₦airaland Forum

A Nigerian bride recounted how her pastor told her to remove her lashes during her church wedding.

Jessica Okah, the bride, disclosed this incident on TikTok, mentioning that the pastor had raised the issue of her eyelashes before the wedding day.

However, she said she had completely forgotten about it and thought it would be overlooked during the wedding.

She said, “What would you do if your pastor asked you to remove your lashes in the middle of your wedding ceremony? It was like a movie, but it was happening for real.

"After my husband’s family accepted me, that’s when my pastor realised that he told me the day before that I wasn’t supposed to wear lashes to the wedding ceremony.

"Let me not lie, I didn’t have a problem with it anyway, but truthfully, I forgot.

"He said before the service had to continue, I had to go and remove the lashes.”

She shared a video that captured the moment her pastor stopped the wedding proceedings over her eyelashes and resumed the ceremony after she had taken them off.

JoeEeL:
We support the death of islamic terrorists by anyone

If iswap kill boko haram, we go support iswap.
Then if fulani herdsmen kill boko haram, we go support fulani herdsmen

Thats how we roll bro

tctrills:
You are right people should not be justifying genocide. But the most wicked people are those who claim genocide where there is none. They are worse than rats and cockroaches.

The federal government last night approved a pay rise of between 25 and 35 per cent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures.

The announcement was made on the eve of May Day, or Labour Day, which is celebrated worldwide to recognise and honour the achievements and contributions of the working class.

The announcement came ahead of the submission of the report of the 37-member tripartite committee on national minimum wage, led by Bukar Goni Aji, a former Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCS), which was inaugurated in January this year.

A statement signed by the Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku, said the increases took effect from January 1, 2024.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the announcement was “a waste of time.”

In an interview with Daily Trust last night, the NLC Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, said the commission does not have powers to fix national minimum wage.

“What they pretend to have done is a waste of time. It does not amount to anything for us and those in the federal civil service,” Onyeka told one of our correspondents.

He did not make further comments on the matter despite prodding by our reporter. Other senior officials of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) could not be reached up to press time last night.

Njoku’s statement said that the augmentation applies to the six remaining consolidated salary structures, namely the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Paramilitary Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS), and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).

It added that the federal government had also approved pension increases ranging from 20% to 28% for pensioners enrolled in the Defined Benefits Scheme within the aforementioned consolidated salary structures, with the same effective date.

Before the latest development, salary increases were implemented for tertiary education and health, among them the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS), Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS), Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS), Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).

When contacted to shed more light on the statement he issued hours to the May Day, Njoku told Daily Trust that there was no wrong time for workers to benefit from government policies.


He also confirmed that the government would pay the arrears of the backlogs from January.

Njoku added that the increment was different from the multi-stakeholders committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

However, some senior government functionaries and security officials, who spoke in confidence, told Daily Trust that the announcement by NSIWC was to avert an impending embarrassment.

One of them said that the government was aware of alleged plans by the organised labour to use today’s event to call out political leaders.

One of the sources said that government officials and security agencies could not locate union leaders for dialogue to prevent likely violent protests, as they were either in hiding or deliberately avoided contacts yesterday.

Another source said that a meeting of the organised labour with SGF Akume and leadership of security agencies ended on Friday without a tangible outcome.

Workers want living wage

Earlier Tuesday, some workers who spoke to our correspondents in some states, called on the Bola Tinubu-led federal government to approve a living wage that will make life better for workers.

The workers, who said this is necessary considering the rising cost of living in the country, added that it is now about living wage and not minimum wage.

They said it has been a tumultuous journey for them in Nigeria, considering the rising cost of living after the removal of fuel subsidy among other measures.

Many civil servants said their take home pay is not in tune with the reality because they struggle to survive and rarely meet up with the demands of their families.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 assented to the N30, 000 minimum wage bill, which ushered in a new pay structure for workers. While the policy is being implemented at the national level, many states are yet to key into the policy.

DOM7:
Israel should be celebrated for her determination to wipe out terrorists and not to be condemn, any body sympathetic to terrorist state is a terrorist himself.in the first place wiping terrorist should have been the work of the philistines and not of Israel they should suffer the permission of a state within a state.

tctrills:
So what?

hotwax:
You can’t dictate to Israel..the moment your brothers went into Israel to start a war on October 7 is the day Hamas lost their standing.

No one can tackle Israel now not even Russia.

Hamas did not follow any rules of engagement when they entered homes burnt civilians alive.

Hamas will never try that again.. I’m so sure.

This Israel I am looking at is fully ready for war. They have tested their RnD weapons ..the boldness they are exhibiting in front of Russia is suspicious…they get Wetin they hard their chest.

I suspect mossads have infiltrated everywhere.. Israel are confident of killing anyone they want right now.

Mossad have been sleeping for years…Mossad have been reactivated

bionixs:
go and stop it

general111:
What about those who support terrorist?

general111:
Who counted these dead people?
Alqassam brigade abi?
The same people who lied that Israel blew up the hospital,lied about the amount of people killed.
Not until everyone saw it on camera that it was Hamas that shot qhat misile..
How many Hamas agent has been killed?

Eagba:
Who drew first blood for this mata?

Gabriel1992:
because of land that originally belong to the Jews, that the Jews toke from them back that gave them the right to kill 1300people in one day,meaning in 6months Jews for don finish be that!. fear God (Allah)!.

general111:
Genocidal war ba?
Tell Hamas to stop hiding amongst civilians.
If the Turkish guy was not caught on camera today,aljeera would have reported that the idf killed and innocent Turkish.
Thank God it was caught on camera

The Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) has concluded plans to take delivery of eight vessels containing over 300m litres of fuel to address the current fuel shortage.

Chairman of MEMAN, Huub Stokman, disclosed this during a press conference to address the current fuel scarcity across the country.

Daily Trust reports that fuel queues have lingered since the beginning of the week as motorists spend hours at filling stations.

Stockman who empathised with Nigerians over the frustration and difficulty they are experiencing said the priority of the major marketers and other stakeholders in the supply chain is to restore stability and ensure fuel supply.

He said, “Our top priority as MEMAN is to restore stability and ensure fuel supply with all depots and retail outlets across Nigeria promptly. We want to reassure the public that there is an adequate supply of PMS available.

“Our members are taking over 8 vessels this week with over 300m litres which is well above our normal level. Our depots will extend their loading times to ensure we load out as much as we can including tomorrow. Our partners in NARTO and PTDs have assured us of their support to make sure the product gets to the retail outlets quickly and safely. We would extend opening time of selected retail outlets to serve our customers as quickly as possible.”

According to him, independent marketers have been allocated additional PMS to alleviate the situation.

He also disclosed that the marketers are not changing prices, saying NNPC retail is not changing their price.

The Chairman further blamed the current situation on multiple causes bothering on logistics like bad weather outside the shores, saying, “However in the coming days we expect to see major improvement in the fuel situation. Based on the data we see, it would not take two weeks. I truly believe we would see improvement this week.”

general111:

This is conspiracy theory at its best..
Israel cannot take over Gaza after this war.
The way Israel left Gaza in 2005,is the same way Israel will leave..
Stop spewing aljazeera conspiracy theory.

Newton2024:
According to the report, the eliminated operative had caused damage to Jewish centers in Germany.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-799096?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2qjXofm86EPtGieS3Ut9O_he4hoSiYhWh8mgJ7-4HIcFdqVz2b34cZ_L8_aem_ARA4AwSI7qEJVmcKouE2HTTw7aJFqfcPtmrXr7x4JqIKBWfWuALUjtyzqthSi2fl_BFBVhFgqqDnwZ_9An2WSWUQ

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Monday began offloading 240 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, as it stepped up efforts to tackle the worsening nationwide petrol scarcity.

As the NNPCL began offloading petrol, filling stations sold the product at an average price of N800 per litre in various locations.

One of our correspondents gathered that the 240 million litres of petrol imported into the country came in through five vessels, which were offloaded into five depots on Monday.

The South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ayo Cardoso, confirmed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday.

The PUNCH reported on Monday that despite claims by the NNPC that the logistic issues causing fuel scarcity had been addressed, Nigerians in Lagos and other parts of the country still struggled to get fuel as many filling stations remained shut.

The PUNCH independently gathered that the situation might worsen in Lagos and other parts of the South-West because there was a directive by the NNPC that fuel trucks must first service the Federal Capital Territory before any other places.

According to oil sector sources, hundreds of trucks loaded were sent to Abuja on Sunday based on the NNPC directive.

Our correspondents who visited filling stations across the country on Monday observed that many outlets hiked their pump prices, selling a litre of petrol between N650 and over N1,000.

As the stations increased the pump prices of fuel, it was learnt that black marketers also used the opportunity to make brisk business, selling a litre of petrol at prices of over N1,200/litre, depending on the location and the bargaining strength of the buyer.

It was also observed that the hardship being encountered as a result of fuel scarcity worsened on Monday. The queues in filling stations became longer as work resumed across the nation for the new week.

The fuel scarcity also coincided with the resumption of public schools in some states, adding to the burden on parents, teachers and school owners.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the NMDPRA regional coordinator said the agency was doing its best to ensure Nigerians were not exploited by filling stations.

“We are doing something about the fuel crisis; very soon it will be over. Vessels are discharging as I am talking to you. What we are concentrating on is to push the NNPC, which is the supplier of last resort, to make sure they wet the entire populace.

"So, we have about five vessels already discharging the product, about 240 million litres are being discharged as I am talking to you right now. We are working round the clock.

"But then, once you have a problem, it takes like one or two weeks to (normalise), but people will keep on panicking, which is not supposed to be. All these kinds of things disrupt the normal way of operations. But with 240 million litres coming in from five vessels discharging to five depots already today, things will get back to normal,” Cardoso assured Nigerians.

Scarcity spreads

Our correspondents noted that the few filling stations dispensing fuel on Monday were crowded by private and commercial drivers, motorcyclists as well as individuals with jerry cans.

The queues were seen in Abuja as well as Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Nasarawa, Gombe and other states.

The Heyden filling station in Iperu Remo, Ogun State sold petrol at N650 per litre on Monday amid fights among buyers who thronged the station from places like Isara, Ode, Ilishan and others.

A motorist, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said he had been in the queue since 5am, yet he was unable to buy petrol as at noon.

"Look at me, I have been here since 5am, yet I couldn’t get fuel up till noon. I came here from Isara. There is no fuel in other places. This station belongs to the governor, maybe that’s why it is selling at the rate of N650 per litre. A few others around us sell petrol for N800 or more,” the motorist, who identified himself as Ismail, told The PUNCH.

A young man dressed in TotalEnergies uniform was sighted at the Heyden filling stations with two jerry cans filled with PMS.

The man, who did not reveal his name, stated, “I came here to buy fuel because we don’t have fuel in our station. I spent hours in the queue despite being an attendant myself. We don’t know why there is no fuel, but we heard that everybody is waiting for May 1 to know if the president would say something about fuel price reduction or not”.

Alaba Excel Abbey, one of the campaign coordinators of the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has been assassinated, Daily Trust reports on Sunday.

Abbey, who served as a ward coordinator for the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot-Soldiers, was killed at his home in Supare Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state,

The Director-General, David Ajobiewe, who condemned the killing of Abbey, stated that the deceased wasn’t a violent person.

He urged the police operatives to unravel the death of the late campaign coordinator.

He said, “Excel had been a resourceful coordinator for the Aiyedatiwa campaign organisation in Ward 10 of Supare and was never known to be violent and never had any history of a local or domestic dispute.

“We urge the police authorities to step up investigations into his gruesome murder and bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.”

Confirming the incident in a telephone, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said, “The state command is aware of the incident (killing) but the investigation is ongoing to unravel all that happened.”

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend a special meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The president arrived in Riyadh after he just concluded an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The World Economic Forum meeting will focus on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development and will use the opportunity over 1,000 leaders from business, government, and academia are expected to attend the meeting with is slated for the 28th and 29th of April 2024.

SaharaReporters earlier reported how EFCC asked all security agencies to place Bello on their watch list to prevent him from leaving the country “through any land, air or sea borders.”

Fleeing governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has perfected a plan to flee the country to a North African country, multiple sources confirmed to SaharaReporters on Saturday.

SaharaReporters learnt that Bello, 48 years old who is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for over N80billion fraud, plans to flee to the North African country where one of his wives presently resides and manages their "investments."

A family member further revealed that Bello actually possessed two passports which are of the North African country and one Arab nation where he also allegedly has multi-million dollars investments.

"He is planning to go to Morocco. He also has investments in Dubai. Under Bello's administration, apart from Okene local government and probably two or three local government within his Senatorial district, that enjoy projects like hospital of 50 beds respectively, no other local government does", the source revealed.

"We challenge his media team to point out if in the remaining 16 local governments, there was a single borehole for water, road project or any housing scheme construction work done by Yahaya Bello administration in the last 8 years apart from housing estates constructed by his predecessor and landmark properties.

"Kogi State was enslaved under Yahaya Bello due to occultic powers and unreported killings due to fear," another source added.

"Former governor, Yahaya's administration was a disaster, characterised by mismanagement, stealing, misplacement of priorities, misappropriation, corruption, nepotism, killings and oppression."

"The other option is that Bello is set to travel out of Nigeria as he has prepared for his bail in court with millions of dollars," another source added.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian police detained the female police officer who served as the aide-de-camp to Bello as well as other security details for aiding his escape from the EFCC operatives in Abuja.

The ADC was arrested, along with other police officers assigned to 48-year-old Bello, and they are being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Their arrests and incarceration came after the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, issued an order on Thursday night requiring their immediate departure from the former governor.

“The ADC and the other police details attached to Yahaya Bello have been arrested and detained.

"They were arrested on the order of the IG, on the suspicion that they aided and abetted the former governor’s escape from the EFCC on Wednesday,” one of the sources had said.

Another source said, “Yahaya Bello’s female ADC and other police officers attached to him were brought to the command this morning, and they’ve been detained for aiding and abetting (the governor’s escape).”

SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday night that the police withdrew the security details attached to Yahaya Bello.

The order for the withdrawal was contained in a Police Wireless Message obtained by SaharaReporters.

On Wednesday, some EFCC operatives barricaded Bello’s Abuja residence.

However, the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, intervened to prevent the arrest of the former governor of the state by the EFCC operatives.

Ododo’s team had escorted Bello out of the location in the governor’s vehicle.

Bello was also absent in court earlier on Thursday when the EFCC arraigned him.

His arraignment came after a warrant of arrest and enrolment order was granted to the EFCC by the court on Wednesday.

Subsequently, the agency declared Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2billion.

The commission said in a bulletin that "anybody with information as to his whereabout should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police station."

SaharaReporters earlier reported how EFCC asked all security agencies to place Bello on their watch list to prevent him from leaving the country “through any land, air or sea borders.”

Granting the request and circulating the EFCC directive, the Nigerian Immigration Service in an internal circular seen by SaharaReporters directed its area and zonal commands to arrest Bello if seen.

The circular stated that the former Kogi governor was under investigation and there was a suspicion that he might leave the country to evade investigations.