No fewer than two students of the Petroleum Training Institute in Effurun, Delta State, reportedly died in a fire caused by an explosion at Matrix Energy Limited in Warri.
The students who were identified as Godstime Chuks from Petroleum Engineering Department and Omare Sunny who is the only child of his parents from Mechanical Engineering Department were said to be on Industrial Training in the company.

There had been explosions at the Matrix Energy Limited Depot in Warri, Delta State, on Friday night.
The fire was said to have broken out with a shattering explosion that rocked Ifiekporo, Ubeji, and other nearby communities.
It was learnt that a total of 12 persons including workers and cookers who were on night duty suffered various degrees of injuries from the unfortunate incident and are currently being treated at the Ogiame Ikenwoli Hospital in Ubeji, Warri.
The company in statement signed by the management affirmed that there was a fire incident at their LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs.
The statement reads in part "There was a fire incident at our LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs yesterday the 8th of July 2022.
"Immediately the incident occurred, our company activated its emergency response plan and the situation was brought under control by the intervention of our fire/safety team along with safety team from the Warri Refinery Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC).
"Support from the Delta State Fire Service, the Warri Refining Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) also came in promptly and we all succeeded in curtailing the spread of the fire. We have commenced a post-incident investigation to establish the immediate and remote cause of the incident and will effect actions in line with our high safety standards.”
However, the Students Union of Petroleum Training Institute, in a letter signed by the Union Present, Christian Efe, on Sunday and addressed to the company, asserted that two of their students died in the incident.
The union gave Matrix 24 hours to debunk the information, stressing that it was capable of causing chaos in the students community.
They also mandated the company to reach out to the family of the deceased who were on National Diploma Industrial Training, with immediate effect.
"Our attention has been drawn to a communique from Matrix Energy Limited stating that no casualty was recorded from the explosion that occurred on the 8th of July, 2022.
"It is on record that two National Diploma graduates of the Petroleum Training Institute who were undergoing their Industrial Training lost their lives to the cold hands of death due to that explosion. Such information is misguided, inhuman, unfair and evil.
"We frown at this occurrence and blame the management for not putting all necessary safety precautions in place which however, has led to the death of two young and vibrant students preparing for Higher National Diploma at their early prime.
"It is based on this, we are calling on the management of Matrix Energy Limited to as a matter of urgency debunk that information as it is capable of causing chaos in the students community and as such reach out to the family of the deceased with immediate effect. Failure to do this within the next 24hours, we shall be left with no other option than to mobilise our students in full force to shut down all forms of operations in that company.
"While hoping that justice will be served, we call on all concerned students both past and present to remain calm and not panic as we will be engaging the PTI National Alumni and relevant stakeholders to also swing into full action soonest.
"Until the right thing is done and justice is served nothing shall discourage us," the letter reads.

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A human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has said that the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has no independent mind and would not defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision-making.
Adegboruwa stated this in reaction to the choice of the former Lagos governor to pick Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim as running mate despite oppositions from other faiths.

The senior lawyer noted that the APC presidential candidate had no mind of his own and he would be “unable to defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision making.”
In the statement titled "The Grave Implications Of APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket", the human rights lawyer said that for Tinubu to go for a Muslim Muslim ticket, showed that he had no consideration for unity and plurality of Nigeria.
While noting that the Muslim- Muslim ticket was borne out of desperation and over-ambition, Adegboruwa described it as "cruel affirmation of supposed superiority complex that only one region determines electoral victory."
The statement made available to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, read, "Muslim-Muslim ticket shows we just want power at all costs and we don’t care what others think or do.
"We can win the elections without you, especially by other means other than by open ballot.
"It is a cruel affirmation of supposed superiority complex. That only one region determines electoral victory. That the presidential candidate of the APC is not acceptable to Northern Muslims."
The legal luminary said that Muslim-Muslim ticket is an indication of a hidden agenda, adding that "the spirit of Hope 93 died with MKO and those who betrayed him and his mandate. May Boko Haram, terrorists and insurgents, their sponsors and sympathisers not win the 2023 elections."
"That Nigeria is not a secular state but rather being ruled to satisfy certain religious tendencies. That the APC has absolute control of the electoral system and thus electoral victory may not be determined through free, fair and credible elections.
"That certain political tendencies and interests do not trust others to accommodate them if they are entrusted with power whereas they have been in power and accommodated by others.
"That the APC presidential candidate has no mind of his own and he will be unable to defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision making.
"That the APC is incompetent to manage a complex nation like Nigeria with diverse interests, different tongues and tribes and consisting of different faiths."

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A human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has said that the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has no independent mind and would not defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision-making.
Adegboruwa stated this in reaction to the choice of the former Lagos governor to pick Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim as running mate despite oppositions from other faiths.

The senior lawyer noted that the APC presidential candidate had no mind of his own and he would be “unable to defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision making.”
In the statement titled "The Grave Implications Of APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket", the human rights lawyer said that for Tinubu to go for a Muslim Muslim ticket, showed that he had no consideration for unity and plurality of Nigeria.
While noting that the Muslim- Muslim ticket was borne out of desperation and over-ambition, Adegboruwa described it as "cruel affirmation of supposed superiority complex that only one region determines electoral victory."
The statement made available to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, read, "Muslim-Muslim ticket shows we just want power at all costs and we don’t care what others think or do.
"We can win the elections without you, especially by other means other than by open ballot.
"It is a cruel affirmation of supposed superiority complex. That only one region determines electoral victory. That the presidential candidate of the APC is not acceptable to Northern Muslims."
The legal luminary said that Muslim-Muslim ticket is an indication of a hidden agenda, adding that "the spirit of Hope 93 died with MKO and those who betrayed him and his mandate. May Boko Haram, terrorists and insurgents, their sponsors and sympathisers not win the 2023 elections."
"That Nigeria is not a secular state but rather being ruled to satisfy certain religious tendencies. That the APC has absolute control of the electoral system and thus electoral victory may not be determined through free, fair and credible elections.
"That certain political tendencies and interests do not trust others to accommodate them if they are entrusted with power whereas they have been in power and accommodated by others.
"That the APC presidential candidate has no mind of his own and he will be unable to defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision making.
"That the APC is incompetent to manage a complex nation like Nigeria with diverse interests, different tongues and tribes and consisting of different faiths."

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No fewer than two students of the Petroleum Training Institute in Effurun, Delta State, reportedly died in a fire caused by an explosion at Matrix Energy Limited in Warri.
The students who were identified as Godstime Chuks from Petroleum Engineering Department and Omare Sunny who is the only child of his parents from Mechanical Engineering Department were said to be on Industrial Training in the company.

There had been explosions at the Matrix Energy Limited Depot in Warri, Delta State, on Friday night.
The fire was said to have broken out with a shattering explosion that rocked Ifiekporo, Ubeji, and other nearby communities.
It was learnt that a total of 12 persons including workers and cookers who were on night duty suffered various degrees of injuries from the unfortunate incident and are currently being treated at the Ogiame Ikenwoli Hospital in Ubeji, Warri.
The company in statement signed by the management affirmed that there was a fire incident at their LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs.
The statement reads in part "There was a fire incident at our LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs yesterday the 8th of July 2022.
"Immediately the incident occurred, our company activated its emergency response plan and the situation was brought under control by the intervention of our fire/safety team along with safety team from the Warri Refinery Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC).
"Support from the Delta State Fire Service, the Warri Refining Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) also came in promptly and we all succeeded in curtailing the spread of the fire. We have commenced a post-incident investigation to establish the immediate and remote cause of the incident and will effect actions in line with our high safety standards.”
However, the Students Union of Petroleum Training Institute, in a letter signed by the Union Present, Christian Efe, on Sunday and addressed to the company, asserted that two of their students died in the incident.
The union gave Matrix 24 hours to debunk the information, stressing that it was capable of causing chaos in the students community.
They also mandated the company to reach out to the family of the deceased who were on National Diploma Industrial Training, with immediate effect.
"Our attention has been drawn to a communique from Matrix Energy Limited stating that no casualty was recorded from the explosion that occurred on the 8th of July, 2022.
"It is on record that two National Diploma graduates of the Petroleum Training Institute who were undergoing their Industrial Training lost their lives to the cold hands of death due to that explosion. Such information is misguided, inhuman, unfair and evil.
"We frown at this occurrence and blame the management for not putting all necessary safety precautions in place which however, has led to the death of two young and vibrant students preparing for Higher National Diploma at their early prime.
"It is based on this, we are calling on the management of Matrix Energy Limited to as a matter of urgency debunk that information as it is capable of causing chaos in the students community and as such reach out to the family of the deceased with immediate effect. Failure to do this within the next 24hours, we shall be left with no other option than to mobilise our students in full force to shut down all forms of operations in that company.
"While hoping that justice will be served, we call on all concerned students both past and present to remain calm and not panic as we will be engaging the PTI National Alumni and relevant stakeholders to also swing into full action soonest.
"Until the right thing is done and justice is served nothing shall discourage us," the letter reads.

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Senator Elisha Abbo

The Senator representing Adamawa North in the National Assembly, Elisha Ishaku Abbo, has lambasted the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, over the choice of a muslim-muslim ticket, saying “It is very irresponsible of Tinubu to take his political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria.”
Abbo has since resigned his membership of a Tinubu support group over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC.

Senator Elisha Abbo
The senator confirmed this to Peoples Gazette by telephone Monday morning.
“For Tinubu now to be given the ticket and turned around to do what he couldn’t achieve in 2015 despite opposition from Catholics and other Christian leaders is extremely irresponsible,” the federal legislator added.
He accused Tinubu of refusing to take a cue from the opposition against his vice-presidential ambition and how President Muhammadu Buhari opted for a Christian running mate in 2015.
“Buhari fought a civil war and understands the consequences of a divided nation. When Tinubu wanted to be VP in 2015, Buhari said no because he understood the importance of unity,” explained Abbo.
Tinubu, on Sunday, announced Kashim Shettima, a serving senator representing Borno central and ex-Borno governor, as APC vice-presidential candidate.
Abbo explained how he met with a support group in Abuja in search of a running mate for Tinubu. The group concluded that Tinubu should not pick a Muslim as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
“We sat down in Abuja and strategised, and we concluded that he should not take a Muslim as running mate. He (Tinubu) threw away the report. My conscience will not allow me to campaign for Tinubu. I am a member of the Christian Association of Nigeria; I cannot deny CAN. I remain in APC. But I will take the survival of my country first over political considerations,” said Abbo.
He added, “We cannot work for such a man. I will oppose (a) Christian-Christian ticket because I am invested in the stability of this country. A Christian-Christian ticket will be insensitive to Muslims of this country. The country is evenly divided among Muslims and Christians. So any government that is Muslim-Muslim will be illegitimate and will never gain the respect of Christians.”
Meanwhile, Bola Tinubu Campaign Headquarters spokesman, Bayo Onanuga did not immediately respond to a request seeking his comments on Abbo’s statement.

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The Ukrainian government has said its Premier League is set to commence in August amid Russia’s ongoing war.
Ukrainian Youth and Sport Minister, Vadym Gutsait, made the declaration on Monday via his official Facebook page.

“The Ukrainian football championship will start on August 23,” Gutsait said. “We agreed to work out the procedure for organising and holding competitions under martial law.”
Gutsait said games would be played without “spectators” and “during air raids, matches will be stopped and football players, coaches and the staff must quickly go to a shelter.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had abruptly ended the country’s football league, with Shakhtar Donetsk leading Dynamo Kyiv by two points. But no winner was declared.
Only on Monday, the Ukrainian government said it planned to raise a "million-strong army" equipped with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) weapons to retake the south of the country from Russian troops occupying the region.
However, the comments by Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, were seen as more of a rallying cry than a concrete plan for a counter-offensive.
Russia is making progress in taking territory in the eastern Donbas region, as there was an attack on a block of flats on Sunday that killed at least 22 people while more residents are still missing.
The building was located in Chasiv Yar, near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.
The remarks of a counter-attack may be more of a rallying cry than a set plan, as there would not be any operational surprise in this attack now that it has been announced.
Ukraine may be announcing this counter attack to force Russia to commit troops to the southern areas of the country away from other areas currently being attacked.
Reznikov also said that retaking the country's southern Black Sea coast was vital to the country's economy.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the striking university lecturers, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to reconsider their position on the prolonged strike.
The president made the call while receiving some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators and political leaders at his residence in Daura, Katsina State.

He assured that the government understood their position, and negotiations should continue, with students in lecture halls.
Buhari, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, expressed worry that the strike had brought generational consequences on families, the educational system and future development of the country.
The President said the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that already beg for attention.
Buhari said the future of the country rested on the quality of educational institutions and education.
“We hope that ASUU will sympathise with the people on the prolonged strike. Truly, enough is enough for keeping students at home. Don’t hurt the next generation for goodness sake,” he said.
The President called on all well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to the leaders and members of the association, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to reconsider their position, and the ripple effect on an entire generation and the nation.
Buhari said students from Nigerian universities would be faced with the challenge of competing with others in a highly connected and technology-driven work space, and keeping them at home only deprives them of time, skill and opportunities to be relevant on the global stage.
“Colonial type education was geared towards producing workers in government. Those jobs are no longer there. Our young people should get education to prepare them for self-employment. Now education is for the sake of education.
“Through technology we are much more efficient. We should encourage our children to get education, not only to look for government jobs,” he added.
Buhari said resources should be channelled more into building infrastructure and operations of the health and educational sector, not to expand the bureaucracy to create job opportunities.

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Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said that the emergence of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections has brought relative peace to the South-East region.
In a statement he posted on his Facebook page, the cleric said the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB’s support for Obi had indicated that the Biafran agitation was political.

Linking the current security crisis in the country to lack of representation, he said the Oduduwa agitation had also slowed down following the hope that the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, would emerge as president.
The statement reads partly, “The IPOB rhetoric and loud voice of Biafra agitations have muffled out with the emergence of Peter Obi as the Labor Party’s presidential candidate. To them, Igbos have a platform. It’s clear now that the entire IPOB outcry was a political gimmick to get power.
“The Oduduwa clamours have abated also since Tinubu has clinched the APC ticket never to resurface again until probably if he didn’t win the race.
“Northern Ultra conservatives too have no mouth to speak of marginalisation or suppression of representation, the NNPP kwankwaso has satisfied that segment of the society. No more claims of candidate suppression and manipulation.”
According to him, the major problem of the country now is whether the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, “will conduct free, fair, and transparent elections” in 2023.

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Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said that the emergence of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections has brought relative peace to the South-East region.
In a statement he posted on his Facebook page, the cleric said the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB’s support for Obi had indicated that the Biafran agitation was political.

Linking the current security crisis in the country to lack of representation, he said the Oduduwa agitation had also slowed down following the hope that the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, would emerge as president.
The statement reads partly, “The IPOB rhetoric and loud voice of Biafra agitations have muffled out with the emergence of Peter Obi as the Labor Party’s presidential candidate. To them, Igbos have a platform. It’s clear now that the entire IPOB outcry was a political gimmick to get power.
“The Oduduwa clamours have abated also since Tinubu has clinched the APC ticket never to resurface again until probably if he didn’t win the race.
“Northern Ultra conservatives too have no mouth to speak of marginalisation or suppression of representation, the NNPP kwankwaso has satisfied that segment of the society. No more claims of candidate suppression and manipulation.”
According to him, the major problem of the country now is whether the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, “will conduct free, fair, and transparent elections” in 2023.

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The United Nations has projected that world population would reach record eight billion people by November 2022, with India expected to surpass China as the most populous country.
SaharaReporters had also reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a gloomy global economy in 2023.
The Head of IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, who made the prediction in an interview with Reuters had said that since April 2022, the global economy had “darkened significantly.”

“It’s going to be a tough 2022, but maybe even a tougher 2023,” the IMF boss warned.
Meanwhile, a UN report released on Monday predicts that the global population could increase to around 8.5billion in 2030, to 9.7billion in 2050 and to 10.4billion in 2100.

According to the UN, the world’s population is on the rise in part due to declining mortality, with global life expectancy reaching 72.8 years in 2019, which is almost nine years longer than it was in 1990.
At the same time, the organisation said that the pace of the growth was gradually slowing down.

The report – titled “World Population Prospects 2022” – also projects that the population will be increasing unequally across the world, with just eight developing countries accounting for more than a half of the anticipated growth.
The countries are; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
The date of the publication coincided with World Population Day.
According to RT report, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in his message on the occasion praised humanity's achievements.
He however, noted that the eight-billion milestone “is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet,” adding that the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, wars and humanitarian disasters had shown that the world is “in peril.”
Guterres said that the world is still plagued by vast gender inequality and assaults on women’s rights.
“Reaching a global population of eight billion is a numerical landmark, but our focus must always be on people,” he reiterated.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has said he is “eager” to leave the government and hand over to his successor because “it’s been tough.”
The president said this while receiving some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators and political leaders at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, on Monday.

The President had travelled to Daura on Friday ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
Buhari told his guests that he would retire to his home town and not Kaduna State where he was prior to his coming to power.
“By this time next year, I would have made the most out of the two terms, and the remaining months I will do my best,”” he said.
The President told the governors and political leaders that he had not been to his house in Daura for close to a year due to the demands of office.
“I wish the person who is coming after me the very best,” he said.
“I am eager to go. I can tell you it has been tough. I am grateful to God that people appreciate the personal sacrifices we have been making,” he added.
On the campaign podiums across the country in 2015, Buhari had summed up his assignment under three headings. He said he would rid the country of corruption, end the reign of terror or insurgency in the North-East and revamp the economy.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital in January 2015, Buhari had said, “The fundamental issue facing this country is insecurity and the problem of the economy, which was being made worse by corruption.
“I assure you that we are going to finally assemble a competent team of Nigerians to efficiently manage the country. I am appealing to you, the damage done to this country is great. The level of unemployment, level of insecurity is intolerable. The journey has begun. It will take time, it will take patience; it will take support from you to make sure that we succeed.”
Capitalising on the nation’s poor economic outlook under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari had declared that if elected as President to replace Jonathan, he would make Nigeria “one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.”
But after seven years in power, the Buhari government has amassed huge foreign debts for the country, as inflation continues to rise and unemployment worsens.
For many Nigerians, the big monster has been insecurity with bandits, kidnappers, Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram having a free reign of terror under the Buhari shadowy government.

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File photo used to illustrate story.

The Conservative Party will announce the replacement for British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on September 5 following a vote among party members under rules agreed by the party's officials on Monday.

TheHindu reports that the Conservative Party said the postal ballot of party members would be a choice between two candidates to be selected under an expedited process to whittle down the field from the 11 candidates who have declared so far.

File photo used to illustrate story. Justin Tallis/AFP
On Monday, the Conservative Party's 1922 committee of backbench lawmakers finalised the process for the selection of the new leader. Members of Parliament (MPs) control the process of selecting a final two, whereupon the about 200,000 members of the Conservative Party get to vote.

The 11 candidates seeking to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister will learn the planned timetable to select the new British leader on Monday, as the contest becomes increasingly unpredictable, bitter and divisive.

British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, became the latest high-profile name to put herself forward, echoing the promises of her rivals to cut taxes and saying she would maintain a tough line against Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
The chair of the 1922 committee, Graham Brady, set out the timetable on Monday, as follows:

TUESDAY JULY 12 - NOMINATIONS, FIRST ELIMINATIONS

Rishi Sunak maintains lead in race to become next U.K. PM; nine candidates in fray
Nominations to be new leader of the Conservative Party formally open, and also close. Candidates must have the support of at least 20 lawmakers to advance.

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 - MORE CANDIDATES ELIMINATED

In this first round of voting, candidates must have the backing of at least 30 lawmakers to advance.

UP TO THURSDAY, JULY 21 - FURTHER BALLOTS

Brady said that there would be further rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers until a final two was reached, saying it was likely the final two would be selected by early next week.

THURSDAY JULY 21 - PARLIAMENTARY RECESS

Lawmakers on the 1922 committee have said July 21 is the de facto deadline for the final two candidates to be selected by Conservative lawmakers, as it is when the House of Commons breaks for summer recess. Brady told Sky News they would "certainly" have the final two by July 21.

JULY-SEPTEMBER - THE RUN-OFF

The two candidates campaign and hold hustings among Conservative party members to win their votes. The members vote by post. Brady said he wanted an assurance that those who reached the final two would not drop out, to ensure Conservative members would have a say.

SEPTEMBER 5 - NEW PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCED

The Conservative Party announces who has been elected as the new leader of the party by members. As they will command a parliamentary majority, they will consequently become the next prime minister.

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The Nigerian Senate, through the Public Accounts Committee, has disclosed that it will issue a warrant of arrest against the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Colonel Milland Dixon Dikio (retd.), over alleged failure of the agency to account for N10billion.
The committee chairman, Senator Matthew Urhogbide, made this move because of the failure of Dikio to honour several invitations sent to him to respond to the allegations.

It was gathered that the committee had invited the PAP’s Interim Administrator to appear before it to respond to queries against the agency contained in the 2018 Report of the Auditor General of the Federation.
According to The Nation, the agency’s Interim Administrator was scheduled to appear on February 3, 2022, according to an invitation letter, dated January 25, 2022.
Similarly, in another letter, officials of the agency were expected to appear on June 16, 2022, following an invitation, dated May 19, 2022.
The agency was also billed to appear before the committee on July 5, 2022, following a letter of invitation, dated June 28, 2022, but failed.
The AuGF’s query reads: “Audit observed that N324,969,190.00 was paid to some members of staff vide six payment vouchers for hosting ex-agitators, 150 leaders of ex-agitators, and logistics for various trainings, etc, in 2015 financial year.
"However, these vouchers and attached supporting documents revealed that the payments were made into single person’s accounts on behalf of other beneficiaries in contravention of the aforementioned provisions.
“In the same vein, payment vouchers were raised and paid for N3,465,713,500.00 in the 2016 financial year as monthly stipends to ex-agitators in various camps.
“These payments were made without due recourse to the e-payment policy of the Federal Government where the amount should have been paid direct to the accounts of the beneficiaries.
“This may lead to diversion of public funds for purposes other than intended."

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Elder statesman and the convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has criticised the nomination of Senator Kassim Shettima as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progress Congress, APC.

According to Clark in a statement on Monday, the action of the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, in appointing a Muslim to run with him, even as a Muslim in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, threatened Nigeria as a country.

Clark asked if the action of the APC Presidential Candidate were not pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumours to islamise Nigeria as a country.

The elder statesman who is the leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) lamented that with a very sharp division presently in the country, Tinubu’s action and that of the APC would further worsen the situation in the country.

“I feel threatened for our beloved country because of the way things are going. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with Christianity and Islam as the major religions, even though Nigeria is a secular state.

“In compliance with Constitutional provisions of inclusiveness, the number one and number two positions in the country, viz President and Vice President have always been occupied by practitioners of the two major religions, to ensure balancing.

He also noted that Tinubu could not be the vice presidential candidate to Buhari in 2015 because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket which was confirmed by Tinubu in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“It will be recalled that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, could not be chosen in 2015 as Vice President to Muhammadu Buhari, because he is a Muslim and Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim. Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in his own words confirmed this in his statement in Abeokuta, Ogun State. What has changed? One quality of a good leader is consistency.

“A good leader must act in the same way at all times, to all people. He must not display double standard. Today, what has the Presidential candidate of the APC, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu done? He has picked a person of his religion, a Muslim, as his running mate. Such choice is not inclusive; it is not good for a secular state like Nigeria.

“There is presently a sharp division in the country, even on religious lines, and all patriots are seeking ways to salvage the situation. Therefore, Alhaji Tinubu’s decision to take a fellow Muslim as his running mate will further worsen the situation in the country. He should know that patriotism is a quality of a good leader.

“On the reasons adduced by Alhaji Tinubu on why he chose Kashim Shettima as running mate, is the APC Presidential Flag bearer telling Nigerians that there are no Christians in the APC from the north who are “competent, capable and reliable?”

“There are rumours of an attempt to islamise the country. Are all these pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumour. One needs to bear in mind the antecedents of the major backers of Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu’s ambition, which include Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Governor of Kano State, and the chosen one – Kashim Shettima.

“Both the Governor and Deputy Governor in Kaduna State, are Muslims. A blatant action by the Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; unfortunately, the APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election, is following suit. Is there a deliberate move of making Kaduna an Islamic state?

“Unconfirmed statistics put the ratio of Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State as 50/50; some statistics even put it as 55% for Christians and 45% for Muslims, yet Nasir el-Rufai, despite complaints and agitations by people not only from Kaduna State, but from the entire country, “decided” to pick a Muslim as his Deputy,” 

 

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Elder statesman and the convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has criticised the nomination of Senator Kassim Shettima as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progress Congress, APC.

According to Clark in a statement on Monday, the action of the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, in appointing a Muslim to run with him, even as a Muslim in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, threatened Nigeria as a country.

Clark asked if the action of the APC Presidential Candidate were not pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumours to islamise Nigeria as a country.

The elder statesman who is the leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) lamented that with a very sharp division presently in the country, Tinubu’s action and that of the APC would further worsen the situation in the country.

“I feel threatened for our beloved country because of the way things are going. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with Christianity and Islam as the major religions, even though Nigeria is a secular state.

“In compliance with Constitutional provisions of inclusiveness, the number one and number two positions in the country, viz President and Vice President have always been occupied by practitioners of the two major religions, to ensure balancing.

He also noted that Tinubu could not be the vice presidential candidate to Buhari in 2015 because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket which was confirmed by Tinubu in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“It will be recalled that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, could not be chosen in 2015 as Vice President to Muhammadu Buhari, because he is a Muslim and Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim. Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in his own words confirmed this in his statement in Abeokuta, Ogun State. What has changed? One quality of a good leader is consistency.

“A good leader must act in the same way at all times, to all people. He must not display double standard. Today, what has the Presidential candidate of the APC, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu done? He has picked a person of his religion, a Muslim, as his running mate. Such choice is not inclusive; it is not good for a secular state like Nigeria.

“There is presently a sharp division in the country, even on religious lines, and all patriots are seeking ways to salvage the situation. Therefore, Alhaji Tinubu’s decision to take a fellow Muslim as his running mate will further worsen the situation in the country. He should know that patriotism is a quality of a good leader.

“On the reasons adduced by Alhaji Tinubu on why he chose Kashim Shettima as running mate, is the APC Presidential Flag bearer telling Nigerians that there are no Christians in the APC from the north who are “competent, capable and reliable?”

“There are rumours of an attempt to islamise the country. Are all these pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumour. One needs to bear in mind the antecedents of the major backers of Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu’s ambition, which include Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Governor of Kano State, and the chosen one – Kashim Shettima.

“Both the Governor and Deputy Governor in Kaduna State, are Muslims. A blatant action by the Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; unfortunately, the APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election, is following suit. Is there a deliberate move of making Kaduna an Islamic state?

“Unconfirmed statistics put the ratio of Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State as 50/50; some statistics even put it as 55% for Christians and 45% for Muslims, yet Nasir el-Rufai, despite complaints and agitations by people not only from Kaduna State, but from the entire country, “decided” to pick a Muslim as his Deputy,” 

 

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Some court documents have revealed that American R&B star, Robert Kelly, is engaged to one of his alleged victims, Joycelyn Savage.

Savage, a 26-year-old woman, allegedly penned a letter to the federal judge, referring to herself as Robert Kelly’s fiancée, begging that Kelly receive a more lenient sentence for his decades-long sexual abuse of women and underage girls and boys.

The documents obtained by online medium, TMZ, read, “I'm writing this letter in support of Robert in advance of his sentencing, so I can explain to the court that I’m not the victim that the government has portrayed me to be.”

She continued to call him an “all-around incredible person” and “not the monster that the government has described him to be.”

“Robert and I are deeply in love and it breaks my heart that the government has created a narrative that I’m a victim. I’m a grown woman and can speak for myself which is why I wanted to provide this letter to the court.”

“He is a great man, with a great heart and deserves to be home with his loved ones who are ready to support him,” she concluded.

SaharaReporters had reported R.Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing women, girls and boys, more than 20 years after first facing allegations.

Kelly’s conviction last Wednesday was seen as a victory for survivors of sexual violence, particularly those who may hesitate to speak out against abusers, for fear of retribution.

In 2019, Savage posted on Instagram that she would tell “my story,” adding in a follow-up post, “‪I have Partnered up with @Patreon where I will post daily chapters of my story. Things I am going to reveal that were sworn not to see the day of light — by NDA. I am risking my life for many others.”

In her posts, according to Essence, Savage acknowledged that she was manipulated by Kelly. She discussed meeting Kelly when she was 15 at a concert and later dropping out of college to live with him. She said Kelly would tell her, “Baby girl you are going to be the next Aaliyah.”

But her Instagram account could not be found active on Monday.

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A former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has joined numerous Nigerians to express her displeasure on the choice of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to pick Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim as his running mate for the 2023 elections.

Ezekwesili, who took to her Twitter handle to voice her displeasure, said it was “innate dishonesty when people fluctuate their rhetorics just to suit personal interest rather than adopt a strategy for success that shapes an inclusive society.”

SaharaReporters had reported that reactions continued to trail the ruling APC Muslim-Muslim ticket since the former Lagos State Governor announced his fellow former governor of Borno State as a running mate.

Some Catholic Bishops and northern Christian communities had also wanted a Christian from the Northern region for the position.

In her reaction, the former Minister, notable for the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, tweeted, “When innate dishonesty makes people fluctuate their rhetorics on Inclusion just to suit their personal interests, reasonable minds should never waste time analysing to make sense of the nonsense. Just design a strategy for success that permanently shapes an Inclusive Society.

“Those who squandered what remained of Nigeria’s management of our diversity and social capital cannot be expected to care about the sensitivities every reasonable mind knows to be critical in stabilising our fractured polity.

“The Siamese twins of bad governance never disappoint. It was a country struggling to become a nation; now it struggles to remain a country. Such failure is hugely not sustainable. I called it “The Unsustainability of Failure” in a speech some years ago.”

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    Was the July 6, 2022, unchallenged nighttime storming of the Kuje medium-security prison by Fulani terrorists a dress rehearsal for a Nigerian government assassination of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu under the pretext of a Boko Haram-ISIS attack on the DSS facility where he is currently detained?

    History may not repeat itself, but it rhymes according to Mark Twain. 

    Think back to the 1998 mysterious death of MKO Abiola. He had been detained by military dictators on charges of treason for the audacity of winning the presidency in the 1993 Nigerian elections. On the day of Abiola’s scheduled release on July 7, 1998, he died under highly suspicious circumstances. Villainous dictator Sani Abacha’s chief security officer maintained that Abiola was beaten to death. But a Nigerian government orchestrated autopsy concluded that the 1993 winner of the presidency had died of a heart attack. Throw into the mix of incriminating circumstances the assassination of Abiola’s wife Kudirat two years earlier during MKO’s detention. Dear reader, you decide whether Abiola, whose popularity was a clear and present danger to Nigeria’s military dictatorship, was the victim of foul play.

    Compare MNK’s plight with Abiola’s. MNK is wildly popular with Biafrans. He would win any free and fair election in Biafra by an overwhelming majority. More than one year ago, MNK was kidnapped and tortured in Kenya in collusion with Nigeria’s Fulani government and illegally transported to Abuja for indefinite solitary detention on faux charges of treason. The Fulani government is clueless about how to handle Biafra’s iconic savior. It has no evidence of treason, so a trial is a non-starter. The longer the government temporizes, the worse it looks. How can it be that with limitless resources, no scruples over bribing witnesses, and a pliable judiciary, the Fulani-controlled government of Muhammadu Buhari cannot even conduct a poorly executed show trial of MNK? The only plausible answer is that even a child would instantly be able to detect MNK’s innocence.  

    Now let us return to the July 6, 2022, portent. We know that the Buhari government is in bed with Boko Harem, a terrorist organization responsible for 35,000 murders and displacement of more than 2 million. President Buhari has systematically pardoned and released countless Boko Harem terrorists under the pretext of repentance, negotiation, surrender, rehabilitation, and deradicalization. But there is not a crumb of evidence that any released terrorist has exhibited earmarks of redemption. A leopard cannot change its spots.

    Buhari rhetorically asked regarding the July 6 prison break, “How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?” Buhari knows the answer. By collusion with his own Fulani-controlled government. Ilya Makama, who lives nearby the Kuje prison, recounted to The Guardian: “At about 10 pm we heard the sounds of gunshots continuing for about 40 minutes. In between the shooting we started hearing loud explosions. After a little over an hour, they started running past my window…All this while there were no sirens or helicopter patrol from the police or soldiers.”

    Unable to move forward with a trial of MNK for lack of evidence—including venal witnesses—the criminally infested, Fulani-controlled Buhari administration might stoop to plotting MNK’s assassination during a faux attack on DSS facilities by enlisting as accomplices Boko Harem, ISIS, or a combination of the two. Or Buhari’s criminal gang might poison MNK but blame his death on natural causes using the suspect killing of MKO Abiola as a model.

    International tribunals and organizations, however, have a spotlight on MNK’s health and safety. Buhari’s Fulani-controlled government would be well advised to refrain from flirting with an assassination option no matter how clumsily or expertly executed. The price to be paid would be incalculable.

*Bruce Fein is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s international lawyer and spokesman.                

 

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The newly-created Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) has taken over open parking spaces in the state.

LASPA was established in 2021 and headed by Adebisi Adelabu, as General Manager.

The government had claimed it created the agency to enforce parking violations and offences in the state.

In a document seen by SaharaReporters, park operators (commercial) were asked to pay to between N2million and N23million annually, depending on the location as “license” fee.

SaharaReporters learnt that the government had started serving notices of trespass on landmarks that were not on government roads.

“The Lagos State government has commenced exploration of off street parking lots operators again under the state's illegal LASPA agency,” a resident said.

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Youths under the aegis of the Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has expressed fears that terrorists might take over the Nigerian government soon if nothing is done urgently.

The coalition said that this was obvious based on the recent attacks on the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina State and the bloody Kuje Prison attack where at least 10 persons and one Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer were killed and over 800 inmates freed.

The apex socio-political group in the region in a statement by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, Monday said it arrived at the conclusion “after a careful appraisal of the recent happenings in the country” adding that the terrorists used the recent attacks as rehearsal to take over power in the country.

COSEYL said, “After a careful analysis of the situation wherein the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari was attacked on his way to Katsina, his home state, and the successful Kuje Prison attack that led to the freedom of very dangerous Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) commanders, Fulani terrorists and Boko Haram Commanders from prison; we make bold to state that the successful unchallenged attacks are a rehearsal by the terrorists to take over Aso Rock, the seat of power.”

In the statement, the coalition said that “Conscience is an open wound and only truth can heal it. Does the successful unchallenged operations of the Fulani Jihadists and terrorists in Nigeria not confirm to all that the sovereignty of Nigeria has been handed over to them in broad daylight?

“Nigeria under President Buhari has lost focus and direction and has nothing to tell Nigerians on why he has failed woefully to deliver democracy dividends to Nigerians.

“Democracy dividends under President Buhari are only terrorist attacks, killings by Fulani Jihadists and terrorists who are his kinsmen, borrowing to pay salaries, pensions and other undemocratic conducts?

“It is very hard to believe but it is a reality, that a retired Army General like President Buhari will be so overwhelmed and overpowered by terrorists.

“With what is staring us in the face, President Buhari wants to turn Nigeria to another Afghanistan where Islamic Jihadists seized the political power of the country.”

The coalition charged President Buhari never to “willingly surrender to Fulani Jihadists and terrorists,” adding that “The advance team of the number 1 citizen in Nigeria was attacked by Fulani terrorists and none of the terrorists were arrested. Kuje prison was heavily attacked and dangerous inmates who are terrorists were released and none of the attackers were arrested.

“As a matter of fact, there was no resistance from the Nigerian security. Something is really fishy here. The federal government is really playing on the intelligence of Nigerians.

“We call on the United Nations, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the International community and all lovers of democracy and Christianity all over the world, to beam its searchlight on Nigeria before Nigeria that is a secular state is turned into an Islamic state where citizens will be forced to become Muslims in a 21st century where freedom of worship is a constitutional right to all.”

 

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