Evritinnaija

        Will IBB Break His Silence Now?               IBB...75 and still relevant O’Femi Kolawole Gradually, long-kept secrets and useful national information are finally coming to light even as the dramatis personae are opening up and telling their stories like Chief Anthony Anenih, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Board of Trustees and former chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), just did with the presentation of his autobiography, My Life and Nigerian Politics, in Abuja last week! I’m excited. For so long, I believe we’ve not been telling our stories enough as much as we should as individuals, as a people and as a country. It is why I’ve been a strong and passionate advocate of experience-sharing and documentation for years. For example, reading Gifted Hands, the celebrated autobiography and inspiring story of Dr. Ben Carson for the first time almost a decade ago, I came to realise how a single book can inspire millions of other people t

Rivers Rerun: 1 Killed in Ogoniland, as APC, PDP Trade Allegations Rivers Rerun: 1 Killed in Ogoniland, as APC, PDP Trade Allegationsrnest Chinwo in Port Harcourt One person was killed yesterday in the rerun election in Rivers State after what started as a peaceful election degenerated into a violent exercise in Ogoni area of the South East Senatorial Zone. The police have however denied knowledge of violence while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the cancellation of the exercise in Khana Local Government Area, alleging connivance of the police in ballot snatching and attacks on PDP chieftains. The legislative rerun elections in Rivers State had proceeded peacefully in most polling units across the state. Unlike the situation in the March 19 rerun, there were no incidents of gunshots or snatching of ballot boxes in most of the areas. Security was tight in most of the places where voting took place while there were road blocks in strategic areas of the state. It

With N813bn Budget, Ambode Moves to Change Face of Lagos                   Akinwunmi Ambode Niyi Anibaba For residents in Lagos, the year 2016 was by far a good year.  Despite the nationwide economic recession, the State witnessed tremendous growth especially in the areas of infrastructural development and economic growth. When the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on December 17, 2015 presented the N662,588billion 2016 Budget, tagged ‘The Peoples Budget’ he was very optimistic that not only would the budget propel the state to greater development, but would also work for all Lagosians. Two weeks after the House of Assembly passed the budget, precisely on December 31, 2015 Governor Ambode wasted no time in assenting to the document on the first working day of the New Year and immediately hit the ground running. By all standards, this year’s budget lived up to expectation despite cynicism in some quarters who at the onset posited that the Lagos 2016 budget was overambitious an

Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed disgust at the alarming rate of the current economic recession, lamenting that if proactive measures are not applied by government and the citizenry, the effects would soon degenerate into a civil war scenario. The governor who stated this in a media chat with Saturday Sun at the weekend, noted that it not only government but Nigerians had a lot of proactive roles to play in mitigating the dehumanising effects of the recession. While suggesting strategies the citizenry at all levels could adopt in surviving the period, the governor expressed the need for people to cut down on luxuries and make do with whatever is available within the limit of their income. Aregbesola also stressed the need to patronise local materials, especially agricultural produce, to boost the country’s export profile in order to strengthen the naira against the dollar. According to him, there is no need for people to insist on eating rice, which has beco

Warns ex-president to leave Buhari alone Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Bode George has asked ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to shut up and stop playing to the gallery through public criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari.  He gave the advice in Lagos in an interview with TUNDE THOMAS. George also urged factional National Chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff to accept reality, and stop any further act of prolonging the crisis rocking the party. According to George, the Court of Appeal’s recognition of Eyitayo Jegede from Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the PDP is a tacit recognition of Makarfi’s faction as the mainstream PDP. “Sheriff’s eyes should be open now. He has come to divine judgment. He and his followers should be remorseful and return to Makarfi’s mainstream PDP. Sheriff has been an embarrassment to PDP, he should stop further acts of rascality,” he declared. He spoke further on this and more. What is your reaction to E

A suicide bomber killed 35 soldiers and wounded around 50 others Saturday at a military camp in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, where jihadists are active, military and medical sources said. The attacker detonated his explosives belt as hundreds of troops gathered to receive their monthly pay at the barracks in Al-Sawlaban near the city’s international airport, a military source said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against jihadists who remain active in the south and east of the war-torn country. The Islamic State group and its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda have taken advantage of a conflict between the government and the Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, to bolster their presence across much of the south. IS and Al-Qaeda have carried out a spate of attacks in Aden, Yemen’s second city and headquarters of the internationally recognised government whose forces retook the port from the Huthis last y

Nigeria police. Rivers police command said on Saturday that 28,000 personnel were deployed for the legislative re-run election in the state. Mr Nnamdi Omoni, a DSP and spokesman of the command, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the heavy police presence was to give the people confidence to exercise their franchise. “ The police deployed 28,000 personnel to cover the state for the legislative re-run election. The aim is to restore the people’s confidence, especially voters that the election will be free and fair. “ We also want to assure the people that nobody will intimidate them during and after the election. The police personnel have been deployed to effectively cover the state,” he said. Omoni said that the command had not received report of any incident since voting commenced in areas where elections are holding. He said that the police was determined to ensure that the election was peacefully conducted while the people had easy access to the polli

Tragedy occurred Saturday as Reigners Bible Church located along Uyo village Road collapsed on leading to loss of lives It was gathered that many worshippers and visitors including the governor Mr. Udom Emmanuel sustained serious injuries. An eyewitness said the ugly incident occurred about 11,:00am, just few minutes after governor Udom Emmanuel and his entourage entered inside the church. She added the governor and many others however narrowly escaped death but sustained serious injuries. Udom Emmanuel was supposed to be a special guest at the ordination of the founder of the church, pastor Akan Weeks as bishop. A reliable police source said. “As we speak now all the patrol teams within Uyo are there trying to rescue as many as they can. But they said they needed a crane “You know a big function is supposed to hold there today. But I heard that they had to hire Julius Berger cranes because that is the kind of machine can that can be used under such situation’ However emergency amb

December 10, 2016 – Death Toll Of Twin Suicide Bombing At Madagali Market In Adamawa At 56….177 Injured Twin Suicide Bombings At Madagali Market In Adamawa Carried Out By 2 School Children…Death Toll At 56 The separate bomb blasts on Friday at a market in the Madagali area of Adamawa State killed over 56 persons while also leaving at least 177 others critically injured. The Army Public Relations Officer in charge of 28 Task Force Battalion, Mubi, Adamawa, Major Badare Akintoye, confirmed the incident. Chairman of Madagali Council, Yusuf Mohammed, while also acknowledging the tragedy, said the blast occurred in the early hours of Friday. According to him, the attack also destroyed food items worth several millions of naira aside from the lives lost. Badare while explaining how the incident happened, said, “The attack was carried out by two female school children, they detonated two bombs at the same time killing the victims while they also died in the process. We have reinfor

Biafran warlord and Secretary-General of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, world-wide, Col Joe Achuzia, has revealed where the word ‘Biafra’ orgininated from. The civil war hero said he was proud to be addressed as “a Biafran” as that reflected his true identity. According to him, “You see people tend to forget the paradox about the Igbo. The word Igbo is not a tribal identity, it is linguistic identity. It is a language of a people collectively residing in the eastern region that used to be known as Southern Sudan. From the 14th, 15th, 16th century, the area was known as Southern Sudan. That is where the people known as Biafrans lived, hence the Bight of Biafra. “There would never have been a Bight of Biafra if there were no inhabitants occupying the mainland. I’m not here pleading a cause for Biafra. No, I’m only taking you to historical antecedents.” Asked why he joined the fight for the secession of Biafra from Nigeria between 1967 to 1970, the elder statesman said, “No,

According to report making waves online, Nigerian pop star, Tiwa Savage is now officially back with her hubby, Tunji ‘Teebillz’ Balogun. The mother of one has been estranged from her husband for over a year now after a very publicized family drama and falling out. The Teebillz saga according to inside sources, really shook the artiste and she’s only just starting to recover from the emotional scars and hurdles she’s had to scale. The couple are currently undergoing intense counseling together, in an effort to make a smooth transition in finally getting back together. According an Industry source who spoke with LIB, ‘The couple were recently spotted together at a private birthday party of another celebrity. Tiwa and Teebillz came together and left together.’

Femi Kuti performing at the concert in Abuja. Residents of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, got full-load of Afrobeat and hip-hop music recently, as Afrobeat legend and four-time Grammy Awards nominee, Femi Kuti stormed the city for a live music concert. Packaged by Chocolate City Group in partnership with Etisalat, the gig also paraded the likes of Niniola and Jesse Jagz, as well as upcoming acts such as Dunnie, Keline, ArrowMafia, Ricky Sani, Cheso and Anderson Afrolover. Held at the Sheraton Hotel Field, the evening began with performances from several upcoming stars like Anderson Afrolover, Ricky Sani, Cheso, Dunnie, Keline and ArrowMafia. With the ticking hours clawing the late evening hours steadily towards the midnight zone, the atmosphere became charged with the appearance of Niniola, who thrilled the expectant crowd. Hip Hop crooner, Jesse Jagz needed not introduction, as vibes from his hit singles such as Murder Dem, Boom, Jaga Love, Bend Down Low, Bad Girl and Suga

Good news to all Lagosians as the Lagos government offers a one-day Christmas Bonanza. Yesterday, 8th December, the Lagos State Government said it was ready to roll out Rice on December 15 to Lagosians at N13,000 per 50 kg for the Yuletide celebrations. Sanni Okanlawan, Special Adviser on Food Security to Governor Akinwumi Ambode, made the disclosure during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) National Agriculture Stakeholders Summit. According to him, the brand of rice to be auctioned for the Christmas bonanza is ‘Lake Rice,’ which is a new product manufactured in collaboration with Kebbi state. Okanlawan said that sales of the rice would be made at all the 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state to ensure proper distribution. “Lake Rice is the acronym of both Lagos and Kebbi States joint product which will be out to the public on December 15 at the rate of N13,000 per 50kg bag as it is already subsidised by

The death toll from Friday’s suicide bombing in Adamawa has increased to 56 with 177 sustaining various injuries, an official has said. Yusuf Muhammed, Chairman, Madagali Local Government, who confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone interview said 57 of the injured were critical and 120 minor. He said the critically injured were rushed to Mubi General Hospital and Yola Specialists Hospital, while those that sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged . PREMIUM TIMES reported how two female suicide bombers struck at a local market in Madagali, Adamawa State, north-east Nigeria. Madagali lies some 276 kilometres from the Adamawa State capital, Yola. The town, which is close to neighbouring Borno State, was one of several others held by Boko Haram at the height of the group’s brutal insurgency. The latest blast is the third in Madagali, following attacks by two female suicide bombers on December 28, 2015, at a busy motor park. Local sources

Not more than 53 persons have been confirmed dead by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in a motor crash that occurred on Thursday evening at Abudu town along Benin-Agbor-Onitsha express road. It was reported that eight vehicles, including one motorcycle,were involved in the accident. Other vehicles are two commercial Toyota hummer buses, one Dyna truck, one tanker carrying petrol, one ford bus and one Toyota Corolla. An eyewitness said security agents and officials of FRSC watched helplessly as the victims burnt to death as there was no fire service station at Abudu town, headquarters of Orhiomwon local government area. A statement released by the FRSC Edo State Sector Command on Friday morning said five other persons sustained injuries and have been taken to the hospital for treatment. The statement said everyone in the two hummer buses, Toyota sienna, and corolla car burnt to ashes and attributed the cause of the accident to brake failure, which led to explosion from

The Governor of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade has set a February 2017 as time limit to complete works on 21 megawatts Calabar Power Plant and give Calabar city 24/7 uninterrupted electricity supply. During his schedule inspection of the ongoing construction work at the site along the Parliamentary Extension in Calabar the Cross River State Capital, Ayade said that the power plant was a new technology which is cost effective. The project, according to the governor, is one of the fruits of the several Memorandum of Understanding signed with foreign investors during his several investment trips outside Nigeria. On the status of the power plant, the governor explained that the project was a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and that the state was working in partnership with a Brazilian/American firm which is also collaborating with the Cross River State Power Company to establish and deliver on the world class independent embedded power plant in Calabar. He also assured residents and

The Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, on ThursdThursd ay advised consumers to take advantage of the 2442 short code to choose the type of messages they want to receive from telecoms operators. The Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, gave the advice at the 79th Telecom Consumers Parliament help in Abuja . He said the commission came up with the code following the barrage of complaints on the menace of unsolicited message. Danbatta said with the shortcode, consumers now have the right to choose the messages they wanted to receive. “The code will enable consumers to control the type of messages they receive. “I am glad that it has come into effect and I urge all consumers to take advantage of this new regime by sending “stop to 2442’’ to avoid unsolicited messages.” He said that the parliament, with its theme: Implementation of the `Do not Disturb’ (DND): the journey so far,’ was aimed at sensitizing the public to the policy. He stated that the issue of co

 In an exclusive interview, Femi Kuti clarified the fact that no one is above mistake as he revealed the biggest mistake of his father, Femi Kuti; afrobeat pioneer and political activist. In a previous interview with Thenet, the 54-year-old music legend said his father found pleasure whenever he [Femi] failed in his academics. Fela Kuti also wanted Femi to end up an area boy like him or even worse, therefore kept feeding his mind with the idea that formal education was not for him.< Femi Kuti, who is the eldest son of Fela Kuti, inherited his father’s zeal for both music and activism. He got introduced to the saxophone and keyboard at an early age and was a member of his father’s band at the age of 16. “ My father channelled his energy into fighting corruption and injustice,” Femi recounts. “But then he made a great mistake as well. Everyone else was more important than his family. “I would never put anybody before my family, because nobody will do the same for me. My chi

 Veteran Nollywood actor, Obi Madubogwu, is presently battling diabetic wound and needs help from well meaning Nigerians. According to Apga Alaigbo who shared the photos on Facebook, the actor’s condition is so bad that if nothing is done quickly, his leg could be amputated to keep him alive. At the moment, Madubogwu’s family have spent all they have on his treatment at Federal Medical Centre Ebute Meta, Yaba, Lagos , but it’s still not enough. Read post below: “Another NOLLYWOOD SUPER STAR in DANGER. “THE KING OF MUSANGA, the Ogidi Born Actor with flair for helping the needy, the man with touch of Love for humanity. Mr. Obi Madubogwu is critically ill, he is finally out of Coma after a toxic battle with Diabetic wound. “Currently the family has ran short of Fund to continue giving him what he needed, they need lot of money to pay for surgery, tests, medication etc else they will amputate his leg to save his life. “He takes a pint of blood daily. He needs our support urgently.

President Muhammad Buhari’s crusade on Corruption is targeted on politicians instead of civil servants who are charged with budget implementation, a few Nigerian lawmakers have said. Legislators are attending a legislative retreat on budgeting for health at the Pan Africa Parliament in Johannesburg, South Africa. “Today, the most beautiful houses in Abuja are owned by civil servants, whereas the anti corruption war is on politicians,” said Jonah Jang, a senator and former governor of Plateau state, who has been accused of mismanaging billions of naira while he served as governor. For his part, former governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji lamented that senators are labelled the most corrupt people in Nigeria, which in his view, is not true. “What I had in mind when I was coming to the Senate is not what I am seeing,” said Mr. Orji. “I came to a senate where we are labelled the most corrupt people in Nigeria. While you cannot say we are all saints or sinners but we are not all cor

Prolific Yoruba actress, Funke Akindele has become the new face of Ayo Van Elmar. The contemporary Afro-European label, Ayo Van Elmar has unveiled celebrated Nigerian actress Funke Akindele, popularly known as Jenifa as her new face. The multifaceted actress has received several awards and recognition for her hard work and versatility in Nollywood. Speaking about the brand Funke Akindele Bello said, “I am delighted to be the face of Ayo Van Elmar, an aspiring global fashion brand with international standard. It’s great relief for me in particular knowing that I can patronize our made in Nigeria fashion pieces and still look classy’’. You might also like Zahra Buhari’s Customized LV Marriage Boxes From The Indimi Family Will Make You Green With Envy [PHOTOS] Mr Ibu Acquires Multi-Million Naira House In Lagos “I Got Pregnant At 16, I Became A Millionaire At 17” – Hilda Dokubo [PHOTOS] Nigerian Celebrities Whose Teenage Daughters Take After Their Beauty Dakore Egbuson A