₦airaland Forum

An explosion from a tanker loaded with petroleum product rocked Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, Monday night, resulting in fire that destroyed 26 trucks.


There were also indications that the scene of the fire incident was an illegal fuel depot.

It was gathered that petroleum products were being trans-loaded into trucks at the depot located at C40, Alakuso Avenue, when the explosion occurred.

Efforts by staff of the undisclosed company to contain the fire failed. It took the intervention of the Lagos State Fire Service to put out the fire.

The affected vehicles include 24 fuel tankers, a caterpillar and one 505 car owned by Interland Transport Company.

A staff of a transport company close to the area, who gave his name as Chionye Nwabueze, told Vanguard: “At 9.35p.m., a deafening sound jolted everyone, causing us to run in different directions for safety because we thought it was a bomb.

“Unimaginable damage would have been done if the fire was not brought under control because there were over 50 fuel tankers within and around the premises when the explosion occurred.”

Confirming the incident, Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, said three fire trucks contained the fire, adding that his office was not informed that there was a fuel depot in the area.

He said: “Fire Service ought to be in the know of such a fuel depot in the event of cases such as this. But we were not aware of a fuel depot there.
“However, we were able to save the administrative block and some other fully-laden tankers from being consumed by the fire.”

He disclosed that the incident was the 50th distress call received that same day. At press time the company was under lock and key.

Meanwhile, another fire outbreak occurred at Odo Iya Alaro area of Maryland, Lagos, after a truck loaded with 33,000 litres of petroleum product spilled its content on the ground.

Men of the Lagos State Fire service reportedly contained the situation.
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/national-news/item/2046-26-vehicles-destroyed-in-lagos-tanker-fire

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Monday reassured Nigerians that the country's Armed Forces and security agencies will sustain and intensify ongoing operations against insurgents in the country’s north-eastern states to achieve significantly improved security there ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Speaking at an audience with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti, President Jonathan said that Nigeria will also continue to work with neighbouring countries for the effective implementation of the regional security arrangements which were recently concluded to enhance multilateral cooperation against extremism, terrorism, insurgency and other cross-border crimes.

The President told the Israeli Ambassador that the Federal Government was actively and progressively enhancing the ability of Nigeria’s Armed Forces and security agencies to deal decisively with terrorists and insurgents.

The Israeli ambassador conveyed the condolences of the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu to President Jonathan and the people of Nigeria on the loss of lives in recent terrorist attacks.

He thanked President Jonathan for his recent visits to Israel.
Source: .com.ng

The military announced, yesterday, it is now in full control of Mubi, Gombi, Maiha and Hong local government areas of Adamawa State earlier captured by the Boko Haram insurgents mid last month.

The announcement came on a day President Goodluck Jonathan commended the nation’s armed forces for their courage and sacrifices in the war against insurgency in parts of the country even as he assured that the Federal Government was working hard to improve security in the North-East ahead next year’s elections.

On the recaptured council areas on Adamawa, an army officer (who did not want his name in print) who conducted newsmen round the council areas weekend said the troops in collaboration with other security agencies chased out the insurgents.

The officer said the tour with the journalists was necessary to debunk insinuation that the insurgents were still in the areas and more importantly to assure residents of the affected areas that their places were safe, well protected and fortified for them to return to their homes.

Residents express relief

Vanguard observed that life was gradually returning to normal in the local government areas as people were returning home.
But, most of the roads and streets in these areas were still deserted as pockets of people gathered in front of their homes apparently scared of the advancing military vehicles thinking they belonged to the insurgents.

In Mubi town, which is the commercial nerve centre and second largest town in the state that was renamed “Madinatul Islam” by the insurgents moments after it was captured, businesses had resumed in the markets.

Apart from the markets, the town itself was like a ghost city as government and private business places remained under lock and key even as all the commercial banks in the town were either burnt down or destroyed by the insurgents with Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs.

Some of the residents of Mubi, who spoke to Vanguard described what they went through as a story that cannot be recounted.

Malam Isah Ali said: “I thank God for keeping me alive to tell this story, though we lost all our property to the Boko Haram insurgents. My shop and house were locked, we had to move to the mountains in the border with Cameroon to hide for weeks.

“The Nigerian Army tried by recapturing this town as I never thought of coming back soon.”

FG working hard to improve security in N-East— Jonathan
Meanwhile, President Jonathan has said that the armed forces and security agencies will sustain and intensify ongoing operations against insurgents in the country’s north-eastern states to achieve significantly improved security there ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Speaking at an audience with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti, Jonathan said Nigeria will continue to work with neighbouring countries for the effective implementation of the regional security arrangements which were recently concluded to enhance multilateral cooperation against extremism, terrorism, insurgency and other cross-border crimes.

The President told the Israeli Ambassador that the Federal Government was actively and progressively enhancing the ability of Armed Forces and security agencies to deal decisively with terrorists and insurgents.

Jonathan lauds Armed Forces
The President also paid glowing tributes to men and women of the nation’s Armed Forces for their courage and sacrifices in the war against insurgency in parts of the country.

He spoke while launching the emblem and appeal fund for the 2015 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan restated the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare of military veterans and families of the nation’s fallen heroes.
He said: “We salute and appreciate the courage and sacrifices of men and women of our armed forces in grappling with the wave of terrorism in some parts of our dear country.

“They have displayed unalloyed loyalty and commitment to Nigeria. In their demanding task to keep Nigeria one and united, some of our gallant officers and men have lost their lives.

“To these officers and men we pay tribute and pray fervently for the repose of their souls.”
Source: .com.ng

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It is no longer news that top actress Ini Edo’s marriage to Philips Ehiagwina has collapsed. So much has been written mostly by writers relying on third party sources as to why the marriage failed.


The widely speculated reason has been the issue of infidelity that the husband alleged.
But was that the main reason the couple went their separate ways? According to a source close to the couple and was there when the romance started in 2008, and remained close to the now divorced couple, the media has been scratching the surface of what indeed was a story of irreconciliable differences the actress endured for over six years of her marriage to her estranged husband; and why she gave her all to sustain the marriage. It is a story as told by an insider who knew the couple way back from New York, where Philips once lived, before moving to Texas, then to Atlanta and now Ghana.
“I think Ini Edo was badly in love. Philips was a charmer and, as a human being and deeply in love, she followed her heart. It is so sad that a woman blessed with such a good heart could be treated in such a hurtful manner. Most people may not know, but Ini Edo is a dedicated and totally committed spouse any man could hope to have. That’s why she endured all she did, for six years without letting the world know the pain she was going through in her marriage,” the source stated. “Most people do not know that Ini Edo gave up a lot of acting jobs to be with her husband in America and, unlike the widely peddled story that the actress was involved in romantic relationships with other men, for the six years that Ini was married to Philips, she never cheated on him. Ini Edo adored and loved Philips; she was very fond of him, cooked his meals personally, and was practically splitting her time between two continents, all in her efforts to be a good wife.
“ There is no doubt that Ini was madly in love with her ex-husband. In a 2009 interview she had with my newspaper, The Diasporan Star in New York, she effusively declared her fidelity to Phillips and debunked all the stories of her liaisons with other men. “I am usually at a loss when I read stories about my sexual relationships with phantom figures and personalities. It is really astonishing when people just manufacture stories, give them legs and let them fly when they know the stories are absolutely false,” she had said.
“It is perfectly legitimate for men to have designs and desires on stars. I was recently voted by the public as Nollywood’s Sexiest Actress. So it comes with the territory that men would want to date me. The question then becomes: do you fall prey to every man that comes your way? The answer is absolutely “no”. I was raised well by my parents and I have always been a one-man lady. All the sexual shenanigans that the media have associated me with are all false. The problem with our journalists is that if they saw you at a coffee shop with a man – just any man – even if that man is your cousin or brother, they will automatically assume that that is your new lover, and without asking questions, will rush to publish that you were seen at a coffee shop with a new lover.
“I have lost count of the number of such innocent outings with family members, friends that the media misconstrued that I was dating. What the media failed to understand was that I had not allowed stardom and celebrity to becloud my values. What they did not realize was that I wanted to be married, and start a family, and that the notion that I was some kind of a sexually crazed hormone raging young woman, was totally false and a bad reading of who I am.
“Did I have friends in the past? Of course, just like any other young and single woman out there, I had friends. Did that make me an out-of control sexual goddess? Absolutely not! It has been very painful for me each time I read all the stories written about me, stuffs that are patently false. I have, however, come to accept it as part of the price you pay for stardom. I just wished they could do a little investigation before rushing to publish.
“One story that pained me a lot is the notion that I snatched Philips from his ex-wife – Ruth Okoro – while she was recuperating from cancer treatment. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ex-wife said I was callous and mean-spirited to have done so. Initially, I had wanted to ignore what she had said about me. But I would like to use this medium to state that I did not take Philips from Ruth Okoro.
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/entertainment-news/item/1947-shocking-revelation-true-story-behind-ini-edo-s-crashed-marriage

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For ladies, the age of 30 is always a scary one. It is the age at which one is expected to get married, but at 40? That is seen as a point of no return. Single ladies at 40 would most likely have given up or would have gone ahead to have babies out of wedlock. This is not a hard and fast rule but it is now very common in our society. Marriage is held in high regard in most African societies and there is always constant pressure especially on the ladies to get married. Many believe there is something wrong with a woman when she is not married at the age of 40. It is either she is too proud to submit to a man, or she lacks other qualities that will attract a man to her.

There are, however, ladies who get married after the age of 40 and still have successful marriages. There are also ladies who are 40 and yet do not care about their marital status. Some actresses in Nollywood are in this last two categories. They seem not to care about what the society thinks about their marital status.

Some of them still continue to seek love, while some have been accused of sleeping around, hence they can’t find a man to call their husband. A Nollywood pundit likened such actresses to a market woman who displays stale goods. When the goods were still fresh, they were advertising it to the wrong set of customers who only played with it but dropped the goods at the end of the day. Now that the goods are stale, they are looking for the right buyer.

Here are some Nollywood spinsters who are over 40 years, and what they think of their situation.

Franca Brown

Franca Brown is one of the first female superstar actresses. She became popular after starring inSerpent in Paradise and Women at Large. Despite her popularity and very beautiful face, she is one of the single ladies in Nollywood. She is almost 45 years. In a recent chat, she said that she is still searching for Mr. Right. She said: “I believe in marriage. I was born into a home; I have a father and a mother. But marriage has not come my way, and I don’t think it’s yet a challenge to me. When it comes my way, it comes.” The good thing is that Franca already has a daughter.

Bimbo Akintola

The issue of marriage has always re-echoed in many of Bimbo Akintola’s interviews. This is because she is already 43. She, however, always has an I-don’t-care attitude about marriage. According to her, she is not desperate to have a husband. In fact, she once said that she does not need one.

“I’m not searching for a husband because the rumour that I’m searching for a husband has given mewahala; all kinds of people from right, left and centre, looking for me, saying they want to marry me. Please, I’m using this opportunity to tell everybody, I am not looking for a husband,” she once said in an interview.

Rita Dominic

Looking at her fresh face and her petite stature, one could mistake Rita Dominic for a young woman, but she is not. In fact, she is over 40. The beautiful actress has carved a niche for herself in the industry. She now even produces her own films. Her movie, The Meeting, is a blockbuster. Sadly, with all the successes and awards she has bagged, she is yet to get a man to take her to the altar. One good thing about her is that unlike some of her colleagues, she is not reported to be sleeping around. The only relationship tale about her rumoured dating of fellow actor, Jim Iyke.

Ada Ameh

Ada is one of the pretty actresses who are not showing off their skin. In fact, she is so well cultured and self-conscious that you won’t see her flaunting her cleavages. She dresses appropriately to match her good-girl image. Unfortunately, at 40, Ada is still very single although she has a grown-up daughter who she had at 14.

Some also give her reason for her inability to get a husband, but she believes otherwise. According to her, “some men love them big. If you throw your left arm, you will touch flesh; you throw the other arm you will touch flesh. The impression that actresses hardly get married or stay in marriages is wrong. Maybe you will qualify me as a late starter in marriage. The most important thing is that I will get married someday.”

Genevieve Nnaji

She is probably the most popular name in Nollywood. She has been there. In fact, she is the most endorsed female actress around. Everyone knows that she is still single despite the fact that she has children. At a time, there were rumours that she was in an affair with the Koko master himself, D’banj.

The actress had been very open about her single status. She had many times admitted that she was scared of what some of her colleagues are going through. She does not want to get married and divorce immediately. “If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying married is not an easy thing,” she had said.

Benita Nzeribe

Some of these unmarried actresses are actually desperate to get a man. Some are even ready to drop their standards just to become married. Benita Nzeribe is a fine actress whose works have won her awards. When it comes to marriage though, she has not been lucky. She in a recent interview said that she is ready to marry a wheelbarrow pusher if need be.

“If I have to say the truth, marriage is not all about money or the little things of life. We should marry for real love. That is why I see myself as being able to marry whoever I am in love with, no matter his status in life. That is to say, even if the guy is a wheelbarrow pusher, I would marry him so long as my heart is with him,” she said.

Nkiru Silvanus

Also single is the hot actress, Nkiru Silvanus. After her advanced age, she is ready to share a man if need be. She said this on a programme on Channels TV recently. She said: “I’ve said it before that if ladies don’t stop this nonsense they call ‘one-man-one-wife’, many of them will get to 40 and still remain single. If the situation and the person are right, I would go for it (marry a married man).

Chinyere Nwabueze

There are other actresses who are at the verge of marriage but had remained on the spot for a long time. That is the lot of Abia State-born actress, Chinyere Nwabueze. She has been engaged since 2009 but hasn’t walked down the aisle till now. A close source, however, said there is something big coming up for her soon. We pray it is the wedding bells
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/entertainment-news/item/1940-nollywood-actresses-still-single-at-40-but-not-searching

It was a shocking surprise for many to see Governor Fayose of Ekiti State and his precedessor, Kayode Fayemi, on Saturday shaking hands in public. This incident took place at the 60th birthday of Segun Oni which held at the Methodist Church, Ifaki, Ekiti.

Both men carried on as if they were best of friends sitting together throughout the event, smiling and exchanging pleasantries during the ceremony.

At the event, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun, on Saturday alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party governments under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’ Adua, and President Jonathan expended over $28bn on power without achieving any result.

Odigie-Oyegun also said 2015 was God’s appointed time for the opposition party to take over from the PDP.

He and the Deputy National Chairman, South, Segun Oni, spoke during the event.

Oyegun, who restated that the PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan had brought untold hardship on Nigerians said despite spending $28bn, the government had failed to improve power supply.

He said, “APC is a party whose time has come. APC is a party with welfarist and people-oriented programmes.

“We won’t steal your money. Public money must be used for the benefit of the people. The level of corruption that exists today will cease when APC gains power.

“We would protect our citizens. The life of every Nigerian is worthy to preserve. Whatever that will take us to end insurgency, we are going to do it.

Oni thanked Governor Ayodele Fayose for restoring his privileges as a former governor of the state, describing him as a brother.

He debunked insinuations that there was political motive behind the gesture.

Buttressing the position canvassed by Oyegun, Oni said, “It is very clear anywhere in Niigeria that the APC is the government in waiting. The APC would win hands down. I believe this is the ordination of God.”
Source: .com.ng

LAGOS State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has denied reports that it has adopted Dr. Leke Pitan as its candidate for the 2015 governorship election in the state.


A statement by CAN’s media consultant, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, explained that “the exercise that took place at the Dr. Akinola Maja Memorial Gospel Baptist Church was simply a forum to interact with all those who have shown interest in the exalted office hence the letter of invitation written to them to formally invite them to the event.”

The cleric said “the programme was put together by the foremost Christian body to create a platform for the aspirants to outline their vision and mission to Christians in the state.

“As stakeholders in the socio-political space, Christians deserve to know their leaders before they are chosen and it was in this spirit that they were all invited. It would be unfair for anybody to conclude that the purpose of the gathering was to endorse or adopt anyone of them as our candidate,” the statement added.

Continuing, the media consultant maintained that “It is possible that such conclusions were arrived at because of the public outcry within the Christian community in the state that we want a Christian governor come 2015. However, it is untrue that any of the aspirants was endorsed at the forum.”

According to Daramola, if the motivation was to endorse any aspirant, all of them would not have been formally invited in the first place.
Source: .com.ng

good

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, was on Saturday declared the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2015 elections.
The Chairman, Katsina Primaries Elections Committee, Adesina Aderibigbe, who announced the result in Katsina, said Mr. Masari scored 2,470 votes to defeat his rivals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 5,266 delegates from the 34 local government areas were screened for the gubernatorial primary election in the state.
Mr. Aderibigbe said Kanti Bello, a former senator, polled 1,327 votes; Sada Ilu scored 468 votes; and Abdulaziz Yar’adua, a retired colonel, and late President Umar Yar’adua younger brother, had 243 votes.
He said that the election was free, fair and credible, adding that it was conducted in accordance with the party’s rule and regulation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election was conducted under tight security. (NAN)
Source: .com.ng

Strong indications have emerged that the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Banabas Gemade has made up his mind to decamp to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, to realize his re-election bid in the Senate.

Already Senator Gemade who represents Benue North East Senatorial District has tendered a letter of withdrawal from the PDP’s senatorial primaries expected to hold tomorrow as a result of the alleged hijack of the process by the State Governor, Gabriel Suswan.
Gemade
Gemade
A close ally of the erstwhile National Chairman of the PDP who spoke to Saturday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity hinted that Senator Gemade may likely pick the APC form on Monday to contest the senatorial election in the area.

The source further stated that Gemade who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning will join forces with the former governor of the state and Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume to ensure that APC captures the state in 2015 general elections.
The source claimed that Senator Gemade decided to leave the PDP because the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP, turned down the list of his (Gemade) delegates and recognized the governor’s list which he claimed were allegedly written in the comfort of his Anyiim, Logo country home, Benue State.

It will be recalled that Senator Akume was allegedly pushed out of the PDP and he joined the opposition party to win his election in 2011 and has become a Chieftain of the APC and Minority Leader in the senate.

Senator Gemade in his withdrawal letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu dated December 2nd, 2014, with the title “PDP primary elections for Senate 2015-withdrawal”, complained about lack of transparency and level playing field in the way and manner the party’s primary election is being conducted.

He lamented over his alleged forceful withdrawal from the PDP senatorial primaries, saying that he had realised that things had degenerated to the level that no one should expect a level playing field or even any democratic action in the party’s affairs.

He said that as a founding member of the PDP in 1998 and indeed the leader of the Conveners in Benue State, he was pained by the undemocratic developments in the party where the party structure was surrendered to the state government.

Senator Gemade noted, with dismay, that there was no room for an honest and law abiding member of PDP in having a fair chance in any contest in the forthcoming primary elections as anyone who was capable of manipulating the process, albeit illegally, was free to do so, and will be protected.

The letter for his withdrawal read in part: “I am constrained to write you for the fourth time in two months on the subject matter of the happenings in the PDP in my state as they affect me and our teeming members who have toiled over the years to give victory to our party for four consecutive general elections.

“As a founding member of this party in 1998 and indeed the leader of the Conveners in Benue State, I am pained by these developments and I want to put on record my feelings even if there is no result arising from it.

“At least, the history of my service as convener, member national steering committee, member Executive Committee (NEC), member National Working Committee (NWC), member Board of Trustees (BOT), National Chairman and Chairman National Caucus should count.
“I have come to realise that things have got to a point where one cannot expect a level playing ground or even any democratic action in our affairs in the party.
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/political-news/item/1931-ex-pdp-national-chairman-gemade-decamps-to-apc

Heavy fighting was reported early Thursday morning between security forces and unknown gunmen suspected to be the dreaded Boko haram insurgents at Bajoga Headquarters of Funakaye local Government in Gombe.


Sources said fighting started at about 5-6am just as Muslim worshipers were departing from morning prayers.
Gunshots are still being heard by residents who are trapped in their homes.
Source: .com.ng

Source: .com.ng

The Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, on Tuesday denied his involvement in the attacks on the crew of Channels Television.

Sulaiman condemned the attack on the journalists at Yebumot Hotel, Ilorin, by thugs during last Saturday’s state House of Assembly’s congress of the Peoples Democratic Party.
In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulrauf, the minister, who is also the Deputy Chairman, National Planning
Commission, stated that it was shocking that the Kwara State Chapter of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties could claim that he was the mastermind of the attack.

According to him, the attackers were not and could not have been members of the PDP in the first instance.

Abdulrauf said, “As a gentleman and a media friendly person, Sulaiman will never and can never mobilise thugs for whatever reason to unleash mayhem on working journalists, but even the state because, unlike some people, who do not have any stake in the Kwara project, the minister does as true-born Kwaran.

“That show of shame is not in our character in PDP and it is common knowledge that the sponsors of the thuggery are those who have become jittery over the rising popularity of PDP in the state.

“We are not surprised at the antics of the ruling party in the state, which is ready to stop at nothing to destroy the image of the
minister, who in recent time, has been outspoken on the need to get the state out of the bondage it presently finds itself.”

No fewer than 760 orphans living in various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Yola, Adamawa State capital, and its environs are to become beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme to be offered by wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Amina Sambo.

Hajiya Sambo disclosed this in Yola while presenting relief materials worth millions of naira to the National Emergency Agency (NEMA) under I-CARE Women and Youth Initiative for the affected persons at the Bajabure IDP Camp in Yola.
The Vice President wife said the scholarship programme would go a long way in assisting the orphans who lost their parents to the insurgent attacks.

According to her, “The I-CARE Women and Youth Initiative in collaboration with the Federal Government are going to grant educational scholarship to about 760 registered orphans who lost their parents to the insurgency attacks and now living in various camps in Yola”.

She said government was making everything possible to restrain the insurgents and other related criminal activities to enable the citizens live in peace and harmony.

She explained that the assistance was not meant to compensate what they lost, but to put at least a relief on their faces.

Hajiya Sambo assured that very soon all the IDPs would go back to their respective homes and towns as government was now in control of the situation.

Receiving the relief materials on behalf of the IDPs, NEMA Director General, Alhaji Sani Sidi, thanked Hajiya Sambo for the support and appealed to other well meaning Nigerians to emulate the gesture.

Sidi, who was represented by the North East Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Muhammadu Kanar, said some IDPs have started going back to their respective homes and towns following the successful regaining of some local government areas by security operatives.

He said the agency was working hand in hand with several organizations in managing the affairs of the IDPs and the camps.
Source: .com.ng

congrats, 5 years is a freaking long time to wait, congrats again






[PHOTOS] Lil Wayne Gifts His 16-Year Old Daughter A Ferrari, BMW On Her Birthday
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/entertainment-news/item/1811-photos-lil-wayne-gifts-his-16-year-old-daughter-a-ferrari-bmw-on-her-birthday

Source: .com.ng

CATHOLIC Pontiff, Pope Francis has condemned the deadly attacks that occurred at the Emir of Kano's Central mosque in Kano, which claimed about 200 lives, describing it as an "extremely serious sin against God."

Pope Francis made the comments yesterday, the final day of his trip to Turkey.

Apart from those killed, about 135 people were wounded when two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire during weekly prayers on Friday at the Grand Mosque in Kano.
Pope Francis on Sunday joined forces with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew I to make a rare joint pledge of support for the embattled Christians of the Middle East. On the final day of his first visit to Turkey, Francis also urged an end to the millennium-old schism between the Orthodox and Catholic churches and said this was all the more urgent due to the violence against Christians by Islamic State (IS) extremists. AFP PHOTO

In a meeting with Turkish political and religious officials, at the start of his second trip to the Middle East this year, the Pope further urged Muslim leaders to condemn the "barbaric violence" being committed in Islam's name against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

The Pope's comment is coming two days after the attack in Kano, which was also condemned by President Goodluck Jonathan, who has ordered full-scale investigation into the attack, emphasising his administration's commitment to ending the incessant attacks which the Red Cross says had displaced more than 400,000 persons.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Boko Haram sect is the prime suspect, as the group had carried out similar attacks in the past.

In like manner, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who condemned the attacks urged Christians and Muslims to join forces to defeat the terrorists.

No fewer than a dozen persons have been reported dead Saturday night when members of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram invaded Shani, a Borno town 260 kilometers from Maiduguri the state capital in a fresh attack.

According to Thisday, some fleeing members of the town who spoke to journalists on phone said over 30 armed Boko Haram fighters on motorcycles stormed Shani in the southern part of the troubled state on Saturday night.
Shani is about 260 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and shares borders with some communities in equally troubled Adamawa state.

One of the fleeing residents, Elijah Ibrahim said: "The terrorists came at about 8pm and started shooting at everything in sight. The gunshots were deafening and kept approaching my house that I had to run into the bush with my grow up children."

He said: "I had to however leave my wife and my little children with her believing they would do them no harm, I slept in the bush with two grown ones and without going back into the town proceeded to Biu this morning."

Ibrahim claimed that the insurgents put fire on houses to force residents out and that it has been difficult getting his wife and children he left behind in Shani since Saturday night.

A military source in Biu confirmed the attack, adding that the insurgents burnt down a police station and other public buildings.

Source: e reporter.com.ng

Source: .com.ng


The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has rejected the alleged consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, describing the action of the incumbent governor, Rotimi Amaechi as 'disappointingly appalling.'

MOSOP said the endorsement negates the present Ogoni campaign for political justice requiring political parties to field Ogoni candidates.
Speaking from Geneva, Switzerland, where he had led the Ogoni delegation to the Federal Government-UNEP-Ogoni meeting, the president of MOSOP, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, said, “We condemn in strong terms this disappointedly appalling action of the APC reportedly influenced by the leader of the party in the state, the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. The process, besides being a sham, has rubbished the party’s trumpeted respect and commitment to internal democracy and it demonstrably smacks of the highest level of impunity.

“We are aware that the motto of the APC includes justice and equity. We do not see how this action of the party, which is not in sync with transparency, accountability, fairness and justice, promotes its motto aforesaid and declared commitment to internal democracy. We consider this action of the party and its leader as an expression of rejection, display of hatred and humiliation of the Ogoni ethnic nationality”.

“MOSOP is aware that on several occasions, including meetings with Ogoni leaders at Government House, Port Harcourt, His Excellency, Governor Amaechi had excused the press from the meeting and promised that in view of the community’s acknowledged political marginalisation, enormous contributions and sacrifices, he would ensure equity and justice is done to the Ogoni people by handing over to an Ogoni come 2015.

“We therefore call on the party to reverse this position in the interest of justice, fairness and equity”.

Meanwhile, an Ogoni General Congress planned under the auspices of MOSOP has been scheduled to hold on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at Bori-Ogoni. The meeting would review the present situation and resolve on the next course of action.

Get tested today For as low as 1000 naira or even free in some clinics, But 5% is too high ooo the state govt should endeavor to carry out more awareness campaigns.








5 wrong ways people use a condom
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/more-news/life-style-news/item/1744-5-wrong-ways-people-use-a-condom

Source: .com.ng


All Plans have been completed to ensure the emergence of the presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and his running mate for the 2015 presidential election, on Thursday December 11.

Founding National Chairman of the UPP, Chekwas Okorie, made this disclosure at the weekend in an interview with the Sunday Independent.

Okorie stated that whoever the presidential candidate of the UPP would be of Igbo extraction, in line with the position of the party to zone the 2015 presidential slot to the South-East geo-political zone.

The UPP boss also said that all aspirants to various elective political offices on the platform of the party would be given a level field.

Okorie said: “I want to tell you that on December 11, the UPP presidential candidate will emerge after our National Convention in Aba, Abia State. The running mate to our presidential candidate will also be named that day.

“We have some aspirants who are contending for the presidential ticket of the party and one of them will certainly emerge. The candidate must come from the South-East, where our party has zoned the presidential slot.

“The UPP, as a credible, progressive political organisation, is not considering any form of merger with any political party. As a matter of party policy, we do not believe in pre-election merger.

“ The UPP is going to the 2015 election to test its strength first. We are popular enough to stand our ground. But after the election, if there is need for us to consider any form of alliance or merger with any political party of like minds, the UPP will not hesitate to consider such arrangement. All over the world now, mergers and alliances by political parties is the in-thing, especially in advanced democracies,” Okorie said.

The UPP is the third political party so far, after the People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, out of the 28 registered political parties in country, to consider fielding a presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.

A middle-aged woman, Hafsat Usman, has abandoned her one-year old son in a hotel room at Icon Suites (formerly Pinnacle Hotel) in Mararaba, a suburb of Nasarawa State bordering the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The manager of the hotel located on Baba Street, opposite Abacha Road, Mr Uji Omale, who confirmed this to LEADERSHIP Weekend, said the lady who gave her name as Hafsat Usman walked into the hotel with the child at about 5:44pm last Sunday and requested for a single room, but later accepted to check into a two-room suite as that was the one available at the time, with the agreement that she would move into a single room once that is available.

“The woman exhibited some restless behaviour that night, aimlessly moving around but later went to her room. Only for us to discover her key, which she kept on the receptionist’s table while leaving the hotel, as the receptionist was doing something elsewhere within the premises at about 5:30am,” he narrated.

“It was in the process of going to check and tidy up the room that we saw the child; a boy who should be a little above one year old, sleeping on the bed. We waited to see if she would come back until about 11:30am when the director ordered that the police be called and informed about the ugly development and I did so immediately by contacting police at Abacha Road,” he continued.

According to Omale, at the time of checking in, the woman was asked to put down her number on the form given to her to fill, but she said her mobile handset was out of use.

He stated that the police at Abacha Road said they could not handle such a case there and so he took the boy to the Division A Police Station, Mararaba where the boy was kept in custody of the police.
Source: .com.ng

NIA, DMI, DSS, SSS all their duties keep overlapping each order Nigeria doesn't really have a well structured security service

.com.ng

Nigeria's finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala revealed on Thursday that a significant portion of the billions of dollars drained from the oil savings account over the past two years was distributed to powerful governors instead of being saved for a rainy day.

Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, is grappling with financial difficulties owing to a 30 percent fall in the price of oil since June, which has added pressure on the government's already depleted fiscal buffers.
The central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent on Tuesday because it was running out of forex reserves with which to defend the currency.

The Excess Crude Account (ECA) had around $9 billion in December 2012, but it has since fallen to around $4 billion,Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted in a speech to capital market authorities. Most of the falls occurred during a period of record high oil prices, when oil savings are supposed to accrue.

Okonjo-Iweala said some of the money had been needed to cover revenue lost due to outages caused by oil theft and pipeline vandalism, thought to drain hundreds of thousands of barrels a day.

"Some of it (the ECA) was then legitimately used to offset revenue shortfalls arising from quantity shocks and to narrow the fiscal deficit," she said. "But against our advice, significant portions were also used to augment monthly allocations," to local and state authorities.

"States argued that rainy days were already at hand and in fact (the rain) was already pouring, so the money needed to be used right away," Okonjo-Iweala said.

Nigeria's oil revenues are the source of around 80 percent of government spending and are distributed each month to the three tiers of government: federal, state and local.

Money from oil sold over and above the finance ministry's benchmark price is in theory deposited into the ECA, which can later be used to protect against oil price shocks or to plug the deficit.

However, there are disputes about who should control this money, and state governors often argue the central government is hoarding the money and should distribute more to them.

The president, being the country's most powerful person, can usually have the de facto last say on how ECA funds will be distributed.

President Goodluck Jonathan, approved two dispersals of $1 billion last year to state governments.

State governors are some of the country's most powerful people and their support is crucial for winning presidential elections -- President Goodluck Jonathan faces re-election in February 2015.

State governors requested $2 billion from the ECA this month to complete projects and provide security ahead of the February elections.

The request has not yet been approved.

OPEC DECISION ADDS PRESSURE

Demands from local governments for more funds are likely to intensify in the run-up to the election, but the falling oil price means government finances are likely to be squeezed further.

The government has already revised down its assumed oil price for next year's budget to $73 a barrel, from $78 a barrel. But OPEC's decision on Thursday not to cut output has put further pressure on the oil price, potentially worsening Nigeria's problems.

Okonjo-Iweala said on Thursday that government plans to review tax incentives and waivers and plug customs loopholes while also increasing surcharges on luxury goods, should raise 480 billion naira ($2.7 billion) over the next three years.

She also said the government planned to save 160 billion naira by weeding out 60,000 "ghost workers" from the payroll, although she did not give a time frame.

In Nigeria...

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Source: .com.ng

Two weeks to the APC presidential primary, the founder of the Leadership Group Limited and a presidential aspirant on the platform of the party, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah yesterday stormed Osogbo the capital of Osun State, where he held a closed door meeting with the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

A statement by the special assistant to Nda-Isaiah on media, Mr Bashir Ahmed, also disclosed that the meeting was held at Osun State Government House and it lasted more than two hours.
Even though the main centre of the meeting was not made public but it has strong connection with Nda-Isaiah’s presidential ambition.

Nda-Isaiah like other presidential aspirants on the platform of the APC has been on a nationwide consultation drive and visits to get more support from the party leaders and delegates.

The meeting came just after the presidential aspirant paid a similar visit to the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola and the party leaders in the state.

Nda-Isaiah will today meet Osun APC leaders and delegates before his entourage proceed to Ekiti and Ondo states respectively.

Source: .com.ng


President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday appeared before a presidential screening committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Jonathan, who arrived at the party’s secretariat at 3.15 pm, in company with Vice President Namadi Sambo and ministers, went straight to the screening venue.
The exercise lasted for about an hour, with the Ahmadu Ali-led committee discharging the President after the closed screening session.

After the exercise, the President left the secretariat as quietly as he came in.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, who spoke to reporters after the screening, said it was necessary for the President to comply with the processes leading to the primaries and ratification.

According to him, the President was not in anyway disadvantaged before now and that his humility at submitting to party processes spoke volume of his compliance with party supremacy.

Metuh said the result of the screening would be released by the party’s leadership within 24 hours.

The leadership of the PDP has voided the disqualification of its aspirants by the screening appeal committees across the states.

A statement yesterday by the party urged the affected aspirants to disregard the disqualification orders.

Source: .com.ng


A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday ordered the Department of State Security Service DSS to immediately unseal the office and data warehouse of the All Progressive Congress, APC.


Justice Mohammed Nasir Yenusa of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday gave two orders in respect of the case of enforcement of fundamental human rights filed by APC counsel, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Justice Yenusa gave an immediate order against the respondent restraining the DSS from further sealing off the office or taking further steps in connection with the property.

A statement by the party reads: “with regard to the five data entry staff being held in custody by the DSS, the Court ordered the respondents to produce them in court on Friday to explain to the court why they are still being held in custody.

“The court, however, did not give any order regarding the release of the seized equipment, server and computer from the APC data center in Ikeja.”

A combined team of men of the DSS and OP-MESA on Saturday stormed the Bola Ajibola data centre belonging to the APC in the Ikeja area of Lagos and arrested 25 APC data agents and 3 security guards.

Source: .com.ng


Rep. Babatunde Adewale (Lagos-APC) on Wednesday advised President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy more troops to states affected by insurgency.

Adewale said in Abuja that it was not conducive for the house members to discuss the extension of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

According to him, there is a provision in the Armed Forces Act that gives the president power to deploy army to troubled zones.
“The government should allow other arms of government to perform their duties.

“Let him deploy the army to these places and continue the operations pending the time that insurgency will come down.

“All of us have to be patriotic; we have suffered for this democracy and we should nurture it, we should allow it to work,” said Adewale.
He therefore, advised that the army operations should continue until the house resumes.

It will be recalled that Rep. Mohammed Zakari, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, that the House of Representatives had on Nov. 20 rejected the president’s request to extend the emergency rule.

Zakari said that the House resolved that the Federal Government should rely on the provisions of the constitution to deploy military personnel to further combat insurgency in the affected region.

“We have not extended the emergency rule rather, we have asked the president to rely on Section 8 of the Armed Forces Act which empowers him to deploy the military to troubled spots of the country,” he said.