Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Saturday 18th June 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 18/06/22
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E2%80%99s-younger-brother-running-mate-%E2%80%93-apc-chieftain Tinubu Appointed Katsina Governor, Masari’s Younger Brother As Running Mate – APC Chieftain
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, submitted the name of Ibrahim Kabir Masari to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the vice-presidential candidate, an APC chieftain has revealed.
The APC chieftain, Kabiru Faskari, confirmed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to Faskari, picking Kabiru, who hails from Katsina State, does not violate the country’s laws as against the clamour for a Muslim/Christian APC ticket.
The APC, it is believed is putting Kabiru, younger brother to Katsina Governor, as a placeholder to beat the deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for presidential candidates to submit the names of their running mates.
INEC had given a Friday, June 17th, deadline for the submission of the names.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that the APC Presidential Candidate did not disclose the name of his running mate.
A statement from his media office had said, “As stipulated by the electoral law and Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines and timetable, the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned his duly completed nomination forms to INEC.
”The forms were returned on Wednesday, June 15, two days ahead of schedule. We wish to reiterate that Tinubu now stands ready to contest the February 25, 2023, presidential election to deliver progressive good governance to our people.”
Tinubu had days ago promised that he would not present a Northern Muslim as his running mate.
Tinubu on Wednesday said his running mate would be a Christian and would be from the North-East region of the country.
While speaking with journalists on Tuesday at the APC rally in Ekiti State, the APC National leader had said, “The VP slot belongs to the Northeastern region and particularly the Christians, but consultations are yet ongoing as to who will beTinubu Appointed Katsina Governor, Masari’s Younger Brother As Running Mate – APC Chieftain decided.”
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E2%80%99m-standing-peter-obi%E2%80%99s-running-mate-labour-party-%E2%80%93-doyin-okupe I’m Standing In As Peter Obi’s Running Mate In Labour Party – Doyin Okupe
Dr Doyin Okupe, the former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, said he is the running mate of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Okupe stated this on Friday in an interview with Channels TV, adding that his name had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission by the party.
Okupe said, “I’m standing in as the vice-presidential candidate of the party. Labour party has submitted my name as the VP of the party. Our idea is to bring up the largest political coalition ever in the history of Nigeria because we are facing two giants; the APC and the PDP.
“We cannot work alone, we need to put up a coalition and it is important for us to ensure all stakeholders are carried along. The choosing of VP candidate is an electoral process which does not stop until the process ends. We believe that the Labour Party coming to rule Nigeria is essentially going to be about young Nigerians.
“I’m willing to put down my back so young people can come to the top. The decision of LP to use Okupe is to comply with the Nigerian constitution.”
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E2%80%93-president-zelensky Invasion: Ukraine To Introduce Visa For Visiting Russians Starting From July 1 – President Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said Ukraine will introduce visas for Russians from July 1, 2022 despite Russia’s invasion of his country.
The President disclosed this through his telegram account, stating that “Ukraine is introducing a visa regime for citizens of the Russian Federation.”
He said the requirement would take effect on “July 1, 2022”, according to a government decision that he expected “today.”
This move will possibly end visa-free travel for Russians that began when Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine Chief Of Staff, Andriy Yermak, also stated that the move is due to Russia’s invasion that began on February 24 and to bolster his country’s defensive efforts.
He said, “Due to the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation, we need to strengthen the control over the entry of Russian nationals into our territory. Security is a priority.”
It is noteworthy that the two nations share a border spreading almost 2,300 kilometres (1,400 miles) and share extensive family links.
The rate of Russians travelling to Ukraine, however, dropped after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which unleashed a war with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine that was backed by the Kremlin.
According to 2013 data, 10.8 million Russians visited Ukraine. But in 2014, this chart dropped to 2.5 million. And between 2015 and 2019, it further dropped to some 1.5 million a year, Andrey Demchenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s border guards, told AFP.
Similarly, in 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the number of Russian travellers did not exceed 500,000 a year, he said.
Ukraine, where Russian is widely spoken and which has lived through two pro-democracy revolutions since 2004, has also become a popular destination in recent years for liberal Russians fleeing the authoritarian regime of President Vladimir Putin.
By the end of January, nearly 175,000 Russians had residence permits in Ukraine, migration officials told AFP.
But that number is likely far higher as, until now, Ukraine has never had a visa regime with Russia.
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Top Police, Military Officers Visit Enugu Community Ravaged By Fulani Herdsmen After SaharaReporters’ Story
The heads of security agencies in Enugu State on Friday visited the Mgbuji Eha-Amufu, Enugu community besieged by Fulani herdsmen days after an exclusive report by SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters had reported that Fulani herdsmen killed five residents on Monday and Tuesday, and burnt hundreds of houses, sacking 14 farm settlements while over 3000 residents were displaced.
It had also reported that the police and military did not come when the residents were attacked but only came to carry corpses, and extort money from bereaved families before they could bury their loved ones.
However, following the SaharaReporters’ report, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Abubakar Lawal, alongside the State Director, Department of State Services (DSS), H. M. Daluwa; the Commander, 82 Division Garrison Command of the Nigerian Army Enugu, Brig. Gen. M. K. Ibrahim; Commander, 553 Services Base Group of the Nigerian Air Force Enugu, Air Commodore I. A. Taiwo, and other senior police officers visited the troubled community on Friday.
A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, titled: “Violent Attack In Mgbuji Eha-Amufu: CP Abubakar And Other Security Heads Visit Community”, said the visit was to ascertain and assess the security situation in the area, “alleged to have been caused by farmers and herders’ crises within farm settlements of the community, bordering Enugu and Benue states.”
He said that Abubakar, the Police Commissioner had used the visit to address and interact with the members of the community at Obibi-Mgbuji Village Square; and re-assured them of the police and other security agencies’ commitment to decisively tackle the violent attacks in the area.
Ndukwe quoted the Commissioner to have called on the members of the community to be vigilant, law-abiding and promptly volunteer useful information that would help the Security Operatives to contain activities of the assailants.
The statement partly reads, “The CP and entourage was received and guided by the Area Commander, Udenu Area Command, ACP Edwin Egwuekwe, and a team of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area leadership, led by the Vice Chairman, Mr. Ogechukwu Nnamani.
“It will be recalled that the yet-to-be identified assailants, on 13/06/2022, attacked and murdered three (3) male victims, at Ogbete-Mgbuji area of the community, who were confirmed dead by doctors and deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy,” it reads.
Meanwhile, the community members told SaharaReporters on Friday that the Ikem Divisional Police Officer, Nwachukwu, used a backdoor channel to extort the bereaved families.
A community leader, who gave his name as Clement Odo, said that “after the report of SaharaReporters, the DPO Nwachukwu called the bereaved families that he took corpses of their relations to go and pay N70,000 for mortuary and N40,000 for autopsy.”
Odo, however, queried if there was any hospital in Nigeria that would collect N40,000 to conduct an autopsy for a dead body.
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Ruling APC Candidate, Tinubu Fails To Reveal Name Of Running Mate Submitted To INEC
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has announced that he has submitted the name of his running mate in the forthcoming election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Tunde Rahman, an aide to the former Lagos Governor.
Although the APC Presidential Candidate did not disclose the name of his running mate, he said he had submitted “duly completed nomination forms to INEC.”
The forms bear the names of running mates of presidential candidates.
The statement reads, “As stipulated by the electoral law and Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines and timetable, the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned his duly completed nomination forms to INEC.
”The forms were returned on Wednesday, June 15, two days ahead of schedule. We wish to reiterate that Tinubu now stands ready to contest the February 25, 2023, presidential election to deliver progressive good governance to our people.”
Tinubu had days ago promised that he would not present a Northern Muslim as his running mate.
Tinubu on Wednesday said his running mate would be a Christian and would be from the North-East region of the country.
While speaking with journalists on Tuesday at the APC rally in Ekiti State, the APC National leader had said, “The VP slot belongs to the Northeastern region and particularly the Christians, but consultations are yet ongoing as to who will be decided.”
Tinubu, who said that he would choose a Vice President solely on the basis of Nigerians’ preferences, noted that no organisation, institution, or individual could force a Vice President on him.
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E2%80%94-nigerian Buhari Government Incurred N2trillion Debt In Three Months, Hit N41trillion In Total — Nigerian Agency, DMO
Amid the gruelling economic challenges facing the country, the Muhammadu Buhari-led government between January and March 2022 incurred N2trillion in Public Debt, bringing total debts to record N41trillion, according to a release from the Debt Management Office.According to the DMO, a government agency, in December 2021, the country’s debt stood at N39.556 trillion but within three months of 2022, the country had an additional N2.048 trillion to the debt profile.
Meanwhile, the country in the first quarter of 2022 alone, has spent an average of N9.94billion on debt servicing, a report by a civic group, Dataphyte, noted.Every day of the last three months, Nigeria has spent an average of N9.94billion daily on debt service.Combined, the cost of debt servicing in Q1 2022 alone is N895 billion which is already 32% of the total debt servicing figure for 2021.As contained in the DMO report, between January and March 2022, Nigeria spent N668,685,710,112.98 on servicing domestic debt.The domestic loan service was broken down as N188.364 billion in January, N103.883 billion in February and N376.437 billion in March.“The Q1 2022 debt servicing bill is 215% higher than the figures for Q4 2021,” the report noted.Meanwhile, the country had spent $548,789,178.51 on external loan servicing.The figure for the first quarter of 2022 is 1,900 times higher than that of the last quarter of 2021.“This astronomical increase of foreign debt service figures in Q1 2022 is the highest in at least each quarter of the last 12 years,” the analysis stated.In Q1 2022 alone, N895billion had been spent on debt servicing, an amount exceeding the 2022 budget of each state in Nigeria except Lagos State.The total allocation to the Health sector in the 2022 budget is N724billion, 23.6% lesser than the bill for servicing Nigeria’s debts in Q1 2022.”The debt servicing bill for the last quarter is 93.6% of the total allocation to the Education sector in the 2022 budget which is N923.7billion. In fact, the debt servicing figure is 68% of the total revitalisation fund at the centre of disagreements between lecturers and the federal government.”The debt servicing figure is 66% of Nigeria’s 2022 Defence budget which is N1.2trillion. The budget of Nigeria’s challenged Power Sector, with 5 national grid collapses in the 6 months since the start of 2022 is N306billion and it’s 65% lesser than the cost of servicing debts in Q1 of 2022.”Allocation to the Agricultural Sector touted as Nigeria’s post-oil economy saviour, is N215.8billion and it is 79% lesser than debt servicing costs for the first quarter of 2022.”The increasing debt profile remains a subject of concern. The International Monetary Fund has warned that Nigeria may spend all of its 2022 revenue, N10.74trillion on debt servicing.With the sum of N2.048trillion borrowed within the first three months of the year, comprising domestic borrowings amounting to N1.28trillion and external borrowings which stood at N762billion. The current debt figure shows that Nigeria has expended 41.88% of its debt target for the 2022 fiscal year between January and March.
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Ekiti Residents Rush To Markets, Banks To Prepare For ‘Unpredictable’ Governorship Election
The capital city of Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti is currently booming with last-minute trade and financial activities as a result of Saturday, June 18 governorship election.Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Bisi Kolawole of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the leading candidates in the election.
Checks around the town by SaharaReporters showed that residents were making last-minute rush to buy items needed so as not to be affected by the restriction of movement on the day of the exercise.Security operatives were also stationed at strategic locations while some were patrolling the streets with their loud siren.Long queues are being experienced at some of ATM points within bank road, where most financial institutions in the city are located.“We don’t know what will happen, the event in the last one week is not good at all; clashes between two of the major political parties has led to the death of three people,” a staff of the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti who identified himself as Segun told SaharaReporters.“Some of these politicians are so desperate and as such anything could happen. I won’t even be voting tomorrow, I’ll be at home with my family, I know there won’t be light, so I have bought fuel to power my generator, from there, I’ll be monitoring the poll from my sitting room.”Some traders also told SaharaReporters that sales for the week had been very encouraging.“Sales have been encouraging, people are afraid that anything can happen. It might be tough,” one of the traders at Oba market said.
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Fire Outbreak Stalls Ongoing Trial Of Notorious Kidnapper, Evans In Lagos
A fire incident in Lagos State has stalled the appeal trial of convicted kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans, at an Ikeja Special Offences Court.It was gathered that the inferno made it impossible for Evans and others to reach the court on Friday.
The notorious kidnapper is facing trial alongside one Joseph Emeka for the attempted kidnap of the chairman of Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo.At the beginning of proceedings today, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo revealed that there was a fire incident which affected the transportation of the defendants.“I was informed by the Officer in Charge of legal (OC) that there was a fire incident which affected the transportation of the defendants,” the judge said.In February, SaharaReporters had reported that Evans, and two other defendants were declared guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja.Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja on Friday sentenced the man popularly known as billionaire kidnapper or Evans, and his accomplices – Uche Amadi and Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu to life imprisonment.
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E2%80%99m-not-any-political-party-peter-obi-my-friend-%E2%80%93-father-mbaka-apologises-after-backlash I’m Not In Any Political Party; Peter Obi Is My Friend – Father Mbaka Apologises After Backlash Over ‘Unguarded Utterances’
The Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry Enugu, Nigeria (AMEN) Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, has tendered a public apology to the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi and all his supporters over his harsh remarks against Obi.SaharaReporters had reported that Father Mbaka during his midweek prayers declared that Obi, who he described as a stingy man, could not be a Nigerian President.
It had also been reported that following the utterances of the controversial Catholic priest, his supporters and Catholic Diocese of Enugu State disowned him, describing his political utterances as divisive and unbecoming of a priest.The church noted that his utterances breached canon 220 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law which prohibited anyone from illegitimately harming the good name of a person.Mbaka in his apology letter titled: “Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka Blesses His Excellency Peter Obi and His Supporters”, also said “If in any way, the supporters of Mr Peter Obi feel offended by my utterances or however I was misunderstood by them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness.”The statement which the SaharaReporters obtained on Friday, was personally signed by Rev Fr Mbaka Ejike Camillus Anthony.He however prayed for Peter Obi, that God would grant him his will, asking God to allow for an emergence of a president that would deliver Nigeria from the trouble of bad leadership.The apology letter reads, “My Dear People Of God, I am grateful to God for His unquantifiable and favorable blessings, miracles, love and life for the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria.”I assure the people of God and Nigerians that I am praying for good governance and good leadership in this country and that God will give us leaders after His own heart.”As it stands right now, it is obvious that Nigeria is passing through indescribable insecurity challenges, an inestimable unemployment crisis, massive corruption, heinous crimes, and unbearable suffering engendered by bad leadership.”I bear with my fellow country men and women in whatever we are passing through in this trying time. I call on the adorers and the entire people of God to join hands in praying that God will deliver us from the plans of the devil and its wicked agents.”I am a servant of God and my intention is not to malign His Excellency, Peter Obi’s image, but to pray for him. May God’s will be done in his life. I pray to God whom I serve to give our beloved people good and excellent leaders who will take care of them and lead them to the promise land. Anyone who God wishes to make our leader is my choice.”In this vein, I give my blessings to His Excellency Peter Obi and his supporters, I also give my blessings to the other candidates and their supporters whose intention is also to give Nigeria good leaders. In any way, the supporters of Mr Peter Obi feel offended by my utterances or however I was misunderstood by them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness. As a servant of the Most High God, I pray that it shall be well with my people. I am an ardent supporter of Good Governance, Justice, Equity, Love, and Godliness.”At this time our people are passing through the valleys of shadows of death (Ps23.4), I pray for peace, love, and anything that will bring blessings and favour to our people and to our suffering teaming youths. I will always stand with you in all your ordeals. God will take care of you and bless you miraculously for me.”It added, “My intention is not to fight or malign Mr.Peter Obi. He is my friend and remained my friend and brother I love him and I wish him Success May God bless him and his good supporters. God’s will be done in his political endeavors (Mk.14:36)”The followers of Peter Obi are the same youths I am praying for, sacrificing for, fighting for, speaking for, and working for their integral well-being. What the youths are passing through and their conditions give me sleepless nights. It is for this reason that I yearn for good governance and worthy leaders that will take care of them. We are passing through indescribable, unbearable, and undeserved hardship in this country. I pray for Divine intervention.”I am not in any political party but I support good people and good governance. Any good person that God can give us is my choice candidate. I am a servant of God; For the sake of peace, I ask for forgiveness in any way I am misunderstood. And to Peter Obi himself, I ask God to bless him and manifest his will in his life. When God says Yes, who can say No? And when God says No, who can say Yes? I bless Peter Obi and pray for him. I bless my dear fellow Adores and pray for them. I bless the people of God everywhere and I pray that it shall be well with you all.”
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E2%80%93-islamic-group-muric-hails All South-West Schools Should Allow Students Use Hijab – Islamic Group, MURIC Hails Supreme Court Ruling On Lagos State
An Islamic group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Friday commended the Supreme Court of Nigeria judgment approving the use of hijab in public schools in Lagos State.MURIC said all states in the South-West region should embrace the ruling and allow female students freely us hijabs across its public schools.The seven-man panel of the apex court in its judgment on Friday upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on July 21, 2016, which quashed the judgment delivered by Justice Grace Onyeabo of the Lagos State High Court on October 17, 2014 in favour of the state government on hijab restriction in public schools in the state.
Though two of the panel members opposed the judgment, five other members held that restriction of use of hijab in public schools is a violation of constitutional rights of Muslim female students.In the ruling written by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by Lagos State against the Court of Appeal judgment in 2016 for lack of merit.Reacting to the judgment, MURIC Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, in a statement described the judgment as a Divine victory over social truth.Akintola said, “Once again, this pronouncement has infused hope in the Nigerian judiciary. The justices have refused to be swayed by religious sentiment. They stuck to the facts of the case and relied on the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution. This is evident in the constitution of the panel: only three of them are Muslims while the remaining four are Christians. Yet five of them were in favour.“We call on the Lagos State Government (LASG) to immediately implement the letter and spirit of this judgment. It becomes imperative for LASG to issue a circular on the approval of hijab in all its public schools without any delay. MURIC had earlier demanded the issuance of this circular but LASG ignored our demand to date.“But the highest court in the land has now spoken and LASG cannot afford to delay it because this is a constitutional matter and an issue of great public interest. Had it been freely given had been good, but it has been delayed until the victims of oppression and persecution can no longer express gratitude to LASG for having their Allah-given fundamental human rights restored by the Supreme Court.“We can see the doors of South West prisons opening to admit culprits of contempt of this Supreme Court pronouncement. After all, it is well known that there is no appeal for Supreme Court judgement. It is the last bus stop. All public school authorities, hardliner principals, and classroom teachers in Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, etc, are advised to take note.”
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