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NATIONAL NEWS 29-07-21

1 year ago Editor

HIGHLIGHTS

APC INSISTS ON CONDUCTING PARTY CONGRESSES JULY 31.
U.S COURT INDICTS ABBA KYARI ON HUSHPUPPI’S FRAUD ALLEGATION.
ZAMFARA BANS TRICYCLE IN STATE OVER CLASH WITH TRAFFIC OFFICIALS.
ON SPORTS, NIGERIANS REACT OVER BAN OF 10 ATHLETES.

HUSHPUPPI/CASE

An alleged international fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, has pleaded guilty to multi-million dollar fraud charges filed against him by the United States government.

Hushpuppi in a plea agreement document, personally signed by him, his lawyer, Loius Shapiro; acting U.S attorney, Tracy Wilkison, amongst others agreed to plead guilty as charged.

The plea agreement stated further that he will now be pleading guilty to count two which is conspiracy to engage in money laundering, an offence that attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment among other punishments including full restitution.

JAMB/RESCHEDULED EXAM

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB has rescheduled examination for more than 18,000 candidates who experienced biometric verification challenges.

Jamb spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, made this known in a statement, adding that the 18,000 candidates include those who genuinely missed the just-concluded unified tertiary matriculation examination, UTME as a result of a clash with this year’s national business and technical examinations board examination.

According to the board, the mop-up UTME is scheduled for Friday, August 6, 2021, in some selected locations across the Country as stated in the text messages sent to the affected candidates.

Benjamin, however warned that no candidate whose result has been duly released will be rescheduled for another examination.

PRESIDENCY/NIGERIA LEADERS

The Presidency has explained that the Executive and Legislative arms of Government are not supposed to have differences but work together for the common good of Nigerians and the Country.

Senior special assistant to President Muhamadu Buhari on national assembly matters, Umar El-Yakub, stated this in Abuja at a press conference to review the relationship between the 9th national assembly and the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency in the last two years.

The Presidential aide, who was asked if the so-called cordial relation had yielded any positive result for the Country, noted that members of the two arms were not elected to fight each other.

He therefore affirmed that their relationship was indeed yielding the right results but could yield better if constructive and effective contributions are engaged in their activities.

SPORTS 1

Former President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Evangelist Solomon Ogba has assured Nigerians that team Nigeria would surely win medals at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

Many Nigerians have become worried following the spate of defeats handed to their athletes in the different sports already decided.

Not less than ten athletes from sports like table tennis, taekwondo, badminton, among others have been kicked out thereby raising fears over the chances of the remaining ones.

However, reacting to Nigerians fears, Ogba said there is no cause for alarm, Nigerian athletes would get medals in athletics and wrestling, preaching that the day a yam is planted is not the harvest day.

SPORTS 2

Enyimba Football Club have defended their player and captain, Austin Oladapo in the wake of the one-year ban handed to him by the confederation 0f African Football, caf for alleged doping violation.

Caf had ordered Oladapo to stay away from football related activities after testing positive for prednisolone/prednisone when his urine sample was tested after the confederations cup tie against pyramids fc of Egypt on May 16, 2021.

Chairman of Enyimba, Felix Agwu, while extolling the player in a statement, said Oladapo had been on preventive covid-specific treatment after being diagnosed with malaria with bronchitis, saying that might have played a role in the positive test result.

IGBOHO/SAGA

A former secretary to the government of the federation, Sgf, Chief Olu Falae has expressed optimism that the yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, fondly called Sunday Igboho will not be extradited.

Falae made the expression while speaking with newsmen, confirming that the Nigerian Government is doing all it can to extradite Igboho but urged the yorubas to support the legal process to ensure that he is not extradited.

It would be recalled that Igboho and his wife, Ropo, were arrested on July 19, 2021, by the international criminal police organisation at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic on their way to Germany.

The elder statement therefore called on the Federal Government to leave the freedom fighter alone.

OYO/ISEYIN KILLING

The House of Representatives Committee on the customs, have disagreed over the alleged killing of five indigenes of Iseyin in Oyo State, by officers of the Nigerian customs service, Ncs.

The committee was directed by the house to look into the alleged killing of five persons in the Iseyin community of Oyo, by personnel of the Ncs.

In the course of the inquest, Lawal after a review of the report which stated that both primary and secondary causes of death of one of the victims, argued that the report may have been based on hearsay, provoking tears from relatives, and mother of one of the victims, Akintolatan Bosede, to tears.

Answering questions from the committee, Ncs assistant legal adviser, Umar Lawal however, denied doctor’s report on the cause of death of one victim of the Iseyin killing.

APC/BUNI

Following the findings by the Supreme Court that the chairmanship of the all progressive congress, Apc under governor Mai mala Buni of Yobe state is unlawful and unconstitutional, fear has gripped leadership of party.

Seven justices of the apex court had held that Buni’s position as an incumbent executive governor and executive chairman of Apc at the same time contradicts and violates constitution of Nigeria and that of the party.

The apex court justices after their finding of facts agreed that the law prohibits a person from holding two executive offices as in that of a governor and chairmanship of a political party in Nigeria at the same time.

Following the Supreme Court findings of facts, there has been apprehension and anxiety at the Apc national secretariat revealed in the states and among national leaderships as to what might become the fate of the party in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.

OYO ASSEMBLY

The Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin has announced dissolution of all standing committees of the house.

Ogundoyin made this announcement during a plenary of the house adding that the dissolution was with immediate effect.

The standing committees were inaugurated shortly after inauguration of the 9^th assembly in June 2019.

Ogundoyin while announcing the dissolution, noted that the need to dissolve the committee was necessary in order to ensure that the assembly become more efficient and effective and that the dissolution is normal as far as the legislature is concerned.

SPORTS

The confederation of African football, CAF, has announced date for the 2022 Africa cup of nations, AFCON in Cameroon.

CAF, in a statement via its website announced that the draw will take place on August 17, 2021, at Yaounde Conference Centre in Cameroon.

The AFCON 2022 is expected to start on January 9 till February 6 with five host cities confirmed for the biennial competition but the draw was later postponed in June 2021 due to logistical relations related to the covid-19 pandemic.

PRESIDENT/PIB

President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the petroleum industry bill, Pib recently passed into law by the national assembly as soon as it is communicated to him.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Hon. Umar El-Yakub disclosed this while briefing newsmen.

El-Yakub, who said the president signed about 15 bills passed into law by the national assembly in the just concluded legislative year, noted that the government would implement report of the national security summit presented to him recently by the House of Representatives.

He added that President Buhari had already directed all those concerned to begin to study the report for implementation as soon as possible.