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Following backlash from Nigerians after photos of President Buhari in a meeting with PDP governors surfaced online, Governor Fayose has finally spoken.

Recall, the Ekiti state governor in a statement released in June on Buhari’s health had claimed the president was on life support and his health had deteriorated.

He also threatened to release photos of Buhari in the UK. Meanwhile after some PDP governors were delegated to see the president in London and the pictures went viral, Fayose was dragged on twitter.

However, in a more recent interview, Governor Fayose maintained his initial claim, adding that Buhari had been on life support at some point. He said:

“What I said about the president is very clear. I said that the President at a point before these recent visits was incapacitated and has been on a life support. I stand by it. I stand by it. I have no regret for that statement. 

“You would recall that I said the Handlers of the President should produce evidence to the contrary within 48 hours. After 4 weeks, they said they went to visit the president. Thank God the President is getting better now but there is no denying that what I said at the time was the truth. 

“If you go by the statement of the governor of Ebonyi, he said the President’s recovery is a miracle, it is divine which means something had gone the other way round before becoming a miracle. I read in another piece that the President came up like Lazarus from the dead. Well, that is another person saying that. 

“I stand by what I have said. Not in the wish that the President must die. Don’t forget, that the President owes it to us all to declare his state of health. The president’s life should be an open book that should be read by everybody.”

Although, Africa's richest man, Nigerian Aliko Dangote dropped to 105th on the 2017 Forbe's real-time billionaires' ranking, he maintains the lead in Africa, as the richest man. Dangote, who was ranked 51st in 2016 with a net worth of $15.4 billion, currently has a net worth of $12.2 billion, africannews.com reports.

The businessman was ranked 37th richest man in the world in 2014 with a net worth of $25 billion. The decline is attributed to the devaluation of Naira, the Nigerian currency. There are 21 African billionaires living in Africa worth a combined $70 billion.

The next African on the is South African diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer who ranks 199th with $7 billion, followed by another South African, luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert who ranks 237th with $6.1 billion.

Nigerian telecom tycoon Mike Adenuga ranked 250th with a net worth of $5.8 billion, followed by Egypt's richest billionaire Nassef Sawiris ranked 269th and worth $5.6 billion.

Retail magnate South African Christoffel Wiese ranked 269th with a worth of $5.6 billion. South Africa retains its dominance on the Africa list and is tied with Egypt for the largest number of individual billionaires.

Only two female billionaires in Africa made it on the list including daughter of Angola's president Isabel dos Santos - who is Africa's richest woman - and Nigeria's Folorunsho Alakija, vice chair of Nigerian oil exploration company, Famfa Oil.

Tanzanian Mohammed Dewji is Africa's youngest billionaire at age 41. He is CEO of conglomerate METL, which his father founded in the 1970s.

Onsi Sawiris of Egypt is the continent's oldest billionaire at age 86 and the father of two other African billionaires - Nassef and Naguib Sawiris.

Thirteen out of Africa's 21 billionaires have self-made fortunes, while the other eight inherited their fortunes.

They hail from 7 countries: South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Angola, and Tanzania.

-NAN

The so-called Islamic State faction of the sectarian terrorist group, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility for the attack on a military-escorted convoy of oil exploration workers in the Chad Basin. Scores of soldiers and civilians died in the ambush.

According to sources within the leadership of the insurgent group, the Islamist terrorists did not immediately realize the composition of the convoy when they launched their attack. Such attacks on convoy are a common occurrence in Nigeria’s beleaguered northeast zone where Boko Haram militants have been most active.

After the attack, the insurgent fighters abducted four persons contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). One of their victims died from injuries he sustained during the onslaught.

In a photo obtained by SaharaReporters through a journalist with access to the two factions of Boko Haram, the abducted lecturers are seen looking terrified and seated barefoot in some unidentified indoor facility.

It is not clear whether the Islamist insurgents intend to make ransom demands in exchange for the release of their victims.

However, their decision to release the photo of those they abducted may suggest a desire to seek a negotiated settlement to free the captives

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Twenty members of the gang that abducted six Lagos State students for more than two months died in gun battle with the police earlier on Friday, during the rescue operation in the creeks of Ondo state.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos. He also said one civilian volunteer died, while eight policemen and four other civilian volunteers sustained injuries.

Owoseni said that a suspect, who attempted to swindle the parents of the students by asking that they should bring ransom to Abeokuta, was arrested. He is in police custody, he added.

The police chief praised the South West Governors for demonstrating clear commitment to combat crime in the region, saying that the communiqué issued in Abeokuta with respect to creation of Joint Security Task Force for the region, is already yielding positive result.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who was away in Switzerland delivered a message at the conference through the deputy governor, Oluranti Adebule.

Ambode hailed the successful rescue of the six students of Igbonla Model College, Epe. He gave an assurance that the government would utilise the holiday to reinforce security in all schools in the State, especially in the suburb and riverine areas to prevent a re-occurrence.

He said he remained totally committed to ensuring the security of all residents especially students and would spare nothing to ensure that schools remain safe from all forms of crime and criminality.

The issue of security is a social contract that we have signed with the people of Lagos and we would ensure that we do not disappoint. As far as our schools are concerned, we are going back to the drawing board to secure our schools before the next academic session".

Ambode commended the collaborative efforts by security agencies from Lagos and Ondo States. He specially thanked the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo for his intervention towards ensuring the safe rescue of the students.

Adebule presented the rescued students to the media and said they would be debriefed and taken through comprehensive medical tests so as to ensure that they recover from the trauma they might have passed through while in the custody of their abductors.

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu commended Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Ambode for working tirelessly on the matter, saying that the duo demonstrated uncommon interest in the whole process leading to the safe return of the students.

Akeredolu said he never believed the kidnappers could be hibernating in Ondo creeks until he was told about a month ago during the National Economic Council (NEC) Meeting in Abuja by Osinbajo, and later Governor Ambode.

He said he immediately deployed his deputy, Mr Alfred Agboola who is from the riverine areas in Ondo, to take up the matter.

He said Agboola immediately swung into action and worked with the Delta State Deputy Governor, as well as security agencies to ensure the safe return of the students.

Akeredolu said:

I must commend Governor Ambode for his commitment to the rescue of the students. At the meeting of Western Nigeria Governors' forum held in Abeokuta on Monday, we discussed the issue of the students and Governor Ambode mentioned the issue of joint security patrol in our riverine areas.

He (Governor Ambode) was very committed to it and he expressed readiness to support with the needed resources. Throughout the days the students were in captivity, the Lagos State Governor never kept his eyes off the ball and he kept working on it until today that we have the students back," Akeredolu said.

-NAN

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Nemesis has finally caught up with a 22-year old graduate of History from Abia State University, Uchechukwu Oriaku, who was allegedly caught yesterday afternoon r*ping a teenage girl in his house in Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of Abia State. 

The angry youths of the area descended on him and beat him to a pulp. Emmanuel Maduka Nwazue who shared the story wrote:

This is 22-year old Uchechukwu Oriaku, a native of Olokoro in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State. He's also a graduate of History from Abia State University, Uturu. He was caught this afternoon molesting a girl of 10 years + in his house. According to the girl's father who is a furniture maker, Uchechukwu met him this morning at home and hinted him about a certain business he needed both of them to execute. They scheduled to meet at 2pm at his workshop for further discussions on the said business. This was because he was visiting a building site that morning. According to him he was still at the site when he received a phone call from one of the boys in community that Uchechukwu had been caught molesting his daughter.

The girl while narrating the incident said Uchechukwu came to their house when her father had left and took her to his house with the notion that he bought her a new pair of slippers. On getting to the house he started touching her privates. Apparently, this he was doing when a group of youths got feelers about the sordid event and caught him in the act.

The culprit himself said he wanted to give the girls a pair of slippers. When he was asked if he specifically bought the slippers for the girl, he said it belonged to his 18 year old sister. Imagine a 10-year-old plus wearing a pair of slippers belonging to an 18 year old. Well, he blamed the devil for the act and maintained that he never had any intention of raping the girl since she was still a minor.

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Nigeria was not listed among the ten most corrupt countries in the rating just released by Transparency International.

Nigeria had consecutively been in the top ten for over a decade. Nigeria occupies the 28th position in the latest ranking.

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranked 176 countries on a scale of 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean).

In the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index released on Wednesday July 26 by the Berlin-based ​organisation, Somalia was ranked the most corrupt country in the world for the 10th straight year.

Transparency International estimates that, "corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion, cost developing countries US $1.26 trillion per year."

Chairman of the group, José Ugaz, said in the most corrupt countries, "we often see democracies in decline and a disturbing pattern of attempts to crack down on civil society, limit press freedom, and weaken the independence of the judiciary."

The 2016 CPI, showed that 122 of the 176 countries ranked finished with a score below 50, which Transparency International identifies as having a "serious corruption problem."

The countries topping the list are generally clustered in Africa and Central Asia Several war-torn nations, such as South Sudan, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq which are ranked in the top 10

Meanwhile, Denmark (90 points) was ranked as the least corrupt nation in the world for the fifth straight year. New Zealand tied for the top spot, while Finland, Sweden and Switzerland round out the top five.

The Corruption Perceptions Index conducted by Transparency International, commenced in the year 1995.

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Hundred and sixty-two more Nigerians voluntarily returned home from Libya on Wednesday with the help of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.

The returnees arrived aboard a chartered Libyan Airlines aircraft with registration number 5A-LAR, which landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 10p.m.

They returnees consists of 108 males, 135 females, eight children and 11 infants.

They were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) , the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

Other were officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja, Director General, NEMA, said the agency in collaboration with the IOM was working to ensure that Nigerians stranded in Libya are brought back home.

Maihaja, represented by Mr Suleiman Yakubu, Zonal Coordinator, South West, NEMA, said both the federal government and state governments had initiated various programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees into the society.

Cc
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A man accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating an 11-year-old girl claims she raped him when he was asleep.

Justin Armstrong of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, is accused of abusing the girl for 18 months before she informed one of her mother's friends.

The 38-year-old man was arrested after tests showed the teenager was four months pregnant.

The pregnancy has been aborted to save the girl form serious complications and a DNA examination was carried out on the foetal tissue.

Defense lawyer, Anna-Marie Puryear, said the outcome would help prepare a stronger case against the Armstrong.

The defendant has voluntarily submitted a DNA sample and is cooperating with police, Puryear added.

Prosecutors at Springfield District Court said Armstrong repeatedly told the victim not to tell anyone what was going on.

Assistant District Attorney Jill O'Connor said "when the defendant was told the youngster was pregnant, he claimed she may have 'raped' him while he slept".

Judge Robert Murphy set bail at $50,000, according to Republican newspaper.

Armstrong will appear in court again on August 24.

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The presidency has finally explained why Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State was not included in the list of delegates sent to visit ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in London.

DAILY POST reports that seven governors led by the Chairman of Governors Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari would be jetting out to London this night to visit Buhari who is nursing his health in the UK.
Explaining the reason’s for Fayose’s non-inclusion, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said the presidency had no hand in the selection of the delegates to London.

“The selection was by the governors forum and you will see that the delegation is headed by governor Yari who is chairman of that forum. So that question should go to the forum”, he said

He explained that unlike the previous visit to the President made by only members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) governors, this delegation was on a broader platform, the NGF, with membership also drawn from the opposition.

On why the president does not prefer the broadcast option while addressing Nigerians, he said,

It is a question of what he prefers and this is what he prefers for now. He would rather receive that delegation and that is what is happening. If the president opts for address option, he will do it. Instead of being curious, it should be the right time for the visit. When somebody has recovered or something has happened, it’s in our culture to visit such a person. So, this is the right time to visit the president because the news is that he is recovering and recovering well.”

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