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200 Children Re-unite With Parents In Borno

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200 Children Re-unite With Parents In Borno

NEMA reunites 200 children with their parents

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, said that more than 200 children affected by the Boko Haram insurgency have been reunited with their parents.

Head of Operations of the Adamawa and Taraba office of NEMA, Sa’ad Bello, made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Yola.

He said the successful reunion was made possible in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, through a special programme tagged “Restoring Family Link Programme.”

Bello however added that there were still about 165 unaccompanied children in four designated camps in Adamawa.

He added that the children who were successfully reunited with the parents were mostly between the ages of five and 12, and hailed mainly from Bama and Baga in Borno.

The official said some families from Bama visited some Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps in Yola where they identified their children and after intensive investigation by appropriate authorities concerned, the children were handed over to their parents.

Bello assured that NEMA with the support of the Red Cross, will keep working hard to reunite the remaining unaccompanied children with their parents.

Uduaghan Denies Committing Electoral Offence

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Uduaghan Denies Committing Electoral Offence
Former Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan
Former Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan

Former Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has described the report by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, indicting him of electoral offences, as lazy and not well researched.

An NHRC report released on Thursday had indicted Uduaghan; former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Maurice Iwu, former Edo State governor, Oserheimen Osunbor and former Acting Governor of Kogi State, Clarence Obafemi, of having committed various electoral offences during the 2007 and 2011 general elections in Nigeria.

Uduaghan, who spoke with a reporter from THE NATION newspaper, accused the NHRC of not thoroughly studying the circumstances surrounding the nullification of his 2007 electoral  victory before including his name in the list of poll offenders.

He maintained that he was wrongly removed by the Appeal Court in Benin, and could not appeal to the Supreme Court at the time because governorship cases ended at the appeal court.

He added that other landmark judgments had clarified that the Appeal court at the time was wrong as the “burden of proof” lies on the accuser and not the accused.

“Therefore the Appeal Court judgment in Benin was wrongly against me. Unfortunately, the National Human Rights Commission did not study my case properly before making their recommendation,” he insisted.

He said: “The Court of Appeal nullified my 2007 election based on the law of burden of proof: Who does the burden of proof rest on? The petitioner or the respondent?

“My 2007 governorship election was nullified in November 2010 on the basis of the decision by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, that a petitioner who lost election at the polling centre claiming before the tribunal that no election took place, has no burden of proving his assertion, as the burden rests on the party that asserts that election took place.

“That led to the re-run election. I could not go to the Supreme Court then because governorship cases ended at the Appeal Court.

“However, the decision of burden of proof was finally laid to rest in the case of the 2011 Presidential election between the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, versus INEC where the election of the President was questioned.

“The Petitioner alleged non-compliance with the electoral process. But the Supreme Court ruled that there can be no passing the bucket until the petitioner has discharged the onus cast on him by law, meaning the onus does not shift to the respondent.”

Bem Angwe, Executive Secretary of the NHRC, while presenting the report on Thursday said the commission had made recommendations to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigerian Police to conduct further investigations on the Electoral report and prosecute those indicted accordingly.

ASUP Set To Begin Nationwide Strike

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ASUP Set To Begin Nationwide Strike

asup

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has vowed to commence a nationwide strike from August 22 if the federal government fails to honour the agreement it reached with the union in 2013.

Usman Dutse, ASUP national president, disclosed this  to reporters on Thursday at the end of an emergency meeting of the union in Kaduna State.

He said that since the suspension of the protracted strike in 2014, the government is yet to address some of the core issues that necessitated the strike.

Dutse urged the government to as a matter of urgency, address these issues in order to avoid another nationwide industrial action.

A communique issued by the Union at the end of the meeting noted that no significant progress has been made by government in resolving the issues.

The statement said the issues in contention include the non-implementation of Needs Assessment Report of 2014, non-payment of salaries in many state-owned institutions, delay in the review of the Polytechnic Act and poor funding of polytechnics among other demands.

The ASUP President said that despite giving the government enough time when it came on board last year to settle down and address all pending issues, the present administration has showed no concern about the plight of lecturers, whose salaries were being reduced or owed in most federal and state polytechnics.

Borno State Establishes Board To Regulate Preaching 

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Borno State Establishes Board To Regulate Preaching 
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State

The Borno state government on Thursday inaugurated the state Islamic Preaching Board saddled with the responsibility of regulating preaching in order to prevent incitement of religious faithful.

The state is still embroiled in insurgency which is believed to have been as a result of unguarded preaching by the leaders of the Boko Haram sect.

The State Governor, Kashim Shettima who inaugurated the Islamic Preaching Board and the Pilgrims Welfare Board at the Government House Maiduguri, said that the establishment of the preaching board had become imperative to avoid a repeat of the Boko Haram insurgency.

He said: “In 2003 Taliban came out in Kanama and were defeated by the military, they re-grouped and attacked Bama and Gwoza in 2004 they were defeated; re-grouped and attacked Panshekara in 2007; re-grouped and came out in 2009 and were also defeated by the military.

“They re-grouped again in 2013 and 2014 and sacked many local governments. We must seek a permanent solution; hence the need to establish the board to curb the spreading of misguided ideology in the state.”

He said the government will also establish Tsangaya Regulatory Board to regulate the proliferation of Tsangaya school and teaching in the state, adding that the influx of of Almajiris need to be regulated to check spread of extremists ideology.

Shettima called on the chairman and members of the committee to bring to bear their experiences to make sure those with radical ideologies did not spread them in the name of preaching.

On the Pilgrims Welfare Board, the governor called on the members of the board to work closely with the Amirul Hajj Committee to ensure a hitch free 2016 hajj exercise.

The Islamic Preaching Board is to be headed by the Chief Imam of Borno, Laisu Ahmed, while Mohammdu Mustapha, Arabi Fatahi, Ali Mustapha, Ibrahim Mustapha among others as members.

While the Pilgrims Board has Ali Gapchiya as chairman, with Bako Gurantee,   Abubakar Kyari among other as members.

Earlier in his remarks, the state Commissioner for Religious Affairs,  Mustapha Fanarambe thanked the governor for constituting the two important committees, stressing that the constitution of the boards was an indication of the state government’s determination to ensure that the relative peace the state is experiences did not suffered a setback again.

He said the pilgrims welfare board inauguration could not have come at a better time, as the 2016 Hajj exercise has commenced, while the maiden airlift of Borno pilgrims is scheduled to take off on Saturday.

Speaking on behalf of the two Committees, Mohammed Ali Gapchiya commended the state government for inaugurating the committees and called on the governor to establish a State Council of Ulamas to serve as a spiritual link between the state government and the Ulamas.

He assured the government and people of Borno that they will do their best to ensure that they justify the confidence reposed on them.

Edo Election: INEC Register 1.9 Million Voters

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Edo Election: INEC Register 1.9 Million Voters

Edo Elections Inec announces Voters number

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said that a total of 1,924, 072 voters have registered for the Permanent Voters Card, PVC, ahead of the September 10 governorship elections in Edo State.

Muhammed Lecky, INEC National Commissioner, made this known at the Publication and Presentation of official Voters Register to political parties’ candidates.

He said that 136,038 voters were registered during the Continuous Voters Registration exercise which took place between June 22 and June 26, adding that 132,559 of voters attempted multiple registration.

Lecky said that Section 20 of the Electoral Act provides that the Register of Voters for an election shall be issued not less than thirty days before such an election.

The National Commissioner reiterated that the safety of its personnel would not be compromised during the elections, as well as that of voters, election observers, and journalists.

The Edo State police Commissioner, Chris Ezike, at the event gave assurance of safety for every participant in the election.

Ezike said the police and other sister agencies would ensure an enabling environment for free, fair and credible elections.

After 2 Years Of Zero Incidence, Nigeria Records New Polio Cases

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After 2 Years Of Zero Incidence, Nigeria Records New Polio Cases

Nigeria records New polio cases

Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has lamented the two confirmed cases of Wild Polio Virus Type 1 in Borno State, saying that the development was a setback for the nation.

Nigeria reportedly recorded two new cases of Wild Polio Virus Type 1 at Gwoza and Jere in Borno State, on Tuesday, after the country had celebrated two years of zero incidence of polio.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday on the sideline of the Family Planning Consultative Stakeholders Meeting at the Banquet Hall, State House in Abuja, Adewole said government would do everything possible to contain the situation.

He assured that emergency plans are being made to dispatch a team to Borno State to start immunization.

According to the minister, the federal government would do three rounds of special immunization campaigns to make sure that the situation is contained.

He said, “It is unfortunate that we have the development. It has set us back. But I can assure the nation that we will do everything possible to be on top of the situation.

“We are meeting again today. We had a meeting yesterday to look at the situation. We are drawing out an emergency plan and in the next 48 hours, we are dispatching a team there and we are going to start immunization.

“We would do three rounds of special immunization campaigns to make sure that we contain the situation.”

The minister attributed the outbreak to insurgents’ activities in the Northeast but promised the international community that a robust response would be launched.

New Cases In Liberated Communities

“One of the cases is from Gwoza, which is actually close to the border. The other one is Jere. We suspect that both of them are linked to the insurgents eclipse,” he said.

“Mr. President himself when we had a meeting last week observed that as we liberate more areas, we should expect challenges. But we did not expect that there would be polio. We were expecting nutrition and other problems.

“As a nation, we will rise up to the challenge. We are assured by our international partners and we will launch a robust response.

He added, “We have enough funding for immunization in the 2016 budget. We have more projections for 2017 and 2018.  We are robustly supported by international partners. We have signed on to a World Bank loan to make ensure that we have enough funding. So, I think money is not the issue. The issue has to do with the access and the insurgency operations.”

Speaking on the effect of the outbreak, the Commissioner for Health, Borno State, Haruna Mshelia said Nigeria would have to start the polio-free certification all over again.

“What that means is that the certification will start all over again. It wasn’t that we were not doing the job, a chunk of the state was out of reach, and we couldn’t reach children there.

“For this to happen now, we will redouble our effort to ensure we mop up and immunise every child that is liberated so that such a thing will not happen again.”

He maintained that Gwoza is currently still partially accessible where people are living with no access to modern health care.

“The ones in Jere were displaced from another local government called Marfa where not all places are accessible. Where we have had access in the last two years we have no had case of polio at all. All these cases are coming out of areas that were liberated by the gallant activities of our military.”

Nigeria Now A Poor Country – Buhari

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Nigeria Now A Poor Country – Buhari
President Buhari with Babatunde Osotimehin and other dignitaries
President Buhari with Babatunde Osotimehin and other dignitaries

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria has suddenly become poor as a result of the drop in crude oil prices in the international market.

Buhari said this on Thursday at a meeting with the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Babatunde Osotimehin.

He said Nigerians are not feeling the exact severity of the situation due to his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

“It has been a very difficult year for Nigeria,” Femi Adesina, President Buhari’s media aide quoted him as saying.

“Before we came to office, petroleum sold for about $100 per barrel. Then it crashed to $37, and now oscillates between $40 and $45 per barrel.

“Suddenly, we’re a poor country, but commitment to transparency and accountability is not making people know that there is severe shortage,” he added.

President Buhari thanked the UN agency for its commitment to saving lives in Nigeria, particularly of women and children, asking them to bear with Nigeria in any area where the country is not living up to its responsibilities for now.

Buhari said the situation in the north-east is looking up, as internally displaced persons had begun returning to their farmlands, with the guarantee of relative security.

Osotimehin, a former minister of health in Nigeria, pledged UNFPA’s commitment in promoting healthcare facilities across the country.

He said Nigeria can reduce the rate of maternal mortality in the country if health authorities pay more attention to access to health facilities, and the human resources to run them.

Nigeria Still Africa’s Number One Economy – Dangote

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Nigeria Still Africa’s Number One Economy – Dangote
Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and president of Dangote Group, says Nigeria remains the number one economy in Africa.

Dangote, who spoke at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2016 presidential policy dialogue session, said the problem with the economy did not start with this current administration.

“The root cause of this economy issues clearly predates this administration,” he said.

He added that “Personally I don’t believe the numbers that South Africa has overtaken us as the biggest economy in Africa.”

Earlier on Wednesday, news broke that South Africa had overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s biggest economy.

According to BBC, a recalculation by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, using current exchange rates, put South Africa on top because the rand has strengthened against the dollar.

The value of South Africa’s economy is put at around $301 billion while Nigeria comes second at $296 billion.

FG To Expand Tax Net To Increase Revenue

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FG To Expand Tax Net To Increase Revenue
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo delivering his speech at the summit
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo delivering his speech at the summit

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that the Federal Government plans to tax 700,000 more companies as part of efforts to increase non-oil revenue and address the economic challenges facing Nigeria.

Osinbajo made this known on Thursday at the 2016 Presidential Policy Dialogue Session, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“A great effort has been made to improve non-oil revenues. This includes bringing an additional 700,000 companies into the tax net as compared to the targeted 500,000 set at the beginning of the year,” he said.

Osinbajo said that the Foreign Portfolio Investment, FPI, coming into the Nigerian economy via the capital market has declined by 85.5 percent since the first quarter of 2015; from $621 million in Q1 of 2015 to $90.3 million by Q1 2016.

Foreign direct investment also took a plunge of 56 percent of from $395 million in Q1 2015 to $175million by Q1 of 2016.

“Inflation is at 16.5%. Depreciation of the naira, increase in importation costs due to scarcity of FX. GDP declined from 6.3% in 2014 to 2.15% in 2015 and -0.36% in Q1 2016.

“Earnings from oil declined in the past eight months due to vandalization of pipelines and export assets in the Niger Delta. Power output fell from 5kMW in February to about 2.5k recently on account of over 60% loss in gas production due to pipeline vandalization,”the VP said.

According to Osinbajo, Other steps taken by government to tackle the economic recession include assisting states and local governments to pay workers and improving capital expenditure.

“We have had three such interventions including the latest loan of N90bn as part of a fiscal responsibility plan for States. These interventions have helped to boost household spending, which were key steps to prevent the economy from falling into deep recession,” he said.

The vice president noted that the government pledged to keep capital spending in the budget at a minimum of 30 per cent, adding that “Accordingly, we have already made capital releases of N332bbn, with another N100bn set to be released in the next few days,”.

He said other policy instruments used to help the economy include the Treasury Single Account, “which has brought transparency into inflows & outflows of government monies.”

He also said the country’s milled rice capacity was being increased from three million to 10 million tons annually.

Osinbajo said government was aware of the slump in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Portfolio Investment into the country, and decline in power generation as well as power output, but promised that the challenges is being addressed.

He said: “Our immediate tasks to achieve our economic objectives are: 1. reduce fiscal and forex imbalances; 2. boost dollar liquidity; curb inflation; 4. lower interest rate and ensure lending to the real sector 5. increase FDIs and FPI by sustaining enabling policies.”

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Buhari, Soyinka In Closed Door Meeting

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Buhari, Soyinka In Closed Door Meeting
President Buhari and Wole Soyinka
President Buhari and Wole Soyinka

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.

Soyinka arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 11:00am and went straight to the President’s office.

After the meeting, the Professor of Comparative Literature told State House correspondents that he had come to see the President on some national, international and general matters.

When asked further questions, he promised to hold a press conference in a few days.

The literary icon had last month voiced his support for President Buhari’s fight against corruption, with a call for the imprisonment of corrupt politicians to serve as deterrent to others.

Professor Soyinka made the call while addressing journalists at the 7th edition of Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Programme, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He was of the opinion that the anti-corruption campaign should be more inclusive and that all other professionals should be part of the battle.

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