A taxi driver told me about arms in Clark’s residence – Informant (Punch)
An informant, Ismail Yakubu, has narrated how he instigated the raid on the residence of the elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, by armed policemen on Tuesday in Abuja. The 45-year-old indigene of the Federal Capital Territory explained that a taxi driver informed him that a sealed Toyota Hilux was conveying arms and ammunition into the Asokoro, Abuja residence of the Niger Delta leader. Read more
Buhari picks Presidential Form (Vanguard)
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has picked his expression of interest and nomination form to contest in the forthcoming primary election of his ruling All Progressives Congress APC. The form, sold for N45 million, was purchased on his behalf Wednesday by one of his support groups, the Nigerian Consolidation Ambassadors Network. Read more
Automatic ticket for Dino Melaye threatens Kogi PDP (Vanguard)
The meeting of National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, to settle the rift in the Kogi State chapter of the party over plans to grant automatic ticket to some National Assembly members, ended in a deadlock, yesterday. The meeting, at the private residence of the National Chairman in Abuja, also had Sunday Karimi exchanging words with Senator Dino Melaye, with the former accusing the latter of attempting to destroy the party in the state. Read more
Lagos new ICT Park to take N43 billion (Guardian)
The Concessionaire for the construction of new Lagos Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Park, Bridgeways Global Projects Limited, has revealed that the project would cost about N43 billion and be ready in two and half years from now. Otherwise known as Kantagowa ICT Business Park, which is to be situated along the Lagos-Abeokuta Express-way, the project is expected to be the permanent location of the current Ikeja Computer Village Market.Speaking with The Guardian after a consultation meeting with association leadership of the Computer Village Market in Lagos at the weekend, the Chief Executive Officer of Bridgeways Global Projects Limited, Jimmy Onyemenam, said: “what we are developing in Katangowa will elevate the status of Lagos as a global technology location. It is far beyond providing real estate for the development of another Computer Village.” Read more
2019: I’ll contest for senate, Amosun declares (SUN)
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, on Wednesday, laid to rest the speculation of his senatorial ambition, as he declared that he would contest for the position of Ogun Central Senatorial seat in 2019. The governor equally said that contrary to the news making the rounds that he was jittery to allow direct primaries by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, he was ready to back direct system to choose the candidates of the party for next year’s general elections. Read more
Vote buying, a cancer to Nigeria democracy- Akila (Vanguard)
The former Chairperson, Bogoro local government area of Bauchi state, Honourable Hassana Akila has raised alarm over the spate of vote buying in the recent elections conducted in the country,describing it as a cancer to Nigeria democracy capable of destroying the gains of civilian government. INEC Arkila who spoke during an interview with newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday, said vote buying has been part of the country’s electoral politics for sometime which is fuelled by extreme poverty in the lives of the electorates. Read more
No room for vote buying in Osun election – INEC (Guardian)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said it will not allow any form of electoral fraud in the Osun State governorship election. The state is expected to go to poll on September 22. The commission said the Osun governorship election will be used to send a strong message to vote traders ahead of the 2019 general elections. Read more
I believe in restructuring, says Mark as he joins Presidential race (Vanguard)
Immediate past President of the Senate, and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, David Mark, yesterday obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, EINF, to run for the Office of the President in the 2019 general elections. Mark, who turned up at the party’s headquarters accompanied by several aides and political associates, dressed in black trousers, black shoes and a plain white long sleeve shirt which he folded neatly to the wrists, declared that his Blueprint Tagged “730” has an economic model capable of turning the economy around within two years. Read more
Chinese loans not debt trap – Buhari (Sun)
President Muhammadu Buhari has dispelled insinuations about what he called the so-called debt trap by Chinese government on developing countries, insisting that Nigeria would be able to repay the loans. This is even as he disclosed that Nigeria’s partnership with China through FOCAC has resulted in the execution of vital infrastructure projects across the country, valued at over $5 billion in the last three years under his watch. Read more
Police drag doctor to court over alleged negligence
Operatives of the Police Special Fraud Unit, PSFU, at Ikoyi, Lagos have dragged Dr. Ejike Orji, 59, attached to Excel Medical Center at Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for negligence. He was accused of using a razor blade to inflict deep cut on his patient Somi Ezi Ashi’s injury, which caused him more complications and grievous bodily harm. Read more
New port access road to cost N72billion (Vanguard)
THE Federal Government has approved the reconstruction of the port access roads running from Apapa port to the old toll gate in Ketu-Berger areas of Lagos. Disclosing this in Lagos during a visit to the Vanguard Newspapers, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, said that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved N72billion for the reconstruction of the port that will be completed with 24 months. Read more
Twitter chief says was unprepared for ‘weaponized’ social media efforts (Guardian)
Twitter was “unprepared and ill-equipped” for the vast campaigns of manipulation that affected social media in the past few years, chief executive Jack Dorsey told lawmakers Wednesday. Dorsey, appearing before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on foreign influence campaigns on social media, said the messaging service was set up to function as a “public square” but failed to deal with “abuse, harassment, troll armies, propaganda through bots.” Read more
Facebook chief says internet firms in ‘arms race’ for democracy (Guardian)
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said late Tuesday that the leading social network and other internet firms are in an arms race to defend democracy. Zuckerberg’s Washington Post op-ed came on the eve of hearings during which lawmakers are expected to grill top executives from Facebook and Twitter. Google’s potential participation is unclear. Read more
NFF bans Nigerian coach Salisu Yusuf for taking bribe (Guadian)
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has placed a one-year ban from all football-related activities on Super Eagles’ Chief Coach, Salisu Yusuf. Yusuf was caught on camera collecting bribe from undercover journalists who pretended to be football agents. The footage, shot by BBC’s Ghanaian reporter Anas Aremeyaw Anas in September 2017, showed Yusuf collecting a handful of money, reportedly, $1000 cash. Read more
Trump Weighs In on Nike Kaepernick Ads (VOA)
President Donald Trump added his voice via Twitter Tuesday morning to the conservative furor over Nike’s decision to make former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick the star of its latest ad campaign. “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?” Trump tweeted. Read more
Kim Kardashian takes up new cause, meets again with Donald Trump (TheHollywood)
Kim Kardashian is a woman on a mission. And, for once, that mission does NOT involve taking her clothes off and/or shilling for some kind of unhealthy weight loss supplement. That’s the last time we’ll mock Kim in this post because we really do need to tip our proverbial hat to her ongoing efforts to work on criminal justice reform in America. Yes, Kim Kardashian has become a prominent voice when it comes to criminal justice reform in America. Read more