February Polls: If I lose, it won’t be first time – Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has declared that if eventually he loses the February 19 presidential election, it will not be the first time of him losing elections.

The President who stated this while fielding questions on whether he will accept the results of the forthcoming election if he loses said it was impossible for him to lose.

The President said he tried it three times but was unsuccessful until the introduction of electronic system and the Card Reader by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during a live programme tagged ‘The Cadidates’ debate for the 2019 general elections in Abuja, President Buhari said it sounded impossible for him the lose the election considering the wide reception has continues to receive across the country during campaigns.

Asked specifically whether he will quit office if he is defeated in the forth the election, President Buhari said, “it won’t be the first time I will lose election,”

I tried 2003 and I was in Court for 13 months, 2007. I was in court for 18 months in 2011 and went up to the Supreme Court. I sat down and said God Dey. For the fourth time, God and technology helped me.

President Buhari said that the government was following a tedious way in fighting corruption, following carefully the books and records.

He said there are instances where contracts were awarded to companies and individuals without work done.

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Many injured as APC, ADP loyalists clash in Ogbomoso

Many people reportedly sustained various degrees of injuries in Ogbomoso, yesterday, in a clash between supporters of All Progressives Congress, APC, and Action Democratic Party, ADP.

Both sides have been pointing accusing fingers at each other over the clash that occurred in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of the state.

While APC is claiming that it was ADP that first launched attack, the latter is saying APC should be blamed for it.

Chairman of APC in Ogbomoso North, Mr. Bukola Badmus, said: “Machetes were used by ADP thugs and when they were challenged, they attacked with fierceness.”

He alleged that the mass exodus of ADP members to APC prompted the crisis.

His words: “We have gathered that ADP people are planning to launch attack on members of APC and PDP in Ogbomoso, because they consider us as threat to the chances of their candidates.”

However, Bimbo Oladeji, a member of Oyo State House of Assembly, said it was APC that launched an attack on some of their party chieftains and members at Okelerin area around 6p.m.

To her, the attack was unprovoked and the attackers targeted ADP’s governorship candidate, Otunba Adebayo Akala.

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Nigerian Ambassador To Cote d'Ivoire Is Dead

The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Amb. Ibrahim Isah, has died after a protracted illness.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the envoy, a career diplomat, died on Tuesday in Abidjan.

The MFA spokesman, George Edokpa, said in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and members of staff of the Ministry received the sad news of his death with great shock.

It prayed the Almighty God to grant his family and the nation the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Isah, who hailed from Niger State, joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in 1983 and served in different capacities both at the headquarters and in various Missions.

He served at the Nigerian High Commission in Sierra Leone, Consulate-General in New York, Jeddah and the Nigerian Embassy in China.

He was Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, until his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary/Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in 2018.

He was married and blessed with children.

“Additional information on his burial arrangements would be communicated in due course,” the statement added.

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ASUU Gives Least Acceptable Conditions To End Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that the ongoing industrial dispute will continue except certain acceptable conditions are met.

It said to end the strike, the Federal Government must urgently release additional N50 billion to the N20 billion released earlier for revitalisation fund, show evidence of mainstreaming the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) into the 2019 budget and evidence of the payment of shortfall in salaries.

President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in an interview with The Guardian yesterday, said the union rejected the latest proposal of the government after due consultations with members, pointing out that government’s offer was meagre.

He added that the association’s reservations would be communicated to the Federal Government today at the inauguration of the platform for addressing matters relating to state universities.

Ogunyemi said: “The last time we met with representatives of government, they gave us their proposal and we said we will present it to our members and their reactions to the items of the proposal will be sent back to them within a week. And now, we are almost through with the consultation and we will communicate areas of disagreement to them today.

“They are basically two or three major areas; one is on the revitalisation fund. We presented to them that government owed an outstanding balance of N1.1 trillion in five tranches. But what government eventually proposed is something that is far-fetched. They were talking about N20 billion that will be released in two tranches starting from next quarter, and we felt that will not address the issue at hand. Though they said that they released N20 billion earlier, the N20 billion was to be released in 2017, if they released it in November 2018, it is not the same thing.

“Out of the N20 billion that the government released earlier, we have outstanding N200 billion. So, if government can release N50 billion in addition to the N20 billion released earlier; and the remaining N150 billion can be released on quarterly basis within this year, N50 billion each for the remaining three quarters, then it will show a sign of commitment.”

Additionally, the group demanded that for EAA and shortfall in salaries, government should provide evidence of its promises and give specific information and guidelines to its proposals.

“Although government has shown us a paper authorising the release of N15.89 billion to universities, but universities have not confirmed receipt. As far as ASUU is concerned, it is an issue of ‘once bitten, twice shy," he further stated.

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Slay Queen Who Was Declared Missing Is Found Dead In A Mortuary

The search for a young lady who was declared missing for weeks – has taken a sad turn after her corpse was finally identified at the mortuary on Monday, January 14.

Former Multimedia University student who went missing on December 30 in Kenya, was found at Nairobi city mortuary.

Susan Njoki, 24, hailed from from Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya. Ms Njoki’s family reported her disappearance at Ongata Rongai police station on January 8.

She went missing for two days after returning to Nairobi where she worked for a public relations company.

A relative told the Nation on Monday that Ms Njoki celebrated Christmas at the family home in Jordan estate before heading back to the city on December 27.

“She called mother, Hellen Ngige, to tell her that she had arrived safely at her Ongata Rongai house,” the relative said.  “That is is the last time we heard from Njoki.”

The relative added that Ms Njoki’s phone went dead on December 30.

Questions now linger on what might have happened to Ms Njoki, whose colleagues say was last seen on the night of December 30.

“We worked for three days until we broke for the New Year celebrations,” one of Ms Njoki’s work mates told the Nation.

It is alleged that Susan was hit by a vehicle in Ruiru on New Years’ eve, although her family had no idea at the time.

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NANS Begs FG Over ASUU Strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has appealed to the Federal Government to fulfill agreements reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to ensure resumption of academic activities in public universities.

NANS National Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor, made the appeal in a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The attention of the apex students governing body, NANS, has been drawn to the recent ASUU position and condition for suspension of the ongoing strike embarked upon by the union.

“NANS is also on the know that ASUU had vowed that the ongoing strike would not be called off until the Federal Government fulfills all the agreements both parties reached in their last meeting.

“NANS salutes ASUU for negotiating and reaching an agreement during her last meeting with the Federal Government delegation.

“We believe they (ASUU) have done honourable,’’ Okereafor said.

According to him, NANS is passionately appealing to the Federal Government to fulfill its part of the agreements reached with ASUU in the best interest of Nigerian students without further delay.

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All You Need To Know About The New Police IG

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammad Abubakar Adamu, who was decorated with his new rank by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, hails from Lafia, Nasarawa State and is a holder of Bachelor of Science in Geography, Punch Metro reports.

He enlisted in the Force on February 1, 1986 as Cadet Assistant Inspector and had attended several Senior Officer Courses on Law Enforcement, Crime Prevention, Control and Management within and outside Nigeria.

Before his appointment as Acting IG, he was a Directing Staff at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.

He was also the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti and Enugu States and also Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5 Police Command Headquarters, Benin, Edo State.

There was muted excitement among the staff at the Force Headquarters over the appointment of the new Police boss.

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