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The nation's third-longest serving leader, Bob Hawke, is remembered at a state memorial service.

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Javier Darroux Mijalchuk's parents were abducted in 1977, during Argentina's military dictatorship.

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Saudi officials said five drones, launched by Yemeni rebels, were intercepted at Abha airport.

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Doctor Yves de Locht practices euthanasia but feels for emotional reasons he can only do one a month.

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The Toronto Raptors beat defending champions the Golden State Warriors in the sixth NBA Finals game to win their first title.

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The actor talks to Radio 1 Newsbeat at E3 about his starring role in the game Cyberpunk 2077.

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Iran has strongly denied the US allegation that it was behind attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

A firm incorporated in the British Virgin Islands will ask a British court on Friday for the right to seize up to $9 billion of Nigerian government assets - some 20% of the oil-rich nation's foreign reserves - over an aborted gas project.

The case highlights a risk to Nigeria's foreign assets, potentially clouding its appeal to some investors.

The request is part of a long-running saga over a 2010 deal in which the Nigerian government agreed to supply gas to a processing plant in Calabar on the country's southeast coast that Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) - a little-known firm founded by two Irish business men specifically for the project - would build and run.

When the deal went south, P&ID won a $6.6 billion award at arbitration, based on what it could have earned during the 20-year agreement. It now says the total owed has ballooned to $9 billon because of interest accrued since 2013 .

Nigeria has tried to nullify the award, saying it was not subject to international arbitration but British courts rejected the argument. P&ID is now asking the Commercial Court in London to convert the arbitration into a judgement, which would allow them to try to seize international assets, a report in DailyMail UK said.

A source close to President Muhammadu Buhari said they were fully aware of the matter and the government "is not sleeping", adding they were optimistic the matter could be resolved in the courts. There are also proceedings pending at a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Buhari, who was inaugurated for a second term on May 29, has not yet appointed cabinet ministers, and officials contacted by Reuters said the lack of an attorney general or petroleum minister made it difficult for anyone to comment on the record.

"This is a problem that the Nigerians are not facing up to in any serious way," said Andrew Stafford, Q.C. of Kobre & Kim LLP, which is representing P&ID.

Experts said it would be difficult for Nigeria to fully extricate itself.

"Under UK legislation, state immunity does not operate to protect a sovereign state where it has entered into an arbitration agreement," said Simon Sloane, a partner with UK law firm Fieldfisher.

He added that going after state assets following arbitration had become a well-trodden path over the past 15 years and it would be difficult for Nigeria to avoid paying compensation.

While assets that are used for diplomatic purposes - such as the Nigerian High Commission building in central London - were off the table, commercial assets were up for grabs.

In 2008, a UK court ruled that proceeds of oil sales from Chad held in an international account intended to repay World Bank loans were fair game for seizure.

Experts also said that the involvement of hedge fund VR Group, which has a stake in PID, signalled that it is unlikely to let the issue drop.

"They could still come to a settlement," Sloane said. "As it's a consensual process the parties can agree to settle, and settle for significantly below the $9 billion figure." 

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A firm incorporated in the British Virgin Islands will ask a British court on Friday for the right to seize up to $9 billion of Nigerian government assets - some 20% of the oil-rich nation's foreign reserves - over an aborted gas project.

The case highlights a risk to Nigeria's foreign assets, potentially clouding its appeal to some investors.

The request is part of a long-running saga over a 2010 deal in which the Nigerian government agreed to supply gas to a processing plant in Calabar on the country's southeast coast that Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) - a little-known firm founded by two Irish business men specifically for the project - would build and run.

When the deal went south, P&ID won a $6.6 billion award at arbitration, based on what it could have earned during the 20-year agreement. It now says the total owed has ballooned to $9 billon because of interest accrued since 2013 .

Nigeria has tried to nullify the award, saying it was not subject to international arbitration but British courts rejected the argument. P&ID is now asking the Commercial Court in London to convert the arbitration into a judgement, which would allow them to try to seize international assets, a report in DailyMail UK said.

A source close to President Muhammadu Buhari said they were fully aware of the matter and the government "is not sleeping", adding they were optimistic the matter could be resolved in the courts. There are also proceedings pending at a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Buhari, who was inaugurated for a second term on May 29, has not yet appointed cabinet ministers, and officials contacted by Reuters said the lack of an attorney general or petroleum minister made it difficult for anyone to comment on the record.

"This is a problem that the Nigerians are not facing up to in any serious way," said Andrew Stafford, Q.C. of Kobre & Kim LLP, which is representing P&ID.

Experts said it would be difficult for Nigeria to fully extricate itself.

"Under UK legislation, state immunity does not operate to protect a sovereign state where it has entered into an arbitration agreement," said Simon Sloane, a partner with UK law firm Fieldfisher.

He added that going after state assets following arbitration had become a well-trodden path over the past 15 years and it would be difficult for Nigeria to avoid paying compensation.

While assets that are used for diplomatic purposes - such as the Nigerian High Commission building in central London - were off the table, commercial assets were up for grabs.

In 2008, a UK court ruled that proceeds of oil sales from Chad held in an international account intended to repay World Bank loans were fair game for seizure.

Experts also said that the involvement of hedge fund VR Group, which has a stake in PID, signalled that it is unlikely to let the issue drop.

"They could still come to a settlement," Sloane said. "As it's a consensual process the parties can agree to settle, and settle for significantly below the $9 billion figure." 

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A diesel tanker with registration number Lagos GGE 179 XP has rammed into a bar injuring five persons.

The accident which happened at Duncan Eradiri junction of Azikoro, a suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 7 pm on Democracy Day when residents were hanging out.

One of the victims and the owner of the joint, Kenneth Ighedosa, said the incident happened within a twinkle of an eye as the residents ran for their dear lives.

”My neighbour's family members were trapped under the truck because the incident happened suddenly. People spent several hours trying to rescue people trapped under the rubble,” he said.  

An eyewitness Stephen Ofema, a barber said what he noticed was that the truck hit two tricycles on the road before running into the relaxation spot leaving his neighbor and her family trapped under the truck for hours.

Also, a tricycle operator, Blessed Tony, who was among the casualties said they were able to take others to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

Meanwhile, the police have visited the scene and as of the time of filing this report efforts were underway to remove the truck.
 

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A diesel tanker with registration number Lagos GGE 179 XP has rammed into a bar injuring five persons.

The accident which happened at Duncan Eradiri junction of Azikoro, a suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 7 pm on Democracy Day when residents were hanging out.

One of the victims and the owner of the joint, Kenneth Ighedosa, said the incident happened within a twinkle of an eye as the residents ran for their dear lives.

”My neighbour's family members were trapped under the truck because the incident happened suddenly. People spent several hours trying to rescue people trapped under the rubble,” he said.  

An eyewitness Stephen Ofema, a barber said what he noticed was that the truck hit two tricycles on the road before running into the relaxation spot leaving his neighbor and her family trapped under the truck for hours.

Also, a tricycle operator, Blessed Tony, who was among the casualties said they were able to take others to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

Meanwhile, the police have visited the scene and as of the time of filing this report efforts were underway to remove the truck.
 

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A businessman, Alhaji Murtala Adamu, on Thursday prayed a Gudu Grade II Court not to grant his estranged wife’s request for divorce until she returned the N3.5 million he had so far spent on her.

Adamu made the request during divorce proceedings to end his one-year marriage to Layisatu Abubakar.

He said that he would not divorce Abubakar until his conditions are met.

Abubakar had filed a case against Adamu on the basis of ‘Khul’, (also called Khula, a procedure through which a woman can divorce her husband in Islam, by returning the dower).
In his testimony before the court, Adamu claimed that the petitioner only stayed in his house for nine days when they got married after which she ran away to her friend’s house in Jos.

He also said that it was until she fell ill that her mother called him so that he could pay for her treatments.

During his testimony, Adamu calculated the total amount he spent on the petitioner.

“My lord, I spent N1. 2million during our wedding ceremony which includes her dowry of N80,000. I bought clothes, jewellery, and shoes worth N500,000.

“I also paid N750,000 for her treatment when she was sick.

“Before I will agree to this divorce, she must refund all this money to me,” he said.

In her statement to the court, Abubakar said that she left her husband of nine days because an evil spirit was disturbing her.

“All the things he bought for me are still in his house.

“I cannot afford to return more than the N80,000 which he paid as my dowry,” she said.

The Judge, Ado Muktar adjourned the case until July 2 for judgment.

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A businessman, Alhaji Murtala Adamu, on Thursday prayed a Gudu Grade II Court not to grant his estranged wife’s request for divorce until she returned the N3.5 million he had so far spent on her.

Adamu made the request during divorce proceedings to end his one-year marriage to Layisatu Abubakar.

He said that he would not divorce Abubakar until his conditions are met.

Abubakar had filed a case against Adamu on the basis of ‘Khul’, (also called Khula, a procedure through which a woman can divorce her husband in Islam, by returning the dower).
In his testimony before the court, Adamu claimed that the petitioner only stayed in his house for nine days when they got married after which she ran away to her friend’s house in Jos.

He also said that it was until she fell ill that her mother called him so that he could pay for her treatments.

During his testimony, Adamu calculated the total amount he spent on the petitioner.

“My lord, I spent N1. 2million during our wedding ceremony which includes her dowry of N80,000. I bought clothes, jewellery, and shoes worth N500,000.

“I also paid N750,000 for her treatment when she was sick.

“Before I will agree to this divorce, she must refund all this money to me,” he said.

In her statement to the court, Abubakar said that she left her husband of nine days because an evil spirit was disturbing her.

“All the things he bought for me are still in his house.

“I cannot afford to return more than the N80,000 which he paid as my dowry,” she said.

The Judge, Ado Muktar adjourned the case until July 2 for judgment.

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Delta Broadcasting Service, (DBS), Asaba, has been flooded following a downpour on Thursday that lasted several hours destroying many pieces of equipment.

The flood which also affected some parts of the busy Okpanam road caused gridlock as motorists were forced to drive one-way while the road leading to the Junior Staff Quarters from Summit Road was totally cut off by the surging water.

When visited the premises of the state-owned broadcasting station which is in a state of comatose, workers were seen standing helpless while those caught up by the flood could not find their way out of the premises.

Lamenting the situation, some Staff of the station who preferred not to be named said their offices have been taken over by the flood saying most of the equipment of the broadcasting station were not left out in the destruction.

"Some of the cameras the former information commissioner, Mr. Patrick Ukah, claimed to have bought with over N18 million were destroyed by the flood. Before now whenever it rained the station was always flooded but it has become worst following the almost abandoned storm drainage that cuts across the premises of the station," a top official lamented.

The workers, therefore, called on the government to revisit the uncompleted storm drainage project, saying that the flooding was hindering their jobs and efficiency of the Station.

Penultimate Wednesday, all efforts by David Edevbie, the newly sworn-in chief-of-staff to governor Ifeanyi Okowa, to access the broadcasting house during an official fact-finding visit to the station regarding the poor state of equipment and alleged embezzlement against the immediate past commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, were unsuccessful due to the premises being flooded.

Also at Ibusa community, the situation was the same as some many homes at Umueze quarters were rendered homeless.

A resident who identified himself simply as Uzor noted that the flood was as a result of a poor drainage system in the area, lamenting that the poor drainage system was causing Umueze people so much pain and appealed to the state government to as a matter of urgency and importance do something to address the situation.

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Delta Broadcasting Service, (DBS), Asaba, has been flooded following a downpour on Thursday that lasted several hours destroying many pieces of equipment.

The flood which also affected some parts of the busy Okpanam road caused gridlock as motorists were forced to drive one-way while the road leading to the Junior Staff Quarters from Summit Road was totally cut off by the surging water.

When visited the premises of the state-owned broadcasting station which is in a state of comatose, workers were seen standing helpless while those caught up by the flood could not find their way out of the premises.

Lamenting the situation, some Staff of the station who preferred not to be named said their offices have been taken over by the flood saying most of the equipment of the broadcasting station were not left out in the destruction.

"Some of the cameras the former information commissioner, Mr. Patrick Ukah, claimed to have bought with over N18 million were destroyed by the flood. Before now whenever it rained the station was always flooded but it has become worst following the almost abandoned storm drainage that cuts across the premises of the station," a top official lamented.

The workers, therefore, called on the government to revisit the uncompleted storm drainage project, saying that the flooding was hindering their jobs and efficiency of the Station.

Penultimate Wednesday, all efforts by David Edevbie, the newly sworn-in chief-of-staff to governor Ifeanyi Okowa, to access the broadcasting house during an official fact-finding visit to the station regarding the poor state of equipment and alleged embezzlement against the immediate past commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, were unsuccessful due to the premises being flooded.

Also at Ibusa community, the situation was the same as some many homes at Umueze quarters were rendered homeless.

A resident who identified himself simply as Uzor noted that the flood was as a result of a poor drainage system in the area, lamenting that the poor drainage system was causing Umueze people so much pain and appealed to the state government to as a matter of urgency and importance do something to address the situation.

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Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information, Ghana

Two young Canadian women freed from their kidnap ordeal by Ghanaian security forces were unharmed, the government said Wednesday, after the development volunteers were snatched at a golf club in the city of Kumasi last week.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said five Ghanaians and three Nigerians are being held in connection with the kidnapping, a relatively rare incident of violence targeting foreigners in a country seen as a bulwark of stability.

The women, aged 19 and 20, have been flown to the capital Accra.

"Preliminary investigations show they are fine and are receiving the necessary attention," Oppong Nkrumah told reporters, adding that the operation began overnight Tuesday and lasted less than half an hour.

The Canadians were named as Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty by Youth Challenge International, an international development organisation headquartered in Toronto.

"Bailey and Lauren are receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home. Medical reports are that they are both physically unhurt," the organisation said in a statement.

The women were abducted on June 4 in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, located some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Accra.

They had been travelling in an Uber with a third Canadian woman.

When they reached their destination, the pair got out of the taxi first and were kidnapped. The third woman then went to alert the police with the Uber driver.

Oppong Nkrumah earlier sought to give security assurances.

"Citizens and travellers are once again assured that Ghana remains safe," he said.

Local media quoted President Nana Akufo-Addo this year as warning that action must be taken to ensure that kidnapping "doesn't become a feature of our society".

"Our brothers and sisters in Nigeria have known it," Akufo-Addo said.

"But we have not known it in this country, and we need to do something about it, to make sure that it doesn't become a feature of our society."

Police on Tuesday briefly detained Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the chairman of the largest opposition party, in connection with a spate of kidnappings.

He was later released but ordered to report back to the Criminal Investigations Department on Thursday, according to a post on the official police Twitter account.

Last year, three Ghanaian women were kidnapped in the southern port of Takoradi.

In April this year, an Indian man was reportedly abducted, also in Kumasi, by an armed gang demanding a cash ransom. He was swiftly rescued by police. 

The Estonian consul was also briefly abducted in April, but released soon after.

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The Peoples Democratic Party Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe,  has been  named the Minority Leader of the Ninth Senate 

Also, Emmanuel  Bwacha from Taraba South retained his position as Deputy Minority Leader. 

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory,  Phillip Aduda,  also retained his position as the Minority Whip.

Details later.

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At a White House event she promoted a new rideshare scheme that aims to help former convicts get jobs.

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BBC Click's Paul Carter looks at some of the week's best technology stories.

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Some US workers can be paid just $2.13 an hour by their bosses, but raising the rate is controversial.

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How do you build unmanned vehicles that can withstand extreme temperatures, pressures and terrains?

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says it is not enough to declare June 12 as Democracy Day as many Nigerians are hungry.

President Muhammadu Buhari had signed into law, the bill to make June 12 Democracy Day, in honour of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election.

But Atiku said June 12 demands something bigger than “merely declaring it a Democracy Day”.

“It is not enough to declare June 12 a work-free day when a disproportionate number of citizens are not sure of where their next meal will come from and when the sanctity of their lives is not guaranteed,” he said.

“It is not enough to declare June 12 a work-free day when freedom of the press, and of speech, fundamentals of democracy is being assailed.”

He said June 12 remained a threshold in Nigeria’s national life, urging the people, to do soul-searching.

“The significance of the celebration of June 12, 1993, presidential election is a reminder of our history to becoming a democratic country,” he said.

“On this day 26 years ago, Nigeria voted for democracy against the jackboot notion of oppressive totalitarianism.

“The collective decision by Nigerians to elect democracy on that day was not to aggrandize the political elite or to replace the military dictatorship with civilian autocracy. No! The choice of democracy was to restore power to the people.”

Atiku cited disrespect for the rule of law and disregard of court orders on issues that border on fundamental human rights as some of the challenges which ought to be addressed.

Atiku said as a “compatriot who stood shoulder-to-shoulder” with MKO Abiola whom he described as the icon of the June 12 struggle,  he knew first-hand that the choice of HOPE as his campaign slogan wasn’t “merely a populist tokenism.”

He said Abiola did not mean to deceive Nigerians with a hope he could not deliver upon.

“Today, the minimum requirement for any June 12 convert is to demand of them wherever they may be – either in government or in private lives – to deliver on the promises they made to the people,” he said

“June 12 is about the political leadership having the focus to retool the Nigerian economy. It is about having the skills to create wealth and jobs for the teeming mass of unemployed. It is not about the inclination for shared pains; it is about shared prosperity.

“As we celebrate yet another episode of the June 12 struggle, the desire for hope is more preponderant today much as it was 26 years ago. So, for all true lovers of democracy, let us keep the hope alive.”

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He is the allegedly leader of an Islamic State militant cell, federal investigators said.

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The Constitutional Court backs two couples who wanted to get married, in a landmark ruling.

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Lilya Novikova, 26, had an international standing among online poker players.

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Billions of male chicks are killed every year because they are of no use to the poultry and egg trade.

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When the driver fell unconscious, the German soldiers brought his lorry to a halt by themselves.

Senator Bode Ola, a lawmaker in the 6th Assembly and Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti has urged President Muhammad Buhari to order the immediate release of the June 12, 1993 election results annulled by the military government.

The party chieftain, who represented Ekiti Central Senatorial District disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the release of the results would help put Nigeria’s political history and records in proper perspective and right the wrongs of the past.

He added that by authorizing the release of the results, the late MKO Abiola would legally and officially be recognized as the authentic winner of the controversial election.

“President Buhari should go a step further by authorizing the release of the results of June 12, 1993, elections to officially and legally authenticate M.K.O Abiola as the true winner of the contest.

“The release of the results of the election would put the country’s political history in proper perspectives and right the wrongs that were done to millions of Nigerians who forgot ethnic and religious affiliation to vote for M.K.O Abiola as President in the annulled 1993 polls,” he said.

He, however, commended the president for naming the National Stadium, Abuja after the late business mogul.

Ola described the gesture as a way of immortalizing Abiola’s name in the annals of the nation’s history and engraving his name as the pillar of sports in Africa.

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All Nigeria’s living former heads of state and presidents including Olusegun Obasanjo failed to attend the inaugural June 12 Democracy Day celebration which held on Wednesday at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

The former presidents and Heads of state were scheduled to be seated at the venue of the event at 9:35 am but they were conspicuously absent at about 10:06 am when President Muhammadu Buhari arrived the venue.

The event is the first since Buhari approved June 12 as Democracy Day in honour of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election.

It would be recalled that May 29 had been observed as democracy day since the return of democracy in the country in 1999.

Buhari took his oath of office for his second term on May 29, but major events of the programme were moved to June 12.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, as well as Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, were in attendance.

While Yakubu Gowon, former head of state, attended the May 29 event, he was conspicuously absent on Wednesday.

Aside from Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida, also former heads of state as well as Ernest Shonekan, former interim president, were absent at the celebration.

Ex-presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan also shunned the event. 

But world leaders majority of whom are from Africa were on hand to celebrate the day with the leadership of the country.

The world leaders in attendance were President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; President George Weah of Liberia; President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo; and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.

President Macky Sall of Senegal; President Adama Barrow of Gambia; President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic; President José Mário Gómes Vaz of Guinea-Bissau and President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic were also present at the celebration.

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Outspoken Senator from Kaduna, Shehu Sani, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to go a step further to renovate the National Stadium Abuja after it was renamed after Chief Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

The president renamed the stadium on Wednesday while delivering his inaugural June 12 Democracy Day address at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

The 1993 presidential election was annulled by the former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida, alias IBB, and Sani went to twitter handle to say that renaming the stadium to honour Abiola could mean nothing if not renovated.

“Renaming the National Stadium Abuja after Chief MKO Abiola is a great honour and commendable.

“Abiola was a pillar of sports, he deserves it; this should also be an opportunity to renovate and refurbish the arena for so long in a decrepit state.”

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Outspoken Senator from Kaduna, Shehu Sani, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to go a step further to renovate the National Stadium Abuja after it was renamed after Chief Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

The president renamed the stadium on Wednesday while delivering his inaugural June 12 Democracy Day address at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

The 1993 presidential election was annulled by the former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida, alias IBB, and Sani went to twitter handle to say that renaming the stadium to honour Abiola could mean nothing if not renovated.

“Renaming the National Stadium Abuja after Chief MKO Abiola is a great honour and commendable.

“Abiola was a pillar of sports, he deserves it; this should also be an opportunity to renovate and refurbish the arena for so long in a decrepit state.”

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President Muhammadu Buhari says most instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still being sponsored or incited by ethnic, political or religious leaders.

The President, who stated this in his Democracy Day address on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the leaders were hoping to benefit by “exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country”.

He noted that in spite of activities of the saboteurs, his government had remained focused on fulfilling the campaign promises in the areas of security, economy and fighting corruption.

“When I took the oath of office on May 29, 2015, insecurity reigned.

“Apart from occupying 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the Northeast, Boko Haram can at will attack any city including the Federal Capital Territory can threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja.

“Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. `

“The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment, and improved local intelligence.

“We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve,’’ he said.

The president reiterated the greatness of Nigeria in the comity of nations and the need for every citizen to work towards reclaiming the glory.

“Our country Nigeria is a great country. According to the United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India.

“We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate.

“However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in agriculture, livestock, forestry, and mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage.

“What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds.

“A huge responsibility, therefore, rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potentials into a force to be reckoned with globally,” the president said.

On the nation’s military strength, the president said Nigeria had contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world.

He said that Nigeria helped to stabilize Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast; and recently prevented The Gambia from degenerating into anarchy.

“Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at a greater cost.

“This fact has been attested to by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself.

“Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission.

“We can, therefore, be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens,’’ he said.

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons have rekindled the country’s chances of qualifying for the next round in the ongoing FIFA Women World Cup in France with a 2-0 win over their South Korean counterparts.

Super Falcons first goal landed in the 29th minute via an own from Korean defender Kim Doyeon who kicked the ball into her own net following pressure from Super Falcons striker Desire Oparanozie.

Asisat Oshoala who plies her football trade with Barcelona FC scored the second goal in the 75th minute after a solo effort.

The Koreans, however, missed some scoring chances and the Thomas Dennerby tutored side was lucky not to have conceded in spite changing the first choice goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi.

The news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Chiamaka Nnadozie took over in goal from Oluehi whose performance in the 0-3 loss against Norway in the first group encounter was below expectation.

Super Falcons would move into the next round if they could get one point from their last group match against France on Monday at 8 pm.

Sports News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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