Good evening.

Here are the top 5 stories that drove conversation today:

Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo visited the flood victims in Benue on Thursday, with a message from President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I bring greetings from Mr. President who’s concerned about Benue floods & wants a permanent solution to the problem,” the VP’s spokesperson Laolu Akande quoted him saying.

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said Nigerians may not immediately feel the effect of coming out of recession.

“Out of recession is the first step which is very important then the country can talk of economic recovery which is going back to where Nigeria was before the recession,” said Dr. Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation.

Meanwhile, the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to criticise the development saying it is weak, feeble, and does not call for any celebration. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also opined in a series of tweets that the real recession is not over the until Nigerians can eat three square meals.

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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, says resident doctors on nationwide strike have breached the Constitution for taking actions while still in talks with the government.

“Once conciliation starts by the government, no employer has the right to embark on strike,” Ngige said at a mediation meeting in Abuja. “By going on strike you have breached Section 18 of the Trade Dispute Act of 2004.”

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In South Africa, a Nigerian, Clement Ofoma, was allegedly tortured to death by policemen. The Nigerian community in South Africa confirmed the killing on Wednesday, saying it occurred at Springs town, near Johannesburg.

The victim’s wife, a South African citizen said about 10 policemen arrested her husband from his shop on Tuesday, alleging that he was a drug dealer, which he denied.

Recounting the incident,  she said, “The police used cellophane bag to cover his face and at a point, he was struggling to breathe and became unconscious. By the time they took him to a hospital, he was pronounced dead.”

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In the United States, Hurricane Iram – the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history made landfall in the Caribbean island today.

Greater than Hurricane Harvey which ravaged Texas and Louisiana last week, Irma is a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 185 m.p.h., the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami disclosed.

Authorities on the Leeward Islands of Antigua and Barbuda cut power and urged residents to take shelter indoors. “May God protect us all,” they said in a statement.

Reacting to the latest development, U.S. President Donald Trump said he has ensured officials are on the ground to put necessary measures in preparation for the impending danger.