Buhari’s returns end evil insinuations, says APC (Read full details)

http://ift.tt/2lKSMnk

The President’s return has vindicated our claim that the President is not terminally ill as being portrayed in some quarters opposed to the anti-corruption war of APC-led Federal Government.

The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State says the safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari has put an end to unpatriotic and evil insinuations about the President’s health.

Mr Abayomi Adesanya, the APC Publicity Secretary in Ondo, made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday. NAN reports that President Buhari returned from London to Nigeria after 51 days of medical vacation in the early hours of Friday.

Adesanya said: “the rumours of the death of the President were the handiwork of some unpatriotic Nigerians and the opposition who were desperate to weaken and derail the anti-corruption fight of the President.

“But, we thank the God Almighty for the safe return of the people’s president.

“We enjoin Nigerians to continue praying for Buhari-Osinbajo led-Federal Government to succeed in putting our country on the path of glory among the committee of developed nations’’.

Mr Kehinde Aworele, the National Legal Adviser of Alliance for Democracy (AD), also congratulated President Buhari for his safe return to the country.

“I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for making such recovery after much noise about his health. “With the current economic situation in the country, we need the President and I urged Nigerians to continue to pray for him,’’ said.

Aworele commended Nigerians for their prayers on the health of the President. Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC Publicity Secretary in Ekiti State, said the President’s return had shown that he was not terminally ill.

“The President’s return has vindicated our claim that the President is not terminally ill as being portrayed in some quarters opposed to the anti-corruption war of APC-led Federal Government.

“I, on behalf of APC, also apologised to Nigerians on the role played by Gov. Ayodele Fayose in making himself the “prophet of death’’ while the President was abroad attending to his death

“Fayose has been put to shame by Buhari’s hale and hearty arrival on Friday,’’ he said.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2ndEdFU

#BBNaija: Tboss’ Family thanks Big Brother Naija for setting rules to protect each & every housemate

http://ift.tt/2mvSEaY

It is no longer breaking news that Big Brother Naija contestant, Kemen, was disqualified from the game before the eviction show on Sunday, after being found guilty of molesting Tboss while she slept at night. Her family, through her sister, Goldie, has now thanked the organizers for protecting every housemate. The statement read:

“I @miss_goldilocks I’m grateful for the love and support TBoss got this week. Thanks to you all she was saved. It is a great day to be thankful to God for his blessings. I wanted also to say thank you to Big Brother Naija 2017 for setting rules to protect each and every housemate. Most might feel the punishment was harsh. But what is wrong can never be right.

Big Brother is entertainment but at no moment is it Ok to feel unsafe. We as women have the right to say no at any moment. And keeping quiet is not an option. We speak up for what is right and we don’t hide behind what people expect. We her family are grateful for protecting TBoss and wish every housemate success. We wish success also to Kemen. May God bless your week.”

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lOeC4v

South Africa’s central bank to sell shares of investors deemed to have too many…Read full details

http://ift.tt/2lwotfb

The South African Reserve Bank. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G)

South Africa’s central bank on Thursday said it would put up for sale nearly 150,000 of its shares owned by people who had exceeded limits set by a court.

South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago informed reporters in Pretoria that the aim was to prevent undue influence.
Kganyago said the bank had identified certain people amassing shares, adding that this posed danger to the bank’s independence. He, however, did not identify the shareholders.

“These shareholders who decided to buy shares as families and as associates, you could see that they were trying to exert undue influence, or influence disproportionate to the statutory limit,’’ Kganyago said.

Shares in the bank may be acquired by means of an over-the-counter share trading facility and earn a dividend of 10 South African cents per share annually.

A court ruled in 2016 that anyone holding more than 10,000 shares in the central bank must sell their extra shares in line with a 2010 amendment to the constitutional act to bring down the statutory limit.

The amendment also limits the rights of shareholders to nominate non-executive directors, vote on remuneration or the appointment of auditors, the bank said.

Discontent around the racial profile of economic ownership and wealth in South Africa has increased in recent years.

This is due to slow economic growth, unemployment climbing to record high, and poverty levels fuelled crime and political uncertainty.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lwFQN0

Updated: Don’t expect me back any time soon, says Buhari to Nigerians

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA-President Mohammadu Buhari has said that he needed a longer period of time to rest in London, United Kingdom where he had gone on medical vacation.

The import of this is that the president should not be expected back to Nigeria any time soon.

The president said the need to further rest in London was necessitated by the series of medical tests he had run.

He however expressed gratitude to Nigerians who have been praying for him, saying that there was no cause for alarm.

The president’s appreciation was contained in a brief statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.

The statement read thus: “President Muhammadu Buhari thanks millions of Nigerians who have been sending good wishes and praying for his health and well-being in mosques and churches throughout the country.

“The President is immensely grateful for the prayers, show of love and concern.

“President Buhari wishes to reassure Nigerians that there is no cause for worry.

“During his normal annual checkup, tests showed he needed a longer period of rest, necessitating the President staying longer than originally planned.”

Meanwhile, jolted by the statement, State House correspondent later sought more clarification from Adesina on the state of health of the President.

The interview which held at the Old Banquet Hall, Abuja, after a meeting on Promoting Effective Policy Monitoring and Evaluating and Performance of Ministers, Department and Agencies in the implementation of the 2016 Budget of Change organized by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning went thus:

Journalists: Tell us more on the Statement you issued?

Adesina: “The President wants Nigerians to know that he appreciates their prayers. He appreciates their concerns and their goodwill. He has added that there is really no cause to worry. He is the one who owns the body and there is nobody who will know his body more than him and he says no cause to worry. It makes sense to say that maybe from the results of the tests, further rest had been recommended. The statement did not say how long the rest will last.

“I speak for somebody, I do not speak for myself. So it is what he tells me to say that I say and the statement transmitted to me is that the President needs to rest for some further time.

Journalists: Any possibility that he will speak to Nigerians directly?

Adesina: What he has just done is to speak to Nigerians.

Journalists: What is actually wrong with the President?

Adesina: Don’t you know that the Hippocratic Oath even forbids a doctor from speaking about the condition of his patient except the patient authorizes it? It is only the patient himself who can speak about what he is going through. This is the person going through these series of tests and rest and he says no cause to worry, let us believe that.

Journalists: Why have they been harassing Journalists who have been trying to reach the President in UK?

Adesina: I do not consider that an harassment. Presidents are not hijacked and interviewed. Those things are scheduled. So, I do not consider that as harassment.

Journalists: Confirm the reports that he may remain there for months

Adesina: What we have just said is what I will want us to believe. The President said he needs to rest further. The same President that communicated that to us, when it is time for him to come, he will also communicate to us.

Journalists: There are claims that the President has lost his voice.

Adesina: Those people need to prove it. He spoke with President Trump. Did Trump say he did not speak with Nigerian President. Anybody can allege anything.

Journalists: What would you tell Nigerians really?

Adesina: My message to Nigerians is that let us learn to believe our leaders. This is a man we elected into office and he says no cause to worry, let us believe him.

Recall that the President left Nigeria for London on January 19, 2017.

He was due to return after 10 official days but at the expiration of the period, he wrote to the National Assembly, extending his medical vacation indefinitely.

The continued stay of the president has however brewed controversy, dividing Nigerians in many respects.

The post Updated: Don’t expect me back any time soon, says Buhari to Nigerians appeared first on Vanguard News.

Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2kUW6H4

We accept Emordi’s resignation in good faith, says Inyama

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The Chairman, Abia Warriors FC, Emeka Inyama, says the club has accepted the resignation of Coach Okey Emordi in good faith.
Inyama  disclosed this to newsmen in Umuahia on Tuesday while reacting to Emordi`s resignation.
He said that the club had accepted Emordi’s resignation but declined further comments on the issue.
The club announced Emordi’s resignation in a statement  issued on

Monday.
The statement,  signed by the club’s Media Officer, Mr Igwe Onuoha, quoted Emordi as hinging his action on “a string of poor results” in his short stay with the Umuahia-based club.
According to Onuoha, “Emordi said he had to quit, following a string of poor results and wished the club well.”
He said that Emordi’s assistant, Coach Abdullahi Biffo, was adirected “to take over the with immediate effect.”
Emordi’s resignation came on the heels of the club’s 0-1 home defeat by visiting El-Kanemi Warriors FC in week 9 NPFL match played at the Umuahia Township Stadium on Sunday.
Emordi was harassed by irate fans of the club at the end of the encounter.
Abia Warriors  has 11 points from nine games, having won three, drew two and lost four.

Efforts made to speak with Emordi on his reported resignation were unsuccessful as he could not pick calls.

 

The post We accept Emordi’s resignation in good faith, says Inyama appeared first on Vanguard News.

Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lHNt7i

Fake news poses more threat than insurgency, militancy – Lai Mohammed

The French invasion of Nigeria by proxy

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Nigeria has indeed seen tough times, tough times that have lasted over six years, with accompanying wanton destruction of lives and properties running into billions of naira. While it is argued in some quarters that the Boko Haram crisis has some international sponsors, I nonetheless think there is more than just foreign sponsorship of the activities of the sect.

In my opinion, there is an international conspiracy to either destroy the economy of Nigeria, or payback for constituting a hindrance to a grand plot.
As a first, Nigeria is surrounded by former French colonies, called francophone countries. These countries share borders with Nigeria, especially the Northeast, where the activities of the Boko Haram sect is domiciled.

But curiously, it was observed that Boko Haram terrorist often get their supplies from these countries especially Chad and Mali. That is not the catch. The catch is that there is a strong presence of French troops stationed in these countries.

For instance, in Mali, there are over 3,000 French soldiers under the auspices of Operation Barkhane, a task force, dedicated to tracking Islamist rebels against the wider sub-Saharan area.
But this is the same Mali that hundreds of Boko Haram members stayed at training camps with Malian militants for months in Timbuktu, learning to fix Kalashnikovs and launch shoulder-fired weapons, under the full glare of Operation Barkhane. It didn’t stop there, in Chad, Operation Barkhane has 1,200 troops stationed in that country.

Yet, activities of Boko Haram terrorists  and roving bands of Chadian deserters and former rebels who have made the region south of Chad their base of operations continued, all in the full glare of Operation Barkhane.
Let me digress to give some foundation for the continuous presence of French troops in its former colonies. In some quarters, it is stated that the francophone countries entered into an agreement with France to provide security against a coup.

So mainly the presence of French troops in these countries is to provide cover for their various business interests somewhat. And part of these activities is ensuring a steady supply of crude oil. But the usual cover story they would tell you is that the presence of French troops in Africa is part of a global mission to tackle militancy across Africa.
However, there have been some reactions to France’s deepening engagement in West Africa. Some people say that rather than preventing terrorists from coming to this part of the world, they attract them. According to a Chatham House expert, Paul Melly, France wields a level of influence in sub-Saharan Africa that it cannot command anywhere else in the world. Analysts used to refer to the “vested interests” that France had in West Africa in the post-colonial period, and how Nigeria constituted a stumbling block in its quest for outright dominance in Africa.

However, the odd angle to the whole counter-terrorism narrative as propagated by France is suspect. Suspect in the sense that on three occasions, France has called for a Boko Haram summit. The first was in 2014, tagged the Paris Security Summit, which saw leaders from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Benin agree to share their technical know-how with Western allies France, as well as the U.S and Britain to defeat Boko Haram.

Did anything come out of the summit? The answer is a huge no. Instead, Boko Haram activities thrived, they acquired more and more sophisticated weapons that are suspected to have been moved through intermediaries from some of the neighboring countries.
In 2015, French President François Hollande offered to host a summit of countries fighting Nigeria’s Boko Haram armed Islamists on a visit to Cameroon, as a follow-up to the 2014 summit.

This again didn’t yield anything tangible. In 2016, there was another summit, where leaders of Lake Chad countries along with French President Francois Hollande, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond gathered in Abuja to discuss a way of defeating Boko Haram. Nothing tangible was achieved.
This is what happens when you follow the story, only to find the most cynical of intentions from every player involved, and indeed the regional politics and geopolitics of West Africa as a whole. Second is the political and economic chessboard in West Africa, where a few interested parties stand to gain from Boko Haram’s ongoing attacks and destabilization of the entire Nigerian state.

For example, Chad sees in Nigeria potential oil profits as it expands its oil extraction capabilities throughout the Chad Basin. Of course, major oil companies, not to mention powerful western nations such as France, have a vested interest in maintaining their profits from West African oil.
Today, France’s dominant role continues as its port of Le Havre is the final destination for the unrefined oil extracted from under the feet of West Africans. Are we getting somewhere? Is it now clear why French troops stationed in these francophone countries have continued to turn blind eyes while Boko Haram fighters continue to set up camps, train and launch attacks in Nigeria?

Your guess is as good as mine. Like I mentioned earlier, the interest of France is the business. For them, since Chad is drilling oil from the Lake Chad basin and the final destination is Le Havre, the insurgency has to continue so the oil can continue to flow. But for how long the French deceit will last is left to be imagined.

By Richards Murphy

Murphy  is a forensic psychologist and contributed this piece from Calabar, Cross River State.

 

The post The French invasion of Nigeria by proxy appeared first on Vanguard News.

Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2lHIvYm

Under-fire Wenger calls for Arsenal unity…See full details

http://ift.tt/2jNrNX5

Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger (C) watches from the stands as he continues to serve a touchline ban during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on February 4, 2017. PHOTO: Ian KINGTON / AFP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged everyone connected with the Gunners to remain “united” despite seeing the club slip further behind in the Premier League title race.

Successive defeats by Watford and leaders Chelsea have left Arsenal 12 points off the summit and only one point ahead of Liverpool in the race for the fourth and final Champions League qualifying position.

Arsenal last won the Premier League in 2004 and with the title once more looking beyond their grasp, speculation over the future of Wenger, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has intensified.

But this is not the first time the veteran French manager’s Arsenal position has been called into question since he arrived at the north London side in 1996 and Wenger said Thursday it was vital that the Gunners remember their “special strength” of unity.

“Ideally you want everybody to be happy,” Wenger said when asked what factors would help him decide whether or not to sign a new contract.

“Arsenal is made of special strengths, and that strength is to be united when things go wrong.”

Wenger tried to emphasise that unity by insisting quotes attributed to Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, which appeared to question the team selection against Chelsea, had been “lost in translation” from the defender’s native French.

“That story has been twisted,” said Wenger.

Asked if he had spoken to the France international regarding his reported comments, the Arsenal boss added: “Yes of course. He didn’t mean that at all (that the line-up was wrong).

“But when you have disappointing results you know what you get — people who turn things around. But we can deal with that.”

Arsenal will look to return to winning ways in the league at home to relegation-threatened Hull on Saturday, although the visitors will arrive at the Emirates Stadium fresh from a morale-boosting 2-0 win at home to Liverpool.

Wenger said a decision on whether Spanish full-back Hector Bellerin could play against the Tigers was expected to be taken on Friday.

The 21-year-old suffered a head injury as he tried to stop Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso heading the opening goal in the Blues’ 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge last Saturday.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kLzA53

Theresa May condemns Trump’s ‘divisive’ bans

http://ift.tt/2krrHRE

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Congress of Tomorrow Republican Member Retreat at Loews Philadelphia Hotel on January 26, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. British Prime Minister Theresa May is on a two-day visit to the United States and will be the first world leader to meet with President Donald Trump. PHOTO: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images/AFP

Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday told British lawmakers that US President Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban was “divisive and wrong”, five days after she initially refused to condemn the move.

“On the policy that President Trump has introduced, this government is clear that that policy is wrong”, May told MPs after being pressed by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn in parliament.

“We believe it is divisive and wrong,” she said, speaking to MPs for the first time since the travel ban came into force.

Trump’s executive order bars refugee arrivals for at least 120 days and suspends visas from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — for 90 days.

The prime minister was keen to emphasise she had no advance notice of Trump’s plans.

“If he (Corbyn) is asking me whether I had advance notice of the ban on refugees, the answer is no. If he is asking me if I had advance notice that the executive order could affect British citizens, the answer is no.

“If he is asking if I had advance notice of the travel restrictions, the answer is we all did, because President Trump said he was going to do this in his election campaign.”

Imposed on Friday, the same day the prime minister visited the White House, the ban sparked global mass protests and was swiftly condemned by the United Nations and countries including Germany and France.

But the following day, May failed to condemn the policy despite being asked three times, saying the US was responsible for its own refugee policy.

She then issued a statement saying she did “not agree” with it.

Thousands took to Britain’s streets to protest the ban and 1.8 million have signed a petition demanding her invitation for Donald Trump to come on a ceremonial state visit be withdrawn.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2jUTAAT