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The process to recall the senator representing the Kogi West Senatorial District of Kogi State, Senator Dino Malaye, kicked off in full Saturday in all the seven local government areas of the district with hundreds of constituents queuing to sign the referendum on his recall from the Nigerian Senate
Residents troop out to recall Dino MalayeResidents troop out to recall Dino Malaye
Residents troop out to recall Dino MalayeResidents troop out to recall Dino Malaye
As financial institutions in Nigeria race to capture the most innovative website and put it to good use, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, FBN, has revved up its website to engage customers more.
The bank recently launched a new website, that uses Cookies-Cookies is an app that remembers a (person) customer for a better service online, and also remembers the customer whether the customer uses the site or closes the message. With this, the customer would have registered to the bank's Cookies notice.
The new website is feature-rich with mortgage and loan calculators, a currency converter and a Google maps integrated branch locator. Built for the digital age, easy to access and navigate for the average multi-screen user.
Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, said, at the unveiling in Lagos, that the site could be accessed via URL https://www.firstbanknigeria.com from any internet enabled device.
Speaking further, she said: "The launch of the refreshed website comes in line with measures that the bank has taken to execute its digital banking strategy that aims to progress all facets of its activities in line with global best practices."
Aside providing financial service, the new site boasts of its ability to empower women, while compelling customers to relax, services it offers at the Muritala Muhammed Airport Road location.
According to Ani-Mumuney: "First Bank has benefited from modern technology tools to ensure a solid technical foundation for the new site to enhance the effectiveness of its operations and provide all key information needed by customers, investors and other visitors of the website to make investment decisions and guarantee a better customer experience".
She further argued that the website was considered a unique evolution for the lender in terms of information and interactive services available for customers, investors, shareholders and the global community.
THE Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), Dr Samson Odedina, has been dragged before anti-graft agencies for allegedly flouting a court judgment which allegedly ceded part of the institution land to a family.
Ibrahim Magu, Acting Executive Chairman, EFCC
A petition by the Okutanla Ogunmokun family has been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In the petition signed by its counsel, Mr Johnson Akindehin, the family alleged: "Our client got a judgment against FECA and three others in suit No AK/279/2012 at the High Court of Justice, Akure over a piece of land situate lying and being at Akure/Owo/Ilesa road, Akure, which is known as Okutanla Ogunmokun family land.
"Our client informed us that as soon as Dr Odedina became the Provost sometime in 2015, he saw no need to appeal against the judgment as it was clear from the evidence before the court that the land the FECA claimed was its own was never its own afterall.
"When Odedina assumed duty as Provost in 2015, the institution took over the land which the court has awarded to our client".
The family alleged that a member of House of Representatives had been given part of the land to build his constituency project.
Reacting, the Provost described the allegations and petitions as the handiwork of land grabbers bent on annexing the land of the institution.
He said that he and the alumni association of the institution had reported the activities of the land grabbers to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Ogublade Aladetoyinbo.
I, Senator Ike Lawrence Ekweremadu, do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria…" the voice of the Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District reverberated in the hallowed chamber of the Senate on June 6, 2007. The lawmaker, who was first elected into the Senate in 2003, was being led in Oath of Office by the former Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Ibrahim Arab, after his emergence as the Deputy President of the Fifth Senate.
His election was preceded by the battle of two brothers, Senator Akume (PDP, Benue North West) and Senator David Mark (PDP, Benue South), for the position of the Senate President, which Mark won with 68 votes as against Akume's 39 in an election defined by a vortex of intrigues, drama, and extreme anxiety. A senator abstained, while Senator Chimaroke Nnamani was absent.
Meanwhile, although Ekweremadu was already endorsed ahead of the inauguration to emerge unopposed, I am sure he knew it was never really over until it was over.
Thus began Ekweremadu's fairytale journey as a presiding officer- a journey hardly anyone, possibly even himself, expected to last this long. Not with the high turnover of presiding officers at the time. The Senate produced five Senate Presidents in eight years.
Unarguably, therefore, one of the legacies the Mark/Ekweremadu leadership bequeathed was a stable Senate. By 2011, the tempest-tossed Senate had calmed, such that both men re-emerged unopposed during the inauguration of the Seventh Senate.
However, it was a different ball game during the inauguration of the Eighth Senate on June 9, 2015. Not only did he face opposition for the coveted seat for the first time since 2007, he did so on the unfavorable platform of a minority party.
It was one election that compared in horse-trading and trepidations only to that of Sixth Senate. While Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central) emerged unopposed to the surprise of many, Ekweremadu slugged it out with Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South). He polled 54 votes as against Ndume's 20 votes. With PDP commanding 49 seats at the time, 54 votes meant that Ekweremadu had a bipartisan appeal.
Instructively, the Senate has, to a very great extent, fused as one and is intensively preoccupied with moving the nation forward, although Saraki and Ekweremadu continue to bear the backlash, the baptism of fire and brimstone arising from their emergence. It is topic for another day. The good thing is that even those who thought a bipartisan parliamentary leadership would never work (even though they had supported and defended it in the recent past) cannot but appreciate the synergy and progress being made by the Eighth Senate.
Meanwhile, Ekweremadu has not lasted this long because there are no other equally highly competent hands to do the job, since the Red Chamber is populated by Nigerians who have made their marks in various fields of human endeavour.
Ekweremadu's political staying power, I guess, rests on the confidence reposed in him by his constituents and colleagues. He has earned their trust and respect across party lines. Many of them have often commented on his trademark humility, brainpower, progressivism, and pan-Nigerian perspectives, approaches to issues as well as the experience and stability he brings to bear on the system.
At the institutional level, Mark/Ekweremadu leadership restored stability and greater accountability to the Senate. Many must have forgotten that in 2007, the Senate leadership, in an unprecedented move, returned about N7 billion unspent Senate allocation to the public treasury. I guess that was how returning unspent votes among the MDAs became a norm.
To remedy the proverbial banana peel, the leadership ensured that procurement was left entirely to the National Assembly (NASS) bureaucracy. The duo also moved the Senate from the era of super presiding officers to that of first among equals; an era where lawmakers collectively appropriate resources available to the Senate in line with the Appropriation Act.
Meanwhile, in line Senator Saraki's inaugural promise on Open NASS, the Saraki/Ekweremadu leadership has moved transparency a notch higher by throwing the NASS budget open for public scrutiny.
Ekweremadu's 10 years as a presiding officer will be particularly be remembered for the progress in the area of constitution amendment and electoral reforms. All previous initiatives failed, such that by the time Ekweremadu took over as the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee in 2007, Nigerians did not give NASS a chance. But, with tenacity and patriotism, the jinx was broken in 2010, with the Sixth Senate amending the constitution three times.
As Nigerians reflect on Ekweremadu's decade-long odyssey as a presiding officer, the longest in our history, many would agree that he deserves 10 garlands as a man who has continued to live up to his billings as a nation-builder, democrat, patriot, and, as Senator Zainab Kure once put it, "a lawmakers lawmaker".
Uche Anichukwuis Special Adviser (Media) to Deputy President of the Senate.
In their usual fashion, Nigerians have taken to social media to bare their thoughts on the Nigeria vs South Africa game that ended 0-2 in favour of the South Africans.
Below is a compilation of tweets extracted from popular social media site Twitter.
Lagos – The Inspector-General's Intelligence Response Team (IRT) led by ACP Abba Kyari on Saturday said it has arrested one of the most wanted suspected kidnappers in Lagos.
Kyari, who confirmed the arrest said that the suspect was arrested at his Magodo residence in Lagos.Evans
"IRT headquarters in Abuja is celebrating the arrest of the most wanted brilliant and notorious high profile kidnapper in Nigeria.
"He has collected several billions of Naira as ransom in the last seven years as the kingpin of kidnappers.
"He was arrested at about 1.00p.m on Saturday in his residence in Magodo Estate, Lagos," Kyari said.
He commended the Force Headquarters for mobilising the resources to go all out against the "richest and most notorious kidnapper" in the history of Nigeria.
Kyari said the Inspector-General had directed that the suspect should be paraded before newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.
……insists FG has no case against Justice Ademola By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA – Poised for a showdown, the National Judicial Council, NJC, Sunday, tackled the Presidency, saying it was “constrained” to reveal that President Muhammadu Buhari is still retaining some Judges it recommended for dismissal over their involvement in acts of corruption.
The Council, via a statement signed by its Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said it was disappointed that the Presidency turned around to accuse it of shielding corrupt Judges, when those that were found culpable and recommended for dismissal since President Buhari administration came on board, have not been removed till date.
BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI The International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Value Chain Development Programme,VCDP, has pledged support to Benue rice farmers enlisted on its programme, to enable them overcome the harsh effects of the prevailing economic recession.rice
The National Programme Coordinator, NPC, of the IFAD-VCDP, Dr. Amen Onoja stated this at the Flag off of distribution of inputs to rice farmers at Gborir, in Logo local government area of the state.
Represented by Chyka Unamma, the Agriculture Production Advisor, the NPC commended the state for being the first in the six states benefiting from its intervention, to flag off inputs distribution.
“That is why we will continue to avail you good agronomy practices to help you achieve your projections especially given the support the state government and Olam have accorded the programme in the state.”
In his speech, the State Project Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Mr. Emmanuel Igbaukum commended the state government for giving impetus to the programme by being up to date with the payment of its counterpart fund.
“This has actually given greater impetus to the programme and it will also motivate our farmers to attain our projections for this farming season.”
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. James Anbua said “before advent of IFAD-VCDP we were not rated as major rice producers but today we are targeting over 40,000 metric tonnes of rice this farming season which is a welcome development.
“As a government the Governor Samuel Ortom led administration would continued to meet its obligation in its pact with the IFAD-VCDP with a view to ensuring that our farmers get the need support to enhance their productivity and annual yield from their farming business,
“We enjoin our farmers who have been enlisted to the programme to fully respect the Memoranda of Understanding, MOU, they entered into with Olam in order to reap the full benefits of the agreement.”
The Administrative Manager of Olam, Mr. Micheal Abuku who appreciated his firm’s partnership with the IFAD-VCDP also announced the reward of N50,000 to each of the best performing farming groups in the state.
He said, “We will continue to reward and assist hard working rice farmers in Benue state attain their full potentials and by so doing boost food production in the state and country.” He stated.
The Boko Haram faction of Abubakar Shekau has said that it was responsible for the of attacks on Maiduguri, capital of Borno State on Wednesday and that if he dies his kids and grandchildren will continue from where we stopped.
During Wednesday attack about eleven people were reportedly killed when Boko Haram gunmen and suicide bombers launched a rare combined attack inside Maiduguri.
The group in video obtained by Saharareporters Saturday showed the insurgents’ attack on Maiduguri, displaying uniforms, shoes, ID cards, arms and ammunition the group claimed their fighters seized from the military during the attack.
The factional leader of Boko Haram said the group was determination to fight on and that there was no room for any dialogue.
He cited Somalia, Afghanistan, and Syria where Islamist groups have waged longstanding wars. Mr. Shekau rebuked those who have been claiming that the Islamist group's war around Lake Chad was over. "Our kids and grandchildren will continue from where we stopped," he vowed.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria began their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on a sour note after succumbing 0-2 to the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
Strikes by Rantie and Percy Tau in the 54th and 81st minutes ensured that South Africans got only their first victory over the Eagles in a competitive game.
Nigeria dictated things for a larger part of the game but failed to take the initiative and would now seek redemption in their next qualifying game against Seychelles.
The Eagles paid dearly for failing to convert the numerous chances they got while also making very obvious the absence of John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses.
The flat-footedness of the team’s defence paved way for Rantie sneaking in to head in after Elderson Echiejile failed to deal with Mphahlele on the right hand side.
A bid to salvage the situation saw the team go all out for a corner kick and left the goalkeeper unprotected. The South Africans took advantage of this mistake when Percy Tau scored with his first touch of the game after beating the offside trap, went round Daniel Akpeyi and finished it off brilliantly to make it 2-0.
Ibadan – Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has urged husbands not to abandon their marital responsibilities to their wives in their matrimonial home.AG PRESIDENT OSINBAJO DEMOCRACY DAY CHURCH SERVICE 1. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo during the 2017 Democracy day Church service at the Economical Center in Abuja.
The Acting President made the charge in his message at the wedding of Miss Wuraola Akande and Dr Olawale Solabi at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, on Saturday.
Wuraola is the daughter of a former governor of Osun, Chief Bisi Akande, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The acting president maintained that men should be alive to their responsibilities as the head of the home.
"Men are supposed to see their wives as `Help Meet' and not `Help Mate.'' 'When I say `help meet', it means she will fill the gap where there is need for it and not leaving your responsibilities to her,'' he said.
Osinbajo advised the new couple to love each other unconditionally and to allow God to reign supreme in their home and affairs.
According to him, "the aim of marriage is companionship, which must be a lifelong experience. There are reasons for exhibitions like marriage.
"The major reason is to find a partner whom one can spend the rest of his or her live with,'' Osinbajo said. From left: Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; the couple,Olawale and Wuraola Solabi; bride’s father, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief (Mrs.) Florence and Gov. Abiola Ajimobi in a group photograph at the wedding reception of Chief Akande’s daughters’s wedding in Ibadan on Saturday. Also speaking, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State urged the couple to be better companions, adding that long lasting marriages are those built on love and fear of God.
He told the couple that the success of the marriage would depend largely on the two of them.
According to him, the marriage could only work if the wife submits totally to the husband while the husband is also expected to always love and listen to advice from his wife.
"Always endeavour not to share your problems with the third party, be it friends or parents,'' he said.
The ceremony was also attended by other state dignitaries including President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki as well as governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Rauf Aregbesola(Osun). Also in attendance were a former governor of Osun, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.
Others were Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters; Malam Nuhu Ribadu, a former EFCC Chairman and Alhaji Mai Mala-Buni, APC National Secretary.
The former minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, has said that the Arewa Youths and Arewa Consultative Forum want to use the Igbo to cause crisis in Nigeria.Fani- Kayode
The ex minister made this known in a statement on Saturday on his Twitter handle.
Fani-Kayode tweeted ‘They know HIS health status and want to use the Igbo as a scapegoat to cause CRISIS and truncate this democracy. That is their plan. BEWARE!’
Uruguay and Venezuela players were involved in a mass brawl at their South Korean hotel on the eve of the U20’s World Cup final, witnesses told AFP on Saturday.
The two sides had met on Thursday in the semi-finals with Venezuela beating Uruguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
But when the players crossed paths at the Suwon Ramada Hotel on Saturday, insults were exchanged before the dispute swiftly descended into a free-for-all.
Some twenty Korean police officers rushed to the scene to break up the brawl around 9pm and remained for three hours to make sure order was maintained, with four officers also staying at the hotel overnight.
“We regret that this happened. FIFA has always been in favour of fair play on or off the pitch,” a FIFA spokesman said, confirming the incident.
Venezuela will play England, who are hoping to end a 51-year wait since any of their sides won a World Cup, in Sunday’s final (10:00 GMT).
The Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) Friday said that some named some top officers of the Nigerian Police Force and civil servants who allegedly benefited from a bribe scandal totaling $115m doled out by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Diezani Alison-MaduekeAlison-Madueke
The purpose of the bribe, offered in cash disbursements, was apparently to enlist the police and civil service officers in a scheme to compromise the 2015 general elections in favor of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a document tendered Friday by the EFCC before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the anti-graft agency stated that the then Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in Kwara State received N1m cash. The EFCC disclosed that,while the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State at the time received N10m in cash, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations got N2m.
The EFCC also alleged that the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of operations and administration in Kwara State received N1m cash each.
According to the EFCC document, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kwara State for the 2015 general elections was given N10m, while the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Administrative Secretary in Kwara State at the time received N5m in cash.
The head of Operations Department at INEC, along with "his boys," were handed N5m, while "other officers"unnamed officials received and shared N2m among themselves.
Other beneficiaries of the Diezani bribe in Kwara State included the officer in charge of the mobile police (Mopol) and "his men" who got N7m, the second-in-command of the Mopol unit in the state, who got N10m, and the Director of the State Security Service (DSS) and "his men,"who got N2.5m.
The military unit in Kwara State received bribe of N50m, according to the EFCC document, while other security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps, got N20m.
An EFCC investigator, Usman Zakari, who brought the document to court Friday, told Justice Rilwan Aikawa that the document was recovered from a senior Nigerian lawyer on trial for his alleged involvement in the bribe scandal.
The lawyer on trial is standing trial before Justice Aikawa for allegedly collecting N450m from Ms. Alison-Madueke and distributing the funds to beneficiaries in Kwara State.
The EFCC has accused the lawyer of handling the funds in cash without going through any financial institution, a violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.
The EFCC said Mr. Belgore is liable to be punished under sections 15(3)(4), and 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
Standing trial along with Mr. Belgore for the offence is a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Suleiman, a professor. The two defendants were on February 8, 2017 arraigned on charges of money laundering, but they pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Zakari is the second witness called by the EFCC in thecase.
Testifying before Justice Aikawa, the investigator Mr.Zakari explained that Mr. Belgore volunteered the list to the EFCC when he was invited and interrogated by the anti-graft agency. He noted that the document, titled "Security and Transportation per State", was signed by the accused lawyer who stated, "document supplied by me, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN)."
The EFCC also submitted as exhibit another document recovered from Mr. Belgore containing the names of other beneficiaries from the bribe. That exhibit, simply marked "Kwara State," showed beneficiaries from a slush fund of N155, 220,000, including a breakdown of what individual beneficiaries received.
Among the beneficiaries were 15 electoral officers who received 250,000 each, 15 supervisors who got N100, 000each, and the State Returning Officer who got N1m.
EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, tendered the two documents which the court admitted in evidence as Exhibit 7 and 7A against Mr. Belgore and Mr. Suleiman. The defendants' respective lawyers, Mr. Ebun Shofunde and Mr. Olatunji Ayanlaja, raised no objection.
Mr. Zakari testified that the EFCC’s investigation established that the funds were disbursed to the beneficiaries in cash.
"My Lord, the mode of payment, as contained in Exhibit 7, is cash payment. The payments were not done through any financial institution," he stated.
Meanwhile, Justice Aikawa heard argument in an application by Mr. Belgore seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the EFCC failed to attach an affidavit showing that it had concluded investigation before bringing the case to court. Moving the application today, Mr. Belgore's lawyer, Mr. Shofunde, argued that the EFCC's failure to attach an affidavit stating it had concluded investigation prior to filing charges was a fundamental breach of the Federal High Court Practice Direction. Arguing that such failure rendered the charges incompetent, Mr. Shofunde urged the court to quash the charges and free his client.
Opposing the application, the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Oyedepo, argued that the current law governing criminal cases in the country was the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. He argued that the ACJA did not list filing of the said affidavit as one of the conditions to be fulfilled before a criminal charge could be filed in court. He stressed that the provisions of the ACJA were superior to that of the Federal High Court Practice Direction.
In addition, Mr. Oyedepo referred Justice Aikawa to Section 221 of the ACJA which barred a judge from entertaining any application challenging the competence of charges in a criminal case in the middle of trial as well as Section 396 (2) of the Act, which barred a judge from ruling on any such application until the final judgment in the case.
He urged the judge to dismiss the defendant's application, adding that granting it would "amount to slaughtering justice on the altar of technicality."
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Out of School Children Initiative in Nigeria (OSCIN), has appealed to parents in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to return their children to school to secure their future.
Mrs Patience Uhunamure, Founder of the NGO, made the appeal during an official handover of school materials and food items to IDPs camp in New Kuchingoro in Abuja on Saturday.
Uhunamure said the objective of the initiative was to enroll children that were not in school and to encourage parents to take the education of their wards serious.
She urged the children to take the likes of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan as their role model.
She told the children to avoid anything that would limit them from becoming great leaders of the country.
"All of you can become the president of Nigeria in future. The fact that you don't have a parent or you are from a poor background should not limit you.
"Most of you have left your abode to take refuge here but this should not prevent you from having access to good and quality education.
"Our primary objective is to enroll most of you back in school because we have seen the needs for a good education and to also tell the parents to enrol their wards in school because of the importance of education," she said.
She also called on well meaning Nigerians, who know the importance of education to come to the aid of the children.
Mr Wale Elekolusi, National Coordinator of the organisation, said education had a way of mitigating most of the challenges faced in life.
Elekolusi said the knowledge attained through education could help open a lot of opportunities in career growth and national development.
He called on the children to take advantage of the opportunity opened to them through the wide range of educational materials at their disposal.
Mr Emmanuel Kenneth, a teacher called on the Federal Government to take proactive measure that would return out of school children back to school.
Kenneth said the measure would change the mindset of the internally displayed children, who had been traumatised by their situation.
Alhaji Usman Adamu, vice-chairman of the IDPs camp thanked the group for their support and called for more support from the government.
Miss Rosemary James, a class four pupil, who received awards as the best performing pupil in the IDPs camp, commended the group and promised to engage herself through thorough reading to make the world proud.
Austin Eguavoen, the immediate past Technical Adviser of Sunshine Stars, Akure, on Saturday said he resigned his appointment due to bad attitude and performances of some referees in the local league.
Eguavoen made the disclosure in a telephone interview with pressmen in Akure.
Newsmen report that the Ondo State Football Agency had on April 25 in Akure made public the appointment of former Super Eagles' Chief Coach, Austin Eguavoen, as Sunshine new Technical Adviser.
Also, a former Eagles' goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorounmu, was unveiled as the goalkeeper trainer.
The Interim Management Committee of the Ondo State Football Agency led by Gbenga Elegbeleye, former Director-General, National Sports Commission, opted for the choice of Eguavoen and Shorounmu based on their track records in the game.
"We agreed on bringing Eguavoen and Shorounmu on board to handle this club because of the track records of the two coaches.
"We believe they can firstly save the club from relegation as well as fair well in the FA Cup," Elegbeleye said.
Eguavoen said though, he had promised not to walk away from Sunshine Stars like he did with some other clubs, he was disappointed with some referees' behaviour.
The ex-Super Eagle chief coach, who did not mention specifically what the referees had done, said that he was now aware why some of his colleagues had turned down coaching in the local league.
"Not all referees are bad, just some of them, it is quite unfortunate.
"I am going to take a rest and think about what am going to do in future, may be not Nigerian Football for now.
"I promised not to leave Sunshine Stars in all fairness; but one need to see what happened while I was in charge of Sunshine Stars.
"The coaches denied us at least one point each in almost all the matches.
"I know the interim committee led by Gbenga Elegbeleye meant well for the team, but some people will not understand or appreciate it.
"I said I would not walk out of Sunshine Stars because for some time now, the league has been okay.
"Look at my mates in the playing days; many of us are coaches, how many of us are in the league?
"Myself, Ike Shorounmu and Ally Agu, some don't want to coach in the league because of things like this," he said.
Eguavoen said he had been advised many times by his colleagues against taking job in the league, adding that he turned down the advice because it was the league that brought him up.
Pressmen report that Eguavoen left his post as the Technical Adviser of Sunshine Stars after the Week 23 match against Plateau United.
Sunshine Stars played five games with the former Nigerian Coach in charge, winning two and losing three.
The club defeated Rangers International of Enugu 2-0, lost 0-1 to Lobi Stars of Makurdi, defeated Enyimba International of Aba 1-0 and also lost 0-1 to 3SC of Ibadan and 1-2 to Plateau United of Jos.
Singer Davido is according to reports fulfilling one of the promises he made to a young kid, Utibe after a recorded video of the boy singing the hit single “IF” went viral.
An instagram post by the “Fall” crooner revealed that the building of the house is ongoing and he can’t wait to visit when he comes back home as he is currently out of the country.
Recall that after Utibe was videoed singing, a background check revealed that his family’s living condition was nothing to write home about.
Davido who was thrilled by Utibe’s singing promised to take care of him for life.
The Bayelsa Government has paid the outstanding fees of N250 million for 21 of its scholarship students at the Lincoln University in the United States of America.
The State's Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the University had threatened to deport the students over the unpaid fees.
However, the state government officials had prevailed on the institution to allow the students to conclude their academic work.
The commissioner said that Gov. Seriake Dickson gave the approval for the payment, which has been remitted to the Ministry of Education for onward transfer to the University.
According to him, even though, the students have all graduated, as a responsible government that is ever alive to its responsibilities, the governor gave the approval and equally ensured its remittance to the institution.
He explained that, the delay was as a result of the economic down turn, which had drastically affected the finances of the State Government.
The commissioner said that Dickson expressed the gratitude of his administration to the authorities of Lincoln University for their extreme show of understanding in the whole matter.
He recalled the educational friendly disposition of the governor as well as the excellent performance of the students, some of whom made first class.
Obuebite said that one of the students emerged as the best overall graduating student in 2017 at the university.
Obuebite stated that despite the general poor financial state of the country, Dickson had remained committed to the administration's policies and programmes in the educational sector.
The commissioner commended and congratulated the students for making the state proud by turning out some of the best results in institution.
Speaker of House of Representative, Hon.Yakubu Dogara, on Saturday urged minority tribesmen in the country to device ways of preserving their languages to guard against extinction in future.
Dogara gave the advice in Lubo community of Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe state during the launch of New Testament Bible, which was translated to 'Tera' language.
He commended the effort of Tera speaking people for taking a bold step to translate the Bible into their dialect, adding that the move would go a long way in preserving their language.
"Language that is not preserved may likely go into extinction and this will affect the unity of the people. "If you can reason in your own native language, you will interpret the gospel better because the gospel is meant to be preached," he said. He further commended the translation committee for a job well done.
In his speech, Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe commended the Tera speaking people for translating the Bible to their language, saying the measure would help preserve their dialect.
Represented by Mr Charles Iliya, the deputy governor, Dankwambo called on other communities to take a lead from the Tera people. In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, Dr Musa Moda, thanked Dogara for honouring their invitation in spite of his tight schedule. He said there was nothing that could be more satisfying than reading the word of God in the language one understood best.
Also speaking, Mr Kalagar Lubo, chairman, translation committee, appealed to the public to support the launch in cash and kind.
He said very soon, the committee would commence work on the translation of the Old Testament.
Newsmen report that Dogara and his entourage purchased 500 copies of the translated New Testament Bible for distribution to indigenous Tera people who could not afford it.
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