FG aiding Kanu to cause crisis in South-East — MASSOB (Punch)
Leader and founder of the Movement for the Actualisation for Sovereign State of Biafra and the Biafran Independent Movement, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has alleged that the Federal Government is aiding the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, to cause crisis in Igboland. Uwazuruike, who stated this on Saturday while addressing some journalists in Owerri, wondered how Kanu could escape out of the country when all his travelling documents had been seized by the government. Read more
NLC, TUC begin strike mobilisation Wednesday (Punch)
The Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress will begin a nationwide mobilisation in preparation for the strike which is set for November 6, 2018. The President of the Trade Union Congress, Bobboi Kaigama, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the strike will go as planned should the government refuse to peg the minimum wage at N30,000. Read more
LAUTECH slashes proposed tuition fees (Guardian)
The Governing Council of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State has directed the reduction in the proposed tuition fees in the Institution. According to a statement signed by Head, Public and Alumni Relations Unit, LAUTECH, Mr. Olalekan Fadeyi, N140, 000 has been approved for indigenes of Oyo and Osun States, while non indigenes will pay N170, 000, as against the N200, 000 for indigenes of owner states and N250, 000, for non indigenes. Read more
2019: Militants demand Niger Delta blueprint (Punch)
Ahead of the 2019 elections, a group, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, has demanded a blueprint for the development of the oil-producing region from each presidential candidate and other politicians jostling for various elective positions. The coalition of militants, who warned that it would declare ‘Operation Zero Oil Flow’ if the candidates failed to explain their plans for the region, also urged them to state their positions on the relocation of multinational oil and gas companies to the Niger Delta region. Read more
Amosun in last efforts to reclaim Ogun ahead 2019 (Guardian)
This is not the best of times for Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who is fighting the toughest political battle of his life to save his political structure from crumbling while still in office. The embattled governor had been given a slide tackle by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that declined to accept the primaries conducted by the State Working Committee (SWC), that produced his preferred aspirant, Hon Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade as the governorship candidate of the party. Read more
Imo workers to collect salaries in advance (Punch)
The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has said that the state received N12.6bn Paris Club refund and explained that N5bn out of it would be used for the payment of pensions. The governor also said that although the state did not owe workers any outstanding salary, N9bn would be set aside for the payment of salaries. Read more
Ex-South African president De Klerk hospitalised for lung ailment (Guardian)
Former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner FW de Klerk has been hospitalised for a lung condition but is recovering and is expected to be discharged next week, his foundation said on Saturday. De Klerk, 82, his country’s most recent white president, became Nobel laureate jointly with his successor, Nelson Mandela, in 1993 for overseeing its transition from apartheid rule. Read more
Deadly shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue (BBC)
Eleven people have been killed, officials say, in a gun attack on a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The gunman, who opened fire as the Tree of Life synagogue held a service, was later taken into custody. President Donald Trump said “a lot of people” had been killed and injured in a “wicked act of mass murder”. Read more
Saudi rejects Turkey’s call to extradite Khashoggi killers (Guardian)
Riyadh Saturday dismissed Ankara’s calls to extradite 18 Saudis wanted for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi, as Washington warned the crisis risked destabilising the Middle East. “The individuals are Saudi nationals. They’re detained in Saudi Arabia, and the investigation is in Saudi Arabia, and they will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a regional defence forum in Bahrain. Read more
Japan’s Princess Ayako to marry commoner (CNN)
Before Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped out in a silk Givenchy wedding dress to marry Prince Harry, the public spent months guessing who would have the honor of designing the royal gown. But ahead of Japan’s Princess Ayako’s wedding to fiancé Kei Moriya on Monday, the question isn’t which designer will the bride wear, but what type of kimono will she choose and, perhaps more importantly, what will it symbolize? Read more
Robots to make other robots in Chinese factory (Guardian)
Robots will make robots at a new ABB factory in China, which the Swiss engineering group said on Saturday it plans to build for $150 million in Shanghai as it defends its place as the country’s largest maker of industrial robots. The factory, located near ABB’s China robotics campus, is due to be operating by the end of 2020 and will produce robots for China as well as for export elsewhere in Asia. China is ABB’s No. 2 market after the United States. Read more
Roller Skating championship makes debut in Abuja (Vanguard)
The maiden Roller Sports Federation of Nigeria championship will roll off November 22, 2018 at the National Stadium, Abuja, with the prize money of N100,000 for the gold medal winner, N70,000 for silver and N50,000 for the bronze winner. RSFN founder and president, Comrade Joseph Evah, said the competition was intended to encourage young roller skaters in the country with the hope of dissuading them from rolling in the streets where they endanger their lives. Read more
Leicester City owner’s helicopter crashes leaving stadium (BBC)
The Leicester City owner’s helicopter has crashed in a car park outside the club’s ground, shortly after taking off following a match. It is not known if Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was in the helicopter at the time. Leicester City had been playing West Ham United in the Premier League at their King Power stadium. One witness said he saw Leicester’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel run out towards the crashed helicopter. Read more
Sublime Mane goals help Liverpool go top with win over Cardiff (BBC)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says it is “not too decisive” that the Reds are top of the table after 10 games as victory over Cardiff City ensured their joint-best start to a Premier League season. Sadio Mane scored twice while Mohamed Salah and substitute Xherdan Shaqiri also found the net at Anfield. Read more
Federer to face Copil in Basel final (BBC)
Defending champion Roger Federer reached his 14th Swiss Indoors final in Basel with a commanding 6-1 6-4 victory over Russian Daniil Medvedev. The 37-year-old world number three, an eight-time champion here, survived a late break to win in 64 minutes. In Sunday’s final he will play world number 93 Marius Copil of Romania, who beat second seed Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-4. Read more
Army to pay actress N1.25m for assault (Punch)
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Friday ordered the Nigerian Army to pay the sum of N1, 250,000 and publish a written apology in at least two national dailies to a Nollywood actress, Ebere Ohakwe, as compensation after she was beaten up by men of the Nigerian Army in February 2017. Ohakwe, popularly known as Jewel Infinity, was travelling in a public bus from Port Harcourt, Rivers State to Onitsha, Anambra State when operatives of the Nigerian Army stationed at Omagwa axis of the Port Harcourt Airport Road stopped the vehicle for a routine stop-and-search and, in the process, physically assaulted her. Read more
Police kill kidnap suspects, rescue victim (Punch)
The anti-kidnapping unit of the Imo State Police Command has rescued unhurt, an abducted woman, Chima Uchegbu. The operatives also killed two out of the three suspects who engaged them in a gun duel during the rescue operation. The state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, told our correspondent in Owerri on Saturday that the woman was rescued at an isolated building in the Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state. Read more