citizens to exercise your voting rights to elect your leaders; selling it means disqualifying yourselves.
“There is no rule in the civil service that requires your voter card for employment or empowerment and no bank will require you to submit your voter card to give you loan.
“You must resist any attempt that will make them disenfranchise you and must report such persons to the Police, ” Nwachukwu said.
He said that the party would constitute local government and ward committees in the 13 local government areas of the state that would be charged with the mandate of door-to-door mobilisation of rural communities to come out and register.
Meanwhile, the chairman has charged APC faithful in the local government to remain supportive of the party and to work hard to ensure that the party emerged victorious in the area in 2019.
He announced that the party would commence membership registration, and urged members who were yet to formally register with the party to avail themselves of the opportunity.
“We have over 18,000 registered members of our great party in Afikpo North and we are opening another window of opportunity to enable members who are yet to formally register to do so.
“It’s only those with our membership registration cards that will be allowed to participate in voting during the party primaries and congresses,” he added.
The post 2019: APC Embarks On CVR Grassroots Sensitisation In Ebonyi appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
2019: APC Embarks On CVR Grassroots Sensitisation In Ebonyi
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Nigeria aims to build refinery close to Niger Republic
The Federal Government of Nigeria has reached an agreement with the Niger Republic to build a new refinery in the border town of both countries.
The proposed refinery will be built between a border town in Niger Republic and Kastina State in Nigeria, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has disclosed.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, recently led a delegation to the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, with the Energy Minister of the country, Foumakoye Gado, also in attendance.
While giving the outcome of the visit to the media on Wednesday, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources said the technical agreement will soon be signed between the two countries.
The agreement, the ministry said, will include “building of crude oil pipeline from Niger to the new refinery.”
The information had earlier been posted on Twitter, where it was said that the visit “to Niger Republic will lead to a definite agreement for the design and construction of a new refinery to be located at a border town between Nigeria and Niger.”
The post Nigeria aims to build refinery close to Niger Republic appeared first on Tribune.
Nigeria aims to build refinery close to Niger Republic
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Court Sentences Businessman To 4 Years In Prison For Rapping Minor
An Upper Area Court III sitting in Kasuwan Nama, Jos North, on Friday sentenced a 31-year-old businessman, Joseph Vongjem to fours years in prison for rapping a 13-year-old girl.
Upper Area Court judge Yahaya Mohammed, did not give the convict any option of fine.
The accused had pleaded guilty to the offence which prosecutors said was contrary to Section 283 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria.
“’ I am very sorry for what I have done to the innocent girl. I will never do it again have mercy on me, ‘’ Vongjem pleaded.
The prosecutor, Sgt. D. A. Edward, had told the court that the case was reported on Sept. 20 2017 by one Musa Sunday, the victim’s grandfather at the Nassarawa Gwom Police Station.
Edward told the court that the accused lured the 13-year-old girl, to his room with N500 and raped her.
The post Court Sentences Businessman To 4 Years In Prison For Rapping Minor appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Court Sentences Businessman To 4 Years In Prison For Rapping Minor
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It’s painful to see Zidane suffer at Real Madrid – Xavi
The iconic midfielder compared the coach to Lionel Messi as a player who finds favour in every corner of the footballing world
It’s painful to see Zidane suffer at Real Madrid – Xavi
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Transfer news & rumours: Man Utd target Barcelona's Umtiti
Goal takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and beyond
Transfer news & rumours: Man Utd target Barcelona's Umtiti
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NNPC, Fuel Subsidy And Corruption
Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki spoke the mind of many Nigerians the other time when he decried the corruption embedded in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). His concern, coming as the organisation confirmed details of fuel subsidy regime which government had stopped about three years ago, is a reminder that all is not well with the organisation. Until the corporation undergoes a major cleansing of its corruption ailment, the country is unlikely to make any staggering progress.
Interestingly, prominent citizens have in the past lamented perceived high level of graft in the Octopus organisation. Curiously however, no one has been able to muster the political courage to take holistic measures to unravel the assumed corruption. It should agitate the mind of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), investigating subsidy payment to extend its investigation into alleged corruption in the corporation.
A few days ago, NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru told the Senate Committee that the federal government spent a staggering N4,950.80 trillion on fuel subsidy between January 2006 and December 2015. The corporation’s Chief Financial Officer who gave details of the operations, recalled that fuel subsidy regime started in October 2003 when government directed the NNPC to buy domestic crude oil at international price without a corresponding liberalisation of the regulated price of petroleum products.
Sadly, the country has since then been unable to disentangle itself from the corruption web that has been continually woven around fuel subsidy. Shortly after the present administration of General Muhammadu Buhari came into government in 2015, government announced a total removal of subsidy on petroleum products, bringing the price of petrol to N143 – N145 per litre. Paying the price was painful to Nigerians who hoped nonetheless that the action would foreclose the huge financial scam that fuel subsidy has become.
That relief was short-lived by recent admission that government has again been subsidising fuel. Saraki’s quest for “critical reforms” of the downstream oil and gas industry is particularly informed by his observation that despite the stoppage of the fuel subsidy regime, and non-appropriation for the scheme, the “fuel subsidy payments continue to be paid from our commomwealth illegally without appropriation by the National Assembly.”
Besides Saraki, former Governor of Central Bank, and now Emir of kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, regularly decried alleged corruption in the NNPC and the petroleum industry. In 2013, Sanusi wrote to the then President Goodluck Jonathan that NNPC failed to remit $20 billion oil revenue to the federation account, an allegation that the corporation denied.
However, shadows of financial irregularities continue to haunt NNPC since then, as manifested in the fact that many past leaders of the corporation have corrupt charges or investigation hanging over them. In virtually all the cases, Nigerians are yet to be informed of the whole truth surrounding the inquiries.
The aura of lack of transparency on NNPC seems to have aggravated over the past two years following President Buhari’s assumption of the Petroleum Minister portfolio. As Minister, Buhari has not spoken much on matters affecting his ministry; while information coming from the minister of state is limited in authority. As witnessed recently, Kachikwu’s authority was actually questioned by the corporation’s GMD. All these facts tend to portray the NNPC as a fertile organisation for perpetrating corruption.
The executive obviously lacks the political will to sanitize NNPC; but the number 3 citizen (Saraki)’s interest in cleansing the corporation provides a ray of hope for Nigerians angling for such sanitisation. Saraki should live his talk by ensuring that NNPC’s financial accounts are publicly and professionally scrutinised to expose hidden irregularities.
An independent commission of inquiry is ideal for the task of investigating the corporation to unravel not just the suspected fuel subsidy scam, but also the several allegations of missing moneys and fraudulent contracts. The findings of such an investigation should be made public and appropriate action taken against erring personnel. To enable him concentrate on other pressing state matters, President Buhari should divest himself of the onerous responsibility of superintending the petroleum ministry; and appoint one of the many eminently qualified Nigerians to perform the job.
The post NNPC, Fuel Subsidy And Corruption appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
NNPC, Fuel Subsidy And Corruption
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Bayelsa introduces free feeding programme in public schools
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Bayelsa introduces free feeding programme in public schools
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