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Showing posts from April, 2016

Why PDP will lose woefully in 2019

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was Nigeria’s ruling party for 16 years before it was unseated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. PDP lost woefully in the elections because Nigerians had become disenchanted with the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the APC promised them change. Another major factor that contributed to the PDP’s downfall was the division within its ranks which led to the creation of the “New PDP” by some of its prominent members who eventually joined the APC. One would think that the PDP’s woeful loss in the 2015 elections would make it rethink its methods and strategize on new ways to handle politicking and electioneering, but sadly this is not the case. The PDP is continuing on the same path which led to its 2015 defeat and if this doesn’t change, the party might just end up being blown to oblivion in 2019. First of all, the PDP still hasn’t realized that Nigeria is not its property and that the country’s citizens resent

Cecilia Ezeilo opposes grazing reserves

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The Enugu State Government has opposed the creation of grazing reserves across the country following the invasion of Nimbo community in the state by suspected herdsmen. The Deputy Governor of the State, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo , made the declaration in Enugu on Friday while presenting the government’s position on the incident to the Defence Headquarters Committee on Persistent Clashes between Herdsmen and Farmers in Nigeria. The committee led by Maj.-Gen. Edward Nze was in the state on the mandate of the chief of defence staff to find a lasting solution to menace of herdsmen in the country. Ezeilo recommended that the Federal Government should create ranches to reduce the clashes between herdsmen and farmers. In the document, the state government called for immediate disarmament of the herdsmen across the country and a proper screening by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to repatriate the aliens among them. It also said that in discussi

Aisha Buhari:Free cancer, diabetes screening for 2,500 women in Ibadan

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The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has said that 2,500 women will receive free screening for cancer, diabetes, blood pressure and malaria through her Pet Project, "Future Assumed’’, in Ibadan on Thursday. Buhari made the disclosure in Ibadan on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, when she visited Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Salisu Adetunji, in his palace. She said that the screening had become necessary as it would enable them to know their health status early and improve their health. She said breast and cervical cancer, blood pressure, diabetes and malaria were major killer diseases across the global and could be prevented or managed through regular check-ups. Buhari said she was in the state to introduce her programme on Women and Children Health Screening Initiative, which started last year with a view to improving their health. The President’s wife said the programme which would be introduced in all states of the federation, had begun in some states.

Muhammadu Buhari and World Bank discuss the country's economic crisis

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The World Bank held talks with the Nigerian president on Wednesday on how it could help Nigeria overcome an economic crisis caused mainly by a sharp fall in crude prices eating into its oil revenues. On her second day of meetings with Nigerian officials, World Bank Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Sri Mulyani Indrawati met President Muhammadu Buhari , who plans to stimulate the flagging economy with a record 6 trillion naira ($31 billion) budget. Nigeria will have to borrow 1.8 trillion naira from abroad and at home to help fund the budget, which has been delayed by several months and wrangling with parliament, if it goes ahead. Although Nigeria has held talks with the World Bank over a possible loan or credit facility in recent months, Indrawati did not address this when speaking to reporters after the meeting. " We would like to know how we can help Nigeria to make the very important decisions, whether on micro economic policy and other se

Shooting Stars management apologize for humiliation against Pillars

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The management of Shooting Stars Sports Club, has apologised to the side’s fans, after they were thrashed by Kano Pillars.The Oluyole Warriors lost 6-0 to the former NPFL champions, in Sunday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NFPL) Match Day 13 fixture, at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. An official of the club, Jubril Arowolo, vowed that they will put the defeat behind them. “It was really a bad day for us but we cannot continue to rue the loss as no amount of regrets will undo the painful result,” he told SuperSport. “We feel the deed has been done we must head straight to the trenches to fight back toward returning to winning way again. “We are deeply sorry mostly to our teeming supporters who strongly believe in us and must have been disappointed by the shocking result. “We have to quickly come up with modalities to make up for the defeat and avert further occurrence in the ongoing league. “We need the supporters understanding now more than ever to help us t

Corruption: 55 persons stole N1.34trn from govt in 7 years – Lai Mohammed

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Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday said Nigeria was paying for the level of corruption during the era of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).Speaking in Lagos at a town hall meeting, Lai said “I’ve heard many commentators say that this administration is fighting corruption without paying attention to the economy. Of course, this is not true”. “It was corruption that prolonged the war against Boko Haram and sent many soldiers and civilians to their early graves. It was corruption that ensured that while oil was selling for over $100 per barrel, we had nothing to show for the windfall. “It was corruption that gave us darkness instead of light when we supposedly pumped millions of dollars into the power sector. I can tell you today that we are squarely fighting corruption and we are winning. “The situation is serious and no government can fight the battle alone. That explains why we have launched a nationwide sensitization campaign to make N

Senate President withdraws appeal court motion seeking CCT to stop Saraki's trial

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Senate President, Bukola Saraki 's motion seeking an order stop the proceeding on his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), has been struck out by the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The motion was thrown out on Monday, April 25, by a three-man panel of Justices of the appellate court led by Justice Abdul Aboki , following the withdrawal of the motion by Saraki’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi , SAN. Agabi, who did not a reason for the withdrawal, however prayed the court for accelerated hearing of the substantive appeal challenging jurisdiction of the CCT to entertain the 13-count criminal charge against Saraki. He apologised to the appellate court panel for the decision to withdraw the stay of proceeding motion. ‎"We sincerely apologise to your lordships for taking the action after you have already read through such a voluminous motion. It is unfair to say we are withdrawing. But we have to. We want to withdraw the motion", Agabi said. ‎The counse

IPOB accuses FG of stalling Kanu's trial as case file went 'MISSING'

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Federal Government, Department of State Services (DSS) and Attorney General of Nigeria Federation of frustrating the trial of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu on purpose. The hearing on Kanu's appeal which was scheduled to hold on Monday, April 25, 2016, was shifted to May 5, after a three-man panel of justices found out that the case was not listed on the court’s case list. According to a statement issued by the group's spokesman, Mr Emma Powerful , in Onitsha, Anambra State on Monday, April 25, the DSS, Attorney General and the Judiciary have all ganged up to play hide and seek game with Kanu’s trial, to they can continue to imprison him. The statement read: “The Nigerian Federal Government and its agents have deliberately refused to come to court for the case. They have refused to respect court orders and do not honour court date, and we are wondering why Mr. Kanu is still being held, since, they are no

Residents desert village as malaria kills 5 in jigawa

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The people of Jikai village of Sule-Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa have deserted their community following the loss of five people to malaria, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The deceased included four children and an adult. NAN gathered that residents of the community were apprehensive that the victims might have died of Lassa fever and not malaria, thus prompting their relocation to other villages. Alhaji Sulaiman Doro, the council’s Information Officer, told NAN in Dutse on Friday that the local government’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, Alhaji Nasidi Musa, had visited the village to condole with the bereaved families. According to Doro, the chairman expressed dissatisfaction with the rumour that the victims died of Lassa fever or Ebola disease. The spokesman quoted Musa as saying that the blood samples of the affected persons confirmed that it was malaria that afflicted the village. Musa advised parents in the area to take t

Sierra Leone to back Nigerian Shippers’ Council

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The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on Friday said it would collaborate with the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration to establish the Sierra Leonean Shippers’ Council. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Executive Council of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello , stated this while receiving a delegation of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration at the Council’s Headquarters’ in Lagos. Bello said that the collaboration would enable both countries to discuss on shipping issues with the hope of strengthening African shipping operations. He said that NSC had been collaborating with the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) to start with two ships and trade on export products within the West Central Africa sub-region. The executive secretary said that the partnership with NEXIM was to create shipping link in the regional trade. He said that Nigeria was an import-dependent nation, adding that there was need to look inwards on exportation to diversify the economy a

Fans close streets down with emotional 'Purple Rain' sing along

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Prince's legion of fans recreated the closing scene of "Purple Rain" on a very grand scale, and it was quite a touching tribute to the iconic musician. prince It was bound to be a night of overflowing emotions for the fans who were obviously saddened that they would never again get to hear the multi-instrumentalist belt out some of his most popular tunes.   Prince and Beyonce The emotions reached a crescendo when Prince's signature anthem 'Purple Rain' came blaring out of speakers, and the crowd of several hundred people sang along to the timeless song... "Y'know what I'm singing about up here ... C'mon raise your hand!"

‘I’m not interested in any PDP position,’ Party spokesman says

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The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has said that he has no interest in any new position in the party. Metuh also said that he will not be contesting for any office at the PDP National Convention which will hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on May 21, 2016, Punch reports. The PDP spokesperson made the disclosure via a statement released on Thursday, April 21, 2016. It reads: “I wish to state publicly that I have no ambitions to continue as a member of the National Working Committee after the expiration of my current tenure as the National Publicity Secretary, a decision that is enjoying the support of my family. “I therefore with every sense of responsibility confirm to all members of our great party that I will not run for any position whatsoever in the forthcoming National Convention irrespective of which office may be zoned to the South-East for that matter. “What is paramount in my mind at this point is

Stars make Time's '100 Most Influential People' List

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Nicki Minaj, Idris Elba, Kendrick Lamar, Charlize Theron are some of the stars who made Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People List of 2016. The prestigious list was released  Thursday, April 21 and has gotten the social media world talking. Nicki Minaj Nicki Minaj makes the icon's category for her rapping skills and how she's influenced younger girls with her "work ethic". Actor Leonardo DiCaprio also makes this list for being a "real" and limitless" talent but also for his great works in promoting climate change around the world.   Idris Elba looking confident   Stars who make the artist category include, Taraji P. Henson for being "fiercely loyal" and Idris Elba for being such a diligent actor. South African actress Charlize Theron also makes the cut for not only a discipline actor but has also used her  "Charlize Theron Outreach Project" for help prevent you

Global drive hampered without drugs for "neglected" West and Central Africa

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A global drive to help curb the HIV epidemic by 2020 will fail unless millions of people with the virus in West and Central Africa receive life-saving drugs, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Wednesday. The United Nations AIDS programme (UNAIDS) launched a five-year treatment programme in 2014 to ensure that by 2020 almost all people with HIV worldwide know their status and receive treatment. The drugs used to treat HIV also help to curb the spread of the virus. Only one in four adults and one in 10 children living with HIV in West and Central Africa have access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, compared to almost half of HIV sufferers in Eastern and Southern Africa, MSF said. HIV treatment is not considered a priority in West and Central Africa by donors or governments, as the region has a smaller percentage of people infected with HIV than Eastern and Southern Africa, said Mit Philips, health policy advisor at MSF. " Donors focus mostly on high prev

Governor to register houses, land in Kaduna

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About 7, 000 houses have already been registered in Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state. Speaking at a KSMC Hausa programme, ‘ Kasar Mu a Yau’ aired on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, the head of Kaduna State agency for Land and Survey, Ibrahim Husaini , disclosed that all houses and land will be registered. " 7000 houses have been registered in Kaduna North Local government. We are hoping that under the leadership of Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad Elrufai, all houses and lands in Kaduna State will be registered ," Husaini said.

'I owe 85% of my success to my father', says actor

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Nollywood actor, Femi Adebayo , who is now a Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has revealed that his father, Adebayo Salami , is the major reason for his career success. In an interview with The Nation newspaper, Femi Adebayo described his father as a resourceful person who represented an image of leadership.   Femi Adebayo and dad, Adebayo Salami He said, "I must say that if I am opportuned to come into this world again, I want to come through him. Daddy is an extremely humble man and we learnt that from him." "Apart from the fact that he’s a talented actor, daddy is a born leader and the attribute of leadership, we took from him." "I’ve been using so much of his principles in my daily activities and it has been really working for me. So I give it to him. And I must say that I owe 85% of my success to him." Adebayo was appointed a Special Adviser on Arts, Culture and Tourism, t

Court finally docks Synagogue Church Trustees, engineers for manslaughter

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Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos High Court has ordered the arraignment of Synagogue Church of all Nations, SCOAN, trustees and two engineers alongside their companies involved in the September 12, 2014 building collapse that killed 116 persons in the Ikotun area of the state. They were finally arraigned on Tuesday after the judge dismissed the application filed by two of the defendants seeking to quash the charge. Since the Lagos State Government filed the 111 charges which border on criminal negligence, manslaughter and failure to obtain building permit, the defendants have severally stalled their arraignment by filing several applications. Immediately after Justice Akapo initial ruling, lead counsels representing the defendants made several attempts to convince the court not to proceed with the arraignment. While Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, representing SCOAN argued that it would be improper to proceed with arraignment since the day’s business of the cour

Ini Edo, Simi, Deyemi Okanlawon are a year older today

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Today is Nollywood actress, Ini Edo , singer Simi and actor, Deyemi Okanlawon 's birthday! Deyemi Okanlawon   Adeyemi Okanlawon was born and raised in Lagos , Nigeria and is fast becoming an actor of note with several of his work being nominated and awarded by prominent Nigerian and Pan-African film bodies including the hit web-series 'GidiUp', 'Knock Knock' as well as short films ' Blink ' and ' Iredu '.   Deyemi Okanlawon In 2013 he was awarded Best Actor in a Short Film at the In-Short film festival for his portrayal of a violent psychotic husband in the short film thriller, ' Blink '.   Simi - 'Unpretty', 'Bibanke', 'Work' (cover) songs Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Simi , a Mass Communications graduate, is no stranger to the Nigerian music industry. She wrote her very first song at the age of 10 and started out singing

Fabregas – Chelsea players betrayed Mourinho’s trust

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Home / Sport / Chelsea players betrayed Mourinho’s trust – Fabregas Chelsea Star, Cesc Fabregas has claimed that Chelsea players let former boss Jose Mourinho down.Mourinho was sacked as manager of the Stamford Bridge last December, after a run of poor results and reports of him falling out with some players including Fabregas. The Portuguese had given the squad extra holiday, after they won the Premier League and Fabregas feels the players failed to repay that trust. “A lot has been said, and many wrong things, about that,” Fabregas explained on Monday Night Football. “I love Jose, and I even consider him my friend. We still keep in touch right now and some of the things said were unfortunate. “But I have huge respect for him, and I think Jose’s biggest problem was that he trusted us too much. He gave us more holiday because we were champions, he believed in us more, he trusted us more, and we let him down. “The whole team, all the players. And that was the m

PDP – Buhari’s 16-year-old daughter flies first class to London amid hardship in Nigeria

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The People’s Democratic party, PDP, has alleged that despite the hardship and economic meltdown currently rocking the nation, Hanan Aisha Buhari, 16-year-old daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, reportedly flew first class on British Airways, BA, flight 083 to London from Abuja on Tuesday.This disclosure was made known via PDP Nigeria Twitter account, @PdpNigeria on Tuesday. According to the tweet, “Hanan (Aisha) Buhari – 16yr old daughter of our president flew first class on BA flight 083 to London from Abuja today. “Her seat number was 2k. She is a Secondary School Student. “So   much about the people’s president. #BuhariAndCorruption.”

Ogenyi Onazi desperate to represent Nigeria at 2016 Olympics

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Lazio midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, has admitted he would love to play for Nigeria at the Olympic Games in August this year.The 23-year-old is desperate to be part of the Dream Team VI to the competition in Rio. “I spoke with [the coach] and it will be another chance for me to represent my country to achieve something important, for my country and for myself as well. I will be glad to be part of the [Olympic] team,” Onazi told Goal. Meanwhile, coach of the Nigerian team, Samson Siasia, has revealed that he has already made up his mind about the three over-aged players he will pick. “I already have in mind the three over-age players that I intend using at the Games,” Siasia said. Nigeria have been drawn against Sweden, Japan and Colombia in Group B.

Nigeria loses $700m monthly on shipment of crude oil

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The president, Nigeria Indigenous Ship Owners Association, NISA, Aminu Umar, said the nation was losing 700 million dollars monthly (N137.9 billion) to dominance of crude oil shipment by foreign ship owners. Umar made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos on the sideline of the Annual General Meeting of the association. He urged the Federal Government to grant indigenous ship owners between 10 to 20 per cent allocation in lifting crude oil. The ship owner said that Nigeria was losing a huge amount of money due to the fact that the foreign ship owners had dominated the transportation of crude oil. “Almost 70 to 77 crude oil vessels load oil monthly out of Nigeria. “The foreign ship owners do not employ Nigerians and they do not pay tax. “What we are telling the Federal Government is to give us the support so that we can take at least 10 per cent of the crude oil vessels operating in Nigerian waters, “   Umar told NAN.