Nigerians should not be deceived...Atiku has nothing on the table to offer. Voting for Atiku is like going back to Egypt

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate to explain why he declined assent to 14 bills.

His explanation was contained in letters read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday.

The president also introduced Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Bill, 2018 to the upper chamber; he requested that the bill be considered and passed into law.

He explained that the bill is intended to curtail illegal activities of pirates at sea as well as to reduce the incidences of theft in domestic and international waters.

He also said the bill, (if passed) will domesticate the relevant provisions of international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory, such as Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS II) relating to piracy; as well as the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988 and its protocols.

The president gave reasons for his refusal to sign the other bills.

Here are his reasons for rejecting some of the bills:
National Research and Innovation Council (Est.) Bill, 2017: For this bill, the president said the requirement for 5 per cent of the annual allocation of 14 entities listed in section 17 of the Bill to be paid into the Research and Innovation Fund is unwieldy and may be practically difficult to implement in some instances. For example, he said, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund does not receive any federal allocation.
He said the requirement that 1 per cent of the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be sourced from the federal government be paid into the Research and Innovation Fund is also practically unworkable as the GDP is an economic measure at the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a period of time; it is not cash or revenue accruable to the federal government.

Mr Buhari also noted incorrect references to some of the entities specified in Section 17 of the Bill. For instance, the Information Technology and Development Fund should be the National Information Technology Development Fund.

National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (Est.) Bill, 2018: Mr Buhari said his decision to decline assent to this bill was because there was no compelling reason for the requirement in Section 5(3)(k) that 25 per cent of the revenue generated for the federal government should be used directly by the institute.
“The retention of such a high amount is to the determinant of the revenue, available for funding the budget of the Federal Government and is for in excess of what the Federal Inland Revenue and the Nigeria Customs Service are able to retain which is 4 per cent and 7 per cent respectively; and

“A number of provisions in the First Schedule to the Bill in respect of the Supplementary Provisions relating to the Board are not in accordance with good practice in corporate governance,” he said.



National Agricultural Seeds Council Bill, 2018: The president declined assent to this bill because there already exists a National Crop Varieties and Livestock Breed (Registration, Etc) Act which covers some of the proposed functions of the National Agriculture Seed Council Bill.
He said the passage of this bill into law would create confusion as to the proper authority to regulate crop varieties in Nigeria.

Subsidiary Legislation (Legislative Scrutiny) Bill, 2018: Mr Buhari declined this bill because he is concerned that the bill will slow down the administrative processes for implementing agencies.
He also said the bill does not leave room for administrative discretion borne out from administrative experiences that would enable sectors work faster in handling or addressing urgent matters.

The president added that the bill may also impede the federal government’s drive for increased revenue collection since an implementing agency that drives revenue from licenses will now have to go through a legislative process every time it intends to update its administrative process of increased license fees.

Stamp Duties (Amendment) Bill, 2018: For this bill, Mr Buhari said revenues from stamp duties are currently shared among all three tiers of government. Accordingly, transferring collection responsibilities from the Federal and States’ Inland Revenue Services to Nigerian Postal Services may deprive the States and Local Governments of their share of stamp duties revenues.
He also said the bill’s proposals for the imposition of stamp duties on savings accounts and electronic transactions may impair the implementation of the federal government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, e-payment programmes and cashless banking policies.

Chartered Institute of Entrepreneurship (Est.) Bill, 2018: The president said this bill is unnecessary in view of the fact that potential entrepreneurs have various existing options to hone their skills such as universities which currently offer entrepreneurship as a course of study.
He also said the creation of the institute by legislation is not coextensive or coterminous with capacity development and the proposed bill may contain citizen’s right freedom of action.

Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) (Amendment) Bill, 2018: For this bill, Mr Buhari declined to enable ongoing consultations by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the tax holidays incentive, resume Expansion Project Investments in rural areas as well as for agriculture agro-processing to be concluded.
“It is my expectations that these consultations would result in fiscal measures that would greatly enrich the quality of the tax holidays incentive regimes for these types of projects and investments. We also expect that these fiscal measures, once finalised, would be subsequently submitted to the National Assembly by way of Presidential Executive Orders of executive bills for consideration and passage into law by the federal legislature,” he said.

Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2017:
“I am declining assent to this bill which would reduce the minimum punishment for the offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act due to the prevalence of the offences, the need to detect the offences and the need to adequately punish offenders.

“I am also concerned that the amendment to the Principal Act have watered down the sentences by giving the courts too much discretion in respect of the minimum sentences,” the president explained.

Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2017: The president refused to sign this bill because the amendment will create ‘distortions’ to the operationalisation of the NIMASA Act.
Mr Buhari urged the Senate to focus on passing the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Bill, 2018 – in order to achieve a more comprehensive review of the operations in the maritime sector.

During the break, the president had rejected the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and five constitutional amendment bills.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/289455-buhari-gives-reasons-for-rejecting-bills-passed-by-national-assembly.html

Ahaaaaa.....Saraki is pained. What was he even thinking when he picked the presidential form...His gullible act is near to its end

Votes buying is sure not a new thing to the PDP...They are known for vote buying, why are they pained?...It was glaring that votes where bought after they showered delegates with dollars I'm sure they think Nigerians are fools

Gullible Saraki was in his mind thinking he would win the presidential primary...what a joker.

The Federal Government on Monday announced that it had raised the sum of $177m out of the $1bn required for the cleanup of Ogoni land in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

It stated that refineries of crude oil were expected to raise the balance, adding that the $1bn was to be raised over a period of five years.



The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, disclosed this while playing host to the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Laure Beaufils in Abuja.

He said, “As I’m talking today, that (Ogoni cleanup) account has been credited with the sum of $177m. This is what is supposed to be given by the oil majors who are there and to pay for the cleaning and restoration of those degraded lands.”

Jibril said an initial bill of $1bn was recommended to be used over a period of five years, adding that “with the $177m for 2018, the balance is expected to come from the refineries and we have written to inform the President, he (President) has given the directives that the petroleum ministry should handle that issue.”

He also spoke on the devastating effect of climate change on Nigeria, adding that the ministry had to create a department to help tackle the challenges posed by the development.

“The issue of climate change has been brought to bear in the southern part of this country, as can been seen in the constant erosion in some of those areas. That is why we have a full Technical Department of Erosion Control,” he said.

The minister told his guest that in the northern part of Nigeria, “we have the problem of the Sahara desert in places like Borno and Yobe states.”

https://punchng.com/fg-raises-177m-for-ogoni-cleanup/

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba has said the Federal Government would soon announce a new minimum wage as the Tripartite Committee had completed its assignment for onward submission to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated this yesterday while briefing journalists in Abuja.

Wabba said the committee has reconvened and deliberated on a new minimum wage figure that was acceptable to all employers of labour in the country.

“I want to assure workers that all has been concluded and will be passed for signing within the week.

“I also want to appreciate the Organised Private Sector, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) for their resolve to pay the new minimum wage when it is signed into law,” he said.

The NLC president, however, refused to disclose the figure arrived at by the Tripartite Committee.

Wabba said the presidency would soon make it public after deliberation by the National Economic Council meeting.

The organized labour had demanded N65,500 as new minimum wage for workers, while the private employers and some state governors were proposing N25,000.

http://saharareporters.com/2018/10/09/fg-labour-agree-new-minimum-wage-%E2%80%94-wabba

Reeno is gradually losing it, always looking for one way or the other to make headlines, Nigerians knows how he hate this Buhari led government and will do anything to drag the president name to the mud, this is actually expected from a man like Omokri.

This is unbelievable, the man that wants to rule Nigeria and his business owe employees, His employees are are crying over unpaid salaries and mistreatment, when you have not taken care of your home (Business) how can you fairly and transparently take care of the affairs of a Country, this is unbelievable

The Federal Government is set to announce the new minimum wage as the Tripartite Committee completes its assignment for onward submission to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the committee used the two-day to reconvene and deliberate on a new minimum wage figure that was acceptable to all employers of labour in the country.

“I want to assure workers that all has been concluded and will be passed for signing within the week.

“I also want to appreciate the Organised Private Sector, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) for their resolve to pay the new minimum wage when it is signed into law,” he said.


The NLC president, however, refused to disclose the figure arrived at by the Tripartite Committee on the new National Minimum Wage.

Wabba said the presidency would make it public after deliberation by the National Economic Council meeting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC), on Sept. 30, suspended its warning strike on a new minimum wage embarked upon on Sept. 26.

The organised labour had embarked on the strike after a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government for failing to reconvene meeting to come out with its own figure on the new minimum wage.

The three unions had demanded N65,500 as new minimum wage for workers, while the private employers and some state governors were proposing N25,000.
https://guardian.ng/news/fg-set-to-announce-new-minimum-wage/

I agree with the president on this one, the only way a political party can grow is when their is unity in the party and i trust the APC that they will never disappoint.

Reno is out again seeking recognition from Atiku....Cheap Campaign...He should go get something doing

President Muhammadu Buhari promptly launched his campaign for a second term in office early on Sunday morning after being overwhelmingly endorsed as candidate by 14,842,072 members of the All Progressives Congress across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Taunting the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which had governed Nigeria for 16 years, up till May 2015, President Buhari asked the party, also holding its convention simultaneously in Port Harcourt, what it did with all the money earned under its watch.

“Fellow Nigerians, think how much PDP governments earned between 1999 to 2015. Think what they did with it.

Infrastructure down! Security down! 18 local governments of Nigeria under control of a hostile army of insurgents. Reserves depleted! Bankruptcy around the corner.

“What did they do with your money?”, Buhari asked in a tone indicative of fireworks to be expected in the weeks ahead for the electioneering campaign.

Mr Buhari thanked all eligible members of the party who stepped down their ambition to allow him emerge as the party’s sole aspirant and now its candidate.

“I thank you all for your encouragement and support, and I will not disappoint the people of Nigeria,” he said.

The president paid special tribute to the party’s national leadership and its founding fathers and the National Presidential Convention Committee for organising what he called a perfect convention.

He maintained that the federal government was tackling corruption head-on, and it is also rebuilding the economy and developing infrastructure, saying that the APC was proud of its achievements.

He also said that his recent interactions with the international community have been very encouraging, adding that the international community was giving the Nigerian government the necessary support.



The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the reported 14.8 million votes that Mr Buhari received from APC members in a direct primary was announced early Sunday morning by the Ekiti State Governor elect, Kayode Fayemi, who was the chairman APC Presidential Primary Election Committee. Mr Fayemi had also chaired the APC Convention in Lagos in 2014 that elected Buhari as the party’s candidate.

The result was later affirmed by no fewer than 7,000 delegates from across the federation and the FCT through a yes vote.

The delegates were made up of three from each local government area elected at the party’s recent state congresses aside the statutory delegates.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo who is the Chairman APC National Presidential Convention Committee, described Mr Buhari as the “antidote for all political locusts.”

“He is the insecticide for all political termites and the saviour of the oppressed and downtrodden, and the best president for the people.

“We are impressed by his exemplary honesty, sincerity and commitment to a greater Nigeria,” he said, adding that President Buhari has positively impacted on the lives of Nigerians in the last three and half years.

He called on Nigerians to vote for him again in 2019 to enable him consolidate on his achievements and take the country to greater heights.

Mr Ajimobi said the convention had opened a new chapter in Nigeria’s political history and called on APC members not to succumb or be distracted by the negative propaganda of the opposition.

“We have a job to do, let us all join hands with President Buhari and roll up our sleeves for the task ahead,”he said.

Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, formally presented President Buhari to the convention as the party’s 2019 presidential candidate, amidst cheers from delegates and other party members.

“I hereby formally present President Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of our party for the 2019 presidential election to everyone here and to Nigerians, and by the grace of God, victory shall be ours,” he said.

Present at the convention were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC Governors, National Assembly members and party delegates from the 36 states and FCT.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/288905-2019-candidate-buhari-queries-pdp-over-16-years-of-waste.html

Ahaaaaaa.....I smell pride here...Atiku is sure feeling like he has won the 2019 poll already. But he should know that we Nigerians are to decide that

The PDP clearly thinks Nigerians are fools going about like pot calling kettle black...Simply Hypocrisy

The Nigerian Army on Sunday said its troops had killed five Boko Haram insurgents in northern part of Borno.

Texas Chukwu, the Director, Army Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement issued in Maiduguri.

Mr Chukwu said: “troops of Sector 3, Operation LAFIYA DOLE in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), while on fighting patrol to Gara village in northern Borno on Friday October 5, encountered suspected Boko Haram Terrorists.

“Five members of the Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised during the encounter, following the superior fire power of the troops, while others escaped to a nearby bush with gun shot wounds”.

He disclosed that the troops recovered four AK 47 rifles; five magazines, 55 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and eight rounds of 5.56mm NATO ammunition.

Other items recovered from the insurgents include: 11 mobile phones; assorted drugs; cooking utensils; consumables and six horses.

Mr Chukwu called on members of the public to report any suspicious movements or activities in their area to the security agencies.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/288928-troops-kill-five-boko-haram-insurgents-in-borno.html

This administration's enthusiasm in its fight against corruption is highly commendable. I believe the president on this saying that his fight against corruption is not negotiable. Kudos Mr. President

The Federal Government is committed to promoting social security in order to eradicate poverty, ensure inclusion and address contemporary socio-economic challenges in the country. Ngige Sen. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, gave the assurance during the Induction/Award of Fellows Ceremony of the Institute for Social Security Development (ISSDEV) in Abuja. Ngige was represented by Mrs Dorcas Ajiboye, Director, Social Security and Occupational Safety and Health, and Cooperative Development Department in the ministry. The minister said that the event provided the opportunity to highlight the importance of social security in enhancing socio-economic stability in the country. According to him, the promotion of social security “emphatically proves the commitment of the government to its change agenda in ensuring the welfare of all citizens”. “With the emergence of various ongoing programmes in the Social Security, Social Protection and Social Safety net, different groups of vulnerable persons, unemployed and employed Nigerians have benefited, thereby ensuring and advancing good governance. “Social Security is generally considered as the panacea to poverty eradication, social inclusion, peace and other contemporary socio-economic challenges.” Noting that social security in Nigeria is fragmented, Ngige underscored the need to sufficiently prioritise the premise on which social security is built and called for more efforts to address the noticeable gaps. He gave assurance of the ministry’s commitment to work with all Social Security stakeholders for greater achievements. “More than ever, we all need to work closely in addressing this variance. “It is pertinent that deliberate and dedicated support from all sides be given to achieve comprehensive social security coverage in all strata of the society,” Ngige said. Also speaking, Mr Issa Aremu, General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), noted that Nigeria was one of the few countries lagging behind on the issue of social security. According to Aremu, who is also the Labour Party Governorship Candidate in Kwara, described social security as a set of policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty in any country. “I am happy that an institute is being formed to really raise awareness towards the improvement of social security in the country. “We can absolutely agree that social security is a human right; it is the right of every one.” Aremu said that the ongoing negotiation of the new National Minimum Wage should be used to also factor in the minimum pay for pensioners. “It is not just minimum wage for those who are working, I think there should be minimum pay for pensioners.” The Labour leader charged the institute to revisit the 2014 National Conference Report on the issue of Social Security as well as champion the cause for the creation of a Social Security Development Fund that would cater for the aged and vulnerable in the society. Earlier, Sen. Chris Adighije, President of the institute, said it was envisioned to assist the government, employers and workers towards building social protection floors and comprehensive social security system in the country. Adighije, who is also the institute’s Council Chairman, charged the new inductees on absolute diligence, commitment and professionalism in the discharge of their various assignments. He added that this is with a view to attracting more members so that the institute would grow to enviable heights. In a remark, the Registrar, Mr Johnny Okoronkwo, said the institute’s mission included enhancing the knowledge base on social security issues through capacity building and strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders, to ensure the development of a comprehensive social security system in the country. Okoronkwo said the institute would also promote public awareness on social security services and administration. “We will promote and support all social security interventions and ensure their adherence to national and international standards,” Okoronkwo said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has played a major role in developing an internationally defined normative framework guiding the establishment, development and maintenance of social security systems across the world. It has become the world’s leading point of reference as stated in Convention No. 102, which is the flagship of the up-to-date social security Conventions since it is deemed to embody the internationally accepted definition of the principle of social security. The UN agency defines social security as the protection that a society provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner. Nigeria is a signatory to the ILO Convention 102

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/fg-committed-to-promoting-social-security-ngige/

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of his administration to the fight against corruption, saying the fight is not negotiable.

According to a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Femi Adesina, the president stated this on Thursday when he received former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, in audience at the State House Abuja.

Below is the statement.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

FOR US, FIGHTING CORRUPTION IS A MUST, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS MBEKI, EX-SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT

“For this administration, fighting corruption is non-negotiable. It is a MUST,” President Muhammadu Buhari told former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, at State House, Abuja, Thursday.

Mbeki heads the African Union High Level Panel on Illicit Flows from Africa, and he was around to give the President, who is the current Champion of AU Anti-Corruption Campaign, critical updates.

“We must fight corruption frontally, because it’s one of the reasons we got elected,” President Buhari told his guest, adding: “We campaigned on three fundamental issues; security, reviving the economy, and fight against corruption. It’s the reason we got elected, and we can’t afford to let our people down.”

Noting that the government was making progress on the anti-corruption war, “and not just talking,” the President said he was very pleased with the assignment the former South African President was carrying out for the African continent.

He submitted that when Africa is vigorous with the war against corruption, “we will eventually appeal to the conscience of the rest of the world.”

In his remarks, former President Mbeki said corruption was an African challenge that must be responded to, “as development challenges can only be met through the check of illicit financial flows.”

He said he was delighted that President Buhari touches on the issue in most of his speeches, with the most recent being at the United Nations General Assembly last week.

“We are pleased with the way you take up the matter. Countries need political will to stop the illicit flow. Nigeria has shown good example. The more we are showing that we are acting as Africans, the easier to get the rest of the world to cooperate,” Mbeki said.

FEMI ADESINA

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/288380-fight-against-corruption-not-negotiable-buhari.html

I trust the APC for transparency. They have being showing good examples and this case wont be an exceptional

This is funny indeed...Is this a personal beef or what? Ben Bruce you over shoot your shot on this and it is clearly not making sense

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says the Federal Government is focusing on more creative ways of getting Nigerians out of poverty and also improve the country’s Human Capital Development indices. Osinbajo made this known while chairing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC ), Steering Committee on Human Capital Development on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said that the Federal Government was committed to lifting Nigerians out of poverty as a crucial agenda towards attaining intended development outcomes. Osinbajo “Poverty as we know is both a cause and consequence of some of what we are looking at in our human capital development deficit. “Really, I think we need to focus a lot more on some of the more creative ways of getting our people out of poverty. “ And of course, we have some social investment programmes, we are looking at some of the examples of what India did, some have been tried and tested in such huge populations. “I think there is a need for us to sensitise our people to why we need to get a large segment of our people out of poverty. Recently, we have been launching the TraderMoni scheme, which is basically giving credits to petty traders across the country in the markets and all that. “We must do even more in terms of giving credits and whatever assistance and support to people. “Obviously, the more money people have, the better it is for them, so they can apply their little resources to some of what we are expected to do to improve human capital development,” he said. Osinbajo harped on the importance of improving data collection at all levels so as to ensure effective tracking of Human Capital Development outcome areas in the states. On his part, Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, told State House correspondents that the Dangote Foundation was committing 50 million dollars to the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria. Dangote said that the foundation was focused on three major areas-health, education and empowerment. “I think we really need to wake up and meet most of our development goals, in education, in health, and also in empowerment. “One of the things that we are doing is to make sure that we tackle malnutrition. “The Dangote Foundation has announced a decision to spend 50 million dollars so that we can fight malnutrition in most of the states that are affected, which we have started rolling out,” he said. He said that the foundation joined the committee to make sure that targets were set and met. On his part, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said that the committee was the working group that had been meeting to look at the impact of government intervention programmes in economy, education, health, among others. “The issue of Human Capital Development is a measure of how we care for our citizens; and so, this is like bringing everybody to the table at the highest level. “We have the governors, and there is a renewed commitment even at the states because we cannot go far except the states are really on the table. “There is enough Federal Government commitment; enough of Federal Government involvement, but we need to bring the states on board,’’ he said. Speaking, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said that the committee received a presentation on the framework for further investments in the key areas of health, education, social inclusion as well as empowerment. “We had a very good meeting and we hope that the outcome of the meeting and the work of the core working group will bring out very clear plans and strategies to invest more in education, healthcare, nutrition, empowerment, gender inclusion, as well as job creation for our young people,’’ he said. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, . There were also representations from development partners- World Bank, DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Related

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/fg-is-employing-creative-ways-to-tackle-poverty-osinbajo/

Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sacked the Imo State governorship primary election committee led by Ahmed Gulak.

Oshiomhole announced the sack in a session with journalists in Abuja, on Tuesday, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Oshiomhole, the result of the Imo governorship primary is fake, which necessitated the decision to sack the committee.

The governorship primary earlier held on Tuesday was marred by irregularities, with Uche Nwosu and Air Commodore Peter Gbulie declared winners in different results by members of the same committee. The primary was, however, eventually suspended indefinitely by the party.

That was after the state chapter of the party had raised the alarm over the sudden disappearance of Ahmed Gulak, Chairman of the governorship primary election committee, hours before the kick-off of the process, saying: "The Chairman of the committee and his members were lodged at the Rockview Hotel, Owerri, the Imo State capital, on their arrival from Abuja, yesterday, while materials for the primary election we're handed over to the Commissioner of Police for safe keeping.

"This morning, the State Chairman of the Party, Daniel Madueke Nwafor, went to the hotel to ascertain levels of preparation and to get the committee to retrieve the materials and begin the process of conducting the primary, only to realize that the Chairman is no longer in the room, he was lodged in. Most members of the committee are still around and have made it clear that they do not know the whereabouts of the Chairman of the committee."

Announcing their sack later in th evening, Oshiomhole said: "The case of Imo State is not too good news for today, but not surprising, they have to learn to begin to comply with rules.

“They have two fake results. None of them is genuine and we will disband, we will appoint fresh committee, an Electoral Panel that will conduct transparent direct primaries that reflect the will of members of APC in Imo State, regardless of the interest and the powers that were behind any of the groups.

“The truth does not require supporters’ club to stand; it has its legs, it has its heads and we will do just that.”

http://saharareporters.com/2018/10/02/breaking-oshiomole-sacks-ahmed-gulak-and-co-over-fake-imo-gov-primary-results

Akinwummi Ambode, incumbent Governor of Lagos State, has accepted defeat in his efforts to become the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 governorship election in the state.

Ambode made the announcement on Wednesday during a very brief media address broadcast by Lagos television.

"Fellow Lagosians, the last few days have witnessed intense political activities that have gripped the attention of the nation and created palpable tension in the polity. I strongly believe that the time has now come for the State to move forward in order that the gains of the last three and half years are not lost," he said.

"Dear Lagosians, APC is a great party and the interests of our beloved State must always supercede that of any person or group. It is in this regard that I wholeheartedly congratulate the winner of the Lagos State APC Primaries, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urge all Lagosians to immediately support our party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections and work for the success of our dear party."

He promised to do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition in the remaining period ofhis administration.

he also urged his supporters to unite behind the candidate of the party, saying: "The progress of Lagos state is non-negotiable. It is a project that I have passionately worked for in the last three and half years as your Governor and one to which I will forever be devoted."

The party earlier declared Sanwo-Olu winner of the controversial primary, saying Ambode polled 72,901 votes while Sanwo-Olu, Bola Tinubu's candidated, had 970,851.

http://saharareporters.com/2018/10/03/breaking-ambode-accepts-defeat-congratulates-sanwo-olu

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, says a UN joint delegation will visit Maiduguri, Bama and Abuja first week of October, to scale up its humanitarian intervention in the crisis-affected areas.

Mr Onyeama said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a meeting with the UN team leaders on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.

The minister said that the team would be led by the UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mark Lowcock.

He said that the joint UN Development Programme (UNDP)-OCHA Principal-level mission was part of the world ogranisation efforts to support the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

Mr Onyeama said that the visit was sequel to the conference on the Lake Chad Basin crisis in Berlin, where the international community committed to a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad Region.

He explained that the conference was held at the beginning of September in Berlin on the humanitarian and development efforts on the Lake Chad Basin area.

Mr Onyeama said that the visit was aimed at discussing with senior government and donor officials in Nigeria on how to further strengthen humanitarian and development responses, including national and local ownership in the northeast.

“We are looking essentially on how to build on the humanitarian programme and the UN has been very much involved and supportive on the humanitarian front in the North-east

“We realized that we have to now move towards the development stage; they also want to hear from the Nigerian government what they should be looking at.

“And of course, it is about reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement; it is about creating an environment for economic growth which will require school education and also jobs.

“This is what we are looking at and UN where they can invest the resources and the technical aspect,” he said.

The UN had said in a statement that the objectives of the joint UNDP-OCHA principal-level mission, was to address humanitarian, resilience and stabilisation needs of communities to prevent a protracted crisis in North-east.

“The urgency to make progress on the New Way of Working (NWoW) by the UN Country Team and the Humanitarian Country Teams (UNCT/HCT) has been amplified by large-scale humanitarian needs and the related imperative to address the root causes of the Lake Chad Basin crises in a comprehensive and sustainable way.

“Accordingly, the Nigeria UNCT/HCTs are jointly working on formulating collective outcomes which will guide planning and interventions of humanitarian and development actors,” he said.

The world body said that pragmatic pilot projects were currently being set up, where several agencies ”can work together in a defined geographic area to address immediate support needs in the area.”

It stated that this would also help establish the foundations for community recovery and resilience.

It said that the mission to Nigeria would provide a unique opportunity to create momentum for the NWoW and to identify additional opportunities for a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad region.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/287911-boko-haram-un-officials-to-visit-maiduguri-bama-abuja-in-october.html

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday in Abuja signed a memorandum of understanding with Public Health England (PHE) in a bid to strengthen international disease control across borders.

With this agreement, the British public health institute would be helping Nigeria and four other countries to improve their International Health Regulations (IHR) in disease prevention, detection and control.

This partnership is coming days after two patients were diagnosed and hospitalised for monkeypox in the UK.

The two patients were found to have travelled from Nigeria where there was an outbreak of the disease last year.

The MoU signed by both parties is part of a £16 million project funded by the British Department of Health to support capacities of public health institutes in five countries including Nigeria.

This is aimed at strengthening health security in the countries to reduce incidence of diseases trans-border crossing.

In Nigeria, the project will focus on disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and response, public health laboratory services as well as workforce development.

The outfit and NCDC are expected to collaborate in knowledge sharing, capacity building, laboratory upgrading aimed at achieving accreditation standards.

This would contribute to ensuring the world is much safer and less vulnerable from the threat of infectious diseases, officials say.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, at the signing called for strong collaboration among public health institutes to ensure global health security.



“The United Kingdom recognises that we must work closely with other countries in our efforts to build strong and resilient health systems globally,” he said.

The chief executive of PHE, Duncan Selbie, in his remarks said the IHR project is a “partnership and invaluable opportunity for both countries to learn from each other”.

He said by working together and sharing expertise, both countries would become stronger in tackling diseases and control and “that is the aim of the project”.

He added that the ultimate goal is to share knowledge, to be able to improve disease surveillance, increase technical understanding of the disease which would result in vaccine production to tackle most of the diseases in Nigeria.

NCDC will coordinate the IHR strengthening programme and provide staff to drive collaboration with the federal ministry of health and environment as well as agriculture and rural development, it was learnt.

The NCDC chief executive, Chikwe Ihekweazu said the agency is grateful to the British government for this opportunity “which formalises and strengthens the existing relationship between NCDC and PHE”.

He said the unit is looking forward to building to the cooperation, for national and global health security.

“IHR comprises all activities from prevention, detection and control of diseases. In recognition (of the fact) that we live in a global world and the diseases we face are common, we started this partnership with PHE and together we designed the programme activities for five years,” he explained.

Mr Ihekweazu said the “strengthening of health security in Nigeria will contribute to the strengthening of international global health”.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/health/health-news/288062-nigeria-partners-uk-to-enhance-disease-control.html

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has announced approval of a 90-day special window to register businesses at a reduced rate of N5,000 only from N10,000 Mr. Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President in Abuja, said that Osinbajo made the announcement in Enugu.

Osinbajo, who was quoted as making the announcement at the launch of the 19th edition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Clinics in Enugu, said the special window of 90 spanned from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. He said that the gesture was to further ease the process of registering MSMEs in the country. “It was observed during some of the earlier editions of the MSMEs Clinics that a lot of MSMEs were finding it difficult to register their businesses as a result of cost. “The practice since we began the MSMEs clinics is that most agencies offer price reductions, especially for registration, and all other pre-investment approvals, during the Clinics. “So, I am pleased to announce that the Federal Government, through the Corporate Affairs Commission, has approved a special window of 90 days from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 to register businesses at a considerably reduced rate of N5,000 only, down from as much as N10,000 previously.’’ He said the action was taken to afford more MSMEs an opportunity to formalise their businesses. Speaking on other initiatives by the Federal Government designed to consolidate the gains of the MSMEs Clinics, Osinbajo said that the Federal Government would be establishing shared facilities for MSMEs. He said that the facilities would be based on a partnership between the Federal Government, interested States, Bank of Industry, NEXIM Bank, FIRS, NAFDAC, SON and interested private sector partners, as part of efforts at deepening the impact of the Clinics. “The purpose of these shared facilities is to have a fully-equipped place with machinery and equipment required for various trades and businesses. MSMEs can then do their businesses at those locations at a reasonable cost. “This way, MSMEs are spared the financial burden of having to buy their own equipment in order to be able to do business. “Where possible, these shared facilities would have been pre-certified by relevant agencies, removing the need for MSMEs to pursue these certifications by themselves.’’ He also announced the Federal Government’s willingness to partner with State governments in establishing more One-Stop Shops, to further enhance business registration and facilitate seamless interaction between owners of small businesses and the relevant regulatory agencies. The vice president said that the Federal Government was also aware that some States had gone on to set up ‘One-Stop Shops’ after the Clinics. According to him, the One-Stop Shops will bring all the relevant agencies together in one place so as to enable the MSMEs access their services on an ongoing basis. “The Federal Government is also willing to partner with your State Government to immediately set up one such place for the good use of MSMEs in Enugu State,” he said. Osinbajo also said there were follow-up plans to ensure that all the finalists from the maiden edition of the MSMEs Awards were supported with publicity and media exposure, to enable them to reach even larger markets at home and abroad. He said that the ongoing disbursement of collateral and interest-free loans given to petty traders under the GEEP TraderMoni programme would soon be launched in Enugu. Earlier in his remarks, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state said the State government had already keyed into some of the social investment programmes initiated by the Federal Government. Ugwuanyi promised that the state would continue to cooperate with all federal authorities to improve the well-being of the people. The governor expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for inaugurating the National MSMEs Clinics in the state as it would greatly improve the lives of many youths, especially those seeking employment opportunities.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/osinbajo-announces-slash-in-business-name-registration-fees/

If the nullification will lead to a better one, then so be it, what the people want from this government is a better governance and the patriotic Nigerians will support anything that will lead to achieving that.

This is nice, its good that the party has gone through this process, this will enable the party to present a reliable and competent candidates that will represent what they stand for which is good governance.

PDP always tend to lament when an election is not favoring them. This is a democratic regime where anyone chooses to vote for whoever they want to. Adeleke should stop lamenting unnecessarily

PDP always tend to lament when an election is not favoring them. This is a democratic regime where anyone chooses to vote for whoever they want to. Adeleke should stop lamenting unnecessarily

It's funny how some Nigerians will go to any length just to bring the president down, fake news everywhere, Nigerians don't believe in such accusation any longer, this is the era of change where argument is based on fact.