Sean Spicer: defends the camera ban at White House
AFP>>> President Donald Trump’s administration has banned cameras from the daily press briefing at the White House.
However, the resourceful US media are undaunted as they deployed sketch artists to cover the event.
Cable news channel CNN sent sketch artist Bill Hennessy to the famous West Wing press room, a change from the American courtrooms where he normally works.
Instead of broadcasting the briefing live, CNN carried only audio of White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s session with journalists.
The channel then prominently featured Hennessy’s sketches in its afternoon programming while stressing that cameras had not been allowed.
The Trump administration, which has a largely adversarial relationship with the media, has been restricting coverage of the White House press briefing of late, either by not holding it every day, or by banning cameras and sometimes even audio coverage.
Spicer defended the decision.
“It’s great for us to come out here and have a substantive discussion about policies. I don’t think that the be-all and end-all is whether it’s on television or not. We’ve made ourselves available a lot of times, and continue to do it,” he said.
The White House Correspondents’ Association disagreed.
“We believe strongly that Americans should be able to watch and listen to senior government officials face questions from an independent news media, in keeping with the principles of the First Amendment and the need for transparency at the highest levels of government,” it said in a statement.
London evacuates 800 residents to avert another Grenfell
Agency Report>>> To avert another Grenfell Tower disaster, London hurriedly evacuated residents of 800 flats in Chalcots Estate Friday night due to fire safety fears.
Residents of London’s Chalcots estate leaving with their belongings Fridaynight
The evacuation was prompted by the fact that the external cladding of the five towers in the estate, were similar to the one that triggered the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, presumed to have killed 79 people.
The dramatic decision follows urgent testing of the towers’ exteriors, which were installed by the same contractor as the Grenfell Tower. As a result, Chalcots residents were being sent to hotels across the city.
Just hours earlier, police said that manslaughter charges could be brought over the Grenfell inferno, after finding that the fire started with a faulty fridge and the building’s cladding had failed safety tests.
“Grenfell changes everything and I don’t believe we can take any risks,” said Georgia Gould, leader of the Camden Council local authority, told reporters, as residents left the five Chalcots Estate towers.
“We could not be sure that people could be safe.
“We had to do this. We have to act on fire service advice.”
– ‘Scary time’ –
“We know it’s a scary time but we will make sure that they stay safe,” said Gould.
“The cost we can deal with later.”
The council has been booking hotels across London and the works are expected to take up to four weeks.
Michelle Urquhart, who has been living in the Chalcots Estate’s Bray tower, said the situation was “frightening”.
“I don’t know where we are going to go.
“One man in a suit said to me ‘you can’t stay here tonight’.
“We have been living in these flats for the last 10 years with this cladding.”
Chalcots resident Shirley Philips told Sky News television she had been given no notice before being told she must leave her home.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” asking why the decision had been left so late in the day.
“Where do they think we’re all going?”
In an update early Saturday, Camden Council said they had secured “hundreds of hotel beds for Chalcots’ residents. We’re encouraging all residents to stay with friends and family if they can, otherwise we’ll provide accommodation.”
The Capital NG>>> The sweet simplicity of the steep per cents attains bitterness and an unparalleled form of ugliness in the currency-activated halls and offices of Nigerian banks even as you read. Several bank managers are afflicted by fear and indescribable dread of what grief may come in the wake of their liaisons with the billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudubem Onwuamadike (aka Evans), who do dirty deals with the bank executives.
Some commercial banks allegedly used by billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudubem Onwuamadike (aka Evans), for ‘business’ transactions may be questioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to the news doing the rounds.
The names of the banks and their levels of involvement will be determined by the investigators. The lenders will be investigated for possible money laundering and failure to report suspicious transactions.
The investigation, The Nation learnt, will ascertain whether the lenders followed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) reporting guidelines in filling reports, observed Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and followed Know Your Customer (KYC) directives of the CBN on account opening. No sooner than the CBN promised to probe them than the banks engaged in a fierce hustle to prevent their names from getting published.
Sources in a very popular new generation bank revealed that, at the moment, senior executives in the banks are engaging in random meetings within and outside the boardroom to decide on how to dodge the ricocheting bullets of financial crisis and legal prosecution if found guilty of any wrongdoing.
You couldn’t have forgotten so soon when Evans’ wife mentioned a bank’s name that officials regularly come to their house in Magodo to see her husband for business transactions.
The In-Laws’ movie, the new romantic comedy featuring star actors such as Toyin Abraham, Chris Attoh, Dele Odule, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Charles Inojie, Ngozi Nwosu, Woli Arole and others, will hit the screen from 14 July.
The movie which tells a tale of Love versus family was directed by Charles Uwagbai and produced by the Bola Oba led Film Service Media, the co-executive producer of Alakada Reloaded.
It follows the story of Tobi Balogun, (Chris Attoh) a 35 year old, naturalist doctor, and son to RTD. Police Sergeant, Abu Balogun, (Dele Odule) is in love, and ready to marry Nancy Okezie, (Toyin Abraham) 30, daughter of Donald Okezie, (Charles Inojie) an old-school Lawyer. However, trouble starts after they secretly get engaged, and introduce each other to their families.
According to the producer of the movie, Mr. Bola Oba, “This movie is about love and family. It is about everyday issues faced by everyday people when it comes to love and family. It is about two families who cannot seem to agree or get along despite the love between their children and their willingness to marry each other. Each of the family had something against the other; the families had an old grudge against each other and they wouldn’t let go even for the sake of their children’s happiness”
“This is a movie that tells our story, so everyone single person can relate and identify with at least one of the characters in the movie. There is also comedy and all the actors brought on their A-game, the audience are sure going to love this”
The In-Laws movie is one movie to watch out for. It will make its cinema debut on the 14th of July 2017.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with James Comey, the former FBI director.
President Donald Trump
The recant came after suggesting last month he might have recordings that could damage Comey.
“With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are ‘tapes’ or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Lawmakers investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 election had asked the White House for any such recordings of Comey, whom Trump fired on May 9.
Shortly after dismissing Comey, Trump mentioned the possibility of tapes in a Twitter post.
“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Trump wrote on Twitter on May 12.
Allegations of ties to Russia have cast a shadow over Trump’s first five months in office, distracting from attempts by his fellow Republicans in Congress to overhaul the U.S. healthcare and tax systems.
Comey’s firing sparked a political firestorm. The former FBI head testified before a Senate committee that Trump had asked him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s alleged ties to Russia.
Trump has privately told aides that the threat of the existence of tapes forced Comey to tell the truth in his recent testimony, a source familiar with the situation said. The White House had said Trump would likely clarify whether he had tapes of Comey by the end of this week.
Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Trump still had questions to answer about possible tapes.
“If the President had no tapes, why did he suggest otherwise? Did he seek to mislead the public? Was he trying to intimidate or silence James Comey? And if so, did he take other steps to discourage potential witnesses from speaking out?” Schiff said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, CNN reported that two top U.S. intelligence officials told investigators Trump suggested they publicly deny any collusion between his campaign and Russia, but they did not feel he had ordered them to do so.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers met separately last week with investigators for Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to CNN.
Saraki: FG’s appeal against CCT ruling does not bother me
Senate President Bukola Saraki at the National Assembly PHOTO: TWITTER/NIGERIAN SENATE
The Guardian NG>>> Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki said Friday that he was unbothered by Nigerian government’s decision to appeal against the ruling of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which upheld the plea of no case submission he made on the 18-count charge of false asset declaration preferred against him.
Saraki said in a statement signed by his media aide Yusuph Olaniyonu that he was confident that the government would lose its appeal since the facts of the case favoured him.
“The verdict at the appellate court would not be different from that of the tribunal as the facts of the case remain the same and the grounds on which the decision of the CCT was based remain unassailable,” Olaniyonu said.
Saraki was discharged and acquitted of the 18-count charges of false assets declaration preferred against him by the Nigerian government after tribunal upheld the no-case submission filed by his lawyers.The tribunal Chairman, Danladi Umar, in a ruling, held that the four prosecution witnesses failed to establish a prima facie against Saraki.
His spokesman said boss’s acquittal was in spite of moves by some “desperate” people in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to influence the ruling against.
“The Senate President notes that another sign of desperation by those who want to get him convicted at all cost was the failed antics of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, who in collusion with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought to manipulate evidence at the tribunal.
“On realising the fundamental flaw in its case as it did not invite the defendant to make any statement at any point in the investigation, the prosecution brought in an agent of the EFCC to tender old statements Saraki made in a totally different and unrelated matter that had nothing to do with false asset declaration.
“The prosecution forgot that the letter inviting Saraki to make the tendered statements explicitly mentioned the matter being investigated. At least, there are documents to prove this.
“The prosecution tried to circumvent the judicial process by ensuring that the witness did not enter into the witness box so as not to be on oath. However, the tribunal, as it is obvious in its ruling, saw through the dirty trick. It, therefore, disregarded that piece of evidence and described it as irrelevant and of no value to the case.”
Saraki said he has an unflinching belief in and respect for the judicial process and that the belief in the judiciary is the basis for his assurance that the position of the CCT that he is not guilty of the charges preferred against him would be sustained in the higher courts.
Battle of Supremacy! Ooni of Ife allegedly desecrate position, Yoruba Culture
… Alaafin blows hot, says “No Oba in Yoruba land is superior to me’’
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi
The CapitalNG>>> The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi might just be falling gradually into a den of lions ready to devour him if cautioned is not observed. Several complains have been heard about his recurring display of arrogance and perpetual late coming during events where other Kings and dignitaries are in attendance.
It was gathered that the Oba not only arrives late to occasions, but constitutes nuisance on arrival with his talking drums and entourage.
According to information making the rounds, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was at the academic ceremony last Thursday, held at the Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
It was the Annual Lecture and Award Ceremony organized by the university’s Faculty of Education, in honour of the renowned legal luminary, Are Afe Babalola, who was a Guest Lecturer award recipient.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, and the Ooni of Ife were invited to the colourful event.
As usual, Oba Adeyemi who was the first to arrive at the university with his drummers, about two and a half hours before the commencement of the event, was warmly received by the organizers and accommodated at a VIP room.
While this lasted, the students were thrilled by unique beating styles of the Alaafin’s drummers who stayed at the entrance of the VIP room, as they were elated and dancing to the delightful tunes.
Few hours later, Are Afe Babalola arrived at the university with his entourage, comprising about twelve Professors from the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti [ABUA].
The legal icon was immediately led to where the VIP lodge where he greeted the Alaafin, apologized, and expressed strong dismay over what he referred to as ‘’undue delay at the Ooni’s palace’’ which resulted in his late arrival and absolutely not in his character.
Shortly thereafter, they were led into venue of the event.
For about twenty minutes, the Alaafin’s drummers consisting of dundun and sekere, as well as a praise poet entertained the invited guests and students, who admired their mastery of the beats and Yoruba poetry.
The programme later commenced, and about twenty five minutes into the event, the Ooni of Ife in his habitual lateness arrived with his large entourage, including the drummers and gong beaters.
For fifteen minutes, the programme was held back to the annoyance of some invited guests and students over abusive drumming against the Alaafin.
Consequently, Alaafin enquired from Ooni whether or not he understood the message of his drummers. But Ooni denied the knowledge.
While delivering his lecture, Are Afe Babalola, who apologized to the gathering, said he had nasty experience at the Ooni’s palace.
The Ooni of Ife who was called upon for his remark urged the students to emulate good virtues, and rounded up his address with songs.
When it came to the turn of Oba [Dr.] Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, it was moment of excitement for both the students and invited guests.
The Alaafin of Oyo, and Permanent Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs is a monarch with class.
He is an enigma by every standard and a chance meeting with him is like an expository adventure through a school of history.
One enviable highpoint in His life is his deep knowledge and high sense of recounting historic events with facts and figures, and with an accuracy that will beat the imagination of youthful intellectuals.
The Alaafin, who will clock eighty years of age soon still remembers events of over a hundred years old, and still writes his scripts unaided.
He is a consummate reader and would pass any day, for a Professor of ancient/modern history and archaeology.
One enviable highpoint in the life of this great monarch is his deep knowledge and high sense of recounting historic events with facts and figures; and with an accuracy that’ll beat the imagination of intellectuals.
His Imperial Majesty started his thought provoking remark by educating the guests on the Yoruba talking drum.
He said that talking drum of the Yoruba was invented from Oyo.
According to Him, ‘’it was first assembled for the Alaafin, as his musical outfit whenever he goes to war. He used it to motivate his army. Today, we celebrate it because it is one of the things the Africans, the Oyo people and Yoruba gave to the world and which cannot be done by any other. It is an important cultural device of the Yoruba people’’.
Alaafin explained that in Yoruba land, the talking drum is a percussion to which people can rhythmically dance, but the Alaafin of Oyo, His royal majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi said recently that the cultural significance of the Yoruba talking drum goes beyond mere entertainment value.
The paramount descended on the Ooni’s drummers for their acts of notoriety and uncouth manners which typified their shallow-mindedness and bestiality as exhibited in their abusive drumming against him.
Oba Adeyemi who sternly warned the nervous-looking drummers to desist from such senseless display or face the dire consequences in the presence of the Ooni who was visibly worried, declared before the large gathering that ‘’no Oba in Yoruba-land is superior to the Alaafin”, amid rounds of applause.
“As a royal father and custodian of Yoruba heritage, the talking drum is an important cultural evaluation of the Yoruba people and it was given leap and pioneered by the Oyo Yoruba. When people hear of the talking drum, they believe it is just an instrument to be drummed for people to dance but it is not so, we can use it as a means of conveying message and not for acts of notoriety’’.
“Our history and oral traditions were handed down to us by purely non-literate people. So, the talking drum is an important source of history. Other sources aside the talking drums are poetry or what we call chants. Almost all the established Oyo families, compounds, lineages, can recite their Orikis, and these are done with the talking drum. The Oriki can’t be complete without the Sekere and talking drums’’.
Alaafin also narrated how he technically defeated the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade in court, through his lawyer, Afe, over royal supremacy battle.
Said he, ‘’it was a tough at a Federal High Court in Abuja battle between the two legal titans, Are Afe Babalola and late Chief G.O.K. Ajayi. All the evidences and exhibits tendered by Are Afe Babalola could neither be replied nor contested by counsel to the late Ooni, Chief G.O,K. Ajayi, while the Court had been adjourning and yet to come up with its judgment till today”.
The Lagos Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has signed into law Life Imprisonment or death penalty for the offence of Kidnap and forceful extortion in Lagos State as he signs into law the state kidnapping prohibition bill, 2016.
The law provides for death penalty for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody, and life imprisonment for the act of kidnapping.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Lagos State House of Assembly passed the bill on January 5.
The governor said that the law was enacted to address key issues bordering on security.
He said that kidnapping had become a major threat to the safety of residents and, therefore, required decisive action by the government.
“This law imposes a penalty of life imprisonment for kidnapping for ransom.
“The law stipulates that, where a victim dies in the course of kidnapping, the suspect is liable on conviction to death.
“Security is of utmost importance to our administration, and we are confident that this law will serve as a deterrent to anybody, who may desire to engage in this wicked act within the boundaries of Lagos State.
“Our justice system will be required to execute this law in absolute and make sure that any criminal caught faces the full wrath of the law,” he said.
Based on this, it is very likely, George Evans gets a life imprisonment or death penalty sentence.
Strong indications emerged on Wednesday that consortium of 13 banks, involved in Etisalat Nigeria’s 1.2 billion dollars loan is seeking the Federal Government’s intervention to investigate the management.
A management source close to the banks told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the banks want the government, through the EFCC, to wade into the matter, by investigating what the company did with the loan.
The source alleged that the loans were siphoned and needed to be investigated by the EFCC, noting, there was no proof of what the company did with the loan.
He said that the affected banks had rolled out a lot of viable options to Etisalat for the loan to be restructured, but was rejected by the company.
The source said that the banks were not into telecommunications and had no intention of running Etisalat.
“All we want is to recover the loans; we cannot write off the loans as being demanded by Etisalat, because the company is viable,” the source stated.
The source said that telecom company wanted the banks to write off the loan as non-performing, which was rejected because the company was doing well.
According to the source, the company wants injection of new capital, and this has been suggested to the majority shareholder.
The source said the government should investigate the matter with all seriousness, to dig out the truth.
NAN reports that UAE’s Etisalat on June 20 said that it had been instructed to transfer its 45 per cent stake in Etisalat Nigeria to a loan trustee.
Etisalat said it had been notified to transfer its stake by June 23. It said the stake had a carrying value of zero on its books.
NAN reports that in the last three months, Etisalat Nigeria had been in talks with the consortium of banks, to restructure a 1.2 billion-dollar loan, after missing repayments.
The loan is a seven-year facility, agreed with 13 banks in 2013, to refinance a 650 million dollar-loan, and fund expansion of the telecommunications network.
Although the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stepped into the fray to prevent a takeover by the banks, those discussions failed to produce an agreement on restructuring the debt. (NAN)
Prof. Lenrie Aina, the National Librarian, says that Nigeria is not rated among the most reading countries in the world.
Aina, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, National Library of Nigeria, said this in Enugu on Wednesday at the Readership Promotion Campaign (RPC).
He said that a recent study on the most reading countries in the world showed that Nigeria was not mentioned in the ranking while Egypt and South Africa were among the first 30 countries rated.
“Leading world nations pride themselves on their promotion of reading.
“They see a high level of literacy as a major source of their competitiveness and social maturity.
“The absence of a widespread culture of reading in the case of Nigeria acts as an effective barrier to our development and international competitiveness.’’
Aina said that it was against the background that the National Library embarked on an intensive readership promotion campaign across the country to encourage reading among Nigerians as well as to identify obstacles inhibiting reading and proffer solutions.
He appealed to teachers to encourage pupils and students to read and urged parents to make books available to their children.
In a message to the event, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State said that his administration was doing everything possible to promote reading culture in schools.
Ugwuanyi, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uchenna Ezeh, said that the government had reintroduced reading clubs in secondary schools while renovating schools and providing instructional materials.
“We are in a knowledge propelled economy and through reading, you gain information about your environment.’’
The governor pledged to partner with groups that would promote reading culture in the state.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Frank Ndubuisi, decried the deplorable condition of many libraries across the country and called for government’s urgent attention.
While commending the National Library for reviving the campaign, Ndubuisi, an Educationist, also advocated for the introduction of e-library that would stand the test of time.
Other speakers at the event, including an octogenarian writer, Dr Rose Chukwuemeka-Ike, and the President, Coal City Literary Forum, Dr Adaobi Nwoye, also emphasised the need to promote reading culture among youths.
According to Ike, reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
The event featured reading competition and spelling bees by some secondary schools in the state.
ement source close to the banks told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the banks want the government, through the EFCC, to wade into the matter, by investigating what the company did with the loan.