How Adeosun lost anti-graft battle to fake NYSC certificate (Vanguard)
According to erstwhile Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, “When you fight corruption, it fights back.” When Mrs. Kemi Adeosun assumed office as Minister of Finance on November 11, 2015, she exuded such confidence that she would make a significant mark in the economy which was, at the time, heading into recession. She told the ministry’s staff at the minister’s conference room that she would pursue economic policies capable of checking the prevalent massive corruption, raise tax revenues and return the economy to a positive growth of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Little did she know that she would be forced out of office by the same corruption she so vowed to tackle. Read more
Why I left the PDP – Salvador, former Lagos chairman (Guardian)
A former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr Moshood Salvador on Sunday said he did his best to reposition the opposition party for greatness while he was chairman. Salvador, now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the claim in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. NAN reports the ex-PDP chairman had on Aug.27 announced his exit from the opposition party following what he called irreconcilable differences with some elders of the party. Read more
Fresh defections loom as govs close in on senators’ seats (Punch)
The nation’s polity is set to witness fresh gale of defections as a result of the resolve of more senators to dump their parties after their governors have indicated interest in or planning to take over their tickets ahead of the 2019 elections. Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that many of the senators, especially members of the All Progressives Congress, had relied on the assurances of the national leadership of the party that they would be given automatic tickets to return to the red chamber next year if they did not join their colleagues to the Peoples Democratic Party in July. Read more
Adeosun’s resignation shows honour, integrity, APC says (PremiumTimes)
Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress (APC) says the resignation of Kemi Adeosun as Minister of Finance and acceptance of same by President Muhammadu Buhari is an action of honour, strength, character and integrity. Yekini Nabena, the APC acting National Publicity Secretary, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. Read more
Those who don’t see the good works of Buhari are pretenders – Femi Adesina (Vanguard)
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, in this interview, speaks on what he describes as the slanting of news negatively against the President Buhari, his government and spokesmen. Adeshina also speaks on his principal’s second term bid. Excerpts: Let me start with your professional constituency. There is this allegation that the incessant publications by the mainstream media of hate speech and fake news is a deliberate declaration of war against President Buhari and his government. What is your perspective? Read more
Kwankwaso Urges PDP Presidential Aspirants to Join Hands to Oust Buhari (ThisDay)
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sunday decried the mass suffering in Nigerians, saying the PDP presidential aspirants should join hands to oust President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections. Speaking in an interview with journalists in Sokoto weekend, Kwankwaso said Buhari had not only failed to deliver on his mandate but also pauperised Nigerians. The former governor said the only option left for Nigerians was to vote out the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the polls. Read more
EFCC slams foreign bank over prediction on Buhari (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has lambasted HSBC Bank days after predicting that Nigeria’s current economic struggles look set to continue if President Muhammadu Buhari wins a second term in office. The EFCC said in a post on its official Instagram page, @officialefcc, that the multinational banking group, which is Europe’s largest by total asset, was synonymous with money laundering. This comes less than 24 hours after the Presidency also lambasted HSBC, accusing it of benefitting from the corruption that plagued the country.
Insurance: NAICOM releases business conduct, sanctions in new Tier-Based Regime (Vanguard)
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on Sunday released conduct of business practices and sanctions for insurance companies under the new Tier-Based Minimum Solvency Capital (TBMSC) regime. A statement signed by the Director Supervision, NAICOM, Mr Barineka Thompson, said the ethical codes would enhance soundness of insurers. NAICOM explained that in the new TBMSC capitalisation structure, insurers would automatically fall in any of tier 1 to 3, based on their financial statement position. Read more
NASA blasts off space laser satellite to track ice loss (Guardian)
NASA’s most advanced space laser satellite blasted off Saturday on a mission to track ice loss around the world and improve forecasts of sea level rise as the climate warms. Cloaked in pre-dawn darkness, the $1 billion, half-ton ICESat-2 launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force base in California at 6:02 am (1302 GMT). “Three, two one, liftoff!” said a launch commentator on NASA television. “Lifting ICESat-2 on a quest to explore the polar ice sheets of our constantly changing home planet.” Read more
Police speak on Osun lawmaker caught bathing in market square (PremiumTimes)
Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker seen on a viral video depicting him as bathing in the market square for ritual, was a victim of a ritual syndicate which had operated in the state for a long time, the police have told PREMIUM TIMES. Little was known outside of Osun State about Mr Owoeye until a video showing him being beaten by some men who purportedly caught him taking a midnight ritual shower in a market hit the Internet this weekend. Read more
CHILD LABOUR: Travails of children who, like adults, must work in order to survive! (Vanguard)
The strength and future of any society lie in its ability to promote the health and well – being of its next generation. It has to do with the saying that ‘children are the future leaders’, which means, tomorrow, the children, today, will become parents, citizens and workers. Also, the words of the late Nelson Mandela, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”, are apt. Read more
Congress Finally Stands Up to Trump (Politicalwire)
Stan Collender: No, it’s not oversight hearings into…well…anything. And it’s certainly not a subpoena, legislation to protect the Mueller investigation or the rejection of his Supreme Court nominee.” “But the GOP congressional leadership’s decision last week not to give Donald Trump the $5 billion he wants for a wall between the United States and Mexico before the election and then to make it much harder for him to veto the legislation that codifies that decision was the closest House and Senate Republicans have come since Trump was elected to publicly giving him their collective middle finger.” Read more
Paul McCartney included a jab at Donald Trump on his new album (Newsweek)
Paul McCartney referenced “mad captain” President Donald Trump in a conversation surrounding his new album, Egypt Station with BBC News. The album is laced with modern references, from politics to pop culture. In speaking about the album, McCartney referenced his song “Despite Repeated Warnings,” which is an about climate change. The song contains a lyric that reads: “Those who shout the loudest may not always be the smartest.” He spoke candidly of climate change deniers and their relevance in the song. Read more
Arsenal on the rise under Emery as Newcastle lose again (Punch)
New-era Arsenal continue to be a work in progress, but they made it three straight Premier League wins under Unai Emery with a 2-1 victory at struggling Newcastle United on Saturday. It was far from pretty from the visitors, who were forced to weather an early storm from their winless hosts. But once Rafa Benitez’s side quickly ran out of attacking ideas and intent, the Gunners took an increasingly firm stranglehold to post their best run of league results for more than five months thanks to goals from Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil in the space of nine minutes early in the second-half. Read more
Ronaldo gets off the mark for Juventus (Vanguard)
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first competitive goal for Italian champions Juventus and then added a second in Sunday’s fourth Serie A game of the season, against Sassuolo in Turin. The 33-year-old tapped in on the line after a goalmouth scramble on 50 minutes, and added a second 15 minutes later to give the reigning seven-time champions a 2-0 lead. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was the star signing of the summer transfer period, arriving amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100 million euro ($117 million) deal from Real Madrid. Read more