A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
President Muhammadu Buhari who departed Nigeria for London Sunday night for follow-up medical consultation with his doctors has said that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will take charge in his absence and that Government will continue to function smoothly and efficiently.
By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA-The cliche’ “the more you look, the less you see was exactly what played out at the Presidential Villa, Abuja as Journalists covering President Muhammadu Buhari and his official activities were literary barred from covering his meeting with the released 82 Chibok girls.
82 Chibok girls with President Buhari shortly before leaving for London
With the official statement from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu on Saturday that the girls freed on the same day would be formally received by the president on Sunday, State House correspondents set out early for the event.
Time for the reception was originally 4pm but the Journalists arrived 2pm.
By 3:30 pm, they walked to the official residence of the president, venue of the reception from the press gallery of the Council Chamber but were told by the security men on duty to wait for clearance.
It turned out to be waiting game as the girls earlier expected by 4pm didn’t arrive until 7:05pm.
Upon their arrival in two Maccopolo white buses with an inscription “Nigerian Army”, the girls were driven inside the premises to alight behind a closed steel gate that made it extremely difficult for anyone to behold them.
Only the Reporter and the Cameraman from State owned media house, the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA and the personal photographer to the President were allowed access into the meeting.
The General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleiman has said that he received with bewilderment the purported claim by Ms., Stephanie Otobo, the Nigerian Canada-based stripper, that she has become born again and accordingly forgiven Apostle Johnson Suleman, with whom she previously accused of having an amorous relationship. In a statement signed by the church's Communications Manager, Mr Phrank Shaibu, it expressed doubts about Stephanie’s new claim of being born again, coming on the heels of the fresh suit instituted by her against Apostle Suleman in Canada, the smear campaign and threat to unveil nude pictures confirming her tryst with the senior pastor.
Mr Shaibu particularly pointed out the several lacunas in the statement announcing Miss Otobo’s new status as a born again Christian, noting that the Canada-based stripper must provide answers to some salient questions before she could be believed.
Stephanie Otobo and Apostle Joshua Suleiman
Part of the statement read thus: “After besmirching the reputation of a man that she has never physically met, Stephanie Otobo, who filed a suit for $5 million against Apostle Johnson Suleiman in a Canadian court in abuse of court process now claims she is born again and wants to put the whole saga behind her and forget the matter and withdraw the case?”
“Not so fast. Where are the explosive incontrovertible evidence she , Festus Keyamo and their team of jeer leaders promised Nigerians? Where are the travel documents she promised to reveal? Where are the nude pictures she claimed to have?
“The 33 year old-officially 23 year old girl who made history by being the only woman to miscarry a baby from her backside rather than her front side (as she claimed) now wants to forgive and forget?”
“Her father called her a liar, her mother called her a liar, her best friend said she was a blackmailer and when given the chance to prove them all wrong she suddenly becomes born again?
“No! We refuse to accept that. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. He who comes to the Lord must come with contrition.
“Psalm 51:17 says “a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Contrition requires remorse and confession. If Stephanie Otobo is indeed born again, we welcome it, but we need to see proof of that and the proof is her confession that she lied or her provision of proof that she did not.
“This girl, who has undermined the faith of many through her Lies wants to get acceptance without doing penance for an act of wickedness motivated by finance!
“A girl who lied that she had her marriage introduction in the apostles office should be honest enough to do her damage control in the office of the court where she filed her suit by providing supporting proof rather than this suspicious handing it over to the Lord when the time came for her to have her day in court.”
“Apostle Johnson Suleman has refused to be blackmailed and his refusal has frustrated his accuser and her sponsors who now hope that this issue will die a natural death but you cannot play with The Lord’s servant and now go to Him without first confessing”.
It is against the foregoing that the spokesman asked Nigerians and Christian community worldwide to be weary of the new claim of Stephanie Otobo, warning that the ex-stripper may be up to mischief and seeking new victims to blackmail.
President Muhammadu Buhari departed Nigeria for London Sunday night for follow-up medical consultation with his doctors.
He had planned to leave Sunday afternoon, but decided to tarry a bit, due to the arrival of 82 Chibok girls who arrived Abuja earlier in the day.
"The President assured Nigerians that there is no cause for worry", said Femi Adesina, the media and publicity adviser
"He is very grateful for the prayers and good wishes of the people, and hopes they would continue to pray for the peace and unity of the nation.
"The length of the President's stay in London will be determined by the doctors.
"Government will continue to function normally under the able leadership of the Vice President.
"President Buhari has transmitted letters about the trip to the Senate and the House of Representatives, in compliance with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution".
The President had travelled in January for a similar check and returned on 10 March.
Pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron resoundingly won France’s landmark presidential election on Sunday, first estimates showed, defeating far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a pivotal vote for the future of the divided country and Europe.
Emmanuel Macron
At 39, the former investment banker will be the country’s youngest-ever leader and faces a huge challenge to heal a fractured and demoralised country.
The vicious election campaign has exposed deep economic and social divisions, as well as tensions around identity and immigration.
“A new chapter in our long history begins tonight. I want it to be one of hope and renewed confidence,” Macron told AFP in a call shortly after results were released.
Initial estimates showed Macron winning between 65 percent and 66.1 percent of the ballots — a higher than expected score – and Le Pen scoring between 33.9 percent and 35 percent.
Unknown three years ago, Macron is now poised to become one of Europe’s most powerful leaders, bringing with him a hugely ambitious agenda of political and economic reform for France and the European Union.
The result will resonate worldwide and particularly in Brussels and Berlin where leaders will breathe a sigh of relief that Le Pen’s anti-EU, anti-globalisation programme has been defeated.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said it was a “victory for a strong and united Europe”, while EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said French voters had chosen a “European future.”
After Britain’s vote last year to leave the EU and Donald Trump’s victory in the US, the French election had been widely watched as a test of how high a tide of right-wing nationalism would rise.
“France is sending… an incredible message of hope to the world,” veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, an ally of Macron, told France 2 television. “Anyone who bet on this has probably made a fortune.”
Le Pen, 48, had portrayed the ballot as a contest between Macron and the “globalists” — in favour of open trade, immigration and shared sovereignty — and her “patriotic” vision of strong borders and national identities.
In a short statement, Le Pen said she had called Macron to wish him “success” in tackling the “huge challenges” he faced and announced that she would lead the FN into June’s parliamentary elections.
– Major obstacles ahead –
Macron will now face huge challenges as he attempts to enact his domestic agenda of cutting state spending, easing labour laws, boosting education in deprived areas and extending new protections to the self-employed.
The philosophy and literature lover is inexperienced, has no political party and must try to fashion a working parliamentary majority after legislative elections next month.
His En Marche movement — “neither of the left, nor right” — has vowed to field candidates in all 577 constituencies, with half of them women and half of them newcomers to politics.
“In order for us to act, we will need a majority in the National Assembly,” the secretary general of En Marche, Richard Ferrand, told the TF1 channel, adding that only “half of the journey” had been completed.
Many analysts are sceptical about Macron’s ability to win a majority with En Marche candidates alone, meaning he might have to form a coalition of lawmakers committed to his agenda.
Furthermore, his economic agenda, particularly plans to weaken labour regulations to fight stubbornly high unemployment, are likely to face fierce resistance from trade unions and his leftist opponents.
He also inherits a country which is still in a state of emergency following a string of Islamist-inspired attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 230 people.
– Rollercoaster election –
The vote Sunday followed one of the most unpredictable election campaigns in modern history marked by scandal, repeated surprises and a last-minute hacking attack on Macron.
Hundreds of thousands of emails and documents stolen from his campaign were dumped online on Friday and then spread by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, leading the candidate to call it an attempt at “democratic destabilisation.”
France’s election authority said publishing the documents could be a criminal offence, a warning flouted by Macron’s opponents and far-right activists online.
It was the latest twist in an election that has consistently wrong-footed observers as angry voters chose to eject establishment figures, including one-time favourite Francois Fillon, a rightwing ex-prime minister.
Unpopular President Francois Hollande was the first to bow to the rebellious mood in December as he declared he would be the first sitting president not to seek re-election in the French republic, founded in 1958.
In the first round of the presidential election on April 23, Macron topped the vote with 24.01 percent, followed by Le Pen on 21.30 percent, in a crowded field of 11 candidates.
The results revealed Macron was favoured among wealthier, better educated citizens in cities, while Le Pen drew support in the countryside as well as poverty-hit areas in the south and rustbelt northeast.
…Says Ifeanyi Ubah, or anyone else can’t incite us to cause economic sabotage
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
PETROLEUM Tankers Drivers, PTD, branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, yesterday dismissed the allegation credited to the Department of the State security service, DSS, that one of the reasons Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Capital Oil, was arrested, was for inciting members of PTD to cause economic sabotage.
DSS OPERATIVES
PTD in a statement by its National Chairman, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, declared that the “allegation is baseless, unfounded and totally untrue.”
According to the statement: “We read from an online publication that one of the reasons for the arrest of Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, was for inciting Petroleum Tanker Driver to cause economic sabotage. The leadership of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers wishes to categorically deny the allegation of Ifeanyi Ubah or any other individual, inciting the Tanker Drivers to cause any economic sabotage. The allegation is baseless, unfounded and totally untrue. Our responsibility as a Trade Union is solely to promote, project and protect the job security and welfare of workers most especially the petroleum tanker drivers in Nigeria.
“We have no further relationship with any capitalist/employer beyond the precinct of promoting, projecting and protecting the security of jobs and welfare of our members. We unequivocally support the ongoing war against corruption by the current government and any capitalist/employer found culpable of stealing, diversion or embezzlement of government funds should be appropriately dealt with in accordance with the law. The Petroleum Tanker Driver Branch of NUPENG has over the years built a good brand of integrity and excellent service to the nation and we will not allow anyone or institution no matter how highly placed to bring this beautiful brand our forebears toiled to build into disrepute.”
Renowned for his popular hit track titled 'Suo', which rocked the airwaves, streets and ghettoes in the late 90s, veteran dancehall artiste, Marvelous Benjy, claims to be unruffled by the new generation of dancehall artistes who have been gradually changing the face of dancehall music in Nigeria. According to him, the influx of new dancehall artistes has helped to bring out the best of the music genre.
Marvelous Benjy
In a recent chat with E-daily, Marvelous, who is notably one of the pioneers of the dancehall musical genre in Nigeria, believes that competition among dancehall artistes will make the craft better. "It's a welcome idea to see the new generation of artistes changing the face of dancehall music from what it used to be to what it is now. It's good for us, it's a welcome idea, and I like the whole idea of the competition.
The truth of the matter is that the coming of this new trend of dancehall music and artistes has brought about the best of dancehall music, because competition will only bring about the best. To be sincere, either it gingers me or not to do more as one of the pioneers of dancehall music in Nigeria, it brings out the best of the craft", he said.
Mrs Liz Ahua, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Representative for West Africa, says massive displacement in Nigeria's North-East zone poses great dangers of statelessness for victims.
Ahua said this on Sunday in Banjul at the opening ceremony of a three-day ministerial meeting on the Adoption of the Regional Plan of Action to Eradicate Statelessness in West Africa.
She said that if urgent actions were not taken, some of the 2.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) or refugees residing neighbouring countries could lose their nationality and become stateless.
She explained that displacement, whether caused by conflicts or natural disasters, was a root cause of statelessness which further increases the risk, if not urgently and properly tackled.
She said that it could also become an obstacle to achieving durable solutions for displaced persons and prevent them from rebuilding their lives in dignity as well as impede return and relocation.
"The crises in the Lake Chad Basin region is a prime example where over 2.4 million people have been displaced by the conflict, including over 1.8 million IDPs in Nigeria
"Over 200,000 Nigerians are living as refugees in neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, and Cameroon without adequate documentation.
"Before the crises, civil registration, including birth registration, were already low in the region and most of those displaced lack identity documents.
"This has created many challenges, including discerning between refugees and IDPs in local communities, impacting their access to protection and rights.
"In the longer term, this may hamper the achievement of durable solution for the displaced.''
According to her, the link between issues of statelessness, sustaining peace and security in the region cannot be separated as statelessness can lead to insecurity and instability.
She explained that stateless persons, when they felt deserted, could easily be used as tools of destruction by insurgents and criminals in carrying our attacks and perpetuating other crimes.
Ahua commended Nigeria and Niger for their commitment in pushing for the Adoption of the Abuja Declaration on the Protection of the Lake Chad Basin in June 2016.
She said that the commitment of both countries gave impetus to the Abidjan Declaration in its engagement to reduce the risk of statelessness among the displaced populations.
The UNHCR Regional Representative further said that laudable efforts were under way to address documentation and nationality issues in the affected areas. (NAN)
Nollywood actress cum producer, Omoni Oboli, weekend, asked her fans to pray for her family after she lost her beloved father in a fatal car accident last Friday.
Omoni Oboli
The actress made the appeal via her Twitter handle, a day before she launched her fashion line 'Omoni Oboli By AVE' The fashion line was launched yesterday in conjunction with Ayo Van Elmer, yesterday, at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
"The devil is a liar, pray for me and my family," she wrote. The appeal is coming three weeks after another Instagram post where she reminisced about a good time she had with her father in Asaba, the Delta State capital, where she was promoting her new movie, “Okafor’s Law”.
Recall that before now, Oboli had faced some challenges following a case of copyright infringement and trademark violation brought against her by a Canadian-based Nigerian script writer, Jude Idada, who secured a court injunction to stop the premiere of Oboli’s much -talked about movie,"Okafor's Law" and also its release on March 31. However, the ban was lifted following a counter suit.
Meanwhile, speaking about her fashion line, the actress who is known for rocking Ayo Van Elmer's designs said, 'I am introducing to the world my inner passion and ideas and a new side of me. You all know me as an actress and movie maker, now you all get to see this whole new side of me. I am excited about this fashion line and excited to be working with Ayo Van Elmer. This fashion line is for my fans and fans of fashion'.
Popular Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke who delved into manufacturing business called Burgeon Global a few years back, is now plotting to expand into real estate business and services.
Nollywood star, Jim Iyke
Jim Iyke took to his Intagram page, weekend, to announce his latest effort. "Men at work. Lustrous Dynamic Global Services; future horizons. Unveiling soon,"he wrote.
In another post, Jim Iyke uploaded a picture of himself and his workers with a caption; "This is what my team and I look like at the office. It’s not pretty but we get first class work done with first class results. We will announce the first of our many platforms on May 10."
Recall that the controversial actor, a few years back delved into sachet water business, with its headquarters located in Abuja. Indeed, since he veered into business, fans of Jim Iyke have been missing him on the big screen.
Emmanuel Macron, who exit polls say won France’s presidential elections on Sunday, may have seen off the competition in the race for the Elysee Palace but will face daunting challenges when he takes office.
Emmanuel Macron
The 39-year-old must unite a deeply-divided country, roll back unemployment and try to nudge a fractious EU along the path of reform — but he first faces a battle to secure a governing majority in legislative elections due next month.
– Reunite France – Macron, a pro-European centrist and former banker, takes over a divided country where nearly half of voters backed extremist candidates — critical of the EU, globalisation and “elites” — in the first round of the election.
The “two Frances” are divided geographically — one urban, more affluent and open to reform; the other, concentrated in the northern rustbelt and in disadvantaged areas of the countryside. It was this latter France that voted for Macron’s far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen.
Macron knows that many voters backed him not out of conviction but simply to stop Le Pen taking power, and his support could evaporate at the parliamentary elections.
“Will the Macron-Le Pen divide — which is a national, existential identity divide, not the usual left-right split — continue into the legislative election? I tend to think so,” said analyst Stephane Rozes of the CAP thinktank.
– The impossible majority? – Macron has promised to move beyond traditional left and right parties to create a new majority in the centre.
He launched his En Marche! (On the Move) party less than a year ago but managed to attract hundreds of thousands of supporters. He finished first in the first round of the election with a quarter of the vote. In the runoff against Le Pen, he notched up almost two-thirds of the vote, according to exit polls.
Now he must convert his extraordinary rise — unprecedented in recent French history — into a solid presence in the National Assembly.
After his success in the presidential race, Macron believes that the French people will give him another victory in parliamentary elections, which will take place on June 11 and 18.
But the traditional centre-right, whose candidate Francois Fillon crashed out in the first round amid a fake jobs scandal, hopes to strike back and force Macron into a coalition arrangement in parliament.
The far left, emboldened by the first-round success of candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who took an unexpectedly high 19.6 percent, is also aiming for a strong showing.
– Labour law battle – Macron has lamented France’s failure to solve its unemployment problem.
French joblessness runs at 10 percent, which compares with an average of 8.0 percent across the EU and just 3.9 percent in neighbouring Germany.
Like his predecessors, Macron will be judged above all on employment, and he has vowed to force through reform of France’s hidebound labour laws using executive orders during his first months in office.
This accelerated procedure, bypassing parliament, could mean a fiery start to his term as France’s highly activist unions would likely bring protests out onto the streets, as they did last year when Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls used the tactic.
Macron wants to cut unemployment to seven percent by 2022 by liberalising employment laws, cutting business rates and loosening restrictions in France’s 35-hour working week.
– Terror threat – The killing of a policeman on the Champs-Elysees in central Paris just three days before the first-round vote was a sobering reminder of the terror threat hanging over France.
More than 230 people have been killed in jihadist attacks in France since January 2015, many carried out in the name of the Islamic State (IS) group.
“IS is open about its desire to smash national cohesion by exacerbating tensions between Muslims and the rest of the population,” said Marc Hecker of the French Institute of International Relations.
Hecker pointed to the dangers posed by hundreds of French IS fighters returning home from Syria and Iraq in the coming years.
With no previous experience in such matters, Macron has to move quickly to show he has a grip on these challenges and his role as military commander-in-chief.
General Jean-Paul Palomeros, who advised Macron, predicted that France’s military commitments in the Middle East and Africa would continue unchanged.
Macron has also said he wants to reinforce the EU’s external borders and has called for a major increase in resources for the Frontex agency.
– EU reform – Macron sees a reinvigoration of the France-Germany alliance as crucial to relaunching the EU after the shocks of Brexit and the migrant crisis.
He plans to tour European capitals during his first months in charge to set out a “five-year roadmap to give the eurozone a true budget and to create a Europe of 27 for the environment, industry and managing migration”.
Vincenzo Scarpetta, analyst at Open Europe, warned Macron may be biting off more than he can chew.
“Reforming the EU looks good on paper but Macron’s ideas are bold: he wants a budget for the eurozone and a eurozone minister. Is that really realistic, when it would require treaty changes?” Scarpetta said.
Macron has also said he is determined to develop European defence by coordinating operations and industrial programmes in this area.
THE lawyer of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Bar. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has said that Nigeria has expired and nothing will make Nnamdi Kanu go into politics.
He made this known in an interview with 'Wazobia Fm' saying that ”Nnamdi Kanu is Biafra and Biafra is Nnamdi.”
His words: "Let me make this clear now, nothing will make Nnamdi kanu to go into politics, Nnamdi Kanu is Biafra and Biafra is Nnamdi Kanu.
"The thing he believes in nobody will change it, he said it to me, he is my friend. Secondly, court demanded that he should come with one senator from his place, and you know that Kanu is loved by everybody, even if the court demands 100 senators for his bail, you will see people from his side struggling to sign for him.
"Enyinnaya Abaribe agreed to sign for his bail and you know it is a matter of life and freedom, he signed for him. " Enyinnaya Abaribe's signatory to Kanu's bail does not mean that Kanu has a political affiliation attached to it.”
Nnamdi Kanu and other co-defendants in court
Explaining the unplanned meeting of Nnamdi Kanu and Sen. Ike Ekweremmadu's allegation against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, coming after him, Bar. Ejiofor said: "Now that Kanu is out, he saw the importance of going to thank Abaribe for his assistance in fulfilling his bail conditions. So, as he went there he met Sen. Ekweremadu and other South East senators that came to Abaribe's house.
"As we left, Sen. Ekweremmadu raised an alarm, because Nnamdi Kanu came to the house and met him, EFCC are finding a way to punish him, probably insinuating that he is assisting Kanu, thus attaching politics to what Kanu is doing.
"Let me state it clearly and unequivocally, Nnamdi Kanu is not a politician, he is not doing politics with the Biafra project and the cause he believed in nobody can change it, that's the simple truth.
"The fact that EFCC is seeking for Ekweremmadu is unknown to me, not till he raised an alarm on the 6th of May, perhaps made them denial it and said that they did not plant anything in his house. But the most important thing I want to tell you now is that Kanu is not doing any politics with the Biafra project.”
Asked if these Senators were supporting Kanu prior to his detention or just started now, he said: "Well, you know it is possible. If court did not request for a senator, nobody will hear about them. But they sometimes urged the federal government to release Kanu and obey the court order.”
Asked the role British played since Kanu was arrested, the lawyer said: "The truth is that since he was arrested, detained, granted bail and FG refused to obey court order, the British government has been sending a delegation to the court and equally going to the prison to see him.
"Any time we go to the court they come from their embassy to the court and follow the proceedings. Even when tear gas was released in his prison, I wrote to them, FG and many other people, they just took records of what is happening,”he said.
On the ownership of Radio Biafra Ejiofor, said "Radio Biafra in London is owned by IPOB, registered just like we have BBC in London and Kanu coming to Nigeria is just to tell you that he had nothing against anybody, he did not plan any evil against the Federal Government yet they arrested him.
"I want to come to Nigeria and see my family, friends and my people. Anyone who is planning a coup will he announce it? Someone who wants to take over government, will he announce it? Someone who wants to mobilise people to take over government will he announce it?
"He announced it on air via Radio Biafra that he wants to go home and see his people in Nigeria and his family members. After announcing it, he came back and they arrested him.”
On comments that the government had made Nnamdi Kanu a hero, he said: "It's true and that is the more reason now that Kanu is strongly saying that Federal government should conduct a referendum. Let them put the Senate process that will guarantee a fair conduct of the referendum, so that Biafra people will determine if they want to separate from Nigeria or not.
"It is not a fight, we are not fighting anybody, it is a peaceful agitation in process without weapon. IPOB people are harmless, they don't fight anybody and anybody has the right to self determination as contained in our constitution, we do not fight anybody.”
On calls for restructuring Nigeria, Ejiofor said: "Nigeria has expired. What is happening in the country today is obvious that we have problem, let’s tell ourselves the truth. It's time for us to come together and discuss if we are going to stay together or not. We are not for fight, it's time for us to come back and negotiate if we are telling ourselves the truth and let's stop hiding the truth from people.”
Minister of Transportation and immediate past governor of Rivers state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has again blasted his successor and current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike over alleged claims that the over $43million found in an Ikoyi apartment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were stolen Rivers state funds kept in the apartment by Amaechi.
Mr. Amaechi also said that Wike lied that the luxury Ikoyi apartment belonged to him, Amaechi.
Recall that Amaechi had, when the discovery was made, strongly debunked Wike's claims and had challenged Wike to provide evidence of his (Amaechi's) ownership of the money and apartment where the money was found.
In a statement released by his media office, Sunday, Amaechi again took a swipe at Wike for his failure to go to court to prove his claims before a Judge, describing Wike administration in Rivers State as a "government of lies, deceit, fraud and blood."
Wike and Amaechi
Amaechi also threw his weight behind the call by Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka that in the fight against corruption, detractors (saying Wike is an example) who deliberately create distraction should be criminalized and prosecuted.
According to the statement:
"Nigerians would recall that on the night of Friday, April 14, during his hurriedly arranged shambolic press briefing, Wike had threatened the President Buhari administration with fire and brimstone, vowing the mother-of-all legal action against the Federal government if the over $43million was not given to him within seven days. The 7-day ultimatum has long expired, yet no action, whether legal or otherwise by Wike to prove his malicious allegations and claim to the money.
"Again, on Friday, May 6, another wonderful opportunity was open for Wike to prove his frivolous allegations against Amaechi and claim the money, before Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court, Lagos. The Judge had on April 13, directed that anyone who owns the money should come forward to claim it. Neither Wike nor his Lawyers were anywhere near the court. Again, another no show."
"Wike's failure to prove his allegations against Amaechi in a court of law or even in the court of public opinion clearly vindicates our position and completely exonerates Amaechi of any link or connection to the Ikoyi money and apartment.
"Wike's failure to prove this his latest malicious outburst against Amaechi also clearly shows that all previous fake stories of allegations upon allegations of graft against Amaechi by Wike are all lies, like this Ikoyi silly lie from a sick and warped mind. Since he became governor, Wike sleeps and wakes up everyday, with a sole, one-point agenda to attack and denigrate Rotimi Amaechi, his erstwhile benefactor, no matter how ridiculous and silly he sounds.
"Everyday in Rivers State, there is one frivolous, false story of what Amaechi did or didn't do. Same pattern, the same blatant lies with no proof, same old concocted stories of corruption allegations against Amaechi told with different flavours, just like this his latest Ikoyi money blatant lie."
"Sadly, what Wike is running in Rivers State today is not a government, by any stretch, but a contraption of lies, deceit, fraud and blood. He has bastardized and destroyed Rivers State.
"To stem this dangerous trend, this is why we are in full support of Prof. Wole Soyinka's call that in the anti-corruption war, detractors who deliberately create distraction should be criminalized and prosecuted. Detractors of the fight against corruption like Nyesom Wike, and his lackeys and minions like Femi Fani-Kayode, Lere Olayinka, one Senator George Sekibo who like a clown, foolishly blew a whistle on the floor of the senate to push Wike's false narrative of the ownership of the Ikoyi money etc, should not be allowed to go scot free with their politically motivated lies to distract the fight against corruption."
"Finally, we insist that Wike must go to court, like he vowed (as he goes, he can also take his minions and lackeys with him), to prove his frivolous claims that the over $43million Ikoyi money and luxury apartment belongs to Amaechi and were stolen from Rivers State by Amaechi; or be ready to face the wrath of the law (at the appropriate time; constitutional immunity for governors is not for life), the wrath of the people and ultimately the wrath of God, which no constitutional immunity can protect him from", the statement concluded.
Osogbo – The family of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, who died on April 23, has rejected the coroner inquest instituted by Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun. Late Isiaka Adeleke
While addressing a press conference on Sunday in Ede, the immediate younger brother of the deceased, Deji , alleged that the outcome of the inquest was predetermined.
Aregbesola had on May 2 signed an executive order setting up a coroner inquest into the death of the senator.
The order was according to the Coroner Law Cap 32 Vol I Law of Osun, 2002.
The family, according to Adeleke, however, rejected the coroner inquest in its entirety.
"The family, hereby, denounce in its entirety the ill-advised and self-serving coroner inquest ordered by the Osun State Government, purportedly set up to determine the cause of death of our dearly beloved Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.
"We condemn, in strictest terms, the continuous politicisation attempts by the state of this great loss to our family, particularly the ordering of this inquest at a time we are still coming to terms with the harsh reality of his sudden departure and the pain and grief therefrom.
"We have been reliably informed by credible sources that the outcome of the kangaroo inquest is already predetermined by the state.
"It is also designed to serve its own interest with distorted facts and misinformation which will clearly not be in the interest of the good people of Osun in general and the Adeleke family in particular," Adeleke said.
NAN recalls that the Adeleke family had at a press conference on April 26 said that the autopsy result conducted on the deceased was yet to be out.
The late senator, who was buried on April 24, represented Osun West Senatorial District on the platform of the APC.
Adeleke, who died at 62 years, was also the first civilian governor of Osun between January 1992 and November 1993 on the platform of defunct Social Democratic Party .
In his unorthodox private life and short political career, France’s new president Emmanuel Macron has battled conventions and broken with traditions.
Emmanuel Macron
The 39-year-old son of two doctors from the northeastern city of Amiens — set to be the youngest president in French history — breaks the mould of a traditional French leader, apart from his elite education in some of the country’s best universities.
Firstly, he is married to his former teacher, glamorous 64-year-old Brigitte Trogneux, a divorced mother of three children whom he fell in love with as a schoolboy.
Their relationship has been a subject of fascination, often encouraged by the media-savvy Macron, in French glossy magazines.
He has also charted one of the most unlikely paths to the presidency in modern history, from virtual unknown three years ago to leader with no established political party behind him.
The philosophy, literature and classical music lover launched his independent movement En Marche (“On The Move”) only 12 months ago, which he said was “neither of the left nor the right”.
This unusual positioning for France, which has seen him borrow economic policies from the right coupled with social measures from the left, was initially met with cynicism.
“There is a left and a right… and that’s a good thing, that’s how our democracy functions,” ex-prime minister Manuel Valls said after En Marche launched. “It would be absurd to want to remove those differences.”
Others saw the ambitious former investment banker, who was then economy minister in Socialist President Francois Hollande’s government, as too young and too inexperienced to have serious presidential ambitions.
Few apart from his loyal core of advisors believed that he had the ability to triumph in 2017 at the age of 39, a year younger than Napoleon Bonaparte when he took power in 1804.
– Momentum –
But Macron pressed on, using his image as a dynamic young moderniser to draw in thousands of volunteers to En Marche, which was modelled partly on the grassroots movement of ex-US president Barack Obama in 2008.
After resigning from his job as economy minister in August, he set about writing his pre-election book “Revolution” and then finally declared he was running for president on November 16.
“We can’t respond with the same men and the same ideas,” he said at a jobs training centre in a gritty Parisian suburb.
A giant meeting at a convention centre in southern Paris in December was an early warning to rivals — and led to widespread mockery of Macron who ended the rally screaming, arms aloft, as he basked in the adoration.
Since then, he has benefited from the woes of the Socialist party and a scandal that engulfed one-time favourite Francois Fillon from the rightwing Republicans party, the other mainstream force in French politics.
Fillon was accused of paying his wife hundreds of thousands of euros from the public purse for a fake job as a parliamentary assistant — allegations he denied but which sunk his campaign.
“He’s been lucky,” veteran political journalist Anne Fulda, who wrote a recent biography called “Emmanuel Macron, Such A Perfect Young Man”, told AFP. “That’s something that helped him considerably. The stars aligned.”
With frustration at France’s political class running high, Macron was able to tap into a desire for wholesale change that also propelled his far-right rival Marine Le Pen into Sunday’s run-off vote.
– Already hated? –
As a student, Macron worked as an assistant to a famous French philosopher and followed a well-worn path through France’s elite public universities including the ENA, which has groomed many leaders.
After first working as a civil servant in the finance ministry, he then went into investment banking, where he earned millions at Rothschild putting together mergers and acquisitions.
Opponents have targeted this period of his career as proof he is part of the “global capitalist elite”. His self-assurance, expensive suits and defence of entrepreneurs has offered further ammunition.
“I’ve spoken with hundreds of people and you can feel it in the air: you are already hated,” one far-left critic, Francois Ruffin, wrote last week in an article in Le Monde newspaper.
He is also frequently criticised for being too vague or intellectual in his speeches, which are often long and peppered with literary references or poetry.
While at ease among ordinary voters, Macron has been accused of being condescending in the past, whether referring to “illiterate” abattoir workers, “alcoholic” laid-off workers or the “poor people” who travel on buses.
In an infamous exchange, when confronted by a protester in a T-shirt in May last year, he lost his cool, saying: “The best way to buy yourself a suit is to work.”
Emmanuel Macron was elected French president on Sunday in a resounding victory over far-right rival Marine Le Pen after a deeply divisive campaign, initial estimates showed.
Emmanuel Macron
Macron, running as a centrist, won between 65.5 and 66.1 percent of the vote ahead of Le Pen on between 33.9 percent and 34.5 percent.
The Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Nyanya, has expressed concern over President Muhammadu Buhari's health, and called on the Church to pray for his quick recovery.
He also praised Buhari for the relative peace in the Niger Delta region through the dialogue option adopted by the Federal Government.
He called on Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious and ethnic background to join hands with the present administration to build a country where peace, rule of law and freedom of speech reign.
"We call on the government to sustain the peace to revolve the Niger Delta issues.
"We call on the government to take action against the menace of killers in the guise of herdsmen who have been wreaking havoc on lives and property of helpless Nigerians across the country.
"We condemn the continued killings of innocent persons in Southern Kaduna and call for an immediate stop to the attacks,'' he noted.
On the path of education, Kalu urged the government to restructure the educational curricula to focus strongly on entrepreneurial skill acquisition, which would help the youths of the country.
Jose Mourinho claimed Arsenal were lucky to end Arsene Wenger’s woeful record against his old rival, but the Manchester United manager insisted he wasn’t bothered because the Europa League is more important.
Mourinho
Gunners boss Wenger was able to celebrate a first Premier League victory over Mourinho at the 13th attempt as Arsenal won 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Goals from Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck shattered United’s 25-match unbeaten run in the league as sixth-placed Arsenal closed the gap on fourth-placed Manchester City to six points with a game in hand.
Fifth-placed United are four points behind City with three games left, but Mourinho had already surrendered in the top-four race after sending out a weakened team against Arsenal as he prioritised the midweek Europa League semi-final second leg against Celta Viga.
United, who hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg, will qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League, so Mourinho wasn’t too concerned with the result against Arsenal.
Not that it stopped him getting a dig in at his old rival Wenger after Arsenal’s fortuitous opening goal saw Xhaka’s shot deflect in off Ander Herrera.
“Of course we knew we were not coming in our maximum power. That’s a decision,” Mourinho said.
“We want to try to win the Europa League. It’s more important than finishing fourth. We needed to rest players.
“I’m disappointed with the result, not the performance. We lost because we didn’t score and we had great chances to score before them.
“They had luck with that first goal. I can’t ask anymore from my players who haven’t played a minute for several weeks.
“The team was good, organised, we played to win and Arsenal weren’t better than us in my opinion.”
After a turbulent season that featured calls for his resignation from angry Arsenal fans, Wenger could have revelled in a rare upbeat moment this term.
But the Frenchman opted against taunting Mourinho, preferring to urge his players, who are also in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, to finish the season strongly.
“We have had many draws (against Mourinho) as well and there were some fantastic teams that we played against. It is not manager against manager,” he said.
“It was a patiently built win where in the first half you could see we were a bit nervous, in the second half we took the edge off and scored the goals.
“We still have a mathematical chance but we need some help. But the best help we can get is by winning our own games.”
Today in some part of the world people are celebrating World Naked Gardening Day.
According to wikipedia.org World Naked Gardening Day ‘is an annual international event celebrated on the first Saturday of May by gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
According to NBC’s Today News, WNGD “has become an annual tradition that celebrates weeding, planting flowers and trimming hedges in the buff.
While it's linked to a movement of nudists who promote wholesome and unashamed acceptance of the human body, the day is meant to be funny, lighthearted and non-political, founders say.”
