PL : 'Klopp said follow your heart'

Nuri Sahin has revealed Jurgen Klopp told him to "follow his heart" when he asked to leave Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid.

Sahin had been at the Westfalenstadion since the age of 12, but when Madrid manager Jose Mourinho came calling in May 2011, the midfielder had a difficult decision to make.
The Turkey international, who had helped Dortmund win the league in the 2010/11 season, has opened up about the difficult decision and revealed Klopp - now bidding to keep Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool amid renewed interest from Barcelona - gave him his blessing.
"After we won the Bundesliga in 2011, I got a text from my agent," Sahin recalls while writing on The Players' Tribune.

"Hey Nuri, Real Madrid wants you."
"It's kind of funny that it just happened like that. Through a text. It wasn't like you imagine when you're a kid.
"I had heard my name mentioned in transfer rumours before, but never with Real Madrid. And now, here they were. The white kits, the Bernabeu, the history. And I remembered the promise that I'd made to myself all those years ago.
"There was a part of me that wanted to say 'no'. Dortmund had given me so much - how could I leave them? It was hard to think about. I lost sleep. I talked for hours with my wife and family.
"But I had to speak with Dortmund's manager, Jurgen Klopp, before I could decide. I will remember our conversation forever."

Sahin revealed the then-Dortmund manager was empathetic with his player's predicament, telling him to follow his heart.
"Nuri, it is your choice," he told me. "But if you leave, you must know, I will always be on your side. You are my friend forever."
"If I stay," I said, "I will think about life in Madrid. I will be in Dortmund physically, but mentally … I'll be lost. I couldn't live like that." And I told him that I only had one life to live - that I didn't want to regret any part of it.

"Jurgen understood, and he told me to follow my heart. A few hours later, I announced my decision." - SKY

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Shocking ! Borrowing gun is too expensive – Robbery suspect confesses

A robbery suspect, Sadiq Yakubu, has said he went into gun-running because borrowing guns for robbery operations was too expensive.

Sadiq and his accomplices, who have been terrorizing residents of Okokomaiko and environs, were arrested by the operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS.

They were yesterday paraded alongside 35 other suspects at the Police Officers Mess, Ikeja, Lagos state.
Sadiq told reporters that he usually bought guns from Cotonou, Benin Republic at N20,000 and sold same to members of his gang and other gangs for between N30,000 and N40,000.
The 21-year-old suspect explained further that members of his gang usually robbed their victims, mostly females, while they were at the verge of boarding commercial buses.
According to him, three of his guns were lost to Police in foiled operations.

He said, “I bought the guns for myself, members of my gang and other gangs, who know what I do. I started the business last year, when I discovered it was more expensive to rent a gun than having a personal one.
“We operate at Iyana-Sashi, Igboelerin and Okokomaiko area of Lagos. At night we attack vehicles at Iyana-Sashi during traffic jams, dispossess passengers of cash and telephones.
“We operate with Okada. Mohammed introduced me to robbery. My operational name is Yankees. I was arrested at Ajangbandi, after an operation at a lotto house.

“One of my friends invited me to join him for the operation because I had arms. Unfortunately after the operation, he fled with the loot, while I was arrested because I didn’t know the terrain.” - Daily Post

Crime : Eight Chinese arrested in Plateau for illegal mining

Eight Chinese miners were on Monday arrested for practicing illegal mining activities in Plateau state.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, accused security operatives of aiding and abetting illegal mining activities in Plateau State.

Fayemi made the accusation while addressing security operatives in Kampani Zurak village in the state where 20 illegal miners, including eight Chinese citizens, were paraded on the order of the National Security Adviser, Ali Monguno. .
According to him, the security operatives are to blame because they help shield such illegal miners which he described as economic saboteurs.
“It is sad that security operatives are giving them (illegal miners) security cover. If not, why do people guard this site.
“These miners are illegal. Government did not give them permission to do this, they are economic saboteurs


“The government would sanction any traditional ruler found to have connived with the miners to exploit the community. “We do not want these miners,” Mr. Fayemi told the security agents.
“This cannot happen anywhere else in the world and we will not allow it anywhere in Nigeria, he concluded. - Daily Post

Shocking !!! London Stock Exchange staff jumps to death from 7th floor

A London Stock Exchange employee plunged to his death on Tuesday from a balcony on the seventh floor of the exchange’s headquarters.

“We were called to the London Stock Exchange to a report of a man who had fallen from an upper floor in the building,” City of London police said, adding that they were treating the incident as non-suspicious.

The London ambulance service said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Sun newspaper said the man landed in the lobby of the stock exchange building, which is located at Paternoster Square in the City of London financial district, near St Paul’s Cathedral.

“We can confirm an incident this morning where a London Stock Exchange Group colleague fell from an upper floor balcony and died,” a spokesman said.

The London Stock Exchange, birthed in 1698, is one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges. - Daily Post

Pl news : Everton sweat over injured Barkley

Everton are waiting to find out the extent of the hamstring injury picked up by Ross Barkley in training.

The England midfielder has just returned from a groin operation and pulled up in training on after returning to the first-team squad on Monday.
Barkley has told Everton he will not sign a new contact, which is due to expire within the next 12 months, and Toffees boss Ronald Koeman has said he would be sold if he did not commit to new terms.
Tottenham have made him their top midfield target this summer, while Chelsea also hold an interest in the 23-year-old, according to newspaper reports.
The Toffees are yet to receive any offers for Barkley this summer and boss Koeman warned interested clubs that they will not simply be able to bag a cut-price deal for the player on deadline day.

"No, of course not," Koeman said, when asked if Everton would allow Barkley to leave cheaply.
"If there is a club thinking we can wait until the last day and we put some money on the table and we get Ross Barkley, sorry, you do not get Ross Barkley." - SKY

PL : Conte and Chelsea disagreeing over transfer strategy

Chelsea and Antonio Conte are in the middle of a transfer stand off with the Italian wanting to bring in experienced players this summer.

The Times reports that the former Juventus boss’ demands are nearly the opposite of what the Chelsea board want to do this summer.
As a club, Chelsea have always looked to the future when signing players, ensuring that they can utilise them during their prime while also maintaining a future sell on value, Nemanja Matic a prime example.

Conte wants to bring in five more players, with the likes of Antonio Candreva (30), Fernando Llorente (32), Virgil van Dijk (26) some of the players on his shortlist.
The Chelsea board are determined to maintain their ambition to plan for the medium and long-term future, while the report suggests that Conte has his eyes on competing in the Champions League this season.

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The coach is desperate for more signings at Stamford Bridge, which was highlighted by the lack of experience on the Chelsea bench against Burnley that was largely made up of youth players. - Read Sport

Robert Mugabe’s wife facing assault charge in South Africa

Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first lady, handed herself to the South African police on Tuesday and will be charged with assault after reports that she attacked a young woman, Gabriella Engels in Johannesburg.

Fikile Mbalula, the police minister earlier told reporters that 52-year-old Grace, a possible successor to her husband, 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe, had cooperated with the police.
South African media said Grace was in the country to have an injured foot examined. It was unclear whether she was travelling on a diplomatic passport.

On whether she could be arrested while having diplomatic immunity, Mbalula said: “All those implications will be taken into consideration”. He then added: “She will be charged.”
The scar left on model, Gabriella Engels by Grace Mugabe
“She is not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over to the police. But a case has been opened,” he said.
It was not clear at which court Grace would appear.

Neither Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe information minister Christopher Mushohwe nor Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba were available to comment.
A Zimbabwean intelligence source said Grace had been travelling on an ordinary non-diplomatic passport. “She was here on business,” the source told Reuters.
South Africa’s News24 website said 20-year-old model Gabriella Engels had been visiting the Mugabes’ sons Robert and Chatunga at a hotel in the upmarket Sandton district over the weekend when she was set upon by Grace.

“When Grace entered, I had no idea who she was. She walked in with an extension cord and just started beating me with it,” she told the news website.
“She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over. I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised … I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away.”
News24 published a picture of what it said was Engels with a large gash in her forehead. “I am a model, with this scar over my face my whole career is ruined,” she said.

It was unclear what triggered the incident.
Mugabe’s two sons were kicked out of the Regent luxury apartment complex in Sandton a month ago after an incident in the middle of the night, staff at the complex told Reuters.
Regent manager Imelda Fincham did not elaborate but confirmed the pair had left. “They’re no longer here,” she said.

In 2009, a press photographer in Hong Kong said Grace and her bodyguard had assaulted him. Police there said the incident was reported but that no charges were brought.
Mugabe spoke at a public event marking Defence Forces Day in Harare on Tuesday, but did not mention Grace.

Grace was in the news in late July when she challenged her president husband to name his preferred successor. - Cable Nigeria

Crazy demo !!! TRENDING VIDEO: Edo lawmakers exchange blows over speaker’s removal

Chairs were thrown while punches were exchanged on Monday when the speaker of the Edo house of assembly was removed.

Justin Okonoboh, after his removal, was immediately replaced with Kabiru Adjoto.
But first, this show of shame.

Credit: ITV

PL news : Carra calls for Chelsea calm

Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea need to stay calm and not replicate the toxic situation which eventually led to Jose Mourinho's sacking.

Chelsea endured a nightmare start to their Premier League title defence as they suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley on Saturday.
Antonio Conte has cut a frustrated figure since the end of last season and the Italian is now among the bookmakers' favourites to be the first Premier League manager to leave his position this season.Comparisons have been drawn between the current situation and the one immediately after Mourinho won the Premier League in 2015. There was a huge amount of negative stories around the club at that time, including a public fallout between Mourinho and then club doctor Eva Carneiro.
With a daunting Nissan Super Sunday clash against Tottenham to come at the weekend, Carragher thinks Chelsea could do with a quiet build-up to the game.

"Chelsea need to do the exact opposite of panicking," Carragher said on Monday Night Football.
"A couple of seasons ago when they drew with Swansea on the opening day and they had the incident with the club doctor, all of sudden it felt like Chelsea were under pressure. I felt like people were fanning the flames. The story was getting bigger and bigger until Jose Mourinho eventually lost his job.
"They've lost one game at home - they should be thinking now 'relax'.

"They've got two games between now and the transfer window shutting. Antonio Conte needs to get two players in - they need strengthening, especially in the wing-back positions.
"They need to stop this tidal wave of negativity. The way Conte is speaking to the press you know something isn't right."That's got to stop. They've got to remember it's only one defeat and they've got to get their heads back on. As Conte has said, they don't want another Jose season."

Carragher thinks Conte will be more cautious than usual in their approach in order not to get beat.
"They'll be a lot of pressure on Chelsea going into the game," he said.
"Chelsea have got to go there with a mindset of 'don't get beat - don't lose two on the bounce'."

Chelsea haven't lost their first two games of a season since 1973, but that record will come under threat against title rivals Tottenham at Wembley on Super Sunday. - SKY

 

 

Tragic !!! Sierra Leone mudslide kills 100, others stranded

At least 179 people have been reported dead, while others are stranded in a mudslide in Sierra Leone.
At the early hours of Monday, a hillside in the Regent area collapsed following heavy rain, leaving many houses covered in mud and residents
stranded.




Sierra Leone’s Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh confirming the tragic incident said it was “likely that hundreds are lying dead”.
He told Reuters that the disaster was “so serious that I myself feel broken,the total number of casualties is likely to rise.”
He said that the area was being cordoned off as people were being evacuated, including many still feared trapped in their homes.



According to spokesman for the Red Cross, Abubakarr Tarawallie, 179 bodies had been taken to the central morgue in Freetown.

“At least 100 properties had been submerged and that some had collapsed after a section of Sugar Loaf mountain came down at around 06:00 GMT.

“Volunteers and staff of RedCross were involved in search and rescue operations but people affected were in immediate need of shelter and blankets.”



- Daily Post

''Alooter father vs Alooter boys'' !!! Constituency project is corruption – Obasanjo dares Nigerian lawmakers

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has described the constituency projects being embarked upon by lawmakers as “corruption.”

Obasanjo said this at the opening of a two-day investment forum organised by the Niger State Government in Minna on Monday.

Obasanjo said, “The Sultan talked about roads, I hope our lawmakers will use their position and act positively so that when they put in road projects in the budget they will not turn it into what they now term as constituency projects.
“You and I know what constituency projects mean. It is simply corruption.” - Daily Post

Crime : Six police officers arrested for rape, extortion, attempted robbery in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of six policemen over offences ranging from defilement, attempted murder, robbery and extortion.

The officers were arrested in different parts of the state, alongside two civilian accomplices.

One of the officers identified as Sergeant Sylvanus Emoche, according to the police, attempted to shoot a woman at Ajao estate area of the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Fatai Owoseni, explained that the officer fired sporadically in the process, during which a bullet damaged one FJ Cruiser SUV belonging to the woman, identified as Mrs Okafor Oluchi, on July 24.

The woman was said to have resisted attempt by the policeman, who was in the company of two civilians, to remove an unregistered Honda Pilot SUV belonging to her husband, Mr Okafor David, from their compound.
The CP said policemen from Ajao Division, who were contacted, rushed to the scene and immediately disarmed the policeman before taking him to the station with the two civilians.

He said Sergeant Emoche had visited the compound without the knowledge of Police authorities.

Owoseni spoke during a briefing at the Police Officers Mess, Ikeja, yesterday, where he added that at the time of committing the offence, the erring policeman had been demobilised from the Police Mobile Force 20 and subsequently transferred to Kogi State Police Command.
He said two other policemen were also charged for defilement. He, however, did not disclose their identities and the circumstances surrounding the case.
He further explained that three policemen, namely, Sergeant Benjamin Oboh, Sergeant Onyenedu Kennedy, attached to Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, Ipakodo and Sergeant Monday Ehijiator, attached to Bariga Division, were arrested for extortion.

Owoseni said the three of them went to Ikeja in a Toyota Camry car with number plates JN 470 KJA, in plain clothes, where they stopped one Adeshina Quwam Adekunle, accusing him of being an internet fraudster.
He said they “collected N65,000 from the victim. They also used his ATM card to collect an additional N40,000 from an ATM machine. This happened on July 17.”
He explained further, “On July 19, at about 10.35a.m., at the same spot, the three policemen stopped one Ghenoba Godspower, suspecting him to be an internet fraudster again.

“He was also searched, during which N30,000 was collected from him. In the process, the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, ACP Olatunji Disu, arrived with his patrol van and arrested the policemen. Three of them were tried in an orderly room and recommended for dismissal.” - Daily Post

PL news : Costa 'expected back at Chelsea'

Sky sources understand that Chelsea expect Diego Costa to return the club and train, as per the terms of his contract. 

The striker is currently in his native Brazil and has threatened to remain there rather than return to London, and then leave on a free transfer.
But such a scenario is not acceptable to Chelsea, who want Costa to return to training and put himself in contention for selection.
We reported earlier on Monday that Costa has been fined two weeks' wages by Chelsea for failing to return to pre-season training with the club.

The 28-year-old was given an extra week off in the summer and was due to report back to training four weeks ago, on Monday, 17 July.
Having arrived from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2014, Costa has been a key figure in a pair of Premier League title successes for Chelsea.
The Spain international has scored over 50 goals for the Blues but has also been a volatile presence at times and it has been suggested that he has a poor relationship with manager Antonio Conte.
Costa now says Conte sent him a text message informing him he was no longer wanted at the club and added that he thinks Chelsea are blocking his favoured move back to Atletico.

He said: "If I have to, I will stay in Brazil. I am open to being a year in Brazil without playing, even if Chelsea fine me for a year and don't pay me.
"I'll come back stronger. If I was in the wrong, I'd go back now and do as they say."
However, we understand that Chelsea expect Costa to return to the club, get back in training, get himself match-fit and put himself in contention for selection.

Costa currently has two years remaining on the five-year deal he signed when he joined Chelsea back in 2014.

Transfer news : Klopp has no say in Coutinho saga amid Barca speculation

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have the final say on Philippe Coutinho's future at Anfield as Barcelona push to sign the Brazilian.

Coutinho is believed to have handed in a transfer request last Friday, amid growing links with LaLiga giants Barca, who are looking to fill the void left by Neymar.
The Brazil international's request came just hours after Liverpool insisted they will not entertain any offers for the 25-year-old.
Coutinho, who missed Saturday's season-opening 3-3 draw at Watford in the Premier League, will sit out the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League play-off against Hoffenheim on Tuesday due to a back problem.

As doubts remain over Coutinho, Liverpool manager Klopp admitted his hands are tied.
"If, for example, there is an offer for a player and I say 'No' and the owners say, 'Yes, let's ask for a number on how much they want to pay'. And I say, 'I don't want to hear it'. But they say 'We want to hear it, £50million … £50 million is cool,'" Klopp said. "So then they sell the player – that is how a club works.
"That is how it was with Hans-Joachim Watzke [chief executive] at Dortmund. Do you think I said, 'Sell Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid as quick as possible?' It was not my decision. The player had a contract. They agreed. I am 100 per cent, really, 100 per cent [when I say] I don't ask for things I can't get and I respect the rules in the game.
"If they [FSG] say they [Barcelona] will bid whatever and we don't want it then it is a clear message. We don't want money, we want to invest in the team and have the best team because we have aims and dreams. That is the message.

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"It's not important what I think. I have the player from August 31 latest, again, or when the back issue is sorted," Klopp added. "There is nothing else I can say about it. I think I said 'I have bosses', right? I have many bosses, including my wife. I can live with this, it's no problem. They [the owners] are 100 per cent clear on it." - Goal

All looted by callous rulers !!! Shell Paid $31 Billion To Nigerian Government Between 2002-2016 - Official

Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) remitted 29.8 billion dollars to the federation account and 1.2 billion dollars to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2002 and 2016, Igo Weli, General Manager, External Relations, disclosed on Monday.

Mr. Weli spoke in Port Harcourt while reacting to the shut-down of SPDC flow station and gas plant in Belema community by angry youth.
The youth accused the company of neglecting them and marginalizing their community.
Addressing journalists, Mr. Weli said the seizure of the company’s facilities by the youth would not only send wrong signal to the international community, but was capable of discouraging further investment in the Niger Delta.
He said: “People are having high expectations from SPDC; they forget the company is not government and do not have the resources to solve world hunger.

“SPDC has made several efforts to sensitize the people on how our business is run, so that their expectations can be realistic and align with realities of how we run our business.
“The business we do add value in several ways through contributions to the federation account and the NDDC.
“Between 2012 and 2016, SPDC JV contributed $29.8 billion to the federation account which flows down to the state governments, local governments and to the communities.”
Mr. Weli said the company had also set aside three per cent of its annual budget to NDDC as its contribution to the development of the Niger Delta.

The GM described the closure of the company’s facility as “worrisome” especially as the company and its partners had spent millions of naira on human and infrastructure programs in the communities.
“If the youths isolate our corporate social responsibility and put all the burden of infrastructure needs on SPDC, then the expectation would not balance.
“In 2016 alone, our contribution to NDDC was 106.8 million dollars; people need to define their expectation; ask themselves if their expectation is realistic and if SPDC is government.

“People should express their grievances in a way that follows due process to avoid sending wrong signal to potential investors about how businesses are treated in our society,” he said.
 - Premium Times

PL news : Coutinho absence 'a blow' - Klopp

Jurgen Klopp admits Philippe Coutinho's absence from Liverpool's Champions League play-off first-leg clash with Hoffenheim is "a blow" to their chances.

The Reds claimed Coutinho missed the weekend's Premier League opener at Watford with a back problem but the draw at Vicarage Road also came just days after he submitted a transfer request by email.
Liverpool do not want to sell the Brazilian, who is a target for Barcelona, and Klopp said "nothing has changed in the last few days" as they prepare to re-establish themselves in Europe's top competition for the first time since 2014-15.

"Nothing has changed on one side or the other side," he said from a press conference in Germany on Monday.
"He's not available for us at the moment. That's the main issue. He cannot play for Liverpool in this moment. Everyone can imagine this is a blow for us.
"We have to prepare for this game without him like we have to prepare for it without Adam Lallana, or Daniel Sturridge.
"I really understand people's interest in this. But I can't say that, in this moment, I am really thinking about it. I wasn't in the car thinking about 'what can I say if they ask about this'? I work with the players I have. I don't think about the players I don't have.
"I think I've said everything I can say about it."
Sturridge has been out with continued injury problems, as has Lallana, and both will miss the match in Hoffenhaim, but England striker Sturridge is close to a return, according to the German boss. - Goal

Tech : Google adds voice recognition for Indian and African languages

For quick reminders and messages, it is a lot faster and more convenient to simply talk to your phone, rather than pull up an app and type on a keyboard. That's part of the reason Google has been updating Gboard for Android with voice support for more international languages, working with native speakers to train machine learning models. Today, Google announced that it's supporting an additional 20 languages and also adding English dialects for four African countries. This means language support for a total of 30 new international locations, mostly centered on the Indian subcontinent and Africa.

The full list of languages is: Amharic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, English (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania), Georgian, Gujurati, Javanese, Kannada, Khmer, Lao, Latvian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Sundanese, Swahili, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. In total, this brings the grand total of Gboard's voice recognition to 119 languages.
Google has also added the ability for US English users to add emoji with simple voice dictation. If you say, "winky face emoji," the proper emoji will appear. Google's working on expanding this feature to more languages in the near future.

You can access these languages today in Cloud Speech API, which means that they will soon be available across Google services and products, including in apps such as Google Translate. - Engadget UK

Wow !!! Man wins $11.8 million jackpot after betting $3 on Las Vegas slot machine

A California man has won an $11.8m (£9m) jackpot after betting just $3 (£2) on a Las Vegas slot machine.

The man - who has only been identified as Rodolfo T - placed the bet while on holiday at the Fremont Hotel and Casino.
Rodolfo had been playing the IGT Megabucks machine when he struck lucky and won the money on Tuesday evening, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
He had placed the maximum bet of $3 on the machine.

The casino manager said despite seeing many wins over the years, this was one of a kind.
“The Fremont has awarded many thousands of jackpots throughout its 60-year history in Las Vegas, but none quite like this,” said Jim Sullivan.
Rodolfo’s win was not the biggest in history however. The record payout for the same type of machine was in 2003, when a winner took home $39.7 million from the Excalibur hotel casino in Las Vegas. - The Independent

Doomed Nation !!! REVEALED: 21 states don’t have fire stations

Joseph Anebi, comptroller-general, federal fire service, has urged the national assembly to speedily amend fire service act 1963 to encourage the establishment of federal fire stations across the country.

Anebi made the call when members of the house of representatives committee on interior visited fire service headquarters on Monday in Abuja for oversight.
He said currently only 15 states in the country had fire service stations.
Anaebi said Nigerians were vulnerable to dangers of fire outbreak and needed necessary precautionary measures were adopted.

“Cases of fire outbreaks in Nigeria which always leave a lot of destruction in its wake, both in human lives and property abound in recent time,” he said.
“So, we are concerned about the absence of functional fire service stations in some states because we are concerned about every Nigerian.
“Some states don’t have functional firefighting equipment and you need to also help us talk to the governors because when we approach them they think we are coming to collect their job.”
Anebi also urged Nigerians to subscribe to the Fire Alert System (FAS) application introduced by the service to fight fire outbreak.

He said the call was in view of the need to facilitate prompt response to incidents of fire across the country.
According to him, the FAS application is designed to automatically trigger an alert to the fire service office whenever smoke is dictated.
“By this alert on our system we will be able to identify the exact location of the fire outbreak with an indication of the phone number of the place,” he said.
“While the application is alerting the fire service office, it is also sending an alert to the owner of the house on fire.
“Any home, institution, or facility that subscribes to this application is safe.

Adams Jagaba, chairman of the committee, said the house was committed to amending the laws to ensure enhanced performance by the fire service in the country.
Jagaba said the existing fire service act was obsolete and did not protect the 2,180 members of staff of the federal fire service. - Cable Nigeria

Silly man !!! Femi Adesina: I don’t know who’s paying for Buhari’s treatment

Femi Adesina, special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, says he is not sure if it is the federal government that is responsible for the medical bill of his principal.

Buhari has been receiving medical attention in London for the past 99 days and the issue of the cost has generated heated controversy between his supporters and opponents.
Before he left Nigeria on May 7, the president had spent 49 days in the United Kingdom, treating an undisclosed ailment.

When he appeared on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on Monday, Seun Okinbaloye, anchor of the programme, asked Adesina, “Who is paying for the president’s treatment?”
“Does it matter at this point?” The presidential spokesman asked, to which Okinbaloye fired back: “We need to know, he is our president. He is a public official. This shouldn’t be shrouded in secrecy.”

Then Adesina said: “I do not know who is paying, but as a president, he has a right  to be treated by the country.”
“Nigeria is taking care of the bill?” Okinbaloye asked, and Adesina responded, “Most likely. I don not know for sure.”
The presidential spokesman also discussed his experience with his principal at the Abuja House in London.

Adesina was in the delegation that met Buhari during the weekend. - Cable Nigeria

Media Rights Agenda Inducts Presidency Into ‘FOI Hall Of Shame,’ Accuses It Of Gross Failure Of Leadership

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) on Monday named the Nigerian Presidency as the latest inductee into its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame, accusing it of “a gross failure of leadership” and setting a bad example for other public institutions in the implementation of the FOI Act.

MRA’s Programme Manager in charge of Freedom of Information, Mr. Ridwan Sulaimon, said in a statement in Lagos that: “since the signing of the FOI Act into Law in 2011, elected and appointed officials in the Presidency have consistently acted as if the Act does not apply to them or worse still, as if they are above the Law as the Presidency has made no effort whatsoever to comply with its duties and obligations under the Act, as required of all public institutions.”
The organization stressed that it is patently clear from the provisions of the FOI Act that it covers and applies to the Presidency, particularly in the light of Section 29(9)(a), which defines government bodies to which the Act is applicable to include “any executive department, military department, government corporation, government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch of the government (including the Executive Office of the President), or any other arm of government, independent or regulatory government agency or public institution.”

MRA said despite the express provisions of the Law, over the last six years since the FOI Act came into force, the Presidency has not issued or submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation, as required by Section 29(1) of the Act, any annual report on the implementation of the Act and has not published such a report, as stipulated by the Law.
Besides, it added, the Presidency has also not complied with its proactive publication obligations under Section 2(3) and (4) of the Act as it has not published, either on the State House website or anywhere else, the categories of information which the Law requires it to publish and disseminate widely to members of the public through various means, including print, electronic and online sources.

MRA said it was not aware of a single request for information that the Presidency has granted over the last six years, insisting that on the contrary, it knows of several applications for information that the Presidency has either refused or completely ignored, contrary to the provisions of section 4(b) of the Act, which makes it mandatory for a public institution to give a written notice to the applicant if it intends to deny access to all or part of the information requested with reasons for the denial.
It also accused the Presidency of failing to designate an appropriate officer in the Presidency to whom applications for information under the Act should be sent and publishing the title and address of the officer, as required by Section 2(3)(f) of the Act.

Mr. Sulaimon said: “given the peculiar nature of the Presidency with the heavy security arrangements at the seat of power, it is imperative that this provision of the FOI Act is complied with to facilitate the effectiveness of the entire Act. It is particularly important that an appropriate officer is designated to receive information requests from the public, that the address of such an officer is accessible to members of the public so that the right of citizens to request information is not impeded by the security arrangements and protocols within the seat of power, and that the address is published and widely disseminated so that people seeking information from the Presidency know where to go to make their requests.”

MRA also noted that there is no indication that the Presidency has provided appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information and for the effective implementation of the Act at any time in the last six years, as it is required to do under Section 13 of the FOI Act.
Mr. Sulaimon said:  “This clear disregard by the Presidency for the provisions of the FOI Act in all respects amounts to impunity at the highest level of government.  It is a gross failure of leadership that the institution of government, which should set an example for all other public institutions, has put itself in such an untenable position that it no longer has the moral authority to insist on compliance by other institutions of government.
According to him, “the Presidency is contradicting itself when it claims to be pursuing a policy of transparency and accountability while neglecting to comply with the Law of the Land that seeks to engender transparency and accountability in governance.”

Mr. Sulaimon stressed that “the government’s war against corruption has a better chance of success in an environment of openness, where the activities of public institutions and government officials are subject to public scrutiny and the government itself enjoys credibility arising from appearing to mean what it says and practicing what it preaches.”
Media Rights Agenda launched the “FOI Hall of Shame” on July 3 to draw attention to public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 through their actions, decisions or utterances.
 
For further information, please contact:
Ridwan Sulaimon
Programme Manager, Freedom of Information

- MRA