ONE WORD

INEC has removed Okorocha's name from the list of people that will collect certificate of return. Reason: INEC returning officer revealed that he declared Okorocha the winner of [b]IMO WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT[/b]under duress. Implication: It means that the election that produced Okorocha is now null and void. INEC to conduct fresh election in the senatorial district. source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/03/okorochas-name-missing-from-list-of.html

Zinedine Zidane is set to make a sensational return as Real Madrid manager, according to reports in Spain. The Frenchman resigned at the Bernabeu at the end of last season following a third successive Champions League title. But the club has since struggled, with Julen Lopetegui fired after a disastrous start to the season and Santiago Solari unable to navigate Los Blancos past the last 16 in Europe, with Ajax handing them a humiliating exit. Zidane has taken a sabbatical from the game but has persistently been linked with a return, with Manchester United and Juventus also strongly linked. La Sexta on El Chiringuito de Jugones have reported Zidane will be announced as the next permanent manager of Real Madrid and that it could be announced officially in the coming days. Zidane could even take training on Tuesday, the report adds. source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/03/real-madrid-to-announce-zidane-as.html

There is confusion in Imo State following the alleged stoppage of the announcement of results by banditry allegedly sponsored by incumbent Governor Rochas Okorocha and his family members. The battle for the Government House was majorly fought between the Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who is contesting on the platform of the Action Alliance, AA, and All Progressives Congress, APC’s Hope Uzodinma. Communities in the State are now set for mass protest in demand of immediate announcement of results. DAILY POST gathered that the Ihedioha of the PDP is currently cruising to victory in all the Local Government Areas announced by INEC so far. There may be a serious breakdown of law and order across communities in the State as the people demand immediate conclusion and announcement of all the results. Youths in the state are preparing for massive protests unless the result of the election, especially that of governorship is ...

More than 275 financial firms are moving a combined 1.2 trillion dollars in assets and funds and thousands of staff from Britain to the European Union in readiness for Brexit at a cost of up to 4 billion dollars, a report from a think tank said on Monday. Theresa May UK lawmakers are due to vote on Tuesday on an EU divorce settlement. But with less than three weeks to go before Brexit day on March 29, it is still unclear whether the deal will be approved, whether a departure from the EU will be delayed, or whether it will happen without agreement. The report by the New Financial think tank, one of the most detailed yet on the impact of Brexit on financial services, said Dublin alone accounted for 100 relocations, ahead of Luxembourg with 60, Paris 41, Frankfurt 40, and Amsterdam 32. The independent think tank said half of the affected asset management firms, such as Goldman Sachs Investment Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Vanguard, had chosen Dublin, ...

Indonesian national Siti Aisyah (C) smiles while leaving the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 11, 2019 after her trial for her alleged role in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. – An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother was to be freed March 11 after a prosecutor withdrew a murder charge against her, a judge said. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP) An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed Monday after Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against her, in a shock decision a year and a half after she went on trial. Siti Aisyah smiled as she was ushered through a group of journalists and into a car outside the court, where she had been on trial alongside a Vietnamese woman for the murder of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. “I feel happy. I did not know this will happen. I did not expect it,”...

Kelly/AFP One of the lawyers representing women who claim they were abused by R&B star R. Kelly said Sunday a new videotape had emerged which showed the singer “sexually abusing children.” Kelly is currently on bail after being accused of sexually abusing four women, including three teenagers, between May 1998 and January 2010. The latest discovery was announced by lawyer Gloria Allred at a press conference where she told journalists it was found by couple Gary and Sallie Dennis in a box of old VHS cassettes at their home. Neither Allred nor Dennis elaborated on how the tape came to be in the couple’s possession. READ ALSO: It’s Official! Jennifer Lopez, A-Rod Are Engaged “Prior to learning that such a tape was in their possession, Sallie had viewed the Lifetime documentary called ‘Surviving R. Kelly,'” said Allred. “She was emotionally very disturbed by what the women in the documentary alleged had happened. “Sometime after that, Sallie and her husband discov...

Engineer Abdullahi Sule of the APC in Nasarawa State has been declared the winner of the governorship elections. The returning officer Professor Abdullahi Bala of the Federal University of Technology, Minna declared that Sule polled 327,229 votes to defeat Ombugadu of the PDP with 184,281 votes. Sule, was among the 29 candidates who vied for the position to succeed Governor Tanko Al-makura who is heading to the Senate. He is a former MD of Dangote sugar refinery who hails from Gudi, Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa state. The INEC declaration makes Sule the first governor from the northern senatorial district since the creation of the state in 1996. Below are figures of votes polled by the major parties in Nasarawa state. Wamba LGA – APC:15,706 PDP: 9,332 APGA: 1,772 Awe LGA – APC: 29,443 PDP: 9,228 APGA: 1,801 Keana LGA – APC: 11,759 PDP: 6,579 APGA: 2,869 Toto LGA – APC: 32,213 PDP: 8,590 APGA: 1,889 Kokona LGA – APC: 23,027 PDP: 18,971 APGA: 5,809 ...

Following a statement released by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited [BASL], operator of the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, is justified in its claim of 36 years validity on the Build-Operate-Transfer concession model of the airport terminal. FAAN’s reaction which was made available to newsmen through the company’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, refuted in strong terms, the allegation of a takeover of the administration of MMA2 from BASL. Recall that a report had emerged online alleging that a source close to the Ministry of Transport, Aviation Unit, had disclosed that the management of FAAN had been authorized by the Ministry to take over the terminal on the expiration of alleged 12 years consensual agreement between BASL and the agency in May. In her words, Yakubu, said the agency was not aware of any plans to take over the operations of the MMA2 terminal. She was also quoted to have said that someone ...

BY IKE UCHECHUKWU (CALABAR) Incumbent governor of Cross River State and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Ben Ayade has been declared the winner of the March 9 governorship election by The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Governor Ben Ayade Ayade, who won in all the 18 local government areas of the state, defeated other candidates from other political parties who contested and winning the election with a margin of 250,323 votes. He polled 381,484 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) that polled 131,161. Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr. Eyo Ekpo polled 4, 818 votes. Announcing the results at about 4am on Monday, March 11, INEC returning officer and Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, Professor Akii Ibhadode, said the PDP candidate having scored the highest number of votes and fulfilled the requirements of the law, was returned elected. Accor...

By Dele Sobowale “One must show the truth to posterity with boldness and to his contemporaries with circumspection.. Voltaire, 1694-1778, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, P 255. Unlike the great French philosopher, I strongly believe that truth must be shown with equal candour to all generations. There should be no dichotomy in placing facts before the public – especially for those privileged to be in the media. It has always been our sacred duty to inform, educate and entertain (also sometimes infuriate) the public on every matter of great importance. In about thirty years on these pages, that has been the principle. Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele It will never change.  Right now there is an issue which has suddenly crept on all of us while the election campaigns were going on. None of the two major candidates mentioned it; and it is doubtful if any of the fringe political parties candidates alluded to it. That is strange. The crumbling ...

The view of the old ECOWAS building in Abuja Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a $31.6 million grant with the Government of China for the development of the proposed new Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters building, the search for critical consultants in the project have begun in earnest. To pave way for the project, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Brou and the Ambassador of China to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Zhou Pingjian had recently signed for both parties in a bilateral meeting held at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters, Abuja.Under the MoU, China’s will maintain the building three years after completion. The need for a new building for ECOWAS was necessitated by increasing number of staff, which led to the Commission to presently operate from three buildings distance apart from each other. The agreement, which comes into force with immediate effect will cater for offices and...

Nigerians crowd population<br />PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ELUKPO PROF. LEKE ODUWAYE is the former Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Lagos. He is a town planner, architect with speciality in urban land use. He spoke to VICTOR GBONEGUN on the necessity to develop cities that anticipate, care for huge population inflow and setting up of local government planning permit authority, to mitigate delays in getting planning approvals from government and other issues. Population growth rate in most of the city centres in Nigeria often outstretch available infrastructure following high rate of urban migration. What should authorities do to create a symmetry balance between the two? The challenge we have is that authorities don’t plan especially when it comes to public affairs. There is need to prioritise physical planning that anticipates increase in population inflow and making provisions to accommodate new settlers in the city. Planning is like a commitment. If you ...

By Yinka Adeosun WHAT a man can do, a woman can do better” is a popular cliché which seeks to juxtapose the two genders. Often times, it is raised when one, usually the female, is favoured above the other. But is it true that one gender is better than the other? History doesn’t support this claim. The fifth Sustainable Development Goal, “gender equality” is a term that seeks to promote equal access to resources and opportunities. It underscores the realism that one gender is neither superior nor inferior to the other. The campaign seeks to abolish gender-based discrimination and all forms of human rights violation against women and girls in particular. Over the years, society has assigned roles to the two genders. Perhaps because of their physiologies and the pre-dominant patriarchal cultures, the male is often seen as the stronger because of his physical attributes, and the female, because of her tenderness is labelled as the weaker vessel. This deep-rooted practice will requir...

In a concerted effort to groom youths in vocations and technical skills, Edo State Government through its skills development platform, EdoJobs, has partnered with MacPrices Limited, NAT Limited and Doma Furniture on extended woodworks and furniture training course for youths in the state. Cross-section of applicants taking the aptitude test organised by the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) for the 250 job openings in the traffic agency, on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at the Imaguero Hall, in Benin City. The applicants were polled from the EdoJobs portal. The programme is designed as an earn-as-you-learn package which will see trainees placed on regular stipends as they learn new craft. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Jobs Creation and Skills Development, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said that the state government is committed to grooming youths on vocations and technical education so that they can meaningfully contribute to the state’s economy. According to her, ...

By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor If you are engaged in a search for a catalogue, a history, or a compendium of Nigeria’s woes, search no further. James Ifeanyichukwu Odife’s book, Sedated from Within is where to find it all. The book documents the litany of woes of Nigeria – everything negative about comatose Nigeria can be found therein – political, economic, social; military rule, corruption, migration – the list appears endless. The treatment begins from the colonial era in chapter one in which the author profiles the first generation of Nigerian politicians as “some set of committed crusaders who were focused, courageous, brave, articulate, and dogged” in their engagement and confrontation with the British imperialists. It catalogues the roles and activities of NCNC, Action Group (AG) and NPC – political parties of those days – and their leaders – Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa), Chief Obafemi Awolowo (who, by some stroke of ethnically-entrenched political maneuver, earn...

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress “Nigerians have practically abandoned polling units in today’s election. They’ve come to the realization that ‘voting’ is done at the Collation Centres NOT at the Polling Units …Sad day for Demon-Crazy!” – Omoyele Sowore, Presidential candidate, 2019 General Elections. This piece is not to do a post-mortem on why turnout was low in Saturday’s state level elections, there will be more than enough time for that when the full figures are released. It is also important for me to point out that since 1999, the presidential vote has always witnessed a higher turnout than state level elections, just that this year, the drop was more severe than normal. The Nigerian Governorship elections held on March 9, 2019, in 29 out of the 36 states. Governorship elections are very crucial and while the outcome of state governorship elections are usually influenced by the outcome of the Presidential Elections, much of the a...

People run as vehicles are set on fire following deadly clashes between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Kofa in Bebeji district of Kano, economic nerve centre of northern Nigeria, on February 22, 2019. Two people were killed, while 40 vehicles, 12 motorcycles and houses were burn following bloody clashes between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kofa town, Bebeji district of Kano, northeast Nigeria ahead of tomorrow’s rescheduled presidential election. PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP As human beings, particularly from a certain stage in life, we are always under pressure to deliver, to achieve a goal or goals. Sometimes society sets timelines or targets which we wittingly or unwittingly struggle, strain to achieve. At the bottom of this is the notion that at each stage of life there are certain targets that must be met by all. The more u...

As part of efforts to explore alternative power sources and mainstream innovative youths in community-focused projects, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has commenced the installation of 1.5KVA solar power boxes developed by youths at the Edo Innovation Hub, across 100 rural schools in the state. Ongoing installation of 1.5KVA solar power boxes developed by youths at the Edo Innovation Hub, being installed in one of the 100 rural schools in the state by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration. The solar power boxes were developed by Green Fusion Energy Ltd., a company that emerged from innovation and business grooming at the Edo Innovation Hub, Benin City, and is providing solar energy to students in rural areas. The Edo State Government set up the Hub to attend to the yearnings of technology innovators in the state, and it is providing opportunities for youths to co-create and develop solutions to local problems. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor o...

Idris Wada Former Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada and his deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, have condemned the process adopted for the state House of Assembly election, saying that the poll was marred by ballot box-snatching and shooting by gun-wielding thugs. While Wada called for cancellation of the state Assembly and Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency supplementary elections in Dekina Local Council, Awoniyi said his people in Mopa Amaro boycotted the election after it was shifted due to a mix-up in election materials. Wada, who spoke at Odu-Ogboyaga, Dekina Local Council at the weekend, said the call was based on the malpractices and violence that marred the election. The former governor alleged that gun-wielding hoodlums in police uniform stole ballot boxes in most wards and units in the council. “In Odu Ward 1, Unit 001 where I voted, votes for other parties than the All Progressives Congress (APC) were removed from the boxes and torn as soon as the voters voted and left the vicin...