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NM01
Bandits Kill 88 In Danko-Wasagu Kebbi
~0.5 mins read

The Police Command in Kebbi on Saturday confirmed that bandits killed 88 people in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.

The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Nafi’u Abubakar who confirmed the figure, said all the victims were killed in eight different communities in the local government area.

According to him, the command has so far recovered the 88 bodies and dispatched a detachment of operatives to maintain law and order in the affected communities.

“The killing took place in Koro, Kimpi, Gaya, Dimi, Zutu, Rafin Gora and Iguenge villages, all in Danko/Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State.

“Initially, the bodies recovered were 66 but as I am talking to you now, about 88 bodies have been recovered,” Abubakar said.
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NM01
Lady Marries An Old Man In Akwa Ibom, Pre-Wedding Photos Spark Reactions
~0.4 mins read

Nigerians have reacted over the prewedding photos of a young woman and her older lover, NaijaCover Reports.

According to Sitippe who notify NaijaCover On Facebook, The young woman identified as Favour Edet and her man, Austin got married on Friday June 4, in Akwa Ibom state.

See Comments on Facebook As Obtained By NaijaCover Below;


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MrBright7
Protest In Abuja As Northern Group Demands Referendum
~2.3 mins read

A group of women under the aegis of the Amalgamation of Northern Women Associations, on Saturday, demanded a referendum to allow Biafran agitators to chose whether or not to remain in Nigeria.

The coordinator of the group, Hadiza Adamu, spoke on behalf of other members, during a protest in Abuja, on Saturday.

She said, “Nigerian History has shown that women carry the heavy burden of war and acts of insurrections and terrorism. We have gone through it from 1967 to 1971, our men died and left us with the children to cater for out of nothing, other men that survived simply moved on but we never moved on.

“The aftermath of the war and the sufferings left lifetime scars in our hearts and on our bodies. It is for this reason that we (have) come together today and say we don’t want another war, another insurrection.

“We, therefore, unanimously call on President Muhammadu Buhari as the leader and father of the country; and the leadership of the National Assembly, President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawal; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; to immediately call for a referendum in the country.

“Let people choose to live in peace in Nigeria or leave, any other group or nationality that wants to secede to exercise their rights of self-determination like the South-East has been agitated for decades to be allowed to leave Nigeria peacefully, without resorting to a second civil war.

“Today the Igbo nation has turned the entire South-East to almost a war zone, northerners irrespective of their tribes are no longer safe, states’ infrastructures are no longer safe, service personnel from police to army are not safe, INEC offices and other symbols of democracy in the country are being destroyed on daily basis, our husbands that go to do business in South-East no longer return home safe, our political leaders who travel to the South-East on national assignments are assassinated in broad daylight.”

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MrBright7
Over One Million Nigerians Benefitted From Survival Fund, Say Presidency
~6.5 mins read

The Presidency on Sunday said over one million Nigerians have so far benefitted from the Survival Fund scheme under the regime’s Economic Sustainability Plan.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘N200bn facility for social housing ready as ESP Payroll Support, Artisan, Transport Tracks and Free Business Names Beneficiaries Now Over One Million.’

The ESP was approved by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on June 24, 2020, as a N2.3 trillion stimulus plan to tackle the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians.

The statement read in part, “Over one million Nigerians have so far benefitted from the Survival Fund scheme under the Buhari administration’s Economic Sustainability Plan, with about 500,000 Nigerians beneficiaries from the MSMEs Payroll support track, 44,500 beneficiaries under the one-off General MSME Grant, and another 265,425 under the artisan support track.

“It would be recalled that payment to new beneficiaries of the Payroll Support track and the one-time General MSME Grant had commenced at the end of April.

“So far, under the ESP there are now over one million beneficiaries nationwide from the various schemes.”

As regards the Payroll Support track, Akande said there are so far 459,307 successful beneficiaries. Under the scheme, beneficiaries receive payment of the N30,000 or N50,000 grant per month for three months.

About 44,500 successful beneficiaries have so far received payment for the one-off grant of N50,000 each.

He added the total number of beneficiaries of the General MSME Grant is expected to increase in the coming weeks as the Steering Committee has approved payment to an additional 40,114 successful new beneficiaries.

Also, the Vice President said the over 200,000 businesses have been registered for free.

“202,494 businesses have so far benefitted under the ESP Survival Fund formalization support track, which is aimed at registering 250,000 new businesses for free with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“The formalisation support scheme had commenced on the 26th of October, 2020, with the registration by aggregators (CAC registration agents) across the 36 states and the FCT.

“The MSME Survival Fund, a component under the ESP is designed to support vulnerable Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs in the MSMEs sector.”

So far, he said, the scheme has saved at least 1.3 million jobs across the country and had a specific impact on over 35,000 individuals per state.

Similarly, Akande announced that the National Social Housing Programme under the ESP has received a further boost.

“Following the finalisation of the agreement with the Central Bank of Nigeria, on the N200 billion facility, the drawdown, with a guarantee from the Ministry of Finance is now commencing to fund the housing project.

“The fund, which would be released in tranches, is expected to cover the NSHP project execution cost of the houses that would be constructed under the social housing project.

“Under the Social Housing Programme, the Federal Government plans to support 1.5 million Nigerians to acquire low-cost houses through mortgage options and also Rent to Own option.”

He added that the scheme will generate 1.8 million jobs and deliver houses to about 1.5 million Nigerian families.

In the power sector, Akande said the administration has recorded considerable progress especially on the ESP Solar Naija programme designed to provide electricity access to 5 million households, serving about 25 million Nigerians in rural areas and under-served urban communities nationwide.

He said, “One of the local solar power companies implementing aspects of the ESP Solar Power Naija scheme, A-SOLAR, which will deliver 100,000 units across the country in the first phase of the project, received some boost, with the completion of the disbursement of funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The A-SOLAR transaction, which involves a guaranty from Niger Delta Power Holding Company, has been completed.

“The disbursement from Sterling Bank to A-SOLAR is expected to be in tranches. The first tranche has been disbursed and the Letter of Credit for the importation of the first set of 30,000 systems is being finalized.

“Upon completion, about 30,000 solar systems are expected to be deployed to Kano, Edo, Delta, Kwara, Katsina and Cross River states, as part of the 100,000 units under the A-SOLAR arrangement.”

He also stated that the Development Finance Department of the CBN is finalising the Approval of N20B to finance the downstream component of the programme to fund mini-grid and solar home system companies.

He said, “Once the approval comes through, three companies will get direct disbursement from the CBN to commence their deployment.”

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MrBright7
Buhari’s Statement To Dissidents Wrongly Targeted, Tragically Untimely –Soyinka
~4.8 mins read

Playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described the statement of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to civilian dissidents as wrongly targeted and tragically untimely.

The Nobel laureate stated that Buhari’s language in utterance and what was known as ‘body language’ was of a different temper at the time innocent citizens and farm destruction including mass displacement were the order of the day in Benue State. He spoke on Friday in a statement titled, “To shock and awe.’’

Buhari on June 1 vowed to shock those who he alleged of promoting insurrection, claiming that for those of them who were on the fields during the nation’s 1967 to 1970 civil war, he would treat the dissidents in the language they understand. He was referring to the secessionists in the South-East and South-South where offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission had been torched and police stations burnt.

The elder statesman however said, “Buhari’s recent deployment of this language is thus wrongly targeted, and tragically untimely. Even while he was threatening dissidents, an agenda of both secessionism and alien occupation was taking place not too distant from Aso Rock. ISWAP was taking over the already excised territories of Shekau’s Boko Haram, appointing new warlords of the occupational forces, sectioning Nigeria into vassal states and unfurling their replacement flags of domination. Soon, logically, ISWAP’s letters of diplomatic accreditation will be presented in Aso Rock?’’

He stated that such a statement was heard last during the heyday of Donald Rumsfeld under George Bush.

“Rumsfeld’s namesake- a sobering coincidence – also spat the same gung-ho rhetoric. That Donald once ordered his uniformed forces to “go out there” and “dominate the environment”, following civilian protests at extra-judicial killings of blacks by state police. Soon enough, leaving nothing to chance, that Donald II seized on the first opportunity to personally mobilise a mob to ‘dominate’ Capitol Hill, his own seat of government that was clearly slipping from his control,’’ he added.

He noted that he held no brief for those who resorted to burning down police stations, killing cops and torching INEC offices.

Soyinka said, “I hold no brief for those who resort to burning down police stations, slaughter their occupants simply for the crime of earning a measly monthly pittance, torch electoral offices, assassinate politicians in calculated effort to set sections of the country against others in the promotion of their own political goals. These are largely nihilists, psychopaths and/or criminal lords, soul mates of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Da’esh and company, not to be confused with genuine liberators. All over the world, throughout history, elections are denounced, boycotted, and generally delegitimised without recourse to wanton butchery.’’

He, however, added that when a Head of State threatens to “shock” civilian dissidents, to “deal with them in the language they understand”, and in a context that conveniently brackets opposition to governance with any bloodthirsting enemies of state, there was a need to call attention to the precedent language of such a national leader under even more provocative, nation disintegrative circumstances.

The playwright said, “What a pity, and what a tragic setting, to discover that this language was accessible all the time to President Buhari, where and when it truly mattered, when it would have been not only appropriate, but deserved and mandatory!’’

According to Soyinka, when Benue State was first massively brought under siege, with the massacre of innocent citizens, the destruction of farms, mass displacement followed byalien occupation, Buhari’s language – both as utterance and as what is known as “body language” – was of a totally different temper.

Soyinka noted, “It was diffident, conciliatory, even apologetic.  After much internal pressure, he eventually visited the scene of slaughter. His language? Learn to live peacefully with your neighbours. The expected language, rationally and legitimately applied to the aggressors, was exactly what we now hear –“I shall shock you. I shall deal with you in the language you understand.” That language was missing at the moment that mattered most. It remained “missing in action” for years until a belated “Shoot at sight” outburst. Too late, and of course, inappropriately phrased. The precedent had been set, the genie let out of the bottle, consolidating a culture of impunity that predictably spread its bloody stain all over the nation.’’

The essayist further said that attempted bullying was not a language of discourse, nor the facile ploy of tarring all birds with the same feather, noting that the civil society already had a superabundance of the military shock treatment.

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MrBright7
Champions League Winner Tuchel Extends Contract With Chelsea
~1.8 mins read

Champions League winner Tuchel extends contract with Chelsea

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    Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel gestures during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in London on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Richard Heathcote / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications.

    Chelsea rewarded Thomas Tuchel for winning the Champions League in his first five months in charge with a new contract to 2024 on Friday.

    The German joined in January with the Blues languishing in ninth in the Premier League.

    But Chelsea were revitalised by Tuchel’s arrival, climbing the table to finish fourth before winning European club football’s biggest prize against Manchester City in Porto last weekend.

    “I cannot imagine a better occasion for a contract renewal. I am grateful for the experience and very happy to stay part of the Chelsea family,” Tuchel said in a club statement.

    Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “When Thomas joined us in January there was still so much to play for domestically and in Europe. He slotted in seamlessly and immediately became an integral part of the Chelsea family.

    “Returning us to the top four in the Premier League was crucial, and we could not be happier with our success in the Champions League which crowned a remarkable season at Chelsea.

    “We are obviously extremely pleased therefore to retain Thomas for a further two years, and look forward to more achievements in the coming seasons.”

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