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Buhari must go, Obasanjo insists

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Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that the country’s current president Muhammadu Buhari must be voted out when the West African nation goes to poll in 2019. Obasanjo, who supported Buhari in 2015 against Goodluck Jonathan, said in a statement on Sunday that his former ally had done almost nothing to reposition the country. Buhari rode into power in 2015 on the wings of populist promises of remodelling the economy, fighting biting insecurity, especially in northeast Nigeria and rein in the reign of corruption that has blighted the country for decades. But critics like the former president said Buhari’s government has performed way below expectations. In January, the former president accused Buhari of being nepotistic and said the president was lacking in the requisite capacity to make Nigeria better. Obasanjo acknowledged his complicity in making a man who he said “is weak in the knowledge and understanding of the economy” the president. He said he thought that B
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First European Contact With Nigeria Was 1485 By The Great Benin Empire: Southern Nigeria

The first European travelers to reach Benin were Portuguese explorers in about 1485. A strong mercantile relationship developed, with the Edo trading tropical products such as ivory, peppers and palm oil with the Portuguese for European goods such as manila and guns. In the early 16th century, the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon, and the king of Portugal sent Christian missionaries to Benin City. Some residents of Benin City could still speak a pidgin Portuguese in the late 19th century. The first English expedition to Benin was in 1553, and significant trading developed between England and Benin based on the export of ivory, palm oil and pepper. Visitors in the 16th and 17th centuries brought back to Europe tales of "the Great Benin", a fabulous city of noble buildings, ruled over by a powerful king. However, the Oba began to suspect Britain of larger colony designs and ceased communications with the British until the British Expedition in 1896-97 which resulted in a weakne
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PDP is behaving like a militant organisation – Presidency

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PDP chairman, Uche Secondus and APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole ABUJA – THE Presidency on Monday said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was behaving like a militant group instead of following the democratic tenets in its activities on national issues. This is as the Presidency has also said that the victory recorded by the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the National Assembly bye elections in Katsina, Bauchi and Kogi States at the weekend was an indication of President Muhammadu Buhari’s acceptance by Nigerians and what will be expected in the 2019 elections. Briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu, flanked by his colleague in the office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande said that each of the bye elections was considered to be epic in nature. The Presidential spokesman said that the allegation of bribery for votes and vote-buying was a s
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2019: PDP to prune number of Presidential aspirants

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Uche Secondus ABUJA- Ahead of the 2019 Presidential elections, there are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded plans to cut down the number of its Presidential aspirants before the primary election. The plan, our correspondent gathered, is aimed at preventing unnecessary dissipation of energy by supporters and members of the PDP as well as nipping in the bud, possible fragmentations within the ranks of the party. Although the leadership of the party has continuously reiterated its commitment to fairness and justice, the current move is being orchestrated with the active cooperation of some of the aspirants. A highly-placed party source told this medium in confidence that those that have been told to drop their ambitions would be “compensated in one way or the other,” adding that what is of utmost importance is victory at the polls for the party. “The number of Presidential aspirants keep increasing by the day and this is a bit
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Court dismisses corruption charges against ex-Enugu gov, Nnamani

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Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed the corruption charges against a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani. The ruling delivered by the judge, Chuka Obiozor struck out the charges against the former governor for lack of “proper charges” before it. Former Gov. Chimaroke Nnamani The judge gave the ruling after saying that the affidavit filed by Mr. Nnamani showed that the court had entered judgement in the same suit on July 5, 2015, by another judge, Mohammed Yunusa. Rickey Tarfa, counsel to Mr. Nnamani, had informed the court that the defendant filed a motion disclosing the facts that this case has been put to rest by Mr. Yunusa in his judgement suit no FHc/L/09c/07. According to Mr. Tarfa, a senior advocate of Nigeria, parties in the suit had entered a plea bargain before Mr. Yunusa and there is no valid pending charges before the Judge, Obiozor , as the court cannot sit on appeal for the case of another judge of concurrent jurisdiction. However, the EF
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Trump blasts Oprah over 60 Minutes episode

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Trump and Oprah U.S. President Donald Trump blasted media mogul Oprah Winfrey on Twitter on Sunday night over a segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes program. Trump also expressed hope that she (Winfrey) would face him as an opponent in the 2020 presidential race Actress and television host Winfrey, now a contributor to the CBS program, led a panel of 14 Republican, Democrat and Independent voters from Grand Rapids, Michigan in a wide ranging discussion about Trump’s first year in office. Trump tweeted: “Just watched a very insecure Oprah Winfrey, who at one point I knew very well, interview a panel of people on 60 Minutes. “The questions were biased and slanted, the facts incorrect. “Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!” Winfrey has told various media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly that she is not running for president, but has considered it, after there was much recent media speculation. The panelists ranged from voters who said “I love h
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Horror: Governor’s aide crushes own daughter

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Abdullahi Darma and daughter, Aisha Mr. Abdullahi Darma, Governor Aminu Masari’s Special Assistant on Religious Affairs, is reported to have accidentally crushed his daughter, Aisha, with his car. Punch reported that the incident occurred at Darma’s Katsina house while he was reversing the vehicle. The governor’s aide did not know that the toddler was behind the car. “The car ran over the girl and she died on the spot,” punch said. Darma also posted news of the tragic incident on Facebook, which elicited an outpouring of condolences from sympathisers and associates, many of who also besieged his residence to commiserate with him. “A few minutes ago, I got tested by God. I was reversing my car when I crushed my daughter mistakenly and she died,” he said in Hausa in the Facebook post. Darma was brief in his response on Sunday when our correspondent sought to know how the accident occurred. He described it as “an act of God.” The story is already agog in social media, especially twitt
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Buhari rejects Nigerian Peace Corps Bill

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As the Nigerian Peace Corps battles the Nigeria Police to vacate its national secretariat, the legality of the organisation might have run into trouble as the President has not assented to its establishment bill, which was transmitted to him last year. Saturday Vanguard learnt from competent sources that President Muhammadu Buhari, apparently bowing to security advice, has not appended his signature to the NPC Establishment Bill, which was officially sent to him by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sani Omolori, in the last week of December 2017. Findings by Saturday Vanguard indicate that the 30-day window under, which the president should sign a bill duly transmitted to him elapsed on January 31, 2018, leaving the National Assembly with the only option of mobilising two thirds of its members to veto the president’s rejection of the bill. By implication, the Presidency has thrown out the NPC bill and the piece of legislation okayed by the two chambers of the NASS can therefor
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Drama as police parades Lagos serial killer, alleged sponsor

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There was drama at Lagos police command headquarters Ikeja on Friday when an alleged serial killer, Adeola Williams, a.k.a Ade Lawyer claimed responsibility for about 12 unresolved assassinations in the state while accusing a former Chairman of the Lagos Island branch of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Rafiu Akanni Olohunwa of hiring him to kill a former Idumota branch Chairman of the union, Azeez Adekunle Lawal, a.k.a ‘Kunle Poly’ last month. Though the embattled NURTW boss denied the allegation, but his serial killer accomplice told him point blank “You sent me to kill him”. Olohunwa who was paraded alongside ‘Ade lawyer’ by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohinmi Edgal, denied knowledge of paying his accuser N1.5 million to assassinate anyone. Confessing his sins, ‘Ade lawyer’ confirmed he killed one Ganiyu Ayinla, a Personal Assistant to ‘Kunle Poly’ at No 1 John Street, Idumota, Lagos, while on an assignment to kill the deceased’s boss. “ I a
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2019: Why north cannot produce consensus candidate – Junaid Mohammed

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How time flies. In the build up to the 2015 elections, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, a leading northern politician, was one of those who campaigned vigorously for the election of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president. Strangely, barely three years into Buhari’s presidency, Junaid is now leading the pack to stop Buhari from going for a second term, accusing him of promoting corruption and nepotism. Mohammed: Buhari has failed and should not be voted again In an interview with Saturday Vanguard, he said Buhari should go home and rest instead of thinking of a second term, having failed Nigerians woefully during his first term which is yet to end Excerpts: You must have lifted for joy when both former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida wrote statements on why President Buhari should not be considered for a second term To be honest, none of the two letters came to me as a surprise. They merely reinforced what I have been saying in the last two or three years ago. I have been sho
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