The latest ranking of billionaires released yesterday by Forbes Magazine showed that Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has dropped down to 26th position from the 23rd position he occupied since March this year. The business magnate, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, with substantial interests in sugar, flour, cement and now oil, also had his real time net worth reduced to $23.7bn from $25bn, according to the Forbes ranking. Other Nigerians on the billionaires list are Globacom’s Mike Adenuga, BUA Group’s Abdulsalam Rabiu and fashion designer turned oil tycoon, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija.
Author: Wale Adebayo
Former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd), who is recuperating in Germany after undergoing surgery for back pains, yesterday promised to return home soon. He spoke with reporters in a telephone conversation facilitated by former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, when the latter paid the traditional Sallah homage to Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu in Minna, the state capital. Gen. Babangida has been in Germany since September 6 and there were rumors his condition had deteriorated. Shortly after exchanging pleasantries with the governor, Gen. Abubakar put a call through to Gen. Babangida with the phone on speaker…
The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) advocacy group will hold a rally in Abuja next Tuesday to commemorate Day 180 or six months of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls. 219 girls are still being held in captivity by Boko Haram insurgents who abducted them from their school in Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014. The BBOG has been drawing global attention to the schoolgirls’ plight and reminding the Nigerian government of the need to ensure that the girls are returned safe so that they can reunite with their parents. Speaking during its normal sit-out protest in Abuja yesterday, one of the…
The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, will next week Friday be conferred with the 2014 Outstanding African Leadership Award by Voice Magazine in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This was contained in a letter by the Magazine to the Bishop, which was made available to reporters in Kaduna on Tuesday. Already, the cleric is understood to have accepted the award, promising to continue to do his best to the glory of God and humanity. The selection committee in the letter, signed by Pastor Elvis Iruh, who chairs the committee, said, “On behalf of The Voice Magazine…
I must admit that I was as stunned as you currently are right now when I first came across this report. If you were a ardent follower of the yearly ‘Maltina Dance All’ TVshow, then you would have witnessed the grand finale, the culmination of weeks of suspense, drama and excitement saw the Utere family from Port-Harcourt, Rivers State crowned winners of the show’s 2014 edition. The Uteres went home with N10 million after securing the largest number of votes in the keenly-contested competition. Apart from the grand prize of N10 million, the Utere family also earned the title of Nigeria’s number one dance…
Wow, making that much money without even breaking a sweat is truly astonishing. The gifted singer — Adele has not released an album since 2011 but she still earns £80,000 a day. Her last album, 21 came out in 2011, has earned £54 million in the last 22 months, up to December 31, 2013 through her two companies. According to accounts details released yesterday, The Sun on Sunday newspaper reports the Melted Stone made £30.m million over 14 months up to April 2013, with a further £8 million coming in over the rest of the year. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old star paid herself a £5.2…
Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu has been adopted as the consensus candidate to contest the Ebonyi State governorship election. In the coming election. In view of this, two governorship aspirants of the Peolples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have dropped their ambitions to support the adoption of Chukwu, by the state’s political stakeholders. The aspirants, Chief Sam Agom-Eze, a former banker and Mr Ben Akpa, a former commissioner, all from the southern zone like Chukwu, said after a meeting with Gov. Martin Elechi on Tuesday, that they dropped their ambitions in the interest of the state’s development. “Even…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State chapter, said on Tuesday that it would not change its ‘no zoning’ stance on the plans of the party to pick its governorship candidate for the 2015 election. The State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, insisted that the party had decided to make its governorship primary election an all comers affair for qualified aspirants, irrespective of the person’s ethnic nationality, local government area or senatorial district. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Jerry Needam, Obuah noted that the decision to avoid zoning of the governorship position was…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says its attention has been drawn to a statement by the All Progressives Congress, APC, wherein the opposition party again embarrassed itself on issues regarding the genuine efforts by the Federal Government to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the country. The ruling party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Tuesday, said it was solidly behind President Goodluck Jonathan in the steps he is taking to ensure the safety of Nigerians and defend the nation’s sovereignty, especially in the wake of what it called APC’s “connivance with foreign…
A former senator, Gbemisola Saraki, has signified her interest to vie for the Kwara State governorship election in February 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. She disclosed this in a letter to the state chairman of the party and its Elders Committee, saying she decided to contest after state-wide consultations, which she said took her several months. Not particularly a newcomer to governorship elections, Ms. Saraki took a shot at the Kwara Government House in 2011 on the platform of the relatively unknown Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, with the blessing of her late father…
Mr Linus Udofia, the chairman, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), in Akwa Ibom, on Tuesday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Announcing his decision in Ibiaku, headquarters of Uruan ward, Udofia said he took the decision after due consultations with his supporters and members of his family and to make himself relevant in the politics of the state. He said: “I am coming back to the PDP to contribute my quota to rebuilding the party, particularly in my Northern Uruan Ward 2 of Akwa Ibom State. “My ward has been neglected for too long because of my being…
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ekiti State Chapter has directed its members not to comply with the government’s October 8 resumption date for the new school year in the state. “How can we go back to work when we are being cheated? We cannot pretend that all is well when teachers are dying in silence,” said Samuel Akosile, chairman of the union, while speaking to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti. “As we speak now, teachers have not received August and September salaries as well as the deductions in July salary. “But to our surprise, local government workers have been paid up…
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri, has said the Federal Government’s priority is to rescue all Nigerians that are in the captivity of Boko Haram insurgents. In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Omeri, who coordinates the National Information Centre, NIC, said the insurgents could never win the war against Nigeria and urged them to surrender as some of their comrades had done. The statement reads: “The NIC appeals to sponsors and agents of insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria to see the wisdom of abandoning its fight against our people by…
The Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, has denied media reports that he declared his principal, recuperating Governor Danbaba Suntai missing. Yesterday, we reported that while speaking with journalists in Jalingo, the state capital, to commemorate the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Garba had said his boss was missing since his hurried return from the UK where he was undergoing treatment by a cabal last month, in order to stall his purported removal from office as a result of his mental state of health. But the acting governor denied the statement credited to him, saying he only told journalists that he…
The Ekiti Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Tuesday called on its members not to resume for the new academic session on Wednesday as directed by the state government. The state chairman of the union, Mr Samuel Akosile, told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti that asking teachers to resume for the session with empty stomach was like attempting suicide. Gov. Kayode Fayemi, on Monday announced that public and private primary and secondary schools across the state should resume on Wednesday for the 2014/2015 academic session. The announcement came after weeks of fears of outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease and…
Dr Peter Obi has decamped from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and has declared for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This came following a motion moved by PDP caucus leaders from the South East zone who visited GRA area residence in Onitsha, yesterday, to convince him to join the party. Former National Chairman of PDP, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo moved the motion and was seconded by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Nyesom Wike, was suggested by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. Nwodo, who moved the motion said, “we are here to…
The “ponmo debate” is set to continue in Nigeria as a scientist has warned that consumption of animal hides and skin can be injurious to health. Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), Zaria Dr Isuwa Adamu gave the warning in Abuja on Tuesday, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) “…It is not advisable for you to consume ponmo in the sense that some of the animals killed and used for ponmo actually have skin diseases,” said Adamu. “Some of these skin diseases are such that boiling them ordinarily, may not kill the…
Ayodele Fayose has described the comment of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) that some people plan to relocate from Ekiti State after the inauguration of the governor-elect. Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi on Tuesday described the claim by the lawyer as baseless and out of place, adding that the APC leaders are the trouble makers. “Those causing trouble in the state in the last two weeks are leaders of the All Progressives Congress and their thugs. If people like Jaruu and Apase, who have murder cases hanging on their necks, are leaving…
Although the choir involved wasn’t a choir from Nigeria, this is still good news for Nigerians as its head pastor is Nigerian. Redeemed Christian Church of God’s Living Faith Connections Choir UK has been nominated for the Best African Gospel Music category at this year’s edition of MOBO (Music of Black Origin) award. Having released their debut album in 2013 titled Beyond The Norm, collaborating with award-winning songwriter, Evans Ogboi, the Living Faith Connections Choir is up for the prestigious award. In the category in which the choir has been nominated, they will compete with four other gospel artistes – Annastasia Baker, J. Vessel, Kristyna Myles and Noel Robinson.…
Fans of superstar singer — Waje were thrown at the edge of their seats with wedding rumors as the female singer Waje went all Biblical, spiritual and proverbial on social media as she shared a picture of a Bible verse with the caption below: ‘Man and woman were made of the same material. Adam says, ‘She is bone of my bone.’ When you find a person with whom you are compatible, there is a bonding that consummates marriage that has nothing to do with s*x. I also understand how you could feel this person to be the only choice in…