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FILE PHOTO: Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, attends the national convention of Nigeria's opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the southern city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta The main opposition challenger to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in next year's election has selected a former governor from the southeast of the country to be his running mate, the candidate's spokesman said on Friday. Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president who will stand as the candidate for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2019 vote, chose Peter Obi, formerly governor of the southeastern state of Anambra. The choice points to a strategy to generate support in the southeast, where Buhari has polled badly in past elections and cracked down on secessionists by deploying troops on the streets. Geographical affiliations are crucial in a sprawling nation of 190 million people from 250 ethnic groups. Obi, a 57-year-old who was governor of Anambra from 2

© Provided by Nigeria Communications Week A turboprop aircraft belonging to Overland Airways was on Friday severely damaged by fire while parked at the airline’s hanger at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The ATR aircraft , with registration number: 5N-BPE, was being powered by the Ground Power Unit (GPU) when the incident occurred. However, there were no casualties as the fire was quickly contained by fire fighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Mr Sam Adurogboye, general manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said that the regulatory authority had been notified of the incident and was awaiting the airline’s report. He, however, added that “it was a minor incident and there were no casualties. We are still waiting for more details from the airline.” Also, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, spokesperson for the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), said the bureau’s investigators have been deployed to the s

File Photo-A gas flare burns at the Batan flow station operated by Chevron under a joint-venture arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Sixteen people were killed after a fire broke out on Friday on an oil pipeline in the southeast of Nigeria, a spokesman for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation told Reuters. The state oil company said the fire occurred along the Osisioma axis near the Aba depot and emergency services had now been deployed to the scene. It added that production would be affected as they had to stop pumping oil on the line, although "not adversely" as they also transport crude by road. "The incident might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept the flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba," NNPC said in an earlier statement. Many oil spills in the southern oil production heartland of Africa's biggest crude producer are caused by theft and pipeline sabotage. The meth

Southeast Asia has to be one of the most popular tourist destinations at the moment. There’s an endless array of delightful and addictive beaches, mountains, ancient temples, rivers, world heritage sites, rice paddies, vast cosmopolitan cities and petite ethnic villages. The diversity in Southeast Asia is worth experiencing. Here are some of the most interesting things that you can do when you visit this gorgeous destination. 10. Explore Kratie, Cambodia to get a view of the rare Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins Take a trip to Kratie, north of Siem Reap to get a glimpse of the rural Cambodian life. You’ll also get a chance to see some of the rarest freshwater dolphins in the world. There’s a small boat company which will take you out to the remote parts of the Mekong. You’ll get to relax on the tiny deck and observe the hypnotic river where these fascinating dolphins reside 9. Take a balloon ride over Bagan, Myanmar To really get a grasp of how enormous the Buddhist monasteries at Baga

Plans for an 'invisible' superyacht which blends into the sea and makes those on board feel like they are 'floating on air' have been unveiled. The 106-metre Mirage, which could cost as much as £200 million ($264 million), will be completely clad in specially mirrored glass which reflects the image of the sea back to onlookers. This will make it look as if the 4,200-tonne vessel has 'vanished' to people from as little as 50 meters away - though any radar will still detect the yacht with plenty of time to manoeuvre. Meanwhile, the yacht's own radar can also look out for smaller boatson a collision course, giving the captain time to take any evasive action. Designed to be the ultimate purchase for privacy-hungry billionaires, Mirage comes fully equipped with a helipad, spa, outdoor theatre and cinema. The six-decked craft can sleep 14 guests and 29 crew members, and can cruise at a comfortable speed of 19 knots. It was developed by Italian boatbuilders Finc

A militia group fighting against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria has released 833 children from its own ranks, some as young as 11, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Friday. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was a local militia formed in 2013 by a number of vigilante groups in Nigeria's Borno state.

Nigeria's former ruler Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday backed his ex deputy to beat incumbent Muhammadu Buhari in elections next year, in a cautious endorsement after a years-long feud. Atiku Abubakar, who is referred to across Nigeria by his first name, was Obasanjo's deputy from the return of civilian rule in 1999 until 2007. Their relationship soured over Obasanjo's bid to change the constitution to allow him to seek a third term of office, and Abubakar's desire to replace him as head of state. But in an apparent rapprochement, the ageing pair met in Obasanjo's home town of Abeokuta, in southwest Nigeria, less than a week after Abubakar won the nomination to run against Buhari for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). "You have the capacity to perform better than the incumbent," Obasanjo told Abubakar, describing him as "president-to-be". "You surely understand the economy better, you have business experience, which can mak

The death toll from floods across much of central and southern Nigeria has reached 199, the national disaster agency said on Wednesday, almost doubling the number of people killed from three weeks earlier. The almost annual floods, exacerbated by poor infrastructure and lack of planning to protect against inundation, are the worst since 2012, when at least 363 people died. This year floods have hit one-third of Nigeria's 36 states since late August, affecting 1.92 million people and displacing over 560,000 of them, said the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Nigeria's rainy season is now drawing to a close, but flood waters could take time to recede, while humanitarian needs are pressing and diseases such as cholera are a major risk, said the agency. Flooding in recent years has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless in Nigeria, Africa's biggest energy producer and most populous country. protect against inundation, are the worst since 2012, when at le