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Minister issues 25-day ultimatum to illegal occupants to vacate Abuja stadium

Ihuoma ILO
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Minister issues 25-day ultimatum to illegal occupants to vacate Abuja stadium

SUNDAY Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports, has issued a 25- day ultimatum to illegal occupants of Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja to vacate the facilities for proper rehabilitation to commence.

In a press statement published on the ministry’s website on Monday, the Minister had during an inspection tour of the stadium on Saturday told the residents to vacate the premises.

He said the ultimatum became necessary as the ministry was ready to embark on serious maintenance and rehabilitation of the national sports edifice.

During the inspection, the Minister visited the stadium’s generator house, diesel room, conjunction panel room. Others were Outdoor Hall of Fame, Water Fountain, Family Picnic slop, designated entrance to the hall of fame strip and 4,000 space car park.

He was joined on the tour by Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary of the ministry and stadium renovation partners from the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCDA).

In November, the Minister announced that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man was  set to renovate the main bowl of the  stadium in Abuja.

Dare said the renovation would include just the football pitch, light and scoreboard at the stadium.

According to him, work would begin in the next two weeks. “Yes, Abuja is coming back up,” he had said.

But the renovation has not been done since. A sports ministry quoted the Minister  as saying that the Dangote Group would still fulfill its promise of renovating the stadium’s main bowl and the scoreboard.

Formerly known as National Stadium, Abuja, the stadium was constructed to host the 8th All Africa Games which took place in October 2003.

The The Federal Government of Nigeria approved the contract for the construction of the National Stadium complex and Games Village on July 18, 2000. It has 60,491 crowd capacity.

On 12 June 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the change of the name of the National Stadium, Abuja to Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

President Buhari made this pronouncement during his speech at the Democracy Day celebration on at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

Lack of global leadership, solidarity threatening war against COVID-19 – WHO

Seun DUROJAIYE
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Lack of global leadership, solidarity threatening war against COVID-19 – WHO

TEDROS Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Monday disclosed that lack of global solidarity and leadership is worsening the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself, it’s the lack of global solidarity and global leadership,” Ghebreyesus said.

Reuters reports that the WHO chief noted this while speaking at a virtual health forum organised by the World Government Summit, an annual event organised by Dubai.

Ghebreyesus emphasized the need for national unity and global solidarity in fighting the virus which has killed over 471,000 people globally, according to Worldometer.

“The world is in desperate need of national unity and global solidarity. The politicisation of the pandemic has exacerbated it,” he said.

This is coming shortly after US President, Donald Trump announced that his administration has terminated funding to WHO, owing to the organisation’s perceived unsatisfactory response in handling  COVID-19, which originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

The US  is WHO’s biggest donor, contributing about 15 percent of the organisation’s total budget.

In 2019, the US contributed about $450 million to WHO and so far this year, the US has contributed about $34 million in membership dues to WHO according to Nature.

The WHO on Friday warned that the pandemic was accelerating, as global infections rose above nine million people with 453,834​ deaths.

Meanwhile, the US has recorded more than 2.3 million of the world’s nine million confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, with over 122,000 deaths.

Service Chiefs should be shown the way out if… says Ahmad Lawan after meeting Buhari

Lukman ABOLADE
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Service Chiefs should be shown the way out if… says Ahmad Lawan after meeting Buhari

AHMAD Lawan, the Senate President has said that  Service Chiefs who are heading Nigeria’s security agencies must sit up, or be shown the way out, if they can’t find a lasting solution to insecurity challenges facing the country.

Lawal stated this on Monday while giving details of his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday.

“Part of the discussion I had with President Muhammadu Buhari during my visit to him yesterday were issues bothering on the security challenges in the country. I conveyed to him the position of the Senate: That we should do whatever it takes to improve the situation in the country,” he said.

Lawal disclosed that he told the president that the National Assembly is positively disposed to receiving supplementary budget purposely to address the needs of the security agencies to empower them to fight Boko Haram, banditry and other security challenges across the country.

He noted that “If after we provide some support and someone is found short of expectations, he should be shown the way out if he refuses to go.”

The Senate president reiterated that lives of Nigerians are so precious and  must be more important than any other considerations or sentiments.

He insisted that the government has no option than to address the insecurity challenges more than any other thing.

“We have no luxury of any option other than to address the security challenges more than any other thing and we We can’t just go on without any time frame for dealing with these issues,” Lawan said.

 

I went to Government House to discharge my duty and broker peace- Ondo CP

Lukman ABOLADE
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I went to Government House to discharge my duty and broker peace- Ondo CP

BOLAJI Salami, Ondo State Commissioner of Police says he was at the Government House Saturday night to discharge his duty as a police chief and also to broker peace.

Salami came under public criticism after a video showing him and other police officers preventing Agboola Ajayi, Deputy Governor of the state from moving his property out of the Government House following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) surfaced and went viral.

” I only came to the scene when his officers and men at the government house could not broker peace between the aides of the governor and that of the deputy governor over the number of cars the deputy governor would drive out at the time,”  Salami said in a statement by Tee-Leo Okoro, Police spokesperson in Ondo on Sunday.

While reacting to the allegation of being partisan in carrying out his duty, Salami said he has never been a politician, adding that his duty remains safeguarding lives and property of the people of Ondo State.

He, however, cautioned that he would not allow the ego and sentiment of any individual to dictate what form of policing style he would deploy in the state.

“Though I vowed to police Ondo State and its people with humility, I will not allow the ego and sentiment of any individual dictate what form of policing style I should use,” Salami said in a statement.

He further stated that the command under his watch would not entertain lawlessness or policing against rules and regulations.

“The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, CP Salami Amidu Bolaji says Ondo Police Command under his policing architecture will never allow lawlessness in the state against laid-down policing rules.”

Reacting to the video which has since gone viral on social media, the Police Commissioner described the video  as an attempt to foment sentiment and misunderstanding in the state.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the police against allowing itself to be used to subvert the people’s will.

Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP stated this in a statement he signed in Abuja on Sunday.

Speaking on the encounter between the Deputy Governor and the State Commissioner of Police, Ologbondiyan said the ruling APC  is using compromised security agents to save face.

“The thoughtless and rude attempt to use the Police to stop the Ondo Deputy Governor from leaving the disorganised APC is symptomatic of the last kicks of a degraded and derelict political party that is now clutching at straws and can only resort to use of compromised security agents as face-saving measure,” he said.

“The APC is unnerved because Nigerians are no longer ready to stomach the deception and lies of 2015 as well as the impunity, political brigandage and the electoral fraud of 2019.”

I released N9.8b to contain outbreak of wild polio in 2016 – Buhari

Seun DUROJAIYE
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I released N9.8b to contain outbreak of wild polio in 2016 – Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari Sunday evening, revealed how he ordered the release of N9.8 billion four years ago to contain the spread of polio virus following a sudden  outbreak of the disease in Borno State after two years of break.

“When, in 2016, Nigeria suffered a major setback with the outbreak of the Wild Polio Virus in Borno State, after about 2 years without any case, I directed the immediate release of N9.8billion to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to contain the outbreak,” President Buhari said in a statement released on his Twitter handle.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had on Thursday certified Nigeria as being polio free after the submission of  the country’s polio-eradication documentation by the NPHCDA team  to the African Regional Certification Committee (ARCC).

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In celebrating this feat, the president congratulated all Nigerians and many partners, local and international, who have contributed tirelessly to this feat  saying,”we are deeply grateful to each and every one of you.”

He noted that “This achievement reflects the resilient spirit of Nigerians, in particular the strength and capacity of our health workers, who drew resources and support from multiple sectors to deal a final blow to the Wild Polio Virus.”

According to him, the landmark achievement is also a promise kept to all Nigerians.

As you will recall, in August 2015, barely three months after we assumed office, I promised Nigerians that: “My government shall provide the necessary resources and commitment required to strengthen the health system, routine immunization and ensure the country is certified Polio-free,” the president said.

He also recalled that the achievement of polio free status is a hard-won battle spanning over three decades of hard work and dedication by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the Federal, States and Local Governments, polio eradication teams at all levels, donors and development partners, both local and international.

In August 2016, Isaac Adewole, a former Minister of Health, disclosed that the Federal Government obtained a $125 million loan from the World Bank to tackle the resurgence of the wild polio virus and other health challenges in the country.

According to Adewole, 60 million dollars would be earmarked for polio, while the other 65 million dollars would be used for the provision of vaccines, adding that the government had released N10 billion from the 2016 budget to tackle the epidemic.

Nigeria’s new status will be officially announced in July.

In 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Agboola Ajayi, Ondo Deputy Governor dumps APC, joins PDP

Lukman ABOLADE
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Agboola Ajayi, Ondo Deputy Governor dumps APC, joins PDP

AGBOOLA Ajayi, embattled Deputy Governor of Ondo State has resigned from the All Progressives Party (APC) and has joined the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The opposition party announced this on Sunday on its official Twitter handle, stating that Ajayi picked the membership card at Ward 2, Apoi, in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

“The Deputy Governor of Ondo state, Hon. Agboola Ajayi has resigned his membership of the failed@OfficialAPCNg. Hon. Agboola after his resignation, picked the @OfficialPDPNig membership card at Ward 2, Apoi, in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State,” PDP wrote on Twitter.

Ajayi had earlier tendered his resignation letter at the APC secretariat in Apoi Ward 2 as a member of the party on Sunday.

He said everybody knew why he left the APC.

This came hours after the Deputy Governor was stopped from leaving the Government House by the State’s Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami over his plans to defect to the opposition party. It was reported the Police Commissioner acted on the instruction of Akeredolu.

In a video of his encounter with Salami, Ajayi is seeing questioning the Police Chief of his interest in preventing him from leaving the Government House.

“Are you not a police officer?Ajayi asked Salami. “If I’m defecting are you a politician, are you the chairman of APC or PDP, or what is your concern?

Salami told the Deputy Governor that since he has defected he could not leave the Government House.

However, Akeredolu said he did not order security officials to stop the deputy governor from leaving the government house.

In response to a report that he ordered Ajayi to be stopped, Akeredolu said it was a ‘total misrepresentation of fact’.

“Total Misrepresentation of facts. I did not tell the Government House security to hold him back at any point. Why would I? Agbo can go anywhere he likes. I wish him well,” Akeredolu said.

 

Ogun govt suspends task force officials without pay for assaulting woman while enforcing lockdown

Lukman ABOLADE
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Ogun govt suspends task force officials without pay for assaulting woman while enforcing lockdown

THE Ogun State Government has ordered the suspension of all taskforce officials involved in the assault of a woman in Ifo Local Government of the state.

Ogun government revealed this via a statement signed by Fola Salami, Chairman, Ifo Local Government Transition on Sunday.

Reacting to the incident, Salami wrote that the attention of the government was drawn to a viral video which occurred at Ojodu Abiodun under Ifo Local Government.

According to him, the officials’ action ‘implies inhumane attitude’ and is a shock to him.

He added that the officials’ attitude ‘does not portray the humane nature popularly preached by Ifo Local Government’.

“On this note, I am suspending all officials involved without pay, until further notice,” Salami wrote.

Following the suspension of the officials, the chairman stated that the public should rest assured that whoever is found guilty in the matter would be decisively dealt with.

On Saturday, a video posted by Tolu Adesh went viral on Twitter showing how she was assaulted by an Ogun State task force official for violating lockdown directive.

Adesh explained that she had unknowingly drove into Ogun State from a nearby town in Lagos to purchase a bicycle for her daughter whose birthday was in two weeks.

The woman said she was stopped by the officials who told her about the weekend lockdown in Ogun State adding that she was guilty of violating the government’s order.

In the video, the woman showed that after her arrest, one of the tyres of her vehicle was punctured.

While she threatened to post a video of the official on social media, she incurred the wrath of the angry task force officials who thereafter assaulted her.

In a different post, Adesh said beyond the government’s statement, she demanded a ‘prompt justice’ because many people have fallen victims to such cases and have not been able to speak up.

Watch full video here:

https://twitter.com/TeeBaibie/status/1274385006182436871?s=19

Nigeria reacts to demolition of its diplomatic building in Ghana, demands prosecution of culprits

Amos ABBA
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Nigeria reacts to demolition of its diplomatic building in Ghana, demands prosecution of culprits

FOLLOWING the demolition of a portion of the staff quarters belonging to the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister has decried the action calling on Ghanaian authorities to bring the perpetrators to book.

In a Twitter post, Onyeama said the Nigerian government denounced the outrageous attack on a residential building on its diplomatic premises by unknown persons.

“We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, Ghana on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building.

“We are engaging the Ghanaian Government and demand urgent action to find the perpetrators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their property in Ghana,” he said.

However, the affected buildings were reportedly being constructed for house staff and visitors of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana before the demolition exercise was carried out late Friday.

According to a report, a yet to be identified man knocked down the fence surrounding the building last week alleging that the land where the building was sited belonged to him.

However, the report states that the action of the man was not opposed while the Nigerian High Commission petitioned the Ghanaian Government about it, but there was no response.

Days later, he was said to have returned to the premises of the staff quarters in the company of armed men who supervised the demolition, while a bulldozer began to pull down the building.

In a bid to stop the demolition, officials of the Nigerian High Commission had contacted the Ghanaian police who showed up at the site when the building was almost pulled down but the police purportedly allowed the man to leave the scene without reprimand or questioning.

This incident came five months after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied reports that the Nigerian Commission in Ghana had been evicted in Accra.

Ferdinand Nwonye,  spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated there was no “diplomatic row between Nigeria and the Republic of Ghana”.

He said, though the lease of the property located on No.10 Barnes Road, Accra has expired, the high commission was exploring the possibility of renewing the lease agreement with the host authorities.

Seven months after, Oshiomhole’s Ward APC lifts his suspension

Samad UTHMAN
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Seven months after, Oshiomhole’s Ward APC lifts his suspension

THE executive committee of the All Progressive Congress(APC) Ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State has lifted the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as a member of the party.

Emuakemeh Sule, the secretary of the ward, disclosed in a press conference on Saturday that 17 members out of 26 signed the resolution for the lifting of the embattled chairman’s suspension.

While reading the committee’s resolution dated June 4, Sule said they did not find any merit in the allegations that led to the suspension of Oshiomhole.

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“We the undersigned, being the executive committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 10 Etsako West L.G.A, Edo state having met today 4/6/2020 to affirm the following positions,” the secretary said.

“That we have reviewed the circumstances leading to the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and found no merit in the allegation or processes employed.

“We hereby lift the suspension placed on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by the Ward. We call on all organs of our great party to restore all rights and privileges of membership to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,” a part of the address read.

Hilliard Eta, APC vice-chairman South-South, who received the resolution of the party’s ward Executve Committee said the state has followed the party’s constitution and the undersigned are more than simple majority.

“Let me say that 17 out of 26 members have signed this resolution. Let me also say that in matters of this nature, our constitution provides for only a simple majority and 17 out of 26 is indeed more than a simple majority,” Eta said.

“So, we want to use this opportunity to thank Etsako West Ward 10 for what they have done. History will be on your side.”

On June  23, 2018, Adams Oshiomhole emerged as the national chairman of the APC following a voice vote by delegates at the party’s national convention.

However, on November 12, 2019, he was suspended from the party after 18 local government chairmen of the party in Edo State passed a vote of no confidence on him.

He was accused of trying to disintegrate the party in Edo State.

Oshiomole appealed against his suspension at the Abuja Court of Appeal and the court affirmed his suspension on June 16, 2020

Court restrains Giadom as acting national chairman

Meanwhile, a High Court in Port Harcourt has granted an order of interim injunction restraining the APC from recognising or regarding Victor Giadom as the party’s acting national chairman  and a member of its National Working Committee (NWC).

Two members of the party in Rivers State, Dele Moses and Azunda Wori had filed suit PHC/360/2020 challenging the validity of Giadom’s claim as the acting National Chairman of the APC.

Adams Oshiomole, Victor Giadom, APC Acting Chairman in Rivers State, Igo Aguma, Babatunde Ogala and APC were the defendants in the suit.

They have prayed the court to declare Giadom as a former Deputy National Secretary as valid and effective from 2018 till date sequel to his resignation to contest in the 2019 general election as Deputy Governor of Rivers State.

The court adjourned the case to July 1, 2020, for the hearing of motion of notice after restraining Giadom from issuing, signing or endorsing any document or correspondence to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or any other body or institution in the capacity of the National Chairman or Acting National Chairman of the APC.

The screening was fair and professionally done, Obaseki says as PDP clears him for primary

Samad UTHMAN
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The screening was fair and professionally done, Obaseki says as PDP clears him for primary

GODWIN Obaseki, Governor of Edo State has passed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) screening  to contest in the party’s governorship primary election describing the exercise as ‘fair and professionally done’.

Speaking after the screening exercise which was done on Saturday, Obaseki who stated that he presented the same academic certificates which were the basis for his disqualification by the All Progressives Congress (APC) said there was objectivity in the screening process.

“The screening was fair, it was very professionally done. You could see objectivity and I presented all my certificates- my secondary school, higher school, university and my National Youth Service Certificates so that they can look at them and see if there are inconsistencies in them,” he said.

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The opposition party, PDP has fixed the governorship primary election in Edo State for Thursday, June 25 and the governor will contest against Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Gideon Ikhine, and Kenneth Imansuangbon who were also cleared by the Screening Committee.

The ICIR reported why Obaseki was disqualified by a seven-man screening committee of the APC led by Professor Jonathan Ayuba,  over “multiple inconsistencies in his presented academic certificates.”

“Governor Godwin Obaseki was deemed ineligible by the screening committee over multiple inconsistencies in his presented academic certificates, including a Higher School Leaving Certificate the Governor claimed to have obtained from an Institute of Continuing Education in Benin City, Edo State,” the Committee had said.

Obaseki had on Tuesday renounced his membership of APC after meeting with Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Muhammadu Buhari.

On  Tuesday, June 19, he officially became a member of the PDP when he picked membership form and also picked the party’s governorship nomination form.

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