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Saturday 10 September 2016

Kgalema Motlanthe assures investors of stability in SA



Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe at the ANC Mangaung leadership conference on 18 December 2012. Picture: Aletta Gardner/EWN

JOHANNESBURG - Former president Kgalema Motlanthe says the fact that there has been a change in the leadership in key metros, without any major ripple effects, shows how stable the country is. 
Motlanthe was speaking on the sidelines of his address as a panelist on the Assessment of Key Legislation.
He chairs the 17-person panel that is probing whether the laws approved by Parliament since 1994 are working.
Kgalema Motlanthe wouldn't be drawn to comment on current issues facing government, including the spat between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the Hawks.
“That is not my area to comment on. As someone who was in Cabinet, I wouldn’t want to rise from the grave and be all wise.”
But he's moved to assure investors that South Africa is open for business.
“This country is stable enough. We’ve just had local government elections and there’s been change of leadership in key metros without any reprove.”
Motlanthe says Cabinet must be governed by the spirit of collegiality.

At the same time, the former president says political stability and predictability is a precondition for economic development.
Many senior government officials and analysts have criticised the current political state of the country.

NDA Cadet, ‘brutalised’ to death a day after arrival

Buratai
Lt Gen Buratai, COAS Nig

A fresh Cadet of Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA, Kaduna, James Didam Bulus, has died of alleged brutalisation from senior cadets, 24 hours after he finished registration and reported to hostel.

Sources informed Saturday Vanguard in Kaduna that people wept uncontrollably at the funeral of the 18 year-old James, with registration number NDA/ 11537, at the Military Cemetery, on Whaff Road, Kaduna, on Thursday while a contingent of Nigeria Army buried the late cadet with full military honour, even though he had served his country for only 24 hours.

Brigadier General, MG Kangye, Cadets Commandant of the school, handed over the Nigeria National Flag, a pair of army boot and army ceremonial cap to the mourning father of the deceased, Mr Didam Joshua, as women cried uncontrollably in the fenced cemetery. Relations of the deceased cadet were too distraught to speak to our correspondent, but a close family friend of Joshua said he was beaten to death on his “introductory” night.

 He said: “He arrived NDA on Saturday, 3rd September, 2016 and on Monday, 5th September; I was told that he was dead. It was my friend that drove his son to the gate of old NDA and they parted ways happily. But, I was told that he died on Sunday after he did not survive what I was told was ‘introduction’ beatings from his seniors. At the mortuary, you could see stitches on his head and he had bruises on other parts of the body. The NDA said that he died of stomach pain and that before he could be taken to the hospital, he died on the way. “I asked ‘how can such a brilliant, young boy who was very eager, proud and happy to serve his country get killed just a day when he reported to start what we all thought will be a brilliant military career? “How can a healthy, smart boy who was never a trouble maker have such wounds on his body, and someone is saying he had stomach problem? God knows the best. But it will be difficult for my friend (Joshua) to pull through this agony, especially his wife, “, he said.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of NDA, Captain Musa Yahaya, said that James, who hails from Kaduna municipality, had an accident on the day he was to report and came to NDA with injuries. He said: “It was when the new cadets were queuing to receive their kits that Cadet Didam slumped. He was immediately rushed to the clinic and was given the best of medical attention. When the doctors examined him, they found out that he had internal bleeding.

 He had earlier confided to one of his colleagues that he had an accident on his way to NDA. But that he was afraid to tell the authority so that they would not reject him. He was never brutalized. It was an accident that he had. That was what the autopsy confirmed. He died on Monday.”


Birth of a Nation gets standing ovation in Toronto


Nate Parker in The Birth of a NationImage copyrightFOX
Image captionNate Parker plays Nat Turner, the leader of a 19th Century slave revolt

After a public showing on Friday of the film - based on a slave uprising led by preacher Nat Turner in 1831 - Parker described it as "a labour of love".
Actor and director Nate Parker received an enthusiastic welcome as his film The Birth of a Nation screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
There were gasps in the audience at some of the harrowing scenes.
After the screening, Parker, who has faced media scrutiny over a historic rape trial, got a standing ovation.
Parker acted in, wrote and directed the film. It gained a huge amount of awards buzz when it first screened at the Sundance film festival in January.
However, recent media attention has been focused on Parker's acquittal for rape in 1999 and his accuser's subsequent suicide.

'No brainer'

Parker said: "I didn't have the benefit of learning about Nat Turner when I was at school, yet I grew up 42 miles (68km) east of where the rebellion happened.
"So you can imagine learning about this person, in the absence of heroes, meant a lot to me."
He said it was a "no brainer" that he would choose to tell the story on film.
"We should all look at this film in the sense that this was a person that stood against a system that was oppressing people," he told the audience.
"If we can relate to that in 2016, we must ask our selves what we would be willing to sacrifice for what we want our children, and our children's children, to enjoy."
Cameron Bailey, the Toronto festival's artistic director, described the film as a "painful story from American history and a story that needed to be told".
The Toronto International Film Festival runs until 18 September

US election: Clinton calls half of Trump supporters 'deplorables'



Hillary Clinton at LGBT fundraiser in New York on 9 September 2016Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionHillary Clinton was speaking at an LGBT fundraiser in New York

Speaking at a fundraiser, she said they were "racist, sexist, xenophobic, Islamophobic - you name it".
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has called half of Donald Trump's supporters a "basket of deplorables".
She then went on to say the rest of the Republican nominee's supporters were "just desperate for change".
Mr Trump's campaign manager said Mrs Clinton had insulted "millions of Americans", with her comments.
Polls released earlier this week suggest Mr Trump is gaining on Mrs Clinton, and the rivals are neck-and-neck in the key battleground states of Ohio and Florida.
In other developments:
  • Donald Trump said he would order an attack on Iranian boats if they approached US Navy ships. He appeared to be referring to a number of encounters between US and Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf.
  • Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence has published his tax returns, putting pressure on Mr Trump to do the same
  • The Clinton Presidential Library has released photos of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump from 2000 - when the families were on much friendlier terms
Donald Trump with Bill Clinton in 2000Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionPhotos have been released showing Donald Trump with Bill Clinton in more friendly times

Alt-Right group

Mrs Clinton's comments about her opponent's supporters were made at an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) fundraiser in New York.
"To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the 'basket of deplorables'. Unfortunately there are people like that, and he has lifted them up," she said.
But she said the other half of his supporters were individuals who felt let down by the economy and government and were desperate for change.
"They don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. Those are people we have to understand and empathise with as well."
Her campaign manager tweeted to say the "deplorables" she referred to were the Alt-Right - a far right, mainly online, group who critics accuse of being bigoted white nationalists.
(2/3) Obviously not everyone supporting Trump is part of the alt right, but alt right leaders are with TrumpImage copyright@NICKMERRILL
But Mr Trump's campaign manager felt it was a jibe at many others:
Kellyanne Conway tweets: One day after promising to be aspirational & uplifting. Hillary insults millions of Americans. #desperateImage copyright@KELLYANNEPOLLS
Singer Barbara Streisand performed at the fundraiser, with a version of Stephen Sondheim's song Send in the Clowns, parodying Mr Trump.

Syrian conflict: US and Russia agree peace moves

Russia and the US have agreed to coordinate air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, part of a detailed agreement to reduce the violence there.
The plan will begin with a "cessation of hostilities" from sunset on Monday. Syrian forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas.
Russia and the US will then establish a joint centre to combat jihadist groups, including so-called Islamic State (IS).
A Syrian opposition coalition has cautiously welcomed the agreement.
"We hope this will be the beginning of the end of the civilians' ordeal," said Bassma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the High Negotiations Committee.
"We welcome the deal if it is going to be enforced."
The announcement follows talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
The plan would need both the regime and opposition "to meet their obligations", Mr Kerry said.
The opposition had indicated it was prepared to comply with the plan, he said, provided the Syrian government "shows it is serious".
Mr Lavrov said Russia had informed the Syrian government about the arrangements and the Syrian government was "ready to fulfil them"
The accord also provides for humanitarian access.
"The cessation of hostilities requires access to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas, including Aleppo," Mr Kerry said.
Seven days after the start of the cessation of hostilities, Russia and the US will establish a "joint implementation centre" to fight IS and another main group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham used to be known as the Nusra Front but changed its name in June and announced it was cutting ties with al-Qaeda.
Mr Lavrov said the joint implementation centre would allow Russian and US forces to "separate the terrorists from the moderate opposition".
He said the Russian and US air forces would carry out co-ordinated strikes against the two groups, and that in some areas, that excluded action by the Syrian air force.
"We have agreed on the areas where such co-ordinated strikes would be taking place, and in those areas, on neutral agreement shared by the Syrian government as well, only the Russian and US air force will be functional," he said.
But Mr Lavrov added that "the Syrian air force will be functional in other areas, outside those that we have singled out for Russian-American military co-operation".

A complex plan

In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defence White Helmets, men stand in rubble after airstrikes hit eastern Aleppo, Syria, Friday, 9 September 2016.Image copyrightAP

By James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent, in Geneva

Much depends on America's ability to get opposition groups to distance themselves from their more extremist allies, and on Russia's ability to restrain Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Damascus had said it would fulfil its obligations.
But this is a complex plan and depends on all sides doing what has been agreed.
A deal in Geneva does not always become a reality on the ground.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry stressed that the plan could pave the way for a political transition.
"The plan is more prescriptive and far-reaching than any proposal to date and, if implemented by all sides, could allow political negotiations to take place on Syria's future," Mr Kerry said.
The United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, welcomed the agreement and said the UN would exert all efforts to deliver humanitarian aid.
Syrian rescue workers search for victims through the rubble of a building destroyed during air bombing in eastern Aleppo. Photo: 27 August 2016Image copyrightAFP
Image captionFighting between Syria's army and rebels for control of eastern Aleppo escalated in recent weeks

'Apex of horror'

Fighting has recently escalated between Syria's army and rebels in eastern Aleppo, where 250,000 people live.
On Sunday, Syrian government forces were reported to have recaptured parts of Aleppo which were lost to rebels last month, placing rebel-held districts in the city's east once again under siege.
Mr de Mistura warned earlier on Friday that food and water shortages made the situation in Aleppo even more serious than previously, and that fuel supplies could run out within days.
UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien told the BBC conditions in Aleppo had become appalling: "Eastern Aleppo is at the apex of horror, where any one of us, if we were there, would find life barely possible, let alone tolerable."
The US and Russia support opposite sides in the conflict that began in 2011: Washington backs a coalition of rebel groups it describes as moderate, while Moscow is seen as a key ally of President Assad.

FG spends N5bn on Presidential fleet in 15 months despite the biting harsh economy



Despite the biting economic recession in the country, the Federal Government has spent the sum of N5bn on the 10-aicraft Presidential Air Fleet in the last 15 months, document obtained exclusively from the Presidency by Saturday punch has revealed.
According to the document, the Presidency put the amount of money so far released for the Presidential Air Fleet since the inception of the current administration in May 2015 till date in the region of N5bn.
The breakdown of the sum showed that N2.3bn was released for PAF by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation between May and November 2015.
That figure included releases for personnel costs, overheads and capital expenditures; out of the N5.19bn appropriated for PAF in the 2015 budget.
Of the sum, the Presidency said N99.715m was spent on aircraft maintenance, spares and subscription services.
The sum of N98.5m was also spent on operations; N165.373m on training and N85.5m on personnel medicals and overheads.
During the period, the document claimed that PAF spent N1.350bn to settle outstanding liabilities carried over from 2014 while N500m was refunded to the NSA for financial support rendered for the maintenance of the Fleet prior to release of funds.
According to findings from aviation experts, however, the Federal Government may have spent about N19.9bn on the 10-aircraft PAF in the last 15 months of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The large-size PAF inherited from the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is the second largest airline in the country, coming after Arik Air which has 23 aircraft in its fleet.
According to experts’ estimated projections of expenses made in line with the cost of running and maintaining airplanes, about $65.13m (N19.9bn), using the official exchange rate of N305.5 per dollar, may have been spent on the 10-aicraft presidential fleet between May 29, 2015 and August 29, 2016.
According to the Presidency, the PAF contains 10 aircraft. These are: Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or AirForce One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters and two AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters. Each of the two Falcon 7X jets were purchased in 2010 by the Federal Government for $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550 costs $53.3m, a former Minister of Information, the late Pro. Dora Akunyili, had said.
The price of other aircraft in the fleets could not be ascertained. But according to Wikipedia, price.wescrawler. com and airline executives, the factory price of other aircraft in the fleet are: Boeing Business Jet, $59m; HS 4000, $22.9m; AgustaWestland 139, $12m; and AgusatWestland 101, $21m.
This brings a combined estimated value of Nigeria’s PAF to $347.4m (N106.13bn).
According to airline chief executives and industry experts, airlines spend between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an aircraft on its operation yearly.
They explained that averagely, a little less than one-fifth of the cost of the plane is spent every year on insurance, flight and cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling, catering and training.
Using a conservative percentage of 15 per cent, it means that about $52.11m (N15.92bn) must have been spent on the presidential fleet by May 29, 2016.
A quarter of the annual maintenance cost ($52.11 or N15.92bn) would also have been spent to maintain the 10-aircraft in the presidential fleet in three months after May 29, if the Federal Government followed experts’ recommendation on maintenance of its air fleet.
This means that between June and August this year, an additional $13.02m (N3.98bn) would have been spent in principle to maintain the 10-aicraft presidential fleet.
It means, all things being equal, between May 29, 2015 and August 29, 2016 (15 months), the Presidency would have spent $65.13m (N19.9bn) to maintain the 10-aicraft presidential fleet.
Though the amount ought to have been N12.8bn, the depreciation of the naira from 197/dollar to 305.5/dollar at the official interbank market raised the amount to N19.9bn. This indicates an increase of 45 per cent.
Aviation experts told Saturday PUNCH that depreciation in naira value had made the cost of maintaining airplanes to go up astronomically.
This, they argued, was because airline and aircraft maintenance expenses were denominated in dollars.
They therefore urged the President o reduce the size of the PAF as soon as possible.
The General Secretary, Aviation Round Table, an industry pressure group, Group Captain John Ojikutu, said Buhari needed to reduce the PAF and sell aircraft belonging to most of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
He said, “It is high time the Presidency reduced the number of aircraft in that fleet. We can’t be spending our scarce forex to maintain a large fleet of 10 aircraft.”
A few weeks after his inauguration, Buhari had reportedly ordered the immediate disposal of some of the planes in the PAF.
However, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, later denied knowledge of such directive.
“The story of the order for the sale of aircraft in the Presidential Fleet, about which so much interest is being expressed, is not known to us,” Shehu had said.
Other aviation experts and Nigerians had called on the President to reduce the fleet.
A former Assistant General Secretary, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Tukur, said the aircraft could be sold to both airline operators and private individuals who could use them for commercial purposes.
He said that this could generate more revenue and create jobs.
Nigeria happens to be one of the few countries with a large PAF.
Most major countries in Europe and Asia maintain two aircraft in their PAF. According to Wikipedia, Japan maintains only two Boeing 747-400 planes in its PAF.
Netherlands government operates only two aircraft, a Fokker 70 and Gulfstream IV to transport the Dutch Royal family and government officials such as the Prime Minister and other ministers.
The Queen of England and the UK’s Prime Ministers often go on British Airways chartered flights for long trips.
Countries like Ghana, Algeria and a host of others in Africa maintain only one aircraft in their PAF.
Reacting to the development, Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said spending a whopping N5bn on maintenance of 10 aircraft at a time when many states “cannot pay salaries and dozens of families going hungry across most parts of the country is insensitive and a hallmark of an anti-people regime.”
While condemning the All Progressives Party-led Federal Government for engaging in the same ‘sins’ it accused the ousted Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for, Adeniran said the high level of waste on the part of the government in the face of hunger wasn’t what Nigerians yearned for while electing Buhari.
He said, “Spending that type of money on maintenance of aircraft is not the best at this time. It is profligacy, it is unnecessary and smacks of insensitivity on the part of the regime that is supposed to effect positive change in the lives of the people.
“A few days ago the Federal Government launched the ‘Change begins with me’ campaign but I disagree with the government that because it is like shifting the goalpost to Nigerians. This administration has not shown us that it has good plans. All the policies that have been implemented so far – both fiscal and monetary – are anti-people. This is not the type of government that we yearned for.
“They criticised Goodluck Jonathan of keeping a large fleet of aircraft but they are also doing the same thing. I think Buhari is alone in his anti-corruption fight because most of his cabinet members have not been able to detach themselves from the lifestyle of the past regime.
A former Governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said President Buhari administration “is as wasteful as the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.”
He also asked the President to sell some of the jets in order to minimise wastage.“They should sell off some of the jets in order to reduce wastage of our economic resources and also to demonstrate the change they are talking about,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Presidential Garba Shehu, hinted that there was a committee already deliberating on trimming the presidential fleet.
He made the revelation in a reaction to a tweet by blogger, Japheth Omojuwa, who asked why the Presidency has yet to reduce the 10 aircraft on its fleet.
“There is a government committee already in place, working to reduce the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet,” Shehu said.

Chibok girls saga is a scam – Christian Women



More than two years after the alleged abduction of over 200 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents, a coalition of Christian women in Nigeria, under the aegis of Women’s Wing of Christian Council of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja, described it as “a big scam.”
The organisation warned proponents of the campaign for the release of the Chibok girls to retreat, saying “Nigerians should not toy with Nigerians because before they know it, women will arise and they will see the other side of women.”
Before now, notable Nigerians, including a former President, had reportedly described the Chibok incident which took place on the night of April 14/15 April 2014, as a scam.
Meanwhile, a group, currently championing the release of the abducted girls under the aegis of Bring Back Our Girls (#BBOG#), has been clashing with pro-government forces.
The #BBOG#, led by a former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, had been barred by security agencies from any form of protest.
The National President of WOWICCN, Rev. Mrs. Omatsola Williams, in an interview with journalists during the organisation’s 2nd biennial national convention in Abuja, themed: “Women-Goodly Heritage”, said people are now using the #BBOG# campaign to promote themselves and their pockets.
She said, “For me, I don’t believe that there is (any kidnapping of) Chibok girls. We should not use the lives of people to play ‘Jambo’ (game) at all. Some people are using this to make money. How thick is the Sambisa forest that (military) people cannot penetrate? Food for thought; when you come to Niger Delta area, there is no secret. Nigerians should not toil with Nigerians because before they know it, women will arise and they will see the other side of women.”
But the BBOG said it had no comment. “We won’t respond to the comment,” its spokesman, Abdullahi Abubakar, said.
Speaking on the current economic situation in Nigeria, Williams said that it was high time “we all returned to the drawing board and make use of “our God-given talents.”
The WOWICCN President said that the country had a lot of opportunities if well harnessed, which could turn around the fortune of the people for the better.
She said, “Let all of us go back to the drawing board and forget about oil. Nigeria is a blessed country, a fertile land that has a lot of opportunities to tap. We have forgotten, even the talents given to us, we don’t want to use it. Now is the time, the era of white-collar jobs is over.”

Edo: INEC has lost its independence –PDP lawmakers, others



Groups and some lawmakers in the National Assembly on Friday berated the Independent National Electoral Commission under the leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu
The groups, which reacted to the postponement of the Edo State governorship poll based on the advice of the police and the Department of State Services said INEC had shown that it was not truly independent.
But the spokesman for the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the electoral body was guided by the law and took decisions based on the provisions of that law.
The Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Leo Ogor, told Saturday PUNCH that Edo State had not witnessed any form of crisis at a scale comparable to other states in the South-South.
He said INEC appeared to have surrendered its independence to the executive branch of government.
Ogor said, “From my point of understanding, the situation on ground shows very clearly that the All Progressives Congress has taken over the control of INEC.
“But we are not disturbed because what they have just done is to shift the date.  Even the people of Edo State are upset. Wherever it goes, they have only shifted the date when Edo people will speak very clearly.”
 Also, a member of the House of Representatives from Enugu State, Patrick Asadu, expressed concern over repeated cases of shift in elections in the country.
Asadu said, “It has become a concern that INEC cannot conduct election in one state and that our entire security system cannot secure a single state.”
But a former Chairman, PDP South-West Management Committee, Ishola Filani, said INEC could no longer be trusted under Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He said, “Everybody was ready for election in Edo State and none of the political parties was complaining about anything. You just came to say there were security issues.  It either that they are inept or something is wrong.”
A member of the Senate representing Edo-Central Senatorial District, Senator Clifford Ordia, told one of our correspondents that the postponement of the poll was suspicious.
The senator asked why the same security apparatus put in place when President Muhammad Buhari and other personalities held the APC rally could not be provided for the poll.
Ordia, who is one of the two PDP senators from Edo, said the postponement indicated that the APC was not prepared for the election.
He asked, “How can security agencies be talking about security situations now? Does it mean that the APC is not ready for the election?”
Ordia dismissed Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s claim that the election date would clash with the West African Examination Council’s examination for secondary school pupils.
But a South-West leader of the PDP and member of the Senate representing Ogun-West Senatorial District, Senator Buruji Kashamu, differed with Filani and Ordia. He said the security reason for shifting of the poll was valid.
Kashamu said, “When I was checking the Twitter this morning, I saw (the photos) a lot of hoodlums carrying weapons and the news I heard yesterday (Thursday) was that the election was postponed based on a security report. So far with all INEC has been doing, I cannot boldly come out and say that INEC is not performing well under this government.
“We, the PDP, have been winning elections in states, the National Assembly and local government areas. There is no way I can say that INEC is not doing well under this government.”
Also the President, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Malachy Ugwummadu, said though it was within INEC’s power to postpone the election, the circumstance was curious.
He said if the DSS and the police raised security concerns, INEC was expected to ascertain the grounds given by the two agencies were verifiable and cogent.
Ugwummadu, however, said the timing and circumstances of the latest postponement left much to be desired.
According to Ugwummadu, the cost of  logistics of the exercise makes the postponement a disaster and waste of resources.
Also, a lawyer and rights activist, Mr. Femi Aina, said postponement of elections in Nigeria has become “a staple diet for INEC.”
 He said Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010 gives INEC the power to postpone an election, but it must have verifiable and cogent reasons for doing so.
Aina said, “The threat of attack stated as the reason for the postponement of the election could be regarded as a cogent reason, but the question remains that a responsible body charged with responsibility of conducting an election should have envisaged the threat. Even if you postpone the election, does that mean the threat will go away?
“The last minute postponement will not enrich democratic experience; last minute postponement after weeks of assurance undermines the democratic process and it is a waste of resources at a time when Nigerians are going through a lot of hardship
“It remains a mystery because security agencies’ advice was supposed to have been sought before now. Why was the security issue not raised months back?
“Honestly speaking, INEC has let the tax payers down and one can only hope that there will not be a repeat of such during the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election.”
  • ••we’re not responsible for poll shift –APC

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, dismissed a claim that the party was behind the poll shift.
Odigie-Oyegun told Saturday PUNCH that the APC and its candidate were more prepared for the governorship election initially slated for today than the PDP before the postponement.
He said, “We were prepared for the election before it was postponed. When the issue of security comes up, there is nothing one can do.
“Nobody has any choice because if you say bravado, you want to go on and one life is lost, you will never forgive yourself.  The decision to postpone affects us more than some people are willing to admit.”



Nigerian Paralympian Rolland Ezuruike wins Gold while Latifat Tijani wins Silver for Nigeria in Rio 2016


Nigerian Paralympian, Rolland Ezuruike won the first Gold for the country in the on going Rio 2016 Paralympic games, when he lifted 200kg in the men’s 54kg to beat China’s Jian Wang and Greece’s Dimitrios Bakochristos to the top prize. It is Nigeria’s first gold and the second medal in the games.
The Gold medal was the first in the games for Nigeria but the 2nd medal so far.

Latifat Tijani won the first medal by clinching a silver medal in the women’s 45kg power lifting event with a lift of 106kg. China’s Dandan Hu won gold with a lift of 107 kg while Zoe Newson of Great Britain won the bronze medal.
Tijani entered the competition at 101kg, while other competitors attempted below 100kg.

Tijani lifted 106kg to come second after going back and forth with China's Hu who eventually won  the competition by clinching a Gold medal.