Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that if agriculture is taken seriously, it could eradicate poverty.
He said this when he visited the Adamawa state government house in Yola. The former president also said that the sector could bring industrialisation to the state.
Obasanjo however promised to encourage investors interested in agricbusiness to visit Adamawa.
“Your emphasis on agriculture gave me pleasure and if agriculture is taken serious in this state, it will eradicate poverty. If you can provide a conducive atmosphere, people will want to come and invest in agribusiness.
“We will encourage those who are interested to invest in agribusiness to come to Adamawa and invest. Agriculture will not only be useful as a security too but as part of the industrialisation of the state, and as such will make the economy of this state more viable”.
He further commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his understanding about the situation in the north-east.
“To us, the issue of the north-east is special even when Mr President and I are discussing, it always form the centre of our discussion,” Obasanjo said.
“I must commend the unique leadership vision of the governor especially as he did not only focus on Adamawa but extent his vision to the entire north-east geopolitical region.”
How Kennis Music Inspired Me – Don Jazzy Reveals
Mavins boss, Don Jazzy has opened up on how Kennis Music inspired and shaped him to do better music.
Don Jazzy said he started paying more attention to music during the Kennis Music era.
“I would say I started listening more during the Kennis music time because after Storm records, then it was a time for Kennis music and they came with Tuface, Remedies and all”. keke-and-dayo
“At that point, I was still in secondary school and I was like “Yo! They were putting a lot of swags into this my work”. So I started taking note of the music and it started shaping me into what I would like to do but then, there was no way for me to do it.”
Don Jazzy also said that Nigerian music is designed to make people happy during their struggles. “Everyone is struggling; we all have a problem in the country but there are sometimes when we need that peace of mind which is when the music comes in. “While some people are consciously trying to make you aware of what is going on in the struggle, there should be other people that would keep you happy when you are going through the struggles and that is where we come in
Don Jazzy also said that Nigerian music is designed to make people happy during their struggles. “Everyone is struggling; we all have a problem in the country but there are sometimes when we need that peace of mind which is when the music comes in. “While some people are consciously trying to make you aware of what is going on in the struggle, there should be other people that would keep you happy when you are going through the struggles and that is where we come in
Change, Not Chain Is Coming, Pastor Bakare Insists
Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Friday pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He assured that the maxim of change which is the slogan of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC would not translate to chain for the people.
Bakare spoke with State House correspondents after meeting the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The outspoken preacher who was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, said he was sure that the present administration would, in due time, respond to the yearnings of Nigerians.
The pastor said, “I will like to appeal to all Nigerians that we should just excise a bit of patience. This change will not become chain that will tie all of us down.
“Change for good takes time and we should just exercise a little bit more of patience. We trust that government is listening and the leaders are listening too and they will respond to the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.”
Bakare said when one is driving in the wrong direction and suddenly realises one’s mistake, there would be a lot of suffering in returning to the right direction.
“Pain is part of gain. No pain, no gain. The years of wastage and all that we have done wrong have finally caught up with us.
“All we are praying for is wisdom for this government to think right and to do the right things, so that gradually, we can begin to come out of the woods,” he said.Thanks for reading.
Fraud: 21-Year-Old Student Faces 15 Years In Jail
A 21-year-old student from the of the Osun State Polytechnic, Identified as Adaramaja Olawale, was on Friday docked for alleged Facebook fraud.
The students, who reside at Abeokuta Street in Mushin, Lagos State, is standing trial on a two-count charge of fraud and stealing at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. If found guilty, he will spend up to 15 years in jail.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Yomi Egunjobi explained to the court that the accused committed the offences on July 28, at No. 4, Moroti Bankole St., Ojodu area of Lagos State.
Sgt Egunjobi alleged that the accused made a false presentation on Facebook that one Alebiosu Adebola committed fraud. He said the accused used the complainant’s name to defraud her friends on Facebook.
“Olawale hacked into the complainant’s Facebook account and changed her password. Through fraudulent means, the accused collected money and recharge cards amounting to N16,000 from the complainant’s Facebook friends.
“The complainant’s friends called her to confirm if she were the one chatting with them and requesting for money and recharge cards,” he added.
The prosecutor narrated that the accused was apprehended in Osun by the police after it had investigated the allegation while noting that the offences contravened Sections 285 and 312 (a), (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
After reading the charges to the accused, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. Section 312 provides a 15-year imprisonment if convicted.
The chief magistrate, Mrs M. O. Oshinbajo, admitted the accused to N50, 000-bail following the defence counsel’s submission for the bail application, with two sureties in like sum who must be gainfully employed.
She adjourned the case to Sept. 1, for mention. Thanks for reading.
When We Intend To Conclude Rivers Election – INEC Reveals
October 2016 has been announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the month for the completion of March 19, inconclusive election.
INEC while addressing leaders of 28 political parties in the state said it had concern that Rivers people do not have representatives at the national assembly till date.
Speaking on behalf of the electoral umpire, INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Operations, Mrs. Amina Zakari, stressed that the commission would do everything within its capacity to ensure that the election does not extent further than the last two weeks in October.
She called on politicians in the state to work hand in hand with the electoral body so that the state can meet up regarding election into National Assembly.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure that this election that was suspended in some local governments is concluded. We are looking at completing the elections within October. The first week of October is out of it because that week we would celebrate our independence.
“The meeting was convened in order to evolve a way to complete the election. Because the election was more of a war, we also need to cool ourselves as well as plan new strategies.
“We don’t have a stake in the election; we are only to support democracy to survive in our country. We are giving that period to ensure that we are prepared.”
Thanks for reading.
Donald Trump tries out a new campaign tactic: saying sorry
Donald Trump marked the relaunch of his struggling presidential campaign with a shock new tactic: an apology.
“Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing,” he told a rally in North Carolina on Thursday night. “I have done that. And, believe it or not, I regret it. I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain.”
The remarks, during Trump’s first public appearance since the appointment of a new campaign manager, are a sharp reversal of an approach that seemed to follow the adage “never retract, never explain, never apologise”.
“I like not to regret anything,” the candidate previously told radio host Don Imus in May after controversy over comments that questioned senator John McCain’s war record. “You do things and you say things. And what I said, frankly, is what I said.”
Many more such controversies have passed without regret since, but Trump’s closely watched standing in opinion polls has plummeted after he last month attacked the parents of a Muslim war hero who died serving in the US army.
On Thursday he appeared to acknowledge for the first time the damage such incidents were doing to his election standing, though did not specify which precise “personal pain” he was responding to.
“Too much is at stake for us to be consumed by these issues,” he told the unusually subdued crowd at the Charlotte convention center.
“As you know I am not a politician,” he added, to initial cheers. “I have never wanted to learn the language of the insiders, and I’ve never been politically correct – it takes far too much time, and can often make it more difficult to achieve total victory.”
The rally, which began with a long tribute to victims of flooding in Louisiana, was also unusual for relying entirely on a teleprompter. Previously the campaign’s use of prepared remarks has mostly tended to be reserved for formal policy addresses, rather than standard stump speeches at rallies.
Often stiff, the sight of Trump reading out lines rather than ad-libbing seemed to perplex a crowd not used to hearing him saying phrases such as: “I’ve travelled all across this country laying out my bold and modern agenda for change.”
The campaign for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, dismissed Trump’s professed change of heart. “Donald Trump literally started his campaign by insulting people,” her campaign said. “We learned tonight that his speechwriter and teleprompter knows he has much for which he should apologize.”
“But that apology tonight is simply a well-written phrase until he tells us which of his many offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets – and changes his tune altogether.”
The use of a teleprompter was also out of keeping with expectations that this week’s appointment of outspoken Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon to take overall charge of the campaign would immediately mark a more “gloves-off” approach.
Instead, it appears part of the team’s new strategy is to attempt to draw a line under past controversies before trying to shift attention onto Clinton campaign weaknesses instead.
Aides watching the speech were pleased with its disciplined timing and suggested the influence of veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway, who was promoted to become campaign manager on Wednesday, would begin to make a difference to the tone. She is thought to be the most senior official now traveling regularly with Trump.
Yet Kirk Bell, communications director for North Carolina, denied he was disappointed with the turnout in Charlotte, which filled less than half of a venue the size of which was often packed before July’s national convention. “We got over 5,500. We feel pretty good about that,” he told the Guardian.
The newly contrite Trump did not seem to affect the behaviour of some of those supporters who did attend.
One man sparked complaints from several reporters after he individually photographed many of those sitting inside a penned-off media area at close range. Trump has been particular critical of the media’s coverage of his campaign and often appears to incite supporters to criticise alleged bias against him.
Other supporters continued to direct fierce anger toward Clinton. “She’s the anti-Christ,” one woman remonstrated with the media pen. “Chelsea isn’t Bill’s daughter,” insisted another. “He had mumps, he’s sterile.”
Advertisement
Random quotes of “lock her up!” punctuated the night much as they did during the Republican convention.
But many supporters seemed to welcome the change of tack from Trump.
“I would like him to say ‘yes, I’m a smart ass’ and ‘yes, I say what’s on my mind but I hope what comes out of my mouth doesn’t take away what I’m really fighting for’,” said Christy Cranston of Charlotte. “I have never heard him say anything that was directly racist or against women. They were like comebacks for someone attacking him first.”
“He’s got to stop that,” added her husband, Chris, a self-employed flooring contractor. “The schoolyard semantics has got to end. He won’t lose my vote, but he’s gonna lose the fringe voter.”
Don Mcsheehan, a home remodeling contractor from Midland, North Carolina, agreed, but favoured only superficial restraint. “Him being himself is fine. Especially with me. What Trump has to sell is genuineness and if he becomes politically correct and canned and not off-the-cuff, he will lose touch with his base,” said the 49-year-old.
“I think he’s doing well considering he has got the whole US media against him. He’s at a 99% disadvantage. It’s good that he’s constantly in the news, but they are constantly berating him,” he concluded. “If he would learn to temper what he says just by 5% and let what is happening to Hillary get out there, he’ll be fine.”Thanks for reading.
Paul Manafort resigns as chairman of Donald Trump campaign
Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort has resigned, in the latest convulsion to sweep a candidacy reeling from poor poll numbers and self-inflicted controversy.
Within hours of Trump apologising for “pain” he had caused with outspoken remarks on the trail and a reshuffle that brought in a new team above him in New York, the veteran political strategist announced he would be leaving the campaign entirely.
Manafort however was also under mounting scrutiny of his own as more details emerged of his role in advising foreign politicians, including Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych.
His departure clears the way for Breitbart News executive Steve Dannon to assume full control of day-to-day operations, after he was appointed chief executive alongside new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday.
The resignation, which contradicts claims he would stay on earlier in the week, is the second moment Trump has exercised is famed slogan “your fired” – following the ousting of his original campaign manager Corey Lewanadowski in
Lewandowski is now thought to likely to make a comeback within the constantly shifting Trump inner circle as he shares much of the same approach to “letting Trump be Trump” as Dannon is believed to favour.
At the first public event since the reshuffle in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, a personal wifi hotspot belonging to “Corey” could be seen among the small list of online identities present.
The rally was dominated however by a surprise change of tack for Trump, who said for the first time that he “regretted” misspeaking in the past and acknowledged his behaviour may be eclipsing the campaign’s core message.
It suggests Conway and Dannon may be attempting to use the reshuffle to draw a line under a summer of controversy and relaunch the campaign with a focus more squarely on attacking Hillary Clinton rather than defending its past behaviour.
Manafort had been brought in to replace Lewandowski with the blessing of senior figures within the Republican establishment who regarded him as a safe pair of hands who could help professionalise the campaign.
However, his close connections to Russia, at a time when Trump is trying to criticise Clinton for taking money from foreign donors for the family foundation, were proving a growing problem.
Trump is also felt to have felt increasingly surrounded by party operatives who do did not share his anti-establishment brand of politics and, as polls plunged, the 67-year-old Washington consultant proved yet another lightning rod for a tempestuous campaign.
In a statement Trump suggested he role had peaked as an adviser during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where rival Ted Cruz had threatened to lead a revolt, but this time, offered no regret for the departure.
“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” said a statement from the Trump campaign issued on Friday morning. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”
The Trump camp insisted that the hiring/promotion was neither the “shakeup” everyone said it was, nor a demotion for Manafort.
Manafort has been the subject in the last two weeks of multiple reports exploring his work as a lobbyist for a pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine, work that the Associated Press reported extended to stealth donations to US lobbying firms – illegal under federal law.
