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The Global Commission on Adaptation - a group of 34 leaders in politics, business and science say the world urgently needs to be made more "climate change resilient".

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has said that the Federal Government, states and local governments across the country received a total of N3.84trn as allocations between January and June 2019.

In a statement by NEITI’s Director, Communications and Advocacy, Orji Orji, it was disclosed that the Federal Government received N1.599trn, the 36 states got N1.335trn while the 774 local government areas of the country shared N792bn during the period under review.

The FAAC disbursement of N3.84trn for the first half of 2019 was slightly lower than the N3.94trn disbursed during the same period in 2018 but higher than the N2.78trn disbursed in the first half of 2017.

On a quarter on quarter basis, the second quarter of 2019 was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2017.

The statement said, “The quarterly FAAC disbursements from Q1 2013 to Q2 2019 reveal that the total disbursement of N1.913trn in the second quarter of 2019 was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2017 when N1.700trn was disbursed.

“The figure shows that three quarters of 2018 had total disbursements above N2trn.”

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Former Abia State governor and lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Orji Kalu, has vowed to reclaim his mandate after a tribunal sitting on election matters upturned his victory at the poll.

In a statement by his media office on Monday following the nullification of his election, Kalu called on his supporters not to panic as his mandate will be re-claimed at the Court of Appeal.

Kalu said his announcement as winner of the exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission was as a result of his popularity among the people of Abia.

He said, “The Peoples Democratic Party candidate is not popular among the people and as such, my victory in the National Assembly poll is a landslide. See Also Politics Tribunal Sacks Former Abia Governor, Orji Kalu 0 Comments 3 Hours Ago

“Any day, any time, the All Progressives Congress will defeat the PDP in Abia North Senatorial District.

“At the appropriate time, my mandate will be restored.”

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Eight foreign-trained graduates have been denied registration over their inabilities to defend their degrees, the National Youth Service Corps Coordinator in Kano State, Ladan Baba, revealed on Monday.

He made the disclosure during the passing out parade of the 2019 Batch ‘B’ Corps members from the three-week orientation course, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

He said that some of the graduates were also blocked online from registering for the exercise because of the failure to defend their degrees as foreign students.

He said, “As a matter of fact, some of them cannot express themselves verbally.

“More worrisome is the fact that some of them did not undergo any academic pursuits but obtained certificates through illegal means with allegations that some did so in Kano and environs.

“This will undoubtedly require urgent action by the government and good people of Kano in collaboration with the dogged security agencies in the state to checkmate this ugly trend that will affect us negatively.” 

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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa’s Defence Minister, on Monday said that the attacks against foreigners including Nigerians in South Africa were planned by criminals and that government can’t prevent it.

Mapisa-Nqakula, who said this in an interview with eNCA, a local television channel, described South Africa as an angry nation and insisted that the government can’t prevent the ongoing violence.

She said, “The reality is that we have an angry nation. What’s happening can never be prevented by any government.

“People are saying some heads of state decided not to attend the World Economic Forum; we should be talking about why this whole thing is coinciding with that.

“People are saying it is xenophobic attacks but it is not the first time, we have had them in the past.

“We have criminals that have read the situation and are aware that we have challenges right now.

“We have talked on the issues of high rate of unemployment, of some foreign nationals who are not conducting themselves in an appropriate manner as we would expect, those breaking the bylaws of the country, and you now have criminal elements who have decided that we are going to use all of those things to find reasons to attack people.

“It is unfortunate and should not happen. The reality is that we need to have a serious dialogue about what is happening and we must take responsibility. The reality is that we are an angry nation and we must talk about it.”

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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa’s Defence Minister, on Monday said that the attacks against foreigners including Nigerians in South Africa were planned by criminals and that government can’t prevent it.

Mapisa-Nqakula, who said this in an interview with eNCA, a local television channel, described South Africa as an angry nation and insisted that the government can’t prevent the ongoing violence.

She said, “The reality is that we have an angry nation. What’s happening can never be prevented by any government.

“People are saying some heads of state decided not to attend the World Economic Forum; we should be talking about why this whole thing is coinciding with that.

“People are saying it is xenophobic attacks but it is not the first time, we have had them in the past.

“We have criminals that have read the situation and are aware that we have challenges right now.

“We have talked on the issues of high rate of unemployment, of some foreign nationals who are not conducting themselves in an appropriate manner as we would expect, those breaking the bylaws of the country, and you now have criminal elements who have decided that we are going to use all of those things to find reasons to attack people.

“It is unfortunate and should not happen. The reality is that we need to have a serious dialogue about what is happening and we must take responsibility. The reality is that we are an angry nation and we must talk about it.”

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Not less than 11 persons were killed and many left injured in an accident involving a truck and a minivan along Akwanga-Lafia Road, Tribunereports. 

It was gathered that the accident, which happened on Monday afternoon, led to the deaths of all passengers in the bus including the driver.

The crash on the popular Akwanga hill also left many with varying degrees of injuries.

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Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria have handed over three siblings linked with the Islamic State group to the Nigerian Government, AFP reports.

Fanar Kaeet, a Kurdish foreign affairs official, said, “Three children were handed over to representatives of the Nigerian Government.”

The siblings are a girl and two boys – all between five and 10 years old – who had lost both parents, Kaeet said.

A representative of the Nigeria Government, Musa Marika, said efforts were ongoing to look into the matter.

He said, “We have asked the foreign relations department at the Kurdish administration for a list of Nigerians and Africans under their custody.

“As for Nigerian (IS) fighters, the government will look into this.”

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The Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Osun State has arrested eight suspected armed robbers.

The suspects include Oyewunmi Oyelakin, Adebayo Yemi, Adeyeye Opeyemi, Olawale Munirudeen, Sunday Ogbemudia, Lasisi Isiaka, Samuel Johnson and Isiaka Fatai.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Mrs Abiodun Ige, said, “We have apprehended some suspected armed robbers who had been terrorising Osun for quite a long time.

“We were able to trace their activities from 2018 and have arrested all of them.”

According to her, five vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, wrist watches and other items snatched from owners at different locations as well as arms and ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

She added, “They go to people’s houses, steal vehicles, mobile phones and laptops among others. 

“They were arrested one after the other. They will be charged to court after investigations.”

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Despite the purchase of Nigerian petroleum products by the United States dropping to zero in several months since 2014, crude oil grades from the Niger Delta have now found buyers in California, Reuters reports. 

The news agency said that cargoes of up to six million barrels have left the southern part of Nigeria on arduous 40-day journey to the US.

The report said the vessel will sail the relatively rare route from Niger Delta, pass around South America’s Tierra del Fuego before reaching Los Angeles.

It further noted that Nigeria was able to find this foothold due to the difficulty in building a pipeline to connect the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, where shale oil is produced.

While Nigeria’s peak oil production ever was achieved in 2005 – 2.44million a day, the US had ramped up production from near zero in 2008 to over 12million in 2019.

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Busola, wife of musician Timi Dakolo, has listed the Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre, Matthew Ashimolowo, as a witness in her suit against founder of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo.

Ashimolowo will appear before the court to give testimony about what he knows about the rape allegation against Fatoyinbo.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Busola had instituted a suit against Fatoyinbo, demanding a public apology and N10m compensation, among other things.

After revelations by Busola on how Fatoyinbo raped her as a teenager, the COZA pastor had come under fire from Nigerians especially women, with many taking sides with the musician’s wife. See Also CRIME Rape: Busola Dakolo Demands N10m From Pastor Fatoyinbo 0 Comments 5 Hours Ago

But following the institution of the suit by Mrs Dakolo through her lawyer, Fatoyinbo, who has consistently denied the allegation, has a chance to prove his innocence.

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The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, on Monday said that Nigeria remains an indivisible country in spite of its cultural and ethnic diversity.

He spoke during the 2019 edition of Ulefuta Festival in Akure, Ondo State.

According to the Sultan, some leaders have been using the diversity of the country to sow seeds of discord to their own benefit.

He said that no meaningful development can be achieved in any country where insecurity and violence is the order of the day.

Abubakar urged religious leaders in the country to refrain from using religion and ethnicity as avenues to cause a breach of peace and violence.

He said, “Diversity is not the problem. It is management of our diversity that is the problem.

“Our diversity should enhance good economy and strengthen it but it has to be tapped into and we must celebrate it.

“Also, we must focus on the management of our diversity and not desecrate it. There is no time for internal wrangling. It destroys our unity and nobody will benefit from it.

“We should work together to have common a goal and ensure our regional integration.”

Chairman of the annual public lecture, Michael Ade Ojo, said that Nigeria must rise to defend its territory and promote positivity in its diversity across all regions.

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A Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Justice Nkeonye Maha, on Monday accused a lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, representing pro-democracy activist and convener of RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, of disrupting her court session.

Marshal, who is a member of the team from the chamber of Femi Falana, had approached the judge in the open court shortly before the commencement of proceedings.

He called the attention of the judge to the fact that Sowore’s case file had not been returned back to Justice Taiwo Taiwo one week after Maha excused herself from hearing the matter.

But in her reaction, the judge accused the lawyer of grandstanding and disrupting her court session.

Maha said, “This is administrative, it is not a reason for you to disturb my court. Don't disturb my court over such matters again.

“Please journalists, know what you report, I have no hand in the matter again.”

Unfazed by that accusation, Marshal told the court that it was better for him to approach the judge in the open to avoid any misconception.

He demanded for the case file be taken back to Justice Taiwo, who have since resumed from vacation, for hearing to resume.

Recall that on August 28, Maha had declined to hear Sowore’s appeal over his continued detention of the Department of State Services by claiming that she did not have the jurisdiction to review the decision by Justice Taiwo, who granted an ex-parte order to the DSS to keep the activist for 45 days.

Sowore, through his lawyers, argued that the court breached his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights by approving that order for the DSS.

He was arrested in Lagos on August 3 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets and express their frustration at the poor state of governance in the country.

Despite calls for his release from across the globe, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to hold on to him.

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The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, has nullified the victory of a former governor of the state, Orji Uzor Kalu, at the 2019 general election.

Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mao Ohuabunwa, has been declared winner of the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier declared Kalu, who contested under the platform of the All Progressives Congress to represent Abia North Senatorial District at the federal legislature as winner of that exercise but in its ruling on Monday, the tribunal upturned that verdict.

Kalu is the current Chief Whip of the Senate.

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Robert Mugabe Quartz

 

The Zimbabwean government plans a state funeral for longtime ruler
Robert Mugabe in a sports stadium in Harare next Saturday, with a
burial ceremony a day later, it said in a memo sent to embassies on
Sunday.

Zimbabweans have been confused about when they would get to pay their
last respects to Mugabe since his death in a Singapore hospital on
Friday after a long illness.

Mugabe had dominated Zimbabwean politics for almost four decades from
independence in 1980 until he was removed by his own army in a
November 2017 coup.

Revered by many as a liberator who freed his people from white
minority rule, Mugabe was vilified by others for wrecking one of
Africa’s most promising economies and ruthlessly crushing his
opponents.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who worked closely with Mugabe for
decades before helping to oust him, granted Mugabe the status of a
national hero within hours of his death.

The memo sent by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to embassies
in Harare and seen by Reuters said the funeral would be in the
National Sports Stadium but did not specify where the burial would be.

It said heads of state would be expected to leave the stadium
immediately after the funeral ceremony because officials would be busy
with preparations for the burial.

The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported last month that Mugabe
didn’t want to be buried at National Heroes Acre – a site reserved for
the country’s heroes – because he felt bitter about the way he was
removed from power, Reuters report.

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The Taliban on Sunday warned that more American lives would be lost if
President Donald Trump canceled peace talks with them, but said they
remained open to continuing with the talks.

The group was replying to a series of Trump tweets on Saturday that
said a secret meeting with “major leaders” of the Taliban at Camp
David had been canceled because of an attack by the insurgents that
killed an American soldier.

“Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an
attack in Kabul that killed one of our great, great soldiers and 11
other people,” Trump said. “I immediately cancelled the meeting and
called off peace negotiations.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed talks between American and
Taliban officials — which have spanned the past year and resulted in a
draft agreement to end America’s longest war — have been suspended
indefinitely and that U.S. forces would continue to put military
pressure on the insurgents.

“If the Taliban don’t behave, if they don’t deliver on the commitments
that they’ve made to us now for weeks, and in some cases months, the
president is not going to reduce the pressure, we’re not going to
reduce our support for the Afghan security forces that have fought so
hard there in Afghanistan,” Pompeo said in an interview with CNN.

The Taliban said the response by the U.S. showed a lack of “patience
and experience,” and highlighted that neither side had committed to a
cease-fire while the agreement was being finalized.

“This will lead to more losses for the U.S.,” Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. “This has damaged the U.S. the
most, its credibility will be affected, its anti-peace stance will be
exposed to the world.”

However, Mujahid said the insurgents remained open to continuing talks.

“We will stay committed if the path of negotiation is chosen instead
of fighting,” he said.

The comments came after American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Sept. 2
that the U.S. had reached an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban
that only needed Trump’s approval to be finalized. Under the
agreement, international forces would be withdrawn from Afghanistan in
phases in return for Taliban promises not to allow terrorists to use
the country to launch attacks on the U.S. and its allies.
Many experts have expressed concerns over the deal, of which most
details have been kept secret.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox News last month that withdrawing
too many U.S. troops from Afghanistan could lead to another 9/11. A
group of former U.S. ambassadors issued a joint statement on Tuesday,
warning the country could descend into “total civil war” if
international forces withdrew too soon.

The Afghan government, which has been excluded from the U.S.-Taliban
talks, expressed similar concerns after it was shown the draft deal in
recent days.

The details of the agreement “were not convincing,” Afghan
presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told reporters on Sunday. He
refused to say what impact Trump’s decision would have on the peace
process, but said, “The recent attacks in Afghanistan by the Taliban
show that the Taliban are not committed to any peace effort.”

The attack that prompted Trump to cancel talks with the Taliban
happened Thursday when the group detonated a car bomb in Kabul’s
diplomatic quarter.

Sgt. 1st Class Elis A. Barreto Ortiz, 34, was killed in the attack
along with a Romanian soldier and 10 civilians. Ortiz’s death came
less than a week after Master Sgt. Michael Riley, 32, and Sgt. James
Johnston, 24, were killed by the Taliban in southern Uruzgan province,
reports Stars and Stripes.

“What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly
strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they only made it
worse!” Trump tweeted.

“If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace
talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably
don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How
many more decades are they willing to fight?”

 

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