A musician in Kano State has been sentenced to death by hanging for blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad. The Kano Upper Shari’a Court sitting at Hausawa Filin Hockey sentenced 22-year-old Yahaya Sharif to death by hanging.
The judge, Aliyu Kani, gave the verdict on Monday after finding Mr Sharif guilty as charged. He was convicted based on Section 382 (b) of Kano penal code of 2000. Mr Sharif, a resident of Sharifai in Kano metropolis, was accused of committing blasphemy against the prophet of Islam in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March 2020. Following the incident, protesters burnt down the singer’s family home and led a procession to the Kano Hisbah command’s headquarters. The Hisbah is a Kano State-owned security outfit that enforces the Shariah law.
FG Directs Senior Civil Servants On Grade Level 12, 13 And Others To Resume
The Federal Government has directed civil servants on Grade Levels 12 and 13 as well as those on essential duties to resume full duties. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, gave the directive in a circular dated August 10, 2020. The circular was titled “Resumption of officers on Grade Levels 12 and !3 and those on essential duties”. Before now, as part efforts to curtail further spread of COVID-19, only workers on Grade Level 14 and above are resuming at their duty posts, and they only work three days in a week. But Yemi-Esan, in the circular, added that all workers resuming for work will henceforth work from Monday to Friday and from 8 am to 4 pm. She wrote, “Following Mr President’s approval of the recommendation of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, officers on Grade Levels 12 and 13, and those on essential services are hereby directed to be in the office every working day (Monday to Friday) with effect from Monday, August 10, 2020
Three-day straight protest force Lebanon government to resign
Lebanon’s government has resigned amid mounting anger over the explosion on Tuesday that devastated parts of Beirut and left more than 200 people dead. The announcement was made in a national TV address by Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday evening. Many people have accused the country’s leaders of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption. Protesters have taken to the streets and clashed with police for a third straight day. The massive blast was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years. President Michel Aoun has asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.
The prime minister presented himself in the speech as a reforming leader blocked by endemic corruption dating back years, BBC Middle East correspondent Tom Bateman says. Parliament will now have to decide on a new prime minister – a process involving the same sectarian politics at the root of protesters’ discontent, our correspondent adds. It is unlikely to be a smooth or quick process due to the country’s complex political system. Power in Lebanon is shared between leaders representing the country’s different religious groups. Additionally, following the end of the 1975-1990 civil war a number of warlords entered politics and still control large parts of the country’s political, economic and social sectors. Many protesters blame this entrenched system for the country’s corruption. On Monday police clashed with angry residents as protests continued in the capital following the government’s resignation. Footage showed protesters gathering near barriers leading to the parliament building as security forces fired tear gas at them.
Discontent in Lebanon has been brewing for years. In late 2019, a plan to tax Whatsapp calls spilled over into mass protests against economic turmoil and corruption, which eventually led to the government’s resignation. Coronavirus had curbed the protests, but the financial situation has continued to worsen and last Tuesday’s explosion was seen by many as the deadly result of years of corruption and mismanagement. The government’s plans to investigate were not enough for many who have lost all faith in the political elite. Before the cabinet’s resignation, a number of ministers had already offered to step down. But the end of this government does not necessarily mean an end to the anger. Last year’s protests led to the formation of the government which has now been forced to step down over the same accusations of corruption.
JUST IN: JAMB Fixes Sept 7 For POST-UTME Screening
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has shifted the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes to 7 September, 2020 in Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country. JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this on Monday after a consultative virtual meeting with vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts of tertiary education institutions. The board stated that the shift in the date of the admission process from the earlier announced 22 August, is to accommodate candidates who will be taking part in this year’s school-based Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). According to him, “Presently as you are aware, WAEC starts the Senior School Certificate Examination on 17 August, it will go on till 7th of September. Similarly, on the 21 of September or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will go on till on the 15 of October, and immediately after that, NECO starts on the 5th and will hold till 18 of November. “Rather than making candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate exam in different towns and rush to university elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan t for post-UTME, we believe as a custodian of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that,” Oloyede said. Oloyede further said institutions whose post-UTME screening is mandatory for candidates would have to spread such exercise in two phases. “For those (institutions) who want to take post-UTME, that cannot be earlier than the 7th of September and it will be held twice- 7 September to 4 October, and then it will be held for the second time on the 18 November to mop up those who are taking their school certificate examination.” He also commended the various submissions of heads of tertiary institutions during the meeting, saying that institutions that conduct admissions without the administration of any-post UTME screening should also ensure candidates whose SSCE results will be released towards the end of the year are not denied participation in the admission exercise. The JAMB’s registrar similarly, revealed that the Board has withheld results of candidates that sat for this year’s UTME at Correctional Service centres (prisons) over suspected infractions. “There are candidates who took exams in the prison yard that we know are not prisoners, so we wrote to the correctional centres to explain how that happens, because we didn’t want non-prisoners to take advantage of the concessions we give to inmates,” Oloyede said.
10 Hot News In Nigeria Today You Should Know | PurpleWorld Nigeria
CANDIDATE of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming governorship election in Edo State, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has said that a former national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, is not the face of his campaign. Ize-Iyamu also alleged that Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Phillip Shaibu, have recruited student union leaders to disrupt Saturday’s flag-off of his campaign in Benin City.
A Nasarawa State High Court sitting in Akwanga on Friday voided the sacking of the immediate past Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Ahmed Aliyu Tijani. The Nasarawa State House of Assembly had directed Governor Abdullahi Sule to relieve the former SSG of his appointment over alleged N284.5m unaccounted school projects fund when he served as Commissioner for Education in the state.
Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon Ibrahim Balarabe says, the House would appeal the judgment nullifying the indictment of the former Secretary to the Government of the state (SSG), Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed Tijani, over alleged N248.5million unaccounted funds for school projects in the state. He stated this on Saturday in Lafia while addressing journalists over the high court judgement on Friday, which nullified the indictment of the former SSG.
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi State has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to retain the current armed force service chiefs against the backdrop of calls from several quarters to replace them. Umahi who gave the advice on Friday in Abakaliki while laying the foundation stone of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, said that instead of replacing the service chiefs, the president should increase military funding and other logistics as well as enhance programmes that would make them work optimally.
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board,JAMB, is considering a new date for the commencement of the 2020 admissions processes from the earlier announced date of 22nd August, 2020. Accordingly, the Board will be meeting all the tertiary institutions on Monday, 10th August, 2020, to brainstorm on the possibility of shifting the commencement of admissions to a date that would better accommodate the vagaries of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has confirmed that he has been offered an invitation to rejoin his former political party, the All Progressives Congress. The Governor made this known during the state congress of the Peoples Democratic Party held at Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi. The Governor said that after duly conferring with some of his close allies and the PDP state congress, he has turned down the offer.
The remains of Senator Buruji Kashamu have been laid to rest according to Islamic rites. At exactly 12:50pm on Sunday, the body of the former Ogun East Senator was lowered into the grave at his Ijebu-Igbo residence in Ogun State.
Oba of Benin, the Ewuare N’Ogidgan II, says the Palace does not meddle into partisan politics and has no special candidate when it comes to who will become governor of Edo State. The revered monarch stated this on Saturday when he received the All Progressives Congress’ candidate for the forthcoming election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and other governors elected under the platform of APC.
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday expressed sadness over the death of a former federal lawmaker, Buruji Kashamu. Kashamu, who represented the Ogun East Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, died at the First Cardiology Consultant, Lagos, on Saturday.
The Kano State Governor , Abdullahi Ganduje , on Friday alleged that his counterpart in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has failed woefully. Ganduje , who is also the leader of the All Progressives Congress national campaign team for the forthcoming governorship election , claimed Obaseki’ s abysmal performance will make the election a walkover for the APC . Ganduje and Obaseki were both members of the APC up until recently when the Edo State governor defected to the Peoples Democratic Party after he was disqualified from contesting the APC ticket.
‘Yahoo’ Boys Have Become Role Models, Diezani Cries Out
Diezani Alison-Madueke, has bemoaned the fact that societal values have disintegrated to the extent that online fraudsters otherwise known as ‘Yahoo boys’ have become role models in Nigerian society. Diezani said this while delivering a lecture at a virtual event which was also attended by her former boss, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday. The videos were shared on Twitter by blogger, Jackson Ude.
The former minister, who is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, for alleged fraud running into billions of dollars said ; “The ones that have swag, the Yahoo Yahoo boys as my son would say; these in short, are the role models they are looking at. These are the ones that reinforce negative societal norms and values. “This is a travesty of an unfolding tragedy for us. Why have I spent time talking about fatherless homes and the impact it has on our children? The truth of the matter is that an irresponsible boy tends to become an irresponsible man and it is therefore a vicious cycle. If you plant yam, you cannot harvest plantain.”
Nnamdi Kanu Submits Biafra Five Point Agenda To UN
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has confirmed the submission of the Biafra five-point agenda to the United Nations. Kanu made the presentations to the United Nations on Friday in the presence of the Parliament which bothered on how the Biafra government will run, his mission, and vision of the soon to be country. Biafra Five-Point Agenda These are the agenda as outlined in the document submitted at the UN headquarters.
Everything we are going to use will be made in Biafraland. Cars, computers, electronics, and many more.
The first set of people to be in Government are the IPOB members.
President will rule for four years that is single tenure and no Godfather in Biafra government.
There will be no partiality or tribalism, everybody will be treated equally.
Our currency will be equal in value with the US dollar. In a nutshell, the United States of Biafra will be a country of free people, where freedom, equity, justice, unity and progress will be the order of the day. The insecurity, marginalization, nepotism, favouritism and all manner of vices plaguing Nigeria will not be found in Biafra land. Everyone will be equal before the law.
Catholic Priest Urges Nigerians To Protest Bad Governance In Nigeria
A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma, has called on Nigerians to come together to organise a mass protest to occupy Aso Rock and National Assembly over corruption, poverty, insecurity and bad governance in the country. He disclosed this in a video obtained by SaharaReporters in Abuja during a church service. The priest called on Nigerians to remove the present crop of political office holders, who have constituted themselves into a stumbling block for good governance.
He said, “Sometimes in Nigeria those who should be praying are the ones looking for stones to remove and those who should be removing stones are the ones praying. It does not work. “I think time has come when Christian Association of Nigeria and the body in charge of all Muslims, pastors, priests, bishops and religious leaders in Nigeria to organise a crusade at the Eagle Square, National Assembly and Aso Rock. “Occupy the place, bring the people out and let them go and stay there and senators and ministers, let them go nowhere until until they do certain things or else remove them. “Poverty in Nigeria is caused by stones holding the people and those stones are in the Presidency, National Assembly and government. “The Lord is telling us to remove them and stop praying about them. How do you remove them? Remove them through election. When it is time for election, remove the ones that are not performing. “This is the mistake of religious people. We gather people all the time from January to December praying for job, prosperity and breakthrough meanwhile the people who are supposed to be out there removing the stones.”
Major Tension In Edo State, President Buhari Alerted, As Governor Obaseki, Deputy Governor Shaibu, Other PDP Politicians, Face Assassination
Major Tension In Edo State, President Buhari Alerted, As Governor Obaseki, Deputy Governor Shaibu, Other PDP Politicians, Face Assassination The crisis in Edo State, ahead of the September 19, Governorship election is deepening, with the situation moving to threats of assassination, Page 36 learnt. The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, at a Press briefing on Saturday, said that there is a plot to assassinate high-profile personalities in the State. He noted that the State Government under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, had gathered Intelligence suggesting that some individuals are in Edo State, and their assignment is to assassinate certain known individuals. His words: “I am hereby bringing to the notice of the general public, that these people are in town, and we have communicated to the Security Agencies about their activities, and why they are in town.” The Edo State Deputy Governor, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to charge the Security Agencies to “do their work, because Edo will not be a theatre of war, if these things are dealt with”. More news later…
The Kaduna State Police Command on Saturday arrested some protesters, who took to the streets of the sate today over what they described as “genocide” in the southern part of the state and the government’s inability to arrest the situation. While confirming the arrest of a large number of the protesters, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Mohammed Jalige said, ‘the arrest was made because there was no prior notification of the procession.”
PurpleWorld 