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V ice President Osinbajo in Kenya, as he represents President Buhari, who has departed Abuja for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to attend the 5th EU-AU Summit.  This is the Second Term Inauguration ceremony for President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi, Kenya...  Pix by Novo Isioro

President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) have departed Abuja for the European Union-African Union (EU-AU) summit in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar; Bauchi governor, and Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom governor, are also in the entourage of the President to the summit. Buhari is expected to participate in working sessions during and meet with African heads of state and their European Union counterparts during the summit. Here are pictures of Buhari’s departure. President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bauchi governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar; Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel; Bola Tinubu, national leader APC and president Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari; Abba Kyari and Bola Tinubu before boarding presidential jet

W elcome to a new Legislative Day in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu took the official Prayer and led the Chambers into today’s proceedings at 10.50am. Senator Kabir Marafa moved for the approval of votes and proceedings of Thursday, 23rd November, 2017, Senator Matthew Urhoghide seconded. PETITIONS Senator Joshua Lidani and Senator Akpan Bassey laid Petitions and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu referred the petitions laid to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to report back in 2 weeks. POINT OF ORDER Senator Ali Ndume cited order 42 and spoke on the state of security in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe State and sought the leave of the Senate to bring it as a motion on another Legislative day. Senator Tayo Alasoadura cited orders 42 and 52 and spoke in respect of a motion on the need to enforce the terms of the 1993 product sharing contract (PSC) agreement between international oil c...

E nyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia south, says the 2018 budget is “totally fictitious”. Abaribe said this at the commencement of the debate on budget at the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday. The senator said the proposed N8.6 trillion appropriation bill could not be described as a budget of consolidation because “nothing was done” in 2017. He said the assumptions of the budget are “totally wrong and off the mark” and is “dead on arrival”. The senator said: “I’m just quoting the senate leader in his speech – ‘the 2018 budget is designed to consolidate on the achievements of the 2016 and 2017 budget.’ “What was done in 2017 when less than 15 percent of that budget was released? Nothing was done. That was why I said the 2018 budget is fictitious. If that is the word that the “Senate leader is bothered about, I withdraw the word ‘fictitious’ and say that the 2018 budget is totally imaginary. Because nothing was done in 2017. That is a fact that...

M ost of them end up being captured and sold as slaves. While in captivity, they are kept in dehumanizing conditions and maltreated. Some are sold so that their body organs can be harvested and sold, while some end up being killed. A lot of them are used as sex slaves, including the men who get raped by other men. There are 1 to 2 auctions every month where buyers come to assess captives and make their choice. The crime against humanity was brought to light after CNN published the report of an investigation they carried out last week. A CNN team traveled to Libya and witnessed a dozen men being sold for as little as $400 each. And the slave traders do not lack men and women because according to reports, thousands of migrants have arrived in Libya in recent years in a desperate bid to travel the central Mediterranean route to Europe. The International Organization for Migration estimates there are currently between 700,000 and a million migrants stuck in the country. ...

T he ECOWAS Court has ordered the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pay N30 million as compensation to the named dependents of a commercial driver, David Legbara. Late Legbara was killed by security agents of the government two years ago for refusing to give bribes demanded by the agents. The court, however, awarded the penalty against the government on Monday while delivering judgement in suit no ECW/CCJ/APP/38/15 brought by the son and two wives, as well as the sister and brother of the deceased. According to the ruling, the son who was then a minor, Thankgod Legbara, will get N14million while each of the two wives – Gift and Sira – will get N5million for the violation of the fundamental human rights of the deceased. The remaining N6million would go to the sister and brother – Mrs Barieenee Tanee and Mr Neyiebari Muele – with each awarded N3million by the court. Contrary to the preliminary objection of the defendant, a panel of three judges of the ECOWAS Court...

L egal Practitioner, Mr Jiti Ogunye, has asked the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, to present himself before the court rather than requesting to meet with the President. Mr Ogunye described Maina’s comments and request to meet with the president as “cock and bull stories”, as well as an attempt to evade the justice system. He made this known on Channels Television’s Sunrise daily, in response to an exclusive interview of Maina in which he insisted that he was innocent of the allegations preferred against him. “Maina wants to meet with Mr Presdient over what? Do we even respect our court at all? Do we respect our judicial process? Do you know that in this country, Supreme Court justices are being tried in court? Who is he to be saying that he wants to recover money? “Present yourself, you are a fugitive from justice. Have your day in court prove your innocence there – that is the law that I know. ...

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Robert Clarke, has supported the idea that the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, should be given a chance to speak with President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, there is a lot of rot in the system which indeed needs to be exposed and it would be to the advantage of the government if the president allows Maina a chance to explain things. He made this position known Tuesday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily,while reacting to an exclusive interview of Maina in which he insisted that he was innocent of the allegations preferred against him. “His action now is not to prove his innocence, his action now is to prove that there is a leakage in the system which needs to be covered up and he knows it – It is in the interest of government to call him down and let him speak and show the government where these leakages are. “Maina has come out now to say that through ...

A pparently the macho man that was shouting down a woman in an eatery in Lagos over the weekend was music executive, Don Jazzy's body guard. After the video of the body guard identified as Chidi Irechukwu, went viral, the music executive relieved him of his job. In an exclusive chat with LIB, a remorseful Chidi said he regrets his actions and that it was the woman calling him a thief that got him angry to speak to her in such manner 'I entered the eatery and parked my car. I ensured that I wasn't blocking anyone before I went in to place my order. While I was waiting to be attended to, the lady walked in, tapped me on my back and in a loud voice, asked me to go outside to repark my car. She said why would I park my car like a thief. Her indirectly calling me a thief got me angry and that was why I spoke to her in that maner and called her unprintable names. I never meant the threat of beating her. My mother raised me well never to beat a woman. When I was l...

E mbattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, has finally broken silence on the allegations of corruption levelled against him. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Channels Television which aired during News At 10 on Monday, Mr Maina insisted that he was innocent of the allegations preferred against him. He, however, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to give him an opportunity to prove his innocence, claiming that the President was being deceived by the people who surround him. “Thank God our President stands for the truth, the unfortunate thing is that some people around him whom he has given trust are lying to him; this one I can attest to and I can give you instances, I can give you documentary evidence,” Maina said. “I’m appealing to you Mr President, there are so many things people are not telling you; when I get to that public hearing I will tell you some things that nobody ever told you Mr Pre...