ONE WORD

Geoffrey Onyeama. President Muhammadu Buhari in his capacity as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, has dispatched the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, as Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau. A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday, said the minister would embark on the mission in the company of ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Brou. The presidential aide stated that the President had in response to an urgent request for assistance by the Government of Guinea Bissau graciously approved support to the country’s election process. He said the assistance included 350 units of electoral kits, 10 motorcycles, five Hilux vans, two light trucks and 500,000 dollars. According to the presidential media aide, this vital assistance will ensure that legislative elections are held in Guinea Bissau, which should h...

By Nwafor Sunday President Muhammadu Buhari has donated five hundred thousand US dollars, (US$500,000), to Guinea Bissau for the country’s election. President Muhammadu Buhari Buhari who travelled to London on Thursday, sent the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama for the mission. Disclosing this via the official tweeter handle of the Nigeria President, (@NGRPresident), Buhari doled out about One hundred and eighty two million, five hundred thousand naira, to assist the country. Read the tweet below: “In his capacity as Chairman, ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, Pres Buhari, this morning, directed Minister of Foreign Affairs, @GeoffreyOnyeama to undertake an urgent mission as his Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau, in the company of ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Brou. “President @MBuhari had in response to an urgent request for assistance by the Government of Guinea Bissau graciously approved support to the country’s election process including 350 units of...

The Kaduna state government has announced the imposition of a 24-hour curfew on Kajuru local government area of the state. The curfew comes on heels of a rumour that a fresh crisis is imminent in Kasuwan Magani community, one of the crisis-prone areas in the council. A short statement issued by the spokesman for the Kaduna state government, Samuel Aruwan quotes the state Deputy Governor,  Bala Bantex as directing vigorous enforcement of the curfew and also urging citizens to comply and support peace efforts in the community. Kajuru local government area has been in the news in the last two years for the wrong reasons, especially due to incessant conflicts that have claimed several lives and property worth millions of Naira. source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/kaduna-govt-imposes-24-hr-curfew-on.html

The management of the Taraba State University, Jalingo has shut down the institution following the lingering strike action by ASUU chapter of the university. This is contained in a memorandum issued by the school management instructing that all students activities have been suspended and also asking the students to vacate their hostels before 9:00AM on Friday 26th April 2019. A visit to the institution by Channels Television shows that students are complying with the instruction as they were seen carrying their luggages and vacating the hostels. Some of the students who spoke to Channels Television said the order is unfortunate, unfair and unexpected as it will affect their academic calendar badly. According to them, the nationwide strike action by ASUU was more than a nightmare, the current internal strike action by ASUU Taraba state university chapter is a drawback and now the order to vacate their hostels is demeaning and should be resolved with immediate effect to avoid ...

Ooni-of-Ife-Oba-Adeyeye-Ogunwusi By Dare Babarinsa Apart from the Palace of the Ooni, the most visited site in Ile-Ife is Opa Oranmiyan. The Oranmiyan Cenotaph is marked by a giant obelisk made of stone. It is one of the tallest stone carvings in the world and its mysterious embedded marks are believed to convey some hidden messages. It is a work of art as well as a mysterious and sacramental intrusion into the modern world. Who knows the brilliant artists who toiled to get this done and for what purpose? Today, it is also regarded as a religious object and the chief priest of the Oranmiyan shrine is one of the most powerful in Ile-Ife. The obelisk is said to commemorate the life and death of Oranmiyan, the most famous and the most prodigious of ancient Ife princes and princesses. He was said to be a grandson of Oduduwa, the founder of the Yoruba dynasty and after a life of restless adventures, was invited home to become the fourth Ooni of Ife. He was the founder of the Oyo ...

A Nigerian man has regained his freedom after serving 27 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.  Clinton Kanu   Clinton Kanu, a 57-year-old Nigerian man who spent 27 years in prison for an offence he did not commit, has been released and is now calling for the reform of the judicial system in the country.   According to Rivers State Television, Kanu was arrested at the age of 30, convicted of murder in 1992 and remanded in Port Harcourt Maximum Prisons.   His appeal against the lower court judgement dragged on slowly, but eventually he got to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. There, he got acquitted of the murder charge on the 5th April, 2019.   Now freed, Kanu is seeking a reform of the nation’s justice system and the prisons. source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/innocent-man-who-spent-27years-in.html

Gov. Rochas Okorocha Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has set up governing councils for the three newly established tertiary institutions in the state. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement disclosed that the members of the councils were urged to ensure the smooth take-off of the institutions. The members for the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences are Prof. Peter Akanwa as Vice-Chancellor and Fr. Wenceslaus Madu as Chairman. Other members are the Permanent Secretaries for the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Tertiary Education and Sylvester Obinna, Jerry Okoli, Eze Emmanuel Ibechi and Eze I Obiefule. For the Bishop Shanahan Polytechnic Orlu, the governor appointed Prof. Aloysius Onyeka as Rector and Dr Uche Ejiogu as Chairman. He also appointed the Permanent Secretaries for the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Tertiary Education as members of the councils. Onwuemeodo said the governor also app...

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo thrilled his kinsmen and other dignitaries with cultural dance steps at his native Ibogun Olaogun village, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Saturday. Mr Obasanjo, who is the Olori Omo Ilu of Ibogun Olaogun land, joined his kinsmen at the unveiling of Ibogun Olaogun Community Secondary School as well as the second year coronation anniversary of the community king. The event, which also witnessed the conferment of chieftaincy titles on 19 sons and daughters of the community, held at the centre of the community. Two of Mr Obasanjo’s sons, Bisoye and Olubiyi, were among those honoured with local chieftaincy titles at the event. While Olubiyi was named the Olu-Omo of Ibogun Olaogun, Bisoye was honoured as the Aare of the community. PREMIUM TIMES’ correspondent at the community reports that shortly after the coronation ceremonies were concluded, Mr Obasanjo moved into his house to relax and attend to guests. But upon alighting from the c...

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi State The Ebonyi Government says it will distribute 1.9 million long lasting, insecticide-treated nets to households in the state under its 2019 universal net distribution campaign. Dr Daniel Umezurike, the state Commissioner for Health, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing newsmen on the occasion of the World Malaria Day. According to him, the Ministry’s warehouse in Ikwo Local Government Area is fully stocked with the commodity. Umezurike remarked that about 56 trucks are presently offloading the commodity as the state government in 2015, partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to distribute 1.7 million nets. ”The distribution of the presently procured nets will follow the same pattern of 2015 where the distributors recruited from the 17 wards of the state will be adequately trained. ”The households in the state will be enumerated and be given nets card which they would use to collect the nets o...

ORGANISED Labour yesterday directed its officials in the states to make the immediate payment of the new national minimum wage of N30, 000 and review of monthly pension by state governments a top priority. This came as leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, resolved to hold a joint May Day rally nationwide, first of its kind since the crisis that followed the 2015 NLC delegates’ conference. NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Waba and other Labour leaders during the rally to create awareness on the new Minimum Wage for workers organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress at the Federal Capital territory, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida The crisis led to the emergence of ULC two years after Joe Ajaero who contested the NLC presidency with Ayuba Wabba, alongside some of affiliates who supported him during the conference, broke away to form a faction of NLC. The faction later with other senior staff associati...

Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of a fifth successive French Cup title will be bolstered by the return of Neymar and Edinson Cavani from long-term injuries for Saturday’s showdown with Rennes at the Stade de France. Neymar Brazil star Neymar made his first appearance since January 23 as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Monaco as PSG celebrated clinching a sixth Ligue 1 crown in seven years. Cavani also returned to action, coming on for the final 17 minutes, as PSG’s famed front three — which has accounted for 78 goals this season — were reunited after months apart. Coach Thomas Tuchel admitted he “worried” for PSG’s prospects after they blew a third chance to wrap up the league at Nantes last week, but the German struck a more positive note after watching his team belatedly seal the title. “Our objective is clear: to win the double. We have to win on Saturday,” said Tuchel, who is also set to welcome back Angel Di Maria after six weeks out. “The French Cup ...

The Senate has condemned the killing of a British national, Faye Mooney, by armed men in Kaduna State. When the matter came up during Thursday’s plenary, members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly observed a minute’s silence in honour of Mooney and Mr Matthew Oguche who was also killed during the incident. Some gunmen invaded the Kajuru Castle Resort in Kaduna on Friday last week, killed the two victims and kidnapped three other persons in the process. Deliberating on the matter, the senators decried the rate of banditry and kidnappings in parts of the country. They, therefore, resolved to urge the security authorities to intensify the search for the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The lawmakers urged the Federal Government to set up an inter-agency task force to tackle cases of banditry and kidnapping in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Niger States. They asked the security agencies to give special security cover to foreign workers and tourists, as well a...