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Carlos Ghosn, who denies any wrongdoing, now faces four charges in Japan over misconduct allegations.

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The group had been missing since last Wednesday whilst climbing Howse Peake in Banff National Park.

Uwani Danjuma, a 30-year-old man, has killed his wife for planning to remarry after his death.

The incident occurred in Uddu Village in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger state.

According to Danjuma, his wife had told him when he was sick weeks earlier that she would get married to another man if he died.

Angered by his wife's declaration, Danjuma hacked her to death with a machete when he recovered from the sickness.

Confessing to the crime, the suspect said his wife was sleeping when he carried out his heinous crime, saying he purposely killed his wife because of her comment.

“I can’t imagine my own wife telling me that if I died, she would remarry," he said.

"I lost my temper and inflicted injuries on her neck with machete which led to her death. I am not regretting killing her since she wanted me to die; I killed her so that she will not remarry.

"She should not have said that to my hearing; there is power in the spoken words, so let her go. Allah will send her to hell fire for that unguarded comment.”

Mohammad Abubakar, spokesman of the Police in the state, said the suspect was arrested based on a tip-off, adding that the suspect would still be charged to court.

 

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Aiteo Oil Company, operator of OML 29, has declared a force majeure on Nembe Creek Trunkline due to a fire incident around NCTL RoW near Awoba area, Rivers State.

The force majeure clause is a standard clause in most contracts and it includes events such as natural disasters, wars and other occurrences not within the power or control of the executing party, that make the implementation of the contract impossible.

According to Aiteo, security agencies have been informed of the fire outbreak by the surveillance team.

Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) is a 97 kilometre, 150,000 barrels of oil per day pipeline which leads to the export terminal at Bonny Island, Rivers state .

A statement by Aiteo spokesman, Ndiana Matthew, claimed the incident was a third-party interference.

"We have been informed of a fire outbreak by our surveillance team comprising the JTF, FSS around NCTL RoW near Awoba today, 21 April 2019," read the statement.

"Our Operations Emergency Response team was immediately activated and following its urgent intervention and containment action, we are constrained to shut in injection as well as other related operations into the NCTL. In accordance with standard procedure, we requested the other injectors to do same.

"The NCTL has, hitherto, enjoyed smooth operations preceding this incident, founding suspicion that this fire may have occurred through an illegitimate, third-party breach of the functionality of the pipeline, critical national asset. In the meantime, the relevant investigations are continuing while further information about the remote and direct causes of the fire will be communicated as soon as these become available. We ask our stakeholders to await further, detailed briefing in due course."

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Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  has accused Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, both former members of the party, of budget padding.

Saraki, President of the Senate, and Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, were members of Tinubu’s party until they defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018 in the thick of pre-2019 election permutations.

Dogara will return to the House when the next lower chamber is inaugurated in June; however, Saraki’s eight-year run in the Senate will be interrupted next month, having lost the Kwara Central senatorial election to Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the APC.

Still, Tinubu is keen to avoid the kind of fractious executive-legislature relations that dominated the outgoing political dispensation. On Sunday, while responding to mounting claims of his intention to run for President in 2023, he could not help recalling how Saraki and Dogara manipulated the budget.

“Just look at the way Saraki, Dogara and their ilk hijacked the budget process these past four years,” he said in a statement released by Tunde Rahman, his spokesman.

“National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them. Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects that would have benefitted the average person. After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly.
 
“If we are truly committed to optimal governance, then we also must be equally committed to ensuring that the National Assembly leadership be competent and experienced as well as imbued with a progressive mindset and a desire to work in close cooperation with executive. This is all Asiwaju has hoped to achieve. There are no ulterior motives. Everything he has done is in concert with and in furtherance of the wishes of President Buhari and the party.”
 
On his remoured presidential ambition, Tinubu said, in part: “We have monitored, with rising incredulity, the rash of news stories claiming Asiwaju Tinubu is manipulating the APC nomination process for the National Assembly leadership. The stories claim this supposed manipulation is the first salvo in Asiwaju’s effort to position himself for a presidential run during the 2023 election cycle. Not only are these reports utterly false, based as they are in the febrile imaginations of those persons by whom they are being peddled, they are injurious to President Buhari’s historic quest to reform Nigeria. It is for this latter reason that we find cause to speak out where otherwise we would have continued to watch on in silent amusement.
 
“Nigeria has barely emerged from President Buhari and the APC’s resounding victory in the last election. The President, with the support of an APC majority in both chambers of our National Assembly, is now preparing to lead the nation forward for the next four years. Instead of covering the President’s exciting Next Level agenda and what it promises in terms of economic and social growth & development, these people want to skip ahead to the next election as if they can cast aside the next four years. 
 
“However, the Nigerian people do not elect politicians to office simply to watch on as they maneuver and jostle for position at the next election. The people elect those who they believe will be the best public servants, committed to the national wellbeing. This is why they reelected in President Buhari while rejecting the horde of political jobbers that constitute the PDP.  
 
“The peddlers of these rumors have arrogated to themselves the preternatural ability to read Asiwaju’s mind more than he himself can know it. They also seem to have acquired the unique gift of bending time so that 2023 appears before we even reach the midway point of 2019. If these people would only enlist their uncanny talents in the service of the nation instead of in the service of political intrigue and gossip mongering our country would be much the better.
 
“This attempt to caricature Asiwaju as if his words and actions are all aimed at grabbing power will fail because this portrait distorts the plain truth. While the headlines are sensational they are also senseless because they are not grounded in fact. Asiwaju has not run for elected office since 2003. He last held office in 2007. He has never vied to become chairman of the APC nor has he tried to insinuate himself into any major government office.” 

Tinubu’s budget-padding allegations are nothing new, particulalrly in the House of Representatives, where Kano lawmaker Abdulmumin Jibrin blatantly fingered the Speaker and other principal lawmakers as culprits, only for him to be suspended for 180 legislative days — more than a calendar year.

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A video circulating on Chinese social media appears to show a parked Tesla car erupting into flames.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a cross-appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State capital, against the judgment of a Federal High Court in Gombe that partially upheld a no-case submission by former Governor Danjuma Goje.

The commission tried Goje and two others — Alhaji Aliyu El-Nafaty and Dokoro Gombe (alias S.M Dokoro) — on an amended N5billion fraud charge.

Making his claim through Wahab Shittu, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, the commission said Goje, between September and November 2010, allegedly forged a document titled 'Resolution authorising His Excellency the Executive Governor of Gombe State to acquire loan of N5,000,000,000.00 only', with Ref. No: GM/HA/RES/VOL. 1/17.

The commission said the resolution was purportedly signed by Shehu Atiku, Clerk of the Gombe State House of Assembly, with the intent that it be acted on as genuine by Access Bank Plc.

The N5 billion facility was obtained from Access Bank by the Goje administration for infrastructural projects.

EFCC said its investigations on the loan revealed that the purported House resolution authorising it was forged; the approval did not pass through the right processes.

Ruling on Goje’s no-case submission on March 22, Justice O. B. Quadri dismissed 19 of the 21-count charge.

Goje filed an appeal to challenge the court’s refusal to up-hold his no-case submission in its entirety.

In its cross-appeal, EFCC faulted lower court ruling on several grounds.

The commission said the lower court embarked on extensive evaluation of evidence, including the credibility of prosecution witnesses in its ruling.

“The court at the stage of no-case submission is not expected to consider credibility of witnesses or evaluate the evidence,” Shittu said.

Also cited as evidence against the ruling of the lower court was that it ignored prima facie evidential materials contained in several exhibits tendered before it.

The EFCC counsel added that the court failed to consider that the N5 billion facility did not comply with rules for capital expenditure.

He said the court also ignored the fact that the purported resolution authorising the loan was forged.

After highlighting several other errors by the lower court, Shittu urged the Court of Appeal to set aside aspects of the ruling sustaining Goje’s no-case submission, and also asked for an order directing the defendants to enter their defence in respect of the counts for which they were discharged.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a cross-appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State capital, against the judgment of a Federal High Court in Gombe that partially upheld a no-case submission by former Governor Danjuma Goje.

The commission tried Goje and two others — Alhaji Aliyu El-Nafaty and Dokoro Gombe (alias S.M Dokoro) — on an amended N5billion fraud charge.

Making his claim through Wahab Shittu, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, the commission said Goje, between September and November 2010, allegedly forged a document titled 'Resolution authorising His Excellency the Executive Governor of Gombe State to acquire loan of N5,000,000,000.00 only', with Ref. No: GM/HA/RES/VOL. 1/17.

The commission said the resolution was purportedly signed by Shehu Atiku, Clerk of the Gombe State House of Assembly, with the intent that it be acted on as genuine by Access Bank Plc.

The N5 billion facility was obtained from Access Bank by the Goje administration for infrastructural projects.

EFCC said its investigations on the loan revealed that the purported House resolution authorising it was forged; the approval did not pass through the right processes.

Ruling on Goje’s no-case submission on March 22, Justice O. B. Quadri dismissed 19 of the 21-count charge.

Goje filed an appeal to challenge the court’s refusal to up-hold his no-case submission in its entirety.

In its cross-appeal, EFCC faulted lower court ruling on several grounds.

The commission said the lower court embarked on extensive evaluation of evidence, including the credibility of prosecution witnesses in its ruling.

“The court at the stage of no-case submission is not expected to consider credibility of witnesses or evaluate the evidence,” Shittu said.

Also cited as evidence against the ruling of the lower court was that it ignored prima facie evidential materials contained in several exhibits tendered before it.

The EFCC counsel added that the court failed to consider that the N5 billion facility did not comply with rules for capital expenditure.

He said the court also ignored the fact that the purported resolution authorising the loan was forged.

After highlighting several other errors by the lower court, Shittu urged the Court of Appeal to set aside aspects of the ruling sustaining Goje’s no-case submission, and also asked for an order directing the defendants to enter their defence in respect of the counts for which they were discharged.

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Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, has lamented that Rivers State is now "almost always in the news for the wrong reasons".

Amaechi stated this in his Easter message on Sunday, and implored the people to "find our way back to the path of a glorious future".

He also urged Rivers people and other Nigerians to have hope and a renewed commitment to wait till the resurrection morning.

”In a season like this when we mark the most important festival in the Christian calendar, it is wise that we don’t forget there are people we owe love, care and understanding,” he said.

”No doubt, our state has endured a tortuous political season, which saw political parties jostle and cajole Rivers people to make choices. Our state, which was known and respected as the Treasure Base of the nation, is now almost always in the news for the wrong reasons. This is not the Rivers State of our dreams. We must find our way back to the path of a glorious future. I am one of you, therefore, as your father, son and brother, i beseech you to be of good courage and join hands to build and restore the glory of our state.”

He urged people of the state to imbibe the lessons that the Easter season brings, such as the transformation of Christ from betrayal, torture and death to a glorious triumph on the Resurrection Morning.

"Let’s also remember that one of the lessons that we can take out of the Easter experience is the suffering, shame and despair of the Apostles, yet they were resolute in truth, bound by love and remained a united family until the morning of resurrection. Surely and truly, there is hope for all our hopelessness as the Cross of Christ, which represents His sufferings and death, an atonement for our sins for the sake of love are all virtues we all must imbibe this season,” he said.

”For us as Rivers people, this is a moment for sober reflection and forgiveness. I will not hesitate to implore that we all ask God for forgiveness and mercy for all the things done or left undone and from the citizens for the pain and anguish that they have brazenly suffered which most times are unreported. The persistence of gang violence, kidnappings and killings in parts of the state has dealt a telling blow on the psyche of the people. People no longer feel safe or sleep with their two eyes closed.

”For those of us who feel a sense of personal loss as a result of the last electioneering in the state, I say 'don’t despair, you have vital work to do in the Rivers project'. Believe me, with wisdom and patience, you will own the future.

”Always remember that the task of enthroning a party into power is not as high a calling of patriotism than the task of making personal sacrifices for the peace and general good of the state. Therefore, I appeal to all who truly love our dear Rivers state, to join hands in building the state irrespective of their party affiliations.

”No amount of provocation or even threats should challenge the Rivers spirit of oneness, unity and harmony in you. To the youths, I urge you not to see crime as an escape route from the difficult times we are going through in Rivers state today. I am confident that with resilience and prayer, you can always pull through. Remember, resurrection comes in the morning, therefore have hope and a renewed commitment to wait till the resurrection morning.”

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Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, has lamented that Rivers State is now "almost always in the news for the wrong reasons".

Amaechi stated this in his Easter message on Sunday, and implored the people to "find our way back to the path of a glorious future".

He also urged Rivers people and other Nigerians to have hope and a renewed commitment to wait till the resurrection morning.

”In a season like this when we mark the most important festival in the Christian calendar, it is wise that we don’t forget there are people we owe love, care and understanding,” he said.

”No doubt, our state has endured a tortuous political season, which saw political parties jostle and cajole Rivers people to make choices. Our state, which was known and respected as the Treasure Base of the nation, is now almost always in the news for the wrong reasons. This is not the Rivers State of our dreams. We must find our way back to the path of a glorious future. I am one of you, therefore, as your father, son and brother, i beseech you to be of good courage and join hands to build and restore the glory of our state.”

He urged people of the state to imbibe the lessons that the Easter season brings, such as the transformation of Christ from betrayal, torture and death to a glorious triumph on the Resurrection Morning.

"Let’s also remember that one of the lessons that we can take out of the Easter experience is the suffering, shame and despair of the Apostles, yet they were resolute in truth, bound by love and remained a united family until the morning of resurrection. Surely and truly, there is hope for all our hopelessness as the Cross of Christ, which represents His sufferings and death, an atonement for our sins for the sake of love are all virtues we all must imbibe this season,” he said.

”For us as Rivers people, this is a moment for sober reflection and forgiveness. I will not hesitate to implore that we all ask God for forgiveness and mercy for all the things done or left undone and from the citizens for the pain and anguish that they have brazenly suffered which most times are unreported. The persistence of gang violence, kidnappings and killings in parts of the state has dealt a telling blow on the psyche of the people. People no longer feel safe or sleep with their two eyes closed.

”For those of us who feel a sense of personal loss as a result of the last electioneering in the state, I say 'don’t despair, you have vital work to do in the Rivers project'. Believe me, with wisdom and patience, you will own the future.

”Always remember that the task of enthroning a party into power is not as high a calling of patriotism than the task of making personal sacrifices for the peace and general good of the state. Therefore, I appeal to all who truly love our dear Rivers state, to join hands in building the state irrespective of their party affiliations.

”No amount of provocation or even threats should challenge the Rivers spirit of oneness, unity and harmony in you. To the youths, I urge you not to see crime as an escape route from the difficult times we are going through in Rivers state today. I am confident that with resilience and prayer, you can always pull through. Remember, resurrection comes in the morning, therefore have hope and a renewed commitment to wait till the resurrection morning.”

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Youth in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil one of his campaign promises by giving 40 percent of his administration's appointment slots to youth in the country.

The youth, coming together under the aegis of 'APC Youth Organisation', made this demand at the weekend during the Inaugural meeting of the group in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Speaking at the event, Samsideen Ogunolu, convener and acting President of the group said the fulfillment of this promise would give the youth a sense of belonging and compensation for their contributions towards the President's victory.

The meeting was attended by representatives of youth from south-west, south-east, north-central and north-west deopolitical zones.

Ogunolu urged the President to priortise the welfare of the teeming youth in the country by coming up with youth empowerment schemes like N-Power.

“We want President Buhari to make the youth self-reliant by providing excellent empowerment schemes like N-Power programmes for graduates as a means of volunteering for the success of youth," he said.

“However, we appeal to the President to create more opportunities for our teeming youth being churned out of the various institutions of higher learning across the country. This can be achieved by creating more entrepreneurship programmes and equipping our universities to ICT-compliant.

“Similarly, we want to honestly appeal to the President to improve on free education, as that will help indigent students and serve as indirect empowerment to widows who cannot afford their wards' school fees and reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“We equally want to remind the President of his campaign promise, 'Not too young to run', to support the emergence of youthful candidate in the next presidential election, and implore the youth to always vote beyond ethnic sentiment and religious lines.

“The future of Nigeria and Africa at large rests in our hands and we need one another irrespective of political differences to accomplish this task. All positive contributions are needed to bring positive transformation to our fatherland."

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Youth in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil one of his campaign promises by giving 40 percent of his administration's appointment slots to youth in the country.

The youth, coming together under the aegis of 'APC Youth Organisation', made this demand at the weekend during the Inaugural meeting of the group in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Speaking at the event, Samsideen Ogunolu, convener and acting President of the group said the fulfillment of this promise would give the youth a sense of belonging and compensation for their contributions towards the President's victory.

The meeting was attended by representatives of youth from south-west, south-east, north-central and north-west deopolitical zones.

Ogunolu urged the President to priortise the welfare of the teeming youth in the country by coming up with youth empowerment schemes like N-Power.

“We want President Buhari to make the youth self-reliant by providing excellent empowerment schemes like N-Power programmes for graduates as a means of volunteering for the success of youth," he said.

“However, we appeal to the President to create more opportunities for our teeming youth being churned out of the various institutions of higher learning across the country. This can be achieved by creating more entrepreneurship programmes and equipping our universities to ICT-compliant.

“Similarly, we want to honestly appeal to the President to improve on free education, as that will help indigent students and serve as indirect empowerment to widows who cannot afford their wards' school fees and reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“We equally want to remind the President of his campaign promise, 'Not too young to run', to support the emergence of youthful candidate in the next presidential election, and implore the youth to always vote beyond ethnic sentiment and religious lines.

“The future of Nigeria and Africa at large rests in our hands and we need one another irrespective of political differences to accomplish this task. All positive contributions are needed to bring positive transformation to our fatherland."

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Volododymyr Zelensky, Ukranian comic actor and showman, has defeated Petro Poroshenko, the incumbent President, in an election in Ukraine on Sunday.

Zelensky, a 41-year-old comedian whose announcement of his ambition to run for the nation's highest office on the New Year's Eve was initially dismissed as a joke, beat the incumbent 53-year-oldPoronshenko in what analysts have described as a "crushing  defeat". 

The comic shunned traditional campaign rallies and instead performed comedy gigs and used social media to appeal to voters.

Before now, Zelensky's only previous political role was playing the President on television, but he trounced incumbent Poroshenko by taking 73 percent of the vote, according to exit polls conducted by several think tanks.

Poroshenko lost to the television star across all regions of the country, including in the west where he traditionally enjoyed strong support.

The 41-year-old star of TV series 'Servant of the People' will now take the helm of a country of 45 million people beset by challenges.

Earlier on Sunday, Poroshenko had warned Ukrainians against taking a chance on Zelensky "because this is not funny". 

"Well, at first it can be a bit funny and then it might hurt afterwards,” he said after casting his ballot.

 

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As the US and China edge closer to a trade deal, analysts expect a new battle in the technology sector.

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The disaster in the south-western region of Cauca follows days of torrential rain.

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Artist Manners Mukuwiri makes sculptures from rubbish he finds on the street.

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It come weeks after jail sentences were upheld for political activists who organised demonstrations.

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More than 200 people were killed in eight bomb blasts targeting churches and hotels.

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Volodymyr Zelensky has won Ukraine's presidential election, according to exit polls.

Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State, has revealed how the Emir of Zurmi once asked him to “go and wipe out” Dumburum Village because it has been a hideout for bandits for over three years.

 

 

Yari said this while insisting that the government will not apologise over allegations by council chiefs in the state that villagers were killed during aerial bombardment of suspected bandit camps in Dumburum village, Zurmi Local Government Area of the state, by the Nigeria Air Force (NAF).

Speaking on Saturday receiving a seven-member investigative team on the matter at his private residence in Talata-Mafara, Yari maintained that the NAF had only targeted bandits.

“As far as I am concerned and as the head of government in the state, l haven’t seen anything wrong done by the Air Force; l haven’t received any brief on such matter,” he said.

“Dumburum has been a criminal hideout for over three years and the Emir of Zurmi has once asked me to go and wipe out the area saying all those residing there were bandits, so l am surprised that the Emir will be part of those saying innocent people were killed in an encounter in the area.

“Some people will stay in Abuja and fabricate things against the operations in Zamfara in order to distract the operation, this we must not allow.

“Please, all security agencies, especially the Air Force, should continue with your usual constitutional duties and the state government will give you all the support to facilitate your concentration in trying to bring back peace, which has eluded the state since 2007.

“You should continue with the firepower to show the criminals that there is a government in place and we won’t negotiate with them again because when we did that in the past; the leaders pretended as if all was well while they allowed their boys to continue to lay siege on the communities.”

Idi Lubo, leader of the investigative team, handed over a letter of condolence from Sadique Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, to Yari, and promised to “unravel the truth” about the killings.

“The chief of air staff has directed us to properly investigate the matter in order to unravel the truth,” he said.

“We have visited other stakeholders and discovered that there was misinformation which we have now resolved and wish to assure the people of the state that we shall continue to discharge our assigned responsibilities in protecting the innocent with professionalism.”

While in the state, the team also visited heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and government officials.

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Customs officials in Hong Kong have arrested a Nigerian woman who landed at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday with more than half a kilogramme of cocaine hidden in her body, South China Morning Post is reporting.

According to the Hong Kong-headquartered Asian paper, the 37-year-old, who claimed to be a businesswoman, arrived in the city on a flight from Lagos via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

She was said to be acting suspiciously, shortly after her arrival on Thursday, hence she was taken to hospital for a check-up that confirmed she had foreign objects in her body.

“She was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for a check-up and confirmed to have foreign objects in her body,” the paper said.

“Officers first recovered 215 grams of cocaine contained in condoms and plastic bags found in her vagina. She later discharged 24 capsules of cocaine, each weighing 14 grams, from her body.

“The haul, weighing 550 grams in total, was estimated to be worth HK$522,000 (US$66,900). The authorities said the woman, who was detained for inquiries, may discharge more drugs.”

Under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the maximum penalty for drug trafficking is life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine.

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Two teenagers shot 12 students and a teacher in one of America's worst school shootings.

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Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky elected president with more than 70% support, exit polls suggest

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CHP's leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu was set upon by protesters at a soldier's funeral in Ankara.

Professor Nelson Brambaifa, Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has denied the claims that he has a political ambition to contest for elective position in Bayelsa State, saying he cannot play politics with the mandate handed to him by President Muhammad Buhari for the improvement of the Niger Delta region.

Brambaifa made this known during a call on him by Paramount Rulers and respected elders from across the state under the aegis of Bayelsa Elders Consultative Council.

He said his office, unlike that of a Governor, is not limited by any political association, adding: "I am not nursing any political ambition of whatever nature, therefore I have the zeal and will to only work for the improvement of the Niger Delta for which I was appointed by the President".

According to a statement made available to newsmen by Igbeta Ayebakuro, the Special Adviser Media/Publicity to the Ag.MD/CEO NDDC, Brambaifa used the forum to urge the various Niger Delta governors to look beyond all political sentiments and join hands to bring development to the region/

"For me, I cannot play politics with his job of making the lives of the ordinary people better," he said.

On the proposed development plan for the region, Brambaifa assured the people of Bayelsa, especially the dwellers of the interior axis of the state, that the Commission under his watch is poised to bring the much needed infrastructure and development to the state.

He assured the visitors that under his stewardship, Bayelsa will not take back seat even though he was sworn to provide even development of the region without sentiments.

He promised to ensure that because of their importance as economic hubs, and the associated capital involvement, the commission had ensured that the Yenagoa-Oporoama-Ekeowei road project, as well as the Nembe–Brass road projects, together with other viable projects, are all captured in its 2019 budget.

”These are very huge projects that are also capital-intensive that warrant the dedicated attention of the NDDC, if only the state government is willing to corporate with us," he said.

“Also, the Commission has just recently provided various post-graduate scholarships for Bayelsans to study both within and outside of the shores of the country. In the same vein, to support the education in the region, this administration has concluded plans to rebuild and renovate dilapidated school buildings and provide such education support projects and Programmes as the Commission deem necessary within available resources from time to time.”

Brambaifa thanked the elders and rulers for the time in the meeting and promised to submit to their wise counsels in order to leave an indelible footprint as the most successful administration.

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Professor Murtala Sagagi, Dean of the Dangote Business School, Bayero University Kano, says there are currently more than four million jobless people in Kano due to the poor development agenda of successive governments.

In a paper he presented at a forum organised by the Kano Concerned Citizens Innitiative (KCCI) on Saturday in Kano, he stressed the need for more efforts to ensure development in the state.

According to NAN, Sagagi also noted the need to do more to improve the agricultural sector.

He said: “The inability of politicians, communities, academicians and other relevant stakeholders to collaborate in comprehensive strategies for economic development and prosperity of the state has made the state to remain backward.

“Over 500 industries are currently shut down in Kano due to lack of consensus for development and effective implementation of government agendas and policies."

According to him, the state has done nothing much to set the agricultural sector in the right direction.

In his speech, Alhaji Aliko Dangote advised the Nigerian government to review its policies on agriculture and industries to provide enabling environment for job creation.

He also called for intensified efforts on power generation, noting that although government alone could not meet the job needs of all citizens, it was necessary to create enabling environment for people to engage in self-employment.

Alhaji Bashir Uthman-Tofa, Chairman of KCCI, lamented that Kano State called on key stakeholders to work towards improving the economy of the state.

Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, frowned at the current condition of the city wall, which have been encroached into corner shops being constructed and urged Dangote and Uthman-Tofa to urgently find a way to rebuild the city walls because of their historical significance.

Sanusi also spoke on the high rate of drug abuse in the North and its attendant consequences on peace and stability of the region, adding that rampant drug addiction was a result of mass poverty, broken homes, high divorce rate, among others.

He also explained that the Kano Emirate Council had set up a committee which came out with suggestions on how to tackle the issues of divorce and abandonment of women by their husbands.

“The Emirate Council is working to present a bill to the state government for the state assembly to enact a law that will enforce the responsibilities of the husbands on their wives and children,’’ Sanusi said.
 

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Professor Murtala Sagagi, Dean of the Dangote Business School, Bayero University Kano, says there are currently more than four million jobless people in Kano due to the poor development agenda of successive governments.

In a paper he presented at a forum organised by the Kano Concerned Citizens Innitiative (KCCI) on Saturday in Kano, he stressed the need for more efforts to ensure development in the state.

According to NAN, Sagagi also noted the need to do more to improve the agricultural sector.

He said: “The inability of politicians, communities, academicians and other relevant stakeholders to collaborate in comprehensive strategies for economic development and prosperity of the state has made the state to remain backward.

“Over 500 industries are currently shut down in Kano due to lack of consensus for development and effective implementation of government agendas and policies."

According to him, the state has done nothing much to set the agricultural sector in the right direction.

In his speech, Alhaji Aliko Dangote advised the Nigerian government to review its policies on agriculture and industries to provide enabling environment for job creation.

He also called for intensified efforts on power generation, noting that although government alone could not meet the job needs of all citizens, it was necessary to create enabling environment for people to engage in self-employment.

Alhaji Bashir Uthman-Tofa, Chairman of KCCI, lamented that Kano State called on key stakeholders to work towards improving the economy of the state.

Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, frowned at the current condition of the city wall, which have been encroached into corner shops being constructed and urged Dangote and Uthman-Tofa to urgently find a way to rebuild the city walls because of their historical significance.

Sanusi also spoke on the high rate of drug abuse in the North and its attendant consequences on peace and stability of the region, adding that rampant drug addiction was a result of mass poverty, broken homes, high divorce rate, among others.

He also explained that the Kano Emirate Council had set up a committee which came out with suggestions on how to tackle the issues of divorce and abandonment of women by their husbands.

“The Emirate Council is working to present a bill to the state government for the state assembly to enact a law that will enforce the responsibilities of the husbands on their wives and children,’’ Sanusi said.
 

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Olu Falae Sahara Reporters Media

Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), says the 2019 elections was a charade.

Speaking in an interview with the Sun Newspaper published on Sunday, the 1999 presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) said there was no election in Nigeria but a charade and political market where votes were been bought openly by politicians.

According to him, politicians no longer focus their attention on manifestoes. He said the politics being played now is not focused on service.

He said: “We will never have a democracy if we continue this way. Now, the question is once you have over-monetized politics, what will be the basis of choice of leader? The more money you have and given out, the brighter your chances. So, it’s no longer politics of service. What we have is what I call monetics; this is what we are playing now, not politics.

“Do you hear about any manifesto anymore? In the past, every political party will tell you what they will do for the country or for their people in education, health, culture, infrastructure, etc., if you vote for them. Not anymore. Many of them that are contesting, ask them of the manifesto, they won’t understand what you are talking about. All that matters is money.

“Of course, money is always important for everything that is important. In anything good, some money is required, for food, housing, education, etc., we know, but the way they are going about it now is disgusting; it's sickening. Of course, you know that I ran for the presidency. When I ran for the office of the president in 1999, I spent money, I raised almost N600million in Eko Le Meridian Hotel in Lagos in public and we spent that money on logistics, advertisement on radio and television; we printed posters, went on political rallies, funded people going to canvass and all that.

“You need money for logistics, but not money for buying voters. There is a big difference; not billions for bribing INEC officials, police people, and security officials. That is where the money goes now and the political leaders; they simply take the money and pocket it. So, as I said what we have now is no longer politics but monetics, for the higher bidder rather than for those with the passion to serve.”

Falae blamed the politicians desperate desire to win as the cause for illegal activities during the last elections.

He said: “They want to win by all means, so it is the desperation not to lose the election that is driving them to do the unimaginable; the unthinkable things that we are witnessing today. So, the question is: why are we so desperate? Why are they so desperate as if, when you don’t win the election the world will come to an end? 

“The issue is the desperation in Nigeria politics and I suspect that the desperation is due to the fact that it (politics) is now viewed solely as a business venture. It is a situation like: I am investing my money and I cannot afford to lose. They are ready to borrow and borrow more or even print more money where they can and spend it and win the election and recoup the money after.”

He also expressed concern about Nigeria's rising debt profile, which now stands at N24.4 trillion according to the Debt Management Board, stating that "We are mortgaging the future. That is the truth of the matter, and to the extent that this debt is a substantially foreign debt, you must earn the foreign exchange to be able to service the debt and to repay it eventually. So, if you don’t do that, as I said, you are just mortgaging the future. It means you are making the future more difficult than the present.”

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Olu Falae Sahara Reporters Media

Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), says the 2019 elections was a charade.

Speaking in an interview with the Sun Newspaper published on Sunday, the 1999 presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) said there was no election in Nigeria but a charade and political market where votes were been bought openly by politicians.

According to him, politicians no longer focus their attention on manifestoes. He said the politics being played now is not focused on service.

He said: “We will never have a democracy if we continue this way. Now, the question is once you have over-monetized politics, what will be the basis of choice of leader? The more money you have and given out, the brighter your chances. So, it’s no longer politics of service. What we have is what I call monetics; this is what we are playing now, not politics.

“Do you hear about any manifesto anymore? In the past, every political party will tell you what they will do for the country or for their people in education, health, culture, infrastructure, etc., if you vote for them. Not anymore. Many of them that are contesting, ask them of the manifesto, they won’t understand what you are talking about. All that matters is money.

“Of course, money is always important for everything that is important. In anything good, some money is required, for food, housing, education, etc., we know, but the way they are going about it now is disgusting; it's sickening. Of course, you know that I ran for the presidency. When I ran for the office of the president in 1999, I spent money, I raised almost N600million in Eko Le Meridian Hotel in Lagos in public and we spent that money on logistics, advertisement on radio and television; we printed posters, went on political rallies, funded people going to canvass and all that.

“You need money for logistics, but not money for buying voters. There is a big difference; not billions for bribing INEC officials, police people, and security officials. That is where the money goes now and the political leaders; they simply take the money and pocket it. So, as I said what we have now is no longer politics but monetics, for the higher bidder rather than for those with the passion to serve.”

Falae blamed the politicians desperate desire to win as the cause for illegal activities during the last elections.

He said: “They want to win by all means, so it is the desperation not to lose the election that is driving them to do the unimaginable; the unthinkable things that we are witnessing today. So, the question is: why are we so desperate? Why are they so desperate as if, when you don’t win the election the world will come to an end? 

“The issue is the desperation in Nigeria politics and I suspect that the desperation is due to the fact that it (politics) is now viewed solely as a business venture. It is a situation like: I am investing my money and I cannot afford to lose. They are ready to borrow and borrow more or even print more money where they can and spend it and win the election and recoup the money after.”

He also expressed concern about Nigeria's rising debt profile, which now stands at N24.4 trillion according to the Debt Management Board, stating that "We are mortgaging the future. That is the truth of the matter, and to the extent that this debt is a substantially foreign debt, you must earn the foreign exchange to be able to service the debt and to repay it eventually. So, if you don’t do that, as I said, you are just mortgaging the future. It means you are making the future more difficult than the present.”

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Ninety-three-year-old Senator Ayo Fasanmi, a leader of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, says the parliamentary system of government is the most appropriate system of government for Nigeria.

He said this in an interview the Punch newsapaper published on Sunday, adding that the system is cheaper for the country.

According to Fasanmi, the parliamentary system of government is preferable to the presidential.

He said: “In the first Republic, we practised the parliamentary system and in the Second Republic, we practised the presidential system of government. I think the parliamentary system of government is better, or let me say I prefer it to the presidential system of government.

“It is cheaper to run than the presidential system of government. But I think the system was bastardised when the military came into government. That mentality is still there. I will go for the parliamentary system of government. We need to save as much as we can save now. Parliamentary system of government is less expensive; it is very cheap and that is the kind of system that we need now.”

When asked if the nation should consider part-time legislature as a way to reduce cost, Fasanmi said it can be considered but money should not be a motivating factor. 

He said: “When I was in the House of Reps in 1964 and the Senate in the Second Republic in 1979 and 1983, money was not the motivating factor. It will be a nice idea if we take a second look at the way we do certain things.

“In our time, the love to serve prompted us to come out and contest elective offices and that was why the nation had competent and honest people in offices then. Part-time legislature was done before and it worked, so, there is nothing wrong if we consider it. The interest of the people should be paramount; it is only then that we can get competent people to serve in public offices.”

On the conviction of Walter Onnoghen, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Fasanmi went on to say that “whoever will be nominated as a judge is not a corrupt person. Judges should be carefully selected to avoid putting corrupt persons on the bench. One cannot have a corrupt person to dispense justice. There will be no justice; there will be no fairness. Only people of integrity should find their way to the judiciary.

"It is unfortunate that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria found himself in this situation, but we must make sure that people with proven track of integrity are the ones dispensing justice. If we put the right people there, Nigeria will soon become a shining example for other nations to emulate in Africa. Nigeria was a great country in the days of Obafemi Awolowo and others.”

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Ninety-three-year-old Senator Ayo Fasanmi, a leader of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, says the parliamentary system of government is the most appropriate system of government for Nigeria.

He said this in an interview the Punch newsapaper published on Sunday, adding that the system is cheaper for the country.

According to Fasanmi, the parliamentary system of government is preferable to the presidential.

He said: “In the first Republic, we practised the parliamentary system and in the Second Republic, we practised the presidential system of government. I think the parliamentary system of government is better, or let me say I prefer it to the presidential system of government.

“It is cheaper to run than the presidential system of government. But I think the system was bastardised when the military came into government. That mentality is still there. I will go for the parliamentary system of government. We need to save as much as we can save now. Parliamentary system of government is less expensive; it is very cheap and that is the kind of system that we need now.”

When asked if the nation should consider part-time legislature as a way to reduce cost, Fasanmi said it can be considered but money should not be a motivating factor. 

He said: “When I was in the House of Reps in 1964 and the Senate in the Second Republic in 1979 and 1983, money was not the motivating factor. It will be a nice idea if we take a second look at the way we do certain things.

“In our time, the love to serve prompted us to come out and contest elective offices and that was why the nation had competent and honest people in offices then. Part-time legislature was done before and it worked, so, there is nothing wrong if we consider it. The interest of the people should be paramount; it is only then that we can get competent people to serve in public offices.”

On the conviction of Walter Onnoghen, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Fasanmi went on to say that “whoever will be nominated as a judge is not a corrupt person. Judges should be carefully selected to avoid putting corrupt persons on the bench. One cannot have a corrupt person to dispense justice. There will be no justice; there will be no fairness. Only people of integrity should find their way to the judiciary.

"It is unfortunate that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria found himself in this situation, but we must make sure that people with proven track of integrity are the ones dispensing justice. If we put the right people there, Nigeria will soon become a shining example for other nations to emulate in Africa. Nigeria was a great country in the days of Obafemi Awolowo and others.”

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun investigation into an alleged N8.7billion fraud in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) between 2010 and 2016.

According to TheNation, about 15 suspects have been shortlisted for trial in relation to the fraud. Some zonal heads and state coordinators are listed for trial. 

In 2018, Philomena Chieshe, a female accountant and one of the suspects, had claimed that a snake swallowed N36million, which was funds from the sales of e-facility cards. 

A document which contains all the details of the alleged fraud revealed that money from the sales of e-facility cards and change-of-course cards ended up in the pockets of private individuals.

The report read: “The remittance of over N8billion by Oloyede to the Federal Government as revenue led to the forensic investigation of financial activities of JAMB between 2010 and 2016 by Faithpro Consulting Auditing Associate (Financial and Management Consultants).

“The forensic investigators came up with N8.7billion shortfall within the same period which the EFCC has been investigating. There are about 15 suspects who may face trial in the first batch.”

Benue, Nasarawa, Kano, Kogi, Plateau, Gombe, Yobe and Edo are some of the states where the fraud was said to have taken place, while Chieshe and Sale Umar (Benue), Labaran Tanko (Nasarawa), Daniel Agbo (Kogi), Yakubu Jekada (Plateau), Patricia Ogunsola and  Cyril Izireim Imoukhuede (Edo), Murtala Abdul (Gombe), Aliyu Yakubu (Kano), among others, are names of some of the suspects under investigation.

The report continued: “In Benue, out of the expected revenue of N124,180,000 from e-facility cards, only N88,700,000  was remitted, leaving a balance of N35.48million.

“The JAMB office in the state also received 10,210 change of course cards and instead of remitting N8,025,000, about N7million was paid into the designated account. About N1,025,000 is missing till date.

“Although JAMB’s preliminary findings claimed that Chieshe confessed that a snake swallowed the N36m unremitted cash, she told the EFCC detectives that the shortfall was an I-Owe-You advance to cash-strapped staff that are yet to refund same.”

For Yobe state, JAMB employees arguments was that they had “lost sale records because of attacks on Damaturu by Boko Haram".

Edo State employees had similar claims “where N26,400,000 is missing. Out of the expected revenue from e-facility cards of about N123,933,000, only N97,533,000 was paid into the relevant account.

“In Gombe, about N40,004,000 sales revenue was realized but only N29,073,000 was remitted leaving a balance of N10,269,000.

“An officer in Kano, in his efforts to cover up for 20,000 unaccounted cards, worth N20million, cut carbon papers in the form of e-facility cards and returned these cards as unused.

“Investigation revealed that Mr. Labaran Tanko was the JAMB State Coordinator of Lafia Office, Nasarawa State between 2011 and 2016.

“Investigation revealed that within the period of his tenure, Nasarawa State Office revealed a total of 24,882 e-facility cards out of which 24,037 were unsold, while 845 were sold at the rate of N1,000 each. The expected revenue was N845,000 realized  and remitted to JAMB.

“However, he claimed that the remaining 23,147 cards got burnt in an accident he had along Lafia-Akwanga Expressway, while 890 cards were missing.

“Meanwhile, contrary to his submission, forensic evidence obtained from the IT Unit of JAMB showed that the cards were sold and utilized by candidates within Nasarawa State and its environs.

“This forensic evidence showed the name, phone number and purpose for which the cards were used. The expected revenue from the claimed burnt/missing cards was N24,037,000. The revenue from the cards, which were actually sold and utilized based on forensic evidence, was never remitted to JAMB.

“Also investigation revealed that 2,000 CBT cards were supplied to Nasarawa State Office which were never sold. Rather, the State Coordinator claimed that the said 2,000 CBT cards were among the cards that got burnt in a road accident along Lafia-Akwanga Expressway.

"Contrary to the claim, investigators recovered forensic evidence which showed that the cards were actually not burnt, but utilized by candidates within Nasarawa State and its environs. This forensic evidence further revealed the details of candidates that used the cards, such as name, phone number and purpose for which the cards were used.

"Further investigation revealed that 4,589 change of course cards were supplied to Nasarawa State Office of which they sold 1,426 at the rate of N2,500 each, while 3,163 cards were unused and same was remitted to JAMB. However, the State Coordinator claimed that the remaining 3,163 cards got burnt in the same road accident."

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Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the claims by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he lost the February 23 presidential election.

In a response to the petition filed before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja by Atiku and the PDP, challenging the outcome of the February 23, 2019, presidential election, Buhari said the claims made by PDP and its presidential candidate were laughable.

The President said he is more popular than the ex-vice president and that he proved it by defeating him at his polling unit in his home state of Adamawa. 

The President is listed as the 2nd respondent in the petition marked: CA/PEPC/002/2019. His team of lawyers is led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

The response read: “At every previous instance, whether at intra-party or inter-party contests, where he and the 1st petitioner (Atiku) had vied, he has always been the preference of the electorate and/or delegates.

“In particular, at the primary election conducted by the 3rd respondent (APC) in 2014, to pick its presidential candidate for the 2015 election, the 1st petitioner and the respondent (Buhari), amongst others, were the candidates; and while the respondent polled 3,430 votes, the 1st petitioner came a distant third with 954 votes.

“The 1st petitioner was at all material times prior to his decamping to the 2nd petitioner (PDP), shortly before the presidential election, a member of the 3rd respondent (APC).

“The 1st petitioner contested the presidential primary election of the 3rd respondent with the respondent in 2014 and after the respondent (Buhari) defeated him to a distant third place, the 1st petitioner joined the campaign train of the respondent immediately after the primary election, traversing all over the country and rightly declaring to all and sundry that the respondent was the best choice available to the country for the position of President.

“On joining the 3rd respondent, the 1st petitioner consigned the 2nd petitioner to the grave, describing it as a dead party that is beyond redemption.

“The 1st petitioner could not have won the presidential election under the platform of a political party, which he abandoned and described as having gone beyond redemption.

“The respondent enjoys a wide acceptability across the federation and is more popular and acceptable to the electorate than the 1st petitioner, leading to the respondent securing more votes than the 1st petitioner, even at the latter’s polling unit in Adamawa State.

“In the polling unit where the 1st petitioner registered for the election, while the 1st petitioner polled 167 votes, the respondent scored 186 votes.”
 

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