Socioscope News Agency

Atiku Abubakar The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 General Election, Atiku Abubakar, has encouraged Nigerian children to never lose hope in their country, whether or not they live here or in the Diaspora. Abubakar, the former Vice President gave the advice in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, in Abuja for the 2019 Children’s Day celebration scheduled for Monday, May 27. He reminded the children that they were the future of Nigeria. “No matter how tough and trying the situation in the country may appear today, Nigerian children must believe that things can and will get better. “This conviction will help them see in themselves the solutions to the multiple challenges our country faces. “It will strengthen them to not turn their backs on their country at a time when she needs them most, no matter how rosy life may appear in other shores. “From chess champions to acclaimed artists, Nigerian children have bee...

President Muhammadu Buhari will today sign the N8.916 trillion 2019 budget passed by the National Assembly on April 30, 2019. THISDAY learnt last night that the budget would be signed at 11 a.m. this morning in the State House. The budget, presented by Buhari on December 19, 2018, is N86 billion higher than N8.83 trillion proposed by the executive. The budget consists of  N4.65 trillion recurrent expenditure, N2.94 trillion capital expenditure, statutory transfer of N502.58 billion, N2.25 trillion for debt servicing. The budget also consists of N10 billion added to the service-wide votes to support victims of crises in Zamfara State. In his remarks after passing the budget, Senate President Bukola Saraki praised the committee and fellow senators for their contributions to the passage of the bill and tasked executive to ensure its full implementation. He said: “I want to thank our colleagues, particularly for their understanding and for us to be able to meet today’s deadline...

U.S. to fix trade gap with Japan says Trump US President Donald Trump kept up pressure on Japan to cut its trade surplus with America, saying ahead of a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he expected some announcements, probably in August, with the trade gap straightened out rapidly. Trump added that he expected “good things” to emerge from his push to get North Korea to denuclearise, while adding that he “could be wrong.” Monday’s talks with Abe are part of a four-day state visit that was big on pomp and circumstance meant to showcase the alliance but overshadowed by trade tensions. “Trade-wise, I think we’ll be announcing some things, probably in August that will be very good for both countries,” Trump said. “We’ll get the balance of trade, I think, straightened out rapidy.” Abe, who has developed close personal ties with Trump since the US leader came to office, stressed the closeness of ties. “I am determined to demonstrate at home and abroad the very stron...

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Sunday inaugurated 36 new permanent secretaries in the state civil service. The governor had on Friday appointed the new permanent secretaries. ‎Ganduje while swearing-in the new permanent secretaries at the Government House, Kano, urged them to remain committed to the cause of the state.‎ The governor, who said their elevation was based on merit, urged them to also assist him to realise his commitment to take the state to the next level. ‎He called on the appointees to inculcate the spirit of accountability, discipline and responsible conduct in the conduct of their duties.‎ ‎”To whom much is given, much is expected and our expectation is very high on you. So, I hope you will serve your respective ministries as expected,” he said.‎ The governor congratulated the new permanent secretaries and wished them well as they take up their new responsibilities.‎ The swearing-in was performed b...

At least 30 people died and hundreds were believed missing after a boat sank over the weekend in a lake in the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Associated Press has reported. The boat sank after hitting bad weather on Saturday night in Lake Mai-Ndombe, nearly 300 miles northeast of the capital, Kinshasa, The Associated Press reported. Officials said on Sunday that more than 80 people survived but that 200 others were still missing. Simon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, the provincial capital of Mai-Ndombe Province, told The Associated Press on Sunday that many of those aboard were teachers. He said they were traveling to collect their salaries by boat because local roads in that part of the central African country were so poor. Lake Mai-Ndombe is about 100 miles east of Yumbi, a town where violence between the Bununu and Batende ethnic groups flared a few weeks before the country’s presidential election in December, leaving nearly 900 people dead. Officials later...

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said that it should not be blamed that the University of Lagos ’ age stipulation may disallow the highest scorer in the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination , Ezeunala Franklin , from getting admitted . The 15 -year - old boy had scored 347 in the 2019 exercise and picked UNILAG as his first choice , which has 16 years as its minimum age for admission . JAMB said on Sunday that university regulations on admission were sacrosanct and could not be flouted by the board or by candidates . The board noted in its weekly bulletin that while it was commendable that Franklin emerged the best , his “emergence should not be an excuse to flout the rules . ” The board said , “It is obvious that no nation has enough spaces for every candidate aspiring for tertiary education , hence the need to define parameters to ensure that equity and fairness are engendered in the admission exercise . “The case in point is the result of the just ...

Nigeria’s Dangote Group, for the second year running, has emerged the most admired African brand. A survey of 100 Africa best brands, announced in Johannesburg at the weekend, put Dangote Group ahead of telecommunication giant, MTN. According to the seventh edition of South Africa-based Brand Africa, in a survey carried out in collaboration with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), of 15,000 brands mentioned, Dangote ranked first when consumers were prompted to recall the most admired African brand. In the top 100 list, the United States sports and fitness mega brand, Nike, a non-African brand, retains the overall number one brand in Africa spontaneously recalled by consumers. South African telecoms brand, MTN, is the number one African brand spontaneously recalled brand, while surging Ethiopian brand, Anbessa Shoes, at number two, swapped positions with Nigerian conglomerate, Dangote, which is the number three most admired brand of African of origin. However, when consumers a...

• Motorcyclist commits suicide after killing wife , son • Eight traffic robbers nabbed Security guard with the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu , Cletus Williams , has been arrested by the police for allegedly killing his colleague , Okoro John , while on night duty on the school ’s premises. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana , in a statement on Sunday, said Williams allegedly used a knife to slit John ’s throat and cut off one of his wrists. He stated that the personnel of the command , in conjunction with the chief security officer of the institution , arrested Williams , adding that he would be charged to court for murder . Elkana said , “On May 24 , 2019, around 7 am , personnel of the Shagamu Road Police Station , in collaboration with the Chief Security Officer of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu , arrested one Cletus Williams , a security guard with the polytechnic, for killing his colleague , Okoro John , while they were on night duty . Th...

Mrs Bolanle Ambode Mrs Bolanle Ambode, wife of the out-going governor of Lagos State and Chairperson of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) has handed over to the wife of the governor-elect, Dr Ibijoke Sanwoolu. Ambode at the ceremony in Ikeja on Sunday urged Sanwoolu to take the committee to greater height. She lauded the vision of the founding mothers of the committee, which was to complement the efforts of the government in critical areas that were women and children friendly. Ambode remarked that the committee, under successive leaderships had continued to pursue a lofty vision. According to her, this has led to remarkable improvements in the lives of women, girls and children in vital areas of health, empowerment and education. She thanked members of the committee for their support over the past four years, lauding her predecessors for their advice and words of wisdom. Ambode wished Sanwoolu the best and implored members of COWLSO an...

          A Nigerian Air Force Alpha jet bombs bandits camp The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI has destroyed bandits’ camp and neutralised dozens of bandits in air strikes it conducted at Doumbourou Forest in Zamfara. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who announced this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the operation was conducted on Saturday. ”The operation was executed yesterday, May 25, pursuant to human intelligence (HUMINT) reports indicating that some locations within the forest were being used by the bandits as hideouts, including a group of huts belonging to a notorious kingpin named`Dangote.’ “Accordingly, following confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), an Alpha Jet aircraft was detailed to attack the bandits’ camp leading to the destruction of their structures and neutralisation of close to two dozen bandits...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a $16 billion aid package for American farmers aimed at softening the financial blow created by the ongoing trade war with China. "Our farmers will be greatly helped," Trump said during a press event in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. "The 16 billion [dollar] funds will help keep our cherished farms thriving." Thursday’s announcement comes as tensions continue to escalate between the United States and China and negotiations have largely stalled. Earlier this month, talks between the two countries ended without a deal as Trump imposed another round of tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods. And both Trump and President Xi Jinping of China have signaled that they are prepared for a long fight, if necessary.

                                                              Adams Oshiomhole The National Association of Nigerian Students on Thursday staged a protest at the national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress , asking President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the party ’s National Chairman , Adams Oshiomhole, over his alleged plan to impose candidates as presiding officers of the Ninth National Assembly. The student body also asked the APC to convene a National Executive Council meeting to discuss the issue . The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “No to open balloting at Ninth Senate and Reps election ,” “Asiwaju Tinubu , as a democrat , allow each candidate to ride on his / her credibility,” and “Adams Oshiomhole, you are derailing our hard -earned democracy ,” among others . Addressi...

                SEC Towers The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have streamlined  the processes involved in the listing on the nation’s stock market for more efficiency and cost effectiveness. A statement in Lagos on Thursday said the approval process between the two organisations had been streamlined. It said that the streamlined process which would come into effect on June 1, was aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on issuers by eliminating duplication of processes between them. “With the streamlined processes, the SEC and the NSE will carry out joint site visits of companies intending to get listed, following the registration of their securities with the SEC. “In the same vein, certain offer documents such as the Vending Agreement, Underwriting Agreement, Trust Deed and ISPO, identified to be strictly within the jurisdiction of the SEC are to ...

Crude oil prices plunged to $67 per barrel Thursday, losing about five per cent as trade tensions dampened the demand outlook, putting the crude benchmarks on course for their biggest daily and weekly falls in six months. Reuters reported that oil coursed downward with other global markets as concerns grew that the trade conflict between China and the United States was fast turning into a technology cold war between the world’s two largest economies. While the trade war is the main cloud over economic growth and demand predictions, market participants also pointed to weakening United States data and overfull US crude stockpiles. Brent crude futures, Consequently, the international benchmark, Brent settled down $3.23, or 4.6 per cent, at $67.76 a barrel. The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also dropped $3.51, or 5.7 per cent, to $57.91 per barrel. Earlier, the contract touched $57.33 a barrel, the lowest since March 13. That was a second consecutive daily ...

The Police Council, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday confirmed Mohammed Adamu as the substantive Inspector General of Police (IG). Consequently, Adamu who had been serving in acting capacity since January 15, this year, when his predecessor, Ibrahim Idris, bowed out of service, promised to restructure the Nigeria Police to foster efficiency and effectiveness. At the meeting of the council whose membership comprises governors and Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Musiliu Smith, Buhari pronounced Adamu as the substantive IG. “The council has approved the recommendation of Mohammed Adamu as the Inspector-General of Police. We congratulate him,” Buhari said. Briefing journalists after the meeting, which lasted for about 45 minutes, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and his Cross River State counterpart, Prof. Ben Ayade, said Adamu was unanimously confirmed because he had performed creditably well. According to Fayemi, all members of the c...

President Buhari greets Governor Okorocha President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha for his fight against criminality in the country. The president gave the commendation while inaugurating the new headquarters of the Nigeria Prisons Service in Owerri on Thursday. President Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said that the governor had practically demonstrated that he was the Chief Security Officer of Imo. He thanked the governor and people of Imo for supporting the criminal justice system in the country. “Let me say, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari that I am here to inaugurate the Nigerian Prisons, Owerri. “I congratulate Gov Okorocha for his support to the Federal Government of Nigeria in its efforts in handling the criminal Justice System. “Your role as Chief Security Officer speaks for itself. You have done well,” Osibanjo said. In his response, Gov. Okorocha thanked the President for perm...

Tonight would forever remain fresh in the minds of hundreds of students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where the University's PRO came out of his car slapped a student of the university during candlelight of a fellow student and while still leaving at SUB nearly crush the legs of another student as he made some furious turning and sped past us. Past 8:00PM, students in large numbers left Biological sciences with candles as we marched to OAU Health Centre where Omotola Akorede died on Friday due to negligence and incompetency of workers at the hospital. Akorede was given normal saline (drip) whilst suffering from cardiac arrest, and a nurse at the hospital still came out saying "Don't post on Social Media that he died here, say he died on the football pitch" and that was what the school management still released in their circular. Today while singing different songs and showing our grievances, School security came and while marching out, the school PRO ...

The nation ’s stock market suffered foreign investment outflows of N 41 bn in April , compared to N 30 .20 bn in the previous month , Data obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Thursday showed that foreign investors pulled out a total of N 166 .03 bn from the market in the first four months of the year. Total transactions at the nation ’s bourse increased to N 148 .91 bn ( about $ 485 .9 m ) in April from N 110 .10 bn ( about $359 . 3m ) in March, according to the NSE ’s Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment Report for April . It said the total value of transactions executed by foreign investors outperformed those executed by domestic investors by four per cent. Foreign portfolio investment outflow includes sales transactions or liquidation of portfolio investments through the stock market , while the FPI inflow includes purchase transactions on the NSE ( equities only ) . “Total foreign transactions increased by 37 .13 per cent from N56 .09 bn in March 2019 to N ...