INTERVIEW: Buhari, APC sponsoring some PDP presidential aspirants – Wike PremiumTimes
In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter, Cletus Ukpong, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State opens up on the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, his quarrel with the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and his many battles with the federal government and its agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Excerpts:
PT: Whenever your name is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is a man who is always standing up against the federal government. Read more
Buhari not in confrontation with NASS over electoral act-Presidency (Vanguard)
The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari is neither in confrontation with the parliament over his refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act Bill nor against the use of card readers in the forthcoming elections. Buhari The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said the president’s decision to decline assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018, had nothing to do with the use of card readers. Read more
Human trafficking: UN team arrives Benin, backs Obaseki’s sustained fight (Vanguard)
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s efforts at curbing the incidence of human trafficking and irregular migration have received renewed backing from the United Nations, as international support swells to halt activities of human traffickers and their associates. Welcoming the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur, Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, in Benin City, the governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, said the state government has implemented several initiatives to curb the menace, including the implementation of the law establishing the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking. Read more
Why we are giving N10,000 collateral free loans – Presidency ON (Vanguard)
THE Presidency last night debunked the insinuation that beneficiaries of the Federal Government Trademoi, N10,000 collateral free loan must present their Permanent Voters Cards, PVC, before they qualify for the loan. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande explained that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will intensify its efforts to empower more Nigerians with the collateral free loans to petty traders across the country. Read more
Buhari not opposed to card reader in 2019 election (Punch)
The Presidency on Sunday denied an allegation attributing President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 to his alleged opposition to e-voting and the use of card reader in the forthcoming 2019 elections. It said contrary to the allegation which it credited to “opposition politicians, as well as some newspaper editorial opinions”, Buhari “is a fan of the card reader…Read more
Atiku: For Nigeria’s Progress, We Must Change APC in 2019 (Thisday)
Former Vice President and presidential aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, said Saturday in Kaduna that Nigeria cannot make progress under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, stressing that for the country to move forward, there must be a change of leadership in 2019. Atiku stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who is also a PDP presidential aspirant, at his residence in Kaduna. The former vice president said Nigeria was currently “at a crossroads” and having its worst experience in virtually all spheres of its existence since the return to democracy in 1999. “You can definitely acknowledge that since the return of democracy, we have not had a worst period than now, whether in terms of economy, whether in terms of unity, whether in terms of security, this is the worst Read more
We’ll go after billionaire tax defaulters – FIRS (Punch)
The Federal Inland Revenue Service will soon go after the bank accounts of defaulting taxpayers, who are raking in billions of naira in Nigeria and are not paying taxes, according to the FIRS Chairman, Tunde Fowler. In doing that, the FIRS, through all banks in the country, would do substitution on the accounts, Fowler said, adding that over 6,772 of such defaulting billionaires had been identified by the agency through bank data. Read more
Lagos pays N720.4m to retirees (Punch)
The Lagos State Government paid N720.445m into the Retirement Savings Accounts of 190 Contributory Pension Scheme retirees from the state’s public service last month.According to a statement from Lagos State Pension Commission, while addressing the retirees at the 54th retirement benefit bond certificate presentation, the Commissioner, Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions, Dr Akintola Oke, said 9,591 retirees had accrued rights of N39.450bn paid into their RSA in the last 37 months (August 2015 – August 2018.) Read more
JUPTI suspends strike, reach agreement with Plateau government (Vanguard)
The Joint Unions of Plateau State-owned Tertiary Institutions, JUPTI, has suspended its industrial action, which commenced last week, saying the state government has reached an agreement with the body to address all problems that led to the strike action. A new agreement was signed between the state government, represented by the Head of Service, Izam Azi, and Permanent Secretary, General Admini-stration, Moses Nwan, and JUPTI represented by its Chairman, Paul Dakogol, and Secretary, Solomon Ayum. Read more
Journalist, son die as fire guts Lagos shopping complex
A journalist, Akinwunmi Dickson, and his son Nelson, 12, have been killed after fire gutted a shopping complex on Awolowo Way, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro gathered that the deceased were asleep in an office in the complex when the incident happened around 5am on Sunday. Read more
Organisers provide more details of Lagos media marathon (Premium Times)
The Chairman of the Organising Committee of the maiden Lagos Media Marathon, Tony Ubani, has hinted that renowned marathon and road races route measurer, Norrie Williamson, will be engaged to calibrate and measure the route for the Media race. Ubani also said that Norrie’s report will be sent to the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, AIMS, and the IAAF for certification to facilitate the listing of the Lagos Media Marathon on the international marathon calendar. Read more
Impunity will soon end in Nigeria, says Saraki (Punch)
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday in Makurdi, assured Nigerians that the era of impunity would soon end in the country. Saraki stated this during the thanksgiving service of Senator Barnabas Gemade’s 70th birthday at the NKST, low level, Makurdi. Saraki said that the upper chamber of the National Assembly under his leadership would continue to stand against impunity. Read more
BoI: TradiMoni loan to boost FG’s financial inclusion agenda (ThisDay)
The Executive Director, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mrs. Toyin Adeniji, said the goal of the TradiMoni loan scheme is centrally aimed at taking financial inclusion down to the grassroots as well as empowering small scale trader in the country. She added that the current administration recognises the contribution of petty traders to economic development. Read more
Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri emerges African champion (PremiumTimes)
Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri and Egypt’s Dina Meshref emerged as winners of the men and women’s singles event at the 2018 ITTF African Championships which ended in Mauritius on Sunday. According to a statement by ATTF-Africa, Quadri did not drop a point from the first round until the final when he defeated Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh 4-1 to win his first African Championships title. Read more
North Korea in focus as Putin to meet Asian leaders (Guardian)
Nuclear-armed North Korea will be in the spotlight as Russia’s Vladimir Putin begins meetings with Asian leaders Monday, aiming to drive regional diplomacy as a push backed by Donald Trump appears to stall. A week before the third summit between the two Koreas in five months begins in Pyongyang, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korea’s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon converge on Vladivostok for an economic forum held September 11-13. Read more