Lawmakers at the Benue State House of Assembly, north-central Nigeria, clashed on Tuesday following a letter addressed to the Speaker by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to appoint majority leader for the Assembly.

The APC and the Peoples Democratic Party’s free for all fight at plenary started when the Speaker of the Benue Assembly, Mr Terkimbi Kyange, read the APC’s letter in which it claimed majority after a lawmaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected into its fold, which gave it a marginal lead over the PDP.

Normal legislative activities had began peacefully with the adoption of proceedings without any sign of an impending pandemonium before the chamber became a boxing ring minutes later.

The lawmaker in the eye of the storm, Mr Nick Eworo, hinged his defection on his expulsion from the PDP at the local government level.

The PDP lawmakers quickly arrested the reading of the letter via a motion to declare the seat of Mr Eworo vacant in line with Section 190 of the 1999 constitution.

Points of order for and against the motion of the PDP lawmakers to declare Mr Eworo’s seat vacant flew from all directions.

Mr Kyange then overruled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers’ motion, declining the request to declare the said member’s seat vacant.

The APC-PDP clash soon degenerated into a free for all physical combat and fighting, while some female lawmakers scampered for safety after heated argument with other colleagues.

The Sergeant At-Arm quickly removed the mace while fighting was going on.

However, a legislator, Tema Kester, on behalf of the PDP lawmakers vowed to resist the move which they described as a rape on the constitution.

While the Speaker hurriedly adjourned sitting till Thursday, activities at the State’s Assembly continued without any sign of prior civil disturbances.

The post Benue Assembly: Lawmakers Clash Over Defection, Majority …read more      

Tanzania appoint Charles Boniface Mkwasa as the interim national team coach to replace sacked Dutchman Mart Nooij. …read more      

Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. will pre-position tanks, artillery, and military equipment in six European countries. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

…read more      

The meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the 36 state governors on how to offset over 100 billion Naira salaries of Nigerian workers ended without an offer of a bailout plan by the Federal Government to the States.

At the end of the meeting held on Tuesday, the Governors were only able to reach an agreement that the Federal Government should pay debts it owed the states over jobs they executed.

Zamfara State Governor and chairman of the Governors Forum, Abdullaziz Yari, who briefed reporters after the meeting, said that instead of a bailout, the state governments were told to look inwards and generate needed funds to clear their debts.

Poor Management Of The Economy

The State Governors also requested that the Nigerian Liquefied Gas Company’s tax should be paid into the Federation Account and be shared.

They also asked the Federal Government to ensure that monies accruing from the Federation Account should be shared, as stipulated by the constitution.

It is the first time the President will be meeting with the Governors to find a solution to the financial crisis that has made no fewer than 22 of the states owe salaries to their workers to the tune of 100 billion Naira (about $5,000,000).

The Nigerian Governors, whose lot has always been to come to Abuja to share in the Federation Account, through their chairman said they were pleased to meet with the President but that it was beyond a bailout as reported.

After a meeting of the All Progressives Congress Governors Forum last week, the chairman of the forum, Governor Rochas Okorocha, called for a bailout for states which have been unable to pay workers’ salaries.

He said that the current situation was a product of poor management of the economy.

“On the economy of the …read more      

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja accepted an invitation from President Paul Biya to visit Cameroon at his earliest convenience for talks on the intensification of cooperation between Nigeria and neighbouring countries in the war against Boko Haram and terrorism.

Receiving the invitation from Mr. Sadi Rene Emmanuel, the Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, President Buhari said that he would visit Cameroon for the high-level talks soon after the end of the Ramadan fast.

President Buhari, who said that he was putting his experience as a former soldier to good use in the war against Boko Haram, re-emphasized his view that greater regional and international cooperation was needed to end the atrocities of the terrorist group.

The President commended the efforts of all regional governments, including Cameroon to support Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram, but called for even greater collaboration.

“I am happy that the President has sent you. As you must have observed, I was in Niger and Chad over this issue. I planned to be in Cameroon afterwards, but I received an invitation to attend the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Germany.

“I had to attend the meeting because Boko Haram has been internationalized and it was part of the discussions there,” he told Mr. Emmanuel.

The Special Envoy assured President Buhari of President Biya’s “fraternity, sympathy and brotherly commitment” to working with Nigeria to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

“Together, we will reinforce our efforts, eradicate the scourge of terrorism and look forward to better things,” he told the President.

The post Boko Haram: President Buhari To Visit Cameroon After Ramadan appeared first on Channels Television.

…read more      

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as evasive, diversionary and pre-emptive, the Buhari administration’s ‘pile up’ of excuses for possible failure in delivering its campaign promises to Nigerians.

The PDP said it was unfortunate that President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, who were privy to the nation’s dwindling economy occasioned by global economic downturn and fall in international oil price, even before the start of the campaigns, chose to deceive Nigerians with bogus promises, only to now resort to excuses after using the promises to secure power at the centre.

In a statement on Tuesday, the spokesman for the PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh, said the party noted with dismay, President Buhari’s statement on Monday that Nigerians should not expect much from his first 100 days in office on claims that he met “virtually an empty treasury and huge debts”.

Mr Metuh stressed that such statement only underlined the fact that the present administration was really not equipped to face the challenges of governance.

“While we restate our resolve to engage only in credible and issue based opposition, we want the President and the APC to note that their plea for patience from Nigerians does not arise, because ab initio, there has not been any indication that they are actually serious and determined to deliver on their campaign promises upon which they rode to power.

“Of course Nigerians are willing to support and cooperate with the President, but we are worried that the pictures emerging from his presidency and his party do not in any way inspire hope in the citizenry, especially as they have continued to show that theirs is ostensibly a matter of obtaining power by false pretences.

“President Buhari and the APC must know that Nigerians did not give them the mandate to engage in frivolous excuses and pleas but …read more      

Coach Stephen Keshi and Vincent Enyeama must wait for the Nigeria Football Federation’s board to decide on disciplinary proceedings. …read more      

For many residents of China’s southern town of Yulin, the peak of summer is the perfect time to get together with family and friends – and consume copious amounts of dog meat.

Thousands of dogs are expected to end up on the chopping block during the city’s annual dog meat festival, which has become increasingly controversial in China.

Dog ownership was once looked down upon as a decadent bourgeois habit, but China’s growing middle class has started to fight what it sees as barbarous abuse of man’s best friend.

On Monday, a group of about 25 animal rights activists briefly unfurled banners in front of the city government office, demanding an end to the festival, but they were quickly hustled away by unidentified men.

The city’s dog market has become a site for clashes of supporters and opponents of the trade. In the sweltering heat, tempers can often flare.

“There are all sorts of cultural norms about what you can eat, you eat turkey, so why are you trying to force us to not eat dog meat?” shouted one dog meat supporter.

Eating dog is good for your health at the hottest time of the year, say supporters, and it is just like any other meat.

“It’s healthy, just like raising pigs or chickens, it’s fine,” said Teng Jianyi, as he tucked into a dog dish with some friends.

While many Chinese have signed online petitions seeking a ban on the festival, others take a more direct approach.

Last year, Yang Xiaoyun made the headlines after spending 150,000 yuan ($24,160) to rescue about 350 dogs.

The post China’s Dog Meat Festival Raises Hackles of Fans appeared first on Channels Television.

…read more      

A huge fire destroys much of East Africa’s biggest second-hand clothing market in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, officials say. …read more      

WELCOME SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR (DR) ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI (CON) TO SENATORS OF THE 8TH SENATE ON RESUMPTION FROM A SHORT RECESS ON TUESDAY, 23 JUNE, 2015.

Protocol:

1. Distinguished colleagues, I am especially delighted to welcome you back to the hallowed Chamber of the Senate after a short recess. It is my hope that the recess afforded some of us time to rest from the dizzying activities of elections and inauguration such that we could feel the pulse of the nation again and be ready to get unto the business of making laws for the peace, order and good government of Nigeria.

2. As I had noted in my inaugural address, the task before us is enormous but very clear. Nigerians voted for change. They demand that we deliver to them tangible change. They expect that we improve the quality of governance. Three clear issues agitate their mind today; the falling government revenues and the current fiscal crisis in many of our states, the unsustainable cost of governance in the country and the rising cost of doing business in Nigeria.These concerns have also agitated our minds individually and collectively and we must provide answers because it can no longer be business as usual.

3. It is clear that it is at times like these that nations either buckle up, face the realities of their predicaments, and forge ahead to ensure a brighter future for the next generation, or turn a blind eye to the extravagant facts that are staring us in the face. As it stands, given the trust that Nigerians have placed on us, legislators of the 8th National Assembly, to leave a historic impact on the affairs of our nation, we must choose to show that we are made for this …read more