₦airaland Forum

N’Golo Kante



World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe has urged PSG chiefs to thrash out a deal with Chelsea for his compatriot N'Golo Kante.

The duo blossomed together as France rocked the likes of Croatia, Belgium and Uruguay to win the World Cup in Russia.

And Mbappe, L'Equipe claim, has told PSG to get Kante in.

The player has been a huge Chelsea hit ever since signing from Leicester in 2016.

But the Blues may now struggle to keep him with PSG and Mbappe keen for him to move to Ligue 1.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/kylian-mbappe-wants-chelsea-deal.html

Mynd44 lalasticlala

Clerics have called on the independent National Electoral Commission to boost effort in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards and look for measures to curb vote-buying.

The clerics, who made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Monday, also urged the commission to ensure that results of elections released on time.

Rev.Fr. Innocent Ebuka, a Catholic priest of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, Lagos, said INEC needed to ensure all that registered voters get their PVCs ahead of the general elections in 2019.

“The objective of the PVC is that every registered voter gets his or her card, on time, so as to allow him or her exercise his or her franchise during elections.

“Already, there are complaints over the collection of the cards, as many of the registered voters are unable to get their PVCs.

“Nigerians who registered to vote but can not get their PVCs will not lend credibility to the elections,’’ Ebuka said.

He said that incident where voters could not locate their particulars on the Voters’ Register on election days might cast doubt about the legitimacy of the elections in the minds of such voters.

On his part, Pastor John Adebayo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Harmony Parish, Itaoluwo, Lagos also urged INEC to review its result collation and the system of announcing election results.

“By now, I expect INEC to be upgrading its ICT usage to improve on transmission of votes cast from distance voting stations to the main collation centre.”

“Processes that will make votes cast to be effectively collated and the results speedily announced should be on the front burner of INEC reform agenda

A situation whereby announced results will not tally with number of registered voters or number of voided votes and other criteria before announcing final results may mar the legitimacy of the polls.

“INEC needs to see that mistakes of the past in the area of announcing results don’t reoccur during the 2019 general elections,’’ he said.

Contributing, Sheik Sulaimon Habila, the Chief Imam, Jamahliy Muslim Society, Ikorodu Branch, called for more voter education that would discourage electorate from accepting any form of inducement before they elect their leaders.

He also advised INEC to let party agents know the implication of inducing voters during voting to avert annulment of results according to the electoral law.

“Campaign of any sort should not be allowed on voting day because it is against the law.

“Any party that indulges in such should have its results at such polling station voided,’’ he said.

(NAN)
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ahead-of-2019-election-clerics-urge.html

A fake medical practitioner, Salisu Usman, on Wednesday confessed at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos that he had been treating patients, posing as a qualified medical doctor.

“I am as guilty as charged,” Usman, 28, told the court.

Consequently, Magistrate Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi ordered his remand at the Kirikiri Prisons until July 20 for a review of facts and sentencing.

The defendant, who pleaded for mercy, was found to be a security guard. He resides at Oluwalogbo, Isefun community in Ayobo, near Lagos.

According to the Prosecutor, ASP. Ezekiel Ayorinde, Usman committed the offence on July 6 at Baden Junction in Ayobo.

He said that Usman was found with a bag containing medical and surgical facilities without being a qualified medical practitioner.

“The defendant, who parades himself as a medical doctor treats, dispenses, supplies, administers and sells poisonous and dangerous drugs to patients

“He was found with different types of tablets, syringes, needles, injections and other medical items.

“But when he was asked to present his certificate or identity card, he could not.

“He confessed that he was not a genuine doctor and he was, therefore, taken to the police station, “the prosecutor said.

Ayorinde said the offence contravened Section 251(e) (f) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section prescribes two years imprisonment for offenders.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/i-am-as-guilty-as-charged-fake-medical.html

Former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, in this interview by AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, speaks on the governorship election held in the state last Saturday, his relationships with the governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, among other issues.



What is your assessment of the last Saturday governorship election in Ekiti State?

The election was very successful, free, fair and transparent and there were not many cases of trading violence. It went very well.



But the election was dogged with criticisms with observers and some parties that participated in the exercise, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), questioning its credibility and they also cited vote buying, among others.

If people complained about vote buying, let›s just look at the issue from the perspective of what would people say when they lose. I am yet to see an election where the loser will adjudge the whole process as free, fair and credible.

When you talk of vote buying, it has to be defined. The party that sent money to people›s accounts before election and also went round giving money to people the last two nights before election, what were they trying to do? They were arguing that it was goodwill buying. How do you differentiate between goodwill buying and vote buying? If such a party, after losing, is now accusing other parties of vote buying and attempt to discredit the election, I think it is ridiculous. That allegation is ridiculous. Ask them what were they doing with N4000 that they were giving to people in their houses the last two nights? What was it that they were doing with the alert by crediting people›s accounts? I think you should ask them to find other excuses.



Some are of the opinion that, after victory, there should be celebration but the case is different after this election. Does this not suggest that the people are not happy with the result?

Celebration can be in any form. It may not be very wild; it may be in the way of merry making, dancing and so on. I don’t think they could say that there has not been celebration. We were here yesterday (Monday) celebrating and the same thing happened in the houses of many leaders. So, to say there is no celebration is not right.



But PDP said the reaction of the people of Ekiti to the result suggests foul play?

Let me tell you, between Fayose [Governor Ayodele] and Fayemi [Dr Kayode], majority of the Ekiti people would prefer a Fayemi simply because of the personal style of Governor Fayose. A lot of people will say ‘we are now breathing an air of relief’. So, if anybody is pretending that that is not the situation, the claim is also not correct. A lot of Ekiti people don’t want to be associated with the kind of theatrics that they were subjected to in the entire period of the Fayose administration. The fact that it is not Fayose, but that his personality far over-shadowed that of the PDP contestant points to the fact that the theatrics would still continue if Kolapo Olusola was elected.



You have not been seen with the governor-elect since he was declared the winner, is there any problem?

How? We have been talking. Election happened on Saturday and today is Tuesday, here I am talking to you about the election. Yesterday (Monday), I was here celebrating the victory with my people. I talked on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe the only day I probably did not talk to the press was yesterday (Monday).



Attention is on you because at a point you went to court to challenge the emergence of Kayode Fayemi as the APC standard-bearer?

You saw that we came together to fight the election. That should indicate that we have come together. Everything is alright as far as now. Between two people you can define how it is and I believe that everybody is okay right now and I hope that everybody will continue to be okay. That is the best I can hope. We have smoothened all the edges.



At some point during the campaign, your people were agitating against the Fayemi candidature. What was the secret behind the support he had at the poll?

We talked to our people and it was our collective decision that we were not going to leave the party but we would work for it. It was not difficult for us to remind ourselves of what we would do. We had all agreed that this is our party and that we were going to work for it. Otherwise, how many houses can I visit in talking to our people?



PDP is crying foul and vows to challenge the result at the tribunal while some independent observers also scored the election low. Are you comfortable with the situation?

Election is not new to any party. So, if they have any fact, let them take it to the tribunal and we would go there. The much that we all saw was transparent enough to discourage anybody from going to tribunal but it is their fundamental right. So they are free to go. We shall meet them there. The foreign observers that spoke with me said that the election was very well conducted, free, fair and transparent.



It was said that Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and Senator Bola Tinubu supported your ambition to fly the flag of the party at the poll. What went wrong?

I must tell you and you can find out what support we were given, other than the normal goodwill of greeting when we saw. If anybody supported anybody during the primary, one of the critical ingredients would be money. Find out if one naira of Osun State came to me or in the direction of any of us that contested the APC primary. Rumours are very unfair.



How is your relationship with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the moment?

I have always said it and I have never denied that I am one of Obasanjo’s children and it would always be. Do you have any other rumour on that too?



It was believed that your closeness with Chief Obasanjo affected your prospect as the APC flag-bearer?

I don’t care about what may affect me or not. What I believe is what I believe and I profess it at all times. I have the attribute of doing what agrees with my conscience and refusing what does not agree with my conscience always.



What should we expect from you hereafter?

You should expect me to continue to give my loyalty to the party as well as my service to the country and that is it.



What should the people of Ekiti be expecting from the new government that is coming on board?

They should expect self-esteem. I can guarantee that they will begin to walk on the streets without fear of an assault to their psyche. You won’t see funny theatrics or hear of stomach infrastructure. It is going to be serious and purposeful business. APC and John Kayode Fayemi will show class.



We see very old people coming out to vote despite the odds. Was it the incentive that spurred them to come out?

You should not be surprised because the highest average life expectancy in Nigeria is in Ekiti and so you have more old people in Ekiti than in any other parts of the country. The old people are parts of the society and many of them still have their faculty and energy in quantum. Many of them are still able to exercise their voting rights without a problem. There are cases where some of them require assistance, but it is very unfortunate that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not provide the assistance that they needed and their votes were voided because they could not put the ink correctly for lack of assistance. But, at least, they came and voted. It was joy and satisfaction to them. In future, INEC should categorise those who need assistance, maybe, on account of sight or age, etc.



What do you think should be given priority attention in Ekiti as the new administration takes over?

One of the most important ones has been mentioned by the governor-elect and that is clearing of salary backlog. That inflates the economy. Once the new government clears the backlog of salary as promised within six months, money in circulation will encourage commercial activities and that, I believe, is a very good step.



Some people are worried that the coming administration would introduce cattle ranching but the people are obviously kicking against the idea.

I believe people are not getting all the information that they need on this. Where do you see cattle rearers in the United Kingdom? Think of it; don›t they consume beef and other protein? What is wrong if we are saying let us follow the way other people do it? The future of livestock farming is in ranching. Maybe there are still misunderstanding on who owns the ranches and how would they be operated, etc. Maybe people are afraid that once you designate somewhere for the ranch, what would be the right of the original owners of the land and the compensation that they would get. We still need to fine-tune the details. But let›s face it; there is no alternative to ranching.



Are you in support of state police?

I am not yet in support of state police because, like the issue of ranching, we have to make it very clear. For instance, what would state police do and what would they not do? What would be the limit to guide against conflict? When I was growing up, there were native authority police being maintained by the regions. So, it is not as if state police was completely new to us. But when you want to bring up an idea, you have to specify so that when people know how it would operate, they can ask the right questions or raise the right points.

So I am not saying yes to state police until I know precisely how it would operate.



What is your view on restructuring?

Our party has already indicated interest in restructuring, but in key areas. There was a committee that did a nice job but we are yet to look at their work. I am sure that our party would move further on it.



Are you comfortable with the situation in APC at the national level now as the home is divided?

The only advice I will give is to the Reformed APC (R-APC). They should sit down and talk with the leadership of the party to see what can be done to allay some of the fears because they can’t get it all. It is better they stay because where they are going, I am a politician and I know, it may not be profitable for them in the long run.



What is your message to the people of Ekiti?

I congratulate the people of Ekiti. When we were campaiging there were agitations and we were afraid that it can turn into violence. Our people don’t like to see violence at all. We have had the election and there was no violence; houses were not burnt and there was no single casualty. I assure them that better days are coming so they should cooperate with the governor-elect. As the economy is reflated with payment of backlog of salary arrears by the incoming government, as promised, our people should think of the best way to invest it. They can engage in poultry at the back of their houses or invest in other little ventures. This would help them a lot.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/i-didnt-get-kobo-from-tibunu-aregbesola.html

President Donald Trump and adult film star Stormy Daniels.

US President Donald Trump was secretly taped two months before the 2016 election discussing payments to a former Playboy model, with whom he allegedly had an affair, and the recording is in FBI hands, a bombshell report claimed Friday.

The tape was made by his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen, who no longer represents Trump but is under federal investigation in New York for his business dealings and reportedly whether hush payments violated campaign finance laws.

The FBI seized the recording earlier this year during a raid on Cohen’s office, The New York Times said in an explosive revelation, quoting lawyers and others familiar with the recording. Cohen has not yet been arrested or charged.

The report will fuel speculation about how much damage Cohen can inflict on Trump. In one recent interview, he apparently signalled a potential willingness to cooperate with prosecutors against the Republican president.

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal says she had a months-long affair with Trump after they met in 2006, shortly after Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. She told CNN previously that he tried to pay her for sex.

Trump’s current personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, confirmed the veracity of the recording to the Times, but said that the payment to McDougal was never made, and that the US president had not been party to any wrongdoing.

The recording was less than two minutes, Giuliani told the newspaper.

“Nothing in that conversation suggests that he had any knowledge of it in advance,” Giuliani was quoted as saying. “In the big scheme of things, it’s powerful exculpatory evidence,” he added.

Cohen’s lawyers discovered the recording as part of a review of the materials seized in the raid and shared it with Trump’s attorneys, the Times reported.

Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, declined to comment when contacted by AFP. “We have nothing to say on this matter,” he told the Times.

The FBI raided Cohen’s home and office in April on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.

The Justice Department says Cohen has been under investigation for months for criminal conduct largely centered on his personal business dealings.

Cohen raised speculation this month that he might be willing to cooperate with prosecutors.

“To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son, and this country have my first loyalty,” Cohen told ABC News in an interview released on July 2.

Prosecutors are apparently interested in payments he made on Trump’s behalf to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, and other business dealings related to Trump.

Both Daniels and McDougal allege they had affairs with Trump around the same time, in 2006.

In 2016, McDougal sold her story to The National Enquirer for $150,000, but the tabloid sat on it, preventing it from becoming public. In April, American Media agreed to release her from the deal after she filed a lawsuit.

McDougal accused the group, whose chairman is a Trump friend, of misleading her into signing the contract and Cohen of intervening inappropriately.

Cohen, who became Trump’s personal lawyer in 2007, is infamous for paying $130,000 to Daniels — real name, Stephanie Clifford — shortly before the 2016 election to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump, also in 2006.

Cohen initially said he used his own money to pay Daniels and was not reimbursed by Trump. The US president has subsequently conceded that Cohen was paid back, despite initially denying knowledge of the payment.

Through White House officials, Trump has denied a relationship with Daniels
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/president-trump-caught-on-tape.html

[quote author=MicheyJ1 post=69562247]Osheey mr terrorist knows English. Bloody terrorist [quote]ignoramus lunatic

MicheyJ1:
Fool Adolf was never a Christian. It's just something terrorists like you use to console yourselves and explain your love for blood. F*ck outta here

I only ask you a simple question and you foolishly displayed your stupendous ignorance and lack of proper home upbringing

MicheyJ1:
Muslims and violence

I see Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini too are all Muslims right??

Mynd44 lalasticlala

A man was killed Friday in a new day of protests in Iraq, a medical source said, as authorities struggle to contain social unrest which has reached the capital Baghdad.

The latest death brings to nine the number of people killed in protests as Iraqis hit out at a litany of social and economic woes.

The man killed was aged around 20 and died after being shot in the southern city of Diwaniyah, a medical source said, as hundreds of people gathered outside the local headquarters of an armed group.

Shots were fired by a guard from the powerful Iranian-backed Badr organisation, the source added, asking not to be named.

The unrest erupted in Basra province on July 8 when security forces opened fire, killing one person as protesters demanded jobs and basic services.

Others killed during this month’s protests were shot by unknown assailants.

The Iraqi government has swiftly denounced “vandals” it accuses of infiltrating the protests.

Earlier this week, authorities said more than 260 security personnel had been wounded in ongoing clashes.

As southern Iraqis continued to rally against corruption, unemployment, high prices, power cuts and a lack of clean water, demonstrators also rallied in the capital Baghdad on Friday.

“We believed that these politicians would improve the situation in the country, but they aren’t doing anything,” said Yahya Hasnawi, 50, one of thousands of protesters in Baghdad.

The crowds were dispersed by water canon and tear gas as they headed towards the fortified Green Zone, a high-security area of Baghdad where the government is headquartered.

“We don’t have electricity, nor work, the water is frequently cut for hours, the same with the internet,” said 19-year-old Mortada Mohammed, in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.

Social media has been unavailable for nearly a week and the internet was cut for two days from Saturday, which authorities claimed was due to maintenance work.

No to corruption

Protests were held across the south on Friday, the Muslim day of rest when traditionally demonstrations are organised after weekly prayers, and a number of political party offices and public buildings were torched.

In oil-rich Basra, people shouted slogans against the authorities as thousands gathered peacefully outside government headquarters.

Shouting “no to corruption”, hundreds of people rallied in Nasiriyah, 160 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of Basra, chanting the anti-graft message which has characterised nearly two weeks of protests.

Governor’s home surrounded

Demonstrators also surrounded the home of Nasiriyah’s governor where security forces responded with tear gas.

Protesters called for the electricity minister to be sacked, as the majority of Iraqi homes continue to be struck by hours-long cuts with temperatures this month hitting 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

Earlier on Friday the electricity ministry announced neighbouring Kuwait would supply 30,000 cubic metres of diesel to boost Iraq’s electricity supply, the first in a series of such deliveries expected over coming days.

Iraqis have held weekly anti-graft protests in the capital since 2015, organised by supporters of an alliance between nationalist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and communists.

Sadr topped the polls in May elections but a new government has yet to be formed, as a partial recount of the parliamentary vote has been ordered following fraud allegations.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/one-killed-as-new-protests-shake-south.html

WIFE of the Kwara Governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, has advised sexually active females to adopt monthly breast self-examination as a precautionary measure against Breast Cancer.

Ahmed made the call on Monday while addressing students on an advocacy sensitisation visit at the Kwara State College of Technology, Offa, and the College of Education in Ilemona, Oyun Local Government Area.

According to her, cancer has become widespread, caused massive morbidity worldwide, while new cases of the deadly disease are expected to increase by about seventy per cent over the next two decades.

She said her foundation had set up LEAH Anti-cancer Clubs both in secondary and tertiary institutions in the state to reach out to adolescents and young adults on breast and cervical cancer prevention.

The governor’s wife called for the inclusion of breast and cervical cancer screening in pre-admission medical check-ups and the establishment of basic cancer screening centres in the institutions.

The Provost, College of Technology, Offa, Malam Aliu Abdu-Rauf, attributed the high rate of cancer deaths to Ignorance and called for more research on ways to curb the disease.

Also, the Provost, College of Education Ilemona, Alhaji Kunle Oyewale, said the sensitisation initiative was a major contribution to the fight against the disease.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/cancer-govs-wife-urges-women-to-adopt.html

AC Milan’s CEO Marco Fassone leaves the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after a whole-day appeal against an European ban for breaking UEFA’s financial fair play rules. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP



The world’s top sports court on Friday overturned a European ban imposed on AC Milan for violating UEFA’s financial fair play rules, calling the punishment “not proportionate.”

UEFA banned Milan from playing in next season’s Europa League citing the club’s failure to meet the “break-even requirement,” which bars clubs from taking on debt to fund daily operations.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that “some important elements have not been properly assessed,” by UEFA judges.

The court agreed with UEFA’s assessment that the club was in breach of break-even rules but found that the “current financial situation of the club was now better following the recent change in the club’s ownership.”

“The decision…. to exclude AC Milan from the UEFA Club Competition was not proportionate,” a CAS statement said.

CAS referred the case back to UEFA as requested by AC Milan, whose executives argued their appeal at the Lausanne-based court on Thursday.

The court “considers that the (UEFA’s) Adjudicatory Chamber is in a better position than the CAS Panel to issue a new proportionate disciplinary measure on the basis of the current financial situation of the club,” the statement said.

AC Milan have spent a troubled 15 months since they were bought by Chinese businessman Li Yonghong from Silvio Berlusconi in April 2017.

The takeover was partly funded by a high-interest loan of 300 million euros ($348 million) from American hedge fund Elliott Management.

When Milan failed to make a repayment at the start of July, Elliott moved to take over, a process which is due to be ratified by club shareholders on July 21.

The Chinese owners spent more than 200 million euros on players last summer and that, combined with the terms of the Elliott loan, triggered the interest of UEFA.

At the end of June, UEFA ruled that Milan were in breach of “the break-even requirement.”

AC Milan’s managing director Marco Fassone has blamed the club’s woes on Berlusconi.

But the Chinese ownership of the club was also clouded by questions over the source of Li’s wealth. In October The New York Times claimed that “virtually nobody” in China had ever heard of him.

Elliot, now in full control, has pledged to inject 50 million euros ($59 million) to bring financial stability to the seven-time European champions.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ac-milan-back-in-europa-league-as.html

AN Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday, sentenced a 27-year-old bread seller, Ifeanyi Osuohae, to one year in prison for possession of fake currency.

The convict, who lives at No. 1, Lateef St., Orile-Agege in Lagos, was arraigned and tried for possessing fake currency.

The magistrate, Mr A. A. Fashola, who gave the verdict, said the convict was found guilty of the charge.

Fashola, however, gave the convict an option to pay N50,000 as fine.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Mike Unah, told the court that the accused had in his possession, N2,000 counterfeit notes.

He said that the accused committed the offence on June 11 about 1:30 a.m. at Akerele Street, Agege, a Lagos suburb.

He told the court that the accused boarded a taxi and paid his fare with a fake N1,000 note and he was given N700 change.

“The driver checked the fake N1,000 note and found out that it did not have CBN governor’s signature.

“The accused started arguing with the driver and in the process, the driver quickly drove to the nearest police checkpoint and alerted them.

“The police found another fake N1,000 note on the accused after a thorough search,” he said.

He told the court that the offence contravened Section 372 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised)
.http://surecontents..com/2018/07/counterfeit-money-bread-seller-bags-1.html

Mynd44 lalasticlala

An Indian soldier, Suresh Miri, 33, has been arrested by police for murdering his wife on Tuesday by allegedly electrocuting her private parts because he suspected her of having an extra-marital affair.

According to the Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Sargaon police outpost, the incident took place in the housing board colony of Bhatapara city, reports IB Times.

“The accused, identified as Suresh Miri (33), was taken into custody yesterday by Sargaon police in Mungeli district, where he had brought the body of his wife Laxmi (27) after allegedly killing her,” Jagat revealed.

The police also said that Miri, who is a cook with the 6th battalion of the CAF in Dantewada district, has confessed that he murdered his wife over infidelity allegations.

On Tuesday afternoon, the couple who have two children got into a heated argument, which soon took a violent turn.

“When Laxmi was washing clothes in the bathroom, Miri went inside and started beating her. When she fell unconscious, Miri passed electric current to her private parts with the help of a live wire leading to her death on the spot,” the newspaper quoted the ASI as saying.

The ASI said that after murdering his wife, Miri informed his in-laws that Laxmi had fallen sick. The accused then hired a van and took Laxmi’s body to his native village Khajri in the neighbouring Mungeli district.

However, when Laxmi’s parents saw their daughter’s dead body, they sensed some foul play and confronted Miri about it. They even alerted the police, following which the soldier was taken into custody.

The cops in Bhatapura have sealed Miri’s residence and is currently investigating the case.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/soldier-electrocutes-wife-through.html

Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Mnangagwa



Zimbabwean authorities on Thursday defended a new electoral roll after allegations that thousands of fake names, duplicates and dead people are registered to cast ballots in a July 30 vote.

The country’s roll has long been a contentious feature of elections and is accused of being at the core of vote rigging under Robert Mugabe, the long-time president who was ousted last year.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over from Mugabe with support from the military, has vowed to break with the past, promising an election free of violence, intimidation and fraud.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) took out a full-page advert in local papers to dismiss allegations that the new roll — compiled via biometric registration — was riddled with errors.

It said it had “checked all alleged ghosts and is satisfied that the voters who have the same names and dates of birth are unique individuals with unique photographs and fingerprints.”

“These are neither ghosts nor duplicates as alleged,” it added.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has cited flaws in the roll among threats to the election’s credibility.

The party has vowed to stage a vigil at ZEC headquarters over issues including the voter roll, the ballot paper and biased state media.

ZEC also denied that dead people could have been added to the roll.

“It is difficult to imagine how a dead person… could have resurrected and shown up at a registration centre between September 2017 and June 2018 to have their photo and fingerprints recorded,” ZEC chief Priscilla Chigumba said in the statement.

Zimbabwe’s general election will be the first since the fall of Mugabe, who had ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/zimbabwe-defends-electoral-roll-over.html

The Board of Directors of Ecobank Nigeria Limited on Thursday announced the appointment of Patrick Akinwuntan as the Managing Director designate of the bank.

This followed the recent resignation of the Managing Director of the bank, Charles Kie.

A statement from the bank stressed that the appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Prior to the appointment, Akinwuntan was the Group Executive, Consumer Banking responsible for leading the Consumer Banking business across Ecobank’s global network of 40 countries, 36 of which are in Africa.

He has over 20 years of senior and executive management experience and has held several strategic positions for the Ecobank Group in Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.

He had previously been a Group Executive Director on the Board of ETI and earlier, Executive Director in Ecobank Nigeria.

Akinwuntan started his career with Ecobank in 1996 as Head of Commercial Bank and Regional Head in Ecobank Nigeria and since then he has held various senior and executive positions in Nigeria and within the Ecobank Group, including Executive Director, Retail Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Group Chief Finance Officer, ETI, Group Executive Director, Operations & Technology, amongst others.

Prior to joining Ecobank, he was a General Manager, Springfountain Management Consultants, Lagos from 1993 – 1996; Deputy Manager – Corporate Finance, Credit and Marketing, Manufacturers Merchant Bank Plc, Lagos from 1991 – 1993, and was a Supervisor in Ernst & Young International (Chartered Accountants), Lagos from 1987 – 1991. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), he also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

He is an alumnus of the senior executive programme (SEP) of the Harvard Business School, a honorary senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

“In line with our leadership and business continuity procedures, the outgoing Managing Director, Charles Kie, will continue to manage Ecobank Nigeria throughout the transition period and ensure a smooth handover to Mr Akinwuntan,” the statement explained.

Chairman of the Board of Ecobank Nigeria, John Aboh, congratulated the incoming managing director on his new appointment.

He added: “We warmly welcome Patrick back to Ecobank Nigeria and look forward to providing him with full support from the board.

“I must, once again, extend our most sincere gratitude to Charles for his tremendous contributions to Ecobank Nigeria’s development and wish him every success in his future endeavours,” he said.


,http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ecobank-nigeria-appoints-akinwuntan.html

The Board of Directors of Ecobank Nigeria Limited on Thursday announced the appointment of Patrick Akinwuntan as the Managing Director designate of the bank.

This followed the recent resignation of the Managing Director of the bank, Charles Kie.

A statement from the bank stressed that the appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Prior to the appointment, Akinwuntan was the Group Executive, Consumer Banking responsible for leading the Consumer Banking business across Ecobank’s global network of 40 countries, 36 of which are in Africa.

He has over 20 years of senior and executive management experience and has held several strategic positions for the Ecobank Group in Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.

He had previously been a Group Executive Director on the Board of ETI and earlier, Executive Director in Ecobank Nigeria.

Akinwuntan started his career with Ecobank in 1996 as Head of Commercial Bank and Regional Head in Ecobank Nigeria and since then he has held various senior and executive positions in Nigeria and within the Ecobank Group, including Executive Director, Retail Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Group Chief Finance Officer, ETI, Group Executive Director, Operations & Technology, amongst others.

Prior to joining Ecobank, he was a General Manager, Springfountain Management Consultants, Lagos from 1993 – 1996; Deputy Manager – Corporate Finance, Credit and Marketing, Manufacturers Merchant Bank Plc, Lagos from 1991 – 1993, and was a Supervisor in Ernst & Young International (Chartered Accountants), Lagos from 1987 – 1991. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), he also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

He is an alumnus of the senior executive programme (SEP) of the Harvard Business School, a honorary senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

“In line with our leadership and business continuity procedures, the outgoing Managing Director, Charles Kie, will continue to manage Ecobank Nigeria throughout the transition period and ensure a smooth handover to Mr Akinwuntan,” the statement explained.

Chairman of the Board of Ecobank Nigeria, John Aboh, congratulated the incoming managing director on his new appointment.

He added: “We warmly welcome Patrick back to Ecobank Nigeria and look forward to providing him with full support from the board.

“I must, once again, extend our most sincere gratitude to Charles for his tremendous contributions to Ecobank Nigeria’s development and wish him every success in his future endeavours,” he said.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ecobank-nigeria-appoints-akinwuntan.html

The Bauchi State chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Uba Ahmed Nana, says the party is not interested in losing any personality to other political parties, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Nana said this on Wednesday when he accompanied Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State on a courtesy visit to the new APC leadership at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

He fielded questions from journalists after the visit.

Asked whether he was worried about the possibility of losing Dogara to other parties and the reaction to the formation of rAPC, Nana said, “Whether I will be worried or not be worried if the Speaker quits the party, as a party, we will always welcome people into our fold. Our doors are always opened. So, even if a person doesn't have a political party, he cannot bring another person apart from himself or herself, he is always welcome into our fold.

“But we don't intend and we are not interested in losing anybody regardless of the status of such person. So, we will not be party to lose any person. We always pray that let there be understanding among ourselves. But if there is any person whose presence in our family will bring another complex problem, we do pray that God in his infinite mercy help us so that person will leave us alone. But we don't we will not be happy to lose a single person.

“There is no compulsion and if you look at the constitution of this nation, each and every Nigerian has the right to the freedom of association. So, there is no compulsion. But as a party, we will welcome each and every one with good intention and interest of the nation at heart so that we can build the nation together.”

The Bauchi APC chairman also dismissed the possibility of issuing any red card to party members, saying “we don't issue even yellow card talk less of red card as far as APC family is concerned. We will always welcome people with good intention of the nation at heart.”

Nana, who refuted the claim that the PDP’s popularity had soared in Bauchi State, said the APC was ready for the coming elections.

“I can tell you that we are ready to go to polls even if it is tomorrow,” he said.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/our-doors-still-open-to-dogara-if.html

Lalasticlala ishilove

A former UK councillor, Stephen Searle, has been found guilty of murdering his wife in a disagreement over his affair with son’s girlfriend.

During the trial, the former Royal Marine Stephen Searle, 64, told jurors he put his hand round his wife, Anne Searle’s neck for 20-25 seconds after she stabbed him during an angry row at their £400,000 home in Stowmarket, Suffolk, reports Mirror UK.

On December 30 last year, Searle made a call to police telling them he had killed his 62-year-old wife, before she was found dead minutes later by responding emergency services.

He says he was acting in self-defence after a row erupted about an affair Searle had been having with his son’s long-term partner, Anastasia Pomiateeva, 39

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson described how Searle began a sexual relationship with Ms Pomiateeva in April 2017, which was kept hidden from the rest of the family until it was discovered in June 2017.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how Searle and his wife of 45 years had been drinking heavily on the day of her death.

Speaking in court, Searle said: “I felt a stinging. I looked down and I saw a blade going backwards and forwards.

“It was in Anne’s hand. She was stabbing me. I tried to grab it and she pulled her arm away. There was a lot of noise, shouting and hollering, and I was pleading with her to give me the knife.

“We both stumbled. She fell backwards and I fell forwards. It was such madness.”

After strangling her in what prosecutors say was a military-style choke hold, he later went back into the house and “realised things were certainly not right”.

He said: “She was a sort of grey colour. I held her hand and she was just limp. She was not warm. I had seen bodies before and I thought, ‘She’s gone’.”

Jurors were earlier played the 999 call he made around an hour after the killing. Searle told the call handler: “I have just killed my wife… Suffocation…. bit of a bizarre situation.”

He also told Ipswich Crown Court: “Eventually she stopped struggling and I said thank ‘f’ for that. I said, ‘I am going to have a gay’. She didn’t reply.”

During the trial, Kelly Lawrence, who worked at a sushi food company with Anne, said her colleague found “sexy” texts sent by Searle and Anastasia.

Anne took screenshots of the exchanges and uploaded them on Facebook before later deleting her posts.

Ms Lawrence told the court: “I think she thought better of it being plastered all over the internet. I think in the end she confronted him about it.

“She told me she had spoken to him. He admitted to it and said it was with their daughter-in-law.”
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/councillor-kills-wife-for-condemning.html

SAYS IT IS REFERENDUM ON BUHARI’S GOVT

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reacted to the just concluded Ekiti State governorship election, saying that Nigerians have spoken.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, the Minister said: “with the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election, Nigeria people have spoken, and they have spoken loudly, about their perception of the APC-led Buhari Administration.”
He said: “the election was more than one state’s gubernatorial poll. It was a referendum on the performance of the Buhari Administration. And Nigerians have given their verdict!
“It’s not just a defeat for the PDP, it’s a defeat for all the naysayers who have made themselves the spokespersons for Nigerians.
“Furthermore, it is a death knell for fake news! Anyone who monitored the social media before and during the election would think it would be a landslide for the PDP. But the reality is different”.
He, however, thanked the people of Ekiti State for ensuring a free and fair election in the state.

“We want to most sincerely thank the people of Ekiti State for ensuring that the election was free, fair and credible, as attested to by local and international observers, and for turning out en masse to exercise their franchise.
“In 2014, the votes of the people of Ekiti did not count as the then PDP-led Federal Government used federal might to hijack the election and concoct the result. They barred two serving governors from travelling to Ekiti to support their fellow Governor. They wilfully shut the Akure Airport and we, leaders of the then opposition APC, were forced to return to Lagos by road in the night.
“With the roles reversed in 2018, we did not pay the PDP back in its own coin, because of our strong belief in the rule of law. The rest is history,” the Minister added.
#EKITIDECIDES2018 http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ekitidecides2018-nigerians-have-spoken.html

A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dipo Olorunrinu and two others have been arrested for allegedly being in possession of two automatic rifles.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal who conformed the arrest of, Dipo Olorunrinu said that the honourable was implicated by two of his boys.

Edgal said that Olurunrinu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency was arrested for allegedly refusimg to turn in his fitearms during the recent mop up exercise of illegally acquired fire arms as directed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Idris Ibrahim.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/assembly-member-two-others-arrested.html

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) at the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has rejected the reappointment of the Director General, Professor Eli Jidere Bala and has written to President Muhammadu Buhari about it.
In a letter addressed to Daily Trust on the reappointment, the association said it operates as an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and feared the possible collapse of ECN as a result of the reappointment.





The Daily Trust reports that union had staged protest at ECN against the reappointment long before it was announced Prof. Bala’s first tenure ended in May 2018 after five years and was renewed starting from May 6, 2018, the union said.

The Commission is charged with the responsibility for strategic planning and coordination of national policies in the field of energy in all its ramifications.

The union in the letter to this paper and signed by the Chairman, Comrade Promise Chukwu said: “The petition rejecting the reappointment of Prof. E.J. Bala was signed by over 70 per cent of ECN staff.”

The petition register seen by Daily Trust revealed 173 names of the public officials in the various departments of the Commission who through their appended signatures, rejected the reappointment of the Director General.

In their open letter written to President Buhari, the union referred to previous letters written on September 11, 2017 and February 28, 2018 where they cited incompetence, maladministration, violation of public service rules and financial regulation as reasons for the rejection of the DG.

It read in part: “With the tonne of evidences on financial abuses, maladministration, incompetence and labour unfriendliness, reappointment of Prof. Bala constitutes national embarrassment to the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari whose cardinal policy and governance thrust is zero tolerance for corruption and, liability to energy-security nexus and hence impediment to national security and development.”

In the recent letter to President Buhari dated June 22, 2018, ASCSN-ECN Unit it requested him to review the reappointment of the DG, “based on damning reports on Prof. Bala by strategic agencies of the federal government and revoke same without further delay.

“The point ought to be belaboured that there are numerous patriotic Nigerians qualified to occupy such positions who will perform their duties without denting the anti-corruption war of Mr President,” the workers emphasized in their letter.
http://surecontents..com/2018/07/ecn-union-rejects-dg-balas.html