Lagos stops Lekki garden’s construction

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTlW7gDEKk3uZ2gc1jio4DJcVhZHVfOQcy6GMSF9HbsMwfm4oZeixqSUzXRVPR-RjXgAPOvx6rZ_ZOzui1bSQw49QI0rUHipyciJ66caSkjKVW7aGrI9U7ygoReK-5lzgiLaoR3YD28M/s1600/LEKKI+gardens+collapse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTlW7gDEKk3uZ2gc1jio4DJcVhZHVfOQcy6GMSF9HbsMwfm4oZeixqSUzXRVPR-RjXgAPOvx6rZ_ZOzui1bSQw49QI0rUHipyciJ66caSkjKVW7aGrI9U7ygoReK-5lzgiLaoR3YD28M/s640/LEKKI+gardens+collapse.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The Lagos State Government has expressed its condolences over the death of construction site workers who lost their lives on Tuesday as a result of the collapse of a five-storey building under construction on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki.<br /> <br /> This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde.<br /> <br /> According to the Lagos State Government, based on preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Similarly, the Commissioner said that the state discovered that in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the promoters of the Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors until the unfortunate incident of Tuesday which has led to loss of lives.<br /> <br /> He further added that arising from the Lagos State Executive Council meeting decision on Wednesday, the State Government will no longer tolerate the action of unscrupulous owners and builders who challenge its supervisory control, thereby endangering the lives of Lagosians.<br /> <br /> The State Government has consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.<br /> <br /> The government also directed further integrity tests be carried out on every other construction project which has or is currently being handled by Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited in the interest of public safety.<br /> <br /> Furthermore, the release quoted the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as saying that all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited are strongly advised to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police within the next twenty four hours in their own interest or face immediate arrest.<br /> <br /> The statement also commended the timely response and remarkable intervention by the combined men of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).<br /> <br /> The Lagos State Government also warned that it will no longer be business as usual stating that any developer either on existing or new building projects who fails to comply with building and construction regulations or attempts to subvert the law will henceforth face criminal prosecution.

Latest-News Lagos stops Lekki garden’s construction

The Lagos State Government has expressed its condolences over the death of construction site workers who lost their lives on Tuesday as a ...

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MTN must pay N780 Billion fine in full - Reps

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CZfN44CkvRvspSKuz1z3iYM8Ldh33A7tVC3UfwrwCZlrmoaNZz0fjthnK_DUHgNY2AEV536AZcKGx3A3f4CNA6IKveFuNrxa4I6sABMb9_Amo6R4tsOxRm0-8SxdhSWYE55vi4fQFE0/s1600/mtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CZfN44CkvRvspSKuz1z3iYM8Ldh33A7tVC3UfwrwCZlrmoaNZz0fjthnK_DUHgNY2AEV536AZcKGx3A3f4CNA6IKveFuNrxa4I6sABMb9_Amo6R4tsOxRm0-8SxdhSWYE55vi4fQFE0/s640/mtn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <b><br /></b><b>The House of Representatives is insisting that Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) service provider, MTN Nigeria must pay the N780b fine slammed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).</b><br /> <br /> This is as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari have been invited to appear before the House next week to explain and justify their roles in the negotiation process.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> It was disclosed Wednesday that MTN had, in its proposal for settlement of the face-off with the Federal government planned to pay N300b only out of the N1.04 trillion that was later reduced to N780b.<br /> <br /> It proposed to pay N50b it described as ‘goodwill offer’ and another N100b in cash while the balance would be paid with complementary services (in kind).<br /> <br /> The service provider also proposed to be listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) as part of the settlement negotiation.<br /> <br /> The lawmakers said since it was an incontrovertible fact that MTN was found culpable of breaching Sections 19 and 20 of the NCC Act, it was in no position to dictate the terms of negotiation at it is currently doing.<br /> <br /> While condemning the exclusion of the National Assembly from the negotiation of the fine by the Federal government, the lawmakers regretted that NCC was also relegated to the background in the exercise.<br /> <br /> MTN was penalized by the regulatory body for failing to deactivate 5.2 million improperly registered SIM cards within a stipulated period which led to it being slammed with the administrative fines of N1.04 trillion<br /> <br /> At the resumed investigative hearing by House Committee on Communications, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Dambatta said the position of the Commission was that MTN must pay the fine of N780b in full, even if in installmemts and not as it proposed.<br /> <br /> The lawmakers condemned the arrogant disposition of the service provider that having breached the Nigerian laws, it was in no position to dictate the terms of negotiation.<br /> <br /> The Saheed Fijabi-led Committee was at a loss why NCC was relegated to the background in the negotiation that was alegedly taken over by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abdullahi Malami and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.<br /> <br /> Saying that the time of impunity is over, Chairman of the Committee, Fijabi said, “We believe that NCC has not been allowed to take charge of the negotiation because it has been reduced to the background.<br /> <br /> “NCC did the fines, it should be allowed to take charge but that is not the case here, someone is even doing the reduction without your (NCC) input.<br /> <br /> “At the court, wasn’t the case between MTN and NCC? So, NCC ought to take the lead while others can provide support and advise.<br /> <br /> “It is not a hidden fact that MTN is fond of finding ways to circumvent our laws. MTN must pay because we all remember the Gulf of Mexico spill and how those found culpable paid fully for it.<br /> <br /> “It is even insulting that MTN is using listing on the Stock exchange as part of the negotiation. We must state it clearly that MTN is in no position to dictate the terms of negotiation in this case.”

Latest-News MTN must pay N780 Billion fine in full - Reps

The House of Representatives is insisting that Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) service provider, MTN Nigeria must pay the N78...

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'Stealing has become part and parcel of me, i stole over 100 phones'

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel3kY9JU91TWTC5FUWMlMscJpduqk-mqixMwvbhF6rLWF_31v1JgYaHU62w73AqJZaJnAfV7fKs0y-lGykva_d7UH1UBW6BMVOd_JiQQxCV_fU2S5m-2GhVfijDVoFafHL1OfXKYsApk/s1600/jail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel3kY9JU91TWTC5FUWMlMscJpduqk-mqixMwvbhF6rLWF_31v1JgYaHU62w73AqJZaJnAfV7fKs0y-lGykva_d7UH1UBW6BMVOd_JiQQxCV_fU2S5m-2GhVfijDVoFafHL1OfXKYsApk/s400/jail2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Twenty-Eight year old suspect, Babatunde Ibrahim, who was arrested by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, has confessed stealing over hundred mobile phones within the metropolis.<br /> <br /> The suspect who was nabbed over the weekend by the Policemen along Abeokuta-Expressway, Ikeja axis, said that stealing has become his act since childhood.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He made this confessional statement at the RRS’ headquarters at Alausa, mentioning Sanni Azeez, 27, and Hakeem Kamoru,40, as receivers of the stolen items.<br /> <br /> According to him, ” The act of stealing has become part and parcel of me. I am a specialist in burgling unsuspecting members of public’s houses without their knowledge. I used to gain entrance into any house by cutting the door and window net with a razor blade. I derive pleasure in taking what’s not belong to me.”<br /> <br /> “Apart from house burgling, I also operate during a traffic jam most especially most prone areas to traffic congestion such as Ikorodu road, Lagos-Abeokuta, Apapa-Oshodi Expressways and so on. The last operation I went was at Ilupeju where luck ran out of me on getting to Ikeja along,” he added.<br /> <br /> During an interrogation, he explained that he entered the building through the balcony door which was left opened before proceeding to the victim’s room to steal three handsets, two Nokia and one blackberry phones with other valuables.<br /> <br /> The suspect revealed that the receivers of all his stolen phones were his friends living in Akala Street in Mushin local government.<br /> <br /> He had successfully stolen the mobile phones and other valuables at ilupeju area before the Policemen suspected his movements along Ikeja upon seeing them during routine patrol on the highway.<br /> <br /> “We noticed his suspicious movement upon sighting us. He wanted to drop his cross bag at one corner but when he found out that we have seen him, he bolted. But we made a hot chase and later caught up with him before Ile-Zik. We interrogated him why he took to his heels immediately he saw us, he could not provide satisfactory answers. Then we conducted a thorough check on his bag where we recovered the stolen items,” the Police said.<br /> <br /> The police said that his confessional statement enabled them to apprehend his receivers of all the stolen handsets in Mushin.<br /> <br /> Confirming the arrest , the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, said the suspect will face the wrath of the law for the offence committed.<br /> <br /> The three suspects have been further transferred to Ilupeju Divisional Police station following a request from the station’s Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to continue the investigation.

Latest-News 'Stealing has become part and parcel of me, i stole over 100 phones'

Twenty-Eight year old suspect, Babatunde Ibrahim, who was arrested by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police ...

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NECO releases Nov/Dec 2015 results

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqgVN2Fe2u9wd4mb2q_LDHS1RFtA8LPozFkwXxP7naHVG9_DApQMpnt07EQxog_FmKKG65aKNICtBGznq5apMX6Ux5XoJZL0ROJQ_tJH-4gE6FiO77Nk69a14HLUh43PtVLGEBJ_6MxQ/s1600/NECO+LOGO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqgVN2Fe2u9wd4mb2q_LDHS1RFtA8LPozFkwXxP7naHVG9_DApQMpnt07EQxog_FmKKG65aKNICtBGznq5apMX6Ux5XoJZL0ROJQ_tJH-4gE6FiO77Nk69a14HLUh43PtVLGEBJ_6MxQ/s640/NECO+LOGO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The National Examinations Council (NECO), has released the results of the November/December 2015 Senior School Certificate Examinations.</b><br /> <br /> Prof. Abdulrashid Garba, NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive, disclosed this on Wednesday in Minna while addressing newsmen.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He said that a total of 50,060 candidates registered, out of which 47,507 sat for English Language while 47,554 sat for Mathematics.<br /> <br /> Garba said that out of the number that sat for English,29,718 representing 62.55 per cent obtained credit pass while 32, 484 that sat for Mathematics representing 68.30% passed at credit level.<br /> <br /> He said that of the 39,389 candidates that sat for Biology, 17,227 or 43.73 per cent obtained credit pass.<br /> <br /> For Chemistry, out of 22,284 candidates that sat for the examination, 11,951 representing 53.63 per cent made it at credit level.<br /> <br /> The registrar added that out of 22,201 candidates who sat for Physics, 818 or 3.68 per cent passed the subject at credit level, while in Geography, 19, 781 candidates sat for the examination, and 3,851 or 19.46 per cent passed at credit level.<br /> <br /> Garba pointed out that performance of candidates in Government indicates that out of 23,497 candidates that wrote the subject, 10,226 or 43.52 per cent made it at credit level.<br /> <br /> He said that in Economics, 39,406 candidates sat for the examination and 23,991 or 60.88 per cent passed the subject at credit level.<br /> <br /> “In view of the fact that the examination was for private candidates who were no longer in the school system and looking for one or two credits, the desperation to engage in malpractice was high.<br /> <br /> “This led to an increase in the percentage of candidates involved in malpractice, compared to the figure for 2014,” he said.<br /> <br /> Garba said that the NECO was devising more ways to reduce malpractice in the examinations in order to counter the various illegal strategies adopted by candidates.<br /> <br /> He said that malpractice was on the increase, adding that a comparative study showed an increase between 2014 and 2015 in most subjects.<br /> <br /> “A comparative analysis of malpractice cases by subject revealed that while 635 cases were recorded in English Language in 2014, 1,075 cases were recorded in 2015.<br /> <br /> “Also, in Mathematics, 634 cases of malpractice were recorded in 2014 while 1,799 cases were recorded in 2015.<br /> <br /> “In Economics, 570 cases of malpractice were recorded in 2014, while 880 were recorded in 2015. In Government, 363 cases were recorded in 2014 while 564 were recorded in 2015,” he said.<br /> <br /> Garba advised candidates to access their results on NECO website <b><a href="http://www.mynecoexam.com/">www.mynecoexam.com</a></b>, using their Examination Registration Number and scratch cards.

Latest-News NECO releases Nov/Dec 2015 results

The National Examinations Council (NECO), has released the results of the November/December 2015 Senior School Certificate Examinations. ...

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Photos from GT the Guitar man's marriage introduction

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1maDwkzwknrMixP0QHAsYeVxuH9BKNCDUF_3alDpkJxc4Dts_6G0sy68Q44CrObphz7U4BSb4dHf91KCFlgS8_jHARmzPQVF9X8PrdzyNumNacDAwE5XHxPmM7gIfDlJ2EoOj9_UwuW0/s1600/gt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1maDwkzwknrMixP0QHAsYeVxuH9BKNCDUF_3alDpkJxc4Dts_6G0sy68Q44CrObphz7U4BSb4dHf91KCFlgS8_jHARmzPQVF9X8PrdzyNumNacDAwE5XHxPmM7gIfDlJ2EoOj9_UwuW0/s400/gt.png" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Sunday the 6th of March GT The Guitar man had his marriage introduction. See photos from the occasion after the cut.</div> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br />                                 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRlSKq_Z78dEh_AH7hGD9q1xEpTyLiVN__U4CIwvVKrtD-f8Uv_ViTvY6NZltbOXzvdBkW9hVNOyWHq0-KQlgeFOGZrmnxZ7kJQ-GMp134ylN0XPHnrsDcqWx27ZTnRm3AfGj8dVowwo/s1600/gtt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRlSKq_Z78dEh_AH7hGD9q1xEpTyLiVN__U4CIwvVKrtD-f8Uv_ViTvY6NZltbOXzvdBkW9hVNOyWHq0-KQlgeFOGZrmnxZ7kJQ-GMp134ylN0XPHnrsDcqWx27ZTnRm3AfGj8dVowwo/s400/gtt.png" width="337" /></a><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdA5aTl7srLWtKg87LIl5pYzzC1E7G1jBz8VRWTGKKhp0MtxS6MCitVsQ8aA1-6OgZp3Pvd3nnJzs8Z9snKU_GvvjsJEISr8LERnywZ9UcmL0YcEqdD5DEtoR0L26ArWVN1pQap6olRU/s1600/gt+the+guitar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdA5aTl7srLWtKg87LIl5pYzzC1E7G1jBz8VRWTGKKhp0MtxS6MCitVsQ8aA1-6OgZp3Pvd3nnJzs8Z9snKU_GvvjsJEISr8LERnywZ9UcmL0YcEqdD5DEtoR0L26ArWVN1pQap6olRU/s400/gt+the+guitar.png" width="343" /></a></div> <br /></div>

Latest-News Photos from GT the Guitar man's marriage introduction

On Sunday the 6th of March GT The Guitar man had his marriage introduction. See photos from the occasion after the cut.                ...

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Breaking News: Tanker, Lag Bus collide at Ojota

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DegrcQKIIN65NMwRIndx2s2FtBCtyZv8BlNRzxiaph_44vbO4oAJgqLfIxRPu5qAhadtqHu9ECpIFfUNeTa07Eojgk2C93N1-l5kU-ceyBm_wKUsuJtWrMw1pRbS4FVRyuJB7R3Ef2w/s1600/ojota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DegrcQKIIN65NMwRIndx2s2FtBCtyZv8BlNRzxiaph_44vbO4oAJgqLfIxRPu5qAhadtqHu9ECpIFfUNeTa07Eojgk2C93N1-l5kU-ceyBm_wKUsuJtWrMw1pRbS4FVRyuJB7R3Ef2w/s400/ojota.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>A tanker and a lag bus collided at Ojota this evening causing a heavy traffic flow around the area.</b><br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to a Tajudeen, a witness at the scene of the said the collision occurred around 4.15pm.<br /> <br /> His words: “I was just going to a shop in front when I heard a loud noise. When i turned back, i noticed that both the tanker and BRT had collided” he said<br /> <br /> Although, no lives were lost, injuries were recorded as the impact of the damage done to the vehicles were noticeable<br /> <br /> When our corespondent arrived the scene of the incident, people were seen crowded at the scene watching.<br /> <br /> it was gathered that those who were injured had been moved to a hospital nearby for treatment.<br /> <br /> <br /> (Sun Online)

Latest-News Breaking News: Tanker, Lag Bus collide at Ojota

A tanker and a lag bus collided at Ojota this evening causing a heavy traffic flow around the area. According to a Tajudeen, a witness...

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James Ocholi's Death: Driver May Face Prosecution For Overspeeding

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWA0hL_uByDLlWFBT20Dsm-p8tKYzGIju2FYTwhWmYTZSt5F25f5qjN75sm0pmDEfrhqnrWRbqzBIJ_-_ej4hTPNoTeG6oouGTdp_9c7hoSANn_PioMPtgzFr3CAdl0RqLLUpPqVg8bc/s1600/James+Ocholi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWA0hL_uByDLlWFBT20Dsm-p8tKYzGIju2FYTwhWmYTZSt5F25f5qjN75sm0pmDEfrhqnrWRbqzBIJ_-_ej4hTPNoTeG6oouGTdp_9c7hoSANn_PioMPtgzFr3CAdl0RqLLUpPqVg8bc/s400/James+Ocholi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal on Wednesday could not rule out the possibility of the driver that drove the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi, from facing prosecution for over speeding and not owning a driver’s license.</b><br /> <br /> Ocholi, his wife and son had died in a car crash on Sunday on Kaduna-Abuja road.<br /> <br /> An interim report of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) had claimed that the driver of the car, James Elegbede, was over speeding and had no driver’s license.<br /> <br /> Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the SGF said that the final report on the accident will determine if Elegbede (the driver) will be prosecuted.<br /> <br /> He said: “As to the issue of whether we would prosecute the driver, Yes, Nigeria is not short of laws, the problem is that Nigerians find it very difficult to obey the laws.<br /> <br /> “There is a speed limit in place and so if anybody chooses not to obey the traffic laws, of course, it is subject to prosecution by the agencies concerned. But as to this particular incidence, I think we will leave it until the final report of the investigation comes out.<br /> <br /> “But of course as we say accident is accident and nobody goes out deliberately to somersault and die, but as to allegations you claimed from the family, we are not aware and anybody who has anything to the contrary, that they didn’t die in an accident is free to report to the law enforcement agencies who will appropriately take it up.” he added<br /> <br /> (The Nation)<br /> <br />

Latest-News James Ocholi's Death: Driver May Face Prosecution For Overspeeding

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal on Wednesday could not rule out the possibility of the drive...

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Neymar Leaves Barcelona To Celebrate Sister's Birthday In Brazil

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCgIiWiJOQk5vb0ZWHT2amXYWmcrAyny0uHfsBWQ8ODu_ZWBkptHYx_5RZBjCsjT2x3WYeyCNqIwALzQyklVsUSbGfNf8vbc_1qnmr4IKthMUPP6H6gJhcQXoqXRvwy7-ZKcGElkOZvry/s1600/Neymar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCgIiWiJOQk5vb0ZWHT2amXYWmcrAyny0uHfsBWQ8ODu_ZWBkptHYx_5RZBjCsjT2x3WYeyCNqIwALzQyklVsUSbGfNf8vbc_1qnmr4IKthMUPP6H6gJhcQXoqXRvwy7-ZKcGElkOZvry/s640/Neymar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Neymar was present at the Sao Paulo hall, Brazil, to celebrate his sister Rafaella's 20th birthday.</span><br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The theme of the party which was Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse had many guests dressing up in gear related to the cartoon character, although Neymar appeared in a casual suit with his famous hat. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Neymar made a special trip to attend, after seeking permission from Luis Enrique and the four Barcelona captains.</span>

Latest-News Neymar Leaves Barcelona To Celebrate Sister's Birthday In Brazil

Neymar was present at the Sao Paulo hall, Brazil, to celebrate his sister Rafaella's 20th birthday. The theme of the party which w...

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NNPC reorganized, not unbundled – Kachikwu insists

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSutCS05g4qugEYf5W8fPzE77WlsW8jqQPoZRGD2jDpodGrOkeq-LTrdafs-_3X0sKpnhdJT92S0q5oxKeUyeEXOmI0Fgms12wAAF6NnRxlZ8U-SafqlR_SfAOYO0thnsFdMqUuEvYMBk/s1600/Kachukwu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSutCS05g4qugEYf5W8fPzE77WlsW8jqQPoZRGD2jDpodGrOkeq-LTrdafs-_3X0sKpnhdJT92S0q5oxKeUyeEXOmI0Fgms12wAAF6NnRxlZ8U-SafqlR_SfAOYO0thnsFdMqUuEvYMBk/s400/Kachukwu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu on Wednesday insisted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has not been unbundled.</b><br /> <br /> He spoke with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.<br /> <br /> According to him, the Corporation is only being reorganized.<br /> <br /> He said: “We have not unbundled NNPC. We had a press conference yesterday where I explained this.<br /> <br /> “What we have simply done is reorganisation. We have five business entities focus on business: Upstream, Downstream, Refineries, Gas and Power that are there before.<br /> <br /> “There is also Ventures that captures all our little companies that were not having proper stewardship. They are run by individuals who report to the GMD.<br /> <br /> “The NNPC is still a whole. There is nothing new that has happened.<br /> <br /> “I have tried to explain this and I am sure the NNPC workers are members of the family, they will understand. We are going to have a meeting, and they will be made to understand. Perhaps the engagement has not been good enough,” he said.<br /> <br /> He added: “NNPC has not been unbundled in the sense of breaking up NNPC into distinct institutions.<br /> <br /> “I am concerned. I don’t want the industry shut down. I am sure we are going to resolve the issues very soon,” he stated.<br /> <br /> (The Nation)

Latest-News NNPC reorganized, not unbundled – Kachikwu insists

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu on Wednesday insisted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has not...

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Confirmed: Nwakali Signs Five-year Deal With Arsenal

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeuMfL3dOnrYuvQpC5Ji-jgETcy3OOuhOtkIBqKrPI1C_Pi5DLTQv1dMVf9qlR5wjbBgfk9tBaexMdIPf7kO-0DqbPbTSJyFLsOae_Qc5xgV_hHaLc6IABltcuvp4JgvR7R49g-SlK_9g/s1600/kn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeuMfL3dOnrYuvQpC5Ji-jgETcy3OOuhOtkIBqKrPI1C_Pi5DLTQv1dMVf9qlR5wjbBgfk9tBaexMdIPf7kO-0DqbPbTSJyFLsOae_Qc5xgV_hHaLc6IABltcuvp4JgvR7R49g-SlK_9g/s640/kn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Nigeria youngster Kelechi Nwakali has announced he's joining Arsenal on a five-year deal.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The 17-year-old came to prominence as part of the World Cup winning under-17 team.<br /> <br /> The Nigerian teenager was named player of the tournament and Arsenal moved quickly to sign him up.<br /> <br /> After battling through visa and work permit, the issues appeaar to have been resolved.<br /> <br /> On his return to his homeland, Nwakali confirmed he had completed his "dream" move.<br /> <br /> "I just came back from London; I have signed a five-year contract with Arsenal.<br /> <br /> "So many teams were interested in me, but it has been my dream at a tender age to play for Arsenal."<br /> <br />

Latest-News Confirmed: Nwakali Signs Five-year Deal With Arsenal

Nigeria youngster Kelechi Nwakali has announced he's joining Arsenal on a five-year deal. The 17-year-old came to prominence as pa...

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OAP Freeze defends Kim Kardashian

Latest-News OAP Freeze defends Kim Kardashian

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Collapsed building Update: Owners ‘exceeded approved floors’, face arrest – Lagos govt.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2JByLJ64VIlao1zM5nXk4a8FMRundshO_S3r1Djli0RnB72ZiH8qPisgLCArRa2pGPU7ODTUsmjQQI4wm0FPWFF1J2vXPPhBf2lTOfqHpyXtCCBoaD3eOMDXimCEHQbC1vzcfbDltzU/s1600/Lekki+collapsed+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2JByLJ64VIlao1zM5nXk4a8FMRundshO_S3r1Djli0RnB72ZiH8qPisgLCArRa2pGPU7ODTUsmjQQI4wm0FPWFF1J2vXPPhBf2lTOfqHpyXtCCBoaD3eOMDXimCEHQbC1vzcfbDltzU/s640/Lekki+collapsed+building.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The Lagos State government has said preliminary findings on the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki showed that it exceeded the number of floors approved by the authorities.</b><br /> <br /> Six bodies were recovered Wednesday afternoon from the rubble where the building collapsed, the National Emergency Management Agency said.<br /> <br /> Eighteen bodies were recovered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 24.<br /> <br /> In a statement issued by Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy, the government said it had summoned the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited.<br /> <br /> The statement quoted the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as saying that all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited were strongly advised to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police within the next 24 four hours in their own interest or be arrested.<br /> <br /> ‎”Based on preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency,” the statement said.<br /> <br /> It added that it had also been discovered that in a brazen act of “defiance and impunity”, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, which promotes Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors.<br /> <br /> <br /> The statement added that the Lagos government, which held its state executive council meeting Wednesday, would no longer tolerate the action of unscrupulous owners and builders who challenge its supervisory control thereby endangering the lives of residents.<br /> <br /> The state government has consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.<br /> <br /> The government also directed further integrity tests be carried out on every other construction project which has, or is currently being handled by Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited in the interest of public safety.

Latest-News Collapsed building Update: Owners ‘exceeded approved floors’, face arrest – Lagos govt.

The Lagos State government has said preliminary findings on the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki showed that it exceeded the number...

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Prophet Remanded For Defiling 7-year-old Daughter in Edo State

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhlRx8maHUTpy-Tir8KrzzgM-3Nb3n0OOEb-z0-fmTwH80E6PenhtcqVxvg5txE3d2Fko24t82BkzvLYXl8eN-M6IR_m7RKrk3IkzZJYLZSIM7SUSg0zpF3JyQ9aLJAz3zXaHPrRX4Q0/s1600/rape.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhlRx8maHUTpy-Tir8KrzzgM-3Nb3n0OOEb-z0-fmTwH80E6PenhtcqVxvg5txE3d2Fko24t82BkzvLYXl8eN-M6IR_m7RKrk3IkzZJYLZSIM7SUSg0zpF3JyQ9aLJAz3zXaHPrRX4Q0/s320/rape.png" width="320" /></a></div> <b><br /></b><b>A "man of God" known as Prophet Benjamin Bernard has been remanded in prison by an Ogbeson Magistrate Court, for reportedly defiling his 7-year-old Daughter in Edo State.</b><br /> <br /> The 41-year-old was one of the presiding pastors of Destiny Explosion Ministry located in Benin City.<br /> <br /> According to reports, he committed the ugly act early this year.<br /> <br /> The victim , who was his third daughter, during her testimony told the court that her father used a white handkerchief to clean her private part after committing the act.<br /> <br /> She said her father warned her not to mention the act to anyone or he would kill her.<br /> <br /> Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Taye Omoruyi ordered the accused remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to March 16 for further hearing.

Latest-News Prophet Remanded For Defiling 7-year-old Daughter in Edo State

A "man of God" known as Prophet Benjamin Bernard has been remanded in prison by an Ogbeson Magistrate Court, for reportedly defil...

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Premier League Away Ticket Now Capped at £30

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieor1gaGZaCPLwrSEyruddRQn9iVjdjx5oYx3TTaRUuKuxHydaX6DokilkU12aK36pv0piKiaTsKtKTmDQu52rz-Shr8c2k5Tx8msPE65g0p6M8MqkKdFeH6QCLgZUA-SvO33wdsRkrbc8/s1600/protest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieor1gaGZaCPLwrSEyruddRQn9iVjdjx5oYx3TTaRUuKuxHydaX6DokilkU12aK36pv0piKiaTsKtKTmDQu52rz-Shr8c2k5Tx8msPE65g0p6M8MqkKdFeH6QCLgZUA-SvO33wdsRkrbc8/s640/protest1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> The Premier League has announced that all away tickets will be capped at £30 for the three seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19 in a groundbreaking move for British football supporters.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The league announced the decision on their website Wednesday afternoon, following an earlier meeting convened by chief executive Richard Scudamore, prompted by the recent mass protest at Anfield (below) that saw tens of thousands walk out during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Sunderland.<br /> <br /> With a £5billion television deal set to come in next season fans of Liverpool, and numerous others, were furious at some clubs' plans to again raise ticket prices. The Premier League decided a concession on the back of that mega deal.<br /> <br /> All 20 clubs unanimously agreed to the cap, although there had been some dissent among certain clubs. Support from 14 teams would have been enough to push the measure through.<br /> <br /> "Clubs know that away fans have a unique status," read a statement on the Premier League website.<br /> <br /> "They are essential for match atmosphere and stimulate the response from home fans that distinguishes Barclays Premier League matches from those of other leagues."<br /> <br /> Arsenal have already announced they will provide a further £4 discount on their ticket prices for travelling Gooners, a saving that would equal £370 if fans went to every away game next season.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <div dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Premier League clubs in new deal for away fans. For next 3 seasons away fans can attend matches for no more than £30 <a href="https://t.co/wVgKFbY7TE">pic.twitter.com/wVgKFbY7TE</a></div> — Premier League (@premierleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/707551352851996672">March 9, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"> </script>The £30 price is still a compromise, short of the Twenty's Plenty campaign that argued to cap prices at £20 - an initiative that was backed by a number of fan groups.<br /> <br /> This season, the cheapest away tickets were found at West Bromwich Albion's The Hawthorns, with tickets priced between £10 and £39. Sunderland and Newcastle United also charge £39.<br /> <br /> All away tickets at Bournemouth's Dean Court are £33, while Watford are among the cheaper teams, charging between £20 and £36.<br /> <br /> <br /> The most expensive away ticket is found at the Emirates, where Arsenal charge up to £64 for admission.<br /> <br /> Chelsea have the most expensive 'cheapest' ticket, with the Blues charging away fans no less than £47 to watch their team at Stamford Bridge.<br /> <br /> Liverpool and Manchester City also charged over £40 for their cheapest ticket this season.<br /> <br /> SOURCE: (Independent)

Latest-News Premier League Away Ticket Now Capped at £30

The Premier League has announced that all away tickets will be capped at £30 for the three seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19 in a groundbre...

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Man Commits Suicide After Church Vigil In Lagos

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcl6_rRPDW6JWvWkG2Kg0HK3AXKisASFuDRz_XWT2X6CmI0O0PZNSzKdDyUidhPo0E_-Qbjl2xyFBmCEBLPdXaGKfv4jQ7IwgFfAwYKCe3CbXnhCb2fdG6I991kCMWqmkdQWIaDdR0IA/s1600/suicide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcl6_rRPDW6JWvWkG2Kg0HK3AXKisASFuDRz_XWT2X6CmI0O0PZNSzKdDyUidhPo0E_-Qbjl2xyFBmCEBLPdXaGKfv4jQ7IwgFfAwYKCe3CbXnhCb2fdG6I991kCMWqmkdQWIaDdR0IA/s400/suicide.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> A man who allegedly committed suicide shortly after he attended a church vigil at Church of the King of Kings on Taju Bello Street, in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State, has thrown the church into confusion as many are saying he may have been killed and dumped at the back of the church to make it look like a suicide.<br /> <br /> The young man identified simply as Taofiq, a mechanic, was said to have attended a vigil in the church on Friday, March 4, but sneaked out while prayer was going on. His body was later found hanging on a tree at the back of the church, with his prayer garment was folded neatly and placed at the scene.<br /> <br /> According to those who knew the deceased, he was a Muslim who converted to Christianity sometime last year and started attending the church, a parish of Cherubim and Seraphim, a few months ago.<br /> <br /> A resident, who identified himself as Kareem Ibrahim, said Taofiq’s behaviour became strange about a year ago when he quit his mechanic work.<br /> <br /> “I just opened my shop that day when a friend came to tell me that someone had died at the back of the church. On getting there, it turned out to be Taofik. He was living around here before, but I don’t know where he relocated to. When he converted to Christianity last year, he changed his name to Segun.<br /> <br /> He was a mechanic and was living a normal life until last year when we observed that his behaviour was changed. I learnt he was defrauded of money, but I don’t know the amount. He was a bachelor.”<br /> <br /> <br /> The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident and said that investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of the incident.<br /> <br /> “The Assistant Pastor of the King of Kings Church, Mr. Odunike Abiodun, reported to the police that one Taofik committed suicide near the church, where he came for a vigil.<br /> <br /> Detectives visited the scene of the crime and investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the death. His corpse has been deposited in a morgue for autopsy.”

Latest-News Man Commits Suicide After Church Vigil In Lagos

A man who allegedly committed suicide shortly after he attended a church vigil at Church of the King of Kings on Taju Bello Street, in the...

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Afghanistan Women's Team Launch Football Kit With World's First Built-in Hijab

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKI9vNFGz-0-Dfaoq4fgIO1d8pekw2nKum4n1aaFT2CjZ5Kin55jhYSUINivXHr_k7-9gQPUngcIkDcU87P1ROK0YLEB-Tfqkc7EiTdSay_isTCaW6aJLpKA9dhxLnA-2O68ukZDMm8aY/s1600/New-Afghanistan-football-shirt-with-Hijab-by-Hummel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKI9vNFGz-0-Dfaoq4fgIO1d8pekw2nKum4n1aaFT2CjZ5Kin55jhYSUINivXHr_k7-9gQPUngcIkDcU87P1ROK0YLEB-Tfqkc7EiTdSay_isTCaW6aJLpKA9dhxLnA-2O68ukZDMm8aY/s640/New-Afghanistan-football-shirt-with-Hijab-by-Hummel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> The groundbreaking kit - released on International Women’s Day - is the first ever branded national strip to incorporate a hijab.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Hummel’s owner Christian Stadil said: "We don't sponsor the biggest teams in the world, but we make partnerships with teams and clubs with a story to tell, like Afghanistan.<br /> <br /> "We try to meet the Afghan people where they are, and right now that is by helping the women play football with or without a hijab."<br /> <br /> <br /> Khalida Popal - the hugely popular ex-captain of the Afghanistan women’s football team - helped design the kit.<br /> <br /> She said: "The national team shirt symbolises all of our culture, our tradition, our history.<br /> <br /> “It was a huge honour to captain my country but it was an even bigger honour to be seen as a role model and an inspiration for thousands of young girls and women in Afghanistan.<br /> <br /> “To wear that shirt and to lead your country out onto the football pitch is something that stays with you forever."<br /> <br /> SOURCE: (Dailystar)

Latest-News Afghanistan Women's Team Launch Football Kit With World's First Built-in Hijab

The groundbreaking kit - released on International Women’s Day - is the first ever branded national strip to incorporate a hijab. Humm...

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Death from road accidents higher than AIDS – FRSC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC9idztG1f1p7kK99VmI9owZUIPO1nNkGviAGFrGZkCBmOTI6eDJKWVvGKdSs5Hsb69cVWWYbp1TGSZQV7wxUbB-8cKsJ41UoNFeELwA7ygXzoRMyI-9Gub6d-0Dp488sZKDNlfUOzEE/s1600/FRSC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC9idztG1f1p7kK99VmI9owZUIPO1nNkGviAGFrGZkCBmOTI6eDJKWVvGKdSs5Hsb69cVWWYbp1TGSZQV7wxUbB-8cKsJ41UoNFeELwA7ygXzoRMyI-9Gub6d-0Dp488sZKDNlfUOzEE/s400/FRSC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that the number of deaths recorded daily on highways through road accidents is higher than death from the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).</b><br /> <br /> This was disclosed by the acting Sector Commander of FRSC in Lagos State, Michael Olapade during a courtesy call on the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa in his office, Alausa Ikeja on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> While recalling the death of Minister of state for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi, his wife and son as a result of an auto crash along Abuja-Kaduna road, Olapada said “the lives of our youths are being lost on daily basis. Many people talk of AIDS as most deadly, FRSC do not believe this when you talk of number of deaths, road accidents are higher.”<br /> <br /> The sector Commander explained that as everybody continues to aspire in life, “we want to partner with all the people that are important to the people so that we will save lives for Nigeria to be better.”<br /> <br /> While appealing for more support from the House, Olapade stated that the number of units and equipment for the organisation is inadequate.<br /> <br /> <br /> He pointed out that the institution in Lagos has 15 units and one sector command, saying that out of the total number of vehicles in the country, Lagos state has one quarter. “The number of these units is not enough to complement the efforts of other traffic agencies like LASTMA and VIO.”<br /> <br /> While assuring the institution’s readiness to collaborate with the state government, Olapade said that the organization has plans in the offing to decorate members of the House as special marshals.<br /> <br /> In his reaction, the Speaker said the House appreciates the good job done by the men of FRSC.<br /> <br /> He however stated that effort must be made to curtail the activities of bad eggs in the organisation that extort money from motorists.<br /> <br /> “You should monitor the activities of your men, there are roads that can’t be categorised as either federal or state road some of your men do go to extort money from motorists,” Obasa said.<br /> <br /> <br /> (The Nation)<br /> <div><br /></div>

Latest-News Death from road accidents higher than AIDS – FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that the number of deaths recorded daily on highways through road accidents is higher than d...

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David Moyes Coming to Nigeria for Yobo's Testimonial

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB4XKsnVes__K32c6tXZP2iEG6KVR8qGJy3-ko7oHwtInAskhcaEq9BDzGeSlEO7Fan4nJltkOBqy1_G55LoXARFbo7_CNihMSn_Y61aAnnFAc_PplYCeLj73pijvVEgAbAmm1SJ1f8Ik/s1600/moyesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB4XKsnVes__K32c6tXZP2iEG6KVR8qGJy3-ko7oHwtInAskhcaEq9BDzGeSlEO7Fan4nJltkOBqy1_G55LoXARFbo7_CNihMSn_Y61aAnnFAc_PplYCeLj73pijvVEgAbAmm1SJ1f8Ik/s640/moyesi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Former Super Eagles Captain Joseph Yobo has confirmed that former Everton manager David Moyes is one of the top football personalities expected at his testimonial game scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on May 27.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Yobo was Moyes' first signing at Everton and the former Nigerian skipper went on to distinguish himself during his eight years adventure at Goodison Park.<br /> <br /> Speaking at a media briefing to herald the Joseph Yobo Centenary and Testimonial scheduled for the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in the Garden City, the former Super Eagles captain also listed former Cote d'Ivoire and Chelsea star, Didier Drogba and ex Cameroun international Samuel Eto'o Fils among the top African players coming to Nigeria for the match.<br /> <br /> "My former manager David Moyes will come for my testimonial. Remember I was his first signing (at Everton) and I feel very honoured that he has agreed to attend the game in May," Yobo revealed to the gathering that included no less than 12 former Nigerian football superstars.<br /> <br /> Though Yobo did not mention the other top players listed for the game in Port Harcourt, he however insisted that "Nigeria is going to witness some of the biggest stars of the Beautiful Game playing at my testimonial on May 27."<br /> <br /> Earlier, Chairman of the Yobo Centenial/Testimonial briefing, John Mastoroudes, commended the former Nigerian captain on his 100 caps for the senior national team before retiring from the game.<br /> <br /> Mastoroudes who superintended the former Leventis United Football Club of Ibadan to the summit of the Nigerian club football in the 1980s used the occasion to call for unity in the senior national team.<br /> <br /> "It breaks my heart when Nigeria is not at any competition that involves the best of football nations in Africa. Recently, we have had divided camp with so much rancour in our senior national team. Some people say Sunday Oliseh should not have resigned but I am glad he left if that will bring back the desired unity," observed Mastoroudes.<br /> <br /> He urged all to rally round Samson Siasia for the good times to return to Nigerian football again.<br /> <br /> Peter Rufai, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West and Ifeanyi Udeze were among the ex internationals present at the event.<br /> <br /> Former Eagles coaches led by Shaibu Amodu, Christian Chukwu, Austin Eguavoen and Henry Nwosu were also on hand to give support to their ward.<br /> <br /> Yobo made 100 appearances in international matches for Nigeria at senior level, including featuring at three editions of the FIFA World Cup in 2002, 2010 and 2014. He played in six Africa Cup of Nations for the Super Eagles.<br /> <br /> The 35-year-old was a member of the Nigerian side that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.<br /> <br /> A year later in Brazil during the World Cup Yobo quit international football after Eagles' loss to France in the second round, which was his 100th and final appearance for Nigeria.<br /> <br /> Yobo first broke onto the international stage in 1999 with the Flying Eagles coached by Fanny Amun when Nigeria hosted the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.<br /> <br /> He made his senior debut for Eagles in 2001 against Zambia in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kitwe.<br /> <br /> SOURCE: (Allafrica)

Latest-News David Moyes Coming to Nigeria for Yobo's Testimonial

Former Super Eagles Captain Joseph Yobo has confirmed that former Everton manager David Moyes is one of the top football personalities e...

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Lekki building tragedy: How our brothers, friends died, by victims’ relations

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisanjjLIF9LlzzkXEnk6skOy0sbpNL5I9Qo8KAaEek1p-nItHMJnoomeLVZsLResrqZaPq6jJR87ZRFfyLqoq14l6PfAuqHUzIAdtxUitMLc7DE2Fw_Di0Cvqj4nUChCzUTtV4pQYyHdc/s1600/Lekki+building+collapse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisanjjLIF9LlzzkXEnk6skOy0sbpNL5I9Qo8KAaEek1p-nItHMJnoomeLVZsLResrqZaPq6jJR87ZRFfyLqoq14l6PfAuqHUzIAdtxUitMLc7DE2Fw_Di0Cvqj4nUChCzUTtV4pQYyHdc/s1600/Lekki+building+collapse.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> An eye-witness, who gave his name as Michael, said sympathisers, who got to the scene early in the morning heard the cries of a baby and the mother calling for help. They said the voices were no longer heard around 12 noon.<br /> <br /> Thirteen persons were rescued alive from the site, even as many others were presumed trapped in the rubble. The collapsed building, which was still under construction, was located at Lekki Gardens, Horizon One, close to Chisco Bus Stop, Lekki.<br /> <br /> Those rescued had varying degrees of injuries and are presently receiving treatment in various government hospitals on the Island. The victims were mostly menial workers at the site. They were said to be sleeping at the time of the crash.<br /> <br /> The incident, Daily Sun gathered, took place at about 4:30.am during the early morning downpour. Residents of the area said no fewer than 50 people normally slept in the building. It was gathered that a new set of labourers arrived the site a day before the incident, spreading speculations that many were still trapped underneath the rubble.<br /> <br /> Tension at the site at the time of filing this report was very high, as angry co-workers, friends and family members of those believed to be trapped were unhappy about what they tagged the slow pace of rescue efforts. Two of those brought out at about 1:30pm were rescued through the efforts of sympathisers and other menial workers at the site.<br /> <br /> Emotions ran high at the scene, as relatives and friends of the victims and trapped workers besieged the scene to assist in rescue operations. Tears flowed freely, as the dead bodies were brought out.<br /> <br /> Men of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA, Nigerian Civil Defence Cor7s, Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Nigeria Police and other security agents were on ground to rescue the trapped victims from the rubble.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, up till about 1.30pm, some of the trapped victims could be heard shouting and calling for help. Some were said to have made distress calls to their relatives. Many of the sympathisers became furious when it appeared that the rescue mission was taking too long.<br /> <br /> A woman, whose husband was also trapped in the building, was seen weeping uncontrollably.  The man was said to be selling cooked noodles at the site until the unfortunate incident.<br /> <br /> Some workers at the site alleged that some of the materials, especially the irons rods, used at the building were of low quality. They also accused the contractors and engineers handling the project of not paying them regularly, saying that was the reason most of them slept in the building.<br /> <br /> Looking distressed, with bloodshot eyes, Abubakar Ali, from Jaba Ladi Local Government area of Kwoi, Kaduna State, looked on as rescuers dug into an area of the collapsed structure.<br /> <br /> He disclosed that his brother, Jamiu, was brought out dead some minutes back. His problem, he noted, was compounded by the fact that it would be difficult to break the news to his aged parents back home. He was also more saddened on how he would have to raise the two children left behind by his brother, as the deceased’s wife died two years ago.<br /> <br /> “My brother was brought out from down there dead,” he said. “We stay within the area but he decided to come and sleep here so that he can collect the money they owed him.”<br /> <br /> Joseph Peter told Daily Sun that his close friend, Wale, who hailed from Oyo State, was also trapped in the rubble.<br /> <br /> “We ate together yesterday. Oh, l didn’t know that Wale was going to die like this. The contractor still owes Wale N25, 000. This is sad.”<br /> <br /> Musa Suleiman from Kubawu Local Government Area of Kaduna State, said his relatives, Idris, Jamulu, Ahama, Aliu, Adamu, Sabiu were still trapped underneath the building. The distressed Musa said he was afraid he had already lost his friends and might not see them again.<br /> <br /> Martins Evans also disclosed that his friend, 26-year-old Martins, a welder at the site, was still trapped in the rubble. According to him, his friend called him when the incident happened, telling him that he was trapped by pillars and was finding it difficult to breathe.<br /> <br /> Timothy Lokoussoe from Benin Republic was frantic, as he walked around the building site. The restless young man said three of his siblings – Prosper, Robal and Sunday were trapped under the rubble.<br /> <br /> He disclosed that they had just returned from seeing their parents on Sunday, only for his brothers to lose their lives hours after. He also disclosed that they had not been paid for one month and had high hopes that they would be paid within the week. He disclosed that in all, seven of his countrymen were trapped underneath the debris.<br /> <br /> Speaking on the incident, which he described as unfortunate, Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Seye Oladejo, noted that it was a collapse too many. He noted that illegality as regards the construction of buildings, especially flouting building rules and regulations would no longer be tolerated by the state government.<br /> <br /> Oladejo stressed that rescue efforts were still on-going and that the state government, alongside its emergency responders, would be on ground to ensure that those trapped were rescued. He said the dead would be given the respect they deserved by being evacuated to the right place.<br /> <br /> As regards the acquisition of the collapsed property, he assured that everything that the law said about such property would be applied, adding that the law was no respecter of anybody. He also informed that the owner of the property, if found culpable, would be prosecuted.<br /> <br /> Crowd control at the site was very poor, even as the equipment brought was not capable of effectively rescuing those that were still trapped in the building.<br /> <br /> At a point during the rescue effort, work was suspended due to the surging crowd and the fact that the rescue officials were being pelted with stones and sachets of water by street urchins and sympathisers.<br /> <br /> Officials on ground said they were in need of more security officials, noting that those on ground were having a difficult time managing the crowd.<br /> <br /> NEMA spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, noted that more people were still trapped. He promised that every victim would be rescued. He said his agency got the distress call at about 4:20am and promptly moved to the scene.<br /> <br /> A reliable source told Daily Sun that all the structures at the Lekki Gardens were originally approved by the state government as three-storey buildings, but that the owner, one Mr. Charles, later remoulded the roof and expanded the building to five-storey.<br /> <br /> The collapsed building has been sealed by the government until an integrity test is carried out.<br /> <br /> The General Manager, LASEMA, Michael Akindele, said the rescue operation was slow because emergency workers did not want to injure or mutilate those that might still be alive in the building with their sophisticated equipment.

Latest-News Lekki building tragedy: How our brothers, friends died, by victims’ relations

An eye-witness, who gave his name as Michael, said sympathisers, who got to the scene early in the morning heard the cries of a baby and t...

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OFFICIAL: Sunderland Sign Emmanuel Eboue

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxxLvE5gs3hCbtdFWwsX24zS6h0pj6iVcQNMOQr3d-mqThYkjA2iKcd0igKqGwzOuq7XfLJWGw-cnbOzgbmsCQBOpoH9vx-ehq3GjRHHiVRm6nol5ZI2xdF5vs_pwNvwZ71RAkoa3yWX-/s1600/emmanuel_eboue_1515291c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxxLvE5gs3hCbtdFWwsX24zS6h0pj6iVcQNMOQr3d-mqThYkjA2iKcd0igKqGwzOuq7XfLJWGw-cnbOzgbmsCQBOpoH9vx-ehq3GjRHHiVRm6nol5ZI2xdF5vs_pwNvwZ71RAkoa3yWX-/s640/emmanuel_eboue_1515291c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> English club Sunderland have completed the signing of former Galatasaray defender Emmanuel Eboue.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Eboue had been training with the Black Cats over the last few weeks and the club have now signed up the 32-year-old for the remainder of the season.<br /> <br /> The full-back was a free agent following his departure from Galatasaray at the end of last season, having won three league titles during a four-year spell in Turkey.<br /> <br /> "When I came here for the first time it felt like I’d been here already so I’m very happy to sign for the club," he told the club's official website.<br /> <br /> "I was dreaming about it and thinking about it when I was in Turkey because I played here before, so I thank god, my new team-mates and also the staff and everybody else who took me in like a son.<br /> <br /> "I also thank the manager who has given me a second chance, so I hope I can give my best for the club and also for him.

Latest-News OFFICIAL: Sunderland Sign Emmanuel Eboue

English club Sunderland have completed the signing of former Galatasaray defender Emmanuel Eboue. Eboue had been training with the B...

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Policeman Dragged To Court For Saying 92-year-old Mugabe Is Too Old To Rule

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3-FtQmhZq01kb7ca7jkYyHKT1qGeHjzDXSuVXft-XDnBszR5STFt0zv3duaOtOYKdjXjvadSs6nzBKMC7c54vYko7Cjqv2KkSEFEd8JzQLmFLlrN57s5HFOCxpsMg6PDxTs3inrS5Q0/s1600/Mugabe+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3-FtQmhZq01kb7ca7jkYyHKT1qGeHjzDXSuVXft-XDnBszR5STFt0zv3duaOtOYKdjXjvadSs6nzBKMC7c54vYko7Cjqv2KkSEFEd8JzQLmFLlrN57s5HFOCxpsMg6PDxTs3inrS5Q0/s400/Mugabe+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>A Zimbabwean policeman has appeared in court after calling 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe </b><b>“too old to rule” and accusing his wife of being a prostitute, local media reported Wednesday. </b><br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Thompson Joseph Mloyi, 44, did not enter a plea at a magistrate’s court in Harare over remarks he allegedly made at a camp shared by police and army, the privately-owned newspaper NewsDay said.<br /> <br /> He was granted $100 bail at the hearing on Tuesday and is expected to appear for trial on March 15 for “insulting the office of the president”.<br /> <br /> “Without provocation, the accused started shouting, indicating that President Robert Mugabe is too old to rule and (that) he married a prostitute, Grace Mugabe,” NewsDay reported, citing prosecution papers.<br /> <br /> Cases of people arrested for insulting Mugabe are common in Zimbabwe and those convicted are often fined.<br /> <br /> The world’s oldest ruler, Mugabe turned 92 last month and celebrated his birthday at a lavish party.<br /> <br /> Despite showing signs of ageing, he recently gave a two-hour television interview and has vowed to stay in power as leader of the ZANU-PF party.<br /> <br /> His wife Grace, 50, has become politically active since her elevation to lead the party’s women’s league, and she launches regular public criticisms of officials she perceives as her rivals.<br /> <br /> In his birthday speech, Mugabe lashed out at party youth he said were using social media to insult his wife.<br /> <br /> In December, a ruling party legislator was arrested for insulting Grace during a quarrel with a fellow party official in Victoria Falls.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Latest-News Policeman Dragged To Court For Saying 92-year-old Mugabe Is Too Old To Rule

A Zimbabwean policeman has appeared in court after calling 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe  “too old to rule” and accusing his wife of...

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Indian teen dies after being raped and set on fire

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgCFXq98qY0MkHFBJ9tODDeaghmsaHXN5Of8rZUBGyrwAtH0AlYvlQq5DHb7Y-qNq8KPV-u8Ep82wMzZmkLDu1x_JCEFwmmh5rEo-TpEg892SJav65YESQMYWT2UZs9A9YAzDZLzKuio/s1600/rape+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgCFXq98qY0MkHFBJ9tODDeaghmsaHXN5Of8rZUBGyrwAtH0AlYvlQq5DHb7Y-qNq8KPV-u8Ep82wMzZmkLDu1x_JCEFwmmh5rEo-TpEg892SJav65YESQMYWT2UZs9A9YAzDZLzKuio/s400/rape+1.png" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>A 15-year-old Indian girl, who was allegedly raped and set on fire in a village near Delhi, died in hospital on Wednesday.</b><br /> <br /> According to a spokesman for Safdarjung Hospital, the girl had suffered 95-per-cent burns.<br /> <br /> The senior police official, Rakesh Yadav, said that investigation had commenced.<br /> <br /> Yadav said a 20-year-old man allegedly entered the girl’s house on Monday and assaulted her.<br /> <br /> The victim’s parents said the man had been stalking her for months.<br /> <br /> However, the man has been arrested and faced rape and murder charges.<br /> <br /> Attacks on women have been in the spotlight in Delhi after the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in December 2012.

Latest-News Indian teen dies after being raped and set on fire

A 15-year-old Indian girl, who was allegedly raped and set on fire in a village near Delhi, died in hospital on Wednesday. According to ...

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Federal Legislators Take Over Troubled Kogi Assembly

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqY5ht6p07yzPFwzoJj4cKK4KRzaaLIJWWeCsIlfyOCdsyu9qcmde_10iQoeAjnyyraD2KwMYC-oP05ju2d7rrwu05wR8GhNxqS_jBt_EIAwBVrFi6pQAC-8rOu_2ddGwJwyLvDtJrf8/s1600/Kogi+assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqY5ht6p07yzPFwzoJj4cKK4KRzaaLIJWWeCsIlfyOCdsyu9qcmde_10iQoeAjnyyraD2KwMYC-oP05ju2d7rrwu05wR8GhNxqS_jBt_EIAwBVrFi6pQAC-8rOu_2ddGwJwyLvDtJrf8/s400/Kogi+assembly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>The House of Representatives on Wednesday, took over the functions of the Kogi State House of Assembly over the crisis that engulfed the assembly in the last one month. </b><br /> <br /> This is even as it  called on the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase to immediately seal off the assembly since the House has taken over its functions.<br /> <br /> <br /> In taking the decision at plenary, the House said its action was in line with the provision of Section 11 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, which says the National Assembly could take over the functions of any state assembly that is enmeshed in crisis.<br /> <br /> Recall that that five members of the Kogi assembly purportedly impeached the speaker Momoh Jimoh Lawal and elected Umar Imam as new speaker.<br /> <br /> The lower chamber’s action will take effect as soon as the Senate concurs.<br /> <br /> (Vanguard)

Latest-News Federal Legislators Take Over Troubled Kogi Assembly

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, took over the functions of the Kogi State House of Assembly over the crisis that engulfed the a...

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John Obi Mikel Speaks Out: This is what Chelsea must do against PSG tonight

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFfMqxVbRJR0cnlk3_970BHGOarD_g_VWs40pN3nX7Oojg_NtA8FwS20FbPS_5zwjY4krmmbDoSneR1InYqP0ylh7JoMnsoLtyRAND1gjOQAzGMsZjxiUVM1pNYXmocwG3Hc8HBEzZavE/s1600/wpid-john-mikel-obi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFfMqxVbRJR0cnlk3_970BHGOarD_g_VWs40pN3nX7Oojg_NtA8FwS20FbPS_5zwjY4krmmbDoSneR1InYqP0ylh7JoMnsoLtyRAND1gjOQAzGMsZjxiUVM1pNYXmocwG3Hc8HBEzZavE/s640/wpid-john-mikel-obi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Chelsea will need to play their best game of the season to beat Paris St-Germain tonight.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> That’s the view of Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel, who looks set to start against the French champions.<br /> <br /> Chelsea trail 2-1 from the first leg three weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out in the last 16 for the second season running.<br /> <br /> Boss Guus Hiddink has urged them to go all the way - but PSG have only lost twice in 44 matches this season.<br /> <br /> And Mikel, who scored in the first leg, said: “It will take our best performance of the season to turn this around.<br /> <br /> “The whole team needs to perform if we are to go through. We have to do it together.<br /> <br /> “We attack and defend together. We can’t just look to individuals. They are a very good team but we will find a way to go through.”<br /> <br /> Chelsea will be without injured skipper John Terry, but expect to be boosted by the return of Diego Costa.<br /> <br /> And Mikel has appealed to the Chelsea faithful to be their 12th man at Stamford Bridge.<br /> <br /> He said: “We need the supporters to make it as loud as possible. They have been amazing and fantastic to us this season.<br /> <br /> “We have been up and down and they have stuck by us. Whether we have been doing badly or well, they have been there.<br /> <br /> “Their support can help take us through tonight. This is also a chance for us to repay them by getting through to the quarter-finals.”<br /> <br /> SOURCE: (Dailystar)

Latest-News John Obi Mikel Speaks Out: This is what Chelsea must do against PSG tonight

Chelsea will need to play their best game of the season to beat Paris St-Germain tonight. That’s the view of Blues midfielder John Obi...

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We Will Do to Your Country What We Did to Paris - ISIS Threatens Obama

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrn2QACojhPCPSXGU1pZLPclBN4Tj3fJBFSe1m7-6md6S7it0xdRw_6D1CFH_texuGs15A4bOGnyiiY6G4S9FciAJqt1mX3dKlDJ2GJYQpOW_dqaFIaDJqc87ylnL13HgGOtlN5-9wLM/s1600/Obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrn2QACojhPCPSXGU1pZLPclBN4Tj3fJBFSe1m7-6md6S7it0xdRw_6D1CFH_texuGs15A4bOGnyiiY6G4S9FciAJqt1mX3dKlDJ2GJYQpOW_dqaFIaDJqc87ylnL13HgGOtlN5-9wLM/s640/Obama.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The SUN UK reports that ISIS made the threat via a new video published online. In the video, an ISIS terrorist with an accent addressing President Barrack Obama, says, “Paris isn’t far from you - we will by Allah’s permission do to your country what we did to Paris.<br /> <br /> “We will kill, slaughter and burn your people. Inshallah [God willing], we will attack you very soon with anything we lay our hands on.”<br /> <br /> The video then cuts to an old video of Jihadi John, dressed in black and wearing a balaclava, standing over captives alongside his fellow terror-nuts.<br /> <br /> In that infamous video, from 2014, the narrator speaks with a London accent and points his knife to the camera.<br /> <br /> He says: “To Obama, the dog of Rome, today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Pasha, tomorrow, we will be slaughtering your soldiers. We will soon, like your puppet David Cameron said, begin to slaughter your people, on your streets.”

Latest-News We Will Do to Your Country What We Did to Paris - ISIS Threatens Obama

The SUN UK reports that ISIS made the threat via a new video published online. In the video, an ISIS terrorist with an accent addressing P...

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South Africa: Court Temporarily Withdraws Mandela Grandson Rape Case

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8cThoCr4xOhUjiTrQY83yxYjRzCIXwp0-WJYetwEObag085LbtpGTgDTTT-LEbJtfWpTqZOQK9k4OioGA6UVK3bKht1kJ56vsccpjkUGq-K22w7EsLnpW7peekTkg90vvwrm9KAp9nQ/s1600/nelson-mandela-Mbuso-Mandela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8cThoCr4xOhUjiTrQY83yxYjRzCIXwp0-WJYetwEObag085LbtpGTgDTTT-LEbJtfWpTqZOQK9k4OioGA6UVK3bKht1kJ56vsccpjkUGq-K22w7EsLnpW7peekTkg90vvwrm9KAp9nQ/s1600/nelson-mandela-Mbuso-Mandela.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <b>A South African court Wednesday temporarily abandoned a rape case against the grandson of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela after the prosecution brought an application to “provisionally withdraw prosecution.”</b><br /> <br /> Mbuso Mandela, 25-year-old was accused of raping an underage girl at a pub in Johannesburg last year.<br /> <br /> Under South African law, a suspect’s identity cannot be revealed until the accused pleads to the charge.<br /> <br /> The National Prosecuting Authority said withdrawing the case for now was in the best interest of the trial as they were probing new evidence linked to the case.<br /> <br /> “We have now obtained new information that requires further investigation,” prosecution spokeswoman Phindi Louw told journalists.<br /> <br /> Louw said withdrawing the case did not mean that the accused was “off the hook”.<br /> <br /> The icon’s grandson was arrested in August 2015, and spent 10 days in custody before being freed on bail.<br /> <br /> He is the latest Mandela family member to be embroiled in legal trouble likely to tarnish their name.<br /> <br /> Several Mandela family members were in court to support the man who appeared relieved after the magistrate’s ruling.

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A South African court Wednesday temporarily abandoned a rape case against the grandson of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela after the pro...

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Siasia: Eagles Can Repeat October '77 Feat

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26jANysckZ5w9Twz05YlX5ua6Ir6pDRbQnDx0Hm19keXq6uuZohhgavNZpxAipeTDrvGi0bIXWa2aK-bYsN8-Y_6DKFIzHi9NW7-6MqI0HlFb6a6BOdowpHrCCf_xWBnxyY61kf-gwVwO/s1600/Samson-Siasia-110605-Reacts-BPP300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26jANysckZ5w9Twz05YlX5ua6Ir6pDRbQnDx0Hm19keXq6uuZohhgavNZpxAipeTDrvGi0bIXWa2aK-bYsN8-Y_6DKFIzHi9NW7-6MqI0HlFb6a6BOdowpHrCCf_xWBnxyY61kf-gwVwO/s400/Samson-Siasia-110605-Reacts-BPP300.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, believes the Super Eagles can re-enact a similar feat achieved by the Green Eagles who demolished the Pharoahs 4-0 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Lagos in 1977.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> "We can recreate October 1977; why not? The home-boys have come in and full training has commenced. Everyone is rearing to go. By the time the foreign-based players arrive, the competition will be what we want.<br /> <br /> "I insist that we have invited the players who are capable of giving us the three points in Kaduna and another three points in Alexandria," Siasia responded while fielding questions from reporters in Abuja.<br /> <br /> Apart from being two points behind the Egyptians on the Group G table, the Eagles also trail the Pharaohs on goals scored. The Pharaohs have scored eight while Nigeria has scored two in the two matches played by each team, meaning Eagles have to start scoring more goals.<br /> <br /> It  would be recalled that on October 8, 1977, the then Green Eagles thrashed the Pharaohs 4-0 in a 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium, Lagos, with Segun Odegbami bagging a brace. Skipper Christian Chukwu and John Nwadioha got the other goals.<br /> <br />

Latest-News Siasia: Eagles Can Repeat October '77 Feat

Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, believes the Super Eagles can re-enact a similar feat achieved by the Green Eagles who demolished the ...

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Lagos Internally Generated Revenue Hits N24.5bn In One Month

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94CtftzVWjx6HWlkcNipXk5bPpxBtkSHMEG9QDqBtLmu8_2_aee5_myStuaJFSzSC6qgDRNQM2ty5DEN3wvOlSZRQJJ3M19_0qbvqPeE4_TLuoVzXYWkwFpdx7o-01Z5QB2dWGjAICGU/s1600/Lagos+state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94CtftzVWjx6HWlkcNipXk5bPpxBtkSHMEG9QDqBtLmu8_2_aee5_myStuaJFSzSC6qgDRNQM2ty5DEN3wvOlSZRQJJ3M19_0qbvqPeE4_TLuoVzXYWkwFpdx7o-01Z5QB2dWGjAICGU/s1600/Lagos+state.jpg" /></a></div> Lagos State Government, yesterday, said its internally generated revenue (IGR) has hit a staggering N24.5 billion in just one month, despite the economic crunch ravaging the country.<br /> <br /> This is coming as the state government read the riot act to tax evaders, insisting that the era of tax evasion in the state was over.<br /> <br /> Commissioner for Finance, Mustapha Akinkunmi, disclosed this at a news conference organised by the Lagos Internal revenue Service (LIRS) in Alausa, Ikeja, where he said in January, the agency contributed N24.5 billion in revenue to the coffers of the state government.<br /> <br /> “The current administration is issuing policies aimed at aligning the economy with goals that would set the state on a path of growth and stability as evidenced by major developments implemented by LIRS,”  Akinwunmi said.<br /> <br /> The amount, he said, amounted to 98 percent budget performance for that month and recording 12 percent growth from the same period in 2014.<br /> <br /> Akinkumi also added that despite the harsh economic terrain presented in 2015, the state managed to realise increased revenue off the back of collections from tax-paying members of the public, adding that in 2015, the LIRS had contributed 79 percent to IGR in 2015.<br /> <br /> “This equated to 56 percent of the state’s total revenue, including federal transfers. The total revenue achieved in 2015 was just short of N400 billion and is expected to continue growing, driven by strong tax collection.<br /> <br /> “This administration has been able to make significant investment in security apparatus across the state and has provided street-lighting across the state. We are reducing costs through investment in technology which is a powerful tool for costs reduction through efficient administration,” he said.<br /> <br /> Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, warned that the era of people evading tax in Lagos was gradually coming to an end as government would expand the tax net to cover lots of the working population.<br /> <br /> He said the state government would set up a Rapid Tax Prosecution Unit to partner the LIRS to prosecute tax offenders in court, adding, “tax dodgers watch out, we will get you.”<br /> <br /> Kazeem said in view of the extreme financial downturn, there was the strong need for government to ramp up its IGR, stressing that the state would spare nothing in enforcing the laws regulating tax payment.<br /> <br /> On his part, the LIRS Chairman, Mr. Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, said government was already working to bring more members of the informal sector into the tax net, saying the Tax Returns Form has been reduced to two pages as against the six pages document, hitherto, in operation.<br /> <br /> He also said the agency, in an effort to bring efficient service delivery closer to the people, recently commissioned two new tax offices at Tejuosho and Sangotedo, adding that efforts were also being made to open additional two tax stations within Amuwo Odofin/Festac and Alimosho areas.<br /> <br /> (Sun Online)

Latest-News Lagos Internally Generated Revenue Hits N24.5bn In One Month

Lagos State Government, yesterday, said its internally generated revenue (IGR) has hit a staggering N24.5 billion in just one month, despit...

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Lagos Building collapse: Death toll goes up from 18 to 23

<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih87IS159FlPlX_qLW9keQT76QP7DvYjyiZGHjX4pELlS5q-Zy8tUs4MSOmPBjhKGMb_hQeOO1ly4c4RMSytpFLiBmz7326lTH35mssDactywNPZpl6aBwwdgoNfM-hqWB3CeMsVyoqCY/s640/u1.jpg" /></b></div> <b>The death toll at the collapsed five-storey structure located at the end of Kushenla Road, Chisco bus stop, Ikate Elegushi in Lekki area of Lagos State, which collapsed on Tuesday morning rose up from 18 to 23.</b><br /> <br /> South West Spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed to our reporter that five more bodies were recovered from the rubbles Wednesday bringing the death toll to 23.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Micheal Akindele who also confirmed the death toll, said 18 bodies were recovered on Tuesday.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has ordered the suspension of work in the area by Lekki Gardens, the construction company behind the collapsed building.<br /> <br /> The Governor in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, also asked all the directors of the said Lekki Gardens Company, to report to the Inspector General of Police, within the next 24-hours, in their own interest.<br /> <br /> Ambode who also expressed condolences on behalf of the government over the death of construction site workers, who lost their lives on Tuesday as a result of the collapse, said the initial enquirers by the state government showed that safety standards had been dangerously compromised, coupled with weak supervision which must have led to the collapse of the building.<br /> <br /> He said the state government will no not fold its arms and allow unnecessary loss of lives and property.<br /> <br /> “Such criminal neglect will no longer go without appropriate consequences,” he said<br /> <br /> He however commended the timely response and intervention by the combined men of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Rapid Response Service (RRS), which helped to save the lives of about 15 persons who were retrieved from the rubbles alive.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nigerianeye.com/2016/03/nigerians-blast-lekki-gardens-after.html"><b><u>NigerianEye</u></b> earlier reported how Nigerians vented their frustration at Lekki Gardens, the reported owners of the property that collapsed on Monday.</a><br /> <br /> <br />

Latest-News Lagos Building collapse: Death toll goes up from 18 to 23

The death toll at the collapsed five-storey structure located at the end of Kushenla Road, Chisco bus stop, Ikate Elegushi in Lekki area ...

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Ferdinand: Arsenal Should Rest Their Top Players Against Barcelona

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0-liZK9E5UC9-cdOR7AVkNTOEM0M2NiwCL6Ct0Z-IFYyAxJqov257Cg7vKTUHIObF0-FEd8Egah2FezpvERcXh_63LmYc-JmYymufpBPHtSufAj62f4cR5gaCrCu-xZUzyA7wyh8XesC/s1600/rf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0-liZK9E5UC9-cdOR7AVkNTOEM0M2NiwCL6Ct0Z-IFYyAxJqov257Cg7vKTUHIObF0-FEd8Egah2FezpvERcXh_63LmYc-JmYymufpBPHtSufAj62f4cR5gaCrCu-xZUzyA7wyh8XesC/s640/rf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Former Manchester United Player has urged Arsene Wenger to rest his top players and instead concentrate on the Premier League.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The 37-year-old, believes that Arsenal have little chance of overturning their two-goal deficit in the Nou Camp, where they take on Barcelona for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on 16 March.<br /> <br /> He further suggested they should concentrate on their Premier League campaign where they trail leaders Leicester City with eight points with only nine matches remaining.<br /> <br /> "I'd say that tie, you might as well wash your hands with it and just move on and try and sort out the league,"<br /> <br /> "I would [rest big players]. As players you always want to go and play at the Nou Camp, but I think Arsene Wenger has to be thinking about the league. They've got to go there and beat Barcelona 3-0, I don't see that happening at all."

Latest-News Ferdinand: Arsenal Should Rest Their Top Players Against Barcelona

Former Manchester United Player has urged Arsene Wenger to rest his top players and instead concentrate on the Premier League. The 37-...

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Over speeding caused Ocholi’s death – FRSC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVYfvdq3pcHEFKPT8t4LqzerXsfE9IJ59ThVwwllPf4r-HaYa1NYfTeEWKWsisDvi3BdlGciXN621nBq1BrbBsoNq4hwhxfW3XcEDpXxgn2TZF5o0lwAiolU2UhQ1LwPNPCJmXYd8dOw/s1600/Ocholi-car3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVYfvdq3pcHEFKPT8t4LqzerXsfE9IJ59ThVwwllPf4r-HaYa1NYfTeEWKWsisDvi3BdlGciXN621nBq1BrbBsoNq4hwhxfW3XcEDpXxgn2TZF5o0lwAiolU2UhQ1LwPNPCJmXYd8dOw/s640/Ocholi-car3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>The death of the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barr. James Ocholi has been majorly attributed to over speeding.</b><br /> <br /> Ocholi died alongside his wife and son on Sunday in an auto crash on Kaduna-Abuja road.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The verdict was given by the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi while presenting the accident’s Road Traffic Crash Investigation Interim Report to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.<br /> <br /> He also said that the investigation revealed that the impact of the accident was more on Ocholi and his family members who were seated at the rear seats because they were not using seat belts.<br /> <br /> According to him, the driver of the vehicle was unlicensed<br /> <br /> Six ministers from the geopolitical zones on Wednesday paid tribute to the late Ocholi.<br /> <br /> All cabinet members will also visit Ocholi’s family immediately after FEC meeting.<br /> <br /> The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal gave the tentative burial arrangement for 16th to 18th of March, 2015.

Latest-News Over speeding caused Ocholi’s death – FRSC

The death of the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barr. James Ocholi has been majorly attributed to over speeding. Ochol...

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Why we reject the unbundling of NNPC — Oil workers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW2kWmXatuJfTAALhJA3fsj-gopfV3c1Ed6eAbivHlllk7oluJXQz_p15igiCnd2STWVyiYskPn0CDKnye7LAcuQs1hhe6hmylvTuUzqODJJhBPgefydDQhbmH7kAWiDN0tTJKlDuzKg/s1600/Kachukwu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW2kWmXatuJfTAALhJA3fsj-gopfV3c1Ed6eAbivHlllk7oluJXQz_p15igiCnd2STWVyiYskPn0CDKnye7LAcuQs1hhe6hmylvTuUzqODJJhBPgefydDQhbmH7kAWiDN0tTJKlDuzKg/s400/Kachukwu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Nigerian oil workers have vowed to continue their strike embarked upon Wednesday until they receive clarifications regarding Tuesday’s unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.<br /> <br /> The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, had announced President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the immediate restructuring of the NNPC into seven independent operational divisions.<br /> <br /> Under the new arrangement, the corporation has five business-focussed divisions, namely Upstream, Downstream, Gas & Power Marketing, Refineries and Ventures, in addition to two service-oriented divisions, consisting Corporate Planning & Services and Finance and Accounts.<br /> <br /> Each of the divisions is to be headed by a chief executive officer who would report to the Group Managing Director.<br /> <br /> But the workers, who criticise the minister’s handling of the exercise, accuse him of a secret agenda by taking a “unilateral and arbitrary decision” without consulting with all interested parties.<br /> <br /> Following the announcement Tuesday night by the minister, the two workers’ unions, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, began mobilizing their members to reject the policy.<br /> <br /> Although the protest recorded partial compliance on Tuesday, it was total shutdown at all NNPC offices and locations across the country at the resumption of work on Wednesday, as the workers’ unions halted all normal operations.<br /> <br /> The Acting General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Lumumba Okugbawa, told PREMIUM TIMES on phone on Wednesday in Abuja that the workers would not call off the protest until the minister agrees to invite the workers to discuss with him what the restructuring was all about.<br /> <br /> “We do not accept any unilateral and arbitrary restructuring. The minister cannot restructure NNPC without carrying all stakeholders along. The minister cannot run the industry as a private estate. He must carry all Nigerians along,” Mr. Okugbawa said.<br /> <br /> “With such a massive decision-making, a lot of things would be affected, particularly its implication on workers interest. We are unaware of what is happening. It is not fair that the workers are hearing about the restructuring in the media just like every other person. He is just creating unnecessary confusion in the polity.”<br /> <br /> Mr. Okugbawa said the minister could not restructure the NNPC when he was yet to take necessary legal steps to facilitate the process.<br /> <br /> (Premium Times)

Latest-News Why we reject the unbundling of NNPC — Oil workers

Nigerian oil workers have vowed to continue their strike embarked upon Wednesday until they receive clarifications regarding Tuesday’s unb...

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Breaking: Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu, others ask court to stop trial

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQh1rehdnliXwHNhQWIq4BoY9Uh7F-W4-gOKDyt47nYy5hrjCERRMlzmjm93MlJ8Qg5lJMKUHhnnjNiI5lRrRlsbTabBxKDcJKwlgfN9cIM22XZNEWoQGmhyphenhyphenmTM84Bgo1dyrY_HWvGHE/s1600/Nnamdi+Kanu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQh1rehdnliXwHNhQWIq4BoY9Uh7F-W4-gOKDyt47nYy5hrjCERRMlzmjm93MlJ8Qg5lJMKUHhnnjNiI5lRrRlsbTabBxKDcJKwlgfN9cIM22XZNEWoQGmhyphenhyphenmTM84Bgo1dyrY_HWvGHE/s400/Nnamdi+Kanu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <b>Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop further proceeding on his trial. </b><br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Kanu and two other pro-Biafra supporters who are facing trial with him-  Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi- urged trial Justice John Tsoho to hands-off their case and await the outcome of an appeal they have lodged before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.<br /> <br /> The trio who are answering to a six-count treason charge, made the application on a day the federal government was to open its case ‎against them. ‎<br /> <br /> It will be recalled that the court had on Monday, ‎declined to quash the charge against the defendants, even as it permitted the prosecution to shield the identity of eight witnesses that are billed to testify in the ‎matter.<br /> <br /> The court equally refused to discharge and acquit the three defendants as it was prayed to do under ‎section 351(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.‎<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, at the resumed sitting on Wednesday, the defence lawyer, Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN,‎ informed Justice Tsoho that he has taken the case before the appellate court to challenge what he described as “strange procedure” adopted in the trial of the defendants.<br /> <br /> On his part, the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP,  Mr. Mohammed Diri, who is handling the trial on behalf of the government, admitted that a copy of the motion for stay of proceeding was served on him before the court commenced sitting. ‎<br /> He ‎applied for time to enable him to respond to the motion. ‎Consequently, Justice Tsoho adjourned hearing of the defendants’ motion for stay  of proceeding to April 5.<br /> <br /> (Vanguard)<br /> <div><br /></div>

Latest-News Breaking: Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu, others ask court to stop trial

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to ...

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Ese Oruru’s Mirror By Okey Ndibe

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffbHXSj1VLIro3UgLrMlyP5p-RJ85JW_0fSm1x008wXOg_EADf77gWtYNpoOj1XWJAn2zZVHlz21T_bBbdlABZGeD1rhlZDLeadDTlZmVK3v0Os0Mn9wOcyVQ20OPsrCwlzankI8sGJg/s1600/Okey_ndibe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffbHXSj1VLIro3UgLrMlyP5p-RJ85JW_0fSm1x008wXOg_EADf77gWtYNpoOj1XWJAn2zZVHlz21T_bBbdlABZGeD1rhlZDLeadDTlZmVK3v0Os0Mn9wOcyVQ20OPsrCwlzankI8sGJg/s400/Okey_ndibe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> I received a plaintive note last week from a young man who seemed rather shocked that I had not written about Nigeria’s scandal of the moment—the harrowing story of a 14-year old girl named Ese Rita Oruru, abducted from her home in Bayelsa State, transported to Kano by a 22-year old drifter, Yunusa (alias Yellow), who contrived her conversion to Islam and then made her his bride. My young correspondent then pleaded with me to write about the Ese matter, as if the burden of rendering whole again a world turned on its head rested with whatever I was going to say.<br /> <br /> The matter of Ese, even the fragment of it sketched out above, is a tragic story. But what makes the story truly, deeply tragic is far less the specific details of what happened to a solitary young woman than what the Ese Affair says about Nigeria, its institutions, its attitude to children, and the vexed subject of religion.<br /> <br /> In short, the tragedy lies in the fact that Nigeria is a country at war with its most vulnerable, weak citizens. It is a country at war with its poor, its workers, especially those of them who are minimum wage earners, its womenfolk, especially those of them who are, in every important sense, children.<br /> <br /> Speaking to a reporter, one of Ese’s best friends at school in Bayelsa State disclosed that her friend’s dream was to become a nurse. According to this friend, Ese excelled at math, integrated science, and English. In her first interview with reporters, Ese corroborated the account of her dream. In a child-friendly society, Ese would have received encouragement to enable her to achieve her professional aspiration. But this is Nigeria, a country that’s turned into a killer of dreams, if not of the dreamers. Instead of being on her way to a nursing career, Ese, who is now five months pregnant, must become the charge of nurses as she, a mere child, prepares to bring a child into the world.<br /> <br /> How did the young man who abducted Ese manage to pull off his crime—for a crime it was—in broad daylight, without anybody, civilian or uniformed, to stop him? How was it that several adults presided over the farcical conversation of the young woman without one of them pausing to ask, one, whether she was competent to voluntarily understand said conversion and, two, whether she understood the implications of what was to follow?<br /> <br /> In her interview, Ese described the process of her ostensible conversion. “They took me to one place. Before they took me from the house to Kura, they put me in hijab, then we went to Kura. When we got there, they went to one place, and one old man came there and he would say something and they would say I should repeat. Then I would repeat. If the man said something again, they would say I should repeat and I would repeat just like that.”<br /> <br /> A conversion indeed, just like that!<br /> <br /> I am for the freedom of religious practice. But it’s pathetic when children are brainwashed, compelled to repeat words they don’t—and can’t—understand, and then that whole mystifying process is deemed to constitute evidence of conversion. I’d expect true Muslims to be appalled by this predatory practice in the name of their faith. There’s no universe of logic where it makes sense that somebody would convert to something they have absolutely no understanding of.<br /> <br /> Ese’s odyssey was a tragic drama of abduction, mental exploitation, and sexual enslavement. She was a victim of a legion of crimes. Here’s a girl whose expectation was that society would give her the tools to actualize her ambition to be a nurse. There’s a chance, yet, of there being some sort of twist of fate in which Ese achieves fame as a nurse. That prospect lies in the womb of the future. What we know now is that she’s become a household name in Nigeria on account of a script she did not choose. And this happened because Nigeria provides a social atmosphere in which the abduction of children is as easy as their rescue is difficult.<br /> <br /> Ese’s story points up the broader malaise of a society in which the police cannot be counted on to do the right thing. Had the police moved with alacrity, Ese might have been rescued sooner from her randy, pedophilic captor. But the Nigerian police stood pat, emasculated by fear, as a poor captive went through a harrowing experience.<br /> <br /> Ese’s saddening drama is the more tragic because it is far from exceptional or unique. Since her story broke, parents of numerous other underage victims have come forward with their own heartrending stories. In case after case, the details are eerily similar: some girl lured away from her parents’ home, “converted” to Islam, and thereafter married off to an adult male who keeps her away from her parents.<br /> <br /> What happened to Ese and her family is a case of poor-on-poor crime, with the apparatuses of the state looking on, unconcerned. It reminds me of the horror visited on defenseless children in some Niger Delta states after an irresponsible female pastor declared a war on “child witches and wizards.” In that case, too, no instrument of the government raised a finger to protect the victims, some of them thrown away in the bushes to die. Instead, one state government hounded officials of a non-governmental organization that carried out the humanitarian task of rescuing the savaged children.<br /> <br /> If anybody doubts that Nigeria is a country at war with its future, such a person need only visit what passes for classrooms in many Nigerian states. Public officials who send their own children abroad for studies have bequeathed on other people’s children classrooms that can get near as hot as ovens, much of the furniture in a shambles, toilets sometimes non-existent. In many degree-awarding academic institutions, students are condemned to live in conditions so squalid they don’t befit human habitation.<br /> <br /> If you ask me, I’d say that Ese must be seen as a quick glimpse of a greater, festering project of dehumanization of Nigerians. For many Nigerian men, the possession of any form of power is the ability to regard and treat women, including teenage girls, as play things, mere objects that exist to service all kinds of male fantasies. Many female undergraduates have stories of some male lecturers who’d use every means to force them to submit to illicit sexual advances. Students who spurn such demands are often made to pay a stiff price, vindictively failed in their exams.<br /> <br /> What happened to Ese should provoke outrage, but it should be a broader outrage, not merely directed at the experiences of one girl. There are many Eses out there. They suffer daily, mostly in anonymity and silence, besieged by manipulators who invoke the name of God or some other ruse to rationalize the evil they do. Ese is back with her family, but there are many other families whose woe may never make it to the pages of newspapers, much less the TV screen, whose daughters are being kept in captivity.<br /> <br /> No end is served by outrage that is fleeting—an all-too brief emotion before we order that next round of beer and pepper soup. Ese has held up a mirror to our faces, reminding us of the great work we need to do to save children like her, to save our future, from perdition. She and victims like her remind us that we must work towards creating an enlightened society where children are able to nurse their best dreams into fruition, not captured and criminally bamboozled into motherhood.

Latest-News Ese Oruru’s Mirror By Okey Ndibe

I received a plaintive note last week from a young man who seemed rather shocked that I had not written about Nigeria’s scandal of the mome...

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Van Gaal: We Are Happy To Play In The Europa League

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0TMAAGT6J5AL7fFkTaZE5GfgPYQoekd9y2OlOHnlxMA2mwGYTa-jN0Tp2XV1G25T5hWVA3FfwHS0KXzGR2-kyB5lXFNte90YauU90TpBYUsoAOjRC1ZRF8-CyXt5YhdgXics5nOF5Qcx/s1600/manchester-united-louis-van-gaal-championship-title-premier-league-robin-van-persie-slow-start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0TMAAGT6J5AL7fFkTaZE5GfgPYQoekd9y2OlOHnlxMA2mwGYTa-jN0Tp2XV1G25T5hWVA3FfwHS0KXzGR2-kyB5lXFNte90YauU90TpBYUsoAOjRC1ZRF8-CyXt5YhdgXics5nOF5Qcx/s640/manchester-united-louis-van-gaal-championship-title-premier-league-robin-van-persie-slow-start.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Louis van Gaal has stated his team is more than happy to play in the UEFA Europa League.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The Red's boss believes Manchester United and Liverpool have no automatic right to play in the Champions League every season while also claiming their dominance was 'in another time.'<br /> <br /> The two old rivals square up at Anfield at the last-16 of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, with Van Gaal chasing his fifth consecutive win over the Merseyside club.<br /> <br /> But when asked if the fact this tie is taking place in the Europa League despite the two clubs having eight European Cup titles between them proved their diminishing influence, Van Gaal suggested both teams had entered a new era<br /> <br /> The United boss said: 'Other teams are playing in the Champions League. You are talking about Manchester United and Liverpool, we are happy to play in the Europa League.<br /> 'But Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are still playing in the Champions League. So six clubs are in Europe (also including Tottenham in the Europa League) and you have to be proud of that.<br /> 'But in football it is normal. It is not normal that one team dominates for 20 years in a row as the champion.'<br /> <br /> When it was pointed out that United did dominate English football for the best part of two decades under Sir Alex Ferguson, Van Gaal added: 'It was another time, you live in the past. You have to live in the present I think.<br /> <br /> <br /> He added: ‘When you play in the Europa League it is more likely to play against other league clubs, that is why the Europa League exists. Now we play against the same team we normally do in the league. It is a signal that the Premier League is strong.<br /> ‘You have noticed that against FC Midtjylland there were 58,000, so the fans of Manchester United are appreciating (the Europa League). I think against Liverpool there will be 75,000 (at Old Trafford). Liverpool also is sold out. It is very important for both teams.<br /> ‘Liverpool against Manchester United is always a big game. Traditional. It is a big game for both sides.’<br /> <br /> United started the season in the Champions League but failed to advance from a group that contained Wolfsburg, PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow.<br /> <div><br /></div>

Latest-News Van Gaal: We Are Happy To Play In The Europa League

Louis van Gaal has stated his team is more than happy to play in the UEFA Europa League. The Red's boss believes Manchester United...

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Breaking: Court rejects Metuh’s bid to stop trial

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KRJlmi9a1YXFz0JnweMrQDjEMGv3LRrb3DPFtHi67HMIn5ReYkn_4mzlraYDRyKpeajSi2lfJSKhX1_DuJv2wNdfFtuHxTcnRNzmbFSFalTX7YbFSODoDt_zyu0WTkgPd1ZNwkyPdyo/s1600/olisa+metu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KRJlmi9a1YXFz0JnweMrQDjEMGv3LRrb3DPFtHi67HMIn5ReYkn_4mzlraYDRyKpeajSi2lfJSKhX1_DuJv2wNdfFtuHxTcnRNzmbFSFalTX7YbFSODoDt_zyu0WTkgPd1ZNwkyPdyo/s320/olisa+metu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <b><br /></b><b>A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, ruled that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh has a case to answer in the criminal charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).</b><br /> <br /> Justice Okon Abang, who gave the ruling, however, held that it did not imply that Metuh had been pronounced guilty, but that he would have to make his defence.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The judge stated that the opposition party’s spokesman needed to offer an explanation to the evidence brought before the court.<br /> <br /> He explained that Metuh needed to offer explanations on how he received and disbursed the money given to him by the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA).<br /> <br />  Abang dismissed Metuh’s application for lacking in merit. The PDP spokesman is facing a seven-count of charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N400m.<br /> <br /> However, Metuh maintains that he is innocent of the charges, and that he only received the sum of N400m from the office of the former NSA to carry out media campaigns for former President Goodluck Jonathan.

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, ruled that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chi...

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Last Public Words of Late Barr. James Ocholi Revealed

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtKqlIhkBr6iXy-XqWAjFxBCAdP3Gk8wbBTJL5BWeXHVectiR1i94idWsctjb8cypoaXoDdw8tmqt8G8th799K54K7mmvMwWOUndzRqT7G7ozCdJiLFwRgESd6227BaKf4Gz-MGmubjk/s1600/James+Ocholi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtKqlIhkBr6iXy-XqWAjFxBCAdP3Gk8wbBTJL5BWeXHVectiR1i94idWsctjb8cypoaXoDdw8tmqt8G8th799K54K7mmvMwWOUndzRqT7G7ozCdJiLFwRgESd6227BaKf4Gz-MGmubjk/s320/James+Ocholi+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> The last public statement of late Barrister James Ocholi, Nigeria’s minister of Labour and Productivity, who died alongside his wife and son in a fatal motor accident along Kaduna-Abuja expressway on Sunday, March 6, have been revealed.<br /> <br /> The Guardian reports that minutes before he died, Ocholi had mounted the pulpit at the Restoration Bible Church, UngwarRomi, Kaduna state to warn the congregation of “the evils of end-time period.”<br /> <br /> “We should all give this government under President Muhammadu Buhari the opportunity to turn the country around for better and also put the nation on development track,” the late Barrister was also quoted to have said.<br /> <br /> His surviving son has vowed to continue his late father's legacy.

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US election 2016: Trump wins in Mississippi, Michigan and Hawaii in his bid for Republican candidacy

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFB-Bqa538IzJUVtnCRTHMazexwDGvSsLIvM7Nnrc7-5BMQ5WHg1bl0crkju275keQY5_cguDxqmiaNIjYfqIVjfvh4e5JAIGHTDc2jSF_u1Fq1Y_5r-QRw-Dt6pwSlNhI2qH5WfUo6A/s1600/donald+trump...jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFB-Bqa538IzJUVtnCRTHMazexwDGvSsLIvM7Nnrc7-5BMQ5WHg1bl0crkju275keQY5_cguDxqmiaNIjYfqIVjfvh4e5JAIGHTDc2jSF_u1Fq1Y_5r-QRw-Dt6pwSlNhI2qH5WfUo6A/s640/donald+trump...jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <b>Donald Trump has won three more states, Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii, in his bid to be the Republican White House nomination.</b><br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders had a surprise victory in Michigan, but Hillary Clinton increased her overall lead with a big Mississippi win.<br /> <br /> Ted Cruz won a Republican-only race in Idaho.<br /> <br /> The states are the latest to choose candidates to compete in November's presidential election.<br /> It was a terrible night for Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who came in a distant fourth in both Michigan and Mississippi, a week before his must-win contest in his home state.<br /> <br /> Mr Trump, a businessman with no experience of elected office, leads the polls in Florida, from where he delivered his victory speech on Tuesday night.<br /> <br /> "One of the things I am most happy about is the turnout has been just massive… I think it's the single biggest story in politics today," he said at a press conference in Jupiter.<br /> <br /> <br /> With his victories, Donald Trump has solidified his position as the Republican front-runner, withstanding a barrage of negative advertisements questioning everything from his business acumen to his use of vulgar and profane language.<br /> <br /> Rather than deliver a conventional victory speech, the billionaire held a news conference and conducted what looked in parts like an infomercial, arguing that products that bear his name, like bottled water and wine, are commercial successes.<br /> <br /> But it's the Trump political brand that's not only proving highly popular but also resilient to attacks from establishment Republicans who have intensified their attacks in the hope of slowing his momentum.<br /> <br /> Showing how the normal political rules do not apply, Trump reckoned that one of the attack ads, bleeping out various swear words he's uttered during the campaign, actually boosted him because it showed that he's not bound by political correctness and tells it like it is.<br /> <br /> He also said he would be more presidential than anybody except Abraham Lincoln and that "no one is more conservative than me".

Latest-News US election 2016: Trump wins in Mississippi, Michigan and Hawaii in his bid for Republican candidacy

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