GLORIFIED VILLAGE !!! 3 journalists shot as violence rocks Lagos APC rally

Three journalists were on Tuesday shot at a rally organised for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The rally was held at Skypower field, Ikeja, Lagos.

Among those that were hit by the bullet were the group political editor of Nation newspaper, Emmanuel Oladesu, News Telegraph correspondent, Temitope Ogunbanke and Ibile Television cameraman, Abiodun Yusuf.

A number of persons were also injured, robbed and beaten at the rally.

Trouble started at about 1:30 pm when Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode was delivering his speech.

Suddenly, suspected rival groups of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) started shooting at each other.

Hoodlums took advantage of the occasion as they robbed people of their phones, money and bags.

An NURTW official Musiliu Akinsanya also known as ‘Oluomo’ was beaten with sticks by thugs.

Despite the stampede caused by hoodlums and security men, Ambode continued his address and handed the microphone to the party candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who delivered the vote of thanks.

The campaign, which started by 12:30 pm had party bigwigs in attendance, excluding the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Two people were reportedly killed as of the time of filing this report.

- DAILY POST

Kano to pay N30,600 as minimum wage‎

The Government of Kano State has restated its commitment to pay the new minimum wage of N30,000 with additional N600.

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano disclosed this when members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) staged a peaceful protest to the government house on Tuesday in Kano.

He said that his administration has given priority to the welfare of civil servants in the state.

Represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna, he said that Kano state was among the few States in the country that pays monthly salary on time.

“We are ready to pay N30,000 monthly salary because welfare of our workers is paramount to anything and we will always give it preference.

“We will pay the N30,600 as soon as all processes are completed,” he added.

Ganduje then urged ‎women and youths to stay away from drug abuse and addiction due to their harmful effects to health.‎

‎”Our women, particularly married women and youths must say no to drug abuse and addiction. They should stop abusing it because it will ultimately damage their systems and cut short their lives,” he warned.‎

‎Earlier, the NLC Chairman in the state, Mr Kabiru Minjibir, commended the governor for his commitment to pay the minimum wage of N30,600.‎

‎”We are not surprise for this kind gesture taking into consideration your labour friendly disposition.

“We also urge your excellency to convey our polite gesture to your co-governors to enlighten the public on new national minimum wage and it’s speedy enactment into law,” he added.

- PM NEWS

TRANSFER NEWS : Suarez finally agrees to join Arsenal from Barcelona

Barcelona star, Denis Suarez has agreed to join Premier League giants, Arsenal.

According to Spanish outlet, Sport, Suarez agreed to join the North London club after holding talks with the Gunners’ coach, Unai Emery.

The report claimed that Suarez has received offers from AC Milan and Valencia, but Emery has now convinced him to join the Emirates club.

The midfielder, who played under Emery during their time at Sevilla, has been one of Arsenal’s top January transfer targets.

The 25-year-old played a key role in Sevilla’s Europa League success back in 2015.

Suarez has been told by Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde that he was not in his plans this season at Camp Nou.

The player has struggled to secure a regular place in the team and has only made six appearances this term for Barca.

Suarez has not been a regular starter so far this campaign under Valverde.

He has only featured once in the Spanish topflight league so far this term as a substitute.

- DAILY POST

2019: Buhari reveals why he doesn’t want state police, says Lagos richer than Federal Government

President Muhammadu Buhari has said Lagos State is richer than the Federal Government.

President Buhari said while revealing why he does not want to be a part of State Police, even though it was a good initiative.

The President spoke in an interview with Arise TV aired on Monday night.

He said, “It may be more efficient, which was why I congratulated the governor of Lagos State when he started the Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps. It’s a good initiative.”

Buhari said the initiative could not work because most states could not afford to pay the salaries of their workers.

He said, “Lagos State is richer than the Federal Government. How many states are there that can pay salaries and you now ask them to go and form state Police?

“And, do you know what can happen if you can’t feed the Police? Do you just give him uniform and a gun but can’t pay him salaries for six months?

“It’s going to be a problem and I don’t want to be a part of it.”

He added, “I have a problem with the Police and I told them that, from my training and experience, the Police are supposed to be in the front line.

“Now, Nigerians are seeing soldiers on the streets. This is not good for the Police and I told them this some months ago.”

- DAILY POST

CRAZE LEADERS !! New Minimum Wage: Buhari compares NLC with mad woman over N30,000 demand

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) wants to force his government to print more money to meet their demands.

He narrated the situation using the parable of a mad woman.

Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, Buhari asked the NLC how they expect his government and state governors to get N30,000 minimum wage, considering the struggle to pay N18,000.

“I have just mentioned how much this country was earning between 1999 and 2014, but there are states that were not paying salaries.

“We had to do what you call bailout twice and then paid Paris Club and whatever it is, up till now there are states that for six months are not paying one kobo.

“So, when the recruited labour wanted salaries to be increased, I had to relapse into my culture, Hausa culture, and told them about a mad woman; she went to make firewood, she made firewood, she tied it, once she couldn’t carry it because it was too heavy, she increased it instead of reducing.

“When they can’t pay the basic salary of N18,000 per month, they say it should go to N30,000. My budget presentation was no secret, I read it all out. Where do we get the money?

“Do we print more currency? If you do it, you cannot control inflation, but if we have to stay in government, they would force us to print more money, let everybody be a millionaire,” Buhari said.

- DAILY POST

Egypt to host 2019 African Cup of Nations

Egypt will host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced.

Egypt beat South Africa, the only other nation to bid, by 16 votes to one with one abstention at a CAF executive committee vote in Senegal.

Original host nation Cameroon was stripped of staging duties in November because of slow preparations.

Egypt has just six months to prepare for the expanded 24-team finals, which kick off in June.

It will be the fifth time Egypt, which won the tournament when it last hosted in 2006, has staged the tournament.

“I want to thank the (CAF) Executive Committee for the trust, and I thank the government for this support,” said Egypt FA (EFA) president Hany Abu Rida.

“We organised the tournament on 2006 and that make us against a challenge to make better and better, we are ready for this honour.”

“The guarantee from government helped us to win against South Africa and that will help us to make a good tournament,” added Ahmed Shobair, vice-president of Egypt’s FA.

“The fans will be back again in the stadiums, which will be full in the tournament I promise.”

Egypt will use eight stadiums during the tournament, hosting in five different cities: Alexandria, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and the capital Cairo.

BBC reports that CAF had originally planned to name the new hosts on Wednesday 9 January.

Since stripping Cameroon of this year’s event, Caf has offered the country the chance to stage the finals in two years’ time, which has meant that the original hosts for both the 2021 and 2023 finals have been asked to delay their tournaments.

Ivory Coast, which was set to host the 2021, has protested against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Guinea’s football federation announced on Monday that it has agreed to move its staging of the Nations Cup from 2023 to 2025.

Tuesday’s announcement took place in the Senegalese capital Dakar, which will host Caf’s annual awards ceremony later in the day.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah is looking to retain his title as he takes on Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Senegal’s Sadio Mane for the African Player of the Year award.

- PM NEWS

Gunshots, pandemonium as APC flags off campaign in Lagos; MC Oluomo stabbed

There were gunshots and pandemonium on Tuesday as the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagged of campaign in Lagos for its governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other party flag-bearers in the state.

Popular area father, MC Oluomo was said to have been stabbed in the skirmish that occurred at the campaign ground.

The campaign was held at the Sky Power Ground, Oba Akinjobi Road, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Everything was going on well when a gunshot was heard at the podium where Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Anifowoshe, popularly known as ‘K1 De Ultimate’ was performing and thrilling the audience.

Sources said there was a skirmish between supporters of MC Oluomo and other transport unions, as series of gunshots rent the air, causing pandemonium at the Sky Power Ground.

PM News gathered that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was addressing the crowd when the first gunshot was heard, sending panic among the crowd.

Ambode was said to have told the crowd that the police were in control of the situation, but things got worse as series of gunshots were heard.

The campaign was cut shot, as Sanwo-Olu could not address the crowd as he had wanted to. He only rushed the vote of thanks and dispersed the meeting.

Police officers were said to have engaged the hoodlums in gun battle as people ran helter and skelter to for their lives.

In the milieu that occurred, several people were stabbed and injured.

Pressmen covering the event were seen fleeing the scene to avoid being caught in the bloody clash.

Officers of the Lagos State Ambulance Services, LASAMBUS, were said to have conveyed about eight stabbed people to the hospital.

MC Oluomo was said to have been stabbed and rushed to the hospital.

- PM NEWS

NLC President calls for immediate removal of Labour Minister

The National President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Ayuba Wabba on Tuesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to present the report of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage to the National Assembly for approval.

Waba, represented by Comrade Kiri Mohammed made the call in Kano during a protest on the implementation of the minimum wage.

He also called for the immediate removal of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige by the president.

“The minister abandoned his responsibilities during the Tripartite Committee meeting with the NLC to travel abroad for a two-week holiday. And after his return he demanded for the committee to start work all over again,” he said.

Wabba accused some state governors of sabotaging the planned implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage in the country.

Commending the courage of Buhari for accepting the N30,000 minimum wage, Wabba called for the immediate submission of the tripartite committee’s report to the National Assembly.

“The decision to embark on the nationwide protest is our last resort for those who have mistaken our patience for weakness.

“There is no going back on our current position until the new national minimum wage of N30,000 is transmitted by the President to the National Assembly for implementation by all tiers of government in the county,” he said.

The Kano state NLC Chairman, Alhaji Kabiru Minjibir said the aim of the protest was to enlighten workers on the implication of non-implementation of the minimum wage by state governors.

According to him, the protest will take them to the Kano Government House to present their request to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje to convince his colleagues to implement the minimum wage.

Minjibir, commended the governor for accepting to pay the N30,000 minimum wage, with an addition of N600.

-PM NEWS

Brazilian robber gets bloody nose targeting female martial arts fighter

A Brazilian robber who tried to steal a cellphone from a young woman, Polyana Viana, in Rio de Janeiro learned the hard way that mugging a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who goes by the nickname “the Iron Lady” is not an excellent idea.

Viana, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight, brought the hapless perp down with two punches and a kick and held him in a “rear-naked choke” before making him sit and wait for the police, she told the sports website MMA Junkie.

The attempted crime happened late Saturday as Viana, 27, was waiting for an Uber outside her apartment block. She said the man told her he had a gun but she surmised it probably wasn’t real and in any case “he won’t have time to draw it” before she went into action.

After subduing the assailant she discovered the weapon was in fact a cardboard replica of a pistol.

Viana posted images of the would-be robber, looking dejected and bruised, with blood on his sleeveless shirt and on a hand, as she kept his arm in a “kimura-like position” until the police arrived.

“Since he took the punches very quickly, I think he was scared,” she told the site.

She said that, after the suspect’s processing by police and treatment for his injuries, she went home and made dinner. Her hands hurt a bit the next day, but nothing serious and she was otherwise unharmed.

Muggings are a constant risk in Rio and other cities in Brazil. The country’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, was elected on promises to crack down on crime.

- PM NEWS

Buhari releases N15.4bn as ASUU, FG reach an agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government have finally reached an agreement.

The union and the federal government reached the agreement on Monday, after a two-hour meeting in Abuja.

The government agreed to release N15.4 billion in salary shortfall for the University teachers.

The union is expected to call off its indefinite strike action any time from now.

Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment, who disclosed the news of the agreement said President Muhammadu Buhari has released N15.4 billion to cover the shortfalls in public universities.

According to him, the accountant general and the ministry of finance have confirmed the release of the funds.

He said President Buhari has approved N20 billion for settling outstanding arrears from 2009 to 2012 due to the universities.

The staff union has been on strike action for two months running.

Biodun Ogunyemi, a professor and the ASUU national chairman, said the union will meet and decide if the concession by the government is enough to call of the strike or not.

The final decision of the striking lecturers will be communicated to the public after the said meeting.

-THECABLE

FULL LIST: Lagos alone equals 65% of entire south-east voters

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday announced the total number of voters in the country as over 84 million.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, said the national voter register hit 84,004,084 after the continuous voter registration which ended in 2018.

The figure, which constitutes 42 percent of Nigeria’s 198 million population, is 15.17 million more than the 68,833,476 voters who participated in the 2015 elections.

QUICK FACTS FROM THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTER:

Lagos has highest number of voters with 6,570,291, followed by Kano which has 5,457,747 voters.

The voters in Lagos equals 65.3 percent of the voters in the south-east which is the least among the regions with 10,057,130 voters.

North-west region leads with 24 percent of the voters (20,158,100) followed by 19.39 percent in south-west (16,292,212). Other regional data are 11.9 percent of the voters (10,057,130) in south-east; 15.9 percent in south-south (12,841,279); 13.4 percent in north-east (11,289,293); and 15.9 percent in north-central (13, 366,070).

Youth – between 18 and 35 years – constitute the highest number of voters with 51.11 percent at 42,938,458 voters.

Below is the representation of the voters in all the 36 states and the FCT:

S/N	STATES	NO OF VOTERS
1	Abia	1,932,892
2	Adamawa	1,973,083
3	Akwa Ibom	2,119,727
4	Anambra	2,447,996
5	Bauchi	2,462,843
6	Bayelsa	923,182
7	Benue	2,480,131
8	Borno	2,315,956
9	Cross River	1,527,289
10	Delta	2,845,274
11	Ebonyi	1,459,933
12	Edo	2,210,534
13	Ekiti	909,967
14	Enugu	1,944,016
15	FCT	1,344,856
16	Gombe	1,394,393
17	Imo	2,272,293
18	Jigawa	2,111,106
19	Kaduna	3,932,492
20	Kano	5,457,747
21	Katsina	3,230,230
22	Kebbi	1,806,231
23	Kogi	1,646,350
24	Kwara	1,406,457
25	Lagos	6,570,291
26	Nasarawa	1,617,786
27	Niger	2,390,035
28	Ogun	2,375,003
29	Ondo	1,822,346
30	Osun	1,680,498
31	Oyo	2,934,107
32	Plateau	2,480,455
33	Rivers	3,215,273
34	Sokoto	1,903,166
35	Taraba	1,777,105
36	Yobe	1,365,913
37	Zamfara	1,717,128
	Total	84,004,084
	NEW VOTERS	15,170,608

 - THECABLE