THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE MARCH 23, 2018
We’ll always reply APC lies with facts, PDP replies Lai Mohammed (Vanguard)
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has told the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government that it will always reply its lies with facts and continue to be firm on the side of the people. The party also replied the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed that it does not need his so-called “crash course” on opposition politics as such will be full of advanced syllabus on lies, falsehood, deception, and propaganda, which are patent trademarks of the APC and its controlled government. The party in a statement on Thursday, said the federal government should rather hide its face in shame, having been busted in its numerous lies in governance, the latest being its complicity in the abduction and return of the Dapchi School girls. Read more
El-Rufai faults Bill Gates, says his statement on Buahri’s ERGP not correct (Vanguard)
Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has faulted the statement credited to the founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, saying that it was wrong for Gate to say that President Buhari’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, cannot solve the current Nigerians problems. Recall that Bill Gates had said that, the Nigerian government’s economic recovery and growth plan does not reflect the needs of Nigerians. In view of this therefore, Gov El rufai fielding questions from newsmen in the state house opined, “It is not correct to say that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan does not give primacy to human capital, it is not correct. Read more
President Buhari tasks security agency on criminality (NTA)
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Gusau, Zamfara state, directed security agencies to improve their strategies of intelligence gathering, surveillance and accuracy in deployments, and ensure that criminal activities are brought to an end across the country. Accompanied by Governor Abdul’aziz Yari, in an interactive meeting with political leaders, traditional rulers, elders and victims of criminal attacks in Zamfara State, President Buhari assured all security agencies of improved conditions that will facilitate apprehending criminals that steal, maim and kill innocent Nigerians. Read more
Cleaner Lagos: PSP operators, Visionscape disagree on price, contract duration (Punch)
The Lagos State Government on Thursday indicated its intention to go into full-scale legal battle with the Incorporated Trustees of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, a.k.a. Private Sector Participation operators of waste. The counsel for the state, Adetokunbo Ladega, told the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on Thursday that the state was ready to proceed into trial as efforts to broker an amicable settlement between the PSP operators, the government and other stakeholders had ended in a stalemate. Read more
Plateau govt to host NATOP 2018 AGM (Tribune)
One of the Nigerian leading tourism destinations, Plateau State will be showcasing its tourism potential to a team of tour operators and travel Journalists in a bid to re-establish its position as the home of peace and tourism. This is coming on the heel of the preparation of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) holding its AGM and the first the Northern zone of Nigeria. The previous AGM were held in Lagos and in Calabar respectively. So Plateau State has the right as the first event outside the South of the country by NATOP. It is expected that the next AGM will be held also in another part of Nigeria. Read more
149 Nigerian deportees arrive from Libya (Vanguard)
A batch of 149 Nigerians deported from Libya, Thursday, arrived Lagos aboard a chartered BURAQ Airline. The chartered flight with registration number 5A-DMG landed at about 10:45 pm at the NAHCO Tarmac of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport MMIA, Lagos. The deportees include 107 male adults, 37 female adults including a medical case, 4 female children and 1 female infant just as they were handed over to National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, by Mr AbrhamTamrat, the Programme Managerof nternational Organisation of Migrants IOM, Lagos. Read more
Kaduna youths torch church, police station over mason’s death (Punch)
There was confusion on Thursday in some parts of Narayi, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State after some irate youths set ablaze a church and a police outpost. The youths, it was learnt, set ablaze a branch of the Celestial Church of God as well as a police outpost in Narayi, while protesting the death of a mason, Friday Sylvester, who was working for the pastor of the church, Babatunde Shittu. The youths, it was learnt, accused Shittu of having a hand in Sylvester’s death. Livid with anger, they descended on the church and razed it while the pastor ran to the nearby police station to take refuge. Read more
Woman uses four-year-old baby to pay N100 debt (PremiumTimes)
The Ebonyi state government has commenced investigation into how a mother used her four-year-old daughter to offset a debt of N100. The woman, Veronica Igwe, according to the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Ministry, was been invited for questioning and later handed over to the police. She allegedly gave Uloma, her daughter, to Josephine Nwali after she could not pay a debt of N100. The transaction reportedly took place at the Abakaliki Rice Mill. Read more
Man uses POS to defraud customers N1.2b (NTA)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, arraigned one Ifeanyi Nwaneri before Justice Olusola Ajibike Williams of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N1.2billion. The defendant, a customer with Access Bank Plc, was alleged to have fraudulently carried out several transactions on Point of Sales (POS) terminal issued to him by the bank. One of the counts reads: “That you, Ifeanyi Nwaneri, sometime between September 1 and 4, 2017, at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted for the use of Sessy Global Ventures the sum of N25, 000, 000.00 (Twenty-five Million Naira only), property of Access Bank Plc.” Read more
Fire razes Binukonu market Ojota, goods worth millions destroyed (Nation)
Fire gutted a section of Binukonu Ultra Modern Market, Ojota in Lagos in the early hours of Friday, destroying goods and property worth millions of Naira. This was the third fire incident at the market in three years. Previous incidents occurred in 2015 and November 2017. Friday’s fire, which was believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, started at 1.30am and razed over fifty stalls in the market. At 4.10am when our correspondent arrived at the scene, firefighters who came with two trucks from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency ( LASEMA ) were seen putting out the blaze, which was still raging. Read more
Ramson Madu suspended by Heartland (Guardian)
Nigeria Professional Football League side, Heartland Football club of Owerri have suspended their coach Ramson Madu over poor results in the league. “The management of Heartland FC of Owerri, led by Chibuzor Etuemena, has directed head coach Ramson Madu to temporarily step aside. “The decision is due to the team’s recent poor performances in the ongoing 2017/2018 NPFL,” a statement signed by the club’s media officer, Henry Echefu read. Madu will be replaced as head coach by Ezekiel Onyegbulem, while Isaac Mbaegbu will move from the youth team to th senior team to assist the Onyegbulem. Read more
Poland vs Nigeria: Emmanuel Olisadebe relishes friendly (Guardian)
Nigeria and Poland’s World Cup warm-up this week will provide vital experience for both sides as the finals approach, former international striker Emmanuel Olisadebe said Thursday. Olisadebe was born in Nigeria but made 25 appearances for Poland, including at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The 39-year-old former forward, who scored 11 times for Poland, said he was relishing what will be the first-ever meeting between the countries at international level. Read more
5 Things to watch out for in Super Eagles friendly against Poland (Allnigeriasoccer)
The international friendly between Poland and Nigeria holds tonight at the 43,000 capacity Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw.
Allnigeriasoccer.com’s Izuchukwu Okosi takes a look at the things to watch out for. 1. Rohr’s Goalkeeper Choices
Chippa United goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi will miss tonight’s game against the Polish due to visa hitches so it’s a straight shootout between Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Francis Uzoho for a starting berth. Read more
France ‘drop’ Paul Pogba for Colombia (Dailymail)
After losing his place in the Manchester United team it appears that Paul Pogba is now set to miss out at international level too. Pogba has not started United’s last three matches, with manager Jose Mourinho preferring Marouane Fellaini against Sevilla and then Scott McTominay in last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Brighton. According to L’Equipe, France boss Didier Deschamps will follow Mourinho’s lead by dropping Pogba for Friday’s international friendly with Colombia. Read more
Jose Mourinho is destroying Luke Shaw (gq-magazine)
The Luke Shaw business seems harsh. From Mourinho’s point of view he’s probably getting sick and tired of constantly having to answer questions about Luke Shaw and he’s probably thinking either he’s not good enough or he’s not doing what I’ve asked him to do. I did a radio show a few months ago and it was at a time when Danny Rose was being linked with Man United and Mourinho chucked Luke Shaw in for three or four games and they had a couple of decent results, then he dropped him for Burnley away. Read more
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak: ‘My future remains unclear’ (Sportsmole)
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak has said that there have been no developments over a new contract at the Wanda Metropolitano. Oblak still has over three years remaining on his deal with the La Liga giants, but Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with an approach for the Slovenian international. Atletico remain in a strong position regarding Oblak’s future, however, and the stopper has suggested that he must wait to see the next move of his current club. Read more
Police swab items at Skripal home for clues to nerve agent attack (Guardian)
Door handles and computer keyboards are among the items at at the home of Sergei Skripal that are being examined by investigators as they work to establish where and how the nerve agent attack on the former Russian spy took place. Skripal’s red-brick house in Salisbury remains cordoned off, almost three weeks after he and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, collapsed in the city centre. An investigator was seen at the house on Friday with a list headed “swabs”. It appeared to indicate that spots the Skripals were likely to have touched were being looked at in particular. The front door, patio door and keyboards were all listed. Read more
Italy opens parliament, but no deal in sight on forming govt (Washingtonpost)
talian lawmakers have formally reconvened parliament following the March 4 elections, but without any accord in sight as to the formation of a new government. The first order of business Friday is the election of presidents of the two parliament chambers. But even that procedural step has been mired in conflict, with the apparent collapse of a deal between the two main populist vote-getters — the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League — to divvy up the two chambers. Analysts say even if the League and 5-Stars eventually agree on the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, the possibility of a 5-Star-League alliance to govern remains unlikely, given the opposition by the League’s main ally in the center-right coalition, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. Read more
Asia reacts to Trump’s pick of hard-liner John Bolton (Cbsnews)
Foreign policy hard-liner John Bolton’s appointment as U.S. national security adviser comes at a particularly sensitive time for relations with Beijing following President Donald Trump’s approval of new tariffs on China and a law encouraging closer relations with Taiwan. Bolton has taken a tough position on both issues, saying Beijing needed to be called out on what he characterized as systematic cheating on global trade while enjoying the benefits of an open U.S. market. He has also urged a rethink of U.S. restrictions of contacts with Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China considers its own territory. Read more