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The pro-democracy movement responds to the military crackdown which left dozens dead.

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The permit will last until 2026 - the year builders hope to finish the famed Sagrada Familia.

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It comes after months of protests in Albania, with calls on Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.

A total of 44,076 Nigerians were denied Schengen visa in 2018, a report by SchengenVisaInfo.com has revealed.

A Schengen visa is a short stay visa allowing its holders to travel in the Schengen area. It has become an alternative to many Nigerians denied visas to the UK, Canada, and the US.

 Nigerians looking for better opportunities in Europe have utilized the visa over the years. Thousands were, however, unlucky last year as their visa received negative responses.

The Schengen area comprises 26 countries such as Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Compared to 2017, Schengen uniform visa denials increased the most in Ghana. Two years ago, Schengen embassies located in Ghana reported 11,505 were denied visas while in 2018, the number increased by 59 percent to 18,137 visa denials.

Nigeria and Ghana are not the only countries affected by visa denials. The report also showed that Schengen embassies in Africa were quite selective during 2018 regarding approval.

Algeria claimed the first spot as the African country whose citizens accounted for the highest number of visa denials. As many as 323,203 visa applicants from Algeria received a negative response following their visa application.

The report reads, “Statistics revealed that there was a 15 percent rise of visa denials in Algeria compared to 2017. While many factors could have played a role, illegal immigration in EU to which Algeria has been a major resource is thought to be the major driver that caused Schengen embassies to enforce a scrutinized visa policy to Algerian applicants.

“Other countries that followed in this list of denials were Morocco(116,498 denials), Tunisia(42,641 denials) and Sao Tope and Principe (29,686 denials).

According to the report, during 2018, more than 1.6 million Schengen uniform visas were issued to residents of African countries, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Based on official statistics collected from the EU Commission, more than 1.6 million uniform visas were issued to Africans during 2018.

With more than half a million approvals, Morocco tops the list of African countries whose citizens accounted for the highest number of Schengen uniform visa grants.

Exactly 528,608 uniform visa applicants from Morocco were granted a visa during 2018, based on the statistics.

Algeria was positioned second in this list, but with a major drop compared to 2017. According to statistics, during 2017, a number of 502,706 Algerian had been granted a uniform visa, while last year the figure stood at 382,360 uniform visa grants. In percentage terms, it meant that Schengen uniform visa grants in Algeria dropped by 24 percent between 2017 and 2018.

Other countries whose citizens also claimed a high number of Schengen visa approvals were South Africa (214,491), Tunisia (186,247) and Egypt (7,325).

The table below shows the list of five African countries where Schengen embassies issued the most uniform visas along with the number of denials.

African country  Schengen visa approvals 2018     Annual change (%)   Denied Visas 2018   Annual Change (%)

Morocco             528,608                                         +3                        116,498                 +24%

Algeria              382,360                                        -24%                      323,203                 +15%

South Africa     214,491                                           +7%                        5,404                     +26%

Tunisia           186,247                                            +9%                        42,641                  +23%

Egypt             147,325                                           +8%                        37,899                   +23%

 Source: Schengenvisainfo.com

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Incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, irregular academic calendars and the poor state of education, amongst others, have forced many Nigerian students outside the country for education.

 Some of these countries have, however, proved to be hell for Nigerian students. While some of these students are alive to share their stories, the same cannot be said of those who lost their lives in foreign lands.

Exploitation, racist behavior, and the killing of Nigerian students by locals in foreign countries have become a trend in recent times. Justice was not served in many of the cases while the Nigerian government has been criticized for not living up to its responsibilities in demanding justice for its young citizens.

In this report, SaharaReporters interviewed some Nigerians students about their ugly experiences while studying abroad, exposing the countries that are notorious for being hostile and why the Nigerian Government needs to act.

Surviving racism in India

A Nigerian youth has a piece of advice for other Nigerians planning to study in India. “Don’t come to India.”

“I want to advise Nigerian students and other Africans to know that we're not really welcomed in India. I advise my fellow Nigerians not to come over here for studies. There is racism in India. Once I collect my certificate here, I will be able to reveal the horrible experience I went through. For now, please don’t mention my name.  I am about to graduate. I don’t want to be victimized.”

The Nigerian youth who sent the above quote to SaharaReporters has been in India for four years, studying agriculture in one of the Indian universities. When he left Nigeria four years ago, he was full of enthusiasm about the promises of studying in India.

“I left Nigeria four years ago because someone told me that the school I am currently enrolled in India has a good reputation for agriculture research,” he told Sahara Reporters, “I thought my experience in India was going to be a nice one.”

“I arrived in India only to find out the opposite. First, there is no agriculture laboratory and the facilities are poor. There is a lot of racism here. I am surprised it is so prevalent even in the academic community.”

India, a fast developing country, has recently become a top destination for Nigerian students, especially those interested in medical science courses. A data by the Association of Indian Universities showed there were 1202 Nigerian studying in India in 2017. That is the most recent record online.

According to the data, Nigeria ranks fifth in the biggest sources of international students in the country’s academic institutions behind Nepal (5,480 students), people of Indian birth who live outside India (4,557), Afghanistan (2,732), and Malaysia (1,357).

Indian universities are relatively cheap compared to European and American universities. That was the attraction for the young Nigerian who narrated his ordeal to Sahara Reporters. He has spent over N2m intuition alone but he says he can’t justify his expenses so far.  Four years after, the young Nigerian has bitter tales to tell.

 He said, “Recently it has gone worse; locals don’t want to lease their houses to Nigerians and other African students. There is a constant attack against Nigerians and other black students in India. Our lives are not safe. I regret coming to India and I am really looking forward to going back home.”

The tale of the young Nigerian may be shocking but it is unfortunately not the first in recent times.  There have been several reports of a xenophobic attack against Nigerian students and other black nationals in India. In 2017, four Nigerian students, including Precious Amalawa and his brother, Endurance, nearly lost their lives in an attack targeted against blacks.

Endurance, who spoke with Sahara Reporters, says the attacks against Nigerians and other black nationals have become an annual ritual.

“Indians don’t welcome blacks, especially Nigerians. They think we are all drug peddlers. I don’t deal in drugs,” he told Sahara Reporters.

Killings of Nigerian students in Cyprus, Turkey

Cyprus and Turkey share a border and Nigerian students in both countries have similar tales of racism to share. Cyprus is divided into south and north. There are many Nigerian students on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a republic on the northern and eastern side of the island of Cyprus.

A Google search for the phrase “Nigerian students in Cyprus” would reveal negative stories. If three or four of the first ten results are not about the killing of Nigerian students, it will most likely be other harrowing tales of what Nigerian students go through in their quest for education.

Cyprus, for one, has attracted many Nigerian students over the years. Like India, the attraction is the relative lower tuition rate compared to other European countries. 

Lower tuition rate is not the only reason. Cyprus universities are gaining global recognition in research. Rich Nigerians are also sending their children to Cyprus. Earlier in the year, the first daughter of Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, graduated from the University of Cyprus. Nollywood actress, Rahama Sadat, has also joined the list of Nigerians who graduated from the Eastern Mediterranean University of Cyprus.

There is no accurate data on the current number of Nigerian students there but findings by Sahara Reporters reveal that it is one of the most hostile countries for Nigerians to study.

It will be recalled that some years ago, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, advised Nigerians to shun Cyprus because it was becoming unsafe for Nigerian students.

Last year, a 28-year-old university student, identified as Kennedy Taomwabwa, was reportedly killed by locals in the Turkish Cyprus's province of Famagusta.

Taomwabwa was a student of Eastern Mediterranean University.  He was killed by a group of eight locals, including three women, according to the police officials, reports claim.

“Some Nigerian students had bitter experiences with racist lecturers and colleagues in Cyprus,” Odiri told Sahara Reporters. Odiri obtained an undergraduate degree at the Cyprus International University.

“The good thing was that the university I attended had a near-zero tolerance for racism. There were stories of some random attacks on blacks on the streets, especially at night. A few died under questionable circumstances. The people of Cyprus found it difficult to adjust because they had not met so many black people all at once.

“The people from Turkey in Northern Cyprus were mostly against blacks dating their ladies. Why were they against dating their girls? They could not stand a black man dating a Turkish lady. During my academic sojourn there, if you dare befriend a Cyprus lady, the men would attack you. But I hear these days; it's a lot better than when we first got there.”

Racism in Ukraine, Russia

Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Russia have also recorded many racists behavior against blacks, including Nigeria but not as deadly as Cyprus. English is not the official language in Ukraine and Russia.

 Many Nigerian students in these countries have to endure the harsh weather. They often encounter problems in communicating when they travel there for education. They have to first learn the native language to begin their studies.

Both countries have a long history of racism against black students. Between 2007 and 2012, the International Organisation for Migration recorded 204 racist attacks, mainly against Asians and Africans. Sixteen people were reportedly killed.

In 2014, two Nigerian students at the Donetsk National Technical University, Ukraine (Theresa Olaoluwa Oresanya, third-year Electrical Engineering; and Bede Olunna Ogbu, a graduate student of Engineering) reportedly died owing to alleged negligence on the part of the hospital authorities where they were admitted for treatment.

Last year, a 28-year-old Kharkiv man, Vitaly Kadnichansky, was sentenced to life imprisonment for racist and homophobic attacks against some Nigerian students, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group reports.

The story is similar in Russia. The Moscow Times had reported earlier last year how an unnamed Nigerian student was hospitalized after knife attack in southern Russia. Many Nigerian students on the Bilateral Education Agreement in Russia have also recounted one form of racism in Russia.

Speaking with Sahara Reporters, a Nigerian student, Akwara Michael, who recently completed his master’s degree at Ternopil National Technical University, Ukraine, confirmed that cases of racism against Nigerians and other black students are rife but noted that the hostilities had reduced compared to the early 2000s.

“Yes, racism is a problem in Ukraine. During early 2000, racism was severe in Ukraine. Sometimes ago, I visited the club for the first time and that was one of the worst experiences I had in the country. Being the only black in the midst of white students, it was easy to sight me. There was a clash which would have taken my life or left me injured but I escaped.”

Xenophobia in South Africa

Despite being an African country, South Africa has remained a volatile region for Nigerian students in the past decade. Constant xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and black nationals have continued unabated.

Many Nigerians have been killed during the attacks. The Nigerian government has been accused of paying lip service to the issue.

It will be recalled that in 2017, South African policemen reportedly killed a 25 year old Nigerian, Ibrahim Olalekan-Badmus.

Nigeria`s Consul General in South Africa, Godwin Adama, had told the News Agency of Nigeria that Badmus was allegedly killed at Vaal Vereniging, near Johannesburg.

More Nigerian students in South African are lamenting the situation. Sahara Reporters spoke with Oliyide Taofeek, a 21-year-old student of Public Administration at North-West University in South Africa. Taofeek, who is the treasurer of the International Students Chapter, North-West University, shed more light on the hostilities Nigerian students experienced in South Africa.

“Any time there is a xenophobic attack against Nigerians, we always hide like criminals so as not to be killed. Xenophobia is the only problem we have here. Attacks are unpredictable and one has to be careful not to become a victim. Usually, they tell us, Nigerian students, not to go out during those attacks,” he says.

“South Africa is a good place to study. The only fear is xenophobia. You don’t know when the next one would take place.”

 

Sad tales from Malaysia

Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country, began to witness an upsurge in the admission of Nigerian students to the country in the early 2000.

The country used to be friendly to Nigerian students but not anymore. Some analysts think that a series of cases involving some Internet scammers identified as Nigerians might have been responsible for the changes.

Last year, a Nigerian student identified as Uju Pious Ejikeonye, who hailed from Imo State, died after jumping from the 13th floor of a building in an alleged bid to escape from Malaysian immigration arrest.

Recently, Sahara Reporters published an SOS from the Malaysian chapter of Nigeria in Diaspora Organization. The group strongly condemned the alleged killing, extortion, and harassment of Nigerians schooling and living in Malaysia by the police.

The group says recent news of the raid and molestation of Nigerians in Malaysia by the police was unacceptable and gradually becoming the norm in the country.

In a statement issued signed by its President, Kingsley Nwankwo, the group also criticized the Nigerian High Commission in the country for failing to act on behalf of its citizens and not living up to its responsibilities.

Experts blame the Nigerian Government

A Nigerian lawyer based in South Africa, Daniel Okeke, has condemned the attacks and blamed the Nigerian government for paying lip service to the protection of its citizens in the Diaspora.

“This is becoming worrisome,” he told Sahara Reporters. “I can’t count the number of Nigerians whose corpses were sent back home from South Africa.”

Also reacting to the issue, the Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Lekki Forum, Aremo Oladotun Hassan, also blamed the problem on the appointment of  “inexperienced diplomats, who are mere political appendages and beneficial of ambassadorial appointments largesse.”

He said, “Appointment of inexperienced diplomats invariably negatively affects internal mechanism of our foreign missions to protect the average Nigerian student. Our scholarship support programs are dead, while we have no technical support plans to salvage the dying hydra-headed situation.

“The Nigeria nation still remains a mere geographical expression, due to blurred views of sentiments, parochial internal strife and ethnic bigotry, more dangerous than our foreign racist system. Perhaps, it pays a Nigerian student to bear the brunt of racism firestorm abroad than to survive the scorching heats of our chronic homegrown hatred for ourselves and regressive educational system.

“Several other silenced cases are brewing in Europe, UK, London, Mexico and South America and Asia, with evil tales of deaths and staunch hatred for blacks, but with an advance devaluation of the Nigerian citizens with the green passports.

“Unfortunately most of these crimes go without consequential punitive measures of justice, wherein shoddy investigation is conducted and later dismissed because sometimes the cost of ensuring due justice is not only expensive but rarely unavailable.”

Don calls for investment in education

A former Vice-Chancellor, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Prof. Kayode Makinde, has also reacted to the issue. In an interview with Sahara Reporters, Makinde recounted his academic sojourn in Lebanon, England, US and France, noting it was not as bad as it is now.

He said, “Right now I believe Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are still welcoming. But the old continent of Europe is tired and broke. Terrorism and economic migrants don’t also help matters either. Nigerian youth's current reputation for Internet scams has made it a lot harder for Nigerian genuine students getting a chance to prove themselves.”

The Ex-Babcock Vice-Chancellor said rather than lament about the harsh treatments meted out to Nigerian students, the Nigerian government should turn the problem into an opportunity by transforming education into an export commodity like the Philippines.

He said, “We need to make education so good in a way that foreign students will flood back to Nigerian Institutions as it used to be. The Nigerian Government needs to perfect its role as regulator and create an enabling environment for private and state operators who are better placed to attract and make higher investments due to greater productivity and better accountability.

“Then the Nigerian students who still feel the need to go abroad will do so by choice for greater intellectual, professional exposure, not by chance out of desperation for just anything that comes. This may be the opportunity we have been waiting for to turn the tide.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa could not be reached for comments on the issue.

 

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World number one Novak Djokovic's bid to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time is ended by Dominic Thiem in the French Open semi-final.

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President Trump had threatened tariffs unless Mexico stemmed the flow of migrants heading to the US.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it cannot give Certificate of Return to any individual that harasses, intimidates and puts the commission’s officers under pressure in order to procure a favourable declaration.

The commission said this in response to a court ruling ordering INEC to issue Rochas Okorocha his Certificate of Return as the winner of Imo West Senatorial Election.

Okorocha, had during the declaration of the election result, allegedly kidnapped Prof. Innocent Ibeawuchi, a returning officer in Imo and forced him to announce him as the winner of the election.

Festus Okoye Esq., National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement said the INEC received a copy of the judgment while also noting that it is also in possession of another court order of a high court in Imo State directing the electoral body not to issue Okorocha a Certificate of Return.

“The commission’s overriding consideration is the safety of its ad-hoc staff, Electoral Officers and Collation/Returning Officers and is worried that if electoral impunity is allowed to flourish, any individual can harass, intimidate and put the Commission’s officers under duress, procure a favourable declaration and be rewarded with a Certificate of Return,” Okoye said.
 

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Legendary Nigerian singer, Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek has called out Nigerian entertainment channel Soundcity for not airing his music video.

The singer famous for his 1988 album, Prisoner of Conscience, in a post on Instagram accused the music channel of showing preference playing “Yahoo Yahoo”  videos with naked girls.

He wrote: “It's a big shame that Soundcity and their boss Tajudeen Adepetu have chosen to ignore good music from a LEGEND like MAjek Fashek. The video AKUGBE by Majek Fashek short in Atlanta Georgia and HEY RASTAMAN was short in Canary Wharf in England. All on YouTube to see if it’s not quality enough.

"How dare you say Majek Fashek's music video is not 'quality' enough to be played on Soundcity? Yet, you play all these "Yahoo Yahoo' videos with naked girl and stuff? Where is the place for history and honouring our legends? Shame on YOU! Omenka Uzoma Day.”
 

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The immediate past Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, says he has forgiven Prof. Innocent Ibeabuchi, the returning officer for the Imo West senatorial election, in the 2019 general elections.

Okorocha said this in a statement by his media aide,  Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo.

The statement came shortly after Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Okorocha the Certificate of Return as a senator-elect for Imo-West.

Okorocha said he had forgiven Ibeabuchi, who had alleged he declared the former governor winner under duress.

He thanked the court for affirming his victory, describing Justice Abang as one of the exemplary ambassadors of the judiciary in Nigeria.

He said that he would continue to play politics devoid of rancour, malice, and bitterness.

Abang had ruled that the INEC had no right under any known law in the country to withhold the certificate of return of a candidate who had been announced and returned as winner of an election by the returning officer.

The judge had also ordered the INEC to immediately issue a certificate of return to Okorocha, as winner of the said election.

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The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB has said an Igbo man could not be the president of Nigeria again, adding that South-east leaders must prevent marauding herdsmen from overrunning their land.

The National Director of Information of MASSOB, Sunday Okerefor, stated this in an interview with Punch on Saturday in which he also accused the federal government of granting the N100 billion request of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association members, MACBAN.

Speaking on the 2023 presidency, Okerefor said an Igbo man could not be president again and that they are also not interested in the office.

He said, “We are not interested in the Presidency; an Igbo man cannot be President again. If the currency is naira, then they will never allow Igbo to rule again. NAIRA as an acronym means Never Allow Igbo Rule Again. These Igbo politicians are aware of it; they say that the Igbo were defeated in the war; they would say that we should go home and take care of our children and forget about an Igbo president.”

MASSOB said as a matter of urgency all monarchs, senators, and governors in the region must chase out the Fulani.

Okerefor said the members of the cattle breeders association had the intention of using the money to acquire land in the South-East. 

He said, “So we are telling the Ezes to go and chase out these Fulani people from our land before the end of this month because we are aware that the Federal Government has given N100 billion to MACBAN. The Miyetti Allah (MACBAN) wants to use this money to buy our land, not that the government wants to give them land; they want to use that money and come to our communities and buy land to breed their cows and force us into slavery.

“Afterwards, they will bring their cows, ammunition and their brothers there, they will buy large parcels of land and after they buy, we will not be able to stop them again. That is why we are warning the Ezes, that anybody that will welcome the Miyetti Allah, that person will be dealt with. We have told our groups around the communities to monitor the villages to check when the Miyetti Allah will come to buy land. We don’t have any land to sell to them; they should go to the North and buy land there.

“The Miyetti Allah has been given N100 billion whereas, we have Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ijaw youths and Arewa youths, why didn’t the government give them N100 billion each as they gave to the Miyetti Allah? The federal government should, first of all, ask the Miyetti Allah to drop their weapons because I saw Fulani men in our bush with AK-47 rifles; seven of them were holding these guns. They passed through my community in the bush.”

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The new Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said he had lost weight n the last couple of days since he assumed office and he is grappling with the strains of running the state.

Last May, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had described the then-Acting Inspector-General of Police as hard-working because he had lost weight due to his drive to curtail insecurity in the country.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villla, Abuja on Friday, Sanwo-Olu confessed that the demand and responsibility that comes with the office had made him to lose weight.

The governor said: “I dare say that I have lost weight and probably I will lose a little bit more but I think it’s what the job entails and is to also ensure that you have the right team of people that would also support you.

“So when as a leader, you show that leadership support, then the message itself will trickle down and trickle down very well and that is why we have to take that very bold idea and you’re going to see a lot.” 

Speaking on the Apapa gridlock, he said, “It’s a work in progress. If you go to Lagos now, you will see that they have started clearing it. So for us, it’s not just to do it but to ensure that we sustain it. So sustainability is critical.

It’s to build a model where it’s sustainable and we are not also involving the big players we are also discussing with them – the shippers council, the shipping lines, NPA, NIMASA and all of them that are stakeholders in the conversations around port utility, we are settling it."

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Nigeria’s former  Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, has admitted the failure of President Buhari’s administration to give Nigerians refinery as promised in the run-up to the 2015 presidential election.

Kachikwu who was appointed in 2015, in a interview with Punch on Saturday said he was not ashamed to say and admit that he failed to deliver the mandate.

Discussing his achievements in the last four years, he said he has believes that he has been able to stir the Petroleum industry in the right directions.

Citing examples like the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill and he however, expressed regret that the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill was not signed by the president.

The former minister of petroleum resources said although he was bold to say that he could not deliver on his five promises on refineries but the misunderstanding of how the system works could be blamed for the failure.

“If you look at the refineries, the first problem we had was that they were not functioning when I assumed office in 2015 and because of the huge apparent fuel scarcity; it was a major problem for me if I had to wait for vessels to arrive each time to meet the delivery timeline. These were the problems. So I was focused on how to get them working, at least to start, no matter how little and all they gave me was one million litres a day.

“The pipelines that were supplying fuel had all been destroyed and they had entered into a contract before we came in, to supply product by vessels. The cost of those vessels supplied was more than the value of the crude oil that was being supplied. It did not make any financial sense. So I cancelled that and challenged Nigerians who were in this entity to go and use their money to repair the pipelines.” he said.

Speaking on the issue of transparency in the oil sector and how the number of of crude oil being produced in a day is tracked, Kachikwu said the launching of the Department of Petroleum Resources database, DPR, has helped in the covering of  the fields. 

He said: “Metering is fine but once we capture this data, a level of metering is already going on and we are capturing that on a day-to-day basis. I can say we are producing 2.3 million barrels, using the DPR data. What I like to do, however, is to interrogate the data. We just launched it about two months ago. We are tracking you from when you produce to when you put it in the tank to when you deliver it and to when it is discharged. So in terms of transparency and what we produce, it is not an issue.”

Kachikwu also spoke on the inability of the government's efforts to get rid of illegal refineries still in operation in various locations of the country.

He said, “Metering is fine but once we capture this data, a level of metering is already going on and we are capturing that on a day-to-day basis.

"I can say we are producing 2.3 million barrels, using the DPR data. What I like to do, however, is to interrogate the data. We just launched it about two months ago. We are tracking you from when you produce to when you put it in the tank to when you deliver it and to when it is discharged. So in terms of transparency and what we produce, it is not an issue.”

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A group of lawyers has challenged Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, former majority leader, House of Representatives, to go to court over the criminal allegation levelled against him in some quarters ahead of the national assembly's speakership election.

The Director-General of the Gbajabiamila/Wase Campaign Organisation, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin, had on Wednesday threatened to sue the leaders of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

According to Jibrin, the decision to sue CUPP's leadership followed criminal allegations against Gbajabiamila which are untrue.

Jibrin had insisted that Gbajabiamila had never been convicted nor served any court document hence he would participate in the speakership election on June 11 in spite the campaign of calumny.

But the lawyers under the auspices of Coalition of Public Interest Lawyers and Advocates (COPA), have said in a statement Friday that Gbajabiamila would have to, first of all, clear himself of the allegation before seeking to contest for the Speaker position.

The statement quoted Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, leader of the group, as welcoming the lawmaker’s threat of going to court, noting that Nigerians would have the opportunity of knowing whether the allegation against him was true or false.

“We make bold to state that it is crystal clear that Femi Gbajabiamila lacks the moral mettle and sincerity to lead the House of Representatives as its speaker. This is because the context of the press conference held on his behalf failed to address the substantive issue against him, and rather than express remorse countered with baseless threats against the Nigerian people.

“COPA states categorically that it is in possession of all documents and evidences that establishes a clear case of fraudulent dishonesty and abuse of trust against Femi Gbajabiamila. The facts against Gbajiamila are, in fact, readily available to the public as they were established in a Court of Record with same being accessible to the public, and are attached herein for the avoidance of doubt.

“We have established correspondence with the Supreme Court of Georgia and we have documents of Disciplinary Case No. S06Y0829 and the family of the victim of Gbajiamila’s fraud, Hadyatou Barry and also Vesta with P. O. Box 23410 Nashville TN, 31202, the insurance company that paid the claim misappropriated by Femi Gbajabiamila.

“The entire defence raised in Femi Gbajabiamila’s behalf in the said press statement relied on a book whose thorough, unbiased reading ironically actually proves his guilt as the book acknowledges all the material facts establishing his guilt in fraudulently appropriating to himself money meant for the victim of a car accident,” the statement quoted Olajengbesi as saying.

The statement also quoted Olajengbesi as saying that no amount of half-truths and misdirection would stop them from getting to the root of the matter.

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Mohammed Adoke

 

Olufemi Aduwo, President, Rights Monitoring Group, has slammed Mohammed Adoke, former Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice between 2010 and 2015, for lying to the media on the Code of Conduct Bureau trial of Bola Tinubu when he was the governor of Lagos State.

Adoke, who had been on self-exile since 2015, in an interview with Premium Times, an online media commenting on Tinubu’s trial said, “How Bola Tinubu’s trial came about was unnecessary.”

Reacting to Adoke’s interview, Aduwo stated that the federal government instituted an action against Tinubu in 2007 for violating S.7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal  Act, Cap.56.LFN,1990, for operating foreign accounts while he was the Governor but the case was dropped after the general elections.

He added that many people believed the case was dropped due to the cordial relationship between the then President, Yar’adua and Tinubu affected the trial.

Aduwo asserted that Adoke frustrated the trial process adding that he failed to acknowledge letters sent to him concerning the trial of Adoke.

He narrated, “ln August  2010, l wrote to Adoke in his capacity as AGF and copied the Office of  National  Security  Adviser; Chairman, Code of  Conduct Bureau; Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal; and Director-General of DSS. The receivers acknowledged the letter except for the office of Attorney General of the Federation.

“l followed up with a reminder to AGF, Adoke and after many months of no response, l placed a full-page open letter advertisement to Adoke on two National newspapers.

“l decided to meet some PDP governors, all of them are now in APC and gave them copies of the letter and the letter got to President  Jonathan. l was invited to Abuja on two occasions,”

Aduwo said that Adoke appointed private prosecutor for CCB to handle the case concluding that from what he said in the interview that the trial was unnecessary showed that Adoke compromised the case.

He further challenged Adoke to return to the country asking why Adoke decided to flee the country after his party and former President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated at the 2015 elections.

“You are not the only Minister that served under Jonathan and many of them are moving freely in Nigeria, l will appeal to Adoke to visit Nigeria and face any charge the FG may haul at him,” he said.

Adoke had hinted in the interview that "there have been a lot of accusations rightly or wrongly against my person. I worked on some very credible intelligence at that time from people from within and outside the government. I was advised not to come back at that time."

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The development comes after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja nullified the suspension of operating license of Daar Communications PLC, operator of AIT and Ray Power.

Ekwo, while delivering the order, gave the federal government and NBC till May 30, 2019 to revert the ban on Daar Communications PLC.

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24 hours after the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) suspended its licence over alleged violation of the regulatory body’s rule, the African Independent Television (AIT) is back on air.

The development comes after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja nullified the suspension of operating license of Daar Communications PLC, operator of AIT and Ray Power.

Ekwo, while delivering the order, gave the federal government and NBC till May 30, 2019 to revert the ban on Daar Communications PLC.

More Details later...

Free Speech Journalism Legal Breaking News MEDIA News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
http://bit.ly/2jfm5Mr

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