Join Our Party, ADP Tells Members Of De-registered Political Parties

Lagos – Action Democratic Party (ADP) has asked members of the 74 political parties de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to join its fold as it is the only credible alternative political party to All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the two dominant parties in Nigeria.

ADP, while reacting to the de-registration of the 74 political parties by INEC on Thursday, in a press statement made available to DAILY INDEPENDENT and signed by the National Secretary of the party, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, maintained that the party would meet their aspirations.

The party used the opportunity to appreciate all its members nationwide, who participated in the verification exercise, which according to him, showed that the party was not a mere political party on the paper but very strong at the grassroots, having a presence across the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country |||READ MORE …

Full list of the 74 parties deregistered by INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has deregistered 74 out of Nigeria’s 92 political parties for their lackluster performance in the 2019 general elections.

Some of the deregistered parties include All Blending Party, Advanced Allied Party, We the People Nigeria, Sustainable National Party and Youth Party.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu who made the declaration at a news conference Thursday in Abuja also announced September 19, 2020 for the governorship election in Edo, and October 10, 2020 for the governorship election in Ondo |||READ MORE …

North launches own security outfit ‘Shege-Ka-Fasa’

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Wednesday unveiled northern Nigeria security outfit code-named ‘Operation Shege-Ka-Fasa’ which literally means “I dare you to attack or surrender” in Hausa.

It is believed to be a Northern version of the South-West regional security initiative ‘Operation Amotekun’ (Leopard).

Addressing the press, the spokesman for the group, Abdullazeez Suleiman, said the security outfit is the vanguard of northerners irrespective of ethnic and religious affiliation |||READ MORE …

OAU suspends another lecturer for sexually harassing teenage student

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife Osun state has suspended another lecturer, Monday Omo-Etan of the school’s distance learning centre for allegedly harassing a 19-year-old female student.

A statement issued by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju disclosed that the university authority also handed the tutor over to the police for investigation.

It added the institution would not condone any type of harassment against any member of its community |||READ MORE …

Nigerian Govt Expecting Ibori, Alamieyeseigha, Diezani, Aluko Loots – Malami

A day after a tripartite agreement was sealed by Nigeria, the Island of Jersey and the United States of America (USA) for the repatriation of $308 million stolen assets recovered from the late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has revealed that the federal government has commenced fresh negotiations for looted funds by former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, former minister of petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the late governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and Kola Aluko, a businessman.

Malami, who spoke from Washington DC via telephone on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme monitored by LEADERSHIP in Abuja yesterday, said that the recovered Abacha loot would   be returned to Nigeria soon.

The deal was consummated by the interested parties in Washington DC on Tuesday |||READ MORE …

Declare State Of Emergency Now, NSCIA Tells PMB

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has said that the time had come for President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the insecurity in the country.

While addressing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, on the State of the Nation, NSCIA’s director of administration, Alhaji Yusuf Chinedozi Nwoha, said that the level of insecurity nationwide had reached an unacceptable crescendo that declaring a state of emergency on it appears not only necessary but also pressing.

Nwoha said that now is the right time to arrest the insecurity in the country and called on the federal government to be decisive in combatting the situation |||READ MORE …

Coronavirus: Drama As Reps Reject Motion To Evacuate Nigerians In China

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a motion to evacuate Nigerians in China following the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

According to lawmakers who voted massively against the motion raised by the spokesperson of the house, Benjamin Okezie, China has better facilities to handle the situation than Nigeria.

Despite efforts by the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila to calm the lawmakers and allow Mr Okezie to move his motion, the lawmakers denied him the opportunity |||READ MORE …

Lagos State Government To Deploy 65 More Buses To Ease Commuters’ Pain

The Lagos State Government has announced that a fleet of 65 buses will be deployed to join the others on some major routes as from today, Monday, February 3, 2020.

It directed the management of the Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL) on Sunday to deploy the buses in order to ease commuters’ pain after the recent ban on motorcycle and tricycles.

Also, no less than 550 more buses are expected besides the 14 ferries which will be commissioned on Tuesday. This will further open up the waterways, and reduce travel time on various routes. It will also provide safe, dependable and comfortable alternatives for commuters |||READ MORE …

Akande blames wrong SIM card registration for kidnapping

The nominee of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.),  for the chairmanship of the Nigeria Communication Commission board, Prof. Adeolu Akande, has  blamed  wrong SIM card registration for  the rising cases of  kidnapping, banditry and armed robbery in the country.

He stated this on Tuesday when he appeared for screening before  the Committee on Communication headed by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Akande said, “There is no doubt that the use of communication as a tool on criminality has been on the rise |||READ MORE …

Visa On Arrival Takes Effect As FG Launches New Policy

The federal government yesterday in Abuja launched a New Visa Policy (NVP) to boost the nation’s economy and allow travellers to visit Nigeria without visas and only commence the process of obtaining visa upon arrival into the country.

The Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday James, who disclosed this in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the new visa policy broadened the scope of visa obtainment in Nigeria from the hitherto six categories to 79.

He said that the enhanced visa policy by Nigeria, one of Africa’s key economies, comes on the back of the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement |||READ MORE …

16 States Yet To Implement New Minimum Wage

Sixteen states are yet to begin implementation of the new wage includes, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday.

President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who made this known during the National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the Cognress, said the states include Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo,  Plateau, Rivers, Zamfara and Taraba.

He said the NLC has already empowered its state councils to mobilise their members to withdraw their services once there was no show of commitment by their respective state governments towards implementing the new minimum wage of N30,000 for workers in the states |||READ MORE …

100 Associations Seek Registration As Political Parties

Over 100 association have applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking to be registered as political parties, LEADERSHIP has gathered.

But the current 91 political parties may be facing deregistration as a committee set-up for their verification has submitted it report, which sources said is being considered.

Political Parties likely to be deregistered, according to the report, are those who performed poorly in the 2019 general elections and the rerun elections conducted in January, 2020 |||READ MORE …

Nigeria, US Agree On Return Of $308m Abacha Loot

Nigeria has recorded another major breakthrough in its efforts to recover stolen assets as the federal government signed a tripartite Asset Recovery Agreement with the United States and the government of Jersey.

Under the deal, the two countries agreed to return over $308 million of forfeited assets to Nigeria.

The money, according to a joint statement issued by the three parties, was laundered through the US banking system and then held in bank accounts in Jersey in the name of one of the sons of the late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha |||READ MORE …

Long walk to school feeding programme

The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) being implemented in 31 states across the country, and now in Abuja, is  an off-shoot of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

It was formally launched in 2016. The promoters said it was conceived to tackle poverty and hunger across the country, while encouraging more school enrolment,  especially among the school- disadvantaged areas in the country.

Inside Abuja‘s findings showed that “the NHGSFP delivers school feeding to young children with a specific focus on increasing school enrollment, reducing the incidence of malnutrition (especially among the poor and those ordinarily unable to eat a meal-a-day), empowering community women as cooks and supporting small farmers that help stimulate economic growth” |||READ MORE …

Nigerians reject Hate Speech, anti-Social Media Bills

Nigerians, yesterday, vehemently opposed the Internet Falsehood Manipulation Bill and the Bill seeking to establish National Commission for  Prohibition of Hate Speeches.

Those who expressed this opposition also advised the sponsors of the Bills, Senators Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) and Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North), to withdraw the bills from the Senate in the interest of the country’s democracy.

Signs of outright rejection of the bills were made manifest at the Town Hall meeting organised on the proposed legislations by African Independent Television (AIT) in Abuja |||READ MORE …

Okada ban: Three killed in police, operators’ shootout

Three people were reportedly shot dead yesterday when policemen clashed with tricycle operators and commercial motorcyclists otherwise called Okada riders at Ijora area of Lagos. 

The riders and tricycle (popularly called Keke NAPEP) operators were protesting the ban on their operations by the state government. 

The ban, which took effect on Saturday, was imposed on six local government areas and nine local council development areas (LCDAs) |||READ MORE …

“Unprecedented” Locust Invasion Approaches Full-Blown Crisis

Desert locusts swarm across a highway at Lerata village, near Archers Post in Samburu county, approximately 186 miles north of Nairobi on January 22, 2020. Credit: Tony Karumba Getty Images

Locust swarms of biblical proportions are threatening crops across a wide swath of Africa and southwest Asia—spurring alarm among top international officials.

A major concern is famine. The United Nations is warning that mass swarms of desert locusts are endangering food supplies in eastern Africa. In response, officials in Rome mobilized an emergency briefing yesterday in a bid to raise money—noting the situation has a high potential to devolve into a full-blown crisis.

“This is an unprecedented situation that we are facing,” said Dominique Burgeon, an emergency services director at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization |||READ MORE …

Is this the world's craziest car park? Hundreds of vehicles are packed in so tightly that their owners have to PUSH them out like a 'giant puzzle game'

This shocking footage shows a car park which may be the busiest in the world, with drivers forced to push their vehicles out of their space like a 'giant puzzle game' because they are crammed in so tightly.  

Hundreds of motorists pile into the free facility in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, Thailand, every day to avoid paying charges in nearby car parks.  

The immense popularity of the government-owned space has resulted in chaotic scenes - with cars parked bumper-to-bumper and regularly colliding with each other |||READ MORE …

Duke University professor removed over ‘speak English’ email

More than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for an investigation into the email sent to medical students at Duke University ( iStock )

A senior academic has stepped down from her role at a top US university after emails emerged in which she urged Chinese students to speak English.

Dr Megan Neely left her post as director of graduate studies at Duke University in North Carolina after sending a message stating staff members had been “disappointed” to hear a group of first-year Master’s degree students speaking Chinese in a study area.

Dr Neely will stay on at the university as an assistant professor |||READ MORE …

Govt, media’ve responsibility to end fake news –Malami

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said that both government and the media should step up the fight against fake news in the country.

Malami made the observation in Abuja on Friday while playing host to a media delegation from the DAAR Communications.

According to him, the media and government should strike a balance capable of checkmating menace of fake news, hate speech, peddling of falsehood and the likes, saying they only promote mistrust and division in the country |||READ MORE …