Tag Archives: Talks

Italy President Starts Talks Over New Government

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Italy’s president has started talks with the political leaders of the country to form a new government following the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

President Sergio Mattarella began consultations on Thursday to decide whether to appoint an interim prime minister until upcoming elections scheduled for 2018 or to assign the leadership of the country to an interim government, which should serve until a snap vote could be held in spring.

Mattarella, a former constitutional court judge, began by consulting the speakers of the upper and lower houses of the parliament, Pietro Grasso and Laura Boldrini, respectively. Grasso is widely viewed as one of the possible candidates for new leadership.

Renzi announced his resignation after he lost a constitutional reform referendum on Sunday aimed at reducing the role of Senate and limiting the powers of regional governments. He had said a “No” vote at the referendum would also mean an end to his government.

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Talks With Boko Haram Over Chibok Girls Still On- FG

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Contrary to speculations that talks with Boko Haram over the remaining 197 abducted Chibok girls have broken down, the Federal Government has insisted that negotiation for their release is ongoing.

Three weeks ago, 21 of the girls were released, a development that rekindled the hope that others will get freedom.

One of the girls was found at the weekend with a baby. Troops of the 121 Battalion, Nigerian Army deployed at Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, found Maryam Ali Maiyanga and her 10- month-old baby while screening escapees from Sambisa Forest.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated that there was no truth in the speculation making the rounds in Abuja.

The minister told said that the talks were still on, though he did not give details because of the security nature of the negotiation.

An earlier effort in the last few days to get information on the negotiations did not yield any positive result as security sources would not discuss the matter. Worse, there was no word from official security agencies as the Department of State Services (DSS) remains without a spokesman.

“It is not true (that the talks have broken down). Talks are still very much on course,” was all Mohammed volunteered.

Another source disclosed that as recently as last week Monday, when questions were put to the security services, they volunteered that negotiations were still on. “We make it our business to find out the level of negotiations going on, and of course with the way we asked, it was not possible for them to deceive us on the matter,” the source added.

It was learnt that the alleged freeze in discussions followed the failure of both parties to agree on the issue of money, though it could not be confirmed what money had to do with the negotiations, since the government has continued to maintain that it did not pay for the release of the first 21 girls.

The source said the insurgents’ negotiators appear to be asking for more money and release of some of their men in the government custody. “They are not happy with the initial claim that the girls were released for free,” a source said.

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http://guardian.ng/news/talks-with-boko-haram-over-chibok-girls-still-on-says-government/

UK PM To Offer Scotland, Wales, North Ireland Talks With Brexit Minister

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Representatives of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will get a chance to tell Brexit minister David Davis how they hope Britain’s future relationship with the EU will work, under plans the government announced on Monday.

At a meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Theresa May will offer the leaders of the three devolved governments, which have varying degrees of autonomy, formal discussions on Brexit at least twice before the end of the year, her office said.

“The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work,” May said in a statement her office released before the meeting.

“The new forum I am offering will be the chance for them all to put forward their proposals on how to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit and deliver the democratic decision expressed by the people of the U.K.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, has said her government is preparing for all possibilities including independence after Britain leaves the EU.

Scots voted by a large margin to remain in the bloc and Sturgeon has said Scotland wants to keep as many of the advantages of membership of the EU’s single market as it can and is looking for a bespoke deal to do so.

The British government has said it will negotiate a one-size-fits-all Brexit deal on behalf of the whole United Kingdom.

May, who has dismissed labels such as “hard Brexit” and “soft Brexit” for describing how clean a break Britain makes with the EU, will also tell the devolved leaders no final decisions have been taken on the EU exit strategy, and that how Britain leaves the bloc will not boil down to a binary choice.

Credit: reuters

PDP To Begin Reconciliation Talks October 10 In Preparation For 2019

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be on the verge of resolving its lingering national leadership crisis, as it kickstarts reconciliation talks in the South-West.

After nearly five months of conflict that almost threatened its existence, party stakeholders would on October 10, converge for what the party described as a ‘crucial assembly’ in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The purpose of the meeting is to among other issues, brainstorm on strategies to make the party bounce back.

This development is coming a few weeks after factional acting national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff agreed to the peace moves initiated by the National Chairman of the caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

Both Leaders had a few weeks ago met for several hours for the first time in Abuja and resolved to pursue a united PDP. They agreed to sheathe their swords, after which they both issued a joint statement, saying that they had reached an agreement to set in motion a joint reconciliatory process. The two leaders resolved to end the crisis that had engulfed the party following its National Convention which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State this year and which resulted in the removal of Sheriff as the National Chairman.

The statement which was released after the meeting and jointly signed by Makarfi and Sheriff, said: “It is time to heal the wounds, and bring about a united, focused and constructive opposition party that can bring sanity to our democratic process, bring relief to the teeming supporters of our great party and to the benefit of our great country, Nigeria.”

Crisis engulfed PDP last year, just a few months after Sheriff emerged as the Acting National Chairman to the displeasure of many stakeholders. A former national chairman of the party and a former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu’azu had resigned when PDP lost the 2015 presidential election. The party appointed Sheriff in an acting capacity to complete Mu’azu’s tenure. He was removed early this year and a caretaker committee was set up with Makarfi as its chairman. An aggrieved Sheriff went to court, saying that the party’s constitution had no provision for a caretaker committee, and insisted that he remained the chairman.

Another pending issue which may also be discussed at the Ibadan meeting is who emerges as the National Chairman. Following the decision of the national body to zone the position to the South-West; the issue of who would be the consensus candidate further split the party and worsened its crisis in the zone. Among the top contenders for the position were former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniels, top party stalwart, Bode George, and his protégé, Jimi Agbaje, who was the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State.

For the umpteenth time, Sheriff has reiterated his commitment to the resolution of the leadership in the party, noting that there is no going back on current efforts to reconcile all interest groups in the party.

Sheriff said a resolution of the PDP has become imperative as the crisis was becoming a threat to the nation’s democracy.

Speaking through the National Secretary of his group, Prof Wale Oladipo, Sheriff said his group is compiling names of its nominee for the 24-man Reconciliation Committee to be constituted jointly with the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
He said the feuding groups decided to bury the hatchet following the intervention of some eminent Nigerians, who mediated in the crisis behind the scene.

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http://sunnewsonline.com/2019-pdp-kickstarts-reconciliation-talks-october-10/

FG Opens Talks With Chad, Niger On Return Of Boko Haram Refugees

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The Federal Government has opened discussion with Chad and Niger authorities on the date Boko Haram refuges residing in the two countries would return to Nigeria.
This comes as the government  deployed 3000 policemen and 2,000 civil defence personnel in towns and villages reclaimed from the Boko Haram sect in Borno and Yobo states.
“We have made some deployments of police and civil defence; 3,000 policemen and 2,000 civil defence men are in towns and communities in the North East”, a source at the presidency and Ministry of Defence.
He lamented that the deployment of security personnel followed what he called some negative developments in the freed areas.
According to him, it was discovered that Boko Haram members were returning to communities liberated by the military, explaining that the government had to act swiftly to check the ugly development.
“We have met with Chad and Niger on the return of refugees that reside there,” the source said.
Meanwhile, major reforms are underway for police and other paramilitary agencies to help refocus and reenergise the parastatals, Daily Sun   gathered.  The reforms, currently  being worked out by a government committee centre mainly on the mode of appointment and selection of new  Inspector General of Police, Comptroller General of Immigration and Prisons.
According to sources,  when the new reforms are concluded, no police, immigration or prisons services officers would be considered for the position of IGP or Comptroller General if he or her has less than a year and six months left to retire from service.
“The new recommendation is that a new IG or Comptroller General of Immigration or Prisons must have up to 18 months before his or her retirement,” one of the sources disclosed.
“The reason for this reform is to ensure that somebody who is being appointed would have enough time to carry out policies and impact on the agency he is heading.
“It is not good that somebody who has less than a year is appointed to the position of IG or Comptroller and thenyou hear the person is pulling out or retiring. His impact would not be felt by his Organisation.”
The source disclosed that a high powered committee set up by the leadership of the Ministry of Interior is working on the new arrangement.
“A committee was set up to work out other details and the committee is doing its job”, he said.
As part of the reform , another source revealed that a bill that that will seek the operation of police academy under a law will be sent to the National Assembly in the next few weeks.
He explained that the move was informed by the realization that there is no law backing the operation of  police academy at the moment.
“Government wants to legalize the operation of police academy. As at today Police Academy is not operating under any law . And that is shameful”, he said.
He said the reforming of the Police, Immigration and Prisons would place emphasis on training of staff and provision of facilities that would help the staff to discharge their duties.
He said “We will have to develop career pattern in our ministry. We have to train Prisons and Immigration staff . There are some staff who have spent 15 to 25 years without undergoing any training. That is absurd.”
On the issue of herdsmen and what the federal government is doing to end the controversies that have trailed their activities in different parts of the country, the source said the  government will soon hold a town-hall meeting on the matter.
According to him, he said that everything effort must be made to ensure that herdsmen do not bear arms and do not engage in fatal confrontation with other Nigerians.

Credit: Sun

MEND Confirms Talks With FG

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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has confirmed there are on-going peace talks between its representatives and the Federal Government.

MEND had set up a team of negotiators it called Aaron team 2 led by former minister Odein Ajumogbobia and other prominent Niger Delta leaders to discuss with the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the Niger Delta crisis.

President Muhammadu Buhari had first disclosed the Federal Government participation in the peace talks during a farewell audience with the outgoing German Ambassador Mr Michael Zinner.

This disclosure was immediately denied by the spokesman of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) Mudoch Agbinibo that the group was not part of the talks. Also other militant groups had denounced the peace talks insisting that MEND cannot represent it in any peace talks since it( MEND) has already taken sides with the Federal Government.

However spokesman of MEND, Jomo Gbomo in a statement has indeed confirmed the talks noting that there are going talks being led by International Oil Companies (IOCs) and law enforcement agencies.

Gbomo who said the talks are still at the preliminary stage disclosed that the Federal Government has made it clear that it would not hold talks with criminals.

According to him the groups in the Niger Delta region which he referred to as internet based militant groups cannot be part of the talks as they are criminals.

The statement read in part “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) wishes to confirm that indeed it has been in preliminary talks with the Federal Government through oil companies and law-enforcement agencies as revealed by President Muhammadu

Buhari on Thursday, July 21, 2016.

These preliminary talks are the precursor to a wider dialogue between the Federal Government and the MEND Aaron 2 peace initiative which will seek to find solutions to the short, medium and long-term future of the Niger Delta region.

The Federal Government made it clear during our meetings that a negotiation with criminals is out of the question.

The Niger Delta Avengers, internet-based ‘militant’ groups such as Joint Revolutionary Council, Ultimate Warriors etc., an Ijaw opportunistic tribal assembly who were compromised to keep silent

during the six years of Goodluck Jonathan’s misrule and neglect, pirates, pipeline vandals, oil thieves, commercial kidnappers, waterway robbers, political thugs and miscreants all fall under this category”.

Credit: Sun

Fani-Kayode Talks Tough After Prison Release

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Fresh out of prisons where he was remanded for two months as he faced corruption trial before a Federal High Court, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, came out swinging Friday night, using his first press statement since his release to lob scathing assaults against Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was announced released only a few hours ago after spending 67 days in Ikoyi Prisons, said his arrest and ongoing trial were a handiwork of Mr. Buhari’s government that aimed to “silence me, break me, discredit me and destroy.”

Until Friday, Mr. Fani-Kayode had remained detained since he was first arrested on May 9, 2016, after honouring an invitation from Nigeria’s flagship anti-corruption agency, the EFCC.

Mr. Fani-Kayode was later transferred to Lagos where authorities slammed a 17-count charge on him, mostly bothering on allegations that the one-time Minister of Culture and Tourism benefitted from stolen public funds during the 2015 general elections.

After weeks in detention, Mr. Fani-Kayode was granted a N250 million bail on July 4, but he was still kept in custody pending his meeting the requirements for his bail.

“I give thanks to God that I am free after 67 days in detention,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said. “I thank my wife, lawyers, children and friends for all their support.”

Mr. Fani-Kayode said his ordeal behind bars marked the worst moment of his life and emphasised his innocence.

“This was the worst experience of my life but God was with me all the way. I suffered immeasurably but I count it all as joy.  I am innocent of all charges and I look forward to defending myself vigorously in court.

“These charges are politically motivated and I have been severely punished for my political views and criticisms of the government,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Human Rights Abuse: Army Chief, Amnesty International Hold Talks

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The Chief of Army Staff in Nigeria, General Tukur Buratai, on Thursday told a delegation from the Amnesty International that the military is making conscious effort to check human rights abuse by officers.

General Buratai’s statement is made in response to accusations by the rights advocacy group that personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces carried out extra-judicial executions.

According to Amnesty International, about 20,000 cases of extra-judicial executions had occurred in Nigeria since 2012.

The Director Of Research Africa, Amnesty International, Netsanet Belay, told General Buratai that there was a serious concern that Nigeria needed to address.

“Its military is implicated in committing serious forms of war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.

“We have looked into various aspects of this. We have documented over 20,000 cases of extra-judicial executions and we believe that over 1,200 men and boys may have been extra-judicial executed since 2012.

But General Buratai insisted that officers were trained to discharge their responsibilities professionally.

He told the group that the Nigerian Army had set up an internal Human Rights Desk to receive reports of human rights violation by officers.

“Before the establishment of the Human Rights Desk in the Army Headquarters, we had established a contact group between the Nigerian Army and the National Human Rights Commission. All issues of human rights that have been forwarded to the attention of the Nigerian Army we have investigated them and followed them to their logical conclusions.

“Similarly, all the issues that were brought to the Army, where human rights were alleged to have been violated, we have equally investigate them,” the Army chief told the human rights advocacy group.

He assured members of the public, the local and international human rights bodies that the Nigerian Army, under his leadership, would investigate all complaints of human rights violation brought before it.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Tony Blair Holds Talks With Nigerian Governors’ Forum

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A Former Prime Minister of Britain, Mr Tony Blair, is meeting with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to discuss areas of collaboration.

The meeting, which is being held at the Presidential Villa Abuja, is hosting the Tony Blair Foundation in the first of series of meeting with development partners geared towards good governance.

Mr Blair told the Governors that the dwindling oil prices and the attendant cash crunch called for change in the way things were done.

According to him, the Blair Foundation can collaborate with government at the state to bring about change in the country.

Before the meeting with the governors, Mr Blair held talks with the Chairman of the Forum, Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari of Zamfara State, where they discussed how the foundation could help state governments in the areas of health, education and Agriculture.

 Credit: ChannelsTV

President Buhari Arrives Cameroon For Talks On Boko Haram

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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in neighbouring Cameroon on Wednesday for talks on how to combat the escalating regional threat from Boko Haram Islamists. Security was tight for the 24-hour visit, after a surge of Boko Haram violence in Cameroon including an unprecedented series of five suicide bombings in the far north.

Presidential guard soldiers were posted on rooftops of houses and along the route from the airport to the presidential palace in Yaounde, while vehicles armed with machine-guns patrolled the streets and access to the hotel where Buhari will stay was blocked.

The trip comes a day after Nigeria vowed that a new regional force tasked with fighting the jihadists would go into action soon.

Nigeria’s presidency said Buhari’s talks with Cameroonian President Paul Biya were part of his “ongoing effort to build a more effective regional coalition against Boko Haram”. Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks since Buhari took office in May, unleashing a wave of violence that has claimed 800 lives in just two months.

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Boko Haram May Resume Talks With FG

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Sources close to the leadership of the Boko Haram insurgents claim that the group might have agreed to hold talks with the new leadership in Nigeria with the aim of ending the six-year-old insurgency in the country.

One of the sources which had been involved in previous attempts to broker peace between the Federal Government and the terrorists group confirmed to reporters last night that there were some level of discussions between the group and the government but that the “government does not want to be seen to be negotiating with the terrorists.”

The source, who works with an international agency with some presence in Nigeria, said: “I can tell you that there is some behind-the-scene informal discussion with certain segments of the Buhari administration, going on in Nigeria.

“But the truth is that the government does not want to be seen to be talking with the group apparently because of the failure of all previous efforts to dialogue with the Boko Haram men in and outside Nigeria under the previous administration.

“The aim of the renewed effort is to resuscitate the discussions from where we ended abruptly under the Jonathan administration and take it forward from there since there is a new government in place in Nigeria.

“The true position is that some of those with contacts with the leadership of the Boko Haram have gone back to assure them that there is a new government in place and that things can be done differently from what it was in the past when they were dribbled over and over again by top government officials who wanted to make quick gains under the guise of negotiating with the militants.”

Read More: vanguardngr

Replacing Keshi? NFF In Talks With Sunday Oliseh

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Sunday Oliseh is in advanced talks with the Nigerian Football Federation over becoming the new Super Eagles coach. The 40-year-old former midfielder, who captained Nigeria and won 63 caps, is set to be appointed in the coming days.

The NFF have acted quickly to fill the vacancy following the sacking of Stephen Keshi on Saturday.

Oliseh was part of the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and Olympic gold two years later.

He also played at the World Cup in 1994 and 1998, helping the Super Eagles to the last-16 at both tournaments and in the latter he scored a memorable winner as Nigeria shocked Spain 3-2 in a group match.

A member of the “golden generation” of Nigerian football stars, alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George, Oliseh has been working as a pundit, sport consultant and Fifa Technical committee member.

Read More: vanguardngr

Buhari Arrives Germany For Talks With G-7 Leaders

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President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Munich, Germany, on Sunday to begin a two-day official visit during which he will participate in the G-7 Outreach programme for invited heads of government and global institutions.

Buhari, who was received on arrival by the Vice Minister-President of Bavaria, Inge Aigner, was accompanied by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno, former lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola, Abdurrahman Dambazau and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paul Lolo.

Other invited Heads of State and international institutions who will join Buhari at the working session with G-7 leaders on Monday w at Elmau are; Presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Macky Sall of Senegal, Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq, the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary-General of the OECD, Angel Gurria, the Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Largarde, the President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, are also scheduled to participate in Monday’s Outreach Session with G-7 leaders.

Others are the Director-General of the International Labour Organistion, Guy Rider, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

Before leaving Munich for home tomorrow, Buhari will hold bilateral talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada on the sidelines of the G-7 Outreach Programme.

He is also expected to meet U. S. President Barack Obama, President Francois Hollande of France, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, and other G-7 leaders in the course of the Outreach Session and have a working lunch at the Elmau Castle.

The Head of the Bavarian regional government will host a dinner in honour of President Buhari and other leaders invited to the G-7 Outreach Programme tonight.

Credit: NAN