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Top 10 stories of Friday, July 28, 2017

  1. BUHARI WILL SOON RETURN TO NIGERIA – GOV. YARI

Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, on Thursday said President Buhari’s health has improved.

Yari, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), told journalists in Kaduna that Buhari cracked jokes with him and 6 other governors that just returned from London. The governor, who arrived the Kaduna International Airport in company of his Kano and Borno counterparts, said Buhari’s current health status had put enemies to shame.

Yari said, “From what we saw, Mr. President will soon return to Nigeria to continue with the good work he had started for the well being of all Nigerians and give the nation a new lease of life.”

While thanking God for the speedy recovery of the president, Mr. Yari also thanked Nigerians who have taken time to pray for Buhari’s recovery and return to his duty post.

 

  1. NORTHERN GOVERNORS MEET IN KADUNA, DISCUSS BIAFRA AGITATION, RESTRUCTURING

Northern governors on Thursday cautioned those agitating for restructuring of the country and the protagonists of the Republic of Biafra against endangering the unity of Nigeria, saying that the nation might not survive under such divisive tendencies.

According to reports, the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima listed three current issues threatening the unity of the nation as the agitation for restructuring, creation of a Biafran State and the Fulani herdsmen’s attacks on communities.

Shettima, who was represented by the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari at the two-day meeting said organisations such as IPOB and MASSOB must be unconditionally condemned as they are inimical to national unity, stability, peaceful coexistence and national security.

 

  1. MILITANTS SURRENDER FIREARMS TO POLICE

Three suspected militants have surrendered their firearms to the police in Nasarawa State. It was recalled that the submission follows the expiration of the 30-day ultimatum handed down by the state government.The arms recovered from the suspects include three FMC rifles, and one AK47 rifle with 64 rounds of live ammunition.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, told journalists on Thursday in Lafia that his men would soon raid a firearms factory in the state.

He said, “Only three persons have so far surrendered their firearms voluntarily in the state after the expiration of the 30-day ultimatum that was given to the members of the public. The police boss confirmed the arrest of three students of Nasarawa State University, keffi who were said to have been engaged in robbery in parts of the state.

He added that the case was still under investigation.

 

  1. OSINBAJO ORDERS ARMY CHIEF BURATAI TO RELOCATE TO MAIDUGURI

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has ordered Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff to relocate to Maiduguri, Borno state capital, with immediate effect. This directive came after an emergency meeting with some service chiefs on Thursday.

The Acting President said there was a need for the military command control centre to be at the hotbed of insurgency. Mansur Dan-Ali, minister of defence, Gabriel Olonisakin, chief of defence staff and Ekwe Ite-Ibas, chief of naval staff were also present at the meeting.

Speaking with state house correspondents at the end of the meeting, Dan-Ali said: “We just finished a meeting with the Acting President and the three service chiefs. We agreed that they should move back to the command centre again and see what are the things happening there.

“We have also agreed that we should get more surveillance devices, cameras that will be able to see distant attackers coming to the position of our troops.

 

  1. FG SUSPENDS OIL EXPLORATION IN THE NORTH BECAUSE OF BOKO HARAM

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the suspension of oil exploration in northern Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, who said this on Thursday, said Nigeria will only resume its search for oil in the Lake Chad Basin when it gets security clearance.

This is coming after Boko Haram abducted workers of NNPC at Lake Chad on Tuesday. However, the abducted officials have been rescued by the Nigerian army.

 

  1. OSINBAJO INAUGURATES $1.5BN FERTILIZER PLANT IN RIVERS

Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who visited Port Harcourt yesterday, inaugurated a giant world-class fertilizer plant, built by Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited at the cost of $1.5 billion.

The Acting President used the opportunity to remind all Nigerians that time has come for them to grow whatever they eat and produce whatever they consume.

“What Indorama is accomplishing today is very much in line with President Buhari’s vision for a country that produces what it consumes and grows what it eats. If you had to sum up our vision for the Nigerian economy in a few words, these would suffice. Grow what we eat, produce what we consume,” he said.

Prof. Osinbajo commended Indorama for keying into the Presidential Fertilizer initiative which President Buhari launched last year to make fertilizers cheaper nationwide.

 

  1. NIGERIA BORROWS N3.38BN TO AID POTATO PRODUCTION

The Federal Executive Council has approved N3.38 billion to boost production of potatoes in Plateau State. It was discovered that the state accounts for 95 percent of Nigeria’s potato production.

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said, to finance the production, the ministry will borrow from Agricultural Development Bank. She added that over 100, 000 families and 17 local government areas of Plateau state will benefit from the loan while 60, 000 jobs will be created in the potato value chain.

 

  1. POLICE SEAL OFF PDP SECRETARIAT IN LAGOS

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new twist on Thursday, when police sealed off the party’s secretariat at Adekunle Fajuyi Way in Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Heavily armed mobile policemen had earlier in the day taken over the secretariat as two factions are claiming leadership of the party.

Prior to the Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the leadership of the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a faction loyal to the sacked Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff had been occupying the premises.

The faction chaired by Segun Adewale had also submitted candidates for the just concluded LG election in the state.

Following the apex court’s ruling, the state executive led by Hon. Mashood Salvador is making moves to return to the secretariat, which it earlier vacated when the Appeal Court first affirmed Sheriff’s leadership.

To prevent an imminent breakdown of law and order, the state police command took over the secretariat.

 

  1. SENATE HAS BETRAYED APC – ATIKU

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has weighed in on the recent rejection of the devolution of powers to states bill by the Senate in a series of constitutional amendments. Atiku expressed shock at the decision of the Senate to block the passage of Bill No. 3 which would have led to the devolution of powers to states. In a statement on Thursday, Abubakar complained about the lost opportunity to fulfil one of the APC’s election promises which was to restructure the country.

He argued, “Instead of building the foundations for a true federation, a small group of so-called progressive senators decided to stick with the new party line, pretending they didn’t know what restructuring was all about, and that even if they knew, it couldn’t be done.

Atiku also advised Nigerian lawmakers to do what is right and not make decisions based on self-interest.

 

  1. COURT GRANTS INEC’S REQUEST FOR DINO MELAYE’S SPEEDY HEARING

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted a request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the speedy hearing of the suit challenging the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye from the Senate.

It was recalled that INEC had asked the court to set aside the restraining order which put the recall of the Senator representing Kogi West on hold but Melaye had through his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged Justice John Tsoho of the same court to restrain INEC from carrying the recall process, which was granted on July 6 by the judge.

While ruling on INEC’s application, Justice Dimgba ordered an accelerated hearing of the suit.

When the matter came up yesterday, the judge asked Sulayman Ibrahim, counsel to INEC and Nkem Okoro, counsel to Melaye, to address the court on the motion praying the vacation judge to hear the matter.

In his submission, Ibrahim prayed the court to give the summons filed by Melaye accelerated hearing because the 90 days allowed by law for the recall process to be completed is constitutionally bound.

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