₦airaland Forum

neocortex:
You are the one who didn't contextualize the information you read,
having criminal history doesn't give DSS the right to arrest him,
he has served his term so the "fraudster" tag is just a diversion.
What new economic crime has he committed to warrant his arrest ?

giles14:
bros mak person word,did u watch d program dat made d. DSS arrest him. even abdullahi n Chamberlain if he was arrested for fraud.he said yes and has been clear and even ask d efcc to make public court ruling.



so bros I think you are among those he is accusing of trying to deceive d mass

well wen is nnpc n efcc going to disclosure d 500 account it operates without the mass knowledge.


let d AGF disclosure his report. and put an end to this propaganda.


above all not all youth can be deceived. so bros go broaden your knowledge base.




I enjoyed dat his interview on sunrise it was an eye opener.

I did expect young and vibrant youth to do a cross check on reasons why someone is picked before they post..... but alas I was shocked by some contributor just because of their hate for this government they would find something to paint it bad.




tell me why old men won't still be ruling us when the young ones are lazy to search for information

President of the Senate , Dr. Bukola Saraki , yesterday challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to form an all -inclusive government to be able to tackle the current economic challenges menacing the country. He urged the president to shop for the best brains , irrespective of their sociopolitical leanings, who have the know- how and would help to come up with pragmatic measures , to fix the ailing economy and rescue the citizens from persistent hardship. Also, senators have expressed serious concerns on the state of the economy . Saraki gave the admonition in his speech as the Eighth Senate marked its one - year anniversary .

Saraki also called on the Federal Government to adopt dialogue in dealing with the Niger Delta Avengers , while also urging the aggrieved militants to channel their grievances to democratic institutions for better handling .

He said: “These are serious challenges that require all hands to be on deck. There is no other time in our history than now when the business of government needs to be conducted with great inclusiveness . We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever they may be found . “Even those who did not vote for us , but believe in the change that we all believe is necessary to move our country forward , should be given a seat at the table . If we are able to mobilise the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with , I have no doubt that with God on our side , we shall overcome .

“I cannot end this address without a note on the on - going security challenges we are beginning to witness in the Niger Delta area of our country . We urge the warring militants to embrace our democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters as we can ill afford further damage to the ecosystem of this all important region and any more disruptions in the system. “In the same vein , we also encourage government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving this challenge . We also call on the leaders in the area to play their part and ensure through mediation that this menace is comprehensively quelled . ”

The President of the Senate further urged the Federal Government to ensure judicious use of the N 500 billion captured in the 2016 budget for social welfare services so that the benefits would get to genuine targets of the programme. He said that the Senate would embark on serious oversight to ensure proper application of the funds, urging Buhari to support the legislature in carrying out the oversight to successful ends.

“We note the Federal Government ’ s plan to invest N 500 billion in social protection programmes in the current budget . We want to urge the government to ensure that appropriate mechanism is devised which would ensure that the benefits of these programmes get to those who are genuinely in need. “We are confident that one year after , the president must by now have better clarity on the capacity of his appointees .

The Senate would not hesitate to hold any appointee accountable for the work he has accepted to do . We would like to seek Mr . President ’s support and co - operation to enable us discharge this oversight task ,” he said.

Saraki noted that the Eighth Senate was faced with enormous challenges that attempted to destabilise the chamber from operating effectively. He, however , appreciated the resolve of members to work together as a unit , deal with the problems and make landmark impact in legislating very actively for the good governance of the country. He observed that the biggest challenges confronting the present administration were the unprecedented decline in government revenue and the state of security in the country .

The President of the Senate lamented that the sudden crash of the price of crude oil in the international market brought an unprecedented monumental shock to the economy . “The collapse in oil price has, without doubt, brought huge shock to our economy on a scale that perhaps, has never been experienced before. This requires us to develop creative strategies that would stimulate business and investments into other sectors.

“For decades , we have talked about the need to diversify our economy . But we have failed to take the necessary steps in policy and legislations that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy that we desire . “The Ease of Doing Business Report that ranks our country 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into our economy . This Senate understands this . “With the support from our international development partners , the organised private sector , we commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up our economy for private investments and business. ”

Also , senators expressed their readiness to support the efforts of the executive to tackle the numerous economic challenges bedevilling the country at the moment. In his submissions , the Deputy President of the Senate , Ike Ekweremadu , urged the executive to fast track all the palliative measures to cushion the economy hardship in the country . Chief Whip of the Senate , Olusola Adeyeye, stressed the need for the Federal Government to work towards making the living standard of Nigerians better in the coming year.

He said: “Unemployment is high, insecurity is troublesome, most of the treasury of the land is empty and so we must summon courage to find solution to these problems .

“Before we know it, we will get buried in the process of election , as such the next one year should not be like the last one year . Every part of Nigeria is doing badly and the earlier we come together to find solution to our problems the better for us . “We must summon the wisdom , honesty and consideration to do what we ought to for Nigerians ,’’ he said. Senator Sani Shehu (APC- Kaduna Central) called on the senators to work towards ensuring that bills and motions have direct positive effect on the masses.

“We started with a lot of conflicts, misunderstanding and quarrels , but this period demands that we take stock, look at our weakness and work to make next year better than this year ,” he said. Senator Ovie Omo - Agege (LP - Delta Central) called on his colleagues to pass bills and motions that would have direct impact on ordinary Nigerians . Senator Ben Bruce (PDP - Bayelsa East) decried the level of population explosion , which he said was not commensurate with the level of development in the country.

He further called on the Federal Government to give priority to capital projects in subsequent budgets . “ The civil service is made up of 2 . 2 million people and if they consume 75 per cent of our income , then we have problem , ” he said. “We want money for capital expenditure; we can’ t survive if all we do is pay salaries. ”

Senator Isah Misau (APC- Bauchi Central) said that the current trial of the president of the Senate at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT ) was a political witch- hunt aimed at tarnishing the image of the legislature. “The trial of Senate President is the greatest injustice I have ever seen . We have different cases that require attention in the country but they have faced Saraki .

“The executive has immunity and the head of the judiciary is protected but legislature is being treated this way. Why are we keeping quiet?” he said. The Leader of the Senate , Ali Ndume , was rather sarcastic towards the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) senators .

He said: “I want to add and commend the mutual respect and relationship that exist between the opposition and the ruling or governing party . “In fact, your maturity level has gone to an extent that you rightly behave as minorities instead of opposition for democracy.

And that is very commendable . Your kindness has extended to the extent of instead of fighting us ; you are fighting yourselves and allowing us to do our job . We thank you very much and I hope you will continue to fight yourselves so that we would continue to do the good job for this country. ”

lalasticlala

A married man living in Port Harcourt,
Rivers state has revealed a bombshell.

In a mail written to Joro Olumofin, a Nigerian
psychologist, the unidentified married man
complained about how his wife unconsciously
screams the name of the Nigerian president,
Muhammadu Buhari, whenever he makes love
to her. According to him, the wife sees him
as Buhari during sex and shouts ‘oh Buhari’
while in action.

When he decided to confront her about the
issue, she denied it.

This sounds more like an unbelievable thingy.
What advice will you give this man?

lalasticlala

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The federal government said wednesday that its knack for due process was responsible for the delay in releasing the N350 billion vote for infrastructure it intended to reflate the economy and get contractors back to site.

The federal government, which had promised to release the money immediately the 2016 budget was passed, however, assured Nigerians that better days were ahead as it said it had the magic wand to turn the ailing economy around.

Briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by the acting President Yemi Osinbajo wednesday, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, said government had mandated the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to fast-track the processes for the capital budgets deployment so that the economy could be quickly reflated.

Udoma, while commenting on the delay in the release of the N350 billion, said: “The money is available but there is a process and this is part of the reasons we briefed council that there is need to fast-track those processes so that very soon most of those monies will be released. We expect in the Ministry of Works, they should have quite substantial release in the next week or so.

“It’s easier for us for existing projects but new projects are a bit more difficult because of the public procurement process. You have to advertise and you have to wait for six weeks and so on. So new projects will take a bit longer. But existing projects that have already gone through the public procurement process will be faster and I believe that you will soon start seeing the impact of those releases,” he said.

When asked to disclose the volume of release so far, the minister said: “That wasn’t part of what the council discussed. So what we will do, we will be giving numbers from time to time. So, I’m sure within the week, we should be able to give you numbers.”

When asked to respond to insinuations making the rounds that the government lacked concrete blueprints to tackle the economic downturn, Udoma said: “We launched a strategic document. We set out 34 things we want to achieve this year; we set out all our objectives. We have a plan and the plan is to reflate the economy. What has happened to Nigeria is not a surprise to the government. It is something that we came in to meet. It has been caused by the fall of crude oil prices from over $100 to less than $30 and so we came in to meet that problem.

“The decision that we took to address that problem is to reflate the economy and the budget was aimed to achieve that and that is why you have in the budget a plan to spend a large amount of money on infrastructure. But, as you know, the budget was only recently passed. It takes time for the spending to be released to hit the economy and to begin to see the impact. So, we have a plan. We know the situation we are in right now and we have a plan to get out of the situation.

“It is just that at this particular point in time, we expected this trajectory because the releases will only start kicking in so that by the third quarter, we will start seeing the impact of what we are doing to reflate the economy.”

On the speculated impending sack of workers, the minister said government had made it clear that it would not sack anyone.

He said: “I am not aware of any instruction to anybody to sack anybody. In fact, the policy of this government, we said so at the beginning that we are not going to retrench. There is a natural wastage which happens in government. There are people who retire; people who may be disciplined but there is no policy in this government to retrench. So, I want to disabuse your mind that there is no such policy.

“With regards to the plea to the private sector, it is because we know that by the time the economy picks up, they will need those people again. We know the economy is going to pick up; we are confident about that. That is because of our plan. The plan was conceived because we knew that this was the trajectory we will move into.

“I will give you an indication of some of those things in the plan. For agriculture for instance, we plan to be self-sufficient in rice within a certain number of years; in wheat within a certain number of years. Indeed the acting-president has just set up a task force headed by the governor of Kebbi State to realise that. So we are implementing the plan one by one.

“We have a plan to move this country up 20 places in the ease of doing business. We are working on that. We want to stimulate the private sector because we know that even the spending by government alone will not be sufficient. We also need to have policies that will encourage the private sector. We do have a plan, it was launched, it was taken to cabinet, approved by cabinet and the minister of state had announced.”

lalasticlala

By Esther Onyegbula

A 27-year-old schoolmistress, Violet, is being interrogated by the Police in Lagos for allegedly defiling a female pupil of Light Bearers Private School, located at Iyana-Isashi area of the state.

Vanguard learned that the mistress, who is the class teacher of the nursery two pupil, reportedly defiled her last Thursday, during school hours.

However, trouble started after the victim’s mother noticed blood stains on her daughter’s pants, when she got home.

The victim’s mother, Evelyn, who spoke to Vanguard, said: “After my daughter returned from school Thursday last week, I found blood stains on her pants when I wanted to bath her. I was surprised because she is still too young to start menstruating.

“When I asked her what happened, she refused to speak at first because her teacher had threatened her not to. Later, she opened up when I told her that anyone who lies would go to hell.

“She then said it was her Aunty that inserted her fingers inside her bum-bum in class. We reported the case at Iyana-Isashi Police Station.

Victim’s account

According to the four-year-old girl, (names withheld): “My Aunt in school raised my uniform up and put her fingers inside my bum-bum in the class, while others were sleeping.

“She asked me not to tell my mother or anybody.”
It was learned that the victim was taken to Bisimol Hospital at Graceland Estate, where it was confirmed that her hymen was broken.

Vanguard gathered that the case was reported at Iyana-Isashi Police Division, Friday morning, and the teacher was invited for interrogation.

Mirabel Centre

On Friday evening, the Investigating Police Officer took the victim to Mirabel Centre in Ikeja, but they got there late and were asked to return next day.
When they got back on Saturday, a medical examination at the centre confirmed that the victim was actually defiled.

When contacted, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said that the case had been transferred to the Command’s Gender Desk Unit, adding “it is under investigation and the culprit will be charged to court immediately investigation is completed.”

The Presidential Panel set up to audit arms purchase between 2007 and 2015, has submitted its final report to President Muhammadu Buhari, New Telegraph has gathered. The Presidency, according to sources, is set to release the report on the probe of procurement arms and ammunition by the Nigerian Army. Highly placed sources told New Telegraph that the report on the probe of the Army indicted three former Chiefs of Army Staff, serving and retired Generals, many of whom had appeared before the panel.

A former Director- General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), who is an Army General, was also indicted. Also, many of the companies and contractors that participated in the supply of equipment to the Nigerian Army were indicted in the report.

The panel report noted that the procurement processes were arbitrarily carried out and generally characterised by irregularities and fraud. The source further disclosed that some of the past service chiefs and Generals indicted by the panel have been recommended for further investigation and possible prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was learnt that some of the indicted army officers and contractors were indicted over contracts paid for but not executed, diversion of funds, inflated contracts, supply of substandard equipment and other infractions in the procurement of arms and ammunition between 2007 and 2015.

Some of the indicted army officers were accused of using fronts to obtain contracts from the Nigerian Army and failed to execute or poorly implementing such. The panel also traced some payments made to accounts of the army officers by the contractors, which were considered as bribes.

“The report is damning. It will definitely expose the rot in the Nigerian Army. So many senior officers, both serving and retired, are indicted in the report. Some companies that supplied equipment, arms and ammunition were also recommended for prosecution. It is a mess,” a source close to the panel told New Telegraph.

It was learnt that the president was miffed at the massive fraud that characterised procurement contracts in the military during the period under review. Speaking in confidence with New Telegraph, one of the sources said the final report indicated that the alleged fraud in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) at the time was just a tip of the iceberg, when compared with what occurred in the Army.

It was learnt that owing to the weighty nature of the findings, coupled with the anticipated reactions it will elicit in the military and the public, Buhari initially asked that the report be made a classified document. “The Audit Panel has submitted its final report to Mr. President.

But, looking at how weighty and mind-boggling the findings are, the Presidency may have thought it wise that it should not be put in the public space. “If it is disclosed, the military itself might lose its pride, as officers and personnel may be demoralised. ”

In fact, the previous interim report on the NAF is a child’s play when compared with this,” he said. But, after so much consideration, the president agreed that the report should be made public just as it was done in the case of the Air Force. However, a copy of the report was said to have been transmitted to the EFCC for action.

The EFCC is already prosecuting a former Commander of Guards Brigade and erstwhile Commander of the Joint Military Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.

The officer, who is currently serving with the army’s Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State, was charged alongside a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi; Kime Engozu and Josphine Otuaga.

The accused persons allegedly conspired among themselves to divert over N8 billion paid into the account of the Joint Military Task Force by NIMASA during the tenure of Akpobolokemi. The money was allegedly converted into foreign exchange and the proceeds shared by the defendants.

The interim report earlier released had indicted a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd) and two former Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Marshalls MD Umar (rtd) and Adesola Amosu. Other serving and retired officers also indicted were: Maj-Gen. E.R. Chioba (rtd), AVM I.A. Balogun (rtd), AVM A.G. Tsakr (rtd), AVM A.G. Idowu (rtd), AVM A.M. Mamu, AVM O.T. Oguntoyinbo, AVM T. Omenyi, AVM J.B. Adigun and AVM R.A. Ojuawo.

Others were: AVM J.A. Kayode-Beckley, Air Cdre S.A. Yushau (rtd), Air Cdre A.O. Ogunjobi, Air Cdre GMD Gwani, Air Cdre S.O. Makinde, Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa , Col. N. Ashinze and Lt Col. M.S. Dasuki (Rtd). Buhari had, in August 2015, inaugurated a 13-man panel, to probe allegations of “non-adherence to correct equipment procurement procedures and the exclusion of relevant logistics branches from arms procurement under past administrations, which, very often resulted in the acquisition of sub-standard and unserviceable equipment.” The investigation covers procurements between 2007 and 2015.

The Federal Government has begun an investigation into the possibility that some foreign nations may be backing the militant activities in the oil-rich Niger Delta. New Telegraph gathered from highly placed military sources that the intelligence arm of the military and other security agencies were already looking into the source of supply of the sophisticated arms at the disposal of the agitators.

One of the sources, who spoke in confidence, said the need for a comprehensive probe had become urgent, in view of the fact that a large cache of arms had been surrendered to the state, in the wake of the Amnesty Programme.

It was further gathered that the latest threat by the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) – a group which claims to be the highest organ of all the agitating groups in the Niger Delta – to launch six missiles in the area tomorrow raised more concern within security and military circles.

The source, however, dispelled rumour of a fullblown military operation in the Niger Delta, saying the military was mindful of the compelling need to protect innocent people in the area, who must be protected.

According to him, the new strategies being mapped-out, will not exclude the protection of human rights, as well as the rule of engagement (ROE), which he said is central to all military operations.

“There are international machineries that have been employed for the sole aim of destabilising the nation, in order to control our oil. “When you hear these guys say they are launching missiles, it is from the support of their international conspirators.

“Some of these countries gather information from where they do comparative analysis,” he said. On the new strategy to be adopted to contain the wave of bombing of oil installations in the Niger Delta, the source noted: “We will as much as possible be professional and systematic in our operations.”

The senior military source stated: “We must get whoever is behind this renewed acts of vandalism, which have cut production by about 800,000 barrels per day (bpd). “Whichever way you look at it, yes, there could be the possibility that they (agitators) have international collaborators. “All over the world, there is nowhere in history that non-state actors ever succeeded over state actors; ours will not be an exception.

“The Nigerian Armed Forces will ensure the indivisibility of this great country of ours.” It will be recalled that the JRC had, in a statement issued last Thursday, given the Federal Government a 48-hour ultimatum to withdraw the military from the region, or be prepared for a full-blown war. “All oil and gas operations should shut down immediately as our missiles testing will affect their equipment.

“Note, we shall commence missile testing on Tuesday, June 7, which coincides with the date of our training abroad,” the statement read. The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had launched series of attacks on oil and gas installations in Bayelsa and Delta states. Meanwhile, palpable fear has gripped the troubled riverine communities in Delta State even as military personnel are gradually withdrawing from the area.

Investigation revealed that the panic stricken villagers, who had deserted their respective communities in the wake of the onslaught, are still afraid to return home despite the gradual disengagement of the military.

The communities affected are Oporoza, Kurutie, Okerenkeko, Gbaramatu and other neighbouring villages and environs. New Telegraph, however, gathered that life is becoming unbearable for those individuals who were still trapped in the communities, as well as those who ran to the bush for safety.

Up till yesterday afternoon, there were sporadic shooting both from the military and the militants who engaged themselves in open confrontation.

Subsequently, the panic stricken residents who were trapped in their houses have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to come to their aid. But scores of persons who are now residing in various camps in Warri and Sapele have called on Buhari to assist them with shelter and compensation.

A 28-year-old artisan in Kubwa, Abuja, was recently defrauded of his computer laptop, mobile phones and unspecified amount of money by a Facebook lover.

The victim, a resident of Berger Camp in Phase 2, Site 1, was said to have met the woman through Facebook, where they started internet dating.

City News gathered that the woman, who lived in another part of the city, decided to visit the man in order to meet with him physically, having been chatting with him only through the Facebook.

A source told our reporter that she came to her lover’s house with a handbag containing some items, including a wrap of couscous.

The source alleged that after making love with the artisan, the woman prepared the pap which she had brought and immediately the man took it, he became charmed.

“As soon as the man became dizzy, she took his laptop, phones and some cash sum and left the house,” the source added.

City News learnt that the man woke few minutes later to discover that the lover had gone while he could not trace her whereabouts.

When contacted, the Kubwa Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Chief Superintendent Nuruddeen Sabo, said the case was reported in his division.

The woman, he said, was still at large, adding: “We are making efforts to track the woman through her network provider.”

Barely 24 hours after the confirmation of the recovery of about N115billion,
The Nation yesterday glimpsed a likely list of some of those behind the huge refund.

They include some politically exposed persons, ex-military chiefs and some of those involved in the $115million poll bribery scandal.

Besides, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is said to be tracking about $3.9billion believed to have been stolen.
A Presidency source however said the government was not yet aware of the said $3.9billion.

The recovered cash includes the following: $3.1b from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) accounts (the money was paid to the oil giant by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited); $1m seized from a former Chief of Air Staff; National Broadcasting Commission (N10,061,172,600); another Chief of Air Staff(N2.3b); an ex-presidential aide (N900m); a businessman (N750m); an ex-governor of Delta State ($15m); an ex-Chief of Staff and others (N420m); and an ex-Minister (N140m); an ex-Military Administrator (N100m).

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials in Oyo and Ogun (N359millon); a former Minister (N2m); a former state Speaker N1m and N580 million (£2 million) in jewelry, allegedly from a former minister.

An EFCC source said: “We cannot release the names of those affected because some of them are already on trial before the court. We do not want to take any prejudicial action. We have been advised against doing so.

“As soon as it is legally convenient, we will release the full list.”

Also yesterday, It was learnt that the EFCC was probing a former governor of Akwa Ibom State in connection with N450million which was allocated to the state out of the N23.29billion allegedly provided by former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. The cash is believed to have been for INEC officials as bribe to change the results of the 2015 presidential election.

The anti-graft agency had questioned a former Military Administrator of the state and others in connection with the bribe.

But during one of the interrogation sessions, one of the suspects said the ex-governor allegedly “deducted N150million out of the bribe sum for personal use”.
“We are likely to invite the ex-governor for interaction,” the EFCC source added.

But there were indications yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was tracking about $3.9billion.

The said amount was allegedly not yet captured in the fact-sheet which was released to the public on Saturday by the Federal Government due to an outstanding reconciliation process.

The $3.9billion includes the $15million seized from former Delta State Governor James Ibori, who is serving term in the United Kingdom.

Other components are about $3.1billion intercepted in the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG), which was yet to be moved to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

A reliable source in the anti-graft commission, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said the list of recoveries issued out on Saturday might not be the final.

The source said: “The EFCC has also intercepted over $3.9billion, including those in the NNPC and NLNG accounts and put in the TSA account.

“This has not been captured yet. So, what we have on Saturday was certainly not the final list of recoveries.”
“Following a judgment of the Court of Appeal, a $15million recovered from ex-Governor James Ibori has been paid into the treasury too.
“We will soon make the breakdown available to Nigerians accordingly. This process is a continuous one .”

A top Presidency source said: “The affected $3.9billion is unknown to this government. The list of recoveries released to Nigerians on Saturday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, went through vetting and other checks before the announcement.

“Do you know the value of $3.2billion? If there is such money in the system, do you think we will go to AFDB for a loan of $1billion?
“I only hope you will get the figures right from whoever is giving the information. Some people have sent an online link to the government but the source only quoted a member of the House of Representatives.”

absolutism:
[hi hope y'all are aware of the long term effect of all these eboe, wailer, jatijati names you use. I am making sure. Enlighten me

Obele, a suburb of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, was, over the weekend, seized by panic, following the killing of a corps members by suspected cultists in the community.

The deceased, a graduate of the Federal University of Agriculture, Markurdi in Benue State, was attached to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Works for his primary assignment. Official sources at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) gave his name as James Onuh.

Confirming the development, spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asimin Butswat, said the deceased was shot and was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. "We are trailing the suspects; investigations are ongoing, " said the spokesman.

lalasticlala

Africa’s richest woman who happens to be a Nigerian, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, has talked about some vital relationship goals.
In a recent interview with The Punch, the 65-year-old multi-billionaire businesswoman spoke about her childhood, how she cut her teeth in business, how she has made her marriage work with practical examples and many more. Read excerpts below:

You have been married for close to 40 years. Are you still in love with him the way you were when you met him many years ago?
If anyone of us is abroad, for instance, the two of us would make sure that we call each other a minimum of twice a day. We have spoken three times already today. If it wasn’t that I was running late for the interview, I would have picked up the phone again to ask him to buy me three brushes but I had to give the job to my assistant to do. So every little thing, we are talking throughout the day.

You are still friends?
Very much so too. We are lovers, friends, brother and sister.

Where did you meet him?
We met at a party in Surulere, Lagos, two weeks after I relocated to Nigeria from England. The party was in the evening. So my brother, his fiancée and I were attending that event and we were all seated together. Then came along my husband-to-be; he said to me ‘why are you following your brother about’? I said ‘what do you mean’? Then he accosted my brother who he knew well and said your sister is a big girl, why are you allowing her to follow you about? Then my brother said, ‘stay away from my sister. Leave her alone’. Anyway, we got talking and after the party, he suggested that I should sit with him in his car rather than sit in my brother’s car so we could carry on with our conversation and we would be driving in a convoy back to our abodes. So we carried on talking and said goodnight. But from that night, unless one of us is abroad, there has been no day that we have not seen each other. Ever since that day, we have seen each other every day unless one person is away and the other is somewhere else.

Your name is more popular than his. Do you know if sometimes in his sober moment, he asks himself ‘why is my wife more popular than I am’?
I believe that that is on the contrary. You know why? He is extremely shy. He does not like publicity. I’m an extrovert; I don’t mind publicity. I like to throw parties; he likes to listen to music.

Nowadays, marriages fail a lot but what would you describe as the secret that has sustained your marriage for so long?
A lot of things make marriages break. What I have noticed over the years is that a marriage doesn’t break suddenly or in a day; it is a gradual process. And the earlier you nip it in the bud, the better. And it is always better to know what the dos and don’ts of marriage are before you get into it so that you don’t get your fingers burnt and so that you can enjoy rather than endure your marriage. One of the tenements of marriage is that you must communicate with one another. If you do not talk to one another regularly enough, your love can begin to grow cold. You may begin to drift apart and then other things begin to set in. The Bible tells us that if one person offends the other, you need to take care of that matter immediately and not let it degenerate. Do not let it degenerate into something that you will still be sulking about the next day because with every action, there is reaction and with every reaction, there is a counter reaction. I counsel partners and one of the things I tell them is never to make the mistake of having separate bedrooms from the very start. Make sure you share one bedroom even if you have 10 bedrooms.

And not only that, if you tell the carpenter to make your bed to be from one wall to another, you are making the biggest mistake. It can separate you. When you quarrel, it won’t help. But when there is nowhere to turn and you end up kicking one another, you will make up quickly. One of the things I do to break the ice rather than let things degenerate is to ask my husband to help do my zip even when I can do it by myself. I have broken the ice.

You are bound to quarrel because you are two human beings. If anyone tells you they have a perfect marriage, it is a lie. Yes, they may be compatible and be having a good time but that does not mean it is perfect. It doesn’t exist. Make sure that you set up the values that you will use to run your home and bring up your children. I greet my husband good morning with a kiss. There are different ways of showing submission. It is not that we are asking you to put your head on the floor so that he can trample on it. No! We are saying show your husband respect. It is the will of God. Speak to him nicely. There is no man that you would treat like that and would not honour, respect, appreciate and do whatever you ask of him when you ask for a favour. He would go all out with pleasure and even go the extra mile to do whatever you ask of him. That is what a lot of people don’t realise. Likewise, a man should love his wife; that is what the Bible says. He should honour and respect his wife and not bring a girlfriend into the matrimonial home and say what can she do? Are you supposed to do that? Is it fair? Is it right? Is it because you are stronger than her physically? If you decide to give her a slap, she can’t beat you, but all she has got is her mouth and she will abuse you very well. One thing will lead to another and the marriage will degenerate. Once it starts degenerating and you don’t quickly nip it in the bud, it may lead to separation and then divorce.

So how do you feel now being known as the richest woman in Africa?
I’ve never called myself that and I just live my life. I do whatever I need to do with all joy and pleasure. It has not changed me; it will not change me and there is no amount of money that can change me, my husband and my children. That is the way we have lived our lives; we will continue being who we are as a family.

lalasticlala

elvision1:
lol, you think say militant go really come answer query without im entourage?

By Aderonke Adeyeri & Kehinde Ajose

elvision1:
if you be member of the house of rep and them kon summon militant come, you go gree enter?
Hmmm...my brother make u fear God o!

Leaders have emerged, at the state level, for the splinter group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, known as APC Akida.

The group, however, said that it would soon name its leaders at all levels in the state.

The state executive committee of the group has Mr Tom Maiyashi as convener, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro, deputy convener and Hafsat M. Baba as secretary.

Addressing newsmen in Kaduna, yesterday, Maiyashi said the APC Akida will serve as a platform for key stakeholders and active members of the APC to work for the progress of the party in the state.

Those at the meeting included Senator Shehu Sani and Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

Maiyashi said that in the coming weeks, the APC Akida would intensify its campaign to mobilise members to protect what he termed as their legitimate interests.
The convener said that the group came into being because the APC has been hijacked and incapacitated by the powers-that-be in the state.

“We believe in playing responsible and constructive roles because the government appears to have shut out basic involvement of citizens in governance,” he said.

“We came on board because our party structures do not exist or function in a manner prescribed by our party’s constitution. It does not protect the interests of our members, and one of our key goals is to help reestablish party structure at all levels.”

He said that the APC Akida was neither a faction nor an alternative party structure.

Maiyashi said that the group was committed to seeing that the APC-led government in the state worked successfully for the people.

He called on the national leadership of the party to fulfill its promise to reconstruct the party at all levels in Kaduna State.

He urged Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i of Kaduna State to lead with a sense of commitment.