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Edo state chapter of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP at the weekend described the just concluded September 28 governorship election in the state as the best ever conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC since the exit of Professor Attahiru Jega. State chairman of CNPP Roy Oribhabor, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin City, said the APC administration provided enabling environment for opposition parties to campaign across the state without intimidation. He equally commended the efforts of security agencies in ensuring that the election was devoid of killings and assassination unlike what happened in River State in 2105. It however expressed doubt over the credibility of the results from Orhiomwon local government where it noted that some party agents were chased away from some polling units by thugs loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Oribhabor who described the election as peaceful, credible, free and conclusive congratulated Godw...

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ekiti State, Dr. Adebayo Orire, has said that his party will ride on the waning popularity of the present Peoples Democratic Party, PDP government in the state to power through the forthcoming 2018 governorship election. Orire, a governorship hopeful, said the present administration in the state had already played into the hands of the APC through alleged n o n - p e r f o r m a n c e , adding that his party was waiting in the wings to defeat the PDP at the poll. The medical doctor and politician told journalists in Ado Ekiti at the weekend that all the APC needed to do for victory was to put its house in order and be united to be able to wrest power from the PDP, adding: “The prospect of the APC in the state is bright and we are in a good stead to win election when the time comes”. The APC chieftain, who dismissed the acclaimed popularity of the state governor as non-existent, said: “Fayose’s popularity is a non-issue because the civ...

Sequel to the release of 21 out of over 200 girls abducted in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state in 2014 by members of Boko Haram Sect, Nigerians have been urged to continue to intercede through prayers for the safe return of others still in captive. A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Osun state, Elder Peter Babalola, who in a statement signed by his media assistant, Busayo Afolabi, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Osogbo, disclosed this and commended the doggedness of Nigerian government in securing the release of the girls. Babalola noted that the abduction of the girls, which sparked global outrage, marked a sad chapter in the annals of history of the country, and stressed that the development, coupled with reported cases of rights abuse and child labour, has given the country bad image. According to him, the harrowing experience the abduction caused government and the people, was unquantifiable and called on all stakeholders in the ...

The Senate last Thursday approved allocation of three percent of Value Added Tax (VAT), accruable to the Federal Government over the next 10-year period to the rebuilding of the North-East. This no doubt represents a quantum leap in government’s resolve to establish the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), which bill was introduced to the National Assembly on October 8, last year. Senator Kabiru Gaya, who introduced the North- East Development Commission (NEDC SB. 163)) Bill, had painted a pathetic, gory picture of the North East orchestrated by Boko Haram insurgency when he said about 15,000 people lost their lives to the devastation, while roughly five million others scattered across various camps in the country, Niger Republic, Cameroon and Chad, ended up as internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Bill sponsored by the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume and co-sponsored by seventeen oth¬er members of the North-East Senate Caucus passed through second reading in the Se...

Former world champion sprinter, Tyson Gay’s 15-year-old daughter, Trinity, has been killed in a shooting in the US state of Kentucky, police said yesterday. Trinity, who was hit in the neck during an exchange of fire between two vehicles in a restaurant car park, was taken to hospital where she later died. Gay, who is from Lexington, confirmed her death to local reporters. “She didn’t make it. I’m so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. It’s so crazy. I have no idea what happened,” the athlete said. Gay is the US 100m record holder and is the joint second-fastest 100m runner of all time, behind Usain Bolt. The US track and field athletics team tweeted its condolences, sending “thoughts and prayers” to Gay and his loved ones “as they mourn the tragic & senseless loss of his daughter, Trinity”.

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has handed over the reports of the constituency stakeholders’ meeting organised by the House to the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode for implementation. The constituency stakeholders’ meeting, second in the series, took place simultaneously in all the 40 constituencies in the state. The reports contained the requests and recommendations of the people of the state spread across the 40 constituencies on how the state will continue to achieve development and growth. Lagos speaker, Mudashiru On Friday during the Executive-Legislative Parley organised by the state government, Obasa told the governor that the reports contained the wishes and recommendations of the people of the state urging him to ensure their implementation. “We decided to feel the pulse of our people through the constituency stakeholders’ meeting and what I’m presenting to you today is their aggregate demands and recommendations collated b...

The Ningi Emirate of Bauchi State has decried the total exclusion of the areas in the recent flag-off of roads execution in some emirates in the state. This was just as the emirate has appealed to Governor Mohammed Abubakar to award similar contract least they will believe that they are culpably neglected by the present APC administration and past successive governments in the state. Bauchi gov. Mohammed The Emirate Association Chairman, Yusuf Yunusa while addressing journalists in Bauchi at weekend said, the emirate produced the second largest number of votes cast in the 2015 elections after Toro to install the now much acclaimed ‘popular’ government in the state. The association which is under unified 25 civil society organizations from Ningi and Warji Local Government Areas had faulted the present APC administration of lopsidedness in the allocation of development projects for the citizens. The chairman cited an example with last week’s flagged-off of about twenty diffe...

Acute shortage of food items is currently ravaging Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp in Edo State. Coordinator of the camp, situated at Uhogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area, Solomon Folorunsho, who appealed for urgent intervention while speaking with newsmen said the over 3,000 persons in the camp are in dire need of food. “The present situation in the camp is in a very sorry situation, especially in the area of food. We don’t have rice, beans, garri and in fact, we need everything that human beings can eat. “The children cannot be allowed to starve, l am appealing to the general public, the government and individuals to please come to our aid. Accommodation is lacking as more than a 100 people live in a small apartment that is meant for about 20.” He decried the inability of pupils from the camp to purchase school materials require for the new academic session. He said about 193 students from the camp enrolled for the GCE and NECO exams. He said some of the IDPs ha...

Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has sacked his entire cabinet. The sack was announced by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Etekamba Umoren at the weekend. Akwa-Ibom gov, Udom Udom directed that the sacked commissioners should hand over to the permanent secretaries in the various ministries. The governor thanked the commissioners for their contributions towards the development of the state and wished them success in their future endeavours. While the decision will be seen as a right step in the right direction following the redundancy of some of the commissioners, others believe that the dissolution was primarily targeted at immediate past governor of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s men. Our correspondent reports that that there had been a cold war in the State Executive Council between commissioners nominated by Akpabio and those selected by the current governor. The development, it was learnt, was responsible for the redundancy of the Akpabio’s men as thei...

Anambra State government has reiterated its resolve to sustain the crackdown on drug cartels to reduce the supply and circulation of illicit drugs in the state. Governor Willie Obiano disclosed this at the governor’s Lodge, Awka, Sunday when the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Colonel Abdullah Mustapha, went to the state on a courtesy visit. The NDLEA boss, alongside some national officers as well as the state’s commander of the agency, Mr. Sule Momodu, were in the company of Mustapha during the visit. Governor Obiano who noted that crime and drugs go hand in hand, explained his administration’s commitment to clampdown on drug barons in the state to ensure that youths and other vulnerable persons were precluded from having access to illicit drugs which he said could induce crime. He therefore commended the NDLEA for the key role it has played towards the realisation of his administration’s security initiative, adding that throu...

Nigeria’s minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has washed his hands off the guarantee he gave the Police to bring personally the League Management Company (LMC) chairman, Shehu Dikko, to the police. He has advised the latter to go and submit himself to the police. Dikko Dikko was last Sunday morning arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport Abuja on the return of the senior national team, the Super Eagles, from the first leg 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia. Dalung was used to appeal to the policemen who c o n c e d e d after due consultations with their bosses. Since then , Dikko has become an eel and Dalung could not meet up with his promise to the Police. For three consecutive days, the policemen were reporting and closing from Dalung’s office to collect their prey. Every effort to make Dikko come out of his hole became tight and difficult. Arising from the frustration, Dalung has advised Dikko to submit himself to the police saying “nobo...

Chelsea Manager, Antonio Conte, has again praised Super Eagles’ winger Victor Moses after he scored from his new wing-back position in a convincing 3-0 home win over Leicester on Saturday. Chelsea winger, Victor Moses Moses scored in the 80th minute before he was replaced by fellow Nigerian Olaoluwa Aina two minutes later. “When I arrived at Chelsea I told the club I wanted to see Victor in pre-season because I knew him very well and I knew about his great potential. He played well as a winger when we were playing with a 4-2-4,” Conte said. “He is a very good player, now he is playing as a wing-back and it is fantastic because he pays great attention in defence and can go one against one in attack. “Alonso always played this role but Moses is a winger. His education is fantastic. I am pleased for him. “If someone shows they deserve to play I have no problem, I don’t care about the surname.”

Title sponsor of the annual Glo-CAF Awards, Globacom, which celebrates Africa’s most successful football icons, has unveiled a new promo ahead of the 2016 edition of the awards. The event, which is the Silver jubilee edition, marking 25 years of CAF Awards is billed for the International Conference Centre, Abuja on January 5, 2017. About 300 customers will be rewarded with a chance to attend this once in a lifetime Silver Jubilee award ceremony of an event best known as the Oscars of African football in a promo that runs between October 10 and December 31, 2016. “The Glo-CAF Awards gala is the biggest night in African football, a gathering where the biggest names in the world of business, politics and showbiz meet with the stars and legends of African Football,” Globacom said in a statement in Lagos. According to the company, “the Silver Jubilee of CAF Awards is another golden opportunity to appreciate and reward our subscribers who have been the brand’s pillar of strength ov...

Barcelona Coach, Luis Enrique, believes his side’s 4-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna at the weekend was the perfect preparation for their Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday. A Rafinha double coupled with goals from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, who came off the bench for his first game after nearly a month out with a groin injury, helped the Catalans cruise to the comfortable win. “It was a complete performance,” Enrique said yesterday. “We have Leo back and it took him no time to be back in top form. “Our aim was to surprise them and it worked how we wanted it to. We created lots of chances and they created none. Deportivo have conceded very few goals this season and we got four.” Barcelona have won all four of their most-recent meetings with the Citizens in the Champions League and Enrique feels the match against Deportivo was the perfect preparation to extend that run, but he knows they will be a completely different opponent under Pep Guardiola.

Attorney General of the Federation , Abubakar Malami, has reacted to the allegations by some of the arrested judges that their arrest was targeted at getting back at them. Speaking to our correspondent in a telephone interview through his Media Adviser, Comrade Salihu Isah, Malami advised the judges to keep whatever prove they have for the court. AGF, Abubakar Malami Malami, who described their claims as an afterthought said he will not join issues with the judges at this stage so as not to jeopardise ongoing investigation. “I wonder why they are saying that now. The courts are there, they should wait till the commencement of trial so that they can prove their innocence. “I am not willing to join issues with anybody. The stage we are now is critical and I do not want anything that will compromise the trial; if they are seeking to get something from me, they will not. “The judge should allow the law to take its course instead of clinging to the last straw to defend the allegations...

Ongoing sack at the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, will sweep through all agencies formerly under the defunct Federal Ministry of Aviation, senior officials working in the agencies have said. The officials confided in our correspondent at the weekend that there were already panics at the agencies because some employees who got job between 2011 and 2014 in the agencies were brought in through the back door. The officials, who pleaded anonymity, however, said the exercise would only affect employees who were engaged without following due process. Former Minister of Aviation, now representing Anambra North in the Senate, Stella Oduah, had reportedly shunned public service rules by approving recruitment of young graduates into headship position in the agencies. One of the officials, who spoke with our correspondnet said: “There are fears in all the agencies because this Minister (Sen. Hadi Sirika) has got the nod of President Muhammadu Buhari to cleanse the agencies of such ...

A former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, has challenged the transfer of a suit No FHC/ABJ/CR/56/07 filed against him and two others by the Federal Government. Kalu, in a letter through his counsel, Amobi Nzelu, dated October 15 and addressed to the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, noted that the Commission without his knowledge or his counsel requested for the transfer of the case to Lagos. The copies of the letter were sent to the Attorney General of the Federation and Hon. Chief Judge, Federal High Court. “There is no justification legally, morally or otherwise for the said transfer if not to secure conviction at all costs and put him into avoidable expenses of moving his defence team to Lagos whenever the case comes up. “It is also worthy to note that before the said transfer, politicians in Abia State and its environs had predicted at various fora that this matter will be transferred to Lagos where conviction wil...

The African Development Bank, AfDB, and Standard Chartered Bank, SCB, as a way of fighting financial crime will jointly organise a 1-day interactive workshop on November 3, 2016 at the CCIA, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. In a statement AfDB said its Financial Sector Development Department’s Trade Finance team and in close collaboration with Making Finance Work for Africa, MFW4A, will put together the workshop which would be attended by client-facing, legal, compliance and operations staff from banking institutions from several countries in West Africa such as Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, Gabon, Gambia and Senegal. The bank said the workshop is designed to be broad-based as employees at various levels in the participating financial institutions must regard the control of financial crime risk as a core part of their responsibilities. “Participants will learn about emerging regulations on financial crime risks and evolving financial crime compliance standards in the industry. The workshop aims ...

FBN Capital Limited, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc, has received Best Africa Investment Bank Award’ for the second consecutive year. The award was conferred by the Africa Investor Group, an international investment and communications firm, at the Ai Capital Markets and Index Series Awards 2016 in New York. A statement by the bank indicated that the award was in recognition of the nature, complexity, and size of deals delivered by FBN Capital. The Managing Director, Margaret Baale, was quoted as saying that as the leading investment bank and asset manager in Nigeria for individual and institutional investors was pleased to see its efforts continuously recognized by reputable local and international organizations. She said: “Our priority is to constantly raise the bar in delivering excellent financing solutions for our partners, and these awards are a testament to our impressive results as well as the value of the trust our esteemed clients place in us”. The Africa Investor Awards a...

PZ Cussons Nigeria has reported a massive loss of N4.701 billion to foreign exchange during the first quarter of 2016. The company’s revealed this in its unaudited consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the first quarter ended 31 August 2016. PZ’s made a gain of N14.968 million in foreign exchange during the same period of 2015 as it end first quarter 2016 at N4.701 billion, representing 31,507 per cent loss. In the same vein, it reported a loss of N1.586 billion at the end of first quarter 2016 as against profit of N427.851 million made during the same period of 2015; this translates to 470.6 per cent loss. However, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc’s revenue rose by 12.04 per cent at the end of current quarter when compared with N14.953 billion it made in first quarter of 2015 to end with N16.753 billion. Its gross profit improved by 40.7 per cent from N4.110 billion in first quarter 2015 to N5.782 billion at the end of first quarter 2016. The earnings per ...

There are strong indications that the implementation of Risk Based Supervision (RBS) may commence in insurance industry before or in December, Financial Mirror’s findings indicated. Already, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has come up with a draft to which the insurance operators are expected to make inputs in the next four weeks, after which the final copy of the new supervision template would be made public. Briefing journalists at the end of the Insurers’ Committee Meeting in Lagos at the weekend, the Head, Corporate Affairs, NAICOM, Mr. Rasaq Salaami, said that the commission had intensified efforts to ensure that the new supervision template commences as soon as possible, noting that RBS will reposition insurance industry for the better. According to him, the commission has just circulated the draft roadmap for RBS and it expects that the industry players will make their own input to the roadmap before the final copy is released and that would be after four weeks. He s...

Lagos traders on Friday were optimistic that the economy would soon rebound as the Nigerian currency continues to appreciate in all the major segments of the forex market. The Naira on Friday continued to hedge against the dollar in all the major segments of the forex market. At the parallel market, the Naira closed at N458 to the dollar, from N462 it posted on Thursday, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N560 and N510 respectively. About 1, 700 BDCs in Lagos and Abuja sold dollar at N380, controlled rate, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro exchanged at N558 and 500, respectively. The Naira closed at N305.50 at the official interbank market, maintaining same rate as at Thursday. While speaking with Financial Mirror on Friday, Mr Uche Mba, a motorcycle spare-parts dealer noted that the appreciation of the Naira at the forex market was gradually breeding calm in the economy. According to him, the development will sooner than later lead to price stability of goods and ser...

The 21 freed Chibok girls Sunday in Abuja said that for “one month and 10 days” of their abduction by the Boko Haram insurgents, they stayed without food in the bush. Ms Gloria Dame, one of the rescued girls, narrated this while giving testimony on behalf of her colleagues at a thanks giving service organised for them at a DSS health facility. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, attended the service. The girl, who spoke in Hausa language, said that their survival in captivity was an act of God. “I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God among people. “For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped bomb blast in the forest. “We are praying to God to touch the heart of Boko Haram to repent and we are calling on Nigerians to pray and fast for the release of our remaining ones in captivity,” she said. NAN reports that while the service wa...

Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, are generally acknowledged as having huge potentials for employment generation and wealth creation in any economy, hence interest in their development continues to be in the forefront of policy debates. In Nigeria however, the sector remains relatively small in terms of its contribution to GDP or to gainful employment. Though the Nigerian oil and gas industry has played pivotal role in the economic development of the country since independence, with over 95 per cent of total export revenue accruing from this sector, the lingering crash in the oil prices at the global market has made it imperative for Nigeria to have a rethink on how to grow her economy. SMEs, have been recognised as indispensable components of national development in both developed and developing economies. This sub-sector of the economy is globally acknowledged to contribute substantially in enhancing employment creation or generation, poverty alleviation, equitable distribution of...

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, said plans have been concluded to inaugurate a national campaign organisation for Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim for the Ondo State governorship poll. Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Friday authenticated Ibrahim as the PDP flag bearer in the election. Sheriff disclosed this in a statement signed by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Dr Cairo Onougboh, even as he affirmed that the peace process in the party was irreversible. He said: “We also irrevocably state that the peace process initiated by Sheriff and Makarfi is irreversible. “Therefore, every peace loving members in PDP should key into the process and pray that the outcome will be a success to usher in PDP into governance in 2019. “Henceforth, members of the party are cautioned not to make statements that will escalate the crisis in the party.” Sheriff declared that PDP is a law abiding party that believe in the rule of l...

Adaka Boro came into prominence in 1966 when proclaimed an Independent Niger Delta Peoples’ Republic with a flag and an emergency constitution. He paraded himself as the General Officer Commanding the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (DVS) and leader of the Liberation Government. Due to Boro’s intense agitation for resource control, it was learnt that he formed a band of fighters and allegedly trained them in the use of explosives and arms. Sometimes in March 1966, Boro, armed with a theory he called XYZ, declared Ijaw Republic thus: “Today is a great day, not only in your lives, but in the history of the Niger Delta. We are going to demonstrate to the world what and how we feel about oppression”. The activist and his followers also allegedly attacked a police station, blew up the armoury and took rifles and ammunition. They also reportedly blew up oil pipelines and engaged the police in a gun battle. Boro and two of his followers, Samuel Timipre Owonaru and Nottingham Dick were arrested ...