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Professor Charles Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria has bewailed over the dilapidated state of Nigeria, thus states that Nigeria is drifting to a failed state having been in the "Red Beaming Alert" position in the global index. He said that Nigeria has never been more divided than now, as we experience fall in Nigeria economic growth.
Soludo who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting with few Igbo leaders under the ambience of Nzuko Umunna 'Elders Gathering', condemned the planned trial which he called 'secret' of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), perhaps demanded his immediate and unconditional release. He reiterated that the continued detention of Kanu is unacceptable and an abuse IPOB leader's right to legitimate agitation.
Prof Soludo
The meeting he said is for the social, political, economical and otherwise development of Igbo people and Nigeria at large. Pointing at the Nigeria potentials he said "We believe that Nigeria has all the potentials to be great and one of the most prosperous nations on earth. Like most countries of the world, it has its own internal contradictions, challenges of national cohesion and development. On this view he moaned that every country that has endured and prospered has devised a dynamic system for dealing with its internal contradictions.
The failure to deal with our economic challenges has reduced Nigeria to a mire nation without security strength to protect her children.
"Nigerian has never been more divided than now, with the agitations for self-determination becoming more strident and desperate. He said.
“Most discerning patriots have come to the conclusion that Nigeria as currently structured and governed is unsustainable and drifting to a failed state status. Since 2005, Nigeria has drifted from a rank of 54th position in the global
Failed/Fragile State Index to 17th position in 2014 and now to a dangerous 13th position in 2016 (under the 'Red Alert' category of countries)," Soludo said.
The South African Government has deported 97 Nigerians for committing various offences in the country.
The deportees landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Monday night in a chartered aircraft with the registration number GBB710 from Johannesburg.
They were made up of 95 males and two females.
DSP Joseph Alabi, the Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development.
An immigration source told NAN on condition of anonymity that six of the deportees were returned to the country for drug offences while 10 were arrested and deported for other criminal offences .
The others were said to have committed immigration offences in the Southern African country.
All the deportees were profiled by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) while those deported for drug related offences were handed over to the Police for further investigation.
The Federal Government had also on Monday evacuated 41 Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Mali for sex and labour exploitation.
Six of the suspected human traffickers were also apprehended and brought back to the country for prosecution.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has effectively admitted he no longer has a first-choice goalkeeper after declaring he will choose between Willy Caballero and Claudio Bravo on a game-by-game basis.
Bravo was brought in from Barcelona in August to be the senior goalkeeper, but has lost his Premier League place to Caballero in recent weeks after a series of inconsistent displays.
Chile international Bravo was brought back in for the FA Cup fifth-round tie at Huddersfield 10 days ago, and is widely expected to be selected for the replay at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Guardiola
Guardiola, however, has rotated his keepers for domestic cup ties this season, so that would then mean Argentine Caballero returning for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Sunderland.
But Spaniard Guardiola, who let England goalkeeper Joe Hart leave City for a loan move to Italian side Torino last year, insisted on Tuesday he was reviewing the goalkeeping situation constantly.
“They (Caballero and Bravo) are so professional, they are exceptional, so there’s no problem about that,” Guardiola explained.
“You may not believe me, but I am not thinking about who is the first and who is the second.
“I decide on what I see, on what is the recent past, on the upcoming situation of the future. We are going to decide game by game.
“I have to think about it, not just with goalkeepers.
“Tomorrow’s a ‘final’ against one team (Huddersfield) who impressed a lot when we played there away. They are near the top of the Championship. Sometimes, teams at the top of the Championship are stronger than teams in the Premier League.
“So it’s one game. We know how many surprises there are in the Cup, so I have to think about it after the training session tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.”
– Kompany return on hold –
City made eight changes for the goalless draw at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium, and fringe players such as Pablo Zabaleta, Jesus Navas and Nolito are likely to be given a chance to impress again.
Wednesday’s game is the first of five in 19 days for Guardiola’s men, with Premier League tests against Stoke and Liverpool, as well as Sunderland, and the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Monaco to come.
City captain Vincent Kompany, though, is not ready to return after multiple injury setbacks, with the most recent a leg problem.
The Belgium international has played only six times this season, and has been dogged by injury woes over the last two years.
Guardiola, though, insisted Kompany was close to a return, and would be able to play a full part in the remainder of the season.
“Vincent is not ready for tomorrow,” the manager said. “He is much better but not for tomorrow.”
Guardiola and his players had a short break in Abu Dhabi after having no game last weekend, with scheduled opponents Manchester United beating Southampton in the League Cup final at Wembley instead.
The Abu Dhabi trip saw Guardiola meet with City owner Sheikh Mansour for the first time.
Guardiola, who succeeded Manuel Pellegrini as City manager last year, said he was impressed by the Sheikh’s football knowledge –- but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was left in no doubt he will be replaced if results are not good enough.
“I was really impressed that he knew absolutely everything about us,” said Guardiola. “It was nice to meet him and spend a few hours together.
“He is so happy because he sees all the games and he sees the effort, he demands it. He knows we make absolutely everything, we fight until the end.
“I had good relations with almost all my owners in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, of course it is important to know them.
“They know, we know, all the managers and owners know that we are here because of the results. If the results are not good we are going to be replaced. I replaced another manager.”
ABUJA – Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the penchant for unnecessary wealth by the elite in the country was fueling corruption.
Osinbajo who spoke while inaugurating the Private Sector Advisory Group for the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, the first by a United Nations member country at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday said that the actions and inactions of the political, economic and religious elite were affecting the rest of the country.
He said: “This event marks the beginning of the unique partnership between the public and private sector.Ag President Yemi Osinbajo and SSAP on SDGs, Princes Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire during the inauguration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) at the State House in Abuja.
“I have always believed that Nigerian elite, political, business and even the religious elite, have a responsibility to ensure that we do something for our society which will affect it fundamentally.
“Everywhere in the world, it is that elite that have always make a difference in the societies. Those are the ones responsible for transformation.
“Many of the societies that have been truly transformed have done so when their elite decided that it was necessary to do so.
“Sometimes, when you look at our situation, you think that it is necessary to force the political and private sector elite together to do something. But the truth is that whether or not we recognize it formally, they are doing things together whether it is for good or ill. The important thing is to recognize that we have an important role to play.
“We have decided as an elite in this country that wealth is a measure of worth. It is a decision we made consciously or unconsciously.
“The political elite have decided that wealth is a measure of worth and that is why you find so much corruption among the political elite. Even the religious elite believe that it is a blessing of God.
“There are some societies that have decided that the value of human beings is in their contribution to the society. Those societies, of course, have done better than those who have decided that wealth, no matter how it was obtained, is a measure of worth.
“I think it is important if our elite decide that dealing with poverty is worth the while and that it will measure whether or not we are serious about our society.
“There is an enormous responsibility placed upon us as elite to do something about the millions of the extremely poor in our midst. It is a responsibility that we cannot take lightly at all.
“This is how we are going to be measured. At the end of our lives, the question that will be asked is what is the impact that we made on people’s lives. Nobody will be measured by how much money we made or the positions we held.
“A lot of our people in this country hang their hopes on us. They look up to us and believe we can do it and despite all the failures and the false starts, our people especially the poor and the vulnerable still believe that these elite will and can deliver.
“Let us therefore take this as a personal responsibility to our people to do something profound that will make a huge difference in the lives of our people.
“This is why I am so excited about this coming together of the public and private sector to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals are realized in our time and that nobody is left behind”.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, described the inauguration of the PSAG as a landmark event, saying Nigeria was the first United Nations member state launch such a group.
She said that the advisory group was a veritable platform for interaction between leaders, saying it had become imperative to harness the technical resources of the private sector to realize the goals of the SDGs.
She said, “No country has significantly improved people’s lives without the driving force of a vibrant economy.
“In the face of a prevailing fiscal crunch, it has become urgent to leverage multi-stakeholder engagement to mobilize non-government resources for SDGs implementation.
“It is in this recognition that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-Fund established the global Private Sector Advisory Group as a powerful platform for business leaders from across the world to interact, leverage comparative advantages, exchange lessons learned, promote South South, North South and Triangular Cooperation and in the process, accelerate the attainment of the SDGs.”
Orelope-Adefulire listed the duties of PSAG to include engaging with and coordinating the Nigerian Private Sector to partner with the SDGs Office to implement an agreed roadmap; ensuring public-private alliances to provide large scale solutions towards achieving the SDGs; as well as working within a set of SDGs impact areas and focus on driving a specific targets that will be tracked, monitored, reported and reviewed periodically.
Others were to partner with the SDGs Office to hold periodic Public-Private Dialogues to expand engagement for sustainable development; to promote and coordinate broad-based actions to deliver results while mobilising the entire private sector around SDGs priority areas; to galvanise business to deploy the UN global compact for durable development; as well as contributing and helping to mobilize resources for the successful implementation of the SDGs in line with the guidelines contained in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
The inauguration attracted the many stakeholders including the former Minister of Industry and President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Chief Mrs Nike Akande and the Chairman of Channels Television, John Momoh.
Nigeria’s former football official Amos Adamu was on Tuesday banned for two years by world governing body FIFA for ethics violations.
Adamu, a former FIFA executive committee member and West African Football Union president, cannot take part in any “football-related activity at national and international level” for the next two years, FIFA said in a statement.
The sanction is effective from February 28.
Adamu Amos
Adamu, 62, had already served a three-year ban in 2010 for accepting bribes in relation to the attribution of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and 2022 tournament to Qatar.
An investigation into Adamu was opened on March 9, 2015. A final report was passed to FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber last December recommending a sanction, after which ethics committee chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert decided to open proceedings.
FIFA said on Tuesday that “through his involvement in the organisation of an event in 2010, while being a member of the (then) FIFA Executive Committee, Mr Adamu violated … the FIFA Code of Ethics”.
World football’s governing body has been in turmoil since last year due to a number of corruption scandals, including that of a two million Swiss franc payment made by former president Sepp Blatter to ex-UEFA supremo Michel Platini that saw both men banned from the game.
General overseer, Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, a.k.a Liberation City, Dr. Chris Okafor has advised his fellow pastor, Tunde Bakare to organise a national rally on saving Nigerian souls just like he(Bakare) did during the time of Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan's administration.
He said Bakare should do so if he must keep his dignity as the current crisis facing Nigerians in the country warrant that their souls be urgently saved now.
Speaking during one of his programmes, he said Christian leaders should speak out in the face of mounting confusion, recession, destruction, oppression and killing of Christians in Nigeria.
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has expressed its commitment to grow the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company's, NPDC, crude oil production to 500,000 barrels per day by 2020.
The Corporation said it would also grow NPDC's gas production to 1500mmscf per day within the same period.
The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, who stated this in a keynote address titled: "NNPC's Commercial Strategy and Priorities" at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, said everything was being done to achieve the target reserve growth as well as increase national crude oil production to 3million barrels per day from the current 2.2 million barrels per day.
Dr Maikanti Baru
He also said NNPC would sustain frontier exploration in the inland basins to meet government's aspiration to achieve crude oil and gas reserves of 40 billion barrels and 200 trillion cubic feet respectively by 2020.
Dr Baru put the current oil and gas reserves at 37 billion barrels and 192 trillion cubic feet (tcl) respectively.
"Furthermore, efforts are currently ongoing amongst all stakeholders to reduce the level of gas flare by converting most of the flared volumes to ensure commerciality of the gas resources", he stated.
Speaking further on gas commercialization, Dr Baru said efforts were on to raise between $3.6 and $4.5 billion to build the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline to help generate 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity for the country.
"Beyond growing gas for the power sector, there has been a strategic positioning of the sector to support massive gas-based industrialization. We will incubate and midwife a portfolio of critical and mutually dependent investments (Central Processing Facilities, CPFs, Fertilizer, Petrochemical, Free Trade Zone, FTZ, infrastructure and Ports) which will jumpstart the gas revolution agenda. NNPC intends to develop or take equity in some of these gas-based industries such as fertilizer and others", he said.
Another priority for the Corporation, according to the GMD, was the rehabilitation of the refineries, adding that his Management has secured the approval of the Board to pursue the rehabilitation with a view to increasing their capacity utilization to above 60 per cent.
He expressed confidence that diligent execution of the initiatives would increase the commerciality and profitability of the Corporation in the near term.
Meanwhile, while declaring open the 2017 edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Monday, Dr Maikanti Baru, said Nigerian oil and gas industry was on the path of recovery with crude oil price on the upswing, decline in pipeline vandalism and drop in restiveness in the Niger Delta.
Dr Baru, who expressed delight that the NOG Conference which could not hold last year has roared back at a time when hope was rising for the industry, stated that there were indicators that things were beginning to shakeup for the industry.
The first indicator, according to him, was that cases of pipeline vandalism have reduced with a positive impact on crude oil production.
"We are having a lot of engagements with people in our core area of operations in the Niger Delta and this is bringing a lot of hope. If we go by the number of pipeline vandalism cases, they have dropped to an average of 20 per cent on a monthly basis as against a similar period last year. This is an indicator that calm is returning to the environment", he said.
He listed other indicators to include the rise in the price of crude oil in the international market and the renewed confidence in the industry among the international oil companies as a result of the cash call exit agreements which have guaranteed a steady flow of funds.
"On this note of hope, I declare the 2017 NOG Conference and Exhibition open", he said as he proceeded to inspect the exhibition stands of the various companies participating at the conference.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Sadiq, on Tuesday performed the ground breaking ceremony for a new Air Force Base, the 211 Regiment Group, Owerri, Imo.
In his remarks, Sadiq said that the Unit when finally put in place would enhance security in the state and help in curbing all kinds of crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery.
He said that the unit which was among the nine new formations established across the country would collaborate with other security agencies in the state to curb crime.
"I advise kidnappers and armed robbers to have a rethink and change their lives unless they want to meet their waterloo.
"The unit we are placing here is a highly skilled unit, a quick response group, one of the best in the Air Force. In the event of anything, we will be able to respond as quickly as possible," Sadiq said.
He also promised that work would soon commence on the site because it was captured in the 2017 budget while giving assurance that Nigerian Air Force (NAF) would help the host communities and other communities in health outreach services.
While commending the Governor of Imo for his giant strides in the development of the state, Sadiq said the NAF would create an enabling environment for him to sustain the growth of the state.
In his speech, Gov. Rochas Okorocha commended the Federal Government for locating the Air Force unit in the state.
Okorocha, however, called for more federal projects especially road projects linking the state with other parts of the country.
The governor pledged the support of the state government to the speedy completion of the permanent site, adding that the new Air Force unit would complement the Imo International Cargo Airport, Imo Air, as well as creating employment.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has announced that students awaiting their O'level results will no longer be able to secure admission into higher institutions.
In a statement by its spokesperson, JAMB also announced the introduction of fourth choice of higher institution during application by candidates.
The statement reads thus : "In the cause of conducting admission exercise, many institutions have admitted candidates on merit only for them to discover that such candidates do not have qualified O'levels results or the right combination for admission and had to delete and start the process all over again. With this, they would have denied other qualified candidates the opportunities for admissions.
FILE: CANDIDATES WRITING UTME
"This we are addressing by ensuring that no candidate is henceforth recommended without his O'levels result being supplied. To achieve this, JAMB will insist that candidates supply their result on its website during registration or later, but before admissions commences for them to be considered for admissions. We believe this will allow only qualified candidates to be considered for admissions.
"Candidates and their parents are also to note that the Board has restructured the registration platform to allow for only one choice of Public University. The new registration platform will now be first choice, second choice, third choice and fourth choice and not most preferred, preferred etc as it was.
"Candidates' first choice can be a College, University, Innovative Enterprises Institutions or Polytechnic/Monotechnic. However, if a candidate makes a Public University his first choice, he will not have any public University to choose for 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice. He will have on the remaining three choices, a College, a Polytechnic, Private University and IEI'S. However, candidates for the 2017 UTME can now select NCE (College) or ND (Polytechnic/Monotechnic) as their 1st choice up to 3rd choice and the 4th IEI. They can select the IEI (Innovative Enterprise Institution, ND) as their 1st choice up to the 4th choice, but can only pick a public university once.
By Levinus Nwabughiogu and Favour Nnabugwu ABUJA-Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja on Tuesday said that a corrupt free country was dependent on a corrupt free civil servants.
He said civil servants who were privileged to occupy high offices in the land had no reason to subvert the will of the people in the execution of government policies.
Osinbajo spoke at the inaugural quarterly civil service lecture series, with its theme: “Civil Service in a Change Environment: The Change is Now”.Ag President Yemi Osinbajo and SSAP on SDGs, Princes Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire during the inauguration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) at the State House in Abuja.
The function also unveiled the Strategic plan of the Civil Service from 2017 to 2019.
He said: “It was the judiciary that told the military then that while it may make laws those laws should still respect the inalienable rights of the people as enshrined in international human right conventions to which the country had voluntarily acceded.
“These were individuals without guns, just sitting down on platforms up there in the court who insisted on holding the military responsible.
“Despite the criticisms that civil servants are subjected to, I am sure that you know that sometimes civil servants are described as ‘evil servants’ but you must take heart. The best professions are usually the most criticized, but I must say that the wholesome privilege of public service is very easily abused or taken for granted. The public service elite represents as we have seen the most important factor in mass development.
“The power to do great good or evil lies with a few people who form what we refer to as our civil service. When some in such an elite see the opportunity as one for self enrichment by corrupt practices then the nation faces a monumental tragedy.
“There is no excuses anywhere in a nation where the majority are still poor and are struggling to make a living that anyone who has the benefit of good education and good fortune of a job in the civil service should subvert that service for personal gains, I think its the greatest tragedy that a nation can experience”.
Also speaking, the Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Iyo-Ita said that change was necessary in the civil service as it would help bring sanity to the system.
She said that the strategic plan was to mainly restore confidence in the service.
“We are able to achieve a lot of feedback mechanisms. As soon as we get complains, we don't allow it to move from table to table anymore. It goes straight to the tripartite committee there and then where they are sitting.
“The PENCOM person is there, the person from employee, PRW, head of service and so on. They immediately analyze the problem, they contact the person and so on. So, they also produce monthly results. I insist that every month, i want to see the number of complaints received, how it has been addressed, what are the issues and so on. And there is a good response.
“You heard what His Excellency, the Acting president say change doesn't have to incorporate everybody. It’s unrealistic. Even if one or two people out of one thousand are able to change, that change will come because it will spread. And you will find out that a time will come in the service when it will be so fashionable to be part of the change train. It will no longer be a thing of having to force people or coerce people to do the right thing. They will just know that they have to do the right thing to maintain their integrity.
“The strategic plan is quit ambitious. It is very bulky, but we can start it right away by setting up a technical team made up of serving and retired civil servants of high group who can actually now help to design the implementation strategy.
“Some parts of the strategy are controversial, some are everybody's piece of pile. Now we will look at how to fine-tune those goals that may not be very achievable in view of the constraints in the service but definitely all the fore goals , like the president said , not all the four goals will be 100% implemented but something. We start with a little of each and definitely the sky is our limit”, she said.
Technology giant, Huawei at the ongoing Mobile World Congress holding in Barcelona, Spain, has released the industry’s first 5G network slicing router at MWC 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.
The 5G network slicing router provides 50GE base station access and seamless compatibility with 100GE, and achieves physical isolation of port channels based on innovative Flexible Ethernet technology to provide differentiated SLA guarantee.
At a media conference at the ongoing conference, the company stated that with the arrival of 5G, human-to-human conducing are becoming human-to-machine or machine-to-machine connections.
“In light of these changes, 3GPP defined three key scenarios for 5G applications: eMBB, mMTC, and uRLLC. eMBB is related to user experience while mMTC and uRLLC are to meet machine-to-machine interconnection requirements.
5G
"This requires that the bearer network infrastructure provide E2E slicing capabilities to ensure differentiated SLA guarantee”, the technology firm said.
Speakers at the conference said Huawei’s network slicing router implements resource slicing from the control, protocol, and forwarding dimensions while a full series of network slicing routers can generate E2E network slicing for specific 5G scenarios.
“Each network slice is a self-sufficient logical network and each service can have an independent network slice. For example, specialized video, IoT, or key communications network slices. Different service slices have their own O&M views and can independently implement resource scheduling and management. This realizes on-demand network SLA guarantee, on-demand bandwidth adjustment, and rapid fault locating for each scenario, meeting the differentiated SLA service bearer requirements of 5G scenarios”, the company explained.
President of Huawei’s Router and Carrier Ethernet Product Line,Gai Gang, explained that Network slicing is the key technology that effectively enables diversified network features for different industries in the 5G era adding that the launch of the 5G network slicing router will effectively promote the development of 5G services and help operators quickly enter more vertical industries.
He observed that Huawei is committed to providing high-quality 5G bearer solutions and actively promoting technical advances in Flexible Ethernet and network slicing.
We hope industry partners will also participate in these initiatives to prepare for the arrival of 5G, he added.
The routing protocols of different network slices can be independently configured to quickly provide physically isolated slices for traditional 2G/3G/4G and other mobile services.
In the future, the technology firm said that the router will be smoothly compatible with 5G services by providing new slices.
On a network using different generations of mobile system, this will fully utilize network resources and protect the customer’s investment.
Before now, Huawei’s mobile backhaul (MBH) solution, which focuses on business innovation and customer experience, has been widely deployed by top service providers from around the globe.
In the 4.5G/5G field, Huawei will provide users with the best network experience and help operators achieve business success by continuously innovating device capacity, network slicing, bearer protocols and other key technologies.
Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop making provocative statements that distract and discourage Nigerians from squarely facing up to the onerous task of fixing the economy and building Nigeria into a strong and virile nation.
Reacting to a statement credited to Obasanjo, in which the former president said his generation had failed the nation, Fayose who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu. Adelusi, decried Obasanjo's sanctimonious self-righteousness, saying that apart from the statement being misleading, self-serving and discomfiting, it is also not what the country needs at this time of great economic distraction.
"There is much suffering in the land. The people are hungry. Yet, one of those responsible for this unsavoury state of affairs relishes in adding insult to the people's injury. He makes statements that are not only reckless but also untrue", he added
Fayose said rather than generalise, Obasanjo should speak for himself. "Obasanjo, truly, has failed this country many times over but not all members of his generation failed this country. There are shinning lights in that generation that have served the nation well", the governor said.
"How about Emeka Anyaoku, Wole Soyinka, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi? The list is endless and they are to be found in all the nooks and crannies of this country who belong in the same generation as Obasanjo and who have done this country proud", he added.
Fayose, however, lamented that Obasanjo wasted all the golden opportunities that he had to make this country great, first as a military Head of State and later as a two-term civilian president. "It is too late in the day for him to now cry over other countries that have passed Nigeria by. This is mere crocodile tears when we realise that no other Nigerian leader had the opportunities that Obasanjo had to make this country great but he bungled them all".
"He should speak for himself and not rope his entire generation into his misadventure in governance. Here is a man who neither recognised nor encouraged any star except himself. He must shoot them down or disparage them. For him, Obafemi Awolowo was not patriotic; MKO Abiola was not the messiah Nigeria needed; Tinubu was a rascal; Jonathan was not good; and President Muhammadu Buhari did not understand economics. Only Obasanjo is good. Only Obasanjo fought and won the civil war. Only Obasanjo understands everything – from economics to military to foreign affairs"
"Yet, this is the same Obasanjo that laid the foundation for corruption in this country with his ill-fated third-term misadventure when billions of Naira was used to bribe National Assembly members. This is the same Obasanjo that turned EFCC under Nuhu Ribadu into his private army to harass political opponents. Under this same Obasanjo, eight civilian governors were illegally and unceremoniously removed from office through kangaroo impeachments. Minority members of the Houses of Assembly were empowered to override the majority members. Under Obasanjo, our elections were "iwuru-wuru" and "mago-mago" and we were the laughing stock of the international community.
"This same Obasanjo, who came back from prison a pauper, ask him how much he is worth today and how he made the money? The launching of his Presidential Library, which he is preparing to commission soon, attracted donations that ran into billions of Naira while he was in office. Only God knows how many more billions the commissioning will garner this time around.
Accusing the former President of an obsession with hugging the limelight, the governor said: "Obasanjo should give us a break. There is no denying the fact that he failed the country. The least he can now do is leave us alone to clear the peculiar mess he and others of his ilk got this country into. Let him retire into obscurity; fade away from the limelight; and allow us our peace and serenity", Fayose added.
Nigerian song writer and singer Banky W's house has been gutted by fire.
Banky W, whose real name is Olubankole Wellington shared the details with his fans on his instagram handle@ bankywellington.
He said he and his dog Duke, escaped unhurt.
Banky's burnt trophies
"Thank God I was awake to smell the smoke. Thank God we caught it early enough and the damage wasn't so bad.. it basically burnt some of the stuff that was around it.
"So awards, portraits, and some small electronics. But thank God, Duke and I are alive and well. We only had to form James Bond and climb down from the top floor balcony LOL..
Thank God for my neighbours and the amazing workers in and around the compound for helping us escape via the balcony, helping put out the fire, and helping with the aftermath/cleaning.
Thank God for life. And I'm not even upset.. I'm just grateful for life, health and for the grace and mercy of God.
I figure I'm about to have the best year ever so the devil tried to throw a tantrum.
But not today Satan. Not today, not ever. Now sit back and watch me be great.
By God's grace. Amen. God bless you all.
The singer whose songs include "Jaiye Orimi'' and All I Want Is You Feat. Chidinma, recently acted a lead role in the film `The Wedding Party.''
Afro-pop sensation Skales has released the highly anticipated video to his smash hit 'Ajaga' featuring DMW boss Davido and Egberi Papa 1 Timaya.
The singer took to his Instagram; in a euphoric post he wrote;
"Here it is, world! The wait is over. I want you all to know I put in a lot to this piece – the artistic value is overwhelming. I want to use this medium to thank my brothers @davidoofficial and @timayatimaya for your contribution in making this beautiful work of art a success. To my amazing fans; this is from me to you – it's because of y'all I do this. Click the link in my bio and enjoy!"
Directed by HG2Films, the video has since made the rounds across social media platforms with hundreds of fans expressing their excitement and commending the singer for his effort in the video.
Skales, Davido & Timaya
The video boasts a variety of radiant colours; making it visually appealing with a number of eye-popping ladies in their bikinis; gyrating heartily.
Davido and Timaya however displayed a side of them that isn't often seen as their meritorious chemistry with Skales easily complimented one another; making every scene incredibly intriguing.
Skales has revealed his long-awaited album 'The Never Say Never Guy' will be released sometime in April 2017. Watch video here: https://youtu.be/8IcmnHcW6qE
Ajaga Audio Available here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ajaga-feat.-davido-timaya/id1140401462?ls=1&app=itunes
Following the resurfaced xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other nationals living in South Africa, the Senate, during plenary on Tuesday, resolved to send a strong delegation of Nigerian legislatures to the South African parliament to put an end to the ugly trend. The Senate equally warned that should the trend persist, Nigeria may be forced to reconsider its diplomatic ties with South Africa.
In a motion of urgent need raised by by Senator Rose Oko on the resurgence of Xenophobic Attacks and Extra-judicial killings of Nigerians in South Africa by the South African Police and nationals, the Senate recounted how one Tockuwu Nnadi was on 29th December, 2016 killed in an extra judicial manner through strangulation by the South African police.
The Senate also recalled that the President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene had confirmed the attack and looting of businesses owned by Nigerians by the South African people.
Xenophobia
The Senate also worried that the attacks have perpetuated despite Nigeria’s remarkable contributions to the liberation of South Africa from the clutches of apartheid.
To this end, the Senate resolved as follows: To “Condemn in strong terms the return of the Xenophobic attacks and extra-judicial killings Nigerians by the South African police, and South Africans.”
“Invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs to provide insight into Govt’s plans towards engaging the S.African govt to effectively end the xenophobic attacks that just resurfaced and the growing incidence of extra-judicial killings of Nigerians.”
The senate also resolved to “Urge the federal Government to reconsider Nigeria’s diplomatic ties with South Africa if the ugly incidents of xenophobic attacks & killings of Nigerians in South Africa are not urgently halted by the South African Government.
It also agreed to “Lead a delegation of Nigerian Legislators to the South African parliament to address the ugly trend.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki said the incident is a sad and unfortunate one. Saraki urged the South African Government to as a matter of urgency put an end to the attacks on Nigerians, saying both countries have enjoyed great relationship over the years.
“We must preserve our dignity and respect for Nigerians, we must be seen to be defending our people at all times,” Saraki said.
Saraki also commend Nigerians for showing constraints by not attacking South African companies in Nigeria as a reprisal attack, saying “two wrongs don't make a right.”
Recall that some days back, South Africans attacked Nigerians and looted their shops. The Nigeria`s Consul General in South Africa, Amb. Uche Ajulu-Okeke while visiting Nigerian victims of the Xenophobic attack described it as unfortunate, saying while a pastor was stabbed, another Nigerian was arrested by the South African police for defending himself.
She said, " We visited seven locations in Pretoria West. At the first location, a garage, 29 cars, 80 Nigerian passports, welding and painting appliances and a restaurant were burnt while cash totalling R140, 000(N3.360m) were removed,"
Recall also that the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu Mnguni had, while reacting to the attacks said that some Nigerians and other nationals living in South Africa were engaging in drug peddling which according to him, is a violation of his country’s laws.
He said there were concerns among South Africans that a few foreigners, including Nigerians, were involved in drug peddling.
"We are not condoning violence, but it will be wrong not to reflect the concerns of South Africans, especially with regard to drug trafficking. "We must not look at one side even though we are not condoning it. People must not take laws into their hands. "When people go to other countries, they must respect the laws of the country,'' he said.
Recall also that the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS had, during a protest in Abuja, warned that its students nationwide would resort to violence against South African nationals and companies in Nigeria should the xenophobic attacks continue in South Africa.
Many other well-meaning Nigerians had equally condemned the attacks.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday adjourned ruling in an application seeking to amend an originating summon pleading for the removal of Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State from office.
The application filed by Sen. Umaru Dahiru was on accounts that the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that produced Tambuwal for the 2015 governorship election was not validly conducted.
Counsel to Dahiru, Mr Ikoro I. Ikoro, argued and sought to amend the originating summon filed against the APC, Tambuwal and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the April 11, 2015 governorship election.
In the amendment Dahiru is now praying the court to remove Tambuwal from office and declare him as the winner of the December 2014 APC Primary Election.
He also asked the court for an order compelling INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the governor present it to him on the grounds that he was the lawfully elected candidate of the APC at the primary election.
The senator also sought an order nullifying the nomination of Tambuwal by APC for the 2015 governorship election and replaced him as the properly nominated APC candidate to INEC for the 2015 governorship election.
•Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Senator Umar Dahiru Tambuwal
However, in his objection to the application, Counsel to APC, Mr Jubrin Okutepa (SAN), asked the court to dismiss the request for the amendment.
He said his objection was on grounds that it is not in compliance with the Supreme Court Judgment of Dec. 9, 2016, which ordered a retrial of the plaintiff's case.
Okutepa argued that the applicant (Dahiru) had changed the character and direction of his earlier originating summon.
He also said that the applicant sought to amend the originating summon because of his sudden discovery that event had overtaken the initial originating summon.
The counsel added that any attempt to allow the amendment will amount to an affront to the Supreme Court Judgment of December last year.
Okutepa further argued that the applicant was not consistent in the reliefs been sought in the proposed amendment as in the originating summon, the applicant had asked the court to nullify the APC primary election.
He said this was on grounds that it was unlawfully conducted and that the same applicant cannot seek to be declared winner of the said unlawfully conducted primary election.
The counsel therefore urged the court to refuse the amendment and allow hearing in the initial originating summon as directed by the Supreme Court.
Counsel to Tambuwal Sunday Ameh (SAN) aligned himself with the submission of the APC and urged the court to hold that the amendment been sought by the governorship aspirant is unmeritorious.
The counsel insisted that it is too late in the day for the applicant to seek the relief after the governorship election had been conducted, adding that the proper place for the applicant to ventilate his anger is the election petition tribunal.
Ameh also submitted that the applicant cannot even go to any election petition tribunal because the 21 day required by law under which a petition can be filed to challenge the election of any declared winner had lapsed since 2015.
He also prayed the court to refuse the temptation of turning itself to an election petition tribunal as there is no law for such an action.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole after taken arguments from both parties fixed March 10 to give ruling on whether to allow or refuse the proposed amendment sought by the former governorship aspirant.
The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Youth and Sports Ministry, has further endorsed the candidature of NFF President Amaju Pinnick for a seat on the Executive Committee of Confederation of African Football, at the polls scheduled for next month's Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
At a meeting convened by Youth and Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung in Abuja on Tuesday, Pinnick and members of his Executive Committee briefed the former, and at the end, Barrister Dalung said the Government of Nigeria has given its blessing to Pinnick's quest and will fully support him.
Dalung and Amaju Pinnick
With regards to the CAF presidential election also coming up at the same Congress in Addis Ababa, the gathering advised, just as the NFF Executive Committee had done in its meeting of Tuesday, 7th February 2017, that the NFF boss should use his discretion to vote for the candidate who will best serve Nigeria's footballing interest. It was agreed that the interest of Nigeria should be paramount in all calculations.
Incumbent CAF supremo Issa Hayatou, the former 400m and 800m champion of Cameroon and who has been in office since 1988, is being challenged by Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, president of the Malagasy Football Federation.
The meeting also resolved that other stakeholders in Nigerian Football who have suggestions/advice/recommendations should tender same through the NFF and not in the media.
The session was attended by all members of the NFF Executive Committee, bar Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande and Mr. Chidi Ofo Okenwa who forwarded apologies for absence.
The coast is thus clear for Pinnick, vice president of WAFU B, a member of the Organizing Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations and member of the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions, to challenge Beninoise Anjorin Moucharafou for a seat in the supreme club for football administration in Africa, at the 39th Ordinary Congress of CAF in Addis Ababa on Thursday, 16th March 2017.
Only two Nigerians – Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo (of blessed memory) and Dr. Amos Adamu – have sat on the CAF Executive Committee in the body's 60 years of existence. An attempt by former NFF President Aminu Maigari to join the club in 2013 ended belly up.
A man in Germany suspected of slaying his 79-year-old grandmother, and who subsequently killed two police officers on Tuesday, has been detained, the police spokesperson, Baerbel Cotte-Weiss, said. The suspect was said to have rammed them with his car.
The body of the man's grandmother was discovered by the authorities in the east German town of Muellrose earlier in the day. This prompted the suspect to flee in his car, police spokesperson, Ingo Heese, said.
The 24-year-old then rammed the two officers at a checkpoint in the eastern state of Brandenburg and both succumbed to their injuries at the scene, Heese said.
The former right hand man of ex-Fifa President Sepp Blatter, on Tuesday appealed against his 10 year ban from football.
Jerome Valcke, who was Secretary-General of the sport's world governing body, was banned last year for his alleged involvement in a scheme to profit from World Cup ticket sales.
Jerome Valcke
The Frenchman, Valcke became Secretary-general at FIFA in 2007, has now asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the sanction.
Valcke has always maintained he has done "absolutely nothing wrong".
He was originally suspended for 12 years and fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£70,800) by FIFA, though the length of the ban was later reduced.
As well as Valcke being implicated in the World Cup tickets scheme, Fifa's ethics committee said: He had "acted against Fifa's best interests and caused considerable financial damage" by taking private flights for sightseeing trips with his family at the organisation's expense.
It was also critical of his involvement in the sale of television rights for below market value .
He said: "deliberately tried to obstruct the ongoing proceedings against him by attempting to delete or deleting several files and folders relevant to the investigation".
Former president Blatter was also sanctioned by FIFA for ethics breaches. His attempt to overturn a six-year ban was rejected by CAS in December 2016.
A housewife,Bose Okeiye, on Tuesday prayed an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi-Ibadan, Oyo State, to dissolve her 25-year-old marriage to her estranged husband, Augustine Okeiye, and safe her from an untimely death.
Okeiye had approached the court seeking dissolution of the marriage which had produced five children, on the grounds that her husband was a threat to her life, not caring and irresponsible.
She narrated how the defendant battered her to the extent that she had to undergo surgery while on admission in a hospital for two months.
"I was on admission in a hospital for two months and had to undergo surgery because of my husband's brutality and constant battering.
"He neither checked on me nor did he pay my hospital bill throughout my period in the hospital.
court
"Later, my family members asked why he refused to visit me in hospital and his response was that my father offended him.
"My lord, I am tired of him; please dissolve this marriage before he kills me. I want to take care of my five children in good health," she pleaded.
The defendant (Augustine) was, however, not in court to defend the allegations leveled against him despite three letters of summons from the court.
The court's president, Chief Mukaila Balogun, in his ruling said, "having gone through evidence presented by the complainant and considering the disrespect of the defendant toward the court, it is clear that there is no more love between the couple."
Balogun, therefore, dissolved the marriage and ordered that the first two children should be in the custody of the defendant while the remaining three children should be with their mother.
He also ordered the defendant to pay N9,000 to his wife as monthly allowance for the upkeep of the three children.
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