Photos: Senior delegation from ONE including co-founder, Bono meets with Vice President Osinbajo, Senate President Saraki

A senior delegation from the ONE Campaign met with His Excellency Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Honourable Minister for Health on April 8th. They also met with key legislators including the Senate President, His Excellency Senator Bukola Saraki, Sen. Dino Melaye and Sen. Abiodun Olujimi on April 9th. ONE’s Delegation included Co-Founder Bono, Board Chairman Tom Freston, CEO Gayle Smith and Nigeria Country Director Serah Makka-Ugbabe.



Discussions focused on building effective partnerships for the delivery of healthcare to Nigerians and transparency and accountability in public institutions. The delegation, along with Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a member of ONE’s Board of Directors, presented to Vice President Osinbajo a declaration signed by over 67,000 Nigerian youth detailing their policy priorities for the new term of the Buhari Administration. Said Bono:



“Accountable politicians and empowered citizens are clearly key to any country’s bright future. Delighted to see that combination encouraged here in Abuja by the Vice President and Health Minster last night and now the Senate President today. No one branch of government on its own can achieve what’s needed. Just as we do all around the world, ONE will meet with anyone in the service of our goal of health care for everyone.



The almost 3 million members of ONE in Nigeria, led by ONE’s Nigeria Director Serah Makka-Ugbabe, are a powerful force for that better future, and I’m here to listen, to learn and to support their efforts.” Serah Makka-Ugbabe, ONE’s Nigeria Country Director said,



“Our campaign is built on the ideal of strong, transparent institutions that are responsible to their citizens. The ONE Campaign in Nigeria has worked with partners to secure the allocation of 1% CRF towards the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, a Vote Your Future campaign which put the views of Nigeria’s youth front and centre in national political debate and ongoing work on Transparency and Accountability across government sectors. As the ONE Campaign, we need accountable politicians in the executive branch and in the legislative branch. We and our almost 3 million of empowered citizens of Nigeria will do our part.”




About ONE:



ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of over 9 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Nigeria accounts for 2.8 million members. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programmes. Read more at www.one.org.

'There's still hope for their return' - President Buhari speaks on the 5th anniversary of Chibok girls abductions

President Buhari has reminded the parents of the school girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State that he has still not forgotten their daughters who were kidnapped from their dormitory five years ago (April 14, 2014).



He promised the parents when he met them, at the beginning of his first term as president, that he would bring their daughters home. He is aware that this promise he made is the main reason the people of Chibok voted overwhelmingly for him in the February elections, and although his government has so far succeeded in bringing back 107 of the girls, the President will not rest until the remaining are reunited with their families.



President Buhari assures the parents that his administration is still on the matter. Diverse efforts are being intensified to secure the release of the Chibok Girls, along with all hostages in Boko Haram captivity, including Leah Sharibu who was kidnapped from her school, Science Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018.



On Leah Sharibu's abduction, the interlocutors have reported encouraging progress so far. The report reaching us says her return to her family has unfortunately been hindered by the fear of the militants. They worry that heavy military presence in areas where they previously moved about freely could affect their safety after they return her to the government.



At the same time, the military cannot jeopardise the security of the entire north-eastern region by halting their operations to accommodate Boko Haram's fears. Leah Sharibu will be reunited with her family as soon as any conclusions are reached on a number of options being considered for her safe transportation. The success of the Nigerian military in subduing Boko Haram is evidenced by the large numbers of militants who have surrendered recently, especially in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.



A similar mass surrender of militants is expected to happen soon in Nigeria. While Nigerian military operations are ongoing, the government is also engaging with the militants but the talks have been affected by the factionalisation of Boko Haram – with one group adopting a hard line attitude and intensifying attacks on Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, and another group engaging with the government for peaceful resolution.



President Buhari also uses this opportunity of the commemoration of the Chibok tragedy to commend the girls, now women, who have triumphed over it all. He sends special greetings to the 106 girls sponsored by the Nigerian government to continue their studies at the American University of Nigeria, Yola.



He encourages them to stay focused on becoming women who will inspire girls in Nigeria and around the world to triumph over the daily battles they face in a world that is often unfair to the girl-child.

Brazil legend Pele successfully undergoes surgery to remove kidney stone in Sao Paulo hospital

Brazilian football legend, Pele has successfully undergone surgery for the removal of a kidney stone in a Sao Paulo hospital.



The Albert Einstein Hospital said on its website on Saturday that Pele's surgery was successful but did not provide additional details.



According to Daily Mail, the 78-year-old was hospitalised in Brazil on April 2 after spending five days in a Paris hospital with a urinary infection.



Pele, who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time won the World Cup three times and has claimed to have scored 1281 goals in 1363 games during his playing career.

President Buhari seeks regional co-operation to check illegal flow of arms into Nigeria

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President Buhari today arrived in N’Djamena, the Chadian capital seeking wider cooperation among countries of Sahel and Saharan regions to counter the infiltration of small arms to Nigeria, flowing into the hands of militia forces, bandits and insurgents who are becoming a threat to human rights and internal security.



The Nigerian leader is participating in the one-day Extraordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, CEN-SAD, alongside his host and current Chairperson of CEN-SAD, Idriss Deby Itno and their counterparts from Niger and Togo, with high-level representations from other member-countries.



Nigeria under President Buhari has worked closely with immediate neighbours in the last few years to stem the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons making their way into Nigeria, but the “very disturbing recent developments” have impelled the administration to seek support from a wider circle of countries if the illegal inflows are to be curtailed.



The President is also putting on the table for discussions, the problems of irregular migration, trafficking in persons, especially of women and children as part of the security nature of his engagements.



It is in view of the significance of this organization and the role it can play in furthering domestic security that President Buhari ordered the reinvigoration of our nation’s interest, approved the payment of the backlog of unpaid funds and for a speedier work on the processes of the ratification of the treaty binding the members of the organization.



While in N’Djamena, President Buhari is also expected to press for the protection of the well-being of the large population of Nigerians living both legally and illegally in Libya, which is the host country of the CEN-SAD Secretariat.

Fire breaks out at Coachella music festival in California

Fire broke out early on Saturday at the Coachella music festival in California but authorities confirm that no injuries have been reported.



The fire, at a mobile shower unit at the Empire Polo Club grounds, was reported at 2:06 a.m. local time, Riverside County Fire Department said as four engines responded to the scene, near the center of the venue.



One trailer was damaged, while a second was destroyed, they said. How the fire started wasn't immediately clear. The fire sparked just days after a longtime Coachella worker fell to his death while setting up for the event. Concertgoer Lauren Levy, who witnessed the fire, said it brought back painful memories of a recent California wildfire.


"My fiancé, Marcel Vigneron, and I have an RV in the corner area close to where the fire was. It all happened a few minutes after 2 a.m., and the flames got high quickly. We were told at one point we had to vacate the premises, but then we were told it was OK and we could stay.

There are many firefighters around here, thankfully, so they were able to put it out quickly, thank goodness, but what a scare. We were evacuated from our home in Malibu in November, so this shook me up, seeing fire so close again. The flames got high" Levy said.

Coachella kicked off Friday with Donald Glover, who raps and sings as Childish Gambino, as the headliner of the annual arts and music festival held over two weekends in April. Tame Impala and Ariana Grande are due to headline Saturday and Sunday, respectively.



Other event performers include Kacey Musgraves, Blackpink, Janelle Monáe, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, Bad Bunny, Khalid, Ella Mai, H.E.R. and actor Idris Elba, who is also an accomplished DJ. YouTube will offer a curated livestream of both weekends' performances, a first for the video-sharing site.

Sad! Little girl dies after her 4-year-old brother accidentally shot her in the head

A 6-year-old Georgia girl has died after her 4-year-old brother accidentally shot her in the head in a car outside their home.



The girl, identified as Millie Drew Kelly was shot Monday evening at their subdivision about a 40-minute drive northwest of downtown Atlanta, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said. The siblings were in a car in their driveway, preparing to go to the boy's baseball game, when the vehicle failed to start.



The mother exited to try to find out what was wrong with the car, authorities said. The boy took a gun from the car's console and accidentally fired it while his mother was outside, striking his sister in the head, the sheriff's office said. Emergency responders were called and took her to an Atlanta-area hospital.



Two days later, detectives learned the girl had died, the sheriff's office said. Detectives determined that no charges will be filed. "It's just a really sad situation," sheriff's Sgt. Ashley Henson said Saturday morning. "Just based on all the evidence and the entire situation, we felt like charges were not warranted in this particular case."



Sheriff Gary Gulledge said that his officers' "hearts break for this family, and we hope God puts his healing hands around them during this difficult time." "We want to remind everyone to keep their firearms unloaded and secured in an area away from children to ensure that this never happens again," Gulledge said in a news release