Here are the stories that drove the conversation today:
A former Governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame, was on Wednesday sentenced to 14-year imprisonment for criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the sum of N1.64bn preferred against him by the EFCC.
Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gudu, Abuja, who read the judgment for a period of about four hours from 9.51am to about 2.05pm sentenced Nyame to various terms of imprisonment with the highest being 14 years for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation, taking valuable thing without consideration and receiving gratification as a public officer.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West senatorial district resumed on Wednesday in the Senate after weeks of running battle with the Police and moved from the All Progressives Congress (APC) wing in the Senate to that of the People Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator Melaye on resumption, asked to be moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) side of the chamber to the opposition, citing inconveniences arising from his battle with the police and being on admission in the hospital for a while, as reasons for the permission he sought to leave his allotted seat and move to the opposite side of the Senate chamber.
Lawmakers from the ruling APC kicked against the move arguing that it was unconstitutional, but the opposition lawmakers welcomed the change of seat.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday, officially tendered his resignation letter to enable him focus on his ambition.
Addressing newsmen at the valedictory ministerial briefing in his office after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Fayemi said his exit followed the acceptance of his resignation by President Muhammadu Buhari to allow him to pursue other political interests, adding he had a deep sense of pride about his contributions to the landmark achievements he was able to achieve in the sector and he was thus transitioning out with his head held high.
He stated that he was overwhelmed by emotions as he bid goodbye to a sector that he, alongside other patriots, have invested a great deal of passionate and patriotic efforts over the past two years.
The Senate during plenary on Wednesday ordered for an investigation to be conducted into the case of alleged sexual harassment at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
A postgraduate student of the institution, Monica Osagie had accused a lecturer at the Accounting Department, Professor Richard Akindele of demanding sex from her, sex for marks.
The Senate passed a motion on the growing trend of sexual harassment in higher institutions of learning, with a spotlight on the case of Monica Osagie.
The motion moved by Senator Abiodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti-South) was entitled, ‘The Growing Trend of Sexual Harassment in the Higher Institutions of Learning: The Case of Monica Osagie.’
A Member of the Cross River House of Assembly, representing Obudu State Constituency, Mr. Steven Ukpukpen, slumped and died during an early morning workout on Wednesday.
The incident was reported to have happened at 7:00 a.m. along Moore Road in Calabar, while he was on a routine workout and wasthereafter confirmed dead in a private hospital in the state capital.
Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, in statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Ita, said the sudden death of Ukpukpen left him in a state of shock and disbelief while he commiserated with the lawmaker’s immediate family, the Assembly, the people Of Obudu and the entire state over the unfortunate incident.
And stories from around the world:
A dissident Russian journalist, Arkady Babchenko who was reportedly murdered in Kiev on Tuesday dramatically reappeared alive on Wednesday during a briefing by Ukrainian state security about the killing, which they then said they had faked.
Babchenko who was reportedly shot dead at his flat and found by his wife in a pool of blood.took to a podium before stunned reporters and said he had been part of a Ukrainian operation to thwart a Russian attempt on his life and expose those behind it.
“I would like to apologize for what you have all had to go through,” said Babchenko, who looked on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry but there was no other way of doing it. Separately, I want to apologize to my wife for the hell that she has been through.”
His reappearance elicited gasps, then cheers and applause from journalists at the briefing. (Reuters)
A South African trade union has accused the government of “legitimising poverty” after the country set its first-ever minimum wage.
South Africa Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) said it is outraged and disgusted – but not surprised – by the passing of the minimum wage bill, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by parliament on Tuesday.
The bill sets the wage at a minimum of 20 rand ($1.59; £1.20) an hour, which, for a 40-hour week, sets the wage at about $278 per month. (BBC)
A report published on Wednesday by Save the Children says more than half of the world’s children are threatened by conflict, poverty or sexual discrimination.
The study entitled “Many Faces of Exclusion”, ranked 175 countries in terms of the threat of child labour, exclusion from education, child marriage and early pregnancy, where it was found that 1.2 billion children worldwide were at risk from at least one of the three main threats.
Eight of the 10 countries which ranked worst for children were in west and central Africa, with the greatest threat level in Niger. (AFP)
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced elections will be held on July 30, the first without long-time former leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot.
Mnangagwa said, “the Zimbabwe election commission is hereby advised to fix Monday the 30th of July as the day of the election of the office of president, the election of members of house of assembly and election of councillors.”
His main opponent will be 40 year old Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which lost its stalwart, Morgan Tsvangirai, to cancer earlier this year.
Opposition parties have so far been campaigning without the previous threats of violence and arrest. More than five million of Zimbabwe’s 13 million people have registered to vote.
The Egyptian Football Association has said Liverpool’s Forward Mohamed Salah will be fit to feature in the World Cup group stages.
Salah who looked unlikely to play any part in the summer tournament after sustaining a shoulder injury during the Champions League final on Saturday night before leaving the field in tears.
The EFA president, Hani Abu Reda, the national team coach Hector Cuper and doctor Mohamed Abou El-Ela met the player on Wednesday in Valencia, where the 25-year-old is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
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