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Nigeria’s vice president Yemi Osinbajo The Guardian Nigeria

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the current challenges Nigeria is facing are signs that the country is set to attain greatness.

Osinbajo stated this during a service at a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Bronx, New York.

The vice-president, who is on a four-day visit to the United States, said greatness was impossible without a period of difficulties as currently being experienced by Nigeria.

“Our country is bound for greatness. Whenever you hear that ‘oh, there are conflicts, oh there are difficulties’, just know that it is impossible to be great without difficulties. Even from the foundations of the earth, when God created the heavens and the earth, the scripture says on that first day, according to Genesis 1, there was confusion, complete confusion.

“The Bible says it was bleak and dark, and there was confusion on the surface of the earth, everything was void. But despite the fact that everything was void, the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

“Then God spoke and said let there be light, and there was light. The scripture says he separated the light from the darkness, and saw that the light was good. That is what is going to happen in our own country. All we hear is there is confusion here, confusion there, but the word of God is there also,” he said.

According to him, the spirit of God is hovering over Nigeria, claiming God would do something that would make the country great.

He urged members of the congregation to remember Nigeria in their prayers.

“We should remain in prayers for our nation, because all of us, whether you live here or intend to live here, the truth of the matter is that it was no accident that you were born a Nigerian.

“God makes no mistake. So, you have a stake in the success of your homeland, you have a stake in the success of your own nation, and as I said earlier, Nigeria is heading for greatness,” he added.

 

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Nigeria’s vice president Yemi Osinbajo The Guardian Nigeria

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the current challenges Nigeria is facing are signs that the country is set to attain greatness.

Osinbajo stated this during a service at a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Bronx, New York.

The vice-president, who is on a four-day visit to the United States, said greatness was impossible without a period of difficulties as currently being experienced by Nigeria.

“Our country is bound for greatness. Whenever you hear that ‘oh, there are conflicts, oh there are difficulties’, just know that it is impossible to be great without difficulties. Even from the foundations of the earth, when God created the heavens and the earth, the scripture says on that first day, according to Genesis 1, there was confusion, complete confusion.

“The Bible says it was bleak and dark, and there was confusion on the surface of the earth, everything was void. But despite the fact that everything was void, the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

“Then God spoke and said let there be light, and there was light. The scripture says he separated the light from the darkness, and saw that the light was good. That is what is going to happen in our own country. All we hear is there is confusion here, confusion there, but the word of God is there also,” he said.

According to him, the spirit of God is hovering over Nigeria, claiming God would do something that would make the country great.

He urged members of the congregation to remember Nigeria in their prayers.

“We should remain in prayers for our nation, because all of us, whether you live here or intend to live here, the truth of the matter is that it was no accident that you were born a Nigerian.

“God makes no mistake. So, you have a stake in the success of your homeland, you have a stake in the success of your own nation, and as I said earlier, Nigeria is heading for greatness,” he added.

 

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Abdulfatai Buhari has recommended capital punishment for kidnappers in Nigeria.

Buhari told journalists on Sunday in Ibadan, Oyo State, that the spate of kidnapping and killing across the country would continue unabated if such a drastic measure was not taken.

Buhari was a former Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, in the 8th National Assembly.

The lawmaker lamented rising cases of kidnapping and killing in Nigeria, claiming violent crimes are becoming a lucrative business for those involved.

“These heinous crimes against humanity have gone beyond the normal Fulani herdsmen attacks and have become a real trade for those who engage in them. Let me be honest with you, the situation is very worrisome. I believe and I am afraid because Nigerians themselves are yet to take a drastic measure.

“I believe by the time anyone caught in the act faces death penalty other people will learn and stop.

”Kidnappers have been arrested but nothing has been done to them. I believe taking them to court is a longer process,’’ he said.

He recalled how the increasing rate of drug peddling was stemmed in the 80s through drastic measures, adding that a lot of people abandoned the illicit trade as soon as the government made those arrested to face the firing squad.

”Today, going to Saudi Arabia, Bangkok, Singapore or India with drugs or to commit other forms of crime attracts death penalty and such had to an extent stemmed the trend.

“Nigerians are very stubborn people. They won’t change except there is a deterrent. These people collect cash from victims and take it to banks but the banks have not been reporting receipt of strange money accounts,” the senator said.

He called on Nigerians to collaborate with security agencies by providing them vital information on strange persons and movement around them.

Buhari referred to the recent abduction of a former health minister’s son in Oyo State, noting that the hoodlums could not have operated without information.

“I am sure some people would have supplied information to the culprits on the movement of the former minister’s son and the location of his farm.

”Nobody will tell me that Fulani herdsmen came from Niger Republic to abduct him without information,’’ he said.

 

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Abdulfatai Buhari has recommended capital punishment for kidnappers in Nigeria.

Buhari told journalists on Sunday in Ibadan, Oyo State, that the spate of kidnapping and killing across the country would continue unabated if such a drastic measure was not taken.

Buhari was a former Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, in the 8th National Assembly.

The lawmaker lamented rising cases of kidnapping and killing in Nigeria, claiming violent crimes are becoming a lucrative business for those involved.

“These heinous crimes against humanity have gone beyond the normal Fulani herdsmen attacks and have become a real trade for those who engage in them. Let me be honest with you, the situation is very worrisome. I believe and I am afraid because Nigerians themselves are yet to take a drastic measure.

“I believe by the time anyone caught in the act faces death penalty other people will learn and stop.

”Kidnappers have been arrested but nothing has been done to them. I believe taking them to court is a longer process,’’ he said.

He recalled how the increasing rate of drug peddling was stemmed in the 80s through drastic measures, adding that a lot of people abandoned the illicit trade as soon as the government made those arrested to face the firing squad.

”Today, going to Saudi Arabia, Bangkok, Singapore or India with drugs or to commit other forms of crime attracts death penalty and such had to an extent stemmed the trend.

“Nigerians are very stubborn people. They won’t change except there is a deterrent. These people collect cash from victims and take it to banks but the banks have not been reporting receipt of strange money accounts,” the senator said.

He called on Nigerians to collaborate with security agencies by providing them vital information on strange persons and movement around them.

Buhari referred to the recent abduction of a former health minister’s son in Oyo State, noting that the hoodlums could not have operated without information.

“I am sure some people would have supplied information to the culprits on the movement of the former minister’s son and the location of his farm.

”Nobody will tell me that Fulani herdsmen came from Niger Republic to abduct him without information,’’ he said.

 

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Ogun State Police Command said it arrested two men who specialised in robbing people withdrawing money from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

According to the police, the suspects, Ebenezer Olubukola, 30 and Olajide Oladejo, 29 belonged to a syndicate that rob customers who withdraw money from ATMs. 

The suspects were alleged to have traced their victims, with a motorcycle on standby, before they robbed them.

During a stop-and-search exercise, the Area Commander of Ota Police Division, ACP Monday Agbonika, and other policemen attached to the PUFF ADDER operation saw three men on a Bajaj motorcycle around First Bank in Ota, and decided to search them.

As the policemen approached the bike, the three men fled but two were nabbed after a chase.

Items recovered from the suspects included a locally-made pistol with five live cartridges and a motorcycle with registration number AKM 490 WT.

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Ogun State Police Command said it arrested two men who specialised in robbing people withdrawing money from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

According to the police, the suspects, Ebenezer Olubukola, 30 and Olajide Oladejo, 29 belonged to a syndicate that rob customers who withdraw money from ATMs. 

The suspects were alleged to have traced their victims, with a motorcycle on standby, before they robbed them.

During a stop-and-search exercise, the Area Commander of Ota Police Division, ACP Monday Agbonika, and other policemen attached to the PUFF ADDER operation saw three men on a Bajaj motorcycle around First Bank in Ota, and decided to search them.

As the policemen approached the bike, the three men fled but two were nabbed after a chase.

Items recovered from the suspects included a locally-made pistol with five live cartridges and a motorcycle with registration number AKM 490 WT.

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Twenty four hours after the Port Harcourt International Airport was shut for flight operations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has re-opened the airport for flight operations.

The agency also said that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has sent a notice to airmen (NOTAM), which will enable airlines to return flight operations to the airport.  See Also Sahara Reporters UPDATE: Plane Crash Averted In Nigeria As Boeing 737 Aircraft Skids Off Runway At Port Harcourt Airport 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

Already, Lufthansa Airlines, which operates daily flight services to the airport, had to cancel its flight on Saturday while it lodged some of the passengers in a hotel in Port Harcourt.

There were already worries that the airline might cancel its Monday flight to the city, but with the re-opening of the runway, the flight to Port Harcourt would continue.

Also, within the period, the local airlines that operate direct services to the airport could not fly in as scheduled. Some had to divert their flight to the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) base.

A statement by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu said that aircraft was removed from the runway earlier on Sunday.

 “The Port Harcourt International Airport runway has been cleared and the airport is now reopened for normal flight operations. The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has issued a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) to that effect in line with standards and recommended practice.”

Recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, a Boeing 737 aircraft had skidded off the runway on Saturday afternoon with 93 passengers and six crew members onboard.

The incident occurred at about 3 pm on the day due to slippery runway.

The aircraft had just arrived from Abuja airport when the incident happened.

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Twenty four hours after the Port Harcourt International Airport was shut for flight operations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has re-opened the airport for flight operations.

The agency also said that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has sent a notice to airmen (NOTAM), which will enable airlines to return flight operations to the airport.  See Also Sahara Reporters UPDATE: Plane Crash Averted In Nigeria As Boeing 737 Aircraft Skids Off Runway At Port Harcourt Airport 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

Already, Lufthansa Airlines, which operates daily flight services to the airport, had to cancel its flight on Saturday while it lodged some of the passengers in a hotel in Port Harcourt.

There were already worries that the airline might cancel its Monday flight to the city, but with the re-opening of the runway, the flight to Port Harcourt would continue.

Also, within the period, the local airlines that operate direct services to the airport could not fly in as scheduled. Some had to divert their flight to the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) base.

A statement by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu said that aircraft was removed from the runway earlier on Sunday.

 “The Port Harcourt International Airport runway has been cleared and the airport is now reopened for normal flight operations. The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has issued a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) to that effect in line with standards and recommended practice.”

Recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, a Boeing 737 aircraft had skidded off the runway on Saturday afternoon with 93 passengers and six crew members onboard.

The incident occurred at about 3 pm on the day due to slippery runway.

The aircraft had just arrived from Abuja airport when the incident happened.

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Officials say some were electrocuted when storms caused a tent to collapse at a religious event.

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Israel Folau had sought donations to fight his sacking by Rugby Australia over social media posts.

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Four candidates have rejected the result and said they will use "all legal means" to challenge it.

Treynae Campbell, 19, spent £19.99 on the 15-inch knife, similar to this, before handing it to the killer

A knife that killed a brave college student who stepped in to stop a fight was one of 15 deadly weapons bought from the same online store by a teenager in just nine months.

Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, died after the 15in jackal ‘zombie knife’ was plunged into his heart when he intervened in a scuffle after school outside his sixth-form college in Clapham, South London.

His 17-year-old killer was handed the weapon by Treynae Campbell, 19, who had built a terrifying armoury of blades bought from the website Knife Warehouse. Both teenagers were also at the college.

This weekend, a ‘zombie knife’ identical to that used to kill talented student Malcolm was being advertised on the website for £19.99.

Chillingly, an investigation by The Mail on Sunday has established that at least one other murder has been carried out using a knife bought from the website. And Joe Wheeler, the owner of Knife Warehouse, was given a police caution in 2015 for marketing his knives as ‘suitable for combat’ – yet is still allowed to trade.

In a harrowing interview, Malcolm’s parents last night called on police to investigate Wheeler, a 36- year-old father-of-two, and for the authorities to shut down his firm. ‘If this site did not exist, then my son may still be alive today,’ said his father Olumide Wole-Madariola. ‘When I found out that Treynae had bought 15 knives from one shop, I was stunned.

‘How does it not raise a red flag? Why does an inner-city kid from London need all those knives?

‘I think the site should be closed down and the man responsible should face the consequences. He shares responsibility for my son’s murder. I don’t know how he sleeps at night.’

Malcolm died last November when he was stabbed outside Clapham South Underground station as pupils left the nearby sixth-form college St Francis Xavier. An Old Bailey trial heard that he intervened when the 17-year-old killer tracked down another youngster a few days after they had exchanged ‘unfriendly eye contact’ and began threatening him.

‘Malcolm bravely sought to stand up to the youth, for which he paid with his life,’ Zoe Johnson QC, prosecuting, told jurors.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murder. He will be sentenced next month and already has a conviction for knife possession.

Campbell was cleared of murder but admitted possessing a knife. As she sentenced him to 28 months at a Young Offenders Institute last month, Judge Wendy Joseph said: ‘It is a hunting knife; blade is 25cm, 4.3cm wide; sharp; serrated.

‘It is designed for eviscerating deer and it is a fearsome object. The reason you had the knife is not entirely clear – you had bought 15 such items online.’

The knife that struck the fatal blow was made by Anglo Arms. Earlier this year, this newspaper revealed how police in London have confiscated more than 30 weapons made by the UK company in just one month.

Mr Wheeler has boasted that Knife Warehouse is the ‘Number One Hit’ for people searching for ‘knives’ on Google. It was certainly the choice of ‘County Lines’ drug dealer Ashraf Hussan, 20, who was given a life sentence in February for the knife murder of Peter Anderson, 46, last July, the UK Daily Mail reports.

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Julie Okah-Donli, Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says she received the latest report by the President Donald Trump administration on the efforts of the Nigerian government to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria with mixed feelings.

Speaking to journalists, the Director General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli disclosed that she received the report with mixed feeling because she had expected Nigeria to be upgraded to Tier 1.

“Even though many people including partners of the agency have been calling to congratulate me on the upgrading of Nigeria to Tier 2, I received the report with mixed feeling because I had expected Nigeria to top the tier 1 list.

“I would like to thank the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for their support to the Agency within the period under review. The present administration has demonstrated the desired commitment and political will to combat human trafficking in the country.

“In the last one year, we have doubled our prosecution and number of convictions and revamped our strategies aimed at combating human trafficking through massive public enlightenment and awareness creation campaigns, advocacy as well as other preventive measures,’’ she said.

“We commenced the inauguration of State Task Forces Against Human Trafficking as one of our grassroots concepts to ensure States’ participation.  Delta and Ondo States have fully taken off,  Edo State Task Force that was earlier on inaugurated were trained while the Ekiti State Task Force will be inaugurated by Governor Kayode Fayemi next Monday 24th June 2019. This project is being sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, (UNODC).

”In addition, with the support of ECOWAS and IOM, we recently embarked on sensitisation of border communities, Law Enforcement agencies, and transporters within the Nigeria-Seme, Benin-Togo border corridor.

 “We have just concluded advocacy and sensitisation of key stakeholders in Lagos State with a visit to traditional rulers, schools and local government officials on the need to support the fight against human trafficking in the country,” the NAPTIP boss said.

Meanwhile, the United States has given Nigeria pass mark in combating human trafficking through NAPTIP.

The American government upgraded Nigeria from the Tier 2 watch list to Tier2 in the 2019 US Trafficking in Persons Report released on Thursday by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. 

The report is an annual global assessment of the level of compliance of countries to the minimum standards in the eradication of trafficking in persons around the world.

Nigeria had slipped from Tier 1 rating to Tier 2 watch list.

In the Report, the US Government stated: “The government of Nigeria demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Nigeria was upgraded to Tier 2.

“These efforts included supporting the implementation of a 2017 action plan between Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a government-supported non-governmental armed group, and an international organization to end its recruitment and use of child soldiers.

 “The government convicted more traffickers than the previous reporting period and initiated prosecution against seven government officials allegedly complicit in trafficking.”

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The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has dispatched a team to investigate the incident of an Air Peace aircraft skidding off the runway at Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, on Saturday.

Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, General Manager, Public Affairs of AIB, in a statement in Lagos said a team of investigators had been sent to the site.

The Air Peace Flight P47291 from Abuja to Port Harcourt overshot the runway while touching down at the airport during heavy rainfall.

“The AIB has been notified of the Air Peace flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt with 94 passengers and six crew members on board with Registration marks 5N-BRN.

“The aircraft skidded off the runway to the left about 1300m from the runway 21 threshold at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“All passengers and crew have been evacuated safely. AIB has dispatched investigators who are on their way to the site,” Oketunbi said.

The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, had earlier attributed the incident to flooding of the runway.

Olajide said: “We confirm that Air Peace Flight P47291 Abuja-Port Harcourt had a runway excursion upon landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport on June 22 due to downpour.

”Our professional crew quickly recovered within seconds of the incident and the aircraft was successfully normalised.

“Our esteemed passengers on board the flight were calm during the incident and disembarked normally.

“Our team of experts and the authorities are currently reviewing the incident and we will give our cooperation for a thorough exercise.

“We apologise to our esteemed passengers for the inconvenience caused them and wish to assure them that we will continue to prioritise their safety in all our operations,” she said.

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The three staff unions in the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State have threatened to go on indefinite strike by the end of June over the decrease in workers’ salary in the institution.

The unions, Academic Staff Unions of Polytechnics (ASUP), Non-Academic Staff Unions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANP), made this known on Saturday while speaking with Journalists over the plight of workers in the institution. 

Nelson Ebimie, the Chairman of NASU in the school, said the workers would not hesitate to embark on strike except their demands are met. 

 He said: “What you are seeing here today is a response to our pains and sufferings over the years. The three unions are here to chart the way forward, we have suffered since 2015. Today, we have resolved that if by the end of this month, June, we still experience the shortfalls in our salaries, there will be a total shutdown of the system; that is indefinite strike action. 

“The strike will begin with a peaceful protest along the major highway of the East-West road, that links Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states,” 

Adubazi Onimisi, the ASUP chairman, and Charles Willabo, SSANP's chairman, said the industrial action is meant to drive home their demand. 
 

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Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be meeting his American counterpart, Mike Pence, Unites States of America's Vice President on Wednesday.

This was revealed in a statement released by Laolu Akande,  Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity.

The two vice-presidents would be discussing matters on economic prospects between Nigeria and the US  in Washington DC.

The Osinbajo will also meet other key groups and interests in the country.

Osinbajo will be meeting with the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday in New York.

He is expected back in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday.

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Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be meeting his American counterpart, Mike Pence, Unites States of America's Vice President on Wednesday.

This was revealed in a statement released by Laolu Akande,  Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity.

The two vice-presidents would be discussing matters on economic prospects between Nigeria and the US  in Washington DC.

The Osinbajo will also meet other key groups and interests in the country.

Osinbajo will be meeting with the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday in New York.

He is expected back in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday.

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