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
The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman has reacted to the recent killings in the north. In the video clip, the cleric, in strong terms, condemns the killings while charging his congregants to defend themselves too. Type your comment bellow after watching the video lets see how you feel about it.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunny and hazy conditions over the North-Central states of the country on Monday.
NiMet made the prediction in the Weather Outlook released by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Sunday.
It said that the region would have day and night temperature of 36 to 38 degrees Celsius and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.
The agency also predicted that Southern part of the country would experience partly cloudy conditions in the morning with day and night temperatures of 34 to 37 degrees Celsius and 23 to 26 degrees Celsius respectively.
It also predicted prospect of thunderstorms over the coastal cities of Obudu, Warri, Ogoja, Ikom, Eket, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa with showers over Enugu and the high ground of the South-West.
According to NiMet, northern states will experience sunny and hazy conditions with day and night temperature of 36 to 38 degrees Celsius and 16 to 19 degrees Celsius respectively.
"The Northern and Central cities are expected to experience sunny and hazy with chances of thunderstorms over some Southern cities," the agency predicted.
THERE is need to urgently call out the false premises advanced in a back page article of a national newspaper of Monday January 9, 2016 for the obvious reason that it risks misleading Nigerians to docilely accept a country where big corporations call the shots. The article titled Why NCC's Failed Data Price Hike was Flawed by Sina Kawonise, a former Information and Strategy Commissioner in Ogun State, is a study in the tyranny of a vocal minority, who in this information age relishes in distorting information to protect the interest of a few.
It is important as a conscientious citizen to immediately challenge the kind of flawed reasoning put forward in the piece and not to resort to the usual refrain that it is the business of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to set the record straight. If that commission is bullied into allowing anything go in the telecommunications industry it is Nigerians who suffer the consequences and one must for this very reason challenge positions that appear on the surface to be pro-people while in actual fact are nothing but sucking up to big corporate players and, whether wittingly or unwittingly, acting as their mouthpiece.
Even with the benefit of some enlightened critics having clarified that what the NCC did was to re-introduce a data tariff price floor as opposed to "hiking" the price of data, the writer persisted right from the title of his piece to mislead the unwary reader by suggesting that the regulator increased data tariff when it is only the mobile network operators that can hike or slash the prices of their products within the band of industry benchmarks – an upper limit called price ceiling and a lower limit, price floor.
This misleading information in the title of the article is a red flag that was only mitigated by the writer correctly listing the amounts currently charged by operators per megabyte of data and this clearly showed that one of the operators, Etisalat, already charges 94kobo/mb which is higher than the 90kobo/mb price floor. Whatever joy one should derive from this positive note was soon undone by the writer conveniently omitting the fact that to "protect" small operators is to protect the entire industry, which includes Kawonise's favoured big players.
One is left confused that the writer worried about the effect of a biting recession on the poor population but was piqued in the earlier part of his write up about how the concept of implementing a price floor runs contrary to "the logic and principles of capitalism". The logic that requires that one worries about how the poor cope with a recession must necessarily show concern for how new entrants into an industry survive to a point where they can grow to provide employment that will lift some of those poor citizens out of poverty.
Turning to the points marshalled by the writer to arrive at his concept of "flawed", first, anti-trust legislations and policies are in place specifically to prevent unhealthy competition and predatory practices whose end game is the demise of the competition. The demise of the competition is called monopoly. It is called oligopoly. It is ugly. If the big operators are allowed to continue selling data below cost price the new entrants will have no option but to close shop; even two of the big four will likely fold up if the price war continues and that would leave Nigerians with an oligopoly of two or three providers that can then fix prices.
The United Kingdom, which was a ready example for the writer, is just but one out of the countries in Europe. To have and give a fair sense of how the phenomenon of predatory pricing is dealt with on that continent it would be fair to also give instances from a few of the 28 countries in the European Union on how they have dealt with anti-trust issues in the past. The union has basically pulled the brake on how large Microsoft and Google (now part of Alphabet) can grow in their market by instituting actions against them for abuse of their dominant positions.
One must similarly ask questions such as at what point would new entrants into an industry be described as "inefficient" or as entities owned by fewer than 100 Nigerians and foreigners. These kind of expressions send the wrong signals to the outside world for a country that is keen on attracting foreign investment. By the way, are the big four owned by more than the same numerical strength or nationalities?
The third point canvassed by the writer underscores why the study of history, like the price floor, should be re-introduced in the country and an entirely new section on "telecommunications history of Nigeria" included so that recent past is not distorted in the telling. Contrary to his claims, we have had oligopolistic situations in this country. There was that time when ECONET (now Airtel) and MTN swore that SIM cards cannot be sold for less than N36,000 apiece. It took the licensing of Glo to crash the cost of SIM card acquisition. Validity of airtime recharge used to be in the region of seven days and it took regulation to correct that. We must also not forget the oligopolistic stance that once argued that per second billing was not possible.
Claiming that one of the new entrants, Smile, has introduced a disruptive technology as justification not to regulate unfair practices is refusing to acknowledge the real dynamics of the situation. How will Smile's disruptive technology take hold if unhealthy competition kills the provider off before it has had a chance to properly stabilise in the market? The issue has been and remains that MNOs are selling data for less than the cost of providing the service; this implies that there is a shortfall somewhere that subscribers will one day be forced to pay for if nothing is done now. It is about buying cheap data and not been able to use up one third of it before expiration and be subsequently forced to lose the unused data or forced to pay for a rollover. To the extent that NCC as regulator has worked to prevent this unpleasant scenario one can safely expect that the big players would be protected if Smile's disruptive technology becomes a threat to healthy competition.
As to raising the specter of the commission possibly being compromised, I will pass on that . NCC should defend itself even as one is tempted to interpret its silence as consigning the allegation to the realm of unmeriting of a response. One must nonetheless warn of the dangers of assumption; by the same token of being tempted to suspect NCC has been compromised shouldn't we also be worried that the writer's inspiration was the product of the same motivation. The same suspicion can be extended to this piece and that would be most uncharitable.
Finally, with the robust regulatory framework that NCC has put in place, there is no risk of telecommunications returning to a David Mark era of not being for the poor. What we should be scared of is a movement of data tariff to the oligopolistic era where dominant operators can charge any amount, muscle out small players or simply continue to offer crappy data service.
That is what will happen if we allow ourselves to be deluded into thinking we are enjoying cheap data at the expense of the competition being priced out of existence or the operators escaping the responsibility of improving their quality of service.
Diego Costa marked his comeback with a goal as Chelsea overcame an obdurate Hull City side 2-0 on Sunday to surge eight points clear at the Premier League summit.
Costa missed Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Leicester City last weekend due to a back problem, amid reports he had rowed with a fitness coach after being unsettled by a big-money offer from China.
But after returning to the starting XI, his 15th goal of the campaign set Antonio Conte’s side en route to an eighth straight home league win, which was rubber-stamped by Gary Cahill’s late header.
With Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all dropping points and Costa back in the fold, Conte was left to reflect on something approaching a perfect weekend.
The Costa furore, and a recent 2-0 defeat at Tottenham, had threatened to rob Chelsea of their momentum, but they will go into back-to-back games against Liverpool and Arsenal with belief restored.
Marco Silva’s Hull remain in the relegation zone, their disappointment compounded by injuries to Ryan Mason and Curtis Davies, the former being taken to hospital after an aerial collision with Cahill.
Costa replaced Willian in the only change to the Chelsea team that won at Leicester and he almost found the net inside 11 seconds, chesting down a headed clearance and volleying just wide.
Chelsea’s Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa (L) controls the ball during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge in London on January 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO
The game’s early rhythm evaporated following a nasty clash of heads between Cahill and Mason, who had to be stretchered off after receiving treatment on the pitch for around eight minutes.
Tom Huddlestone had dragged a shot across goal and wide prior to the stoppage and Hull continued to probe after it.
Harry Maguire ambled forward from centre-back and saw a shot deflected into the side-netting and from Evandro’s corner, the Hull number five’s header had to be fielded by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
– Penalty appeal apiece –
But while Hull continued to threaten sporadically, Maguire working Courtois again with a thumping drive from 25 yards, as the first half wore on the home side began to tighten the screw.
Marcos Alonso had a deflected effort palmed over by Eldin Jakupovic, while Pedro Rodriguez might have had a penalty after Hull debutant Omar Elabdellaoui blundered into him from behind.
The nine minutes of added time yielded by Mason’s injury produced the breakthrough.
Chelsea were aggrieved that Davies avoided a second yellow card for lunging in on Pedro, but they were celebrating shortly after.
Alonso’s crossfield pass found Victor Moses on the right and he shifted the ball outside Andy Robertson before cutting the ball back for Costa to sweep home.
The penalty grievances were levelled up four minutes into the second half when Alonso escaped sanction despite clattering Abel Hernandez on the back of the foot as they competed for possession.
Costa twice threatened to double Chelsea’s lead, but even with Davies forced off by an apparent hamstring problem, Hull continued to poke and probe, drawing groans from the home fans.
After seeing Courtois make another save, albeit to repel an off-target Michael Dawson effort, Conte made a double change, sending on Willian and Cesc Fabregas for Hazard and Pedro.
Fabregas made an instant impact, with his left-wing free-kick headed in by Cahill in the 81st minute for Chelsea’s second goal.
Costa was denied a second by Jakupovic’s legs, but when he departed two minutes later, to be replaced by Michy Batshuayi, cries of “Diego!” echoed around the ground.
ABUJA – Presidency has described a second republic member of the House of Representatives from Kano State, Dr. Mohammed Junaidu as a biased critic whose stock in trade over the years has been to haul insults at leaders of Nigeria.
It also stated that Junaidu is seeking cheap publicity to keep himself relevant after retiring from active politics.
Reacting to an interview where the former federal lawmaker stated that President Muhammadu Buhari does not accept his mistakes, the Presidency which spoke though a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu on Sunday said dismissed the notion as a lie.Junaidu
Shehu in the statement reminded Junaidu that President Buhari publicly took responsibility and apologized over the dissolution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.
Contrary to Junaidu’s position that President Buhari has not recorded any meaningful feat since his assumption of office in May 2015, Shehu stated that Nigeria under Buhari had been rif of corruption, also highlighting that the administration had greatly decimated Boko Haram in that the insurgents were no more occupying any place within the Nigerian territory.
The statement read thus: “The Presidency will like to break with tradition by reacting to the latest attack on President Muhammadu Buhari’s integrity in an interview by a former House of Representatives member from Kano State, Dr. Junaidu Mohammed.
“While Dr. Junaidu Mohammed is entitled to his opinion, he is not entitled to misrepresent facts about the concrete achievements of the Buhari administration in the past two or so years, including the undeniable fact that the Boko Haram terrorists have been significantly crippled militarily, because they no longer have the capability to invade and occupy towns and villages unchallenged by the country’s reinvigorated and motivated military personnel.
“The fact that civil servants and political office holders are now afraid to steal with impunity is itself a major psychological boost for the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration, which no sincere Nigerian can pretend not to notice.
“Contrary to Junaidu’s claims that President Buhari doesn’t acknowledge mistakes, we wish to remind the medical doctor that the President publicly took responsibility and apologized over the dissolution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.
“We must stress that taking responsibility for mistakes is one of the finest components of integrity, and that President Buhari has never failed in demonstrating this virtue in words and deeds.
“Since the coming of the Buhari administration, the country has saved billions and trillions of Naira which could be diverted to private pockets if the government wasn’t committed to transparency and accountability.
“We advise Nigerians to be wary of prejudiced and biased critics like Dr. Junaidu Mohammed who are more interested in personal publicity than respecting facts and figures about their claims.
“If Junaidu Mohammed wants to be taken seriously, he should demonstrate the duty of speaking truthfully about those he frequently attacks in his interviews.
“It must be noted that President Buhari was not the only target of Junaidu’s personal vituperations, as former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo,Umaru Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan, had all been victims of his jaundiced and malicious attacks. When it came to the late Sani Abacha, he tried it, but once he saw the prospect of elimination, he retreated.
“A cursory library search will reveal that this man has nurtured the habit of insulting every leader this country has produced in his time. Like a narcissist, he is just interested in grabbing headlines. Without publicity, Dr. Junaidu would probably give up on life.
“It is unfortunate that Junaidu Mohammed has been using his political retirement life to engage in insulting every President to grab the newspaper headlines, in addition to taking advantage of the gullibility of uncritical readers that don’t bother to subject him to facts-check.
“It is obvious that Dr. Junaidu appears be infected by pathological cynicism and these kinds of critics are toxic to national progress because they are only primarily interested in destroying every positive effort and achievements of the government.”
Abuja – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said its collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was a game changer to enhance the operations of the capital market.
Mr Mounir Gwarzo, the Director-General, SEC, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
"This is a major game changer; in the past, SEC has had collaboration with EFCC in terms of sending some of our staff to work with them.
"But what has happened at that time largely is that EFCC has leveraged on our experience and the competence of our people to also assist them in their work.
"So we also felt there is a need to push that collaboration to a higher level.
"So some of the salient issues in the MoU is, one, we should be able to have an exchange of staff; EFCC should be able to send some of their staff that they have trained them into Investigation.
"So we will share ideas to help in investigation and we should be able to send some of our staff to EFCC so that we will be able to share with them some of the intricacies of the capital market.
"Investigation in the financial industry is quite unique.
"We also agreed that we should be able to create dedicated desks both at EFCC and SEC such that we know that the desk is dedicated to the capital market issues,'' he said.
Gwarzo said that most importantly, the SEC going by its law, SEC did not have the power to prosecute criminal matters.
He said the law limited SEC to only civil cases whereas about 99 per cent of cases in the capital market had some criminal elements.
He said, "the best we normally do is after our investigation, we ban or suspend the operator as an individual, we also either suspend or revoke the licence of the operator as a company.
"We then pass the matter to the EFCC, because the issue is related to the criminal aspect, we do not have jurisdiction to do that.
"So with this collaboration, we will be able to work closely with EFCC to ensure that the criminal elements which concerns the investor is also pursued and prosecuted to its logical conclusion.
"With this MoU we have had, I'm sure our investigation and particularly our enforcement mechanism, would be enhanced.
He explained that SEC had been handling civil cases and "we had achieved a lot of progress but with the EFCC coming in, they would be able to also handle criminal matters.
He reiterated that the EFCC boss had pledged commitment to ensure that the hallmark of the collaboration was achieved.
He further said," for me, it is a major game changer in our enforcement drive and this will also send a very strong signal to any capital market operator that will commit an offence.
Gwarzo said the collaboration would deter further offenders in the capital market.
Nigerians living in the United Kindom (UK) under the banner of the UK chapter of Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group (NDMG) have condemned the death rumour of President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as the handiwork of corrupt and unpatriotic individuals.
The group in a message to journalists by its co-ordinator, Engr. Adekaa Onyilo said those behind the rumour do not mean well for Nigeria as a country that is trying to overcome long years of strangulation imposed by their benefactors.
He said such rumour reveals the depth to which morals have sunken and the desperation of the beneficiaries of corruption want an end to the current war on corruption so that they can again return the country to the path of perfidy.
He said the Group is pleased at the promptness with which the Presidency dispelled the evil rumors around the health of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently on a medical leave with us here in the United Kingdom.
According to Onyilo, even as Mr President continues with his rest for the duration of his leave, the prayers of the millions of Nigerians who are yearning for the disruption of the status quo imposed by corruption would not go unanswered.
He said,”The irresponsible news could only have been floated by those that want to see Nigeria go up in flames. Unfortunately, they failed to realize that the change and reforms initiated by Mr President would outlive everyone since they are targeted at strengthening institutions and building systems.
“We therefore want to warn the purveyors of such rumors to desist as their act affect more than President Buhari. At a time when our dear country is working to contain the pressure on the naira, their action has served to further spook the currency and shake investors’ confidence. When this happens, citizens that played no role in starting the lies would suffer for it.”
CHAIRMAN of Delta State Waterways and Land Security Committee, Chief Boro Opudu has appealed to people from the Niger Delta to maintain the peace and avoid any form of pipeline vandalism saying government can only address the development needs of the people in an atmosphere of peace.
While he commended the recent visit of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to the Niger Delta, Opudu called for quick take-off of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko.
In a statement, Chief Opudu said: "The recent visit of the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to the Niger Delta, which was a fact-finding missipn, is a commendable development because the visit has clearly shown that the existing structures and facilities at Kurutie (the temporary site for the Maritime University) are enough for the University to take off.
“This confidence-building and fact-finding mission heralds readiness of the Federal Government to engage the Niger Delta positively on development matters particularly when this is translated to reality in no distant time,as the Niger Delta needs less talk and more visible action of real development."
Calling on Niger Deltans to eschew violence he said the Federal Government can no longer give insecurity excuses to dodge its task of developing the region.
He said: "With the positive feelers of pragmatic development of the Niger Delta heralded by the Vice-President, I hereby appeal and call on all Niger Deltans to maintain the peace and avoid any form of pipeline vandalism as government can only address the development needs of the people in an atmosphere of peace. Peace maintained in the Niger, the Federal government can no longer give insecurity excuses to dodge its task of developing us."
In addition, Chairman of Delta State Waterways and Land Security Committee said "As further indicator of its intention to develop the Niger Delta signalled by the Vice-President’s recent visit, the Federal Government should quicken the take-off of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko. The moment the Maritime University takes off in no distant time, it will boost the confidence of the Niger Delta people in the Buhari-led government and put an end to feelings and thoughts of alienation, antagonism, persecution, deliberate underdevelopment and sidelining of Niger Deltans. Development of the Niger Delta in project-execution and quick take-off of the Maritime University will give a sense of belonging to Niger Delta region.
"The visit of the Vice-President to the Niger Delta is an eloquent testimony of President Buhari’s readiness to engage the Niger Delta in a positive way and this demands that Niger Deltans key into this new development by avoding any divisive issue bound to distract attention away from the ideals of this confidence-building and fact-finding visit. The word is peace and collective puruit of development in the Niger Delta in line with best global practices."
The operatives of the Lagos State Task Force had arrested a man Soji Gboye who impersonated to be a journalist with a media outfit (TVC Continental).
Disclosing this to newsmen on weekend, Chairman of the Agency SP Olayinka Egbeyemi said the suspect who lives on No 5, Adesoye Street, Mende, Maryland, Lagos, was arrested while obstructing the personnel of the Agency from performing their legitimate duty around the area.
Soji was arrested alongside 67 miscreants and hoodlums during an enforcement exercise carried out in Maryland area of the state.
Soji Gboye
The Chairman also said traders selling or displaying wares/goods at unauthorised places were dislodged during the exercise.
According to him, the 36 years old from Ilaje, Ondo State who claimed he was a correspondent with the media outfit could not properly identify himself when interrogated by the Chairman of the Agency.
SP Egbeyemi who was one time Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO) immediately Investigated further with the management of the media outfit but it was discovered that he was not a staff but an impersonator.
It was gathered that upon interrogation, it was discovered that he was not a journalist and he had never worked with a media outfit.
He said he only impersonated himself to be a journalist just to regain his freedom and that any time he had issues with any uniformed men he always impersonated to be a journalist and he had never been doubted for once.
Mr Gboye who said the Agency should have mercy on him however acknowledged the braveness of the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force SP Olayinka Egbeyemi as an intelligent Nigeria Police Officer.
Meanwhile the Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr. Garuba Umar has directed that all the 67 suspects be charged to court while the fake journalist be transferred immediately to State CID, Panti Street, Yaba, Lagos.
SP Egbeyemi who said the Agency and other security outfits would not relent at getting rid of criminals and hoodlums however enjoined members of the public to always furnish security outfits with useful information on criminal activities across the State.
The former Senate President, Ken Nnamani has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress Party, APC.
Ken Nnnamani was the President of the Senate from 2005 to 2007. A member of the People’s Democratic Party, he was elected to the Senate from Enugu State in 2003 and served in the Senate until 2007.
Ken Nnamani joins APC
Nnamani however joined APC on Sunday at his Amaechi ward in Enugu South Council Area of Enugu State.
Recall that Nnamani had nearly a year ago denounced his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Nnamani reportedly said he is defecting because impunity and undemocratic practices has killed PDP.He also said that PDP was now dead, unproductive and unprofitable.
He said this after receiving his membership card from the APC's national registration committee.
UYO-The people of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District have said, they would continue to drum support for Governor Udom Emmanuel to actualize his agenda for the state.
This is even as they condemned the defection of Senator Nelson Effiong from PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) saying that, the defection was without consultation with the people of the Senatorial District.
"His action is uncharitable and unaccepted to the senatorial district. This defection does not affect in anyway, the position and strength of the party in the senatorial district and, the desire of the Governor and support of the people to run for the second term", they stated
They stated this at the weekend at Eket, when the stakeholders met to endorse the governor for another term in 2019.
The leaders of thought in a statement issued and read by the member representing Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Charles Uduyork, called for more support from the people of the state, for the Governor to realize his programmes for the people.
Gov Emmanuel Udom
The meeting commended him for some of his achievements and sustaining what they described as, ''a high momentum in governance'' even at the face of the current economic recession.
According to the statement, "His Excellency has not only maintained the State's free education policy but, has also addressed aggressively the challenges of infrastructure in the educational sector. Many schools are undergoing renovation while the Akwa Ibom State University has recorded increase in the number of accredited courses.
"A number of hospitals have been fully renovated or are undergoing renovation to boost the healthcare system. Worthy of note are the numerous road projects His Excellency has initiated, completed or ongoing.
"His drive towards industrializing the State is evident in the revamping of Peacock Paints Limited in Etinan, while the Coconut Refinery, the Metering Company, Ibom Deep Seaport and others are in various stages of completion.
"His Excellency has held passionately to his five-point agenda of job creation, poverty alleviation, wealth creation, economic/political inclusion amongst others.
The meeting also consoled the governor for the Reigners' Bible Church tragedy and thanked God for his safety.
Ten-man Arsenal went second in the Premier League with a stunning 2-1 win over Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday that saw both sides score penalties in stoppage-time.
Arsenal were 1-0 up courtesy of Shkodran Mustafi’s first goal for the club when, in the third of seven minutes of time added on by referee Jon Moss, Burnley’s Ashley Barnes was fouled inside the area by Francis Coquelin.
Andre Gray, a childhood Arsenal fan, slammed the spot-kick down the middle, with Petr Cech unable to prevent the equaliser despite getting a hand to the ball.
But that was not the end of the drama.
When Arsenal pumped the ball into the box with virtually the last attack of the game, Laurent Koscielny was caught by a high foot from Ben Mee as he attempted to head in.
Moss, amid suggestions Koscielny was marginally offside, again pointed to the spot and Alexis Sanchez, showing remarkable cool in the circumstances, chipped rather than fired a penalty down the middle.
It had looked like being another frustrating afternoon for Arsene Wenger’s men as they squandered several chances against a determined Burnley.
Mustafi eventually broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when he headed in a corner from fellow Germany international Mesut Ozil.
Arsenal had to play the final 25 minutes down to 10 men after midfielder Granit Xhaka was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Steven Defour.
Victory saw Arsenal leapfrog both Liverpool, beaten 3-2 by Swansea on Saturday, and Tottenham Hotspur, held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester City, in the table.
But Chelsea will end the weekend eight points clear of their London rivals if they beat relegation-threatened Hull in Sunday’s late match.
– Costa return –
There was a boost for the Blues at Stamford Bridge with the return to their starting XI of striker Diego Costa.
The Brazil-born Spain striker, Chelsea’s top scorer this season with 14 goals, missed last weekend’s 3-0 win at Leicester City due to a back complaint.
But he was reported to have had a training-ground row with fitness coach Julio Tous, amid speculation he had been the subject of a mega-money offer from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian.
Costa replaced Willian in the only change made by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Earlier, Southampton marked their first match since former captain Jose Fonte’s £8 million ($9.9 , 9.2 million euros) move to West Ham on Friday by ending a run of four straight league defeats with a 3-0 win at home to struggling champions Leicester.
The Saints were 2-0 up before the break at St Mary’s thanks to goals from James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez before Dusan Tadic’s penalty four minutes from time completed a comfortable win.
Victory was just the boost south coast side Southampton, now 11th in the table, needed ahead of their League Cup semi-final second leg clash against Liverpool on Wednesday, with the Saints taking a 1-0 lead to Anfield.
“It (Anfield) is a tough place to go but we can take confidence from today and how we played against them in the first leg and hopefully we can get to Wembley,” Ward-Prowse told Sky Sports.
Meanwhile Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri blamed himself for the Foxes’ latest loss and promised to revert to the formation that proved so successful for the Foxes during their shock title triumph last season.
“The players are used to 4-4-1-1 and know the positions but I made a mistake,” he said.
“I think it is much better to give them what they know well,” added the Italian after Leicester’s 11th defeat in 22 league matches so far this season left them just five points above the relegation zone.
President Adama Barrow, on Saturday promised the citizens of his readiness to operate transparent and all-inclusive administration.
Barrow said this while addressing newsmen in Dakar, Senegal.
He said it was about time the country was repositioned to achieve greatness and development.
"The time is now. There cannot be a better time because Gambians had waited for too long for this opportunity to come.
"This government would involve all well meaning citizens irrespective of political leanings and religion to build the country.
"We shall together do this in order to redeem the good image of the country and move it to greater height,'' the President said.
Adama Barrow
Barrow said the people of Gambian were very happy that the change they yearned for had finally come, adding that all hands must be on deck to develop the country.
He promised to unite all the warring factions for the good and development of the country.
"With unity of purpose a lot can be achieved within the space of little time that everybody can be proud of anytime anywhere.
"With everybody on board, Gambia can become one of the great countries of the world going by its potential and human resources,'' he said.
He, therefore, called on the Gambians to give maximum support to the government, adding that he was ready and willing to deliver dividends of democracy to the good people.
"We shall embark on robust policies and programmes where everybody will have equal chance as that is key in democracy.
"We are going to redeem all items in our manifesto for the benefit of the people. Gambia is back and we are ready to move it forward.
"We are also going to encourage people, especially Nigerians to invest in the country and create more employment.
"We will encourage them and other foreign investors to go into production.
"We do not want the idea of buying and selling because, your life will depend on others. So, we will encourage people to go into production,'' the President said.
He also assured the people of adequate security, promising to leave a good legacy behind for the people and country.
He expressed delight for the support extended to him during the trying time, adding that the people must remain dogged and resilient for the government to deliver dividends of democracy.
He specially appreciated the role played by Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari and ECOWAS and other International bodies that ensured that his mandate became a reality.
By Henry Umoru ABUJA- FORMER Chairman, Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, Sunday condemned in very strong terms, the masterminds of the media report that the health condition of President Muhammadu Buhari could have worsened, leading to possible death in Germany.
He advised the media, especially operators of online media platforms to always verify sensitive reports before they publish, saying that by doing so, they will save their news subjects and themselves unnecessary embarrassment. File: Chief Anthony Akhakon Anenih
Reacting to the development, Anenih in a statement in Abuja, dismissed the report as the handiwork of those who only did not wish Buhari well and those who did not mean well for Nigeria, just as he urged those persons to fear God and pray for leaders of the country.
According to Anenih, those behind the report, in what he described as their hurried bid to propagate their mischievous and false report, forgot that the president left Nigeria for London and not Germany on vacation during which period he would undergo routine medical check-up.
The Elder Statesman said, “This attitude of doing false reports about the death of our leaders has become characteristic in the media and it is not good. I was a victim of this in May last year when I was reported to have died in a London hospital. Former President Ibrahim Babangida was also a victim of such sinister rumoured death last year. I wonder what those behind the false and mischievous reports intended to gain from them.
“Fabricating such negative and false reports of death about fellow human beings is wicked and ungodly. It is clearly against Biblical admonition that we should pray for leaders and people in authority.
“At this time of economic recession, rather than wish President Buhari dead, Nigerians should fervently pray for him to enjoy good health to be able to take the country out of the woods.
“The masterminds of these false reports should desist from such despicable act that only portrays them as inhuman. They should fear God, ask for His mercy and forgiveness so that they do not invite the wrath of God upon their heads.”
Also yesterday, a group under the aegis, Osun Buharist Society described the rumour as callous, barbaric and ungodly that President Muhammadu Buhari has passed away in Germany.
In a statement signed by its publicity secretary , Mallam Abiodun Kamar, the group categorised those spreading the rumour as “agents of darkness who are working round the clock to set the country ablaze”, warning that ” it is time to out the loss of 2015 at our back.
“What we are witnessing is the desperation of a power elite angry and bitter for its loss at poll and is fatally plotting to plunge the country into chaos. We the ordinary citizens must resist them. We must say no to evil plot.
” President Buhari is entitled to medical leave and he duly ceded power to his Vice President, a man of God in politics. Is a 70 year old man not entitled to medical check up?
“Now is the time to pray for our leaders .The holy books indeed command us to respect and support constituted authority.
” We can not as patriots wish ourselves dead talkless of our president .We appeal to all Nigerians to unite behind President Buhari as he battles the economic parasites who destroyed our economy.”
A pro-democracy coalition has told President Muhammadu Buhari that the delay in submitting the name of Justice Nkanu Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) "is a big test on the unity of Nigeria."
The group, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC), expressed concern that "this suspicious and deliberate action of the President in delaying the confirmation process has effectively put the unity of Nigeria on trial."
President Buhari elected to appoint Justice Onnoghen as acting CJN on November 10, 2016 for a period of three months; the first to be so appointed in acting capacity and he currently has less than 20 days to the expiration of the duration.
The coalition had previously accused the Presidency of trying to ethnicise and politicise the judiciary, by denying Onnoghen, the first Southerner in 30 years, an opportunity to enjoy confirmation like all his predecessors to serve as the CJN.
Justice Onnoghen
The coalition in a latest statement by its Co-Convener, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, warned that "the established precedence and processes for appointing a substantive CJN must not be compromised to suit ethnic and political interest.
"We are not unaware that they have been combing the whole universe to look for something incriminating which they could use as a cover to stop this courageous judge from becoming our substantive CJN.
"This same Justice Onnoghen was among the three Justices that gave a fearless judgement in favour of General Muhammadu Buhari as the then Presidential candidate of the All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007. This is a pedigree that should automatically endear him to Mr. President.
"If he did that, so what could then be the reason for undermining his confirmation process as the CJN like his predecessors?
"We make bold to say that we have gotten to a point where we must tell ourselves the bitter truth and speak wisdom to leadership no matter how fragile or sensitive the situation is.
"If Mr. President thinks a Justice from the South of Nigeria does not deserve to be the CJN, he should quickly let us go for a referendum and decide the membership of this nation. We must stop living in denial and under false pretense of national unity," the statement said.
CDNDC urged eminent Nigerians to prevail on the President not to jeopardise the unity of the country. "Justice Onnoghen is a Nigerian and he should be allowed to serve like his predecessors," the group said.
*** Calls on the FG to carry out a holistic Investigation into the matter
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- THE South East Senate Caucus yesterday condemned in very strong terms, the alleged killings of unarmed members of the so-called Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) said to be holding a pro-Trump rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers state by members of Nigerian Security agencies.
The South East Senators have also called on the Federal Government to carry out a holistic investigation into the allegations of deliberate application of excessive force by security agencies in the containment of peaceful assembly particularly when groups from the South East are involved, with particular reference to the latest action.
In a statement in Abuja weekend, Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who noted that the mere fact that the security agencies applied excess force in an otherwise peaceful rally, was however reprehensible and questions what the Senators called, an emerging pattern in the containment of peaceful assembly in Nigeria.
IPOB members on solidarity march for Trump
Abaribe who noted that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended provides for the freedom of association and the right of the people to freely assemble to express their common interest, said, “The last time I checked, that section of the constitution is still intact and has not been amended. It is therefore worrisome and that the rights of a section of Nigerians would be so wilfully denied with such extra force.
“If the report of killings by the security agencies were to be confirmed, it would no doubt leave a gaping hole in the unity of this country.
“This is one regrettable action too many, coming against the backdrop of the recent report of the Amnesty International (AI) of mass killings of people from the same section of the populace in Nigeria.”
Abaribe who said that the South East Senate Caucus was not only demanding a stop to this heinous act, which have caused so much embarrassment to the country, but was also calling on the Federal Government to investigate the high handedness of its security services in the handling of civil protest with particular emphasis to the latest action by her security agencies in Port Harcourt.
Gambian embattled out-gone President, Yahaya Jammeh flew out of The Gambia after finally accepting to step down for Adama Barrow on Saturday. While leaving the country, jubilant Gambians are seen in the video clips shouting freedom. Jammeh who, in the second video clip, boarded a plane waved at the Gambians before flying out of the country. The third video shows Gambians returning from exile after the exit of Jammeh.
By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan FOLLOWING what it described as persistent violation of human and trade union rights, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has instructed its members nationwide to boycott all academic and allied activities at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Also the academic union barred all the university academic staff from carrying out any academic activity in any public universities in the country.
This was contained in part of the resolutions reached at the end of its Awka National Executive Council meeting.
In the statement which was given to newsmen in Ibadan by the Chairman University of Ibadan Chapter of the union, Dr Deji Omole, ASUU alleged that the university management and its sponsored groups were fuelling crisis by forcefully deducting check-off dues without remitting it to the national body.
ASUU vowed that for the duration of the sanctions, academic Staff of the University of Ilorin would no longer enjoy the cooperation, collaboration or participation of academics of other Nigerian public universities.
According to to the union, areas that the sanctions covered include teaching, research and supervision of students; setting, moderation or assessment of examinations; external assessment for professorial cadre appointments or promotions; sabbatical, visiting, part-time and adjunct appointments, accreditation of institutions, colleges and programmes and courses, collaborative research, peer review of journal articles and patronage of journals; attendance of conferences, workshops, seminars and other related activities.
Omole further stated that "despite all intervention efforts by the Academic Staff Union of Universities since 2001, the University of Ilorin administration has persisted in acts of lawlessness, arbitrariness, violation of human and trade union rights, and persecution of loyal members.
Contrary to the law and despite the ruling of the National Industrial Court, the University has continued to prevent the Union from functioning on its campus. The University has also continued to forcefully collect check-off money from academics of the university in the name of the Union without remitting it to the Union.
The union, he added, was bound to protect the principles of democracy and the exercise of freedom in the academia. It also insisted that on the right to function through its own accredited representatives on Nigerian University campuses. “NEC at its meeting at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, recognized distinct groups that have emerged in creating and prolonging the crisis at the University of Ilorin.”
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
The Amodu Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Aniocha South local government area, Delta State, has passed a vote of confidence on its chairman, Mr Ike Ofulue and the assistant national organizing secretary of the party, Prince Paul Okwufulueze.
Alimodu-Sheriff
Moving the vote of confidence in a meeting of the party held at Ogwushi-Uku, which was seconded by Mr Gabriel Eziechi, Chief Dennis Okwuodili said the party under leadership of Mr Ofulue and the assistant national organizing secretary, Prince Paul Okwufulueze was waxing stronger.
Reiterating that Mr Ofulue remains chairman of the party in the local government, he said the essence of the meeting was to sensitize the public on the need to follow the true party structure in the state.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr Ike Ofulue said; "We have chosen to become what we are even before Sheriff became the PDP national chairman. I am not a push over and I have vowed to see the end of impunity and imposition in the area”.
Following the recent rumored information about billionaire husband of top Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, Dr. Oladunni Churchill, that their marriage is on the nosedive, more findings has indicated that there is a squabble between the two party but could not confirm about an imminent breakup.
However, indication has shown that the house is shaky as one of the domestic staff in the family house who want to remain anonymous confirmed that his master, Dr. Churchill is not at ease with serial uncommonly behaviour in the house by his wife, Tonto Dikeh, but did not indicate any breakup.
Dr. Churchill with ash coloured dress, 2nd to the left walking beside Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at Ibogun, Ogun State
According to him; "The actress returned to her unmarried lifestyle of smoking marijuana which usually triggers her to destroy family properties at any provocation. This incident has occurred three times including burning the husband’s cloths and expensive interior valuables."
He also disclosed that the husband, Dr. Churchill having noticed an imminent confrontation with his wife which may be termed as domestic violence, travelled to Ghana last year after his charity programme for some weeks to cool off the disturbing tendencies which he alleged that Tonto Dikeh breastfeeds the baby while smoking.
He also revealed that the controversial actress exhibited some violent manner and was said to have pushed down the guest in-law and broke some valuables in her home in one of her many marijuana reactions. The incessant dishonorable display was sighted to have prompted her husband to stay away from home instead of confrontation which however, triggers the cheating saga.
As the accusation rages on, Dr. Churchill, according to the source, was said not to have made appearance in his Abuja office as he is not settled and had not paid some of his office staff their salary since December. However, all effort to reach Dr. Churchill for reaction to the allegation proves unsuccessful as he had briefly replied in one the calls saying; "I have been busy with my business. I will accord you audience as soon as possible".
Meanwhile, the billionaire businessman, Dr. Churchill was spotted by our correspondence yesterday, at Ogun State among the ex- President, Goodluck Jonathan visiting entourage to former ex-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at his ancestral village Ibogun, Ogun State.
Wayne Rooney became Manchester United’s record scorer when he netted his 250th goal for the English giants in a 1-1 draw at Stoke on Saturday, saying the landmark meant “a hell of a lot.”
*Rooney
Rooney equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time to break fellow England great Bobby Charlton’s United record of 249 goals.
The 31-year-old forward, making his 546th United appearance, surpassed 1966 World Cup-winner Charlton’s record in style when he bent a free-kick past Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant into the top corner of the net at the Britannia Stadium.
His latest United goal came a fortnight after Rooney, who succeeded Charlton as England’s record goal-scorer in 2015, equalled the former midfielder’s United mark during an FA Cup tie against second-tier Reading.
“It means a hell of a lot,” Rooney, who joined United from Everton in 2004, said afterwards.
“It is a great honour and I am very proud,” added the Liverpool-born Rooney, who made his name as an out-and-out striker but has been deployed lately as an attacking midfielder.
“It is difficult at the minute to be over-pleased because of the result but in the grand scheme it is huge honour. It is not something I expected when I joined. As I said before, I am proud and I hope there is more to come.
“The players who have played for this club have been world class. I am proud to play for this club. To be all-time goalscorer is a huge honour.”
Rooney’s goal could yet proved important in the context of United’s season, with Jose Mourinho’s men battling to break into the top four and bring Champions League football back to Old Trafford next season.
“It could be vital come the end of the season,” said Rooney of a draw against a Stoke side managed by former United striker Mark Hughes.
“It is not nice to lose and it looked like being the case. But we got a point that could be vital. There is a long way to go. A lot can happen. We have to keep picking up points.”
SOME uncompleted buildings parading several shops in Ibafo market, Ogun State have been described as a death trap.
The buildings were said to have been started several years ago by a private developer but unable to complete them.
Nevertheless, the developer, according to residents, rented out the buildings to shop owners who currently operate there, thus exposing them and their customers to danger.
"The storey buildings where the shops are situated have staircases,balconies,verandahs, etc, without railings at the upper floors and the stairs leading up,"one of the residents, Bimbo Olatilo, said. "The developer was allegedly allocated the market space by the state government to develop, sell and also manage.
"There is on record a man who fell off the open balcony and died instantly and other people who have been injured in recent times."
"All pleas to the developer who is well connected and his agents to complete the buildings and also provide basic infrastructures there have been rebuffed."
The residents pleaded with Governor Ibikunle Amosun to look into the issue of the buildings to avoid
A Lagos based businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation, Malam Abubakar Malami, to order an investigation into how his properties running into billions of Naira were allegedly sold illegally by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, when Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was the Chairman of the anti-graft agency.
Speaking through his lawyer, Emmanuel Ilechukwu of Metropolitan Partners Law firm,Nwude lamented that all efforts by him to get justice over the issue had been frustrated.
''When Obasanjo was in power ,we raised the alarm on this matter , and tried to get justice but Ribadu told us we were wasting our time ,and that we were fighting a lost battle. True to his word, nothing came out of our efforts but we resolved to continue our fight for justice. When Yar'Adua was there, he didn't stay in office for long and therefore couldn't look into our case or order his Minister for Justice to look into our petition against Ribadu. When Jonathan got there and we took up this battle again,we were told by people close to Ribadu that he declared that we were still fighting a lost battle as Jonathan's administration was more or less a continuation of Obasanjo's government where he held powerful position. But now that we have a change of government, and era of impunity is over, we want Ribadu to be invited to render account on Chief Nwude's properties that were illegally sold under his watch", Ilechukwu slated.
While saying that Nwude's assets that were illegally sold by the EFCC run into billions of naira, the lawyer noted that even though the assets were forfeited to government by a court order, the judgment had been appealed by Nwude's lawyers.
"Under the law, it is illegal to take further action on any issue that is under appeal. Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of Lagos State High Court ordered that Chief Nwude's properties should be forfeited to the Federal Government but Nwude's lawyers appealed that judgment and the appeal is still pending at the Supreme Court. If a matter is on appeal before the Supreme Court, under what power or what power then does EFCC have to tamper with those properties? EFCC should have waited for the Supreme Court final judgment on the issue. But it is very sad that under the watch of the former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, Chief Nwude's assets were sold. We raised the alarm at that time but because of Ribadu's influence, our efforts to seek justice were frustrated," Ilechukwu said.
"We hereby publicly challenge Ribadu to come out and speak on what happened to Chief Nwude's seized assets under his watch. There was a lot of impunity during Ribadu's tenure at the EFCC. But now time have changed and we are under a new dispensation. We are in era of change, and that's why we are calling for justice. Ribadu should speak out now. He should come out and tell Nigerians why he illegally sold Chief Nwude's properties."
Rivers United put their unbeaten run this season on the line on Sunday when they face Niger Tornadoes in Port Harcourt on Matchday 3 of the Nigeria Professional Football League.
United have started the league on a positive note, claiming four points out of a possible six after their first two games of the season.
Tornadoes' start in stark contrast has been less than exemplary with the Minna club yet to record a win after their first two matches this season.
Head coach of Tornadoes, Abubakar Bala is keen to buck that trend by becoming the first man to lead a side to record a win over United at their storied home patch.
"It is going to be a tough challenge. Rivers United is a very big team; they are representing Nigeria on the continent and we are aware of that.
"We are here (in Port Harcourt) with our match plan at least to get our first points in Port Harcourt.
"We want a win against Rivers United but if we cannot get it, then we will settle for at least a draw," he said.
Bala will be looking towards the direction of Ebenezer Odeyemi (the only Tornadoes player to have scored a goal this season) to deliver the goods on Sunday.
Rivers United
Captain Mustapha Aliko continues to lead by example at Tornadoes while Ibrahim Babawo, Isah Husseini, Gabriel Jeremiah, Andrew Ikefe, Ibrahim Akide, Ifeanyi Okoye and Solomon Owello provide a solid spine for the Minna club.
United's technical manager, Stanley Eguma is wary of the threat posed by Tornadoes and says his side will be up for the challenge on Sunday.
"We respect Tornadoes because we know they are coming to Port Harcourt with a very good team.
"We may not have lost any game this season but no one should get carried away because the (Rivers United) team is still work in progress.
"We have a big task in the technical department of the football club because we have many new players who are yet to bond into a unit and embrace our philosophy.
"The work to attain required levels in the football club is ongoing and I know we will get better with more matches played," he said to the club’s media.
United, unbeaten in their last four league matches, will be keen to record a win on Sunday but Tornadoes will know that defeat at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium will do little to relieve the pressure occasioned by a difficult start to the season.
FORM GUIDE (LAST FIVE NPFL GAMES) Rivers United (DWWDL) Rivers United 0-1 Wikki Tourists (Away) Rivers United 0-0 Abia Warriors (Home) Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United (Away) Rivers United 2-1 El Kanemi Warriors (Home) Rivers United 1-1 Akwa United (Away)
Previous meetings (Head-to-head) Matches: Two Niger Tornadoes United wins: Nil Rivers United wins: One Draws: Nil
Details (Specific breakdown) Niger Tornadoes 3-2 Rivers United (NPFL; Confluence Stadium, Lokoja on March 13, 2016) Rivers United 1-0 Niger Tornadoes (NPFL; Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt on July 7, 2016)
As many as 236 people may have been killed in the botched Nigerian air strike against Boko Haram that hit a camp for civilians displaced by the unrest, a local official said on Saturday.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Friday had said the death toll from Tuesday’s strike on the town of Rann in the far northeast had risen to 90, although it claimed that could climb as high as 170.
But Babagana Malarima, president of the local Kala-Balge government in Borno State where the strike took place, claimed the death toll is much higher.
“From what the people who buried the dead victims with their hands told me, not those who treated the wounded, they buried 234 dead,” said Malarima on Saturday.
“And I later got a report that two of the injured taken to Maiduguri died.”
The bombed camp had been set up to help people fleeing Boko Haram Islamists in Borno State.
Nigeria’s air force said it was investigating the incident but military commanders had already claimed it was a mistake.
“Our people are really traumatised that a fighter jet belonging to their country can make this mistake and kill them the way it did in their own country,” fumed Malarima.
“Lives and property have been lost. It is not enough to just bury the dead and pray for their souls. Their families should be supported as is done in other countries. They should not be forgotten.
An man injured during the accidental airstrike recovers in the MenÃs Ward at the Maiduguri State Specialist Hospital on January 18, 2017. At least 70 people have died in an Internally Displace Camp in Borno State from an accidental military airstrike on January 17, 2017, intended to target Boko Haram militants in Rann, in north-eastern Nigeria. / AFP PHOTO /
“The death toll is colossal. We are in grief.”
Tuesday’s strike happened while humanitarian workers were distributing food in Rann, a small town close to the Cameroon border where some 20,000 to 40,000 people had sought refuge.
MSF said most of the victims were women and children.
At least six Red Cross volunteers were amongst the dead with another 13 injured.
Rann only recently became accessible to aid agencies because of improved security.
But on Thursday night, security forces said Boko Haram launched an attack on Rann that was repulsed, leaving at least 14 militants dead.
Nigeria’s chief of army staff Lieutenant-General Tukur Buraitai said on Friday while visiting Rann that Thursday’s attack showed the military were acting on credible intel.
“This incident happened in the midst of a civilian population and it was based on intelligence received that Boko Haram had moved into the area,” said Buraitai.
“The air force was briefed and they came and the incident happened.
“And yesterday we received a report that Boko Haram were back. Soldiers repelled them.”
Buraitai added: “This shows that there is credibility in the intelligence report we received that these people (Boko Haram) are moving into Kala-Balge area.
“A mistake was made. We pray it doesn’t happen again.”
At least 20,000 have been killed and more than 2.6 million made homeless since Boko Haram Islamists’ insurgency began in 2009.
Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday warned that any university management involved in unethical practices would face the full wrath of the law.Abba Kyari, President Buhari and Adesina
Buhari, who was the Visitor at the sixth convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, said universities would henceforth prepare quarterly financial reports.
Represented by Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Buhari said his administration was anchored on ensuring security of lives and property, fighting corruption and improving the economy.
"As we move to address the existing needs of our universities, we demand that the leadership of these institutions reciprocate government's gesture by untilising their funds with utmost integrity and probity.
"Any university council or management found wanting in relation to financial mismanagement or gross moral and ethical violations will be made to face the full wrath of law.
"I have directed the Minister of Education to demand quarterly reports from all universities, detailing their major financial and administrative activities.
"A template for such report will soon be circulated to the universities by the Federal Ministry of Education through the NUC,'' he said.
Buhari asked NOUN to continue to lead and chart new directions in distance learning education through maximum use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
According to him, NOUN should through effective use of ICT, research, instructional materials and other training aids, produce globally competitive graduates.
He congratulated NOUN's governing council, management, staff and students on the institution's sixth convocation.
In his address, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, NOUN's Vice-Chancellor, said that 12,125 graduating students, across all disciplines, would be conferred with honours.
He said that out of the number, 31 bagged first class degrees.
According to him, NOUN is keying into the global trend in digital learning.
"To improve our web rankings and raise the profile of our academic staff, NOUN has created a 'NOUN Academics Online' module where each of our academic staff is showcased to attract national and international collaborations in teaching and research.
"Noting the trend in technology usage among our students and predilection towards smart phone and tablet devices, NOUN has started negotiations with key technology partners to migrate our study materials into ePub electronic format.
"That will make our materials easier, friendlier and more interactively accessible on smartphone and tablet,'' he said.
He regretted that the Council for Legal Education (CLE) had consistently denied NOUN's law graduates admission into law school due to wrong perception.
Adamu, however, said that the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund recently held a public hearing on NOUN Amendment Bill, which when passed into law, would address all outstanding issues.
The vice-chancellor said that NOUN had outpaced other Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions in Africa in the Open Education Resources initiative.
In his remarks, NOUN's Chancellor, Lawrence Agubuzu, said that the yearly convocation was a testimony that NOUN was pursuing its mandate vigorously.
He urged the new graduates to exhibit worthy qualities wherever they find themselves in the service of their fatherland.
Veteran actor, Soji Eweade has reasserted himself again in the Yoruba sector of the movie industry, not only as an astute actor but also as an enterprising producer. The handsome veteran who is set to release another blockbuster- 'Eje Dudu' (after the recent release of Aye Abiamo) into the cinemas, followed by a subsequent release on line before its final release into the market.
Soji Eweade
''Eje Dudu is a suspense-filled movie that reveals the secrets behind the wealth of the so called ''Big men'' in our society and featuring the likes of Antar Laniyan, Liz da-Silva, Yinka Quadri, Yetunde Wunmi, Bukola Mosoba, Hakeem Alimi , Doris Simeon, Soji Eweade among others'' said the producer.
Mr Eweade started his movie career in 1992 and produced his first movie in 1996 with the title 'Innocent Boy' "alaise omo". He has produced over 90 Yoruba movies; Tekunteje, Omotuntun, April Fool, Ireke, Oju Tiwon, Apoti Ogo1 and 2, Mase, Doro sexy, Ere Tete, Are, Juwonlo, Owo Adisa, Sare Kabakaba, Olori Ole, Matagbamole , Ose Dudu, Lakunle Maradona, Oritameta ,Ori Meji and many others.
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor High Chief Mike Ekayama Loyibo is the convener of the Niger Delta People's Congress and a former leader of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, the group at the forefront of the talks with the Presidency on how to end the standoff in the Niger Delta.
In this interview, Loyibo, an Ijaw leader, says the direct talks which the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, held with Niger Delta elders in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, has sent packing people who, according to him, have been using negotiations for pecuniary gains under the guise of dialogue and peace.
He also descends on Niger Delta leaders who, he claimed, have used the money earmarked from the federal purse for the transformation of the region for personal interest and turning round to blame the Niger Delta's stagnation on the centre.
Excerpts:
Ekayama Loyibo
What does the visit of the Vice President to the Gbaramatu community mean to the Niger Delta?
It means that the President means well for the people of the Niger Delta and has shown commitment to take the peace move to the next level. It was a timely meeting which demonstrates Mr. President's commitment to treat the people of the oil communities as a special people who deserve better attention than they are currently getting and who deserve better amenities and respect for their enormous contributions to the development of the country. It has never been this good. He has been able to bring his government closer to the oil producing communities more than ever before. Don't forget that the problems of the Niger Delta have been known over the years but that no serious effort has been made to confront the challenges headlong. What this government has done by sending the Vice President to meet the people directly means that he has been able to build confidence and move a step further to remove the age-long suspicion that the Federal Government is against the Niger Delta and its interest. You can see that the entire Ijaw nation and other ethnic nationalities were there to meet with the Vice President during the visit.
But a former Minister of Education, Kenneth Gbagi, has warned the Vice President not to joke with the Urhobo. What did the Vice President do to warrant that threat?
With due respect, Kenneth Gbagi is my friend and I do believe that he was speaking for himself. I don't see what the Vice President said that made him to take him on as if he did anything wrong. Sometimes, people try to overreach themselves but the visit of the Vice President to Gbaramatu Kingdom was one of the best steps ever taken by any administration to give hope and sense of belonging to the people of the oil communities who bear the brunt of oil production and rightly deserve all the attention that they can be given. We know Kenneth Gbagi and we should not allow his comment to stall the move being made for the overall well being of the people. He is entitled to his own opinion but such opinion should not be taken to represent the views of the people he is claiming to be speaking for because I don't think he is the spokesperson of the people.
But Gbagi made a point that the visit excluded key Urhobo leaders and traditional rulers despite the fact that key oil and gas institutions are situated in Urhoboland?
Let me also tell you that if the Presidency wants to solve the problem of militancy, it is not in Urhobo land. We must give priority to the people who are facing the challenges. The current crisis is not in Urhobo land. It is not Urhobo people who are being killed on daily basis. The military is not in Urhobo land. So, government knows where they went to and why they went to Gbaramatu. Let me also tell you that by this visit, the Presidency has cemented the ceasefire we worked for and any person who disagrees with the visit is selfish and falls among those who do not want the Niger Delta crisis to come to an end for reasons best known to them.
What are we going to dialogue again when we already know the problem? We have the feeling that the Federal Government is ready to solve the Niger Delta problem and all we need to do is to support it to do so instead of creating new and impossible conditions and turning round to accused the same government of not willing to do our bidding. It is treacherous to do so and we warn those who have been standing on the way of resolving the Niger Delta crisis to give way and allow peace to reign once and for all.
All Nigerians have benefitted from the Niger Delta over the years as the economic zone of Nigeria. What the Buhari government has done is good and we should stop blaming him because even when we had our son in the Presidency, he did not do anything to address the age-long problems of the Niger Delta. President Jonathan came and left the Niger Delta the way he met it and people are now complaining against Buhari as if he created the problems of the Niger Delta. We must desist from demonising Buhari on a problem his government merely inherited and team up with him to address whatsoever is the problem. Those criticising Buhari for Niger Delta problems have not been fair at all and we should speak the truth no matter which part of the country we come from.
But President Jonathan laid the foundation stone of the Maritime University in Okerenkoko and also paid billions of Naira for the take-off of the same institution even before the passage of the enabling law by the National Assembly?
He did not have the mind to establish the university because nobody establishes a university without a legal mandate. As far as I am concerned, Jonathan, a son of the Niger Delta, never had the political will to make the Maritime University a reality in Ijaw land. To me, he failed Ijaw people and Nigerians. So, when we continue to blame other leaders in Nigeria, let us first ask our leaders from the Niger Delta what they have been able to do for our people with the billions of Naira that they have been receiving from oil and other sources since the advent of democracy in 1999. Where have our governors and other leaders from the Niger Delta who have held strategic offices since then and now kept the money allocated by the Federal Government for the development of the Niger Delta?
Where are the projects and programmes that have been specifically executed by the governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Abia, Imo and Ondo states with the huge billions they have been receiving from the statutory 13 percent? Have our Niger Delta advocates ever sat down to ask them where they have taken the money to or demanded to see the projects they have executed with the huge cash accruing from the derivation fund? It is very annoying for our leaders to always instigate the undiscerning and gullible to criticise the Federal Government of not doing enough for the Niger Delta when they are the real enemies of the Niger Delta people by not making judicious use of the resources made available by the centre for them to develop the Niger Delta. We should start by examining ourselves whether we have done the right thing before blaming the centre for the squalor that has become the lot of the region. We have our sons and daughters in strategic positions but they have failed us woefully by not delivering on their mandates. We should first and foremost search our conscience in this case.
Some people are only criticising the Presidency just to be seen to be relevant and if you give them the responsibility to lead, they become opaque in their dealings with the people.
Where does Tompolo stand in the visit by the Vice President because he was not at the venue as a major stakeholder and High Chief in the Gbaramatu Kingdom?
Well, what I want to say is that Tompolo is in support of the peace move and development of the Niger Delta. He is one of us and we are in touch with him.
Why was he not at the meeting with the Vice President?
He was not there because all the issues are yet to be settled.
What are the issues?
The issues that gave rise to militancy in the Niger Delta.
Does the visit by the Vice President satisfy the demands of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF?
With dues respect to the leaders of PANDEF, we are very clear on our demands. All of us were there with the Vice President. Our agenda is the same and we all want peace and development in the Niger Delta. Unfortunately, there are some elders among us who want to be seen as the beginning and the end of the Niger Delta who must be worshipped and appeased before there could be peace and development in the area. This is wrong and we need to separate those who ware fanning the embers of discord for their personal benefit and not the overall interest of the Niger Delta.
Abuja – President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow on Saturday said he was returning to his country following Yahya Jammeh's announcement to step down as president.Adama Barrow
Barrow on his twitter handle, @adama_barrow, said "As Yahya Jammeh officially stepped down from office — I will be returning to my homeland, the Republic of The Gambia. #NewGambia."
Barrow also told the Associated Press in an interview on Saturday that he would enter Gambia once a security sweep had been completed.
The new president also said that Jammeh would be leaving within hours on Saturday and told Gambians who had fled the country that they now had "the liberty to return home".
Barrow on Thursday took the oath of office as Gambia's new president.
He was sworn-in about 5p.m. Senegalese time at the Gambian High Commission in Dakar, Senegal.
Barrow succeeded Yahya Jammeh, who lost in the Dec. 1 presidential election and refused to vacate office when his 22-year rule expired midnight on Thursday.
West African mediators spent several hours in talks with him on Friday after military forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stopped actions to remove Jammeh by force to allow last-minute negotiations.
Jammeh, however, on state TV on Saturday, announced that he would step down in the interest of the Gambian people adding that it was his duty to "preserve at every instant" their lives.
He was also reported to have left the State House to join President Alpha Conda of Guinea to the airport, to begin a new life in exile.
Eket (Akwa Ibom) – Chief Nduese Essien, the former Minster of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, says the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) will recover its mandate from the defected PDP senator, Nelson Effiong.
Essien made this known during an enlarged stakeholders' meeting of Eket Senatorial District on Saturday to deliberate on the recent political development in the district.Asuquo Effiong
He said the PDP Akwa Ibom would begin the process that will ultimately ensure that the mandate given to Effiong was recovered.
Effiong, the Senator representing Eket Senatorial District, recently announced his defection from PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the senate.
The former minister, who is the political leader of Eket Senatorial District frowned at the alleged level of indiscipline exhibited by the senator, saying that the party would take drastic action to recover its mandate.
"We will take steps to recover our mandate from Sen. Effiong, who defected to APC.
"We are not talking about recall, because recall is an electioneering process, but there are other ways of recovering our mandate.
"When I heard that Sen. Effiong has defected, I was happy because this is the man that we were told was ill for so many months and he was not appearing in the floor of the senate.
"We were not hearing from him, we were not seeing him in the constituency and he was not doing anything.
"He was merely wasting our senatorial seat, now that he has gone, I think we have the opportunity to replace our mandate with another son of the area," Essien said.
He noted that Sen. Effiong defection was strange because he emerged from a predominantly one party in the state and that the party was not in crisis in his senatorial district.
"There is disagreement in the leadership of the PDP at the national level, but back home at his constituency and at the state level, the party is intact," he said.
He expressed dismay with what he described as Senator Effiong's abysmal performance in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Essien insisted that for the senator to have defected without consulting the people who elected him in the first instance was "uncharitable and unacceptable".
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to the threat by the people of Eket Senatorial District, Sen. Effiong whose defection jolted the PDP, said that he widely consulted people of his Senatorial District before defecting to the APC.
Effiong said that he defected to APC from PDP because of factions and crisis in the party.
"PDP is factionalised, that is the major reason why I left the party; and then you can not be in a party that has no direction, people are leaving the party because of the inability to solve its crisis.
"As a politician I cannot leave my future for such a party, PDP is a party that has declared war on itself and I cannot withstand that," Effiong said.
Unlike 2016 Headies Award when Don Jazzy and Olamide practically tore each other's throats apart, over their artistes; Reekado Banks and Lil Kesh who battled for the Next Rated Award, the 2017 was literally without any serious consequence. Except perhaps, when old label mates, Kcee and Harrysong met on stage. Uti Nwachukwu had invited Kcee to join Harrysong on stage to receive the award for the Best Pop Single award for the hit single 'Reggae Blues,' which featured Kcee, Iyanya, and Orezi.
Although Kcee initially didn't want to join Harrysong on stage prior to Uti's invitation. Here's what he said: "Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm so excited tonight. This song was just recorded in a few minutes. And when we released the song everybody pounced on it, in and outside the country. I want to say,`thank you', to Olamide, Orezi, Iyanya, and 'Ya Daddy' (Harrysong). "You know, two of us have issues to settle but we are in the public. We'll settle it and come back to you."
Harrysong and Kcee
Harrysong let the challenge pass without moving a muscle, with some people even suggesting he was shell-shocked. But when Potpourri ran into the Reggae Blues star at a joint recently, he had a different story to tell.
"I don't have any issues to settle with him. I respect and love him. Even if there is a collabo offer I will do it with him. I have nothing against him. I left because my contract with them expired.
"Whenever you are under somebody, certain things will necessarily not go down well with you. But at the end of the day, what matters most in the music business is one's career. Also, at some point, there are times you have to pursue your own interest. The time came when my contract expired and I moved on. I have a greater perspective and I have to pursue it and I also felt being on my own will give me the chance to pursue it. Leaving my former record label was not done intentionally to spite anybody. Of course, when you move on at times, your family may not be happy with you," he explained
Gylfi Sigurdsson's decisive goal boosted Swansea’s hopes of Premier League survival as they inflicted Liverpool's first home defeat for almost a year with a 3-2 triumph at Anfield on Saturday.
Iceland international Sigurdsson, who has repeatedly been linked with a move away from the Welsh club, struck with 16 minutes left after Paul Clement's side had let a two-goal lead slip against title-chasing Liverpool.
Fernando Llorente had scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half for Swansea, but Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino responded with a double of his own.
Swansea showed great spirit to come back and earn both the Welsh club's first-ever league win at Anfield and their first under Premier League victory under new manager Clement.
In doing so, they lifted themselves off the foot of the Premier League table and out of the bottom three, at least for a few hours.
Liverpool, playing their eighth match in 25 days, paid for sloppy defending, and missed the chance to put pressure on leaders Chelsea, losing at home for the first time since Stoke won the second leg of a League Cup semi-final at Anfield on January 26 last year.
Philippe Coutinho, now fully recovered from injury, made his first league start since November after playing for 65 minutes in Wednesday's FA Cup win at Plymouth, but showed only occasional sparks of creativity during a tepid first half.
It was Swansea, for all the pressure they had to absorb, who came closest to scoring before the interval. Midfielder Tom Carroll, signed from Tottenham during the week, ran in from the left on to Sigurdsson's pass infield and struck the outside of the near post from a tight angle, via a deflection off Dejan Lovren.
Both Carroll and fellow debutant Martin Olsson, brought in from Norwich, performed solidly, with the Swedish full-back making one positive attacking run that ended when he was bodychecked by Ragnar Klavan.
One excellent turn from Coutinho just after the half-hour mark allowed him to create a chance for Firmino, who would have scored but for Alfie Mawson’s block.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's frustration grew as Swansea went ahead with little more than two minutes of the second half played.
– Llorente at the double –
Not for the first time this season, Liverpool conceded from a set-piece; Sigurdsson's corner was headed down by Federico Fernandez, Wayne Routledge blocked off the defender and the ball bounced loose for Llorente to prod in from eight yards.
Astonishingly, Llorente scored again from Swansea's next attack, barely four minutes later.
Olsson and Carroll combined down the left, and the former Tottenham man crossed for the Spain striker to climb between Lovren and Klavan, planting a downward header past Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool, however, pulled a goal back within three minutes.
James Milner crossed from the left, the ball drifted over Olsson, and Firmino guided a header into the bottom corner of the net.
Swansea continued to threaten but Klopp's side equalised with little more than 20 minutes to go courtesy of a superbly constructed goal.
Georginio Wijnaldum controlled a pass down the left touchline, and looped in a cross that Firmino gathered on the chest under pressure from two Swansea defenders, before hooking a first-time shot past Lukasz Fabianski.
Yet having worked their way back into the match, Liverpool fell behind again amid chaotic defending.
Carroll charged into the penalty area after taking on Llorente's pass and, as Klavan slid in to challenge, the ball ran loose for Sigurdsson to steer beyond the exposed Mignolet.
Swansea had more nervous moments to come, with Fabianski blocking substitute Divock Origi's shot on the turn following a Milner corner, and then watching helplessly as Adam Lallana looped a header against the bar.
But the visitors, denied victory by an Everton stoppage-time equaliser on their last visit to Merseyside in November, hung on to all three points.
As the popular ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mundia Moneybox, MMM, has continued to force its participants into further dismay, a new ponzi scheme, Twinkas has emerged to replace it, with a mouth-watering double return on any amount invested.
Twinkas started trending with memberships in different categories after MMM could not return the excitement and joys to the faces of its participants days after unfreezing their Mavros, a situation that has left many disappointed.
Twinkas has categories which includes: Classic, Professionals, Premium, Ultimate and the Vetreran categories.
Twinkas
According to the website, Twinkas' Classic now has 198,985, Professionals with 117,290; Twinkas Premium with 117,147 members; the Ultimate with 170,322 members and no member registered yet under the Vetreran category.
However, any amount invested in each of the categories would attract double the amount after one month maturity.
For instance, under Classic, members are expected to invest N5,000 with V10,000 return Investment; and subscribers on the Professional platform would invest N10,000 and with N20,000 Return.
Under the Premium level of N20,000 investment, investors would get N40,000; Ultimate with contribution of N50,000 attracts N100,000 return.
The Veteran scheme is N100,000 investment with a return of N200,000 but no one has yet to invest on the platform.
Regulatory/Warning mechanism of the ponzi scheme:
According to the scheme, www.twinkas.com, Twinkas said it was created "to promote the greatest good, with a particular emphasis on helping man and the environment''.
It said that it had successfully revised all technical and logical issues about the front-end and has provided mobile numbers to help facilitate the money exchange process.
"We are gradually restoring our CRM Modules (Live Chat, Ticket, Mobile Calls) to enable us get in touch with you regularly.
"We have switched to STRICT MODE. Meaning zero tolerance. Hence, we will not entertain any form of uncanny behaviour from sponsors/downlines.''
Twinkas has rolled out some conditions, including the warning that prospective investors must keep their mobile phones open most of the times and be online in order to succeed.
" If a sponsors mobile is switched off or not answering calls for about 6 Hours, Twinkas will have that account blocked.
" If a sponsor fails to activate his/her referral after receiving payment, Twinkas will have that account and subsequent accounts connected to your bank and mobile number blocked.
" You are advised to have an online banking Application on your mobile phone to help facilitate the process. Mobile numbers will be displayed on your dashboard. Please save them and do not receive any call from other lines claiming to have emanated from Twinkas.''
It warned investors against pestering any of the numbers for trivial Issues.
"These numbers should be called only in the cases of emergency, hacked accounts or other serious Twinkas related issues.
"Use the "Live Support" and the Ticketing System (Still in View) for only serious Twinkas Issues also. We know those working hard for Twinkas, your reward will be a surprise!.''
Twinkas, another Ponzi scheme similar to the troubled MMM, has started trending with memberships in different categories.
According to the scheme, www.twinkas.com, Twinkas said it was created "to promote the greatest good, with a particular emphasis on helping man and the environment''.
It said that it had successfully revised all technical and logical issues about the front-end and has provided mobile numbers to help facilitate the money exchange process.
"We are gradually restoring our CRM Modules (Live Chat, Ticket, Mobile Calls) to enable us get in touch with you regularly.
"We have switched to STRICT MODE. Meaning zero tolerance. Hence, we will not entertain any form of uncanny behaviour from sponsors/downlines.''
Twinkas
Twinkas has rolled out some conditions, including the warning that prospective investors must keep their mobile phones open most of the times and be online in order to succeed.
" If a sponsors mobile is switched off or not answering calls for about 6 Hours, Twinkas will have that account blocked.
" If a sponsor fails to activate his/her referral after receiving payment, Twinkas will have that account and subsequent accounts connected to your bank and mobile number blocked.
" You are advised to have an online banking Application on your mobile phone to help facilitate the process. Mobile numbers will be displayed on your dashboard. Please save them and do not receive any call from other lines claiming to have emanated from Twinkas.''
It warned investors against pestering any of the numbers for trivial Issues.
"These numbers should be called only in the cases of emergency, hacked accounts or other serious Twinkas related issues.
"Use the "Live Support" and the Ticketing System (Still in View) for only serious Twinkas Issues also. We know those working hard for Twinkas, your reward will be a surprise!.''
According to the website, Twinkas' Classic now has 198,985 Professionals with 117,290; Twinkas Premium has 117,147 members; the Ultimate with 170,322 members; has zero members under the Vetreran category.
Any amount invested in each of the categories would attract double the amount after one month maturity.
Under Classic, members are expected to invest N5,000 with V10,000 return Investment; and subscribers on the Professional platform would invest N10,000 and with N20,000 Return.
Under the Premium level of N20,000 investment, investors would get N40,000; Ultimate with contribution of N50,000 attracts N100,000 return.
The Veteran scheme is N100,000 investment with a return of N200,000 but no one has yet to invest on the platform.
Concerned citizens and financial institutions had warned against participation in these Ponzi schemes because they are fraud.
Many Nigerians were warned against investing in MMM few months before it became distress and had yet to fully pick up.
Nigerians have been warned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to deposit money in any institution that is not insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
The bank through its acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, warned especially on the trending MMM Nigeria community.
Okoroafor said: "At times like this when the economy has suffered some decline, Nigerians should be very careful with those they deal with. Any institution that is not licensed by the CBN to accept deposits should not be given money to keep under any guise.
"We can vouch for the banking system. The deposit money banks are the only licensed institutions to take deposits. If you need to deposit money in any form, go to any of the deposit money banks and put your money, you can buy fixed income instruments or invest in stocks.
"These people always come with very interesting propositions. These are fraudsters who are just out there to collect people's money and run away as soon as they hit their target. There is no insurance because the NDIC does not even protect them against such risks when they occur".
He said there is a new Ponzi scheme called 'MMM' that is spreading like wildfire and a lot of young school leavers have already signed on to this scheme, which the promoters are marketing as a "mutual fund""
"MMM offers its participants 30 per cent growth rate per month for each and every donation they make into the system… MMM belongs to the community, its sustainability depends on the activities of the people that make up the MMM Nigeria community, that is me and you and other MMM Nigeria participants,"
Typically, what promoters of such pyramid scheme do is that they offer rates far beyond what is obtainable in commercial banks. This would always attract a lot of people who would always rush in to stake their funds.
But, those who join the scheme late would always be the ones to lose their shirts as they would have been convinced by those that joined earlier to invest huge amounts of money.
An 80-year-old woman, Mrs Wuriwatu Oseni, Hassan Olalekan ,34 and Taiwo Wasiu,30, have been brought before an Ikorodu Magistrates' court for allegedly assaulting themselves.
The accused were brought before Magistrate O.O. Olatunji on Friday in Lagos.
The offence which was committed in December 2016 at Ajegunle Bus Stop in Ikorodu, attracted N50,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.
Olatunji, who granted the bail, said the sureties must be community leaders in their areas.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Bosede Adegeshin, said the three accused assaulted one another in public places and thereby causing breach of peace.
Adegeshin said the first and third accused broke the head of the second accused with stick, while the second accused also used stick to batter the others.
"During their fight, they also destroyed electricity poles in their area. The fight was due to an argument which emanated from their abode as they were neighbours.
The offences contravened Section 45 and 171 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.
The said sections depict three years and two years respectively.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa' ad Abubakar, has advised religious leaders to eschew inciting statements capable of igniting trouble among Nigerians.
Abubakar made the call at the Abdullahi Fodio award presentation and book launch in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday.
The event titled "Gwandu Emirate: the domain of Abdullahi Fodio since 1805, was organised by the Gwandu Emirate Development Association.
He said inflamatory comments would further divide and polarised the nation, and pointed out that every religion was preaching peace,unity and solidarity among its faithful.
The sultan condemn the insurgent activities parvading the North eastern part of the country, and commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts in curtailing the menace.
Abubakar commended the Federal Government for reintroducing history as a subject in schools, stressing wothout history humanity would not discover itself.
The sultan said the book, which chronicled the religious and cultural heritage of the Gwandu Emirate was timely, adding: "we will continue to support historical findings".
Earlier, in his remarks, the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Bashar, said the event was an attempt to reward those who contributed to the development of the emirate, especially preservation of the rich cultural heritage of the emirate.
Bashar commended the efforts of Buhari to diversify the economy and the fight against corruption.
He said the nation under the present administration was heading to progress devoid of religious, tribal or sectional consideratioms.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar extoled the virtues of Abdullahi Fodio, and called on leaders to emulate the legacies of the late Islamic scholar, especially on federalism, revenue allocation and the rule of law.
He said as an elderstatesman he would continue to support historical investigations with a view to promote research and intellectual development.
Gov. Atiku Bagudu commended the efforts of Gwandu Emirate for launching the book and recognising those who contributed immensely to the development of the emirate.
Bagudu said the book would serve as very important tool in tracing the historical happenings in the emirate, stressing that Abdullahi Fodio was a hero.
He said the state government would continue to preserve historical facts and artefacts for ptesent generation and posyerity.
The governor also reiterated the state government resolve to continue to support agriculture.
Fourteen people were honoured during the ceremony.
They are; a former Chief Justice of Nigeria Legbo Kutigi, Aliyu wammako, retired Col. Sani Bello and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Lamido Birnin Bayero and Justice Abdulkadir Ore.
The others were Gov. Atiku Bagudu, Jaiz Bank, Isah Mafara, Usman Magawata, Prof. Aisha Aliyu and Chairman of Daily Trust Newspapers, Kabiru Yusuf.
A total of N101million was realised at the launching with the highest donation of N10 million from the former vice president Atiku Abubakar.
The Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru Rurum, says elected office holders must endeavour to fulfil their campaign promises before the end of their tenure in office.
The speaker spoke in Kano on Saturday during the distribution of empowerment items by the member of the state assembly representing Dawakin Kudu Constituency, Alhaji Ibrahim Dawakiji, to the people of his constituency.
Rurum said, "Elected office holders who fail to fulfil their campaign promises face the possibility of having the electorate turning their back on them during the next election.
"It is only through the fulfillment of campaign promises that the electorate will enjoy the dividend of democracy."
The speaker commended the member for empowering the teeming youths in his constituency, urging other elected office holders to emulate the gesture.
He advised the beneficiaries of the empowerment to make proper use of the goods received so as to allow others to benefit from subsequent programmes.
In his remarks, Dawakiji said he considered empowerment as part of his responsibilities to his constituents.
He said that empowering the youths, particularly at this moment in time, was a step toward making them more self-reliant.
Some of the items distributed include sewing machines, weaving machines, generators and water pumping machines.
Others include local spaghetti machines and tricycles for people with special needs.
