President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to receive congratulatory messages over his re-election from more African leaders and the United Kingdom.
Mallam Garba Shehu, President’s spokesman in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said, King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, in a message, described President Buhari’s victory as an affirmation of the level of confidence Nigerians have in their President.
The King promised to work with President Buhari to advance the interests of both countries.
‘‘Your re-election is a testimony to the level of confidence that you enjoy among the people of Nigeria, attributable to your wisdom, experience in politics, sense of engagement and devotion to the service and the protection of the interests of the country especially as they relate to the prosperity, wellbeing and security of your people.’’ King Mohammed VI said in his congratulatory message.
The monarch expressed satisfaction with the existing cordial and fraternal African relationship linking the two leaders, their people, and nations.
He reiterated his determination to work in concert with President Buhari to reinforce the mutually beneficial relationship between Morocco and Nigeria and to give it a new impetus to serve as a model on the African continent.
Also, President Alpha Conde of Guinea described the re-election of President Buhari as a dose of hope for the West African region.
Conde expressed confidence that the cordial relations between Nigeria and Guinea would continue to get better.
President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who was the first leader to call President Buhari minutes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the 2019 presidential elections, said he looked forward to working with the Nigerian leader to further strengthen Nigeria-Niger relations.
Buhari has also received congratulatory messages from Presidents Nana Kofi-Addo of Ghana and Macky Sall of Senegal.
The UK Government has also congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on securing a second term as president.
A statement from the British High Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, quoted the Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, as saying “I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President.
“The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the Nigerian people and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and the world.”
Baldwin commended Nigerians for their resilience and commitment to democracy.
She said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with the results obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process.
“Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result.”
She, however, recognized the concerns expressed by Nigerians on the conduct of the electoral process, in particular logistics and results collation, and reports of intimidation of electoral officers.
The minister urged any party or individual who wished to challenge the process to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal channel.
“We encourage Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals found responsible’’.
She also condoled with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in election-related violence.
“No one should die in the exercise of their democratic rights,” she stated.
She reiterated the continued support of the UK Government to Nigeria and its civil society
“in drawing lessons from these elections and strengthening its democracy”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday declared President Buhari the winner of the 2019 Presidential Elections.
The United `kingdom Government has confirmed that the results of the presidential election as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) were authentic.
British Minister of State for Africa, Harriet Baldwin said the results were consistent with the results obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process.
“Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result,” she said.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu early Wednesday morning declared President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the 23 February election, with 15,191,847 votes. His main challenger Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 11, 262,978 votes.
But the PDP agent at the collation centre declined to sign the results and later Atiku also rejected the verdict and said he would challenge it in the court. In a press conference on Wednesday, Atiku ramped up the rejection by raising issues of ‘statistical impossibility’ about the results in some states of Nigeria.
The statement by the British minister was the first authentication of INEC result.
Baldwin congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on securing a second term as president.
“I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President”, she said in a statement released by the British High Commission in Abuja.
“The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the Nigerian people and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and the world.”
Baldwin commended Nigerians for their resilience and commitment to democracy.
She, however, recognized the concerns expressed by Nigerians on the conduct of the electoral process, in particular logistics and results collation, and reports of intimidation of electoral officers.
The minister urged any party or individual who wished to challenge the process to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal channel.
“We encourage Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals found responsible’’.
She also condoled with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in election-related violence.
“No one should die in the exercise of their democratic rights,” she stated.
She reiterated the continued support of the UK Government to Nigeria and its civil society
“in drawing lessons from these elections and strengthening its democracy”.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is on another journey to buy goodwill in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The United Kingdom (UK) and other parts of Europe.
According to The Nation newspaper, the opposition party is leaving no stone unturned to secure victory at the 2019 elections.
In furtherance of the N388million lobbying deal that gained Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, an entry into the United States, the party has now commenced similar process in UAE and UK.
Although the budget for this new public relations endeavor is not known yet, Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation said the U.S. deal that reportedly earned Atiku his visa after 12 years was to promote free and fair elections.
However, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the agreement had sinister motives. He said spending N388million on such a venture was “a sign of the recklessness which PDP is noted for”.In the agreement between PDP and Ballard Partners, Inc. published by SaharaReporters, PDP is expected to pay the firm $90,000 per month for 12 months.
The lobbying is expected to run from September 2018 to September 2019.
The agreement was signed by Chidoka (the PDP Special Advisor) and Brian D. Ballard (the President of Ballard Partners, Inc.).
It read in part:
“This agreement shall become effective in September 2018 and shall remain effective until September 20, 2019. This agreement shall automatically renew for a successive one-year period on the anniversary of the effective date of the agreement unless either party terminates the agreement. Upon renewal, this agreement may be terminated within thirty (30) days written notice by either party.
”It shall be the Firm’s duty to consult with the Client and advocate on its behalf those issues the Client deems necessary and appropriate before the US Federal government.
“Issues and objectives may include, but not be limited to enhancement of U.S. Nigerian relations, strengthening and advancing democratic values and the rule of law in Nigeria, with a special focus in the coming months on maintaining political and security conditions free of intimidation and interference in order to ensure the success and fairness of Nigeria’s national election for president in 2019.
“It shall further be the Firm’s duty to inform the Client of developments in legislation and policy relevant to the Client’s issues and objectives.
“It shall be the Client’s duty to provide the Firm the information necessary to best represent the Client. It shall also be the Client’s duty to timely compensate the Firm for its services.”
In its response to the hiring of the consultant, a statement by the APC read:
“The PDP leaders have sinister motives but they cannot succeed. They are paying huge sums of money to engage consultants with the sole intention to deceive those abroad and Nigerians again into submitting our resources by coming back to power.
“We thank God that all their efforts from the UAE to the UK, the USA and elsewhere in Europe have all ended in disastrous outcome. The free and fair poll is here in Nigeria, not in the US. So, they can deceive themselves but they cannot deceive Nigerians.
“Spending N388million on public relations and lobbying is very reckless and a sign of recklessness which PDP is noted for. Everything about PDP and its leaders has been driven by recklessness. Their 16-year reign in government was a reckless enterprise. Nigerians should watch out, they are spendthrift.
“We know the cash is part of the money stolen which this APC government is making efforts to retrieve from them. This is why they think President Buhari should not be re-elected. The February 16 presidential poll is not about who will win; it is about which state will vote more for President Muhammadu Buhari because PDP has technically pulled out of the race.”
Mike and Garry Robinson loved a particular drink from their childhood which they could only get in Nigeria in their childhood that its memory followed them to their adulthood.
A soft drink made with fruits and bitters was how they remembered it, and they told The Courier that it’s always been their dream to commercially produce the drink in the UK.
“After leaving school, Garry and I both became professional squash players but it has always been our dream to commercially produce this drink,” Mike said.
We’ve always had a dream of bringing it to market. We went to various drinks companies, but many only want an energy drink or a fruit drink. We were taking them a drink that had a unique taste.
They finally got a company to sign up for the production of the drinks, and the brothers decided to call their drink “Ikoyi Chapman.”
Ikoyi Chapman is already being sold in bars in some parts of the UK, and the brothers hope people will soon start seeing it in supermarkets.
British authorities have introduced online divorce applications in England, and Wales to ease the divorce process for those going through it.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced that digital divorce applications have been by launched in England and Wales since May.
The MoJ says the stress of applying for a divorce could be eased thanks to the new online service that removes the need for any paper forms.
The online service uses clear, non-technical language, making sure that the whole process can be completed online, including payment and uploading supporting evidence.
The ministry said 1,000 petitions were issued through the new system during a recent pilot phase, with more than nine of every 10 saying they were satisfied with the service.
The MoJ says court staff currently spend 13,000 hours dealing with complex paper divorce forms, but this simpler and less technical online service has already contributed to a 95 per cent drop in the number of applications being returned because of mistakes.
Justice Minister Lucy Frazer, said:
“Allowing divorce applications to be made online will help make sure we are best supporting people going through an often difficult and painful time.
“More people will have the option of moving from paper-based processes to online systems which will cut waste, speed up services which can be safely expedited, and is a better fit with modern day life.”
Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division of the High Court, said:
“The online divorce pilot has been a triumphant success and shows that this must be the way of the future.”
The changes are part of a 1.4 billion U.S. dollar program to transform the court system, making it quicker, more accessible and easier to use for all.
The Courts and Tribunals Service cited the example of divorce applicant, Rebecca, who used the new online service and received legal confirmation of her divorce less than 12 weeks later.
Another applicant Elaine Everett, separated for more than two years before applying for her divorce, said:
“It was marvelous, pain-free and less stressful than the paper form which I tried several years ago to complete but got fed up of it being rejected.”
Source
Xinhua/NAN
Britain is currently investigating whether Facebook did enough to secure data after reports that a political consultancy hired by Donald Trump improperly accessed information about 50 million Facebook users, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said on Monday.
Denham is seeking a warrant to search the offices of London-based consultancy Cambridge Analytica after a whistleblower revealed it had harvested the private information of millions of people to support Trump's 2016 US presidential campaign.
Facebook shares closed down nearly 7 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company's advertising business and hurt its appeal to users.
The investigations of Cambridge Analytica and Facebook were part of a wider probe into the use of personal data, said Denham, whose office is tasked with enforcing Britain's data protection laws.
‘We are looking at whether or not Facebook secured and safeguarded personal information on the platform and whether when they found out about the loss of the data they acted robustly and whether or not people were informed,’ she told BBC Radio.
Denham said she would investigate whether Facebook had met its data protection obligations.
Cambridge Analytica denies media reports that it misused data, and says it deleted all Facebook data obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.
Source
Gulf Times
A UK Member of Parliament, Jared O'Mara has been suspended by the Labour Party while it investigates comments he allegedly made, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said.
The Sheffield Hallam MP, who was elected early this year, faces claims he made misogynistic and homophobic remarks. He has apologized for remarks made online in 2002 and 2004, but denies some more recent allegations.
The party is investigating "comments and behaviour which have been reported from earlier this year," it said. On Monday, Mr O'Mara resigned from the women and equalities committee after political website Guido Fawkes unearthed offensive comments made by the 35-year-old MP online some time ago.
More than 100 Nigerian students in the UK face deportation because their funding has been withdrawn by the government.
According to UK Telegraph, the affected students would have to return home before Christmas because a bursary scheme funded by a regional agency in Nigeria has been cancelled.
The agency’s decision to withdraw the funding without their knowledge has left some students saddled with debts of up to £20,000.
A number of students have been reportedly told that they will not receive their degree certification – even though many of them completed their courses in the last academic year.
The newspaper said it spoke to a number of students affected, who said they have been told they could be deported as early as 20 October.
Leeds University medical student Ogbonnaya Ogbonna is one of around 50 university students face being deported because a bursary scheme funding their degrees was pulled by government department without their knowledge.
The Nigerian high commission confirmed that 152 students had been caught up in the scandal when approached for comment, adding that the agency had been left with a “draught of funding” due to a slump in oil revenues.
Meanwhile, universities including Leeds, Sussex and Essex are alleged to have told students they cannot graduate and their visas will not be renewed.
But other universities, including Sunderland and Swansea, have allowed students affected to graduate – leading to accusations that some institutions are attempting to use the students’ debts like a “ransom”.
“It’s impossible to take out loans because I’m not British, so loan companies won’t lend to me,” a Leeds medical student, was quoted to have said.
Commenting on this, Robert Halfon, a British lawmaker, described the behaviour of the offending universities as “outrageous”, adding that the government should intervene to help those with no financial support.
“Whilst some universities have done the right thing, it appears outrageous and unacceptable from those who won’t help these students in complete distress, and are holding a loan over the heads like a ransom,” he said.
“Universities should be using their bursaries and other funds to support these students, and I hope that the government will be able to step in to find a solution.”
Halfon said universities should be made to take out compulsory insurance agreements when accepting international students from politically unstable countries.
He urged the government to consider imposing new safeguards for students.
“If universities are going to take money from governments overseas, known to be in difficult political circumstances, we should look at introducing compulsory insurance agreements to ensure this does not happen again.”
However, the department for Education declined to comment on the issue, stating that it was a matter for individual universities.
The universities of Leeds and Essex said they “sympathised” with the students affected but declined to say whether their visas would be revoked.
They added that they were working closely with the Nigerian high commission to resolve the dispute.
The University of Sussex claimed it had allowed one student to graduate, but declined to comment on whether their transcript had been withheld.
It added that it had been providing “some financial assistance for living costs in cases of particular hardship”.
In a statement, the Nigerian high commission said additional funding had now been approved for 87 students, but provided no details of when this would be paid.
Others who have chosen to remain in the UK have done so at their own “volition”, it added.
Mrs Patience Jonathan, Nigeria's ex First Lady, said the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, wrote a letter to the British High Commission in Nigeria, asking the British Government not to issue her with a visa.
According to Punch Metro, Patience said this in a petition written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) & Co. which was addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara.
Patience said the British Government subsequently investigated her and found her not wanting and thereafter issued her with a visa.
The petition, which was signed by G.I. Abibo (SAN), read in part, “In February 2017, the EFCC through its acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, made a spurious report against our client to the United Kingdom authorities and other international bodies – all in a grand design to forestall the renewal of her visa and other travel documents.
“The allegations against our client by the EFCC were duly investigated by the UK authorities and other international bodies who found the reports baseless and thereupon issued the visa and other travel documents to our client.”
Patience said the EFCC had gone after her relatives including her older brother, Chief Aseminaso Kalama, for no just cause.
Besides, Mrs Esther Oba, Patience’s relative, had also been declared a person of interest by the commission for allegedly operating a bank account with $429,381.87 (N135,255,289.05) for the former President’s wife.
Patience said the Nigeria Police Force and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency had also joined the EFCC in intimidating and harassing her family, adding that the three agencies had searched her properties at least five times.
She added, “On November 3, 2016, the EFCC physically raided and attacked the premises of our client and her relations situated at 2 Igbeti Street, Maitama, Abuja, in the absence of the occupants of the house, carting away valuable items.
“On November 30, 2016, the same premises were raided by the officials of the NDLEA with a lorry load of over 50 operatives under the guise of searching for drugs kept in the house. This raid was carried out in the absence of the occupants of the said house. Our client’s house was broken into and vandalised.
“On January 4, 2017, the EFCC again broke into the said house claiming to be looking for foreign currencies stashed therein. This was done in the absence of the occupants of the house and without any search warrant. The operatives raided the house and took away whatever they fancied.”
The anti-graft agency commenced investigation on Patience in March 2016. Although she had never been invited by the commission, several bank accounts linked to her with a total sum of about N15bn had been frozen while properties worth about N3bn had been seized by the commission.
All attempts to speak with the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, proved abortive as he did not respond to repeated calls put through to his telephone.
The British Government will give the Federal Government information about Nigerians who own property in that country next year, a presidential aide has said.
Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof. Bolaji Owosanoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria in New York that negotiations on this had reached advanced stage.
Owosanoye said the measure being taken by the governments of both countries was a step forward in the fight against corruption.
“There’s no doubt that rogues in government oppress and impoverish their people by corruption and this must be sanctioned by collective action.
“We need to make sure that there is no safe haven for you (corrupt officials) to run to.
“Britain has promised that by 2018, she will provide Nigeria with the information about who owns what and where; that’s very helpful.
“These include all the houses that have been bought by public officials or accounts that are held by public officials on which they are right now not paying taxes or which they cannot explain the sources.
“So if you cannot buy a house in England, you have to look for somewhere else.
“But if all countries criminalize this, then it becomes much more difficult unless you want to buy the house on Mars,” he said.
The presidential aide also explained that Nigeria and other African countries, who are victims of illicit financial flows, must challenge developed countries to block illicit financial flows from developing countries.
“Receiving states – the countries of the North – need to be proactive to block the proceeds of crime even before a request is made by victim countries.
“This is because, in many situations, it is clear that illegality is taking place.
“We think that reversing the burden of proof to improve the confiscation of criminal proceeds of crime would help, especially when we are going after the asset and not necessarily the person.
“If the person who claims to own the asset would not cooperate in giving information, then this should be a point in favour of the state,” Owosanoye said.
He contended that the burden of proof for criminal proceeds should shift to the suspect and not the government, citing the case of a former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
“A former Managing Director of the NNPC was found with nine million dollars cash and over 70 million naira in his house in a small place he has built.
“He said the money is a gift. He was asked if he could tell the very generous angels who gave him this money.
“He’s not been able to provide that information. That sort of disposition should be used to penalize a claimant of asset who cannot justify the origin of the asset.
“The proposed “Unexplained Wealth Order in England,’’ which hopefully we were told would pass through the legal process this year, should really help to deepen the conversation in this regard.
“It (Unexplained Wealth Order) would help to quickly recover assets,” the presidential aide said.
Owosanoye said available research records showed that about 60 per cent of capital flight from Africa came from Nigeria because of the size of its economy.
The United Kingdom Parliament was put on red alert yesterday, 22nd of March, 2017 following an incident of shooting at the revered location. Latest reports from London have confirmed that four persons have died following a “terrorist” attack in front of the UK Parliament and along Westminister Bridge.
The Sun reports that the fatalities include the policeman who was stabbed by the attacker, the attacker, and two others. The policeman died at the scene and the attacker died on his way to the hospital after being gunned down by police.
The attacker, “an Asian guy” in his 40s ploughed through pedestrians on Westminister Bridge before crashing into the gate at the Houses of Parliament.
Two of the pedestrians died in that incident and over 20 others were injured, some “catastrophic”.
Witness Rick Longley said:
We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out.
They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben.
A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman.
I have never seen anything like that. I just can’t believe what I just saw.
The Met Police has warned Londoners not to dismiss the event as “over”.
“We have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public. This is a day we planned for but hoped would never happen. Sadly it is now a reality,” the Police added.
Two other police officers were injured in the attack.
A 10 Downing Street spokesman said:
“The thoughts of the PM (Theresa May) and the Government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families. The PM is being kept updated and will shortly chair Cobra.”
The Houses of Parliament are still on lockdown and the Westminister Tube and bus stations in the area have been shut.
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