http://punchng.com/i-was-almost-killed-for-rejecting-underage-voters-says-ex-inec-commissioner/

Could This Be The Hidden Link Behind The Latest Savage Crackdown On Islamic Movement?

Some weeks ago, a group of Muslim Clerics of the Wahabi extraction visited the Police top Chief, The Inspector-General of Police and also the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari in their respective offices. The purpose or the necessity of both visits were largely not disclosed. But the question keen observers have been asking is; could that be the hidden link behind the latest savage crackdown on the members of the Islamic Movement?

The quartets of Abdullahi Bala Lau, Kabiru Haruna Gombe, Musa Hassan Katsina and Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo are all known avowed enemies of Shia, especially the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and Sheikh Zakzaky in particular. Their animosity towards the Sheikh and all that he stands for is legendary.

It is not clear at what point their romance with Buhari started, but undoubtedly it started before he became the President. He was spotted exchanging papers with the then candidate of APC, Buhari.

Even before the brutal massacre in December 2015, these clerics didn’t hide that they were opposed to the Movement in whatever way possible. They resorted to campaign of calumny against the Movement. The central theme of their preachings became more about talk againnst Shiah than talk about their own creed.

Undoubtedly, whatever was cooking, blosoomed after his victory. In a secretly recorded speech, a staunch member of their creed narrated howthey had a secret pact with President Buhari. He said they had met him when he was to go on an official visit to Iran, and warned him not to wear black while on the visit (whatever that means), because they, the Iranians< will use his picture and project that he was on of them. He said that, when he visited, Buhari kept his own side of the bargain by not adorning black. According to this cleric, there was a follow-up visit by the Wahabi clerics, in which Buhari had told them that he saw much worse things than they told him he would see. He reportedly told them that he saw that the Iranians were heretics! That they should wait a little while, they would see how he was going to deal with the Shiites in Nigeria. The scholar was excited therefore that Buhari had kept to the promise he made to them.

When the Zaria massacre took place, these clerics took turns in either outrightly supporting it or further instigating more violence against the Shiah.

Thus, when these visited the Inspector-General of Police and the President of Nigeria in the days leading to these fresh wave of attacks, it was obvious what was fresh in the agenda. It was only the signal, which was the visit of the President to Kaduna that was waited for, and the rounds of brutality against the Islamic Movement was restarted again.

2019: Arewa youths explain why they will stop Buhari’s re-election bid

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has stated that people like President Muhammadu Buhari are no longer needed to lead Nigeria.

They spoke through its President, Shettima Yerima in an interview with the Sun, adding that the currently administration has exhausted its ideas and has nothing more to offer.

Yerima said come 2019 general elections, youths will no longer waste their time on old politicians like Buhari.

He told Sun, “The position is that we really do not need people like Buhari in 2019.

“It is now clear that the youth would no longer be allowed to be used by any politician any more. Anybody above 60 should go and rest peacefully or go back to the farm or do something differently for himself. That is my position on the issue.

“Of course, it is obvious that this government cannot do anything from now till the next one year. Already two years down the line, we have not seen anything.

“I do not see the government doing any magic or performing any miracle in the next one year. It is not possible because the politics of 2019 has already started.

“Some of us have been patient enough to see if we can see something different from what has been happening. Of all they said about the change mantra, we have seen that there is nothing different and the situation is even worse than what we used to have.

“So, to that extent, the battle line is drawn. Come 2019, we would no longer waste our time on any old politician. The old politician both in the Senate, presidential seat and all that should go back home and rest.

“They cannot use their yesterday and use our today. They cannot waste their own generation and continue to waste our own. The party is over and it is about a new dawn. Whether you are from the North, South or wherever, we must work together to get it right this time around.

In 2019, I will campaign that any youth is encouraged to get his PVC. That is their power. Through electoral processes, we would ensure that we render those old men jobless.

“There is no going back about that. So, my own position is that whether they perform or not which is even impossible, they should go. My position is very clear that anybody above 60 years should go and rest. We cannot continue to manage all these old politicians. We cannot continue to be ‘sit down and look’ people. Our ‘mumu is ok for now’.

“We have younger men who are very competent and would take the country to the next level.

” Anybody above 60 who is against our generation is committing suicide because our generation has come of age and we must stand the challenges. Power is not given by anybody, it is taken and a time has come for our generation to sit down together. No matter our differences, we have to ensure that we move the country forward so that our country can become what it should be and we can build the nation of our dreams.”

Joshua vs Parker heavyweight unification fight confirmed for March

Anthony Joshua will fight Joseph Parker in a heavyweight unification bout on March 31 at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn tied up the final details with Parker’s promoter David Higgins over the weekend.

The bout will see the pair contest for the WBA Super, IBF and WBO titles.

After 20 straight victories, all by knockout, Joshua hopes to take another step towards becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

The 29-year-old said his team settled for Parker because negotiations with WBC champion, Deontay Wilder, have proved too difficult.

“I like to fight, that’s the main objective, and it’s showing I’m never shy of a competition,”Joshua said.

“He’s a respectable competitor, he is the WBO heavyweight champion of the world, so it’s like one step closer to adding a strap to my legacy.

“That’s what makes it exciting.”

Parker will fight Joshua at the Principality Stadium where he beat Carlos Takam in October 2017.

- Cable News

Buhari appoints new heads for four tertiary hospitals

President Muhammadu Buhari has named four heads for major health institutions across Nigeria.
The president appointed Ajayi Adekunle as Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Ekiti State.
He appointed Henry Ugboma as Chief Medical Director, University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
He appointed T.O. Adebowale as Medical Director, Neuro-Psychiatric, Aro, Abeakuta, Ogun State and Achigbu Kinsley as Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State.
The appointments were disclosed in a press statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.
The appointments of the new officials are for a term of four years from December 31, 2017.
The appointments of heads of these institution come months after a PREMIUM TIMES report showed that about 20 of Nigeria’s 52 tertiary health institutions have no CMDs. These institutions had been run by interim heads for between six months to two years, against the provision of the Acts that established them.
Out of these 20, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while in acting capacity as the president, had approved appointment of 14 heads for the tertiary health institutions. The four announced on Wednesday are also part of the 20.
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, according to the statement, congratulated the new appointees and charged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by the president.


- Premium Times

Nigerian winger, Moses rushed to hospital

Nigeria forward, Moses Simon has been rushed to hospital.

The player narrowly escaped a serious injury at a friendly match between his Belgian Jupiler side, Gent and German second-tier club Nurnberg on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old crashed to the ground after 24 minutes in the encounter eventually won 1-0 by Gent.

There were fears that he had broken his leg.

The former Ajax player was rushed to hospital for urgent attention.

However, it was good news for Nigeria as Brussels-based newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported late on Tuesday that Simon only suffered a serious leg wound.

“Good news about the situation of Moses Simon, who was injured during the practice match against Nuremberg. Photos showed a severe bruise, but no break,” the newspaper wrote.

- Daily Post

Court rejects Malami’s motion to stop probe of Maina’s recall

The ex parte motion filed by Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, to stop the national assembly from probing the recall of Abdulrasheed Maina has been stuck out by a federal high court sitting in Abuja.

TheCable had reported the suit filed by Malami in what was understood to be an attempt to stop the decision of the senate to conduct a forensic probe of the affair.

Maina, former chairman of the presidential task force on pension reforms, had been recalled and deployed to the ministry of interior under controversial circumstances.

On Monday, Binta Murtala Nyako heard Malami’s application in chambers and turned it down.

She ordered the applicant‎ to put the national assembly on notice as there was no urgency to grant an ex parte motion.

The motion on notice will now be heard on January 15.

On October 24, the senate mandated its committees on public service, internal affairs, anti-corruption, establishment and judiciary to probe the circumstances of Maina’s return to the country and the public service.

But Malami has asked the court to determine if the national assembly has the right to probe issues relating to the “employment, attendance at work, disengagement, reinstatement and or promotion of a civil servant”.

According to documents seen by TheCable, the attorney-general is asking the court to among other things declare that “the employment, attendance at work, disengagement, reinstatement and or promotion of a civil servant are matters outside the exclusive and concurrent legislative lists contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“That the National Assembly cannot legitimately regulate the employment, attendance at work, disengagement, reinstatement and or promotion of a civil servant, which are matters exclusively within the purview of the Federal Civil Service Commission under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria1999 (as amended).

“The National Assembly lacks the legislative competence to investigate the employment, attendance at work, disengagement, reinstatement and or promotion of a civil servant which are matters exclusively within the purview of the Federal Civil Service Commission under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria1999 (as amended).

“The power of investigation vested the National Assembly by section 88 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is limited and such that can only be exercised within the confines of Section 88 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“The plaintiff as the chief law officer and minister of justice of the federation is bound to ensure compliance by the Federal Government of Nigeria and or any of its cognate organs/agencies with the express or implied contents of extant Judgements and Orders of competent courts in Nigeria.

“The defendant cannot constitute itself into a quasi-appellate court, tribunal or panel with a view to reviewing any executive action taken in compliance with the adverse judgment in the said Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/65/2013.”

The house of representatives is also probing Maina’s recall.

When he appeared before the panel of the lower legislative chamber in November, Malami denied his involvement in Maina’s recall.

He also accused federal lawmakers of being part of pension fraud.

Cable News