MMM, Sambisa and the boy died

Dr. Reuben Abati.

“Happy New Year, my brother”
“What do you mean happy new year, more than two weeks into the New Year. Have I not been in touch with you since January 1?”
“But for you the New Year has just started. Your January 1 was not on January 1”
“Looks like you have started taking something. I must inform your wife.”
“I say Happy New Year to you.”
“Okay, same to you.”
“You think I don’t know what you have been going through? Your wife told me you have not been yourself since those Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox people suspended their scheme. She specifically asked me to keep an eye on you. But we thank God the MMM is back, 24 hours earlier than they promised. Now, you can get your money back.”
“My brother, it is a lo-n-g story. This MMM thing has become a case of the more you hear, the less you understand. And to think I invested my children’s education savings. Everything.”
“What is the problem again? I hear you can get your money back, and MMM says they are ready to change the world.”
“I don’t know about changing the world, but let them change my sadness to joy by just returning my money, but now they say they can only pay a small amount per day and that those who invested big money like me should wait.”
“How much did you invest?”
“If I tell you the figure, you will know that the year is not new at all.”
“Tell me.”
“So you can go and tell your wife and your wife can tell my wife and the three of you can tell everybody. I just pray MMM does not mess me up, otherwise all of you won’t have anything to gossip about when you start looking for a casket.”
“Is it that bad? Please don’t let it get to that stage. But I can assure you, if they mess you up, I will sue the hell out of them. I will get lawyers and sue them to court.”
“You will defend my rights after I am dead? Now, I see you are a very good friend indeed.”
“I am just trying to help. I almost invested in the MMM myself.”
“Let me ask you something. What is a bitcoin?”
“Not too sure.”
“MMM says they will pay with bitcoins. I invested with Naira. They say they will pay me with coins, not with dollars, but coins. Ore mi, gba mi. Se kinni yi o ti fe di one chance bayi? And yet they are saying they want to change my world. Government should intervene and monitor the whole thing.”
“I won’t consider MMM the business of government.”
“Everything that has to do with the welfare of a citizen is the business of government.”
“If you decide to go and invest your money with money-doublers, why should government be bothered?”
“Government cannot allow anybody to spread frustration in any form. MMM should give me my money, not coins.”
“By the way, we should find out what a bitcoin is? We learn everyday.”
“I didn’t invest for research purposes. I invested for profit purposes.”
“But suppose the bitcoin is even better than the Naira. Somebody told me that bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, although he didn’t quite explain.”
“Ha. I am in trouble. So, I now have to carry dictionary over this MMM matter. Even a crypto something is now better than the Naira. God, pity your servants!”
“Just calm down. We have enough people dying everyday. Don’t join the list. I am sure everything will be sorted out. While you are killing yourself over MMM, are you aware that some Nigerians are already investing in another Ponzi scheme?”
“What is that one?”
“It is called Swissgolden. They offer gold or cash profit.”
“I don’t want to hear about it. And you say government should not get involved? We are almost becoming a nation of desperate money-doublers.”
“Government should worry about more serious things, except of course someone sets out to commit a crime.”
“Nothing can be more serious.”
“Like the Southern Kaduna killings, for example”
“That is sad. Ethnic and religious violence has been a source of threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence. We need to build a nation first.”
“The Catholic Church says the casualty figure in Southern Kaduna so far is about 808. Over 1, 422 houses, 16 churches, 19 shops and one primary school have been destroyed. The challenge is how to prevent these things.”
“Too much politics in everything and that is why ordinary things become big things and so much tragedy is invited. Government must be pro-active.”
“That’s like saying nothing. I have heard that cliché too many times. The root of our national crisis is much deeper. Oftentimes the people themselves are the problem.”
“I hear in the Niger Delta, the people are also threatening to resume hostilities, shut down oil installations and destroy NDDC projects.”
“It is not the people. It is the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) with their ‘Operation Walls of Jericho’ and the Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders (NDRC). Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has led a delegation to go and talk to them, particularly the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF). I think the resort to dialogue is wise.”
“I’ll like to see that too in Southern Kaduna, coming from the highest levels and I like the fact that the Federal Government is talking to the Bring Back our Girls Group and that for once they are willing to listen. Before May 2015, that group never wanted to listen to government. Now they are in Sambisa Forest.”
“I call it the BBOG Journey to the Sambisa Forest of a Thousand Daemons. When you go to a forest like that, you will have stories to tell.”
“I like the strategy. Get the protesters to help government sell its own story. Quite clever.”
“What if the strategy back-fires?”
“Oh, come on. It won’t.”
“You are always cynical. Thank God you are not in Tanzania where media cynicism of any sort is now a crime.”
“Under President John Magufuli, the bulldozer? Everyone has been praising him for fighting corruption and administrative opaqueness.”
“Magufuli is now bulldozing the media and free speech. Just the other day, he threatened Tanzanian journalists. According to him: ‘We will not allow Tanzania to be a dumping yard for inciting content. This will not happen under my administration”
“What?”
“They now have in Tanzania, The Media Services Act of 2016 which gives government officials the powers to shut down media houses and seize their printing machines.”
“That is even worse that that Nigerian Decree. Decree… Decree….”
“It is not from my mouth you will hear that one. Just be careful. Magufuli’s position is that journalists provoked him with their inciting content.”
“What is it with our leaders in Africa? In other words, Magufuli is saying he is a constituted authority.”
“Not a…he is the constituted authority.”
“One of these days, he too will just say, “Bring that boy here…Leave him…Who do you think you are talking to…I am the constituted authority.”
“You are quoting someone else now, not Magufuli.”
“African leaders sound alike when it comes to the use and abuse of power. You are right, I am quoting the Governor of Oyo State, Nigeria, Governor Abiola Ajimobi. Students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) provoked him. They had the temerity to remind him that their school had been shut down for eight months. The Governor was so irritated, he sounded as if the students were disturbing him.
“The students were rude. Nigerian students don’t respect constituted authority. They don’t know how to address power.”
“Which authority? Is that why they should be tongue-lashed and shot at by the police?”
“I know the Governor. One of the students must have said something nasty to him. I got that much from his daughter’s alleged reaction.”
“Who is that?”
“The Governor’s daughter defending her dad.”
“What does she know about a university being shut down for eight months and students having to stay at home because government is suffering from a disease called lack of funds. This democracy sha.”
“Don’t worry yourself. It is not an African thing. In the United States, the President-elect’s daughter is going to be very powerful in his in-coming government. Her husband, Jared Kushner is already warming up to play a major role, and his only qualification for the job according to the father-in-law is that he is a good lad and a natural talent”
“That Donald Trump. He should stop disturbing everyone with his reckless comments.”
“I pray he doesn’t cause a Third World War.”
“With the way he has been provoking China.”
“Everything is under negotiation including One China”, says Trump.
“Nobody can negotiate that,” says China.
“And Trump picks up his phone and makes a long-distance call to the President of Taiwan, and China says that is a terrible insult”
“Trump definitely thinks his trip to the White House is one of his ‘You’re fired’ episodes. He is busy burning bridges.”
“Meanwhile, in Nicaragua…”
“What’s happening in Nicaragua?”
“The President has just been sworn in for a third term in office, with his wife as his Vice-President! A husband and wife Presidency”
“You think that can happen in Nigeria?”
“You are not aware that in some states in Nigeria, family members are the ones who run the government?”
“Which state?”
“Go and find out for yourself?”
“So, how is our friend, Jim Obazee of the Financial Reporting Council (FRCN)?
“He broke the law”
“He was trying to enforce the law”
“He broke the law of the Psalms. Psalm 105: 15 – “do not touch my anointed ones/And do my prophets no harm.” He wanted to use a Governance Code to force men of God to observe term limits.”
“You are missing the point.”
“And to think he would start implementing the Code from his own church, where he is a pastor, with Daddy G.O. of the Redeemed Church. So he means charity begins at home.”
“You don’t get it. Are you recommending nepotism? The whole point of the Code is that when religious groups become business entities, they must pay taxes and respect corporate governance rules.”
“Nigeria is a secular state. Government should not dabble into religious matters.”
“But government can dabble into the matter of El-Zakzaky and his movement. I beg.”
“The Bible says…”
“Yes, I know what the Bible says. Don’t bother.”
“We should pray for the people of Gambia and the President-elect Adama Barrow who is supposed to be inaugurated as President on January 19. Yahya Jammeh is still insisting he will not step down. The people are already fleeing the country, Ministers and other government appointees have resigned, the whole world is angry, but Jammeh is sitting tight.
“You know something?”
“What?”
“In the midst of all this, while Adama Barrow is in exile in Senegal waiting for January 19, his eight-year old son was bitten by a dog last Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital. The boy died.
“Oh. Oh, Africa.”

PDP is government-in-waiting – Makarfi

The Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it was not just an opposition party but a government-in-waiting.
Chairman of National Caretaker Committee of the party, Ahmed Makarfi, said this when he received syndicate reports of the party’s Strategy Review Committee led by Jerry Gana in Abuja.
He said the PDP would become the ruling party in 2019 if its members did the right thing.
“It is in the interest of Nigerians that opposition exists and is strong.
“Nigerians will not expect opposition that behaves in unruly manner; one that will be there to talk down on government all the time.
“I think we should not be unreasonable in our opposition.
“We should use our brains so that when we criticise and bring out alternative ways of doing things, we will convince Nigerians that we are better set of people to rule Nigeria.
“But, if we show that there is no difference, Nigerians will say `no, they are birds of the same feather’.
“That is why we must criticise, using our brain to actually connect with Nigerians so that we can convince them that we are what we say we are,” Mr. Makarfi said.
On reconciliation in the party, the chairman said that the party’s leadership must not withdraw from any opportunity to ‎reconcile with its members.
“We must not close door for reconciliation and negotiation but we must reconcile based on strong position. A unified judgment by Court of Appeal will place us in good stead.’’
He added that it was only the judgment from the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt that the party was waiting for in moving forward.
“We are waiting for judgment that will restore hope.
“How the court will restore that hope is for the will of PDP members to be respected, and we are giving the legal right for us to go ahead to build a virile party.’’
Mr. Markarfi, however, urged the party executive and its organs at the state and local government levels to continue to work while waiting for the court’s decision on its leadership.
He commended the committee for its efforts towards the repositioning of the party, recalling that the committee was self-funded “and this is the kind of sacrifice that PDP needs to rise and fly again’’.
‎Presenting the report earlier, Mr. Gana said the committee would submit its final report at the end of January.
Mr. Gana said the committee also planned to have a brief session with PDP governors and the National Assembly caucus before the submission of the report.
“This is to inform them on some of the issues and recommendations that are contained in the report.
“This is also to accommodate any input they can bring forward so as to bring everybody on board,’’ he said.
The Gana’s committee was set up in November 2016, to evolve ways to reconcile the party leadership crisis and reposition it to win future elections.

Defection: I Am Going Nowhere -ekweremadu Replies APC

The Office of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has dismissed as false, insinuations and reports that the Senator could be on his way to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to save his job.

In a statement made available to reporters in Abuja, the Special Assistant to the Deputy President of the Senate on Political Affairs, Hon. Okey Ozoani, described the reports as “a fantasy of those peddling it.”

He assured the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful and Nigerians that “Ekweremadu is going no where.”

He said: “Senator Ekweremadu is not contemplating leaving PDP. He is more concerned about fixing the country’s biting economic and security conditions and other challenges than saving his job as the Deputy President of the Senate.

“It is his view that Nigeria has to first exist for us to have political parties to belong to or political offices to occupy. Studies have shown a direct relationship between economic conditions and survival of democracy.

“The primary responsibility the Constitution places on our government is to cater for the wellbeing of the citizens as well as security of their lives and property. When such are threatened, everyone should necessarily get serious and preoccupied with contributing his or her quota to salvaging the country.

“Besides, he is most grateful to his colleagues for the confidence they continue to repose in him and the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki. He is grateful for the solidarity that the Senators have continued to accord them”.

Hon. Ozoani, while appreciating Ekweremadu’s supporters and well meaning Nigerians who have continued to contact the Office over recent media reports, assured them that there was no cause for alarm. He urged them to continue to pray for the Senate leadership, the Senate, the National Assembly, and indeed the government and the entire nation.

“By strength alone shall no man prevail. Therefore, let us get down on our knees and continue to present the government and the country before God”, Ozoani added.

DAILY POST recalls that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was greeted with overture from the APC caucus in a motion moved by Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamafara Central) on Wednesday, 11th January 2017, asking the deputy Senate President to cross over to the ruling party.
There have been other reports since then, that the APC caucus may be using the proposal to threaten Ekweremadu in his exalted office of the deputy President of the Senate.

Gambia: Nigerian Air Force confirms deployment of troops, fighter jets

Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed to Senegal, a standby force tasked by ECOWAS Heads of State to enforce the December 1, 2016 election mandate in The Gambia.
NAF spokesman, Ayodele Famuyiwa, a Group Captain, in a statement said the deployment was part of Nigerian contingent of Economic Community of West African States Military Intervention in Gambia (ECOMIG)
It reads further: “NAF today moved a contingent of 200 men and air assets comprising fighter jets, transport aircraft, Light Utility Helicopter as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft to Dakar from where it is expected to operate into Gambia.
“The deployment is also to forestall hostilities or breakdown of law and order that may result from the current political impasse in The Gambia.”
Addressing the contingent before departure, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar urged the troops to maintain discipline and be professional in their conduct.
Reminding them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, the CAS stated that no act of indiscipline by the contingent would be tolerated.
The contingent, led by Air Commodore Tajudeen Yusuf, was airlifted on Wednesday from 117 Air Combat Training Group Kainji.
Other troop-contributing countries include Senegal, Ghana and countries within the sub-region.

I saved up N50 to watch Aguero’s EPL-winning goal – Iheanacho

Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho.

Kelechi Iheanacho has told The Players’ Tribune that he had to save up around 15p (50 naira) to watch Sergio Aguero’s famous goal that secured the Premier League title for Manchester City in 2012.
Iheanacho was a 15-year-old in his native Nigeria when his now teammate Aguero scored a 94th-minute winner on the final day of the season to clinch a 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers and City’s first title in 44 years.
Iheanacho had never watched City before but says the moment had a big impact on him — and four years on, the strikers are now lining up alongside each other at the Etihad Stadium.
The 20-year-old said he usually could not afford to watch Premier League matches when he was growing up but made a special exception for Aguero’s dramatic winner on the final day of the season, which saw City take the title away from bitter rivals Manchester United.
“There was one place in town that everybody called the ‘game centre,’ and it had a satellite dish, but you had to pay money to go inside,” Iheanacho said.
“It was 50 naira [about 15p] for a Premier League match, and I did not have that kind of money. So I would wait outside playing football with my mates until somebody came out and told us what had happened in the match.
“In 2012, when I was 15, I saved some money and went to the game centre on the last day of the Premier League season. It was a very big deal, because the title race was so close.
“I sat there and watched Sergio Aguero score the last-minute goal that won Man City the title — and that took it away from Man United. On the TV, Sergio took his shirt off and whipped it around, and everybody in the game centre was going crazy.
“That was maybe the first Man City game I ever watched. I had never been to England before. I had no idea that in a few years, I would be playing on the same team as Sergio.”
Iheanacho, who has scored six goals this season, also revealed how special it was to net the winner at Old Trafford in the 2-1 victory over United earlier this season.
He was called into the side for the derby on Sept. 10 because Aguero was serving a three-game suspension, and Iheanacho said it was difficult to stay calm for such a big game.
“Because I was only 19, I did not expect to be in the starting XI,” he added. “When the manager told me that I was going to start, I tried to tell myself, ‘it’s just a game of football,’ but if I am telling the truth, it is not a normal game.
“The atmosphere and intensity gives you a very different feeling as soon as you step on the pitch. It’s war for 90 minutes in the Manchester Derby. You cannot give anything less than 100 percent concentration. So I just tried to focus completely on the match.
“I was so happy, but then in the 36th minute, something really amazing happened. I was standing in front of the United goal when Kevin [De Bruyne’s] shot struck the post. The ball came right to my feet. I kicked it into the back of the net without thinking. I looked over to the linesman, not believing that I had really scored. The flag was down. I was onside.
“My teammates ran over to me, and I felt what I can only describe as the ‘Manchester Derby feeling.’ No one can know how I felt unless they’ve scored in the derby. I did not even celebrate. The feeling was too much.”

Turkish School: Suspect Arrested In Creek, Sleeping With Ladies

Two among the kidnappers, who stormed the Nigerian Turkish International College, Isheri, Ogun State, abducting eight females, including two Turkish nationals, have been arrested, said sources.

This was even as police authorities have vowed not to engage in negotiations for payment of ransom with abductors of the students and staff. News also filtered out yesterday that worried and frantic parents have been divided over amount to contribute in order to get their children and wards released.

The two suspects were alleged to have been tracked and arrested at different locations. It was learnt that one of the kidnappers, simply identified as ‘Commander General,’ was arrested in the creek, while the second, whose identity is yet unknown, was arrested in Arogbo area, Ondo State on Monday night.

According to sources, detectives stormed the creek and swooped on Commander General, while he was in bed with two women. The police recovered a big Mikano Generator, which was planted close to the kidnapper’s makeshift house in the creek. The second suspect was arrested in Arogbo, Ondo State, by a decoy team of policemen deployed in the community.

A police source said: “The Special Intelligence Respond Team (IRT), deployed by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, from Abuja, is closing in on the kidnappers and several suspects, including two prime suspects, already in police net.”

In another development, it was gathered that there was a serious disagreement between victims’ parents on the amount to pay for ransom. A source at the school said: “Some parents of the victims were of the opinion that they should pool resources together and pay the kidnappers N15 million for all the victims, while others think they should push for N50 million, to facilitate fast release of the victims.”

When our correspondent visited the school yesterday, mobile policemen were still seen manning strategic locations within the school premises.

The gunmen, numbering about 20, who were armed to the teeth, stormed the school premises around 9:30pm on Friday night, broke the fence and abducted the female students in their hostels along with five non-teaching staff.

Meanwhile, police authorities in Ogun State; have vowed not to engage in negotiations for payment of ransom with the abductors.

This position came against the backdrop of reports that the suspected kidnappers that invaded the school on Friday night had demanded N1.2 billion ransom before releasing the victims.

Speaking on efforts to rescue the victims, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the security agencies were close to apprehending the kidnappers.

The image maker said: “We are not leaving any stone unturned to make sure the victims are rescued. The hoodlums will be brought to book. We are very much sure of that. I will not tell you how close we are on that for security reasons.

Very soon, we are going to rescue them. By the time we rescue them, the press will be updated.”

Oyeyemi, however, stressed that the police will not engage in any negotiation with the kidnappers on ransom. His words: “The police will not be party to any discussion on ransom.

We don’t encourage anybody to pay ransom to kidnappers. If you pay such money, you are encouraging them. When they demand for ransom and you don’t pay them, they will no longer see it as a business that is viable. We have been given the mandate to rescue the victims unhurt and to bring the perpetrators to book.

We are working assiduously to achieve this. I will advise that there shouldn’t be anything like negotiation.

We are not party to that and we will not encourage it.” Oyeyemi noted that safety and security of schools should be the business of all Nigerians. He said: “Security is everybody’s business.

It’s not something that we should leave in the hands of the police or the security agencies alone. We should ensure that the lives of pupils are not in danger.

The school must be properly fenced. On top of the fence, there should be barbed wire. If need be, the barbed wires should be electrified, especially schools with boarding facilities. This will protect the school from invasion.

There should be local security men within the school. School proprietors shouldn’t employ the services of aged men to do the job of securing the schools. Agile and able-bodied men should be hired by schools to see to the day-to-day of keeping the schools safe.”

https://newtelegraphonline.com/crime/metro/turkish-school-suspects-arrested-creek-sleeping-ladies/

China’s richest man warns Trump against trade war

Hollywood investor Wang Jianlin.

 China’s richest man, Hollywood investor Wang Jianlin, warned Donald Trump Wednesday against dragging the entertainment industry into a trade war — saying his country’s millions of movie-lovers are key to the future of cinema.
The Chinese billionaire joined a chorus of concern from international business chiefs gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week over the protectionist leanings of the US president-elect, who takes office Friday.
Wang, whose Wanda conglomerate owns a US cinema chain, a Hollywood production company and the firm that runs the Golden Globe awards, said America would be the bigger loser if the entertainment sector fell victim to a trade war.
“The main growth market of English-language films out of the US is actually China, not anywhere else,” Wang told an audience in Davos, noting that China had the most movie screens in the world with 15,000 added in the past year alone.
“If China were to retaliate, it would be bad for both parties so I don’t wish to see that scenario materialising.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has led calls in Davos this week for an open global economy as Trump prepares to take power.
“No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war,” Xi said in a keynote speech Tuesday as he paid his first visit to the World Economic Forum.
Wang warned last month that the jobs of 20,000 people employed by Wanda companies in the US would be on the line if the Trump administration mishandled Chinese investment.
The 62-year-old acknowledged US political concerns over his acquisitions, which include the $2.6 billion purchase of cinema chain AMC in 2012 and Legendary Entertainment, the company behind the “Batman” trilogy, for $3.5 billion last year.
Several US lawmakers have urged the government to examine the national security implications of such investments in Hollywood, if such Chinese “soft power” is allowed to take root.
– ‘More emotion, fewer superheroes’ –
But Wang, whose property-to-entertainment empire also includes a 20-percent stake in the Atletico Madrid football team, said the US could only gain from closer cooperation with China’s booming cinema sector.
Both sides would benefit from more co-productions between US and Chinese companies, as these are exempt from Beijing’s tight limits on the screening of foreign blockbusters, he argued.
Only 34 foreign films are allowed cinema releases in China each year, limiting Hollywood studios’ ability to cash in, but “there’s no limit” on co-productions, Wang pointed out.
Legendary’s “The Great Wall”, starring Matt Damon, has been billed as the first such blockbuster Chinese-US co-production.
Damon, in Davos to promote his water charity, told AFP on Tuesday he would work on another Chinese co-production “in a heartbeat”.
Wang, who has been talked of as a potential buyer of Paramount Pictures, reiterated his interest in buying one of the “big six” Hollywood companies.
“Of course if we’re able to buy one of the top six that would be a great thing to do. However, these six companies are not in a selling mood,” he said.
If they were, he added, “I would be a happy buyer”.
He added that Hollywood studios would be wise to think more about the kinds of films Chinese movie-goers want to see, given the potential of the market.
“Chinese films tend to talk about emotions, relationships with people,” he said.
“If Hollywood wants to take up a large market share, they need to learn to cater to Chinese tastes — not just these films about superheroes.”

AFCON: Aubameyang nets again as Gabon draw with Burkina Faso

Gabon's forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (L) challenges Burkina Faso's midfielder Charles Kabore during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group A football match between Gabon and Burkina Faso at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on January 18, 2017.Gabriel Bouys/AFP.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted for the second time in as many games but Africa Cup of Nations hosts Gabon were again held to a 1-1 draw by Burkina Faso in Libreville on Wednesday.
Prejuce Nakoulma silenced the Stade de l’Amitie as he gave Burkina Faso an early lead but Aubameyang soon levelled from the penalty spot after he had been fouled inside the area.
Gabon had chances to win the game late on but this was the third 1-1 draw in as many matches in Group A, with Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau meeting at the same venue later on Wednesday.
Regardless of what happens in that match, qualification for the quarter-finals will now be decided in the last round of group games on Sunday.
Gabon had been dealt a blow ahead of the match with the loss of Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina to an injury that could rule him out of the rest of the tournament even if the Panthers were to go all the way.
Burkina Faso lost one of their key men, Jonathan Pitroipa, to injury early on but it was his replacement Nakoulma who grabbed the opening goal midway through the first half.
The Kayserispor player latched onto a long punt downfield and held off both Johann Obiang and Merlin Tandjigora as he charged into the box before poking the ball past Didier Ovono in goal.
Obiang then went off hurt for Gabon but Jose Antonio Camacho’s side were back on level terms seven minutes before the interval.
Goalkeeper Herve Koffi came charging off his line and took out Aubameyang. The Borussia Dortmund star appeared to have pushed the ball too far in front of him but the Gambian referee had no choice but to point to the spot.
Aubameyang coolly converted the penalty for his second goal of the tournament after his effort against Guinea-Bissau at the weekend.
The match was drifting towards the draw in the second half before Gabon rallied towards the end.
However, when Denis Bouanga met Aubameyang’s knockdown with a first-time effort eight yards from goal, Koffi made a superb block with his foot to divert the ball behind.
Substitute Serge Angoue then headed wide from Bouanga’s cross as the game ended level.

Kure fought against Obasanjo’s 3rd term bid – Kalu

Former Governor of Abia, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu.

Former Governor of Abia, Dr Orji Kalu on Wednesday urged Nigerians to stop killing one another, as the country cannot afford another war.
Kalu gave the advice while speaking with newsmen in Minna in response to a question on the killings in Southern Kaduna, shortly after a condolence visit to the family of the deceased former governor of Niger State, Abdulkadir Kure.
He said that the deceased made meaningful contributions toward nation-building.
He said, “Kure was one of the people that fought against then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 3rd term bid.
“Kure and I stood up and said no to the 3rd term agenda. We went through a lot with the state security service just because we stood against it.
“Kure was a great partner in that fight. Without that fight, there wouldn’t be former President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari administrations.
“There were people, who supported the 3rd term bid.
“I lost everything in the process, because I fought for democracy; but I give thanks to God, because everything that glitters is not gold.”
Kalu described the late governor as more than a friend, a relationship, which he said led to his being honoured with a traditional title in the state.
Nigeria cannot afford another war
Kalu urged both the federal and Kaduna State governments to find a lasting solution to the crisis in the Southern part of the state.
The former Abia governor, who said Nigeria could not afford another war, urged politicians to desist from making utterances that were capable of causing disunity in the country.
He said, “What is going on in Southern part of Kaduna is not right. People should stop killing each other.
“We are all Nigerians; politicians should manage information properly and stop dishing out rumours.
“People should stop writing all kinds of nonsense on social media to impress anybody.
“Nigeria is our home and we have no other place to go.”

MMM sets withdrawal limit for participants

Operators of Mavrodi Moneybox Mundial (MMM) Nigeria have set a temporary fund withdrawal limit for its participants as the level of investment in the alleged Ponzi scheme dipped since its return from a one-month hiatus on January 13.
“Yes, there is a withdrawal limit for participants,” said an MMM guider who pleaded anonymity. “As of today, the limit is N31, 000. But that is subject to upward or downward review depending on the level of people who provide help (invest in the fund).”
Participants with the smallest funds would be given priority of withdrawing their funds, administrators of MMM Nigeria said when it resumed on January 13 without stating what constitute ‘small’ fund.
But in spite of the uncertainty and dire media coverage of the activities of its operators, some participants still believe investing in the scheme was the right thing for them to do, hinging their reasons on the crippling recession and on the government’s inability to provide an enabling environment for job creation.
“The context of Nigeria’s economy cannot be separated from the scheme. It is not just that Nigeria’s economy is in a recession. The larger problem is a sense of hopelessness,” said Feyi Fawehinmi, a United Kingdom-based accountant.
“The middle class are escaping to Canada while poor Nigerians are crossing to Europe via Libya by the thousands practically every day. This is all the fertiliser that MMM needs to germinate and flourish in Nigeria and it is.”
A participant, Funmi Alabi, hoped the withdrawal limit would help restore participants’ confidence in the scheme and spur more inflow of funds.
“I’m a bit scared that I can’t get help (withdraw fund) the way I would have loved. But if the limit they set will ensure sanity in MMM community, I am okay with it. Hopefully, I can get my funds.”
Participants were prevented from withdrawing their funds from the scheme earlier in the week, but a person with knowledge of how the community works said participants were to be blamed for that.
“We know what is wrong,” Tobi Balogun said. “People wanted to play smart with the system, so GH (Get Help, which stands for withdrawal of fund) was hidden.
“Mavros [funds] grows every Tuesday and Thursday. Some participants would cancel mavros that they have already been allocated by Monday night so they can get more out of the system. That’s playing game on the system, and I believe that’s why the hidden GHed was implemented.”
These underhand tactics, Balogun confirmed, has created more panic in the system than ‘the media hysteria’ the operators of the scheme usually allude to.
Regardless of the fleeting gains participants derived from the Ponzi scheme, critics said the scheme does not present a way out of recession since it was not founded on any sound economic or investment principle.

Police avert bloody clash in Kano

Many vehicles were damaged on Wednesday in Kano following a clash between operatives of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) and some illegal motor park operators at Gyadi-gyadi area in Kano metropolis.
A witness told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the clash started around 11:00 a.m. when the KAROTA officials stormed the illegal motor park.
The witness said trouble started when the KAROTA officials wanted to stop the park operators, who were members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, from carrying passengers at the park.
It was gathered that many vehicles belonging to both parties were damaged during the fracas.
The timely arrival of armed police officers at the scene prevented what would have been a bloody clash between the two warring groups.
Magaji Majiya, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the clash, saying that the command had since deployed officials to the area to restore peace and order.
“As I am talking to you now, we are at the scene and normalcy had since been restored in the area.
“No casualty was recorded, but a number of vehicles belonging to both sides were damaged,” Mr. Majiya, a deputy superintendent of police, said.
He said that the police had ordered immediate closure of the park until the issue was resolved between the state government and owners of the park.
He said the police had commenced investigation into the matter to find out the cause of the incident.

Kogi govt declares emergency in agriculture to boost food production

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has declared state of emergency in agriculture to boost food production and diversify the state’s economy.
Governor Bello who disclosed this while speaking at a stakeholders meeting with some investors at the Government House Lokoja, kogi state capital, stated that the state will go into large scale farming and revamp the agricultural sector in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Ayoade, assured farmers and investors in agriculture of the state’s maximum profit and protection of their business.
”We are declaring state of emergency on agriculture in Kogi State, that is why we are attracting investors into the state.
“Let me quickly remind you that we have five policies that is already in place to facilitate business in Kogi State.
“We are not just going to form the policies, the policies are in place, and especially when it as to do with agriculture.
“So investors should be rest assured that we already have things to work on and should be proud working with Kogi state.”
An Israeli foreign expert in agriculture, Mr. Kidron Isreal, who is the managing director of Onida Agri and Aquaculture Solution said no economy all over the world can survive without agriculture, noting that they are ready to establish green agricultural project and aquaculture in Kogi state.
The Representative of the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development said the government was poised to make the state a force to reckoned with, in modern agricultural practices and agribusiness.
”This is because industrial revolution can only strive and be sustained, when raw materials are made available but are also accessible.
“There is need to practice agriculture in Nigeria, through production, processing, proper storage, marketing and end use.
“Kogi as one of the federating units in the country can forge a meaningful collaboration with our ministry and re write the socio-economic story of the state”
While presenting the state package for agriculture to the governor, the deputy governor Simon Achuba noted that Kogi state is moving from mare theoretical agriculture to practical agriculture.
He said, the governor has reassured the investors, local farmers and all other stakeholders of its commitment to continually encourage agriculture activities and also provide the necessary security for effective operation.
“Our reason for including agriculture as one of the five thematic areas to cover in our new direction agenda is to make Kogi State an agricultural hub and ultimately creating jobs for the teeming youths.
”We are committed to making the farmers in the state rich and have strategised, planned and ventured into revolutionizing agriculture in the state.
“It is going to be a personnel priority for me to empower women by giving them priority and necessary support in terms of loans, land, cooperatives and other relevant assistance”.

Police inspector on trial over alleged murder

The Edo Commissioner of Police, Mr Haliru Gwandu, said the command would recommend a serving Inspector being investigated for extra-judicial killing for `discharge’ from service if found guilty.
Gwandu, who stated this at a news conference on Wednesday in Benin, said “there is no sacred cow in the force’’.
He also disclosed that the command had in the last one week arrested 27 suspected criminals in different hideouts in the state.
He said police detectives arrested the suspects with various dangerous arms and ammunition.
The commissioner said those arrested included six suspected armed robbers, five suspected kidnappers, 13 suspected cultists and three cyber crime suspects.
He listed some of the arms and ammunition recovered from them to include cut-to-size guns, cartridges, pistols, locally made short guns, double barreled gun and pump action gun.
He restated the command’s preparedness to combat crime in the state and stressed that Edo was no longer a safe haven for criminals.
Gwandu enjoined all residents of the state to be law abiding and cooperate with the Police by volunteering useful information that would assist the command in taming criminal elements.
He said all the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigations into the cases were concluded.
The commissioner further disclosed that the command had arrested no fewer than 40 persons for flouting the state government’s directive on the ban on collection of illegal taxes and revenue.

Melinda Gates hails Kaduna govt on child health, others

Melinda Gates and Nasir El-Rufai.

 The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been commended for his leadership in improving child health. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF, gave this assessment when she visited Kaduna on Wednesday.
Mrs. Gates, whose plane landed at the Kaduna Airport, told the governor that the Gates Foundation also lauded Kaduna State’s drive to improve the range and credibility of data collection.
“Your commitment to data collection is really admirable. You can’t make decisions without data. We are pleased to help you with that”.
She assured the governor that the Gates Foundation has a joint interest with the Kaduna State Government to reduce infant mortality.
Assessing the progress on routine immunisation, Mrs. Gates said the BMGF is impressed by the scale of the polio surveillance mounted by the Kaduna State Government.
Speaking further on the healthcare segment of the partnership between her foundation and Kaduna State, Mrs. Gates said that the primary health centres will continue to be supported so that they can offer a broad range of services to patients.
Mrs. Gates also promised that the BMGF will invest more in agriculture and in promoting access to financial services.
Mr. El-Rufai expressed gratitude to the Gates Foundation for supporting Kaduna State. He proposed that the partnership between the foundation and the state be strengthened by making it to better cohere with the state’s priorities. These include maternal and child health, child spacing and nutrition. He further suggested that the BMGF should support the state’s data revolution, its state residency identification system and efforts to promote security and justice, and to address the root causes of poverty and development.
The governor noted that Mrs. Gates’ direct flight to Kaduna Airport is a welcome endorsement. He added that Kaduna State looks forward to strengthening the relationship between the two partners.

Metallica, John Legend to perform at Grammys

This file photo taken on September 24, 2016 shows Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield of Metallica performing at the 2016 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park to end extreme poverty by 2030 at Central Park in New York. Chart-topping singer John Legend and metal legends Metallica will be among the performers at this year's Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy announced on January 18, 2017.The music industry's signature gala takes place in Los Angeles on February 12, with Beyonce leading nominations. Metallica, one of the most influential groups in heavy metal, in November released its first album in eight years which, like Legend's latest, came out too late for Grammy eligibility.AFP/Angela Weiss.

 

 

Chart-topping singer John Legend and metal legends Metallica will be among the performers at this year’s Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy announced Wednesday.The music industry’s signature gala takes place in Los Angeles on February 12, with Beyonce leading nominations.
Legend, who is best known for his ballad “All of Me,” is a favorite of the Grammys. The 38-year-old has won 10 awards and has performed each year since 2014.
Metallica, one of the most influential groups in heavy metal, in November released its first album in eight years which, like Legend’s latest, came out too late for Grammy eligibility.
The Recording Academy, which plans to announce further performers later, will also give the ceremony a country music flavor with two of the genre’s top stars to play — Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.
The Grammys determine winners by polling music professionals rather than looking at sales charts, but network CBS also seeks a wide television audience for its broadcast.
The host of this year’s ceremony will be British comedian James Corden, who has amassed a fan base for his late-night CBS show in part through his running “Carpool Karaoke” segment with famous singers.
Corden replaces rapper LL Cool J who led the show for five straight years.

FUTA crisis: Police arrest 70 SSANU, NASU members

The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria University (SSANU) and Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) have accused the police of arresting 70 of its members for merely fighting for their rights.‎
Disclosing this to reporters in Akure, the state capital, ‎the FUTA Chapter NASU chairman, Adebayo Aladerotohun, said the police had been laying ambush for their members at the school gate and that some were arrested at their homes.
Aladerotohun noted that most of the arrested members were immediately arraigned before the court.
He explained that “no one could ascertain the reasons behind the arrest of these staff and some of our members were arrested in their homes. They arrested some of them at the school gates while some were arrested in the town.”
The NASU chairman, who said he was not in court to give the full details of the charges said “I couldn’t get near the court because information available to us showed that the two union leaders are the target of arrest but I will get across to you immediately we have the information about what they were arraigned for.”
Confirming the development, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Femi Joseph, said those arrested by his men were causing breach of peace in the institution.
Joseph said some staff of the university assaulted some of his men who were in the university to maintain law and order
He denied that the number of arrest made by his men was up to 70, saying “that figure was outrageous and some of those arrested were released after interrogation but those involved have been charged to court.
“But the truth of the matter is that those arrested were involved in breach of peace in the institution; some of our men were assaulted by the workers and they have been arrested and arraigned before the court.”

Official NYSC 2016 Batch B Stream II Mobilization Time Table Released

National Youth Service Corps - NYSC
ATTENTION!!!

2016 BATCH 'B' (STREAM II) ORIENTATION COURSE COMMENCES 24TH JANUARY 2017

The NYSC Management wishes to inform prospective Corps members and other stakeholders that the 2016 Batch 'B' (Stream II) Orientation course will commence on Tuesday, 24th January, 2017.
.

The lineup of activities for the course is shown below:

a. Tue 24th - Wed 25th, Jan 2017 - Registration/verification exercise

b. Thursday, 26th January, 2017 - Swearing-in ceremony

c. Monday, 13th February, 2017 - Closing ceremony

Prospective Corps members are advised to report to camp at the scheduled date as registration/verification will end at midnight of January 25, 2017.

All are also to note that original copies of academic credentials and other documents uploaded during the online registration MUST be presented on camp for physical verification.

In addition, all Prospective Corps members MUST present medical certificates from government or military hospitals showing their health status before they will be registered and admitted for the Orientation course.

Management wishes prospective Corps members safe journey to their respective camps as well as a successful Orientation course.

Thank you.

Management

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1219169318165594&substory_index=0&id=235613723187830

Abia Public School Teachers On Strike Over 6 Months Unpaid Salaries

Teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Abia have embarked on strike to protest alleged government’s failure to pay their salaries.

Schools in the state were supposed to reopen on Monday, Jan. 9 after the Christmas and New Year holidays but resumption was postponed to Monday, Jan. 16.

The teachers refused to resume, insisting on the payment of their outstanding five months salary arrears.

At Ibeku High School, Umuahia and School Road Primary School, Umuahia, students and pupils, who turned up for school, were seen leaving the premises in droves.

The Principal of Ibeku High School, Mr Ojike Kalu-Ojike, told newsmen in his office that the teachers were attending a meeting over the situation.

An executive member of the state branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), however, told pressmen on condition of anonymity that the teachers had proceeded on strike.

“The teachers have gone on strike to demand the payment of their salaries,” he said.

The source said that secondary school teachers were issued their salary cheques for July 2016 in December, while their primary school counterparts were just receiving theirs.

He regretted that “this is the first time teachers in Abia were paid with crossed cheques,’’ adding that “while some cheques cleared, many are yet to clear as I am talking with you’’.

He said that the initial resumption date was shifted to Jan. 16 by the government with a promise that the August and September salaries would be paid simultaneously before the new resumption date.

“Today, the new date has come and we did not hear anything from the government, not even for August,’’ he said.

He said that teachers in Abia “are going through hell,’’ saying, “It has never been so bad.

“It has become increasingly difficult for Abia teachers to feed and fend for their families.

“We have cases where some of us have to withdraw our children from the university because of lack of money to pay their fees.

“One pathetic case was that of a teacher in one of the secondary schools who could not raise N60,000 acceptance fee for his son’s admission to read Medicine at the state University, Uturu,’’ he said.

Some of the teachers, who also spoke, wondered why the state government could not deploy the N10.6 billion Abia share from the Paris Club’s refund to clear the backlog of workers’ salaries and pensions.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ikechi Mgbeoji, told newsmen in a telephone interview, that he had scheduled a meeting with NUT executives on the development.

Meanwhile, private schools in the state have reopened fully for the second term.

The turnout of students and teachers was impressive in the schools visited in Umuahia North and South Local Government Areas of the state.

At Gradiel International School, Ohokobe-Afara, Umuahia, and Intellectual Giants Christian School, Government Station Layout, Umuahia, teachers were seen conducting classes.

“This is second term and fresh registrations are not usually much so we do not waste time to commence teaching and learning, ‘’ a teacher with Gradiel International said.

Abia received N10.6 billion from Paris Club refund but the government said it would set aside N5.3 billion to offset part of the arrears of workers’ salaries and pensions.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/abia-public-school-teachers-strike-unpaid-salaries/

Apostle Johnson Suleman Sacks Pastor Over MMM

 

 

A pastor in one of the Nigerian branches of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide has been expelled from the ministry.

According to a statement signed by Pastor David Apelorioye, the head of admin at OFM, Pastor Joseph Aiyedun, who is in charge of one the OFM branches in Aba, Abia State, was fired for participating in the Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM), a ponzi scheme widely acclaimed to be a satanic venture.

It should be recalled that the founder and president of the OFM, Apostle Johnson Suleman, at a church service in November 2016, warned members of his congregation against involving in MMM, calling it 'demonic'.

The statement from the church reads thus; "The management of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide is using this medium to react to a news making the rounds on the social media regarding one of his pastors who used the ministry's name to register for the MMM scheme. Ordinarily, the church would not have reacted to the story because of falsehoods being published regularly by some blogs and news websites whose credibility are questionable. But after a thorough investigation by the church authority, it was established that one of our branch pastors in Aba, Pastor Joseph Aiyedun, indeed participated in the scheme."

The statement adds that the erring pastor was sacked after a thorough investigation and it was discovered that he used the name of the church to register for MMM, thereby denting the ministry's image in the public eye. It was gathered that the erring pastor would have just been disciplined in line with the church rules if he had registered for the scheme in his personal capacity but because he used the ministry's name for the scheme, he was asked to go.

"The church authority decided to expel Pastor Aiyedun not because he registered for the ponzi scheme but because he involved the ministry's name in the satanic adventure. And we discovered that he was able to use the ministry's name because he had access to the account of his branch which itself is against the church's guidelines and a fraud likely to have been carried out in connivance with the branch's account department. We are still investigating further to unravel the whole activities."
The statement therefore appeals to the general public to disregard any news being passed around about Omega Fire Ministries involving in the MMM scheme or any scheme of its kind because it is not true.

"Of the OFM's 200 churches in Nigeria alone and its 800 branches in 51 nations of the world, it is possible for any of the pastors to go astray and be corrected. In fact, we discovered that Pastor Aiyedun, including some other members of OFM, did the scheme before our father, Apostle Johnson Suleman made the warning last year against MMM, but Pastor Aiyedun was fired because he did it with the ministry's name as the OFM rules forbid any of its pastors access to the account except people in the account department."

It was gathered that to enable him look after his family whilst he searches for other things to do in life, the church paid the sacked pastor a full one year salary ahead on the instruction of Apostle Suleman who was not available for comments at press time.


SOURCE: http://www.nairanaijanews.com/2017/01/apostle-johnson-suleiman-sacks-branch.html

Man Whose Wife Ran Away After 2 Weeks Wants Repayment

The young man, Isaiah Otong, whose wife ran away two weeks after their marriage, is now calling on the woman’s family to return the money he spent.

The Obot Akara Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State indigene had, in December, 2016, narrated how he spent N950,000 on his traditional marriage to a 47-year-old woman, Idongesit John Udoma, only for her to dump him 15 days later for another man, with the connivance of her family.

Otong had sent a warning to men to beware of Udoma and her family who were using her to extort money from men in the name of marriage.

Early this year, Otong had also posted on his intending marriage to another woman which is supposed to take place in Oron Local Government Area of the state, but now, he is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to get his money back from the Udoma’s family.

Read the breakdown of what Otong claimed he spent on the marriage to Udoma:
"I am doing all this because I don't want anyone to fall into this old lady’s love charm again or fall into Cletus Udoma 419 business again.

Run away from Idongest John Udoma, from Ikot Anyiefon family in Ikot Okim village in Obot Akara Local Government Area. I want to show you guys the marriage list here; read it carefully and know why I cannot let this money go.

ITEMS FOR THE FATHER:
1. Ten yards of lace. 2. Six white pieces of singlet. 3. Six pieces of white pants. 4. One hat and one piece of English wax.

5. A pair of shoe and sock. 6. Walking stick. 7. Wrist watch and towel. 8. One bottle of three in one Remy Martins. 9. Two cartons of Eva wine.

10. Two cartons of fruit juice. 11. Twenty-five crates of minerals. 12. Ten crates of Guinness Stout. 13. Twenty cartons of Star beer. 14. Twenty cartons of Gulder beer. 15. Two cartons of Don Simon wine.

16. Two cartons of 5 alive. 17. Ten jars of palm wine. 18. Two big goats. 19. Six hens. 20. Money for food items (N300,000). 21. Live band (N150, 000). 22. Dowry for the father (N500, 000). 23. Five liters of local gin (Kai-Kai). That is only for the father, Cletus Udoma.

ITEMS FOR THE MOTHER:
1. A piece of wrapper, blouse. 2. A pair of shoes. 3. Wrist watch, head tie, handbag, and umbrella. 4. Ofong ndom with stock fish. 5. Four bags of salt. 6. Two big basins each containing crayfish, pepper, 1 tin of palm oil.

7. One big bottle of Yogi wine. 8. Five cartons of Guinness malt. 9. Five crates of mineral. 10. One standing box. 11. Five tubers of yam and one stock fish. 12. Two jars of palm wine. 13. Dowry for the mother (N100, 000).

THE FAMILY:
1. One big bottle of Yogi wine. 2. Three bottles of Eva wine. 3. Three cartons of Star beer. 4. Three cartons of Gulder beer. 5. Five crates of mineral. 6. Kola nut 7. One head of tobacco, grinding snuff and limestone. 8. Family dowry (N20, 000).

THE WOMEN:
1. One bottle of Eva wine. 2. One crate of mineral. 3. One bag of salt. 4. Money for the women, (N5, 000).

THE YOUTHS:
1. One carton of Star beer. 2. One crate of mineral. 3. One bottle of Seaman Schnapps. 4. One FIFA approved football with a pump. 5. One roll of Benson cigarette. 6. Fee (N3,000).

Call Cletus Udoma on this phone number, 08038153154. If this is not true or was not paid by me. The marriage took place on 13 October 2016 and the lady ran away on 28 October 2016. How do you call this kind of marriage if not 419 business?

If you are in my shoes, tell me what next you can do? I am running out of patience. Who will judge us, God or Satan?"

Most of Otong’s friends on Facebook have confirmed that he actually paid everything demanded by Udoma’s family and have urged him to follow every step legally to retrieve his money.

http://opera.pulse.ng/gist/man-whose-wife-ran-away-after-2-weeks-wants-repayment-id6058194.html

Lagos govt rejects 10,000 pupils’ application to transfer to public schools

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, has said that over 10,000 applications were received from pupils who wanted to transfer from private to public schools this academic session.
Odeyemi however said the pupils could not be accommodated as a result of the on-going construction and renovation works in many of the state-owned schools.
He said this in Lagos on Monday when a delegation of parents and pupils, led by Mrs. Ramota Shamsideen, came to inquire why the transfer requests of their wards were not honoured.
Odeyemi appealed to the parents to bear with the government’s inability to effect the transfer this academic session.
“The state government has embarked on massive renovations, rehabilitation and construction of classrooms and new structures that would accommodate more students.
“Until all renovation and reconstruction is completed in schools to make a conducive learning environment achievable, the government would not be able to accommodate more students into any of its schools,’’ he said.
In her remarks, Shamsideen commended the state government for its efforts at upgrading school facilities. She, however, expressed displeasure of her team that their children have yet to benefitting from the efforts of government at achieving high standard of education in the state.
She also implored the government to give adequate consideration to admitting more pupils who wish to transfer from private schools to public schools in the next academic session.

Osinbajo calls for synergy to boost development in Niger Delta

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for synergy among federal, state governments and civil society organisations to solve the numerous challenges in the Niger Delta region.
Osinbajo spoke on Monday in Osceola, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
The vice president, who was on a fact-finding visit to some states in the Niger Delta, said the Federal Government alone could not solve all the problems in the region.
Osinbajo and his entourage were received by the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oboro Gbaraun 11.
He advised governors in the region to make sufficient provisions in their annual budgets for the development of the region.
Osinbajo, who tagged his visit as: “We must prepare for the future,” said this is the time to prepare for the future.
He said that the Niger Delta Development Commission and other commissions set up by government had not met their mandate.
Osnbajo said: “The Federal Government cannot solve the problem of Niger Delta alone; it requires the collaboration of the state, National Assembly and CSOs.”
The vice president also inspected the temporary site of the Maritime University in Kurutie, a stone throw from Oporoza.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who was on the entourage, said the visit would bring changes to the region.
Okowa said: “I urge you to give peace a chance to bring development to our region.”
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Eradiri Udengs, who spoke, assured that the Ijaw youths would work with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
Udens said: “This visit is a confidence building visit; we will work with President Buhari.”
On the entourage were Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Petroleum Minister (State), and Senator James Manager, among others.

You can’t talk of 2019 when there’s no food on people’s tables – Atiku

Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has criticised the current economic situation in the country, saying that it cannot be time for politicking when the people are hungry.
The former Vice President said this on Monday when he joined the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to pay a condolence visit to the family of the late former Governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure, in Minna.
Abubakar said the death of Kure is a personal loss.
When he was asked by newsmen how prepared he was for the 2019 elections, Abubakar said: “Who is talking about 2019 now when there is no food on the table?
“People are hungry.”
Abubakar said Kure was a friend, a colleague, a brother and a compatriot, adding: “His death is a personal loss to me.
“The kind of pious life he lived will definitely earn him Aljuanna fidau.”
Earlier, Saraki while speaking on the Boko Haram insurgency, said: “Fighting terrorism is not a thing that can end in one point‎, but the government will restore life back to the North Eastern part of the country.
“A lot of progress has been made in the country against insurgency.
“We have put mechanisms in place to stop them, even though there are sporadic attacks here and there, that will not stop us from doing what we are doing‎ to ensure that lives are protected.
“We will restore life back to the North East‎.
“Our military men should be congratulated on what they have achieved so far.
“Fighting terrorism is not a thing that can end in one point.
“There are processes that should be put in place to safeguard the lives of the people.”
Amongst those in the Senate team were the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu; former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Senators Philip Ajuda, David Umaru, Mustapha Bello, Sabi Abdullahi; and the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Nuhu Gidado.

Burkina Faso fight back to earn 1-1 draw against Cameroon

Burkina Faso fought back to earn a 1-1 draw from their opening Group A match against Cameroon at the 2017 African Nations Cup in Libreville.
Lorient forward Benjamin Moukandjo put the Indomitable Lions ahead with a free-kick on 35 minutes.
However, Burkina Faso rallied and earned a deserved share of the points when Issoufou Dayo headed in from close range with 15 minutes left.
A problem with the sound system at the Stade d’Angondje, which had earlier also held the opening match of the tournament between hosts Gabon and Guinea Bissau, meant the national anthems could not be played before kick-off.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and tournament organisers swiftly issued an apology for the “technical incident”.
When the action got under way, Burkina Faso forward Prejuce Nakoulma sent an early header off target before Dayo shot wide from a tight angle.
Cameroon took the lead when Moukandjo whipped a 20-yard free-kick up over the wall and into the top-left corner.
Burkina Faso responded and went close when Nakoulma’s rising, angled drive to the near post was pushed over by Fabrice Ondoa.
In first-half stoppage-time, Aalborg’s Cameroon forward Christian Bassogog raced clear as he latched on to a long pass, but goalkeeper Kouakou Koffi rushed out of his area to make a last-gasp sliding tackle to knock the ball away. The 20-year-old had to time it perfectly or risk a red card.
Cameroon should have doubled their lead just before the hour mark.
Jacques Zoua’s swerving 20-yard drive was beaten away by Koffi. The ball dropped to Clinton N’Jie in the six-yard box, but somehow the forward, on loan at Marseille from Tottenham, scuffed his shot wide.
It proved costly as Burkina Faso netted a late equaliser.
Ondoa palmed out a swerving free-kick from Banou Diawara, Malaga defender Bakary Kone headed the ball back goalwards and Dayo nodded in from point-blank range.

NUC grants Obong University license to operate as private varsity

The National Universities Commission, (NUC), has given Obong University, Obong Nkak, Akwa Ibom State, a licence to operate as a private University.
The licence, signed by the NUC’s Secretary, Mallam Adamu Adamu, was at the weekend presented to the Vice Chancellor of Obong University, Prof. Udoudo Ekanem-Essang.
Prof. Ekanem-Essang, who later presented the license to the BOT Chairman of the University, Prof. Moses Akpanudo, said the institution would continue to maintain her primal status as the first private University in Akwa Ibom state.
His words: “It means that we cannot be stopped. Our university has had a lot of teaching problems. At a point the licence was suspended. Thank God to the goodness of so many members of Akwa Ibom community and outside Akwa Ibom, it was restored. Now it has been made permanent so it is a very significant milestone in the growth of our university.”
The Vice Chancellor explained that the University with a population of over 500 students currently runs 10 programmes.
He said that the institution had applied for five more additional programmes, adding that by March 2017 NUC would come for our resource assessment of the programmes.
Prof. Ekanem-Essang, who disagreed with the decision of the Federal Government to fund only public universities, said it is constitutional illegal for federal government to use money that comes either from the tax or from the resources from the sales of oil and other natural resources to fund public universities alone.
He said: “Right now there are 69 private universities in Nigeria even more than the federal universities. In aggregate, most students may be attending private and federal universities. So those kids who are going to the private universities are not benefiting from the natural resources of this country so we have to revisit how we fund our tertiary education.
“Funding should not be based on any ratio. It should be based on student population. Funding should be targeted towards student rather than towards institutions. There are model we can test. British model, American model, Australian model and so other countries in the world running tertiary institutions, we should study their model and see which one will be most appropriate for Nigeria so that every Nigerian citizen benefit from it. Right now every Nigerian citizen doesn’t benefit.
“Nigerian tertiary education system is still elitist, we don’t make allowance for poor families. Families who have not yet produced a university graduate. How do these people assess the university education? Because education is one of the best vehicles from moving from poverty to middle class and so if we don’t make allowance for these people who don’t meet the cut off points, there is no provision on how they can remedy it except they take the exam next year.
“We have to develop a programme which allows people to remedy their situation and move into the university. We don’t have preliminary programme. Nigeria don’t have preliminary education programme. Science has shown that the first three years of life that is when our brains are most functional and we don’t have programme on how to prepare kids for this.”
In his response, the BOT Chairman, Prof. Akpanudo, who commended NUC for granting the license said his whole life dream has been fulfilled through the NUC’s license to the institution.

Sudan says ‘secret’ talks led to US easing sanctions

Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Ghandour, speaks during a press conference on January 14, 2017, in the capital Khartoum. The US President on January 13, 2017 informed Congress that he will lift trade and investment sanctions against Khartoum after a six-month probation period.Ashraf Shazly/AFP

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Saturday said “secret” talks between American and Sudanese officials led to the easing of US sanctions on his country.
US President Barack Obama on Friday announced the lifting of some economic sanctions, trying to improve ties with a country whose leader is accused of war crimes and links to terror.
“We held 23 meetings in Khartoum away from the eyes of the media from June 2016 that lasted six months. The meetings were concluded on December 31,” Ghandour told reporters.
The head of Sudan’s powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Mohammed Atta al-Mawla, told reporters he had met the CIA chief “twice since October 2015”.
Sudan, he said, “has been cooperating and coordinating with the US since before 2000 in the struggle against terrorism,” he said.
Mawla did not elaborate but said he had received “technical assistance” from the US.
The US decision to ease sanctions will allow Sudan to boost trade and “opens the way for us to use all sorts of currency, specially the US dollar”, for trade transactions, according to Finance Minister Badreddin Mahmud.
Sudan has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.
The United States has also blacklisted Sudan as an alleged state sponsor of terrorism since 1993.
The Khartoum government’s scorched earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in the Darfur region have also been cited as a reason not to lift the sanctions
According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003.
President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.
Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over Obama’s decision.
“The Obama administration’s decision to ‘ease’ sanctions is inexplicable,” said Leslie Lefkow of New York-based Human Rights Watch.
“Sudan’s government has failed to make progress on core benchmarks, from its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, to its extensive repression of independent voices.”

Broadway star Jennifer Holliday pulls out of Trump concert

Broadway star Jennifer Holliday.

 Facing fan backlash, Broadway star Jennifer Holliday has backed out of performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration concert, the singer said in an open letter posted Saturday.
Trump’s inaugural committee had announced Friday that Holliday, a Tony award winner who is black, would perform in a concert at the Lincoln Memorial on the eve of the tycoon’s inauguration, joining a lineup featuring country stars Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood.
But disgruntled fans — including many from the LGBT community — took to Twitter to denounce Holliday’s slated participation.
“#JenniferHolliday singing at Trump’s inauguration is a betrayal of our diverse arts community,” wrote one Twitter user. “Reconsider — it’s not worth selling out!”
The inauguration would have had a rare African American performer in Holliday, who has sung for Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and both Bush presidents.
She said that in accepting the invitation to sing for Trump she was simply “keeping in my tradition of being a ‘bipartisan songbird.’”
But in her letter published by TheWrap entertainment news site, Holliday said she decided to pull out of the concert after reading any essay published by the Daily Beast titled “Jennifer Holliday will perform at Trump’s inauguration, which is heartbreaking to gay fans.”
“My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!” Holliday wrote.
“I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgment, for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.”
Holliday said she was “deeply indebted” to the LGBT community, noting that its members were “mostly responsible for birthing my career.”
Holliday won a Tony Award in 1982 for the original Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” later turned into a movie with Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson.
The Trump team has struggled to recruit prominent artists for the looming inauguration, with the American arts and entertainment community broadly backing his opponent Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The inauguration lineup pales in comparison to the star power amassed by Barack Obama.
A similar inauguration-eve concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 2009 drew Beyonce, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Stevie Wonder, as well as country superstar Garth Brooks.

Universities’ non-academic unions to begin 5-day warning strike

Non-academic unions in the Nigerian universities say they will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 Agreements with the unions.
The unions are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions in a statement stated that the warning strike became necessary in order for government to fully implement the 2009 FGN/Non-Teaching Staff Unions Agreements it freely entered into with the unions.
JAC said that a letter of the warning strike signed by Samson Ugwoke, SSANU President, Sani Suleiman, President of NAAT and Chris Ani, NASU President had been send to the Minister of Education.
JAC said the letter was also copied to the Minister Labour and Employment, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission and President of Nigeria Labour Congress.
The statement quoted the committee as saying that “the University system is challenged by poor governance and administrative lapses which needs to be addressed holistically.
“Poor funding of our universities, shortfall in payment of staff salaries, increasing corruption in the university system should be addressed.’’
It also listed as among the problems that required attention of the government was inadequate physical infrastructure and abandoned projects which they said had reduced the capacity and output of its members.
Other areas were lack of adequate teaching and learning facilities which had reduced the productivity of members and the non-payment of Earned Allowances being product of the 2009 Agreement, among others.
Meantime, JAC has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over what it described as the “continued industrial unrest at Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Akure: the need for decisive government action concerning the university’s Vice Chancellor.”
In a letter to President Buhari, JAC said that arising from issues of serious disagreement between labour unions in the institution and the Vice Chancellor, Adebiyi Gregory Daramola, there had been continuous industrial unrest.
“It is noteworthy that the university has been experiencing serious industrial disharmony since Oct. 6, 2016 as a result of workers demand for the removal of the VC on grounds of alleged corruption and maladministration.
“Sir, it is on record that the Vice Chancellor has a case to answer at the EFCC. He is however yet to be arraigned. Indeed, the allegation of corruption against the VC is substantial.
“It is the candid opinion of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU that a government which is bent on fighting corruption in all ramifications should not turn a blind eye under these circumstances.
“So, it will be in the interest of justice and industrial harmony that the VC be prosecuted by the relevant government agencies so that normalcy can be restored in the university,’’ it said.