Donald Trump to quit his businesses to focus on being president

Donald Trump doesn’t want a conflict of interest so he’s leaving his businesses to his children

Donald Trump has said that he is leaving his ‘great business’ to his children so he can focus on being the nation’s 45th president.

President-elect Trump tweeted early on Wednesday that legal documents are being drafted to ‘take me completely out of business operations’, adding: ‘The presidency is a far more important task.’

Mr Trump had been criticised for exposing himself to potential conflicts of interest if he kept a role in his global business while being president.

He said he will hold a news conference with his children on the subject on December 15.

Mr Trump added: ‘While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as president, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses.’

Meanwhile, former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin, Mr Trump’s former campaign finance director, confirmed that the president-elect had picked him as treasury secretary and that billionaire investor Wilbur Ross has been chosen for commerce secretary.

Mr Trump is tapping conservatives with deep ties to Washington and Wall Street to fill out key Cabinet roles as he continues to deliberate over his secretary of state.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

Man wakes up in morgue after ‘dying’ on night out

A man who was pronounced dead after drinking too much on a night out woke up in the morgue before heading back to the pub.

At least that is what is being claimed happened in Kamienna Gora in Poland, where a 25-year-old named Kamil is said to have briefly been thought to have died.
Cyclist punches bus driver in face in 'road rage attack'

According to Spiesa, the story starts with Kamil taking part in a heavy drinking session but after having one too many vodkas, he collapses and is taken to hospital where he is declared dead.

However, the same day a guard at the hospital is said to have heard strange noises coming from the morgue, opening the door he finds a naked corpse who asks for a blanket.

After that police were called, Kamil’s identity established, medical tests carried out before he was finally told he could go home.

The story concludes with the 25-year-old, having recently cheated death, heading back to pub.

It is eerily reminiscent of an account from Russia last December, when a man was said to have died after drinking too much vodka at a party.

Again he woke up in the morgue before later returning to the party.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

SSANU urges FUNAAB VC’s suspension over alleged N800m fraud

The Senior Staff of Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) had urged Federal Government to suspend three principal officers of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, over alleged N800 million fraud.

Mr Saheed Oseni, the Chairman of SSANU in Lagos State University (LASU), made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Oseni said the suspension was necessary as the trio had been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for alleged corruption.

NAN reports that the EFCC arraigned the FUNAAB Pro-Chancellor/Governing Council Chairman, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, and Bursar, Mr Moses Illesanmi, in Abeokuta on Nov. 25.

They were arraigned before Justice O.O. Majekodunmi at an‎ ‎Ogun High Court, Abeokuta, ‎based‎ on petition by some of the university workers.‎

‎They are facing 18-count charge bordering on alleged stealing, abuse of office, and fraudulent conversion of university’s properties to personal use.

Oseni said the best thing the government could do would be to direct the three officers to “step aside“ until the court case was over.

“At the moment, the trio must step aside so that investigation will not be tampered with and the government is in the best position to take the action,’’ he said.

Oseni also urged the Federal Government to immediately direct the reinstatement of SSANU members in FUNAAB who were unjustly sacked by the governing council for writing petition to the EFCC.

‎He said that since the officials were being prosecuted based on the petition, the sacked workers should be recalled without further delay.‎

According to him, it is very clear that sacking of the staff is questionable, faulty and did not follow due process.

“The staff were not issued query nor asked to appear before staff disciplinary committee and the governing council did not investigate the allegations against the VC before sacking them.

“‎We are happy that the EFCC charged the pro-chancellor, VC and bursar to court for corruption.

“It shows that our members who wrote the petition were right and victimised by the governing council and the VC,’’ he said.

Oseni said the governing council’s claim that it was not aware of the petition against the VC was untrue.

“Before the sacked workers wrote the EFCC, they had written to the Ogunlewe-led council about the excesses of the VC, but nothing was done,’’ he said.

The SSANU-LASU chairman said failure of the council to respond to the workers’ letter prompted them to write to the EFCC.

“It was after the first invitation by the EFCC over the allegation, that the council chairman and the VC came back and sacked the staff who wrote the petition,’’ he said.

Oseni advised the EFCC to always protect whistle blowers so that workers in the establishment would not be reluctant to expose corrupt practices for fear of victimisation.

‎He commended the SSANU national body for taking up the case and bringing it to the public domain.

Oseni also appealed to the Federal Government to beam its searchlight on other universities.‎

‎The chairman said this was necessary because corruption in the universities was much more than what was happening in other establishments in the public sector.

He stressed the need to prosecute all university administrators found wanting, alleging that some vice chancellors were acting recklessly and outside their jurisdictions.

“Government has given the VCs too much power and SSANU is the only union challenging their excesses.

“Some VCs see themselves as demigod and this corruption going on in the Nigeria university system ‎is too much,’’ he said.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

NCC Suspends Plan To Increase Data Price

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has suspended its directive to telecommunication operators to increase the price of Data.

This is coming shortly after the Senate had asked the NCC to stop the planned data price increase until all parties meet to resolve the outstanding issues.

The National Assembly on Wednesday, directed its committee on communication to meet with the service providers and get back to them.

The NCC had mandated the five big telecommunication operators in the country, to increase their data tariffs beginning from Thursday, December 1, 2016.

In a statement by the commission’s Public Affairs Director, Tony Ojobo, stated that:

“The decision to suspend this directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by Consumers across the country.

“The Commission has weighed all of this and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

According to him, “the decision to have a price floor was primarily to promote a level playing field for all operators in the industry, encourage small operators and new entrants.

“The price floor in 2014 was N3.11k/MB but was removed in 2015. The price floor that was supposed to flag off on December 1, 2016 was N0.90k/MB.

“In taking that decision, the smaller operators were exempted from the new price regime, by virtue of their small market share.

“The decision on the price floor was taken in order to protect the consumers who are at the receiving end and save the smaller operators from predatory services that are likely to suffocate them and push them into extinction.

The statement therefore clarified that “the price floor is not an increase in price but a regulatory safeguard, put in place by the telecommunications regulator to check anti-competitive practices by dominant operators.

Furthermore, it cleared the air on the insinuation in some quarters that the regulator has fixed prices for data services.

“This is not true because the NCC does not fix prices but provides regulatory guidelines to protect the consumers, deepen investments and safeguard the industry from imminent collapse.

“Before the new suspended price floor of N0.90k/MB, the industry average for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB.

“Etisalat offered (N0.94k/MB), Airtel (N0.52k/MB), MTN (N0.45k/MB) and Globacom (N0.21k/MB).

The smaller operators/ new entrants charge the following: Smile Communications N0.84k/MB, Spectranet N0.58k /MB and NATCOMS (NTEL) N0.72k/MB.

“The NCC as a responsive agency of government takes into consideration the feelings of the consumers and so decided to suspend the new price floor,” the statement read.

The suspension of the directive, has indeed allayed the fears of many Nigerians, who already anticipated the move from Thursday, in the face of an already harsh economic situation.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

Justin Bieber Instagram Can Go To Hell ... It's For Satan, Anyway

Justin Bieber says Instagram is Dante's Inferno of today, and he doesn't plan to plunge back into its pool of fire anytime soon.

The Biebs was performing in London Tuesday night, where he took a moment to reminisce on his days of snapping and posting ... which he basically says to hell with.

Listen carefully, he's still taking selfies -- not that any of us will ever see 'em.

#SorryZuckerberg

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

NCC Suspends Plan To Increase Data Price

The Governor-elect of Ondo State, Olurotimi Akeredolu says his victory at the polls is not for him or for his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), but for the entire people of the State, no matter their political divide.

Akeredolu stated this in his acceptance speech after receiving the Certificate of Return in the election from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akure, the State Capital.

The Conference Room of the INEC office in Akure, was full to capacity with party supporters and other well wishers of the governor-elect and his deputy.

In his address, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Ondo state, Olusegun Agbaje, reassured all stakeholders in the nation’s electoral process,‎ that the present leadership of INEC will never do anything that would alter the gains it has so far achieved in terms of credibility.

He appealed to the political class to change its “do or die” attitude to good conduct in politics.

He equally told political parties to adhere strictly to all the principles of internal party democracy in the overall interest of the nation’s nascent democracy.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu Contributed reporting.

Trump attacks CNN over reporting on false voter fraud claims

President-elect Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets late Monday night criticizing CNN for reporting that his claims about voter fraud are baseless -- which they are.

Shortly after 9 p.m., Trump began retweeting supporters who had criticized CNN's Jeff Zeleny because he accurately reported that there was no evidence -- nor has the transition team provided any-- to support Trump's claim that millions of fraudulent votes had been cast for Hillary Clinton.

"[W]hat PROOF do u have DonaldTrump did not suffer from millions of FRAUD votes? Journalist? Do your job!" read the first post that Trump retweeted. "Just another generic CNN part time wannabe journalist!," read the second.

"@CNN still doesn't get it," Trump added. "They will never learn!"

One post Trump retweeted came from a Twitter user whose bio says he's 16, who, like the others, called Zeleny a "bad reporter" because he did not have evidence that Trump was not a victim of voter fraud, a double-negative reasoning used to defend many conspiracy theories.

Finally, Trump issued his own attack on CNN: ".@CNN is so embarrassed by their total (100%) support of Hillary Clinton, and yet her loss in a landslide, that they don't know what to do," he wrote.

A CNN spokesperson declined to comment. Zeleny responded to Trump with a request for examples of the fraud.

 "@realDonaldTrump Good evening! Have been looking for examples of voter fraud. Please send our way. Full-time journalist here still working," Zeleny wrote on Twitter.

Related: News media struggles to cover Trump's tweets and falsehoods

Trump's initial claim that Clinton's victory was a result of "millions of people who voted illegally" had been promoted on conspiracy theory sites like Infowars.com before Trump himself tweeted it on Sunday. The claim appears to have been first promoted by Gregg Phillips, a conservative activist with more than 26,000 Twitter followers.

Since Trump tweeted the conspiracy theory, CNN anchors and reporters have repeatedly stressed that there is no evidence to support the claim. Online, CNN's headline read, "Trump falsely claims 'millions of people who voted illegally' cost him popular vote."

Election officials in California and Virginia have also called Trump's claims "unsubstantiated" and "unfounded."

Related: Top journalists warn of threats to press freedom under Trump

Trump's penchant for peddling conspiracy theories and attacking critics and media organizations on Twitter is unprecedented, and has been cause for concern among journalists and media watchdogs who are wrestling with how to cover a president who is a leading source of misinformation.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Samsung considers restructuring that could send shares skyrocketing

Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday it is considering splitting the company, a move that could prove to be a windfall for investors.

The South Korean corporate giant will take the next six months to review the possibility of creating a holding company and the "potential benefits and feasibility" of listing on more international exchanges, it said in a press release.

Splitting Samsung Electronics into a holding company and an operating company would be "a significant positive for the stock," Mark Newman, an analyst with Bernstein Research, said in an email. Restructuring could unlock $651 (750,000 won) per share, according to a Bernstein report.

Samsung will also boost shareholder returns for the year, increasing dividends for 2016 by 30% to $3.4 billion (4 trillion won), that should boost dividends per share by $24 (28,500 won).

Related: What Note 7 crisis? Samsung stock hits new high

The announcement is a win for U.S. activist hedge fund Elliott Management, which recently pushed for an overhaul of Samsung's complicated structure, urged a one-time special dividend payout of $209 (245,000 won) per share and proposed a new listing on the Nasdaq. Samsung shares are notoriously difficult to purchase for individual U.S. investors.

Elliott argued that Samsung's relatively cheap share price could skyrocket if Samsung simplified its group structure and improved corporate governance.

Samsung is South Korea's largest "chaebol," a type of family-run business group that plays a big role in the country's economy.

Last year, shareholders gave the green light to a controversial merger between two Samsung affiliates that would help ailing chairman Lee Kun-hee pass control of the conglomerate to his son, Lee Jae-yong.

Related: Note 7 crisis wipes out almost all of Samsung's mobile profits
Elliott suggested a different structure, where the Lee family would keep its controlling interest under the hedge fund's plan, but add at least three "truly independent" board level directors.

Samsung met Elliott partway.

The tech giant said Tuesday it is looking into inviting new board members with international corporate experience, and plans to nominate at least one new independent board member early next year.

The announcement comes as Samsung grapples with several crises, including the fallout from the fire-prone Note 7 release and being linked to a growing influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed South Korean leader Park Geun-hye's presidency.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

BREAKING: Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Columbia

At least six people are believed to have survived after a plane carrying 81 passengers, including members of a top flight Brazillian football team, crashed in Colombia, officials said.

The Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said in a statement that “all possible aid was being mobilized because six survivors are being reported.”

Details later

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Stealing from victims of Boko Haram insurgency

Bayo Olupohunda

Once again, the disturbing revelation of a massive theft of funds, meant to provide succour for victims of the war against the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, by government officials has exposed the shame of our nation.

After a recent visit to the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, Professor Beyani Chaloka, had reportedly lamented: “Food is scarce and many survive on one basic meal per day, while medical care is insufficient. Civilians also require urgent protection, psychosocial support and counselling. Camps should offer protection. Yet, I am alarmed to learn that many are in fact exploiting and abusing the most vulnerable. Reports indicate that women and girls face demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps. Early pregnancy and marriage are commonplace, while many do not report abuse due to stigmatisation, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity.”

But, the sex-for-food allegation in IDP camps is just a tip of the iceberg.

Another report by the Human Rights Watch also revealed how women and girls, who have been displaced by Boko Haram’s brutality, are being sexually exploited by officials in the camp

In its report titled, ‘Displaced by Boko Haram and victims twice over’, HRW recounted how government officials and other authorities in Nigeria sexually exploited women and girls displaced by the conflict with Boko Haram.

Women and girls abused by members of the security forces and vigilante groups – civilian self-defense groups working with government forces in their fight against Boko Haram – told Human Rights Watch that they felt powerless and feared what would happen if they reported the abuse.

A 17-year-old victim had told HRW that just over a year after she fled the frequent Boko Haram attacks in Dikwa, a town situated 56 miles west of Maiduguri, a policeman approached her for “friendship” in the camp and then, he raped her.

“One day he demanded to have sex with me. I refused, but he forced me. It happened just that one time. Soon I realised that I was pregnant. When I informed him about my condition, he threatened to shoot and kill me if I told anyone else about it. So I was too frightened to report him,” the woman said.

These are indeed disturbing and worrisome reports coming out of the IDP camps. Many of the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, who had been displaced from several towns and villages in Borno State, are now scattered in IDPs camp across the north east and beyond. In most cases children and women are caught in the conflict that has pitched the Nigerian Army against one of the most dangerous terror groups in the world, according to the Global Terror Index.

In its war against the Nigerian state, Boko Haram is reported to have killed more than 20,000 Nigerians and displaced more people in its quest to establish a caliphate in the country.

According to information contained in a report ‘Global Overview 2014: People internally displaced by conflict and violence’ by the Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council, Nigeria has 3.3 million persons – one of the highest figures in Africa. The victims of terror, which include women and children, are living in IDP camps and many of them have crossed the border to neighbouring Cameroun, Chad and Niger.

But those living in camps in the North-East have now become victims two times over. Fleeing from the brutality of Boko Haram, they have fallen into the hands of a more dangerous adversary. According to reports, the victims of Boko Haram are now being made to suffer from the consequences of a war they did not cause. Given the recent reports of abuse, sexual exploitation and diversion of food items meant for their consumption, the Federal Government has proved that it cannot protect these unfortunate Nigerians. How can one explain a situation where fellow Nigerians, who were displaced from their homes, are now made to suffer in camps?

According to the latest survey results released by NOI Polls, the vast majority of IDPs in the North-East lack access to food, potable water and healthcare. Analysis from the poll shows that almost nine in 10 IDPs (85 per cent) do not have access to quality food and regular meals. Also, about eight in 10 IDPs (78 per cent) have no access to potable water, while almost seven in 10 IDPs (69 per cent) lack access to quality healthcare. These results are reported to represent a general overview of what is happening in both official and unofficial camps in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Also, a recent assessment by the medical team of an international medical humanitarian organisation, Doctors without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres, revealed that there is a health crisis in IDP camps in North-east Nigeria with about 24,000 cases recorded in a camp in Bama, Borno State. According to MSF, more than 1,200 graves, many of them for children, have been dug near the camp in the last year alone.

The presence of many pregnant women, nursing mothers and children with little or no access to good healthcare facilities has increased the number of avoidable deaths in most of the camps. Over the years, the Federal and State governments, the United Nations and private donors, as well as other relevant stakeholders, have committed funds, introduced several interventions to ameliorate the suffering of IDPs in the sub-region and improve on their general welfare. Sadly, it appears that the condition of the latter has not improved considerably. For example, in August, there was a protest by IDPs in Borno.

The allegation of fraudulent diversion relief fund should prompt investigation by the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Some weeks ago, the Senate signaled its readiness to probe the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation over the alleged fraud in the disbursement of over N1.3bn for relief materials to displaced persons. The relief programme for the IDPs was managed by the Presidential Initiative for the North-East, which is domiciled in the office of the SGF.

The probe panel is also to investigate the alleged diversion of grains and other food items from the Strategic Grains Reserves, National Emergency Management Agency and other sources for the displaced persons. The investigation should be prompt and culprits brought to book.

The fact that this has happened shows that some Nigerians have lost their humanity. How can anyone be so mindless as to steal from the vulnerable? Well, the situation is not totally surprising as government officials also steal from pensioner. What crime can be more heinous than to steal from senior citizens and those vulnerable Nigerians in displaced peoples’ camp? Till date, the N2.5bn pension fund stolen by pension fundofficials has not been accounted for.

With the theft of relief funds meant for Boko Haram victims, it appears that those in positions of authority have lost their sense of sanity. Who else will the victims turn to for help when security agents sexually abuse them and government officials steal the fund, food and materials donated to them? How can the international community and international relief agencies commit their resources when they know it will not get to the victims? The Buhari government must investigate and punish those responsible for this unpardonable outrage.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Advantages of Internet banking

Internet banking has several advantages over traditional one, which makes operating an account simple and convenient, according to https://toughnickel.com.

•  It allows you to conduct various transactions using the bank’s website and offers several advantages. Some of the advantages of Internet banking are:

•     Online account is simple to open and easy to operate.

•     It is quite convenient as you can easily pay your bills, and you can transfer funds between accounts among others.

•     You do not have to stand in a queue to pay off your bills; also, you do not have to keep receipts of all the bills as you can now easily view your transactions.

•     It is available all the time, i.e. 24×7. You can perform your tasks from anywhere and at any time; even in the night when the bank is closed or on holidays. The only thing you need to have is an active Internet connection.

•     It is fast and efficient. Funds get transferred from one account to the other very fast. You can also manage several accounts easily through Internet banking.

•     Through Internet banking, you can keep an eye on your transactions and account balance all the time. This facility also keeps your account safe. This means that by the ease of monitoring your account at any time, you can get to know about any fraudulent activity or threat to your account before it can expose your account to severe damage.

•     It also acts as a great medium for the banks to endorse their products and services. The services include loans, investment options, and many others

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Education must prepare students to think critically –Babcock VC

The Vice-Chancellor, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Professor Ademola Tayo, has said that rather than provide easy solutions in the classrooms, education must prepare students for the challenges in the career world.

Tayo said this on Thursday during the 2016/2017 matriculation ceremony of the university. A total number of 2,023 were undergraduate students while 400 were for postgraduate studies.

According to the don, education should take a pragmatic approach, allowing students to design solutions which fit their peculiar circumstances.

He said, “We are mindful of the fact that the purpose of education in today’s society should be to prepare students for the challenges of life in the career world.  Since there exist today many different paths to success, different students need different outcomes from their experiences in the educational system. Rather than inculcating a set of competencies or ideas, education must prepare students to think critically and select opportunities that they need in order to succeed in their chosen paths.”

According to Tayo, the university has been ranked in the country among the best three of universities offering Law, adding that the school emerged the best in country at the Bar examination results in 2015. He added that two BU students emerged in first class category in the Nigeria Law School this year.

The VC advised the matriculating students to be open-minded and hardworking in order to achieve greatness.

He said “In a world with unpredictable and diverse social, economic, political, cultural and religious changes, you need the right capacities to respond to these diversity, and save mankind from undeserved pains and destructions. As you begin your journey, there is no greatness without elements of discipline, hard work, determination and the recognition of God.’’

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

We didn’t collect N82bn from FG — Ondo govt

The Ondo State Government has said it did not collect N82bn from the Federal Government.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, on Monday, said that the Federal Government never paid N82bn to the state as part of the money owed the state through the Paris Club deductions.

Akinmade, who accused the All Progressives Congress of being behind the allegation, said it was unfortunate that a party planning to form government in the state could make such an allegation.

The commissioner, who said attempts by the APC to rule the people with lies had failed in the past, maintained that it was high time the party prepared to face the task of governance from next year.

The statement said, “The task is more herculean for the APC because of the unprecedented high standard of governance it will inherit from the incumbent government.

“Feeding the people with lies won’t do it, but sincerity of purpose and a genuine desire to make an impact on the lives of the people.”

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

MTN budgets N50m for subscribers in Christmas promo

MTN Nigeria has announced the launch of the MTN YafunYafun promo to make the Christmas festive season an exciting one for subscribers.

MTN YafunYafun promo is an SMS subscription-based service that allows MTN’s existing and potential customers to earn points for every recharge they make on the network.

The General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge, said that the promo was conceived to make this year’s yuletide season a memorable one for MTN customers.

He said, “MTN as a brand always has the interest of its teeming customers at heart. With that in mind, we decided to come up with the MTN YafunYafun Recharge and Win promo to end the year on a high note of celebrations through their winnings.

“We appreciate them for their support and this promo is our way of saying thank you to them.”

While stating that the promo was in four categories – Free Zone, Premium Trivia promotion, Loop and the Fitness clue – Iweanoge added that participants were expected to recharge their phones and send special short codes to designated numbers, which would automatically migrate them to the category of their choice where they would be required to answer trivia questions to win points.

“These points accumulate over time and it increases their chances of winning,” he said.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

5G’ll speed up skill development in Nigeria –Wuilmet

Wuilmet

The Head, Customer Marketing and Communications, Nokia, Mr. Joachim Wuilmet, speaks to OZIOMA UBABUKOH on the development of Fourth and Fifth Generation (4G & 5G) technology, among other issues

Fourth Generation (4G) technology development has commenced in Nigeria; what is the sustenance level?

Generally, 4G is fast changing the lifestyle of people. In other climates where 4G has been introduced, the uptake does not happen overnight. In some countries, the uptake is over estimated; but the delays are usually due to constraints. One of such is the spectrum. Of course, the regulator knows how best to handle it. Sometimes, it is a question of whether spectrum is available or not; while in some climates, it is the pricing issue. It is usually a cumbersome exercise looking at the development of industries. But, we always leverage previous investments in other environments. For instance, many operators have spent huge amount on 3G licences and now they want to expand to 4G. Therefore, they hope to recoup the investments on 3G licence through 4G operations. Of course, it also lies with the individual business case for the operator. While 4G is changing lifestyle with more demand for data, for instance, prices are coming down to bring people en mass to 4G. I have no doubt, the demand is there and prices will keep coming down. So, operators have different approaches to this. With new players like Smile and ntel, the competition will get stiffer, but the customers will experience better quality of service.

The biggest challenge for the operators is not to introduce 4G; which is actually a super 3G; rather to migrate people from 2G to 3G. Once people start choosing data on 3G, definitely they will migrate to 4G with ease. Through 4G, they get the best out of their customers. But, 2G to data services is troublesome. People on the street actually want this data; they want the service. That is why we say ‘do not promote the technology, rather the service. Now, it is important to understand that companies are now talking about shared infrastructure (co-location) to make sure the investments are feasible to everybody. Specifically, Nokia in the United Kingdom tried putting together a model for one of the operators, which is something we can try replicating in Nigeria. The operators have a lot to do, the regulators have their beats, and we at Nokia are ready, leveraging our best practices, globally.

What plans do you think could boost skills set development in Nigeria with emphasis on new technologies?

It is important for any emerging ecosystem like Nigeria to be very serious with skills set development. As a corporation, Nokia is ready to work with other Ordinary Equipment Manufacturers and operators to achieve this goal. That is why we organise events where we explain to people about technologies coming tomorrow; the challenges on ground. For us, we have a young team on the ground that is competent and skilled to transfer the knowledge to others. We are here to develop and support, especially, our customers. There are different ways we engage with them: some will prefer just skill development through training, while others will prefer to operate or upgrade networks experience for them.

How is Nokia aligning with government’s Information Technology agenda in Nigeria like the Smart City project?

Part of the road show is aimed at creating awareness on smart city and public safety. As I mentioned earlier, we are expanding to government and enterprise space. We have new partners; we are engaging government and enterprises to share the ideas and partners to deliver as we have done in other parts of the world like the Middle East and Europe. The challenges in Nigeria speak to the opportunities and solutions we can help government with. To the operators, we are already playing with them, helping to improve quality of service and operations.

Should recession persist up until the first quarter 2017, some companies would be adversely affected. What is your company’s plan for this period?

I thought you would say if we would move out of Nigeria. We have no such plan. But like in all challenging times, every company does responsible things to ensure as much as possible you continue to serve the customers and ensure it does not harm your operations. Beyond recession, globally, we have a target on how to synergise because of the acquisitions that were made. We need to create synergies with clear targets on how to achieve that. Recession is not a long time thing; it is just like mountains and valleys to be descended and ascended. The bigger question is: are we here to stay? The answer is yes. What we see now, despite the recession, people are serious about doing business in Nigeria. We have signed new business and expanding the team to handle that segment too.

 What is your view on the revisited Mobile World Congress in Lagos?

Normally, the global Mobile World Congress happens in Barcelona, Spain, every year where we showcase our technologies and portfolio to the global stage. But, we realised that most Nigerian customers do not attend to have the feel of what we have to showcase at the Barcelona event. Therefore, we decided to have a localised session where the same globalised and best in class technologies and solutions for enterprises and operators within the local settings will be showcased. So, it is more of our customers having the opportunity to come and feel the demo themselves, ask questions and really understand the strength and portfolio that Nokia has to offer.

What will you say about the showcased technologies?

Nokia, before now, had acquired Alcatel, Motorola, and Siemens. So it is fusion of many good companies that have now become strong global brand. Our portfolios cut across IP optics, fine broad portfolios and analytics applications. Obviously, we also have the radio side of our business and fixed networks; layered below it are the services, the key strength of Nokia. Across the five broad areas, we rank one or two globally. Even the Gartner reports back the facts from planning base, how the market is thriving. It is something we are also planning to offer here in Nigeria. In addition, we are talking about new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoTs), the cloud revolution, 5G; we are leaders in those areas. The brand is notable for handset business, but we are now working more on the network side. With certain acquisitions we are making too, we are going to play in the digital health space and others. So, the end-to-end portfolio is very compelling.

Since Microsoft acquired the mobile devices, how is Nokia playing now, especially in Nigeria?

Nokia Networks customer base has been growing in Nigeria. If you take the new Nokia, Alcatel and Nokia combined, we are working with all the operators; be it MTN customers, Glo and Airtel. On the government and enterprise segments, we are also expanding our footprints. With the calibre of Nokia officials at this roadshow, it is a testament to what we are trying to do in Nigeria. We have 400-man workforce in Nigeria with offices in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. We are pretty much entrenched in the system. However, we are now enlightening customers and making the market to become more aware of what we are offering.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Ecobank converts 819.4 million preference shares to equities

Holders of 819,424,548 preference shares in Ecobank Transnational Incorporated have indicated their intention to convert the shares into ordinary shares (equities).

ETI, the parent company of the Ecobank Group, disclosed this on Monday in separate letters to the three stock exchanges on which ETI is listed – the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Ghana Stock Exchange and the West African Stock Exchange.

Once the requisite approvals are obtained, the preference shares would result in 630,325,909 ETI ordinary shares at an implied conversion price of N21.32 per new ordinary share, it said.

By a resolution passed on September 14, 2011, the ETI Board of Directors approved the acquisition of Oceanic Bank International Plc.

In line with the terms on conversion of preference shares recommended to Oceanic shareholders by the Oceanic board, as stated in the scheme of arrangement documents, and approved by Oceanic shareholders, preference shareholders had the right, exercisable at any time between the third anniversary of the issue date and the fifth anniversary of this date, to convert their preference shares into ordinary shares in the company at the rate of one preference share to 0.76923 ordinary share.

Preference shareholders, therefore, had the right to convert their preference shares up to October 31, 2016.

Out of an outstanding of 1,031,515,911 preference shares, as of the end of December 2015, the holders of 819,424,548 such shares exercised their right to convert the shares into ordinary shares in the company.

Qatar National Bank, one of ETI’s major shareholders, with 732,277,056 preference shares, was among the holders that exercised their conversion option.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

CBN, CeBIH assess technology’s impact on payment

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

The Deputy Governor, Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, and the Chairman of First Bank Nigeria Limited, Mrs.  Ibukun Awosika, will lead banking and electronic payments executives to examine the impact of disruptive technology and future of payment at the 2016 annual retreat of the Committee of Electronic Banking Industry Heads.

The theme of the retreat is, “Disruptive technology and the future of payment”, and will hold from December 1 to 2, 2016 in Abuja.

According to a statement by the association, Adelabu and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institution, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, are the special guests of honour, while Awosika will deliver a keynote address.

The retreat will feature presentations by chief executive officers of leading electronic payment service providers in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

These are the Managing Director, iAxept, United Kingdom Limited, Mr. Risto Savolainen; Managing Director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc, Mr. Ade Shonubi, the Group Managing Director, Interswitch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mitchell Elegbe; the Managing Director, Unified Payments Services Limited, Mr. Agada Apochi; and the Managing Director, eTranzact International Plc, Mr. Valentine Obi.

Other speakers are the Managing Director, SystemSpecs Limited, Mr. John Obaro; Technology & Digital Leader, West Africa, Akintola Williams Deloitte, Mr. Oluwole Oyeniran; the Digital Director, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Adia Sowho; and an e-commerce expert, Mr. Ade Atobatele.

Speaking on the purpose of the retreat, the CeBIH Chairman, Mr. Dele Adeyinka, was quoted as saying, “The retreat is aimed at examining the impact of the various technological innovations and advancements in the field of payments on how payments and banking are done today and in terms of what is to be expected in the future.”

This, he added, “will help the various stakeholders in positioning themselves for the opportunities that technology has brought to payments.”

Established in July 2008, CeBIH comprises of all heads of e-business/e-channels and cards services of all the 23 banks in Nigeria.

According to the statement, the primary objective of the committee is to promote electronic banking services in line with global best practices and serve as a forum for sharing ideas and experiences by the e-banking industry heads.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

10 ways your smartphone knows where you are (1)

One of the most important capabilities that smartphones now have is knowing where they are. More than desktops, laptops, personal navigation devices or even tablets, which are harder to take with you, a smartphone can combine its location with many other pieces of data to make new services available.

There are at least 10 different systems in use or being developed that a phone can use to identify its location. In most cases, several are used in combination, with one stepping in where another becomes less effective.

1.   GPS

The Global Positioning System was developed by the United States Department of Defense and was first included in cellphones in the late 1990s. It is still the best-known way to find your location outdoors.

The GPS uses a constellation of satellites that send location and timing data from space directly to your phone. If the phone can pick up signals from three satellites, it can show where you are on a flat map, and with four, it can also show your elevation.

Other governments have developed their own systems similar to the GPS, but rather than conflicting with it, they can actually make outdoor location easier. Russia’s GLONASS is already live and China’s Compass is on trial. Europe’s Galileo and Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System are also on the way. Phone chipmakers are developing processors that can use multiple satellite constellations to get a location fix faster.

2.  Assisted GPS

The GPS works well once your phone finds three or four satellites, but that may take a long time, or not happen at all if you are indoors or in an “urban canyon” of buildings that reflect satellite signals. Assisted GPS describes a collection of tools that help to solve that problem.

One reason for the wait is that when it first finds the satellites, the phone needs to download information about where they will be for the next four hours. The phone needs that information to keep tracking the satellites. As soon as the information reaches the phone, full GPS service starts.

Carriers can now send that data over a cellular or Wi-Fi network, which is a lot faster than a satellite link. This may cut GPS start-up time from 45 seconds to 15 seconds or less.

   3. Synthetic GPS

The form of assisted GPS described above still requires an available data network and the time to transmit the satellite information. Synthetic GPS uses computing power to forecast satellites’ locations days or weeks in advance. This function began in data centres but increasingly can be carried out on phones themselves, according to Roy-MacHabee of RX, which specialises in this type of technology. With such a cache of satellite data on board, a phone often can identify its location in two seconds or less, he said.

  4.  Cell ID

However, all the technologies that speed up GPS still require the phone to find three satellites. Carriers already know how to locate phones without GPS, and they knew it before phones got the feature. Carriers figure out which cell a customer is using, and how far they are from the neighbouring cells, with a technology called Cell ID. By knowing which sector of which base station a given phone is using, and using a database of basestation identification numbers and locations, the carriers can associate the phone’s location with that of the cell tower. This system tends to be more precise in urban areas with many small cells than in rural areas, where cells may cover an area several kilometres in diameter.

  5. Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi can do much the same thing as Cell ID, but with greater precision because Wi-Fi access points cover a smaller area.

There are actually two ways Wi-Fi can be used to determine location. The most common, called RSSI (received signal strength indication), takes the signals your phone detects from nearby access points and refers to a database of Wi-Fi networks. The database says where each uniquely identified access point is located. Using signal strength to determine distance, the RSSI determines where you are (down to tens of metres) in relation to those known access points.

The other form of Wi-Fi location, wireless fingerprinting, uses profiles of given places that are based on the pattern of Wi-Fi signals found there. This technique is best for places that you or other cellphone users visit frequently. The fingerprint may be created and stored the first time you go there, or a service provider may send someone out to stand in certain spots in a building and record a fingerprint for each one. Fingerprinting can identify your location to within just a few metres, said Charlie Abraham, vice president of engineering at Broadcom’s GPS division, which makes chipsets that can use a variety of location mechanisms.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Mobile Internet subscription hits 93.5 million

Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Dambatta

The number of mobile Internet subscription in the country rose by 35.71 million between 2013 and 2016, an analysis of data obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission has shown.

According to the NCC, the mobile Internet subscription in the country stood at 93,554,076 as of September 2016 while as in October 2013, the total mobile subscription stood at 57,840,229.

This means that within the period of three years, mobile Internet subscription rose by 35,712,777. It also means that within the period of three years, mobile Internet subscription rose by 61.75 per cent.

Although at 32,771,259 subscribers, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited had the largest mobile subscription as of September 2016; Etisalat’s showed the biggest leap over the three year period as its mobile Internet subscription rose from 5,640,789 to 15,062,650, showing a difference of 9,421,861 or 167.03 per cent increase.

On the network of Airtel, the mobile Internet subscription rose from 9,650,631 in October 2013 to 18,832,238 as of September 2016. This shows a difference of 9,181,607 or 95.14 per cent growth rate.

Subscription on Globacom rose from 12,975,809 to 26,887,929 within the period. This means that the subscription grew by 13,912,120. This shows a growth rate of 107.22 per cent.

On the other hand, mobile Internet subscription on MTN rose from 29,477,200 to 32,771,259 within the period. This means that the mobile Internet subscription on the network rose by 3,294,059, showing a growth rate of 11.17 per cent.

Although over a period of three years, mobile Internet subscription in the country increased by 61.75 per cent, the subscription actually declined in the last one year.

Mobile Internet subscription in the country attained its peak in November 2015 when the subscription attained the height of 97,824,017.

As of October 2015, mobile Internet subscription stood at 97,518,398. This means that in the last 12 months, mobile Internet subscription in the country has declined by 3,964,322. This shows that the subscription declined by 4.06 per cent.

In the last three quarters of the year, the Nigerian economy has been in recession. The decline in the mobile Internet subscription could therefore mean that with lesser disposable income, more Nigerians who could not renew their data subscription opted out, leading to 4.06 per cent decline over the one year period within which the nation has witnessed recession.

The increase in mobile Internet subscription in the last three years has increased the revenue stream of digital operators. Even at an Average Revenue Per User of only N500 per month, 93,554,076 subscribers means additional N46.78bn a month in the coffers of mobile operators.

At the inception of digital mobile services in the country, operators had concentrated on only voice services. However, with advancement in technology, demand for higher productivity and mobile office, the rise in social networking and ubiquity of smartphones and other digital devices; there has been an increase in the demand for data services.

This has also reflected in the recent emphasis on mobile broadband services by both the industry regulator and mobile operators. In simple terms, broadband Internet means faster Internet services. Many subscribers are actually frustrated at the slow speed of connection offered by their service providers.

A number of operators have responded by making additional investments and launching 4G services. There is even fear that some that do not actually have 4G capability have only joined the bandwagon to advertise 4G services; just as they offer 2G services in the garb of 3G services.

An online professional, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had been disappointed with the 3G offerings of two operators and therefore had not bordered about the new pitch of 4G technology.

“The 4G is limited to specific areas of the some cities. If you are not within those areas, you cannot enjoy 4G,” the subscriber said.

The Executive Vice-Chairman at the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, recently put broadband penetration in the country at 21 per cent although the Alliance for Affordable Internet had also recently put the nation’s broadband Internet penetration at 14 per cent.

Danbatta said to reduce pressure on the existing lower microwave frequency bands and increase broadband access across the country, the NCC planned to license the 38 GHz and 42 GHz bands, adding that both bands were suitable for short hop and point-to-point terrestrial links.

The bands also support 3G/4G/LTE backhaul and a high degree of frequency reuse due to the high directivity of their antennas.

He said, “Currently in Nigeria, more than 10 terabytes of telecommunications capacity exist at the landing point, but the challenge is the deployment of fibre infrastructure across the country that will effectively distribute this capacity to the distribution nodes at the metropolitan areas of all regions in the country that will supply sufficient fibre capacity to the backbone.

“The commission is finalising subsidy agreements with two infrastructure companies, Infraco Nigeria Limited and I-Connect Infrastructure Services Limited for the Lagos and North Central Zones, respectively to facilitate the rollout of broadband services.”

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Naira stable at interbank market

At the Bureau De Change window, the naira traded at N400 to a dollar, CBN controlled rate, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N585 and N506, respectively.

The naira also maintained its Friday rate of N473 to a dollar at the parallel market, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro sold at N585 and N505 respectively.

Traders at the market blamed dollar scarcity for the woes of the naira.

Since the launch of the flexible exchange rate policy, the naira has continued to struggle for survival, leading experts to interrogate the philosophy guiding the policy.

However, stakeholders have not lost hope in the capacity of Diaspora remittances to change the fortunes of the naira as the Yuletide approaches.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Law student banned from class ‘because her skirt is too short’

A female student wasn’t allowed into class because her skirt was apparently ‘too short’.

Joaninne Nanyange, who studies law, in Kampala, Uganda, said she was forbidden from entering her faculty because her outfit would distract men and boys.

In a Facebook post, where she published a photo of her skirt, she added a policewoman stopped her at the entrance of the building and told her to pull her knee-length skirt down to cover more of her legs.

Ms Nanyange laughed at the request and said her outfit couldn’t go any lower.

MORE: Isis terror plots for UK discovered during Mosul offensive

But the policewoman wasn’t smiling and apparently barred her from entering because her male classmates could lose their concentration when they saw her.

‘What I found most ridiculous was that my skirt really wasn’t that short for any standard, even legal profession standards,’ she told BBC’s World Have Your Say.

‘And secondly, the reason they gave me…it wasn’t about the fact that your profession requires you to have this length of skirt, it was about the fact that if you go with this length you’ll distract the men and boys.

‘That is what I found most shocking and more infuriating.’

Ms Nanyange said the incident was part of a wider issue in Uganda where women’s rights were not taken seriously.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

US election: Trump wins Michigan three weeks after presidential poll

 Michigan on Monday declared President-elect Donald Trump the winner over Hillary Clinton in its razor-thin contest, officially placing the state’s 16 electoral votes in Trump’s column three weeks after the election.

“Trump leads Clinton by 10,704 votes” after certification by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said in a statement.

Trump’s victory in the northern state gives the Republican Trump 306 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232. Michigan was the final state to certify the presidential outcome.

Green Party candidate Jill Stein is expected to seek a recount in Michigan, as she has done in Wisconsin. She has until Wednesday to file her request.

Such requests are not automatically granted, and Trump would have seven days in which to object to the recount request, potentially pushing the process toward mid-December.

The Electoral College, whose members officially vote according to statewide results from the election, meets on December 19 to cast its votes for president.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Popular Fayose Market In Ekiti State Remains Closed

The popular Fayose market in Ado Ekiti, the state capital has been closed following the order of the State Governor, Ayodele Fayose for not complying with the rules and regulations of the market.

Channels TV correspondent reports that the market has been under lock and key for the past few weeks and this has not been the best of time for the traders, considering the season and as the yuletide approaches.

The Commissioner for Information, Lanre Ogunsuyi, has explained that “the market was closed due to the attack on the enforcement officers of the state government, (and) for now the market remains closed until the traders learn their lessons”.

The Governor has also explained that the market was closed “for not complying with the laws and order rules guiding the market”.

He said that traders should see themselves as brothers and respect the state government order.

Traders in the market have been warned in the past to stop obstructing access roads and walkways with their goods.

Efforts have been made by the traders to appeal to Governor Fayose for an amicable resolution of the matter but the efforts have not yielded the desired result.

For now, traders remain on the streets hoping that the market would be opened as soon as possible.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Golf: Tiger Woods relaxed ahead of comeback in Bahamas

Tiger Woods / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

Tiger Woods delivered a strong indication he is ready for his comeback after a 16-month layoff when out-driving Olympic champion Justin Rose at Nassau’s Albany Club in the Bahamas on Monday.

The 14-time Major winner makes his long awaited return in the Hero World Challenge starting Thursday, where he will play with American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed.

He teamed up with Rose, who has been a resident on the exclusive Albany estate for two and a half years, former New York Yankees baseball legend Derek Jeter and fellow World Series winner Tino Martinez.

Woods, who has ‘parked’ his luxury yacht ‘Privacy’ close to Rose’s palatial home on the island, was clearly very relaxed in the company of the three and aside from an errant drive down the left side of the 13th he was in play for much of the nine holes in the sunny but windy conditions.

There were no official scores recorded but it’s understood Woods, wearing shorts, shot a comfortable one-over-par 37 for the nine holes that included two bogeys and a birdie.

Highlight of his nine holes was a 350-yard downwind drive at the par-four 15th that was easily 40 yards further than Rose.

Rose is returning after a seven-week injury absence and looked a lot more rusty than Woods who will tee-up in the 18-man $3 million event in his first appearance since sharing 10th in the Wyndham Championship 465 days ago.

“I was really pleased the way I was striking the ball as I hit it pretty well but then the wind today is expected to come from a different direction on Thursday,” said Woods.

“The greens, and how they’ve set them up at the moment, are a little too quick for this wind and with talk of a storm also coming in on Thursday, they should be perfect.”

It was Woods’ second nine holes on the Ernie Els designed course having played the front nine on Saturday and spending Sunday working on the range.

But if his golf and his positive demeanour is any sign then Woods could surprise many come Thursday’s start to the event.
Woods seems to have gained further strength in chatting at length over the nine holes with both Jeter and Martinez, with Jeter competing in the later stages of his own career with a broken ankle he sustained in October 2012.

– Surgeries –

“That’s one of the things I was talking to Derek and Tino about and that his how long did it take them at the start of each match to get ready to go out and play in each game,” disclosed Woods.

“We all know Derek broke his ankle and in coming back from that he said it used to take him three to four hours just to get prepared for a game.

“I also was discussing that today with ‘Rosey’ (Justin Rose) and he also says he needs to spend upwards of an hour and a half in the gym before he tees-up each day of a tournament given he’s now 36 years of age.

“It’s been the same deal with me and long before I was out injured for this long period.

“We all agreed we missed the times early in our careers when you could just turn up, grab your equipment and just go out and hit a 300-yard drive.

“I can’t do that anymore as I’m at an age where it takes time to prepare as I’ve had like three knee surgeries and also the operations on my back.”

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Tinubu didn’t work against APC in Ondo – Buhari

Tinubu, Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said there was no truth in reports suggesting that he and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress are at loggerheads with a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President described the reports as “unfounded and mischievous.”

The statement said the President was highly embarrassed by such reports was in regular contact with Tinubu before, during and after the recent Ondo State governorship election.

He said any suggestions that the President and the party machinery were working to destroy Tinubu had no foundation in truth or any credibility.

The presidential spokesman added that the President was impressed by Tinubu’s assurance not to work against the party in Ondo and he honoured his words.

He said Buhari regarded Tinubu as a priceless political asset to the party whose immeasurable contributions to the development and progress of the ruling party are known to all.

He advised those he called rumour mongers stop spreading the seeds of discord and animosity between the President and Tinubu or the party, adding that the President is proud of the Jagaban and his pivotal role in the party and the movement.

The statement read, “President Buhari commended Tinubu’s spirit of comradeship in promptly congratulating Rotimi Akeredolu who was elected Governor.

“The President also noted that at a time his administration is preoccupied with governance issues, rumors of divisions and alleged scheming within the party are counterproductive to internal unity and cohesion in APC.

“He appealed to APC members and supporters to ignore rumors that could harm party unity.”

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Eric Dickerson Rams Told Me I'm Not Wanted at Games ... Over Team Criticism

Eric Dickerson says he's persona non grata on the L.A. Rams sidelines -- and it's all over criticisms the NFL great made about the team.

The Hall of Famer went on his radio show early Monday and said, "Someone with the Rams told me I'm not wanted on sidelines at games, that what I've said makes the players uncomfortable."

Dickerson did not reveal who made the call -- but sources connected to the situation say it was someone powerful. 

Dickerson said the Rams official told him his honesty was making players uncomfortable.

We're told Dickerson is unhappy with the situation -- especially because he's not only been a supporter, but hosted the rookies at his home during training camp in his own "rookie symposium."

We reached out to the Rams -- so far, no word back.

Story developing ...

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

We Are Set For Electronic Voting – NIMC Channels Television. Updated November 28, 2016

 The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has declared that the commission is ready for an electronic voting system if it is approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and backed by relevant legislation.

The commission says the current National Identity Card has an inbuilt platform to accommodate electronic voting and make its take-off in the country a huge success.

The State Coordinator of NIMC, Mr Stephen Inokoba, made the declaration while presenting the national identity card of the state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Desmond Agu, in his office.

He explained that the provision for electronic voting was one of the 13 security features embedded in the new national ID card.

He said that once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other policymakers opt for electronic voting, the current identity card would be an effective launching pad for a smooth system.

He said: “The card has been fashioned in such a way that it can be used for electronic voting.

“Once Nigeria is set, we have the platform ready for electronic voting to commence.

“We are ready. The platform is on. It is left to INEC and the policymakers. Once they do what they ought to do, our platform is already there, it has been developed.”

The NSCDC boss, while appreciating some of the card’s benefits, praised the Federal Government for the initiative and appealed to people of the state to obtain theirs.

He described the card as a testimony of the federal government’s good intentions for the country.

“Initially it sounded like a mirage but you can see that it is true. I have completed the process and obtained my card.

“With what I have seen, the Federal Government has good plans for all the citizens. So, let us all take advantage of this initiative to better our lives.

“There are many privileges attached to the cards. These are the things obtainable in advanced countries where you can use similar cards to enjoy subsidies in services offered by the government,” he said.

Highlighting the major benefits of the cards, Inokoba said: “When you have the card, there are 13 benefits that you will get. The first one is you have an opportunity of getting a card to yourself alone through the Match-On-Card (MOC).

“It means that the card will not be given to somebody that it doesn’t belong to. You name will be matched with your fingerprints. So, there is no card by proxy”.

--Roluyo Hammed and Rabiu Wasiu contributed reporting.

Francois Fillon defeats Alain Juppe in French presidential primary

Francois Fillon has won France's Republican presidential primary, after his opponent Alain Juppe conceded defeat.

Mr Fillon had won 67% of votes and Mr Juppe was on 33%, according to results from about 90% of polling stations.

The pair, both former prime ministers, were vying to become the centre-right Les Republicains party candidate in the election.

Speaking after his victory, Mr Fillon, 62, said: "I must now convince the whole country our project is the only one that can lift us up.

"My approach has been understood: France can't bear its decline.

"It wants truth and it wants action.

"I will take up an unusual challenge for France - tell the truth and completely change its software."

In Paris, 71-year-old Mr Juppe congratulated Mr Fillon on the "large victory", adding: "I finish this campaign as I began it - as a free man who did not compromise what he is or what he thinks".

He called for unity and calm after a campaign during which he had accused Mr Fillon of pandering to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim feeling.

Mr Fillon is now likely to face a spring showdown with far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who will be seeking to build on that same anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-establishment feeling.

Ms Le Pen has also promised to lower the retirement age and guarantee France's welfare safety net.

A Harris Interactive poll published on Sunday night showed Mr Fillon would beat Ms Le Pen by 67% to 33%.

The victory for Mr Fillon, who is married to a Welsh woman, comes against a national unemployment rate of 10%, weak economic growth, worries about immigration and globalisation and concern about the future of a costly but valued welfare state.
 

In response, Mr Fillon has proposed spending cuts, increasing sales tax, scrapping a tax on the wealthy, fewer restrictions on the working week and raising the retirement age to 65.

He also wants to limit the adoption rights of gay couples, push for closer ties with Russia and focus on tackling Islamic extremism and reducing immigration to France "to a minimum".

Mr Juppe had promoted a more liberal stance with respect for religious freedom and ethnic diversity, attacking the "brutality" of his rival's manifesto.

Mr Fillon, whose wife Penelope Clarke is British, was the prime minister from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was eliminated in the primary's first round a week ago and now is supporting him.

Mr Juppe was prime minister from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac.

In the first round of primary voting on 20 November, Mr Fillon won 44.1% of the votes, Mr Juppe 28.6% and Mr Sarkozy 20.7%.

A second round was held because no candidate secured a majority.

All French citizens over 18 - whether they are members of the Republicans party or not - can vote in the primary if they pay €2 (£1.70) in fees and sign a pledge stating they "share the republican values of the right and the centre".

Marine Le Pen is campaigning on a pro-nationalist, anti-immigration ticket

Socialist Party candidates now have to announce their intention to run before 15 December and their first primary is held on 22 January.

If no candidate gains more than 50%, there is a second round a week later.

The general election is set for 23 April, with a possible second round of voting on 7 May.

The current Socialist President Francois Hollande is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether he will stand for re-election.

His deep unpopularity has undermined the position of the country's Left and there have been calls for his prime minister Manuel Valls to contest the party's primary.

--Roluyo Hammed contributed reporting.

May under pressure on rights of EU citizens in UK

Theresa May last met Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo in October

Theresa May will today come under pressure to guarantee the rights of over 800,000 Poles living in the UK.

The Prime Minister will meet with her Polish counterpart Beata Szydlo in Downing Street to discuss Brexit and defence as she prepares to trigger formal negotiations to leave the European Union at the end of March next year.

Mrs May, speaking ahead of the summit, said she was determined to ensure that Brexit "will not weaken our relationship" as she spoke of a "new chapter" in UK-Polish relations.

"Today's meeting puts beyond doubt the common ground we share, the importance we attach to our bilateral relationship and the benefits it brings.

"We share a clear commitment to take our cooperation to the next level and to firmly establish the UK and Poland as resolute and strategic allies in Europe."

However, the Prime Minister is not expected to offer any guarantees on the rights of Polish citizens currently living in the UK - although government sources told Sky News she is hopeful of securing a deal covering reciprocal rights as part of Brexit negotiations.

Mrs May has refused to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote, insisting that the Government must not "reveal its hand" ahead of Brexit negotiations, which will begin when she triggers Article 50 before the end of March.

The UK-Poland summit will bring together the prime ministers of the respective countries as well as senior cabinet ministers, including defence and foreign secretaries.

The Government will also launch a new civil society forum that will meet annually to "deepen ties" between the two nations.

Meanwhile, Michel Barnier, the European Union's Brexit negotiator, is also digging in his heels over any quick deal, insisting last week there would be "no negotiation without notification", adding: "My work is now focused on the EU27 (the remaining EU member states)."

The issue is creating growing tensions in the EU member states and in the UK as millions of UK-based EU citizens and Britons in the EU fret about their status.

There are an estimated 3.3 million EU nationals living in the UK while about 1.2 million British citizens live in the EU.

This weekend, 80 MPs wrote to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, urging him to get on with striking a deal on reciprocal rights as tensions grow between the UK and Brussels.

"We are extremely concerned that members of the Commission - particularly Commissioner Barnier - seem worryingly indifferent to securing reciprocal rights for our and your resident citizens," the MPs said as they accused the EU's chief negotiator of preventing discussions on the matter between member states.

"People are not bargaining chips. Human beings are not to be traded 'tit for tat' in a political playground.

"People must come before institutions and adherence to process, European or otherwise.

"No European's expatriate's livelihood and family should be held hostage in this way, whether from the UK or the EU27."

Michael Tomlinson, the author of the letter, MP for mid-Dorset and mid-Poole and the vice chairman of the European Research Group, told Sky News that he would like Mr Tusk to formally put the issue on the agenda at the next European Council meeting in mid-December.

--Roluyo Hammed contributed reporting.