Erstwhile Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau on Thursday said everything must be done to secure lives and property before elections can be conducted in the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, which have been plagued by Boko Haram insurgency. His comment came 24 hours after a joint statement by governors of the three states advised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to borrow a leaf from Afghanistan, which held elections under tight security despite the threat posed by Taliban terrorist group. Shekarau, who spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja,…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The campaign to give People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) or those affected by the virus a sense of belonging in the country got constitutional backing yesterday as the Nigerian Senate passed a Bill to prevent stigmatisation and discrimination against them. The Senate approved a two year jail term or maximum of N1 million fine against any institution or organization that discloses the status if an infected person. The Bill stipulates a N500, 000 fine for any individual, who discloses the status of an infected person, information which he or she may have obtained in confidence. The Chairman of the Senate…
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Albert Sam-Tsokwa, has said only the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is constitutionally empowered to declare vacant the seats of the 37 lawmakers, who defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress. Lending his voice to the heated debate that greeted the ruling of an Abuja Federal High Court, which ruled that the lawmakers’ defection was unconstitutional, Sam-Tsokwa flayed the call by the PDP Governors’ Forum that the affected lawmakers’ seats be declared vacant. He urged the forum to stop making pronouncements capable of…
FROM LEFT: OBARO OF KABBA, OBA MICHEAL OLABAYO; Minister OF WORKS, MR MIKE ONOLEMEMEN; Gov. IDRIS WADA OF KOGI AND CHAIRMAN, SENATE COMMITTEE ON FCT, SEN. SMART ADEYEMI, AT THE INAUGURATION OF REHABILITATION WORK ON EGBE-KABBA Road IN KOGI ON THURSDAY (10/4/14). The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, on Thursday inaugurated the rehabilitation of llorin-Kabba-Obajana Phase II road which links Kwara and Kogi States. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is being executed by the Federal Government at N8.2 billion. Onolememen said the 80-kilometre road contract was awarded at the Federal Executive Meeting on Nov.…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that the federal government overspent by N105.47 billion in January due to decline in its revenue for the month. This development was however due to decline in federally collected revenue which fell by 6.0 percent to N674.7 billion during the month. The CBN disclosed this in its Economic Report for the month of January released on its website yesterday. The report stated, “At N262.88 billion, the estimated Federal Government retained revenue for January 2014 was lower than the receipts in the preceding period by 10.5 percent, but exceeded the receipts in the corresponding…
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola yesterday acknowledged the epileptic power supply that Nigerians have had to face, and therefore appealed to the public to exercise patience in their bid to enjoy dividends of power sector reforms. Fashola, who made the appeal in Lagos at the closing ceremony of the 7th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged: “Ehingbeti,’’ said the privatisation of the power sector will not be successful without the cooperation of investors and consumers. He therefore urged the public to develop energy conservation culture and manage existing power infrastructure adequately. “We should desist from illegal connections of electricity and ensure that…
World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, yesterday, said Nigeria is one of the top five countries that has the largest number of poor. Speaking at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, Kim said Nigeria ranked third in the world while India ranked number one with 33 per cent of the world poor. China is ranked second with 13 per cent of the world’s poor, followed by Nigeria where seven per cent of the world poor live in. He said that Bangladesh has six per cent share of the world’s poor while the Democratic Republic of Congo has five per cent…
The Ogun State Government, yesterday, initiated moves to reconcile victims of the Akute baby-making factory with their families, just as two babies delivered after their mothers were rescued have been named after Governor Ibikunle Amosun. The state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is interfacing with Abia, Imo and Akwa Ibom state governments on how the victims could be re-united with their families. Commissioner in charge of the ministry, Mrs. Elizabeth Sonubi, while speaking with news men at the Stella Obasanjo Children Home, Ibara, Abeokuta said her office had been exchanging correspondences with the Ministries of Women Affairs in…
file:flood in Bauchi No fewer than three people were feared dead in a downpour that destroyed property worth millions of naira and rendered hundreds of people homeless overnight in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that two brothers identified as Basil and Gafal, aged four and three and half respectively, lost their lives while an Abuja-bound bus driver also died in the flood. NAN correspondent who visited the scene of the flood along Ajase-Ipo Road, Ilorin, reports that over 30 vehicles were damaged due to the heavy flood caused by blocked canal. A resident…
A pregnant woman and four other persons were Thursday electrocuted in Lagos after a PHCN high-tension cable fell, causing fire and explosion, reports have said. An eyewitness who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the incident happened around 2.00 a.m. at Oworonshoki, Lagos. The source told NAN that fire broke out when the cable fell on a Toyota Camry car loaded with petroleum products, which brought about an explosion. The victims, according to the source rushed out of their homes when they heard the explosion only to run into the live cable. “As they rushed out,…
Three Nollywood actresses: Mercy Johnson, Uche Jombo and Damilola Adegbite are reportedly pregnant with two of them expecting their first babies. Nollywood star Mercy Johnson is reportedly expecting her second child. The actress is four months pregnant, according to blogger Linda Ikeji. The actress and husband Prince Okojie welcomed their first child, Purity, in December 2012. Next pregnant lady is Uche Jombo. The actress who recently relocated to the US to spend time with her husband Kenny Rodriguez is said to be expecting baby number one, according to Bella Naija. Uche Jombo who tied the knot back in 2012 is…
Music star, turned prophet, Emmanuel Ifechukwu Okose , famously known as Soul E has explained why he dumped secular music for God’s work. In a recent interview, he said God threatened to make him cripple if he fails to do his work and also dismissed the predictions that Nigeria would split by 2015. You started out as a secular singer and now you are a prophet. Do you regret the time you wasted doing secular music? No, the Bible says in all things give thanks. My life is like a story, but I thank God for using me to his…
Big Sean and Naya Rivera won’t be walking down the aisle. The rapper and “Glee” star have called off their wedding. Following rumors of a breakup, Sean’s rep confirmed the news to Us Weekly on Wednesday. “After careful thought and much consideration, Sean has made the difficult decision to call the wedding off,” his rep said in a statement. “The recent rumors and accusations reported by so called or fake sources are simply untrue. Sean wishes Naya nothing but the best and it is still his hope that they can continue to work through their issues privately. We will not…
From all indications, Sony Music is finally making its way back to Nigeria. This info has just been made public by D’banj via his Instagram page. In Banga Lee’s own words, “Welcome to Nigeria… Welcome to Sony Nigeria… DB Records stunting through… finally they are coming back…” He also goes on to say “A good friend and business man berths SONY in Nigeria after a long hiatus… if y’all don’t know Mr Watson now, I’m sure you will soon… #SonyNigeria #DBRecords”. For those who know about the history of Nigerian music, you’d recall that some of the major international record labels…
A child bride forced into marriage in Kano has poisoned her husband and his friends by lacing their food with rat poison, police have said. Fourteen-year-old Wasila Umaru told police she used rat poison in the food because she was forced to marry a man she did not love. The couple was married last week. The 35-year-old groom had invited a dozen friends to celebrate at his village 100km from the north Nigerian city of Kano over the weekend, when he ate the poisoned food with three of his friends. Assistant police superintendent Musa Magaji Majia said that the teenage…
At an exclusive star-studded event on Saturday 5th April 2014, Ndani TV launched Season 2 of its celebrity talk show, “The Juice” at The WheatBaker in Ikoyi, Lagos. Celebrities that were in attendance include Osas Ighodaro, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, Tomi Odunsi, Toke Makinwa, Adebola Williams, Noble Igwe, Sasha P, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, Yomi Black, Vector, Tunde Demuren, Niyola, and others. The event also featured performances by Kcee, Seyi Shay and Yemi Alade. Guests were interviewed live on the red carpet by Onos O & Toyin of Ndani TV; and later on KCee held a dance competition which Toke Makinwa,…
It’s obvious that is has been a great year for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and it continues. The award winning Nigerian author has been shortlisted for Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. On Monday 7th April 2014, it was announced in London that she made the shortlist comprising of 6 authors. Formerly known as the Orange Prize, the award honors works by women written in English. Chimamanda is the only Nigerian and African nominated this year and previously won in 2007 for Half of a Yellow Sun. The award ceremony will take place in London on June 4th. The winner will be…
It’s good that some African celebrities care about being on time for appointment rather than moving around comfortably and in prestige. Ghollywood hunk actor — John Dumelo, shared the photo below of himself riding on a Keke Napep and added the caption: – ‘When the driver is nowhere to be found..i have to ‘move’ by all means. #lagos.’ See him in tricycle motor below: –
Now it’s confirmed! A huge congratulations to Chris Attoh and Damilola Adegbite who are expecting their first child. The ex “Tinsel” co-stars got everyone saying “Aww…” when they announced in January 2014 that they are a couple. They later revealed they’ll be tying the knot this April. Damilola was sighted sporting a baby bump, but we wanted to check with the couple before confirming the obvious joyful news. Chris Attoh’s Publicist Rosie of Waka Agency in Ghana confirmed the goodnews – “Yes, they are expecting” Rosie also gave an update on their wedding; Damilola and Chris have decided to postpone…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lauded Nigeria’s continued economic growth in the face of insurgency in its North-east as well as the large-scale oil theft witnessed in the last one year. The Breton Woods institution attributed its strong growth projection for the country to the relatively high crude oil prices. In its World Economic Outlook for 2014 titled, “Recovery Strengthens, Remains Uneven”, which was released yesterday, the IMF also predicted in the 218-page document that Nigeria’s growth would climb by 0.8 per cent, as major oil pipelines are repaired and production in the non-oil sector continues to expand. In…