Ekiti Workers To Gov Fayose: Pay Us Our Accumulated Wages Within 14 Days Or…

July 22, 2018

Workers in Ekiti State have issued a fourteen-day ultimatum to Governor Ayo Fayose to pay all arrears of salaries and pensions of retirees or face their anger.

In a statement today, Sunday, the State Organized Labour, said that the Fayose government must clear all arrears of workers’ entitlements before a new government takes office on October 16. The workers’ demands also include payment of over seven months deduction, payment nine month arrears to local government workers and primary school teachers.

They also advocated for payment of eleven months and six months pensions to local government pensioners and state government pensioners respectively.

The statement reads: “Workers in the public service of Ekiti State have been suffering over the years with nobody to rescue them in relation to payment of salaries, pensions and other benefits.

“The import of this is that the condition of service of an average worker in Ekiti is deplorable or poor despite the huge funds allocated to Ekiti State from the Federation Account between 2014 to date.

“In view of the present development in the state occasioned by the result of the governorship election, it has become necessary to assess the implication on welfare of workers vis-à-vis the arrears of unpaid salaries.

“In order to avoid a situation whereby the incoming government may wish to foot drag on the payment of the arrears of salaries on the premise that the organized labour was inept to the payment of same by the outgoing government thus amounting t a huge financial burden on the new government.

“The state government is hereby given a 14-day ultimatum to meet these demands.”

APC Dares PDP To Challenge It In 2019 Election Alone

Editorial staff

July 22, 2018

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to face it on its own strength in the 2019 general elections instead of looking for Coalition for support.

“We challenge the PDP to face Nigerians on their own merit in 2019 and stop shopping around for supporters.”

The national publicity secretary of the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement today, Sunday, described the moves by the PDP to rebrand and lure APC members to be part of a coalition that it is building, as amounting to ”looking for life after death.’

“After three years in the wilderness, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is understandably excited with possibility of hiding its irredeemably bad image under the heap of a new coalition. Like the vulture, PDP sees every altercation as a potential opportunity for a feast.

“If PDP is not alleging wild conspiracies, they are threatening to boycott elections or announcing fake defections. What is clear with all these is that no matter how long a leopard lives, it cannot change its spots.

“What President Muhammadu Buhari and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of our Party are doing, persuading every aggrieved member not to leave the Party, is what responsible and sensible party leaders would do. Party politics is a game of number. And that game is addition. If the PDP had the same presence of mind in 2015, perhaps the calamity that befell them would have been averted.”

Those Who Scammed Nigerians In Russia Will Be Prosecuted For Crime – Envoy

Editorial staff

July 22, 2018

The Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Professor Steve Ugba has said that the airline travel agents who cancelled the return tickets of 230 Nigerian football fans that were stranded after the 2018 World Cup Tournament in Russia will be fished out and prosecuted for crime.

In an online video statement made available by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tope Elias-Fatile, in Abuja today, Ambassador Steve said: “it is not a crime for you to come and at the end of the show, you want to go back. It is not a crime.

“But it is a crime for the person who sold you tickets and then, the second leg of going back you do not have tickets anymore. So, it is not your fault. We want to hold those responsible for this terrible behaviour to account for their action so that next time, they will not do the same.”

The envoy, in the 21-minute video, expressed gratitude to the President for ensuring that the stranded fans returned safely to the country.

Ambassador Steve made it clear that the Federal Government would not want the culprits to go scot-free, even as he asked the victims to produce any document they had to enable the government track down the agents.

“Give us any document that you have about the people who deceived you, or the people who scammed you, who did you 419 so that we can have them picked up and prosecuted in Nigeria.

“We do not want them to go free. So, give us any document you have that will tell us who these people are.

“We are waiting for them in Nigeria because the kind of behaviour that you exhibited here shows that you have character, shows that you have respect for yourselves, and shows that you have respect for Nigeria.”

Ambassador Steve, who addressed the stranded Nigerians in Moscow, Russia before their departure to Nigeria, said that the nation is proud of them who he said made out time to cheer the Super Eagles in Russia.

He said that the behaviour of the fans and the Super Eagles had earned Nigeria lots of friends in Russia.

Over 150 stranded Nigerian football fans had besieged the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow on July 12 for assistance at the end of the 2018 World Cup tournament. They had alleged that their return tickets were cancelled abruptly by airline agents, resulting to their being stranded in Russia without any hope of returning to Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, on July 16, directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and his Aviation counterpart, Hadi Sirika, to evacuate the Nigerians to Abuja immediately.

Sequel to the directive, a chartered Ethiopian Airline had, on July 20, conveyed the 155 stranded Nigerians back to Abuja.

Source: NAN.

Gov Bindow Swears: APC Is Still The Most Popular Party In Adamawa

Editorial staff

July 22, 2018

The Governor of Adamawa state, Muhammadu Bindow, has made it clear that despite that Abubakar Atiku, the Presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) comes from Adamawa State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is still the most popular party in the State.

Governor Bindow, who reacted to social media report that he gave N70 million to organizers of Atiku Abubakar’s rally in Yola, the state capital, yesterday, Saturday, said that the publication was an attempt to mask his rising profile, good virtues and sacrifice in upholding and promoting APC as the most popular party in Adamawa State.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Press and Media Affairs, Martins Dickson, the governor described the media report as false, malicious and misleading.

“The authors of the fabricated lies have run out of substance with which to discredit him and have resorted to cheap blackmail and childish stories.

“The good work of APC under Bindow is spread glaringly across the 21 local government areas of the state for all to see and there’s no amount of falsehood that will make anyone believe that a governor and party that have done so well in the state will be involved in any form of clandestine anti-party activity,”

Atiku Abubakar, who hails from the state, formally declared his interest in contesting for the Presidency on the platform of the PDP next year.

Embarrassed By Corruption Appellation, PDP Changes Name Ahead Of 2019

Editorial staff

July 22, 2018

Embarrassed by corruption appellation leveled against it by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is believed to have set to change its name ahead of the 2019 general election.

It was learnt that the PDP has equally marked down the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu as the one to head a committee that would walk the party through the procedure.

It was leant that many of the party’s stalwarts have been worried by how the ruling APC has successfully branded the party as corrupt in the eyes of Nigerians and admitted that a rebranding is imperative to mount a successful challenge in 2019.

There is also concern by brand experts who warned that the name, PDP had become damaged goods that must be changed to give the party a fresh start.

It was further gathered that the decision by the PDP to change its name might have stemmed from last Thursday’s meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Though, details of their discussion were not made public, many in PDP believed that with such sessions, the chances of bringing Saraki back to the PDP could be hampered.

The opposition party had long mooted the idea of name change, but had slowed down on the decision because a majority of its members were not disposed to it, and those who wanted it could not convince the others.

Besides, it was thought that even though the party had switched positions and had become an opposition party, PDP is still the only party with membership in the remotest parts of the country, and the name resonated with a majority of its members and admirers, particularly among the teeming illiterate populations.

But this very thinking had since changed, especially with the prevalent narrative of the ruling party, which is always attacking the PDP as a corrupt party. PDP believes the corruption allegation is the main defence APC has found to justify its continued stay in office, despite widespread belief that it has mismanaged the affairs of the country.

Source: THISDAY

Nigeria begins airlift of 2018 intending pilgrims

Greenbarge Reporters

July 22, 2018

Kogi intending pilgrims ready for the madden Maxair flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja today, Saturday, to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj. Chairman, CEO of the National Hajj Commission, Barr Abdullahi Mukhtar Mohammed was on hand to see them off.

Afenifere, Ohaneze, Northern Elders, Others Lack Wisdom – Yoruba Group

Greenbarge Reporters

July 21, 2018

A socio-cultural group known as Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, has described Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum and Pan-Niger Delta Forum as lacking in wisdom on their allegation of incompetence against the Muhmmadu Buhari led Federal Government.

The forum, in its reaction to a communiqué issued by Afenifere, Ohaneze, Northern Elders Forum and Pan-Niger Delta Forum, called on leadership of the socio-cultural groups to mention some achievements of President Buhari-led administration while pointing out the shortcomings.

The Secretary-General of the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Mr Akin Malaolu, in a statement today, Saturday in Abuja, said that although there are growing concerns about killings and insurgency in some parts of the country, efforts made by the present administration to contain the situation was worth mentioning.

“For leaders of the groups to be united in passing jaundiced judgments on the administration of the All Progressives Congress is unfair.

“It shows lack of accuracy in measuring achievements of Buhari and his team at this material time in our national history.

“Such statement is least expected at a time when security agencies are recording successes in arrest of masterminds of mindless killings and abductions across the country, including the Chibok school girls.

“Military and other security agencies need to be encouraged for such performance by any patriotic group, not condemned in a ploy to spite the Federal Government.

“Cry of incompetence, high unemployment rate as claimed by the groups show the absence of accuracy and wisdom in their measurement of the nation’s recent achievements.”

Source: NAN. [myad]

Oshiomhole Describes PDP As A Typical Village Sheep

July 21, 2018

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has described the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a typical village sheep that gathers all its food in the day time and chews it all through the night.

“What they already have, like a typical village sheep, they may be chewing it all day, all night. You know in the day time, the sheep will go to grab every food it can get so that at night, it is chewing. Just reprocessing.

“It appears they have almost finished digesting what they have taken and now they are worried about how they can sustain power and they are threatening.”

Oshiomhole, who was reacting to the threat by the PDP to boycott the 2019 general elections, while speaking at the submission of the Osun State primary election result, by the Chairman of the election committee and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, made it clear that nobody can threaten democracy in Nigeria.

“Let me also use this opportunity to comment on what I read. I saw the PDP chairman threatening that they may boycott the 2019 election.

“Now, when a rabbit, because I come from a village; when a rabbit in the afternoon jumps out of the hole not because the hunter has come to smoke it out and it is running, you know it has already seen its end.

“But the truth is that we are not desperate. We have worked hard to defeat PDP while they were in power, when they had no faction, when all the founding fathers and founding fathers were in the same house, we defeated them.

“Nigerian people rejected them on account of 16 years of absolute misrule at the peak of our prosperity as a nation when oil sold for $140 a barrel and we came in when oil price has dropped.

“If with all those huge revenue that accrued to them, people complained of bad roads whether from the south to the east, from the north to the west, they have nothing new to offer to the Nigerian people.

“So, I think they are hunted by their own ghost and because they had perpetuated a do-or-die politics and they are on record both electronic and print as saying that election matter is about do or die.

“One of their old man was recorded as saying that and they perfected the language of ring them out, let them go to court.

“Now, rigging machine has been dismantled and how can they survive without it? The glue that held them together which was cheap money from federal treasury, again, that has been cut off.”

Buhari Will Honour Whatever Agreement Reached With Saraki, Others – APC

Greenbarge Reporters

July 21, 2018

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will honour and implement whatever agreement he eventually reached with the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and others who are now being dissuaded from leaving the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said in an interview that the fear of continued marginalization of aggrieved stakeholders by the party should President Muhammadu Buhari be voted in for second term, is not founded.

“What I know is that the people involved are having meetings, including the meetings with the President. And the President, like everyone knows, is a man of integrity; an honourable man.

“So, if he agrees to anything, he will definitely abide by it. So, I think there is no question about that.”

He commended the efforts being made, including at the level of President to stop some important personalities in the APC from defecting.

“The idea now is for everybody to rally as much as possible to prevent any defection. Meetings are going on and we believe that, at the end of the day, we will be able to persuade everybody to have faith in the party and to know that their interests will best be protected within the party. So, to us, we believe it is in our interest to keep as many people together as possible within the party.

“You also know that the National Chairman met with a former Governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. We believe that all these efforts that are being made will, in the end save the day for us.”

Source: Vanguard

Lai Mohammed To Diaspora: 80 Percent Of News On Social Media Are Fake

Greenbarge Reporters

July 21, 2018

Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has made it known to Nigerians in Diaspora that 80 percent of what they read on social media are fake news and asked them to stop depending on them about the country.

The minister, who spoke in Washington, the United States of America at a meeting with the Nigeria Ambassador to USA, Justice Sylvanus Nsofor and the Embassy’s members of staff, said that social media are, largely purveyors of fake news and misinformation, which could threaten the peace of a nation.

Lai Mohammed stressed that social media is aggravating the Nigeria situation creating the impression that the country is at war, ethnic and religious crises.

“Fake news and misinformation when mixed with hate speech threaten the peace, unity, security and corporate existence of Nigerians.

“Many people in the Diaspora depend a lot on Social media for news about Nigeria. However, 80 per cent of what you read on social media is fake.

“Please, we implore you to visit our website information, where you can find information that is genuine about Nigeria.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting is on the sideline of a High-Level Roundtable attended by the minister, organized by the Atlantic Council, an American think tank on international affairs.

Source: NAN.

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