Femi Makinde, Osogbo The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Lasun Yusuf, has said none of the 48 political parties contesting the September 22 governorship election in Osun State is guaranteed of winning the poll. Yusuf, who was one of the 17 governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress that contested the primary of the party in Osun State, said this while addressing journalists in Osogbo on Saturday. The deputy speaker said nobody had reached out to him since after the primary, which some of the aspirants criticised and claimed was manipulated in favour of the event ...

Oluwatobi Akindele Some suspected robbers have looted the house of a sales rep, Mrs Ronke Oyebanji, carting away cash and some property.  PUNCH Metro learnt that the robbers, who entered the victim’s home on Desmond Madumere Crescent, in the Alagbado area of Lagos State, made away with N615,350, an iPad and Automated Teller Machine cards.  Oyebanji, who reported the case at the Alagbado Police Station, said the men broke in through the sitting room.  She noted that the suspects, who did not put on masks, beat her up before making away with the property.   The victim, who was with her daughter ...

TYSON FURY has hit out at Anthony Joshua for failing to meet Deontay Wilder in the ring – something he himself did on Saturday  night, Express.co.uk reports. Fury beat Francesco Pianeta on points, his second win of 2018, on the undercard of Carl Frampton’s victory over Luke Jackson. The Brit was then joined in the ring by WBC heavyweight champion Wilder and they confirmed they would fight in Las Vegas later this year. November 17 is expected to be confirmed as the date at a formal announcement in London on Monday. Wilder had been in talks with Joshua over a bout that would have unified the fou ...

Economic Renaissance by Henry Boyo [email protected] 08052201997 The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, revealed at a press briefing in Abuja on August 15, 2018 that Nigeria’s public debt had apparently risen from just above N2tn in 2007 to over N22.30tn ($73.21bn) by June 2018. Incidentally, before President Muhammadu Buhari’s government took over in May 2015, Nigeria’s debt burden stood at N12.2tn. The DMO reported that the federal and state governments also borrowed N2.75tn between June 2017 and June 2018. Consequently, the debt level would, probably, rise further, as according ...

The ongoing banditry in Zamfara State has claimed over 3,000 lives with the state government spending some N17bn in the past seven years on fighting the problem. The Secretary to the Government of Zamfara, Prof Abdullahi Shinkafi, made the disclosure on Sunday in Gusau at a town hall meeting, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association. The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the meeting was called to find a lasting solution to the worsening insecurity in the state. According to Shinkafi, the banditry has resulted in the death of over 3,000 people, destruction of over 2,000 homes, burning of ov ...

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has heaped praise on Lionel Messi’s start to the Liga season after the Argentine bounced back from a disappointing World Cup with two goals against Alaves, AFP reports. Messi sent an audacious second-half free-kick under the jumping wall and into the net for the opener, and Barca’s 6,000th La Liga goal, at the Camp Nou on Saturday before slotting in his second in injury-time after Philippe Coutinho had also scored in the 3-0 win. “With Messi, you can expect absolutely anything,” Valverde said. “He sees things that others don’t see on the pitch. “Sometimes we ge ...

• Senate President driving Nigeria to the cliff edge –Presidency Niyi  Odebode, John Alechenu, Olalekan Adetayo and Ifeanyi Onuba The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Sunday berated the executive, alleging that its late submission of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s budget for the 2019 elections showed its lack of foresight. Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on New Media, Olu Onemola, berated the President Muhammadu Buhari Media Organisation for accusing him of slowing down the approval of the budget. READ ALSO: Woman stabs husband to death over alleged ...

John Alechenu, Olusola Fabiyi, Eniola Akinkuotu and Adelani Adepegba The Peoples Democratic Party has welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to jail treasury looters. It, however, challenged him to show integrity by starting with the investigation and prosecution of members of his party, the All Progressives Congress. READ ALSO: Nigeria yet to recover from economic recession – Kale Buhari had in an interview shortly after his return from London on Saturday said, “Most Nigerians are expecting that we are going to jail more of the thieves that brought an economic problem to the countr ...

Adeniyi Olugbemi, Sokoto Two hundred and fifty-two special advisers and special assistants appointed by the Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s administration have resigned their positions. The affected aides said their resignations were informed by the recent decision of the Sokoto State governor to dump the All Progressives Congress, the party which they are bona fide members of in the state. [READ ALSO] Bye-election: Police’ve declared war on Rivers, says Wike They stated that their resolve to remain in APC would not allow them to function in their respective positions under Tambuwal’s governm ...

Oladimeji Ramon The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said on Sunday that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, left the All Progressives Congress because of the party’s refusal to grant their wishes of automatic tickets for next year’s elections. Tinubu explained that the defectors were also disappointed because the APC refused to share “national wealth and other offices and privileges.” READ ALSO: Robbers kill Catholic priest while shopping in FCT Tinubu said contrary to Tambuwal’s claim, the governor’s defection ...

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja Suspected armed robbers have shot dead a Catholic priest, Michael Akawu, in Gwagwalada, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Akawu was shopping at a supermarket around 8 pm on Saturday when the bandits attacked the facility and fatally shot him. It could not be ascertained if the incident was a robbery or an assassination as details of the violence were sketchy on Sunday. The slain cleric who was ordained last year was said to be the first indigenous priest in the Gwagwalada area. The Catholic Church spokesman, Fr. Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incid ...

Olufemi Atoyebi and Peter Dada The Oyo State Government on Sunday demolished the Music House which housed Fresh FM, a radio station, as well as music studios that belong to artiste, Yinka Ayefele, drawing protest from fans and stakeholders in the entertainment industry. READ ALSO: Buhari, Saraki supporters in shouting match at Ilorin airport The demolition was carried out despite a court injunction restraining the government from embarking on the exercise. The government had last week served a demolition notice on the building owner, explaining that the building contravened physical planning l ...

Sesan Olufowobi The Lagos State Government has said the Third Mainland Bridge will be temporarily shut for four days starting from midnight of August 23 to midnight of August 26, 2018. The government explained that the measure was to make it easy for Investigative Maintenance Test to be carried out on the bridge. The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ade Akinsanya, in a statement on Sunday, said the decision was taken after due consultation with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. He said, “The four-day closure will enable contractors to assess the true state of the b ...

Samson Folarin A nursing mother, Maoteen Yisa; her baby, Atamah Braimah; and a 10-year-old boy, Paulsu Akiyah, have reportedly drowned while fleeing from Lagos officials in Ilubirin-Oju Olokun, a riverine community on Lagos Island, Lagos State. READ ALSO: Petrol tanker spills content on expressway, motorists groan in gridlock PUNCH Metro gathered that officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit had invaded the community on Thursday.  The officials were alleged to have destroyed the residents’ makeshift structures, as they chased them away from ...

Tunde Odesola; ([email protected]) The esoteric rhythm of the ‘agidigbo’ drum dribbles from the bowel of the night, speaking in eerie tongues as owls, frogs, bats, crickets and kindred creatures lift their voices in praise of nature. A long strand of horsetail hair holds the dangling Sword of Damocles high above. Directly below, a 58-year-old lady wriggles in bed, writhing in labour pain. She spasms, yells and tears at the bedspread soaked in tears and sweat. It’s the third day, but the water won’t just break. Jaloke, the itinerant palm wine tapper, was passing by when he heard the natal ...

Theophilus Onojeghen, Warri The police in Delta State have arrested a 32-year-old woman for allegedly stabbing her husband to death at Agbarha-Otor town in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. Sources told our correspondent that the incident occurred on Friday night when the couple were having a domestic fight over alleged extramarital affairs. READ ALSO: Gunmen kill police sergeant during rescue operation The woman identified as Ese Erigarhe was said to have used a kitchen knife to stab the man identified as Mr Erigarhe when he returned home. The suspect is being detained a ...

Success Nwogu, Ilorin Supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari engaged loyalists of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Sunday in a shouting match at the Ilorin International Airport. Buhari supporters had gone to welcome a Kwara State governorship aspirant, Mr Moddibo Kawu, and a  Labour Party governorship aspirant in the state, Mr Issa Aremu while the Peoples Democratic Party supporters were also there to welcome Saraki. The environment was calm until female supporters of Saraki started singing the praises of the Senate President. While they sang and danced, Buhari supporters who were ...

Following calls for the government to simplify the process of homeownership, more states are taking steps to reform mortgage and land administration, MAUREEN IHUA-MADUENYI writes To make access to land, housing and mortgage less cumbersome for their indigenes, about 13 states are expected to adopt the Model Mortgage and Foreclosure Law between now and the first quarter of 2019. The MMFL is an initiative of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company which calls for the creation of a state mortgage board as a single window clearance mechanism to facilitate accessible and affordable mortgages for re ...

Umar Muhammed, Lafia Unidentified gunmen believed to be Fulani militia have again attacked Tiv farmers, killing a pregnant woman, raping and injuring scores of others in the Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Northern City News gathered that the gunmen shot a 28-year-old woman, Mrs Dorcas Mbagbidi-Akaahan, and injured scores in Tse Shiga,  Azara area of Awe LGA. The attackers were said to have laid siege to the community in the early hours of Monday, shooting sporadically into the air to scare residents, but Mbagbidi-Akaahan was hit by stray bullets leading to her death. Speaking to ...

Femi Makinde, Osogbo The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of using the police to harass its governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, over an allegation of certificate forgery. The PDP, in a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Diran Odeyemi, accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the APC of using a series of plots to discredit Osun PDP governorship candidate. Odeyemi said rather than being subdued by the APC’s antics, the PDP was coasting home to victory, saying Adeleke’s popularity validated the clear reje ...

Deji Lambo A security guard, Oyekunle Abolarin, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly using four stolen cheque leaves to withdraw N2m from a school’s account. The police on Sunday said the suspect’s accomplice, Are Bankole, was also arrested for allegedly providing a bank account which the school’s funds were paid to. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, received a complaint from the proprietress of the private school that withdrawals were made on four different occasions, bet ...

Chukwudi Akasike and Godwin Isenyo RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the consistency with which the police interfered with the electoral process in the state was a declaration of war on the people. This is just as a presidential hopeful of the People Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, on Sunday,  asked the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to stop the continuous harassment of Wike in the name of politicking. Wike, who spoke during a state broadcast on Sunday, described Saturday’s House of Assembly bye-election for Port Harcourt State Constituency 3 as a failed exerc ...

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described the Saturday’s bye-election into Port Harcourt Constituency III of Rivers State House of Assembly as another sad reality that votes of Nigerians will not count in the 2019 general election. He said indications pointed out that the elections would be held at gunpoint to achieve predetermined results. The governor said it should now be obvious to all Nigerians that the country was in a state of anarchy under President Muhammadu Buhari as his government had allegedly destroyed the legacy of the free, fair and credi ...

Festus Abu and Olusola Fabiyi The Department of State Services has said its operatives are occupying the headquarters of the Nigeria Football Federation in  Abuja in order  to avoid breakdown of law and order at the secretariat. One of our correspondents learnt that the DSS decided increase its security presence at the secretariat  to  prevent any ‘intruders’ from gaining access to place. Chris Giwa  has been locked in a leadership tussle with Amaju Pinnick   over the true leader of Nigerian football after separate NFF presidential polls produced the duo. While Giwa  was declared the winner of ...