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Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the greatest threat to national security was the rising wave of poverty that has remained unchecked among Nigerians. In his reflection on the state of the nation, Atiku observed that the most dangerous dimension to the poverty ravaging the country was that the financial capacity of industrialists, businessmen and factory owners, who provide employment to the teeming youths, was also drastically reducing. Atiku said there was an urgent and compelling need for institutions of the Nigerian State to understand that it is an appalling dereliction of duty to stand idly by and allow misery multiply in the populace. In a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President noted that the recent report by the United Nations Development Programme, published on July 11, 2019, which established that over 98 million Nigerians wer

President Buhari has said that the Nigerian Armed Forces and their allies are winning the war against terror. Addressing Graduation Ceremony of Senior Course 41 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) in Jaji, President Buhari, commended the collaboration with neighbouring countries in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, noting that the effort was crucial in decimating the enemy. ‘‘Many of the security threats faced by Nigeria are trans-border in nature. That is why the West African sub-region and indeed the African continent must step up the level of military cooperation that currently exists amongst us. I am sure you are aware of the collaboration of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Republic of Cameroun, Niger, Benin and Chad in a multinational operation to decimate Boko Haram terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin and other regions. The effort is laudable and has continued to yield positive results, as the war on terror is being won on all sides. I want to assure y

Former Minister of Education , Dr Oby Ezekwesili , on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari was not in charge of the country’ s armed forces . Ezekwesili , a co-founder of the # BringBackOurGirls Movement, stated this in an interview with journalists after speaking as a panellist in Lagos at the 11 th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture series . The lecture was organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism to mark the 85 th birthday of the Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka . Other panellists were a Senior Programme Officer , MacArthur Foundation , Amina Salihu; Executive Director , Paradigm Shift , Gbenga Sesan ; Director , Voter Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission, Oluwole Osaze -Uzzi ; and Chairman , Editorial Board , Nigeria Info Radio Group , Rotimi Sankore . It was moderated by the Head of CNN Africa ’ s Digital Editorial , Stephanie Busari . Ezekwesili , who was responding to the security problems in the country, followi

Some aggrieved members of the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress have insisted the recent meeting in Akure between the National Leader of the party , Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu , and APC leaders in the state to resolve the crisis in the state branch of the party did not address the real problems. Former Interim National Chairman of the APC , Chief Bisi Akande ; former Governor of Ogun State , Chief Olusegun Osoba ; Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu , and his Ekiti State counterpart , Kayode Fayemi, attended the meeting held behind closed doors. After the meeting , Tinubu and Akande said the aim of the meeting was to unite the party members in a bid to win future elections in the state . However, one of the aggrieved members of the party in the state told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that Tinubu and other leaders came to the state for personal reasons. He said , “ I don’ t think Tinubu came to Ondo State to reconcile the warring factions , he came to r

                 Professor Ango Abdullahi Former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Ango Abdullahi, is the leader of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF). He speaks with MOSES ALAO on the contentious, but now suspended RUGA settlement policy of the Federal Government, the recent ultimatum issued to the government by the Coalition of Northern Groups, insecurity and others issues in the country. FOLLOWING the suspension of the RUGA settlement policy for cattle rearers by the Federal Government, a group known as the Coalition of Northern Groups, issued a threat to the Federal Government to see to the implementation of the policy, while leading ethnic associations like the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and others replied with counter-threats. The Northern Elders’ Forum, which you lead, has also come out to add its voice to the situation… The summary of my position is that the issue is a very simple matter, that we have lived with ourselves for over three to f

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated that Nigeria was already on fire and awaiting disintegration. Ohanaeze was quoted by the Sun to have said this on Saturday through its national publicity secretary, Uche Opaga- Achi, The organisation was reacting to an earlier statement by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) which urged those opposed to the setting up of Fulani herdsmen settlements, popularly called Ruga, across the country, to drop their opposition and allow the policy take off. Ohanaeze said that the positions of both ACF and the Northern youth coalition, show the level of impunity they demonstrate or operate. It added, “Nigeria is already on fire, and what was remaining is disintegration, which the action of these people is leading to. They are mongering for war; the country is on fire, there is distress everywhere. It is turning to criminality and absurdity that people will stay in the comfort of their homes and dictate what happens i

Algeria is sending as many as 10 chartered flights carrying some 1,400 football fans to Cairo for the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Nigeria on Sunday, the country's state TV reported. Few believed coach Djamel Belmadi's side would make it this far in the tournament, but the "Desert Foxes" are now hoping to clinch their first title in nearly 30 years. And for that, the Algerian government is ready to do just about anything, including the setting aside of a fleet of commercial planes to transport supporters keen on attending the game. But if history is any indication, the "Greens" are in for a tough challenge, having last beaten Nigeria in the final of the 1990 tournament that sealed Algeria's first and only continental trophy. In 2017, Nigeria's "Super Eagles" beat a somewhat disoriented Algerian side, that had seen six coaches pushed out within two years, to reach the 2018 World Cup. "They were fragile at the time

President Buhari in his reaction to the killing of Afenifere leader’s daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, debunked claims which linked the incident to Fulani herdsmen. Recall that it was reported that Olakunrin was shot dead, after being attacked alongside other road users by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Ore junction in Ondo State earlier on Friday. The Presidency in its statemeGnt said Pa Reuben Fasoranti’s daughter was killed by armed robbers and not Fulani herdsmen as claimed by eyewitnesses. The statement by President Buhari’s Special Adviser on (Media & Publicity) Femi Adesina on Twitter reads, “President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, whose daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin was killed along Ondo-Ore road by those described as armed robbers by Ondo Police Command. He prays God to give Pa Fasoranti fortitude to bear the loss. “President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, whose daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakun

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the present administration has invested N900 billion in the power sector since it took over from the last administration in 2015. Osinbajo revealed this during his courtesy visit to Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba, on Friday. Noting that one of the problem in the power sector is that Distribution Companies (Discos) control a particular territory, the Vice President stated that the Buhari Government is working towards resolving the challenges. ”Since assumption of office, we have invested so far in terms of support N700 billion in the power sector. Earlier, we invested N200 billion,” he said. ”And now we are saying that any company that wants to provide power to any territory, should be able to provide power for the territory and the people. We have been able to break the existing monopoly in the power sector. Whether upgrade or not, the DisCos should be able to serve the people. Another strategy we are trying to introduce is to open up the p

A primary school teacher in Danbatta, Kano State, has been hospitalized after his wife scalded his groin region with hot water over his plans to marry a second wife. Lauratu committed the crime on Thursday night. According to the victim, Malam Aliyu Ibrahim Fayan-fayan, he had told his wife his intentions of adding a new wife and she celebrated with him with prayers. He added that after he noticed the way his wife was happy about the news, he gave her some money to buy some things to share to family and friends as culture demands. In an interview with DailyTrust, he said: “Since the time I told her about my plan to marry another wife, I did not see any change of attitude from her and we had been living together peacefully. In fact, she promised me that she would be among those that would buy the wedding items for the bride. Last night after I returned home, I bought some meat for them. I met her boiling the water, but I had no idea what she was going to use it for. I was relaxin

Following the killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Afenifere Chairman, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, by persons suspected to be herdsmen in Ondo State, yesterday, a youth group, Yoruba Youth Socio-cultural Association (YYSA), while expressing shock over the incident, has given Miyetti Allah a three-day ultimatum to fish out the perpetrators of the nefarious act. Confirming the murder of the daughter of the factional leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, its spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin in a statement said 58-year-old Mrs. Olakunrin was killed by persons suspected to be herdsmen while heading to Ore Junction from Akure, Ondo State, where she was attacked and shot by her attackers. He said: “We have confirmed the death of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, 58, daughter of our leader. Eyewitness accounts said she died of gunshots from herdsmen who shot her at Ore junction in Ondo State earlier today (yesterday). “She was coming from Akure when the armed herdsmen came from the bush to a

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have killed Mrs Funke Olakunrin, the 58-year-old daughter of Afenifere leader, Chief Ruben Fasoranti. According to an eyewitness account, Olakunrin died of gunshot from suspected Fulani herdsmen who shot her at Ore junction in Ondo State earlier on Friday. However, police sources confirmed the killing but blamed it on armed robbers. The Afenifere also confirming the killing of their leader’s daughter through its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, affirmed the eyewitness account. “Information available said the daughter of Baba was attacked by fulani herdsmen along Ore road. “She was said to be coming from Lagos to commiserate with a relation in Ondo,” Odumakin said. According to him, “eyewitness accounts said she died of gunshot from Fulani herdsmen who shot her at Ore junction in Ondo State earlier today. “She was coming from Akure when the armed Fulani herdsmen came from the bush to attack her and other vehicles. Her domesti

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, declared six-month amnesty to migrants who have stayed in Nigeria beyond 90 days without resident permit. He said that the period would enable the migrants register with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to avoid having challenges with immigration laws. The president made the declaration at the inauguration of the Migrant E-Registration and Data Processing Centres at NIS Headquarters in Abuja. Represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, Buhari said that the E-Registration was significant to the country’s drive for robust internal security and national development. He said “It is on this note, therefore, that I am declaring a six-month amnesty period for illegal migrants already in the country to submit themselves to the Nigerian Immigration Service for the purpose of this registration. “The registration will be carried out without any payment or penalties. “I’m enjoining all migrants staying in

Deeper Life Church in Bayelsa have suspended a couple's wedding for eating from the same plate a week to their official wedding. The suspension notification came while their traditional marriage was going on. The post was shared by a Twitter user who wrote: "So I'm going to be narrating a funny story that was shared with me by a friend of mine who went for the wedding of his cousin that was cancelled on Saturday 8, 2019 at Okutukutu, Bayelsa by Deeper Life Bible Church @dclmhq they attend I don't criticize pastors or churches, but this is overwhelming and annoying So after all the preparation for wedding, the State Overseer of Bayelsa state called the chairman marriage committee of the church to suspend the wedding. The message sent was "YOUR WEDDING IS SUSPENDED. TWO OF YOU ARE PLACED ON DISCIPLINE." This was sent on Friday during the traditional marriage. Please who does this? After all the preparation for wedding. So the family of the bride dro

Without doubt, churches have denominations and patterns of worship differ, but when you stumble on one, where weird activities are the order of the day and alcohol, animal sacrifices and biblical villains like Nebuchadnezzar, Ahab and even Satan are deified, then you’ve just encountered worship redefined. Tabitha Pearl writes. A Christian worship centre or church is a place where you expect everything but the absurd and the weird. But this was precisely what this reporter beheld few weeks back when she went snooping at “As God said, It Must Be Done, The temple of the Most High God,’ located in Oke-Aro in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. A mere N100 bus ride from the popular Agege/Pen Cinema Bus-Stop, took this reporter to As God Said Street – the street is named after the church. A short commercial motorcycle ride took this reporter to the church’s doorstep. The temple is flanked on one side by what used to be a mosque and the other by a Celestial Church of Christ, whic

Witnesses of Atiku Abubakar, 2019 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have been reportedly attacked by unknown gunmen. This was disclosed in a post by the PDP on its verified Twitter page on Friday. According to the main opposition, the witnesses attacked were meant to testify at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal for the PDP Friday. Following the attack, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Garba adjourned hearing on the PDP and Atiku /Obi Petition to Monday, the 15th of July 2019. The post reads: Quote “ Breaking News: PDP and Atiku/Peter Obi’s witnesses attacked by unknown gunmen. “Information reaching us is to the effect that, witnesses that were supposed to testify at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal for the PDP today were attacked by unknown gunmen. “Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, the lead counsel for the PDP and Atiku/Obi at the Tribunal informed the court that the witnesses were attacked on their way from their various destinations as the

The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has backed up his Fulanisation agenda claim with a discovery in the new international passport introduced by the Nigerian government. He claims that his new discovery is proof that the government of Nigeria is pursuing a pro-Fulani agenda at the detriment of other ethnic nationalities. Kanu has always accused the Buhari-led government of a covert agenda to make his Fulani ethnic group lord over other ethnic groups in the country, an allegation which the Presidency has always laughed off. “And now that you have terror herdsmen & their cows on your new International Passport, do you still have any doubt?” he tweeted on Thursday. We bring the news to you as it comes.....

An Ibadan based commercial bus driver, Hakeem Yusuf, on Thursday told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, that he often beats his wife, Ronke, because of her alleged infidelity and deceptiveness, NAN reports. Hakeem’s testimony was in response to his wife’s allegation of constant battery before Chief Ademola Odunade, the President of the court. Hakeem, who consented to the divorce application filed by Ronke, alleged that he married her 10 years ago, without an inkling “she is an empty barrel. “My lord, Ronke and I were ordinary friends then before she systematically encouraged me to marry her. “She lied to me that she was pregnant and I later found out that she had deceived me. “Ronke is such an adulterous wife no man should never pray to have. “I have trailed her to many scenes of her atrocities and she is a disgrace to womanhood. “In fact, Ronke is currently married to our neighbor on the same street after she had deceived me into giving her money to buy milk and Maltina dri

Femi Fani-Kayode has blasted the Buhari-ledu government for pasting a photo of herdmen on the new Nigerian passport. In a statement he released this morning July 12th, Fani-Kayode described the photo of herdsmen on the new passport as an insult to Nigerians and their heritage. He rejeceted it and called for the removal of what he termed the ”accursed page” and called for the replacement of the page with ”another symbol that truly represents the noble, enlightened, civilised and laudable nature and heritage of the Nigerian people’. Read the full statement below Fani Kayode , Fulani herdsmen are symbols of bloodshed, terror, mass murder, ethnic-cleansing, genocide, carnage, torment, trauma, and evil. They represent nothing other than cruelty, suffering, land-grabbing, church-burning, home-stealing, raping and pillaging and they are instruments of occupation, domination and conquest. They have slaughtered more Nigerians over the last 4 years than Boko Haram have done in 10 and

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Thursday called on the Federal Government to intervene in the alleged harassment and ejection of herdsmen in the Southern part of the country. The group’s spokesman, Mr Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement released in Abuja, called on the government to quickly address the issue before it degenerates into crisis. He also urged security agencies to urgently check the escalation of hate-inducing comments by some Southern-based political, cultural and religious leaders aiming at endangering the Fulani people rendering them object of indiscriminate attacks. Going further, he said the Coalition has read the resolutions and decisions of five South East Governors issued on July 9, 2019 over the rising tensions around the expulsion and other hostile acts against the Fulani people by many leaders and communities in many parts of Nigeria. “These tensions have been made worse by the decision of the federal government to suspend the Ruga settlement pr

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, have vowed to sacrifice 21 million of its members if Federal Government failed to release its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. IMN issued the warning during its protest in Ikeja, Lagos State on Thursday. Members of the group chanted several songs, demanding that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration should respect court orders and release El-Zakzaky. Addressing journalists during the protest, the South-West Coordinator of IMN, Mr. Muftau Zakariya, called on the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, to prevail on Buhari to release it’s leader. According to Zakariya, the group would not desist from protest until Buhari released El-Zakzaky. He said: “We are ready to die if our leader is not released. If they are ready to kill us, we have 21 million lives to offer. I know that Nigerian soldiers do not have 21 million bullets to shoot at us. “It’s true that there are 21 million Shi’ites in Nige

Popular comic actress , Funke Akindele- Bello, has said that her friends are not allowed to call her husband except on his birthday or when they are unable to reach her on the phone . Akindele -Bello, who is married to Abdul Rasheed Bello , a .k .a JJC Skillz , said this on Your View , a programme broadcast on Television Continental in Lagos , a video of which went viral on Thursday . While speaking on personal space with four of the show ’s co-hosts , the actress said she would be upset if any of her close friends called her husband on the phone or brought food to him in her absence . She said , “ Yes, your friend can come to your house . Your husband can know your best friend ; he can say hello . But why would you be calling my husband on the phone ? What happened? Why do you want to call my husband ? “ Except it is his birthday and you want to wish him a happy birthday , why would you call him ? Okay , maybe you’ ve been trying to talk to me and you can reach me ; yes, you can c