SABINEWS EVENING NEWS UPDATE – FEBRUARY 21, 2019
72.7m PVCs collected –INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission says 72, 775, 502 Nigerians now have Permanent Voter Cards. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday. He said, “Out of 84, 004, 084 registered voters, 72, 775, 502 have PVCs”. According to INEC, 11, 228, 582 PVCs remain uncollected as of today. Yakubu said all the uncollected cards had been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria. According to the commission, Lagos has the highest number of collected PVCs which stands at 5.5 million while Ekiti State with 666,591 cards has the lowest.
I have no plans to resign, says Yakubu
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has declared he is not contemplating resigning from his position. “I see no reason why I should resign,” he stated.
He was reacting to calls for his resignation following postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections last Saturday. Yakubu stressed the idea of resigning has not in any way crossed his mind. Ahead of the Saturday polls, he said over 72 million Permanent Voters Cards(PVCs) have been collected so far. There are over 84 million registered voters in the country. Updating the media and observers ahead of Saturday’s polls, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu also said 19 states have fully deployed electoral materials to all their Local Government Areas. Yakubu also assured that before the end of Thursday, all the states would have done the same except Bayelsa state, which will deploy on Friday.
Vote buying: Buhari raises alarm over huge dollars in circulation
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed astonishment at the huge amount of foreign currency flooding the country intended to influence the outcome of the general elections beginning on Saturday. Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said Buhari raised the alarm during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.
FG closes borders for Presidential, National Assembly elections
The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered the closure of Nigerian borders ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday 23rd of February, 2019. A statement signed by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammad Babandede, on Thursday, said the directive was given by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau.
Okorocha’s son-in-law’s party pledges one million votes for Buhari in Imo
The Chairman of the Imo state chapter of the Action Alliance (AA), Anthony Ahaneku, Thursday said that the party in the state is supporting the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari irrespective of the position of the national leadership of the party. The Action Alliance offered Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu the governorship ticket. Ahaneku, speaking at a press briefing in Owerri, said that there was no justifiable reason for the party in Imo state not to support Buhari’s re-election.
INEC distributes sensitive materials to Lagos LGAs
Ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Thursday distributed sensitive materials directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the 20 Local Government Areas of the state. Mr Femi Akinbiyi, spokesman of the INEC Lagos State office, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the materials, which include ballot papers and result sheets, were being distributed from the CBN, where they had been kept, to the 20 local government areas.
Oshiomhole meets APC leaders in Edo, says no intention to rig elections
National Chairman of the All Progressives Party (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, says the party will not allow thuggery and ballot box snatching during the general elections. Oshiomhole stated this on Thursday in Benin while briefing newsmen after he met behind closed doors with leaders of the party from the 18 local government areas of Edo. He also said that the party had no intention to rig the elections. “We had a special meeting; we met as APC family to reaffirm our commitment to ensure we do what is expected of us as leaders to mobilise the people of Edo to vote for APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. “In Edo, we are used to one man, one vote; so, we will not allow thuggery and ballot box snatching,’’ he said
‘Sowore disrupts Godfatherism politics, raises N150m from public donation for campaign’
Oppression can be an insidious thing. It is not always the loud brutality of a military man on a “bloody civilian”. Sometimes, the “agbada” employs long-learned military techniques and “weaponizes” societal ills – fear, poverty, hunger, religious and tribal bias, and stereotypes – to much greater impact. For over 58 years, Nigerian politicians used these tactics to silence the Nigerian masses. Wholesale rigging, thieving, murdering and destruction at the very fabric of the nation while Nigerians were compensated with finger pointing and despondency. The oppression was so thorough that it quieted any dissenting voices, and turned Nigerians – renowned worldwide for their resilience and resourcefulness – into quivering cowards, grateful to just be alive to “see another day”, regardless of the untold hardships they were waking up to face.
We need 190m litres of petroleum product to complete second Niger bridge – Fashola
The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babajide Fashola, has said that the Federal Government will need 192 million litres of petroleum product to complete the second Niger bridge. Fashola made this disclosure in Lagos, during the BRF, Gabfest 2 with theme: ‘Where are the jobs’. According to him: “We will require about 192 million litres of petroleum product to complete the second Niger bridge.” “This will in return create opportunity for several oil, logistics and other companies in the country. “President Mohammadu Buhari does not have time to write letters, but he understands the needs for infrastructures development, and he working along with other minister to achieve this. “People complains about the country’s economy, the truth is that, there is nothing wrong with Nigeria’s economy.”
Kill a python, go to jail, Zoo manager warns Nigerians
The Manager of Imo State Zoological Garden, Dr Francis Abioye, has cautioned Nigerians against killing protected animals including reptiles like python, saying doing so would attract jail term. Abioye gave the warning on Thursday when he mobilised members of the zoo task force to arrest a resident of Nekede autonomous community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo, accused of killing a python. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspect, Mike Uzoma, allegedly killed the python and sold it on Wednesday. The area where the python was killed is less than a kilometer away from the zoo.
Cristiano Ronaldo mocks Atletico Madrid with Champions League reminder as Juventus lose last 16 game
Juventus may have lost, but Cristiano Ronaldo was not about to let jeering Atletico Madrid fans off the hook. The £100m summer signing from Real Madrid couldn’t help but remind Atleti supporters about his five Champions League triumphs. Juventus were beaten 2-0 in the first leg and as well as using the ‘five-time’ salute during the match, the 34-year-old let off some steam afterwards as he walked through the mixed zone populated by the media.
Sticking up five fingers to represent his success, he then followed this up by making a “0” sign with his hand to show Atletico had never lifted the trophy.
Vladimir Putin tells Trump administration Russia is ready for another cuban missile crisis
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled that he would be ready for a crisis similar to the Cuban missile crisis that took place in the 1960s, and noted that Russia has the upper hand over the U.S. when it comes to nuclear war. The Cuban missile crisis was a tense standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, at a time when the possibility for nuclear war between the two countries was very real. The conflict saw both countries pointing ballistic missiles at one another from a neighboring country.
UK posts record budget surplus in January, boosting Hammond before budget update
Britain posted its biggest budget surplus on record in January despite a slowing economy, putting finance minister Philip Hammond on course to announce the lowest annual borrowing since 2002 in a fiscal update due just before Brexit next month. Britain ran a surplus of £14.895 billion in January, official data showed, the highest since monthly records began in 1993 – and above all economists’ forecasts in a Reuters poll. The budget deficit looks on track to drop to its lowest since 2001/02 at just over 1 percent of national income this financial year, down from a towering 10 percent just after the global banking crisis in 2009/10.
Dhaka inferno kills dozens
A devastating fire raced through densely packed buildings in an old part of Bangladesh’s capital and killed at least 81 people, officials and witnesses said on Thursday. The fire in Dhaka was mostly under control after more than nine hours of frantic efforts by firefighters and authorities called off a rescue operation. The Chawkbazar area is crammed with buildings separated by narrow alleys. The neighbourhood is a mix of residential and commercial, with buildings that commonly have shops, restaurants or warehouses on the ground floors.
Fortnite maker pulls ads over YouTube ‘paedophile ring’ claims
The maker of Fortnite has pulled adverts from YouTube amid concerns that promotions for the video game, which is popular with children, were appearing alongside comments posted by paedophiles. Epic Games confirmed it had withdrawn its adverts from the Google-owned site, joining Nestlé in temporarily abandoning it due to the latest scandal over inappropriate content. A YouTube user called Matt Watson had posted a video highlighting a “wormhole into a softcore paedophile ring” on the site. He showed how in a matter of clicks with a new YouTube account, users could find videos filled with provocative comments about children.
Apple could be working with Goldman Sachs on a credit card
According to a new report from the WSJ, Apple and Goldman Sachs are partnering on a different kind of products for both companies — a credit card. The Mastercard-based card would be focused on Apple Pay and feature some deep integrations in iOS. This card could launch later this year in the U.S., which would coincide with the next iPhone. An Apple credit card would be a good way to take a bigger cut on Apple Pay transactions. Instead of splitting fees between the card issuer, the card network and Apple, Apple would get a portion of the fees for the card issuer.
