The management and students of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa in Kwara State are in a rude shock over the suicide of a student of the institution.

Concise News gathered that a National Diploma (ND) 1 student of the Civil Engineering Department, Ridwan Ajiboye, reportedly drank an insecticide and eventually gave up the ghost.

The late Ajiboye, who was the son of a traditional title holder in Iragbiji in the Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, decided to take his own life after he was allegedly embarrassed by one of his lecturers, who mandated him to sell some handouts to his course mates.

According to the Public Relations Officer, Students Union Government of the Polytechnic, Olayinka Owolabi, nobody knew why the deceased committed suicide.

Owolabi said, “Some of his neighbours heard his cry and rushed to his room where they met him gasping for air. He was taken to hospital but he eventually died.

“They said he took poisonous substance but we do not know what he took and nobody can say why he took the substance.”

The PRO of Student Union revealed that the deceased had been buried at his hometown, stating that his parents said they were not interested in investigating the circumstances that surrounded his death.

Concise News recalled that some days after Ajiboye’s death, another ND student of the Estate Management Department of the school, Maryam Fasasi, reportedly attempted suicide.

Fasasi was also said to have drunk a popular insecticide, ‘sniper’, but she was rescued and revived at a hospital.

The student was said to have been taken to hospital where she was treated and was discharged on Saturday.

According to a student of the school, Maryam lost N45,000 which was the proceeds from handouts given to her to sell by one of her lecturers and she attempted to kill herself because of this.

The Public Relations Officer of the Polytechnic, Olayinka Iroye, said he was aware of Ajiboye’s case, saying the management of the polytechnic took him to some hospitals “but he eventually died.”

The PRO, however, said nobody knew why he decided to take his life while stating that the deceased was a brilliant student as shown by his academic records.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/03/31/offa-poly-student-commits-suicide-over-handout/

The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has handed automatic employment to an Ex-NYSC Corps member, Daniel Oluwatobi, who lost his sight while in serving.

Concise News understands that the employment was announced by INEC in a post on its Twitter handle.

The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu presented a Letter of Appointment to the ex-NYSC member after losing his sight on official duty as INEC ad-hoc staff in Yobe state during the 2011 general election.

In addition, the statement added that the letter of employment issued at the NYSC Headquarters, Abuja in June 2016 was witnessed by Brig Gen Sule Kazaure, the DG.

“#Memories
INEC Chair, Prof. Yakubu (L) presents a Letter of Appointment to the ex-NYSC member, Mr Daniel Oluwatobi, who lost his sight while serving as INEC ad-hoc staff in Yobe during the 2011 general elections, at NYSC HQ, Abuja in June 2016. Brig Gen Sule Kazaure, the DG was there,” INEC tweeted.

https://twitter.com/inecnigeria/status/1111314356342571009

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/03/31/election-inec-gives-automatic-employment-to-corps-member/

See more pictures

Guys Stop Sending Money For Any Girls On Facebook.

Hellooooo

Why your Bloggers and WordPress need Mobile App and publish on Play Store.

Today you can observe that Twitter and Facebook are not generating traffic anymore

Although if you need it message Us mcebiscoebi@gmail.com

As the nation remember soldiers who lost their lives defending the country, Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has challenged Nigerians to assist the families of the deceased soldiers.

The governor made the call on Sunday at an interdenominational thanksgiving service held at Divine Way Baptist Church, Asaba as part of activities to mark the 2019 Armed Forces remembrance day celebration.

According to Governor Okowa, “a lot of soldiers have given their lives for the sake of our country; many are still fighting and, as we remember the fallen heroes, we should talk about them, pray for them, pray for those who are still in service and extend hand of fellowship to their families.”

“Don’t just pray for the fallen heroes, assist the families they left behind,” the governor said, emphasising that “they have families they left behind, we must be compassionate to them and to those around us.”

“Äs government there is still much that can be done through legislation beyond setting a day aside to mark the event, we need to care for the families of the fallen heroes.

“All the persons who lost their lives in the line of duty should be remembered and when you see their families, offer help.”

“If we know that there is death on the road, most of us will not pass through the road, but, that is what the security men do, they will move to make the road safe,” he said.

Rev. Paul Anyasi had in a sermon titled: ‘Let Kindness Speak’, observed that Nigeria will be a better place when the people are committed to doing the right things.

He admonished Nigerians “to care for one another for a sustainable society to be achieved; the nation is suffering because, we support oppression.”

“We tend to keep quiet when we see people engaging in wrong doing,” he said, asserting, “let us do the right thing because, when we do the right thing, we will have good nation; if God gives you an opportunity, it is for you to save life.”

Prayers were offered by an array of clergymen for the nation, the state, government officials, security operatives, members of families deceased soldiers, among others. (NAN)

•Governor Okowa during the thanksgiving Service to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/14/okowa-urges-support-families-fallen-soldiers/

Jimi Agbaje, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, has called on voters to end the reign of impunity and hooliganism in Lagos State with their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) in the coming governorship election.

Agbaje who spoke against the background of recent troubling developments in the camp of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC warned that Lagos State will not witness that great transformation it urgently needs if APC is allowed to remain in office.

“The trouble with Nigeria, according to the famous novelist Chinua Achebe, is leadership and I agree completely with him. So, we must quickly tackle this problem especially in Lagos State where we are in dire need of responsible and responsive leadership.

“This is so because no society develops when it gives power and responsibilities to questionable people. We can no longer afford to allow thugs and undesirable elements in strategic positions. These thugs should also not be allowed to be drivers of our vision during campaigns because they do not know what the issues are. For us as a government, our plan is to engage every idle hand and where necessary, rehabilitate those who need rehabilitation.

“Our government will not engage thugs who unfortunately, are also victims of poor leadership as hooligans at our rallies; this is not in our character. You saw them recently in their true colours when they disrupted the peace of our dear state.

“This is why we remain the only alternative. We are in this election without baggage because our records speak for us. We know Lagosians can vouch for us because they know the company we keep. We can never resort to violence over disagreement because we are responsible politicians who are in this contest to serve the people.

“I therefore urge the good people of Lagos State to be circumspect about the temperament of candidates as individuals and political parties. In this election, a lot is at stake, so we must join hands with peace loving people to rescue our state and bring it to where it rightly belongs.”

https://www.newsexpressngr.com/news/67808-Lagos-2019-Vote-out-thugs-and-undesirable-elements-Agbaje-16

Three persons lost their lives while eleven others sustained various degrees of injury in a road accident when a Mazda bus somersaulted, near Makun city on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway on Friday.

Mr Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun, who confirmed the incident in Abeokuta on Saturday said that the somersault was preceded by excessive speed, tyre burst, and the driver’s subsequent loss of control.

Oladele further explained that the bus, with registration number FST 578 XM, somersaulted many times, leading to the death of three persons, while 11 others sustained various degrees of injury.

“Three male adults, eight female adults were injured, while one male adult and two female adults were killed in the accident,” he said.

The FRSC official said that the injured victims had been taken to Idera Hospital in Sagamu, while the bodies of the three people who lost their lives had been deposited at the morgue in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.

Oladele urged motorists to drive with standard tyres.

He also advised them to use their day time running lights, due to poor visibility, common in the early morning and late evening hours. (NAN)

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/12/3-die-11-injured-lagos-ibadan-expressway-bus-somersault/

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Senate President Bukola Saraki has cried out that his life and that of members of family are in danger.

Saraki, who raised the alarm at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, should be held responsible if anything untoward happens to him or any member of his family.

He said in the run-up to the general elections, the police have continued to show undisguised hostility towards him and his supporters in Kwara State.

According to him, the security agencies in Kwara are allegedly giving cover to some persons, who are unleashing violence on his supporters.

He noted that, “this latest round of violence is part of efforts to jeopardise and undermine my personal security and that of my immediate and larger family.”

Saraki who is also the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign said that this is because those against him are surprised that the people of the state have continued to give massive and overwhelming support to the opposition party across the state.

“Three incidents will illustrate what I am saying to you. Yesterday, after the APC concluded their campaigns in Ilorin, some of their supporters and thugs moved around town and in areas like Adewole/Adeta, Ile Otan and Ubandawaki/Pakata where they saw our people gathered holding their weekly ward meetings, they disrupted the meetings by shouting their party slogan and when our people responded by mentioning our own slogan, they fired gun shots into their midst in Adewole/Adeta.

“They also inflicted machete cuts on some of them. As a result of this attack, two people suffered bullet wounds.

“Also, yesterday, these same APC thugs shielded by policemen went to my family quarters in Agbaji in Ilorin, and vandalised houses, shops and inflicted wounds with machete on three people. All these destructions took place in the presence of policemen who came with them but watched without any care, as the APC thugs and supporters unleashed violence on our people.

“For me, personally, I believe the decision to attack people and properties in my family ancestral compound is a direct affront and attack on my person. And whatever signal these APC elements with support from the police believe they are sending is definitely sinister, uncivilized and unfortunate,” the Senate President explained.

Saraki said although his supporters have filed reports of the incidents at relevant police stations in Ilorin, there are doubts if anything tangible will come out of these reports.

He added that the Kwara State Police Command, under the directive of the IGP commenced the transfer of Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) out of the state.

The senate president stated that while the police is free to take decisions on the deployment of their personnel, the the postings in Kwara State is strange and “more than a mere coincidence.”

Saraki said, “it should also be noted that IGP has posted three different Commissioners of Police to Kwara State in the last six months. In fact, the previous and current commissioner of police in the state got strict instructions from the IGP not to relate or engage with the Senate President.

“The usual practice has been that the commissioner of police personally ensures the security of the senate president whenever he visits his home state. That was the practice during the period of my predecessor and in my first year in office.

“ We need to make it clear to the entire world that now that ward-to-ward campaigns is about to begin in the state and I am set to participate in that grassroots campaign as I have always done, nobody is sure what instructions Mr. Idris has given to the police command in the state. Thus, the entire world should hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to members of my family and myself.”

The senate president recalled that before Idris has tried severally in the past to implicate him in some criminal charges.

“First, he arrested some cultists and was about to compel them to claim they worked for me. We exposed the trick early enough and the media also pointed out holes in his story. He quickly withdrew that. Later, he went on to the Offa robbery case and politicized the investigation in order to rope me in.

“In the process of forcing suspects to implicate me, the principal suspect died in their custody. He has also not succeeded with that plot. Who knows what else he may have planned. Now, that full campaign is on, which requires my going round, I want the world to hold him personally responsible if anything happens to me,” he said.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/12/life-danger-saraki-cries/

The hostility between Ebirra and Bassa-Komu ethnic tribes in Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State came to a head yesterday as 10 people were feared killed in a crisis that erupted between them.

Many people were also injured in the crisis that followed the return of the Ebirra people who were displaced from their various communities earlier due to the quarrel that started last year April.

The police command Public Relations Officer, William Aya, who confirmed the incident yesterday in Lokoja, said there was no cause for alarm as the situation had been brought under control.

He said that two people lost their lives in the renewed crisis between the two ethnic groups who have been at dagger drawn in the eastern part of the state for months.

Aya said the police command had drafted a team of mobile policemen, conventional policemen and other security agents led by the assistant commissioner of police in charge of operations to the affected areas to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.

“Two people were killed. One killed yesterday, and the second one today. Calm has returned to the affected areas.
The CP in charge of operations, mobile police, conventional police, area commanders and soldiers are already there to restore law and order,” he said.

It was gathered that following the intervention of elders from the area, the Ebirra speaking people, who fled their homes in many communities as a result of the crisis, were asked to go back to their villages by the state government in order to pave way for a lasting peace among the two ethnic groups.

In the spirit of reconciliation, the displaced Ebirra, who were accompanied by security operatives and political appointees, including the Bassa Local Government administrator, Sam Alumka, returned to Oguma, the headquarters of the local government on Wednesday, from where they were expected to go to their various villages.

It was alleged that uncomplimentary remarks by the paramount ruler of Bassa-Komu ethnic group, the Aguma of Bassa, William Keke, sparked off the latest crisis. He allegedly said the returning Ebirra people should go back to Lokoja or where they had been staying when they were away.

A source also alleged that the Ohiogba of Mozum, Alhaji Halidu Bukar Ali and other Ebira leaders who were at Aguma of Bassa’s palace to receive their people back home were nearly ambushed by hoodlums, but for the intervention of the security operatives.

The Guardian gathered that the escape of the Ohiogba of Mozum and other Ebira leaders from attack and the alleged unguarded statement of Keke led to the crisis in which more than 10 persons were said to have been killed.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/11/10-feared-killed-kogi-tribal-crisis/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the voting procedures for the general elections.

The electoral made the announcement on Thursday in an article entitled ‘How To Vote’ published on its website.

With 36 days to the polls, INEC highlighted seven procedures the electorate should follow in casting their votes on the day of elections.

Read the procedures below;

Step 1:

Upon arrival at the polling unit, joins the queue and present yourself to the INEC official (APO111) at the polling unit who will determine whether you are at the correct polling unit and check if the photograph on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) matches your face. If satisfied, he/she will direct you to the next INEC official (APO1).

Step 2:

The official (APO1) will request for your PVC to confirm that your card is genuine and your details, using the smart card reader. He/she will ask you to place your finger on the card reader to confirm that the PVC belongs to you by ascertaining, the card reader will contain the name, photograph and fingerprints of all those registered in their polling unit.

Step 3:

You will then meet the next official (APO11) who will request for your PVC to confirm that your name and details are in the voters’ register. Your name will be ticked and your PVC returned to you. He/ she will then apply indelible ink to the cuticle of your appropriate finger for that election to show you have been accredited to vote. (If your name is not found on the register, you will not be allowed to vote).

Step 4:

The presiding officer (PO) stamps, signs and endorses the date at the back of the Ballot Paper. The PO will roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and give to you. He /she will then direct you to the voting cubicle where you vote in secret.

Step 5:

You will stain your appropriate finger for the election with the ink provided then use your stained finger to mark the space or box provided on the ballot paper for your preferred candidate/party. Roll the marked ballot paper (in the manner the PO gave to you).

Step 6:

Then leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of people at the polling unit.

Step 7:

You will then leave the polling unit or wait if you so choose in an orderly and peaceful manner to work the process up to declaration of result.

N.B. The result of each polling unit shall be pasted at the unit and for everyone to see.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/11/inec-announces-voting-procedures-2019-general-elections/

The National Assembly Abuja Office of Senator Oluremi Tinubu representing Lagos Central Senatorial District has been burgled with some critical items carried away.

“The incident was discovered on Wednesday as her staff resumed work. It was discovered that the unknown burglars quietly tampered with the inner office through which they accessed the office,” Nifemi Aje, Legislative Aide to Senator Tinubu, said ina statement issued on Thursday afternoon.

The statement disclosed that “the CCTV was demobilised”, adding:

“Items removed included an HP laptop computer, Smile internet device, machine box attached to CCTV HP screen and some copies of Laws of the federation.

“Traces of footsteps were discovered on the office rug. The wall cabinet was left disorganised.

“A report of the incident has already been lodged at the Police Post at the National Assembly and we are assured that the investigation has commenced into the matter.

“We do not know those who perpetrated the burglary or those who sponsored them.

“We are, however, waiting for the outcome of police investigation into the matter.”

•Senator Remi Tinubu

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/10/burglars-storm-senator-tinubus-national-assembly-office-cat-away-critical-items/

I do not know how to describe President Muhammadu Buhari as a very successful leader of Nigeria. I am short of words to describe him as the most successful president in the history of Nigeria; successful in the full meaning of the word. Some of the past leaders sincerely tried their best. I think success may be a relative abstraction, just like it is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Even in measuring success in personal pursuit, contentment is seen as a natural yardstick.

Many but very similar definitions by different lexicons, including the business one, have been traced. Simply, success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. For instance, “the president had some success in restoring confidence.” Another source defines it as the status of having achieved and accomplished an aim or objective. Being successful in this connection, therefore, means the achievement of desired visions and planned goals. Success can also mean completing an objective or reaching a goal. It can be expanded to encompass an entire project or be restricted to a single component of a project or task. It can be achieved within the workplace or in an individual’s personal life.

But for Buhari, it can be an understatement to declare that he is fulfilling a life dream or accomplishing set goals for Nigeria; because, if not for the “unkind” legislature that was crafted from him, this country would have passed the stage it scrambles for today. Nigeria would have stabilised in the last three and half years. But God knows why some members of the National Assembly are what they are, making all efforts to frustrate Nigeria’s development under Buhari. God’s time is the best for everything that happens.

So for me, Buhari is a lion whose enemies shiver even while he sleeps. Since he took over the leadership of Nigeria on May 29, 2015, Nigeria’s enemies have not been at rest. Some of the enemies have taken Buhari as personal enemy under the guise of fighting for Nigeria. Every animal sees the lion as an enemy. But does the lion care which animal takes him so? He defeats whichever animal confronts him or goes free even when surrounded by his foes. His roar alone is a warning to the very cautious co-inhabitants and a threat to the die-hard unrepentant marauders. And when he steps out to announce his presence or assert his dominance in his territory, who dares stand against him?

A lion-hearted patriot who has studied Nigeria and Nigerians and has utilised his wisdom and Allah’s favour to flounder through the dangerous landscape artistically fashioned for the country by anti-democratic forces masquerading under different guises, Buhari is out to parley with the citizens of Nigeria on what they what him to do for them in the next four years. That is basically his campaign manifesto for 2019. He has made remarkable positive change in governance and development. Every action he takes is a blow to the enemies. His steps are bold, calculated and daring. The lion does not make any step that fails. He targets and succeeds except, peradventure, destiny overpowers him. I think Buhari’s name is called or remembered daily by (suffering) Nigerians more than saints.

A lot of informed and uninformed opinions are trending in the social media on this unruffled, UNCOMMON and unprecedented President of Nigeria: a President who Nigeria had never had. While many are very sincere in their opinions, some are just being the other side of human configuration. Buhari is definitely hated by Nigeria’s enemies, but he has been extremely tolerant amidst the rule of law. The enemies abuse and even curse him, but he prays for them to have a change of mind and join hands in the rebuilding of Nigeria. All Buhari’s enemies know him, but he does not know all of them. Thus, he cannot come low to assume enmity for who is unknown to him. For one who does not assume enmity for people, Allah sees his enemies and protects him from all their evil plans.

A friend forwarded to me a very interesting statement from one Ditan Okukpe, who proclaimed that whether it is Lincoln or Mandela, five traits every great president of the world has had are: no self interest, impeccable character, sincere love to the people, ability to make tough decisions and international appeal. He concluded by asserting that: “The issue isn’t that PMB has all, the real issue is that Atiku has none. Buhari has no other interest in Nigerian politics than to repair it; to repair Nigeria, her politics and politicians.

Buhari’s love for Nigerians (including the 5 per cent voters) can be gauged by his severe opposition to waste and squalor and his defiant doggedness to capital and human resources development. In addition, it can also be gauged by the intoxicating love the masses have for him. In reality, only the masses can justify the success of a leader, not the privileged elite or bourgeois. Buhari’s tough decisions are forcing development down to the masses which is the actual cause of his success. More tough decisions are required to crush Nigeria’s enemies. And at the international level, Buhari is a hero.

Another patriot, one Ayekooto Akindele captivated me with a brief narration of how Buhari has been hunted by Nigeria’s enemies. They removed him from power in 1985 (as he removed Shagari in 1983) without knowing that he will ever come back to power, otherwise they would have killed him like they did to his second-in-command, Tunde Idiagbon. They watched as Buhari entered the Nigerian horrendous politics, evidently predicting woes for him. They are sure of his integrity, honesty and large-heartedness which are lacking in Nigerian politicians. So, they plotted against him as he contested for the president of Nigeria through a decade and two years, a long period that would have frustrated and put him out of politics.

They thought Buhari’s political ambition would remain a lifetime joke until 2014 when they began to feel the reality in his pursuit. They suddenly realised he was unstoppable. They organised assassins to kill him in Kaduna where he based, though he is from Katsina State. He defeated them by destiny. Shortly after taking over Aso Rock Villa as the democratic leader of Nigeria, they poisoned him with full assurance that he will not survive. To them, he was dead with the poison. Buhari defeated them again by destiny. Still more confused than ever about him and his destiny, they resorted to calling him Jibril from Sudan. And more confused they will remain till 2023 when Nigeria would have, under him, built strong institutions that will finally nail the nation’s enemies. God is in control.

All animals of the jungle have different nomenclatures for the lion. In local folklores, they gather and plan, but fail to control or kill the lion. The Igbo say that Ebube agu na edu agu, meaning that the spirit of the lion leads it (actually Agu is tiger, lion is Odum). The spirit of the lion does terrible things to his enemies. The elephant is the biggest, the giraffe is the tallest, the fox is the wisest and the cheetah is the fastest. The lion has none of the above in abundance, yet it is the king of the jungle. Why? He is courageous, bold and moves majestically with confidence. He never entertains fears and he believes in risk-taking, trials and focus.

Therefore, no gathering of little dwellers of the jungle can undo the lion. Even the plans by the gathering of huge animals like the elephants and other cunning ones like the foxes can defeat the lion. If it was possible for man to fight destiny, Buhari’s enemies would not relent. But a life that is in the hands of the incomprehensible being! A lion that is guided by a special spirit! A lion with gentle soul, yet feared by all those who flout the laws of the jungle.

Whether the lion steps out to announce his presence or not, his presence within a territory is enough scarecrows to his co-inhabitants. The careful ones tread with care or cooperate with the authority of his territory. But the foolish, greedy and frustrated ones keep their character until they are consumed. Like the Igbo people say: Onye akpala agu aka n’odu, ma odi ndu ma onwuru anwu, meaning, “no one should ever touch the lion by the tail whether alive or dead”. I have said it to the Nigerian enemies. The lion will defeat them anytime, unless they repent and join hands in the (re)building of a Nigeria for all her citizens.

•Ajah, advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in Abuja, can be reached on: mobahawwah@yahoo.co.uk

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/09/buhari-lion-steps-continuity-muhammad-ajah/

The suspended Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Sen. Babayo Gamawa and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Kaulaha Aliyu, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Two defecting top members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were received at the presidential villa by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defection of the PDP bigwigs from Bauchi State came barely 24 hours after the president received various members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Support Groups from the North East, who defected to the ruling APC.

NAN reports that the defectors who were accompanied by Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi state, met behind closed doors with President Buhari for about 35 minutes.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting with the president, the governor expressed delight over the new political development, saying the defectors were in the presidential villa to pay political homage and pledge their support to the president.

Abubakar, who expressed delight over the decision of Gamawa and Kaulaha Aliyu to decamp to the APC, said: “You can see I’m very delighted because with these gentlemen I can go to sleep with my two eyes closed, so to speak.’’

On his part, Gamawa told the correspondents that his decision to defect to the ruling APC had nothing to do with his suspension from the PDP but his love for the country.

He, however, stated that the PDP would regret its action for suspending him from office.

“As a Nigerian, I want what is good for the country; I want good image for my country and I want to see development and progress of the country.

“And I have been saying it, as a politician, I play my politics not blindly. Whenever thing goes right or wrong I will say it the way it is. As Journalists, you are aware of what PDP did today – just because of an allegation they said they have suspended me.

“I want to call on them to check their secretariat. If they are in politics they should know what is happening on daily basis at the secretariat – what comes in and what goes out. They should check their mails and they will know the position of Sen. Babayo Gamawa before their action of today.

“I have no regret for defecting from the PDP and they (PDP) would regret their action, by God grace,’’ he said

He, therefore, described his suspension from the PDP as undemocratic and unconstitutional.

In his contribution, Kaulaha Aliyu, said he joined the APC to ensure electoral victory for President Buhari in the forthcoming general elections.

He said: “It’s a matter of principles – I believe among all the candidates no body can come near the integrity and honesty of President Buhari and with what he has done to the North East in particular, I feel I should support him and do the best I can for him to emerge victorious come Feb. 16, 2019.”

President Buhari had on Monday received delegation of the North East political stakeholders including the defectors led by Umar Bukar Bolori, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The defectors included the former governor of old Borno state, Alhaji Mohammed Goni and a onetime deputy governor of Adamawa, Alhaji saad Tahir. (NAN)

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/09/suspended-pdp-deputy-national-chairman-bot-member-defect-apc/

Three persons were reportedly shot as the official campaign flag-off of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State was marred by violence on Tuesday, January 8.

At the rally, several gunshots went off as some unscrupulous elements engaged in a bloody duel.

Though authorities are yet to confirm what the casualty figures are at the time, there are fears that that at least two persons might have been killed in the fracas.

Some journalist covering the event were also said to have have sustained various degrees of injuries.

The crisis reported began while Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was addressing party supporters at the Skypower Ground, Ikeja G.R.A.

There are claims that Musiliu Akinsanya, an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), popularly known as MC Oluomo, was stabbed in the neck during the fracas.

It is speculated that a political feud within the ranks of the NURTW in lagos might be responsible for the chaos witnessed at the rally.

More details on the ugly incident are expected later. (Channels TV)

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/09/three-shot-many-injured-fighting-disrupts-apc-rally-lagos/

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Stalwart and Co-Chair of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has assured President Muhammadu Buhari that the campaign council has accepted the assignment given it by the president and will work for the country.

He said the council would not let him down “because doing so would also let down the nation”.

Tinubu has therefore rallied members of the campaign council with Minister of Transport, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, as Director-General, for the task ahead.

In a statement entitled “We Accept President Buhari’s Assignment”, signed by Asiwaju Tinubu and released on Tuesday in Abuja, he said the Peoples Democratic Party should not be allowed to return to power and “return to the days where they rule the nation like overlords.”

The statement reads in full: “The 2019 APC Presidential Campaign Council has been inaugurated by President Buhari. In his speech at the inaugural meeting, he did more than offer us guidance on the campaign. In his straightforward manner, he outlined the achievements of his administration, reminding the nation of the pillars of progressive governance and of our party.

“I think I can speak for all members of the campaign council that we accept the assignments given by the President with devotion and a firm commitment to perform to our utmost the individual and collective tasks given. It is a great honor and responsibility he has given us. We dare not let him down because doing so would also let down the nation.

“This election concerns more than two competing personalities and political parties. It is a contest between two different visions for the country and the futures these visions portend. The APC seeks a better Nigeria by reforming our institutions of governance that these institutions may better implement policies engendering dynamic economy development. We seek not only growth but also a fair and just allocation to all segments of society of the harvest of our national endeavors. Let no Nigerian be forever trapped in poverty and despair. Let all Nigerians be given the genuine opportunity to realize their full potential and contribute to this nation and their own lives as much as their talents and willpower permits of them.

We build a Nigeria where government leads the nation but does not rule over the people.

“On the other hand, the PDP pushes toward a future that takes the nation back to the malpractices of the past. Blind to the possibilities of a better day and afraid of the equality that true reform will bring, the PDP remains vested in the ways of corrupt governance and arrogant disregard for the public. For them, the unjust past is not just the object of their dreams; it is their sole destination.

“Thus, this election is about two different policy visions and two different models of leadership. This election is about substantive issues and about character. The APC will continue to build a political economy that will well serve Nigeria long after oil revenues are no longer sufficient to sustain the nation and its ever-growing population. We are diversifying the economy, giving basic food, health and educational assistance to the most needy among us, improving agricultural productivity so that our farmers grow more to feed for increasing urban populations and also earn more to sustain their families, and about building needed infrastructure, including electricity and water, because we realise a national economy cannot grow beyond the capacity of the infrastructure that serves that economy.

“Meanwhile, the PDP clan wants to return to the days where they rule the nation like overlords. They want to own every industry and control everything that has anything to do with the creation of wealth. They seek to reverse the democratic maxim that government is the servant of the people. The PDP wants a situation where those in government are the masters while the people bow their heads to the interests of the mighty and the rich. We have seen this before.

“Those who really care about Nigeria care not to see such malign governance again.

“The character of the two candidates cannot be more distinct. President Buhari is a straight and honest man. Leave a naira on the table with Buhari in the room. You will find the naira on the table when you return.

“When Buhari says “yes” or “no,” you know where he stands. He means what he says, no more, no less. With Atiku things are more nuanced. When Atiku speaks, he may mean “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” I don’t know,” “come back tomorrow,” “all the above,” or “none of the above.” His compass has four needles pointing in different directions as the same time. He knows of no direction to take. President Buhari’s word is his bond. When Atiku speaks, it is to give you the slip.

“We cannot afford a President whose ways and mind is a maze of contradicting urges and colliding desires. This shows he has no vision for the nation and no guiding principles except the naked pursuit of power for the naked use of that power. Atiku had his chance to shine as VP when he controlled the privatisation programme of the Obasanjo government. He abused this assignment. He helped squander billions of dollars on power generation that did nothing but extend our national the darkness.

“That government had so much money at its disposal and that is exactly what it did. It disposed of the money yet failed to treat the poor or build for the future. Atiku laid waste to the national treasury for eight long years. That is enough for one lifetime. We should not reward him by giving him another eight years because the more he feeds, the stronger his hunger grows.

“His is a thirst that can’t be quenched and a hand that cannot be restrained from taking whatever is on the table. As the PDP candidate, he is now the leader of a avaricious horde that seeks to reattach its mandible once again to the public wealth and forever lay siege to our nation’s future. Nigerians would do well not to pay them any attention.

“Consequently, the members of the APC presidential campaign council accept our respective assignments as both high honor and heavy responsibility. We will work diligently to reelect President Buhari. We do this not for personal accolades. We do this not merely to reelect a party member. We do this because it is the best thing for Nigeria.

“The campaign has begun!”

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/08/2019-battle-ready-says-tinubu-%e2%80%a2rallies-apc-presidential-council-members-task-ahead/

Residents of Pakudi village near Obada-Oko in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have fled their homes over fear of reprisal attack by Fulani herdsmen following the killing of a Fulani man allegedly by a villager.

When journalists visited the village on Monday, it was observed that the village had been deserted by most of the villagers except few people who were seen in their houses.

Pakudi village, located beside the ongoing rail construction by the Federal Government at Obada Oko, is a 10-minute drive from Abeokuta, the state capital.

It was gathered that a Benue-born farmer reportedly killed a Fulani herdsman, last Wednesday, for allegedly destroying his farm. He has since fled the village.

Further findings by INDEPENDENT showed that the Police had stormed the affected village few hours after the incident to whisked away some villagers who were later released after completion of interrogation.

It was further learned that, the wife of the alleged killer has been arrested by the operatives of SARs in the state.

The suspected killer was reported to have killed the Fulani herdsman on his farm and took away his belongings including his stick.

A source, who spoke with INDEPENDENT on condition of anonymity, said the suspected killer came from Benue state, but settled down in the village as a farmer.

He said “This is first time I heard of this. The community had been peaceful before this ugly incident.

“As at now (Monday) most residents of this village have run away to save their lives, because they heard that the Fulani herdsmen have been ganging up somewhere to attack the village. The village is deserted now.”

Another villager, who identified himself simply as Zacchaeus who was seen in the village explained that he was risking his life by staying in the village.

He said, “Many people are in the bush to avoid being attacked by Fulani herdsmen over the death of one of them.”

When asked why he chose to stay when others have fled, he said, “I have no place to take my family to. I must stay with my family. Whatever is going to happen, let me see it; I must protect my family.”

When asked if the leaders of the village had taken any step to protect the people in the village who had run away, he said few of them who stayed behind had gone to the nearby police station to report the alleged planned attack.

He said “We went to the Police station and when we got there we saw that the man (suspected killer) and two more people have been arrested by Operatives of Special Anti-Robbery squad.

“They said we are save, but we are not sure of their statement of assurance.”

When contacted on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the incident.

Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the suspect had been arrested by Police, adding that the arrest was enough evidence that Police are on top of the situation.

He also allayed the fear of the residents over the alleged planned attack saying the arrest has solved the problem.

He said, “There is no cause for alarm, no planned attack by anybody. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with all the leaders of ethnic groups in the state especially farmers and herdsmen.

“I urge the people to go back to their homes and continue doing their legitimate businesses. There is no planned attack by Fulani herdsmen on them.”

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/08/villagers-flee-farmer-kills-fulani-herdsman-ogun/

Nice one

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday raised alarm over new a new method of vote-buying being devised to undermine the voting process.

INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this in Abuja at the presentation of the Voter Register for the 2019 general election to political parties.

Yakubu said that the commission had received credible information that some partisan actors were going around buying up Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from voters or financially inducing them to collect the Voter Identification Numbers (VIN) on their PVCs.

“In some instances, telephone numbers and details of bank accounts of voters have been collected. By collecting the PVCs, their intention may be to deprive the voters of voting since no one can vote without the PVC.

“By collecting their phone numbers and bank details, the intention is to induce voters by electronic transfer of funds to their accounts since it will be difficult to buy votes at polling units.

“By collecting the VINs, they may be acting on the mistaken notion that our system can be hacked into and the Card Readers somehow preloaded ahead of the election and compromised.

“We want to reassure Nigerians that we are aware of the new tricks. It is a futile effort.

“We will work with the security agencies to deal with the violators of our electoral laws, including those who may be trying to compromise our staff responsible for making the PVCs available for collection by legitimate voters.’’

Yakubu said that the commission had responded to the vote-buying menace in three ways, including the alteration of the configuration of polling units by moving the ballot boxes closer to the voting cubicles, making it difficult for voters to expose their marked ballot papers.

“Secondly, we have introduced a partial ban on the use of mobile phone and other photographic devices by voters while in the voting cubicles.

“Thirdly, we are introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers by voters before casting them into the ballot boxes.’’

Yakubu disclosed that after the mandatory display of the register in all polling units nationwide for claims and objections from November 6 to November 12, 2018, the final register for the 2019 general elections stood at 84,004,084 voters.

“This is the register that will be presented to each political party at today’s meeting. It is also the same register that will be available at each polling unit nationwide on election day.’’

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/08/inec-raises-alarm-new-vote-buying-method/

Very nice post. God bless Nairaland

WOLVERHAMPTON (AFP) - Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Monday (Jan 7) as Jurgen Klopp paid for naming a second-string side that included three teenagers at Molineux.

Goals from Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves either side of half-time sent the hosts into round four despite Divock Origi's fine strike briefly bringing Liverpool level after the break.

Fresh from a first Premier League defeat of the season to Manchester City in a thrilling top-of the-table Premier League clash on Thursday, Klopp made nine changes to his starting line-up.

Only James Milner and Dejan Lovren retained their places, but Lovren limped off after just six minutes and was replaced by 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever.

Rafael Camacho and Curtis Jones were also handed debuts, however it was Liverpool's most experienced player, Milner, who was at fault for the opening goal.

Diogo Jota caught the former England international in possession in midfield and put Jimenez clean through before Fabinho could intercept.

The Mexican steadied himself before firing low past Simon Mignolet for his seventh goal of the season with the only notable chance of the first-half.

Without Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Liverpool were struggling to get any momentum going forward.

But the visitors were level out of nothing when Origi collected a loose ball on the edge of the area six minutes into the second period and smashed the ball high past John Ruddy.

Wolves, though, have made a habit of upsetting the Premier League's established top six in their first season back in the top flight.

After beating Chelsea and Tottenham and holding City, Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League, Liverpool can now be added to the list of scalps for Nuno Espirito Santo's side thanks to a wonder strike from Neves.

The Portuguese international took aim from 30 yards out but had too much power and accuracy for Mignolet to find the bottom corner.

Only a wonder save from Ruddy denied Xherdan Shaqiri a stunning equaliser and Liverpool a replay as the Swiss's free-kick was touched onto the inside of the post by the Wolves goalkeeper.

Klopp had a final roll of the dice by throwing on Salah and Firmino for the final 20 minutes.

But even their firepower failed to spark a fightback and Klopp's team selection will now be seriously questioned.

With Liverpool already out of the League Cup, the German coach will need to deliver a first top-flight title in 29 years or the Champions League to avoid ending a fourth season in charge without winning a trophy.


http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/08/football-much-changed-liverpool-dumped-fa-cup-wolves/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will train over one million electoral staff and ad-hoc personnel for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

Mr Solomon Soyebi, Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), made the disclosure on Monday in Calabar.

He stated this during a training workshop for State Training Officers and Assistant State Training Officers on Cascade Training Implementation for 2019 elections.

The workshop was organised by INEC in collaboration with the International Foundation of Electoral System (IFES).

Soyebi explained that 850,000 electoral personnel would be trained as polling unit officials, while 150,000 would consist of Civil Society Organisations and officials of security agencies officials.

‘‘With just about 39 days to the first election and about 53 days to the second one, it is very important that we train our people adequately.

“For the poll officials, we are going to train over 850,000 personnel.

“When you aggregate the Civil Society Organisations and security officials, we will be talking of over one million personnel and each of them has to be trained.

“Today’s training is for the poll officials, who will go back to their states to transmit the training to the ad-hoc staff ahead of the election,’’ he said.

He added that for the first time, the institute was organising a training which would involve the inclusiveness of special groups like the people with disabilities.

“The commission is very friendly with People Living with Disabilities, not just that alone; we are gender sensitive.

‘‘We have special groups and the people with disability are part of them,’’ he added.

Speaking, Dr Frankland Briyai, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Cross River, said the training was designed by the commission to ensure that personnel for the elections were thoroughly trained.

Briyai charged the participants to take the training seriously, to efficiently and effectively implement the cascade training for the 2019 elections in their respective states.

He gave assurance that INEC and security agencies would ensure crisis-free polls in the Feb. 16 and March 2 general elections in the state.

Dr Umar Idris, Acting Director-General of Electoral Institute, said the training would provide a veritable opportunity for all the loose ends to be tightened.

He implored the participants to brace up for the task ahead by being proactive in every step of the training, to ensure that all states were on the same page.

Mr Jake Epelle, Chief Executive Officer of Albino Foundation, said that no true democracy could be achieved without the inclusion of all critical stakeholders in the society into the electoral process. (NAN)

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/07/breaking-inec-train-1m-personnel-2019-polls/

A new twist has been added to the controversy surrounding the appointment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged niece and INEC National Commissioner, Amina Zakari, as chairman of the National Collation Centre Committee, as a non-governmntal organisation on Sunday disclosed that the husband of the INEC official is the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate in Bauchi South Senatorial election.

In a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the NGO, Accord Women and Youth Initiative, therefore demanded the immediate resignation of Zakari due to what it termed as conflict of interest.

“Mrs Amina Zakari who is not only a blood relative of the incumbent, President Mohammed Buhari but also married to the APC senatorial candidate of Bauchi South. Therefore by consanguinity and affinity her hands are tied,” Esther Opaluwah, Executive Director, Accord Women and Youth Initiative, said.

According to the group, the INEC official has failed the neutrality and impartial test, especially on her antecedents in the immediate past elections in the South West where she was in charge of electoral operations and logistics.

This comes as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted the National Peace Committee, the United Nations and all world leaders to immediately call President Buhari to order and ensure peaceful, free, fair and credible general elections in February.

Addressing journalists on Sunday in Abuja, Kola Ologbondiyan, Director, Media & Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO), accused the Presidency of overheating the polity with manipulations of INEC, muzzling of free speech and escalated clampdown on opposition and Civil Society Organizations.

According to him, there is no way peace can be guaranteed without a free and fair election with Zakari as head of the National Collation Centre Committee.

“President Buhari’s insistence on having his relation in charge of collation of Presidential election results is completely provocative, a direct affront to the sensibilities of Nigerians and express invitation to crisis of epic proportion, which is capable of truncating the entire electoral process and derailing our hard-earned democracy.

“The world is aware that majority of Nigerians have rejected Mrs. Amina Zakari. Over 90 percent of the political parties in the election, as well as major political and socio-cultural groups across the country have also called for her resignation from INEC, yet President Buhari is insisting on her stay in the commission.

“Our party is aware of plots by the Buhari Presidency to use Amina Zakari, who has been mentioned as part of those involved in the rigging of 2018 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, to plunge the 2019 general elections into controversies, truncate the flow of results and even render elections in some critical states inconclusive, to pave way for allocation of fictitious votes to President Buhari and the APC.

“We want the National Peace Committee and the entire world to know that as long as Amina Zakari is in INEC, a peaceful election is not guaranteed because she has the mandate to abuse the process and this will not be accepted by Nigerians.

“The PPCO therefore calls on the National Peace Committee to immediately speak out on the impropriety of having Amina Zakari in INEC as well as insist on her removal so that we can have a credible and peaceful Presidential election,” Ologbondiyan said.

The party also alerted the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen of plot to use the police to clamp down on opposition figures on trumped-up criminal charges.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/07/amina-zakaris-husband-apc-senatorial-candidate-bauchi-south-group/

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that a vote for its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the February 19, 2019 presidential election would mark an end to Fulani supremacist agenda and the killing of innocent Nigerians.



“A vote, therefore, for Atiku Abubakar at the February 2019 Presidential election, is a vote for an end to Fulani supremacist agenda and mindless killing of innocent Nigerians, whereas a vote for Muhammadu Buhari is a vote for continued herdsmen killings of farmers and forceful annexation and occupation of their ancestral lands, as being currently witnessed.”

The Benue State chapter of the party, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary and Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee, Benue PDP State Campaign Organisation, Bemgba Iortyom, made this assertion on Saturday.

Speaking against the backdrop of the recent endorsement of the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore (MAKH), the PDP said it was not surprised that the Fulani socio-cultural groups had found a friend in Muhammadu Buhari and a foe in Atiku Abubakar adding that the groups had only come out to openly align with the one who believes in their ideology of extremism.

“The extremist turf is where Miyetti Allah and Buhari have found each other. Atiku Abubakar on the other hand, though a Fulani by ethnic origin, is not an extremist.

“All through his (Atiku) public life, he had never been found in the extremist religious melee which Buhari and others of his bent muddied themselves in, and in the recent Fulani supremacist upsurge he has maintained a balanced stand, much to the admiration of the watching world, but to the chagrin of his Fulani kinsmen.

“Atiku Abubakar has refused to be sucked into the wave of Fulani supremacist agenda being championed by Miyetti Allah with the support of Buhari and APC, and by so doing, he has incurred their wrath provoking them to come out in open and reckless declaration of war on his candidacy, while at the same time drumming support for their real-time patron, President Buhari.

“Miyetti Allah’s endorsement of Buhari’s candidacy is a clear statement which Nigerians must understand lucidly for what it truly is: that with Buhari as president, the bloodshed and carnage being wrecked on them by Fulani herdsmen are sure to continue.

“Their declaration of war on Atiku’s candidacy on the other hand has only one interpretation: that even though they know that with him as president their nefarious agenda and criminality which have so far gone unchecked under Buhari, will have no place in Nigeria.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/06/2019-vote-atiku-will-end-fulani-supremacy-agenda-mindless-killings-pdp/

Parts of the main market in Minna, Niger State, otherwise known as Abdulkhadir Kure Ultra Modern Market, was yesterday gutted by fire, with wares in no fewer than 70 shops burnt down.

It was gathered that the fire gutted shops where clothing materials, palm and groundnut oil are being sold in the market.

While the real cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the intervention of the men of state fire service helped to curtail the fire from extending to more blocks of shops and about midday, the fire in the market was controlled.

It was observed that security agents were at alert to ensure that hoodlums did not capitalise on the incident to loot shops.

Some of those whose shops were gutted by the fire were seen scampering around to see what they could salvage from the debris of the fire.

The victims told journalists that they had kept cash in their shops with the intention of going to the bank to deposit before the incident occurred.

Chairman of the Kure Market Traders Association, Alhaji Yusuf, who is also one of the victims, disclosed that he lost a completely loaded truck of palm oil, about 400 gallons, worth N10, 000 each making a total of four million naira (N4, 000,000).

According to him, preliminary assessment carried out, estimated the loss to N800 million, saying that it could be more as many people also lost cash.

Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, in a statement issued to the media from his office sympathised with those who lost their wares.

Governor Sani Bello said all temporary shops would be relocated to avoid future occurrences.

“We will work together with the market committee to ensure fire outbreaks are curtailed,” he assured.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/05/fire-razes-70-shops-kure-market/

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced its readiness to participate in the 2019 general election.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and officials of the union in Abuja.

At the end of the meeting, Biodun Ogunyemi. president of ASUU, said: “We had a good meeting with the INEC team. We placed on record that our relationship with INEC dated back to 2010 when the former ASUU president, Attahiru Jega was chairman.

“Even though we are not in the position now to do everything we were doing that time, we have assured them that we will not stand in the way of our members participating in the election as ad-hoc staff.

“The decision of our union as at the last time we met was that our members are free as citizens to participate in the electoral process as ad-hoc staff and we have restated that today that we are not going to stop any of our members who wishes to serve in that capacity.

“On our own part, we will continue to support them with research because our strike as of today is about academic activities, we have not stopped conducting research, we have not stopped conducting community services.

“Participating in election is part of community service, we as patriots we will do everything to support the process that will further institutionalise the democratisation of our entire nation. So we are working at that level.”

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/04/ASUU-makes-announcement-ahead-2019-election/

Manchester United and Spain midfielder, Ander Herrera has attributed Red Devils’ impressive performance since Jose Mourinho’s sack as manager to fellow midfielder, Paul Pogba.

United’s momentum under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued to soar on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

But Herrera believes it is Pogba’s improved defensive diligence as much as his attacking qualities that are benefiting United.

The Frenchman (Pogba) was often accused of indiscipline and showboating under Mourinho but he is among those who have netted four goals in as many games under Solskjaer, who has so far maintained a 100 per cent record in charge of United.

“Pogba is very important for the club on the pitch and out of the pitch as well.

“He’s playing really, really well. Not only with the ball. I think as soon as we lose the ball he is ready to defend, ready to help the team.

“He is playing very simple and effective in our half, and then when he is in the opponent’s half he has that magic to change the game, so we are really happy for him.

“I think Nemanja [Matic] and me, or the other players, we have to help him to make him feel free and that’s what we’re doing,” Herrera told Omnisport.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/04/epl-herrera-reveals-player-behind-manchester-uniteds-success-solskjaer/

Olusola Oke, South-West Director, Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation says the region would support President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in the forthcoming general elections.

He told newsmen in Ibadan on Thursday after a private meeting with Gov. Abiola Ajimobi in his office.

Oke said that the campaign was about power residing in the south west, adding that the region would continue to be critical in the determination of the leadership of Nigeria.

“Let PDP win and power will depart from the South-west, let APC win and power will remain in the South-west”, NAN quoted him as saying.

“Power defines many things, we know many projects ongoing in the South-west and we don’t want them to stop. Yoruba will go for Buhari,” he said.

He also said that the region was very critical and to APC because of its voting strength and role in the emergence of Buhari’s government.

“We have a pride of place and we want to build on that. In this election, the Yorubas will decide who will be the President of this country.

“We understand Nigeria and the dynamics more than any other region, it is clear that there are two options.

“One option is to go back to Egypt and other option is to go ahead to Canaan land.”

He said that the problem of the country was lack of proper foundation for transformation, saying the Buhari administration had in the past three years devoted its time in laying a solid foundation.

“Why many Nigerians cannot see it is because we are laying the foundation.

“It is like when you want to build a house, people who are walking past may not see the foundation until you put a super structure there.

“It is now the time to put that structure and only those who are involved in the foundation will understand it.

“If you allow a new person, what that person will put on it will be different from the design.”

Oke said that it was the reason why Buhari must remain the president to take the nation to the next level, adding the role of Yorubas was very important.

He stressed that the Yorubas knew what they were doing and well informed to be distracted from the path of honour they had undertaken.

“You can be assured that the votes for Buhari will increase. When we didn’t have APC governors all through, he emerged victorious.

“Now that we have APC governors everywhere in Yoruba land, I assure you that the votes can only increase, this time around, and we will sustain it.”

Oke said that divisions among Yorùbá leaders were not about Buhari, but individual interests.

“If what is good is not available in quantum, there is bound to be conflicts

According to him, the tune of the dissent voices is that, they will vote for Buhari.

“So we are unanimous on the direction we are going. That is, the direction of sustaining the present system which we know is good for us.

He expressed the belief that irrespective of the apparent divisions, the foundation laid by present administration in the coint would be sustained.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/03/yoruba-will-vote-buhari-apc-campaign-director-oke/

The Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, on Thursday stated that if there is any doctored version of the Christmas Day radio interview by his boss, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who presented it should be asked where he got it from.

Accusing Mohammed as being the author of such a doctored recording, Olaniyonu in a statement in Abuja, stated that the radio stations were simply instructed to do a repeat broadcast of the interview following the requests by stakeholders at various meetings held by the Senate President around the state.

“Nobody produced another tape or instructed anybody to edit any part of the tape and nothing like that was done. That is why the same instruction was passed to all the stations, including Harmony FM, which is under the supervision of Mr. Lai Mohammed and the Sobi FM owned by an APC gubernatorial aspirant. The Sobi FM did not air the repeat broadcast because they said they had another Programme scheduled for that Sunday morning.

“On my way to Pategi town in Kwara North Senatorial District that Sunday morning, I listened to the repeat broadcast on the car stereo and the area concerning the Offa case was clearly there. If there was any plan to doctor or edit the tape, would we do such a thing with Mr. Mohammed’s Harmony FM or propose that to Sobi FM whose position is well known to us? So, if Mohammed suddenly created and produced a recording of the interview different from what was repeated by the four radio stations on December 30, 2018, then he should be asked how and where he got it”, Olaniyonu stated.

He added that it was good that Mohammed at least admitted that Dr. Saraki donated N10 million to people in Offa but that the money was meant for the traders that lost goods in the inferno that razed the market in the town and not for the victims of the robbery incident.

“I remember as a member of the Senate President’s Delegation to the Olofa of Offa’s palace to commiserate with the people on the sad incident of the robbery that it was during that visit that Mrs. McCarthy, the secretary of the Offa Development Union (ODU) raised the issue of the earlier incident on the market fire incident and Dr. Saraki promised that N10m would be made available the following day.

“The question people should ask the Minister is: How much has he ever donated to provide succour for the people of Offa for whatever purpose? He is only trying to draw political capital from the sad occurrences that happened to his own people. We are not unmindful of the fact that he continued to talk about the Offa incident as a way of playing cheap politics on the misfortune that befell some people. We urge him to move on to talking about what development projects he has brought to Offa as a member of the Federal Executive Council representing Kwara State”, he added.

The aide to the Senate President noted that while the information Minister continues to grand-stand over a dubious and Pyrrhic victory recorded by his party in a bye- election in which he led security agencies to inflict violence on his people, the results had only produced an illegitimate legislator who is largely shunned and viewed with scorn by members of his community.

“We are not surprised that a ‘visiting’ politician like Mr. Mohammed found it strange that Dr. Saraki held meetings with canvassers and stakeholders across the local government areas during the Christmas holiday. As a grassroots mobilizer, this is what he has always done since he first contested in an election in 2003. Well, a Lagos based, ‘seasonal’ politician like the minister would not know. Now, he should know that the electioneering campaign in Kwara State is always done on ward to ward basis and not by staying in Abuja or the state capital. As a matter of fact, the campaign is yet to begin.

“At this point, Mr. Mohammed should tell the public which faction of APC he belongs to in Kwara State because the last time we checked, he is a member of the Bolarinwa faction which has been declared illegal and all its activities and candidates nullified by the Court. He should let us know if he has now joined the Balogun-Fulani faction or as he is fond of doing, he will simply stay in Lagos and be a poll observer in the coming elections. As he struggles to answer the above questions, let it be known that this will be my last word on this issue”, Olaniyonu stated.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/03/offa-robbery-saraki-reacts-lai-mohammeds-release-evidence/

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has said the forthcoming presidential election in Nigeria will bring shame and humiliation to the country.

He said this in a New Year Message broadcast from Israel, yesterday

He chided Nigerians for planning to vote in a presidential election where a purported ‘dead’ man is listed on the ballot paper.

The IPOB leader vowed his group will continue unabated to expose the true identity of an alleged body-double, Jubril Aminu Al Sudani, who he claims, was brought into Aso Rock to impersonate a ‘dead’ President Muhammadu Buhari even in the 2019 polls.

He said: “The unmasking of Jubril Aminu Al Sudani the fake Nigerian President will continue unabated. By the time we are done with him and his handlers, (Lord Frederick) Lugard will become truly ashamed of what he created (Nigeria).

“I would like to see Nigerians participate in elections where one of the names on the ballot paper is a dead man. This shame and humiliation is one that will never leave Nigeria as it heads ingloriously towards self destruction.”

He further took a swipe at the Federal Government for announcing a nationwide military exercise code-named: ‘Operation Python Dance’.

He said the military operation was part of a grand sinister plot to rig the purported Jubril Al-Sudani and the cronies of the cabal alleged to be controlling the Nigerian government.

Kanu warned that the military would face the wrath of the group if they kill any innocent pro-Biafran agitator in the course of the Operation Python Dance.

His words: “We understand the enemy (Federal Government) has announced yet another round of Fulani military invasion of our land in the name of Operation Python Dance, no doubt to help facilitate the rigging of elections for Jubril Al Sudani and the cronies of Fulani Cabal across Nigeria.

“What I said previously still stand and there is no going back. Chukwu Okike Abiama is my witness that any reported shooting or killing of any Biafran by this Fulani supporter of APC Army of Nigeria will be avenged. Those who previously doubted our resolve should ask Okezie Ikpeazu what he’s experiencing in Abia State.

“I am placing the colonial master Britain on notice that should the government of Theresa May give the go ahead for any innocent Biafran to be killed again on Biafran soil, Nigerian soldiers will face our wrath.

“Enough of this Fulani intimidation through the Nigerian Army. This is an army that has refused to engage ISIS in the major theaters of northern Nigeria and the wider Sahel region. They (Nigerian Army) refused to counter the killing spree of Fulani herdsmen across the Middle Belt but the same army that refused to fight Boko Haram can now easily be mobilized in the South to kill non Muslim populations with impunity.

“Police men are being deployed to face Boko Haram terrorists whereas the army that pride itself as the defender of Nigeria is running from the battle field and instead are deployed to kill civilians in order to sustain Fulani hegemonic control of Nigeria.

“Everything in Nigeria is upside down that is why I struggle to understand why there are universities in Nigeria in the first place because people go to school but end up not learning anything. Is it the job of the police to fight insurgency?

“The most astonishing thing is that people are going about their normal business pretending all is well in Nigeria when logic is being turned on its head. Can anybody identify any country in the world where the police is sent to the war front and army deployed to do police duties?

“Only in Nigeria, with her ignorant professors and pseudo intellectuals, all busy scavenging for campaign funds from politicians as impunity reigns supreme and has become the order of the day.

“None of this is surprising to us, after all Nigerians cannot differentiate between a dead Buhari and an impostor from Sudan. How can you expect them to interpret or distinguish the constitutional roles of the police and that of the army? What this APC government have succeeded in doing is to democratize ignorance, impunity and cowardice.”

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/02/new-year-nnamdi-kanu-speaks-2019-presidential-election-jubril-sudan-operation-python-dance-iii/

The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s New Year’s message had shown that he had conceded defeat ahead of next month’s presidential election.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement also said Buhari could not articulate any concrete commitment to any sector of national life.

According to him, the President has lost projections, having realised that Nigerians are not ready to give him a second term in office.

He said, “Even when he admitted that the new year is time for stocktaking and the unfolding of new prospects, Nigerians are invited to note that Mr President, in his entire message, could not point to any single achievement he made last year, neither could he unfold any developmental prospect for the new year.

“Indeed, any discerning mind could see that President Buhari has finally switched into a valedictory mode, having realised that Nigerians have seen through the falsehood and deception that have characterised his incompetent and corrupt presidency for almost four years.

“Buhari has no prospects for security despite the daily killings in the land. Even as the commander in chief, he has no words for our gallant troops daily laying down their lives, fighting insurgents in the North-East. He had no soothing word for the victims of bloodletting in various parts of the country.”

Ologbondiyan, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, added that the President had no plans for the power sector, health, education, agriculture, transport, commerce and industry.

According to him, the President also overlooked the ASUU strike that has crippled some tertiary institutions in the country.

Ologbondiyan said,”Instead, President Buhari dwelt on unnecessary diatribes, finger-pointing, hate speech and fixation on the 2019 general elections in which an imminent defeat awaits him and his party, the All Progressives Congress.

“The PPCO, therefore, calls on Nigerians to rescue our nation from President Buhari and his cabal by working harder in rallying behind our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has already articulated practical templates to reposition our nation and return her to the path of good governance, political stability and economic prosperity.”

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/02/new-years-message-shows-buhari-conceded-defeat-pdp/

The Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday swore in Hakeem Muri-Okunola as the 21st Head of Service (HoS) in the state.

Ambode, in his remarks at the ceremony held at the Lagos House, Alausa, described the appointment as a new chapter with a high expectation to inject youthful vibrancy in the state’s civil service.

He tasked the new HoS, who is 46 years old and the youngest ever to assume that office in Lagos, to adopt creative-thinking and growth mindset in the discharge of his new role.

Ambode expressed strong optimism in the ability of Muri-Okunola to effectively take charge on account of his capacity, knowledge, exposure, experience and youthful energy.

Ambode, however, urged him to lead by example and encourage accountability and professionalism in the service.

“Following the swearing in of the new Head of Service, a new chapter has just been opened in the history of the Lagos State Public Service.

“It is a new chapter with high expectations for the injection of new energy and vibrancy that will move our public service to new heights.

“As the number-one civil servant in Lagos State, you must demonstrate leadership and lead by example for others, including the Body of Permanent Secretaries, to follow.

“You have a responsibility to provide direction and encourage accountability, transparency, professionalism and high sense of discipline.

“Your actions must be based on sound and objective judgment with consideration for merit and proven record of competence and loyalty,” Ambode said.

The governor, who underscored the strategic role of the Civil Service, said the success of government policies and programmes largely depended on the quality and orientation of the Civil Service.

“Hence, the need for the new leadership to implement necessary measures and initiatives to foster growth and development,” he said.

Responding, Muri-Okunola thanked Governor Ambode for the confidence and trust reposed on him.

He assured that the public service would improve on all well-known traditions for speedy, efficient and effective implementation of government policies and initiatives.

Muri-Okunola was appointed as the Executive Secretary, Land Use and Allocation Committee, a position he held between 2005 and 2011.

Until his appointment, he was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

Meanwhile, Ambode also swore in six new permanent secretaries into the Lagos Body of Permanent Secretaries.

http://mcebiscoo.com/2019/01/01/ambode-swears-youngest-ever-hos-lagos/