Global Naija Info

British MPs The British Member of Parliaments, MPs have voted to back the government’s plan to start formal talks on Brexit by the end of March next year. They also supported a Labour motion calling for Parliament to “properly scrutinise” the government over its plan for leaving the EU. The votes followed a compromise between Labour and the Conservatives, who had argued over the questions to be put. The House of Commons’ decisions are not binding on ministers. MPs backed Labour’s motion, calling for scrutiny of the government over Brexit, by 448 votes to 75 – a margin of 373. This followed another vote over the government’s amendment to the motion – adding the proviso that the Brexit timetable should be respected – by 461 votes to 89 – a margin of 372. -BBC

Amosun and YAYI Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Ogun State Government, Adejuwon Soyinka has debunked claims that Governor Ibikunle Amosun was behind plans to demolish the Ilaro house of Senator Olamilekan Adeola. The house was on Tuesday marked for demolition by the Ogun State Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning for violating urban planning laws. A statement issued by Soyinka said the attention of the state government had been drawn to some unfounded allegations making the rounds that Amosun ordered the demolition of the Ilaro, country home of Adeola, otherwise known as Yayi. “For the avoidance of doubt, it must be clearly stated that Governor Amosun has no hands in whatever may be going on with the said property. Contrary to insinuations making the rounds, the property in question was first served contravention notice by the Ogun State Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning, on January 6, 2014. “At that time, the owners of the building, which was then at window leve

Executive Chairman, LIRS, Mr Hamzat Ayodele Subair The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has issued 16-day ultimatum to all taxpayers in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria to remit all overdue taxes/levies or faced prosecution. The ultimatum, which has already begun ends on 16 December, 2016. Executive Chairman, LIRS, Mr Hamzat Ayodele Subair said the service, had in the last few months embarked on massive advocacy and enlightenment programmes, taking Lagos residents and taxpayers through a process of education on the laws bordering on tax administration and the need and benefits of paying taxes as and when due. “In spite of the significant decline in the allocation from the federation accounts, the Lagos State government is still embarking on massive infrastructural development and renewal; these cannot be achieved if tax payers deliberately refuse to discharge their civic responsibility to the State. “Taxpayers are hereby advised to clear all outstanding payments on or be

Mr Francis Odesanya, Rivers State Commissioner of Police The Rivers State Police Command has announced restriction of man and vehicular movements ahead of the forthcoming legislative re-run elections in Rivers State. The command in a statement signed by its spokesman, Omoni Nnamdi, stated: “There will be total restriction of movement of persons and vehicles between the hours of 12 midnight on Friday 9/12/2016 and 8 pm on Saturday 10/12/2016, both on land and waterways.” “The Command further wishes to emphasize that important personalities and politicians are barred from going to any voting centre with their security details. They are also warned to desist from moving from one place to another on the election day, as provided under the Electoral Act. “Movement is strictly restricted from place of abode to voting centres and back. “The Police and other security agencies will be moving to ensure strict compliance. “Once again, the Commissioner of Police Rivers State, CP. Francis M.

Amosun and YAYI The politics of 2019 has begun to rear up in Ogun State as the State Government has marked the Ilaro home of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola aka YAYI for demolition. This came after the Ilaro home of YAYI hosted over 200 former Ogun State local government councilors who are garnering support for the governorship ambition of Adeola in 2019. Officials from the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Board visited the mansion on 6 December, 2016 giving the owner a notice of demolition in three days time. According to a demolition notice served owner of the building by the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Board, the property was constructed without approved plan. It ordered that the approval for the building should be produced at the office immediately to ascertain the authenticity. The demolition notice served the property The notice said if the property owner failed to remove the property within three days, it would be demolished. A source closed to YAYI

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday swore in new commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the weekly National Executive Council Meeting at the State House, Abuja. Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo in an handshake with Abubakar Ahmed Nahuche, one of the just sworn-in INEC Commissioners at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, 7th Dec 2016. Photo: Novo Isioro Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo in an handshake with Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, one of the just sworn-in INEC Commissioners at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, 7th Dec 2016. Photo: Novo Isioro Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo in an handshake with Prof Okechukwu Obinna Ibeanu, one of the just sworn-in INEC Commissioners at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, 7th Dec 2016. Photo: Novo Isioro 5. President Buhari and Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo in a group photo with the just sworn-in INEC Commissioners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,

Beyonce Beyonce got a leading nine Grammy nominations on Tuesday, followed by Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West with eight nods each. The nominations unfolded as pop, R&B and hip hop took centre stage in the contest for the music industry’s highest honors. Beyonce’s haul included album, song and record of the year, the top three Grammy accolades, for her hit song “Formation” and visual album “Lemonade,” a collection of songs about race, feminism and empowerment. The R&B singer, 35, will compete head-on with Britain’s Adele, the only other artist to be nominated for all three top awards. The highly gifted singer is staging a return to the Grammys after sweeping up six statuettes in 2012 for her album “21.” Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” Canadian hip hop star Drake’s “Views” and country musician Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” rounded out the contenders for album of the year. Among the major snubs was West’s “The Life of Pablo” album. It was shut out of the album,

The same model of PIA plane prepares to fly the Chitral-Islamabad route in 2015-AFP A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight with more than 40 people on board has crashed in the north of the country. Flight PK-661 “lost contact with the control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago”, the airline said in a statement. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told the BBC that the wreckage had not yet been found. The national carrier has been accused of safety failures in the past. In the last major crash in 2006, 44 people died. The plane came down in the Havelian area, about 70km (43 miles) north of Islamabad, local media are reporting. The plane took off from Chitral at around 10:00GMT (15:00 local time), losing contact 90 minutes later, shortly before it was due to arrive at its destination, media report. A famous former pop singer turned Islamic preacher, Junaid Jamshed, and his wife were on the flight’s passenger list, according to lea

Rotimi Amaechi says Governor Wike is responsible for Rivers killings With three days to the December 10 re-run elections in Rivers State, former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has alleged that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike cannot deny his involvement and sponsorship of the killing of innocent Rivers people and stalwarts of the APC in the 2015 general elections and the March 19 re-run elections in the state. Amaechi spoke with newsmen at the Port Harcourt International airport on arrival in the State for the Saturday re-run legislative elections in the State. He said the cache of arms and ammunition Wike recovered from cultists during the first phase of the Rivers state Amnesty Programme were evidences to buttress his allegations. According to him,”Wike has not denied he did not kill people, he sponsored those who carried arms in the 2015 general elections, even, during the campaigns, our people were beaten, manhandle

Patience Jonathan Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court Lagos, on Wednesday, further adjourned till Jan. 18, 2017, hearing in a suit by ex first Lady, Patience Jonathan, seeking enforcement of her fundamental rights. Jonathan had instituted the fundamental rights suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), claiming the sum of 200 million dollars as damages for inconveniences suffered. In her suit, she also joined Skye bank Plc, and a former aide to ex president Goodluck Jonathan, Warampo Dudafa as respondents. Also joined in the suit are four companies namely: Pluto Property Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd, Transocean company Ltd and Globus Integrated Service Ltd. When the case was called on Wednesday, counsel to Jonathan, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN) informed the court of a motion seeking to regularise his processes before the court. Justice Idris granted him leave to amend his processes, while the court also granted leav

NIMC The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it registered 60,000 persons for the national identity cards in Borno in 2016. Mr Zaman Yaksha, the state Coordinator of the commission, who told newsmen on Wednesday in Maiduguri on Wednesday, said that the enrollees were captured between January and November, amid security challenges. “NIMC targets 7 million people across the states of the country. “The NIMC enrollment in Borno, which was suspended early 2015 due to the security crisis, resumed in January 2016. “We started enrollment since January 2016 with lots of challenges, especially inadequate funding. “We don’t have offices in all the local government areas as expected so, this makes the registration centre in Maiduguri overwhelmed with people,” he said. The coordinator, however, said that NIMC had four offices in Gubio, Gubio Local Government, Biu, Biu Local Government, University of Maiduguri and Sir Kashim Ibrahim College of Education in Maiduguri. Yaksha

Nduka Obaigbena, Publisher, THISDAY Newspapers Group *As staff demand payment of salary arrears After owing staff salaries ranging from 10 to 17 months, THISDAY Newspapers Limited has sacked 76 workers. The workers were sacked on Monday in a bid by the troubled newspaper outfit to navigate through the biting economic recession in the country. THISDAY staff are being owed months of salaries even while the company is making billions of naira through advertising, special projects and others annually. The newspaper outfit is owned by Nduka Obaigbena, a shrewd business man who was fingered in the $2.1 billion arms scandal, but had to return some millions before being left off the hook. The sacked staff have not been paid their arrears of salaries and had been laid off with nothing to fall back on. Some staff said they were being owed 11 months, others 17 months. Some claimed that they only received salary only once this year. Some editors of the newspaper are being owed between 15

Donald-Trump, US president-elect United States president-elect Donald Trump has been named Person of the Year by Time magazine. The business tycoon-turned-politician defied the polls to win the US 2016 presidential election and is seen by many as a divisive standard bearer for right-wing anti-establishment movements across the globe. “It’s hard to measure the scale of his disruption,” a statement released on Times magazine’s website reads, describing its choice as “for better or worse.”

EKEDC logo The Management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) has said that over 138 transformers worth N700 million had been acquired for replacement of faulty ones to boost supply during the festive period. Mr Oladele Amoda, the EKEDC’s managing director made the disclosed during an inspection of newly acquired equipment at their Ijora main store in Lagos on Wednesday. Amoda said that the company’s directors source for fund to acquire equipment that would improve the electricity supply within its network to teeming customers during the yuletide season. According to him, the company is always thinking of how to satisfy its customers. ”The purchase of the new transformers is to ensure that our customers enjoy the yuletide season with quality supply. “We have embarked on massive replacement of faulty transformers within the network, we expected customers to reciprocate this gesture by paying their bills. “We also expect communities who will benefit from the tran

Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), chapter of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin on Wednesday appealed to the Lagos State Government to consider a bailout for the college in 2017. Mr. Micheal Avosentinyenon, Chairman of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the bailout would enable the college to address some of its challenges. Avosentinyenon said that the college’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was not enough to meet all its demands. According to him, the management has not been able to meet the demands of its staff and students due to the paucity of funds. “The IGR is rapidly dwindling, considering the present economic recession in the country. “That is why we are appealing to the state government to come to the aid of the college with bailout funds to enable the management to address some of the challenges. “We have been appealing and will continue to appea

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta. The criminal trial of Justice Sylvester Ngwuta by the Federal High Court, Abuja was on Wednesday stalled on allegation of untimely service of `trial processes’ on the defence team. Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), the defence lead counsel had filed an oral motion seeking adjournment in order to avail him of documentary evidence brought against Ngwuta. The presiding judge, Justice John Tsoho held that the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act allowed five adjournments on instances of parties. He also said Section 396 of the Act gave wider room for persons charged for criminal offence to be availed the allowance to prepare for trial. “This opportunity also extends to the psychological and emotion disposition of the defendant. “However, no defendant that is worth his or her salt would allow criminal charges to hang around him or her. This application has merit and it is upheld. “The defence team is obliged time to use this period to study the charges, eviden

max-air Four former employees of Max Air Ltd have dragged the company to the National Industrial Court, Kano, over alleged wrongful termination of their appointments. The four dismissed staff included two engineers, Hamisu Garba and Usman Tofa, as well as Capt Auwal Idris and Flight Engr Tony Dipriye. The aggrieved former staff are challenging the company over its refusal to pay their seven-year entitlements, including their Contributory Pension and three months salaries in lieu of notice. The affected staff, who were pioneer employees of the company, are also challenging the airline for sacking them without any reason and giving some of them appointments without financial backing. The case which was slated for hearing on Dec. 7, could not be mentioned following the filing of two motions by the defence counsel, Mr M.M. Garba. The motions which were filed on Dec. 2, are seeking the extension of time to file a Memorandum of Appearance and statements of Defence, to forward the cas

Federal Polytechnic, Auchi Authorities of the Federal Polytechnic Auchi in Edo have sacked 13 lecturers and demoted 16 others over sexual harassment and extortion of students. Mr Mustapha Oshiobugie, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of the institution in Auchi on Wednesday said that the affected lecturers had been officially notified. “A total of 41 persons were involved in sexual harassment and extortion of money. “Five lecturers were dismissed, eight got their appointments terminated and 16 were demoted. “Four others were warned, two advised, two cautioned, one recommended for mentoring while two students were denied further admission in the institution. “Painstaking investigations have been done by internal and independent panels constituted by the National Board for Technical Education and Ministry of Education,” he said. Oshiobugie added that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu approved the action based on the recommendations of the panels.

Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, Chairman, NURTW, Lagos State. Mr. Tajudeen Agbede, Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State Chapter, has advised members of the union to drive safely during the forthcoming yuletide. Agbede gave the advice on Wednesday in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said that some drivers view December as a month to maximize their profit and therefore embark on excessive speeding and overloading which is against traffic rules and regulations. He said: “my advice to our members is to drive safely during the forthcoming festive period. “Drivers should understand that safety is more important than socio-economic activities attach to the festivities. “They must be cautious and abide by traffic rules and road signs at any particular point in time.” Agbede warned members of the association not to consume alcohol while on the wheel and desist from wrongful overtaking. He appealed to the drivers to install spee

Beyonce Beyonce got a leading nine Grammy nominations on Tuesday, followed by Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West with eight nods each. The nominations unfolded as pop, R&B and hip hop took centre stage in the contest for the music industry’s highest honors. Beyonce’s haul included album, song and record of the year, the top three Grammy accolades, for her hit song “Formation” and visual album “Lemonade,” a collection of songs about race, feminism and empowerment. The R&B singer, 35, will compete head-on with Britain’s Adele, the only other artist to be nominated for all three top awards. The highly gifted singer is staging a return to the Grammys after sweeping up six statuettes in 2012 for her album “21.” Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” Canadian hip hop star Drake’s “Views” and country musician Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” rounded out the contenders for album of the year. Among the major snubs was West’s “The Life of Pablo” album. It was shut out of the album,

The Kano State Government says it has concluded plans to provide 100 companies out of the 600 in the state with constant power supply. Alhaji Rabiu Bako, the State’s Commissioner of Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after defending the ministry’s 2017 proposed budget at the state assembly. Bako said the ministry proposed to expend over N1.7 billion to complete ongoing projects including the state hydropower project. He said that the power project when completed, would play a vital role in addressing power shortage in industrial areas of the state. Bako said: “we have discussed with the management of 100 companies out of the 600 we have in the state on this issue of power. “We have concluded to provide them with constant power supply during their production hours; after which we can divert the power to other places including our major streets.” The commissioner expressed confidence that the hydropower would boost the state’s economy when c

President Buhari and the INEC commissioners President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in the newly-appointed Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The swearing-in was conducted inside the Council chamber of the State House Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday. The ceremony was done shortly before the commencement of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council. The nominees were earlier confirmed by the Senate and were sworn-in by the president as required by Section 154(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended. The six nominees are Ogunmola Ladipo, May Agbamuche, Abubakar Nahuche and Okechukwu Ibianu. Others are Mohammed Haruna and Ahmad Muazu. Mr. Ladipo, from Oyo State, was born on May 7, 1952. Until his swearing-in Wednesday, he was the Resident Independent Electoral Commission, REC, in Lagos State. Mrs. Agbamuche, a lawyer, is the Editor Thisday Lawyer, a publication of Thisday Newspaper. Abubakar Nahuche, from Zamfara State, was born

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Wednesday, launched four handbooks on four policies for the Nigerian Army. They are the Nigerian Army Strategy in the North-East; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Telephone and Human Rights. Launching the handbooks at the venue of the ongoing Chief of Army Staff Conference in Owerri, Buratai urged officers and men of the Army to read and apply the policies accordingly. On policy on strategy in the North-East, Buratai said it was formulated and published for the benefit of officers, especially commanders operating in the area. He also said that the strategy was good for all aspiring commanders across all the army formations. “Once you read and apply it, you will definitely operate seamlessly in all Theatre of operations,” the chief of army staff said. The handbooks were restricted to army personnel.

Justice Suleiman Dikko, Chief Judge of Nasarawa State. Justice Suleiman Dikko, the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State has advised civil servants in the state to plan well for their retirement while in service. Dikko gave the advice on Wednesday in Lafia at a one-day workshop organized by the High Court Headquarters to some retiring staff from various High Courts in the state. Dikko, who was represented Sunday Bawa, Chief Registrar, state High Court, said that the workshop was to prepare the minds of the staff concerned due for retirement in 2017. He said, “Every civil servant should start preparing for his or her retirement the very first day he or she is engaged as a civil servant.” He warned that if civil servants failed to plan for their retirement, they would face a lot of challenges after living active public service because they would no longer have adequate strength to engage in income generating activities again. “The only key to success, either during active service or afte

President Muhammadu Buhari Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday struck out a defamation suit filed last year by President Muhammadu Buhari against DAAR Communications, owner of the African Independent Television, Punch reports. Details soon…

FILE PHOTO: 800 tourists stranded in Havelock Island due to heavy rain, Indian Navy dispatches evacuation ships. The Indian Navy on Wednesday launched operations to evacuate 800 tourists stranded on an island in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Island archipelago amid heavy rains. Navy spokesman DK Sharma said four ships were waiting off Havelock Island to rescue the tourists and bring them to the main city of Port Blair. “Several of the tourists reportedly are foreign nationals. “Turbulent seas, fierce winds and continuous rains are hampering rescue operations, the moment the weather opens up, we will bring everyone out,” Sharma said. The regional administration had requested the evacuation because of heavy rains since on Tuesday. India’s weather bureau forecast heavy rains in the region till Thursday due to a tropical depression that could turn into a cyclonic storm in the coming days. The archipelago, located 1,200 kilometers off the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal, compris

NSCDC operatives The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Plateau command, has apprehended three illegal miners in Mista Ali Village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau. The state Commandant of the NSCDC, Solomon Olasupo, who presented the illegal miners before newsmen, on Wednesday in Jos, said that the arrest was made based on security tip-off. He said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as all investigations were concluded. The commandant said the suspects are; Akinga Lamindi, Bitrus Bala and Anas Aliyu. He said that the illegal miners were apprehended at the site by officers and men of the command. According to Olasupo, the culprits were caught with the following items, pumping machine, three bags of tin and columbite, shovels, diggers and other extracting implements. Accordingly, the men were also found to be in possession of some substances suspected to be hard drugs, he said. He explained that if an individual had a piece of land in w

Elechi Amadi, renowned writer buried The news of the demise of the literary icon, Captain Elechi Amadi (retd.), who died on June 29 at the age of 82 was received with shock in the literary world. After a six-day burial programme announced by the state burial committee, his remains was laid to rest in his family compound in Mgbodo Aluu, in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State on Saturday December 3. From the start, the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, made it categorically clear that the burial of the renowned novelist and poet would not be localised but accorded a state burial as a mark honour for his giant achievement in both the literary world and the selfless public service. Some observers also said that Wike decided to accord late Elechi Amadi state burial because the former governor and Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had announced that he would bankroll the burial along with his friends. If the plan of the former governor was allowed to sail through, the

Dr Junaidu Mohammed The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has described as “uncharitable and baseless”, the allegation by a former House of Representatives member, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, that President Muhammadu Buhari had exploited religion in 2015 to gain political advantage and power. The Chairman of the group, Malam Muhammad Labbo, made the remark in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday. Labbo said the allegations were totally false and misleading because they didn’t reflect the realities of the political career of Buhari in 2003, 2007 2011 and 2015. According to him, “if Buhari was a religious bigot, he wouldn’t have repeatedly chosen Christians as his running mates and resisted the idea of a Muslim/Muslim ticket”. He reminded Junaid that Buhari chose Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his Vice President and appointed another Pastor, David Lawal, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He said these facts contradicted Junaidu

public-toilet Bio-Power Environmental Solutions Ltd, says the establishment of high-quality public toilets can generate revenue, create 11,000 jobs and promote a healthier environment in the country. Mr Yomi Awoniyi, Country Manager of the company made this known in Abuja on Wednesday. Awoniyi said that construction of high-quality toilets with effective treatment would encourage sustainability of such toilets and support healthier environment in the society. He said that one of the objectives of the company was to ensure a healthy environment by producing anti-septic products such as Bio-Sol SL36 for treating toilets and environment. He said that the product was an organic solution without chemically based product used in treating of pit toilets, septic tanks, restaurants, industries, schools, hospitals among others. According to him, the process of treating toilets goes a long way to generate revenue and jobs for our people. “We have working model, which by treating 20,000 t

Elechi Amadi, renowned writer buried The news of the demise of the literary icon, Captain Elechi Amadi (retd.), who died on June 29 at the age of 82 was received with shock in the literary world. After a six-day burial programme announced by the state burial committee, his remains was laid to rest in his family compound in Mgbodo Aluu, in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State on Saturday December 3. From the start, the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, made it categorically clear that the burial of the renowned novelist and poet would not be localised but accorded a state burial as a mark honour for his giant achievement in both the literary world and the selfless public service. Some observers also said that Wike decided to accord late Elechi Amadi state burial because the former governor and Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had announced that he would bankroll the burial along with his friends. If the plan of the former governor was allowed to sail through, the

Governor Ibikunle Amosun The Ogun Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Jide Ojuko, said on Wednesday that the 37 newly-created Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) across the state would commence full operations next week. Ojuko disclosed this while defending the 2017 budget proposals of his ministry before the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Abeokuta. The commissioner explained that 30 out of the 37 new LCDAs now had offices, adding that the remaining seven LCDAs were still managing with their parent local government councils. “We had some challenges but I can assure you that in the next one week, our new LCDAs will take off fully. “I can also confirm to you that almost all the elected councillors will be sworn on Thursday and I want to also state that some of the communities have provided offices for the LCDAs,” he said. The commissioner said that the local governments had a total budget of N175million as their tota

Yemen-ship No fewer than 60 people were missing after a ship capsized in high seas off the coast of Yemen, a media report said on Wednesday. The report added that the ship came into difficulty on Tuesday while sailing to Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean from Hadramout province. It noted that rescue teams have managed to rescue no fewer than two passengers

President-Buhari The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has described as “uncharitable and baseless”, the allegation by a former House of Representatives member, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, that President Muhammadu Buhari had exploited religion in 2015 to gain political advantage and power. The Chairman of the group, Malam Muhammad Labbo, made the remark in a statement made available in Abuja on Wednesday. Labbo said the allegations were totally false and misleading because they didn’t reflect the realities of the political career of Buhari in 2003, 2007 2011 and 2015. According to him, “if Buhari was a religious bigot, he wouldn’t have repeatedly chosen Christians as his running mates and resisted the idea of a Muslim/Muslim ticket’’. He reminded Junaid that Buhari chose Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his Vice President and appointed another Pastor, David Lawal, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He said these facts contradicted Junaidu’s claims which portrayed President Bu