IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday in Abuja, released the timetable and schedule of activities for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, Kogi State in the Senate. The INEC Secretary, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, issued the timetable on behalf of the electoral body. INEC, according to the statement, will on August 19, conduct a verification of signatures of petitioners demanding the recall, which were submitted to the commission in all the polling units in the constituency.

The statement also revealed that the commission would on the same day declared the outcome of the verification at the INEC Local Government Office in Lokoja. Ogakwu said that the commission would also on July 10, paste verification notice at its Local Government Office in Lokoja. She equally set July 30, as the last day for the submission of application by interested observers, who would want to particulate in the exercise at the INEC headquarters office.

She also said that the commission had fixed August 10 for the last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick will today declare open this year’s FIFA Member Association (MA) Elite Programme for Nigerian referees, assessors and physical fitness trainers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This year’s programme will run between 3rd and 8th July 2017. Last year, more than 230 Nigerian referees, instructors and assessors were involved in the elite programme, which took place 16th – 20th May 2016, also in Abuja.

Head of the NFF Referees Unit and Secretary of the NFF Referees Committee, Mallam Sani Zubair reconfirmed to thenff.com at the weekend that all arrangements have been concluded for the international program that will this year, involve Nigeria’s 29 men and women FIFA referees, 15 elite National referees, all National referee assessors, all National physical fitness instructors and non – FIFA women referees.

Zubair also stated that the team of three FIFA instructors would be led by the Regional Development Officer, Carlos Manuel Neves Henrique, and will include Felix Onias Tangawarima from Zimbabwe (referee instructor) and Tracy Sophia Lovell (physical instructor).

The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to explain why he described members of the National Assembly as having “stark and worrisome knowledge” of the budget process.

Lawmakers are angry over Fashola’s comments on the 2017 budget, which they say are meant to incite Nigerians against the legislature.

The House said the Minister was part of the discussions that produced the budget.

The Lagos State Police Command on Monday directed all residents and visitors to Ikorodu area of the statement to always have a valid means of identification on their persons. The directive follows the brutal killings of residents of the community by the dreaded Badoo cultists. Members of the cult have allegedly killed over 120 people in six months.

Police said it had arrested 138 suspected members of the Badoo Cult, who are currently assisting in investigations into the cult’s activities. The Lagos Police spokesperson, Olarinde Famous-Cole, in a statement on Monday explained that the directive had become necessary due to the series of police operations in the area.

The statement read, “The Lagos State Police Command would like to inform members of the public especially residents in Ikorodu and environs, that from henceforth everybody moving around that part of the state, residents, students or workers should always have on them a valid form of identification.

Aston Villa have signed former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, the Championship club's owner Dr Tony Xia has announced on social media.

The 36-year-old defender's contract at Stamford Bridge expired on 30 June. Terry, who won 78 caps for England, played 717 games for Chelsea and won his fifth Premier League title in May.

Villa finished 13th in the Championship last season but Steve Bruce's side are among the favourites to win automatic promotion to the top flight in 2017-18.

The Nigerian Customs Service on Monday unveiled an electronic auction platform by which cargoes that have been forfeited to the Federal Government could be sold to Nigerians through a transparent bidding process. The unveiling of the e-auction platform was performed at the headquarters of the NCS by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (Rtd). Present at the event were members of the e-auction committee made up of representatives from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control among others.

Ali described the launching of the platform as a game-changer for the service as it would bring about a regime of transparency and consistency in the disposal of seized vehicles to Nigerians. He said the approval of the electronic platform was done based on the conviction that it would assist in checking the abuse which the manual auction process was subjected to in the past. Ali said it was the realisation of the abuse in the manual auctioning system that made him suspend it when he assumed office last year.

He said, “The launching of the e-auction platform today marks a complete departure from the manual process of the past that was opened to abuses.