Country
NGF: We’ll fish out attackers of Imo governor’s residence
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has condemned the attack on Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state’s residence, saying all hands must be on deck to fish out perpetrators of the crime. Gunmen had on Saturday attacked and killed many people, including three security personnel, and set the country home of the governor at Omuma, Oru East Local Government Area of the state ablaze. Chairman of the NGF and Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, in a statement on Sunday, sympathised with Governor Uzodinma and all those who had been injured, maimed or had someone close killed during the attack. “The Forum calls on all good citizens to cooperate with the nation’s security forces and the government in trying to build a civil, safe and secure environment for our citizens. “For those behind these crimes,...
Chad rebels ready for ceasefire; opposition presses for civilian rule
Rebels in northern Chad are ready to observe a ceasefire and to discuss a political settlement after the battlefield death of President Idriss Deby last week, a rebel spokesman said on Sunday. The rebels, known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), came over the northern border from Libya on April 11 calling for an end to Deby’s 30-year rule. They came as close as 200-300 km (125-185 miles) from the capital N’Djamena before being pushed back by the army. Deby was killed on Monday while visiting troops at the front, just after he won an election. His death shocked the Central African country, which has long been a Western ally against Islamist militants. The air force has since bombarded rebel positions, the military and rebels said. The military said on Saturday it had “annih...
Senator Tinubu: Terrible people want to break Nigeria’s appointment with destiny
All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, says terrible people and strong forces want to break Nigeria’s appointment with its greater destiny by attacking “agricultural players” in the country, thereby creating food scarcity. He spoke on Saturday on the occasion of the 23rd to 25th convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, the Benue State capital. Tinubu was also awarded a honorary doctorate at the event by the university Senate and Governing Council. The former Lagos State governor said, “We approach a defining moment as a nation. A reckoning of special importance beckons. We must decide whether to give the truest meaning to our national motto “peace and unity” or we allow the agents of destruction and merchants of violence to have their way with us...
Resident doctors decry Nigerian government scrapping of officers, interns salary
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has decried the scrapping of the salary of medical house officers and other health interns by the Federal Government. Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the President of NARD, said this while speaking with newsmen on Saturday in Abuja Okhuaihesuyi said that the NARD was making its own investigation to confirm the veracity of the news, adding that it would be addressed appropriately. Newsmen report that the Federal Government through the National Council of Establishment (NCE) stopped the salaries of medical house officers. Others categories of officers affected include dental house officers, nurse interns, pharmacist interns, medical laboratory science interns, and NYSC doctors. Dr Folashade Yemi-Esaa, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federatio...
Isa Pantami: PDP lambasts APC for ‘supporting terrorism through silence’
The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressives Congress and its leaders of a “conspiratorial silence in the face of the worrisome revelation in which a member of the Federal Executive Council and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has been accused of affiliation with terrorist groups.” Pantami has been under fire of late over sermons he delivered in the past that allegedly had him sympathising with terrorist organisations – Al-Qaeda and the Taliban – a thing he says he has repented of. He has, however, received the backing of the Presidency which declared that calls for his resignation or sacking are tantamount to cancel culture. The ruling All Progressives Congress is yet to issue a statement on the comments made by the Minister concerning the terr...
Cross River agency chief calls for legislation to back labour migration
The director-general, Cross River Migration Control Agency, Prince Michael Nku Abuo, has called for enactment of a legislation to back labour migration in order to engender national development. Abuo made the call at the Cross River State Migration Summit held in Calabar, the state capital on Saturday. The DG, who also represented the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, at the summit, pointed out that several solutions by both federal and state governments have been given to address the issue of unemployment in order to curb the challenge, but the way forward is to tackle the menace was through labour migration. According to him, Cross River Migration Control Agency was exploring and advancing for opportunities for citizens of the State who are at home and in the Diaspora under a work study p...
First Country: New Music From Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Reba McEntire & More
Eric Church, Soul The third part in Church’s Heart & Soul trilogy focuses on the soul — from Motown to Stax to Muscle Shoals — that have influenced his life and music. Top cuts are the languid “Hell of a View,” about finding the perfect partner to go through life’s adventures with; the chugging, unapologetic “Break It Kind of Guy” and “Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones,” the kind of emotional storytelling song that so few artists even attempt these days, much less succeed with to the degree that Church does. Keith Urban feat. Breland & Nile Rodgers, “Out the Cage” Urban is country music’s most fascinating shape-shifter, easily melding different musical styles with complete ease. Here, he busts forth with a frenetic, nonstop banger with great assists from newcomer Breland and icon&nb...
Southeast Asian leaders discuss Myanmar crisis with junta chief
Southeast Asian leaders began a crisis meeting on Myanmar on Saturday aiming to persuade Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military takeover that sparked turmoil in his country, to forge a path to end the violence. The gathering of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta is the first coordinated international effort to ease the crisis in Myanmar, an impoverished country that neighbours China, India and Thailand. Myanmar is part of the 10-nation ASEAN. With participants attending in person despite the pandemic, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Friday that the summit reflected the “deep concern about the situation in Myanmar and ASEAN’s determination to help Myanmar get out of this delicate situation”. It’s unusual for the leader o...
PANDEF seeks South-south security outfit
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has paid a consultative visit to former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to discuss the current security situation of the country and South south matters particularly the need for a regional security arrangement for the South-South as being done by other zones in the country. The PANDEF delegation led by the National Chairman, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, said they visited the former President because he was a key voice in the country, and the political leader of the Niger Delta Region, and that his vast knowledge and understanding of the complexities and intricacies of the country, and the region, would be of immense benefit to PANDEF, and other groups in the country in the efforts to resolving the challenges we are confronted with. The group in a s...
PSG boss: Idrissa Gueye a pleasure to work with
Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed his delight to work with Idrissa Gueye and praised him for his contribution to his side. The midfielder is currently spending his second season at Parc des Princes, having teamed up with the club from Premier League side Everton in the summer of 2019. Gueye has featured in more than 60 games since joining the side and in the current campaign, he has made 42 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist across all competitions. His performances ensured the Parisians to their second spot on the Ligue 1 table and their progression into the semi-finals of the Champions League. Pochettino has lauded the impact of the Senegal international to his side ahead of their encounter with the Maroons. “He’s a player with experience, ...
Nigerian government virtually inaugurates seven digital economy projects in five zones
The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja virtually inaugurated seven Information Technology (IT) projects located in five geo-political zones of the country. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said at the event that they were part of efforts to consolidate on implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). Pantami said that the projects were in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s key agenda, which included economic development, security and fight against corruption. Newsmen report that the projects were actualised by parastatal agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. The projects commissioned included a Community ICT Centre in Dutse, Jigawa, for North West; an IT Hub at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,...
ASEAN changed Myanmar statement on release of political detainees – sources
A draft statement circulating the day before a Southeast Asian leaders’ summit on the Myanmar crisis included the release of political prisoners as one of its “consensus” points, said three sources familiar with the document. But in the final statement at the end of Saturday’s meeting, the language on freeing political prisoners had been unexpectedly watered down and did not contain a firm call for their release, two of the sources said. The absence of a strong position on this issue caused dismay among human rights activists and opponents of the coup, fuelling criticism by them that the meeting had achieved little in the way of reining in the country’s military leaders. read more Activist monitors say 3,389 people have been detained in a crackdown on dissent by the military since the Feb....