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Mr Hannibal Uwaifo …‘Why state probe panels won’t result in police reform’ By Charles Kumolu, DEPUTY EDITOR President of African Bar Association, AFBA, Mr. Hannibal Uwaifo, in this interview, speaks on conditions that could warrant the involvement of international bodies like the International Criminal Court, ICC, in getting justice for victims of Lekki shooting. He also looks at ongoing panels of inquiry across the states, saying they would not result in police reforms. There are so many inconsistencies in the Lekki shooting  narrative. With the varying accounts, would you have reasonable evidence to pursue the matter internationally? The inconsistencies should be expected in this kind of situation, especially in Nigeria where truth is very scarce when public officers are accused of abuses. Having seen the horrible incident and the national and international outrage trailing it, the inconsistencies in the narratives of actors shouldn’t be a surprise. What is important now is t

Nasir el-Rufai …‘We should move fast to remove structural bottlenecks that hobble our country’ …Says APC committee proposed significant devolution of powers between federal, state govts By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Kaduna Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai of Kaduna State says state police is among the key recommendations the All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on True Federalism, led by him, made in its report to the ruling party at the federal level as far back as 2018. “It is a matter for regret that for some reasons the consequential action by the APC leadership to adopt and implement the report has not happened since it was submitted in January 2018”, El-Rufai said, yesterday, at the public lecture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Arewa House, held in Kaduna. In his remarks titled, ‘Restructuring is a unique nation-building opportunity”, he added: “The urgency of our challenges dictates that we should move fast with a sense of purpose to remove the bottlenecks that hobbl

By Joseph Okpaku, Sr On Tuesday, the American people, in their time-honoured four-yearly ritual, will be going to the polls to choose a new president or extend their employment contract with the incumbent president for another term. A record number of them, more than half of all registered voters, have already cast their ballots either by early voting or by mail-in ballots. By any and all standards and recollection, this election is extraordinary and virtually unprecedented. It will be a contest between those who believe that their victory in 2016 was an act of God that must be sustained and those who, whomever they voted for in 2016 feel, in their hearts and in their bones, that the last four years have been a nightmare, a disaster, a tragedy of misplaced trust and unvisited hope, a calumny of untold proportions, a profound error of choice that must now be rectified at all cost in a matter of a couple of days. Americans are deeply divided, and so is the world at large. Left to an

Not many people know that Mercy Akide-Udoh, former Super Falcons fearsome striker could have chosen to be an excellent middle and long-distance runner or better still, a table tennis player. But she chose to play football, where she excelled. Akide-Udoh led the Super Falcons attack in so many battles, spanning over a decade. She took part in multiple African Women’s Cup of Nations, FIFA Women’s World Cups and the Olympics where she represented Nigeria with distinction. After a glittering career, she delved into coaching, a job she still does to date. Akide-Udoh’s dream is to handle a Nigerian national team someday. In this first of a two-part interview, the former Nigeria international spoke with SPNAfrica’s Sammy Wejinya on the highs and lows of her career. When did you first get into football? I was five years old when I first got into football. I wouldn’t say I knew what I was doing at the time but I just loved the game. I had two brothers; Seleipiri and Ipali who were very g

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. By Olasunkanmi Akoni Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has totally lifted the curfew imposed on Lagos State after the hijack of the peaceful #EndSARS protests with immediate effect. This came barely 24 hours when the curfew was further relaxed from 10am to 6pm. READ ALSO: POST COVID-19: HR expert harps on technology, adoption of WFH Meanwhile, the 12 a.m. to 4a.m. curfew earlier imposed by the Presidential Task Force on COVI-19   to curb the spread of the pandemic remains. This was contained in a statement last night by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso. Earlier, Sanwo-Olu directed all public servants on Salary Grade Levels 1- 12, who were earlier directed to work from home since March 2020, to resume work fully from Monday, November 2, 2020. The directive to work from home was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. vanguardngr.com The post Sanwo-Olu lifts curfew on Lagos, directs public workers to res

Nigerian youths are high on drugs, says Lagos state lawmaker   Also read: #ENDSARS Protests: Ereyitomi urges Warri youths to remain calm Vanguard News The post VIDEO: Nigerian youths are high on drugs, says Lagos state lawmaker appeared first on Vanguard News . Tyranny of God

New skirmishes between police and protestors broke out in Rome on Saturday following clashes in Florence a night earlier that Italy’s interior minister blamed on “violent fringe elements”. Protesters have taken to the streets in the past week in cities across Italy, including Rome, Naples and Turin, to criticise a new series of restrictions to aimed at stopping an alarming rise in coronavirus cases, even as the government considers more stringent measures to be announced as early as Monday. Early Saturday evening in Rome, a sit-in at the famed Campo dei Fiori ended in a clash with police as some in a crowd of a few hundred protesters began throwing bottles and firecrackers, before being dispersed by police with riot gear and truncheons. A second protest in Rome also ended in clashes with authorities. The protests in Italy’s capital came a day after an unauthorised nighttime demonstration in the Renaissance city of Florence turned violent, when police sought to prohibit about 200 p

At least 39 people have died after a major earthquake struck western Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that as many as 103 survivors have been freed from collapsed buildings. A total of 885 people were hospitalized, 667 of whom have already been dismissed, Erdogan told reporters in Turkey’s third-largest city, Izmir, where a 6.6-magnitude earthquake destroyed nearly 20 buildings and triggered a sea surge. Around 3,000 tents have been set up, while student dormitories are ready to host locals who must stay away from damaged buildings, Erdogan said. The Turkish president thanked world leaders for messages of solidarity, adding that over 90 countries have shared condolences. More than 30 hours into operations, as many as 5,000 rescue workers were still searching for signs of life under the rubble of at least nine collapsed buildings in central Izmir on Saturday, the state-run broadcaster TRT showed. On top of an eight-storey Riza Bey apartment block in Bayrakli dis

Nollywood actress, Chiamaka Nwokeukwu has professed undying love for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. The actress made her heartfelt declaration for the separatist leader on her Instagram page at the height of the #Endsars protests which recently swept across many States in the country. The actress wrote, “ I respect Mazi Nnamdi Kanu if you know you know” with 100% emoji to back her emotion. ALSO READ:  Sanwo-Olu lifts curfew on Lagos, directs public workers to resume work, Monday In no time, her page was assailed with comments of varying colourations. While some were in assent others were in dissent. One Queen Endaline Nne was straight to the point, “I love you but this is a no-no, what he instigated in the minds of these hoodlums breaking and vandalizing properties in Onitsha in the name of Biafra ?ﾟ  Let’s call a spade a spade, destroying properties we built by our own money, burning police stations and taking all the guns, the citizens are sca

African media giant, MultiChoice Group disclosed on Thursday that French pay-television giant Groupe Canal+ has continued buying up its shares, so much so that its stake has doubled to 12% in the past month. MultiChoice disclosed on 5 October that Canal+, which is owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi, had acquired 6.5% of its equity. That has now risen to 12% of the company’s total ordinary shares in issue on the JSE. “As a publicly held company, MultiChoice regularly engages with its strategic partners and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community. The group’s policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders nor on its interactions with them,” MultiChoice said in Thursday’s statement. “The company remains committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders and to create sustainable long-term shareholder value.” MultiChoice shares have risen to a record above R140 this week on Canal+’s buying spree as well as investor speculation that some sor

One of Nigeria’s fastest-growing production companies, Aul Media Studio has revealed their next movie project titled “Mimi” will be compelling and be a major ‘shaker’ of box office come December 2020. The production company owned by businessman and entrepreneur, Mr Edward Dickson continues to wow the movie industry as they promise to release their third project and the highly anticipated movie, Mimi. This will be the third entry of the production company in the cinemas in conjunction with 007 Global and SBD Global films after releasing “Street Kid” and “Dear Affy” which happened to be the highest-grossing Nollywood movie before the COVID-19 pandemic. ALSO READ: Senator Ifeanyi Ubah mobilises youths, others to protect communities Mimi tells the story of how a rich spoilt girl who despises and shows no remorse for the poor found out her extremely rich parents weren’t her biological parents and that her real parent ‘sold’ her off at a young age to raise some funds to train her siblin

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah In continuation of his moves to ensure security of lives and property of the people of his district, a member of the National Assembly representing Anambra South in the National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, yesterday urged the people of his zone to remain vigilant and protect lives and property in their communities. He made the appeal when he met with various vigilante and youth groups of Ukpor, Osumumenyi, Ezinifite and Amichi communities as well as community leaders. During the meeting, Ubah called on the local vigilante in various communities in the district to remain resolute and commit themselves towards the protection of their people. READ ALSO Tanzania’s Magufuli: ‘Bulldozer’ who flattened freedoms He also assured them that he would always give them the necessary support that they may require in the discharge of their duties According to a statement issued yesterday by his Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications, Mr. Kamen Chu