INEC is most improved public institution in Nigeria, Prof Yakubu boasts (Punch)
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it is one of the most improved public institutions in Nigeria, given the level of improvements recorded in the nation’s electoral system from 1999 to date. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the assertion in his remark at the 2019 Post-Election Review session with the second batch of Electoral Officers from 17 states, held in Abuja on Wednesday. Yakubu said that the commission should be rated high when compared with its counterparts in other West Africa countries. Read more
Presidential election dispute: Tribunal to hear Atiku, PDP’s fresh motion, July 1 (Nation)
Proceedings ended unexpectedly on Wednesday before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) owing to the request by lawyer to Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chris Uche (SAN) for an adjournment to enable his clients react to the responses filed against a fresh motion by Atiku and the PDP. Atiku and his party are challenging the outcome of the last presidential election before the tribunal. Although they came second behind President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), they claimed to have won based on some results they gleaned from a central server purportedly utilized by the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit the result of the election. Read more
Senators’ monthly pay is N15m, Sagay replies Lawan (Punch)
The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has asked Senate President Ahmed Lawan to stop misleading Nigerians, adding that senators earn N15m monthly and not N750,000 as claimed by the Senate President. Lawan had said on Tuesday that there was no such thing as ‘jumbo pay’, adding that he earns N750,000 as salary. Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, however, Sagay said Nigerians were more interested in how much senators take home monthly in salary and allowances. Read more
Osinbajo’s kidnapping comment: Buhari, APC have no concerns for Nigerians –PDP (Nation)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the reckless dismissal of the alarming spate of kidnapping in the country by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo further confirmed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has no iota of concern towards the pain and suffering of Nigerians. The party, in a statement Wednesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that by attempting to play down on the menace as not being “as massive as that”, Prof. Osinbajo clearly demonstrated that the APC and its government are not connected with the people but only pretend towards them during electioneering. Read more
We will criminalise ex-appointees who left with official vehicles —Imo govt (Punch)
The Imo State government on Wednesday said that it would start ‘criminalizing’ the appointees of the immediate past administration who went home with official government vehicles. The chairman, committee on Recovery of Movable government Assets, Jasper Ndubuaku, at a press conference in Owerri, said that the appointees of the immediate past administration, the immediate past governor, Rochas Okorocha and his wife went away home with official government vehicles and assets valued at N60b. Read more
Midwest Movement rejects Fed Govt’s Ruga settlements (Nation)
A pan-Edo/Delta group, the Midwest Movement on Wednesday rejected the establishment of RUGA settlements for herdsmen in its region. The group said the plan, proposed by the Federal Government, should be implemented in areas and lands that are native to such groups. It warned that if the government went ahead with the project in the region without consulting the “traditional and bonafide owners,” it would be considered an invasion. Read more
JAMB releases 3,736 withheld results after physical verification (Punch)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Wednesday released the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results of 3736 candidates after the board had invited them to come for physical verification and prove that they were not involved in malpractices. Our correspondent learnt that the affected candidates had been asked last Monday to come to the JAMB offices in Abuja, Delta, Gombe, Oyo, Kwara, Kaduna, Lagos and Imo where they were interviewed by the Intelligence Committee of the Board. Read more
Striking LASPOTECH workers call for investigative panel (Nation)
Striking nonacademic workers of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) have urged the state Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to institute a panel of inquiry into the administration and finances of the polytechnic in the last four years. Mr Semiu Fasasi, Chairman, Non Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (NASUP), LASPOTECH Chapter, and spokesman for the other affected unions, made the call at a media briefing on Wednesday in Lagos. Fasasi said that Sanwo-Olu should urgently come to the aid of the institution to prevent its fall. Read more
I didn’t order sack of LG workers, says Adamawa Gov Fintiri (Punch)
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has refuted media reports that he ordered the sack of all council workers recruited in the state from April 2016. Fintiri in a statement by his Director-General, Media and Communications, Mr Solomon Kumangar, on Wednesday in Yola, described the report as “erroneous”. “It has become pertinent to draw the attention of the public to the misleading and erroneous information making the rounds to the effect that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has sacked Local Government workers recruited from April 2016. Read more
School supervisor defiled more children, prosecution alleges (Nation)
The prosecution on Wednesday alleged that Adegboyega Adenekan, a supervisor of the Chrisland School, Lagos, charged with defiling a two-year-old pupil, also defiled at least two others. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Babajide Boye, lead state counsel, made the allegation against Adenekan during his cross-examination. According to the Boye, apart from the complainant, the supervisor molested two other children of the school. Read more
Commission to screen 210,150 police applicants (Punch)
The Police Service Commission will from Monday, July 1, 2019, commence the screening of 210,150 shortlisted applicants for recruitment into the Constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force. The exercise which holds in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, will end on July 28. The shortlisted candidates were part of the 10,000 Nigerians the Commission planned to recruit into the Force as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. Read more
Lagos is fourth costliest city in Africa —Survey (Punch)
Lagos State is the fourth costliest city to live in Africa, a Mercer 2019 Cost of Living Survey has revealed. According to a statement issued by Mercer, Lagos is the 25th most expensive city in the world. Having moved up seventeen places from last year’s ranking, Nigeria’s commercial hub is one of Mercer’s top 5 costliest cities in Africa. Read more
I faked my kidnap to raise funds for husband, housewife tells Police (Punch)
A middle-aged housewife identified as Mrs Yemi Samuel has been arrested by men of the Kwara State Police Command for faking her own kidnap in Kabba town in Kogi State. Yemi Samuel was among the nine suspects paraded at the Police headquarter, GRA, Ilorin on Wednesday. Three other suspects, Jenmo Usman, 27, Iliashu Mohammed, 25, and Maude Umaru, 21 all suspected to be Fulani herdsmen were arrested for alleged kidnapping, criminal intimidation and conspiracy. Read more
Gambia: Appeal after rape claim against ex-president Jammeh (BBC)
The Gambian government has called on all women and girls in the country to report any sexual violence committed by former President Yahya Jammeh. The appeal comes after former beauty queen Fatou “Toufah” Jallow told the BBC she had been raped by Mr Jammeh when he was in office in 2015. The BBC has tried, without success, to contact Mr Jammeh about the claims. He lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea. Read more
Trump warns any conflict with Iran ‘wouldn’t last long’ (Guardian)
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he does not want a war with Iran but warned that if fighting does break out, it “wouldn’t last very long,” even as Iran’s president tried to tamp down soaring tensions. Trump also hinted that any conflict would be waged with air strikes, saying there would be no US boots on the ground.His remarks came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tried to rein in the crisis between the two archfoes, saying that Iran “never seeks war” with the United States. Read more
Bodies of US WW2 troops found on Pacific island (BBC)
A group searching for the bodies of US troops has discovered graves that they believe contain more than 30 marines and sailors from World War Two. The remains were discovered in March on the Pacific atoll of Tarawa, which was the scene of a three-day battle with the Japanese in November 1943. US defence department officials plan to transport the remains 2,300 miles (3,700km) to Hawaii for identification. Read more
My chat with Putin ‘none of your business’, says Trump (Punch)
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Japan but told journalists that the contents of the talks are “none of your business.” The keenly awaited meeting is overshadowed by a probe into Trump’s relations with Russia and controversy that erupted the last time he held talks with the Kremlin leader in Finland in 2018. “I’ll have a very good conversation with him,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “What I say to him is none of your business.” Read more
Italy migrants: Rescue ship reaches Lampedusa despite warnings (BBC)
A boat carrying migrants rescued in the Mediterranean has reached the Italian island of Lampedusa, despite Italy’s warnings that it should stay out of its territorial waters. The boat’s captain said law enforcement officers had boarded it. She said that the migrants were “desperate”. “I know this is risky, but [the migrants] are exhausted. I will bring them to safety,” Carola Rackete said. Read more
Erdogan says NATO countries shouldn’t sanction each other amid row over S400 (Guardian)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said NATO countries should not place sanctions each other as the tensions with Washington mount over Ankara’s deal with Russia to buy S-400 missile defence system. “Do not forget that Turkey is a NATO country. America is a NATO country. I am not aware if NATO countries place sanctions on one another,” Erdogan told reporters at an Ankara airport, before leaving for Japan where he will attend the G20 summit. Erdogan is due to meet Saturday with US President Donald Trump on the margins of the summit in Osaka. Turkey’s deal with Russia will be one of the issues on the table. Read more
2019 AFCON: Eagles need to score more goals —Ex-DG, NSC (Punch)
Gbenga Elegbeleye, former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, has urged Super Eagles attackers to score more goals as the 2019 African Cup of Nations progresses. Elegbeleye was speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria shortly after Nigeria became the first team to book a place in the round of 16 of the tournament by defeating Guinea 1-0 in Alexandria, Egypt on Wednesday. Elegbeleye, a former chairman of Ondo State Table Tennis Association, said while the group stage could be about points, goal scoring was essential at the knock-out stage. Read more
Shocking Musona miss costs Zimbabwe in Uganda draw (Guardian)
Knowledge Musona’s incredible open-goal miss proved costly as a wasteful Zimbabwe were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday. Emmanuel Okwi pounced on a rebound to nudge Uganda ahead on 12 minutes in Cairo but Khama Billiat levelled for Zimbabwe with a glancing finish shortly before half-time. Uganda edged closer towards qualification for the last 16 after moving onto four points in Group A, leaving Zimbabwe needing to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo in their final game to stand a chance of squeezing through. Read more
Women’s World Cup: FIFA open disciplinary action against Cameroon (Punch)
FIFA on Wednesday announced disciplinary proceedings against Cameroon for misconduct and offensive behaviour in their women’s World Cup match against England. England won Sunday’s last 16 tie 3-0 but the game at Valenciennes was marked by Cameroon players’ furious response to several refereeing decisions, At one stage they apparently threatened to walk off the pitch. Read more
Megan Rapinoe: Donald Trump tells US women’s co-captain to ‘respect flag’ (BBC)
US president Donald Trump has criticised US women’s team co-captain Megan Rapinoe on Twitter, telling her not to “disrespect our country” after she said she would not visit the White House if they won the World Cup. Trump said Rapinoe, who scored two penalties as the US beat Spain in the last 16, should “win before she talks”. He later added he would invite the team whether they “win or lose” in France. Read more