Kogi Governor’s agents crippling my campaigns, ADC candidate alleges

The Nation Nigeria / Vincent Ikuomola

The Kogi State Chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the state government of planning to rig the forthcoming elections.

ADC also accused the government of plot to induce electoral officials with fund from public coffers.

Besides, candidates on the platform of the party also accused the state government of unleashing mayhem on oppositions.

They alleged that thugs sponsored by the state government have been hampering their campaigns.

Briefing reporters in Abuja yesterday, the Personal Assistant, Mr. Emeka Nzekwesi and the party’s Senatorial  candidate East, Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji said the actions of the state government have become unbearable and a threat to democracy.

Adoji has taken  Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and his ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, before the international community over the alleged attack on him and his supporters.

Adoji, who spoke  at a  news conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, also called on international protocols on civil and political rights, and other relevant bodies to promptly redress the overbearing attitudes of the state government towards opposition parties in the state.

“These acts has not only spelt out anarchy, it violets my political rights having fulfill the necessary requirements to contest for elective positions in Nigeria.

“But my determination to endear my candidacy to the electorate via peaceful and other legitimate electioneering endeavours have been hampered by thugs allegedly sponsored by the state government and its agents.”

Recalling the incidents of such mayhems  unleashed by thugs, Adoji said: “On the 10th of January, 2019, our Blimp, campaign material, stationed in Ankpa Local Government Area of the state was shot down by unknown gunmen at about 1am.

“ On the 19th of January, 2019, my supporters were attacked while on transit to Dekina town (Dekina Local Government Area) for the  zonal rally by thugs engaged by the ruling All Progressive Congress Party in the State. They were brutally injured and the buses conveying them were destroyed. The home of one of our supporters in Anyigba was invaded, and properties destroyed.

“Barely forty eight hours later, a group of well armed thugs

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Quality education requires over N2.5tr yearly, says Babalakin

The Nation Nigeria

UNIVERSITY of Lagos (UNILAG) Pro-Chancellor Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) has said Nigeria needs over N2.5 trillion yearly to provide quality education at all levels.

Babalakin spoke at the weekend at a fund-raising dinner organised by the Alumni of the College of Medicine, UNILAG. He was the chairman of the occasion.

The lawyer and businessman explained that the Federal Government did not have enough resources to adequately fund first class education and therefore, other sources of funding must be explored.

Babalakin said: “The College of Medicine, UNILAG, is a very good product to celebrate. But to keep the flag flying, to maintain the standards, we need substantial funding. Government alone cannot afford to fund education. To have quality education in Nigeria today at all levels, it requires between N2.5trn per year. That is close to 50% of total receipts of monies coming to this system, yet we cannot delay the funding of education.

“We cannot give low quality education because there is no money, so we must look at all sources. We must look at governmental sources, private sources and every other source to achieve the objective of funding a first class educational system. We have all it takes in terms of personnel and basic infrastructure. What we require is substantial funding. I look forward to a day when Nigerian universities will be sufficiently robust financially; a day when government funding will only be, at best, an addition.”

Babalakin reminded the guests of the good old days when the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, was one of the top five hospitals in the Commonwealth, which includes England, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Canada.

He said it was possible to have that high quality of education and performance again, if we make it a priority.

His words: “We have done it before and we can do it again. Between 1972 and 1975, UCH was the 4th to 5th rated hospital in the Commonwealth. So I don’t want you to place your ambition at the local level. I don’t want you to aim for the roof. Let’s start aiming for the sky. We have done it before. Let us have a vision that will take us out of this situation we are in; a vision that will reposition our educational system.

“Let’s have what we had as UNILAG students in 1978. About 20% of our law class did their A-levels abroad and came back to UNILAG to read law. That was how great the faculty was. Now you have so many people who think that unless they’ve gone abroad, they’ve not started education. We have to reverse this trend and we can only do so with the right resources. With the people I see here and the commitment I see here, I have no doubt whatsoever that we are on the right part and this is the beginning.”

Babalakin assured donors to the college that their funds would be judiciously spent and they would be invited to see the projects their funds were expended on.

He appealed to the Lagos State government to fix the road leading to the College of Medicine, which is in a deplorable state.

The pro-chancellor said he was impressed that the likes of Prof. Dapo Ashiru and Dr. Sunny Kuku, who left the College of Medicine a long time ago, were still actively involved in improving the college, adding that their enthusiasm was infectious.

The Provost of the College, Prof. F.E. Lesi, said the college had pioneered many great innovations but its major challenge was funding. He explained that funding was needed for capital projects and maintenance of facilities.

Lesi also identified space constraints as one of the college’s challenges and urged the Lagos State governor to look into it.

At the event were philanthropist and businessman Chief Adebutu Kessington and his wife; Chief Olu Okeowo and his wife; the Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan and his wife; the Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Oba Adesesan Oguntayo; Providus Bank Managing Director, Mr. Walter Akpani; and his wife/Managing Director, Northwest Petroleum & Gas Company, Mrs. Winifred Akpani, among others.

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EFCC arrests 19 suspected internet fraudsters

   Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) Port Harcourt Zonal Office have arrested six suspected internet fraudsters at their hotel hideout in Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt, Rivers.

   A Press Statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the commission’s spokesman, Mr Tony Orilade said they were arrested in a sting operation.
  
   According to the statement, the suspects comprises four men and two women; Oghenekewe Akinnawo, Kemka Amadi, Revelation Macaulay, Damilola Oyinloye, Mary Ndubuisi and Jennifer Vandi.
  
   Orilade said that their arrest followed series of intelligence report linking them to alleged fraudulent activities ranging from love scam on numerous dating sites, obtaining money by false pretences and other fraud still being investigated.

  “Several items were recovered from them at the point of arrest which includes three exotic cars, four iPhones, four laptops; one iPad, one iron sealed stamp; cheque books, car number plates and two un-used bullets.”

   In a related development, the Enugu Zonal Office of the commission has arrested 13 suspects for allegedly engaging in cyber crime and internet fraud. “Three of the suspects were arrested at Awka, Anambra State, following intelligence reports and surveillance carried out on them.
 
  “Six were arrested at Ngwo in Enugu State, while four were arrested at an estate in Abakpa area of Enugu State.

  “Items recovered from them include nine exotic cars, laptops, printers, cameras, phones, expensive drinks and other personal effects.”

   The Zonal Head of the South East Zone of the commission, Ahmed Usman said: “we have resolved as part of carrying out the commission’s mandate to stamp out internet scams among others to help in rebuilding the image of the country.”
 
  Apart from public corruption which affects us locally, and denies us access to basic social amenities, Nigerians are treated badly because of the activities of cyber criminals and this gives us a bad name internationally.
  “We are determined to stamp that out,” he said.
          

Ilhan Omar becomes one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress

The Sun Nigeria / Omotayo Edubi / 

Vox

Minnesota state Rep. Ilhan Omar has become one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, easily winning the election in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District  the Minneapolis-area district previously represented by Keith Ellison on Tuesday.

Omar, a 36-year-old Somali refugee who immigrated to the United States as a teenager, beat Republican Jennifer Zielinski to take Ellison’s seat, which he vacated to run for Minnesota attorney general.

The district, covering Minneapolis and some surrounding suburbs, is deep blue, so Omar was expected to be elected to the House in November. The voters elected Ellison for six terms before he sought the attorney general’s office.

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The makeup of the district has allowed progressive politics to flourish. Omar ran on a platform that embraced the left, including Medicare-for-all, a $15 minimum wage, and tuition-free college.

Omar said President Trump’s “politics of fear” motivated her to get in the race.

“It is a district that is very much interested in making sure our progressive values are represented, and they know the only way they’ll continue to be represented is if we have people who are not going to just think about getting themselves to Washington, but think about getting other progressives to Washington,” she said in an interview with MinnPost.

Omar is one of two candidates likely to become the first Muslim women elected to Congress this fall: The other is Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib is expected to replace disgraced Rep. John Conyers, who resigned after sexual misconduct allegations, in another safe Democratic district. Congress currently has only two lawmakers who identify as Muslim — and both of them, including Ellison, are men.

Omar, the first Somali-American Muslim to be elected to the Minnesota legislature or any elected office in the United States, is also part of a historic wave of women looking to clinch higher office this year. Women and people of color are still underrepresented in Congress (20 percent women and 19 percent people of color), but 146 women have won Democratic primaries in 2018.

Omar faced Islamophobic attacks during her campaign from outside conservative media outlets, who have baselessly claimed she was once married to her brother and has ties to terrorists. Laura Loomer — a far-right provocateur and “guerilla journalist” with a history of anti-Muslim rants who says she is investigating Muslim candidates — also crashed a joint campaign event with Tlaib and Omar, yelling questions about Hamas and female genital mutilation.

Those attacks didn’t have any sway in the general election, though.

The post Ilhan Omar becomes one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.

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No margin for error in UEFA Champions League, Klopp admits

The Sun Nigeria / Omotayo Edubi /

NAN

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says there is no reason to panic after his side lost their second UEFA Champions League game this season on Tuesday.

The German however conceded that another defeat could derail their chances of moving onto the knockout phase.

Two first-half goals from Milan Pavkov saw Liverpool lose 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade.

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They are now tied with Napoli at the top of Group C on six points after four games, with matches against the Italian side and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to come.

“I think it made sense to make a few changes, a few we had to make and a few we wanted to,” said Klopp.

“I do not say it is serious we lost two times, but of course we have to make sure that it will not happen again, otherwise it will be difficult.

“Because the next game is already an away game again, and then a tough home game.”

Liverpool visit French champions PSG on Nov. 28 before hosting Napoli on Dec. 11.

The post No margin for error in UEFA Champions League, Klopp admits appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.

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Comedy show with ace comedian Ghana Must Go

The Sun Nigeria / Omotayo Edubi / 

All is now set for the annual comedy show called “The Vintage with Ghana Must Go”. This year’s edition is the season 3 tagged the Naked Truth.

Abuja based comedian and Host of the Vintage, Peter Ogbudu aka Ghana Must Go says this year’s show will be entertaining, exciting, captivating, and motivational and above all, telling the truth in its naked form.

“Let me take this time to tell Abuja people that our show this year will be telling the truth in a naked way through comedy.It will be an entertaining, exciting, captivating, and motivational”.

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The season 3 edition will have ace Comedians like, I Go Die,I Go Save,Gandoki,Edo pikin,Osama,Ambassador Wahala, Real Warri Pikin,Koboko Master,Onome Da Saint,Mr.Odey and a lot more.

Musical Artists includes; Victor AD, African China,Shuun Bebe,Style Plus and other top notch musical artists.

The Vintage with Ghana Must Go comes up on Sunday November 11th at the congress hall Transcorp Hilton Abuja.

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We’re committed to growing SMEs –FG

The Sun Nigeria / Omotayo Edubi / 

Charles Nwaoguji

The Federal Government has said it is committed to the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as is the engine of growth.

According to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who stated this while declaring open the 32nd Lagos International Trade Fair on Friday, no nation has ever developed without SMEs playing leading role.

Osinbajo disclosed that the Federal Government has disbursed loans running to billions to 1.8 million traders while 2 million traders are expected to key in to the facility.

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He pledged the administration’s readiness to assist the SMEs grow, adding that the government is working out ways to better the lives of Nigerians by providing them with single digit loans.

“We are committed as government to create enabling environment for all business to thrive. We will continue to create windows for the SMEs to succeed,” he added. On power supply, Osinbajo, who represented, the President Muhammed Buhari at the event, said government has built Solar energy at six markets across the country to supply power to SMEs.

As part of the way to assist the SMEs in the country, he said government has established Internet Services through a foreign company that has promised to work with the government to provide affordable internet service to Nigerians and mostly to the SMEs.

Also, speaking at the event, the President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Babatunde Paul Ruwase, said that this year trade fair’s theme, “Connecting Business, Creating Value”, was chosen to underscore the importance of relationships and interactions among businesses for the purpose of wealth creation.

Ruwase stated that the chamber is committed to the vision of the present administration in respect of economic diversification and self- reliance.

“Our programmes, advocacy activities and capacity development are geared towards the realization of these economic aspirations. We recognize the imperative of non-oil sector development and the need to add value to our primary products in order to improve earnings for both the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy,” he explained.

He stated that this year trade fair would provides a platform to identify non-oil alternatives and highlight the significance of value addition. As a policy advocacy, he said the chamber would continued to offer advice, inputs and partnership on strategies and measures to facilitate the realization of the economic development programmes of government.

He called on the government to create more enable environment for businesses to thrive because many businesses are suffering.

As a nation, he said ,” we need to do a lot more to attract more private capital into the Nigerian economy. In this regard, our economic and investment policies must be right, and our institutions must be investment friendly.

These conditions are important for both domestic and foreign investment.”

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