Nigerian Ports Authority,[NPS] signs MoU WITH BUDGIT Information Technology Network for development. PHOTOS

SPEECH BY HADIZA BALA USMAN ON PUBLIC SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN NIGERIA PORTS AUTHORITY AND BUDGIT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NETWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN BUDGET SYSTEM PLATFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PUBLIC DATA DISSEMINATION PROGRAMME
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.
I welcome you all to this auspicious ceremony of the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding between the Nigerian Ports Authority and BUDGiT Information Technology. The significance of the role of the Nigerian Ports Authority in the efficient management of all 24 Port Terminals for the development and economic good of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized.
For a fact, as at close of 2014, Nigeria, in terms of Ports and Maritime activities ranks fourth in the industry in Africa by size with more than a million annual 20-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Over the last five years, our Ports have seen a Gross Tonnage of 144.2 million. In spite of the economic recession, an annual growth rate of about 2% is expected of us through the next five years. Our direct contribution to GDP presently stands at 0.01%. Our Revenue at the Ports have seen growth from =N=57 billion in 2005 to =N=184 billion in 2015. The NPA as an organization is a critical organ in the economic artery of the nation.
Yet, the NPA can deliver more for Nigeria. The NPA can create more wealth for Nigerians. The NPA is committed to making operations at Nigerian ports seamless, efficient and world class. We are moving rapidly towards a 24 Hours Port Operations and 72 Hours Cargo Clearance. We are automating payments. We are committed to increased investment in Port Marine Infrastructures and improving traffic on Port access roads. In the same vein, we are in advanced collaboration on several Greenfield Port developments. The industrial outlook and prospect for maritime transportation and logistics in Nigeria is both ambitious and positive.
Since the ascension of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Government has set out to change how our governance systems run and instill a new culture of integrity, transparency and accountability in Public administration. Our institutions have been poorly managed and we are all guilty. Today, we are out to walk our talk and depart from the morally flexible and opaque practices of the past Administrations by moving towards information democratization, budgeting transparency and open governance.
Let me talk briefly about BudgiT. Since it started operations in 2011, it has achieved revolutionary feats in the space of socio-technological advocacy towards opening up of Public Budgets for citizens’ comprehension and information, raising the bar on accountability and transparency in Government and facilitating simplification of data for public good.
While serving in the Government House in Kaduna, we embraced the noble technological concepts of BudgiT many months ago. And I must say that we were better off as an Administration for it.
What we purposed to achieve today is a Partnership that will not only aid public expenditure transparency but will also develop an Open Budget System Platform and Implement a Public Data Dissemination program. By these, we will;
i- Open Our Budgets to the Public,
ii- Instill a framework for transparent Budget provisions of the Nigerian Ports Authority,
iii- Encourage participatory governance by way of feedbacks and stakeholders’ inputs and,
iiii- Create an enabling and transparent environment to encourage foreign investment
This collaboration will ensure key researches, industry policies and innovations are effectively communicated. It will also ensure that critical data are generated and made accessible for Policy makers, private sector actors, Stakeholders and the public. As we progress, we will be doing more as necessary in the direction of transparency, accountability and proactive disclosure of public data and information.
I want to thank you all.
Via Bashir Ibrahim Dabo

Valedictory dinner in honour of out going Gov of Edo State ,Comrade Adams Oshiomhole .PHOTOS

Ongoing Construction of the Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Niger in Nasarawa and Benue States.PHOTOS

Suspended lawmaker Jibrin writes open letter to Pres. Buhari

Suspended lawmaker, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has written an open letter to President Buhari, over the Budget padding allegations he leveled against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the House of Representatives. Read the letter below …


Your Excellency sir, let me once again commend you for the good work you are executing and the credible leadership you have offered our nation since assumption of office about a year and half ago.
I write this letter to you as a last resort to seek action on the allegations of budget fraud, abuse of office and corruption I leveled against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other Principal Officers of the House of Representatives and use your good office to ensure that urgent reforms are implemented in the House to sanitize it from the monumental individual and systemic corruption that has become the biggest business in the House of Representatives.

Although I wrote you a letter few weeks ago, seeking audience to provide you with comprehensive briefing on the allegations i raised and endemic corruption in the House, I am yet to get a reply. However, I fully understand that your busy schedule might have caused the delay. Had I got that opportunity before I left the country, I am optimistic that you would have by now been in a clearer picture of how corrupt the Speaker, our number four citizen is and the three other Principal Officers, individual and systemic corruption in the House and my crusade to continue to expose corruption in the House, Nigeria as a whole and push for urgent reforms in the House.

I crave the indulgence of your excellency to pardon me for resorting to an open letter to draw your attention to this matter. The need to deal with the matter decisively and the urgency involved necessitated opting for this channel.

Besides, I am aware of some powerful forces working behind the scene in cohort with some members of leadership of the House to ensure that I never get access to you and the matter never see the light of the day.

Your Excellency, i attained a modest educational and career height before joining the House. I come from a good home with a rich and diverse background. My middle class parents brought me up in a very disciplineenvironment and instilled in me the vvirtues of hard work, honesty and courage. It is a training that taught me never to respect a corrupt person no matter how highly placed. I am a responsible young man with no passion for vengeance or mischief. I know exactly where I am coming from and where I am heading. I know exactly what I am doing sir.

Sir, it is noteworthy to mention that in my 5 years in the House as a two term member and Chairman House Committee on Finance 2011-2015 and Chairman House Committee on Appropriation 2015-2016, I have never abused my office or corruptly enrich myself. My offense was standing against budget fraud, immunity for Principal Officers of the House and exposing corruption in a way that has never been done or seen in the history of the House of Representatives.

I am a product of the establishment but I have always been uncomfortable and have always looked for the right opportunity or trigger to rebel against the ills of the system through exposing fraudulent acts, corruption and abuse of office in high places for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians. My case whether people believe me or not is that of a young man who is frustrated with the deep-rooted system of corruption in high places. I have decided that enough is enough and I am ready to take on any corrupt person or institution especially the House of Representatives. Some people have raised issue that why did I wait until I left office before opening up. That assertion is not true as I have always spoken within and outside on issues like this since I joined the House in 2011. A simple research will confirm this.

Your Excellency, in the last few months I have raised grievous allegations of budget fraud, abuse of office and individual and systemic corruption against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other Principal Officers of the House. I followed it with a petition to the security and anti graft agencies including the DSS, EFCC, ICPC and the Police. I have had several interactions with these agencies and pledged my continuous cooperation and willingness to stand witness during prosecution.

I took it for granted that the House on resumption from recess will do the needful by asking the Speaker to step aside and conduct a comprehensive investigation in collaboration with the ongoing external investigation, but what my colleagues did remains a shock to the country and the world at large. They decided to punish me for exposing corruption, while celebrating the people I accused of corruption. The Speaker of course took advantage of the deep-rooted systemic corruption in the House to blackmail members to support him. I have been suspended from the House for a year and banned from holding any position for the rest of the 8th Assembly and I must apologise to the House before I am allowed back even after the expiration of the 1 year suspension.

Sir, this is an institution that is supposed to support you in fighting corruption. You have taken on corruption and corrupt people decisively, the crusade will be incomplete if corrupt elements are allowed to infest the Legislative arm especially the House of Representatives. You should by now know that you will never get the required support to fight corruption with Dogara as Speaker of the House and most importantly if reforms are not implemented in the House.

Your Excellency, let me use this opportunity to inform you that I have challenged my suspension in court because it is unconstitutional and the seat belongs to my constituents who are proud of my anti-corruption crusade in the House. My constituents have also filed a case in court to challenge the suspension. I have also stated clearly that I will never apologise to any member in the House or the House itself as I did not commit any offense and I will continue to stand by all the allegations I raised.
Sir, I should also bring to your notice that the Speaker is making frantic efforts to ensure that this matter is suppressed.

They will do all they can, including blackmailing you to ensure that the matter is not investigated and culprits prosecuted. In your case, since they cannot find issues of corruption associated with you, they will resort to frustrating any request you forward to the House for approval with a view to arm twisting you or trying to weaken you in the eyes of the public and international community. This is how they operate. You should watch out and be vigilant.
On issue of reforms, your excellency may wish to use your good office to decisively get the House TO END THE FRAUDULENT ALLOWANCES REGIME and publish all entitlements of members, stop budget fraud, disclose internal budget of the House, open up finances of the House for external audit, implement e-parliament, activate electronic voting and attendance system, introduce individual member’s and standing committees’ performance template, revert to old house rules to avoid contempt of court and draconian powers Speaker Dogara accorded himself, drop immunity for Principal Officers, pass the anti corruption bills sent about a year ago by your good self, make Speaker Dogara and others refund hundred of millions collected for rents, return 40 billion stolen from 100 billion zonal intervention funds, return projects diverted to his farm and other fraudulent projects worth billions, compel Speaker Dogara and other oaccused Principal Officers to step down for prosecution and make the House apologise to Nigerians for the individual and systemic fraud and corruption and gross abuse of office that has become the hallmark of the House over the years.

Your Excellency, the House of Representatives stinks of corruption and something urgent must be done to salvage the situation. I pray that you direct the various agencies that I submitted petitions to expedite action on the matter as Nigerians and the world are watching to see how we will deal with this issue of incontrovertible corruption by Speaker Dogara and others and systemic corruption in the House.

We have a golden opportunity to show the world that there is zero tolerance for corruption under your leadership. Even more, is the willingness of a serving member in my person who understands these issues and who has offered to stand as witness and provide every support towards prosecution. There is no better way of demonstrating our commitment to the fight against corruption than to use Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Lasun, Whip Doguwa and Minority Leader Ogor as example.

I strongly believe that if the security and anti-graft agencies expedite action on the allegations and the recommended reforms are implemented, it will go a long way in resolving the crisis and provide the ventilation for the House to commence the process of self-cleansing to repair its battered image and restore the trust of Nigerians in the House. It is a reform that Speaker Dogara has completely lost the moral ground to superintend.

Your Excellency, let me draw your attention to a major constraint which has always been the threat to my life since the beginning of the budget fraud saga. I have raised alarm severally that the House cabal led by Speaker Yakubu Dogara are using Hon. Herma Hembe to either assassinate or kidnap me or members of my family. Hon. Hembe has been stalking me. I have been worried and written to the security agencies but none of these people have been questioned.

In fact at some point, they tried to use some elements in one of the security agencies to abduct me. All these were reported by my lawyers.

It is against this background that I took the decision to stay away from the country until my safety is guaranteed. However, I will be available once my attention is required in respect of my petition against the Speaker and others or any petition that may come against me. I am therefore pleading with you sir to look at this issue with your usual dispassionate approach. For whatever my limitations are as a person, how I am treated will determine if in future people especially those within a system can defy personal risk and speak out against corruption.

I pray that God Almighty continue to bless you with long life, good health and more wisdom as you steer the ship of our great country.

Thank you.
Your son,
Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin, PhD MBA
APC Kano
Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency
Kano

''We did not declare Benue Commissioner wanted''-Benue Comm Of Police.

Benue State Police Command on Friday denied that it declared the state commissioner for Art, Culture and Tourism, Mr Sekar Iyortyom, wanted over alleged culpable homicide. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Moses Yamu, made the denial in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi.
Yamu was reacting to media reports that the Police had declared Iyortyom wanted in connection with the alleged assassination of Joseph Tondo, a chairmanship aspirant in Buruku local government area. According to the Police Spokesman the reports are false as no commissioner in the state is in the command’s wanted persons’ list.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports some six persons, including the said commissioner, were being investigated for alleged assassination of Tondo two months ago.

NAN also recalls that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bashir Makama, had told newsmen that Iyortyom had petitioned the police high command for “unsatisfactory investigation’’ of his case. Makama further said that the matter was already under investigation and assured that justice would prevail. NAN reports that the Iyortyom had been carrying out his duties as commissioner in the state. (NAN)

First Lady Michelle Obama by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue December 2016. PHOTOS.

First Lady Michelle Obama by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue December 2016.

Click here to read the full article Vogue.com

How MMM Works, the Myth, Truths and Risks Nigerians are Taking

Over the few weeks, Nigerians have been inundated with reports about the dangers of ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Movement. Here is what you need to know.
Despite Security Exchange Commission and Central Bank of Nigeria’s warning that Nigerians should steer clear of the Mavrodi Mundial Movement (MMM) scheme, the number of subscribers has continued to climb and the scheme has become the current number one investment for many Nigerians in recent times.

The scheme pays over 30 percent on investment to subscribers in one month while giving them numerous bonuses for bringing in new investments. This of course looks like the ‘wonder banks’ of the 90s that crashed with billions of Naira belonging to investors disappearing with them.

Yet, Nigerians continue to put their fate in MMM. It is now even being preached in some churches as a good source of investment.
A look into the scheme has revealed the reason why the scheme is working and why people are very much attracted to it. It also uncovers flaws and reasons why it may crash.

The Mavrodi Mundial Movement was instituted in Russia in 2011 by a mathematician and statistician named Sergey Mavrodi. He had created an algorithm that allows subscribers to have a huge purse of funds where they can draw from as long as new subscribers are willing to fund whatever was taken out.

It is more like a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme but with a twist. A Ponzi scheme collects funds from investors and use the funds of new subscribers to pay old subscribers and when there are no new subscribers the scheme breaks down. Same goes for Pyramid schemes, but MMM is bit different.

How MMM Works
MMM organises interested participants on a networked platform. It matches people who are willing to assist or fund others with people who need funds. The amount you are able to ask for in funding depends on the amount you are able to assist people with. It allows one to give out fund to people with the assurance that they will get assistance when they request for it.

MMM simply make new ‘helpers’ to transfer money (‘help’ as they call it) to other people who had provided help previously to earlier participants and the circle continues. But it is not really a circle and does not go round, instead it is a pyramid that keeps going up and this may have consequences on the long run.

If you accept to provide help of N100,000 for example, the bank account of either one person who requested for help of N200,000 or a number of people whose total request is N100,000 will be sent to you to pay the money into, which you have to pay. Paying this money will allow you to be qualified for ‘help’ as well. But it goes more than that. Paying N100,000 you get N130,000 as help.

Here is how the extra N30,000 is derived. Once you have the N100,000 in the system, you earn One percent on your investment every day. In 30 days that makes the N30,000. But the money is actually not an interest.

All monies on the scheme is called ‘Mavro’. So your N100,000 is converted to 100,000 Mavro. Each Mavro is not really money, but a unit of trust or a unit of ‘helperbility’. So for you to leave your 100,000 in the scheme, you earn 1% on your helperbility. Meaning the more you are willing to help, the more help you can get. This helperbility you earn can now be converted back to Naira at N1 to 1Mavro.

However, it is not necessary at all to wait for a month. Help can be requested at any time. But only after confirmation of your Mavro. One gets confirmed after actually transferring money to someone who needs assistance.
The scheme goes on and on as long as there are more people to give out their money to people who need it.

Government Intervention
Since it became popular earlier this year, government has tried to dissuade Nigerians from participating in the scheme. They have issued numerous warning telling Nigerians that the scheme is a scam and it will crash in future.

Director of Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, says MMM is a Ponzi scheme. “At times like this when the economy has suffered some decline, Nigerians should be very careful with those they deal with. Any institution that is not licensed by the CBN to accept deposits should not be given money to keep under any guise. We can vouch for the banking system. The deposit money banks are the only licensed institutions to take deposits. If you need to deposit money in any form, go to any of the deposit money banks and put your money, you can buy fixed income instruments or invest in stocks,” he said.

Okoroafor said the CBN could not guarantee the unregistered institutions, insisting that when depositors lose money to them, the bank would not be able to help them.

According to the Security Exchange Commision (SEC), the venture had no tangible business model, describing MMM as a Ponzi scheme, where returns would be paid from other peoples’ invested funds.

“Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. The scheme generates returns for older investors by acquiring new investors and will later crash,” the Commission’s site reads.

So the question is, why is the government not doing anything about it if it is considered dangerous?
The answer lies in the model of MMM. It has no physical or tangible asset. The whole business model relies on the internet and mutual trust between subscribers. So it is difficult for the government to halt their operations or have any control over them. Blocking MMM is just like blocking Facebook or any other site. Also, users are already informed that they are sending out money on their own accord.

The Growing Users
Despite all the warnings, MMM users continue to grow in number. Even MMM managers clearly states on their website that there is no guarantee of getting back your money after you have provided help yet the system is well designed in such a way that you provide help before you can be helped.

Meaning when your money is in, there is no 100 percent security guarantee that you will get your money back. Though for now it is working, there is no assurance it will in future.

Despite this, many continue to harp on the scheme, even those who are meant to know better. From studies, members with the highest funds in the scheme are in the banking sector. And they even encourage others to go into it.

Shade, who works in a first generation bank and does not want her surname released, says that MMM is her biggest investment till date and she now makes money from her profit from the scheme. “I was one of the early people on MMM. I have a client who keeps bringing in huge sums every month. She later introduced me to MMM. I started with just N5,000 and in less than two weeks I was able to get my money back with interest. Now I have millions in it,” she says.

When asked if she is not afraid that the scheme may crash, she has this to say, “If it crashes tomorrow, I will not lose a Kobo. I started with N5,000 like I told you and later put in over N250,000 of my own money and that was all I put into it. Today I operate it with millions.”

A new subscriber, John Eyighator, says that he is joining the scheme just because everyone is doing it. “My colleague made N300,000 last week and I have heard many other people that are saying good things about it. No bank can give me that kind of money, so I decided to try it. I put in N100,000 this week, immediately they confirm me, I should be able to make over N60,000 extra.

These are just a few of those we spoke with who all have something positive to say about the scheme.
However, there should be a source for concern.

Unanswered Questions
There are some things about MMM that does not add up, which subscribers should be aware of. Firstly, Mavrodi Mundial Movement is not registered as a company in Nigeria. If a company is helping others legally then they should not find it difficult to register the company and even have an office.

However, a user countered this point. According to Ity, solutions owner who is also a ‘Guardian’ (people with large number of subscribers with MMM), he says “As for MMM not being registered legally, you should know that MMM is a donation system, there is nothing illegal about donations. All monies are being transferred peer-to-peer.” He asks that his name is not published.

Secondly, it is not explained where that 10 percent that is given to new subscribers comes from. The scheme is pretty simple, but there is the question of where the funding for the 10 percent given to first time users comes from. It only means that the operators of MMM are also involved one way or the other.

Also, when we looked into the history of the founder of the scheme, Sergey Mavrodi, not much can be said about his financial history. The only thing positive to his credit is that fact that he is a very good mathematician.

Apparently, MMM is not the first scheme that Mavrodi has created. He founded the first scheme in 1989 but it later crashed and he was sentenced to prison. He was then elected a local council member in Russia while in prison so he was released due to the immunity he got from his position. Mavrodi declared MMM bankrupt on December 22, 1997, then disappeared, and was on the run until his arrest in 2003.

Wikipedia also said he was deported from USA for fraudulent dealings and in 2007, a Moscow court sentenced him to four and a half years in a penal colony. The court also fined him 10,000 rubles ($390).

In January 2011, Mavrodi launched this current pyramid scheme called MMM scheme which has lasted till today. This time, he targeted third world countries including India, Latin America and countries in Africa including Nigeria. Today, Nigeria has the highest number of MMM subscribers in Africa.

Also, subscribers need to be afraid that the scheme may well be on its way to a big crash. This is because it has already crashed in Zimbabwe and many lost all their life savings. This is reminiscent of what happened in Russia.

Finally, one also needs to be wary of organisations that refuse to speak to the press. For this story, Hazeez Balogun tried to reach the people in MMM through their website. He even asked a lady called Tonia who was responding to him thinking he wanted to subscribe. But she later stopped responding when he introduced himself as a media person.

If MMM has nothing to hide, they should hold a press conference, or an event letting Nigerians know the faces behind the scheme.
A financial analyst, Ben Agbakoba says that such schemes can only thrive in third world countries like Nigeria because many people are poor and are looking for get rich quick schemes. He says the scheme will work for a while but will eventually crash.


“They are only taking advantage of our poor economy. Such schemes cannot work if Nigerians are well off. It is hard to tell Nigerians to stop patronising the scheme. If we say so, the scheme will crash. And if it continues, it will still eventually crash. But people will prefer not to know exactly when it will crash. I think they should continue, after all, they all know the risks involved,” says Agbakoba.

Culled from The Independent

Many Feared Dead as Armed Robbers Invade Unity Bank in Ekiti State (Graphic Photos)

A deadly armed robbery operation carried out at a Unity Bank branch in Ekiti State has left many people dead.
Many people were killed after armed robbers invaded a Unity Bank branch in Otun Ekiti, in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti state shooting sporadically.
The armed robbers who gained entrance into the bank robbed it and killed many people in the process, according to an eyewitness.

The incident which took place yesterday left many people in tears as loved ones were lost in the process. Bodies of the dead were seen lying on the floor of the bank after the robbery.

It was gathered that after the robbery, about four corpses were taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti in the state.
People who witnessed the incident noted that the sound of the gun used by the robbers was "like the sound of bombs."

See Photos of the Kuje Prison Cell Where Fani-Kayode is Staying Pending When He Meets His Bail Conditions

These are photos of the Kuje prison cell of a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode who was remanded in prison by the court for alleged financial crimes pending on when he fulfills his bail conditions.

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted bail to former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, with a bail-bond of N50 million.
Mr. Fani-Kayode is accused, by the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, of diverting N26 million.
As part of his bail, he is also expected to produce a surety who must be a senior Nigerian with landed property in Abuja valued at a sum equal to that mentioned as bail bond, N50 million
The trial judge, John Tsoho, however said the defendant should be remanded in the Kuje Maximum Prison, pending the fulfilment of his bail condition.
Sahara Reporters shared photos of the cell reserved for the People's Democratic Party chieftain pending on when he will fulfill his bail conditions.
See the purported photos of Mr. Kayode's prison cell below:

Oshiomhole Appoints Four New Permanent Secretaries A Day Before Leaving Office

On the eve of his departure as Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole has appointed four new Permanent-Secretaries.
The Chief Press Secretary of the governor, Mr. Peter Okhiria, listed the appointees as Mr. Anthony Okungbowa, Ministry of Justice; Mr. Kadiri Bashiru, Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress ; Mr Y.A Imoudu, Chairman, Association of Secondary School Principals; and Mrs Obosamwinye Obazee, Headmistress.
The new permanent secretaries would be sworn in by the departing governor this afternoon.

(NAN)

AGONY OF A 12 YEAR OLD: SHIMASAAN ULE NOW A SACK OF BONES IN NEED OF EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID

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By: Ukan Kurugh.

For Mrs. Movihinze Ule, the poor mother of 12 year old Ule Shimasaan, the world may have come to an end. She sits there absent-minded staring into space, even as she has expressed dismay in how God had abandoned them and allowed them suffer much. The sight of Shimasaan is only comparable to the pictures of underfed children that emanated during wars in Somalia and Liberia. He has become the attraction of all other patients in his ward.

On how it began, the poor woman explained that, they are resident in Adikpo, Benue State and Shimasaan developed fever but on admission to St. Monica's Hospital, Adikpo, he was diagnosed of typhoid, and later he suffered a swollen stomach. A month later, they were referred to Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi







.

At the FMC, it was revealed that his small intestines had perforated. He was operated upon but the situation did not end, which necessitated another operation, yet the situation has grown from bad to worst. He is simply a pack of bones on a hospital bed and the sight is so scary.

In my presence and what has become the biggest challenge, immediately he was fed with pap, in less than 2 seconds it gushed out from his stomach at the spot of the operation and it is at the same spot that both feaces and urine comes out of his body. A genuinely pathetic sight. I couldn't hide my emotions even as a man, I couldn't just help it.

As explanations reveal, he is suppose to go in for a third operation, but he is so under-nourished and likely to loose his life if he goes into the operation. This is after they could not gather required finance to go to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Now he will have to go on 'Total Parental Nutrition' a special nutritional condition that will be injected in him. One bottle goes for N25,000 and 3 are needed for a day for 7 days.

This poor family is at the crossroads and in need of support. The cost of the nutritional food for the needed days amount to N525,000 while they have a hospital bill of N220,000 already while N50,000 is needed for the next operation. This is even as they have a leftover bill of N42,000 at Adikpo all totaling N837,000.

This is what it takes for Shimasaan Ule to be alive like you and I. Please in the usual manner, let us help this poor child of ours to live again. I believe in Nigerians' resolve to help one another and he should equally be a beneficiary of our love. Remember, it could have been you.

They can be helped through this bank account or visited at the children's surgical ward of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi near Holy-Ghost Church.

Account Name: Iyar Caroline Movihinze
Bank: First Bank
Account: 2014665224
Phone: 08075795865 (mother)


You can also donate HERE   if you live outside Nigeria.

Toke Makinwa is set to release her first book, ‘On Becoming’

Nigerian OAP and Vlogger, Toke Makinwa has completed work on her first ever book.

The new book, titled "On Becoming" according to Toke, its the story of her life and inspired by God.

Narrating the story behind the book, Toke says;

‘Today is the most exciting day of my life. Today I Become ❤️… I hereby introduce you to #OnBecoming. At the beginning of last year (2015) when the lord told me I was going to write a book I was confused. Is it God’s voice, is it mine? How will this work? I never planned to write a book, what I’m I supposed to write. I did what I had become used to, I ran. Just Like Jonah; I ran. I pushed it deep down and completely let it go. And then it began, God started sending people to me. Every time someone told me they thought I should write a book, I remembered my conversation with God in January but I was still unsure. (Fear maybe), I felt the idea was great but deep down I was not fully convinced.

‘Then came June and my world fell apart. My world was crushed completely and in all of the pain I heard it again. This time, I knew what happened to me happened for a reason. I am a city set on a hill. My life will reflect God’s glory. I have been given a platform to share and God was going to use my pain. In the pain there was a message and On Becoming was conceived. On Becoming is My journey through pain to victory. It is my prayer that God does what he planned from the start with this project. I can’t wait to put author in my bio. I wrote a book ya’ll. I did it.’

The book will be available on November 28, 2016.



Source NET

MTV EMAs Confusion: Wizkid’s ‘Best African Act’ award given to Tanzania’s Ali Kiba

Wizkid was named ‘Best African Act’ at the EMAs, but that award has been taken from him apparently

The 2016 MTV EMAs that held at the Ahoy Stadium, Rotterdam, Netherlandson November 6, 2016 is causing a huge confusion on the African continent and NO ONE is taking responsibility for it.

While the award ceremony was going on, the verified Twitter page of MTV Base Africa announced Nigerian pop star,Wizkid as the winner of the ‘Best African Act‘ category.


With the announcement, it meant that, Wizkid won the award ahead of Olamide, Black Coffee, Cassper Nyovest, and Ali Kiba.

Now, there’s a twist and change of tone however.

That’s after the award originally given to Wizkid now seems to have been rescinded and given to his Tanzanian rival, Ali Kiba.

According to MTV EMAs official website, Ali Kiba is the new winner of the same category.



Wizkid celebrated the win on social media, and now, Ali Kiba has done the same while organisers of the award have kept mute on the confusion.


Source NET

62-year-old man seeks divorce over religious differences

A 62-year-old man, Adesanya Akanni, is seeking the dissolution of his 32-year-old marriage to Florence Akani, over religious differences.

Adesanya Akanni approached a Lagos Island Customary Court, Lagos on Thursday complaining that wife’s continued practice of her Christian faith was adversely affecting the family.

The petitioner claimed that his marital problems started about 26-years ago, when his wife, Florence resumed the practice of her Christian faith.

He also alleged that she changed the names of their five children to Christian names without his consent.

Akanni said, “Our five children were given Muslim names at birth, Kaosara, 32, Kudirat, 25, Mubarak, 22, Azeez, 19 and Musa, 17.

“Their mother and the Church she attends, have now changed their names to Oluwatomi, Victoria, Oluwasegun, Oluwarotimi and Peter respectively.

“I did not know until I went to the school of my last two boys to ask for Azeez and Musa but officials of the school claimed they did not have students bearing those names.

“It was when I mentioned their surname that I was told that they now bear Oluwarotimi and Peter.”

The petitioner also said he was not informed when his first daughter got married and gave birth to her two children.

“The Church and my wife gave out my daughter, without informing me; she gave birth to her two children. My wife and daughter did not tell me anything.

“We live under the same roof and over the past two years, my wife has stopped cooking my meals. She does not allow me to make love to her,’’ Akanni said.

Akanni, however, prayed the court to dissolve their marriage and award custody of the last two children to his wife, Florence, 61, who denied all the allegations.

She explained that Akanni did not insist that she should convert to Islam after their marriage, stressing that at the time of their marriage, “my husband was not a practising Muslim.

“I started attending Church when I had an 8-year delay after our first child; he used to accompany me to Church but later stopped and then prevailed on me to discontinue attending Church.

“This our fight over religion has been ongoing for years, but I have refused to stop going to church because God has been answering my prayers.

“After eight years of believing God for the fruit of the womb, God gave me, not just one but three other children. I have been taking them to Church ever since.

“When our first daughter wanted to get married, I informed my husband but he said our daughter should go and `meet her father in the church’.

“He had vowed he would not be part of the wedlock, unless our daughter  re-converted to Islam,”

The mother of five, told the court that she still loved her husband but, ‘I cannot convert to Islam’.

The president of the court, Mr Awos Awosola, adjourned the case to Nov. 30 to enable other members from both families to mediate on the matter.

NAN

‘Soyinka risks three to seven years jail term if he destroys his Green Card’

A legal luminary, Mr Kayode Ajulo, has cautioned Nigerian Nobel Literature Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, against carrying his threat to destroy his American Green Card in protest of Donald Trump’s victory at the U.S. Presidential election.


Ajulo gave the advice in an interview on Thursday in Abuja. Soyinka issued the threat to destroy his American Citizen’s Card before voting begun in the keenly contested election between Trump and Hillary Clinton. Most people around the World, including some huge population of Americans, had wished for the Democratic Party’s candidate to win the race to the White House.

The election of the Republic candidate as the U.S. President-elect had sent some waves of shock to most countries. Reacting to the threat, Ajulo warned Soyinka that he risked a jail term of three to seven years, if he (Soyinka) cut his green card. “I have no problem with Kogi; he is an opinion moulder, an elder statesman and nation builder, who should know the implication of such act. “Under the American law losing or having your U.S. green card destroyed can be a serious problem,’’ he said.

He said legally such is tagged as wishful destruction of government’s property. Ajulo said the truth is that Soyinka is far better and far bigger than that because such act is provocative and unacceptable. He stressed that the literary icon is free to leave the country but does not have to tear the card; instead he should return the card as required by the law.

Ajulo said the 82-year-old author, who is currently a resident scholar at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs, should know better. He said it has a lot of implications for Nigerians. Ajulo said green cards or passports are valuable documents and should be looked after it with care. He said mishandling of passport could stop you from travelling not to talk of destroying green card. Ajulo described Soyinka as a good ambassador who cares not just about Nigeria but the world at large, advising him to keep to it. He said Trump’s victory had “brought an already teetering world closer to the precipice. 

“Trump’s wall is already under construction. Walls are built in the mind, and Trump has erected walls, not only across the mental landscape of America, but across the global landscape,” said the lawyer. Soyinka pledged to keep a promise he had given a few days before the Nov. 8 election, when he told students at Oxford University that “I will cut my green card myself and start packing up” if Trump won the polls. 

The literary icon also vowed to leave the United States by Jan. 20, 2017, the day president-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated. The green card is the U.S. permanent residence permit.

ABU Zaria builds 1 barrel per day refinery — ‘a product of Nigerian brains’

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria has built a refinery that produces one barrel of crude oil per day.According to Daily Trust Ibrahim Dabo, a professor of the department of chemical engineering in ABU Zaria, said they had initially proposed to build a 1,000 barrel-capacity refinery, but it was not feasible due to lack of funding. .
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Dabo said the idea of the project which cost about N20 million was conceived about 15 years ago, but work commenced fully in 2011.
He added that all those engaged in the project were Nigerians as no expatriate was contracted. .
. “The initial idea was to construct a 1,000 barrel-capacity refinery, but lack of funding limited us to this one, where we would now be refining one barrel per day,” Dabo said. .
. “Only the controls were sourced from Hong Kong. No expatriate was hired from abroad. All those that were engaged in this project are Nigerians. .
. “Therefore, this mini refinery is a product of Nigerian brains. If government can come in, we have the ability to do wonderful things, not only refinery. This is our training and it is what our department is meant for.”

Kemi Olunloyo claims she has evidences that Olamide uses Voodoo to gain fame and power in the music industry.

Controversial socialist #KemiOlunloyo claims she has evidences to show that Nigeria rapper #Olamide uses Voodoo Magic to gain more fame and power in the Music industry
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She wrote on her Instagram 👉👉👉 " In 2016, I exposed a lot of public figures. Today I will be releasing the conversation between yoruba rapper Olamide Adedeji and a RITUALIST he owed money. In the conversation the cultist demanded several things and Olamide replied. Many ppl have said I was tarnishing his career. Today I will no longer protect the source. Nigerians will see for themselves. I will post it without notice on this Instagram page @HNNAfrica. Many entertainers seek spiritual help for their careers from the dark WORLD. #HNN2016 #MadamKOO #kemiolunloyo"

Nigerian man takes a whole page on Punch Newspapers to congratulate President-Elect Donald Trump on his historic victory.

Chai!

Senator Ben Bruce shows off his adopted son, Goodluck

Louis Vuitton Burka for classic Muslim women.

In muslim culture, the cloth that ladies use to cover almost their whole body is known as burka. In this modern age, there are different styles to use.Even Louis Vuitton has made Burka for ladies with class.

Really nice .

President Buhari's daughter Fatima Buhari quit first marriage because of domestic violence.

Nobody told her marriage isn’t the fairy tale weddings make it up to be. And nobody ever taught her what to do when the love of her life mutilates her heart and renders her an empty carcass. But by the time Fatima Buhari was done with her first marriage, she had been effectively schooled in the bitterness and repugnance of love gone sour. Years after she divorced her first husband and father of her four kids, every memory of their broken union echoes like a curse, chills the heart of the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Unknown to many people, Fatima Buhari who got married to a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Malam Gimba Yau Kumo last weekend in Daura, used to be married to another man. Her marriage to the latter produced four kids – who were all born with the sickle cell gene


Thus Fatima can hardly be described as a naive bride. She’s not a young lady as people think she is. She experienced hell in her first marriage. She didn’t enjoy the marriage a bit as her ex-husband reportedly beat her to stupor at the slightest provocation. When the beatings became extreme and started to take a toll on her health, she divorced the guy. Let’s hope she has found peace and love in the arms of her new husband. Unfortunately, all her kids are sickle cell patients

Gov Yahaya Bello spotted with investors in Germany.

Governor Yahaya Bello who was rumored to be dead few days back, is currently in Germany after making a brief stop in Dubai. The governor took time to negotiate with German experts in order to fast track economic and infrastructural development of Kogi State.

To boost the energy need of the state, the governor visited one of the leading Energy and Power solutions in Europe; FEE and they had beautiful and potentially fruitful negotiation yesterday.

On Agriculture, the Governor was at Hosche and inspected first class mechanised Agricultural equipment and technology.

The governor who said Agriculture can not be developed without technology transfer told the experts that all they would need to partner with his state were on ground.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and his Wife Cynthia welcome their first child,a baby girl.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and wife, Cynthia, welcome their first child, a girl. She arrived on Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Return N500m, Properties Recovered From Igbinedion, Edo Govt Begs FG

Edo State Government has appealed to the Federal Government, to return the N500 million and three properties recovered from former governor of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, to the state government following the order of the Federal High Court in Edo State after he was convicted of defrauding Edo State government. .
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The properties are landed property measuring 4,823.02 square meters at Asokoro, Abuja, acquired on January 13, 2006 with file number ED21620, detached property on two plots of land comprising 4 bedroom and boys quarters situated at number 57, Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City, Edo State and a storey building and a bungalow on a large expanse of land situated at number 24, Izekor Street, off Chris Mary Street, Benin City, Edo State. .
. The Edo State government through its solicitors Falana & Falana chambers, said that following the judgment that was delivered on December 18, 2008, the Economic and Financial Commission EFCC, was still in possession of the said money and properties belonging to the Edo State government. .
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It will be recalled that sometime in 2008, former Governor Igbinedion was arraigned alongside his company, Kiva Corporation limited in charge number FHC/EN/6C/2008, by the anti-graft agency on sundry allegations of defrauding Edo State Government. Subsequently the charge was amended in pursuant to a plea bargain agreement at the instance of the two convicts who pleaded guilty to the offence and were convicted accordingly. .
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Following the conviction of the convicts, they were ordered to forfeit the said sum and three properties mentioned above. Meanwhile the Edo State Government is yet to receive the money and the properties from the federal government.

Vanguard

Anti-Trump protests turn violent in America

The Police in Portland, Oregon, U.S., have classified the anti-Trump protests in the area as a “Class C felony” after a once peaceful protest turned into a riot.

A riot is a Class C felony in Oregon.

Demonstrators were seen attacking drivers and committing acts of vandalism during their march against Donald Trump’s election Thursday night.

According to KPTV, one driver had her windshield smashed and someone painted “Capitalism kills” on a nearby convenience store.

Rob Kardashian shares picture of his late Dad and his baby, what do you think?

Rob Kardashian shares a post about his late father ... they definitely do look alike! May he Rest In Peace he said.

23-year-old dies while struggling for gun …his death a relief, says mother

A vigilance group commander in the Oke Aro area of Ogun State, Quadri Adesina, has been arrested by the police after an alleged accidental discharge from his gun killed a 23-year-old man, Yusuf Azeez.

Azeez reportedly wanted to wrest the gun from the suspect when a bullet hit him in the thigh. He was rushed to a hospital in the area, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased’s mother, 42-year-old Toyin Akintayo, had invited Adesina and his colleagues to her residence on CAC Street, Oke Aro, around 8pm on Tuesday to apprehend Azeez, who allegedly threatened to kill her.

It was gathered that Azeez had arrived at home on that day at about 6pm and requested his dinner. The mother was said to have explained to him that she didn’t have enough money to prepare a meal.

Trouble started after the mother, who sells confectionery, gave him N200 to buy food, saying that was all she could afford. He reportedly smashed a bottle on the ground and vowed to kill her.

The mother said, “I wanted to break my fast on that day with garri when he arrived at home. I said there was no kerosene in the stove to prepare food for him and his younger brother. I gave him N200 and the brother N70. He said the N200 was small and threw it at me.

“I explained to him that it was all I had and that we wouldn’t have been in the situation if he did not steal the compressor of my freezer, which I used to sell ice blocks. I also advised him to find a job. He became angry and started threatening me with a knife and the shard of a bottle. He said he would not allow me to sleep at home that night and vowed to kill me.

“I sneaked out to call members of a vigilance group beside our house. They followed me home and tried to pacify him. He fought them and fought for the control of  a gun that one of them carried. The gun exploded in the process and he was injured in the thigh. He died at a hospital near here.”

Akintayo described her son’s death as a relief to her, saying she could no longer endure the shame his notoriety for “stealing and street fighting” had brought to the family.

She added that his son’s gang members stormed her house on Wednesday and threatened that she would pay for Azeez’s death.

She said, “I enrolled him in three different secondary schools, he dropped out. I took him to five different furniture experts to learn the work, he absconded. He went into barbing; I gave him N85,000 to rent a shop and furnished it for him. He didn’t go to the shop until the rent expired.

“His death is a relief to me and the family. He was too troublesome. There was a time he beat up an Oodua Peoples Cogress member while we were living in Idimu (Lagos). I spent a lot of money on the man’s treatment.

“A few weeks ago, he fought in Agege. He was seriously injured. He had been arrested many times by the police for several offences.”

The suspect, 48-year-old Adesina, who is in detention at the Agbado Police Division, said Azeez had beaten the two security guards that accompanied him to the scene, adding that he only wanted to prevail on him from causing further havoc when his gun exploded.

He said, “There was no light when we entered the building. He attacked us and two of my boys fled. I told him that I came to make peace. He said he didn’t fear my gun. He descended on me and wanted to snatch it. We were dragging it with each other when it exploded. I didn’t kill him. He would have killed me and his mother if he had access to the gun.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Police Command, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.

He said, “The Divisional Police Officer of the station, CSP Abioye Shittu, led operatives to the scene and the suspect has been arrested. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta.”