Aisha Buhari Returns To Abuja From UK’s Holiday
Mrs Aisha BuharFirst Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja after a long holiday in the United Kingdom.
Mrs Aisha BuharU.S Based Model, Nyekachi Douglas Emerges 2019 Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria
A 21-year-old Nigerian model based in the United States of America, Nyekachi Douglas has been crowned the 2019 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) beauty pageant.
Miss Douglas, who represented Rivers State as Miss Rivers, emerged the winner of the 32nd edition of the beauty pageant. She defeated 36 other contestants who keenly competed for the crown on October 11, at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenegoa, Bayelsa.
Miss Douglas was rewarded with a brand new car as the newly crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria. She will be represent Nigeria at the Miss World 2019 pageantry scheduled to hold at the ExCel London in the United Kingdom, on Saturday, December 14, 2019.
Other winners of the night include Miss Taraba, Olutosin Araromi who emerged MBGN Universe; Miss Abuja, Pamela Ifejoku, who won MBGN Tourism, and Miss Edo, Akeelah Aminu, who was crowned MBGN Miss Ecowas.
Themed: “True Essence of a Woman,” the 32nd edition of the MBGN also had performances from singer, Seyi Shay and was hosted by MC and comedian, Bovi and Layole Oyatogun.
The event also had a display of the rich Nigerian cultural fashion. The contestants dazzled guests and viewers in their chosen native attires.
The pageant was originally called Miss Universe Nigeria when it started in 1983 and it was later changed to MBGN in 1986.
Japan In Trouble, Earthquake Rips Through Main Island
Japan Prime minister, Shinzo AbeA magnitude of 5.7 earthquake has reportedly jolted the main island of Japan as Typhoon Hagibis, one of the strongest storms to hit in decades, continues to reap devastation throughout the central region of the country.
Deadly Gunmen Open Fire On Muslims At Grand Mosque In Burkina Faso, 16 Die
Unknown gunmen were reported to have gone on a deadly shooting spree at the Salmossi Grand Mosque in Northern Burkina Faso today, October 12, leading to the death of no fewer than 16 Muslim worshippers.Nigerian Army Announces Capture Of 10 Senior Boko Haram Commanders
The Nigerian Army has announced the capturing of 10 suspected key Boko Haram commanders who were trying to escape at Bitta in Gwoza LGA of Borno.Army Announces Rescue Of Kidnapped Kaduna School Children
The Nigerian Army 1 Division said the troops of Operation Thunder Strike have rescued students of Government Day Secondary School, Gwagwada in Chikun Council of Kaduna State that were abducted by unknown gunmen.
A statement by Deputy Director Army Public Relations 1 Division Nigerian Army, Colonel Ezindu Idimah said the Troops who were on routine patrol in the general area received information from a reliable source that some bandits terrorizing the Abuja-Kaduna highway have waylaid some students on their way to school and abducted them.
“The troops immediately swung into action and gave the bandits a hot chase. On sighting the troops, the bandits engaged them in a firefight but had to surrender to the superior firepower of the troops.
“Following the firefight, one of the bandits was neutralized while the rest scampered into different directions of the forest with gunshot wounds.”
He said all the students abducted by the bandits were rescued safely and reunited with their families.
“Items recovered from them include one AK47 rifle with seven rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and a pump-action gun with ten cartridges.
“The troops are currently combing the entire forest in search of the bandits,” Idimah said.
The Army spokesman also said in his statement that ” in a related development, troops also dealt decisively with the bandits in an ambush at Soho Gaya in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State at about 10 am this morning, During the ambush, 2 bandits were neutralized while one rifle was recovered.
“Additionally, at about 1045am this morning, troops pursued bandits into one of the forests in Chukun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. During the pursuit, one of the bandits was neutralized while 2 AK 47 riffles, one pump-action and 3 Magazines were recovered.”
According to him, the successes recorded has buoyed up troops morale who expressed enthusiasm in sustaining the onslaught against the bandits and other criminal elements within the Division Area of responsibility.
“The General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Faruk Yahaya has commended the efforts of the troops and urged them to continue to pursue and neutralize bandits in 1 Division Area of Responsibility. He also urged the general public to report anybody with a gun wound to the security agents around them”
Turkey Bombs US Troops In Syria
Turkish military vehicles in the border town of Ceylanpinar, Turkey, October 11, 2019. (Murad Sezer/Reuters)Contingent of U.S. Special Forces is believed to have been caught up in Turkish shelling against U.S-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria, days after President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart he would withdraw U.S.
Newsweek has learned through both an Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official and senior Pentagon official that Special Forces operating on Mashtenour hill in the majority-Kurdish city of Kobani fell under artillery fire from Turkish forces conducting their so-called “Operation Peace Spring” against Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S. but considered terrorist organizations by Turkey.
The senior Pentagon official said that Turkish forces should be aware of U.S. positions “down to the grid.” The official could not specify the exact number of personnel present, but indicated they were “small numbers below company level,” so somewhere between 15 and 100 troops.
The official said shelling was so heavy that the U.S. personnel were exfiltrated once the attack had ceased. Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment on the situation.
A US soldier sits atop an armoured vehicle during a demonstration by Syrian Kurds against Turkish threats next to a base for the US-led international coalition on the outskirts of Ras al-Ain town in Syria’s Hasakeh province near the Turkish border on October 6, 2019. – US forces in Syria started pulling back today from Turkish border areas, opening the way for Ankara’s threatened military invasion and heightening fears of a jihadist resurgence.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had long warned he would storm the border to establish a so-called “safe zone” and, after the White House announced Sunday that U.S. troops would stand aside, he launched the operation earlier this week.
In its Sunday statement, the White House had said that U.S. troops “will no longer be in the immediate area” as Turkey and allied Syrian rebels commenced their assault. During Friday’s press conference, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army General Mark Milley said that U.S. personnel were “still co-located” save for “two small outposts” near the border with Turkey. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said 50 Special Forces personnel had been repositioned ahead of the Turkish and allied Syrian rebel assault.
The U.S. first partnered with the largely Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in 2015 to battle the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) as the country shifted its support away from an increasingly Islamist opposition seeking the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The group proved effective in beating back the jihadis, but the U.S.’ decision was opposed by Turkey, a NATO member that has faced off with a decades-long insurgency by Kurdish separatists.
Turkey remains the last major sponsor of the Syrian opposition, made up largely of members of the country’s Syrian Arab majority, and has mobilized up to a thousand fighters from these forces, along with hundreds of its own troops, in order to seize territory currently administered by a majority-Kurdish autonomous administration that spans the country’s north and east. This self-governing entity has not been recognized by Ankara nor the central government in Damascus, which has secured much of the rest of the country’s territory with the help of Russia, Iran and allied militias.
This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.
How You Can Increase Internally Generated Revenue, Osinbajo Tells State Governors
Vice President, Yemi OsinbajoVice President Yemi Osinbajo has advised state Governors to boost their agricultural development and harness the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians as a way to increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Professor Osinbajo also wanted the governorsto engage in careful and well-thought out strategic planning in order to articulate and implement priorities derived from strategic thinking and based on comparative advantages.
The Vice President, who spoke today, October 12 at the 18th meeting of the Joint Planning Board (JPB) and National Council on Development Planning (NCDP), in Asaba, Delta State capital, said thatthe diversification of the country’s economy from oil dependency by the Buhari-led administration was aimed at ensuring infrastructural and human capital development.
“Our ultimate purpose is to create jobs and growth and as key economic managers in the context of Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, it is essential that we work collaboratively and in tandem. I am optimistic that the deliberations of this Council will contribute to achieving these noble objectives, which will lead us closer to lifting the 100 million people that the President (Muhammadu Buhari) has promised that we will lift out of poverty in the next 10 years.”
Making references to numerous interventions by the Federal Government to assist states – in payments of workers’ salaries and pensions, restructuring of commercial debts owed by states, to advancing credit from the Central Bank and the Excess Crude Account, the Vice President urged states to improve on the management of their limited resources, especially with the expected long-term decline in oil prices.
“I propose three things for the consideration of this august body as a means of increasing production and generating the revenues at State level. First, I would urge that States engage in careful and well-thought out strategic planning in order to articulate and implement priorities derived from strategic thinking and based on comparative advantages.
“Also, there is great scope for boosting agricultural production if states choose two to three high value crops/products to specialize in. Such specialization will enable economies of scale in the provision of support across the entire value chain of prepared land, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, storage, processing and transportation, marketing and sales. This also implies organizing the agro-allied value chain from farm to table.
“In a similar vein, states must take advantage of the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians by empowering economic clusters and trade groups through the provision of basic infrastructure and shared facilities.”
The Vice President said thatthe Buhari administration will continue to create an environment for small businesses to thrive, as seen through its MSME clinics nationwide and providing solar power to boost trade activities in economic clusters such as the ones in Ariaria Market in Aba, Sabon Gari market in Kano, and Sura Market in Lagos.
“The current move by the Federal Government to provide broadband connectivity for all by 2023 will assist the states productive base but they cannot charge fees for laying of broadband infrastructure, which is like strangling the goose that will lay the golden eggs.”
State can contribute to creating an environment for small businesses to thrive if it looks into the issues of multiple taxation and levies.
“The complaint of many small businesses is the multiplicity of levies and charges by state and local government agencies. States should in fact invest in agencies that can help small businesses comply with regulations and standards and to access credit. When the businesses grow and employ more they create taxable profit and taxable employees.
“The key thing is to think out of the box and utilize the opportunities that are open to the state. Some would have advantages that can be readily used in the area of tourism, others would be contiguous to major economic centres like Lagos and Abuja which offer markets as well as cheaper and more affordable land for residential and industrial purposes.”
Professor Osinbajo stressed the need for greater collaboration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to share data and also ensure remittance of VAT proceeds to it.
“Improving tax morale is also a very big part of the story as the evidence shows that people do not feel obliged to pay taxes and they justify this belief by asserting that they do not receive commensurate services.
“It would also be necessary for States to improve tax administration and widen the tax net by making it easier for people to pay tax both in terms of easier processes and lower levels of taxation.”
The Vice President urged states to take advantage of Federal Government programmes, as well as support from development partners to complement their efforts and ease some of their constraints.
“Some examples include the resources and support available from the Universal Basic Education programme, the National Social Investment Programme, the National Livestock Transformation Programme, the Anchor Borrowers Programme, the Family Homes Fund and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund amongst others. Moreover, where support is coming from development partners it should also be leveraged to support fiscal sustainability at State level.”
The Vice President added that states should build skills needed to attract foreign and domestic investments, stating that, “STEM education, functional digital literacy education from early childhood are the crucial building blocks for reaping the fruits of the Knowledge Economy that is now upon us.”
Budget Defence: Buhari Grounds Ministers, Others On Foreign Trips
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate suspension of international travels by all Cabinet Members and Heads of Government Agencies to enable the Ministers to personally lead the process of Budget defence at the National Assembly.A statement today, October 12 by the Director of information in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey said that the suspension of such travels will enable functionaries and Agencies of the Executive Arm to provide the required cooperation with the Legislature in order to ensure timely passage of the Appropriation Bill.
“Honourable Ministers who have already secured approval to travel are by this directive, required to revalidate such approvals with Mr. President after confirming the Schedule of Appearances with the relevant Committees of the National Assembly.
“Furthermore, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been directed to liaise with the relevant committees of the National Assembly for their Schedules of Budget defence.”
Buhari Speaks Vehemently Against Sex For Marks, Vows To Be Tough On Offenders
President Muhammadu BuhariPresident Muhammadu Buhari has expressed disgust over the long trending of sexual abuse in the nation’s educational institutions even as he vowed to evolve tougher laws to tackle the offenders.
The President who was reacting to the recent high profile revelation of sexual abuse cases in institutions of higher learning in the country, said that the incident had exposed through under-cover news reporting at the University of Lagos which had spurred an amendment to the laws regarding the issue in the National Assembly.
President Buhari said that such proposed amendments passed by the Legislature will get his support as long as they conform to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The country must do more to address incidents of sexual violence, sexual abuses in our schools, discrimination, human trafficking and cultural practices that violate women’s rights.”
President Buhari asked the law enforcement agencies and school administrators to take up such cases with every seriousness and ensure that perpetrators face the consequences of their actions.
“Survivors and their families must avoid cover up. They should be encouraged to come forth and report cases of abuses wherever and whenever they occur.”
