Global stocks sank Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with talks that are aimed at averting a trade war with China. Equities were also dented by poor eurozone economic data, and as Trump cast doubt on a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “Trump (is) continuing to drive uncertainty over global trade,” said analyst Joshua Mahony at trading firm IG. “European markets are following their Asian counterparts lower, as a pessimistic tone from Trump is compounded by downbeat economic data,” he added. Markets had surged Monday after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said they had agreed to pull back from imposing threatened tariffs on billions of dollars of goods, and continue talks on a variety of trade issues. However, Trump has declared that he was “not satisfied” with the status of the talks, fuelling worries that the world’s top two economies could still slug out an economically pain...
The Presidency yesterday claimed there was no clash between the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF) Winifred Oyo-Ita at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At a brief interaction with State House correspondents yesterday, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the reports of a fight between the two top government officials as mere fabrication conjured up by the media.
Recall that Oyo-Ita was seen reacting angrily during last Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting apparently over her leaked memo to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Her reaction was witnessed by members seated in the council chambers for the twin ceremony of the swearing-in of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and the launch of the 2018 Armed Forces emblem and appeal fund.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, were seen questioning Oyo-Ita, shortly before the commencement of the event that kicked off the twin ceremony at 10:55am.
The ensuing drama, which lasted about 10 minutes, was witnessed by Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Chief Justice of the Federation, Walter Onnoghen, the Governor of Adamawa State, Jibrila Bindo, APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, Inspector General of Police as well as Heads of Paramilitary Service and State House Correspondents among others.
But reacting to the media reports, Malam Shehu insisted that it was impossible for the conversation between the President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and the HoSF, Mrs Oyo Ita, to have been heard by any journalist, as the distance between the State House correspondents and the two government officials as they addressed the Vice President at Wednesday’s FEC meeting, would have made their conversation completely inaudible to the journalists.
“People can debate and argue over issues, but to suggest that there was a feud, a fight or a clash was to take matters beyond what they were,” the SSA media said.
Malam Shehu also categorically denied any suggestion that the two government officials had been summoned to see the President over the alleged skirmish, referring to that conclusion as yet another example of conjecture.
“Top government officials of that calibre see the President on a regular basis. To suggest that they were summoned to see him as a result of a so-called feud is just a fabrication,” he said.
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