NUMB-SKULLS !! Minimum wage: Buhari meets 36 state governors, says economy in bad shape

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with 36 state governors on the lingering disagreement between them and organised labour on the proposed N30,000 national minimum wage.

Some of the governors were represented by their deputy governors at the meeting which lasted for about 30 minutes.

President Buhari, had on Nov.19, held similar meeting with representatives of Nigerian Governors Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the same issue of national minimum wage was deliberated upon.

Representatives of the Governors forum, who met with the president over the issue then, included governors of Zamfara, Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu, while the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige was also in attendance.

The Amal Pepple Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage, had on Nov. 6, submitted its report to President Buhari where it recommended N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

While receiving the report, the president expressed his commitment to ensuring the implementation of a new national minimum wage and pledged to transmit an Executive Bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time.

However, the 36 state governors had since expressed reservation over the proposed N30,000 new minimum wage by the Amal Pepple committee, saying the state governments were not in a stable financial position to pay the new minimum wage.

The Chairman of the Governors’ forum and Governor of Zamfara, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, had on Nov. 15, told newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the governors in Abuja that payment of N30, 000 wage was not practicable.

- PM NEWS

COUNTRY OF MANY MOSQUES AND CHURCHES WITH VERY LOT OF NEGATIVES !! RItualists kidnap 13-day-old infant in Ondo

Suspected ritualists have reportedly kidnapped a 13-day-old baby at Ajowa-Akoko in Akoko North-West local government area of Ondo State.

It was gathered that the incident happened at Uro Quarters area of the town when the mother of the baby was said to be in deep sleep.

According to one of the residents of the town, an aged women who encountered the suspected ritualists was cut with machete, a development which he said had thrown the town into confusion.

The resident, who preferred anonymity, also stated that the suspected ritualists were two in number and wore face masks.

Confirming the incident, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of the area, Adetaranmi Ibitayo said that investigation has commenced towards unravelling circumstances surrounding the baby’s abduction.

The spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Femi Joseph who also confirmed the incident, explained that the hoodlums gained entrance into the building through the backdoor around 1am.

Joseph also confirmed that the father of the abducted baby and the mother are living separately.

The PPRO however disclosed that police from the command had commenced investigation while detectives have been on the trail of the criminals to rescue the infant from the captives.

- DAILY POST

May insists Brexit deal is not dead despite EU leaders refusing to make further concessions

Theresa May has insisted her Brexit deal is not dead despite a bruising summit in Brussels in which EU leaders made no significant concessions to help her pass the agreement.

Speaking on Friday after the meeting the prime minister accepted that her “MPs will require further assurances” to pass the controversial plan after the EU ripped up a commitment to help.

EU leaders last night only released a bare-bones statement of “reassurances”, and deleted pledges from earlier drafts which had said the bloc “stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided”.

But the prime minister insisted that “as formal conclusions, these commitments have legal status and therefore should be welcomed”.

She told reporters that after a round of diplomacy this morning it was clear to her that “further clarification and discussion following the Council’s conclusions is in fact possible” despite the conclusions.

The PM insisted there would be further discussions in the coming days.

Ahead of the meeting some EU officials had suggested a more substantial package to help the PM might be held back until the New Year when it was judged to be more effective – but it is not clear whether this plan is still on the cards.

But even such a further step appears unlikely to assuage Tory eurosceptics, who want a legally binding mechanism for the UK to leave the treaty’s Northern Ireland backstop. The bloc has ruled this out, said it would effectively render the backstop ineffective, and that it will not reopen the withdrawal agreement.

That backstop policy ties the UK to the EU’s customs area and ramps up checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in order to prevent a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.

“As formal conclusions, these commitments have legal status and therefore should be welcomed. As I have always said, the guaranteed way of avoiding the backstop is to have the future partnership in place by the time the implementation period is over. The EU is very firmly committed to this course,” she said.

“But MPs will require further assurances, and I have discussed that this morning with my EU partners, including Presidents Tusk, Juncker and others.

“I note there has been reporting that the EU is not willing to consider any further clarification. The EU is clear – as I am – that if we are going to leave with a deal this is it. But my discussions with colleagues today have shown that further clarification and discussion following the Council’s conclusions is in fact possible.

“There is work still to do and we will be holding talks in coming days about how to obtain the further assurances that the UK Parliament needs in order to be able to approve the deal.”

Accounts of last night’s meeting suggest the prime minister’s speech, in which she called for help to get the agreement “over the line”, was repeatedly interrupted by Angela Merkel asking her what she actually wanted from them.

Senior UK government officials admitted that the prime minister did not bring any documented proposals with her to the meeting.

 Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker had an icy conversation on Sunday morning

The approach puzzled EU diplomats, who for days before the conference had said they needed to see what proposals Ms May had come up with before they could respond to her request for aid.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said at a midnight press conference after the discussion: “I do find it uncomfortable that there’s an impression perhaps in the UK that it is for the EU to propose solutions.

“It is for the UK leaving the EU and I would have thought that it was rather more for the British government.”

In the margins of the summit the meeting is already being called “Salzburg 2.0” – a reference to a previous summit in September where the prime minister’s dinner speech also ended up accidentally hardening the EU position.

The statement issued by leaders warns that the withdrawal agreement “is not open for renegotiation”, but clarifying that the controversial backstop will “apply temporarily, unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement” and that the EU will “use its best endeavours” to get it replaced quickly “so that the backstop would only be in place for as long as strictly necessary”.

They assured the UK it was EU’s “firm determination to work speedily” to replace it with a trade agreement.

The statement will be of little help to the prime minister, who is struggling to get her deal through parliament after a bruising confidence vote on Wednesday where over 100 of her own MPs said she should quit.

In one positive for the prime minister Mr Juncker, the commission president, said he wanted talks on the future relationship to begin as soon as the House of Commons had approved the agreement – as a sign that the EU was serious about replacing the backstop. But the token gesture alone is unlikely to persuade Brexiteers.

- INDEPENDENT 

Muhammad Ali’s son claims he's a 'penniless odd job man' that survives on £6-a-day

Muhammad Ali’s only biological son has claimed he is surviving on less than £6 a day and is forced to do odd jobs to make ends meet.

Muhammad Ali Junior expected to inherit £4million after the boxing legend’s death, aged 74, in 2016.

But he claims all he receives is a small allowance from the estate, meaning he will spend Christmas penniless.

Junior said: “I have no plans for Christmas. I’m just trying to make a living.

“I’ll do anything – construction, break­­ing up concrete, painting, but at the moment I’m making nothing. I cut grass, pull hedges, weeds, clean shutters, clean gutters. My friend lets me use his truck and equipment and I give him half.”

Junior, 46, lives in a dingy room in a three-bedroom condo in Miami.

Estranged wife Shaakira, 49, and their two young children live in Englewood, Chicago – a neighbourhood with one of the worst crime rates in the US.

He and Shaakira are barely on speak­­ing terms after she gave an interview in 2016, wrongly claiming he ran away to Florida with his fortune.

Yet Junior said he received no windfall and moved to be nearer his mother, his father’s first wife Khalilah, and to find corporate work. But that did not work out.

He had expected to share his father’s £50million estate with the boxer’s fourth wife Lonnie, seven daughters and adopted son Assad.

However, tensions have existed between Junior and his stepmother for decades.

Lonnie, 61, who had power of attorney over the fortune, is understood to have helped to write the ex-heavyweight champ’s will before his death.

Junior claimed the Muhammad Ali Estate gives him only $1,000 a month– about £560 for rent and a further £240.

He has no bank account and has to pay commission to cash the cheques. It leaves him with £159 a month – or £5.70 a day – after bills

Junior said: “I miss my kids so much. My wife said I ­abandoned them and got mil­­lions, which was wrong. Even though I earn next to nothing, I’d love to send money back home for the kids or be able to afford a flight to Chicago.”

Junior believes other ­relatives get more money but he cannot know as they have not spoken for two years.

He added: “It makes me feel like crap but I deal with it. What else can I do?

“I try to get more money from the estate but they won’t do it. They say, ‘We’ll give it to you when you need it’.

“Last time I asked for more they ­actually cut it by a hundred bucks.”

The Muhammad Ali estate was contacted for a comment.

- MIRROR

Tax fraud : Cristiano Ronaldo could receive two-year prison sentence

Ronaldo will appear before a court in Madrid on January 14 to hear a guilty verdict delivered against him over a €14.7million tax fraud.

The former Real Madrid player and five-time Ballon d'Or winner was charged in 2017 by Spanish prosecutors over monies owed from image rights.

This was after a shell company in the British Virgin Islands was used to hide parts of his income between 2011 and 2014.

“The accused made use of a corporate structure created in 2010 to hide from the tax authority income generated in Spain through image rights,” said a statement by prosecutors at the time the charges were first brought.

And now Ronaldo, whose summer move to Juventus was made contingent by authorities upon reaching a settlement with the courts over what was owed, will be summoned to appear before the court to hear the verdict - which a be a two-year prison sentence.

He has applied to the courts to appear by video-link.

Spanish law dictates that jail sentences of two years and under are to be suspended for first-time offenders, pending the accused not committing any further crimes in Spain during that period.

Ronaldo's lawyer, José Antonio Choclán, had lobbied the courts for the sentence to be commuted to a €375,000 fine - the same outcome as was negotiated for another of his clients, former Real defender Fábio Coentrão, for similar offences.

That deal was rejected by presecutors.

Ronaldo has already paid up the bulk of the €14.7million which was outstanding in order to smooth over his move to Turin, and January's court appearance will bring a close to the matter.

The final bill for the Portugal forward will ultimately top €18.9million once fines and interest are factored in.

Ronaldo's long-time rival Leo Messi was also hit with a suspended jail sentence in May 2017 for similar offences relating to hidden income and tax evasion, but the Argentina captain has not served a custodial sentence.- Mirror

Stop threatening my family – Kanye West ignites feud with Drake

Popular American rapper, Kanye West has again ignited ‘feud’ with fellow rapper, Drake.

Kanye, in a series of tweets on Twitter, called out Drake, warning him to stop threatening his family. He also demanded an apology from Drake, alleging that he has been spilling ‘diss’ records on Travis Scott collabs, and texting Kris Jenner to check up on the family.

In over 120 tweets, Kanye cleared the air that he wasn’t the one who gave Pusha T the intel about Drake’s son, adding that he paved the way for artistes like Drake.

Kanye wrote: “Drake called trying to threaten me, the kid he had run on stage at Pushas concert is in critical condition

“Since the pool line, he’s been trying to poke at me and f*ck with me.

“So drake if anything happens to me or anyone from my family you are the first suspect so cut the tough talk.Never threaten North saint and Chicago’s dad bro. I paved your way,

“There would never be a drake without a Kanye west so never come out your mouth with a threat. It’s all love bro but don’t play with me. You stay too close to be playing all these industry games bro” and followed up by saying.

“Sending purple emojis When I’m dealing with mental shit I need my apologies now not through scooter either not through Travis.

“You would be so sad if anything ever happened to me.You trying to be a bully. I have never been bullied in my life and I never will be. That’s why I made it this far in a pink polo.

“You pick on people with mental health issues, how you gone be on Travis song coming at me. Travis should have never allowed that

“It’s not about rap, It’s about family. We have to be close as a family and never let these people infiltrate just for radio spins

“You are disrespectful to all people with mental health conditions so this is an opportunity for growth.

“Still need that apology for mentioning the 350s and trying to take food out your idols kids mouths.Been trying to meet with you for 6 months bro but you sneak dissing on trav records and texting Kris talking about how’s the family.”

- DAILY POST

2019 election: ICPC speaks on vote buying

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Friday in Lagos described vote buying as an act of corruption which the commission was committed to tackling.

Dr Musa Abubakar, the Acting Chairman of ICPC, made the declaration at a one-day ‘National Campaign Against Vote Buying and other Electoral Malpractices’ organised by the commission in conjunction with the Youth Alive Foundation(YAF).

According to Abubakar, represented by Mr Shintema Binga, the Zonal Commissioner for South-West in ICPC, vote buying, which is a type of electoral fraud, takes the form of collecting payment from candidates after voting for them, NAN reports

He urged Nigerian voters to shun attempts by unpatriotic elements in the society who might want to buy their conscience with foodstuff, cloth and cash

“Such payments are usually made through agents either directly or through phone transfer.

“Rigging can take the form of falsifying election results by changing figures to favour particular candidates.

“This is a falsification of official records and punishable under the ICPC Act 2000,’’ he said.

“If you allow them to succeed in doing so, they will make sure they steal resources meant for provision of water, healthcare, educational facilities and construction of roads.

“If such people force themselves on you by bribing you, they will not have your time because they have already settled you.

“I will also advise you to resist any attempt by such disgruntled elements to use your children as thugs to kill, maim and threaten political opponents.

“Admonish your children to resist such attempts; if being a political thug is a worthy way of life, let them recall their children studying abroad and use them as thugs, but they will never,’’ he said.

The acting chairman said that the commission had met with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman where issues of training and election monitoring were revisited.

According to him, the commission is prepared to monitor the 2019 general elections.

- DAILY POST

Nigerian Army suspends UNICEF activities in North East

The Nigerian army has suspended the activities of the United Nations International Children Education Fund, UNICEF, in the north-eastern part of the country.

The army accused UNICEF of working for Boko Haram insurgents.

In a statement by Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Public Relations of the army, the military said it took the action since the organisation had been sabotaging the war against insurgency.

“The Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE has observed with dismay that some of the activities of International humanitarian agencies and Non-governmental organisations’ operating in the North East have left so much to be desired,” the statement read.

“There is credible information that some of them are indulging in unwholesome practices that could further jeopardise the fight against terrorism and insurgency, as they train and deploy spies who support the insurgents and their sympathisers.

“It is baffling to note that some of these organisations have been playing the terrorists’ script with the aim to continue demoralising the troops who are doing so much to protect the lives of victims of Boko Haram Terrorism and safe guard them from wanton destruction of property and means the of livelihood. The Theatre Command considers the actions of these organisations as a direct assault and insult on the sensibilities of Nigerians, as they tend to benefit more from expanding the reign of terror on our people.

“Consequently, the Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE is suspending the operations of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the North East theatre until further notice. This has become inevitable since the organisation has abdicated its primary duty of catering for the wellbeing of children and the vulnerable through humanitarian activities and now engaged in training selected persons for clandestine activities to continue sabotaging the counter terrorism and Counter insurgency efforts of troops through spurious and unconfirmed allegations bothering on alleged violations of human rights by the military.”

- DAILY POST

Presidential debate: Sowore’s supporters protest exclusion

Supporters of Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, on Friday staged a protest at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotel venue of the vice presidential debate against his exclusion.

Mr Jude Eya spokesperson of the protesters, known as “Take it Back Movement” told newsmen that all they wanted was for Sowore to be included in the debate.

He said that the placards they held reflected their opinion on the matter.

Some of the placards had inscriptions, saying their struggle for fairness was a battle of no retreat, no surrender.

According to him, the protest would be sustained because the reason for exclusion of the party’s candidate was not made public.

The debate was put together by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

The parties that participated were the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN); All Progressives Congress (APC); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Some Nigerians who witnessed the debate commended the group for the initiative .

Mr Sule Isah said that because of the debate, Nigerians were better informed on the various policies of the parties.

However, Mrs Mary John lamented that the candidates did not discuss the issue of security.

John said that such a pressing issue should not have been neglected and called on the group to include it in the presidential debate.

- PM NEWS

Salah wins BBC African Footballer of the Year second time

Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year for the second time in a row.

The 26-year-old beat Medhi Benatia, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mane and Thomas Partey to the prize.

The Premier League’s player of the year scored 44 goals in 52 games for Liverpool last season.

“It’s a great feeling to win again. I’m happy and I would like to win it also next year!” said Salah.

As well as inspiring his club to the Champions League final, Salah scored twice for Egypt at this year’s World Cup, having netted both goals in the match which took his country to the tournament for the first time since 1990.

“There have been many good moments in 2018,” he added. “The game against Roma at Anfield [Champions League semi-final first leg] was unbelievable. I’m scoring goals and helping the team to get the points to be top of the league. That’s always a great feeling.”

Salah said his aim for 2019 is “to win something with the club so everyone is excited”.

“I try to push myself every day to help the team win something,” he added.

The BBC received more than 650,000 votes this year – a record for the award.

Salah becomes the first player since Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha to win in consecutive years.

BBC reports that the former Chelsea player signed for the Reds from Roma in the summer of 2017. He scored 15 goals and made 11 others for the Italian side in 2016-17 as they finished second in Serie A, their best league placing for seven years.

In a phenomenal start to his Liverpool career, Salah scored 19 goals in his first 24 appearances. He went on to beat the previous record of 31 goals in a 38-game Premier League season shared by Luis Suarez for the Reds in 2013-14, Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United in 2007-08 and Alan Shearer for Newcastle in 1995-96.

- PM NEWS

Sickening !! 20-year old man stabs father to death, cuts off his private part

A 20-year old man has been arrested for stabbing his father to death after a heated argument over money before cutting off his private part.

Basilio Simbi, from  Glen Norah, Zimbbwe, was said to have stabbed his father, Olisidio Simbi several times before cutting off his privates, to make it look like a ritual murder.

A source who witnessed some of the happenings at the house said that Basilio killed his father on Wednesday morning and spent the whole day with the corpse inside the house before dumping the naked body the next morning.

”Akauraya baba vake nezuro makuseni and kept the body inside the house for the better part of the day.”

The witness added, “he had altercation with his father over money. He said he wanted the money his father had and azobuditsa 100 bond. They had a quarrel inside the house on Tuesday night and all blankets were stained with blood.”

According to iharare.com, Deputy Police Assistant Commissioner, Paul Nyathi, confirmed the report.

” I can confirm that I received the report of a murder case where a body was found without private parts. We are still conducting investigations on what transpired because there were no blood stains at the scene of a murder. Investigations are still in progress,” he said.

The matter was only brought to light after neighbours saw bloodstained blankets which Basilio washed to erase traces of the murder, which only aroused the neighbour’s suspicion.

The suspect was arrested by the police at the crime scene in Glen Norah A, house number 2705, after he had come to collect his clothes in an attempt to take flight.

Basilio confessed to the murder after an interrogation by police officers and said that he used knives to slice his fathers privates off.

Police detectives took the suspect for indications at Glen Norah Community Hall, where he had hidden the knives he had used to kill his father.

- PM NEWS

PDP’s 16 years misrule major cause of Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria suffered major infrastructural deficit in the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) rule.

He stated this on Friday in Abuja at the 2019 Vice Presidential Debate organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group in collaboration with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Civil Society Organisations.

He added that corruption was the major course of the country`s current challenges which must be tackled head-on.

He said the country`s Gross Domestic Product had consistently gone up under the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration which he added was building the country`s infrastructure, especially the road and rail sector.

While acknowledging issues of poverty in the country, Osinbajo said the administration’s social investment programmes were put in place to address poverty in the country.

He said the administration was investing heavily in power distribution to address problem of electricity in the country.

Dr Peter Obi, the PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, however, said that job creation remained the key to addressing insecurity and other anti-social vices in the country.

He decried inequality, poverty and high crime rate in the country which he said was caused by unemployment.

Obi stressed that the country`s main problem was its economy which he said was under the preview of the Vice President, adding that he would do all it takes to set the country`s economy on the right footing if his party was voted into office in 2019.

“The vice president has a role to build the economy and make the country work, fighting corruption is not a policy,” he said.

He assured that he would remain loyal to the President and Nigerians, adding that he had never had issues working with people.

Obi further said there was need to review the country’s subsidy regime in the interest of the nation, adding that if the right thing was done, the price of petroleum products would drop.

He said the PDP government would properly support Small and Medium Enterprises in the country as well create enabling environment to attract foreign investors.

Also speaking at the debate, Mrs Umma Getso, Young Progressives Party Vice Presidential Candidate said the girl-child education and women empowerment was her priority.

She stressed that her party had all it takes to move the country to the next level, adding that subsidy in petroleum products was a scam and should be removed completely.

She emphasised the need to rebuild the country`s economy which she said is all encompassing, adding that her party would ensure constitutional restructuring and electricity redistribution.

Alliance for New Nigeria Vice Presidential Candidate, Khadijah Abudullahi-Iya said her party if voted into office, would ensure transparency in government`s institutions, diversify the economy and address issues surrounding petroleum subsidy.

She also said that her party had in place policies that would address unemployment, and encourage free trade to grow the economy.

Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria Vice Presidential Candidate said his party would work with technocrats to develop the country`s economy and make her the envy of other nations.

He said his party would privatise all government business to make them more productive

- PM NEWS