Monday, August 29, 2016

Thousands Affected By Flood Across Kaduna State.

Thousands of people in Kaduna State have been rendered homeless by flood as a result of three days downpour.

The flood which also submerges nearly 200 houses across the state, started since Friday morning, Saturday and Sunday evening.

Those forced out of their homes are estimated to be about 5000 persons.

Some communities in Jema’a local government were worst by the flood.

Other communities hit by the flood included, Zaria, Abubakar Kigo road new extension, Barnawa, Narayi , Rom, Rigasa among others.

The flood also washed away farmlands and properties, as some residents were seen rushing to remove some valuable equipment in their homes.

A resident of the area, Mr. Bulus said they were fast asleep when they suddenly discovered water was rushing into their home.  Before they could jump up the whole place was flooded within a twinkle of an eye.

“We were asleep at about 12.30am when we discovered water was coming into the house.   Before I could jump up the whole house was flooded, and within a twinkle of an eye it got to my shoulder, so, we just struggle to find our way into the ceiling crying for help,” he said.

It will be recalled that flooding has been occurring annually in most parts of the State during the rainy season, this is in spite of several warnings by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management (SEMA) asking those living near river banks and flood prone areas to vacate those places.

 


[LeadershipNG]

Gabon Main Opposition Candidate Claims Victory In Presidential Election


Gabon’s main opposition candidate Jean Ping said Sunday he had won a presidential election, beating the incumbent Omar Bongo.

Official results of Saturday’s vote are due out on Tuesday.

“I have been elected. I am waiting for the outgoing president to call to congratulate me,” Ping told journalists and his supporters in the capital Libreville.

The central African country’s interior minister has repeatedly stated that only results released by the electoral commission and confirmed by his ministry are valid.

Both of the two frontrunners had already predicted their own victory and accused the other of cheating.


Shortly after polling ended on Saturday, the president’s spokesman said, “Bongo will win… we are already on our way to a second mandate.”

In his comments Sunday, Ping, 73 added, “as I speak, the trends show we have won.”

Hundreds of his supporters began chanting “Jean Ping president!”

Ping said alleged attempts by Bongo’s camp to commit fraud had been foiled and that “we will finally see off the regime.”

Bongo, 57, has been in power since a disputed election held in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 41 years.

Earlier, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet said official results would be released around 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Tuesday and that it was “illegal to release results ahead of the official announcement by the competent authorities.”

AFP

Read The Email Message By Falae That Implicated GEJ



A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission an email correspondence between him and a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih.

Falae tendered the email as an evidence in the probe linking him to N100m election funds

It was learnt that Anenih, in the email, mentioned that he was acting on the instruction of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

 source at the EFCC told our correspondent that in the email dated March 2015, Anenih, who played a supervisory role in the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, informed Falae that N100m had been approved by Jonathan and would be handed over to him (Falae).

A source at the EFCC said, “In the email, Anenih told Chief Falae, who is the Chairman of the SDP that N100m had been approved by President Jonathan as part of the agreement between the PDP and the SDP ahead of the presidential election.

“He further urged Falae to provide an account which the money would be paid into.”

The N100m, which was given to Falae by Anenih, was said to have emanated from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

It was eventually paid into the account of Marreco Limited, where Falae is chairman. The fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account, 1000627022, on March 25, 2015.

When contacted on the telephone, a spokesman for Falae, Mr. Alfa Mohammed, confirmed that 78-year-old Falae had submitted all correspondence between Falae and the PDP.

He said, “We had a letter of agreement between the PDP and the SDP regarding cooperation between the two parties for the election. There was an email from Anenih stating that Mr. President (Jonathan) told him to transfer the money to that effect.

“We have submitted everything to the EFCC, but the EFCC has not deemed it fit to invite Anenih which shows that it is people within the All Progressives Congress that are just trying to rubbish the image of Chief Falae, who has served meritoriously as a permanent secretary, a SGF and a finance minister.”

Mohammed said the PDP still owed the SDP about N70m and it was unrealistic of the EFCC to ask Falae to return the N100m.

He said Falae could not have known that the money emanated from the ONSA and thus could not be held liable.

The commission had finalised plans to charge the ex-SGF with conspiracy to indirectly retain the sum of N100m which he ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an “unlawful act to wit: stealing.”

The EFCC had alleged in March that about N3.145bn was mysteriously transferred from the account of the ONSA to the account of Joint Trust Dimensions Limited, a company allegedly owned by the Director of Finance of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman.

Usman was said to have transferred N840m to the account of the Director of Publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in Maitama branch of the Zenith Bank with number, 1004735721, on February 19, 2015, while she allegedly gave Falae N100m on the instruction of Anenih.

A former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according to some documents, got N350m in two tranches. The first tranche of N150m was paid into their joint account with Zenith bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200m was credited into their account with Diamond bank.

Usman and Fani-Kayode had been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos and their accounts frozen while Udenwa and Falae are expected to be arraigned soon.

Attempts to reach the Media Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, were not successful as repeated calls to his mobile phones did not connect.

Similarly, a text message sent to his phones had yet to be delivered as of press time.

All attempts to speak with Anenih’s spokesman, Mr. Ojeifo Sufuyan, also proved abortive as his line did not connect, while a text message sent to his telephone had yet to be responded to as of 7pm on Sunday.

However, in a letter he had personally written to the EFCC in January, Anenih admitted that he received N260m for Jonathan’s election campaign out of which he gave Falae N100m.

He, however, maintained that the ex-President still owed him N180m.

Anenih had said, “I was not in a position to ask the former President how he was going to source the fund. I was not a direct beneficiary of the sum of N260m that was a part refund of the money I spent on the president’s instructions.

“A sum of N63 million was disbursed to a northern group, led by elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for mobilisation and post-election peace advocacy in that part of the country.

“N100m was given to the National Chairman of the SDP, Chief Olu Falae, to enable the party to mobilise support and votes for the PDP presidential candidate since the SDP did not have a candidate for the election.”

Full List VMA 2016 Nominees And Award Winners




MTV Video Music Awards 2016: All Our Coverage

Who else won big on Sunday night (Aug. 28) at New York's Madison Square Garden? Find all the winners below:

Video of the Year:
Adele – “Hello”
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
Kanye West – “Famous”                                      

Best Female Video:
Adele – “Hello”
Beyoncé – “Hold Up” -- WINNER
Sia – “Cheap Thrills”
Ariana Grande – “Into You”
Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work” (short version)

Best Male Video:
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Bryson Tiller – “Don’t”
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For” -- WINNER
Kanye West – “Famous”
The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face”

Best Collaboration: 
Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom”
Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home” -- WINNER
Ariana Grande ft. Lil Wayne – “Let Me Love You”
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work” (short version)

Best Hip Hop Video: 
Drake – “Hotline Bling” -- WINNER
Desiigner – “Panda”
Bryson Tiller – “Don’t”
Chance The Rapper – “Angels”
2 Chainz – “Watch Out”


Best Pop Video: 
Adele – “Hello”
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
Alessia Cara – “Wild Things”
Ariana Grande – “Into You”

Best Rock Video: 
All Time Low – “Missing You”
Coldplay – “Adventure Of A Lifetime”
Fall Out Boy ft. Demi Lovato – “Irresistible”
twenty one pilots – “Heathens” -- WINNER
Panic! At The Disco – “Victorious”

Best Electronic Video: 
Calvin Harris & Disciples – “How Deep Is Your Love” -- WINNER
99 Souls ft. Destiny’s Child & Brandy – “The Girl Is Mine”
Mike Posner – “I Took A Pill In Ibiza”
Afrojack – “SummerThing!”
The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”

Breakthrough Long Form Video:
Florence The Machine – The Odyssey
Beyoncé – Lemonade -- WINNER
Justin Bieber – PURPOSE: The Movement
Chris Brown – Royalty
Troye Sivan – Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy

Best New Artist: 
Bryson Tiller
Desiigner
Zara Larsson
Lukas Graham
DNCE -- WINNER

Song of Summer Presented by Verizon:
Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – “Closer”
Drake featuring Kyla & Wizkid – “One Dance”
Fifth Harmony featuring Fetty Wap – “All In My Head (Flex)” -- WINNER
Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop The Feeling”
Kent Jones – “Don’t Mind”
Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber MØ– “Cold Water”
Nick Jonas featuring Ty Dolla $ign – “Bacon”
Selena Gomez – “Kill ‘Em With Kindness”
Sia – “Cheap Thrills”

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES

Best Art Direction: 
Beyoncé – “Hold Up”
Fergie – “M.I.L.F. $”
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
David Bowie – “Blackstar” -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello”

Best Choreography: 
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell – “WTF (Where They From)”
Beyoncé – “Sorry”
FKA Twigs – “M3LL155X”
Florence The Machine – “Delilah”

Best Direction: 
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Coldplay – “Up&Up”
Adele – “Hello”
David Bowie – “Lazarus”
Tame Impala – “The Less I Know The Better”

Best Cinematography:
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello”
David Bowie – “Lazarus”
Alesso – “I Wanna Know”
Ariana Grande – “Into You”

Best Editing:
Beyoncé – “Formation” -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello”
Fergie – “M.I.L.F. $”
David Bowie – “Lazarus”
Ariana Grande – “Into You”

Best Visual Effects:
Coldplay – “Up&Up” -- WINNER
FKA Twigs – “M3LL155X”
Adele – “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”
The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face”
Zayn – “PILLOWTALK”

Saturday, August 27, 2016

First Nigeria Light Rail Set For Commissioning By Buhari In Calabar



The multi-billion Naira Calabar Light rail project, the first in Nigeria, would soon be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The 12-car monorail system, when fully operational, would use an Intamin P8 electric powered passenger shuttle train to convey passengers from Tinapa Resort, across Lake Tinapa to Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC).

The monorail would also allow access to Studio Tinapa, Tinapa Shopping Centre and Tinapa waterpark as well as provide a quick alternative access to Summit Hills.

Each car is primed for seven to eight passengers all seated, while the train’s length, width and height are approximately 38, 1.95 and 2.2 metres, respectively.

Gov. Ben Ayade had recently told journalists in Calabar that Buhari would inaugurate the train to mark his first year in office.

Mr Mba Mba, the station’s Electrical Engineer, said the light rail project was completed in December last year.


“Right now, the Calabar Monorail is ready for use pending inauguration by appropriate authorities.

“We have test-run the system and confirmed its readiness. Gov. Ben Ayade was here with his team to see for himself what is on ground.

“Tourists troop here on daily basis to take a ride. But they were disappointed as they were turned back.

The light rail project has three stations, Tinapa, Tinapa Lakeside Hotel and the Calabar International Conference Centre.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Presidency Reacts To Buhari - Dog Naming Scandal In Ogun State

The Presidency has reacted to the arrest and release of a man who allegedly named his dog Buhari.


According to a statement released by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, President Muhammadu Buhari had no hand in the arrest of the man.

In addition, Shehu stated that those linking the President with the incident are merely showing their ignorance of the type of person that PMB is.

His quotes:

"I am thinking of saying, using my own handle that people linking the President to this dog incident are just displaying their ignorance, of the type of person he is.

He enjoys cartoons and likes sharing them. The  ones he enjoys the most are those that caricature him.It is cheap and sensational to say he can order a police action against a caricature.

When he picks a paper, the first page he reaches for is the cartoon page. He laughs and laughs.

The President must be having a good laugh over this whole thing. People should listen to the real story behind this dog incident and to not waste precious time seeking the hand of the President in a laughable incident!"


Related Story: Why I Named My Dog Buhari: Dog Owner Narrates His Ordeal In Police Custody https://t.co/bBNpKTv0ik 

Read The SIX Conditions Given By Niger Delta Elders To FG

MONARCHS of Niger Delta coastal states, on Thursday, gave six conditions for the Federal Government to achieve and sustain the peace in the region, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports


Chief Williston Okirika, Bolowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, read out the conditions on behalf of the chiefs when they visited the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, on Thursday.

“We wish to state here that, as a matter of urgency, the Federal Government should appoint or constitute a Federal Government Dialogue Team.

“Release 10 innocent school children arrested by the Nigerian Army on May 28th in Oporoza and others in detention on trumped up charges.

“Return the Golden Sword, being the symbol of authority of the Gbaramato traditional institution,” he said.

Other conditions he said included, return of the three traditional council speed boats in custody of the Nigerian Army.

He added there must be cessation of hostilities perpetrated by the military in the Niger Delta region.

“Equally important, the Federal Government should make a categorical statement about the opening of the Maritime University- Okerenkoko, Delta, for academic activities in 2016 /2017 session,” he sreports


e assured that the monarchs would continue to support every effort that would help bring peace and sanity to the region.

Responding, Dr Kachikwu commended the monarchs for the visit and said restoring peace in the region was imperative.

He said the ceasefire announced by the Niger Delta Avengers was a welcome development, adding that every effort must be made to sustain it.

He said it was unfortunate that after the announcement, it was heard that pipeline in Nembe community was vandilsed and the country lost about 150 barrels of oil and a high quantity of gas.

“This inability to stay steadfast creates military intervention, because government cannot sit and watch production go down.

“The president has shown a lot of patience and believed that engaging the communities is the best model.

“You should continue to reach out to others to ensure total ceasefire, because as production goes down, it affects both states in tackling the financial burdens,” he said.

Kachikwu said the Federal Government had spent about  $40 billion in refurbishing the region in the last 10 years.

He said there was need for the money to be applied in the proper way to ensure development.

He urged the people and royal fathers to ensure that monies were channelled in the proper way for the region.

He said government was ready to always support a positive cause for the region, as it had lost 50 per cent of its revenue to drop in oil price, worsened by militants’ operations.

He added that “presently, production has reduced from 1.6 million barrel per day to 1.4 million; may translate to 60 per cent decrease in revenue generation.

“The people that pay the biggest price for militancy is the Niger Delta; time has come to engage in  dialogue and everybody has a role to play.

“Ceasefire must stay to enable the military stop interference, we must find positive way to solve the problem of the region,” he said.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Champions League Road To Cardiff: Full Details Of The Draw Pots, And The Features

More than any other competition, the Champions League is the highlight of the club calendar. Football fans can begin salivating over the big fixtures once again with the Champions League group stage draw on August 25.

On Thursday the groups for the new season will be drawn. Leicester City are making their debut in Europe's elite club competition, while Manchester City assured their entry with a dominant victory against Steaua Bucharest in the play-offs. They are joined by Arsenal and Tottenham from England.

Sportsmail has put together a guide to what to expect from Thursday's draw.




Draw  notes

  • No team can play a club from their own association, with the exact draw procedure to be confirmed before the ceremony.
  • Following a decision by the UEFA Executive Committee, Ukrainian and Russian teams cannot be drawn against each other.
  • The draw also establishes the groups for the UEFA Champions League path of the UEFA Youth League.
  • The draw ceremony includes the vote for and presentation of the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe Awards for men and women.


Road to Cardiff

When are the draws?
25/08/16: Group stage
12/12/16: Round of 16
17/03/17: Quarter-finals
21/04/17: Semi-finals

When are the matches?
13–14/09/16: Group stage, matchday one 
27–28/09/16: Group stage, matchday two 
18–19/10/16: Group stage, matchday three 
01–02/11/16: Group stage, matchday four 
22–23/11/16: Group stage, matchday five 
06–07/12/16: Group stage, matchday six 
14–15/02/17 and 21–22/02/17: Round of 16, first leg 
07–08/03/17 and 14–15/03/17: Round of 16, second leg 
11–12/04/17: Quarter-finals, first leg 
18–19/04/17: Quarter-finals, second leg 
02–03/05/17: Semi-finals, first leg 
09–10/05/17: Semi-finals, second leg 
03/06/17: Final (National Stadium of Wales, Cardiff)

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

DMX Welcomes Baby no. 15


DMX appears to love making life as he's just become a dad again - for the 15th time!

The X Gon Give It To Ya rapper certainly has given "it" to quite a few women, welcoming his latest but first child with longtime girlfriend Desiree Lindstrom.

On Friday, Desiree gave birth to a baby boy, who the couple named Exodus Simmons, in New York.

While DMX, real name Earl Simmons, was in Arizona for the birth, he rushed back to the Big Apple to be with his baby boy for his first day in the world.

While DMX, real name Earl Simmons, was in Arizona for the birth, he rushed back to the Big Apple to be with his baby boy for his first day in the world.

The rapper has children with NINE different women, including ex-wife Tashera Simmons, with whom he shares four kids, and ex-girlfriend Yadira Borrego, with whom he has two children.

Discussing in an interview with Complex how he chooses who to make a baby with, he claimed he picks a woman "just like a dog. I sniff the ass, I wag my tail."

And with so many mouths to feed, you'd expect him to be up to his neck in child support payments - but apparently he'd rather go to prison than put his hand in his pocket.


Just last year, he was arrested twice for not paying child support.

He was arrested for not paying Tashera, who he was married to for 11-years, $10,000 a month in child support, and also arrested for not paying child support to a different baby mother.

In July 2015, a judge sentenced him to six months in the clink for failing to pay $400,000 worth of child support payments.

He served nearly two months.

6.2 Magnitude quake hits central Italy.



A strong earthquake struck central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse "with reports of victims" and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets of numerous towns and cities.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3.36 a.m.

The mayor of the small town of Amatrice reported extensive damage. "Half the town is gone," Sergio Pirozzi told RAI state television. "There are people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse."

Italy's civil protection agency said the earthquake was "severe". Fire Department spokesman Luca Cari said: "There have been reports of victims” in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.

The worst hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Cari told Reuters, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.

"It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it," Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, told Reuters.

Olga Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, said: "Dear God it was awful. The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."

Residents of Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the registered epicentre, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy.


A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country's civil protection agency and following the situation closely.

Thee last major earthquake to hit Italy struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people.

A refuge on the Gran Sasso mountain, a popular area for hikers and climbers, said on its Facebook page that a large piece of rock had collapsed in Wednesday's quake.



[Reuters]

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Boko Haram Set Village Ablaze, Killed 7 And Abducted Many In Borno Village



At least seven people have been killed and dozens abducted when Boko Haram terrorists invaded a village in Borno State on Saturday.

A source disclosed to an online news agency, Sahara Reporters, that the terrorists stormed Kuruburu village of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State early Saturday morning, killing seven villagers and abducting dozens of more people.

The source disclosed that the terrorists abducted women and carted away livestock and food items.

“They came on motorcycles and started shooting, killing seven villagers and more than a dozen are still missing. They even set the whole village ablaze,” the source said.




U23 Olympic Monetary Donation: NFF Side Of The Story


The Nigeria Football  Federation has congratulated the U23 national Team for winning bronze at this year’s Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Brazil, after edging Honduras 3-2 in Belo Horizonte yesterday. Nigeria’s players celebrate after receiving their bronze medals after defeating Honduras in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s bronze medal football match at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on August 20, 2016. File photo Victory meant Nigeria has now won gold, silver and bronze from the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament over the past 20 years. They scooped gold in 1996 and picked silver eight years ago, also under Samson Siasia.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation, through its president Amaju Pinnick has blasted former goalkeeper Peterside Idah for a mischievous post on his tweeter handle before the match, suggesting the Federation wanted to ‘hijack’ the donation to the team by Japanese plastic surgeon, Dr. Katsuya Takasu. “His message was a lie, an atrocious false alarm before an important match. I had exchanged correspondence with the Minister on the issue of the donation and we agreed that there was need for caution.
The Minister said to me that he read the donation in the papers and had expressed serious concern. I also received a mail from the NFF Integrity Officer who expressed very serious concern with this kind of donation. “I got in touch with the Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil and the Minister to say that whatever had to be done should be done after the Bronze Medal Match, to avoid any distractions.
The NFF may be having financial challenges, but I assure you nobody in the Federation is interested in that money. “If we get the Government’s go-ahead to collect the money, no official of the NFF will be involved even in the collection. The money will be received directly by the team.”


Also Read: Team Nigeria Rio Olympic Kits Arrived 3 Days To End of Games... https://t.co/BtHZymP2xX



[VanguardNG]

Zambia Opposition Leader Has Challenged Lungu's re-election



Zambia's main opposition leader filed a court petition on Friday challenging President Edgar Lungu's re-election at the helm of Africa's second-largest copper producer, saying the vote was rigged.

The southern African nation's economy is buckling under weakened commodity prices, mine closures, rising unemployment, power shortages and soaring food prices that Lungu's rival, Hakainde Hichilema, blames on the current administration.

"We have filed the petition. We are asking for the nullification of the election," Gilbert Phiri, a lawyer for Hichilema's United Party for National Development (UPND), told reporters.

Lungu and the electoral commission, an independent state agency set up by the constitution, who are among the respondents named in the petition, have rejected Hichilema's accusation that fraud discredited the Aug. 11 vote.

Lungu's inauguration has been postponed because a rule introduced in January says the winner of a presidential vote cannot be sworn in if the vote is contested in a court, which will have two weeks to decide on such a petition.

In the petition, Hichilema, an economist and businessman and an old rival of Lungu, says that the president did not win the election legally as he failed to score more than the number of votes required to be declared the winner.

To win, a presidential candidate must garner 50 percent of the valid votes cast plus at least one additional vote.

"The first respondent did not receive more than 50 percent of the total votes cast. The voter register was not credible and its non-availability before the elections compromised the transparency of the electoral process," the petition says.

In the petition, Hichilema demanded a recount, verification and scrutiny of the votes cast at the general election to ascertain the real winner.

He also says in the petition that the number of ballots cast in favor of Lungu was inflated by fake, pre-marked ballots, and asked that the court nullify Lungu's victory.

Lungu won 50.35 percent of the vote against 47.63 percent for Hichilema, according to the electoral commission.




[Reuters]

Congo opposition Party Deny talks with Kabila government over delayed election


Congo's main opposition alliance on Saturday rejected talks with the government of President Joseph Kabila over elections that were due to have been held in November but have been delayed and they called for a general strike on Tuesday.

The opposition wants Kabila to end his 15-year rule this year as mandated by the constitution but authorities say the vote cannot be held until at least next July and the top court says Kabila can stay in power until the poll is held.


Saturday, August 20, 2016

Ghana 2016 Presidential Election Time Table

 

Ghana goes to the polls on November 7 same week with the American Presidential Elections. The Ghanian Electoral Commission has released the full election timetable.


The schedule is below:

  1. * 18th - 27th March 2016 is the date for limited Registrations.
  2. * Exhibition is in June 2016.
  3. * Filing of Nominations is from 18th - 19th July 2016.
  4. * Transfer of votes ends in September 2016.
  5. * Election is on 7th November 2016.
  6. * Run off if any will be on 28th November 2016.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Soldiers Killed 27 Boko Haram Insurgents In Nigeria-Cameroun Border


Soldiers killed 27 Boko Haram insurgents and arrested 10 others in Northern Cameroon, the Commander of a Regional Army Force said on Thursday.

“A Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) set up by Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Benin and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram across borders, ambushed a group of the terrorists on Wednesday, near the town of Fotokol.

“It is located close to the border with Nigeria.

“No soldiers were killed during the clashes, according to Dobekreo,’’ the MJTF Commander, Bouba Dobekreo said.

Boko Haram poses a steady threat to communities in the North-East and has also launched offensives in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The group’s goal is to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia.

Since 2009, at least 14,000 people have died at the hands of the Sunni fundamentalists.

Team Nigeria Rio Olympic Kits Arrived 3 Days To End Of Games



Three days to the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Team Nigeria took delivery of the much awaited kits after most of the athletes had concluded their events with some already back to their bases. 
top official of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria who disclosed this on Thursday, said the kits which arrived Wednesday night would no longer serve any purpose because “most of the athletes have left after concluding their events”. He added that “I have never experienced this in my years in sports. Money meant for the Games was held tightly by ministry officials and they were just releasing money piecemeal. We had to buy kits on our own while some athletes competed in their personal kits.” It would be recalled that Team Nigeria had to resort to their warm-up track suits for the match past of the Opening Ceremony as the sports ministry claimed the official attire which was showcased before President Muhammadu Buhari during the hand-over ceremony in Abuja failed to arrive on time for the ceremony. Nigerians who were alarmed by the embarrassing scenario condemned the ministry for the untidy handling of the athletes’ kits but the sports minister, Solomon Dalung, in defence of the ministry, tweeted with a post that even the South African contingent appeared at the Opening Ceremony in their track suits.


Full Text Of Donald Trump Apology Speech At NC Rally



Thank you. It’s great to be here in Charlotte. I just met with our many amazing employees right up the road at our property.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about the heartbreak and devastation in Louisiana, a state that is very special to me.

We are one nation. When one state hurts, we all hurt – and we must all work together to lift each other up. Working, building, restoring together.

Our prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones, and we send them our deepest condolences. Though words cannot express the sadness one feels at times like this, I hope everyone in Louisiana knows that our country is praying for them and standing with them to help them in these difficult hours.

We are one country, one people, and we will have together one great future.

Tonight, I’d like to talk about the New American Future we are going to create together.

Last week, I laid out my plan to bring jobs back to our country.

On Monday, I laid out my plan to defeat Radical Islamic Terrorism.

On Tuesday, in Wisconsin, I talked about how we are going to restore law and order to this country.

Let me take this opportunity to extend our thanks and our gratitude to the police and law enforcement officers in this country who have sacrificed so greatly in these difficult times.

The chaos and violence on our streets, and the assaults on law enforcement, are an attack against all peaceful citizens. If I am elected President, this chaos and violence will end – and it will end very quickly.

Every single citizen in our land has a right to live in safety.

To be one united nation, we must protect all of our people. But we must also provide opportunities for all of our people.

We cannot make America Great Again if we leave any community behind.

Nearly Four in ten African-American children are living in poverty.I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream.

Jobs, safety, opportunity. Fair and equal representation. This is what I promise to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans.

But to achieve this New American Future we must break from the failures of the past

As you know, I am not a politician. I have worked in business, creating jobs and rebuilding neighborhoods my entire adult life. I’ve never wanted to learn the language of the insiders, and I’ve never been politically correct – it takes far too much time, and can often make more difficult.

Sometimes, in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that, and I regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues.

But one thing I can promise you is this: I will always tell you the truth.

I speak the truth for all of you, and for everyone in this country who doesn’t have a voice.

I speak the truth on behalf of the factory worker who lost his or her job.

I speak the truth on behalf of the Veteran who has been denied the medical care they need – and so many are not making it. They are dying.

I speak the truth on behalf of the family living near the border that deserves to be safe in their own country but is instead living with no security at all.

Our campaign is about representing the great majority of Americans – Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Conservatives and Liberals – who read the newspaper, or turn on the TV, and don’t hear anyone speaking for them. All they hear are insiders fighting for insiders.

These are the forgotten men and women in our society, and they are angry at so much on so many levels. The poverty, the unemployment, the failing schools, the jobs moving to other countries.

I am fighting for these forgotten Americans.

Fourteen months ago, I declared my campaign for the Presidency on the promise to give our government back to the people. Every day since then, I’ve worked to repay the loyalty and the faith that you have put in me.

Every day I think about how much is at stake for this country. This isn’t just the fight of my life, it’s the fight of our lives – together – to save our country.

I refuse to let another generation of American children be excluded from the American Dream. Our whole country loses when young people of limitless potential are denied the opportunity to contribute their talents because we failed to provide them the opportunities they deserved. Let our children be dreamers too.

Our whole country loses every time a kid doesn’t graduate from high school, or fails to enter the workforce or, worse still, is lost to the dreadful world of drugs and crime.

When I look at the failing schools, the terrible trade deals, and the infrastructure crumbling in our inner cities, I know all of this can be fixed - and it can be fixed very quickly.

In the world I come from, if something is broken, you fix it.

If something isn’t working, you replace it.

If a product doesn’t deliver, you make a change.

I have no patience for injustice, no tolerance for government incompetence, no sympathy for leaders who fail their citizens.

That’s why I am running: to end the decades of bitter failure and to offer the American people a new future of honesty, justice and opportunity. A future where America, and its people, always – and I mean always – come first.

Aren’t you tired of a system that gets rich at your expense?

Aren’t you tired of the same old lies and the same old broken promises? AndHillary Clinton has proven to be one of the greatest liars of all time.

Aren’t you tired of arrogant leaders who look down on you, instead of serving and protecting you?

That is all about to change – and it’s about to change soon. We are going to put the American people first again.

I’ve travelled all across this country laying out my bold and modern agenda for change.

In this journey, I will never lie to you. I will never tell you something I do not believe. I will never put anyone’s interests ahead of yours.

And, I will never, ever stop fighting for you.

I have no special interest. I am spending millions of dollars on my own campaign – nobody else is.

My only interest is the American people.

So while sometimes I can be too honest, Hillary Clinton is the exact opposite: she never tells the truth. One lie after another, and getting worse each passing day.

The American people are still waiting for Hillary Clinton to apologize for all of the many lies she’s told to them, and the many times she’s betrayed them.

Tell me, has Hillary Clinton ever apologized for lying about her illegal email server and deleting 33,000 emails?

Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay-for-play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder?

Has she apologized for lying to the families who lost loved ones at Benghazi?

Has she apologized for putting Iran on the path to nuclear weapons?

Has she apologized for Iraq? For Libya? For Syria? Has she apologized for unleashing ISIS across the world?

Has Hillary Clinton apologized for the decisions she made that have led to so much death, destruction and terrorism?

Speaking of lies, we now know from the State Department announcement that President Obama lied about the $400 million dollars in cash that was flown to Iran. He denied it was for the hostages, but it was. He said we don’t pay ransom, but he did. He lied about the hostages – openly and blatantly – just like he lied about Obamacare.

Now the Administration has put every American travelling overseas, including our military personnel, at greater risk of being kidnapped. Hillary Clinton owns President Obama’s Iran policy, one more reason she can never be allowed to be President.

Let’s talk about the economy. Here, in this beautiful state, so many people have suffered because of NAFTA. Bill Clintonsigned the deal, and Hillary Clinton supported it. North Carolina has lost nearly half of its manufacturing jobs since NAFTA went into effect.

Bill Clinton also put China into the World Trade Organization – another Hillary Clinton-backed deal. Your city of Charlotte has lost 1 in 4 manufacturing jobs since China joined the WTO, and many of these jobs were lost while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State – our chief diplomat with China. She was a disaster, totally unfit for the job.

Hillary Clinton owes the State of North Carolina a very big apology, and I think you’ll get that apology around the same time you’ll get to see her 33,000 deleted emails.

Another major issue in this campaign has been the border. Our open border has allowed drugs and crime and gangs to pour into our communities. So much needless suffering, so much preventable death. I’ve spent time with the families of wonderful Americans whose loved ones were killed by the open borders and Sanctuary Cities that Hillary Clinton supports.

I’ve embraced the crying parents who’ve lost their children to violence spilling across our border. Parents like Laura Wilkerson and Michelle Root and Sabine Durden and Jamiel Shaw whose children were killed by illegal immigrants.

My opponent supports Sanctuary Cities.

But where was the Sanctuary for Kate Steinle? Where was the Sanctuary for the children of Laura, Michelle, Sabine and Jamiel?

Where was the Sanctuary for every other parent who has suffered so horribly?

These moms and dads don’t get a lot of consideration from our politicians. They certainly don’t get apologies. They’ll never even get the time of day from Hillary Clinton.

But they will always come first to me.

Listen closely: we will deliver justice for all of these American Families. We will create a system of immigration that makes us all proud.

Hillary Clinton’s mistakes destroy innocent lives, sacrifice national security, and betray the working families of this country.

Please remember this: I will never put personal profit before national security. I will never leave our border open to appease donors and special interests. I will never support a trade deal that kills American jobs. I will never put the special interests before the national interest. I will never put a donor before a voter, or a lobbyist before a citizen.

Instead, I will be a champion for the people.

The establishment media doesn’t cover what really matters in this country, or what’s really going on in people’s lives. They will take words of mine out of context and spend a week obsessing over every single syllable, and then pretend to discover some hidden meaning in what I said.

Just imagine for a second if the media spent this energy holding the politicians accountable who got innocent Americans like Kate Steinle killed – she was gunned down by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times.

Just imagine if the media spent this much time investigating the poverty and joblessness in our inner cities.

Just think about how much different things would be if the media in this country sent their cameras to our border, or to our closing factories, or to our failing schools. Or if the media focused on what dark secrets must be hidden in the 33,000 emails Hillary Clinton deleted.

Instead, every story is told from the perspective of the insiders. It’s the narrative of the people who rigged the system, never the voice of the people it’s been rigged against.

So many people suffering in silence. No cameras, no coverage, no outrage from a media class that seems to get outraged over just about everything else.

So again, it’s not about me. It’s never been about me. It’s about all the people in this country who don’t have a voice.

I am running to be their voice.

I am running to be the voice for every forgotten part of this country that has been waiting and hoping for a better future.

I am glad that I make the powerful a little uncomfortable now and again – including some powerful people in my own party. Because it means I am fighting for real change.

There’s a reason the hedge fund managers, the financial lobbyists, the Wall Street investors, are throwing their money at Hillary Clinton. Because they know she will make sure the system stays rigged in their favor.

It’s the powerful protecting the powerful.

The insiders fighting for the insiders.

I am fighting for you.

Here is the change I propose.

On terrorism, we are going to end the era of nation-building and instead focus on destroying ISIS and Radical Islamic terrorism.

We will use military, cyber and financial warfare and work with any partner in the world, and the Middle East, that shares our goal of defeating terrorism. I have a message for the terrorists trying to kill our citizens: we will find you, we will destroy you, and we will win.

On immigration, we will temporarily suspend immigration from any place where adequate screening cannot be performed. All applicants for immigration will be vetted for ties to radical ideology, and we will screen out anyone who doesn’t share our values and love our people. Anyone who believes Sharia law supplants American law will not be given an immigrant visa. If you want to join our society, then you must embrace our society, our values and our tolerant way of life. Those who believe in oppressing women, gays, Hispanics, African-Americans and people of different faiths are not welcome to join our country.

We will promote our America values, our American way of life, and our American system of government which are all the best in the world.

My opponent on the other hand wants a 550% increase in Syrian refugees. Her plan would bring in roughly 620,000 refugees from all refugee-sending nations in her first term, on top of all other immigration. Hillary Clinton is running to be America’s Angela Merkel, and we’ve seen how much crime and how many problems that’s caused the German people.

We have enough problems already, we don’t need another one.

On crime, we are going to add more police, more investigators, and appoint the best judges and prosecutors in the world. We will pursue strong enforcement of federal laws.

The gangs and cartels and criminal syndicates terrorizing our people will be stripped apart one by one. Their day is over.

On trade, we are going to renegotiate NAFTA, withdraw from the TPP, stand up to China on our terrible trade agreement, and protect every last American job.

Hillary Clinton has supported all of the major trade deals that have stripped this country of its jobs and its wealth.

On taxes, we are going to massively cut tax rates for workers and small businesses – creating millions of new good paying jobs.

We are going to get rid of regulations that send jobs overseas and we are going to make it easier for young Americans to get the credit they need to start a small business and pursue their dreams.

On education, we are going to give students choice, and allow charter schools to thrive. We are going to end tenure policies that reward bad teachers and hurt good ones. My opponent wants to deny students choice and opportunity, all to get a little bit more money from the education bureaucracy. She doesn’t care how many young dreams are dashed in the process.

We are going to work closely with African-American parents and students in the inner cities – and what a big difference that will make. This means a lot to me, and it is going to be a top priority in a Trump Administration.

On healthcare, we are going to repeal and replace Obamacare. Countless Americans have been forced into part-time jobs, premiums are about to jump by double-digits yet again, and just this week Aetna announced it is pulling out of the exchanges in North Carolina. We are going to replace this disaster with reforms that give you choice and freedom and control in healthcare – at a much lower cost.

On political corruption, we are going to restore honor to our government.

In my Administration, I am going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law.

I am going to forbid senior officials from trading favors for cash by preventing them from collecting lavish speaking fees through their spouses when they serve.

I am going to ask my senior officials to sign an agreement not to accept speaking fees from corporations with a registered lobbyist for five years after leaving office, or from any entity tied to a foreign government.

Finally, we are going to bring this country together. We are going to do it by emphasizing what we all have in common as Americans. We are going to reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton, which sees communities of color only as votes and not as human beings worthy of a better future.

If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing. Look at how badly things are going under decades of Democratic leadership – look at the schools, look at the 58% of young African-Americans not working. It is time for change.

What do you have to lose by trying something new? – I will fix it. This means so much to me, and I will work as hard as I can to bring new opportunity to places in our country which have not known opportunity in a very long time.

Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party have taken African-American votes totally for granted. Because the votes have been automatically there, there has been no reason for Democrats to produce.

It is time to break with the failures of the past, and to fight for every last American child in this country to have the better future they deserve.

In my Administration, every American will be treated equally, protected equally, and honored equally. We will reject bigotry and hatred and oppression in all of its forms, and seek a new future built on our common culture and values as one American people.

This is the change I am promising all of you: an honest government, a fair economy, and a just society for each and every American.

But we can never fix our problems by relying on the same politicians who created these problems in the first place.

72% of voters say our country is on the wrong track. I am the change candidate, Hillary Clinton is the failed status quo.

It is time to vote for a New American Future.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make American Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

Friends and fellow citizens: Come November, We Will Make America Great Again.

Thank You, And God Bless.