Buhari to Service Chiefs: Your excuses’ll no longer be tolerated [Sun]
President Muhammadu Buhari has told services chiefs that their best is not good enough as regards the security challenges in the country.
At a meeting with security heads at the Presidential Villa yesterday, he said excuses would no longer be tolerated as he expected them to live up to expectations.
Addressing state house correspondents at the end of the meeting, Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser (NSA), said the president was briefed on how the rising security challenges across the country were being tackled.
UNPO: Uwazuruike set to lead Biafra delegation to Washington DC as member [Sun]
A delegation of ‘Biafran government’ would attend the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation’s General Assembly in Washington DC, following its admission as the 46th member-nation.
President of Biafra Internal Government (BIG), Solomon Ordu Chukwu, was quoted as saying founder of Biafra Independence Movement and Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (BIM-MASSOB), Ralph Uwazuruike, would lead four other leaders of Biafra Internal Government during the inauguration/swearing-in ceremony the UNPO membership.
Edo guber: PDP shifts primary, admits Obaseki today [Sun]
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s, long awaited formal defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holds today at the party’s Secretariat in Benin.
Party leaders and supporters had thronged the secretariat expecting the governor’s arrival when information came that the event had been shifted.
South South National Vice Chairman of the PDP, Emmanuel Ogidi, also confirmed that the party’s governorship primary originally scheduled for today and tomorrow, have been shifted to Tuesday, June 23.
COVID-19: we’ll no longer tolerate flouting of guidelines –FG [Sun]
THE Federal Government has said it would no longer tolerate flouting of eased lockdown guidelines.
Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on coronavirus (COVID-19), Dr. Sani Aliyu, who stated this at yesterday’s briefing in Abuja, said government was concerned about the several reports on the flouting of the COVID-19 guidelines.
This is as Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire, warned that fatalities will increase with the increasing number of positive cases.
WHO stops chloroquine trial, certifies Nigeria polio free [Sun]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stopped hydroxychloroquine solidarity trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, three days after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew its approval for the emergency use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, saying they may not be effective for the infection.
WHO said evidence has shown that hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, does not reduce the mortality rate of COVID-19.
APC tussle: I never asked court to declare Giadom acting chair, says vice chair [Nation]
A COURT has issued an interim order extending an earlier order, granting All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Secretary Victor Giadom the right to act as national chairman.
But the sole plaintiff in the suit, Mustapha Salihu, the National Vice Chairman (Northeast), disowned the injunction granted ex-parte by Justice Samiru Umar Bature of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The defendants in the suit are: Babatunde Ogala, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Waziri Bulama and the APC.
Salihu told reporters in a telephone interview on Thursday: “I was not part of such shenanigan. It is not in my character to play such dirty politics and I condemn in strong terms those behind the act. At a time like this when the party is going through trying times, it is such a time that all lovers of the party must pull together to keep the party running.”
He added: “My zone, the North East, has already nominated Architect Waziri Bulama in the presence of the Senate president, APC governors from the zone and other party stakeholders as the acting national secretary. I was at the meeting where this decision was reached. So why now would I go back to obtain a court order to act as national secretary?
80% of infected persons not in isolation centres, says Fed Govt [Nation]
THE Federal Government on Thursday urged Nigerians to prepare for difficult days ahead as cases of corona virus infections continue to rise. It also raised the alarm that 80 percent of infected persons were not in isolation centres.
The government warned that the effect of increased transmission of the dreaded disease would seen in three weeks through increased death figures as a result of the pandemic, adding that the risk of infection is now higher.
Ajimobi alive, say daughter-in-law, aide [Nation]
“THANK you for all the messages but our father is still alive, alhamdulillah. When it is our time we will all die. So, wait first…”
The above were the words of Ajimobi’s daughter-in-law Mrs. Fatima Ganduje-Ajimobi in a tweet to respond to enquiries on the rumoured death of the former Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi.
COVID-19 cases hit record 745, PTF fears rain’ll boost infections [Punch]
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Thursday advised Nigerians to obey its guidelines on coronavirus to avoid a resurgence of the virus during the rainy season.
The PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who gave the warning during the task force press briefing in Abuja, said there could be a resurgence of COVID-19 during the rainy season unless Nigerian adhered to the PTF guidelines.
He also listed the group’s achievements since its inauguration by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), three months ago.
He listed steps taken by the Federal Government through the PTF to check the spread of COVID-19 since the task force inauguration.
According to him, the measures include lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital Territory; ban on flights, ban on interstate travels and domestic flights, closure of schools and religious centres and imposition of nationwide curfew.
PDP NWC considers waiver for Obaseki, postpones primary [Punch]
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party held a meeting in Abuja over the Edo State chapter of the party.
Our correspondent gathered that the meeting was in continuation of further consultations on how best to accommodate the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his supporters expected to join the party’s ranks before the governorship primary which has been shifted to June 23 from June19 and 20.
It was learnt that the NWC agreed to grant the governor a waiver in line with the party’s constitution to enable him to contest the primary.
APC factions continue battle as court affirms Giadom party chair [Punch]
The two factions of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday continued their battles for the control of the party.
The APC Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, who, on Wednesday, declared himself as the acting national chairman after the Court of Appeal suspended the substantive Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, on Thursday obtained a court order affirming him as the acting chairman.
The High Court of Federal Capital Territory, which gave the latest order, also directed Giadom to preside over the party’s National Executive Committee meetings.
But the pro-Oshiomhole faction led by Senator Abiola Ajimobi began consultations with the APC stakeholders in the South-South with the aim of replacing Giadom as the deputy national secretary.
It also went ahead to inaugurate its primary and appeal committees for the Edo State governorship election.
Airlines Can’t Resume Flights June 21 – FG [Leadership]
The proposed June 21 date for the resumption of operations by domestic airlines is no longer be feasible, the federal government has said. This was revealed by the minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who was reprsented by the the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority , Capt Musa Nuhu at a Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 briefing in Abuja yesterday.
According to him, “the civil aviation authorities, despite pressure from all quarters, will not approve the start “until we are sure and we confirm that we are ready to start in a safe, secure, organised and efficient manner. To do otherwise is disastrous for all of us. “ If we open the industry when we are not ready, and we are guilty of spreading coronavirus, God forbid, we have any incident, I believe the government will come hard on us and it is going to be counterproductive and disastrous for the industry. “
You Can Still Do Better, PMB Tells Security Chiefs [Leadership]
President Muhammadu Buhari has read the riot act to security chiefs with the charge to reverse the ugly tide of killings in the country. The president added that the security chiefs best efforts in securing the country are not good enough. Buhari gave this directive during a meeting, yesterday with heads of security agencies.
The national security adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rted), who disclosed this to State House correspondents, said the president has declared that excuses will no longer be tolerated as he expects everyone to live up to expectations going forward. Monguno also stated that the President ordered him to meet with all north west governors, including that of Niger State, in order to ascertain the problems and find lasting solutions.
APC At The Crossroads As Court Declares Giadom Acting Chair [Leadership]
The leadership tussle within the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed a deeper crisis dimension yesterday as a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) renewed the order empowering deputy national secretary of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, to act as the national chairman of APC for two weeks. The court headed by Justice S.U Bature granted the order following an exparte application brought by Giadom’s counsel, Wole Afolabi, asking the court to extend the lifespan of the order it made on March 16, 2020. The court also ordered that Comrade Mustapha Salihu, the APC national vice chairman (North East), should act as national secretary of the party.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had on Tuesday night picked its deputy national chairman (South) and former Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as acting national chairman of the party. But a few hours after the Court of Appeal affirmed Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s suspension as national chairman of the party that same Tuesday, Giadom declared himself as acting APC national chairman. He argued that as the party’s deputy national secretary, he was the highest ranking official following the ruling of the appellate court which upheld Oshiomhole’s suspension and declared all his actions within the period of his suspension null and void.