GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, yesterday, demanded N20 billion as damages from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for placing him on security watch list as a sitting governor. Fayose & EFCC Fayose also demanded a written apology from the commission to be published to all security agencies in Nigeria, three national newspapers and the social media as well as withdrawal of the request/directive to security agencies to place him on security watch list. He threatened that: “Unless these demands are met within 72 hours of the date of this letter, we shall not hesitate to carry out our client’s firm instruction to proceed forthwith to institute legal action against you to seek appropriate remedies before the law court without any further recourse to you.” Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement that the demands were contained in a letter by his counsel, Obafemi Adewale, dated September 3, 2018, which was received at the Abuja office of the EFCC yesterday. The letter reads: “By a letter Ref No: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG/TA/VOL.59/010 dated 12th September, 2018, you instructed all security agencies in Nigeria, including but not limited to the Nigerian Customs Service, NCC, to place our client on a watch list and to arrest him at sight upon ‘suspicion’ that he might be attempting to flee the country. In your exact words, we quote:   ‘The under listed suspect is under investigation in connection with the above mentioned offences and there is reasonable suspicion suggesting that he may likely leave the country either through the land borders, airport, or seaport in order to evade investigation. Hence, you are kindly requested to watch-list and arrest him. “By these words, you have not only fallen foul of the clear provision of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic which grants our client, as an incumbent governor, immunity from any criminal process/proceedings, you have also exposed our Client to ridicule, opprobrium, odium and hatred in the eyes and opinion of the ordinary man on the street and falsely and mischievously portrayed him as a common fugitive, a run-away from the law who could/should be arrested at sight like a dangerous criminal.” “By this act and words, particularly coming after our Client had by his letter of 10th September, 2018 duly received in your office on 11th September, 2018 voluntarily without any prompting by you or anybody else, offered to report in your office in Abuja on 16th September, 2018, the very next day after his tenure as Governor, Ekiti State would have ended and his immunity lifted, you have demonstrated premeditated mischief, open hatred for our Client and contempt for his office as Governor. This is even more so when considered against the background of your earlier threat on your official EFCC twitter handle which was widely circulated on the social media and published in the Punch Newspaper of 16th July, 2018 where you mocked our Client in the following words to the whole world: ‘The parri is over, the cloak of immunity is torn apart and the staff broken, Ekiti Integrated Poultry/Biological Concepts Limited N1.3bn fraud case file dusted off the shelves. See you soon.’ “In the light of the above, our Client has directed that we demand of you and we hereby demand as follows; a retraction and withdrawal of the aforesaid request/directive to Security Agencies to place our Client of the security watch list and arrest him at sight even whilst he still enjoys immunity as Governor forthwith. “A written apology to our Client published to all Security Agencies in Nigeria and in 3 National Newspapers and the Social Media for the flagrant mischievous and deliberate attempt to breach his constitutional rights and malign him in the eyes of right thinking members of the society. “Payment of the sum of N20bn, as damages to our Client, for the flagrant, deliberate, pre-meditated and reckless libel and unprovoked attack on his character and reputation and breach of his constitutional right/immunity as an incumbent Governor. “Take notice that unless
http://mognews.com/2018/10/05/i-will-drag-you-to-court-fayose-threatens-efcc/

A yet-to-be identified man has been confirmed dead by Lagos State Government officials after jumping into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge. Rescue team on Third Mainland bridge, yesterday. Vanguard gathered that the man, who was trekking towards Lagos Island end of the bridge, jumped into the lagoon at about 7:30 am, yesterday. It was learned that his action drew attention of passers-by who raised the alarm and alerted the emergency agencies including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Marine Police and other rescue officials in the state. An official, who didn’t want his name mentioned, disclosed to Vanguard that he was rescued but while been resuscitated by the paramedics officials deployed to the scene, the man passed on. The official said: “The emergency official was alerted about an adult that jumped into the lagoon. After the alert, some officials, including divers, were deployed to ensure he was rescued. We achieved the aim but he was unconscious when he was brought out. “Unfortunately, during the process of resuscitating him, he passed on. His remains has been handed over to the State Environment Health Management Unit, SEHMU. 
http://mognews.com/2018/10/03/man-jumps-into-third-mainland-bridge-2/

US rapper Cardi B surrendered to police in New York on Monday, charged with assault and reckless endangerment over an ugly brawl in a strip club that injured a female employee. Cardi B The 25-year-old star was in the Angels Strip Club in Queens on August 29 when someone in her group lobbed furniture inside the night club, causing an employee to suffer “some bruising to her legs,” police said. The fast-rising rapper turned herself in at a Queens police station and was instructed to appear in criminal court on October 29, charged with one count of assault and two counts of reckless endangerment, police said. Celebrity gossip website TMZ said she allegedly ordered an attack on two bartenders at the club, sisters who accuse her of harboring a grudge because one of them slept with her husband, the rapper Offset. Cardi, who was at the club because Offset was performing in the hard-living hip hop trio Migos, allegedly told her group to attack the bartenders with bottles, chairs and a hookah smoking device, TMZ said. On Monday, she was filmed exiting the police station in Queens, dressed in a beige skirt suit and white blouse, escorted by burly bodyguards into a waiting SUV, making no comment to a bevvy of cameras. The singer, real name Belcalis Almanzar, is one of the most prominent women in hip-hop and shares a child with Offset. Earlier this year, she confirmed reports that the pair had secretly married. Monday’s police booking comes just weeks after she was involved in a fracas with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj at New York Fashion Week in which Cardi B accused her rival of throwing a shoe at her. Cardi B was photographed with a bump on her forehead. Minaj, one of the best-selling musical artists now performing and who was reportedly not hurt, declined to press charges. The “I Like It” songstress later took to Instagram to imply that the older Minaj had questioned her parenting skills. She gave birth to a daughter, Kulture, in July. Cardi B has become one of the biggest new stars in US music since the runaway success last year of her song “Bodak Yellow,” which touches on her former life making ends meet as a stripper. A Bronx native, she is the first female rapper to have had multiple No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She performed in New York on Saturday at the Global Citizen festival, an unofficial closing event following the weeklong United Nations General Assembly, in what was her first concert since giving birth. She urged young people to pay attention ahead of the November 6 midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party risks losing control of Congress.
http://mognews.com/2018/10/03/rapper-cardi-b-arrested-in-new-york/

Mr. Ahmed Gulak said that Uzodinma garnered a total of 423,895 votes to top the list. The Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere came a distant second with a total of 128,325 votes, while Sir Jude Ejiogu recorded 12,369, to place third. Gulak also announced that while Peter Gbujie had 12,329 votes to place fourth, Sir George Eche and Engr. Chuks Ololo received 16,597 and 13,645 respectively to place fifth and sixth. Barrister Chima Anozie scored 11,071, Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son in-law, Uche Nwosu followed with 10,329, while Chris Nlemoha scored 9,253 votes.

Why I fled Owerri—Gulak

Alhaji Ahmed Gulak alleged that he narrowly escaped being kidnapped by agents of Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha. Uche Nwosu Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Gulak said that nine of the 12-member committee were not as lucky as they were abducted by the governor who led a detachment of policemen to the hotel where they were lodged. He announced that the governorship primary was however conducted peacefully with Sen. Hope Uzodinma emerging winner with 423,895 votes to defeat eight other aspirants including the son in-law to Okorocha, Uche Nwosu. Uzodinma had earlier been cleared by the NWC for Wednesday’s senatorial primary election in the state. Gulak said he had to flee Owerri, the Imo state capital at about 4.00am yesterday for safety reasons for Port Harcourt from where he boarded a flight to Abuja. “In fact, the tension there was so high and if not for my resilience, we were supposed to have been rounded up and taken to an unknown destination. But I insisted that my first destination was the Commissioner of Police. When we got to the Commissioner of Police, I deposited the materials. Unknown to them, the materials I deposited with them were the ballot papers that were to be used when there is a tie between aspirants at the wards. “Myself, Col. Igbanor and Hon. Bernard Miko were the only three doing this job as others disappeared and we learnt that they were at the Government House. So, when we sensed that something was fishy, by 4.00am, we left Owerri after concluding the entry of the results. The election was held, results generated and a winner emerged and the winner is Sen. Hope Uzodinma. “My secretary disappeared around 2.00am. ” Speaking on the jubilation at the Imo Government House, he said: “Some of our members were rounded up in their hotel and taken to the Government House and whatever they might have done there should be expected.”

Madumere reacts Reacting to the outcome of the primary election,

the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, expressed delight that the exercise was successfully concluded, despite “intimidation, blackmail and threat to lives.” He however regretted that “in spite of our restraint and discipline, we recorded one death”, stressing that his thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased and all those that suffered varying forms of injuries and arson, “orchestrated by those who pretend to be democrats, but who indeed, are the devil incarnates”. Continuing, Madumere said that in the spirit of democracy and sportsmanship, he was obliged to accept the outcome of the governorship primary election, as the wish of the majority of the party members, who would rather support any other party member than the governor’s son in-law. “I wish therefore, to congratulate the winner of the primary election, Senator Hope Uzodinma. I will take my time to make consultations before taking my next political decision”, he said. Democracy’s not family affair Reacting in a telephone chat, Senator Uzodinma decried the use of thugs in the exercise. “That Imo people have been jubilating and singing victory songs is an ample way of telling the governor and his acolytes that democracy is not a family affair,” Uzodinma said.

Enter Uche Nwosu

Shortly after Gulak’s declaration, eight out of the 12-man Gulak committee, led by the secretary, Henry Idahagbon, at the APC party secretariat in Owerri also declared Mr. Uche Nwosu as the winner of the governorship primary. In Idahagbon’s result, Uzodimma got 9,159 votes, Uche Nwosu pulled 455,665 votes to defeat Uzodimma and Eze Madumere who clinched 5,067 votes. Recalling how Gulak disappeared, Idahagbon said: “That happened to our greatest surprise. In the early morning of 2nd October, the police security, numbering over 60, through their commander, Sup. Shem ordered us to leave the hotel for safety as our chairman has left for Abuja and has declared the result. “We had to call the attention of the state governor who came to our rescue to government house.” Okorocha congratulates son-in-law Meantime, Okorocha has congratulated Nwosu over his victory in the APC governorship primary election in the state and described it as a good omen for the party with regard to the 2019 election. The governor also commended members of the State’s Governorship Primary Election Committee for doing a thorough job with regard to the conduct of the primary, and described them as patriotic Nigerians and lovers of the democratic culture of one man, one vote. He equally thanked the members of APC in the State for coming out in their large numbers to vote for Uche Nwosu in the primary and added that Chief Nwosu will not disappoint the party, its members and Imo people in general. APC suspends Imo gov primaries indefinitely,disbands Gulak C’ttee But the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC Imo State has suspended the governorship primaries indefinitely. APC also disbanded the Ahmed Gulak-led committee for the party’s governorship primaries in Imo State. National chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Oshiomhole said he came to brief the President on developments in the party. He also said that the results being paraded as the results of the Imo governorship primaries were fake, adding that the party has disbanded the committee that was sent to the state to conduct the primary and will set up another one immediately so that the process would be completed before the end of the week. The APC national chairman further stated that the National Working Committee was in charge of the Lagos primary and that every situation has been put under control. The former Edo State governor ruled out the possibility of honouring parallel results on the primaries from states, stressing that no matter how highly placed a member may be, he must subject himself to the constitution of the party
http://mognews.com/2018/10/03/shocking-as-uzodinma-nwosu-emerge-winners-at-imo-primaries/

The Electoral Committee of the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary and stakeholders in the state chapter, on Monday came out of a meeting without agreeing on the pattern to adopt for the election on Tuesday. The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa made the disclosure to newsmen on Monday, after a meeting between the committee and state party stakeholders in Lagos. The Chairman of the electoral committee, Mr Clement Ebri, led his team to the meeting which was also attended by the Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the state party chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and other party officials. Obasa said that the disagreement stemmed from the insistence that the committee wanted the use of ballot papers for the primary as against the choice of open direct primary by the state stakeholders. He said stakeholders in the state rejected the use of ballot papers as it was not be possible to train members on its use before the election. Obasa said since the open direct primary system, where members queue behind their preferred aspirants was successfully used in the presidential primary in the state, it would also be suitable for the governorship primary. “The meeting was held between members of the state House of Assembly and other stakeholders with the committee, and we were briefed about the coming primaries in the state. “They told us that the directive from Abuja was that they should use ballot papers for the election. “But we as stakeholders have rejected the idea because we have earlier informed our members on this. “So, our consideration at the meeting was that if they aim to adopt the use of ballot papers, there is no time to train officials and party members on the new strategy the primary would follow. “We told them that here in Lagos , we stand for open direct primary. “We also told them that the presidential primary in the state was conducted in the same format. “They then told us the outcome of the meeting will be sent to Abuja and response would be conveyed to us. “I am not sure what the outcome will be, but I believe they will yield to our stand,” he said. Asked if both parties would agree before the primary, the speaker said he was not sure. He, however, expressed the optimism that the primary would hold as scheduled. On the primary held in some parts of the state, Obasa said the results would be cancelled. He, however, said that the election held because party members were ready to participate in the process. Ebri, in his brief remarks, assured that the primary would hold as scheduled. He said the committee interacted with stakeholders on the ways to ensure the process was credible. “We discussed the basic principles of the guidelines for the primary. “The primary will hold tomorrow. For you to participate in the primary, you have to be a member of the party, and you have to have your membership card, and your name must be on the register. “If you don’t have a membership card and you have a slip, and your name is on the register, you will vote ” he said. The Lagos Chairman of APC, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, who also spoke with newsmen late Monday, assured that the primary would finally hold tomorrow. He said the party had concluded all arrangements to ensure successful conduct. Balogun said the format would be option A4, where voters queue behind the photographs of their preferred aspirants. He said that members with the party ID card will be allowed to vote . Accreditation starts by 9 and ends by noon, while voting starts immediately after. The incumbent governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode will slug it out at the primary with Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, a former commissioner in the state. Sanwo-Olu is going into the primary with endorsement by leading members of the party, which Ambode claims is an unfair advantage. Ambode had urged the National Electoral Committee to ensure fairness by conducting a credible primary. The primary, earlier scheduled for Monday, was shifted till Tuesday. (NAN) 
http://mognews.com/2018/10/02/apc-electoral-committee-disagree-on-primary-format/

Organised labour, yesterday, announced the suspension of the nationwide warning strike over the indefinite suspension of minimum wage negotiation meeting by the Federal Government. The suspension, according to President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba, followed a firm commitment from the Federal Government to reopen negotiations through the national minimum wage tripartite committee, chaired by former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ama Pepple. Mognews reliably gathered that the organs of organised labour gave labour leaders the authority to suspend the strike once they extracted commitment from government to reopen talks. According to Wabba, the decision is also to give the government the benefit of the doubt to reopen negotiations for the minimum wage. He disclosed that a formal invitation had been extended to all the stakeholders in the tripartite committee, which will resume discussions on October 4 and 5, 2018. He said: “Indeed, on Thursday morning, the strike commenced and was observed across the country. We wish to appreciate our workers and affiliate unions for their commitment and determination. “We invite you here today to inform you that we have received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for October 4 and 5, 2018. “We demand that this shall be the final session of the committee and that a final report will be submitted to Mr. President immediately. “In order to avail the committee the necessary conducive environment to hold this crucial meeting and conclude its work, organised labour has, after obtaining the mandate of their necessary organs, decided to suspend the strike with effect from today (yesterday), Sunday, September 30, 2018.” Recall that members of organised labour embarked on a national warning strike last  Thursday to press home demand for the implementation of a new national minimum wage. The strike, which paralysed social and economic activities across the country, was staged to compel the government to shore up workers’ salaries from the current minimum of N18,000 to N65,500. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had announced an indefinite suspension of the tripartite committee sitting without arriving at any figure as minimum wage, å development that angered the industrial unions. They had accused the federal government of insincerity in the implementation of the new wage bill. But as organised labour proceeded on strike, the Minister of Labour, Senator Ngige, convened a meeting with the leadership and, thereafter, announced that the Minimum Wage Committee would resume meeting on October 4, adding that the federal government was workers’ friendly. However, sources within the Presidency said the government was afraid of how to source the additional funds to finance an increased wage bill, especially with the current economic indices. The Federal Government had set up a subcommittee to analyse and come up with a strategy on how the new minimum wage could be implemented but the committee could not conclude its assignment before the strike as some its members were on President Muhammadu Buhari’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York.

http://mognews.com/2018/10/01/minimum-wage-labour-suspends-strike/

The Bayelsa State Government has directed immediate closure of all schools in the state as a precautionary measure to avoid loss of lives in the current flooding in the state. The decision was reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by the State Governor, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, who also set up a special committee to facilitate prompt and effective response to the flood emergency in the state. The Commissioner for  Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said in a statement on Saturday that the highest decision making body in the state also directed the Ministry of Health to set up an emergency health response unit in the state to mitigate the effect of the flood on the people. Iworiso-Markson said that the Emergency Health Response Unit  of the Ministry of Health was designed to monitor and prevent the outbreak of diseases like cholera during the period covered by flooding in Bayelsa. According to him, the Director of the State Emergency Management   Agency briefed the State Executive Council on the flood situation and said that the agency would kickstart the distribution of relief materials to affected communities on Saturday. The commissioner advised the Bayelsa citizenry not to panic as the government was making all efforts to secure lives and properties in the state. He said that a large number of communities in virtually all the local government areas were seriously affected by the flooding especially in Ekeremor, Sagbama, Ogbia, Southern Ijaw and indeed all the eight local government areas. He said, “The Bayelsa State Executive Council has directed immediate closure of all schools including private institutions in the state as a precautionary measure to avoid loss of lives to severe flooding in the state. “The Government has also set up a Special Committee to coordinate activities relating to the flood which has affected several communities in the state. “The State Executive Council also directed the Commissioner for Health to set up an Emergency Response Unit to monitor and prevent the outbreak of diseases like cholera and others associated with flooding. “The Director in charge of SEMA briefed the State Executive Council on the flood situation and said that the agency would commence distribution of relief materials on Saturday. Government is taking all measures to secure lives and property; the good people of Bayelsa should not panic.”  http://mognews.com/2018/10/01/flood-alert-bayelsa-govt-shuts-down-schools/

Councilors in all the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State on Sunday said that are behind are behind the second term bid of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, saying ‘courageously we are saying it boldly that we have adopted the Ambode’s second term’ The Councilors alos debunked a media report claiming that they shunned an invitation extended to them by the State Governor, saying the story was another fabrication by detractors who are jittery over imminent defeat in the rescheduled governorship primary election of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday. Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of Ambode Mandate Support Group (AMSG) in Ikeja, the Councilors, who had earlier endorsed the second term bid of the Governor, said the false report published by a national newspaper was unfortunate, adding that it was particularly surprising that the said newspaper failed to fact-check the story before publishing. APC primary: Tension, anxiety of the moment got the better of Ambode – Sanwo-Olu Leader of the Councilors’ Forum, Hon Kolejo-Monsuru Adeniyi, who addressed the media in company of hundreds of his colleagues to show that they were united in support for the Governor, said the report should be ignored in its entirety as it did not represent the true state of affairs. “There is no iota of truth in the report that we shunned Governor Ambode’s invitation and we are here today to say to the whole world that all Councilors in Lagos State are behind the second term bid of His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Today, we are courageously saying it boldly that we have adopted the Governor for second term. “This is the second time we are doing this. The first time was in Amuwo-Odofin and today being 30th of September, 2018, we are saying it again that all Councilors in Lagos State, we are endorsing Governor Ambode for second term,” Adeniyi said. Responding, Director General of AMSG, Hon Hakeem Sulaimon said the Councilors deserved to be commended for standing firm with their decision to support Governor Ambode for re-election, saying they have done what party leaders failed to do. He said: “I congratulate you because those who are supposed to be the conscience of our party have failed to do so but you (Councilors) have been courageous enough to come out and endorse His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State for second term. “Yesterday, we had a meeting with Councilors here and while the meeting was going on, some people quickly went online. Vanguard online to be specific and they said Councilors in Lagos State shunned Akinwunmi Ambode. Tribulations of Ambode: When good performance is not enough “Those behind the false news know the implication of the endorsement because Councilors are truly the grassroots’ managers because elections can only be conducted at the Ward level and that Councilors are the true representatives of the people at the Ward level.They know that with Councilors being with His Excellency, an attempt to manipulate the process will be very difficult, and that was why they were desperate to present fake news to the public,” Sulaimon said. The AMSG boss said the Governor was particularly appreciative of his endorsement by the Councilors, assuring them that he was committed to their welfare and issues surrounding their work in the various LGAs and LCDAs across the State. “The Governor is not only appreciative of the fact that not only that you (Councilors) came to endorse him again yesterday but that after you heard the fake news, you have come again to physically debunk the report which your massive turn out here,” Sulaimon said. While urging the Councilors to go out enmasse to mobilize members of the party and vote for Governor Ambode on Monday, Sulaimon urged them not to be intimidated, adding: “Once you have your membership slip, insist on the fact that you must vote.” 
http://mognews.com/2018/10/01/we-strongly-support-ambode-on-his-second-term-bid-councilors/

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, established 56 years ago to care for all-inclusive medical needs of Nigerians has earned a reputation as the leading health care provider in the country, going by statistics of patronage. ADVERTISING Understandably, since 1962 when it was founded, several feats have been recorded even as it strives to meet the medical requests of an increasingly growing megacity. LUTH, like other national institutions, always has the need to upgrade its facilities towards meeting the challenges of the time to retain confidence of its teeming patients. It is common knowledge that population growth, pressure and time impress the burden of ‘tear and wear’ on such facilities, overstretching capacities in view of decades of usage attending to the sick who daily the facility, both for minor and complex medical needs. However, in spite of these challenges, LUTH is responding to mitigate the consequences of aging facilities.
http://mognews.com/2018/09/30/luth-builds-facility-for-8000-hiv-aids-patients/

NIGERIA often prides itself as “the giant of Africa”. If you are referring to population and (to a smaller extent, land mass, and general influence on the continent) this is a fairly justifiable claim. Nigeria, in terms of population, is by far the largest country in Africa. The July 2015 estimates of the index of populations of African countries put Nigeria at 181,563,000, distantly followed by Ethiopia with 103,764,000 and Egypt, 89,125,000. South Africa, which we claim to rub shoulders with as a co-continental giant has a population of 54,957,000. The question before us is: what is the situation of the Rule of Law in Nigeria after 58 years of independence? The only way to measure it is by comparing the situation in Nigeria to other countries in Africa and the world at large, using universally-validated metrics. The most prominent internationally-acclaimed authority on the Rule of Law index in the world is the World Justice Project, WJP, a Washington DC-based independent multidisciplinary organisation founded by William Neukon in 2006 as a presidential initiative of the American Bar Association, ABA. In its latest survey of 113 countries of the world conducted between 2017 and 2018, the WJP ranked Nigeria 97th, while the top three performers were (1) Denmark, (2) Norway and (3) Finland. While countries of Western Europe and North American occupied the top ten, sub-Saharan Africa, as usual, brought the rear. The shocking fact is that even in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria scored 13th out of the 18 countries! Ghana came first, followed by South Africa and Botswana. Nigeria was only better than Madagascar, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Cameroun. Instructively too, the indices showed that Nigeria was among the countries in which the situation of Rule of Law had declined across the indices from the 2015-2016 survey. Survey parameters The WJP broke the Rule of Law into subheads such as: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice and Criminal Justice. Rule of law and security (1) By Femi Falana Constraints on government powers: This measures the extent to which those who govern are bound by law. Out of Nigeria’s 58 years of independence, the military ruled for 29 years. During that time, the military suspended parts of the Constitution and ruled by decrees, and most of them were with ouster and retroactive clauses. It was essentially “rule of the gun”, rather than rule of law. But in the past 20 years of our nascent democracy, the Constitution was fully restored. Rule of the gun rather  than rule of law But many Presidents (especially those with military backgrounds such as Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari) and Governors have tended to ignore court orders or pick and choose what to comply with. Only recently, President Buhari insisted that he would continue to uphold “the security” of the nation above the rule of law. Absence of corruption: This category refers to the prevalence of bribery, improper influence of government officials and processes by private or public interests, and
http://mognews.com/2018/09/30/at-58-rule-of-law-in-nigeria-is-a-dwarf-3/

CORRUPTION is described by Wikipedia as a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organisation entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefit, while political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain. Its forms include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. ADVERTISING corruption The problem of corruption in Nigeria dates back to the first republic, which was the major reason the military gave when they struck in the first coup of January 15, 1966. Some writers have, however, argued that though corruption is as old as human existence, the type we have in Nigeria today was introduced by the British, who corrupted our culture and tradition, and in many cases rooted them out and replaced them with theirs, which are alien to us. They argue that the British laid the foundation of corruption in most African countries, with Nigeria as one of the major victims. In the address of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu to herald the first coup, one of the reasons for the military intervention was: “Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 percent… those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.” Afterwards, corruption became the chief reason given by successive military regimes for interrupting civilian government in the country. Interestingly, accusations and counter accusations of corruption was a daily issue during the civilian administration, as it is the case today. After the hand over of power to civilians in 1979, it was the major reason General Muhammadu Buhari gave for the December 31, 1983 take-over of power from the civilian administration. He sent a lot of politicians to prison over different corruption allegations. Interestingly, the same allegation was given by General Ibrahim Babangida for the August 25, 1985, coup, though he listed nepotism, which is also a form of corruption. In the history of Nigeria’s political development, corruption has featured chiefly as a major issue, but it was not until the President Olusegun Obasanjo government of 1999 to 2007 that the country made concrete efforts to create institutions for anti-graft war. This saw the creation of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission, ICPC, which was signed into law on September 29, 2000 and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, created in 2003, but became operational with its Establishment Act of 2004. Earlier, we had seen the establishment of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal to deal with complaints of corruption by public servants over breaches of its provisions. This came into force on January 1, 1991. These were all government interventions to check corruption, which had become endemic and is still a problem to the country’s development till date. Similarly, many other laws were put in place to ensure transparency in the business environment, namely, the Procurement Act, the Physical Responsibility Act, and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, which represents the Nigerian arm of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. All these laws were put in place to deal with the problem of corruption and transparency in government business, among others. Corruption perceptions index Despite all the laws and initiatives to check the incidence of corruption, the country has continued to sink deeper into corruption according to an international organisation, Transparency International. For example, the organisation in its 2017 corruption perceptions index, released in 2018, noted that majority of countries surveyed were making little or no progress in ending corruption, while further analysis showed that journalists and activists in corrupt countries were risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out. Of the 180 countries surveyed for 2017, Nigeria ranked 148. The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of to indicate which countries are highly corrupt and those that are clean. This year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with an average score of 43. Unfortunately, compared to recent years, this poor performance is nothing new. Though the Transparency International corruption report measures perceptions, it has over time proved to reflect the actual corruption index of the various countries assessed. The interesting point is that Nigeria has not fared well in its battle to curb corruption. A cursory look at Amnesty International’s ranking of Nigeria in the last 10 years has presented a mixed grill. For instance, in 2008, Nigeria ranked 121; it slided to 130 in 2009, while in 2010, it ranked 134. In 2011, Nigeria ranked 143 and in 2012, the ranking improved to 139. Between 2013 and 2015, the ranking remained at 136, while it slided again to 148 in 2017, which is latest ranking. A sad reality about Nigeria’s fight against corruption is the selective nature it has always assumed. Often, anti-graft bodies have been deployed against perceived political enemies and used as attack dogs by heads of the government in power or their appointors to wage war on those that were considered to be out of favour with the government. Effective remedy Though political will is a major problem in the effort to rid the country of corruption, some institutions have not helped matters. It is on record that in Nigeria, there are scores of high profile corruption cases pending in our courts with some of them lingering there for more than five years. This does not inspire confidence for a society that is determined to rid itself of the scourge of corruption. Also, cases abound where entities which purchased public assets have not performed well because they lack the technical and financial competence to manage such outfits efficiently. This is particularly observed in situations where processes that lead to the handover of such assets to those that emerged as eventual bid winners were not transparent. The product of these handovers have been provision of abysmal services from such entities. Until the Nigerian government sincerely pursues transparency, frees its anti-corruption campaign of political considerations, and allows technically proficient and competent companies emerge in bid processes, the country will continue to grapple with cases of failed companies. The end results of these corrupt considerations will continue to manifest in government businesses not being run transparently and the country sinking deeper into despair. The most effective remedy to the challenge of corruption is to ensure that the institutions work independently and without the over bearing interference of the government in power.
http://mognews.com/2018/09/29/corruption-why-government-is-loosing-the-war/

You are the one I choose.

You are the one I choose today. You will be the one I choose tomorrow. And you are the one I will keep on choosing every single day. I know life will bring us burdens and obstacles. I know sometimes we’ll be bored and frustrated and tired of one another—but I promise to keep choosing you, choosing us.

I am thankful for you.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought me to you, and you to me. Through you, He showed me what love truly is. You have brought beauty to my life. You have brought second chances and hope. You have brought kindness and heart, strength and soul. You have blessed me, and I am thankful for you.

I will never stop fighting for us.

We might not feel the same way we do tomorrow, or two months from now, or six years down the road. We won’t always have that spark, that fire, that intensity to our love. But I promise I will keep fighting for us to find it. I promise to keep fighting to bring us together. I promise to keep fighting for the people we once were, and even if and when we change, I will fight to help us relearn each other and love each other again.

I will be your strength.



On the days you feel defeated, in the moments you are at your lowest or weakest—I will be there. I will hold your hand and lift you from darkness. I will kiss away your tears and bring you to your feet again. I will encourage you and go to battle with you. I will be your strength.

I’m not leaving.

No matter what tries to wedge itself between us, no matter what devils come our way, no matter what turns and twists our paths take, I will be by your side. I won’t run when our story writes a new ending. I won’t balk when our plans don’t fall into place. I made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it. I’m not leaving.

I need you.

I don’t just desire you. I don’t just crave you. I need you too. I need the warmth your presence brings. I need the calm to my storm. I need the way you kiss me, or hold me, or talk to me, or love me. I need to know that I will be yours, and I need you to know that you’ll be mine. Always.

You have me.

You have my heart—all of it. All of its brokenness and insecurity, all of its tenderness and fear. All of the parts that beat wildly at the sound of your voice, or leap at your touch. You have my eyes—and I promise to keep them focused on you only. You have my smile and the way the corners turn up whenever you walk into the room. You have my happiness. You have my promise. You have me.
http://mognews.com/2018/09/29/7-ways-to-say-i-love-you-that-got-more-deeper-than-3-words/

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the federal government fails to implement the 2017 FGN/ASUU agreement. Prof. Lawan Abubakar, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, at a news conference on Thursday in Jos, expressed surprise that the federal government has yet to implement the various agreements aimed at revitalising public universities, as agreed in 2017. READ ALSO: You lost your shirt get ready to lose your trousers “ASUU and the federal government signed an agreement on the revitalisation of the universities and the payment of arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). We also agreed that the EAA be captured in 2018 universities budgets. “We also agreed on the need for adequate budgetary allocation to education in line with the UNESCO minimum standard of 26 per cent,” he said. Abubakar regretted that only 7 per cent of the total 2018 budget was allocated to the education sector, and called for the immediate release of the N20 billion revitalisation funding. He...
http://mognews.com/2018/09/27/ASUU-threatens-strike-over-2017-agreement/

An Egyptian court said it would transfer the cases of 75 people accused of security-related offences, including senior Muslim Brotherhood figures, to Egypt’s top religious authority to decide whether they should be sentenced to death. Former Egypt President, Mohamed Morsi: some of his supporters among those facing death verdict They are among more than 700 people accused of illegal protest and murder over a 2013 sit-in which ended in the deaths of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and dozens of police when security forces broke it up violently. The accused face a range of sentences including execution and life in prison. Egyptian law requires any capital sentence to be referred to Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam, Egypt’s highest Islamic legal official, for an opinion before any execution can take place. The Mufti’s decision is not legally binding, but is rarely ignored by the courts. In 2014 the Mufti rejected a death sentence proposed for the leader of the outlawed Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, who is part of the same case. Badie has since been sentenced to life in prison. The 75 cases transferred on Saturday to the Mufti for his verdict include those of senior Brotherhood leaders Issam al-Aryan, Mohamed Baltagi and prominent Islamist preachers Safwat Higazi and Wagdi Ghoneim, judicial sources said. Forty-four of the accused are in prison awaiting their sentence, and 31 have been tried in absentia. Rights groups have criticized the trial of more than 700 people in the same case, saying they include journalists and peaceful protesters. Amnesty International said on Saturday the trial was unfair, and that those accused had been denied the right to present an adequate defense. “Egyptian authorities have never questioned or prosecuted any of the security force personnel who took part in the massacre,” it said in a statement. The 2013 sit-in at Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo took place after the military, led by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in a popularly-backed coup. Amnesty International says the dispersal of the sit-in in August that year killed more than 800 protesters. Egypt’s government said many protesters were armed, and that 43 police were killed. The final sentencing in the case is expected on Sept. 8 after the Mufti has given his ruling, judicial sources said. http://mognews.com/2018/07/28/egypt-to-sentence-75-people-to-death/

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has broken his silence on Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos following the incident which saw Mohamed Salah suffer a dislocated shoulder during the Champions League final.





Ramos was heavily criticised for the calculated nature of the challenge on Liverpool's top goalscorer. He defiantly chose to laugh off the claims he had deliberately set out to injure the Egyptian forward or elbow Loris Karius in a later incident that many cited as the reason behind the goalkeeper's concussion and subsequent errors in the second half of the match.


Klopp, though, did not hold back in his thoughts on Ramos' role in his side's 3-1 defeat to Madrid in May, calling the challenge "ruthless and brutal" before likening it to a move seen more often in wrestling matches.

He also vented his frustrations at Ramos' reaction to the incidents, with Klopp keen to stress that this is far from the first time the Spain skipper has been at the centre of a disciplinary storm.

"If you watch it back and you are not with Real Madrid then you think it is ruthless and brutal," Klopp told reporters.

"I saw the ref taking charge of big games at the World Cup and nobody really thinks about that later. But in a situation like that somebody needs to judge it better.

"If VAR is coming then it is a situation where you have to look again. Not to give a red card but to look again and say: ‘What is that?’ It was ruthless.

“I’m not sure it is an experience we will have again – go there and put an elbow to the goalkeeper, put their goalscorer down like a wrestler in midfield and then you win the game. That was the story of the game.

"Ramos said a lot of things afterwards that I didn’t like. As a person I didn’t like the reactions of him. He was like: ‘Whatever, what do they want? It’s normal.’ No, it is not normal

"If you put all of the situations of Ramos together then you will see a lot of situations with Ramos. The year before against Juve he was responsible for the red card for [Juan] Cuadrado. Nobody talks about that afterwards.







"It is like we, the world out there, accepts that you use each weapon to win the game. People probably expect that I am the same. I am not.


Article continues below

"We are aggressive but I always use the word ‘legal' as well. Usually if you try something you will get punished. Someone will see it and ban you for four or five weeks. But in this example, no one.

"This ref should have had the courage to decide that game. In this situation we didn’t get it and, if you write this, people will say I am weak or a bad loser or a whiner. I am not. I accept it. It’s not like I wake up in the morning and think: ‘Ramos!’"

Liverpool are next in action when they face Manchester United in the International Champions Cup in Michigan on Saturday.

http://mognews.com/2018/07/28/sergio-ramos-is-a-wrestler-klopp/

A new report being circulated on the internet has claimed that the Osun state PDP gubernatorial candidate, Senator Adeleke did not graduate from Jacksonville State University, as claimed. Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, senator representing Osun West Senatorial District and the state’s PDP gubernatorial candidate, did not graduate from Jacksonville State University (JSU), says the authorities of the public university located in Alabama, United States. According to his profile on the National Assembly website, Adeleke has a Diploma in Criminology from JSU and graduated in 1986. He also graduated from Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State, where he obtained an Ordinary Level Certificate. His academic claims have, however, been brutally challenged. According to recently circulated claims, Adeleke registered for GCE O’ Level in 1981 but had F9 in English Language and was recorded absent for other subjects. It also said he has no degree from JSU where he registered as Jackson Ademola Adeleke, while providing what it titled as official records of his enrollment. Dele Adeleke, Ademola Adeleke’s junior brother, has denied the allegations and encouraged those who disagree to verify the senator’s result at his alma mater. “Do you think the APC would not have raised the issues if he did not have the authentic certificates?” he had asked. The ICIR can, however, confirm that Adeleke did not graduate from Jacksonville State University, though he has claimed otherwise. Buffy Lockette, the Director of Public Relations at the university, in response to a mailed enquiry, told The ICIR that though the senator enrolled at the tertiary institution, he was not awarded any degree.
http://mognews.com/2018/07/28/adeleke-didnt-school-in-us-see-his-waec-result/

At least 250 Nigerian air travellers of Delta Air Lines to the United States and other cities were on Monday stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos due to poor weather.

The airline, which was supposed to airlift the passengers out of the airport to the US, could not, as it could not depart Atlanta, Georgia for Nigeria on Monday as a result of bad weather.

Apart from the Nigerian passengers who were to depart Lagos for the US, the airline’s passengers in Atlanta Georgia also suffered similar fate as they could not depart for Nigeria.

When SaharaReporters visited the international wing of the Lagos airport on Monday night, it discovered that the airline’s check-in counters were not open while none of its staff was available to attend to the few air travellers who had come to the airport with the hope of flying out of the country.

Some of the passengers spoken to our correspondent claimed that they were not informed of the flight cancellation.

Mr. Ayodeji Fatai, passenger of the airline to Toronto, Canada, condemned the cancellation, explaining that he had come to Lagos from Ondo State for the flight.

He said: “I left Ondo State very early yesterday morning for this flight, only for me to get here and I was told the flight had been cancelled. I didn’t receive any text message or email notification about this cancellation.”

But our correspondent gathered that most of the passengers were sent emails and text messages to notify them of the cancellation.

As of early Tuesday morning, some of the stranded passengers were still seen at the airport, indicating that some of them spent the night at the airport.

As of the time of filing this report, it was unclear when the passengers would be airlifted out of Lagos to their various destinations.

Information gathered by our correspondent indicated that the weather in the US was still unfavourable to flight operations to Nigeria.

An email by our correspondent to Delta Air Lines office in the US was not responded to.

Alst Wednesday, British Airways could not airlift its Lagos-Heathrow passengers due to a mechanical fault to its Boeing 747 aircraft.

Some of its passengers, especially the business-class, passengers were booked into Sheraton Hotels and Suites, Lagos. http://mognews.com/2018/07/25/delta-airlines-frustrates-us-bound-passengers-in-lagos-because-of-bad-weather/

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who announced this, said the shutdown, earlier scheduled to last from July 27 to July 30 will now last from August 24 to August 26, 2018.

In a statement, Fashola said the shift in the date was arrived at after due consultations with the Lagos State Government and wide deliberations with other relevant stakeholders and added that the date shift was done “in order to give succour and relief to the people of Lagos State and other interstate road users, and support the efforts of the state government to decongest the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

Fashola said in the short term, he has directed the immediate deployment of trucks to the trailer park being constructed by the ministry with the capacity to accommodate about 300 trucks while construction works for the shoreline protection continues.

The minister said the ongoing palliative work on the sections of the Apapa-Oshodi Road, the ongoing construction of the road leading to the Apapa Port from Ijora will soon be completed while the main exit route through Tincan-Oshodi-Oworonshoki is under procurement for award. When completed, the project will enable free flow of traffic in the axis. http://mognews.com/2018/07/25/closure-of-third-mainland-bridge-shifted-to-august-24/

(CAF) president, Ahmad has explained his frustration with the poor showing of the five African nations at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Russia. Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal and Morocco  failed to move into the knock out stages. It was the first time since 1982 this has occurred.

The African teams conceded 26 goals against 15 scored, with Morocco managing just a draw as their best result, while Egypt returned home pointless.
“It’s a thin and worrying record,” Camfoot quoted Ahmad as saying. “None (of the African teams) managed to pass through to the second round. Why such a rout? Yet our continent is perceived as a universal reservoir of talent. Yet we have an audience envied by the whole world.

“What exactly is missing from our representatives to compete with other talent and efficiency with the best in the world? can we call it a management problem? http://mognews.com/2018/07/25/africas-poor-showing-in-worldcup-gives-me-concern-caf-president/

Israel says it has shot down a Syrian warplane which entered its airspace - a rare incident between the two foes.

Two surface-to-air missiles were fired at the Sukhoi fighter jet, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted.

According to Israeli reports, it happened over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The pilot's fate is not clear.

Syrian news agency Sana said Israel had targeted the jet over Syrian airspace, but did not say whether it was hit.

Sana quoted an unnamed military source as saying the plane was conducting raids against "armed terrorist groups" near the southern Yarmouk Valley.

Syria routinely describes rebel groups as terrorists.

Why is there a war in Syria?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that Syria had committed a "blatant violation" of a 1974 ceasefire agreement, which defines the lines of separation between the two sides' forces on the Golan Heights.

"We will not accept any intrusion... into our territory, either from the ground or from the air," Mr Netanyahu said, adding: "Our forces acted appropriately."


Israel's Haaretz news website said residents in northern Israel saw interceptor missiles fired and heard explosions.

Flames and smoke were also later seen rising from the area of the fence between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, AFP news agency reports.

Hotting up
By Tom Bateman, Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem

Today's trails of smoke above the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are another sign of how Syria's war has agitated the dynamics between old foes in the region.

Israel and Syria fought their last war 45 years ago and later agreed to separate their forces either side of a 50-mile-long buffer zone - a boundary that had remained Israel's quietest since.

But with President Assad's men closing in on jihadist groups on the Syrian side of the zone - and pictured reportedly hundreds of metres from an Israeli observation post - Israel has been ratcheting up its rhetoric.

It is concerned most about the threat it sees from Syria's allies Iran and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, saying it will not tolerate any breach of the buffer zone deal.

But Syria will see the Sukhoi's downing as proof of its belief that Israel has been prepared to help rebel groups to stop the government's advances.

In a statement after the incident, the IDF said it was on "high alert" following "an increase in the internal fighting in Syria" and greater activity by Syria's air force in the region.

It said the fighter jet had infiltrated about 2km (1.25 miles) into Israeli airspace before it was intercepted by Patriot missiles.


An Israeli military spokesman said the plane had crashed "most likely in the southern part of the Syrian Golan Heights". About a third of the Golan Heights is still nominally controlled by Syria.

Israel considers the occupied Golan Heights, and the airspace above it, as Israeli sovereign territory, though this is not recognised internationally. It has occupied the area since the 1967 Middle East war.

It is reportedly the first time Israel has shot down a manned Syrian aircraft since 2014. Israel is not directly involved in the Syrian war but has attacked drones which have entered its airspace, and carried out dozens of air strikes on Syrian and Iranian military assets in Syria in recent years.

Tuesday's incident comes just a day after Israel deployed its David's Sling missile defence system - designed for use against medium-range missiles - for the first time.

The system was activated "in response to the threat" from two Syrian surface-to-surface missiles approaching Israeli territory, an army statement said.

Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel adebayor doing the shaku shaku dance http://mognews.com/2018/07/24/emmanuel-adebayor-doing-the-shaku-shaku-dance-video/

The proposal to have the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) change its name to accommodate some heavyweight politicians intending to defect to the party appears to have run into stormy waters.

Sources say this is why the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), yesterday, set up a panel to critically look into the proposal after a wide consultation.

Daily Sun gathered authoritatively that the proposal for a name change is already causing division within the party’s fold, with majority of the party faithful opposed to it.

Sources revealed that those opposed to it are of the view that the time was too short to achieve any meaningful impact with the name change. They also reasoned that it may confuse their supporters at the grassroots level.

One of the ranking members of the PDP told Daily Sun: “You know we spoke about this proposal late 2016 and up to early 2017. I even told you about the names we were contemplating then. I remember I mentioned Advanced Peoples Democratic Party (APDP). At the time

I was favourably disposed to it, so also were vast majority of our members. But today, the dynamics have changed. Therefore, I am no longer disposed to it. And I tell you, majority of our members are not disposed to it, largely because the time is too short.

“If we had hit the ground running then, by now we would have put that behind us. Unfortunately, the (Ali Modu) Sheriff crisis made us lose focus. As such, we lost a lot of ground. Talking about name change now will be counterproductive. Part of the intention then was to give us the advantage of being ahead of the APC on the ballot paper. But we have since realised that that conferred little or no advantage to the APC in 2015. Our party is well known, and all we need is to do the right thing and get a popular person through a credible process as our candidate.”

Another chieftain of the party, who also attended the NEC meeting, yesterday, simply said: “Forget the report you read, it is not true, we are not changing any name.”

A member of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), whose members were said to spearheading the agitation for a name change as a condition to make them defect to the PDP, revealed that majority of them were not unbending about the position.

He noted that only few of them were insisting on name change as a condition to defect. He further said that as it stands, no party has PDP’s kind of spread.

“The party’s structure is solid and those anti-democratic features they were exhibiting before are no longer there today.

“Although we want a name change, we are not rigid about it because we are also aware that government may want to move against us to frustrate the change of name. So, whether we achieve name change or not, we are prepared to run on PDP’s platform,” the R-APC member added.

One man who has been consistent in his opposition onthe idea of a name change is former Jigawa State governor and one of the presidential aspirants, Alhaji Sule Lamido.

Lamido, who spoke exclusively to Daily Sun 48 hours before the party’s NEC meeting warned the party not to play into the hands of the ruling APC.

According to him, APC and its presidential candidate were already afraid of the fate that awaits them;
as such they would want to do “anything and everything to create confusion in our party. But if our party members are vigilant and circumspect, they would avoid the landmines. And one of them is this proposal to change our name. APC has no history. But the PDP has got history. The name PDP is innocent. If you say because they call PDP party of corrupt people, please name one thing the PDP has been accused of and which the APC has not done, even worse.

“APC is a contraption, and I have been saying so. Today, Nigerians can see for themselves and they know better. The APC has no history, they don’t have a common ideology, and the only party with a history is the PDP, a party that has produced three former presidents, over 1,000 members of the National Assembly, several speakers of the Houses of Assembly, senate presidents. If you wipe that history what do you have?

“Those who want to return should know that our desperation has limitations. The party produced them. If they are ashamed to return to their home, you mean we should follow them and abandon the house? If we had left when they did, which home would they be thinking of returning to? We will not change our name. APC is scared stiff of the PDP because they know what they have been doing,” Lamido said.

Regardless, PDP’s NEC, has set up a committee to further consult on the name change proposal, with a view to coming up with options that would guide the party in taking decision.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told journalists that the NEC approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the party signed recently with 38 other political parties, as well as the fusion of R-APC into the PDP. The PDP spokesman explained that the party has designed a template on how to share party structures.

He said the NEC also supported the decision of the PDP to challenge the outcome of the Ekiti governorship poll in court. http://mognews.com/2018/07/24/pdp-in-confusion-over-name-change/

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has told the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that if he does not inaugurate the board members of federal agencies and parastatal under his ministry, he will be suspended by the party.

He said the APC, under his leadership, will not continue to tolerate ministers who abuse their office and disrespect President Muhammadu Buhari by refusing to carry out his directives.

He dared Ngige not to comply within the stipulated time and see if he will not be suspended and, thereafter, sacked from the federal cabinet. Ngige had faulted Oshiomhole, on the constitution and inauguration of the board members of federal agencies and parastatal under his ministry.

The APC chairman, in a letter, had given the labour minister one week within which to constitute the board of the parastatals and agencies under his ministry.

The parastatals and agencies are the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), National Productivity Centre (NPC), and Michael Imoudu Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS).

But, Ngige, in his reply, said he will not constitute the Board of NSITF within the one week ultimatum given by Oshiuomhole. He expressed disbelief that such a letter could emanate from the APC chairman. He said: “Our National Chairman, I am in receipt of a letter referenced APC/NHDQ/ GENS/28/018/003 dated July 11, 2018, which was sent from your office and received by me on July 12, 2018. Ordi- narily, I would not believe the letter was from you except for the barrage of media statements that came before I saw the letter. I read the contents of this letter with both amazement and utter disbelief.”

The minister said he had reconstituted three boards out of the four agencies and parastatals under his ministry, but has not been able to constitute the board of NSITF because of cases of financial malfeasance, which have put the agency under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

Reacting to Ngige’s response to his direction, Oshiomhole told State House Correspondents after a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, that rebels are not be tolerated, either in a party or in a democratic government.

He said: “If the minister refuses we will suspend him from the party. You know we must return to internal discipline. For me it is the height of mischief for any minister, you cannot purport to be honourable minister and you act dishonourably and nobody is greater than the party. And if the President condones disrespect for his office, I will not condone disrespect for the party. And, when we expel the minister, we will prevail on the president that he can’t keep in his cabinet people who have neither respect for his own decisions nor have respect for the party, without which they would not have been ministers. There are no independent candidates in our system, nobody, I emphasis, no minister is above the party, and they have taken undue advantage of the president’s fatherly disposition.

“Now, it is the same green pen that made them ministers that appointed these boards that they are refusing to swear in. And, it is absolutely illegal for a minister, in a democracy, to prey the powers of the board because the laws establishing those institutions are clear, that the boards have procedures to follow. So, when a minister sits in his office to appropriate the powers of the board in a democracy, not in a dictatorship, award contract that didn’t go through boards, those are clearly abuse of office for which they are liable.

“I am convinced that what they are doing is not with the endorsement of Mr. President. Over the period, they have tried to drop the president’s name, but, I tell them it is the same authority that appointed these people.

“So, we are informing them that it is either they comply with the president’s instructions or they comply with the party’s position or they go and administer outside the government.

“We have respect for ministers, but, only to the extent that they recognise that they are products of a political party, and we are not negotiating that. If they did that in the past, under our leadership, we will not tolerate it. They either comply or we will expel them from the party. When we expel them, we will find out how a government can keep a rebel in the cabinet. There is no question about that.”

Oshiomhole has also reacted to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) statement that he is licking his vomit after the ‘no loss of sleep’ comment on the Reformed APC faction.

He told State House Correspondents, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, “You have seen me, do I look like I’m losing sleep?”

Oshiomhole said he cannot lose sleep over the breakaway faction of the APC.

Reacting to the comment, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, said Oshiomhole dismissed R-APC, yet, went ahead to pay a nocturnal visit to Buba Galadima, its chairman, “in what appeared a fence-mending gesture.”

Oshiomhole, after another round of meeting with Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari said, “No, I am not losing sleep. I am sleeping very well. I still maintain that I don’t see any man of honour, who, with his eyes open, left PDP on the account of their gross mismanagement, abuse of the treasury and all of the crime that the PDP committed, I don’t see them, whatever their irritations, that cannot be a justifications to return a house that all we need to do is to play back their own tape about what PDP represents and why they left.

“I still hold the view that you can’t vomit in the morning and covert it to lunch in the afternoon if you have honour. And that position still remains the same.

“Number two is that yes, I have made this point clear that we can distinguish the mercenaries from those who genuinely have complains. Our business as party leaders is to try and manage, listen and find solutions to those who have verifiable complains http://mognews.com/2018/07/24/oshiomhole-threatens-to-sack-ministers-from-apc/

A 38-year-old mother of three has been killed by her jealous lover in Benin-City, Edo State capital, after he allegedly found male condoms in the deceased’s handbag.

The victim, Gladys Okoh, a divorcee, was said to have been stabbed with a kitchen knife thrice in her stomach in her aged mother’s room by the killer lover, identified as Osaremwinda Omobude Idumwonyi, 46.

The incident occurred at No 13, Ehiyoboy Street, Off Aifuwa Street, Off Upper Sokponba Road, Benin-City, a few hours after the victim left her lover’s residence where she  passed the night.

It was learnt that the victim and the killer lover’s residences were nearby buildings and that the suspect left his residence to commit the act.

He was alleged to have walked past the aged mother of the deceased who was sitting by the door to launch the attack and the old woman’s efforts to rescue her daughter, who screamed in pains during the attack, failed.

Meanwhile, the suspect is now in police net, cooling his heels at the Cell of the Edo State Police Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Benin City.

Police sources disclosed that the suspect told the police that her deceased lover picked a kitchen knife to stab him when an argument ensued and that he (suspect) overpowered and killed her while defending himself.

It was learnt that the knife the suspect used in committing the crime was recovered from his kitchen by police investigators when he was arrested and a taken home for a search.

Spokesman for the Edo State Police Command, DSP Chidi Nwanfor who confirmed the incident, said investigating was on.

Recall that a 19 year-old boy similarly stabbed his 18 year-old girlfriend to death in Benin City, a fortnight ago. http://mognews.com/2018/07/23/man-kills-lover-over-condoms-in-benin/

Seven people have been killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in a town near northeast Maiduguri, Borno capital.

A suicide bomber reportedly infiltrated  a mosque at Konduga, located some 43 kilometres from Maiduguri, early Monday morning.

The bomber, believed to be a Boko Haram member,  detonated explosives in the mosque at about 5:00a.m., killing seven people and injuring eight others, residents and rescue workers said.

Those injured had been taken to a public hospital in Maiduguri, the state capital for treatment, a local official told The Sun on condition of anonymity.

The police, however, was yet to confirm the bomb attack as at time of filing this report. http://mognews.com/2018/07/23/breaking-suicide-bomber-kills-7-in-borno-town/

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has reacted to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) statement, saying he was licking his vomit after the ‘no loss of sleep’ comment on the Reformed-APC faction.

Oshiomhole told State House Correspondents who asked if he was indeed losing sleep, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“You have seen me. Do I look like I’m losing sleep?”

Oshiomhole had said he could not lose sleep over the breakaway faction of the APC.

Reacting to the comment, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, said Oshiomhole dismissed R-APC yet went ahead to pay a nocturnal visit to Buba Galadima, its chairman, “in what appeared a fence-mending gesture”.

Details later… http://mognews.com/2018/07/23/oshiomhole-asks-pdp-if-they-actually-think-hes-loosing-sleep/