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A take on recent economic policies

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Sheriffdeen Tella The last few months have witnessed a number of policy shifts that cannot but be of immense benefits to the Nigerian economy. Unfortunately, the policy shifts are in the short run injurious to well-being but inevitable, as we have no option but to adopt them, having mismanaged the opportunity to use prolonged oil boom receipts for development of production sectors of the economy. The two radical but painful economic policies are deregulation of petroleum pump price and deregulation of the exchange rate market. It is clear that both actions must of necessity result in painful outcomes, particularly inflation that we are grappling with today. But the government also plans fiscal stimulus, which is providing intervention funds for stimulating growth in the real sector with a view to boosting employment generation. The third item of relevance is the approval of a medium term expenditure (planning) framework. The removal of subsidy on petrol and the resultant over 50 per cent increase in the pump price of petrol with concomitant increase in the pump price of diesel and kerosene naturally appear in the high cost of production, including transport and consequently in the price of local goods and services. The massive naira depreciation also implies high costs of production since large proportion of inputs used in the industries are imported. All these cost prices reinforce each other to affect the selling price of goods produced. The fact that the international price of crude oil, the mainstay of the economy, had fallen and the volume of crude oil for sale has declined significantly due to the activities of the so-called “Niger Delta Avengers” cannot but cause shortage or scarcity of foreign currency, is stating the obvious. Unfortunately, those who have stacked stolen money in underground vaults and overhead tanks are the first to buy up the foreign currency at any price whenever the Central Bank of Nigeria intervenes. This has worsened the funding situation for importers of raw materials for industrial production. All the suggestions that the CBN should change or swap the colour of the high denominations of the naira to neutralise the speculative activities of these looters have remained unheeded. Now that the CBN has even reopened the Bureau de Change window for foreign exchange allocation, we should expect further worsening of the naira depreciation. I agree with Henry Boyo that the situation that warranted the ban of allocation of forex to the BDC has not changed and the need to lift the ban did not arise. There could be some games being played here at the expense of sound economic management. The naira value against foreign currency will improve in a sustainable manner only when the country starts producing large proportion of what we import and consume, which is in the medium to long term. A major way of preventing naira slide in the short term is to stop speculative attack on the currency and changing the colour of the highest naira denominations is a sure way, unless the CBN has evidence to show that demand from the manufacturing sector is the main driving force of the rapid and massive depreciation. When we add the recent hike in Monetary Policy Rate, – a signal to banks to increase their rate of lending – to the monetary policy equation, then you know that producers are in big trouble and consumers are in the soup! Fortunately, the consumers can resist high prices by shifting their demands to cheaper, affordable local alternatives or readjust their consumption pattern which leaves producers with large amount of unsold goods and cutting down of production. This inadvertently results in cut in demand for labour or increase in unemployment as being witnessed presently. The high cost of borrowing from banks should have ordinarily made producers to seek funds from the capital market where funds are cheaper but Nigerian investors seek quick returns on their investments and they are not risk takers. So, they do not like to invest in the capital market unless the market exhibits quick profitable returns. In fact, Nigerian investors have run away from the market since the last crash in 2007/2008, otherwise those who stole oil money would have kept the capital market awash with the looted funds instead of putting the same in tanks and deposit money banks. This implies that producers cannot get sufficient funds from the capital market for business activities and expansion even if the economy is to be jumpstarted as required. My main concern is that while the fiscal policy is moving towards injecting funds to reflate the economy, the monetary policy is about withdrawing money from the same economy! The two bodies concerned should discuss and work to support each other. The funds that the CBN should withdraw from the economy are the hidden money locked up in private vaults and tanks underground or in ceilings as alluded to above. There is a suspect that there exist illicit funds with various or coded names in some of the banks, yet to be declared, as the banks could be accused of not reporting such to the EFCC in time. The CBN should find a way of neutralising such funds from being used for speculative attack on naira in the foreign exchange market. However, it should be the duty of the CBN to encourage lending for genuine businesses at cheaper rate by reducing the monetary policy rate and consequently, the lending rate. In conformity with the fiscal policy stance, the CBN may want to engage in monetary easing policy after dealing with the illicit funds. Let us take a little digression. Those who are blaming the present government for the current hardships are either ignorant of the facts or mischievous in their assessment. This is because at a point, the immediate past government not only plundered the reserves but did also not remit total revenues into the federation account and reserves. Why did the erstwhile Governor of the CBN, Lamido Sanusi, accuse the government of missing $20bn and what happened to him? How did Diezani Alison-Madueke get enough funds to distribute to finance election? Was the money that the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, distribute not supposed to be in an account and distributed through the CBN? So many questions without answers. What is important however, is that the present government has to move faster to change the direction of the economy for good. All bureaucratic bottlenecks must be reduced to clear the way for reflating the economy at a faster pace. The revelations on corruption we have witnessed in the last one year are instructive of the extent to which three groups of Nigerians, namely the politicians, the military and bureaucrats, have dealt unjustly with the Nigerian nation. They have, in the course of pursing personal aggrandisement, subjected the whole population to ridicule within the comity of nations. Most of the people mentioned in the corruption armada or standing trials presently are within the ages of 40 years and below 70 years. They belong to the group of Nigerians who enjoyed subsidy most in the economic history of Nigeria. Either at the primary, secondary or tertiary education, they might have enjoyed one or more of the following: free books, free tuition, subsidised food and accommodation, free health services, subsidised electricity and petroleum products. They are the same groups who have removed all these subsidies from the table of the younger generations through advanced kleptocratic practices. To be concluded Tella is a Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye ***Niyi Akinnaso returns next week Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Stock market: Investors lose N28bn

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Equity transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange resumed for the week on Monday on a negative note as the market capitalisation depreciated by N28bn or 0.30 per cent. The situation followed price losses recorded by some major stocks. The market capitalisation closed lower at N9.399tn, down from the N9.427tn recorded on Friday. Also, the All-Share Index, which opened at 27,450.91, dropped by 82.5 points to close at 27,368.41. The Nigerian Breweries led the losers’ chart with N1.7 to close at N138.27 per share, while the GT Bank followed, depreciating by 34 kobo to close at N25.95. NAHCO lost 17 kobo to close at N3.23 and NASCON and Africa Prudential Registrars dipped by one kobo each to close at N7.9 and N2.65 per share respectively. On the other hand, 7UP led the gainers’ chart with N3.98 to close at N116.98 per share, while Champion gained nine kobo to close at N2.7. Also the NPF Microfinance Bank, Dangote Flour Mills and Honeywell Flour Mills grew by four kobo each to close at 99 kobo, N3.9 and N1.4 per share, respectively. The Financial Service Sector remained the delight of investors as FBN Holdings emerged as the most traded stock, accounting for 11.66 million shares worth N34.95m. The FCMB followed with an exchange of 8.83 million shares valued at N9.31m, while Zenith Bank sold 7.84 million shares worth N119.96m. Diamond Bank traded 7.62 million shares valued at N8.19m, while UBA transacted 7.19 million shares worth N31.97m. In all, the volume of shares traded declined by 70.01 per cent as investors exchanged 83.83 million shares worth N711.12m in 2,279 deals. This was against the 279.56 million shares valued at N3.70bn traded in 3,255 deals on Friday.

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Spanish police smash Chinese immigration ring

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Spanish police said Saturday they had smashed a major ring allegedly providing Chinese nationals living illegally in the country with fake contracts as domestic staff so they could get residency permits. Police arrested 57 people across the country as part of the operation, including a Chinese couple suspected of running the ring, police said in a statement. The authorities suspect Chinese nationals living illegally in Barcelona paid the ring around 8,000 euros ($9,000) for fake domestic work contracts with employers in the holiday island of Lanzarote, allowing them to obtain residency permits. “They would return to Barcelona once they obtained a residency permit to work in the textile sector, without ever carrying out job they were hired for,” the statement said. The ring allegedly paid employers, usually hotels in Lanzarote, 1,500-2,000 euros for each fake work contract they provided a Chinese national. A police spokeswoman could not say how many Chinese nationals obtained residency permits through the scheme, saying only that the ring was “very important”. Just under 200,000 Chinese nationals legally live in Spain, making the Chinese immigrant population the fourth largest foreign community in the country, according to national statistics institute INE.

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Facebook to embrace more Nigerian languages, says Zuckerberg

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Zuckerberg, who is currently on a business visit to Nigeria, made the promise at a meeting with software developers and ICT entrepreneurs on Wednesday in Lagos. He said that social media application currently allowed the use of Hausa language on Facebook. “I am glad we support Hausa and we are planning on supporting a lot more languages soon.’’ Zuckerberg also expressed his willingness to work with local content providers in bringing Nigerian communities to the internet. He said having local contents on the Facebook platform would ensure that more people were connected. According to him, in the next 10 to 15 years, Facebook hopes to get everyone in the world connected online. Zuckerberg is currently meeting with developers, entrepreneurs and startups. His first stop is the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB), a social innovation centre in Yaba, dedicated to accelerating the application of social capital and technology for economic prosperity. According to him, there are many talented developers and entrepreneurs in Nigeria. “Thanks for such a warm welcome. There are so many talented people here. I am excited to get a chance to meet some of them. “This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I will be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs and learning about the start-up ecosystem in Nigeria. “The energy here is amazing and I’m excited to learn as much as I can,’’ he said. Zuckerberg said that at CcHUB, he was able to talk with children at a summer coding camp and entrepreneurs, who came to the hub to build and launch their apps.

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Ondo PDP: INEC boycotts Sheriff's faction's primary

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Peter Dada, Akure Representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission were not present at the Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party which held its primary in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday. An Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, also restrained the Sheriff faction from holding the parallel primary. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said the commission did not send anybody to monitor the primary of Sheriff’s faction of the PDP. Responding to a text message sent to him by our correspondent on whether the commission sent a representative to the primary, Agbaje said ” No, thank you” Also, a source within the commission said the Sheriff’s faction formally informed the state’s branch of the commission about the event and requested for monitoring, but its request was turned down because there was no directive from the national secretariat of the INEC to send representatives to the primary. The source said, “We can not attend such a primary because we have no directive from our national secretariat.” The presiding judge, Justice Omolara Adejumo in her ruling said no PDP’s faction should conduct any primary outside the one that had been conducted by the Clement Faboyede-led State Congress. She also ordered Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, Sola Ebiseni, Bamiduro Dada and Niran Sule not to parade themselves as the aspirants for such parallel primary. Justice Adejumo said, “I have read motion paper and the affidavit of same, I have also considered the provision of the law relied upon in bringing the application. It is my view that the application has merit. ” However, in spite the court order, the parallel primary of the Sheriff’s faction was conducted in Ibadan and Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim was reported to have emerged the winner.

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Chinese firm wins $1.85bn Kano light rail contract

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Rasheed Bisiriyu and Okechukwu Nnodim Another light rail project is in the offing as a Chinese firm has received the approval to construct the line in Kano at a sum of $1.85bn (N589.8bn). An online report by The Cable on Monday gave the construction firm as the China Railway Construction Corporation. This is coming less than a year to the completion of the first light rail project being constructed in Lagos by the state government. Another Chinese firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation is handling the project. In a special announcement on Monday, the CRCC said its directors had received a provisional letter of award from Nigeria for the Kano light rail project. The rail, with a total length of 74.3 kilometres, is expected to travel at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. In context, 100 kilometres per hour is as fast as moving from Lagos to Ibadan in 72 minutes. The first phase of the project construction is billed to take two years, while the second phase of the four-line rail is expected to take another two years. “The project contract amount is approximately $ 1.851bn, accounting for two per cent of the company’s 2015 revenue, under the China Accounting Standards,” the firm said. The receipt of the contract is valid for three weeks from the day of award, after which “uncertainties” will prevail. Nigeria is investing heavily in capital projects, building infrastructure, and replacing half-a-century old rail lines in the country. With over N1tn budgeted for capital expenditure in the 2016 Appropriation Act, Nigeria is expected to invest the highest amount in capex in its 56-year history. Rail transportation received a boost in Nigeria on July 26 this year when President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Abuja-Kaduna commercial train operation after series of postponements. The modernisation phase of the project had commenced with the signing of the contract for the construction of Abuja (Idu) to Kaduna (Rigasa) rail line in 2009. Buhari had said the rail line would significantly enhance and provide affordable and safe movement of passengers and freight between the Federal Capital Territory and Kaduna State. He said that the train operation would also serve as a major catalyst for industrialisation and generation of employment.

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Would reducing civil servants’ working days boost food production?

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Kabir Ibrahim (National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria) The governors are wasting their time on things that are not necessary. First, how would the affected civil servants be effective in their official responsibilities when their attention is divided? While on the farms, their official duties would suffer. Reducing the working days of civil servants does not make any economic sense. And that would amount to a loss to the states. There are many other things the states should do to boost agriculture. They could subsidise farming inputs to make them affordable. Nigerian farmers are facing serious challenges because they cannot afford the machinery required for mechanised farming. A state government could make necessary tools available to farmers. They could also encourage farmers to form clusters and assist them to acquire modern tools. Imo State Government, for instance, could divide the state into three zones and set up centres where farmers from different zones could hire equipment. With a little amount of money, the farmers should be able to hire tractors. That would boost the economy of the state. The state governments should also take extension services seriously. Farmers need to be educated in modern farming technology. There are several other things the governors could do to encourage agriculture in their states. But giving civil servants some days off is certainly not among what people expect from them. It does not make any economic sense. The civil servants must not be physically involved in their farming activities? That is not necessary. Most people who are into farming are not physically involved. Dr. Godwin Owoh (Executive Chairman, Society for Analytical Economics, Nigeria) There is nothing new in what the governors have done. The regulations of the civil service encourage civil servants to combine their core professional callings with their official jobs. For instance, those who are lawyers can practise law and teach at the same time. Doctors can also teach while rendering medical consultancy at the same time. In the same vein, civil servants could engage in farming without necessarily giving up their primary jobs. But using the existing practice to outsmart labour leaders in their agitation for better working conditions is not acceptable. The government cannot use this avenue to reduce the number of hours public workers are statutorily bound to put into their jobs. In Nigeria, civil servants are expected to work between 8am and 4pm, from Monday to Friday. It is statutory. Before the governors can reduce the number of working days or hours, the relevant labour laws must be amended, but states do not have the power to do so. This is because labour-related issues are on the exclusive list. The National Assembly must amend the labour laws before the governors can reduce the number of hours of working days of the civil servants in their states. So, it is illegal for anybody to reduce the working days of civil servants when the existing laws on the issue have not been amended. Many people have farms in their places of residence. But that should not stop anybody from carrying out their official job. Interestingly, what the governors actually want to achieve with the policy is to reduce the salary budgets of their states. But they have failed to cut the real waste. Reducing wages would not make a reasonable difference in public expenditure because it is small compared to other areas the states waste their resources on. Shedrack Madlion (Group Managing Director, Safari 54 Farms Limited) Giving civil servants some days off would not address the real challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The government needs to address the fundamental challenges facing the sector. For the first time, a bag of 50kg bag of rice is selling for N20,000. This should send a clear signal to the government that there is trouble in the land. Unfortunately, we are not tackling the real issues. For instance, what has Imo State Government done to develop the value chain of the palm oil produced in the state? Has it considered setting up a processing centre where farmers in the state can process palm oil? Every community in that state has a comparative advantage in one agricultural produce or the other. Rather than giving the civil servants some days off, the government should assist farmers in the state to harness the potential in their localities. The entire country does not have up to 40,000 functional tractors. Some small towns in India have more tractors than the entire Nigeria. What has the government done about that? Chief Tunde Badmus (Ex-President, Poultry Association of Nigeria/Chairman, TUNS FARMS) I don’t see the need for the policy because it would be tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. What the governors need to do first is to develop policies in line with the agric potential of their states. When you give workers some days off to practise farming without you showing direction, they would just go home and sit down, doing nothing. When you tell workers to stay at home and farm, are they going to plant maize or cassava at this period? Have you provided the land on which they are going to plant? If you want them to go into poultry production, where are the birds? Kebbi has a policy on rice, maize and poultry productions. Also, Osun has a policy on poultry production, where government invests in you by giving you the feeds and birds. You pay later after you’ve sold your products. The governors could feel that many of our civil servants sit down in our ministries daily, doing nothing. May be that’s why they are coming up with this idea, but there should be a well-thought-out policies. Wale Oyekoya (Chairman, Agriculture and Non-Oil Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry) I appreciate policies that can be sustained. If a serving governor changes a civil service rule to encourage agriculture, what happens to the policy when he leaves the office? There is no guarantee that the policy would be sustained by his successor. Asking civil servants to take some days off to work on their farms is against the civil service rules. But the governors that have made such pronouncements used their powers to bend the rule, which is not right. Apart from its illegality, the policy would not yield any positive result. What would happen to the operations of the states if the civil servants are encouraged to abandon their duty posts to go to farms? I am an advocate of family farming. I believe everybody can participate in agriculture through family farming. A lawyer, doctor or public servant can go into family farming. All they need to do is to convert the spaces around their houses to farms. The government should know that it is not everybody that is interested in farming. The two days Benue and Imo state governments have given to civil servants would go to waste. And that would make the civil servants unproductive. Rather, the government should encourage the existing farmers and motivate jobless youths to go into farming. There are many issues the governors have not clarified. Do they want the civil servants to go into farming as a hobby or as a business? If they want to do it as a business, what is the arrangement for marketing and processing? Where would they get seedlings? Why don’t they collect the statistics of those who are interested in farming and give them the tools they need? The governors should rather think of how to develop the value chain of what is produced in their states rather than creating emergency farmers. Dr. Biodun Adedipe (Chief Consultant, B. Adedipe Associates Limited) The first thing we need to understand in terms of managing an economy that is in a recession is that the government has to be pragmatic. It should not be business as usual. You need to source for solutions using unconventional methods. What the governors are doing is not new. The United Kingdom, the United States and other countries also encourage their people to take advantage of different opportunities during economic downturns. I see the decision of the governors as a pragmatic way of addressing the challenges facing the country. First, many people are idle. I do not see how somebody who has not earned salaries for months would work at optimally level in their offices. Historically, agriculture has been the highest contributor to our Gross Domestic Product. Hence, it is an area we need to boost to diversify the economy. I think the decision would help the economy if other governors consider it. Also, the policy is not entirely new in Nigeria. In the late1970s, there was a similar effort to encourage civil servants to go into farming. The essence of the rested Operation Feed the Nation policy was to encourage everybody to go into farming. People were encouraged to own gardens at the back of their houses. The whole idea was to make the people to see the potential in agriculture. If every Nigerian pays attention to agriculture, the economy would benefit. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Extradition: Court refuses to stop Kashamu’s arrest

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Ade Adesomoju, Abuja A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday refused to grant a fresh application by the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial district in the Senate, Buruji Kashamu, seeking to stop the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police from arresting him to be extradited to the United States of America. Justice Okon Abang, who is sitting as a vacation judge, agreed to hear the case during the ongoing vacation but held in a ruling that he could not grant the request which was made ex parte. The judge ruled that the security agencies deserved to be served with the motion to enable them to show cause why the restraining injunction sought by the plaintiff should not be granted. Kashamu’s counsel, Godswill Mrakpor, had asked the court to restrain the security agencies from arresting the senator. Mrakpor urged the court to urgently hear the application during court’s vacation. He had informed the court that the security agencies were acting based on a “politically-motivated petition” authored by Oladipupo Adebutu from Ogun State. The Ogun East senator alleged that there were moves to arrest him and forcefully extradite him to the United States to face drug-related charge. He also claimed that his arrest would be in breach of orders contained in suit No FHC/ L/CS/49/2010 and suit no FHC/L/CS/508/2015 which both restrained the Federal Government from taking steps to extradite him. Justice Abang then adjourned hearing of the suit till September 8. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Chibok parents bypass campaigners, seek audience with Buhari

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Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja Some parents of the over 200 girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014 are currently reaching out to the Presidency for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari that will not have anything to do with the BringBackOurGirls campaigners, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. This is coming at a time when security operatives prevented the BBOG campaigners from gaining entrance to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday and Thursday for a meeting with Buhari. A top Presidency source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that while the campaigners had been parading only two parents of the girls, the women leader of the Chibok parents, Yana Galang, had expressed their desire to meet with the President. He said the woman told the Presidency that the parents would wait for the first child of late Head of State, Gen. Murtala Mohammed (retd.) and Chairman/Executive Officer of Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, to return to the country in September to facilitate the meeting. The source said, “The Chibok parents’ women leader called and reiterated their commitment to work with the government. “She said that they are looking forward to a meeting with the President or with government officials, which has nothing to do with the BBOG campaign. “She said they will wait until Mrs. Muhammed-Oyebode returns to the country at the beginning of next month, so she can facilitate this.” He added that while the campaigners have been parading the two Chibok families based in Abuja and another based in Minna, Niger State, none of those based in Chibok have attended their rallies. He said Galang also reported that one of the parents who have been attending the rallies, Esther Yakubu, called and scolded her about recent media comments credited to her. Galang had in the report said, “We (Chibok parents) do not want to do anything that the government will not be happy about. We are not after any organisation that is against any party or religion, and we are supporting the Federal Government to help us release our girls.” He said they wanted her to publish a retraction which she said she would not do. Another source had earlier told our correspondent that Buhari refused to meet with BBOG campaigners because of Dr. Oby Ezekwesili’s alleged rudeness to him when he met them on January 14. He said with what happened at that meeting, nobody could stick out his or her neck again to convince the President to meet with them. He said, “You will recall that at the last meeting, the President sent a minister and some aides to meet with them at the old Banquet Hall. “At a point, the campaigners insisted that they must meet the President and no other person. So some of us went to meet the President and persuaded him to meet them which he did. “Surprisingly, the former minister (Ezekwesili) was rude to President Buhari during the meeting that was held behind closed doors by telling him that she was not satisfied with him.” But the BBOG spokesman, Abubakar Abudullahi, said the coalition has no control over the parents of the kidnapped schoolgirls, noting that they were free to see the president without the group. “We don’t have control over the Chibok parents and they are free to see the president or whoever they wanted to see; we are all working for the same goal. That is all I have to say about it,” he said in a phone conversation on Friday. It will be recalled that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had said on Thursday that the Federal Government has not given up on the abducted girls. He said Buhari’s heart was with the girls and their parents and that efforts to find them would continue. The presidential spokesman said, “The President’s heart is with the Chibok Girls and their parents. He understands their feelings. The government has not given up on the missing girls. Efforts to find them will continue. “So far, the country’s gallant and re-energised military has taken back more than 20,000 citizens held hostage by the terrorists.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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No soldier was killed in clash with militants

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Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt THE Nigerian Army has denied reports that two soldiers were killed during the military operation in Omuawa in Ikerre LGA of Rivers State where five militants were shot dead. Spokesman, 2nd Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Captain Eli Lazarus, explained that no soldier was killed during Thursday’s operation, which he described as successful. It will be recalled that the militants, who had been terrorising the people of the area, were confronted by soldiers before five hoodlums were gunned down. About 23 suspects were said to have been arrested while several arms and ammunition were recovered during the operation that lasted for about 30 minutes. But a source in the community had said that two soldiers lost their lives during an exchange of fire with the militants. However, Lazarus, who spoke in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, maintained that there was no casualty on the side of the Nigerian Army. He pointed out that some an officer and two soldiers, who were involved in an accident sustained minor injuries, and added that their situation had nothing to do with last Thursday’s operation. “No soldier was injured during last Thursday’s operation as the Nigerian Army embarked on a successful operation. Five militants, who engaged our men in a shootout were killed. “Maybe, some people may have may have thought that an officer and two soldiers, who were involved in a road accident, were injured during the operation.

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Euro winner Mario set for Inter unveiling

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Inter Milan are set to complete the signing of Euro 2016 winner Joao Mario from Sporting Lisbon after presenting the midfielder to fans at the San Siro on Sunday. Reports claimed Joao Mario, 23, will join Frank De Boer’s side for 40m euros plus 5m in bonuses to Sporting. “It’s great to be at Inter, I want to thank the fans who have given me such a fantastic welcome,” Mario told Sky Sports in an interview pitchside minutes before kick-off. “But I also want to thank Inter, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I want to show that I’m worth every penny of what they paid for me.” Inter won the treble of league, Cup and Champions League under former coach Jose Mourinho in 2010 but have since struggled to qualify for the competition’s group stages amid the domestic dominance of Juventus, an ambitious Roma side and Napoli, who finished runners-up last season. But the ‘Nerazzurri’ have been given fresh impetus after being bought by Chinese tycoon Zhang Jindong, who will expect coach Frank De Boer to succeed where Roberto Mancini — who won seven titles including three consecutive league titles in a previous spell at the club — failed. Qualification for the Champions League is the priority, and Mario added: “Our ambition, our dream, is to play the Champions League. “We have to work hard if we are to succeed but we’ll see at the end of the season if we can finish first or second.” Juventus, who bought 36-goal Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain in the summer for 90m euros ($102m), have won the past five Serie A titles. AFP

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BREAKING: Gunshots at Kuje prison sparks fear of jail-break

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Hello world! - punchng.com

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Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

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My ex’s family prevented her from marrying me - Nwaogu

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Samuel Olatunji Victor Udochukwu Nwaogu is a TV presenter, voice-over artiste and an actor. Nwaogu, who is fond of referring to himself as a ‘little person’, has been in the industry for more than a decade. He describes his passion for entertainment as overpowering and does not wish he was in any other field. “The passion is overwhelming; it is beyond seeing actors but getting to learn how the industry plays out. For me there is no better industry I would have been. Even if I was not an actor, I would still have been in the entertainment industry,” he said. According to Nwaogu, he feels that his height prevents him from accessing big roles as most movies revolve around people of average height. He said, “If you look around you, society is made up of people of average height, so it will be very difficult for a writer to pick up a pen and start putting down stories that are related to little people like us.” On his relationship, Nwaogu admitted having had his fair share of heartbreaks. He also told Sunday Scoop how his would be in-laws denied him a wife because of his height. “I have had my fair share of challenges when it comes to relationships but it is still a normal thing. My last relationship ended because of my height. The problem was not her but her parents. I wanted to take our relationship to the next level. She informed her parents and that was when things started to fall apart. The parents said they wouldn’t assent to it and because my ex is someone who likes to obey her parents, she called off the relationship.” When asked if he has found any special person, he replied, “It is not about finding a woman; it is about finding a woman that will accept this body, especially in this part of the world.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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SLIDE: Living dangerously in Lagos

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Rooney to end England career after 2018 World Cup

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England captain Wayne Rooney announced on Tuesday that the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be his final tournament as an international footballer. “Realistically, I know myself that Russia will be my last opportunity to do anything with England,” Rooney told a press conference at St George’s Park in Burton, central England. “My mind is made up. Russia will be my last tournament.” New England manager Sam Allardyce announced on Monday that Manchester United striker Rooney, 30, will be kept on as captain for the World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in Slovakia on Sunday.

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Man City outcast Hart completes Torino loan move

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Out-of-favour Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has joined Italian club Torino on a season-long loan, the two clubs announced on Wednesday. The England international, 29, arrives in Turin after being frozen out at City by new manager Pep Guardiola. Hart had been City’s first-choice goalkeeper since 2010, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup, but Guardiola signed Chile’s Claudio Bravo to replace him. “Suddenly (in) my career has been an important turning: it was a sign. Torino’s offer came in the right moment, with the right manner,” Hart said in a statement on Torino’s English-language website. “I am very excited to compare myself in an important and beautiful league such as Serie A. History of Italian goalkeeper is known everywhere: I am sure I could learn in Torino too.” Hart was pictured signing his contract on the Torino website. He was mobbed by fans after flying in to Turin on Tuesday and was later pictured posing with the club’s shirt on a balcony in the city. Hart will now link up with the England squad, who are preparing for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier away to Slovakia on Sunday. “Joe Hart is an international goalkeeper with a considerable experience in Manchester City Football Club and in his national team, where he made his debut when he was only 21,” said Torino president Urbano Cairo. “His transfer to Torino makes us proud and demonstrates our willingness to build a team more competitive.” Hart will be only the third English goalkeeper to play in Serie A. He is expected to take the gloves from Daniele Padelli, who has failed to impress coach Sinisa Mihajlovic since the former Lazio defender became coach in May. Torino are seventh in the Italian top flight after two matches of the season. Hart could make his Torino debut on September 11 when the ‘Granata’ face Atalanta in Bergamo. Guardiola explained that he had dropped Hart due to his desire to use a goalkeeper more comfortable with the ball at his feet. Willy Caballero, Hart’s deputy last season, began the campaign as City’s first-choice goalkeeper. Last week, Bravo signed from Guardiola’s former club Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth around £17 million ($22 million, 19 million euros). “A key figure in a golden age in the club’s history, Joe has collected as many individual prizes as he has team honours in his decade at the Etihad Stadium,” City wrote on their website. “A popular, well-liked figure in the dressing room and a fans’ favourite thanks to his articulate, straight-talking candour in interviews, Hart now joins Turin-based Serie A outfit Torino for the remainder of the current campaign. From everyone at the club, good luck and thank you, Joe!” AFP

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Should EFCC stop prosecuting fraud cases?

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The opinion expressed by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, was a personal one. Any member of the society can air their opinions on any issue. Personally, I think the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should be given more powers. It has done very well in the past years. Probably, that is why the attention is on it. Why are we not talking about the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which also prosecutes offenders? The powers of the EFCC to prosecute are expressly stated in the constitution. The same sections that give the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice the powers to prosecute also give the EFCC the powers to prosecute. And it is not only the EFCC that has prosecutorial powers. The Nigeria Police Force, ICPC, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control are given similar powers. If you leave prosecution to only the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, it would be burdensome. It was based on this that the EFCC and other agencies are given the same powers. This is good for the country. If you look at the statistics, you would observe that the EFCC has recorded the highest number of convictions in the country. How do you then ask the government to reduce the powers of such a commission? The powers it enjoys are constitutional. Besides, it has done very well. When a child is doing well, you do not discourage him. Rather, you encourage him to do better. I would rather suggest that the EFCC’s powers should be strengthened. It deserves that. – • Rotimi Jacobs (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abubakar Mahmoud, is somebody I respect. But I disagree with him on his call for the withdrawal of the prosecutorial powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Perhaps, he was not properly advised. I am sure that he would change his position if he has access to information on the sterling performance of the anti-graft agency. The EFCC has secured more convictions than all the ministries of justice in the country put together. That includes the Federal Ministry of Justice. You can confirm that from records. Why should the NBA president single out the EFCC when many other agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Police Force and several others have prosecutorial powers? Based on its performance, the EFCC needs to be strengthened. It prosecutorial and investigation powers should be strengthened. Its capacity should also be boosted so that it can perform much more than it is currently doing.- • Wahab Shittu (Lawyer) Prosecution is a very serious business. To achieve success in prosecuting a criminal, the person prosecuting must be thorough and competent. That is why I believe in building what I call judicial architecture. Let us go into history to examine the performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. You would observe that there were instances when the commission brought 200 charges against an alleged criminal but could not prove a single charge. That means it lacks prosecutorial competence. In many instances, it would not finish investigation before it makes an arrest. When you arrest an accused person, the investigative process is considered to have been completed. This is because the accused person has the right to refuse to speak with you once he is arrested. But what we have noticed is that the EFCC would hurriedly arrest an accused person while its investigation is still ongoing. For such an agency, it should seek clearance from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice before it prosecutes. And the constitution is clear on it – the chief prosecuting officer of the country is the AGF. A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, raised the issue but many people dismissed his argument. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice should be part of the EFCC’s prosecution processes. But there may be unnecessary delay if we insist that the EFCC should get clearance from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice before it prosecutes. The EFCC could duplicate each case file and give a copy to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice so that he/she could intervene in the process when it is necessary.- •Chuks Nwachukwu (Partner, Indemnity Partners) To have said that the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prosecute alleged corrupt people should be withdrawn, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, appears to miss the point. The EFCC should be encouraged and empowered to continue the prosecution of corrupt individuals. I think some lawyers, who have been colluding with corrupt members of the society and judges to defraud the country, are threatened by the good work the EFCC is doing. That could be the reason the NBA leadership is calling for the weakening of the EFCC. The government and the entire country should know that the call is not in the interest of the nation. Personally, I am fully in support of the anti-corruption war. The government should use everything within its control to fight corruption. Obviously, the EFCC is critical to the success of the war. Calling for the weakening of the commission raises a lot of questions about the interest of the individual making such a demand. A lot of people are blaming the government for the poor performance of the economy. But the truth is that we would not be able to boost the performance of the economy if corruption is not defeated. The EFCC is germane to the efforts to sustain the war. Hence, we cannot afford to weaken the agency. – • Frank Kokori (Former Secretary-General, Petroleum Energy and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria) The face-off between the new President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is very unfortunate. First, the NBA should acknowledge the fact that the EFCC is not filled with unlearned people. It is also important the NBA notes that the law establishing the anti-graft agency is clear on its mandates. That law was not enacted yesterday. Rather than plotting how the agency would be weakened, the NBA leadership should explore areas of collaboration with the agency, so that it (the EFCC) could gain from its expertise. Already, the masses see the Nigerian bar as a hindrance to the anti-graft war. The first thing the new leadership of the NBA could do to show that it has good intentions is to make an in-house policy banning members of the bar from using legal loopholes to stall corruption cases. How would Mahmoud view a call asking judges to stop ‘writing’ verdicts and allow the EFCC to pronounce sentences on corrupt individuals? The NBA leadership should rethink its position on the matter. Otherwise, it would further fuel the suspicion that Nigerian lawyers are colluding with the enemies of the country to destroy it. – •Chris Otaigbe (Coordinator, Great Nigerians House) The suggestion of the President of the NBA, Abubakar Mahmoud, calling for the limitation of EFCC’s powers to only investigation was made in good faith given the antecedents of the commission. The commission, over the years, has shown a high level of competence in investigation. But the same thing cannot be said when it comes to prosecution. We must remember that the EFCC is mainly made up of police officers. On that basis, the NBA president’s suggestion ought to have been considered on its merit. It should not be seen as an attempt to undermine the commission. I think the EFCC would perform better if another body is empowered to undertake the prosecution of economic crimes while the agency takes care of investigation only. Nigerians must not forget that Mahmoud has also addressed judicial corruption, which he said would be fought with vigour under his watch. He made it clear that corrupt lawyers and judges would be dealt with decisively to uphold the sacredness of the legal profession. – • Evans Ufeli (Human rights activist and constitutional lawyer) (Compiled by Geoff Iyatse) Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Russian spends four months trying to revive dead husband

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Unable to cope with the death of her husband, a Russian woman reportedly spent at least four months trying to bring him back to life with the help of holy water and prayer. The unnamed 76-year-old retired therapist from the central district of Volgograd stunned police investigators when she said she didn’t report the death of her 87-year-old husband because she believed she could revive him by sprinkling holy water on his body and reading prayers. The woman’s bizarre secret was revealed on August 12 when she accidentally flooded the apartment below and a neighbour forced his way into her home to turn off the water. He found the almost mummified remains of her husband laying on the living-room couch and immediately notified the police. Forensic pathologists determined that the man had been dead for four to six months, but found no traces of violence on his body and concluded he had died of natural causes. During questioning, neighbours of the elderly couple said that they did sense a strange smell coming out of their apartment for a while, but didn’t think anything of it, according to Kuban Info. Also, the man had suffered a serious injury to his leg in 2015 and had been confined to a bed since then, so the only one who knew about his condition was his wife. To make sure no one interfered with her plans to revive the deceased, the woman would tell anyone asking about her husband that he was doing good but was too tired to see guests. Even the couple’s children were kept in the dark and asked not to visit, because the two of them were just fine. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Reintegration of two million IDPs, my current challenge -Buhari

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Olalekan Adetayo President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said the current challenge facing his administration was how to reintegrate over two million Internally Displaced Persons who are victims of Boko Haram insurgents. He said since life had started returning to normal where the IDPs were displaced, it was important for his administration to re-unite them with their families. According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke at the opening of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya. Buhari was quoted as promising that the Federal Government would ensure full rehabilitation of the displaced persons. He also promised to find lasting solutions to combat threats of terrorism in the country. He acknowledged Japan’s assistance through the United Nations Children’s Fund and other development partners for their support towards the rehabilitation of the victims of Boko Haram and improving the lives of IDPs in the country. Describing the problems as his administration’s primary responsibility, he promised to tackle them headlong and proffer lasting solutions. Buhari also told the summit attended by Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, 35 African leaders and chief executives of at least 80 major companies from Japan, that international cooperation with Nigeria was central in the decimation of Boko Haram terror group. He said, “I took over the mantle of leadership in Nigeria when the North-Eastern part of the country was being ravaged by Boko Haram. “However, soon after assumption of office, our administration with the support of our immediate neighbours — Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin — and international partners including Japan, faced the challenge frontally. ` “As I speak, the terror group has been decimated and life is beginning to return to normal in the affected region. “The challenge we currently face, which is also being addressed, is that of the IDPs, which number over two million to get them re-integrated with their families and their original homes.” On global health issues, which is a major focal point of the summit, Buhari thanked the Japanese government for its contribution of $800m to the fight against malaria, tuberculosis among others. The contribution is part of the $1.3bn made available to the Nigerian Health Sector by the Global Fund. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Only permed hair acceptable, school tells female students

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A South African school was today (Monday) accused of racism for allegedly telling black girls to straighten their hair and not wear ‘afro’ hairstyles. Pupils at Pretoria High School for Girls have said they were forced to chemically straighten their hair and not have afros that were deemed untidy. Over the weekend, students donning afro hairstyles and braids held a protest at the school to voice anger against the long-standing rule. Politicians quickly weighed in on the row, with the Economic Freedom Fighters party accusing the school of seeking “to directly suppress blackness in its aesthetics and culture”. Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance party, tweeted: “My daughter has an Afro… Would she not be allowed at (Pretoria) Girls?” On Monday, Panyaza Lesufi, the minister of education department in Gauteng province, visited the government-run school for talks with senior staff and students. “I really want to arrest the situation before it gets out of control,” Lesufi told reporters. An online petition against the school’s alleged policy has gathered more than 10,000 signatures since it was created on Friday. The petition, titled “Stop Racism at Pretoria Girls High”, calls on authorities to ensure that the “school’s code of conduct does not discriminate against black and Muslim girls.” “We are being discriminated against because of our hair; they want us to relax our hair, they want our hair to look a certain way,” an anonymous student told the PowerFM radio station. The prestigious school in the capital Pretoria was historically attended by whites only, but now admits black children following the end of apartheid in 1994. South Africa is still grappling with racial issues 22 years after the end of white-minority rule. Black students at the school also alleged on social media that they were not allowed to speak ethnic languages to one other. Disagreements over students’ hairstyles have previously erupted in South African schools, with some parents accusing education authorities of racism.

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ATBU student stabbed to death in gang war

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Armstrong Bakam Tragedy struck in Bauchi State on Wednesday night when a second-year student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, identified as Yusuf Musa, was stabbed to death. SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the undergraduate, a student of Mechanical Production Engineering, was killed during a fight, which was reportedly triggered by a misunderstanding between him and a fellow student three weeks earlier along a road. The deceased, who was supposed to take his final examination of first semester, was said to have been embroiled in a war of words with a 500-level student of the school’s Geology Department, whose name was given as Dauda. A source close to the victim, speaking on condition of anonymity, told SUNDAY PUNCH, “About three weeks ago, Yusuf and his friend were passing a road close to his house. “They met Dauda with a lady, but he (Dauda) did not allow them pass. Yusuf’s friend then started exchanging words with him (Dauda), but immediately, Yusuf started pleading with him (Dauda) to allow them to pass through. “Dauda then directed his insults at Yusuf. This angered him (Yusuf), so he also insulted Dauda; that was the genesis of the resentment that led to the killing of Yusuf.” SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the accused, on Monday, led a group of five other assailants to Yusuf’s house to assault him. They were said to have returned on Wednesday but neighbours reportedly intervened. The source said, “Later that night, Yusuf told his friend about Dauda’s constant harassment. The friend and some other friends decided to go and meet Dauda at his home, probably to settle scores. “It was after that that we heard Yusuf was hit with a big stick and then stabbed with a knife. All members of the two camps ran away, leaving him in a pool of his blood.” A Good Samaritan was said to have taken Musa to the hospital but he reportedly gave up the ghost on the way. “Yusuf was a very kind gentleman. People that met him easily liked him because he was very friendly,” he said. When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Zailani Bappah, said, “I am aware of the incident and they are our students. But I must tell you that this did not happen on either the Yelwa Campus or the Gubi Campus. It didn’t happen on the school property. “This is not our case but that of the police. I can only refer you to the police. The management is not officially aware of it; we are only onlookers. We are also waiting for them (police) to give us details of their investigations. We cannot say anything for now,” the university’s spokesman said. The Police Public Relations Officer in Bauchi, Mahmood Mohammed, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the case had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department. “An exhibit was recovered from the scene of the incident; the stick which was used to hit the deceased. We are working hard to recover the other exhibit that was used to stab him,” Mohammed said. The PPRO said the police had intensified efforts to arrest all fleeing suspects and bring them to book. “So far, a suspect has been arrested and is helping us with our investigation,” he said. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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I fasted, prayed before returning to Nollywood -Grace Amah

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Samuel Olatunji When we talk about the old generation of Nollywood actors, Grace Amah will make the list of those being referred to. However this actress didn’t just disappear from our screens. In an exclusive interview, Amah told Sunday Scoop, how she fasted and prayed before getting back into the industry. “Actually, it was a lot of work. It wasn’t easy. A lot of fasting and praying went into my decision to return to Nollywood. I had to wait on the Lord, because I had to hear from Him. It suddenly looked as if the name, Grace Amah, wasn’t ringing a bell anymore. It was not easy. “At some point, I was calling producers and directors. Even the people I knew or used to work with did not seem to be of help. This was the situation until I got a call from Mary Remmy. Since then, I have done several jobs.” The Ebonyi State-born actress got her big break after she featured in the hit TV series, Superstory’s One Bad Apple. Speaking on what she thinks makes the old Nollywood different from the new Nollywood, she said, “I would say there is a whole lot of difference. There was this professionalism, love, care but the new Nollywood shows a lot of desperation. There is a struggle to outshine the other person. It is not a bad development but when it becomes a selfish thing, then there is a problem. Aside from that, there is a lot of improvement in terms of scripting, camera quality and storylines. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Coffee may lower risks of chronic diseases

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Oshinowo, who works with the Gbadaga General Hospital, Lagos, made this assertion on Friday (today) in Ibadan. According to her, a daily intake of black coffee helps to meet with the recommended daily dietary antioxidants required by the body. “Coffee is rich in antioxidants and gives up to 60 per cent of the recommended daily dietary antioxidants. “It enhances mental alertness and the ability to concentrate due to its caffeine content. “Taking coffee in moderate consumption of not more than four cups in a day is really of immense benefits to human health. “To really enjoy the health benefits of coffee, it is best taken black; by adding sugar, milk or any other thing, those things can take all the health benefits away from it,” she said. The expert said that while coffee is not a drug, it could, however, lead to an abuse with side effects. “If you want to enjoy the benefits, don’t take it on impulse like a student who wants to stay awake to read at night for an examination. “Also, some people can be very sensitive to its caffeine content, therefore, it is advisable to watch out how it affects your body. “For instance, if your heart rate or blood pressure goes up, you may want to limit how much coffee you take,” Oshinowo added.

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‘Why we cut petrol price to N139 in Calabar’

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A fuel station in Calabar, Prosperous Oil and Gas Limited, on Wednesday reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit from N145 per litre to N139, citing the need to lighten the burden on consumers as the main reason. This is coming barely one week after an outlet owned by Basol Petroleum Limited located in the Calabar-South axis of the Cross River State capital had also brought down the unit price of PMS for the same reason. Group Managing Director of Prosperous Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Abiodun Isinkaye, said the company was in sympathy with consumers that suffered so much hardship during the period of extreme fuel scarcity. As an independent petroleum outlet, Isinkaye noted, however, that the reduction in price also meant small profit for his company. “This reduction in price of PMS to N139 per litre is starting with our Calabar headquarters. It will extend to other stations of ours across the country. Loyal customers will also get gifts when they buy fuel. It is meant to ease the burden of consumers,” he said. Isinkaye also noted that following the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government, there had been steady supply of products to the Calabar depot. “Subsidy removal is a welcome development. No nation can survive subsiding petroleum products. Unfortunately, most of the fuel subsidised by the government is not consumed by Nigerians and this is a big waste. “In the past, you see hundreds of trucks loading from Calabar depot to be taken out of the country, but the situation has changed. The bulk of the product which was subsidised by government found their way out of the country. The field is now level for those who genuinely need to invest. Now I am coming down to N139, another can go below,” he said. In reducing the cost of PMS to N139, Managing Director of Basol Petroleum Limited, Mr. Bassey Sunny-Abang, had noted that the removal of subsidy on PMS had brought about sanity in the depots. He also said that the quantity of tankers loading the product from Calabar depot had dropped since the removal of subsidy. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Nigeria’s Omotayo wins silver in US table tennis tourney

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A national table tennis player, Olajide Omotayo, on Tuesday attributed the silver medal he won at the Westchester Open tournament in the United States to hard work. Omotay was defeated by Kai Zhang of China 3-1 in the final of the competition which ended last Sunday. “This is one of the biggest tournaments hosted here in the United States; I lost in the final to a Chinese player. “The monthly tournament is hosted in Westchester, New York, the best table tennis centre in the US,’’ he said. The 2013 winner of the annual Asoju Oba table tennis competition said that he felt great clinching the silverware. “I am happy and overwhelmed because I won amid so many Chinese players. “Coming to the US has in one way or other improved my skills and tactics. One thing I will never do in this life is to stop believing in myself. “Self-confidence got me a silver medal at Westchester Table Tennis tournament,’’ he told NAN on telephone from his US base. He added that he had only been in US for two months and had won five medals. “In the Robert Chens weekly tournament, I have won it four times in a row. I keep getting better each day because I play more matches here in the US. “I came to the US to train and play open tournaments. Currently, I don’t have a club here but I train twice daily from Monday to Friday at the Westchester Table Tennis Club. “I will be moving to Europe in September to ply my trade with Marcozzi Table Tennis Club in Italy,” he said.

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My salary is less than $2m - FIFA President

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an interview published Sunday that he will make less than two million Swiss francs a year, well below the salary of his disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter. Infantino has not yet agreed to terms with FIFA but speaking to Switzerland’s Blick newspaper, he said his salary “will be less than the two million francs ($2 million, 1.8 million euros) people have speculated about.” Blatter, who was mired in scandal before being banned from FIFA, made $3.6 million in 2015. Infantino described past dealings with FIFA’s compensation committee as “insulting” and “completely arbitrary.” During the first two months of Infantino’s tenure, which began in February, the compensation committee included former FIFA audit and compliance chief Domenico Scala, who has emerged as a fierce critic of world football’s new president. Scala dramatically quit FIFA in May, accusing Infantino of trying to compromise the organisation’s independent committees and acting with an authoritarian streak. Infantino said his pay could be finalised when the compensation committee meets again, with Scala no longer in the picture. Reflecting on earlier negotiations when Scala was involved, the FIFA chief said: “I expected to talk to these people about my salary based on guidelines and defined processes and not to face a fait accompli by Mr. Scala without a discussion.” A FIFA inquiry last month cleared Infantino after investigating him over his use of private jets, personal expenses, hiring methods and the salary dispute. In the interview on Sunday Infantino restated his claims that those opposed to cleaning up FIFA’s corrupt ways have sought to undermine his reforms bids. Infantino took over world football’s governing body following months of unprecedented crisis, with major corporate backers like Visa and Coca Cola demanding a thorough crackdown on graft. Olympic issue Elsewhere in the interview, Infantino said he wanted to work with the International Olympic Committee to address the “sensitive issue” of football at the Summer Games. Men’s football at the Olympics is largely for players under 23, with three overaged players allowed in each squad, while the women’s tournament is a competition of the best in the sport. The men’s format “is not a good solution,” Infantino told Blick. He added that the football calendar is already “too tight.” Women’s football has thrived at the Olympics, giving enormous exposure to a sport that FIFA has committed to developing worldwide. Infantino said “serious” discussions on the future of football at the Games were needed. Brazil won the 2016 men’s tournament at the just-concluded Rio Games, with Germany taking the women’s gold medal. AFP

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Infidelity is a sign of weakness…Fix it!!

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PLEASE…permit me to break the rules this week as I set a very disturbing scenario in line with last week’s article. Personally, I have treated all correspondences in strict confidence for many years but there comes a time when certain rules must be broken; I sincerely hope that some couples will relate to this as well as take the right steps and salvage their marriages. Dear Elizabeth; you gave a graphic detail of happenings in my home in your article titled… WHEN LOVE IS LOST, IT’S NOT THE END!! My wife and I used to love each other in last 30 years, but now we are just like strangers to each other. I have tried everything I could but she told me point blank that she does not love me anymore and I don’t love her anymore either. I am in my early 50s and she is in her late 40s, we have amazing children and she has shifted the love to them while I also decided to shift my love too to another woman. What was once a disturbing experience is becoming a thing of the past…what is your opinion? False choices This picture is similar in many marriages today as couples continue to live in denial of their hurts and pains as they remain in a state of confusion and unclear of their purpose for their marriage. For some, it’s a case of common needs and expectations that those needs must be met by force without considering their strengths and for others, it is accumulated afflictions within the marriage which have never been resolved. Are you at a crossroad in your marriage and struggling to make a decision with false choices? For the kids’ sake If your continuous denial of your situation is to save your children from getting trapped, the bad news is, they are already trapped and may also know more than you can possibly imagine and they may be acting your scripts too. You can do nothing and hope that one day, the kids will understand. But they are already hurting by your behaviors and hostility. Whether you are in or out, you are definitely putting yourselves and the children at risk and if the situation gets any messier, they will never forgive you both for destroying the family. Signs of weakness You may think you have met the love of your life who will take your mind away from your marital problems, unless you really understand and face up to the potential impact of your infidelity; you may be making the biggest mistake of your life. Infidelity is a sign of weakness, if you want to be honest with yourself; do the right thing by embracing your wife, ask her forgiveness and take back your marriage before you destroy everything you’ve worked for. The sooner you are honest with yourselves the better your chances of saving your marriage. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Groin injury hampers Messi's Argentina return

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Lionel Messi’s return to international duty with Argentina could be delayed by a groin injury his club side Barcelona stated on Monday. Messi was set to return for the two-time world champions’ World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela after reversing his shock decision to retire from international football in June. “The player will travel to Argentina to join his national team and the development of the pain (he is suffering) will determine his availability for the scheduled matches,” Barca said in a statement. Argentina have already suffered a double injury blow as Sergio Aguero and Javier Pastore pulled out of the squad on Monday. Aguero injured himself in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory against West Ham at the weekend. He has pulled a muscle in his left calf, according to the Argentine federation’s medical staff. Paris Saint-Germain’s attacking midfielder Pastore also misses out due to a torn right calf muscle. Messi had announced his international retirement after Argentina lost in the Copa America Centenario final against Chile on penalties, Messi crucially missing his penalty in the shoot out. It was the third time Messi’s Argentina had lost a major final in three years after a 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Germany in 2014 and another penalty shootout reverse to Chile in the 2015 Copa America. The five-time World Player of the Year reversed his decision three weeks ago after new Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza payed him a visit in Spain to change his mind. Argentina host Uruguay in Mendoza on Thursday before travelling to face Venezuela in a second World Cup qualifier on September 6. Argentina sit third out of 10 teams in South American qualifying after six of 18 rounds of matches. The top four automatically qualify for the World Cup in Russia. AFP

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Modifying products or services to boost sales

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IFE OGUNFUWA writes on ways to develop products or services to sell fast Small businesses and large organisations are recording dwindling sales as a result of consumers’ low purchasing power. As such, there is a need for business organisations to revisit their overall marketing strategies. Experts say that an improved marketing strategy should not only be about promotions and advertising, but that every aspect of the development of a service or making of a product should be analysed and improved. According to them, increasing sales at this time may require you to find new people who will buy your product or service. Business consultants have highlighted some compelling ways to make your products and services more attractive to your consumers. Make your products or services easy to buy One major thing that drives the buying decisions of people is the value a product or service offers. And in highly populated cities with perennial traffic congestion, values that consumers appreciate are convenience and timely delivery. A business consultant, Mr. Segun Adigun, says online training services have met this need for convenience by eliminating cost of transport and addressing time management issues for many people. For example, he adds, “Uber has revolutionised the transport industry and has made it possible for cab drivers to get customers through mobile apps on their smartphones. It also makes it easy for commuters to book for private transport and be charged fairly. E-commerce stores that offer fast delivery services are also gradually replacing brick and mortar stores.” Develop new products In order to develop new products, experts say that you need to analyse the existing product or service for faults. They explain that this information can be obtained through feedback from existing customers and can be used to develop new products or services with better satisfaction. Adigun, says that it is common for structured businesses to develop innovative products to replace less effective ones. He says, “Email and wireless messaging was developed with the advent and wide use of the Internet as a more effective tool than postal services. DVD players are improved forms of cassette players. “Inventors of new products should not allow competitors to take over the market through disruptive innovations, but they should invest in research and development in order to develop new products as the need arises.” Develop multiple products or services The Launch Coach, Dave Navarro, says that business owners need to think of two, three or more products down the line that your customers will need. This is to ensure that when your customer gets what they need from your first product, you will have something to take care of their next problem as well, he adds. Navarro says, “Look at what you are selling and ask yourself; ‘What needs would a customer have immediately after using my product or service?’ Then start brainstorming on ideas for additional products or services to create.” Create products’ information in multiple formats Navarro says that products’ information should not necessarily be produced in books or DVD, but other formats should be considered. He explains that people like to learn in different ways; while some people prefer videos, others want to read or to listen to the products in their cars or iPod. He advises, “If you don’t offer your products in multiple formats, fewer people will buy. The good news is that creating multiple formats and making them look good isn’t that difficult. There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet on how to make audios, videos and PDFs.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Register for SIS, Ngige urges unemployed Nigerians

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Sen. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment has called on unemployed Nigerians to register at the online job portal of the Social Intervention Scheme of the Federal Government. In a statement issued by Mr Samuel Olowookere, the Deputy Director, Press in the ministry on Sunday in Abuja, the minister made the call over the weekend, while inaugurating the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) School-to-Work Programme in Calabar. He said that it was imperative for all unemployed Nigerians to register at the online job portal in order to benefit from different categories of programmes which government was offering. “You must register to benefit from the Social Intervention Scheme. Unfortunately, as we speak, by last week, the portal has only recorded about 1.2 million persons. “We expect more persons to have been registered in the portal before our screening exercise; the registration on the portal is Npower.ng.org. The portal closes Aug. 31, which is just few days away. “For those who are not computer literate, we advise state governments to encourage them by using local government chairmen to move into local government areas to register the unemployed persons there. “So that they can qualify to be considered for the scheme. Each state of the federation is expected to recruit about 1, 500 persons,’’ he said. Ngige, however, said that the School-To-Work programme was a renewed vigour by the ministry to catch them young. The minister said it was also a bold attempt to build a future Nigeria where white-collar jobs would be unattractive. “We are building a generation of Nigerians where creative thinking, self-confidence and dignity of labour will challenge the prevailing unemployment scourge. “We are building a generation of Nigerians who will not only create wealth with their hands, but are proud employers with skills from hands that God has given them, ‘’he added. Ngige said that the programme which was a two-month vacation creative job learning scheme, was organised for students in JSS 1 to SSS 2 classes in order to provide them with early skills. He added that this set of students would graduate to higher skills training during the next vacation, while others succeed them.

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We won’t reverse ban on building materials importation -Fashola

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Tunde Ajaja The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said there is no going back on the decision of the Federal Government to ban the importation of 10 building materials into the country, to enable the growth of locally-produced ones. He identified the affected materials to include doors, windows, tiles, ceilings, plumbing accessories, cables, paint and iron, noting that the only way Nigerians could help to reflate and stimulate the economy back to growth was for people to look inwards for satisfaction of their needs. Speaking at the fifth National Council on Land, Housing and Urban Development, themed, ‘Building Adequate Capacity of Professionals, Artisans and Tradesmen in the Built Environment,’ Fashola said all the benefits envisaged in this year’s budget, such as inclusion and employment, would not happen if the people for whom the budget was made, abdicated the responsibility for building to foreigners or prefer foreign goods to locally made ones. The Federal Government had in March after a two-day retreat held by the National Economic Council proposed the stoppage of the importation of tiles, Bitumen/Asphalt and others. Meanwhile, a statement on Friday by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, quoted Fashola as saying that the ban would provide opportunity for the professionals, artisans and tradesmen in the built environment to show what they could do, build capacity and help to produce the “hundreds of thousands of doors, windows, roofing materials, gallons of paints, plumbing materials and other accessories that would be required by Nigerians.” On the road map for Housing, Fashola, said progress had been made and that steps were being taken to complete the remaining processes, noting that the government was being meticulous in its planning to ensure that the National Housing Programme meets national acceptability.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Tinubu didn’t impose me as governorship aspirant - Abraham

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PETER DADA One of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Dr. Segun Abraham, has denied being imposed on the party by the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Abraham was reported to have been imposed on the party by Tinubu as the candidate of the APC at the November 26 governorship election in the state. The APC aspirant who spoke on Adaba FM, Akure, on Saturday said other aspirants were against him because they knew they would lose the primary. “The national leader was accused of imposing me on the party; I was not imposed – endorsement is different from imposition. Those who regard the two as the same do not know what they are saying. The national leader only said I am a preferred aspirant that could deliver the state for the APC in the coming election. “There will be a primary and delegates know who they will vote for and who can win election for the party. I have met the delegates and they have assured me that they are for me. If we hold the primary today, I shall have nothing less than 85 per cent of their votes,” Abraham stated. Commenting on the verbal and media attacks on Tinubu over his endorsement, the governorship aspirant said aspirants attacking Tinubu were ungrateful, pointing out that many of them are beneficiaries of the party leader’s influence. According to him, Tinubu helped Rotimi Akeredolu to emerge as the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in the 2013 governorship election in Ondo State. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ondo state, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), has promised to introduce a “friendly tax regime” if elected. Jegede, who spoke with journalists in Akure on Saturday, said the state was economically challenged, adding that his government would adopt a friendly measure to make people pay their dues to encourage government to serve them well. He said, “To tax people is not an easy task. But then, if the National Union of Road Transport Workers and Okada riders can collect money and you see them, driving jeeps with ‘Tokyo One’ as the plate number or ‘Okada One,’ it is because they have a little bit friendly way of collecting taxes. Friendly in the sense that the money they pay is small and they also have effective ways of enforcing its collection, because they have people who do that.” “My position is that, make the tax minimal so that it can be a little bit friendly. And you don’t have to wait to collect taxes once in a year; you can do it every month; you can do it every quarter; and you can make it as small as possible to encourage positive response.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Heavy rainfall cuts off Abuja community

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The continuous rainfall in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja that started on Friday to Saturday morning has cut off Kuchiyakwo community from other neighbouring communities in the area. The heavy rainfall has flooded some houses and washed away the road linking Kuchiyakwo Ecwa Church and its extension in the community. Some residents of the community who spoke with the NAN on Saturday described the state of the road as devastating and called on Kuje Area Council authorities for immediate action. Mr Abraham Gado, a resident whose house was flooded, attributed the havoc to lack of standard drainage. “The district head and some stakeholders of the community have had series of meetings to find a lasting solution to this without result. “The road has no drainage and some have built their houses very close to the road instead of giving some space.

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Falae links Jonathan to N100m election funds scam …tenders email to EFCC as evidence

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Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission an email correspondence between him and a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih. Falae tendered the email as an evidence in the probe linking him to N100m election funds It was learnt that Anenih, in the email, mentioned that he was acting on the instruction of former President Goodluck Jonathan. A source at the EFCC told our correspondent that in the email dated March 2015, Anenih, who played a supervisory role in the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, informed Falae that N100m had been approved by Jonathan and would be handed over to him (Falae). A source at the EFCC said, “In the email, Anenih told Chief Falae, who is the Chairman of the SDP that N100m had been approved by President Jonathan as part of the agreement between the PDP and the SDP ahead of the presidential election. “He further urged Falae to provide an account which the money would be paid into.” The N100m, which was given to Falae by Anenih, was said to have emanated from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser in the Central Bank of Nigeria. It was eventually paid into the account of Marreco Limited, where Falae is chairman. The fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account, 1000627022, on March 25, 2015. When contacted on the telephone, a spokesman for Falae, Mr. Alfa Mohammed, confirmed that 78-year-old Falae had submitted all correspondence between Falae and the PDP. He said, “We had a letter of agreement between the PDP and the SDP regarding cooperation between the two parties for the election. There was an email from Anenih stating that Mr. President (Jonathan) told him to transfer the money to that effect. “We have submitted everything to the EFCC, but the EFCC has not deemed it fit to invite Anenih which shows that it is people within the All Progressives Congress that are just trying to rubbish the image of Chief Falae, who has served meritoriously as a permanent secretary, a SGF and a finance minister.” Mohammed said the PDP still owed the SDP about N70m and it was unrealistic of the EFCC to ask Falae to return the N100m. He said Falae could not have known that the money emanated from the ONSA and thus could not be held liable. The commission had finalised plans to charge the ex-SGF with conspiracy to indirectly retain the sum of N100m which he ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an “unlawful act to wit: stealing.” The EFCC had alleged in March that about N3.145bn was mysteriously transferred from the account of the ONSA to the account of Joint Trust Dimensions Limited, a company allegedly owned by the Director of Finance of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman. Usman was said to have transferred N840m to the account of the Director of Publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in Maitama branch of the Zenith Bank with number, 1004735721, on February 19, 2015, while she allegedly gave Falae N100m on the instruction of Anenih. A former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to some documents, got N350m in two tranches. The first tranche of N150m was paid into their joint account with Zenith bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200m was credited into their account with Diamond bank. Usman and Fani-Kayode had been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos and their accounts frozen while Udenwa and Falae are expected to be arraigned soon. Attempts to reach the Media Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, were not successful as repeated calls to his mobile phones did not connect. Similarly, a text message sent to his phones had yet to be delivered as of press time. All attempts to speak with Anenih’s spokesman, Mr. Ojeifo Sufuyan, also proved abortive as his line did not connect, while a text message sent to his telephone had yet to be responded to as of 7pm on Sunday. However, in a letter he had personally written to the EFCC in January, Anenih admitted that he received N260m for Jonathan’s election campaign out of which he gave Falae N100m. He, however, maintained that the ex-President still owed him N180m. Anenih had said, “I was not in a position to ask the former President how he was going to source the fund. I was not a direct beneficiary of the sum of N260m that was a part refund of the money I spent on the president’s instructions. “A sum of N63 million was disbursed to a northern group, led by elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for mobilisation and post-election peace advocacy in that part of the country. “N100m was given to the National Chairman of the SDP, Chief Olu Falae, to enable the party to mobilise support and votes for the PDP presidential candidate since the SDP did not have a candidate for the election.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Successful home building

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A friend (that just had a baby) gave me something to think about when I asked how things were going at her end and she said, ‘My mum in-law is with me. My mum will come later next month. She (my mother in-law) is an excellent woman. You won’t be surprised how my husband became who he is when you meet her. Oby, the bottom line is, I am blessed in marriage.’ Those words made my day! That is surely coming from someone who has made the efforts to remove the ‘in-law’ from the ‘mother’ and thus began to relate with the woman as she would relate to her own mother (whom she is very close to, by the way). The genuineness of people’s efforts and their appreciation of their blessings are often seen even in the minutest of things they do. The thought of ‘mother in-law visiting at all’ would have been an issue with most ladies even when their own mother is still billed to come and even stay longer. The taxi driver that attended to me while at a function in another state, told me about a prominent family in town. What necessitated the gist was a huge abandoned edifice that we passed and I wondered why it would be left to dilapidate. He sighed first, before regaling me with the gist about the brothers (owners of that property) who used to be very close but do not see eye to eye now that the ‘wives’ have started coming. He wondered why some women are ‘agents of division’ in any family they come into. I have always opined that successful home building is not just a ‘me, my husband and our children’ setting. It is all encompassing and that includes the kind of vibe (peaceful, quarrelsome, etc) that you exude in the family that marriage has taken you to. Are you an agent of ‘unity’ or busy carrying tales/sowing seeds of discord such that by the time you are done, a once closely knit family is in tatters? As young as I was (about 14 years old), I knew there was something wrong with the marriage of a (now late) relative who would send stuff to her aged parents in the village behind her husband. That’s because some men are so self- centred and insensitive. If you can remember that your own mother needs ‘upkeep’ every now and then, why do you conveniently forget that the folks you uprooted their daughter (probably their breadwinner) from their lives, also need similar gestures extended to them? When your own folks misbehave, you shield them but an in-law’s mistake is magnified (and a mountain is made out of a mole hill) so that ‘katakata’ will perpetuate! The fact remains that whoever is married to you will always have a part of him/her left with his/her people (parents and siblings) and can never be happy being alienated from them in any way. Forget the ‘brave face’ your spouse gives you behind closed doors. For as long as he/she remains alienated from his/her folks, a part of him/her dies daily and you (the spouse) should never allow this for whatever reason. Successful home building entails carrying along (in humility, tolerance, peacemaking, etc) your in-laws. Not because you can’t put anybody that ‘tries’ you in his/her place but because the happiness of your spouse means a lot to you and you are willing to stoop to conquer for his/her sake. Be an agent of ‘peace’ in any family you find yourself. Let it not be because of you that: Siblings do not see eye to eye anymore A son/daughter knows not his/her parent(s) again and…be ready to reap what you sow (many times over) someday! Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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FG earmarks N7.5bn for auto mortgage scheme

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Layi Adeloye The Federal Government, through the National Automotive Design and Development Council, has announced plans to launch a N7.5bn credit purchase scheme to give opportunities to Nigerians to purchase locally assembled vehicles. The Director, Policy and Planning, NADDC, Mr. Luqman Mamudu, said on Tuesday that the council would contribute the amount ( N7.5bn) at a low interest rate, with counterpart funding from a company in South Africa, to help Nigerians have access to affordable new vehicles. Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos, Mamudu said, “This is what we have been working on for the past two years. We looked at the available access to asset financing in the country and we found out that the high interest rate is frustrating the purchase of a new vehicle. This is the gap we want to fill. We are currently working with a company in South Africa which has footprints in eight African countries, where they have developed a commercial and financial model to recoup their investment “At NADDC, we are also contributing our own N7.5bn into the scheme while the South African company will help source for finance from Development Finance Institution (DFI) at a single digit interest rate.” He said that when the funds are put together, it would guarantee an interest rate at which it would be easy for people to purchase vehicles at between eight and 10 per cent. “By the time we put the funds together, it will guarantee an interest rate that is fairly okay. “We are in discussion with the Central Bank of Nigeria to originate the loans and float it so that it will be attractive for investors to partake in the scheme. Going forward, this will further bring down the interest rate. This facility will be given to people that have the capacity to buy cars because we expect that they will have good credit to purchase a car. “If you go to America, over 80 per cent of car purchases are done through loans. The credit purchase scheme will assist the operators to help the masses,” he added. He added that the council was planning to build capacities in a local assembly to attract component manufacturers to set up their factories in Nigeria. “We are building three laboratories, costing about N3bn in Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu. The one in Lagos is an emission testing laboratory to test for the level of emission. We are almost 90 per cent complete. We also have a component part manufacturing testing laboratory in Enugu. We are doing all these to prepare for the next stage of component development because this is where job opportunities are enormous, but the entire process requires patience on the side of the government and investors,” he said. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Rooney will remain England captain - Allardyce

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Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will continue as England captain, with manager Sam Allardyce saying it was an “easy decision”. Rooney is England’s record goal scorer and took the armband from Steven Gerrard a year ago. Allardyce said Rooney who also captains United was “hugely respected by his peers” and has “enjoyed the responsibility’’ as captain. The England squad is preparing for Sunday’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier in Slovakia. The 30-year-old Rooney led Roy Hodgson’s England side during Euro 2016, which ended with a disappointing last-16 exit to international minnows Iceland. But Allardyce said Rooney had been “an excellent captain for England” and as the most senior squad member was the “right choice to lead the team”. “You would hope the captain would make a decision on the pitch if he felt it needed to (be made),” said Allardyce, 61. “For me, that’s the captain’s role. It’s a big responsibility at club level and even more so at international level. First and foremost, lead by example. “It’s all about the personality. Can you handle the responsibility of being captain? I think he (Rooney) has enjoyed the responsibility. Some players don’t want that responsibility.” Rooney was employed as a midfielder during Euro 2016 under Hodgson, but at Old Trafford this season under Jose Mourinho, Rooney has played in a deeper position behind the striker. “Wayne Rooney’s position has changed at Manchester United and that is where I will play him,” Allardyce said. “Dele Alli has started well too, so that makes it a difficult choice. We’ll wait and see, but we are looking at balance of positions. “We want to have two players in each position and not leave ourselves short. Hopefully we make that selection after this (training camp) and we know the best XI to start with.”

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Edo SDP leader, 192 ward chairmen join APC

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Alexander Okere, Benin Scores of Social Democratic Party members in Edo State have defected to the All Progressives Congress ahead of the governorship election scheduled to hold on September 10. The defectors, who were received by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, include the state leader, Alhaji Usman Shagadi, the 192 ward chairmen of the SDP and the executive members of the party. Speaking during a campaign rally in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state, Shagadi, explained that his decision to join the APC stemmed from the realisation that he was in “a house (SDP) which is not my own.” He also pledged to work for the victory of the APC governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki. “For the past two years, I have stayed in a house which is not my home. I was in a house which is not my home. I have now come to my home. “I want to announce for the purpose of publication, that henceforth, I drop the name of SDP. I am no more a member of SDP. I have now returned to my party, APC,” Shagadi said. ‎Oshiomhole described the defection as a welcome development. He said, “People will not understand why I am happy that Shagadi has returned. It is not only about winning elections. Now, my tenure is coming to an end, for which I give thanks to God. But to have our father (Shagadi) back home to receive his son, when he finishes his work, gives me endless joy in my heart. “When I look back at the end of my journey, I still remain with my daddy the way we started. That for me, more than anything else, gives joy, so that I will never be accused of being a son whom God elevated and then he forgot his father. That will not be my portion.” The governor also described the forthcoming election as a “referendum” for the people of the state to choose between “light and darkness,” assuring that Obaseki and his running mate, Philip Shuaibu, would provide quality leadership.

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Don't deploy troops in Niger Delta, Ijaw youths tell FG

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Simon Utebor, Yenagoa The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, has strongly advised the Federal Government against deploying troops, fighter jets and other military hardwares in the Niger Delta to rout out militants. The advice is contained in their resolutions reached after an emergency meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Monday. The youths said the advice became imperative due to the fact that militants had no permanent location in the creeks like the Sambisa Forest that provided safe haven for Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East. The IYC in a communique signed by the its President, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, and spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, noted that militants claiming responsibilities for bombings of oil installations in the region were adopting guerrilla tactics to carry out their nefarious activities. The group said instead of resorting to military option, the security agencies should adopt intelligence gathering to stop the attacks and apprehend the militants. The IYC said, “We strongly advise against this option. It is not, and can never be a solution to Niger Delta crisis. Those recommending military option are enemies of the Federal Government, Niger Delta people and the entire citizenry. “In the first place, the Niger Delta militants that have claimed responsibility for attacks on oil facilities are not stationed in any particular place like Boko-Haram in Sambisa forest. There is no Sambisa forest in the Niger Delta region where the military can go and confront militants. “Those carrying out these attacks have adopted a guerrilla strategy; hence the solution is for the relevant security to deepen intelligence gathering, working with local communities and not full scale military onslaught on the communities and people. “Any full scale military action in the Niger Delta would only succeed in killing innocent people and destruction of communities that are also victims of the militancy. It is worthy of note that Gbaramatu Kingdom that the military has been consistently harassing is not the headquarters of any of the militant groups. “The Gbaramatu people are peace loving Ijaw people and the military must stop the consistent invasion of Gbaramatu communities or any other Ijaw community.” It added that for permanent peace to be achieved, the country must be restructured with substantial powers given to federating units to manage and develop their people and communities.

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My greatest achievement is mentoring teenagers - Izere Imosemi

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Helina Gbadegesin Izere Imosemi, a lawyer, talks about the highs and lows of her career What degrees do you hold? I had my first degree in Law from Ambrose Alli University. Later, I obtained a postgraduate degree also in Law from the University of Lagos. Why did you choose to become a lawyer? I wanted to study Law as a child chiefly because all the people I admired were lawyers. I didn’t like Mathematics too, so I thought I could avoid the subject by studying a course that “apparently” had nothing to do with it. As I grew older, I also realised that the legal profession provides an avenue to impact on society and do some good in a way that other professions simply couldn’t. What is your work history? In my early years of practice, I worked in the law firm of Olakunle Agbebi & Co and Paul Usoro& Co. During those years, I gained experience in litigation, commercial transactions and corporate practice. Thereafter, I worked in the legal department of Lead Capital Plc. I currently work with Express Discount Asset Management Limited, a financial services firm where I head the legal department and act as company secretary. How do you manage both responsibilities? I try to prioritise and handle important tasks first. How does your role as the head of legal department contribute to the growth of the company you work with? I envisage potential areas of conflicts or future liabilities that may arise from transactions and ensure that the company is adequately protected. I liaise with other departments in the organisation and provide legal opinions on a wide range of issues. What kind of cases do you enjoy to handle the most? I haven’t done litigation in recent years, but the cases I enjoyed the most were criminal litigation cases. In my early years of practice, I was privileged to work in a law firm that did a lot of pro bono cases; we were able to assist a lot of indigent people who needed legal services. It was a very gratifying experience. What are the challenges young lawyers in Nigeria are likely to face? The major challenge with the profession, particularly for young lawyers, is the issue of poor remuneration. It is usually very difficult for new wigs starting out. Some young lawyers get extremely discouraged and disappointed at the poor pay and opt for other jobs. I was lucky to work in good law firms and then I also had the support and encouragement of my loving parents. What do you consider to be some of your achievements as a lawyer? My greatest achievement is mentoring teenagers and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves, identifying their skills and talents and aligning them with their future goals. I think of success as a journey, making steady progress and reaching certain milestones, rather than a destination. How do you ensure you don’t lose a case? The only strategy to winning any case is by being adequately prepared. The worst thing that can happen to a lawyer is going to court unprepared for your matter and being outsmarted by your opponent. What is your view on good governance in Nigeria? Good governance is an absolute imperative for socio-economic progress. It involves justice, fairness, equal opportunity for everyone, not just the rich man’s kid or the politician’s daughter. It involves transparency and accountability. It is realising that power truly belongs to the people, and that the welfare and wellbeing of the people should come first. Good governance also involves eradicating poverty. Nelson Mandela said, “Overcoming poverty is not an act of charity, it is an act of justice, it is the right to dignity, to a decent life.” Every Nigerian deserves a decent life. The truth is, we are not there yet, but with the emergence of social media platforms, access to technology, availability of accurate information, and having the right conversations on crucial societal issues, we can demand for the type of leadership we want from those in position of authority. We will get there eventually. Aside from being a lawyer, what other things are you passionate about? I am passionate about literacy in Nigeria. I enjoy reading and writing. I have an insatiable appetite for good books and I’m a voracious reader. I am currently reading a novel “26a” by Diana Evans. I have written for both print and electronic media and I have a blog, where I write on a wide range of issues on Monday mornings. What projects are you working on currently? I am currently working on a number of private projects, which would be made public soon enough. How do you unwind? I watch TV series, read books, do some writing or simply hang out with friends. What do you think are the components for success? I believe hard work, discipline, resilience and diligence are the key factors to success in life. What is your advice to youths who want to excel in their career? Young people should not give up on their dreams, in spite of obvious limitations. They should also understand that the future truly belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I believe youths can still outwit their environment, despite the numerous challenges. It is important that youths use their time wisely, because the future will come whether they are prepared for it or not. Youths should also use social media platforms sensibly; otherwise it becomes a huge distraction. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? In the short term, I hope my blog becomes the “go to place” for young cerebral minds, for people seeking to be inspired, and for people who just want to rant about the issues in their lives. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Seven ways to boost your bank account

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With the right knowledge and attitude, you can make your bank account grow faster. “If you have trouble putting money aside in a savings account, maybe the solution is to stop struggling and put things on autopilot,” says a Money Talks News financial expert, Stacy Johnson. An online report by http://www.moneytalksnews.com gives seven tips on how to grow your bank account. Pay yourself first: Payroll deduction is among the best fixes for struggling savers. With this approach, you have money automatically taken from your pay cheque and transferred to a savings or retirement account. Your employer may even allow you to directly deposit pay cheques into multiple accounts. Send any additional income from raises, bonuses, cash awards or other windfalls straight to savings. If your air conditioner breaks down or it’s time to take that cruise, you’ll have a nice sum of money waiting for you in the bank. Round up your savings: Some banks have programmes that automatically round up debit-card purchases, and then transfer the extra amount into your savings account. You get a treat now and “keep the change” to save toward another treat later. Save your change: The low-tech version of the round-up programme is stashing away spare change at the end of each day. Keep it in a jar, mug, glass or piggy bank. When the container is full, turn that change into a bank deposit. Stacy says he turbo-charges this plan by stashing singles as well as coins. Pay with cash: Using cash automatically makes you spend less compared to plastic. An oft-quoted Dunn & Bradstreet study says people spend 12 to 18 per cent more when using credit cards instead of cash. If you’re worried about schlepping back to the ATM to reload your wallet, you will be less tempted to spend more cash than you planned. You will be more inclined to pass on a higher-end model of a product. Also, you will stick to your shopping list and resist in-store temptations to buy more items than you intended. Use rewards credit cards: If you must use a credit card, use one that offers cash back or rewards. Then, you’re earning cash or equivalents without effort. Bank your discounts: What do you do with all the money you save buying bargains? Check your receipts. Most now conveniently tell you how much you saved on a sale item compared with its regular price, or how much you saved by redeeming coupons. Add them up. Did you buy a cheaper generic and save a bundle over a name brand? Track the difference. Make it a habit to reward yourself by placing all the money saved from those bargains into your savings account. Automate your transfers: Check with your bank or credit union about how to set up automatic transfers from your current account to your savings account. This is another way of making sure you pay yourself first. You can even set up sub-accounts and label them for special goals, such as “college fund” or “new car fund.” Now that your savings are on automatic, relax and watch your balance grow. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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PDP convention won’t hold in Port Harcourt again - BoT

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Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has said the party will not go to Port Harcourt, Rivers State again for its national convention. It, therefore, directed the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee to hold the next national convention in Abuja. This was one of the decisions reached at the board’s meeting in Abuja on Monday. The meeting, which lasted about five hours, was described as stormy as members of the board insisted that the party must be rescued from the claws of its governors. The party had attempted to hold its national convention twice in the state, but was not successful. While the first convention which was slated for May 21 ended with the appointment of the national caretaker committee, the last one on August 17 was used to extend the tenure of the committee for one year. The party had planned to use both conventions to elect its national officers but the actions of the faction led by Ali Modu Sheriff prevented it. Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State, is currently in court contesting the leadership of the party. At the BoT meeting on Monday, the members also directed that a new national convention committee be set up. It, nevertheless, said the committee must be approved by the National Executive Committee of the party. With this directive, the board had dissolved the last national convention committee which was headed by the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike. The Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin, read the communique of the meeting. As part of resolving the crisis in the party, Sheriff had given the removal of Wike as head of convention planning committee as one of his conditions. He also said the convention must be held in Abuja. The BoT Reconciliation Committee headed by a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, agreed with the demand in its recommendations. The BoT communique read in part, “The next convention should be held in Abuja. “To ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention, a new Convention Planning Committee should be constituted by the National Caretaker Committee and approved by the NEC.” Walid added that the BoT should facilitate the raising of adequate funds for the party, just as he urged the board’s reconciliation committee to continue with all good efforts for reconciliation. Jibrin also said the PDP governors should be positively encouraged to pursue programmes of good governance “so as to clearly project people-oriented manifesto of the PDP.” The BoT charged the committee to as soon as possible convene a meeting of the NEC to accordingly approve proposals for moving the party forward. The meeting, which started with 21 members, ended with 26 members as four others joined them before the end. Among those who were at the meeting were Adamu Waziri, Mike Ogiadome, Senator Ibrahim Idah, Dan Suleiman, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Gana, Vincent Ogbulafor, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Hajia Ina Ciroma, Senator Stella Omu, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedoku, Makarfi, Abdulkadir Kure and Chief Bode George. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Why I didn’t reappoint Ize-Iyamu in 2012 - Oshiomhole

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Alexander Okere, Benin The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday said he did not re-appoint the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as a government official during his re-election in 2012 because he did not trust him. Oshiomhole, said this while addressing traders’ associations in Benin, the state capital. He noted that Ize-Iyamu was part of the previous administrations, under the PDP, which he said allegedly “looted the Edo State treasury.” The PDP candidate for the forthcoming governorship poll served as Oshiomhole campaign team’s Director-General in the 2012 election. But the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, dismissed the governor’s allegation as a “fat lie,” adding that the party’s candidate rejected all appointments offered by Oshiomhole. Nehikhare said, “Ize-Iyamu rejected all the appointments offered by the governor both in 2008 and 2012. He, instead, recommended many people to the governor, which the governor gladly appointed. Oshiomhole, who was flanked by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki and other people said, “I did not appoint Ize-Iyamu because of his past record. I would not be comfortable to put government money in his hand. That is why I kept him completely out of government. “I did not even give him a board appointment. He was part of the government that looted the Edo State treasury. Do not put the key to your kitchen in the hands of someone you do not trust. “Usually, a governor appoints the Director-General of his campaign after his election. But I did not appoint him into government because I have his records; I do not trust him.” He also faulted criticisms over the siting of a new university in his hometown, arguing that state funds were better invested in human capital development than in private pockets. He said, “I read Ize-Iyamu complaining that I have developed my village, Iyamho. Yes, because Iyamho is part of Edo State. But I did not put the money in my pocket. “But what did they do in Okada (community)? They said they wanted to do a dual carriageway. They collected the money and put it in their pocket and they did not do the Okada road.” Earlier, Obaseki had commended the traders for their support ahead of the election. The APC candidate noted that the achievements recorded by the Oshiomhole administration were part of the first phase of development in the state. He, therefore, urged the voters in the state to support the APC in order to commence the second phase. Obaseki said, “All those things we have done in eight years, we want them to continue. Oshiomhole is the architect; he has laid the foundation and, in our continuity programme, we will lay the blocks and continue from there.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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PDP BoT leadership illegal, Makarfi must go - Sheriff

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Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party assumed another dimension on Tuesday as the factional National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, rejected the leadership of its Board of Trustees. Sheriff also said that the solutions proferred by the BoT for the resolution of the crisis in the party fell short of the agreement he said his faction had with the peace panel set up by the BoT. The former governor of Borno State stated this in a statement in which he said that the outcome of the meeting held by the Board in Abuja on Monday, was not in tandem with the decision he claimed was reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee. Sheriff, who stated this in a statement signed by his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, however, agreed with the BoT that the next national convention must hold in Abuja. The factional national chairman of the main opposition party was reacting to the decisions reached by the BoT at its meeting in Abuja on Monday, where it said that a new national convention committee be put in place to organise the proposed national convention. He specifically accused the Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, of perpetuating himself in office. The statement said, “That the BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin chairmanship has brought crisis to the party. “In any case his tenure has expired as he has spent more than 10 years as the Secretary and Chairman BoT which runs contrary to the constitution (of the party).” He said there were other qualified members of the party in the board, who he said, were ready to lead it. He said that the agreement his faction had with the peace panel was that the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party should resign from office. Apart from this, he also said that it was agreed that Sheriff would preside over the party’s National Executive Committee meeting where he said, a new national convention committee would be named. Ojuogboh said that it was wrong for the BoT to pass a vote of confidence on the Makarfi-led caretaker committee, which he said had failed twice to organise an acceptable national convention. He, therefore, called on Makarfi to resign his appointment. He said, “Consequently, we can now confidently inform the general public that well-meaning Nigerians have been urging Senator Makarfi to resign to save democracy.” When contacted, Jibrin said he was not going to react now, saying he would do so “after reading the report.” The spokesperson for the national caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, was also said not to be in the country. When our correspondent visited the temporary national secretariat of the party at Wuse Zone 2, no member of the caretaker committee was around to speak on the issue. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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I didn’t defect to APC because of political appointment - Oyinlola

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Femi Makinde Former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has said he did not defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in search of political appointment. Oyinlola said this while featuring on Frank Talk, a radio programme, aired by Rave FM, Osogbo on Friday. The former national secretary of the PDP said former President Goodluck Jonathan and some party leaders from the state ensured that he did not return to the office as the scribe even after the Court of Appeal ruled that he was validly elected to occupy the office. The former governor, who eventually teamed up with Governor Rauf Aregbesola and former Governor Isiaka Adeleke, said he told Senator Iyiola Omisore that there was no way he could win the 2014 governorship election with the albatross on his neck. Oyinlola explained that Senator David Mark, who was the President of the Senate then, former chairman Adamu Muazu and Chief Tony Anenih talked to Jonathan to allow him to return to his office but Jonathan remained adamant. He said, “I told my followers that I was not moving to the APC for political appointments. God has been so good to me. I was a governor for about 10 years of my life. How many Nigerians have been governors in two states? I was governor for two and a half years in Lagos. I spent about seven and a half years as a governor in Osun. Oyinlola urged the people of the state to be praying for Governor Rauf Aregbesola for him to be successful in running the affairs of the state as the state turns 25 years old on Saturday ( today). Meanwhile, Osun State Government has said the state has reasons to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its creation because silver jubilee is a milestone which should be celebrated. The Consultant to the State Government on Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, said the state was mindful of the economic situation in the country and would not spend N140m on the ceremony contrary to what a group had said. But the PDP said Aregbesola had brought untold hardship to the people of the state with his style of governance. The factional chairman of the PDP, Mr. Soji Adagunodo, said the APC government had taken the state back. Adagunodo said the Aregbesola-led administration had done nothing in terms of infrastructural development. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected] yinlola

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Buhari considers swapping Boko Haram detainees for Chibok girls

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Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his administration’s readiness to negotiate the release of the over 200 girls abducted in their school in Chibok, Borno State in 2014, including exchanging them with Boko Haram detainees. He however said his administration would only enter into discussions on the girls with the authentic leaders of the sect who are free to contact the Federal Government through internationally-recognised Non-Governmental Organisation. According to a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President made this known while granting press interview on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development holding in Nairobi, Kenya. Buhari said his administration was ready to dialogue with authentic leaders of the sect who can convince the government that they are the ones holding the girls and they know their (the girls’) whereabouts. He said, “I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised. “What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram. “If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation, convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know. “If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release.” Buhari however said his administration would not waste time and resources in engaging “doubtful sources” claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls. “We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us,” he said. The President maintained that the Boko Haram sect which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the Nigerian military with the support of the nation’s neighbours including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin. He also confirmed the division in the ranks of the sect as well as recent the recent injury allegedly sustained by the sect’s leader during an air raid. Buhari said, “Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership. “The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military. “We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded. Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.”

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How to fix Bluetooth pairing problems

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Bluetooth is one of the most widely used wireless means of transferring data between headphones, media player and a speaker, or iPad and a keyboard. Bluetooth is all great when it works but according to http://www.techlicious.com, it can also be frustrating when there’s a problem pairing Bluetooth devices. Here is a list of what to do when there are pairing failures: Make sure Bluetooth is turned on. You should see the little Bluetooth symbol at the top of your phone’s screen. If you don’t, go into the settings to enable it. Determine which pairing process your device employs. The process for pairing devices can vary. Sometimes, for example, it involves tapping a code into your phone. Other times, you can just physically touch your phone to the device you want to pair it with. If you’re not sure how to pair a device, refer to its user guide. Turn on discoverable mode. Let’s say you want to pair your phone with your car’s infotainment system, go into your phone’s settings and tap on Bluetooth. Then depress the buttons on your car’s infotainment system, usually on the steering wheel or center stack, to get it looking for the device. Once it finds your phone, the car may ask for a numeric code you need to confirm or input on your phone. After you do so, the devices should be paired. Make sure the two devices are in close enough proximity to one another. Make sure any devices you’re trying to pair are within five feet of one other. Power the devices off and back on. A soft reset sometimes can resolve an issue. With phones, an easy way to do this is by going into and out of airplane mode. Remove likely interferers. If a Bluetooth device was previously paired with something else, turn off that other gadget before attempting to pair with another gadget. Charge up both devices you’re trying to pair. Some devices have smart power management that may turn off Bluetooth if the battery level is too low. If your phone isn’t pairing, make sure it and the device you’re trying to pair with have enough battery. Delete a device from a phone and rediscover it. If your phone sees a device but isn’t receiving data from it, sometimes it helps to start from scratch. In iOS settings, you can remove a device by tapping on its name and then Forget this Device. In Android settings, tap on a device’s name, then Unpair. After removing a device, start all over. Move away from the Wi-Fi router. Another potential obstacle to successful pairing is interference from devices that use the same spectrum, such as your Wi-Fi router. It might not be a good idea to have your devices directly on top of the router. Move away from a USB 3.0 port. Interference from USB 3.0 is also possible. Newer laptops, for example, often have the higher-speed USB 3.0 port, so if the connection isn’t happening, try pairing your Bluetooth gadgets away from the computer. Make sure the devices you want to pair are designed to connect with each other. Whether it’s a headset, speaker, mouse, keyboard, camera or something else, your device has a specific profile that spells out what it can connect with. If you’re not sure, check the user manual. Download a driver. If you’re having problems pairing something with your PC, you might be lacking the correct driver. The simplest way to figure this out is to do an online search for the name of the device you’re trying to pair along with the word “driver.” Update the hardware’s firmware. Some automotive audio systems recently wouldn’t pair with the iPhone 5, for example, because the Bluetooth drivers in these systems didn’t work with Bluetooth 4.0. If you’re not sure how to get the latest firmware for your hardware, check with the device manufacturer. Keep in mind that not all wireless devices use Bluetooth. Alternatives include the Wireless Gigabit specification, Wireless HD, ANT+, ZigBee, NFC as well as Wi-Fi Direct. These other technologies typically won’t work with your phone, tablet or PC without some kind of additional hardware. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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We were elected to do the impossible -APC

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John Alechenu, Abuja The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress, Segun Oni, has said the party was elected to do the impossible. He, however, said Nigerians should be patient with the APC-led Buhari administration because it could only do its best by contributing it’s quota to national development. Oni said this in an interview with newsmen at the party secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday. He argued that the economic difficulties currently being experienced by Nigerians would have been worse if the Peoples Democratic Party had returned to power. The former governor of Ekiti State also accused unnamed politicians, whom he described as “money bags,” of sponsoring criminals under the guise of herdsmen to destabilise the Muhammadu Buhari administration. According to him, even though Nigerians have every right to expect “magic” from the APC, the reality on ground is that there is no magic wand to make Nigeria’s problems disappear overnight. He said, “The economy was traumatised by a government whose only agenda was to win another round (of elections). Therefore, everything that they could put into trying to win a second round, even bastardising the economy, was done and we are all here. “The reality on ground is that, if the previous government were (still) in power by now, Nigeria would have virtually packed up, maybe many of us would have become refugees by now. “Yes, we are elected to do the impossible; we will do our best. I just want to plead that people should give us more realistic expectations.”

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At last, Majek returns with new single

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Chux Ohai Reggae star, Majek Fashek, is in the news again. This time, the musician’s numerous fans, especially in Nigeria, are excited that he has finally released the product of his much-publicised collabo with equally gifted singer, Tuface Idibia. The single, which is available on the Internet, is a remix of Majek’s wave-making song titled, No more sorrow from his 1991 album, Spirit of love. Many music fans of the older generation are, no doubt, familiar with the song, which appeared to rock the music scene and of course, the radio waves almost ceaselessly in the 1990s. For most fans of the reggae musician, who has had a long running battle with drug and alcohol addiction, the recent remix of No more sorrow signals Majek’s triumph over the forces that have delayed the progress of his career for more than a decade. It also announces his final return to the music scene, 10 months after he emerged from a rehab home in Abuja. But it appears that the new song was released without the input of the musician’s benefactor, Chief Ayiri Emami, who single-handedly took responsibility for payment of Majek’s bills at the rehab home. Tuface Idibia’s manager, Efe Omorogbe, confirmed this, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday. Omorogbe noted that plans for Majek’s collabo with Tuface had already been concluded before the reggae star met and struck up a relationship with the Warri-based billionaire. Also, he said that the remix of No more sorrow was released on Majek’s own records label. He said, “This collaboration was finalised a little earlier, before the relationship between Majek and Chief Ayiri Emami. The song is an independent release by Majek Fashek and supported by GistMe Communications.” It would be recalled that last May, The PUNCH exclusively reported that the relationship between Emami and Majek had gone sour. Emami had literally washed his hands off the musician for certain reasons. At the time, the businessman had insisted that his relationship with Majek was purely humanitarian and that it had nothing to do with show business. He had said, “Majek wanted to join my music label, but I said no. I didn’t want other people to think that I did him a favour because I wanted him to sign on to the label. Instead, I told him that I could get him a good manager that would take care of him and his career, get him a car and every other thing.” After their relationship broke up, Majek Fashek was said to have relocated to England. Even as the news of his latest album release spread on Wednesday, reports claimed that he had been spotted in London. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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[VIDEO] Mark Zuckberberg meets Nigerian developers, entrepreneurs

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Facebook’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerberg, who is currently in Nigeria to see how Facebook can better support technology development and entrepreneurship in the country, has uploaded a video of his meetings on the social media platform. Zuckerberg had on Tuesday visited a ‘Summer of Code Camp’ at the Co-Creation Hub in Yaba and Andela, where he met some of the country’s talented developers. See the video below:

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Five ISIS leaders killed in Iraq, Syria

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United States-led coalition air strikes have killed several senior figures in the Islamic State group since April in a heavy blow to the jihadist organisation. The latest death is Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, described as the “principal architect” of attacks on the West, although this time both the United States and Russia claimed credit for his killing. Coalition aircraft have also previously targeted Al-Nusra Front, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. Here is a short list of departed warlords: Abu Mohamed al-Adnani On Tuesday, the IS announced via its news service Amaq that Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, a Syrian national, had died in Aleppo province of northern Syria and pledged to avenge his death. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, using an alternative name for IS, said a coalition air strike near Al-Bab had targeted Adnani, describing him as the “principal architect of ISIL’s external operations and… ISIL’s chief spokesman”. Russia, however, said one of its warplanes had carried out the strike that killed Adnani. A US defence official who declined to be named linked Adnani to attacks in Brussels, Istanbul and Paris, and said that if true, his death was “a very significant blow for ISIL”. The US had offered $5m for information that led to him. Omar the Chechen On July 13, Amaq announced the death of senior IS commander Omar al-Shishani, whose nom de guerre means Omar the Chechen, near Mosul in northern Iraq. The Pentagon confirmed that coalition aircraft had targeted the IS leader, but not that he had been killed. Known for ruthless tactics and his thick red beard, Shishani, whose Georgian name was Tarkhan Batirashvili, was one of the most sought IS leaders in Syria, described by US officials who put a $5-million bounty on his head as the group’s de facto defence minister. IS Anbar chief Abu Wahib On May 6, another airstrike killed Abu Wahib “military emir” of IS for the vast western Iraqi province of Anbar, near the town of Rutba. Abu Wahib, a former Al-Qaeda militant and three other IS jihadists died when their vehicle was hit, and Pentagon spokesman Cook said he was considered “a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar province”. Wahib had appeared in chilling IS execution videos and did not mask his identity despite the clear risk to his security. Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli On March 25, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter announced that Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, believed to be number two in the IS leadership, had been “eliminated” during a US operation in Syria. Carter also referred to Aqduli as Haji Imam. The US Justice Department had offered a bounty of up to $7 million for information leading to Qaduli, identified as the group’s finance minister and a key figure behind some foreign plots. Days later the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a US drone strike had killed Tunisian jihadist Abu al-Hija, another high-ranking IS leader who was heading to Aleppo province on orders of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, for whom the US has offered a $10-million reward. Al-Nusra spokesman On April 3, Al-Nusra Front spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri, also known as Radwane Nammous, died when US planes attacked a training camp in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. In late July, the group announced it was breaking ties with Al-Qaeda and renaming itself Fateh al-Sham Front. AFP

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EPL: Rose late strike earns Tottenham draw with Liverpool

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Left-back Danny Rose’s 72nd-minute equaliser earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw with Liverpool in a hard-fought Premier League encounter at White Hart Lane on Saturday. James Milner gave Liverpool a deserved lead with a penalty shortly before half-time, but Spurs got their reward for a spell of sustained second-half pressure when Rose drilled home the equaliser. The England full-back’s strike means he has already matched his tally from last season and it preserved Spurs’ unbeaten record following their draw at Everton and victory over Crystal Palace. It was a frustrating outcome for visiting manager Jurgen Klopp on his return to the scene of his first game at the Liverpool helm last October, which ended in a 0-0 draw. His side showed a much sharper cutting edge than in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Burnley, but their inability to close the game out enabled Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs to rescue a point. It was a contest between two teams who like to press high up the pitch and in the first half it was Tottenham who had the greatest difficulty playing the ball out from the back. Deputising in goal for Spurs again in place of the injured Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm was frequently called into action. The Dutchman produced a stunning fourth-minute stop to thwart Philippe Coutinho from Roberto Firmino’s square pass and twice raced from his line to expertly tackle Sadio Mane. Coutinho had overcome a stiff hamstring to start and he continually found space inside the Spurs box, with one shot deflected over and another comfortably parried by Vorm at his near post. – Spurs reshuffle – Aside from a Christian Eriksen free-kick that Simon Mignolet fisted away, Spurs posed little threat at the other end, although Vincent Janssen could have won a penalty after being blocked by Joel Matip. Mane, meanwhile, was fortunate to avoid a red card after clattering Rose two minutes after being booked for a late one on Dele Alli. Janssen had replaced Kyle Walker after the Spurs full-back succumbed to illness, in a reshuffle that saw Eric Dier move to right-back and Alli drop into central midfield. It left the hosts with an unfamiliar configuration on the right flank and Liverpool exploited their uncertainty when Firmino was clipped by Erik Lamela after darting in behind him. Milner, Liverpool’s left-back again, confidently steered the penalty into the bottom-left corner. The team in red continued to enjoy the upper hand in the second half, with Matip heading over, Nathaniel Clyne working Vorm and Mane seeing a volley chalked off for offside. But as the intensity of the visitors’ pressing began to fade, so Spurs started to assert themselves. Eriksen side-footed over from Dier’s cut-back and Mignolet produced smart saves to thwart Lamela and Toby Alderweireld before Spurs drew level with 18 minutes to go. Released by Alderweireld, Dier cut inside onto his left foot and crossed, Lamela flicked the ball on and Rose brought it down at the back post before skewering a shot past Mignolet. Liverpool procured one last sight of goal, but Georginio Wijnaldum’s effort was fielded by Vorm. AFP

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Pedachess lead at Chess Premier League

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Pedachess Club have taken the lead mid-season into the first edition of the Chess Players Association of Nigeria organised Chess Premier League which began on June 18 and expected to end by November. The league, according to the President of CPAN, Magnus Ekpiken, is an initiative of the leadership of CPAN to provide a platform for the growth of the increasing number of chess players nationwide especially in the U-16 and female categories. He said one of the qualifications to participate in the league is that each team must field at least one female and U-16 player each as part of their six-member formation for each match. Teams are awarded match points to determine their rankings on the league table and the team with the highest match points at the end of a season is declared winner. So far, Pedachess have achieved all 15 of the possible match points in the games played. A total of 12 teams registered for the league and they are Blue Ocean, Evergreens, Magic Magnus and Chess Sensation. Others are Facility Control, Outliers, Deciphers and Greater Tomorrow. The rest are Pedachess, Delta Creed, Lekki Club and Team SAXX. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Nigeria’s socio-economic crisis enormous but surmountable -Amosun

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Godwin Isenyo Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, said Nigeria’s socio-economic crisis is enormous but surmountable, saying that the All Progressives Congress government would deliver the positive change it promised to Nigerians. He said Nigerians would start witnessing this positive change in the next 12 to 24 months. Amosun spoke to journalists shortly after the Progressive Governors Forum’s lecture series entitled: ‘Building the economy of the states: Challenge of developing inclusively sustainable growth’ in Kaduna on Thursday. The governor admitted that challenges confronting the nation were enormous but surmountable, adding that the ruling party were already on the right track to tackling these challenges. He said the APC government was determined and assured Nigerians that in the next 12 to 24 months, they would feel the ‘change’ promised during the party’s campaign ahead of the last general elections. The governor said, “We have challenges, but the challenges are not insurmountable. We are already on the right track, but we need to do more. “The issue is that the problems we met on ground are far more than what we are portraying to Nigerians. Irrespective of these challenges however, we are determined. We are challenged. We are ready and we are equal to the task. “Things may not yet be very obvious, but in not too long a time, we will begin to see and feel the benefits of these efforts that we are putting in place. “The problem is that we cannot expect something that has been bad for ages to be resolved under one or two years and that is exactly what has been happening.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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English Premier League table

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Police rescue kidnap victims in Ogun

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Two victims who were rescued from a kidnappers’ den in Ogun State by the police, recently narrated the gory experiences of their time in captivity. They are the wife of Chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Ewekoro Local Government Area, Mrs. Kudirat Balogun, and one Gbenga Taiwo. Balogun was kidnapped last Sunday night at her husband’s home on Sekoni Street, Olomore area of Abeokuta by four gunmen, while Taiwo was abducted at Atan-Ijebu on Monday. The Commissioner of Police in the State, Ilyasu Ahmed, who presented the victims to journalists at the Police Officerss Mess in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, said the victims were rescued unhurt on Wednesday night by men of the command. He said, “After the kidnap, operatives of Federal Special Armed Robbery Squad, Magbon, were deployed to comb every nooks and crannies of the state and were able to rescue the victims unhurt.” He said, Kudirat was found on Wednesday night. “We are still on the trail of the suspects and the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them,” he said. He said Taiwo on the other hand, was rescued on the same day at Ogere in Remo North Local Government Area of the state. But he said no arrest had been made. He expressed optimism that “those responsible for the crime will be apprehended. We are very close.” While sharing her ordeal, Kudirat who was still in shock, said she was hooded shortly after she was taken away by her abductors. Balogun said “The kidnappers released me when they discovered that men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other security forces were closing in on them. “I was blindfolded, I could not recognise those places, they moved me from one place to another. I can’t remember anything much.” Taiwo, who is a hotelier, contractor and an estate agent, said he was kidnapped on Monday, August 22, 2016 around 9pm at Atan Ijebu along Barrack Road by four gunmen. He said, “They requested for N5m and I told them I did not have such amount of money. They threatened to kill me. “I was not afraid. I told them that if they killed me they would be arrested because I am an Ijebu man.” He further disclosed that he continued to give them serious warning, adding they were shocked and became panicky. Taiwo said they panicked and finally dropped him around Ogere area on Wednesday night. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Ese Oruru: Police report indicts AIG, others

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The police have submitted the report of their investigation into the abduction of Ese Oruru to the Police Service Commission with the report recommending sanctions for the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 1, Shuaibu Gambo and other officers, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt. It was gathered that the sanction for Gambo was informed by the shoddy investigation into the abduction of the teenager and her forceful conversion to Islam. Ese was abducted in 2015 and taken to Kano by Yunusa Dahiru who converted her to Islam and also impregnated her. Yunusa is facing criminal prosecution in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while the teenager had since given birth to a baby girl. It was learnt that the AIG had faced the Force Disciplinary Committee for not taking the necessary steps to rescue the abducted teenager when the case was reported to his office. Checks indicated that the FDC, which comprises all the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police and the Force Secretary, had sent its report to the Inspector-General of Police who forwarded the file to the Police Service Commission for further action. Gambo allegedly did not give the case deserving attention as the case was allowed to drag on for about six months until SUNDAY PUNCH championed the rescue of the teenager in March, 2016. Sources told our correspondent on Satuday in Abuja that the disciplinary committee indicted Gambo and some officers and recommended them to the PSC for appropriate disciplinary action. A source said, “AIG Gambo has been referred to the Police Service Commission for appropriate disciplinary action over the poor handling of Ese’s case. He and some officers had faced a disciplinary committee as directed by the immediate past IG, Solomon Arase.’’ However, the Commissioner in charge of media, PSC, Comfort Obi, said Gambo’s case had yet to come before the commission’s disciplinary committee, explaining that disciplinary cases involving senior officers passed through several stages and processes before they are decided. She said, “The PSC has departments and committees handling different things. The department will work on the file and send to the disciplinary committee. If it (Gambo’s case) has come to the Police Service Commission, perhaps, it is going through the processes.’’ Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Buhari is nice but lacks political experience - Farunkanmi

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Second Republic Senator and a member of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria, Olorunimbe Farunkanmi speaks with PETER DADA about his relationship with Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the 1996 coup and other national issues What are your political antecedents? As an undergraduate of the University of Ibadan between 1963 and 1966, I was not only an active member of the defunct Action Group Students, but also the National Secretary of the Action Group Students of the Nigerian Universities. With the incursion of the military into politics in 1966, political parties were scrapped. But by 1979, with the formation of the Unity Party of Nigeria under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, I contested election into the Ondo State House of Assembly, made up of the present Ondo and Ekiti states, but I got elected as a senator to represent an area that comprised a sizeable part of the current Ondo and Ekiti States when the National Assembly, was still in Lagos. In 1998, following the end of another military rule and when we were about to start the Fourth Republic, followers of Chief Obafemi Awolowo again formed the Alliance for Democracy which won elections in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states. It must be stated that I have always participated in the political parties formed by the followers of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. How politically close were you to Chief Obafemi Awolowo? I was an ardent supporter of Chief Awolowo because my passage as a pupil through St. Johns Primary School in Sabongida-Ora of the then Bendel State now Edo State, was unique as it afforded me the opportunity to sit for the entrance examination into the Holy Trinity Grammar School, Sabongida-Ora, which I passed in 1955. This enabled me to become one of the beneficiaries of the western regional scholarship targeted at secondary school students in 1956, packaged by Chief Awolowo, the Premier of the then Western Region, to move close and appreciate his worth and kindness. I benefitted from this scholarship between 1956 and 1960. I again secured admission into the Abeokuta Grammar School between 1961 and 68 and I obtained another western regional scholarship for my Higher School Certificate from 1963-66, where I studied for a honours degree in Geography. I was again a beneficiary of Awolowo’s scholarship at the University of Aston in Birmingham, United Kingdom where I studied for a Masters of Science degree in Town and Country Planning in 1969-71. As a beneficiary of the numerous scholarships from his government, I was encouraged to become one of his most ardent political followers. I even prayed that in addition to his rule in the western region, he should be able to win at the national level so that more people might feel his impact and obtain great benefits in the matters of governance, particularly from his welfare programmes. These laudable programmes on education, provision of infrastructure, like roads, water, electricity, agricultural development and others were enviable programmes embarked upon by Awolowo. What were the specific qualities that you saw in Awolowo that endeared him to you? Apart from the numerous programmes from which the people benefitted from, Chief Awolowo remained one of the best political administrators that ruled over a part of Nigeria. His administration was uniquely run to benefit the generality of the people, particularly the poor. It was praiseworthy that Awolowo and his cabinet members were not at anytime accused of corruption. He, in fact, ran an incorruptible administration. He made sure that his cabinet members were hard-working members who made sure their programmes were packaged for the masses’ welfare and carried out in the best interest of the people. Awolowo ensured that he started his electoral campaigns with definite policy papers and manifestoes at elections in 1951; he not only introduce free health scheme in 1953, but also began the universal primary education scheme in 1955 and founded the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1962. He was also the first to launch the first television station in Africa in 1959. During the military regime of Gowon, 1966-75, in fact, as the vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Commissioner for Finance, he showed unequalled sagacity, discipline and dedication to duty. He showed unequalled competence that Nigeria did not have to borrow any money during the Civil War. These are some of the qualities of a good leader. I loved and respected him so much. Oba Olufemi Olutoye revealed recently that Major Kaduna Nzeogwu would have made Awolowo the President if he had succeeded in the coup of 1966? Do you think Awolowo would have accepted the offer? I can’t really say because I didn’t know his mind about it. But I think if he could accept to serve in the government of Yakubu Gowon, may be he could accept that offer. If Awolowo had become the President then, what would have been his programme for the country? You see, when Awolowo was leading the Western Region, his government was good. People wanted him but the northerners did not like him because they knew he would not allow them to do anything they like. When he was the Premier, it was then that we started enjoying scholarship and free education, boom in agriculture and so on. Those who worked with him had integrity and there was no case of corruption. So if he had been given the opportunity to rule, he knew what to do to ensure the this country progressed. At the time that there was an oil boom, he would have made use of the money from the oil to develop this country and make it great. Some of your associates revived the Unity Party of Nigeria, why did you not join them? As I have said earlier, I was one of the founding members of the UPN during the era of Awolowo and I contested elections and won on the UPN platform. My first election was as a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly in 1979 to 1983 when Ondo State included the present Ekiti State. I later won another election as a senator of the Second Republic in 1983 when my constituency extended from the present Ondo Central to a greater part of Ekiti, stretching from Oke Mesi, Aramoko, Efon-alaye, Ilawe, Erinjinyan, Ogotun, Igbara Odo to Igbara Oke, Akure and Idanre. As soon as the ban on politics was lifted in the country by the federal military government then, he (Awolowo) with his associates formed the Unity Party of Nigeria with democratic socialism as the goal and free education, integrated rural development, provision of free health facilities and full employment opportunities for all as realisable goals. I was in the UPN. I was in the House of Assembly under UPN. I don’t think those that said they wanted to revive UPN were serious when the original founder was dead, and many associates of the founder had retired. So how sincere are those that said they wanted to revive the party? They are all liars. You are in All Progressives Congress today; is it because you are an Awoist? You know there are two major political parties in Nigeria today; the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party. We thought APC members are progressives because Awolowo had always been a progressive person and I will always be where Awo would have been. Then, we see that PDP has spoilt the country in the last 16 years. Is that the type of party I will join? Though APC has its own problem of slowness in governance but we have not heard that they embezzled money. Also, I am a member and in fact, the chairman of the Elders Committee of the APC. The nation needs APC to make progress. T`he PDP ruled this country for 16 years without any appreciable development. You aspired to contest for the governorship election in Ondo State in 2012, what prompted your aspiration, considering your age ? I discovered that those who are in government nowadays are only after money and not after the welfare of the people. I have worked in my life and seen money. I have many business ventures that give me money regularly. I can never rely on government money to survive. So I can’t be a governor and mess up at my age. If you see them (Ondo State governorship aspirants) now, many of the aspirants are spending money because they know they would be able to make their money back illegally when they get into the government. But as somebody who is knowledgeable about the development of the environment, because that is my area of specialisation, I was able to tell the people then that it was not because of money that I had interest in being the governor of the state but because I cherished the welfare of my people than anyone else. That is what I was saying about Chief Awolowo; he was particularly mindful of the welfare of the people and you could see that throughout his time. Nobody talked of corruption. He handled his commissioners well that none of them could say he wanted to go and collect money from somewhere illegally. He was in control of his government. As a professional town planner, have you ever sold any idea to those in government to develop this state? You can never sell any idea to those people (in government). They have their own master plan, so what do you want to sell to them? Can you compare governance now and what we had during your time? There is a lot of difference. We didn’t hear about anything like corruption. Nobody could embezzle during Awolowo’s time. It was a straightforward government. Nowadays, we hear in the news that some people stole billions of naira — to do what ? It baffles somebody like me. What can you say about the internal crisis rocking the Ondo APC? The way the crisis is going now, I cannot say one party is better than the other. The problem is that everybody is interested in governing this state, whether he has the experience or not. It is unfortunate that we are experiencing a crisis like that. All the delegates will only be enticed by the money they can get from the aspirants and at the end of the day they may end up in choosing a wrong candidate for the party . What are you and other elders in the party doing to resolve the matter? There is nothing we can do. I told other elders at a meeting that why should they allow some aspirants to pay money in Akure and others paid in Abuja? What does Isaac Kekemeke (Ondo APC chairman) want to do with the N2m he collected from the aspirants in Akure? Over N100m has passed through him and we did not know what he spent it on. Is that not part of the corruption that we are talking about? He failed to carry us along in the of affairs of the party. He did not recognise the elders of the party. He was the one that inaugurated us but he is doing everything the way he wants. He did not like our group because the person he wanted to be the chairman did not win the election. The elders said it was me they wanted. After the inauguration, I and some members of the Elders Assembly visited him to advise him but he said he did not want the elders in the affairs of the party. He said he is going to do things his own way. So we are not united in the party in Ondo State. For example, the minister from Ondo State, many of us don’t know him. It is a big problem . APC seems to be losing popularity in the country. What do you think is wrong? It is a pity that things are happening the way they are happening. Buhari is a nice person but he lacks political experience. He may have much military experience but I don’t think he has the political experience and civilian government is quite different from military government. Look at how long it took him before appointing his ministers. He is also making appointments to boards of parastatals piecemeal. He’s in office for more than one year and nothing is moving. He ought to have spent the money recovered from looters on some sectors like agriculture to generate employment and tackle food crisis. We have heard of billions of naira paid back by looters. I believe he should spend the money on a sector like agriculture because right now, there is hunger in the land and the only way to get out of it is to go into agriculture fully and we will know that in the next few months the problem of food will be solved. After that, they should address the problem of road and housing. Buhari’s government is also accused of making lopsided appointments. What is your view? I don’t support him in that area; majority of the appointees are northerners. It is not supposed to be so. What do you think about the issue of budget padding in the House of Representatives? It is criminal. It must have started long ago. I don’t think it is a new issue in the National Assembly. Some of the lawmakers must have been padding the budget for a long time. Some people are calling for the resignation of the leadership of the House of Representatives over the issue. What is your take on this? They should set up an investigative panel on it and whoever is guilty among them should be asked to resign. But all I know is that it is not a new thing. Some people are calling for the restructuring of the country, do you share the same view? The idea of restructuring is good but the view of some people about it is different. For example, out of 36 states, about 28 cannot pay workers’ salaries. Price of oil have fallen and we need states to generate revenues. On that note we can sit down and say, ‘let’s go back to regionalism.’ Each region will be able to generate money for its development and the allocation to the regions will more and less go to the Federal Government. People are talking about restructuring as if it is something that is not in the interests of the people. There are parts of restructuring that will be very much in the interest of the people. For instance, the number of states would be reduced. Many states in the North has no internally generated revenues. They only depend on federal allocations and some other problems like that. There is no way Nigeria will not be restructured; but there are some vital areas that should be restructured now and that is the reduction of the numerous states we have now , there is nothing we can do to sustain all the states we are have currently. Do you think the problem would be solved by merging the states? That is the way I see it. Look at our local governments; they have many workers who are doing nothing and they collect a lot of money. The people also don’t feel the impact of local government administration. If we restructure, all these issues will be addressed. But it seems the Buhari-led administration is not considering restructuring? Do you think this is right? He did not look at it maybe because he doesn’t understand the idea. You know he is a military man. His focus is on a different thing. It is a pity. You know corruption is much but apart from corruption there are other problems the nation is facing that are calling for attention, but God will save us. As one of the elders in Yorubaland, why are you not part of the Afenifere group? I was in Afenifere during the time of Awolowo. You know they have bastardised the group now. The problem started during the time of Bola Ige. At that time, Abraham Adesanya, Olanihun and others were supporting Falae’s group and Bola Ige was in another group and there is another one called the renewal group and they are not doing anything. Is that the reason you did not join group? Yes, I cannot be part of such groups. During campaigns for the general election, some of them collected money from Goodluck Jonathan . I don’t like that kind of thing. They have sent people to me to join them, but I refused. What do you think is the way forward for the country? Well, you know the level of damage that the PDP did to this country is not a small thing. Let me tell you, if it was Jonathan that came back the second time, this country would have been forgotten. Maybe every region would have been on its own. If not that Buhari is slow, all the money they have recovered from looters, they should by now know what they want to use it for so that people will feel the impact. In fact, I am surprised that the country will be like this. We are not developed. We rely too much on importation. But as it is now we should start with revival of all moribund companies so that there would be employment generation for our youths. Government should promote agriculture. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Police arrest 20-year-old over Enugu herdsmen attack

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Cjiedozie Ihuoma Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu The police in Enugu State on Friday evening said it had arrested a 20-year-old man over Thursday’s herdsmen attack in Attakwu community, where a Catholic seminarian was killed. The suspect was identified as Umaru Isah, from Gusau in Zamfara State. Spokesman, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday evening. The statement read, “Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, in its resolve towards unmasking those behind the dastardly act perpetrated at Ndiagu Attakwu community of Akegbeugwu in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, which left one person dead and four others critically injured, has nabbed a suspect identified as one Umaru Isah from Gusau, Zamfara State, over his alleged involvement in the incident. “His arrest came through intelligence information gathered. “The said suspect, who claimed that he is 20 years old, revealed that he came in from Gusau Zamfara State to Enugu recently for the purpose of rearing cattle but has none to rear till now.” Amaraizu said the police was investigating the incident. He added, “Meanwhile, investigations have commenced in full scale into his alleged nefarious activities and with a view to unmasking his gang members so that they can be brought to book. “The State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, has vowed to unmask all those involved in the dastardly act and bring them to book.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Bobrisky’s saying bad stuff about me to get attention -Denrele

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Bobrisky and Denrele are alike somehow- they are both weird dressers. But it seems both guys are not friends. Earlier in the week, Bobrisky and Denrele were hot topic among Nigerians who had fun time comparing the two guys on social media. Bobrisky had claimed on his twitter handle that his lover ‘dashed’ him N7m on his birthday and many fans and foes used that opportunity to mock Denrele and ask him why nobody has yet to give him such money. In a chat with Saturday Beats, Denrele opened up on his relationship with Bobrisky claiming he had seen him just once. “I heard something about Bobrisky saying that Denrele is poor, that he has a Lexus and a Benz and I have nothing. I thought it was funny when I heard it but I did not reply. Such people are looking for followers. I don’t respond to those things. “It is normal for people to tend to compare us because we have a certain way of dressing that is totally different from what everybody knows. Of course they would try to compare and contrast. The kind of job that I do allows me to meet all kinds of people. If somebody gives me N10m, I would not open my mouth to tell anybody because the person that gave me the money would not want me to say it. I do not have to prove anything to anybody. “I have been with this brand identity for a very long time and if someone is stealing my style, it means the person is not original. If you are doing it your own way, then you are original. We are two different people and from the pictures I have seen, I noticed he uses a lot of heavy make-up, I use only powder and that is because I am on the television. Also, he is a lot lighter than I am. We have met once and we do not have any beef. When we met, the first thing I asked him about his lashes because he wore very nice eye lashes and I love eye lashes. I told him his lashes were nice and he even told me where he did it and how much it cost. I have heard a lot of things that he said about me which are not so nice. Maybe it is to get my attention,” he said. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Vardy helps Leicester clinch first win

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Jamie Vardy scored his first goal of the season as Leicester energised their Premier League title defence with a 2-1 win against Swansea in a torrential thunderstorm on Saturday. Vardy’s 32nd-minute strike gave Claudio Ranieri’s side a deserved half-time lead and captain Wes Morgan added the Foxes’ second goal on 52 minutes at the King Power Stadium. Leroy Fer scored for Swansea with nine minutes remaining but Leicester stood firm for their first win of the season despite Foxes winger Riyad Mahrez having a penalty saved at 2-0. It was the Algerian’s third failure in his last four Premier League penalties but it did not cost his side. After defeat at Hull on the opening day of the season and a draw with Arsenal last week, this was the perfect way for Leicester to head into the international break. Leicester built up a head of steam in the early exchanges and they won a free-kick just outside the Swansea area when Federico Fernandez chopped down Jamie Vardy on his way to goal. Mahrez struck a shot with his left foot but it crept just past Lukasz Fabianski’s left-hand post. The momentum was maintained when Vardy used pace and strength to get past Kyle Naughton and to the byline, but the striker’s touch let him down and he conceded a goal-kick with two frustrated team-mates waiting for a cross. Gylfi Sigurdsson had a long-range shot saved by Kasper Schmeichel in the Swansea goal before Vardy made up for his earlier frustration with the opening goal. He raced onto a first-time, volleyed pass from Danny Drinkwater and outmuscled Jordi Amat before blasting home a shot off Fabianski’s left-hand post. – Crucial clearance – Sigurdsson tried his luck again from distance moments later but this time his effort cleared the crossbar. Swansea enjoyed a better spell as half-time approached and a right-wing cross from Modou Barrow, which was flicked towards goal by Wayne Routledge, brought a crucial clearance from Morgan inside his six-yard box. But just before half-time Leicester could have doubled their lead when Shinji Okazaki let fly with a right-footed shot that brought a fine save from Fabianski. Leicester should have been more than a single goal clear at half-time but they made their advantage pay just seven minutes into the second half. Morgan and Robert Huth leapt to meet a Marc Albrighton corner and, when the ball dropped for Morgan, the defender lashed home with a powerful volley. Swansea rallied briefly with Sigurdsson sending an effort over the crossbar before Schmeichel raced from his goal to deny the advancing Fernando Llorente. But the hosts should have extended their lead moments later when a clumsy challenge by Amat felled Okazaki and handed them a penalty. However, Mahrez’s spot-kick was poor and Fabianski made a smart save low to his right. There was a further blow for the Foxes when it emerged Schmeichel had picked up an injury and the Dane had to be replaced by summer signing Ron-Robert Zieler. The Leicester pressure was maintained, though, and two inviting crosses could have led to goals. The first was flashed across the face of goal by Drinkwater but was missed by his team-mates and the second was bent to the far post by Albrighton but guided wide by Morgan. Swansea gave themselves hope with nine minutes remaining when a cross by Barrow was headed into the bottom corner by Fer but it was not enough to trigger a comeback, with Mahrez curling a shot just wide for Leicester in stoppage-time. With the pitch now close to unplayable due to the heavy rain, Leicester had a final chance when substitute Ahmed Musa raced clear but fired straight at Fabianksi.

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Yobo to secure bail for awaiting trial inmates

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A former Captain of the Super Eagles, Joseph Yobo, said he would work to secure bail for many inmates of the Ikoyi Prisons, especially those awaiting trial. Yobo spoke at the inauguration of the Ikoyi Prisons Football Academy on Saturday in Lagos. He said, “I have never been to the prisons before but on getting to Ikoyi Prisons, I realised the need to give hope to someone. “The Joseph Yobo Foundation is ready to do everything within its means to secure bail for as many as possible that are awaiting trial, especially those in the facility’s football academy. “I am happy with what is going on in this facility. I have never been here before but when I got here, what I saw jolted me. “I thought I will see persons looking very sad, rushing to go out but rather, I saw them very happy, cheerful and looking very hopeful. Yobo said that it was in this light that his foundation would seek to secure the bail for some of the inmates, train them and support them in the academy. NAN

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Forex market trades $327m, foreign investors buy bonds

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Oyetunji Abioye with agency report The nation’s foreign exchange market recorded $327m worth of transactions on Monday, about six times more than its usual volume, the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, told Reuters. This included a single transaction of $270m at N345/dollar by foreign investors buying local currency bonds, the Managing Director, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Mr. Bola Onadele, said in an interview. Other transactions were carried out from N314.50 to N317.34 per dollar. Average trading has been around $50m a day on normal days. It might reach $100m on days the Central Bank of Nigeria intervenes in the forex market. Forex traders said the CBN sold an undisclosed amount of dollars, close to the end of market session, to help prop up the naira. The naira closed at 305.50 on Monday, up from the 314.95 it closed at on Friday. Monday’s surge in trading came after the CBN said on Friday that it would offer N212.85bn ($675m) in Treasury bills maturing between 91 days and one year on Wednesday. The debt will be sold on Wednesday. The CBN has been selling short-dated open market bills at yields as high as 18 per cent in an effort to attract offshore funds, most of whom fled Nigeria’s bond and equity markets during a financial crisis that began when oil prices plunged. The crisis ultimately led the CBN to let the naira’s value float in June. From its controlled rate of N197 to the dollar, the local currency plunged to as much as 309 to the dollar on the interbank market and 414 to the dollar on the black market. The continued ban of eight lenders from the forex market by the CBN has further weakened the naira against the greenback in the past one week. Nine commercial banks were last Tuesday banned from the forex market for failing to remit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s $2.334bn into the Treasury Single Account. The local currency was sold for 414/dollar across some black market segments in Lagos and Abuja on Sunday. The naira had hit 412 against the greenback at the parallel market on Friday, after closing at 409/dollar on Thursday. On Wednesday, a day after the CBN banned nine banks from the forex market, the local currency depreciated to 402/dollar, down from the 397 it closed at against the greenback on Tuesday. At the interbank market, the naira closed at 314.95 on Friday. Traders said interbank rates would ease this week when part of July’s budget allocation enters the banking system. The chief executive officers of banks had met with the CBN over the forex ban issue on Thursday. They resolved to work with the CBN to resolve the forex crisis facing the country. The naira is expected to plunge further against the US dollar this week as the dollar shortage intensifies. Forex traders said even though the CBN had continued to sell dollars daily on the interbank market, its efforts were considered weak and inadequate, Reuters reported. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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N2bn fraud: Orubebe hypertensive, lawyer tells court

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Ade Adesomoju, Abuja A former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, was on Tuesday absent from a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, where he was scheduled to be arraigned alongside others on charges of diversion of about N2bn meant for for the dualisation of Section IV of the East West Road. Orubebe’s lawyer, Mr. F. Zimhuan, apologised to the trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, for the absence of his client, whom he said suddenly took ill after a domestic accident and rushed to the hospital. Zimhuan said the ex-minister’s health was complicated his hypertensive condition. The lawyer said, “The first defendant is in the hospital. “His absence in court today is not deliberate. He suddenly took ill. He had domestic accident affecting his ankle and wrist. He is hypertensive and the cumulative effect was that they had to rush him to the hospital. “We want to give the assurance that the first accused will be ready to face his trial anytime he is discharged from the hospital and we pray that it won’t be long from today.” ‎ The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, had preferred five counts against Orubebe alongside Oludare Alaba, Ephraim Zeri (Director of Contracts) and Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited. Alaba and Zeri were present in court while Orubebe was absent on Tuesday. But all the defendants including Orubebe were represented by their lawyers. Mr. K.B Asunogie represented Alaba while Chief Kanu Agabi represented Zeri and Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited.

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Charm your reader with good paragraphs

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Akeem Lasisi, [email protected] ; 08163939335 Imagine a world of beautiful paragraphs. From far, far Australia to Africa, Europe to Asia and the Americas to the Antarctica, it would be a very beautiful phenomenon to behold. It would be even, less chaotic and very pleasant to the eye. Indeed, so smooth would it be that it would take just a little time to navigate its length and breadth. If that beautiful world remains elusive for now, you can help in achieving a linguistic form of it by cultivating the habit of structuring your prose compositions in good paragraphs. Unfortunately, many of us take paragraphs for granted because they tend to be simple and natural elements of English. But anyone who wants to do well in whatever form of written communication should realise that a lot depends on the quality of their paragraphs. A single theme A paragraph is a distinct part of a piece of writing dealing with a single theme. It is a group of sentences relating to a single topic or sub-topic in the whole essay. Usually indicated by indentation or a new line, it focuses on a central idea that should be established before the writer moves on to another paragraph. Although some experts note that there is no rule regarding the size of a paragraph, the fact that it focuses on a single theme, and that there are other paragraphs doing similar things in the same prose composition or story, means that it should neither be too short nor too long. Indeed, some have suggested that it should be between three and six sentences. This makes a lot of sense, especially for students writing essays and other people doing normal reports like newspaper articles, letters and memos. If, for instance, you have the Topic Sentence in a paragraph, you can follow it up with some two explanatory sentences, another one giving examples, and, finally, the one that concludes the paragraph. That is five sentences in all and the paragraph is ready. Unfortunately, many people are so careless with paragraphs that they leave them untidy, jagged and nauseating. There is this university graduate who was asked to write an essay as part of a job interview. The topic was, ‘Nigeria of my Dream’. Lo and behold, the guy wrote a three-page article but he dumped everything in a single paragraph! Of course, things can be so bad that there are people who, when they write application letters for jobs and other important ventures, they leave everything in one paragraph – from introduction to conclusion. Components of a paragraph The most important part of a paragraph is the Topic Sentence. It is the one that carries the main message. It often comes first in the paragraph. But, as a matter of style, it can be located in the middle while some experts may delay it till the end of the paragraph. My advice, however, is that you should put yours as early as possible in the paragraph and leave experimentation till when you well advance in the language. After all, to become a Wole Soyinka is not a day’s job. Consider the example below: Government must quickly find solution to the hunger crisis in the Internally Displaced People camps. The situation is so bad now that many of the victims hardly have even a meal a day. Imagine the agony that children there go through, not having anything to eat throughout the day. A report indicates that a lot of the mothers in the camps can no more breastfeed their infants because they no more have the physical and physiological strength to do so. What kind of government will continue to fold its arms while these are happening? As you can see, the topic sentence comes first. But it can be moved, depending on the style adopted by the writer. What is important is that it must be there since every paragraph must have a theme. Indeed, whenever it is not there, the paragraph is as good as empty. Developing Sentences These are the sentences that support the Topic Sentence. They explain the point raised, supply facts and give examples where necessary. This means that apart from the underlined ones in the examples above, all others are Developing Sentences. Note that that all the sentences should address the same issue raised in the topic sentence. That is what is called unity of thought. Things to note Good paragraphs give a piece of writing visual beauty. They make it tidy and appealing to the reader. Paragraphs allow the writer himself to gauge the success of their piece even before it gets to any reader. For instance, if you intend to discuss six points in the composition, all you need to do when you finish writing or typing the materal is to count the number of your paragraphs. Do you have up to six paragraphs, probably with the intro and the concluding paragraphs, making it eight? Then, you are on course. If you measure your writing in good paragraphs, you are likely to commit less grammatical errors. It will be easier for you to watch your construction and make corrections where necessary. There can be some exceptions that you will encounter in different writings. People advanced in the English Language do not have to always observe the ‘rules’. Yet, they will be correct. They can interject their pieces with very long paragraphs, perhaps with up to 15 sentences. Some of their paragraphs can be as short as a sentence and even a word. Yet, heaven will not fall. Time and space will not permit us to give examples here but you can check this out in some books. But, for now, wrap your ideas in beautiful, concise paragraphs. Some technical pieces of writing follow peculiar paragraphing styles. For instance, in newspapers, reporters fancy one-sentence paragraphs. The reason is that they want to make the facts clear as much as possible. Read news reports in any newspaper to observe this. Also, in police statements, police authorities want you to put all your narration in one paragraphs, and without any form of indention. A linguist friend of mine had a battle with them not long ago when he was arrested and taken to a police station in Lagos. In his statement, he wanted to obey paragraphing rules but the police warned him that if he left any space even in the form of indention, someone else could manipulate the piece by inserting in the space what the accused did not intend. Answers to last week’s assignment Ade does not like chicken. I don’t like it … (a) either (b) neither (c) nor (d) none. It is not… (b) unreasonably (b) uncommonly (c) unfairly (d) uncommon … to see policemen bullying citizens. The man … (a) could (b) should (c) couldn’t (d) can’t … barely spell his name. I don’t know … (a) zero (b) nothing (c) anything (d) every … about computers. Those who got all the answers Babatunde Taiwo, Lagos; Shuaibu Rukayat, Abuja; Julius Omoluwabi, Ibadan; Banjo Ogundeji, Lagos; Opayanju Foluke, Lagos; Akin Gandonu, Abeokuta; Inyang Udom, Abuja; Tajudeen Raji, Benin City; Omotoso Oluwafunmi, Lagos; Ayoola Olunike, Lagos; Ogunsiji Mariam, Abuja; W.B. Ganiyu, Jelil Adigun, Ayuba Akinpelu, Gideon Kaduma, Moshood Afolabi, Titus Musa, Kehinde Ayanlola, Abeokuta; Tolulope Imoru, Lagos; Ihekwoaba Ndidi, Lagos; Tayo Hunpe, Badagry, Lagos; Asaolu Damilola, Ogun State; Suleiman Jubril, Lugbe, Abuja; Orji Chinomso, Lagos; Ganiyu Taiwo, Lagos; Adebayo Seun, Abuja; Gift Uturu, Ikenne, Ogun State; Taiwo Afolayan, Lagos; Olaoye Ifeoluwa, Lagos; Yinka Adesanya, Ibadan; Adesola Victor, Akure; Ayoola Prosper, Ibadan; A. B. Adejumo, Iseyin, Oyo State; Dada Jaiyeola, Abuja; Mayegun Motunrayo, Abeokuta; Uche Oshile, Delta State; Ademuwagun Oluwaseun, Ibadan; Halimat Olaoye, Lagos; Favour Akinbolade, Akure; Ifam Joseph, Gboko, Benue State; Akegh Joseph, Sapele, Delta State; Femi Soyoye-Olomore, Abeokuta; Oluwatosin Edafe, Akure; Alara Kabiru, Lagos; Soyomi Olugbenga, Mowe, Ogun State; Egoma Ilokwu, Aba; Onochie Kanma, Lagos; Ademola Oyekanmi, Ibadan; Adeniyi Dare, Ikorodu, Lagos; Akinyele Precious, Omi Adio, Ibadan; Johson Ojo, Isola, Lagos; Abiwo Japeth, Lagos; Akpabaro Blessing, Ilorin; Chris Thompson, Francis Adeniyi, Ikere-Ekiti; Saturday Odum, Lagos; Odusola Tope, Lagos; Olawunmi Odunayo, Abeokuta; Yemi Ogunjinmi, Lagos; Opeyemi Ogunsola, Lagos; Ayansola Oluseyi, Ibadan; Abiodun Elesin, Olabisi Olateru, Ikorodu, Lagos; Garnvwa Nath, Abuja; Aisha Aminu, Mariam Sarah, Sunday Oyesiji, Abudu Zahnab, Ikorodu and SaintPeter Femi. Others who did well Babara Obiora, Nath Ushafa, Johnny Mouka, Adepoju Taofeek, Olaniyan Yewande, Lagos; Fregene Toyosi, Ilorin, Sangodare Ayinla, Shao, Kwara State; Ademolu Adeniyi, Egbe, Lagos; Olamide Idris, Mary Nwokorie, Ajayi Samuel, Jimoh Yahaya, George Jimoh, Kazeem Adegbile, Iree, Osun State; Kuponiyi Tosin, Adunjo Samuel, Ipokia, Oyo State; Onyeka Ugwu, Enugu; Adeyemi Balogun, Ogun State; Monsuru Azeez, Ibadan; Bart Jekeli, Lagos; Chris David, Rivers State and Ajayi Oluwaranti, Akure. Homework I need a pair of … (a) scissors (b) Sicors (c) cissors (d) sissus … to cut this paper. Give me … (a) neither (b) any (c) either (d) both … of the three phones. Dekunle Gold is a good singer. …, (a) Moreover (b) Although (c) In as much (d) However … he is not a fantastic dancer. This cap belongs to Janet. Where is (a) Mercy’ (b) Mercys’ (c) Mercy’s (d) Mercy’s own…? Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Recession offers opportunity to fix economy - Utomi

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Alexander Okere, Benin The founder of the Centre for Value in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said the current financial crisis in Nigeria should offer a ‘golden’ opportunity for the country to fix its economy permanently . He also said that a continuous fall in the price of oil would make the country realise its wealth in agriculture. Utomi spoke on Monday at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Integrated Produce City in Ugbokun community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State. Present at the event were the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; the Chairman of the state economy and strategy team and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki; the Commissioner for Agriculture, Chris Okojie, and some members of the state House of Assembly from the area. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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France's top court suspends burkini ban

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France’s highest administrative court on Friday suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups. In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit was a “proven risk” to public order. The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns to have introduced the bans. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as a “victory for common sense”. Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the popular tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, sparking controversy in France and abroad. The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about women’s rights and the French state’s strictly-guarded secularism. – ‘Line in the sand’ -Amnesty International welcomed the ruling. “By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today’s decision has drawn an important line in the sand,” Amnesty’s Europe director John Dalhuisen said. “French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women,” he said. The CFCM’s secretary general Abdallah Zekri said: “This victory for common sense will help to take the tension out of a situation which has become very tense for our Muslim compatriots, especially women.” The State Council heard arguments from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group. A court in Nice had upheld the Villeneuve-Loubet ban this week. President Francois Hollande said Thursday that life in France “supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation”. Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice as she removed a long-sleeved top. The office of Nice’s mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any “stigmatisation” of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was “a political sign of religious proselytising”. “We are not at war with Islam… the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination,” he told BFMTV. But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the “proliferation” of burkini bans “was not a welcome development”. Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist truck attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. “In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach,” she said, using another term for Islamic State. But Valls contradicted his minister’s claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain “public order”. – ‘No legal justification’ -The administrative court in Nice ruled Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was “necessary” to prevent “public disorder” after the Nice attack and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France. But in its ruling, the State Council said: “In the absence of such risks, the emotion and the concerns arising from terrorist attacks, especially the attack in Nice on July 14, are not sufficient to legally justify a ban.” The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are clearly aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles. The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion. Apart from the incident in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf. France was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010. AFP

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Bono visits Borno, pledges support for North-East reconstruction

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Kayode Idowu Rockstar and U2 lead vocalist, Paul David Hewson better known as Bono, on Sunday made a commitment to be involved in the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of insurgency ravaged Borno State. Bono, an ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, who came on the invitation of African richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote promised to come back to the state with assistance. He equally promised to use his connection worldwide to attract aid to the troubled state. The Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima used the opportunity of the visit to reward Aliko Dangote for his interventions to the victims of insurgency. The governor renamed a popular street in Maiduguri, Baga road after the billionaire entrepreneur. An estate to be built for victims of the insurgency would also be named after him. The road according to the governor would be called Aliko Dangote Road and the estate when completed is to be addressed Aliko Dangote Village. The estate, an ongoing project of 6000 one-bedroom housing flats for victims of insurgency donated by the Dangote Foundation is estimated at N2 billion. Shettima, in his address at Dalori Camp in Maiduguri which is currently being occupied by 37,000 IDPs from Bama Local Government Area of the state, expressed gratitude to Dangote for his empathy to the people of the state who had suffered untold hardship in the hands of insurgents in the last seven years. He said, “I want to use this opportunity and on behalf of the good people of Borno state to extend our appreciation to Dangote Foundation. In the last Ramadan season, 230 trucks of assorted food items were donated to our people by Dangote. “Dangote Foundation has also donated the sum of N2bn to our dear state for reconstruction and rehabilitation of our destroyed communities, in addition to N400m donated to us by the same Foundation to assist our people. “We in Borno are ever grateful and pray Allah to continue to guide and protect Dangote and his family and peace to return to our dear state. We also want to call on well to do individuals and corporate organizations to assist Borno in this our trying moment.”

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External reserves rise by $595m in five days

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’Femi Asu The nation’s foreign exchange reserves have increased by $595m to hit a one-month high of $26.196bn, the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria have shown. This came on Monday just as the naira traded around 412- 413 against the United States dollar at the parallel market, compared to 414/dollar on Sunday. External reserves stood at $25.6bn as of August 24, down from $26.21bn on July 28, the CBN data showed. The reserves declined from $26bn on August 4, 2016 to $25.97bn on August 5 as the CBN stepped up dollar sales to boost liquidity at the interbank market and support the ailing naira. The central bank has been selling dollars regularly at the interbank market to prop up the naira since it floated it on June 20. The currency touched an all-time low of 365.25 per dollar on August 18 at the official market. In June and July, the reserves hovered between $26.3 and $26.4bn, but fell to $26.12bn on August 1. The reserves had stood at $26.4bn between May 24 and 27, after dropping to $26.5bn from $26.6bn the same month. Between May 31 and June 7, the external reserves stood at $26.3bn, before rising back to the $26.4bn mark on June 8, a level it maintained up until June 24. On June 27, it fell back to $26.36bn. The CBN had in June lifted its 16-month-old currency controls and auctioned about $4bn on the spot and futures market to clear a backlog of dollar demand to help boost interbank market trading. The reserves had dropped by over 10 per cent from last year when they closed at $29.7bn. The Head of Research and Investment Advisory at SCM Capital Limited, Mr. Sewa Wusu, said several factors could lead to the increase in the external reserves. He said, “The increase in international crude oil prices penultimate week on the heels of production freeze expectations from OPEC may have raised the external reserves position. Although we are currently witnessing production cut due to the militants’ vandalism, the lag effect of this crude price increases may have raised the reserves.” He said another major factor that could have brought about the increase in external reserves was foreign investment. Wusu said, “It is a positive development for the reserves to have risen back to $26bn. So, if that momentum can be sustained, then I think that will augur well for the country. But you know that the CBN will keep intervening [in the interbank market] to fund forex demand.” He noted that the Federal Government had been receiving some bashing in recent days, with calls for it to do something about the economy and attract foreign direct investment. “So, I think government is also doing something and that will help the economy,” Wusu said. A currency analyst at Ecobank, Mr. Kunle Ezun, attributed the increase in reserves to the reported inflows into the country from foreign portfolio investors. He said, “What the FPI wants is to see a liquid forex market, which is one of the criteria cited for them to come in. Once the market is liquid and they see liquidity in the pricing and the yield of the Nigerian bond is attractive enough, we should begin to see some traction in the market that will help to boost reserves.” But the Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, described the increase as temporary, saying it represented what came in and had not been distributed. The global plunge in oil prices has caused the persistent depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves. The development also forced the CBN to introduce foreign exchange controls, which were abandoned in June. Meanwhile the naira fell by 1.23 per cent on Monday at the interbank market to close at 318.83 to the dollar, according to FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange. The scarcity of foreign exchange in the country had continued to put pressure on the naira at both official and unofficial markets. The CBN had last week banned nine commercial banks from the forex market for failing to remit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s $2.334bn into the Treasury Single Account in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive last September. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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I wrote Trump's clean bill of health in a hurry

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Donald Trump’s personal doctor, who gave the Republican presidential candidate a glowing health report, told NBC News Friday that he penned that note in five minutes as Trump’s car waited. “I try to get four or five lines down as fast as possible so that they would be happy,” physician Harold Bornstein of New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital said. “In the rush I think some of those words didn’t come out exactly the way they were meant.” Bornstein did say he stands by the original bill of health he gave Trump, who at age 70 — 16 months older than Clinton — would be the oldest person to assume the presidency if elected. “His health is excellent, especially his mental health,” the doctor said with a laugh. “He thinks he’s the best, which works out just fine.” In the one-page statement, the doctor highlighted Trump’s 15-pound weight loss last year and lab results Bornstein called “astonishingly excellent.” “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” Bornstein wrote in the original statement. The doctor said Friday he does not always write medical notes with such enthusiasm: “I think I picked up his kind of language and then I just interpreted it to my own.” The medical statuses of both Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton have gained increased attention recently, as the Trump campaign raises suspicions that Clinton is not physically or mentally fit enough to serve as president. “#WheresHillary? Sleeping!!!!!” Trump tweeted recently. On another occasion, the Republican candidate told voters in Iowa that Clinton was “not strong enough to be president.” Team Clinton vehemently denies any health concerns, and released a letter from her doctor in July 2015 giving her an “excellent” bill of health.

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I almost abandoned film acting - Omoni Oboli

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Chux Ohai For award-winning Nollywood actress and producer, Omoni Oboli, the road to success and popularity has not been entirely smooth. On the contrary, it has also been strewn with thorns and frustration. At a point in her career, the actress recalls in a recent interview, she almost called it quits with Nollywood to look for something else and more fulfilling to do. On one occasion, Oboli had to take a break from acting in 1996 to complete her education. Then she faded off the scene, when motherhood beckoned on her, to take care of her family before returning to the screen in 2009. Realising that there was no longer a place for her in Nollywood, she was forced to practically take her destiny in her own hands, as they say. But luck was on her side. At the time, the film industry was on the verge of a major change: there was clearly a revival of the cinema culture in the country. It was just the right time for her to unleash two thrilling movies on the Nigerian audience. “I shot Figurine and Anchor Baby when I returned to Nollywood. Both movies made an instant hit on the new cinema loving audiences” she says. Although Oboli was still, at that point, trying hard to re-launch her career, she found herself taking some risks, such as rejecting several scripts that were not in tune with her immediate goals. “So I decided to take the more difficult but surer route to where I wanted, which is the route of ‘only good quality jobs’. I decided with my husband and team then that if the movie production did not spark my interest in terms of a good storyline and high production value, I would not do it. “As a result, I didn’t get as many offers as many of my colleagues. Although the fees were often very attractive, I turned down roles because getting involved in the movie production was not what I wanted,” she says. Oboli’s last three movies, Being Mrs Elliot, The First Lady and Wives on Strike have all been quite successful at the Box Office. The actress, who has also transformed into a successful movie producer in so short a time, has a new flick titled Okafor’s Law. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Tension as military prepares onslaught against militants

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Simon Utebor, Yenagoa Palpable fear and widespread tension have gripped the Niger Delta communities preparatory to the launch of a major military onslaught on militants codenamed ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’. On Saturday, special military drills to commence the operation are said to have reached the peak and the development is creating panic in the region. The operation, it was learnt, was designed by the military to equip the amphibious and internal security operations in the riverine areas against the activities of Niger Delta militants. It was also learnt that the exercise resulted in massive deployment of troops in the creeks of the region through the Sapele waterways in Delta State. Community residents said they observed many military gunboats, battle-ready soldiers and other maritime military hardwares moving into the creeks. The President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, has demanded suspension of the military operation in the spirit of the other ongoing dialogue to resolve the crisis in the region. Eradiri, who advised the Federal Government to call off the military operations, said he had been inundated with complaints of people scampering for safety and fleeing into the forest on sighting the troops. He said such operations amounted to insincerity on the part of the government to be demanding dialogue and at the same time conducting an exercise to launch a major military offensive in the region. Eradiri insisted that any form of military action in the region could jeopardise the efforts of the Niger Delta leaders spearheaded by Chief Edwin Clark to resolve the crisis. The IYC President said, “The Edwin Clark Committee has brought all Niger Delta leaders together. The Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta and the Niger Delta Avengers support them. The other day, the Minister for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, met with them again. “The unfortunate fact is whether government is sincere in this whole business. How can the military within the period announce that they are carrying out an exercise in the Niger Delta? “They should have suspended whatever exercise they wanted to carry out. There is a heavy presence of military, mobilising into the Niger Delta through Sapele. That exercise should have been suspended at this period. Eradiri noted that the government still held the knife and the yam in resolving the crisis in the region, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate sincerity of purpose in the resolution of the problems. He alleged, “President Buhari has not shown sincerity. He must withdraw the military from the Niger Delta if he wants genuine discussions. We are skeptical seeing many soldiers, mobilising and jumping here and there. “We don’t have a Sambisa forest where militants are stationed and waiting for the government like in the North. There is nothing like that. This battle is more of an intelligence-civil strategy instead of an invasion that is old-fashioned. It will clearly jeopardise the dialogue.”

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Woman escapes from Delta kidnappers

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Godwin Udoh, Asaba A mother of two has escaped from some suspected kidnappers, who had taken her captive in an uncompleted building in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. It was learnt that the woman, simply known as Odafe, had boarded a commercial motorcycle, which was operated by a suspected kidnapper, who whisked her to an unknown destination. The housewife, while narrating her ordeal to our correspondent on Tuesday, said as the motorcyclist approached the uncompleted building, a young man forcibly mounted the motorcycle, saying she lost consciousness after. She stated that after she regained consciousness in a forest, she did not see any of the abductors. “I discovered that the boys were not around and I managed to find my way back as I fled to safer ground until I arrived at a police checkpoint where I narrated what had happened,” she said. The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, said the culprits would be apprehended and prosecuted. Kalu explained that the command hand mounted surveillance in the area to check suspicious movements. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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GSM tax: Labour, CLOs fume, threaten showdown

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Labour movements and civil rights organisations are on a collision course with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration over the proposed communication tax. Groups, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Civil Liberty Organisations, in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja on Friday, vowed to shoot down the GSM bill. The bill, which has been submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Communications, will empower the Federal Government to impose nine per cent taxation on all calls, texts and data packages if passed into law. The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, described the planned telecommunications bill as a bad policy with potential to deepen poverty in the society. “If they go ahead with it, we will also, through the National Assembly public hearing, before passage into law, make our input to it, by submitting a memorandum,” he said. Ozo-Eson said that the tax was regressive as it would have more adverse effects on the poor than the rich. He said that the poorest segment of the society needed telecommunication to run their lives and their small businesses. Ozo-Eson stressed that while the NLC believed that the Federal Government should come up with taxation to raise revenue, the burden should not be on the poor. He said, “We believe it is a bad policy, it will visit more hardship on Nigerians by the very nature of the tax, it is a regressive tax because even the poorest require communication to run their lives. “Even the small traders depend of communication via GSM to be able to transact their businesses and therefore the tax that is imposed across board is regressive. “And the burden is higher on the poor. While we agree that the government should design taxes that should raise revenue, we believe that progressive taxation would be the best way to do that.” He urged Buhari’s administration to focus on the rich in the drive to regenerate revenue through taxation. He said, “We always insist that you must do a tax system that does not put unnecessary burden on the poor. We need a tax system that is progressive, not regressive. “When you have a tax system that is regressive, it means you are placing undue burden on the poor in the society. A progressive tax system gives relief to those at the very bottom of the income ladder so that they are not taxed, or are even placed on minimal taxation. That is how other societies function. “And then, of course progressively, you tax those that are more capable, and who have more income and more wealth. This is what we think Mr. President must strive to put in place, to target the rich and the wealthy.” Ozo-Eson, who also commented on the claim by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, that the current administration had created millionaires through the sale of foreign exchange, urged the monarch to provide more facts on the issue. The Trade Union Congress also condemned planned tax The group, in a statement by its President and Acting Secretary-General, Messrs. Bala Kaigama and Simeso Amachree respectively, wondered how the government would expect workers in a country with a minimum wage of N18,000 to pay such a tax in the face of aggravated economic difficulties. They said that the policy, which according to them, was designed to exploit the impoverished masses, would discourage investments and cause job losses. The unionists warned the Federal Government to suspend the bill as the masses expected to cough out the tax were already over-burdened with multiple taxation. Kaigama and Amachree said that it did not make economic sense to initiate policies that could stifle businesses and worsen the woes of the citizens. The TUC leaders faulted the claim of the Minister of Communications, Chief Adebayo Shittu, that the country could earn as much as N20bn monthly from the passage of the proposed bill, and could help to alleviate the economic challenges facing the country and fund budget deficit. Also, the President of Civil Liberties Organisation, Igho Akeregha, said the planned GSM tax by the Federal Government would amount to excessive oppression of Nigerians who had been severely burdened by the government’s “warped economic policies.” According to him, it is either the All Progressives Congress does not articulate a sustainable political and economic development plan for the country or President Muhammadu Buhari is insensitive and bereft of ideas on how to govern. Akeregha said, “The CLO shall resist the obnoxious and tyrannical plan to further impoverish Nigerians by way of foisting devious tax on them. We have a great tradition in the CLO of standing with the people and defending their rights when the need arises. “The CLO will definitely join forces with our allies in labour and the CSO’s to resist the GSM tax which clearly is an extortionist agenda. Enough is enough of this undemocratic assault on Nigerians.” Akeregha said although the CLO had deliberately refrained from joining issues with the current administration, it had become irrational to be silent in the face of the unprecedented suffering that Nigerians were going through. He asked, “How can any sane person propose a bill to tax Nigerians for use of GSM when the people are already too poor to feed themselves? This idea is criminal as it seeks to abort and significantly infringe on the rights of citizens to freely receive and impart information as provided and guaranteed in the constitution. “Already, Nigerians are paying so much for the use of GSM as all kinds of taxes and levies are hidden in recharge cards while the network providers rip citizens off through unsolicited network services amid poor quality service. “It’s only in Nigeria that citizens have remained docile and complacent while being daily subjected to inhuman and degrading policies by the same government they elected to govern them. It is the inalienable right of all Nigerians irrespective of status, creed or tribe to enjoy democracy dividends.” On his part, the Board Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said that Nigerians were already over-burdened. He said, “People are passing through challenges in the hands of the Buhari administration. Nigeria under him has already graduated into a jungle. Big businessmen and importers of consumable goods have shut down their importation businesses and are divesting outside the country. Exchange rates are acutely unsteady, unavailable and unaffordable. “Even if you are able to source for foreign currencies locally, then how will you remit them to your foreign business partners or factories? The worse is that 95 per cent of imported items in Nigeria cannot be manufactured locally. Recent media reports have it that 272 major industries have shut down their industries in Nigeria and relocated beyond the shores of the country and 180,000 jobs lost in the process. “Imposition of GSM tax on consumers or network users will have no meaningful effect on the embattled economy. It will go the same negative way of payment of the forceful lodgment duty of N50.00 imposed on every cash deposit and the Treasury Single Account; yet nothing meaningful has happened.” Umeagbalasi said that the economy would only thrive where government’s credibility among its people was positive. He stated, “Unless Buhari’s administration reverses itself in all the areas of its governance blunders, the country will continue to rigmarole in intractable absurdities and confusions. “We totally oppose any form of the so-called GSM tax. Nigerians are already over-taxed, yet nothing to show for it. This is eight months into the 2016 fiscal year, still Nigerians are yet to feel any positive impact of public governance except mass hunger and poverty, falsehood, deceit, propaganda, violence and bloodletting. It saddens our heart!” Faulting the proposed tax, a constitutional lawyer and Chairman, Egalitarian Mission for Africa, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, said the proposed bill was absolutely anti-people and a sure way of “killing” the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. He added, “The bill, if passed into law, will be impracticable due to the social, political and legal irregularities imbedded therein that would embarrass the government of President Buhari. Politically, almost 110 million people in Nigeria have access to mobile services that is about two-thirds of Nigeria’s population. With two-third of the population without a mobile connection, you can imagine the consequence.” On what the group will do, he said, “We are playing down the option of street protests as we believe that once premium is given to superior arguments at the National Assembly public hearing on the proposed bill, the bill will find its rightful place in the dustbin of history.” Shittu, had at a private sector dialogue session organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lagos last week, said that the planned tax, which had passed first reading in both chambers of the National Assembly, would help the Federal Government develop the ICT sector and implement its policies and plans in an integrated manner. According to him, the country will earn as much as N20bn monthly if the bill is passed into law. In his reaction, Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister of Communications, said, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, said, “The bill in the National Assembly is not an executive bill; it is a private member bill. “What the minister has told those against the bill is to aggregate their views and present them to the National Assembly. “The government is doing its best to address the recession in the country. If there is no money to run the government, the government can look into all the sectors. “There is need for all stakeholders to get involved and address their positions to the National Assembly.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Niger Delta youths write Saraki, demand Amnesty Office's audit

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Simon Utebor, Yenagoa Angry youths from Niger Delta have sent a petition to the Senate President, Olusola Saraki, demanding an open audit of the Amnesty Office under the leadership of Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd). The youth, in the petition issued under the auspices of Niger Delta Youths for Change and Justice, signed by John Ogbemudia (Edo), Ughogho Uwvie (Delta), and Siasia Owei (Bayelsa), urged the Senate President to audit the Amnesty Office’s claims of successes and achievements in the area of youth empowerment. They said the need for a comprehensive audit became imperative in order to figure out the number of beneficiaries, contract awards and diversion of funds to privileged ex-militant leaders in the region. The petition, dated August 24, 2016, was made available to journalists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Friday. The youth in the petition alleged that the Amnesty office was characterised by fraud and secret sharing of funds meant for beneficiaries of the programme. The petition reads in part, “We have observed the series of claims and counter-claims on the administration of Boroh at the Amnesty office and concluded that though they are either ignorant of the facts or out for pure gains from the office. “We also observed that many have threatened to write the EFCC over alleged corrupt practices in the Amnesty office, but lack the courage. We are ready with the needed facts and figures required by the National Assembly to probe the office.

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Avengers accept dialogue, reject Soyinka, Kalu as negotiators

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Niyi Odebode, Olalekan Adetayo and Ovie Okpare The Niger Delta Avengers on Sunday said it was ready for negotiations with the Federal Government. The group said this in a statement on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, titled, ‘The NDA is ready when Nigerian government is ready.’ It, however, rejected the nomination of Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; a former Abia State governor, Mr. Orji Kalu; and five others to negotiate on behalf of the group with the Federal Government. The spokesperson for the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, representing the eastern and central parts of the Niger Delta region, Mr. Inienimi Agiri, had on Saturday said Soyinka and others would speak with the government. The NDA’s declaration came barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari called on militants unleashing violence on the Niger Delta to enter into dialogue with his government or risk being dealt with the same way the nation’s military dealt with members of the Boko Haram sect. The NDA on Sunday explained that it was concerned by the insensitivity to the plight of the Niger Delta agitation by successive governments of Nigeria. The group added, “The NDA cannot be teleguided by Charles Okah and Henry Okah from their respective prison cells using disorganised characters of the All Progressives Congress from the Niger Delta to impress Abuja. We are not unaware of the creations of the Nigerian intelligentsia community and security apparatus to sustain the Niger Delta struggle to bloat their pocket and credibility. “The NDA (members) have unequivocally given our tacit support to Chief Edwin Clark, Niger Delta Elders and Stakeholders Conference Committee to lead the Pan-Niger Delta negotiations/dialogue team, whenever this wicked entity called Nigeria shows readiness.” ‘You’ll get B’Haram treatment’ Buhari had told the Niger Delta militants unleashing violence on the area on Saturday to dialogue with his government or risk being dealt with the same way the nation’s military dealt with Boko Haram sect. He said he was fully aware of his government’s responsibility to secure the country for economic activities to thrive. A statement on Sunday by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the President spoke on Saturday at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sideline of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya. He told the Japanese leader that with the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the military, the attention of the administration would be focused on stopping the destruction of the country’s economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta region. Despite the violence in the region, Buhari assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria would be fully protected. He said several steps were being taken by his administration to secure Nigeria and ease the process of doing business in the country. “We are talking to some of their (Niger Delta militants’) leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us. “As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders won’t fund projects in an insecure environment. “We realise that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it,” the President said. Buhari also told the Japanese Prime Minister that security in the Gulf of Guinea, which had been greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government. He said, “We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organise the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf.” Recalling his audience with G7 leaders in Germany, which was attended by the Prime Minister, Buhari thanked Japan for responding positively to the requests by Nigeria for the rehabilitation of victims of Boko Haram sect and rebuilding of infrastructure in the north-eastern part of the country. The President, however, said there was still more to do on education, health and other infrastructure to ensure quick and voluntary return of displaced persons to their native communities. In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Buhari “for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.” He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria. ‘Soyinka, Kalu, won’t speak for Avengers’ The NDA, however, said the nomination of Soyinka, Kalu and five others to negotiate with the Federal Government would not work. Others nominated by RNDA are Prof. Steve Etubom, Anthony Ani, Nalaguo Alagoa, Chief Alice Osomo and Agiri, who has been acting as the spokesman for the group. The spokesman for the NDA said Clark-led Niger Delta Elders and Stakeholders’ Conference Committee remained the sole negotiating team known to the group. The NDA stressed that whenever the Federal Government was ready, it should go ahead and negotiate with Clark’s team. “Putting the records straight, the name/names being paraded as factions of the Niger Delta Avengers are just the figment of some persons’ imagination in protecting their jobs and they are hell-bent on derailing the wheel of progress in the history of Nigeria and the Niger Delta agitation. “We are amazed that Prof. Wole Soyinka has been taken on the jugular by enemies of the Niger Delta because of his belief that the government of the day should understand the need for restructuring and listen to the Niger Delta’s agitation positively. “That we, the NDA, have named Prof. Wole Soyinka and some incredible names to advise and lead any group is the lie of the century,” a statement by the NDA read. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Crystal Palace sign Remy from Chelsea on loan

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France international striker Loic Remy will spend the 2016-17 season on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, the two Premier League clubs announced on Tuesday. Remy, 29, has been used sparingly since joining Chelsea from Queens Park Rangers in August 2014, making 46 appearances and scoring 12 goals. The move to Selhurst Park reunites him with Palace manager Alan Pardew, who was Remy’s manager during the 2013-14 season at Newcastle United. “This is a very good chance for me and a big opportunity,” Remy told the Palace website. “It was very important to know Alan Pardew as he is a very good manager and I am happy to be here.” Remy won the Premier League title and the League Cup in his first season at Chelsea. But Chelsea’s reliance on Diego Costa meant he rarely featured last season and he would have faced extra competition from new signing Michy Batshuayi had he remained at Stamford Bridge. The former Lyon, Nice and Marseille striker has won 31 caps for France, scoring seven goals, but has not played for his country in nearly two years. “Loic has been a target of mine throughout this transfer window and I’m delighted the deal has been done,” Pardew said. “I brought him to Newcastle so I know what he is capable of and I am convinced he will be a quality addition to our squad as we evolve.” Remy was the second Chelsea striker to be loaned out on Tuesday after Patrick Bamford moved to Burnley. He joins former Marseille and France team-mate Steve Mandanda in arriving at Palace for the new season, along with Andros Townsend, James Tomkins and Christian Benteke. Palace are 17th in the Premier League table and yet to win after the season’s first three games. AFP

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Economic recession, opportunity to get things right

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Alexander Okere, Benin ‎The founder of the Centre for Value in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi, has described the current financial crisis in Nigeria as a ‘golden’ opportunity for the country to reposition its economy, rather than a problem. ‎He also said that a continuous fall in the price of oil would make the country realise its wealth in agriculture. Utomi spoke on Monday at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Integrated Produce City in Ugbokun community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State. Present at the event were Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the Chairman of the state economy and strategy team and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki; the Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Chris Okojie, and some members of the state House of Assembly from the area. Utomi, who is also the Chairman of the produce city, explained, “Let me shock you by saying that the recession we face in Nigeria is a golden opportunity. It is not a problem; it is an opportunity to finally get the Nigerian economy right. “So without appearing to scandalise anybody, I actually pray for oil prices to stay down and stay down for a long time. Then, we will come to our senses and we will know that Nigeria really is a rich country.” According to him the country was yet to adopt the right economic policy, adding that a competitively driven industrial policy ‎in select value chains would be helpful in confronting the “misery index” and bring hope to millions.

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Don't avenge killings in North, cleric tells Christians

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Friday Amobi, Port Harcourt RENOWNED cleric and Rivers State Overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Mr. Edison Daminabo, has called on Christians in the North not to avenge the killings of their brethren in the northern part of the country. Daminabo, who also described the killings of Christians in the North as a blessing to the faith, expressed worries over the recurrent killings and kidnappings in Rivers State. The cleric made this remark in Port Harcourt on Tuesday while briefing newsmen ahead of the visit of the church’s General Superintendent, Pastor William Kumuyi, for a crusade tagged, ‘Rivers Double Portion’ in the state capital on Saturday. Daminabo pointed out that the killing of men of God in the North by suspected Muslim extremists was just for a while, adding that the Christian faith would thrive. The cleric noted that it was not ordinary that people would take up arms against men of God, maintaining that the act would only strengthen Christianity in the nation. The church leader also averred that God would revenge the killings of His people in due time, stressing that any Christian that takes up the fight will lose heaven. Daminabo said, “Sometimes, killing is a blessing. We will not revenge, because we don’t fight for God. Any Christian that fights back will not make heaven. “The crusade is the vanguard that will bring relief to the people of the state. It will take care of the kidnapping and killings in the state.”

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#BringBackOurGirls members stage 'silent' protest in Aso Rock

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Adelani Adepegba, Abuja The BringBackOurGirls members on Tuesday stormed the presidential villa to protest the delay in the release of the abducted Chibok girls. The protesters, who sealed their mouths with tapes, were again stopped by the police from accessing Aso Villa for the third time. The coalition members, led by Oby Ezekwesili, sat on the access road to the seat of power while maintaining absolute silence. Details later…

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Judge faults PDP's suit against CJ, Justice Abang

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Ade Adesomoju， Abuja Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of Abuja on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with a suit filed by the Ahmed Markarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party against the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, and another judge in the Abuja Division of the court, Justice Okon Abang. The Makarfi-led faction of the PDP had filed the suit with respect to the ongoing leadership crisis in the party. The suit marked, CV/2239/2016, seeks among others, the enforcement of the party’s right to fair hearing. The party blamed Justices Auta and Abang for the various conflicting decisions given in relation to the leadership crisis in the party. The plaintiff said it was wrong for Justice Abang to assume jurisdiction on cases relating to the party’s leadership crisis when a judge of the court’s Port Harcourt division was already hearing similar cases. But Justice Abang had in one of his rulings said that the PDP leadership crisis case was first assigned to him before the case on the same subject matter was filed before the Port Harcourt Division. The plaintiff is praying among others, for an order setting aside all the decisions and orders made so far by Justice Abang in the cases on the PDP leadership crisis. But Justice Adeniyi, who was to hear the case, faulted the rationale behind the suit filed on behalf of the plaintiff by Mr. Ken Njemanze (SAN). The judge said such case was not one that ought to be filed in court. “I think before the last date the plaintiff would have had a rethink and withdrawn it. “I must express my reservation that this is not the kind of suit that should be filed in court. I do not know what this suit seeks to achieve,” the judge said. Justice Auta’s lawyer, Mr. James Igwe (SAN), agreed with Justice Adeniyi’s observation. He said he had expressed similar view to Njemanze. He, however, said he has filed all necessary documents, including a notice of preliminary objection, to the suit and that he was ready for whichever decision taken by the plaintiff at the end of the day. Justice Abang, who had also filed other processes, including a notice of preliminary objection against the suit, was represented by his lawyer, Aliyu Ahmed, on Tuesday.

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Productivity level in Nigeria is low - Dairo

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Remi Dairo is the President, Institute of Productivity and Business Innovation Management, Nigeria. In this interview with STANLEY OPARA, he says the current business environment is stifling businesses, discouraging existing and would-be entrepreneurs, and shrinking the production level of the economy Do you think Nigeria actually has human capital issues in most critical sectors of the economy? Let me say categorically that Nigeria does not have human capital problem. Nigeria only has human capital capacity-utilisation problem. Do you know how many Nigerians are moving out of the country every day to other countries to develop their economy? The factors affecting an average Nigerian productivity level is so huge that if you find any man running a successful business in Nigeria; please appreciate such a man because he can be productive in any nation of the world. Nigerians and Nigerian businesses are in dire need of an enabling environment to thrive. Would you say our tertiary education has really impacted on Nigerian graduates in terms of making them productive? Its funny to say that Nigeria has a good number of private and public tertiary institutions yet the unemployment rate has risen to 12.1 percent, highest ever since 2009. What are our schools teaching the students? Theories! The education offered our students are non-functional. Until our tertiary institutions begin to add productivity education to their curriculum, we would still have a long way to go. Note that I did not say Entrepreneurship Education which many are trying to do now, but Productivity Education which is more holistic. How would you rate the productivity level of the country considering its huge resources? Do you know Nigeria should be one of the most productive nations of the world given the level of endowments upon the nation and its people? We have the ‘mass’ human resources, huge untapped natural resources. We have good weather and diverse soil texture that can grow diverse crops/plants; yet the productivity is very low. There are many variables that contribute to national productivity and these variables actually drive productivity as they prompt the citizenry to want to contribute their quota to national development. But in Nigeria, we have seen a lot of setbacks especially in the area of policy direction. One major problem that has continued to hunt us as a nation is the inconsistent policy framework on which the economy is driven. The productivity capacity of an average Nigerian can be restricted or cut short by wrong government policies. For some years now, a lot has been done to encourage entrepreneurship in the country. Do you think Nigeria has made desired progress in this regard? Entrepreneurship drive is good; raising citizens that can start their own businesses is a very good idea. But looking at this critically, it is important to answer questions like: if everybody starts business, who will raise the workforce that will work for them? We have to wake up from our sleep before we raise another pool of incapacitated entrepreneurs. The factors militating against businesses in Nigeria are huge. When the nation is declared broke, what do you think will be the implication of such sad news to an entrepreneur? We still have a lot to do in this respect. There are so many things the Nigeria as country should put in place to drive entrepreneurial abilities and thereby accrue tremendous dividends to the economy. Inasmuch as Nigerians are very resilient people, the government should tap into that rare virtue and ensure that the average Nigerian is encouraged to give his/her best at every point in time. What suggestions would you make to the government and other stakeholders to boost national productivity? Boosting national productivity requires a chain of effort. The problem is if you do one and leave others, the result will not show. I will mention only two factors here: the nation needs a productive environment; the cost of doing business must come down. This is the responsibility of the government. Secondly, stakeholders must go beyond just productivity to creating innovative economy. These among others will have a ripple effect on national productivity, which will in turn impact on the quality of life of the average Nigerian. The economy presently is going through hard times. Do you see this affecting the level of productivity in the country? Hard times indeed provide opportunities for businesses. Many great companies in the world came out of hard times. When things are hard, people are expected to think hard and develop solutions that will ameliorate the tensed situation. It is not the right time to complain or indulge in the blame game! Nigerians must stand up to make use of the opportunities that foreigners are cashing on in this country. There are many South African companies that have increased their income in billions and developing their country’s economy just because they came to Nigeria. While they were expanding, Nigerians are busy complaining. Nigerians should look inwards; we should stop beholding the challenges and see the enormous prospects in our environment. It is unfortunate that foreigners get to see business opportunities before us in a land that we were born into. They come here, spend a few times, make the money and go back to their countries. Our mentality as a people needs to change. In your view, what are things the country can do to reduce the rising level of unemployment? The government’s approach to addressing the current unemployment scourge must be conscious and holistic. The problem is fundamental and requires fundamental solutions. There is the need to introduce productivity education right from our primary school to tertiary level. Our approach to education must be functional, and not just academic. Graduates should be sent to the Institutes of Productivity to upgrade their skill level and be ready for the job market. Organisations should open their doors for internship to our youth to increase capacity, and there should be tax holiday for young businesses that are striving to survive for a period of three years. Do you see more small businesses going under because of the current economic challenges? It is very tough for small businesses to grow under this economic condition; but if there is constant power supply and Internet access, some of them can do global businesses. In doing global businesses, the current condition of the naira is a major cause for concern. Therefore, small businesses need to position themselves to make more foreign currency. There is the need for such businesses to export tangible and intangible products and earn foreign exchange. There is always a reward for making global prosperity to go round. The question, therefore, is if our small businesses have the capacity to deliver? Let us tap into the global market, it is always available. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Suicide attack in Somalia hotel kills five

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At least five people were killed when jihadists exploded a suicide car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Tuesday. “We have confirmed five people killed including security guards”, police officer Mohamed Abdulkadir said, adding that 10 others were wounded. He said the vehicle rammed through a checkpoint and was fired on by security forces before it exploded. “The blast was very huge but thanks to God the number of casualties is less than the devastation suggests,” Abdulkadir said. A witness described seeing a large blast and a thick plume of smoke that rose high into the air. “I saw a car speeding towards the area and huge smoke and fire went up in the sky,” said Elmi Ahmed. An AFP journalist at the scene described widespread damage to buildings in the area. The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab jihadists claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted the SYL hotel because it “is close to the presidential palace, and also home to apostates and unbelievers.” The fortified hotel, popular with government officials, business people and visiting diplomats and delegations, was previously attacked in both February this year and January last year. The January 2015 attack killed at least five people when a suicide car bomber rammed the hotel gates on the eve of a visit by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In February this year 14 people were killed when twin blasts were triggered close to the hotel and the neighbouring Peace Garden on a busy Friday afternoon. Both previous attacks were also claimed by the Shabaab, which quit the capital five years ago but continues to launch attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets in its fight to overthrow the internationally-backed government. The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October. The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia. AFP

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FG endorses bar-coding for music, vows to fight piracy

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Eric Dumo The Federal Government has endorsed the newly introduced bar-cording technology by the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria to fight piracy and ensure that artistes get what they are due on their works. At a meeting with stakeholders in the music industry recently, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the around N10.3 trn estimated to be lost to piracy was unacceptable and that the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari was poised to eradicate the problem. The minister, who said the national economy was losing a lot of money to other nations as a result of the large number of music videos shot by Nigerian artistes in those places, revealed that the government would do everything it can to reverse the situation. “I want to assure you that the government would work with the association and provide the enabling environment for the creative industry to thrive as well as encourage investment therein. “We will consider the issuance of a standing order to radio, television and telecommunications to cease from using non-bar-coded music or movie. We are losing too much to piracy and other nations, we have to stop this,” he said. Speaking at the occasion, PMAN President, Mr. Pretty Okafor, said the new technology, apart from helping to combat piracy, would also go a long way in protecting intellectual works and also create jobs in the entertainment industry. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Read The Valley VOICE Online

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The Muslim presence at the Ahmedabad Dalit rally was significant. It reflects the growing Dalit-Muslim understanding at the grassroots level.

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Dalit-Muslim Unity Impact May Be Marginal in Gujarat

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National Often in the aftermath of Gujarat 2002 riots, the Parmars, Rathods, Solankis and Vaghelas would cry betrayal when they found their names - but not those of Brahmins and Patels - on top of FIRs and chargesheets. Ahmedabad: Close on the heels of the successful Dalit rally in Ahmedabad on 31 July, a new political scenario is well on the way to tatter the ruling BJP government in Gujarat, as Dalit-Muslim unity was clearly visible in this event. A number of Muslims youth also joined this rally. Some people from Jamiat Ulama Hind (Arshad Madni group) shared the stage with Dalit leaders. The ongoing movement of Dalit assertion in Gujarat and the announcement on 31 July of Muslim support to it came at a critical time for the ruling BJP. Vadodara-based political analyst and human rights activist Dr. Bandukwala told Gujarat Siyasat that the Muslim presence at the Ahmedabad Dalit rally was significant. It reflects the growing Dalit-Muslim understanding at the grassroots level. This linkage is to the advantage of both the communities. Currently, most Muslims are poor and illiterate. Their economic level is comparable to that of the Dalits. This was realised thirty years ago. The elections in 1989 in Gujarat and Maharashtra saw a joint Dalit-Muslim fight. Unfortunately it did not last long. Bandukwala added that today Dalits are eager for Muslim support. Muslims should offer it to them. But its impact in Gujarat may be marginal, as Dalits are just 7 per cent in the state while Muslims are under 10 per cent. If Muslims join hands with a third party also, like the Congress, this unity can defeat the BJP in Gujarat in December 2017 elections. That would be a huge blow to Modi and his party. Yet the impact in UP of this unity can be substantial, where Dalit population is 20 per cent, which is comparable to that of the Muslims. That would give them about 40 per cent, which would lead to victory. The right approach is for Muslims in UP to support BSP. Muslim must make a clear compact with Mayawati. They cannot afford to be cheated yet again. Over the years Muslims have been cheated by political parties. Each party puts up a few Muslim candidates, and projects a Muslim leader. But experience shows that the Muslim leader so projected becomes more loyal to the alliance leader, and much less to the Muslim community. Most important for secular people is to defeat the BJP at any cost. That party hates us. Its entire existence is to reduce Muslims to the second class status, he concluded. If Dalits and Muslims join hands for good, they would be a force to reckon with. And for the BJP in Gujarat , where the 10-month-old Patel agitation has shaken the party's core high-caste support, the alliance would spell disaster. More worrying for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the anger sparked by the thrashing of Dalit youth by cow protection vigilantes in Una on 11 July appears to be spilling over into Uttar Pradesh, where the 21 per cent Dalit vote will play a key role in deciding the assembly election early next year. In Punjab, which also goes to the polls at the same time, Dalits account for nearly 26 per cent of the voters, and they could be swayed by the agitation in Gujarat as well, much to the harm of the ruling Akali-BJP combine. Ahmedabad-based Dalit leader Rajesh Solanki said that today, when caste oppression continues unabated, when Dalits are being thrown out of their jobs due to the wave of privatisation and so-called liberalisation and the invasion of Western multinational corporations, which both the BJP and Congress strongly defend in order to further strengthen Savarna hegemony, class/caste contradictions are bound to get sharper. Hindutva forces will probably become even more aggressive in order to prevent the oppressed castes from resisting the growing oppression, and might seek to destroy their movement by seeking to pit them against Muslims and Christians. Given this, I think it is critical that Dalits in Gujarat should introspect now, strengthen the independent Dalit movement to prevent the Hindutva agenda from succeeding, and work to build alliances with Tribals, Backward Castes and with similarly oppressed sections among the Muslims, and also with those sections of the Left which recognise the specific issue of caste and the need for struggling against Brahminism. If we don't do this, Dalits will get crushed under the steamroller of Globalisation." In Gujarat, the assembly election is more than a year away, but the import of 31 July's show of Muslim solidarity at the huge Dalit rally to protest the Una incident would not be lost on the BJP. Indeed, the slogans shouted at the rally were telling: "Dalit-Muslim Ekta Zindabad, Fasiwad Murdabad" (Long Live Dalit-Muslim Unity. Death to Fascism). This is certainly an ill omen for the BJP. Because the BJP's ascendency in Gujarat started only when it successfully drove a wedge between these two marginalised communities - by converting the anti-reservation agitation of 1985 into a Hindu, including Dalit versus Muslim conflagration - thereby dismantling the Congress' formidable KHAM combination of Kshatriyas, Harijans, Adivasis and Muslims, which accounted for nearly 75 per cent of the state's vote. The Hindutva umbrella which was thus deployed in Gujarat camouflaged the caste and class conflicts. So much so that when the BJP pitted Hindus against Muslims, Dalits and Patels were at the vanguard. As the veteran political scientist Achyut Yagnik noted, "In the mid-80s and late 80s, there was a largescale recruitment of Dalits into the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. And it was this army that went into the fields during every riot while the Brahmins and the Patels sat at home." In fact, often in the aftermath of riots, the Parmars, Rathods, Solankis and Vaghelas would cry betrayal when they found their names - but not those of Brahmins and Patels - on top of FIRs and chargesheets, along with those of Muslims. But they were reluctant to do anything about it, and stuck with the Hindutva cause. Several attempts to convert the Dalits to Buddhism met with little success. It's in this context that 31 July's public display of Dalit-Muslim solidarity is significant. It sent out a message that the Dalits' disillusionment with the BJP was complete. Want to understand more about the BJP, RSS, Sangh Parivar, Hindutva Terrorism, Treason buy these books from Amazon.

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The protest was aimed at expressing solidarity with the massive Dalit protests which are rocking India following a horrific attack on four Dalit men in Una, Gujarat

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Activists Demonstrate Against Caste Violence outside Indian Mission in London

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International LONDON (20 Aug 2016): More than 200 demonstrators have protested against anti-Dalit violence in India. Representatives and activists belonging to various organizations from all over the UK stood, Saturday, outside the India House for two hours and chanted slogans’ “Manuvad se azadi”, “Brahmanwad se azadi”, “chu achoot se azadi”, “le ke raheN ge azadi” (we want freedom from Manu—an ancient scripture preaching casteism—untouchability. We will get our freedom), “Down with Modi.” A press release issued by South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG), one of the organizations who called the protest, said that it was aimed at expressing “solidarity with the massive Dalit protests which are rocking India following a horrific attack on four Dalit men in Una, Gujarat on 11 July.” They held placards with captions, “Land for Dalits; not for Ambani and Adani”; “We want justice”; “We want Equality”; “No casteism”. A tersely worded memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Modi was also handed to the High Commission reminding Mr Modi that "the Hindu supremacist BJP government, led by you, Mr Modi, which has been in power since May 2014, together with the numerous Hindutva killer gangs who stand behind the BJP, has unleashed an increasingly violent reign of terror and repression on Dalits, Muslims and other minorities. This appalling state of affairs has got far worse in the last two years, deteriorating first during your election campaign in 2013, and then deteriorating, even more acutely, since you have come to power in 2014. “Official figures” claims the memorandum,“show a 44 percent increase in violence against Dalits in 2014 as compared to 2010, with 30 percent of the 47,064 crimes in 2014 committed in BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. “This is happening against a background where dominant castes, who in rural India are the landowners, perpetrate the most heinous crimes of rape, arson, and murder of Dalits, specifically targeting women and children. Dalit women are forced to parade naked sometimes for the most minor of disagreements, or else even for ‘not showing respect’. In the last few months, that "‘GauRakshaks’ or Cow protection vigilantes have become the latest face of Hindutva’s killer gangs. They roam the countryside attacking and killing Muslims and Dalits whom they accuse of cow slaughter, or of consuming or intending to consume beef." A theatrical skit was also performed in which a member of SASG wearing a cow mask sat on the floor while some wearing the mask of Narendra Modi, symbolizing Hindutva and cow protectors, stood beside her with protesters jeering and shouting, “Go Modi Go, Go Modi Go.” The protest was organised by CasteWatch UK, South Asia Solidarity Group, Ambedkar International Mission, London, Dr Ambedkar Buddhist Action Committee Birmingham, Dr Ambedkar Buddhist Organisation, Central Valmik Sabha UK, Shri Guru Ravidass Cultural Association, Birmingham, Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha , Manor Park, London. Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha, Wolverhampton, Dr Ambedkar Memorial Committee Great Britain, Voice of Dalit International UK, International Asian Christian Front, South Asian Alliance.

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Strong resentment against security forces as civilians believe the forces are trying to avenge the killing of eight CRPF personnel in South Kashmir on 25 June.

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Kashmir - Victims Fearful even inside hospitals

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Human Rights Strong resentment against security forces as civilians believe the forces are trying to avenge the killing of eight CRPF personnel in South Kashmir on 25 June. Srinagar, (13 July, 2016): Amidst a blanket curfew in Kashmir Valley following the killing of Burhan Wani, the ‘poster boy’ of new-age insurgency in Kashmir on 8 July, our team was able to visit a few hospitals in Srinagar district. We left early morning for Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital as the curfew by security forces was not declared nor were any stone-pelter visible on the streets, except for Batamaloo and Tengpora areas where a youth was killed on 10 July by armed troopers. Upon reaching the hospital premises, we found a number of voluntary organisations engaged in relief activities for the benefit of injured victims and their attendants. When we enquired about the injured victims, some suspicious eyebrows were raised. We found policemen in khaki uniform doing rounds in the corridors. Later, we found them on even in the wards. We straight away went to ‘ward no. 7’ where more than a dozen patients were being treated for pellet injuries in their eyes. There was already a journalist and a photographer working for an international news agency who were being rebuked by attendants as well as victims. They were aghast about the media and its role in the current mass protests that have already consumed 33 lives and have left an estimated 1500 persons injured. They were questioning the credibility of media agencies who, according to them, were failing their duty in depicting the true picture of the atrocities. It took some convincing to be able to talk to some of the victims of pellet injuries who refused to reveal their names or be photographed as they were fearful of repercussions by local police and army. They told us that police officials both in uniform and civvies were keeping a close watch trying to get their names and addresses for inquiry to be conducted later. The victims belong to different areas, particularly to south Kashmir like Kulgam, Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian. Most of them were in the age group of 16-25. Some of them have been partially blinded while others have been completed blinded in one or both eyes. Doctors are walking an extra mile to restore the eyesight of these victims but they are apprehensive because the damage done by pellets to any part of body is lethal. Victims alleged that forces targeted them intentionally while they were holding peaceful protests in most of the cases. Their resentment against security and police forces was very strong as they believe that the forces are trying to avenge the killing of eight CRPF personnel in South Kashmir on 25 June. They further alleged that despite the lethality of pellet guns and strong voices condemning its use, the army has not banned its use. As a consequence, they are now left physically challenged for the rest of their lives and even ruined their educational and career prospects. Parents of these victims were apprehensive about the future of their wards and the monetary liability that they are going to incur in the coming time as pellet injuries are quite expensive to be treated when related to ophthalmology. Earlier, eminent human rights activist Manan Bukhari had documented the lethality, barbarity and devastation caused by the use of pellet guns in his book “Scars of the Pellet” published earlier this year. He has documented case studies of pellet victims that depict how dark their future can be. There was demand from all corners of civil society and human rights activists to ban the use of pellet guns in controlling unarmed protesters. But till now the state has not paid any heed towards banning the pellet gun that is devastating the lives of hundreds of youth. The doctors we consulted were too busy to answer us in detail. But despite their busy schedule, they intimated that the condition of scores among the injured victims is critical and the death toll in the coming days is bound to rise. In other wards, where the bullet injured victims are being treated, their condition was similar with the exception that they had suffered injuries to other parts of their bodies instead of eyes. Similar to the pellet victims, they also refused to mention their names or be photographed. Some of the injured related that they were not even a part of the protests but were intentionally targeted by the troopers and police. Some related the agonizing ordeals of how they reached hospitals in Srinagar as they and their attendants were beaten in many places by police and army. They are further apprehensive that they may be arrested by the police who are omnipresent in the hospitals. The victims and attendants were all praise for the commendable job being rendered by the different voluntary organisations and common people of Srinagar towards mitigating their distress and standing by them in their hour of grief. Similar views were expressed by pharmacists and doctors too as the volunteers managed to arrange a continuous supply of blood to blood banks as well as catering to the shortage of medicines by arranging it through local networks. Other hospitals visited by our team include JVC Bemina, GB Pant Hospital Sonawar, B&J Barzulla and SKIMS Soura. In all these hospitals, most of the victim stories were similar and so are the efforts by voluntary organisations and local committees. The author is writer-activist based in Srinagar. He may be contacted at islamicmushtaq%yahoo.co.in

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Malicious case is intended to suppress dissent and create fear among NGOs and activists. IAMC expressed solidarity with Amnesty and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the case.

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Indian Americans demand withdrawal of sedition case against Amnesty International India

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August 21, 2016: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy organization dedicated to safeguarding India's pluralist and tolerant ethos, has condemned the filing of a case of sedition against Amnesty International India over claims that slogans favoring Kashmiri independence were raised at an event organized by the reputed human rights organization in Bengaluru last Monday. "The fact that the Bengaluru Police has registered the case at the behest of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is indicative of the political and ideological motivations behind it," said Mr. Umar Malick, President of IAMC. "Clearly, the aim is to silence views and opinions contrary to the shrill nationalist construct of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)," added Mr. Malick. IAMC has expressed solidarity with Amnesty and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the case. Not only does the police action violate India's constitutional promise of free speech, it is significant to note that Amnesty's event had been called to discuss the issue of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, a topic by no means anti-national or seditious. The violation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir over several decades, both by State and non-State actors, is a matter of fact and has been acknowledged even by the Indian judiciary, from time to time. The international community too has been unsparing in its criticism of such violations. It may be recalled that last March the ABVP had leveled a similar allegation of "azadi" slogans being raised at a public event in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University that had led to the arrests of JNU students, including its current students' union president. That illiberal, anti-democratic campaign by the ABVP too was widely condemned and eventually exposed as nothing more than a brute attempt by show of strength to forestall any discussion of the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Many have questioned the wisdom behind the Milli Gazette editor's participation in discussions with the Home Minister to solve the Kashmir problem.

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Untying Kashmir knot

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National Many have questioned the wisdom behind the Milli Gazette editor's participation in discussions with the Home Minister to solve the Kashmir problem. Here is his side of the story. As we go to press on 25 August, most of Kashmir Valley continues under curfew for the 48th day, breaking all previous records. Seven consecutive Friday prayers have not been offered in Srinagar's historical Jama Masjid, 66 persons, including two cops have been killed and hundreds have lost their eyesights due to use of pellet guns. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has paid his second visit to Kashmir within a month while Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with J&K opposition leaders. Both sides are adamant: the government is showing no signs of any relaxation or offering even most common humanitarian gestures, separatist groups continue with their strikes and shutdowns encouraging youth to pelt soldiers as well as common people with stones if they venture outside. While it was indicated during PM Modi's meeting that the government will not talk to Hurriyat groups, Rajnath Singh during his second visit kept the option open. But who will come without a formal invitation? In the meantime, a meeting of some "eminent Indian Muslims" with the Home Minister was held on 21 August in which I too was invited. Friends in the Valley and beyond have objected to my participation while the current government has no agenda to solve the Kashmir problem. My answer to all was that if my participation can in any way help the resolution of this intricate problem, I am ready to meet anyone and sacrifice anything. A delegation of some Muslim personalities to go to the Valley is being planned. I will not be part of it for two reasons: there are no indications that the government is serious about tackling the issue, and I cannot accept government largesse and facilities to do such a work. Here is my message to the coordinator of this group, Dr MJ Khan, which sums up the discussions and my perspective and readiness to sacrifice for a lasting peace in the Subcontinent, which cannot be achieved without untying the Kashmir knot: "It was clear during our interaction with the HM that he is not ready for any confidence-building measures as of now: no readiness to bring the injured youth right away from the Valley, no readiness to immediately stop pellet guns, no readiness to announce compensations right away. No talk of lifting AFPSA from unaffected areas like north Kashmir and moving the army away from inhabited areas. Instead more troops are being airlifted to the Valley. No readiness to talk to Hurriyat or Pakistan for a final solution of this festering wound. Hence, personally I do not see any usefulness of visiting Kashmir. In any case, it should be an independent initiative, not one sponsored and paid for by the home ministry. By accepting such help, we lose credibility. Personally, I have over night lost my credibility in the Valley which was built over three decades. Despite this, I am ready to lead an independent initiative if there are people ready to listen and work for a final solution on lines of or close to the failed Agra agreement. A Nobel prize is waiting for Modi if he can rise to the occasion. If not, such eruptions will keep happening every few years sapping our energies and defaming us in the eyes of the world."

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Charity Alliance trust, as every year since 2005, distributed Ramadan food packets among poor people in and around Uttar Ghoshpara area of Murshidabad, West Bengal.

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Food aid distributed in Murshidabad by Charity Alliance

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Community News New Delhi: Charity Alliance trust, as every year since 2005, distributed Ramadan food packets among poor people in and around Uttar Ghoshpara area of Murshidabad, West Bengal. A total of 240 families received food packets containing six kg rice, 0.5 litre mustard oil, 0.5 kg sugar, 0.5 kg pulses, 0.3 kg lachha. Each packet cost was Rs. 300 while the total cost of the food aid was Rs 72,000. Charity Alliance is active in this area since 2005 and runs here a quality school and vocational training centre. Charity Alliance trust is headed by Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, Editor of the Milli Gazette. He takes personal interest in this area and visits it once or twice every year. Muslim majority-Murshidabad is among the most backward and poor Muslim areas in India. CharityAlliance.in

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Land Politics, Cow Politics, Hindu Undivided Family, Saffronisation of Education and History, Yoga, Hindutva Militancy which BJP wants to deeply root in India so that nobody in future could oppose them.

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BJP government’s Hindutva policy

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Analysis Land Politics, Cow Politics, Hindu Undivided Family, Saffronisation of Education and History, Yoga, Hindutva Militancy which BJP wants to deeply root in India so that nobody in future could oppose them. New Delhi: At the onset of its government at the Centre in 2014, BJP made it clear it will implement the RSS ideology, Hindutva. A large number of RSS men were accommodated in the BJP cabinet under the most successfully marketed RSS pracharak, Narendra Modi. The BJP website describes ‘Hindutva’ as a great nationalist ideology and proclaims, “The future of Bharat is set. Hindutva is here to stay. It is up to the Muslims whether they will be included in the new nationalistic spirit of Bharat. It is up to the government and the Muslim leadership whether they wish to increase Hindu furor or work with the Hindu leadership to show that Muslims and the government will consider Hindu sentiments. The era of one-way compromise of Hindus is over, for from now on, secularism must mean that all parties must compromise.” (http://www.bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=369:hindutva-the-great-nationalist-ideology&Itemid=501) The above article coveys a clear message to the minorities that they have to bow before Hindutva or Hindu Nationalism. The BJP changed the definition of ‘secularism’ and used the word ‘compromise’ to indicate that all other religious minorities in India should compromise and follow Hindutva policy. In 2002, RSS created an offshoot to indoctrinate Muslims. It is called Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM). It was founded and is run by Indresh Kumar, an accused in Ajmer, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts. Mohammad Afzal is the National Convener of this forum. On 30 June, RSS disowned it, saying that this forum is not part of the Hindutva parivar. MRM was largely inactive since its inception but as BJP rose to power it suddenly became so active that its book “Yoga and Islam” was released by the AYUSH Ministry. MRM has promoted the RSS agenda among Muslims including cow protection, promotion of Yoga and defending the BJP over Gujarat riots. It also worked as a PR arm for Modi during the 2014 elections. MRM’s latest project is to hold a grand Iftar party with an eye on UP assembly elections next year. Let us look at the Hindutva policies of the government, which it wants to deeply root in India so that nobody in future could oppose it. 1. Yoga: Some people felt proud when UN General Assembly declared “International Yoga Day” on 21 June at the proposal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But not many know the reasion behind the date proposed by Modi. He claimed that because 21st June is the longest day in the Northern hemisphere, it should be considered as the international yoga day! But the two most important reasons why Modi chose this date are, “On 21st June summer solstice takes place marking the transition known in Sanskrit as “Dakshinayana,” i.e., the period between summer solstice and winter solstice. Lord Shiva is believed to have become Adiyogi or the first yogi on this day and it is he who imparted knowledge of Yoga to humanity. This is the Hindutva myth related to this date, while, historians, like D.N Jha, completely deny this.” 21 June marks the birth anniversary of the founder of RSS, K.B. Hegdewar. Modi gave tribute to his mother organisation’s father by marketing a practice which was a part of RSS curriculum. Surya Namaskar and Gayatri Mantra, which have been excluded from the International Yoga Day, are part of the mythological Yoga of RSS. Yoga in general I not wrong but they have transformed it as a political tool to promote Hindutva. RSS and VHP want it to be included in every Indian school curriculum. 2. Cow Politics: In the name of cow protection, the BJP agenda of ‘Beef Ban’ and creation of a separate ministry for cow protection is just an instrument to amplify the Hindutva policy. On 16 May this year, a first-of-its-kind national seminar was organised by Modi government at Vigyan Bhawan. It was called ‘Gaushala Meet’ where large numbers of Hindu groups were present. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh said, “Taking a cue from Gujarat, cow hostels and sanctuaries are being established across the country. Five new veterinary colleges have been set up to take care of old and ailing cows.” What about the cows roaming around on roads of almost every Indian city and town, which are beaten away by Hindu shopkeepers every single day? Rajasthan’s BJP government has formed the first Gaupalan Ministry in India. Ottaram Dewasi became the first cow minister who aims at ‘Gau Rakhsa’ as a priority of the state government. These developments along with the politics around beef ban, meat ban and incidents of lynching for storing beef or transporting cattle, have made a mockery of the secular constitution of India which gave every citizen the right to eat what he prefers. The important aspect of cow protection is not beef, because large numbers of Hindus in India eat bulls meat, but to impose the Hindu reverence of cows as a cultural practice for all Indians. The Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi said, “I have been long pledged to serve the cow but how can my religion also be the religion of the rest of the Indians? It will mean coercion against those Indians who are not Hindus. In villages Hindus make bullocks carry huge burdens which almost crush the animals. Is it not cow-slaughter, albeit slowly carried out?” (Gandhi’s prayer discourse of July 25, 1947, from the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, volume 88, as published online by the Gandhi Heritage portal.) 3. Hindutva Militancy: On 10 May, 2016, Bajrang Dal (BD), the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), organised at Ayodhya a ‘counter-terror training camp’ in which Muslims were depicted as enemies. Hate speech expert BJP MPs, Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj, sponsored arms training dubbed as “self-protection”. However, the BD convenor of weapon training camp was arrested by UP police but Ram Naik, governor of UP and old BJP hand, stated that there is nothing wrong in organising a self-protection camp. Such camps were organised in other places as well. In 2003, Bajrang Dal started countrywide Trishul Diksha Samarohs in which 40 lakhs Hindus were given trishuls (tridents). BD has been effectively militarising the Hindu society by providing youth weapons from trishuls to swords and guns. This is also the scenario of all other Hindu right-wing outfits, some of which are accused of saffron terrorism like Sanatan Sanstha and Abhinav Bharat. BJP, RSS and VHP leaders are the main promoters of communalism and anti-minority violence through their hate speeches and promoting and protecting umpteen militant outfits like BD. 4. Land Politics: According to a new initiative by the BJP government, Pakistani Hindu refugees in India will now get Indian citizenship. This had happened earlier also during the UPA regime when collectors were authorised to grant citizenship to Pakistani Hindu refugees while a Pakistani Muslim overstaying in the country is treated as a terrorist or criminal and jailed. Government will now amend Indian nationality law to allow Pakistani and Bangladeshi Hindus to buy property in India, apply for PAN and Aadhar cards and open bank accounts. On the other hand, properties of Muslims whose ancestors or relatives migrated to Pakistan during Partition are regarded as “Enemy Property” according to the Enemy Property Act 1968 which was amended with drastic changes and passed by Lok Sabha last March. Since it is stuck at present in a Rajya Sabha select committee, a fresh ordinance has been passed to allow the Custodian to continue to take over properties whose numbers are increasing by every passing day. BJP also proposes building separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits and ex-servicemen in Jammu & Kashmir and has demanded land for the same from the J&K state government. Modi government is also reviewing the cancellation of around 32 land allotments to RSS and its affiliate groups by the UPA government. 5. Saffronisation of Education and History: The most treacherous and far-reaching tool of the BJP government is the saffronisation of education. They want to implant seeds deep into the minds of children of India so that they are raised with a heavy dose of Hindutva. It is a scheme for religious hegemony in a country where the non-Hindu communities comprise at least 30 per cent of the population and many “Hindus” too do not subscribe to the north Indian Brahminic hegemonic narrative. At ‘Hindi Swaraj Diwas Samaroh’, Minister of State for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria said on 19 June, “Be it saffronisation of education or Sanghwad (dissemination of RSS ideology), if it’s good for the country it will definitely take place.” According to top BJP leader and former education minister Murli Manohar Joshi, saffronisation means to go back to the holy traditions of India and to glorify ancient Hindu cultural history. During the previous NDA rule (1999-2004). when history books were rewritten, the medieval period of India was saffronised and described as “a dark age of Islamic colonial rule which snuffed out the glories of the Hindu empire that preceded it.” The man behind the current saffronisation of textbooks, Dinanath Batra said, “NCERT textbooks will be rewritten according to the aim and objects of the nation so that it inculcates feeling of patriotism among children. Modernity is not westernisation. We want modernity with Indian base.” After becoming Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Smriti Irani worked on the instructions of RSS and formed a committee to study ancient Hindu texts, like Vedas, Upanishads and other epics to select relevant material for teaching. According to a report, Irani recruited Vishram Jamdar as the chairman of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT). Jamdar wrote a letter to Irani in which he said, “Being recognised as RSS person I could remain there in VNIT Nagpur as BOG member in spite of the fact that Mr Arjun Singhji was HRD Minister during that period. This may probably speak of my work in VNIT Nagpur.” *Government started appointing RSS and BJP loyalists as heads of prestigious institutions. Saffronite Gajendra Chauhan was appointed as the chairman of Film and television Institute of India (FTII), Pahlaj Nihalani, who made a documentary praising Modi, was appointed as the chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) while cricketer Chetan Chauhan was appointed as the chief of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). The most sarcastic part of the appointments is the fact that none of these worthies has the relevant qualifications for the posts. *CBSE will give grades for Yoga practices like Surya Namaskar and these will be included in the students’ report cards. *Government has approved the proposal of considering Adi Shankaracharya as the National Philosopher and celebrating his birthday on 11 May as the National Philosophers Day. RSS has described Shankaracharya as the consolidator of ‘Advaita Vedanta’ philosophy of Hinduism. *RSS-backed Samkalp Institute has claimed that 60 percent of this year’s UPSC picks studied there. RSS leaders will give lectures at the felicitation function to be organised in July this year for the Indian civil service officers selected from the coaching institute. There are many more policies by BJP-RSS government to patronise the Hindu community. Ravi Sahankar Prasad, Telecom and IT minister with additional charge of the Postal department, introduced a new initiative of delivering ‘Gangajal’ (Ganga river water) at doorsteps through postmen. Government has also released huge funds for Ganga mission and various Hindu festivals. Very recently, with an eye on the forthcoming UP elections, the central government has earmarked Rs 300 crore for the development of Ramayna Circuit in an around Ayodhya and other places related to Rama, and Krishna Circuit in and around Mathura. A sum of Rs 50-70 crore will also be made available for Buddha Circuit. Earlier Rs 200 crore was allotted for a museum in memory of the Jan Singh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay. 6. HUF: The “Hindu Undivided Family” (HUF) beats them all. It is an old unique scheme through which the Indian exchequer loses trillions of money as taxes year after year. Under this scheme only Hindu businessmen divide their income/profits between the members of the whole family and thereby pay no or less taxes than others. No other country in the world seemingly has such an ingenious scheme to benefit a certain segment of society. (To be continued in next issue)

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This three-pronged attack on MG simply shows the desperation of the Modi government to silence this little nagging bird. We are fighting and will continue to fight against this injustice through all legal venues open to us.

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Modi Govt is after Indian Muslims' Newspaper Milli Gazette

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Focus This three-pronged attack on MG simply shows the desperation of the Modi government to silence this little nagging bird. During the 17 years of our existence, MG has faced many threats and challenges. I myself have received numerous death threats. MG’s continued losses, dwindling subscriptions due to our own website and a disinterest by the community too have been our problems which forced us twice to think of closing down MG though on second and third thoughts we refrained from taking such a drastic step knowing very well that, however feeble, our community needs this voice in English more than at any time in the past and this voice mattered not only in India but across the world. Now, since 12 March this year, we are facing an existential threat from the Modi government following our publication of a report on discrimination against Muslims in the Ayush ministry recruitments based on an RTI reply which the said ministry denied. It could have sent a rejoinder or, at worst, could have complained to the concerned regulatory authority, the Press Council of India in case we refused to publish its rejoinder. We were all-along ready to publish a rejoinder, statement or clarification should the ministry send it to us. Instead, it chose to file a police complaint. As a result, the journalist (Pushp Sharma), who wrote that story, was mercilessly interrogated for days and later arrested and jailed for around two weeks. Now he is out on bail while the case takes its normal slow course in courts. Soon, on 21 April, the Press Council of India took suo motu cognisance and opened a case against The Milli Gazette. This action was unprecedented as an authority supposedly created to protect the freedom of Press, was in fact throttling that same cherished freedom. We have replied to PCI’s letter and the case continues. A third bolt came from the Delhi Police (directly controlled by the Union Home Ministry) when DCP Licensing wrote to us on 30 May as to why our newspaper declaration should not be cancelled. Cancellation of the declaration means the newspaper will become illegal. We replied without fail to this show-cause notice and are still waiting for further clarifications from the DCP Licensing despite the passage of over three weeks on our hand-delivered reply. All these drastic steps were taken to deal with an ordinary report which could have been tackled through a press statement like the one CBI issued on 15 June this year describing a Times of India report about CBI’s soft-pedalling over the Vyapam scandal. The CBI issued a press statement the same day saying the report is “speculative & presumptuous and hence, is strongly denied.” Strong words indeed, but we are not aware if CBI, PCI or DCP Licensing have sprung into action against the Times of India. Do we have two standards: one for small publications and another for big giants? This three-pronged attack on MG simply shows the desperation of the Modi government to silence this little nagging bird. We are fighting and will continue to fight against this injustice through all legal venues open to us. But should the Modi Govt succeed in silencing this feeble voice, we will call it a day and will leave it to history to remember this as yet another colossal injustice to the freedom of Press the like of which was inflicted by the colonial rulers on Maulana Azad’s Al-Balagh and Muhammad Ali’s Hamdard and Comrade.

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We had funds to complete 32 houses and a hall. All houses are on the periphery of the plot. There are no open sewage lines, all lines are covered and supported by several large septic tanks. The plot has deep borewell hand-pumps.

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Homes Charity Alliance Built for Muzaffarnagar Riot Victims

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Special Reports Future plans to uplift the victims The anti-Muslim riots in and around Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in September 2013, according to estimates left around 100,000 Muslims displaced from the districts of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat. Alliance Colony for Muzaffarnagar Riot Victims — Safety and Security Charity Alliance, a registered trust started in 2005 for welfare and relief activities and headed by The Milli Gazette's editor, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, started relief work among the Muzaffarnagar riot victims at once. Charity Alliance work so far has been possible with the generous support of MG readers. In the second half of September 2013 our team made it's first visit to the area. We started relief work by distributing blankets and arranging for a hand pump. The expanse of the tragedy was too big and displaced people were scattered over a large area in dozens of camps. We concentrated our efforts on camps in and around Kairana, a town in Shamli district. Trucks of relief laden with clothes, blankets, socks, footwear, shawls, sweaters etc. were supplied. Strong plastic sheets to help make tents were also donated on a regular basis. Relief was coming from various areas but donors did not know what to donate and where. So, in December 2013, we opened a Coordination office at Kairana for coordination of relief and provision of information to the donors. This office functioned for about a year. We then started helping displaced students with textbooks and copy books and other material. Our volunteer (Mr Akram) started meeting officials so that these displaced students could get admission in schools near their camps. Hundreds of students were helped with reading material and admissions. To help the victims stand on their feet, tools for various vocations were distributed among riot victims on a large-scale. We reached out to masons, carpenters, plumbers, mobile repairer and welders etc who had to flee their native places to save their lives. It was impossible for them start again without proper tools for their profession. Meanwhile the conditions of the camps erected on government forest land started deteriorating. With no sanitation, diseases started to spread. We helped arrange medical camps and free medicines as well. As the UP government was trying to uproot the camps, at times by force, we felt that land should be purchased to give proper shelter and a sense of safety and dignity to the victims. Some other organisations like Jamiat Ulama and Jamaat-e Islami Hind too started building small colonies for these victims. Alliance Colony for Riot Victims In December 2013, we purchased a piece of land of over 5 bighas at Sunethi Akbarpur, Tehsil Kairana, Dist Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. [See the location on Google maps here goo.gl/maps/TwhPDQKT5F62 ]. We planned the layout of the houses. The design of the homes was volunteered by Engineer Fahad Azmi. The structure is of bricks with proper strong foundation. Each house has two rooms, one bathroom, one toilet and a kitchen. The sanitation plan was volunteered by Er. Zainul Abedin Mansoorie. We had funds to complete 32 houses and a hall. All houses are on the periphery of the plot. There are no open sewage lines, all lines are covered and supported by several large septic tanks. The plot has deep borewell hand-pumps. Because of all the care for detail and legalities, the construction of the homes took a long time. We are grateful to local pradhan Daood for all the support. These homes have now been licensed for use to selected riot victims who did not get compensation from the government. They started living there since last November. Proper documentations has been done in each case. Victims have been given the right to use these houses free of cost for ten years during which they are required to make their own arrangements. Some Alliance Colony allotees showing their possession documents Details of our work since the beginning among the victims in and around Kairana may be seen on our website (charityalliance.in). Audited reports of our income and expenditure are found on our website. It may be stated here that Charity Alliance is perhaps the only NGO in India which does not spend a single paisa on its central office; no trustee is paid a single paisa or is even reimbursed for his/her actual expenses. Moreover, The Milli Gazette regularly publishes advertisements and reports of Charity Alliance free of cost. Charity Alliance is also working in other areas especially in Murshidabad where among other things it runs a quality school and vocational centre in a very poor area. Pictures of the completed homes can be seen here: www.facebook.com/charityalliance/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1260597663952948 In future we hope to start a primary school and a vocational training centre in Sunethi to help uplift the condition of the riot victims as well as residents of the area. Please visit www.charityalliance.in for details on how to support us.

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It is a happy arrangement that God has made by placing the Lailatal Qadr (night of power) in this ashra so that we get the maximum benefit by striving harder towards the end of the month.

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Countdown to grand finale - last ashra of #Ramadan

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Islamic Perspectives As of writing this (afternoon of 24th Ramadan in the subcontinent) much of the holy month is already gone. The first ashra (ten days) of rahmat (God’s mercy) has gone by ; the second of maghfirat (God’s pardon) too gone, and we are already half way through the last and, in many ways, the most crucial ashra of nijaat (release from damnation). The last ashra is the culmination of all our efforts, trials and sacrifices of the preceding ashras of the holy month. We try to compensate for the mistakes, insufficiencies and lapses of the earlier days and nights of the month with greater devotion, care, focus, attention to detail and hard work in this ashra. This ashra is the crux of the month as all is well that ends well. We have a small window of opportunity still left open for us to try our best. It is a happy arrangement that God has made by placing the Lailatal Qadr (night of power) in this ashra so that we get the maximum benefit by striving harder towards the end of the month. In Islam this single night is so important that prayer and supplication of this night is more virtuous than prayers of a thousand months. If one prays well in that night one will be rewarded by God as if one has prayed for more than 80 years. For some reason God has not pinpointed that single night of the year, but the Prophet (PBUH) has told the Ummah to seek it in the odd nights of the last ashra (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th). The Prophet (PBUH) has warned that if someone misses the blessings and virtues of this night one is a loser in every sense. In the last third of the month the Prophet (PBUH) used often to leave home and stay at the mosque till the sighting of the moon of Eid. In his final years, including the year of his death, he stayed at the mosque in the last ashra of the month. This ritual is called aitkaaf and it is fard alal kifayah, which means if one person in a particular locality does it, the aitkaaf would be sufficient for the entire habitation. However, if more do it each of them would be rewarded. But if no one does it, the entire locality would earn God’s displeasure. An important gain of aitkaaf is that a person doing it (motakif) is virtually sure of getting the blessings of Lailatal Qadr. Persons who are not able to exert to the full to get the blessings of Lailatal Qadr have been advised to exert to the maximum at least in the night of 29th Ramadhan from 12 O’clock at night till the adhan (call for prayer) of Fajr at the break of dawn and hope from Allah that He would grant him Lailatal Qadr’s blessings. It is important to keep in mind that the holy Quran descended from God’s seat to samaai ardh (the sky that envelops us, the earthings) to be finally revealed to the holy Prophet (PBUH) over several years. Hence, the month of Ramadhan in general and Lailatal Qadr in particular have an extraordinary significance for the Quran. Reading the Quran brings merit in any season or month, but reading it in Ramadhan is a more meritorious. Reading it on Lailatal Qadr is even more so. Read the Quran (with its meaning and exegesis, preferably) as frequently as you can in whatever remains of the month, and particularly in the night of the 27th and 29th of this month. That means we have only two nights left for us to seek Lailatal Qadr in. However, we must be thankful to God that Ramadhan’s blessings do not end with the end of the month after sighting of the moon of Eid. Continue the intensity of prayers and supplications even after the Eid moon is sighted (Islamic calendar being lunar) and a new month begins. On this night God releases from eternal damnation virtually innumerable persons who, with their sins, had made hell mandatory for themselves. This continues till the Eid prayers next morning when we gather usually at Eidgahs (large enclosures open to the sky), to offer our prayers. At that time also God releases as many persons from damnation, which they had earned for themselves with their sins. Eid prayers are for offering thanks to God for having given us such a blessed month of fasts, prayers and supplications to earn His pleasure. We pray to God to accept our fasts and acts of worship and forgive us our sins. It is also a day of rejoicing for Muslims. The Prophet (PBUH) said all peoples have their day of rejoicing and this (Eid) is ours. Significantly, fasting is prohibited on Eid. Muslims are expected to eat something sweet before living for the Eidgah or some large mosque in the neighbourhood in their holiday best. There is some science in the insistence on eating something sweet. A month-long fast in the days depletes carbohydrate reserves in the blood and liver (glycogen). Eating something sweet replenishes it, improves mood and energy level. Finally, we must remember that the happiest person on the day of the grand finale, Eid, will be the person who has exerted the most in the way of God. The countdown for the day has begun. Prepare for that day with dedication. Happy Eid.

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The Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi, invites applications for Research Fellowships for writing books for the year 2016 on any subject having relevance or connection with the Parliament or Parliamentary democracy.

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Lok Sabha Research Fellowships 2016, Apply Now

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The Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi, invites applications for Research Fellowships for writing books for the year 2016 on any subject having relevance or connection with the Parliament or Parliamentary democracy. Fellowship details: · Number of fellowships: 21 (twenty-one) · The duration of the Fellowships will be of two years with no extension to be granted. · The total amount of each Fellowship will be maximum Rs. 10 lakh, plus Rs. 50,000/- as contingency allowance. · The amount sanctioned to a Fellow will be disbursed in installments, subject to satisfactory progress of the project and recommendation of the Fellowship Committee to that effect. · Selected Fellows will be given access to the Parliament Library for their research work. Those who had applied for the Lok Sabha Research Fellowships earlier in 2013 and 2016 may apply afresh, if they so desire. Eligibility: · The scholar must be a person with an outstanding academic record in any discipline relevant to parliamentary studies or should be an expert in her/his own domain. How to apply: · The duly-completed applications may be sent to the Joint Director, Lok Sabha Secretariat, Room No.128, Parliament Library Building, New Delhi-110 001 · The soft copy of the completed application form along with all supporting documents may also be forwarded at pprls@sansad.nic.in. Last date: 31st August, 2016. Visit: http://www.davp.nic.in/WriteReadData/ADS/eng_31201_12_1617b.pdf or http://loksabha.nic.in (Received from Association SNAP, A Social Network For Assistance to People, www.snapbengal.org)

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New Delhi: Muslim Students Organisation of India (MSO) held a protest here at the Jantar Mantar on 1 July against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

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Protest in Delhi against Israeli policies in occupied Palestine

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Community News New Delhi: Muslim Students Organisation of India (MSO) held a protest here at the Jantar Mantar on 1 July against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Protesters raised slogans and held placards against the human rights violations by Israel and for the independence of Palestine. Speakers condemned the Israeli occupation and injustices in Palestine since decades and flayed the international silence on the same. They said Palestinians are not allowed even to observe their religious rites and unarmed civilians are routinely gunned down and more and more of their lands are usurped to build Jewish settlements. They asked the world community to speak against this continued injustice and demanded the return to the Palestinians of their lands.

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A large number of protesters held placards and shouted slogans like 'Baitul Muqaddas ko azad karo' (Liberate Sacred Jerusalem). As part of the programme a rally was taken out from Jantar Mantar to Sansad Marg.

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Indian Muslims protest on International Al-Quds Day

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International New Delhi: The International Quds Day, an annual event held here on the last Friday of Ramadan in solidarity of Palestine and against Israel’s illegal occupation, was organised here on 1 July. A rally was held under the auspices of the National Council of Shia Ulama and Majlis Ulama-e-Hind at Jantar Mantar. Quds Day was initiated by the leader of the Islamic revolution of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Speaking at the event, President of National Council of Shia Ulama, Maulana Mohsin Taqawi said, “The Palestinian conflict is not only a political matter for its victims but also a matter of concern for every Muslim across the globe. We should raise our voice against the Israeli genocide.” Former Member of Parliament Mohammad Adeeb said, “Unfortunately India has stopped speaking against Israel due to political considerations. I demand that Muslims of India at least should speak up against Israel.” Protesting along Muslims, a young Hindu social worker Abhimanyu said, “Any tyranny against humanity should be condemned and it is an irony that prominent Muslim countries do not spoke against Israel. I wonder why they are mum on Israel-Palestinian conflict in which innocents are getting killed.” A memorandum was presented to the office of the Prime Minister of India by the protesters. It appealed that the Israeli regime should be pressurised to obey international laws and stop attacking innocent civilians in Gaza and West Bank. It complained that the United Nations was formed to protect the oppressed nations but it has become a stooge of America and Israel. A large number of protesters held placards and shouted slogans like “Baitul Muqaddas ko azad karo” (Liberate Sacred Jerusalem). As part of the programme a rally was taken out from Jantar Mantar to Sansad Marg.

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Kashmir has been bleeding for a solution to the conflict which will fulfill the aspirations of its people, a solution that can satisfy their 'collective conscience' a term India understands more.

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Kashmir: Scratching the Wounded Valley continues

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National Kashmir has been bleeding for a solution to the conflict which will fulfill the aspirations of its people, a solution that can satisfy their 'collective conscience' a term India understands more, writes Faizaan Bhat from Srinagar Srinagar (16 July 2016): It was in March 2015 that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took over as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time, earlier he served from November 2002 to November 2005. Before forming government there was huge debate in the national media as well as in local media whether PDP (Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party) will form government in alliance with BJP or not. Both the parties were supposedly considered poles apart. PDP which during elections campaigned against “fascist hindutva” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and appealed people to vote in favour of PDP to keep BJP out of the Kashmir valley. Alas! PDP fell for power lust and joined hands with BJP. The PDP led government has blinded by power ever since. It kept toeing BJP’s Islamophobic line. Beef was banned, yoga exercise was implemented in Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir. In Handwara, when a girl alleged molestation by an army personnel, the girl and her family was put through hell and the victim was detained for days no end. Resistance leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was put under house arrest. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was not allowed to lead Friday prayers many times and on important festive day Eid he was also put under house arrest. Jammu And Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was arrested more than five times in one month. His family, and even locality was harassed. The ruling party tried to malign his image, character for his role in uniting resistance leaders and their stand against separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits. The ruling party claimed that he is doing it on behest of Opposition party National Conference to topple the government. The resistance leader who is known for his integrity, character and role in resistance movement was even called 'frustrated' by PDP youth president Waheed Para on Zee news when he visited house of Zahid who was martyred in Udhampore for allegedly transporting beef while it was banned. The same youth leader who in present situation is known for tarnishing image of Kashmir in Indian universities during 2008-10 agitations and doesn't work on ground in present grave situation of Kashmir. Few days back Hizb commander Burhan Wani was killed which left the whole valley in deep shock. More than three lakh people attended his funeral. Lakhs of people more than people who attended Mufti's funeral. Valley saw pro azaadi, Pro Burhan, anti India protest demonstrations. More than forty people have been martyred, more than hundred people lost vision, and thousands of people got injured. in anger people attacked police stations. PDP leaders Mehbooba Mufti, Naeem Akhtar have requested resistance leaders, people to restore peace and normalcy. But how can normalcy and peace be achieved when security forces are killing unarmed people? How can normalcy be achieved when our girls like in Handwara are molested by army personnel? How can peace and normalcy be achieved when Hindutva fascist BJP is part of the govt? How can peace and normalcy be restored when Kashmiris are on the road demanding for “azaadi from occupation”? If they really want peace and normalcy in valley they should solve Kashmir issue which will bring whole South Asia in peace. Or it will continue to kill lakhs of people as has been happening since 1947.

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