Ambode’s hopes fade as tension marks APC gov primaries today (Punch)
Residents in states where the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party will elect their governorship candidates for the 2019 governorship election have expressed fears of possible breakdown of law and order during the primaries today. Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH correspondents, who spoke with political party leaders, aspirants and some residents of the affected states, revealed that the exercises might not be without violence. Read more
Nothing to justify plans to deny Ambode second term – Osinbajo (PMNews)
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday warned leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State against the dire consequences of denying the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode a second term, saying there was absolutely nothing to justify such move. Osinbajo handed down the warning at a meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC), the highest advisory body in the Lagos APC which was held in Lagos today. Read more
GAC endorses Sanwo-Olu for Lagos APC gov ticket (Punch)
The Governor’s Advisory Council of the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday endorsed Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the party’s governorship ticket in 2019. Sanwo-Olu is a former Commissioner for Training and Establishment in the state. SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the six-hour meeting held at the Bourdillon, Ikoyi, Lagos, residence of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Read more
APC presidential primaries: Buhari scores 100% in Kogi (PMNews)
Kogi chapter of the All Progressives (APC) on Saturday declared President Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the primaries held across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state on Friday. Alhaji Abdulahi Bello, chairman of the party in the state, who is also the Chief Returning Officer of the primary election, on Saturday night declared that the president scored 100 per cent of the total votes cast. Read more
Samsung workers seek government intervention in dispute with LADOL (Guardian)
Following dispute between Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) that led to the shutdown of the fabrication/integration yard at LADOL free zone for over three weeks now, SHI workers staged a peaceful protest to the Lagos office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), a government agency regulating the oil and gas sector, appealing for government’s intervention. Speaking on behalf of the workers, Assistant Manager, General Affairs Department, SHI, Samuel Samidotun called on the management of DPR to intervene in the matter, so as to save their jobs. Read more
Corruption : Why government is losing the war (Vanguard)
Corruption is described by Wikipedia as a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organisation entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefit, while political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain. Its forms include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Read more
Foreign election groups raise concerns over 2019 polls (Sun)
With less than 140 days to Nigeria’s general elections, international election groups have registered their concerns on various looming issues that could hamper the entire electoral process. The delegates from the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) gave the hint after their second joint pre-election assessment mission in Nigeria. Read more
Kogi PDP aspirants accuse Saraki of imposing Dino Melaye (Guardian)
Fresh crisis has hit the Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), over the disqualification of Kogi West Senatorial District aspirants. The aspirants in a statement accused the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki of being the architect of their disqualification, which paved way for an automatic return ticket to Senator Dino Melaye who recently defected to the party from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Read more
Boko Haram: Killing Leah Sharibu won’t solve your problems (Sun)
The media recently carried reports that Boko Haram killed Saifura Khorsa, one of the kidnapped health workers from Kala-Balge in Borno State and threatened to kill Hauwa Liman, Alice Ngaddah and Leah Sharibu, one of the adopted Dapchi girls that refused to renounce her faith. Note that some of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are still in Boko Haram custody. A national newspaper on April 15, 2018 reported that 98 of the 113 Chibok schoolgirls in Boko Haram custody had died. The report was attributed to Ahmad Salkida. Read more
My pastor’s message pushed me into acting – Theresa Edem-Isemin (Punch)
I was born in Akwa Ibom State. I am from a family of five – with three brothers and a step sister. My dad died when I was nine-year-old but my mum is still here with us. As a kid, I was very inventive and creative. I had a highly imaginative side and was a fast reader. Though I was reserved, I would still play rough with my brothers at home. At school, I was shy and always kept the play for home. Because I was the only girl; resulting from my parents waiting a long time to have me, I was very well-pampered. As a kid, I had many ambitions. I wanted to be a pilot, and then, an air hostess, an aeronautic engineer and even a musician. I guess I got the love of air from my dad who worked in the aviation line as well. Read more
Leah’s mother weeps over Boko Haram’s Oct death threat (Punch
Seven months after the abduction of her daughter by Boko Haram insurgents, Rebecca Sharibu broke down in tears on Saturday as she recalled the October deadline given to the Federal Government of Nigeria to act to save Leah Sharibu’s life. Leah was one of the 110 female students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, abducted by Boko Haram on February 19. While others were released, she was the only one held captive on account of her Christian faith. Read more
Nigeria @ 58: Stabilising the polity (Vanguard)
THE reality of Nigeria in 2019 is in every respect a far cry from the vision of the country’s founding fathers just before independence in 1960. Though varied in ethnic and religious outlook, the 53.5 million population carved into three regions at independence nevertheless had a common focus of a united country at independence. Read more
PDP convention venue controversy: I didn’t know Port Harcourt was being considered — Wike (Vanguard)
Dwelling on permutations ahead of the 2019 general elections, Governor Nyesom Wike, in this interview, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) never means well for Rivers State, saying the ruling party at the federal level raises propaganda on cleaning oil polluted Ogoniland only when election approaches. He dismisses the fuzz over the choice of Port Harcourt for the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention and the contention over who becomes the presidential flag-bearer of the party. Read more
I am not new in politics – ex-IGP (PMNews)
Alhaji Abba Suleiman, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), has described himself as not a new comer in politics saying he is not new in politics. Suleiman, who is contesting for the Jigawa Central senatorial seat, made the remark in Dutse on Saturday. He urged the people of the senatorial district to give him the mandate during the forthcoming general elections in 2019 to represent them in the Senate. Read more
Late Arsenal double sees off Watford (Punch)
Two late goals inside two minutes extended Arsenal’s winning streak to seven games across all competitions but this was not pretty and not entirely well deserved, Daily Mail reports. Unai Emery will take encouragement from the fact his side survived periods of pressure against Watford and there were strong performances at the back. Rob Holding excelled and Bernd Leno made an accomplished Premier League debut when he replaced injured captain Petr Cech in stoppage-time at the end of the first half. Read more
Messi benched as Bilbao hold Barcelona (Punch)
Lionel Messi’s importance to Barcelona does not diminish with the passing of the years – they go into Wednesday’s Champions League group game with Tottenham relying on him more than ever, Daily Mail reports. They stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou. Messi was left on the bench for almost an hour – he climed off it and saved the day setting up Munir El Haddadi for the late leveller. Read more
Tiwa Savage showed humility by kneeling to greet me, says Shina Peters (Punch)
When Tiwa Savage was recently pictured on her knees greeting Sir Shina Peters at an event, it generated mixed reactions. However, while speaking with Sunday Scoop, Sir Shina Peters said Tiwa Savage did the right thing and he appreciated her gesture towards him. He said, “This is what I always preach. Tiwa Savage showed that she is very humble and respectful and that is how it is supposed to be. When I meet people who are older than me, I also bow before them. I wasn’t surprised she did what she did. Whenever we meet at concerts or shows, that is how she greets me. In life, whatever you do, you will reap it later. Her children and people who came after her will celebrate and respect her too.” Read more
How Fela and Gabo spent their fame (Guardian)
This column today is about Fela Anikulapo Kuti of Nigeria popularly called Fela and Gabriel Garcia Marquez of Columbia popularly known as Gabo. Fame is a substance human beings seek. Endless days and nights are expended in pursuit of fame. John Milton (1608 – 1674) the English poet of “Paradise Lost” says in a less known poem entitled “Lycidas”: “Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise/That last infirmity of noble mind/To scorn delights, and live laborious days.” A footballer spends his day shooting over a thousand kicks at the goal. A musician spends thousands of hours practicing a sequence of sounds for effect. A writer tears up hundreds of written pages to rewrite again because a good book is not written, but rewritten. Then the work is released. The audience applauds and fame is finally achieved. How do you spend your fame? Read more