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Presidential inauguration: PDP takes on Buhari for not addressing Nigerians

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to address Nigerians at the Presidential inauguration.

According to the party, the action of the President shows that he and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are overburdened by the guilt of the rigged presidential election.

In a statement on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP accused President Buhari of being insensitive.

It claimed, “Such also shows President Buhari’s insensitivity and the level of derision with which his handlers and party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) hold Nigerians, perhaps, given that the Presidential mandate they parade did not emanate from the people.”

The PDP insisted that the failure by the President to make any commitment at the ceremony has proven that “a product of a flawed electoral process” cannot serve the people or meet their aspirations under a constitutional democracy.

“The poor attendance and passivity of the audience at the ceremony at a time that Nigerians were trooping, in their millions, to the inauguration of state governors elected on the platform of the PDP, manifestly show,” it said.

The party added, “It is indeed pathetic that at a ceremony such as Presidential inauguration, where truly elected leaders address their people, make commitments and unfold their governance direction, President Buhari did not showcase his plans or commitment to the development of critical sectors of our polity.

“It also speaks volumes that President Buhari had nothing to say to the victims of mindless killings and acts of violence in various parts of our country.”

The President, according to the PDP, had no directions toward stemming the economic distress under his administration.

It stated that the challenges were the reasons why Nigerians were resorting to suicide and what it described as slavery mission abroad as options.

“In failing to address Nigerians, President Buhari turned the inauguration to a parody,” the party said.

It, however, urged Nigerians to take solace in its determination to retrieve what it said was its presidential mandate at the Tribunal.

SECURITY DOSSIER: NIGERIAN ARMY REACTS TO WIKE’S ALLEGATION OF GOC INVOLVEMENT IN OIL BUNKERING

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Wike had alleged that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarhem was promoting oil theft in the region.

He made the allegation while hosting the Commander Joint Task Force (JTF), “Operation Delta Safe, Real Admiral Akinjide Akinrinade at the State House in Port Harcourt, the state capital and was contained in a statement by his Personal Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakudu.

The Governor claimed that Major General Sarham was operating an illegal oil bunkering squad to enable him finance his ambition to be appointed the Chief of Army Staff.

According to Wike: “The GOC is doing illegal bunkering, which he is using to finance his quest to emerge as the country’s Chief of Army Staff.

“He has his own team that is making money for him through oil bunkering.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army PRO in Port Harcourt has reacted to Wike’s allegation. The Army PRO, Col. Iliya, spoke to TVN’s Lawrence Audu on the allegations. Watch full video below.

MAY 30TH NEWSPAPER REVIEW

Newspaper review from Sky Memorial, Wuse Zone 5 Abuja.

Video Below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuDBFk0xv5Y

More Democrats call for impeachment after Mueller makes statement

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Three more prominent US Democrats have called for the impeachment of President Trump, after Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public remarks.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Mueller said his investigation had not exonerated Mr Trump of obstruction of justice, contradicting the president’s claims.

Mr Mueller was tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

He said charging a sitting president with a crime was not an option.

The issue of impeachment has divided the Democratic Party, pitting a growing number of lawmakers against Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the house and the most senior Democrat. Ms Pelosi has so far resisted the idea, arguing that it would be counter-productive.

But Mr Mueller’s remarks prompted three leading Democratic presidential hopefuls to join the chorus calling for impeachment, bringing the total to 10 of 23 declared candidates.

In response to Mr Mueller’s remarks, Democratic candidates Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Pete Buttigieg publicly advocated for the first time for impeachment.

“Congress has a legal and moral obligation to begin impeachment proceedings immediately,” said Mr Booker, a senator from New Jersey.

New York Senator Ms Gillibrand said it was “time for Republicans and Democrats to begin impeachment hearings and follow the facts wherever they may lead”.

Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg tweeted: “This is as close to an impeachment referral as it gets.”

WORLD’S SMALLEST BABY SURVIVES PREMATURE BIRTH IN U.S

A baby born weighing just 245g (8.6oz), believed to be the tiniest on record to survive premature birth, has been discharged from hospital in the US.

Baby Saybie weighed the same as a large apple when she was born at 23 weeks and three day in December 2018.

Fighting for life, she was transferred to the intensive care unit at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital in San Diego, California.

Doctors told Saybie’s parents she had just hours to live.

But five months on, she was discharged weighing a healthy 5.6 pounds (2.5kg), confounding all expectations.

A nurse who cared for Saybie as she battled for survival said her recovery and release earlier this month was a “miracle”.

The Tiniest Babies Registry said Saybie is thought to be the world’s smallest surviving premature baby.

The previous record was held by a baby girl from Germany, born weighing 252g (8.9oz) in 2015, according to the registry, operated by the University of Iowa.

A baby, born weighing just 268g (9.45oz) in Japan earlier this year, is thought to be the smallest boy to have survived premature birth.

Saybie’s mother gave birth to the little girl by emergency C-section three months ahead of schedule after she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia – a pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure which can prove fatal for mother and baby.

In a video released by the hospital, the mother described the birth as the “scariest day of my life”.

“I kept telling them: ‘She’s not going to survive. She’s – I’m only 23 weeks [pregnant]’,” the mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said.

ENUGU RESIDENTS INGORE IPOB’S SIT-AT-HOME ORDER

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Residents of Enugu metropolis on Thursday went about their normal activities and disregarded the sit-at-home order given by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The outlawed group had on May 28 in a statement directed the residents to observe a sit-at-home order in memory of those who lost their lives in the Nigeria-Biafra war from 1967 to 1970.

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the situation in Enugu metropolis, observed that there was no sign of compliance as the roads were busy with vehicular traffic and many people were going about their activities.

READ ALSO: SCHOOLS, MARKETS, BANKS SHUT DOWN IN ONITSHA FOR BIAFRA SIT AT HOME ORDER

At Agbani Road axis, there was heavy traffic as many people including school children and workers were boarding commercial buses to their different destinations.

Public and private schools in the metropolis were opened for normal academic activities for the day.

Kenyatta, Garki and Akwata markets in the metropolis as well as banks were opened for business, while traders were busy displaying their goods as usual.

A businessman, Mr Francis Ugochukwu, said that everyone had to struggle on a daily basis for his or her livelihood, saying that IPOB would not provide food for anyone.

“It is high time we all learn our lesson. IPOB had deceived us a lot with its seat-at-home order and at the end of the whole thing, nothing happens, enough is enough,” Ugochukwu said.

He said that previous sit-at-home orders by IPOB had never favoured anyone; rather people counted losses in their businesses for staying at home.

He noted that he would be the last person to observe such an order again, describing the IPOB members as jobless people.

Mrs Mary Uzondu, a civil servant, said that IPOB did not employ her and had no right to stop her from going to work.

Uzondu said that there was no sign of the order in her neighbourhood as everyone was going about his or her duty.

SCHOOLS, MARKETS, BANKS SHUT DOWN IN ONITSHA FOR BIAFRA SIT AT HOME ORDER

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In compliance with the sit-at-home declaration by Igbo separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to honour their heroes, there was total lockdown in Onitsha, the commercial centre of Anambra state as all markets, schools and banks were closed.

At the time of filling this report no vehicle was moving of out or into Onitsha from the bridgehead, as the Enugu-Onitsha expressway was deserted by motorists and commuters. However, there was a smattering of commercial tricycle taxia still working in the eastern city.

All the markets, including the Onitsha main market, Ochanja market, Ogbaru Relief market, New spare parts market Nkpor, old spare parts market Obosi, building material market Ogidi, with traders refusing to trade even in cases where they were open for business.

The busy New Market and Old Market roads leading to the Onitsha main market were deserted, young boys turning the roads into football pitches.

A trader, Chief Nnana Udenze, who spoke to Daily Sun, said that the 30 May ‘sit-at-home’ has been an annual observance for Igbos and Biafran separatists at large to honour those who died as a result of the Nigeria Civil War (1967-1970).

“I want to appreciate the way and manner the sit-at-home is being done now, where everybody will stay at home to mediate and pray for our brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the struggle,” Chief Udenze said, further adding that, according to him, “this approach is the best, than the youths coming out on the road in procession and in the process security agents killing them.”

A resident opposing the action, Mr Charles Odune, said that Igbos would lose billions of naira because of the closure of markets and other places, saying that Igbo people, being predominantly traders, would be the ones to lose more than any other people.

“Inasmuch as we want to honour those who lost their lives during the Biafran war, must we shut everywhere down?,” the frustrated resident asked.

“We are the ones to lose because it is when we do our business that we eat. We should look for the best way to honour the fallen heroes, not necessarily closing everywhere. I don’t know what we will gain by this?” Odune said.

Streets empty as IPOB’s sit-at-home commences

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The Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB on Thursday began enforcing the sit-at-home order in the southeast of Nigeria.

Photos: IPOB Sit-at-home commences

The group said the sit-at-home action is to honour their fallen heroes in the Nigeria-Biafra war from 1967-1970.

TheNigerian observed that many streets and markets in the region have remained closed.

This is a developing story, details shortly…

 

OYO CAN’T PAY N30,000 MINIMUM WAGE, SCRAPS TUITION FEE

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Governor Seyi Makinde took the oath of office alongside his deputy, Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan, on Wednesday with a declaration that the state could not pay the N30,000 minimum wage because of its lean resources.

He, however, scrapped the N3,000 tuition per pupil in the state secondary schools.

Makinde also promised to donate his salary to the state’s “suffering pensioners.”

The governor, who admitted that the greatest challenge confronting the state was poverty, promised to tackle it with investment in agriculture.

Makinde stated this in his inaugural speech shortly after the state Chief Judge, Justice Muntar Abimbola, administered the oath of office to him and his deputy at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.

Notwithstanding the good intention of his government, Makinde said the state was not capable of paying the new N30, 000 minimum wage.

He said, “I am taking this opportunity to solicit your support. We are going to be taking decisions that may be tough in the immediate but will have long-term benefits. We want you to look at the big picture. We want you to focus on the goal.

“For example, I have always said that the Oyo State civil servants deserve to earn a whole lot more for their dedication and service to the state. Recently, the Federal Government announced a new salary scheme in which the lowest cadre of civil servants are expected to earn at least N30,000 per month.

“I know how access to this type of money will improve the lives of many of the families that I have had direct contact with. However, with the way the Oyo State account currently stands, I will be deceiving you if I say we are capable of taking on this burden.

“I believe in true federalism. I believe the states should decide the minimum wage of their workforce based on individual realities. All states are not created equal, so it is against the principle of fairness to apply a blanket rule to govern them all.

“That being said, our plan is to make Oyo the first state to pay above the national minimum wage. We know this is possible. We have already set our plan in motion to make this possible. But, this requires time. We propose staggered increments.

“I met with organised labour during my campaigns and made a pledge to an open relationship. I intend to stand by that promise. We will have a sincere conversation and arrive at the best possible decision. Rest assured that the decision will put your overall best interests first.

“We will set up a committee in due course to look into all cases of those who believe they have been wrongly dismissed from the civil service, including those whose cases have been decided in their favour in court who have not been reinstated.”

Makinde also promised to invest more in the education sector with a view to increasing enrolment in public schools and thus reducing the number of out-of-school children, which he put at 400,000 in the state.

737 MAX PROBLEMS: WE CLEARLY FELL SHORT – BOEING CEO

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The head of Boeing acknowledged Wednesday that the company “clearly fell short” in dealing with the accident-ridden 737 MAX and said that it had not adequately communicated with regulators.

Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg’s remarks to CBS News — his first interview since the global grounding of the plane following two crashes that claimed 346 lives — came as a top airline representative signaled that the top-selling jets could be out of service at least through mid- to late-August.

Muilenburg was pressed by CBS about failing to notify the Federal Aviation Administration for more than a year that the company had deactivated a signal designed to advise the crew of a disagreement between the plane’s “angle of attack” sensors, which measure its angle vis-a-vis oncoming air to warn of impending stalls.

The sensors provide data to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, a flight handling system connected to the deadly crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines MAXs.

The FAA did not learn of the issue until after the Lion Air crash, more than 13 months after Boeing first unearthed the problem.

The design of the MCAS system has been criticized by aviation experts because it is tied to just one sensor at a time, making it susceptible to malfunction.

In both of the MAX crashes, the MCAS pointed the plane sharply downward based on a faulty sensor reading, hindering the pilots’ effort to control the aircraft after takeoff, according to preliminary crash investigations.

Muilenburg, who has repeatedly rejected suggestions of a design flaw in the 737 MAX, acknowledged implementation shortcomings.

“The implementation of this angle of attack alert was a mistake,” he told CBS. “Our communication on that was not what it should have been.”

But Muilenburg, who also issued a sweeping apology to the families of flight victims during the interview, said he believes in the plane and would have no reservations putting his family aboard.

“We’re confident in the fundamental safety of the airplane,” he said.