Buhari,Osinbajo To Participate In Live Televised Presidential Townhall Programme On Wednesday

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI AND VICE-PRESIDENT YEMI OSINBAJO TO PARTICIPATE IN A LIVE TELEVISED PRESIDENTIAL TOWNHALL INTERACTIVE PROGRAMME ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 AT 8:00PM

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and the Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, who are also the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming Presidential elections will, on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, at 8:00pm (Nigerian time) participate in a live televised two-hour presidential town-hall programme. The venue shall be the Ladi Kwali Conference Center, Ballroom of Sheraton Hotel Abuja. Attendance is strictly by invitation. All guests are expected to be seated by 7:00pm.


The presidential series, which is titled “The Candidates”, is designed by the organisers to have both the Presidential and their Vice-Presidential Candidates of selected political parties on stage at the same time and at different dates to take questions from the moderator, Kadaria Ahmed and from the general public through various platforms.

The programme would be broadcast live on NTA, which shall in turn provide the live feeds to other partner stations like TVC, Wazobia TV, Oak TV and on all Radio Nigeria stations. It will also be streamed on-line at dtv.media to enable Nigerians in diaspora to participate.



Nigerians are encouraged to kindly tune in to participate.



Thank you.



FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK)

Director, Strategic Communications,

APC Presidential Campaign Council,

(Official Spokesperson).

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Drug Baron El Chapo 'Paid $100m Bribe To Former Mexican President Peña Nieto'

Former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto accepted a $100m (£77m) bribe from drug cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a witness has testified.

Alex Cifuentes, who says he was a close associate of Guzman for years, told a New York City courtroom that he had told authorities of the bribe in 2016.

Guzman is accused of being behind the Sinaloa drug cartel, which prosecutors say was the largest US drug supplier.

Mr Peña Nieto served as the president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018.

Mr Guzman, 61, has been on trial in Brooklyn since November after he was extradited from Mexico to face charges of trafficking cocaine, heroin and other drugs as leader of what the US has called the world's largest drug cartel.
Image copyright Reuters

According to reporters in the Brooklyn courthouse, Mr Peña Nieto had requested $250m before settling on $100m.

Cifuentes claimed the delivery was made to Mexico City in October 2012 by a friend of El Chapo.

Cifuentes, a Colombian drug lord who has described himself as El Chapo's "right-hand man", worked as his secretary and spent two years hiding from authorities with him in the Mexican mountains, according to prosecutors.

He was arrested in Mexico in 2013 and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in a deal with prosecutors.

Mr Peña Nieto has not responded to the latest claim, but has previously rejected allegations of corruption that have surfaced during the trial since it began in November.

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Militants Kill People At Kenyan Five Star Hotel

Suspected militants have attacked a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi, killing at least six people.

Gunfire and blasts were heard at the compound in the Westlands district of the Kenyan capital, which houses the DusitD2 hotel as well as offices.

The Somalia-based militant group al-Shabab said it was behind the attack.

Despite the government saying all the buildings were secured by Tuesday evening, fresh gunfire has since been heard.


Officials and witnesses said at least five people died at a restaurant in the complex in the incident, while another person died of their injuries in hospital.

A US citizen is among the dead, according to the US State Department.

But the total number killed is not yet confirmed - a mortuary worker told Reuters that it was at least 15.

How did the attack unfold?

The attack began at about 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The gunmen threw bombs at vehicles in the car park before entering the lobby, where one blew himself up, Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet told reporters.

A woman working in a neighbouring building told Reuters news agency: "I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives."

Police then rushed to the scene said "Things are not good. People are dying."

At 20:00 GMT, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i said all the buildings in the complex had been secured by security forces.

An hour later though, gunfire was heard from the area.

Security forces were combing their way through the building hours after the attack started with reports saying frightened workers had barricaded themselves inside.

About 30 people are being treated at Nairobi hospitals, media reports say.

The five-star DusitD2 hotel has 101 rooms. Located in the Westlands suburb, minutes from the capital's business district, it has its own spa and several restaurants.

Kenya has seen a number of terror attacks in recent years - most notably in areas close to the Somali border and in the country's capital.

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Brexit:PM Theresa May Suffers Largest Votes Defeat In British History

Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal has been rejected by 230 votes - the largest defeat for a sitting government in history.

MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal, which sets out the terms of Britain's exit from the EU on 29 March.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has now tabled a vote of no confidence in the government, which could trigger a general election.

The confidence vote is expected to be held at about 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

The defeat is a huge blow for Mrs May, who has spent more than two years hammering out a deal with the EU.

The plan was aimed at bringing about an orderly departure from the EU on 29 March, and setting up a 21-month transition period to negotiate a free trade deal.

The vote was originally due to take place in December, but Mrs May delayed it to try and win the support of more MPs.


The UK is still on course to leave on 29 March but the defeat throws the manner of that departure - and the timing of it - into further doubt.

MPs who want either a further referendum, a softer version of the Brexit proposed by Mrs May, to stop Brexit altogether or to leave without a deal, will ramp up their efforts to get what they want, as a weakened PM offered to listen to their arguments.

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Robbers Invade Kanu Nwankwo's Lagos Home,Cart Away Properties and Medals

Nwankwo Kanu said on Tuesday that he had suffered the “saddest day” of his life after finding out every medal won by the former Arsenal and Nigeria star had vanished from a Lagos property of his.

Kanu lamented the “rude shock” of learning that a host of cherished keepsakes earned over his football career had disappeared from a Lagos property that is at the centre of a long-running legal dispute. Kanu “This is the saddest day of my life as I cannot understand why this happened to me,” he said, The Cable reported Kanu as saying.

“All the medals I have earned, in addition to the Olympic torch that I cherished, are all gone and I don’t even know who to ask for all these prized assets.” Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick confirmed the disappearance of the medals and trophies, saying Nwankwo was “in intense pain” at their loss.

“Kanu worked very hard from a humble beginning to accumulate whatever he has today and to earn those precious valuables,” he said in a statement. “We respectfully call on the Nigeria police and other security agencies to work hard at unravelling the perpetrators of this nefarious act.”

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Promo: UBA Rewards 20 Customers With N30m

United Bank for Africa (UBA) has awarded N1.5 million each to 20 customers for emerging lucky winners at the just concluded WISE SAVERS PROMO grand finale draw, totaling N30 million.

Speaking at the event which held yesterday in Lagos at UBA House, UBA Group Executive, (Digital and Customer Banking), Anant Rao, expressed satisfaction at the level of response received from customers across the country while the campaign lasted.

He said that the campaign was targeted at rewarding loyal customers and also inculcating in them the habit of saving regularly.

He noted that 425, 000 customers qualified for the draw that was conducted before stakeholders that saw 20 customers emerging lucky winners.

He said: “It is very easy to spend money but to save is a habit. Our key objective is to encourage our customers to save regularly. We are here to support our customers and to encourage them to save.”

Rao urged others customers to take advantage of the subsequent draws that would be taking place across the country by cultivating the habit of saving regularly in their UBA accounts.

Meanwhile, the criteria for qualifying for the draw was to save at least thirty thousand naira in the bank account or in the instalment of ten thousand naira in three months in any of the UBA branches across the country.

Also, Executive Director, Marketing (Lagos and West Bank), Ayoku Liasi, who emphasised that the promo was a way of deeply appreciating loyal customers across the country, said that the campaign started in September last year and was expected to continue this year.

He assured customers and stakeholders that the current campaign and the subsequent ones would be free and fair and industry best practices would be upheld with utmost transparency.

Group Head (Customer Service and Complaints management), Prince Ayewo, who dialed numbers of the lucky customers before stakeholders and contacting them for their win, said that the cash prizes would be delivered to customers at their door steps across the country.

Meanwhile, the lucky winners that were successfully contacted could not conceal their amazement at the cash prize and expressed their profound gratitude to UBA for the initiative that would enhance their lives.

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AGF Arraigns Oil Merchant Chima Anyaso For Alleged N2.06bn Fraud

An oil marketer, Chima Anyaso has been charged before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on a three-count charge bordering on forgery and N2,066,400 billion fraud.

Anyaso was charged alongside his company, Ceecon Energy Oil and Gas Limited, in charge sheet marked FHC/L/332c/18, was alleged to have committed the offence on or about February 21, 2011.

The oil marketer was alleged to have forged a letterhead paper of Total Nigeria Limited, dated February 21, 2011, with reference number AAC/CSO/OPS/, which he falsely presented to Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), to obtained credit facility in the sum of N2,066, 400, 000 billion, for delivery of 15 metric tonnes of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK).


He was also alleged to have on February 22, 2011, forged another letterhead paper of Total Nigeria Limited with reference number FEB/yjo.FIN22.11, dated February 22, 2011, which he presented to GTB for the payment of N2,066,400 billion, for the supply of 15 metric tonnes of ATK.

The AGF also alleged that the oil marketer fraudulently obtained the said sum from GTB as a credit facility.


The offences according to the prosecutor, Mr Julius I. Ajakaiye, a deputy director in the AGF’s office are contrary to and punishable sections 2(1)(c) and section 1(1)(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences, Cap. A6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The prosecutor had told the court the criminal charge against the oil marketer and his company arose from a petition by Guaranty Trust Bank, dated January 19, 2017, and signed by one Sarah Ugamah and Tolulope Fadipe on behalf of the Bank.

However, at the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the prosecutor informed the court that the defendants have been evading services, he therefore urged the court for an order of substituted service, through an Expate motion, by way of posting the charge in defendants’ the last known address, which are number 16, Babatunde Dabiri Street, Lekki Phase 1 and Olaza 307/Suit 301, third wing, Worth Plaza, Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Justice Ayotunde Faji, while adjourning the matter till January 30, for a report of service, ordered that the charge sheet be posted at the last known addresses of the oil marketer and his company.

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