₦airaland Forum

Winter has come

The much anticipated 7th season of Game Thrones creeps closer and closer with each passing month, with the fans becoming chilly with frosty expectations of an exceptional showing of the series billed to air in July.

HBO has finally dropped the first trailer for Game of Thrones season 7 last night, and while it seems to have been shot especially to tease the new episodes and doesn’t feature footage that will appear in them, it does include a humdinger of a spoiler and hint at the season’s stretched out plot.

However, that doesn’t overshadow the fact the season is going be a hell of hit for viewers globally as everyone is waiting to see what will become of the major power brokers (Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen) in the series.

With the teaser hinting at the series being centered around them, this season will be one to watch as how things will unfold remains a mystery.

Or maybe the Night King will just kill everyone and bring forth a new ice age.

Watch the trailer at http://www.herald.ng/check-game-thrones-season-7-teaser-trailer/#QE4lDbIZ0l8cS7uO.99

Popular Nigerian comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka has mimicked embattled Senator Dino Melaye who is currently embroiled in a certificate scandal.

The comedian mimicked Dino Melaye in his video, where the senator mocked his detractors.

It will be recalled that Dino Melaye had mocked his critics after the Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University confirmed that he graduated from the university.

It will be recalled that online news platform Sahara Reporters had claimed that he did not graduate.

On Thursday, however, ABU’s VC told the Senate Ethics Committee that Melaye indeed graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography.

watch video at http://www.herald.ng/video-gbenga-adeyinka-trolls-dino-melaye-hilarious-copycat-video/

Officials at a mosque in Turkey may be in trouble after someone broadcast audio from a pornographic movie through its public speakers, sparking an investigation and a viral video of the broadcast.

According to the United Press Interntional, the audio was broadcast via public loudspeakers used to call for prayer around 1am on Wednesday in Kuzeykent, a suburb of the city of Kastamonu in Turkey.

A video of the speakers as the audio clip blared through it was recorded by a witness and went viral on YouTube, sparking outrage.

The Mayor of Kastamonu, Tasin Babas, who promised to investigate the incident, was quoted as saying in a Facebook post, “The indecent provocations heard from a specific point in the Kuzeykent neighbourhood has nothing to do with our institution.”

watch video at http://www.herald.ng/cleric-mistakenly-broadcasts-porn/

Uber has suspended its self-driving car operations after one of its vehicles was involved in a crash in Arizona.

The accident left one of the company’s driverless Volvos on its side, but fortunately led to no serious injuries, the Independent reports.

A picture of the crash scene shows two other damaged cars sitting next to the Volvo, one of which has smashed windows and particularly bad dent marks, suggesting the accident happened at some speed.

“The vehicles collided, causing the autonomous vehicle to roll onto its side,” Tempe Police Department spokesperson Josie Montenegro told Reuters.

“There were no serious injuries.”

Two ‘safety’ drivers were sat in the front seats of the Uber car at the time of the crash, and nobody was in the back.

According to Ms Montenegro, the crash happened when the driver of a second vehicle “failed to yield” to the Uber car while making a turn.

Uber is looking into the incident and has halted its self-driving car programmes in Arizona, Pennsylvania and California – the three states in which testing was taking place – while its investigations are ongoing.

The company is going through a particularly turbulent period at the moment, following sexual harassment allegations and the resignation of President Jeff Jones after six months on the job.

It’s also recently emerged that Uber has been using Greyball; a secret tool to avoid law enforcement authorities in countries across the world.

http://www.herald.ng/uber-suspends-self-driving-car-operations-arizona-crash/

Spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, a think-tank for the 19 Northern states, Prof. Ango Abdullahi has said that the north is ready if Nigeria decides to break up.

Prof. Abdullahi who is a professor of Agronomy and one-time Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University threw a challenge to those who think that the North is afraid of Nigeria’s disintegration into more basic constituents, saying the North was ever ready for the dissolution.

In an interview with Sunday Sun, Prof. Abdullahi opined that the way to go about it was through the calling of a formal meeting with complete powers to terminate the legal relationships between the constituent parts in Nigeria.

According to him, “If we agree that we should live together as a people and as a country, so be it, but if the general consensus is that Nigerians want to go their separate ways either on the basis of ethnicity, culture, history or religion, why not?” adding, “if anybody tells you that the large informed opinion in the North is against the dissolution of Nigeria, he is telling you lies.”

Reacting to a question on the readiness of the North for a dissolution, the agronomist, replied: “Absolutely, absolutely, we are. It all depends on the selfish way people want to negotiate.”

“I am 78 now and I also went to the only university in the country at the time in Ibadan. Nobody can tell me about the history of this country.”

“I know a lot about it because I was very much awake and a grown up person to know what happened.”

“The people who argued for the creation of states in 1966/67 are the same people today who are asking for the restructuring of Nigeria with particular preference for regional arrangements.”

“The South-west wants preferably a region, a region that was at one time under the leadership of Chief Awolowo, unless, of course, you are trying to ignore all the writings, all the things that had been written, particularly in their declaration called DAWN, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, then you can ignore this.”

He further noted that “Biafrans who are saying the same thing. Chief Ekwueme is my respected leader.

“He was in the 1995/96 conference. In fact, he led the Igbo socio-cultural group to the conference and their proposal in that conference was for Nigeria to become a confederate unit. And of course, at that time, perhaps, there was still the feeling that some hopes still remain that Nigeria should paddle along and perhaps they will overcome some of these differences.”

“His proposal for a confederate arrangement was defeated in the conference. I was there. But when he got the opportunity to review the report of the conference, a committee was set up to look at the report of the conference.”

“He was the one who really worked for these so-called geo-political areas that is totally unconstitutional.”

“They are not part of our constitution and this is one of the mistakes that the country is going through. Geo-political zones are not units in our constitutional arrangements.”

“They are selfish conveniences of people who are perhaps clamouring for political positions, elective or otherwise, that are operating today to the detriment of good governance in this country.”

Prof Ango Abdullahi further reacted to why the North is ready for dissolution, speaking on the indices, he said: “The biggest indices is that other Nigerians do not want Nigeria; so I don’t see why the North should insist on having Nigeria. That is the biggest index I have. And this is on the basis of the recent statements.

http://www.herald.ng/northern-elders-forum-ready-divide-nigeria-now/

Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied ever importing any bullet proof car contrary to the report laid before the Senate.

Saraki made the denial when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions in Abuja on Monday.

He said he had nothing to do with the vehicle under reference, adding that the allegation was an attempt to malign his person.

“I am not (an) importer and at no point did I import an SUV Range Rover. As you know, this is a vehicle that is not a personal vehicle.

“It is a vehicle which was processed through the National Assembly.

“I don’t know anything about the importation; I did not appoint any clearing agent or anything like that.

“Most of the vehicles that are here you only know when it is delivered to you. None of this did I import or getting any agent or going to the port.

“This is not true, those that said it know it is not true, (the) Customs knows it is not true.

“This is because we all know that all treated vehicles have end user certificate and there it states clearly who the importer is and these documents are available and there is no document anywhere that shows my name.

“So, I want to state categorically that this is not true and it is important that I come here and clear my name and put this matter to rest.

“We all raised the issue of the policy that is anti-people in the interest of Nigerians.

“This policy that really had no value at all and that was why this motion came up and we debated it in the interest of Nigerians.

“Unfortunately those who want to fight back went and thought there was something to blackmail us with.

“I know the documents you have will show clearly that it has nothing to do with me’’, he said.

The Senate President commended the committee for giving him a fair hearing.

He said the process would further strengthen the institution as well as protect the country’s democracy.

“I believe that this process is good for us. It will further strengthen our institution.

“It is a great day for our democracy for me to come before you as the President of the Senate.

“We must protect this institution. As members, we will come and go but we must protect this institution.

“To ridicule an institution of this magnitude is not something we should take lightly and that is why I have taken the time to be here.

“Today, it is me but tomorrow it will be another person.

“I think it is part of the sacrifice we are making in the work that we are doing that we have this kind of case that did not hold water.

“We must protect this institution because this is the only thing we can leave. The difference between military rule and democracy is the parliament.

“For as long as the parliament is weak, our democracy can never be strong’’, he said.

Saraki reiterated that democracy could only be strong with a strong parliament.

He added that the parliament would only be strong if the lawmakers respected the Standing Order and the Constitution.

The Senate President noted that it was his belief in the institution of the National Assembly and the legislature as a whole that motivated him to appear before the committee.

He pointed out that “that is why I told myself that I must come here no matter how ridiculous I felt it was “because the documents are clear.

“There is no where it said I imported it; it is not my private vehicle.

The importer of the car, Tokunbo Akindele, said it was imported on behalf of Oando Plc in 2015.

He denied allegations that Saraki had any link with the car.

According to him, the car was imported by the company for the various operations it had around the country.

He also explained that “at no point did we submit any fake document for the clearing of the car.

“We followed all due processes in terms of payment to the company which handled the entire process for us.

“In 2015, on behalf of the firm that I work for, Oando PLC, we imported a Range Rover Bullet Proof SUV vehicle.

“We imported it as the company that needed to use it for the various operations that we have around the country.

“The car took longer than was expected and by the time it reached Nigeria in 2015, September, we decided that we will no longer be using the car, so we effectively parked it.

“We mandated a company offshore to buy the car, amour the car, ship the car, clear the car with Customs and just deliver the car to us as a full-fledged service.

“We received the car in September 2015 assuming that all of these things were done.

“All payments were made for the acquisition, the armouring, the shipping as well as the clearing of which we have necessary evidence.’’

He further explained that at no point did the company receive any documentation from the National Assembly in the process of clearing the car.

“We were not a part of clearing the car, we were the customer; we were expected to receive the car for our own use.

“The vehicle was not to be used by Sen. Bukola Saraki, it was not imported or acquired for his use at the time the vehicle came into the country.

“The National Assembly took receipt of the car through a consignment from us, through Lanre Shittu Motors in December 2015.

He said the car was in the country for two months and with no use, adding that it was at that point that Oando released it to Lanre Shittu on consignment who sold it to the National Assembly.

Chairman of the committee, Sen. Sam Anyanwu, gave assurance that the committee will do all within its powers to ensure that all parties involved got fair hearing.

While commending the president of the senate for appearing before the committee, Anyanwu said the committee would continue to work for the advancement of democracy and protection of the parliament.

He said the customs boss, “will appear before it on Tuesday to speak on behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls a section of the media had reported that Nigeria Customs Service had impounded a N298million worth of vehicle with fake documents.

http://www.herald.ng/saraki-denies-importing-bullet-proof-car/

Nigerian singer, Patoranking’s label boss, Foston Utomi who was alleged to have battered his wife while threatening to drown her in her blood has been served with a shocker.

The CEO of Foston Musik who got married to his heartrob, Ajoke whom he met on Instagram a year ago has been served with a separation notice days after news of his alleged domestic violence act surfaced online.

The couple who were supposed to celebrate their one year anniversary yesterday celebrated something else as Ajoke took to her social media page on Instagram to announce their separation.

Recall that Ajoke, a mother of one had revealed that she packed out of Foston Utomi’s house months ago when she could no longer bear the battering.

Ajoke took to her social media page to write:

“This time last year you were full of smiles, laughing and dancing like I’ve never seen you. You were HAPPY. And you made sure I had a perfect day. I didn’t get my happily ever after, and yes you did awful unimaginable things to me, but knowing God has a plan for me or he wouldn’t have counted me worthy of even seeing today, makes me choose to only count all the beautiful times you went out of your way just to make me laugh and make me happy.

Today I was staring at our amazing son while he slept, i forgave you and I prayed for you for the first time in all these months, that you conquer your demons and find peace and happiness and I genuinely this morning, wished you a great life. Our marriage is over, and it’s for the best, but today will always hold fond memories for me.”

http://www.herald.ng/one-year-foston-utomi-wifes-marriage-hits-rock/

Canadian rapper, Aubrey Graham popularly known as Drake did not rise to the top of the rap game to live like a plebeian and this is made evident in the style and design of his luxury home which he copped for a whopping $8million.

The home which was listed for $27 million had been Drake’s dream home since 2007 when he saw the photo online and set it as his desktop image as a reminder to himself.

The No. 1 rapper however copped the house later for $7.7 million stating that the owner of the property was at a low moment and he stole the property for far less than its worth.

Drake who on his latest studio Album, More Life, had done justice to his love of material things said on the “Gyalchester” track: “I don’t take naps / Me and the money are way too attached to go and do that.”

The home in Hidden Hills, California, a gated neighborhood close to Calabasas boasts of a cave like pool which is by far one of the most luxurious pools in the world.

The mansion which the Toronto native purchased in 2012 from Saddle Ranch owner Larry Pollack was designed to outdo Hugh Hefner’s notorious Playboy Mansion pool.

http://www.herald.ng/drakes-8million-mansion-is-a-sight-to-behold/

A little girl has written to the 45th president of the United states, Donald Trump seeking that the leader makes decisions which will facilitate her growth in a better society.

The letter comes on the heels of several controversial decisions made by the United States president.

The 7-year-old schoolgirl identified as Sarah Norney in a letter sent to the president via social media page, Twitter begged him to change the world for the better.

Sarah Norney in her letter said she wants “everyone to love one another”, and also begged him to make sure she “grows up in a nice world”.

The letter shared by Our Lady’s Girls Primary School, Belfast on social media reads:

“Dear Donald Trump, I am a 7 year old girl and I live in Belfast.

“I want everyone to love one another and be friends even if they are from different countries or if they are both boys or girls.

“Please make a difference and change what you think so I can grow up in a nice world. Thank you from Sarah Norney.”

http://www.herald.ng/7-year-old-schoolgirl-writes-donald-trump/

The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has called on the Federal Government to consider the release of the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The governor attributed Nnamdi Kanu’s actions to youthful exuberance and believes that his continued detention is a distraction.

He added that some south-east leaders are already coming together to make a case for his release and would caution his actions afterwards.

The governor gave this explanation in Owerri at the sideline of an event at the Government House in Imo state, Channels television reports.

Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed April 25th, 2017 for ruling on the bail application filed by the self-acclaimed leader and three others.

The court also reserved April 6, to hear the application seeking for a variation on its earlier ruling on protection of witnesses, in the matter through the use of screen or mask.

http://www.herald.ng/okorocha-calls-release-nnamdi-kanu/

Florida law enforcement reveal that Nyaira Thomas, aged 20, stole the identity of a woman in Illinois.

She allegedly had fake credit cards made up with the victim’s identity and went on a shopping spree for breast and butt implants.

According to police, Nyaira underwent breast implant surgery and liposuction treatment for her buttocks, using the fake credit card on February 20.

The cost for the procedures was $10,495.

Then, on February 27, Thomas went back to the clinic to get a Juvederm injection in her lips at a cost of $530.

Nyaira is charged with criminal use of personal ID, forgery and grand theft over $10,000.

http://www.herald.ng/student-uses-stolen-credit-card-to-fund-butt-and-breast-implants/

A woman whose car was stolen in Johannesburg 21 years ago couldn’t believe her ears when police told her it had been found.

However, seeing is believing, and when Merna Meyer got to the Newcastle police pound, she had no doubts that it was her Ford Laser.

According to SA news medium, Netwerk24: “I recognised the sporty look, red and green stripes on the sides and tow bar. Even the colour is still the same beige.”

The front looked a bit different and the steering wheel had been replaced with a racing one, she said at North West University’s Potchefstroom campus on Thursday.

Meyer was full of praise for warrant officers Gary Holmes and Derick Putter of the Newcastle car theft unit for tracking her down.

They spent months trying to find her because the car had been registered in her maiden name, Pretorius. “They kept on trying, until they phoned me two months ago. When I picked up the phone, a policeman said: ‘We’ve had a hard time tracking you down, where have you been hiding?'”

Meyer was in her 20s when the car was stolen outside a friend’s house in Melville in 1996. She had just resigned from the SABC and was due to leave for the UK a few days later to do a course in animation.

After reporting the car missing, Meyer said she had never heard from the police again


http://www.herald.ng/thief-returns-car-21-years-reported-stolen/

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has paid tribute to the achievements of African diaspora, who rose above the chains and pains of slave trade to impact humanity.

Guterres, in his message to the 2017 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, expressed regret over the pains of slave trade on Africa and Africans.

According to Guterres, the theme for this year’s International Day, “Recognising the Legacy and Contributions of People of African Descent,” invites us to pay tribute to the many achievements of the African diaspora.

“We see those contributions in every field of human endeavour.
“The descendants of slaves have made their mark as inventors, economists and jurists; as authors and scholars; as artists and athletes; as politicians and civil rights leaders.

Guterres said that Mae Jemison, was the first African-American woman to enter outer space.

He said Jemison was among the distinguished individuals of African descent who are being honoured in an exhibition currently on display in the UN Building, at the visitors’ lobby.

“One descendant of slaves made an imprint on the United Nations itself: Ralph Bunche, the first African-American to win a Nobel Prize and one of the most respected and celebrated international civil servants in the history of this Organisation.

“It seems especially appropriate at this commemorative meeting to recall the life and work of Derek Walcott, the poet and Nobel laureate from Saint Lucia who died one week ago today.

“In poems and other writings, he confronted the brutality of slavery and the legacy of colonialism.

“In ‘The Sea is History’, for example, he gave us the searing image of “men with eyes as heavy as anchors, who sank without tombs.

“The United Nations and I personally attach the greatest importance to the challenge of slavery, past and present,” he said.

Guterres said through the UN Remember Slavery Programme, the international body would continue shedding light on tragedies related to slavery.

He added that the UN will continue to highlight the impressive and living contributions that people of African descent are making to their communities and to the world.

Guterres cautioned that the world “must never forget this dark chapter of human history”.

“The legacy of slavery resounds down the ages. The world has yet to overcome racism. Many countries still suffer from economic patterns and decisions set in motion long ago.

“Many families still feel keenly the trauma imposed on their forebears. We must continue to recognise the persistent pain of this legacy even in the present moment.

“Moreover, we know that while some forms of slavery may have been abolished, others have emerged to blight our world, including human trafficking and forced and bonded labour.

“Heeding the lessons of yesterday means fighting these ills today,” Guterres said.

(NAN)

Service providers in Nigeria’s telecommunications networks lost 1,275,573 internet users in February, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

The NCC made the disclosure in its internet subscribers’ data for February.

The News Agency of Nigeria obtained the data on Saturday in Lagos.

The publication indicated that internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks dropped from 91,304,755 in January to 90,029,182 in February.

It also showed that, of the 90,029,182 internet users in February, 89,998,873 were on GSM networks, while 30,309 were on CDMA networks.

It equally showed that the GSM service providers lost 1,275,573 internet customers as they recorded 89,998,873 users in February as against 91,274,446 they recorded in January.

The CDMA operators retained 30,309 internet subscribers in February as recorded in January.

The data revealed that MTN had 30,300,705 subscribers browsing the internet on its network in the month under review.

The data also showed that MTN recorded a drop of 714,700 internet subscribers in February after recording 31,015,405 in January.

According to the data, Globacom had 26,932,485 customers surfing the net on its network in February, revealing a decline of 143,787 users from the 27,076,272 who surfed the internet on the network in January.

Airtel had 19,468,684 internet users in February, reducing by 149,801, the number of customers in its January record of 19,618,485.

The data also showed that Etisalat had 13,296,999 customers who browsed the internet in February. It recorded a decrease of 267,285 users from the 13,564,284 users it recorded in January.

The NCC data revealed that the CDMA operators, Multi-Links and Visafone, had a joint total of 30,309 internet users on their networks in February, maintaining their January record.

According to the data, Visafone had 30,305 customers surfing the internet in February, while Multi-Links had four.(NAN)

Ten reality show contestants have come to the end of a year-long stint in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands, only to discover that the program they were making hasn’t been screened for the last seven months.

The reality tv show Eden was launched by Channel 4 in a blaze of publicity last year as a new kind of reality show, with 23 participants who signed up to live in Cul na Croise Bay, in Ardnamurchan in the Scottish Highlands, with the aim to build a self-sufficient community in complete isolation.

Filmed by the contestants themselves, as well as by some fixed cameras, they began in March last year, with the first episode going out on 18 July.

However, the series was axed after just four episodes – the final one being broadcast on 8 August – but it seems that the contestants carried on, blissfully unaware that no one was watching.
Ten of the original 23 contestants made it to the end and we can only imagine how annoyed they must be.

On the other hand, maybe they discovered some inner peace and true meaning to their lives while they were there, so it was completely worth it.

It is unclear if Channel 4 will ever broadcast more of the footage.

The situation is reminiscent of the famous ‘Japanese holdouts’ who carried on fighting even after Japan had surrendered in the Second World War – either dogmatically believing that the military surrender was not technically complete, or simply because no one told them as they were in remote locations.

The last two confirmed holdouts were Intelligence officer Hiroo Onoda, who was relieved of duty in the Philippines in March 1974 and Teruo Nakamura, who surrendered in Indonesia in December 1974.

Read more at http://www.herald.ng/reality-tv-stars-complete-year-wilderness-realize-show-cancelled-7-months/#HFqjQi8WtPZf3DSe.99

The senator representing Kogi West on the floor of the Nigerian Senate has been implicated in yet another alleged scandal.

The latest scandal comes hot on the heels of allegations made by an online news agency, Sahara Reporters, against the politician which held that he did not graduate from the department of Geography at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Following the allegation, examination officers at the institution revealed that the Senator graduated with a third class degree after which he shared photo from his NYSC days and another of his Masters degree thesis.

Following the scandal which had led the Nigerian senate to initiate a probe into the educational background of the Kogi state Senator, Sahara reporters further revealed that Dino Melaye made only three credits in his West African Certificate Examination, WAEC.

Sahara Reporters has however in its latest claim alleged that the Senator reportedly assassinated an election tribunal witness in 2007.

The U.S. Government’s report on the human rights case alleges that; “On August 19, Victor Obafaiye, the principal witness for the Action Congress in the Kogi State election tribunal, was assassinated. Obafaiye was crucial to the case as he was supposedly in possession of documents, that would have served as evidence of election tampering by PDP House of Assembly candidate Dino Melaye.”

A copy of the report released by the US department of states Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor can be found here

Read more at http://www.herald.ng/sen-dino-melaye-allegedly-assassinated-witness-2007-report/#WC3yikMqCsedEHLR.99