Flingpord

Nigerians have gone spiritual in their desire for good and people-oriented leadership in the country ahead of the 2023 presidential primaries. By next Monday, it would become clear who will be flying the presidential flags of the two major political parties in the country- the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The ruling APC and main opposition, the PDP will share a total number of three thousand, one hundred and fifty presidential delegates’ votes combined. The delegates will vote to elect their parties’ flag bearers in Abuja at the weekend. A total of 3,150 elected ad-hoc delegates will be shared between approximately 39 aspirants from both parties – 2,340 for the APC, with at least 23 aspirants and 810 delegates’ votes for PDP’s 14 aspirants. They are expected to vote to elect presidential candidates during the indirect primaries and national convention slated Saturday, Sunday and Monday May 28-30th respectively. The coming weekend will be...

Former Accountant-General of Rivers State, Siminalaye Fubara, has emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state. Fubara defeated nine other aspirants of the party to win the keenly contested election. He polled 721 out of the 980 votes to win the election. Former Commissioner of Finance, Isaac Kamalu, scored 89 votes to come second in the poll. Fubara is said to be the preferred candidate of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, at the All Progressives Congress APC stakeholders’ meeting held at the state’s government house on Wednesday, urged aspirants contesting to succeed him as the next Katsina Governor not to make the primary election slated for Thursday a do or die affair. Masari while admonishing the aspirants to accept the outcome of the governorship primary election stated that “it is God that gives leadership and he gives it to whomever he pleases at his own time.” The Katsina Governor also advised the contenders to desist from attempting to hijack the delegates taking part in the election process by any means. Masari also pointed out to the aspirants that whoever emerges as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 election must be ready to build on the solid foundation laid by his government. Earlier, the state chairman of the party, Sani Ahmed, also warned against hijacking the delegates,describing it as a grave offence that would not be trea...

If the music industry was a ‘universal set’ then we can say a record label is a subset, while the artists are the populations in each subset. Simply say ‘a record label is a network of music performers that produce musical content and sell it to the public; they have artists, producers, DJs, dancers, and all kinds of music professionals whose major aim is to ensure that the company makes a profit from the music business. A record label recruits new talented artists at intervals who can impact tremendously in favour of the business. Labels can be of two kinds: the major labels and the independent record labels. Independent labels are smaller musical companies, unlike the major labels that sign big artists on contracts and pay them heavily. In spite of the numerous obstacles in the industry, a panegyric of 10 musical companies have been outstanding in their performances in the music business. Today, we have compiled this list of the top 10 most popular and biggest labels in the Nigerian ...

Dear Esteemed PDP Delegates I humbly write to you to draw your attention to something that will spare us further agonies of misgovernance as the elections draw close. Ahead of our country’s general election, we all observed the soaring number of aspirants. The trend even took a new dimension recently with the overwhelming number of candidates vying for the presidential seat under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties. However, while the large number of political gladiators in the presidential race may be unprecedented and could be overwhelming for delegates across board, the wheat can be separated from the chaff by the assessment of their evidence-based track record and undefiled antecedent as well as the will power to act. The paradigm shift from government to governance and from fruitless clichés to realistic and pragmatic development is now on the horizon. It’s no longer news that the terrifying challenges in the country in all sectors requi...

NIGERIA is currently under a serious siege. The country is certainly at a crossroads. There is a high degree of insecurity in all the nooks and crannies that make up the land. As a matter of fact, Nigeria is facing a quagmire. Hopefully, it is just about a few months to the next presidential election. Preceding the general election is the parties’ presidential primaries where candidates for the various candidates will emerge. For the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, there is an aspirant who has the wherewithal to revive Nigeria as well as heal her wounds. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State is the man to beat in the PDP presidential primaries. Following the resolve of the umbrella party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, that only the three- man ad hoc delegates will decide who emerges PDP’s presidential candidate, Tambuwal has dramatically become the cynosure of all eyes as his North West zone will parade overwhelming majority of the delegates now pegged at 811. The foregoi...

Sufficient supplies of the Imvanex vaccine against monkeypox are available to handle the current outbreak, the producer of the shot told dpa on Wednesday. Bavarian Nordic is the only company in the world whose monkeypox vaccine has regulatory approval. It is currently possible to produce 30 million doses annually, spokesman Rolf Sass Sørensen said. Cases of monkeypox are spreading. The virus usually causes mild symptoms such as rash, fever and pustules, but can also be severe. The company is based in Denmark and produces the vaccine there, although it was initially developed in the German branch in Martinsried near Munich. However, the shot is only approved in the U.S., where it is called Jynneos, and Canada. Planning is currently underway for it to be approved in the European Union (EU) is being planned, Sørensen said. In Europe, the vaccine has only been approved for smallpox in humans, which is considered extinct. The vaccine is also being used in Britain but “off label,” without th...

Retired General Aminu Muhammad Bande has won the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kebbi state. The primaries was peaceful amid tight security at the royal platform in Birnin Kebbi. Bande, who scored 471 votes, was followed by Dr Buhari Bala the former minister who polled 43 votes, while Garba Haruna scored 22 votes and Samaila Sambawa scored 21 votes. Malami declares for Kebbi governorship APC Kebbi federal lawmaker defects to PDP Kebbi federal lawmaker dumps APC for PDP The primaries, which streched through the night was conducted before INEC officials and top PDP stalwarts. A supporter of General Bande, Malam Basiru Gwandu described the victory as a deserving one. His words: “We have survived a huge gang up against us after giving our all to the party.”

As part of efforts to boost the capacity of Nigerians to work in the oil and gas industry, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has shortlisted 8,800 candidates from over 26,000 applicants for this year’s Overseas Scholarship Scheme, OSS. The PTDF OSS is an annual programme that awards scholarships to Nigerians for MSc and PhD studies in partner universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Malaysia. Speaking on the process for this year’s selection, Mr. Bello Mustapha, Manager, Overseas Scholarship Scheme, PTDF, said the process which started in December 2021 would see the shortlisted candidates interviewed across centres in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kaduna and Bauchi. He said: “Over 26,000 people applied for the scholarship and over 8000 were selected to come and do the interviews. “We conduct the interviews in the six geopolitical zones of the country but we are doing in five geopolitical zones of the country this year because of the issues of insecu...

Contrary to reports that immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is out of the race for the presidential ticket of the ruling All progressives Congress, APC, because he did not submit his nomination form, Vanguard gathered yesterday that he is still in the race. Sources said he submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms to the party. However, party leaders could not confirm, yesterday, if he has left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the APC. Some leaders of the PDP, led by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, early in the week, met Jonathan to convince him to remain in the PDP and attend the party’s presidential convention on Saturday. The move to include Jonathan in the race, sources said, last night, was partly responsible for the much-postponed screening of APC presidential aspirants. Apart from the issue of raising a seven-man screening committee to be chaired by the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the panel has to be given a list of aspira...

As political parties begin primaries to elect their candidates, former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar has counselled them to rise above sectional sentiments and consider competence. To him, Nigeria at this stage of nationhood should not be debating zoning but should concentrate on getting any competent Nigerian, irrespective of his state of origin or religion, who can solve myriads of challenges facing the country. He said, “With the exposure of the younger generation and their connection, I think Nigeria is not short of such individuals across the federation. It is up to the politicians to try and see how they can come up with such an individual. But as long as we keep saying this zone produces this, another zone produces that, then the problem continues. We are not thinking as Nigerians, we are thinking of our villages, states and so on.” Gen. Abubakar, who supervised a successful transition that handed over the rein of power to a democratically elected government ...

The confusion within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was palpable, yesterday, when the National Working Committee (NWC) released yet another revised timetable and schedule of activities for the governorship, state House of Assembly, Senate and House of Representatives primary elections. The new schedule, which comes a day after the party adjusted the old timetable, had a slight alteration in the dates. Unlike in the previous schedule of activities, the primary for the 340 Senatorial aspirants that were slated for Friday, May 27, will now hold on Saturday, May 28. On the other hand, the primary for the House of Representatives aspirants, earlier scheduled for Saturday, May 28, has been shifted back to Friday, May 27. Accordingly, the date for primaries of the 145 governorship and state House of Assembly aspirants remains the same – Thursday, May 26. While apologising for the last-minute adjustment, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, disclosed that “the sp...

Former Vice President and a leading presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said the election lost by the PDP in 2019 was a huge loss to the nation, considering his intention to change things for good. Releasing an abridged policy document tagged,“ My covenant with Nigerians,’’ Mr Abubakar recalled his 2019 abridged policy document which could not be implemented for the benefit of Nigerians because of the defeat suffered by the PDP. He lamented the failure of the current APC leadership, leading to hardship, which he said was staring everyone in the face. Atiku’s 5-point development agenda Atiku’s abridged policy document which was summed up to a 5-point development agenda seeks to restore Nigeria’s unity through equality, social justice, and cooperation among various people. The document further revealed that Atiku will establish a strong and effective democratic government that will guaranty the safety and security of life and property...

Peter Obi, former Anambra governor and one of the top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirants, has dumped the party for Labour Party. Obi announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP. In the letter, the former Anambra governor gave different reasons for his withdrawal from the presidential race. SaharaReporters had earlier in the day reported that Obi was planning to dump the opposition party. The PDP has fixed May 28 and May 29 for its presidential primary. A source close to Obi said the former governor was leaving the PDP for the Labour Party. “He is leaving for the Labour Party,” the source told SaharaReporters. As earlier reported by SaharaReporters, the source had said Obi was under pressure to dump the PDP and pursue his presidential bid in another political party. The source added that though other aspirants from the South-East had accepted to work for him, his chances of getting the ticket were low. “The results of various pr...

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned a move by Moscow that makes it easier for Ukrainians in some Russian-occupied regions to obtain Russian citizenship. "Illegal passportization in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in Crimea and the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, norms and principles of international humanitarian law, and the obligations of Russia as an occupying power in accordance with Article 45 of the 1907 Hague Convention and Article 47 of the 1949 Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War," the ministry said in a statement. "The decree of the president of Russia is legally null and void and will have no legal consequences. This decision will not affect the citizenship of Ukrainians on the territories temporarily occupied by Russia." Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday streamlin...