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    King Charles refuses to shake a black man’s hand during the burial of his mom [Video]

    Some Nigerians have expressed displeasure over the action of the newly crowned King of England, King Charles III, towards a black man during his mother’s burial.

    Tori Media reports that in the video which has gone viral, King Charles was seen avoiding giving a handshake to a black man who was among the crowd at Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral on Monday, 19th September.

    The act sparked outrage on social media with many people questioning what the black man was doing at the event.

    While some claimed it was not a deliberate gesture from the King, others opined that the new King might be a staunch ‘Racist’.

    crd_liveth wrote: “Not a mistake. He did it deliberately. Even when the man was still trying to hold onto his hand, u can see he waved him reluctantly. More like he’s not comfortable with him. So sad”

    [Naijanews]

    Nigerian couple arrested in India for allegedly duping people on social media

    A Nigerian national identified as Akne Benjamin and his female accomplice have been arrested in India for allegedly duping people after befriending them on social media.

    32-year-old Benjamin and Fatima Lyngdoh (42), a resident of Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya, were arrested from Delhi by Rajasthan police on Monday, September 19, 2022.


    The Superintendent of Police, Sirohi, Mamta Gupta, in a statement said a complaint was received at Abu Road Sadar police station on April 24 in which a woman alleged that she became friends on Facebook with a woman who told her that she was from New Zealand.

    During interrogation, Lyngdoh confessed to duping people in different states of crores of rupees, police said.

    The senior police officer said both accused used to create fake profiles of foreign nationals on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook among others.

    After befriending their targets, the accused told them that they had sent some expensive gifts.

    Thereafter, another member asked the victim to pay an amount failing which the target was threatened that probe agencies will launch an investigation about the gift, police added.

    “Don’t impose persistent head covering on ladies, it causes odour” – Deeper Life, Kumuyi says

    General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi has cautioned ushers in his church to stop imposing head covering rules on ladies, stressing that persistent coverings causes heat in the hair and it will emit odour.

    The revered pastor lamented that many Christians who don’t know how to interpret the word of God are driving people away from the church.


    Kumuyi made the remarks in a sermon shared on the Facebook wall of the Ekiti State Deeper Life Church monitored by Church Times

    His words, “Somebody is coming to our church for the first time. And she happens to be a lady not covering her head. We ask the person to cover her head before coming in. We don’t know whether the person does not even know God. We confront her out there before she even enters the church. We don’t know if she does not know how to pray or prophesy. But we impose rules on her.

    “If I were the person, I would wonder what kind of church is this? If they treat me like a primary school girl, that will be my last time coming to the church.”


    Citing 1Cor 11v5 of the Holy Bible, which dwells on the covering of the head for the female gender, Kumuyi explained that women should have their heads covered while praying or prophesying.

    He also wondered why some sisters in the church would cover their heads for almost 20 hours a day; stating that many have made themselves unattractive by their appearance.


    Kumuyi said, “There are some women who are not attractive to their husbands. Some believe since they are married they are no longer obligated to look good before their husband. There are single sisters that are not presentable. ”

    Kumuyi noted that because of persistent covering there will be “heat in the hair and it will emit odour,”


    Women who practice such according to him, “put themselves in bondage because they never read the word.”

    He said many of the sisters who insist on the covering of hair might not even be praying in the church. They just believe since they are covering their head, they are okay.

    “If I don’t tell you maybe nobody will tell you. There are some wives who dress shabbily and are no longer attractive to the man. There are some single sisters that are not presentable. Anybody who is looking for the will of God may not be attracted to them.

    The Bible says every woman that pray or prophesies. The reason why you are covering is either you are praying or prophesying.”

    “I dated Apostle Suleiman after he told me he was divorced” — Halima Abubakar

    Award winning actress, Halima Abubakar has opened up over the alleged romantic relationship with the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministties Auchi, Apsotle Johnson Suleman.

    She spoke in a series of posts shared on her official Instagram handle on Sunday.

    The 37-year-old actress openly admitted that she had an affair with the preacher because he told her he was divorced with three children.

    “I fck up yes. I own my mistakes. But I won’t lie anymore. Ngg* said he was separated. I didn’t meet a married man. I met a bizman with three kids. Long story, stay away from liars.”

    She also accused the cleric of feeding bloggers with negative stories about her.

    She said: “Every month only you. You paid off the blogs, only you, God forbid. Look for lies and send it to your bloggers. They need am. But you you you JS. You bought market Sule. Emperor Sule. Allow me rest biko.”

    Abubakar and other popular female celebrities have been accused to have amorous relationship with the flamboyant gospel preacher.

    Though, Suleman has consistently denied the allegations, dismissing them as handiworks of his detractors.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?

    Last week, Peter Obi – former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate – finally made his much-anticipated appearance on CNN. It was, all things considered, an impressive outing.

    By this I mean not just that Obi held his own – which he did – but, even more critically, that the program clarified for me something that, hitherto, had been somewhat mysterious.

    Why has Obi’s campaign been so far so undeniably electrifying? What accounts for his palpable momentum? How do we explain the seeming ease with which he has galvanized young Nigerians across religious and ethnic lines?

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?
    The author, Professor Okey Ndibe

    Put differently, what’s the defining source and element of the Obi Mystique?

    I had flirted with an intuitive answer. Obi’s CNN interview confirmed it. Interestingly, that confirmation came less from Obi than from a young Nigerian woman named Weyimi Lube.

    Lube is a member of a youth group that’s fishing voters for Obi. A CNN correspondent interviewed her prior to Obi’s appearance. “The Obidient movement is pretty simple,” Lube said in a self-assured manner.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?
    Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, a former governor of Anambra, is running in Nigeria’s presidential race as the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate. He discusses his objectives for the country with CNN’s Zain Asher [Source: CNN]

    “We’re just a group of frustrated Nigerians who want good governance. It’s as simple as that. And we’re running for the presidency. Each and every one of us in the Obidient movement is running for the presidency through Peter Obi.”Then, more to the point, she explained the relationship between the #EndSARS movement and the groundswell for Obi. “EndSARS was the catalyst that started all of this,” she told the correspondent.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?

    Let’s do a quick recap for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with that explosive episode in Nigeria’s recent political history.

    In October of 2020, Nigerians – most of them youngsters – fanned out in the country’s major cities to demand an end to police brutality. Their initial goal was to force the government to disband a notorious police unit styled the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    SARS was formed in 1992 to counter festering violent crimes. In short order, its agents transformed into monstrous torturers, often of innocent people.

    For decades, hapless Nigerians writhed under the brutal heels of lawless SARS officers. Far from operating as law enforcement agents, many SARS officers evolved into lawless louts. They created a grotesque cottage industry, reputed for battering their civilian victims and – on occasion – carrying out extra-judicial executions.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?
    EndSARS protesters gather at Lagos’ Lekki toll gate during a demonstration against police brutality on Oct. 15, 2020. Pierre Favennec—AFP/Getty Images

    It was this man-sized virus that outraged Nigerian youth rallied to erase in 2020. For me, the protests represented a particularly heartening moment. It had been, in my estimation, close to three decades since Nigerians witnessed a focused youth-led mass action.

    In a country where such protests often quickly fizzle out, #EndSARS seemed intent on going for the long haul.

    President Muhammadu Buhari was clearly rattled, as were other occupants of elective offices. Buhari consented to institute reforms. Buoyed by the power and effectiveness of their movement, the protesters sought to wring broader concessions out of the government.

    Their ambition and boldness collided with the ruling elite’s duplicity and desperation. In a sign that Buhari’s reformist rhetoric was hollow, he had hardly finished delivering his sweet pledge when soldiers blockaded protesters in Lagos and unleashed deadly force. Many lives were snuffed out, many more maimed.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?
    Nigerian soldiers shooting at peaceful EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate

    Ever since that devastating denouement, I had wondered how the distraught youth would respond, in the short and long terms. Would they fold up, utterly crushed by defeat? Would they reconcile themselves to the idea that their station was that of serfs, seen but hardly heard? Would they accept the implicit bargain that Nigerian politics was the exclusive reserve of geriatrics, with the young providing – at best – the recruiting pool for thugs, praise singers and lowly apprentices?

    It appears that a growing number of Nigerian youth have not forgotten the injustice done them and their fellows during EndSARS. They seem set to exact revenge, determined to use their country’s 2023 elections to make a point. And that point may well be that Buhari’s hounds, far from draining the fighting spirit out of Nigeria’s youth, instead fueled the youth’s stamina. What didn’t altogether extinguish them in 2020 seems to have fanned them into fiercer force.

    Ms. Lube buttressed that point to CNN. “We harnessed that [EndSARS] pain, that energy, and said we’re not just going to let this die. It’s not really about Peter Obi. Definitely, Peter Obi is the quote, unquote poster child for good governance. But it’s about us Nigerians. When do we start to speak up for ourselves?”

    Hers was an entirely eloquent and illuming summation of the Obi factor in 2023. In and through Obi, Nigeria’s youth – a much maligned, marginalized, brutalized and underestimated demographic – seem bent on seizing the center of their country’s politics, infusing their nation’s space with that measure of competence, vision and imagination that’s eluded Nigeria.

    Should Obi win – and nobody who has encountered the grit, energy and passion of his foot soldiers can discount the prospect – it would be a victory powered by the resurgent, smoldering fire from the days of EndSARS. His victory, if it comes, would be less a personal triumph than a vindication of the youth’s collective effort.

    Is Peter Obi EndSARS Part II?
    EndSARS protesters at lekki toll gate | David Elppa Aerial Photography

    That being the case, he cannot but incorporate his (mostly) youthful sponsors’ dreams in his policies and statecraft. His administration must be shaped by that noble idea of Nigeria which the country’s youth incubate.

    That, for me, was the key takeaway from CNN’s spotlight on Obi.

    The article “Is Peter Obi EndSARS Phase 2?” by Okey Ndibe was first published on Offsidemusings.

    How ‘gossip’ got a Lawyer killed as she was chasing her husband and his alleged ‘side chic’ in Calabar

    More details have emerged on the lawyer who died in an accident while chasing her husband and an alleged side chic in Calabar on Sunday, September 18.

    The deceased, Claret Opara Bassey, and Mr. Sunday Bassey have been married for over 10 years, with three kids.

    According to the Nation, on Sunday, September 18, she reportedly got a call from one of her friends that her husband was sighted in a shopping mall with the alleged side chic.

    She was said to have immediately driven to the mall in one of their cars.

    Getting there, she saw her husband about to leave the premises of the shopping mall and inside his car was the alleged side chic identified as Laticia.

    Upon sighting the wife, he hurriedly drove off with Laticia in the front seat.

    Mrs Bassey went after her husband’s car and the more he accelerated, the more the wife tried to catch up with the car until they got to the highway.

    The husband was said to have decided to veer off from the highway to adjoining streets of the State Housing estate, forcing the wife to make a U-turn.

    She then lost control of the car and rammed into a tree, leaving her seriously injured and the car badly damaged.

    Claret Opara Bassey
    She died here.. as she chased her husband

    Eyewitnesses said immediately he saw from the back mirror that the wife was involved in an accident, the husband made a u-turn.

    The alleged side chick dropped off and fled the scene while the husband rallied to rescue his wife, the publication reports.

    The tearful husband was said to have apologised to his wife who was in the pool of her blood.

    “He was apologetic before the dying wife and pleaded that she should not die. He rushed the wife to Navy hospital in Calabar where she was reportedly confirmed dead,” an eyewitness told The Nation.

    Friends of the couple said they started dating during their university days

    One of the deceased’s friend named Queenofhearts Oyoyo wrote on the deceased’s Facebook page: “My friend is gone, Barr. Claret Bassey; you were intimidated, subdued and abused until you gave up. I told you to focus on yourself and your kids. What happened that you didn’t call any of your bone friends as usual? I am broken to pieces.”

    “Nnamdi Kanu must not die in Prison” – Ohaneze warns

    Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Federal Government against allowing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu,  to die in custody of the Directorate of State Services (DSS).


    This comes after his brother Emmanuel Kanu and attorney Ifeanyi Ejiofor had raised the alarm on Kanu’s health condition following a routine visit at the Department of State Service cell. They said the Biafra leader is critically ill and has not been allowed access to his doctors by the DSS.


    Ejiofor said Kanu “is currently suffering from gastrointestinal illness, which necessitates the constant use of antacids and other available medical treatments.”

     “The DSS has refused to allow him to have even the smallest amount of prescribed painkiller, which could have given him short-term respite.”

    Reacting in a statement titled, “Nnamdi Kanu Must Not Die in Prison,” Ohanaeze described the report as worrisome to any fair-minded patriotic Nigerian.

    Signed by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the pan-Igbo body warned the Federal Government that nothing untoward should happen to Kanu in detention.

    According to the statement, the group’s President General, Ambassador George Obiozor, has on several occasions advised President Buhari on Kanu’s issue beyond the courts or the use of force, stating that it requires a political solution.

    The statement read, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, and several eminent Igbo have repeatedly appealed to the heart of Mr President to release Nnamdi Kanu on the premise of a political solution. The only living legend among those that fought for Nigeria’s independence and the Minister of Aviation in the First Republic, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, presented the request to Buhari when he visited Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, as his last wish.

    “Earlier before that, Mbazulike had also met the President in Aso Rock, Abuja for the same reason. In the interim, common sense will ask – why deny Nnamdi Kanu the necessary access to a medical doctor? This is very curious and raises a lot of questions.

    “Finally, it is common knowledge that the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu has rather contributed to the enormity of insecurity in the South-East and one wonders what will happen if, by the utter carelessness, negligence or unnecessary victimisation, something untoward happens to Nnamdi Kanu.”

    Putin rushing to carry urgent referendum vote for ‘invaded Ukrainian towns’ to join Russia

    Four occupied areas of Ukraine under Russia’s control have announced plans for urgent referendums to join Russia, paving the way for Russian annexation.


    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has stalled in recent months with Ukraine recapturing swathes of territory in the north-eastern part of the country propelled by arms sent from the West.


    Now Russian-backed officials of the four regions in Ukraine controlled by Russian forces say they want to organize votes on joining Russia this week.

    For months, Russian-installed authorities have tried to hold self-styled referendums which have been made harder by Ukraine’s counter-offensives.


    While most of Luhansk has been in Russian hands since July, on Monday the Ukrainian leader in Luhansk announced that the army had recaptured the village of Bilohorivka.

    referendum

    Donetsk and Zaporizhia are still under the control of Russia 


    Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, after a referendum that drew international condemnation and was never accepted by the UN, West or Ukraine.


    There is speculation that Russia may announce a mass mobilisation, to beef up its forces in Ukraine. The Russian parliament has approved tougher punishments for crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination during mobilisation or combat operations.


    The deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said early on Tuesday that holding votes in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk – also known as Donbas – would correct “historical justice” and be irreversible: “After the amendments to the constitution of our state, no future leader of Russia, no official, will be able to reverse these decisions.”

    Annexing more Ukrainian territory would enable the Kremlin and Russian president, Vladimir Putin to claim Russia itself was coming under attack from Nato and then use more serious measures such as chemical weapons or even nuclear weapons to defend the ‘Russian territory’


    The Ukranian government has reacted to the planned referendum, calling it a sham. 


    Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday that “sham ‘referendums’ will not change anything”.


    Ukrainian defence ministry adviser Oleksiy Kopytko suggested the vote plan was a “sign of hysteria” in Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday night “the occupiers are clearly in a panic”.

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the votes were a “sham”, while France’s Emmanuel Macron condemned the idea as “cynical” and a “parody” that would obviously not be recognised by the international community. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said they had no legitimacy and were “a further escalation in Putin’s war”.


    Any attempt to further annex sovereign Ukrainian territory is bound to anger the Ukranian government and destroy any hope of negotiations.

    Nyesom Wike’s loyalists pull out of PDP’s campaign

    The Peoples Democratic Party’s crisis has taken another twist as loyalists of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have pulled out of the campaign council of Atiku Abubakar. 

    Speaking after a long meeting which started at about 7pm last night and ended by past 2am this morning at the private residence of Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Wike’s loyalists vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities until chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu resigns.

    Channels Television reported that those present at this defining gathering at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; former Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, Donald Duke of Cross River, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe and Jonah Jang of Plateau, former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.

    Others at the meeting are elder statesmen, Olabode George, Jerry Gana; South-South Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Suleiman Nazif, Nnenna Ukeje, among several others.

    Lagos PDP Chieftain, Chief Olabode George reportedly read the communique of the group.

    Govt grants investigation involving a Kogi Pastor who sells ‘bulletproof water’ (photos)

    The Chairman of Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, Engr. Abdulrazaq Muhammad has ordered security agencies to carry out full investigation into the activities of a self-proclaimed man of God, Peter Michonza.

    The presiding pastor of “New Jerusalem church” located within Ageva axis of Okene went viral on social media over allegations of running labour wards for pregnant women in his church and selling “bulletproof” water to the people, amongst other medically unacceptable practices which have reportedly led to the death of many. 

    Michonza and members of his church also held a protest rally in Okene, calling for the release of International Musician, Rkelly who was recently jailed over child pornography and rape allegations.

    A press statement issued by Abdulmumin Abubakar, the Special Adviser to the Chairman on Media & Publicity, said the directive for investigation became necessary “after some of his alleged ungodly activities were published on social media by concerned members of the public.”

    “The council chairman appreciates people for blowing the whistle and exposing the alleged atrocities of Mr Peter in the name of church activities, noting that details of the investigation will be made public in due course.” the statement added. 

    Peter Michonza
    Peter Michonza
    Peter Michonza
    Peter Michonza

    JAMB sets date for supplementary exam

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it would conduct  a supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 67 candidates on Saturday, September 24,2022.

    JAMB’s Head, Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin said the supplementary exam was fixed for the candidates after reviewing the entire exercise. 

    The statement released on Monday September 19, read; 

    “The examination is for 67 candidates who had registered for the 2022 UTME, but who could neither sit the examination nor take the just-concluded Mop-Up UTME owing to one challenge or another, to take their examination at specially-designated centres.

    “It would be recalled that after the 2022 UTME, the Board had reviewed the entire exercise and those candidates with biometric challenges were given the opportunity of sitting a mop-up examination.

    “The Board also announced that since the conduct of a mop-up examination is a stopgap measure, it would not be allowed to be a permanent feature of its calendar. Therefore, any candidate presenting any strange challenge(s) would have to indicate or declare such peculiarities at the point of registration for them to be given special consideration and allocated to centres within its National Headquarters, Abuja, for close monitoring as the Board had phased out the conduct of mop-up examinations.

    “However, in spite of the discovery of series of suspicious challenges presented by some candidates, the Board has, on account of its avowed commitment to equity and fairness, scheduled another set of 67 candidates to sit the examination at designated centres, under close scrutiny of the Board.

    ”This decision to give these set of candidates this unusual opportunity is to ensure that no single innocent candidate is punished unjustly.

    “These 67 candidates are, therefore, urged to print their supplementary examination notification slips from Monday, 19th September, 2022, to know the centres where they would be sitting the examination.”

    Kylian Mbappe wants more control over his image rights, refuses to partake in national team photoshoot

    Kylian Mbappe has reportedly refused to take part in the France national team’s photoshoot as his long-running dispute with the French Football Federation (FFF) over image rights continues.

    Mbappe led a boycott among the French team of certain sponsors back in March as he did not want to be associated with particular brands.

    On Monday, September 19, he opted out of a scheduled photoshoot with the squad as he remains uncomfortable promoting certain sponsors including betting companies and fast food brands, as reported by Get French Football News.

    The FFF struck an €8m (£7m) deal with online sports betting company Betclic last year, with that contract running through until the 2026 World Cup.

    The federation also have ties with KFC, Uber Eats and Coca-Cola, which may be a concern for Mbappe.

    All of the money that Mbappe earns from France sponsorships goes to charity, but the forward is believed to have stepped away from the photoshoot due to the moral and ethical issues that arise in representing certain sponsors.

    According to Mail Online, Mbappe’s grievances are understandable given his previous issues with betting companies in the past. 

    French betting company Winamax were widely condemned for a tweet that they sent out earlier this year of a football fan celebrating a goal by showing his bum to the crowd. Alongside the picture, their caption read: ‘Kylian Mbappe’s father celebrating his son’s goal against South Africa.’

    Mbappe was far from impressed with their ill-judged tweet and responded by writing: ‘The danger of online betting… no longer having a limit. A little respect please.’

    It is understood that Mbappe still wants to renegotiate the agreement over image rights with the FFF for national team players.

    Do you know that under Buhari’s regime, passport costs N10k in the north, N25k across southern states?

    Investigations have revealed that under the President Muhammadu Buhari government, a 32-page passport costs N10,750 to process at the northern parts of Nigeria, while the same passport costs N25,000 to process at the southern hemisphere.

    See a few samples from four states, two from each half apiece involving Adamawa, Sokoto, Imo and Ogun States respectively below:

    Do you know that under Buhari, passport costs N10k at north, N25k at south?
    Do you know that under Buhari, passport costs N10k at north, N25k at south?
    Do you know that under Buhari, passport costs N10k at north, N25k at south?
    Do you know that under Buhari, passport costs N10k at north, N25k at south?

    — Source: NewsBand

    Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin buried near her beloved husband at St George’s Chapel vault (photos)

    The Queen’s casket has been lowered into the Royal Vault in St George’s Chapel, where it will lie with her beloved husband Prince Philip after her crown, orb and sceptre were removed from her coffin so she could descend into her grave ‘as a simple Christian soul’.

    Her Majesty returned home to Windsor to be reunited for eternity with her husband, father, mother, and sister in the crypt at St George’s Chapel to the lament of a lone piper as her 70-year reign came to an end.

    The Royal Family stood at the end of the short service as the Queen was slowly lowered down into the royal vault while the Dean of Windsor said: ‘Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.’ He also offered the commendation – a prayer in which the deceased is entrusted to God’s mercy.

    Queen Elizabeth II coffin

    Before she was lowered,  Dean had placed her crown and other crown jewels on the altar before the Queen’s staff of office was snapped – signifying the severing of the Queen from her service in death. The Garter King of Arms then pronounced the styles and titles of the Queen as all power moved to her son, the King.

    Queen Elizabeth II coffin

    Her Majesty’s long journey to her final resting place will end with her private interment next to her ‘strength and stay Philip’ this evening where the King will scatter earth on his mother’s coffin at 7.30pm at a private family service.

    Queen Elizabeth II coffin

    Britain’s longest reigning monarch had been carried into the historic church followed by Charles III, her children, and grandchildren including Prince Harry and Prince William. 

    Hushpuppi praises FBI for arresting him, begs victims ahead of conviction

    Nigeria’s serial internet fraudster facing trial in the United States of America, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, has written to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), complimenting American authorities for arresting him and bringing him to justice for his crimes.

    The internet fraudster who will soon be sentenced by the US court appreciated the presiding Judge Otis D. Wright and the U.S. justice system for “upholding the law against criminals like myself.

    Abbas in a handwritten letter recounted his criminal adventures and apologised to his family members for the pains his lifestyle had caused them.

    In his final appeal to Justice Wright on Friday ahead of his sentencing on Monday, Abbas who took full responsibility for his crimes also tendered an apology to the victims of his crimes and pleaded for a more lenient judgment

    “I would like to specially apologize to the victims in the cases I’m involved with from count one to five…,

    “I apologise to the law enforcement agents who have worked tirelessly to make the world a safer place and to the U.S. Attorney’s entire office for the great work of upholding the law against criminals like myself,” he said in the letter

    According to the letter, Abbas recalled how he joined Instagram in 2012 to share his style online and noted the expansion of his business into “luxury fashion, real estate, automobile sales and entertainment deals.

    Recall that in July 2021, Abbas entered a plea bargain with the U.S. authorities, and admitted to multimillion-dollar fraud charges. Intelligence agencies recorded multiple crimes, including money laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonation, scamming individuals, banking fraud and identity theft committed outside the United Arab Emirates

    Abbas, who has been in custody in the US since his arrest in Dubai in June 2020, in the letter, had claimed that he made only $300,000 from his crime activities

    While tendering his apologies to the Judge for his crimes, Abbas promised that he would use his personal funds to repay the victims of his crimes

    “Your Honour, I totally recognise the seriousness of my offence, and no amount of sorry can write my wrong in the hearts of the victims, and this is why I have decided to use my personal money to offset all of the entire $1,700,000 restitution even though I only benefited a fraction of $300,000,” he wrote.

    Meanwhile, Justice Wright on Friday reversed an earlier decision and denied Abbas’ requests to view case files of the Juma case, where disgraced Nigerian Deputy Police Commissioner, Abba Kyari was also indicted as an accomplice

    The judge also denied the request to reschedule the sentencing date from September 19 to November 3.

    SAHARAREPORTERS

    Judge rules in favor of Donald Trump against Justice Department

    A U.S. judge on Thursday September 15, sided with former US president Donald Trump, by refusing to let the Justice Department immediately resume reviewing classified records seized by the FBI from Trump’s Florida estate in an ongoing criminal investigation.

    Federal Judge Aileen Cannon also appointed Senior District Judge Raymond Dearie as a third party to review records seized by the FBI for materials that could be privileged and kept from federal investigators.


    The Justice Department also sought to block the independent arbiter, Dearie, from vetting the roughly 100 classified documents included among the 11,000 records gathered in the court-approved Aug. 8 search.


    “The court does not find it appropriate to accept the government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion,” Cannon wrote Thursday, September 15.

    Cannon’s ruling further complicates the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s alleged handling of classified records. The special master’s review could bar prosecutor from viewing documents seized as they weigh the possibility of criminal charges against the former president who is planning on coming out for president in 2024.


    Cannon on Thursday said she would instruct Dearie to prioritize reviewing the classified records first. She also directed him to complete his review of all the seized materials by Nov. 30.


    Trump’s lawyers in Monday’s filing disputed the department’s claim that the roughly 100 documents at issue are in fact classified, and they reminded Cannon that a president generally has broad powers to declassify records. They stopped short of suggesting that Trump had declassified the documents, a claim he has made on social media but not in court filings.

    About two weeks after the search, Trump’s attorneys sought the appointment of a special master to review the seized records for materials that could be covered by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege – a legal doctrine that can shield some presidential records from disclosure.


    The Justice Department is investigating Trump for retaining government records – some marked as highly classified, including “top secret” – at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach after leaving office in January 2021.


    The department is also looking into possible obstruction of the probe after it found evidence that records may have been removed or concealed from the FBI when it sent agents to Mar-a-Lago in June to try to recover all classified documents through a grand jury subpoena. The Justice department says it will take the case to the appeal court after losing to Trump on Thursday.

    Ice Prince freed from prison, Praises Jehova! “Freedom is priceless” – he says

    Nigerian musician, Panshak Zamani, a.k.a Ice Prince, has said freedom is priceless after spending six days in Ikoyi prison.

    The rapper stated this via his Twitter handle on Thursday night, September 15, a week after he was released on bail. 

    “Freedom is priceless,” he tweeted. 

    The ‘Oleku’ crooner is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on assault, obstructing a policeman from carrying out its statutory duties, and abduction.

    He was arrested in the early hours of Friday September 2, for allegedly abducting and assaulting a police officer in Lagos. 

    The court granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 and asked him to provide “two responsible sureties.

    The court also ordered his remand at the Ikoyi correctional facility until his bail conditions were met.

    Ice Prince

    President Putin disappointed with China over Ukraine

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat across from each other on the opposite ends of a conference room on Thursday, in their first in-person meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The two leaders have developed a close personal bond. During his decade in power, Xi has met Putin 39 times — more than twice as many times as he has met any other world leader.

    President Putin expressed veiled disappointment with China but praised its “balanced position” on the Ukraine war.

    He, however, conceded Beijing had “questions and concerns” over the invasion, in what appeared to be a veiled admission of their diverging views over the protracted military assault.

    He made the comments when meeting the Chinese leader in person for the first time since the invasion at a regional summit in Uzbekistan, days after Russia suffered a series of major military setbacks in Ukraine.

    Russian troops are retreating en mass, having lost more territory in a week than they captured in five months.

    China has so far refused to outright condemn Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine while stepping up economic assistance to its neighbor, boosting bilateral trade to record levels in a boon to Russian business amid Western sanctions.

    “We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard.

    “During today’s meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this issue, although we have spoken about this before,” Putin said in an opening speech of the meeting.

    Xi said China would “work with Russia to extend strong mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests” and “play a leading role in injecting stability and positive energy into a world of change and disorder,” according to a readout from the meeting provided by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Xi also said he appreciated “Russia’s adherence to the one-China principle and stressed that Taiwan is a part of China.”

    The two authoritarian leaders have emerged as close partners in recent years, propelled by growing conflict with the West and a strong personal bond.

    China has offered tacit support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, while Moscow has backed Beijing and criticized Washington over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August. Beijing responded to her trip with unprecedented military drills around the self-governing democratic island, which it claims as its own territory.

    In their meeting Thursday, Putin condemned the United States for what he said were “provocations” in the Taiwan Strait, and criticized what he claimed were attempts to “create a unipolar world.”

    Those attempts, he said, have “recently taken an ugly shape and are absolutely unacceptable to most states on the planet.”

    The two are holding talks on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security-focused grouping that also includes India, Pakistan and four Central Asian nations.

    Beijing carefully avoiding Western sanctions

    Faced with punishing western sanctions as result of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has sought ever closer ties with China.

    Beijing has carefully avoided violating Western sanctions or providing direct military support to Moscow.

    This balancing act, experts say, is a sign that Xi won’t sacrifice China’s economic interests to rescue Putin, who arrived at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan this week with his army retreating from large swathes of Ukrainian territory.

    But the trading relationship is booming, in a lopsided way, as Russia desperately seeks new markets and China — an economy 10 times the size — scrambles for cheap commodities.

    Trade in bilateral goods is at record levels as China snaps up oil and coal to tackle an energy crisis. Russia, meanwhile, has become a top market for China’s currency, and Chinese companies are rushing to fill the vacuum left by departing Western brands.

    China’s spending on Russian goods soared 60% in August from a year ago, hitting $11.2 billion, according to Chinese customs statistics, surpassing July’s 49% gain.

    Its shipments to Russia, meanwhile, jumped 26% to $8 billion in August, also accelerating from the previous month.

    For the first eight months of this year, total goods trade between China and Russia surged 31% to $117.2 billion. That’s already 80% of last year’s total — which stood at a record $147 billion.

    “Russia needs China more than China needs Russia,” said Keith Krach, former Under Secretary of State for Economic growth, Energy and the Environment in the United States.

    “As the war in Ukraine drags on, Putin’s losing friends fast and increasingly becoming more and more dependent on China,” he added.

    For China, Russia now accounts for 2.8% of its total trade volume, slightly higher than the 2.5% share at the end of last year. The European Union and United States have much bigger shares.

    China was already Russia’s largest single trading partner before the war, and accounted for 16% of its total foreign trade.

    But the world’s second biggest economy has assumed much greater significance for Russia, which has plunged into a recession because of the Western sanctions.

    History: ‘Meet James Horton, the 1st man who proposed modern independent nation for Igbos 1865’

    Do you know that an Igbo man planned and proposed a modernised self-governed Nation/Empire/Republic of Igbos 39 years before the birth of Nigeria as a country? His name is James Africanus Beale Horton (1835–1883).

    He published and sent the British government his proposal titled, “The EMPIRE OF THE EBOES/HACKBOUS/HEEBOS/IBOES/IGBOES/EGBOES, with the Requirements Necessary for Establishing that Self Government Recommended by the Committee of the House of Commons, 1865: and a Vindication of the African Race.”

    This proposal included a plan for:

    • A Self-governed independent nation
    • an army,
    • currency
    • Support for modern civilisation, and,
    • economic empowerment.

    His proposal was hinged on his research showing that the Igbo race was the most emulative, intelligent and adaptive “race” in West Africa, and with modern support, they will vindicate the black race. He also supported the hypothetical but controversial Jewish migration origin of the Igbos at that time.

    Horton was born in the then British colonial Sierra Leone, near Freetown. His parents were former recaptive Igbo slaves. Horton lived in Gloucester until 1847 when he moved to Freetown to attend the local Church Missionary Society School (CMS).

    In 1853 he was moved to Freetown’s Fourah Bay Institution to train for a ministry in the Church of England. His seminary studies ended two years later when the CMS selected him to study medicine in preparation for a medical career in the British army. Horton attended Kings College in London for three years and then Edinburgh University for a fourth year to earn an MD.

    In 1859 Horton was commissioned back to West Africa as a staff-assistant surgeon in the British army. His works led him to correlate topography and human health, developing theories that eventually would earn him a reputation in the medical world and a promotion to the army rank of surgeon-major.

    Horton became more concerned with politics during his military service in West Africa. Horton refutes the derogatory racial theories about Africans life in Victorian Britain and its empire.

    However, Horton also consider himself, a loyal subject of the British establishment and envisioned that Britain should have a strong cultural and technological influence in the development of Africa. Thus his philosophies, radical when colonial powers were dominant, have acted as a basis for the future advancement of African independence and nationalist ideologies.

    At 45, Horton retired and returned to Freetown, where he continued to promote African education as the key to self-governance, and he further provided scholarships to hopeful young Africans. He also took a keen interest in Africa’s technical and economic development and opened a bank called the Commercial Bank of West Africa. His business and gold mining exploits made him one of the richest men in Africa by 1880.

    Although his dream of an independent Self-governed Igbo nation was not realised in his lifetime, his political thoughts birthed the African political thoughts during the colonisation of Africa after his death.

    James Africanus Beale Horton died in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1883. 

    Sources:

    • Beverton, A. (2021). James Africanus Beale Horton (1835-1883), retrieved 12 September 2021,
      Horton, J. (1868).
    • West African countries and peoples, British and native: With the requirements necessary for establishing that self-government recommended by the committee of the House of Commons, 1865; and,
    • a vindication of the African race. London: W. J. Johnson.

    Opinion: How performed better as Governor – Peter Obi or Tinubu

    Performance index of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, to know who did better as a governor.

    I promised to make it public so that Nigerians will see and judge for themselves.

    Aside character and integrity which Peter Obi has, in addition to practical verifiable business experience, age on his side, mental and physical health on his side, he had a better performance record than Tinubu.

    I have decided to lay before all Nigerians the TRUTH by making a comparative performance analysis of Lagos and Anambra using key development indicators.

    However, it’s unfair to compare Lagos State with Anambra.

    Lagos the Toast of Africa – from the Portuguese, to the British, to the locals and Nigeria as a whole, everyone just wants her.

    And Anambra… the state left in ruins after the civil war (imagine what’s happening in Ukraine currently).

    So here we will be looking at the performance of BAT (2003-2007), PO (2007-2014) using key development indicators

    Everything I will be sharing are verifiable facts from verifiable sources.

    Below are growth indicators often used by development economist to access low-middle income countries hence we will be using it here:

    1.) Gross National Income per Capita
    2.) Life Expectancy
    3.) Human Development Index (HDI)
    4.) Health Index
    5.) Educational Index
    6.) Income Index

    My data source is from the renowned Global Data Lab (GDL) – an independent data and research center at the institute of Management research, Radboud University, Netherlands.

    GDL started compiling data from 2003, hence BAT’s Performance is evaluated from 2003

    1.) Global National Income Per Capita

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 8.887 & in 2007 at 9.218. Had a growth of 3.72%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 9.218 & in 2014 at 9.303. Had a growth of 0.92%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 8.823 & in 2014 at 9.220. Had a growth of 4.50%

    2.) Life Expectancy

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 55.40 & in 2007 at 56.80. Had a growth of 2.54%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 56.81 & in 2014 at 58.21. Had a growth of 2.46%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 53.55 & in 2014 at 58.97. Had a growth of 10.12%

    3.) Human Development Index (HDI)

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 0.610 & in 2007 at 0.630. Had a growth of 3.28%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.630 & in 2014 at 0.644. Had a growth of 5.40%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.569 & in 2014 at 0.659. Had a growth of 15.82%

    4.) Health Index

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 0.545 & in 2007 at 0.566. Had a growth of 3.85%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.566 & in 2014 at 0.588. Had a growth of 3.89%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.516 & in 2014 at 0.600. Had a growth of 16.30%

    5.) Educational Index

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 0.645 & in 2007 at 0.634. Had a DECLINE of -0.011%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.634 & in 2014 at 0.702. Had a growth of 10.73%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.560 & in 2014 at 0.686. Had a growth of 22.5%

    6.) Income Index

    BAT (2003-2007): In 2003 at 0.647 & in 2007 at 0.697. Had a growth of 7.73%

    Lagos (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.697 & in 2014 at 0.710. Had a growth of 1.86%

    Anambra (2007-2014): In 2007 at 0.637 & in 2014 at 0.697. Had a growth of 9.42%

    From the above 6 indicators used in measuring public governance performance in low-middle income country, Peter Obi outperformed Lagos of Fashola and BAT in ALL!

    Factoring IGR, investments in Lagos since colonial days and the civil war, it’s safe to say Peter Obi is in a league on his own.

    So, comparing Lagos with Anambra in terms of the globally accepted developmental indicators is an INSULT to Anambra State and the leadership of Peter Obi.

    As if that was not enough, also look at the departing gift Peter Obi presented to Anambra State and BAT’s to Lagos State (everywhere in public domain).

    To prove that his education at Harvard Business School, Kellog School of Management, Oxford and Cambridge wasn’t just for fun, Peter Obi, in his handover note, left local and foreign investment savings in billions of Naira and cash savings for the state as has been verified.

    The investment had a MINIMUM 2-year maturity period before the state can sell part of it for liquidity

    It has also been verified how the next government generated funds from the investments Peter Obi made on behalf of the state

    These are funds, Peter Obi could have easily stolen like many governors in Nigeria shamelessly do.

    Show me any servant leader in Nigeria’s history at least since 1999 like Peter Obi.

    Meanwhile, he did all of this and still chose to deprive himself of ALL entitlements as an ex-governor.

    Contrast that with BAT

    BAT left 27 billion naira in the treasury and a whopping 100 billion Naira debt which his successor increased to over 400 billion naira. — Nigeria: Fashola to Inherit N100bn Debt From Tinubu

    The self-serving leader also proposed huge renumeration for himself as has been verified.

    Dear Citizens of Nigeria, this day life and death has been presented to you. Choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

    Ayodeji Oyewumi; @iam_ayooyewumi

    Ekweremadu is sick and may not be granted bail – UK lawyer says

    A Nigerian-born lawyer in the United Kingdom (UK) has revealed there may be political or other factors for the continued detention of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in the UK.

    Speaking without disclosing his identity with The Guardian last week, the lawyer said: “He’s being treated harshly and the man is not well.

    “They fear he may jump bail and run back to Nigeria.” Ekweremadu, who was arrested with his wife, Beatrice, on June 23, and charged with allegations of wanting to make payment for the procurement of organ for their daughter, Sonia, from one David Nwamini, has been kept behind bars since, while his wife is on bail.

    “When both were brought before a Sergeant in courtroom 12, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, on August 4, he appeared via video link from prison during the short session, while his wife was physically in the dock.”

    While speaking with The Guardian, the lawyer was asked if the offence for which Ekweremadu is being detained is bailable, he confirmed it is, and noted that the Senator is not granted bail because each case is different, and that there are factors to consider. He further noted that Ekweremadu might not be granted bail because they fear he may jump bail and fly back to Nigeria.

    Earlier in the week, Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, took to her Instagram page and made a public appeal for any willing kidney donor to come to her aid.

    She revealed that she is suffering from a rare kidney disease.

    The 25-year old said that she had to drop out of the university of Newcastle in 2019 because of the health challenge.

    “I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.”

    The Ekweremadus are due back at Old Bailey for the plea and trial preparation hearing on October 31.

    “The trial is for May 2 next year,” a court staff told The Guardian yesterday.

    They are being charged alongside Dr. Obinna Obeta.

    [Guardian]

    ASUU Strike: We are ready to call off strike action – Osodeke

    The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, says the union is willing to end its seven-month-old strike.

    Osodeke disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, at a National Town Hall Meeting on Tertiary Education tagged: ‘The Locked Gates of our Citadels -A National Emergency.’

    Recall that the union embarked on industrial action on February 14, making it over seven months since public universities across the country were closed down.

    The Federal Government recently sued ASUU at the industrial court in an attempt to end the strike.

    Osodeke reiterated the union’s commitment to return to school if the Federal Government puts its proposal on the table, saying that negotiation could be reached if the government was willing.

    “If the government loves this country, these children and their parents, then they should come to the table and let us resolve these issues in one day”.

    The ASUU president also expressed sadness over the lingering strike resulting in the government taking the union to court.

    He said suing the union was not an option as it would further worsen the situation of the students and tertiary education in the country.

    Osodeke claimed that if the court forces the lecturers to return to school, they won’t force them to teach with open minds, saying that the students would be at the receiving end, NAN reports.

    New Rivers State law states that women are now entitled to Inheritance

    GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike on Thursday ended the denial of women inheritance prevalent among cultures and traditions in Rivers state as he signed into law three new bills passed by the State House of Assembly.

    Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt, signed into law, the Rivers State Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women’s Right to Share in Family Property Law No. 2 of 2022 along with the Rivers Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshots Law No. 3 of 2022, and the Rivers Pension Reform (amendment) Law No. 4 of 2022.

    Explaining the significance of the new state laws, the Governor said he couldn’t comprehend why it is considered a taboo in many parts of Rivers for female children not to share in family inheritance.

    He said, “Because you’re a girl, you’re a woman, you’re not entitled to inherit what belongs to your father. It is not you who decides having a girl or a boy. It is God. So, put yourself in their shoes today where, by God’s mercy you have three children, all girls and you struggle in life to see what you can keep for them.

    “Tomorrow, one of their uncles comes, and says, my friend, girls don’t inherit their father’s property. With all your efforts in life, somebody comes to discriminate against them, why? 

    “We have even found out that women are more useful to us than even the men. The day you’re getting old and dying you’ll know that you need more daughters than men. They will leave their husbands’ houses and come to take care of you.” 

    He asserted that the law is important to the development of the State because it will enable people actualise their potentials and women allowed by law to inherit their entitlements, urging the women to henceforth stand up for their rights and challenge any discrimination against them in court, armed with the new law.

    On the pension reform law, he said pensioners do protest unpaid entitlements due to ignorance of the good intentions of the government, adding, “The government has good intentions and wants to do it at its own time. 

    “Only the government knows when it can carry out this responsibility. Government will pay when it will pay. Government cannot carry everything at the same time. Whether you like it or not, a huge chunk of our resources go into the civil service.”

    On compulsory treatment and care for victims of gunshots, Wike said  within the confines of the law, any victim of gunshot would be required to be properly identified, so that such a person can be traced should the person run away after treatment.

    The Governor however explained that the law is in furtherance of the responsibility of government to protect lives because even the criminal needs to be alive to be tried and made to suffer for his crime.

    Cautions on ASUU, FG faceoff

    Governor Wike backed the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the body of lecturers demands on the Federal Government, but said any government that releases the weight of money ASUU requires would crash, given current economic reality.

    He urged both parties to resolve the lingering conflict in an atmosphere of give and take, asserting that, “The problem didn’t start today. It has been there. Again, it is because we elect people who cannot solve problems.”

    Revocation of AIT land

    Governor Wike also acknowledged receipt of a report of the State House of Assembly revoking ownership of the land currently occupied by AIT broadcast network in Ozuoba, Rivers State for allegedly not possessing requisite titled documents.

    The governor said the days of Rivers being Father Christmas were gone as no one can illegally acquire what belongs to the State, directing the Attorney General to take appropriate action on the land revocation report.

    [Vanguard]

    Peter Obi wins the NOI/ANAP poll on the 2023 Presidential Election

    A recent ANAP Foundation’s presidential poll conducted in September 2022 has shown that the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, will win the 2023 presidential election.

    ANAP Foundation carried out its presidential poll on the streets of Nigeria and indicated that Peter Obi came first with 21% of all votes cast while the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are tied at 13%.

    The poll, which showed Peter Obi as the front runner in the coming 2023 presidential election for now, also indicated that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, finished fourth with 3%.

    Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
    Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

    ANAP Foundation chairman, Mr. Atedo Peterside gave the breakdown on The Morning Show on Arise TV, Thursday morning, while doing justice to his independent poll conducted by ANAP.

    ANAP poll, which shows Peter Obi in clear lead, has always been consistent and correct in past elections.

    The problem with the poll, however, is the undecided voters at 32% which, according to pundits, is big enough to change the outlook.

    “The implication is more work need to be done for the Obedients at the grassroot,” said an analyst.

    One of the show’s hosts, Mr. Reuben Abati, while reacting, said he is surprised Peter Obi has more popularity in the South South than other candidates.

    See details of the poll below:

    Image

    More details of the poll will follow…

    History: How Igala King, Attah Ameh Oboni, chose suicide instead of bowing to Queen Elizabeth

    The Story Of Attah Ameh Oboni – the Nigerian King who chose suicide instead of bowing to the Queen of England

    Attah Ameh Oboni was a revered Igala King.

    At a particular meeting held in Kaduna which consisted of all paramount traditional rulers in Nigeria and which had the queen of England in attendance, Attah Ameh was asked to remove his cap to greet the Queen of England as others had done.

    Though he refused until they said he should leave the meeting if he would not remove his cap. But Attah was not like others, or was he?

    It was a taboo for Attah to remove his cap in the public. The entire hall where they were staying was occupied by swan of bees which emanates from the cap of Attah Ameh Oboni which he removed in order to greet the Queen.

    The Queen of England as well as other rulers in the meeting ran helter-skelter except the friendly Oba of Benin who was asked by Attah Ameh to go out before he removed his cap. The hall became empty as some were stung by the bees and the meeting ended.

    According to history, Attah Ameh Oboni was asked to be arrested and handcuffed by the security people, which they did, but the handcuffs fell off his hands.

    He was later locked up in a room on the instruction of the Northern rulers and guarded by the security personnel but only to find out later by the personnel that he had left the room. Yes, when the security were taking him to be locked up, he told his driver, Amanabo of blessed memory, to take the car and be going to Idah while the security locked him in the room.

    He then warned Amanabo not to look back until he felt a cool breeze in the car. Though Amanabo argued a little that he cannot leave the Attah there but later obeyed and started driving back to Idah from Kaduna.

    After some time, he felt the cool breeze in the car, and Attah Ameh was seated inside the car.

    The incident in the meeting made many traditional rulers which were mostly northerners to be angry especially making kings run in such a manner because of bees.

    This became one important sin, and it was like “one sin too many”.

    The Queen of England was also not happy and they (the Queen and northern leaders) started looking for a way to remove Attah Ameh from the throne since he was getting tougher and uncontrollable like others, as well as searching for an obedient replacement.

    Igala has various cultural festivals, one of which is Ocho. Ocho is celebrated before farming starts, and it is the time that Attah Igala prays to God for sufficient rainfall, bountiful harvest, success in hunting. It is celebrated in the bush and the venue is called Ere-ocho, where the Attah will hunt until he kills a Buffalo or a strong animal.

    The community in Idah where Ocho takes place is called Ogo-Efa. He performs a little sacrifice to the ancestors using a fowl in the process, and this was to find out if there will blessings or problems in the land after the Ocho.

    Before this time, the enemies at home (among the Igala people), especially those having connections with the leaders of the northern region, were working hard to get any evidence either true or false which can be used to remove him from the throne. The blood of the animal used as sacrifice at Ocho ground now became what the enemies would use against him.

    Petition was written by these two Igala people to the Queen and some other Northern leaders that Attah Ameh was sacrificing humans during the Ocho festivals. Since they were looking for any means to displace him with, judgment was quickly passed that he must be dethroned, even when investigations were not yet concluded.

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    In addition, all the Igala cultural festivals including the Ocho were immediately banned, and this remained for almost 63 years until Governor Yahaya Bello unbanned them based on the appeal of the present Attah Igala.

    Already, before this time, the Oba of Benin who had such friction with the British had already been dethroned and banished from Benin. So, Attah Ameh Oboni knew that at that point, no matter what spiritual approach applied, it can only postpone the evil day as his enemies will never relent until he was removed by them.

    The result of the blood sample which was taken from the Ocho venue and taken to University of Ibadan for analysis had arrived and it was proved that it was the blood of an animal and not human. Sadly, the revered King, Attah Ameh had passed on before the result was brought.

    But Attah Ameh, being very sure that he was wrongly accused and framed up by his enemies, especially those from Igala who wrote the petition against him marking the beginning of his planned dethronement, made some pronouncements before his death.

    He was allegedly quoted to have said that “the person who wrote the petition against him would have that hand dried up, and that the leader of the gang or petitioners would be buried three times”. And they all came to pass.

    While the hand dried as said, the other was buried as stated, first was the leg, second was his hand and the third was himself, all buried at various times at different locations.

    In addition, as this information of his dethronement was given to him in a meeting from where he was supposed to go back to Idah and prepare to leave the throne, he stopped on the way in another Igala land called Dekina.

    That was where he committed suicide.

    Before taking his life, he was allegedly quoted to have said that the town, Dekina will be popular, but its development will not be as much as its popularity.

    He was also quoted to have said that because Igala was the genesis of his ordeal, there will be disunity among the Igala people until the reign of his own blood (son) as Attah, and all Igalas irrespective of their locations will be reunited again.

    I think from the reconnection and reunification of Igala people across Nigeria and beyond which has been going on and still going on under the reign of his son, Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni II, the present Attah Igala, that pronouncement of reunification of Igala people is also coming through

    Russian murderers and rapists sent to fight in Ukraine for six months

    The Russian government has released murderers and sex offenders to go fight in the Ukraine war for six months.

    In a new video obtained by Mail Online, Putin’s ‘chef’ was filmed offering a pardon to violent criminals and sex offenders locked up in a Russian prison if they survive fighting in Ukraine.

    Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, told prisoners they should take their own lives instead of being captured in Ukraine, holding one grenade for the enemy and one for themselves.

    Russia

    Video shows Prigozhin telling the criminals they can become war heroes or be shot as deserters, as the Kremlin steps up recruitment of inmates after suffering a humiliating defeat against Ukraine’s army in the east.

    ‘This is a hard war, not even close to the likes of [Chechnya] and the others,’ he was videoed telling them.

    ‘My ammo consumption is two-and-a-half-times higher than in the battle of Stalingrad,’ where there were almost two million casualties, he said.

    Murderers, sex offenders, and burglars are offered instant freedom and a pardon from Putin if they survive six months at the frontline in the bloody war.

    Those who die will be buried ‘as heroes’, he tells them.

    Russia

    Those who face capture by Ukraine are ordered to use grenades to kill themselves rather than fall into enemy hands.

    Convict soldiers who desert are told they will be instantly executed with a bullet to the head.

    A secretly filmed video shows Prigozhin, 61, admitting that he represents the Wagner private army, deployed by Putin in Ukraine.

    He has previously denied a link to Wagner which is known to have already recruited thousands of inmates as Russia deploys its most dangerous prisoners as fighters.

    ‘I am a representative of a private war company, perhaps you heard the name – Wagner Group,’ he tells the assembled prison inmates.

    He warns the convicts: ‘The first sin is deserting. No-one deserts, no-one gives up, no-one surrenders. You’ll be taught what to do regarding surrender.’

    ‘They should take their own lives, and not be taken prisoner, he said.

    ‘Two grenades which you must have on you,’ he went on [One grenade for our foes, and one for yourself].

    ‘The second sin is alcohol and drugs in the war zone [which are banned]… The third sin is marauding – this includes sexual contacts with local women, men, flora, fauna, anyone.

    ‘The minimum age we take is 22, the maximum is 50, and ‘good physical shape’ is a must.’

    US-based Nigerian man confronts the wife, calling her ashawo (Video)

    A viral video shows a US-based Nigerian man and his wife fighting over allegations of infidelity and infection with an STI.

    The Nigerian man is seen accusing his wife Chinenye of sleeping around and infecting him with gonorrhea.

    According to reports, the man has lived in the US for a while and returned to Nigeria two years ago to marry Chinenye before taking her to the US.

    Their argument was rather heated and soon turned physical.

    The couple threw abusive words at each other as the husband kept insisting his wife is promiscuous.

    The husband said: “You f**k your lover, you come here and stay like nothing happened?

    The wife responded: “You f**k all the girls you f**k too.”

    The husband said: “I don’t need you. You’re a prostitute.”

    The wife, Chinenye hit back, saying: “No one wants you.”

    “You be here, begging me to f*** you,” the man said.

    He continued: “I don’t need you. You’re disgusting Chinenye. Your pu*** smell. You have given me gonorrhea.”

    “You’re a whore. You’re a fu**ing whore Chinenye. You fu** everybody you see,” he added.

    “Starting from tomorrow, it’s a new ball game.”

    Chinenye responded: “OK, it’s a new ball game, let’s see.”

    “Bet me,” the husband said as the video ends.

    Watch the video below.

    Nigeria signs €25 million contract with France to improve electricity supply

    The Nigerian government and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed a grant agreement of €25 million for the Northern Corridor Project jointly funded by the European Union and the AFD. The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, and the AFD Country Director in Nigeria, Xavier Muron, signed the agreement Wednesday in the presence of the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, and the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Cecile TASSIN-PELZER.

    The Northern Corridor Project, being implemented by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), is meant to strengthen low-carbon economic growth in West Africa by improving the quality of the electricity network in Nigeria and supporting the development of a regional electricity market under the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

    The specific objectives of the project, in line with the Nigerian Energy Transition Plan (ETP), are to:

    — reinforce globally the north-west network and develop access to electricity for the population

    — help evacuate/distribute the solar-generated power from future projects in the North

    — participate in the WAPP interconnection project with Niger Republic

    The project will build more than 800km of 330 kV double circuit transmission lines and construct or upgrade 13 substations.

    The grant agreement signed today represents the EU’s contribution to the project while the AFD contribution of €202 million was signed in December 2020. The total cost of the project is around 238 million Euros including a 12 million Euros contribution from TCN.

    In terms of expected impacts:

    — 5GW additional evacuation capacity to be created under the project

    — Potential Transmission of 17TWh of additional electricity every year

    — Possibility of several millions of people to have access to electricity and better electricity service in a short term

    — creation of 600 jobs (500 during the construction phase and 100 in the operation phase)

    “This project will help TCN to operationalize its “Transmission Expansion Plan”, through the construction of additional Transmission Lines and Substations across nine states in the northern part of the country – Niger, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Nasarawa,” said the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning at the grant agreement signing ceremony.

    Xavier Muron, the AFD country director in Nigeria, highlighted the importance of such a project as a technical enabler for the integration into the grid of the expected solar farms in the North-west part of the country. He noted that poor transmission network has been a significant bottleneck in many countries for the achievement of mix diversification.

    According to the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, “France is committed to helping Nigeria achieve its commitments on climate change in line with the Paris agreement and she welcomes this Team Europe piece of work to address it.”

    Speaking on behalf of the European Union, the Head of Cooperation, Cecile TASSIN-PELZER said; “We appreciate this Team Europe collaboration with the Government of Nigeria, which is a concrete example of how the EU Global Gateway can contribute to major investments in infrastructure development.”

    About AFD: The Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) funds, supports and accelerates the transitions to a fairer and more sustainable world – aligned on the Sustainable Development Goals. Focusing on climate, biodiversity, peace, education, urban development, health and governance, our teams carry out more than 4,000 projects in France’s overseas departments and territories and another 115 countries. In this way, we contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to support sustainable development goals.

    AFD is present in Nigeria since 2008 with its main office based in Abuja along with an additional branch in Lagos. Its main sectors of intervention in the country are energy, high education, agriculture, water supply as well as clean transportation.

    [Premium Times]

    Nigerian Govt. releases suspected IPOB members arrested in 2020

    The Federal Government has released suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra arrested by officers of the Nigerian Army since February 27, 2020, at the Imo River community in Abia State.

    The victims, Sunday Nwafor, 59; Uzonwanne Ejiofor, 48; and Wilfred Dike, 36, were held at 14 Brigade Nigerian Army Ohafia, Abia State for over two years, The PUNCH can confirm.

    Meanwhile, Amnesty International Nigeria, has welcomed the release of the trio.

    In a statement on Wednesday night, Amnesty International urged the government to provide information about the status of other victims of enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention.

    “Amnesty International urges Nigerian authorities to provide information about the status of other victims of enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention, grant their families and lawyers access to them, charge them to court, or release them in the absence of any legal authority used to justify their continued detention,” the statement read in part.

    Spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu,did not take calls nor responded to WhatsApp and text messages from our correspondent on Wednesday night.

    [Punch]

    Internet Fraudster, Hushpuppi hires Invictus Obi’s lawyer to avoid going to jail

    Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as ‘Hushpuppi’, has employed the services of top attorney John Iweanoge, in a last-minute push to avoid 11 years jail term as suggested by United States prosecutors.

    Iweanoge is a top Washington D.C. criminal defence attorney popular among Nigerian suspects charged in Virginia and Maryland, especially.

    According to Peoples Gazette, in a pro hac vice application filed before the United States District Court in the Central District of California, Hushpuppi named Iweanoge as his attorney.

    “APPLICATION of Non-Resident Attorney John O. Iweanoge, II to Appear Pro Hac Vice on behalf of Defendant Ramon Olorunwa Abbas (Pro Hac Vice Fee – $500 Fee Paid, Receipt No. ACACDC-33979986) Filed by Defendant Ramon Olorunwa Abbas. (Attachments: # (1) Proposed Order G-64 Order for Pro Hac Vice Admission) (Khouri, Michael),” the document said.

    The pro hac vice application allows the addition of an attorney to a case in a jurisdiction in which they are not licensed to practice. Iweanoge, whose law offices are located in Washington, DC, will be now be able to defend Mr Abbas in court without committing unauthorised practice of law.

    Iweanoge had defended now-imprisoned Nigerian fraudster Obinwanne ‘Invictus’ Okeke. Mr Okeke was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a computer-based intrusion fraud scheme that caused about $11 million in losses to his victims.

    Hushpuppi’s actions come as his sentencing hearing is slated for September 21. The Gazette reported on Thursday that his attorney Louis Shapiro and U.S. officials sparred in court as Hushpuppi tries to delay his sentencing until November.

    Shapiro argued that the internet fraudster would be unable to prepare for his sentencing hearing without all the documents relating to the Juma Case. The charges on the Juma case had been dropped by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in line with a plea bargain deal.

    Prosecutors, led by Khaldoun Shobaki, maintained that there was no reason to “further delay the already long-delayed sentencing in this case,” adding that Hushpuppi admitted playing a leading role in the scheme when he pleaded guilty on April 20, 2021.

    Shobaki had asked a federal judge to sentence Hushpuppi to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a multinational conspiracy that earned him millions of dollars between 2019 and 2020.

    He suggested that Huspuppi should be asked to pay $1.7 million in restitution, $500,000 in fines, and $100 in administrative fees ahead of his sentencing.

    Oil refinery in Port Harcourt to become functional by December, 2022 – Minister says

    THE Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Wednesday, said that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery would become functional by December this year.

    The Minister disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.


    Sylvia said the development of the compressed natural gas (CNG)is still in progress.

    The Minister, who was responding to a question on the state of the ongoing repairs at the nation’s refineries, said one of the two refineries, the old one with 60,000 barrels-per-day capacity, would be functional by the end of 2022, just as works are also progressing on both the Warri and Kaduna refineries.


    According to him, “The rehabilitation of the refineries is ongoing. As we said earlier, the old refinery in Port Harcourt, which is about 60,000 barrels per day capacity, will be functional by December and, of course, we still have some time in the contracting time to conclude the rest of the Port Harcourt Refineries.

    “Works in the Kaduna and Warri refineries are also in progressing very well. We will soon be embarking on an inspection visit and some of you journalists will be will be able to go with us to ascertain for yourselves what the extent of work is.”


    On the country’s CNG development programme, the Minister said progress was being made, adding that it was one of the steps that must be achieved before the removal of petrol subsidy.

    He said, “On the CNG development, it’s very much in progress. That is part of the promises we made, part of the things we want to put in place before the removal of subsidy. Subsidy has still not been removed because some of these conditions that were agreed upon have not been met and we’re definitely working assiduously to ensure that all the facilities are in place, the pumping stations and the conversion kits.


    “I can assure you that work is going on very much in that regard. We may not be in a position to announce exactly what we are doing now or where we are, but I can assure you that work is very much ongoing.”

    Lagosian ‘surrogate mother’ struggles for her life after delivering triplets

    – threatens court action against hospital

    Three years ago, Miss Gift Danjuma, a single parent, took the decision to go into surrogate motherhood, a process that produced triplets for the unidentified hopeful parents.

    But that singular decision has turned out to be her greatest undoing, as she is presently battling complications that resulted from a cesarean section she had while birthing the set of triplets at a Lagos hospital.

    At the moment, the chances of the 32-year-old woman giving birth to another child are very slim, as her cervix was damaged in the process.  Doctors said except she undergoes a corrective surgery, she might live the rest of her life visiting the hospital for temporal remedy.

    My ordeal

    When Crime Guard visited the Nasarawa state born, she looked like a shadow of her old self.  She shook her head in regret, wishing the hand of the clock would be turned back, to undo what she has done. 

    She traced the genesis of her ordeal to  December 26, 2018,  after she subscribed to Meet  Surrogate Mothers Agency at Lekki Lagos State.  She stated that she needed the money to fend for her son who was 13 years old then.

     After a series of medical examinations and tests, she  said she was certified fit for the purpose by Dr. Thaddeus Ogbueke, at  Emobile Specialist Hospital (owned by the surrogacy centre) 

    According to her, “ In  February 2019 the embryo was transferred into my womb ,  two weeks after, I was confirmed pregnant. When I was three months gone,  the CEO,  Meet  Surrogate Mothers Agency, Mrs. Ronke Thadius, informed me that the Intended Parents (IP) wanted me to use the hospital instead of the agency’s hospital. I agreed.

    “ I went to the hospital where I was registered and assigned to  a  Gynecologist.  I was scheduled to go to the hospital every two weeks  for regular check-ups.

    “At a stage of the pregnancy, I was unable to sleep or breathe well because it was multiple pregnancies. I complained to the doctor who told me to come to the hospital for a checkup. When I got to the hospital,  I was admitted  because the test conducted showed early signs of labour. I was hospitalized for over two months.

    Complication

    When the pregnancy was 30 weeks, Mrs. Ronke Thadius told them to carry out a  Caesarean Section, CS on me because of the weight of the babies and my well-being.  But the doctor declined, suggesting rather,  that I should stay for an additional four weeks. He said if the CS was done at 30 weeks, it would affect the mental health of the babies. I had no choice but to agree “.

    By September 4, 2019, the CS was carried out and the babies were brought and given to their hopeful parents.

    While the hopeful parents went home happy, the same could not be said of Gift, as she said she woke up with excruciating pains that lingered until the third day when she saw the doctor.

    She said: “ He asked me to go for a scan, which I did.  The scan result showed, there were particles of blood in the uterus.  The doctor took me back to the theater on Sunday for evacuation.

    My nightmare

    “On Monday,  September 2019, I almost lost my life. My blood pressure was high,  and I was  cold at the same time. About five doctors were trying to stabilise my condition.

     ”Eventually, I was discharged from the hospital on September 11, 2019. But the pains came again when I got home.  My menstrual period stopped for about six months and when it resumed, it came with severe pains. I have gone to several laboratories  and hospitals in search of solutions to my health issues and each time I get to the lab or hospitals I always put a call through to the doctor at the hospital where I had the babies.”

    Explaining further, Gift said, “a week after I was discharged I started calling and complaining about my health condition to them. Each time I called, the doctor would say I was not using a good laboratory that could effectively diagnose the problem.

    “Three months ago, I visited the Gbagada General Hospital to run some tests ( hysterosalpingogram ).

    But the radiologist could not get through to my cervix, and neither did my  Gynecologist and three other doctors.  They tried to insert a catheter inside me on three different occasions but they couldn’t get through to my cervix. They gave me a referral letter to LASUTH for further consultations.”

     ”I called the CEO of  Meet Surrogate Mothers agency who gave me an appointment to see a Doctor. After examination, the doctor confirmed that he could not get through to my cervix and that there might have been complications during the Cesarean section or evacuation exercise.

    “ I was told to go back to the hospital where I did  CS  for a corrective surgery to be performed. I have repeatedly made a demand for my medical reports at the hospital but they refused to give me”.

    Crime Guard learned that the alleged refusal of the hospital to hand over her medical report to her may not be unconnected with an undisclosed amount  Gift owed them. The amount was for some tests conducted on her early this month, as a result of the complication.

    Threat to sue

    Her lawyer,  Evans  Ufeli, told Crime Guard that a 14- working days Pre-action notice had been given to the hospital to address the issue. He urged the hospital to restore Gift  to the normal health condition she was before the CS was carried out on her.

    He said, “  having carefully examined the matter under reference, we hereby give you the next 14 working days to address the issue under reference in the best possible way and restore our client to the normal health condition she was before the CS was carried out on her, failing which we shall have no other option than to proceed against you in the court of law for redress.”

     When Crime Guard called the CEO Meet the surrogate mother, to get their version of what happened, she said I have told Gift to stop releasing my number to the media, I have told her, she should stop it, I am not interested in whatever trouble she is trying to make. I am not interested. She ended the call.

    The second time, she said don’t call my number again, please don’t call my number again, I am talking to you politely now, don’t let me cut the call on you. Please stop it. Whatever Gift told you, whatever, she has said go with it; tell whatever story she wants to tell. Keep me out of it, I am not interested.”

    When contacted the doctor at the hospital said Gift was a surrogate that had a difficult pregnancy and was in admission for a long time and  had elective Caesarean session delivery, after the delivery three years ago she was discharged after six days in admission which is normal because of the multiple pregnancy that she had. She had a bit of fever, for someone who had triplets we had to put her on bed rest for some time. She was discharged without any complications or problems. Only for her to call a few months back that she was trying to go for a test and they couldn’t find her cervix.  I said it is not possible. She can’t attribute it to an operation that she did. After an elective planned delivery, your womb will contract, it will go down. Since we didn’t operate on her cervix, it can’t just disappear.

    Unfortunately, I don’t own the hospital, I consult for them, and they can’t allow you to come in without paying to be seen. And I think that angered her. When you work for someone you can’t determine the pace.

    What I suspect is wrong with her is a very small issue, but she doesn’t seem to have an experienced gynecologist.

    Unfortunately for her, I can’t see her free of charge.

    She went to meet the clinical director of the hospital, after narrating her story to them they told her that when she did her surgery three years ago there was no complication, she  can’t come now and say you have a complication after three years.  The cesarean section doesn’t cause the disappearance of the cervix, I have never heard of that before. The hospital told her if she wanted to do a scan she will need to pay for it.

    She got a lawyer, who wrote to the hospital. Her medical report which she is demanding will be sent to her through the hospital legal unit, They will give it to her.

    No one can deny her, her medical result, it  is her right. If it hasn’t been sent to her or her lawyer it simply means that it is still being processed. She can’t make an allegation against me, I don’t own the hospital, I consult for them.

    What I think is wrong with her is that maybe she has an infection that closed the cervix a bit. The issue is that she wants the hospital to foot her bills, she is not a patient of the hospital, it was the intending parents that brought her for antenatal care, after the CS you went home fine, three years later you have a complaint you are attributing  to a surgery you had three years ago, it is not fair on the hospital if you ask me. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do, I am not the owner of the hospital, I consult for them.

    JAMB seeks total financial autonomy from Govt.

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has asked for total financial autonomy and removal from the annual national budgetary allocation.

    JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede made the call while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) on Wednesday September 14. 

    Oloyede who revealed that one of the conditions set for the body was to review the examination fees upward, told the lawmakers that its registration fee was reviewed downward from N5,000 to N3,500 in 2017 after remitting N7.5 billion.

    The JAMB registrar who asked the federal government to allow it revert back to N5,000 and be autonomous, also disclosed that only Finland charges exam fees as low as Nigeria. 

    He also stressed that no country funds such entry examinations body fully. Oloyede said; 

    “There is nowhere that government funds this type of examination. They actually provide some support for the institution because students pay some token as registration fees and from it, they bear the responsibility of salaries and provide some succours.

    “We are comfortable to be taken off the budget but there are conditions. One of the conditions for example, when students registered in 2016, we collected N5,000 and that had been on for 5 years before I joined.

    “When we came in, we remitted N7.5 billion. We felt it was too much and approached the federal government to reduce the fees. We have not added a Kobo since.

    “I believe we should revert to the N5000 we were charging. Given the inflation, if we charge N10,000– I am just giving it as example, nobody will ask the federal government for one kobo.

    “I am not aware of anywhere in the world, except maybe Finland— that charges as low as JAMB is charging. In Finland, we know that everything is free”.

    Pogba’s Brother arrested over alleged extortion attempt made against him

    Mathias Pogba, the brother of footballer Paul Pogba, has been detained and questioned by police after the Juventus midfielder said he was the target of extortion attempts and threats.

    Mathias presented himself in the ‘early afternoon to investigators and was placed in police custody’, a source close to the investigation told DailyMail on Wednesday, September 14. 

    The formal probe follows preliminary investigations and will look into allegations of blackmail by an armed gang, kidnapping, and membership in a criminal conspiracy.

    Three other people are also in custody, the source said. Temporary detention in France usually ends after 24 hours.

    Among the four suspects detained in total in the probe, one was taken into custody on Tuesday and three on Wednesday, a judicial source added. 

    Paul Pogba had claimed his brother and ‘childhood friends’ were part of a group who targeted him at the club’s training centre in Turin. 

    Franceinfo radio claimed that the group, armed with MI6 assault rifles, demanded £11million (€13m) from the French midfielder for ‘protection services’ stretching back 13 years, including the time he spent in Manchester when he played for Manchester United. 

    The former Manchester United star who re-joined Juventus in the summer claims the gang has been threatening him for four months.

    Acts of intimidation were carried out in Manchester in April, and later around the Italian city of Turin, where Pogba currently plays for Juventus.

    The gang is also said to have taken Pogba to flat in the Paris suburb of Lagny-sur-Marne, where Pogba grew up, at the end of March. There, the gang members accused Pogba of not helping them financially since he became a professional player. 

    Paul reportedly paid £85,000 (€100,000) to the group to ‘save time’, after he was threatened by masked, armed men in a Paris apartment while on international duty – only to see another multi-million demand issued.

    The shocking saga began last month when Pogba’s eldest brother Mathias released a video on social media, vowing he would soon make a series of ‘great revelations’ about the World Cup winner. 

    He said during the video: ‘The French, English, Italian and Spanish public, as well as my brother’s fans — and even more so the French team and Juventus, my brother’s teammates and his sponsors — deserve to know certain things.

    ‘In order to make an informed decision if he deserves the admiration, respect and love of the public.

    ‘Whether he deserves his place in the French team and the honour of playing in the World Cup. If he deserves to be a starter at Juventus.

    ‘If he is a trustworthy person, that any player would want to have at his side.’

    Shortly after,  the Juventus midfielder released a statement – signed by his lawyers, his mother Yeo Moriba, and current agent Rafaela Pimenta – admitting that Mathias’ videos were ‘unfortunately no surprise’.

    The statement read: ‘They (the videos) are in addition to threats and extortion attempts by an organised gang against Paul Pogba.’

    ‘The competent bodies in Italy and France were informed a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation.’ 

    Mathias Pogba, 32, is also a football player, who had spells in British football at Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra, Crawley Town and Partick Thistle.

    President Putin dissolves the Russian council for opposing his war in Ukraine

    President Vladimir Putin has reportedly embarked on moves to dissolve Smolninskoye Council in St Petersburg, Russian, after it called for his removal over the Ukraine war which even longtime Kremlin supporters are now calling a ‘disaster’.

    According to experts, a turning point for Ukraine in the war has led to a turning point in Russia as group of St Petersburg local politicians now face likely dissolution of their district council following a judge’s ruling on Tuesday.

    Reuters, quoting one of the deputies, Nikita Yuferev, said the judge decided that a series of past council meetings had been invalid, paving the way for it to be broken up by the regional governor.

    Another council member, Dmitry Palyuga, said the same court then fined him 47,000 roubles ($780) for “discrediting” the authorities by calling for Putin’s removal.

    The report stated that four more members of the Smolninskoye local council are due to appear in court in the next two days.

    Last week, a group of deputies from the council appealed to the State Duma to bring charges of state treason against Putin and strip him of power.

    They cited a series of reasons including Russia’s military losses in Ukraine and the damage to its economy from Western sanctions.

    Another local deputy said 65 municipal representatives from St Petersburg, Moscow and several other regions had signed a petition she published on Monday calling for Putin’s resignation.

    While posing no current threat to Putin’s grip on power, the moves mark rare expressions of dissent by elected representatives at a time when Russians risk heavy prison sentences for “discrediting” the armed forces or spreading “deliberately false information” about them.

    Palyuga told Reuters before Tuesday’s hearing that the group’s appeals were aimed not only at liberal Russians but also at “people loyal to the authorities who are starting to have doubts when they see the lack of success of the Russian army”.

    He said he expected the numbers of such people to increase after last week’s lightning counter-offensive in which Ukraine drove Russian forces out of dozens of towns and recaptured a large swathe of territory in its northeast Kharkiv region.

    “Of course, what is happening now has successfully coincided with our agenda. Many people who liked Putin are starting to feel betrayed.

    “I think the more successfully the Ukrainian army operates, the more such people will become,” he said.

    ‘Very, very thin’ line

    Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said the greater risk to the Kremlin lay not in the councillors’ protest itself but in the danger of responding too harshly to it.

    “The reaction, or overreaction, may cause more political damage to the regime than this petition.

    “But I have no doubts that all those who signed the petition will (come) under political pressure,” said Stanovaya, founder of the independent analysis project R.Politik.

    Thousands of legal cases have been launched against people accused of discrediting the army, usually leading to fines for first-time offences, but a Moscow district councillor was jailed for seven years in July after being convicted of spreading false information.

    Several other journalists and opposition figures have been charged and face potential prison terms.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that critical points of view were tolerated, within the limits of the law.

    “As long as they remain within the law, this is pluralism, but the line is very, very thin, one must be very careful here,” he said.

    Ksenia Thorstrom, a St Petersburg local councillor who published Monday’s petition calling for Putin’s resignation, said it was too early to say how the campaign would turn out.

    “To call for a politician to resign is absolutely normal. There can be nothing criminal about it,” she told Reuters.

    “Of course there is a certain risk, but to show solidarity with our colleagues – independent politicians who still remain in Russia – is much more important.”

    Longtime Kremlin supporters are now calling the war a ‘disaster’

    The sudden, successful Ukrainian counteroffensive near Kharkiv has been an unpleasant surprise for just about everyone in Russia — for the Kremlin, its propaganda machine, the Ministry of Defense and for millions of patriotically minded Russians.

    In a matter of just a few days, the Ukrainian flag has been raised over several towns and villages — and at least one major city — that had been held for months by the Russians.

    Television and social media showed footage of Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment, which the retreating army appeared to have abandoned in a hurry.

    Bad battlefield news for Russia isn’t a new thing in this war; bad news that’s shared widely with ordinary Russians, with no filter, is certainly new. So is sharp criticism of the war.

    And in the last few days, that’s what Russians have been seeing and hearing.

    In a suddenly new information reality, the Kremlin is either unwilling or unable to hide the truth from its people.

    From day one, the conflict has been called a “special military operation” by Russian President and everyone else in the Russian government and media.

    Calling it vojna, or “war,” was made a crime early on. Now all kinds of people are saying “vojna” and saying it openly.

    Many are saying that the vojna is not being waged well. And they are not buying the Kremlin’s explanations.

    This weekend, when the Ministry of Defense described the rapid — and by many accounts chaotic — retreat from the Kharkiv region as a “planned and pre-organized regrouping of troops,” reactions ranged from amusement to outrage.

    Even the most stalwart supporters of Putin’s “special military operation” wanted a better answer.

    “It seems that your American friends taught the Ukrainians how to fight, and [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu was not ready for this,” said Lesha from Orel, in western Russia, speaking on condition of partial anonymity.

    A few months ago, Lesha had expressed no doubts about the justification for the invasion or the imminent victory of the Russian army.

    Last weekend, he said on WhatsApp, angry and bitter about the mess in Kharkiv, which is a mild version of the sudden turn among Kremlin supporters.

    Many of the same people who have been cheerleading Putin’s plans for the “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine are now calling the latest developments a “disaster” or “catastrophe.”

    Some are demanding a new “war council” or the sacking of Shoigu and others involved in the prosecution of the war.

    And yes — now they are calling it a war. Vojna!

    Very courageous few are calling out Putin by name.

    But the reaction of some of the loudest and most patriotic Russians to the recent Ukrainian successes testifies not only to a widespread shock and disappointment, but also to the awakening of new moods and forces that may influence the political landscape in Russia.

    Last weekend, Russian troops fled Izyum, Balakleya and Kupyansk ahead of the Ukrainian advance.

    Sergey Mironov, the leader of a pro-Putin party in parliament, took to Twitter to blast the organizers.

    “It cannot be and it should not be that our guys are dying today, and we are pretending that nothing is happening!” he tweeted.

    A letter distributed by the Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti (literally, “Careful News”) demanded that Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor and among Putin’s closest allies, be dismissed, and that the “generals be sent to the trenches.”

    The letter writers — who identified themselves only as “Russian hackers” — went on:

    “We consider it absolutely inappropriate and unacceptable that while our guys are dying at the front, the rotten liberal intelligentsia is firing salutes and indulging in idleness in the capital of our country.

    “We demand from the military and political leadership to punish those responsible for the death of our guys.” 

    ‘Australian Gigolo’ reveals how he makes $10,000 a month married and single women

    An Australian gigolo has opened up on how he rakes in $10,000 a month from sleeping with different women.

    Samuel Hunter, from Sydney, says he is often put in five star hotels by his wealthy clients and was even taken on a 10-day trip to Phuket to accompany a woman on an exotic getaway.

    Hunter, a proud sex worker, who is in his early forties, says women from all walks of life acquire his services, with his youngest client just 23 and the oldest 70.

    Samuel Hunter


    Samuel said Stan’s show American Gigolo, starring Jon Bernthal, is ‘accurate’ about how glamorous the lifestyle is, as he really does get treated to luxury hotels by beautiful women.

    ‘It’s exactly as you’d expect it to be, and exactly the opposite,’ he said to Daily Mail Australia.

    He says he been a full time sex worker for two years.


    He admitted having hundreds of different jobs, including working for a sex shop and writing blogs for a brothel but his interest in gigolo work peaked when he started working for a charity called Touching Base who put disabled people in touch with sex workers.


    ‘It kind of built-up to my mind about whether or not I could do it, but it’s been two years now and it’s all I do’.

    Samuel Hunter

    Samuel also revealed that being a male sex worker, his lifestyle is ‘very different’ to the women in his industry.  


    ‘The biggest difference is women can see multiple clients a day, but I limit it to just one.


    ‘But women tend to get booked for shorter amounts of time, whereas most of my bookings are for a few hours or overnight.’


    He says a quarter of his clients are married, and it’s these ones that tend to book him for two hours – at a rate of $600 for his ‘business package’

    ‘I’ve got a dad bod, so most women that like me are 35 or older,’ Samuel said.


    ‘There is some of them five-star hotels in lovely dining involved.


    ‘In July, I had a 10 day trip to Phuket, which was very glamorous’. 


    Talking about how he verifies his clients, he said;


    ‘I can check their socials and their WhatsApp easily to make sure they are who they say they are.


    ‘Most of my clients are repeats, at any time I have between three and ten regulars, the only ones who aren’t are couples who just want to try something as a one off’.


    Samuel is also very open about his lifestyle, with his friends and family.
       

    ‘I told my mum,’ he explained.


    ‘She was a bit apprehensive at first, but now she’s fine with it. She always jokes with me about getting back to the grind. With the emphasis on grind.’


    He also argues that it’s ‘absolutely possible’ to have a relationship while being a sex worker, but he chooses not to have one.


    ‘My clients get the best version of myself. They don’t get the guy that sits around drinking coffee and looking at my phone all morning. And I get the best version of them too, which you don’t see in relationships.


    ‘Most do want play time, it’s rare that they only want company.’

    Do you know that President Putin rejected a peace deal that bars Ukraine from joining NATO ?

    Vladimir Putin’s chief envoy on Ukraine told the Russian leader days after the war began that he had struck a provisional deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia’s demand that Ukraine stay out of NATO, but Putin rejected it and continued with his military campaign, according to a report by Reuters.


     
    The Ukrainian-born envoy, Dmitry Kozak, told Putin that he believed the deal he had hammered out with the Ukranian government removed the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine, three people close to the Russian leadership who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the publication.

    Before the war, Putin had repeatedly asserted that NATO and its military infrastructure were creeping closer to Russia’s borders by accepting new members from eastern Europe, and that the alliance was now preparing to bring Ukraine into its command. Putin publicly said that represented an existential threat to Russia, which forced him to launch the war.


    But, despite earlier being in support of   negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Putin made it clear when presented with Kozak’s deal that the concessions negotiated by his aide did not go far enough and that he had expanded his objectives to include annexing large portions of Ukrainian territory and even toppling the Ukranian government, Reuters reports.


     Responding to the report,Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it: “That has absolutely no relation to reality. No such thing ever happened. It is absolutely incorrect information.”

    Two of the three sources said a push to get the deal finalized occurred immediately after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Within days, Kozak believed he had Ukraine’s agreement to the main terms Russia had been seeking and recommended to Putin that he sign an agreement, the sources said.


    “After Feb. 24, Kozak was given carte blanche: they gave him the green light; he got the deal. He brought it back and they told him to clear off. Everything was cancelled. Putin simply changed the plan as he went along,” said one of the sources close to the Russian leadership.

    Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine is the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II. It prompted sweeping economic sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine from Washington and its Western allies.

    2023 Elections: “Why Nyesom Wike remains door to Atiku’s win or defeat”

    The task of becoming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a daunting one. And, understanding this explains why all the presidential candidates are probably facing one of the most difficult moments of their political careers.

    Undoubtedly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the toughest job among the three main contenders. He has a hurdle of the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to scale if he must return to Aso Villa, which he left in 2007 as the vice to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    While Wike’s challenge looks insignificant to the eye, he’s hydra-headed and eventually posing as a door – to either Atiku’s win or defeat. A lot of other issues are attached to Wike, all of which will be treated in this report.

    Why is Wike larger than life? The Rivers State governor does not only have people in the party who share his sentiment, he shoulders the interest of all aggrieved members in the party. From the South that was schemed out of 2023 presidential race to the rise of Peter Obi of Labour Party and romance with the ruling party, among other petty political Lilliputians seeking relevance, Wike still remains the link bridge connecting them all. 

    Wike’s cronies also include his counterpart governors and some members of the National Working Committee (NWC). Hence, it is substantial to say that Wike has turned the fight into a South-North dichotomy.

    In a nutshell, Atiku has to win this internal battle before marching to the warfronts against his counterparts – All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidates – Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi respectively. If he eventually reconciles Wike to his side, he would have won half of the scuffles ahead. 

    Atiku and Okowa’s emergence

    The battle for Atiku began the moment he emerged as the standard bearer of the main opposition party. It’s not the status itself that poses a challenge, but the process that brought him in. This doesn’t affect only him, his running mate, Governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa is also in the picture. 

    Prior to the PDP primary election in Abuja, in late May, Wike had pledged to support whoever emerged as the party’s flag bearer. He also assured he wouldn’t leave the party, regardless of what happened.

    It was almost certain to conclude that Wike would emerge to fly the party’s flag going by his political muscle. Sadly for him, his colleague from Sokoto state, Governor Aminu Tambuwal withdrew from the race and urged his delegate supporters to vote for Atiku. This, obviously won the battle for the ex-vice President. Wike was obviously outplayed by a ‘friend’.

    Rivers Governor could stomach Atiku’s victory at the primaries, but his ego was bruised when his neighbour in the South-South was picked to be the vice presidential candidate. Up till now, Wike has neither publicly congratulated Okowa nor commented on the issue.

    Wike insistence on Ayu’s removal

    Asides from other grievances that sprang up aftermath of the emergence of both Atiku and Okowa, Wike has admitted that his main rancour with PDP leadership is the failure of the party’s national chair, Senator Iyorchia Ayu to resign.

    He claimed that there was an agreement during the zoning debate that both the presidential candidate and the national chairman cannot come from the same region.

    Since Atiku is from the North, Ayu cannot remain as the PDP helmsman because he also hails from the North. Notwithstanding the resignation of Walid Jibrin as the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Wike insists Ayu must go. Amid this, members of the National Executive Council (NEC) passed a vote of confidence on Ayu. As much as Ayu remains as PDP chairman, Wike cannot work for and with Atiku.

    South-South battleground and Rivers electoral value

    Whatever Atiku calculated to have chosen Okowa as his vice ahead of the 2023 general elections has arguably boomeranged. This has divided his votes in the South-South already unless the internal wrangling is resolved amicably before Nigerians head to the polls next year.

    In the wake of the brawl with the Atiku camp, Wike, while commissioning recent infrastructural projects in his state. Imaintained that he would help PDP not to win elections. This will only change if his demands are met.

    But, Atiku must hold on to the belief that the South-South region is a cherished stronghold that would give him votes in the South. By extension, he should strategise not to let Rivers slip away from his grasp even if it means sourcing for a powerful figure in Wike’s state.

    Rivers will deliver for Atiku because, in the 2019 presidential elections, Atiku scored 473,971 votes against Buhari who polled 150,710 votes.

    However, while Wike’s clout cannot be underestimated in Rivers, Atiku can rake in massive votes in the region including Wike’s state if he plays the game well. The states in the region with the exception of Cross River belong to PDP. He just has to work with Okowa and find a charismatic party chieftain to be on his campaign train.

    Makinde and unfriendly South-West terrain

    The South-West is a no-go area for Atiku but anything can happen in politics, even at the last minute. Tinubu displayed that during the APC’s presidential primary election, as a political journalist said, “While other presidential candidates go for the delegates, Jagaban goes for the presidential candidates themselves.”

    The region is for Tinubu except for Oyo state just like the South-South is for Atiku. But this doesn’t mean there won’t be trickles to gather for both of them in each region.

    Going back to Tinubu’s tactics at his party’s primaries, Wazirin Adamawa can adopt such a strategy by enticing the bigwigs in Southwestern Nigeria to his camp if he wants to defeat the national leader of APC in his backyard.

    On September 14, 2022, Atiku met with Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde who is also Wike’s closest ally. Atiku knows he needs Makinde if he has to get a substantial number of votes from South-West. Makinde wanted what Wike wanted. Don’t forget that Wike is a door. Atiku can decide to open or shut.

    Also, by February 2023, Osun state governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke would have assumed office, but it is not certain if he would have garnered the political experience to deliver large votes for Atiku.

    Mark, Ayu, Ortom and North-Central factor

    The Middle-Belt of Nigeria is another PDP’s biggest armoury if Atiku’s political antenna is receiving a signal. He must woo another Wike’s ally and staunch critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in the person of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state. Ortom lamented a few days back that all is not well with PDP.

    Whether Atiku sidelines Ortom or not, he has the shoulders of the former Senate President David Mark to ride on. Mark is a big fish in Benue politics. It is noteworthy that Ayu is also from Benue, and Atiku might not succumb to Wike’s threat of sacking Ayu. It is resourceful to use his status in gaining prominence in the state and the region at large.

    Other states in the North-Central, especially those plagued by the atrocities of killer Fulani herdsmen will embrace Atiku and this might smoothen his cruise to victory in 2023.

    Kogi and Kwara states are APC states but Atiku can use his influence to wage war against them in dividing the votes. The heavyweight ranks of former Kogi Senator who is also Atiku’s spokesman, Dino Melaye and former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki are strong waves to ride on.

    South-East, Igbo presidency and the ‘Obidients’

    Any politician that jettisons the wave of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi does so to his detriment. Obi is not only the Igbo presidency that the region longs for, he’s a political figure that the disgruntled young Nigerians want to install via their votes in 2023.

    It is expected that Tinubu and Atiku understand this. How they would surmount that hurdle is a test of their acumen. The former VP cannot convince Igbo men with ‘Okowa is also an Igbo’ status to lure their votes.

    Although, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reiterated that it would have preferred that APC and PDP choose a Southeasterner to vie for the highest political office.

    The Igbo leaders wanted a repeat of 1999 when PDP and defunct All Peoples Party (APP) fielded Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae respectively who are Yoruba people.

    And since Ndigbo didn’t get this, the ethnic sentiment that Obi is more Igbo than Okowa is a card to play. An Atiku would struggle to win this debate.

    The Obidients are also everywhere. They are the youths that want to pay back APC and PDP in their coin for many years of the nation’s woes. These are energetic and resolute Nigerians who are ready to share spoils with Atiku and Tinubu for Obi’s advantage.

    Having said this, Atiku cannot totally lose out in the South-East, another former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim and the new Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Adolphus Wabara will not hesitate to embrace Atiku to oust the APC government.

    Dicey North-West, North-East’s strongholds

    The core North, despite APC’s damage to security and economy, will still most likely queue behind Tinubu who is promising a facelift of Nigeria in the pattern of Lagos when he was governor and other gimmicks he and his party will push out to Nigerians.

    Governors like Nasir el-Rufai, Abdullahi Ganduje, Aminu Masari and Bello Matawalle of Kaduna, Kano, Katina and Zamfara states are key to Tinubu’s win. Kano’s votes are instrumental. In 2019, Buhari polled 1.4 million votes in a landslide.

    Whoever between Tinubu and Atiku owns Ganduje automatically owns those Kano’s votes. How Atiku would get an appreciable fraction of those votes is also important.

    However, Atiku can slug it out with Tinubu on the basis of the son of the soil. He’s a Northerner. He can appeal to the ego and sentiment of the Northern political class and stakeholders from the region.

    Atiku is the most prominent politician in the North-East. This would have been a free ride for him but Tinubu chose his running mate, former governor of Borno state, Senator Kashim Shettima to spoil the show for Atiku.

    The ex-VP needs to possess the North-East as his home. He must campaign vigorously to weaken the APC even in the terror-laden Borno. He’s a politician who knows what his campaign programmes should hit at.

    Way forward

    Kwankwaso: the beautiful bride

    As integral as Kano’s votes are to winning the presidential election, the former governor in the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso is a major stakeholder. He has massive followers through his Kwankwasiyya movement.

    All along, whoever Kwankwaso supported would reap Kano’s votes, but this time around the former Defence Minister is running for President under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). If he doesn’t step down, it is almost certain that Atiku, Tinubu and Obi should forget Kano as a determining factor in winning.

    There are speculations that Kwankwaso would align with any of the three front runners at the dying minutes – and Atiku might have to lobby to win him over.

    Nigerians own the votes

    The 2023 presidential election largely depends on the aggrieved, hopeful and optimistic Nigerians who desire and demand a better, safer, richer and greater country, and would do all within their reach to achieve this. They are the ones Atiku should appeal to. They are the voters he should convince. He will definitely use the inadequacies of APC against them. But, he needs more than that. Nigerians want practicalities.

    With the new Electoral Act, political analysts have supported the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to say it would be difficult for politicians to rig elections. So, 2023 is for Nigerians, Atiku and other candidates in the race must understand and work with that fact.

    But, the ball is in the court of Nigerians whether to continue with the status quo or have a paradigm shift. Whichever way, Atiku has a bigger challenge than Tinubu and Obi in winning the election. Since his entry into politics in 1989, he had contested five times in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. And he knows more than anyone that 2023 is probably his last chance.

    Court finds R. Kelly guilty of sex crimes

    A jury has found R&B singer R. Kelly guilty of sex crimes, including producing child sexual abuse imagery and coercing minors into sex acts.

    On Wednesday, the 12-person jury in Chicago convicted Mr Kelly of six out of the 13 charges levelled against him. He was found guilty of coercing three minors into criminal sexual activity and producing three child sexual abuse videos.

    However, Mr Kelly was acquitted on several counts, including conspiring to tamper with his 2008 child pornography trial.

    Prosecutors had alleged in Cook County Court that Mr Kelly conspired to obstruct justice during the 2008 trial by threatening and paying off a teenage girl and her family so she would not testify about a tape he recorded of him urinating on her during a sex act.

    His former associates, Derrell McDavid and Milton Brown, were also tried alongside Mr Kelly for their part in the scheme. Messrs McDavid and Brown were found not guilty on all charges on Wednesday.

    The jury heard four weeks of testimony from over 30 witnesses, they also watched three sex tapes that prosecutors say show Mr Kelly sexually abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter.

    During the trial, four women accused Mr Kelly of sexually abusing them when they were girls, including the central witness to the case, who testified under the alias “Jane”.

    Jane told the Jury that Mr Kelly began abusing her after becoming her godfather when she was only 14, and had sex with her hundreds of times between the ages of 14 and 18.

    In June, He was sentenced to prison for 30 years for sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping and other sex-related crimes.

    The six-week trial saw graphic testimonies from 11 accusers, nine women and two men, who described sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of the “Ignition” singer. The case relied on the accounts of six victims, five of whom testified. The sixth, singer Aaliyah, whom Mr Kelly illegally wed when she was 15, died in a plane crash in 2001

    Last September, Mr Kelly was found guilty of multiple racketeering and sex trafficking charges based on sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and eight violations of the sex-trafficking statute. He was found guilty on all counts.

    Opinion: “Why Atiku picked Okowa over Wike” – Ayu

    Following the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and disagreement between the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike, the former has Tuesday revealed the reason presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, picked the governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate over the later.

    Speaking during the Northern Christian Youth Assembly Summit in Abuja, Ayu said Atiku, picked Okowa as his running mate above his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, because of humility and more excellent performance in office.

    His words: “We looked around and we thought we have to give not just a vice president that will assist him (Atiku) but we did our homework to select a man who is highly educated, very humble, and who has done very well as a governor in his home state.

    “Okowa is the most qualified running mate. It is on his own personal merit that he was selected by the party as the vice presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar. I think Nigeria will be very lucky to have two such people who are committed to development who are detribalised who believe in uniting this country.”

    Of recent, Ayu has been on the news over disagreement between him and the Wike.

    Wike had faulted the emergence of Atiku as the presidential flag bearer, Iyorchia Ayu, Chairman of the party, and Sen. Walid Jibrin, chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, all from the northern part of the country.

    Wike accused the party of violating the principles of equity, fairness and balance, noting that the laws guiding the party has been trampled upon.

    He insisted that Ayu should honorably do the right thing (resign), and allow a southerner become the party’s chairman.

    Addressing the issue, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sen. Walid Jibrin tendered his resignation letter, paving way for a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, (from South-East) to become the new BoT Chairman.

    In view of that the National Executive Council of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, last week passed a vote of confidence in the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

    Reacting to the above, Wike opined: “I was listening and watching, they said there is one man they call Secondus. They said he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person vote of confidence. He forgets history.

    “Ask him the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida moved a motion of vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndudi Elumelu. They gave you (Secondus) a vote of confidence, what happened? You left office.

    “We don’t fight and go back. If you like you can have as many 20 votes of confidence, it’s not my business. My business is to make sure the right thing is done, and the right thing must be done. Whether today or tomorrow.

    “I’m not going to play party with the interest of my people. Rivers State is paramount to me first before any other person or group. So, the eyes can see what we have done. Up till today, we have never abandoned governance.

    “So many people are already rounding up, taking the last they have but yet, we are still committed in commissioning, and flagging off projects. Because of the love we have for our people, we will continue to serve you till May 29, when by the grace of God, Siminialaye Fubara will be inaugurated next governor of Rivers.”

    [Vanguard]

    Nigeria Govt. partners India for local production of Covid-19 vaccine

    The Federal Government and the Serum Institute of India have announced a partnership in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.

    This was disclosed by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, ED/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Tuesday.

    He stated that talks would be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria.

    What the NPHCDA is saying

    Dr Shuaib noted that local vaccine production is a priority of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration “and this is one reason we have been engaging partners of interest on actualizing this very important project.”

    “My meeting today with Mr. Vijay Patil, Director International Business, Serum Institute of India centred around how to partner in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.

    “The work we do with BVNL will be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria,” he added.

    What you should know

    • Nairametrics reported in June that the Federal Government revealed that it is currently gathering producers of vaccines and manufacturers to find a way to have the technology to produce vaccines in case of future outbreaks.
    • The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that Nigeria’s urgency towards producing vaccines now is a bit reduced because it still has few donations, citing 39,800,000 doses of vaccines procured by the Federal Government – The single-shot J&J vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Team (AVAT) of the African Union.
    • He said that Nigeria has learnt key lessons from the pandemic, including that countries must look inward for medical supplies and other health commodities.

    [Nairametrics]

    Anthony Joshua accepts to fight Tyson Fury

    Anthony Joshua’s team have confirmed that they have accepted the terms laid out by Tyson Fury’s team ahead of a potential all-British super fight on December 3.

    Joshua’s 258 Management and Matchroom stated on social media on Tuesday that communication had been halted due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and that they were waiting for a response.

    The statement read, “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.

    “Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.

    “We are awaiting a response.”


    Joshua then retweeted the post on Twitter with his official account.

    Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, has since replied, “Contract will be with you very soon.”

    Fury recently challenged Joshua to a long-awaited showdown and offered the two-time world champion a 60-40 purse after it emerged a prospective undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk would likely have to wait until 2023.

    The 34-year-old initially highlighted November 26 at Wembley or December 3 at Cardiff as potential dates for the fight.

    The Gypsy King marked his UK homecoming with a sixth-round knockout win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April and preceded to reiterate plans to retire before informing the WBC he intended to resume his career at the end of last month.


    Joshua and Fury had been set to fight in August 2021 before plans were scuppered by an arbitration judge ruling that Deontay Wilder was contractually entitled to a third fight against Fury, which the American heavyweight would go on to lose by 11th-round knockout.

    A rematch with Dillian Whyte had emerged as a possibility down the line for Joshua following his defeat to Usyk, while Fury was recently challenged by 37-year-old former WBA regular champion Mahmoud Charr. The aftermath of Fury’s victory over Whyte had also seen him express his interest in a potential crossover bout against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, though that was at a time when the former had been adamant he planned on walking away from the sport.

    Fury has no mandatory challengers in place as it stands, with former world champion Wilder, No 1 in the WBC ratings, scheduled to face Robert Helenius in an eliminator and No 2-ranked Andy Ruiz Jr coming off a hard-fought win over Luis Ortiz.

    Lost Isreali coin minted almost 2000 years ago worth $1m returned to Israel after 2002

    After a police search spanning 20 years, a quarter shekel coin from as far back as 69 AD, one of only four of its kind known to exist and worth $1m, has been returned to the state of Israel.

    The silver coin was minted during a Jewish revolt nearly 2,000 years ago but stolen from Israel in 2002.

    The search for the coin began when the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) were told by informants that the coin had been taken by Palestinians from a hoard unearthed in the Ella Valley, south of Jerusalem.

    coin minted almost 2000 years ago

    The IAA says it spent the next ten years and six months trying to locate the coin, which passed through illicit antiques markets in Israel, Jordan and the UK. It was eventually exported to the US for sale at an auction in Denver, Colorado, in 2017.

    The IAA alerted US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which then took administrative custody of the coin. The investigation was passed to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU), which obtained a court order to repatriate the coin based on information from informants in five countries along with help from authorities in Europe and the Middle East.

    The coin was handed over on Monday September 12, in a ceremony at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office attended by US and Israeli officials, including Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan.

    “Today we join our partners to return an incredibly rare piece of Israel’s history, the quarter shekel coin, a symbol of independence from the time of Roman presence in what is now modern Israel,” HSI agent Ricky J Patel told the gathering.

    “A cherished piece of history [is] finally going home,” 

    The silver coin, embossed with Jewish motifs, is one of only four of its kind known to be in existence. The IAA dated it to 69 AD – the fourth year of the Great Revolt.


    The minting of a such a coin was “in fact a declaration of independence by the Jews in the land of Israel, a statement against the mighty empire that stood before them”, said Ilan Hadad of the IAA.


    The Great Revolt saw a rebellion by Jews in Judea against oppressive rule by the Romans, who had ended Jewish independence there a century earlier.

    Libya and Angola Overtake Nigeria as Africa’s Biggest Oil Producer

    Angola and Libya have overtaken Nigeria as the biggest crude oil producers in the African continent.


    The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) disclosed this in its Oil Market Report for September 2022 releases on Tuesday September 13 in Lagos.


    The report revealed that Nigeria’s crude oil production for August averaged 1.100 million barrels per day which was 65,000mb/d lower than the 1.164mb/d produced averagely in July.


    While Angola was Africa’s highest crude oil producer for the month under review with an average production of 1.187mb/d.


    Libya’s crude oil production averaged also 1.123mb/d for the period.


    The report said: “According to secondary sources, total OPEC-13 crude oil production averaged 29.65 mb/d in August, higher by 618,000 month-on-month.

    “Crude oil output increased mainly in Libya and Saudi Arabia, while production in Nigeria declined.”

    Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 3.5 percent year-on-year this year following growth of 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

    “On a quarterly basis, the GDP shrank by 0.37 percent following a 14.66 percent contraction in the previous quarter.


    “Nevertheless, the annual inflation rate surged to the highest since September 2005, climbing to 19.6 percent y-o-y in July from 18.6 percent in June.


    “This was a result of the weakening naira due to continued high imported input costs as well as soaring fuel prices.


    “Moreover, food inflation increased to 22 per cent y-o-y, the highest since May 2021,”  the report added

    Tukur Mamu accused of ‘financing terrorism’ by DSS

    Tukur Mamu, the Kaduna train attack negotiator has been accused by the Department of State Services of aiding and abetting acts of terrorism.

    Mamu was accused of being involved in the funding of international and local terrorism, sharing information with terrorist groups, resulting in the escalation of bandit attacks in the country.

    The allegation was made in an affidavit to support an ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1617/2022 and filed before Justice Nkeonye Maha of the federal high court in Abuja.

    It read; 

    “Preliminary investigation so far established, amongst others, the offences of the logistic supplier, aiding and abetting acts of terrorism as well as terrorism financing against him.

    “That the defendant (Mamu) has used the cover of his profession as a journalist to aid both local and international terrorist groups. That the action of the defendant has orchestrated the untimely death of several security personnel in North Central and North East parts of Nigeria.

    “That the defendant has discreetly given several information to bandits and terrorists that escalated various acts of terrorism in Nigeria. That the investigation has assumed a wider dimension and sophistication requiring time and advance expertise to conclude.

    “That some of the suspects working with the defendant are at large and premature release of the defendant will jeopardise the ongoing investigation. That it is in the interest of justice and national security to grant this application.

    “That the activities of the defendant and his associates at large constitute a potent threat to the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria.”

    Tori Media reported earlier that the Judge granted DSS’ request to detain Mamu for 60 more days to conclude its investigation. 

    Victor Osimhen currently the third best U-25 striker

    According to CIES Football Observatory, Napoli and Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has been ranked third in the target man shooter category alongside other forwards who are yet to turn 25.

    The ranking which was released by the football observatory on Monday saw the Nigerian move up six places with a score of 93.3.

    Chelsea’s Kai Havertz ranks highest on the list with a score of 94.3 while Atletico Mineiro forward Matias Zaracho occupies the second position with a score of 93.4.

    Osimhen with 93.3 edges Barcelona’s Ferran Torres to fourth by 0.3 points.

    In the fifth position is Liverpool’s €80m signing, Darwin Nunez, with 92.6 score.

    Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, Roma’s Tammy Abraham, Atletico Madrid’s Matthaüs Cunha, Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus and Evanilson De Lima, who plays for FC Porto complete the top 10.

    Despite being a subject of transfer speculations at the recently concluded transfer window, Osimhen stays with Napoli and has started the season in style.

    Prior to his injury that has ruled him out for three weeks; the 23-year-old has scored two goals and assisted one from five matches played in the Serie A. While he also played a key role in Napoli’s 4-1 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

    Nnamdi Kanu’s terrorism charge reserved by the Appeal Court again

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has, on Tuesday, reserved judgement on the appeal filed by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

    Mazi Kanu had filed an appeal to quash the terrorism and treasonable felony charge proffered against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    The IPOB leader, who is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, approached the appellate court to query the legal competence of the charge pending against him.

    He specifically prayed the appellate court to review the April 8 ruling of the trial court which struck out only eight out of the 15-count charge.

    Insisting that the charge FG entered against him had no basis in law, Kanu, in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.

    Kanu equally urged the appellate court to order his release on bail, pending the determination of his appeal.

    Though the appeal was initially fixed for October 11, however, following an application the embattled IPOB leader filed for abridgement of time, the appellate court brought the matter forward for hearing.

    When the matter was called up on Tuesday, a three-man panel led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, said it had no need to delve into the issue of bail since the substantive appeal was ripe for hearing.

    Arguing the appeal, Chief Ozekhome, SAN, alleged that his client was forcefully abducted from Kenya and illegally renditioned back to the country.

    He told the court that his client was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.

    “My lords, he was enjoying this bail without breaching the terms. However, he was in his ancestral home when agents of the Respondent invaded his home in September 2017. He barely escaped alive by sheer providence and found himself first in Isreal and later in London.

    “When the Appellant travelled from London to Kenya, agents of the Respondents, on June 27, 2021, forcefully abducted the Appellant, tortured and renditioned him back to the country without following any extradition process”, Ozekhome submitted.

    He argued that under the Doctrine of Speciality as provided for in section 15 of the Extradition Act, FG, ought to have proceeded to try Kanu on the five-count charge he was initially facing before he escaped from the country.

    He argued that Kenya, being the country from where Kanu was arrested and extraordinarily renditioned back to Nigeria, ought to have authorised his extradition.

    “This allegation of his forceful abduction and rendition was never denied by the Respondent.

    “More so my lords, the charge appears to give the lower court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the Appellant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed.

    “There was no need for the lower court to have retained the remaining seven-count charge.

    “We are therefore urging my lords to strike out the remaining counts and hold that the Respondent has not established any prima-facie case against the Appellant for which he could be tried”, Ozekhome added.

    Meanwhile, FG, through its lawyer, Mr. David Kaswe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for want of merit.

    He maintained that the IPOB leader was brought back to the country by due process of the law.

    He argued that the charge has been amended seven times owing to the conduct of the Appellant.

    “My lords, it took four years and huge resources to get the Respondent arrested and brought back to face the charges against him.

    “The Prosecution is ever willing and eager to proceed with trial of the Appellant.

    “We are saying that the trial court was even wrong to have struck out the eight counts as it did.

    “It is only after FG has produced all its witnesses and tendered its evidence that the Appellant could claim that no prima-facie case was established.

    “Finally, we urge this court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit”, Kaswe added.

    After it had listened to both sides, the panel said it would communicate a date for the judgment

    74th Emmys 2022: Full list of Winners

    The 74th Emmy Awards was held yesterday September 12. 

    The event was held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and there were quite some big wins at the awards. 

    “The White Lotus,” “Ted Lasso” and “Succession” picked up some of the biggest awards of the night. 

    Here’s the full list of winners below…

    Outstanding drama series

    “Better Call Saul”

    “Euphoria”

    “Ozark”

    “Severance”

    “Squid Game”

    “Stranger Things”

    “Succession” *WINNER

    “Yellowjackets”

    Outstanding comedy series

    “Abbott Elementary”

    “Barry”

    “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

    “Hacks”

    “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

    “Only Murders in the Building”

    “Ted Lasso” *WINNER

    “What We Do in the Shadows”

    Outstanding limited series

    “Dopesick”

    “The Dropout”

    “Inventing Anna”

    “Pam & Tommy”

    “The White Lotus” *WINNER

    Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

    Brian Cox, “Succession”

    Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game” *WINNER

    Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

    Adam Scott, “Severance”

    Jeremy Strong, “Succession”

    Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

    Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”

    Laura Linney, “Ozark”

    Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”

    Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”

    Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”

    Zendaya, “Euphoria” *WINNER

    Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

    Nicholas Braun, “Succession”

    Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”

    Kieran Culkin, “Succession”

    Park Hae-soo, “Squid Game”

    Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession” *WINNER

    John Turturro, “Severance”

    Christopher Walken, “Severance”

    Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”

    Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

    Patricia Arquette, “Severance”

    Julia Garner, “Ozark” *WINNER

    Jung Ho-yeon, “Squid Game”

    Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”

    Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul”

    J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”

    Sarah Snook, “Succession”

    Sydney Sweeney, “Euphoria”

    Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

    Donald Glover, “Atlanta”

    Bill Hader, “Barry”

    Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”

    Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”

    Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”

    Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” *WINNER

    Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

    Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

    Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

    Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”

    Elle Fanning, “The Great”

    Issa Rae, “Insecure”

    Jean Smart, “Hacks” *WINNER

    Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

    Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”

    Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso” *WINNER

    Toheeb Jimoh, “Ted Lasso”

    Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”

    Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

    Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

    Henry Winkler, “Barry”

    Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

    Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

    Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

    Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

    Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”

    Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”

    Sarah Niles, “Ted Lasso”

    Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary” *WINNER

    Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”

    Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”

    Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie

    Colin Firth, “The Staircase”

    Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”

    Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”

    Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” *WINNER

    Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”

    Sebastian Stan, “Pam & Tommy”

    Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie

    Toni Collette, “The Staircase”

    Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”

    Lily James, “Pam & Tommy”

    Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”

    Margaret Qualley, “Maid”

    Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout” *WINNER

    Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie

    Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus” *WINNER

    Jake Lacy, “The White Lotus”

    Will Poulter, “Dopesick”

    Seth Rogen, “Pam & Tommy”

    Peter Sarsgaard, “Dopesick”

    Michael Stuhlbarg, “Dopesick”

    Steve Zahn, “The White Lotus”

    Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or TV movie

    Connie Britton, “The White Lotus”

    Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus” *WINNER

    Alexandra Daddario, “The White Lotus”

    Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”

    Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”

    Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”

    Mare Winningham, “Dopesick”

    Outstanding reality/competition series

    “The Amazing Race”

    “Top Chef”

    “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

    “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” *WINNER

    “The Voice”

    “Nailed It!”

    Outstanding variety talk series

    “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” *WINNER

    “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

    “Late Night With Seth Meyers”

    “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”

    “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

    Outstanding variety sketch series

    “A Black Lady Sketch Show”

    “Saturday Night Live” *WINNER

    Ekweremadu’s Daughter Begs Nigerians For Kidney Donation

    Sonia, the daughter of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Monday begged members of the public to donate kidney to her.

    The young woman, whose parents are currently facing charges of organ harvesting in the United Kingdom made the plea on her Instagram page on Monday.

    In the statement, Sonia noted that she had to drop out of the university after being diagnosed of a rare kidney disease.

    The statement read, “I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life.

    “I am 25 years old and a graduate of Media and Communications, University of Coventry. I dropped out of my post graduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.


    “My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals, but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. I am alive today by the special grace of God.

    “I am presently in London, UK, receiving five hours of dialysis three to four times a week. This is at the expense of my family as I am not qualified for NHS due to my immigration status.

    “The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently, are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matter for me and my family. I do not intend to delve into details of this unfortunate development as the matter is still in Court. I am, however, optimistic that the truth will prevail and it will end in praise to God.

    “In the circumstance above, I am appealing to anybody whom it may please to assist me willingly with a kidney donation in the name of God.
    “This appeal would have been utterly unnecessary as every member of my family is eager to donate their kidney to me, knowing that I would do the same for any of them.


    “Regrettably, comprehensive medical examination showed that my case of nephrotic syndrome is a genetic illness and the doctors advised against donation from any of my family members, as it would likely reoccur. In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage.

    “Anybody that is moved by this appeal and wishes to donate his or her kidney to me may send an email to [email protected] and include his or her name, phone number, email address and place of residence.

    “Please, note that under the laws of England and Wales, organ donation must be purely driven by compassion and, therefore, no reward is involved.

    “Finally, I have decided to commit and dedicate myself to helping people with the challenges of kidney disease, upon my full recovery. Thank you and God bless you.”

    Kante and Boehly disagree over Chelsea deal

    Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante’s contract talks with the club’s board under the leadership of Todd Boehly have reportedly hit a snag, which could leave the 31-year-old as a free agent next summer.

    Talks between Chelsea and Kante began last year but were halted as ownership of the west London club switched hands to a consortium led by Boehly.

    According to the Athletic, Kante is holding out for a longer deal than the two-year offer on the table with an option for a third year, according to the verbal commitment from Boehly’s side.

    However, it remains to be seen if Boehly and Kante can agree on a deal to form a longer working relationship as the France international would be able to start talking to potential new clubs from the start of 2023.

    Kante has featured in just two games this season for Chelsea due to injury.

    He joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2016 and has been a popular part of the Blues’ set-up, guiding them to the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.

    Kante has proved himself to be among the best midfielders in the world, but he could leave Chelsea for nothing if negotiations cannot be resolved.

    “You Must Do Biometric Verification or No Exam” , JAMB Tells Candidates

    In a move designed to further tighten the noose around examination cheats and their collaborators, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has resolved that, henceforth, no candidate would be allowed to sit for the board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) if they are not verified biometrically.

    The decision, which emanated from a rigorous review of the 2022 UTME exercise, is borne out of the need to close all loopholes noticed during the examination.

     It is to be noted that examination malpractice is one of the major obstacles faced by all public examination bodies globally, hence the board has consistently taken steps to confront this monster frontally.

     It should be borne in mind that identity theft is one of the prominent channels that perpetrators used to achieve their nefarious aims.

    Jambuletin reports that to combat this menace, the board has taken full advantage of technology by introducing, among others, biometric capturing of a candidate’s ten fingers during UTME registration to ensure that there is a convincing match between the fingerprints captured and those presented by the candidate at the examination venue.

     According to the board, any scenario other than this is an invitation to an examination security breach.

    Therefore, the board emphasised that it is against the backdrop of this robust initiative of capturing all ten fingers of candidates rather than just one or two fingers from each hand, as was hitherto the case, that it decided that the era whereby some candidates would present themselves at the examination venue and claim difficulty to be biometrically verified and expect the system to allow them to sit for the examination is gone for good.

     It should be recalled that the board, out of magnanimity, had allowed such candidates to be rescheduled for the Mop-Up UTME, which was introduced in 2017.

    However, the board has, of late, realised the futility of such an arrangement after assessing the process and its impact on the entire examination value chain.

    Consequently, the management of the board has regrettably resolved that all candidates must be verified to sit for their examination as there would be no more Mop-Up UTME for whatever reason.

    To cater for the few that may have genuine cases of inability to be captured, such candidates are to clearly indicate such difficulty from the point of registration so that they could be assigned to a centre situated within the national headquarters of the board for close monitoring.

    The board explained that the measure is not only to sanitise the examination process but also to ensure that the hard-earned reputation is not impugned.

    [TheIndependent]

    Doctors struggle to remove a snake stuck in a lady’s ear

    Shocking footage captured the moment that a surgeon tried to remove a live snake from a woman’s ear.

    Video of the surgery has gone viral after it was shared by an Indian-based star

    “The snake has gone in the ear,” reads the caption to the bizarre Facebook clip.

    It is unclear where, when or how this unfortunate event transpired, local outlet the Economic Times reported.

    In the nearly four-minute clip, an alleged medical practitioner can be seen using tweezers in a desperate attempt to extract a black and yellow snake from a female patient’s ear.

    The video ends without revealing whether or not the surgery was successful.

    Watch the video below.

    Indian woman dies after her phone exploded on her bed

    An Indian Twitter user has narrated how his aunty died after her phone exploded while she was sleeping. 

    @Mdtalk16 said his Aunty kept her phone near her face before sleeping and it killed her after it exploded. 

    He tweeted; 

    Hi @RedmiIndia @manukumarjain @s_anuj

    Yesterday in Night my Aunty found dead , she was using Redmi 6A, she was sleeping & she kept the phone near her face on pillow side & after sometime her phone blast. It’s a bad time for us. It’s a responsibility of a brand to support

    Redmi 6A exploded

    Karim Benzema is currently the top-rated player on FIFA23 List

    EA Sports have revealed their 23 highest-rated players on FIFA 23 ahead of the popular video game’s release with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema coming out on top.

    Lionel Messi had been given the highest rating by EA Sports since their 2018 edition of the game, but the Paris Saint-Germain superstar is now in fifth place behind Benzema, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), and Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City).

    While all five of those players have received ratings of 91 on the game, Benzema’s overall statistics top them all. 

    The Frenchman enjoyed a sensational 2021-22 campaign, scoring 10 goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League to help Madrid claim their 14th European crown.

    Cristiano Ronaldo, who last beat Messi to the top spot four years ago, has dropped from third to eighth with a rating of 90 despite scoring 24 goals in 38 games for Manchester United last season.

    Here are the confirmed 23 highest-rated players in FIFA 23 this year, as confirmed by EA Sports today;

    1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 91 rated
    2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) – 91 rated
    3. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) – 91 rated
    4. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 91 rated
    5. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) – 91 rated
    6. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 90 rated
    7. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 90 rated
    8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) – 90 rated
    9. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) – 90 rated
    10. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) – 90 rated
    11. Neymar Jr (Paris Saint-Germain) – 89 rated
    12. Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur) – 89 rated
    13. Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) – 89 rated
    14. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) – 89 rated
    15. Casemiro (Manchester United) – 89 rated
    16. Alisson (Liverpool) – 89 rated
    17. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – 89 rated
    18. Ederson (Manchester City) – 89 rated
    19. N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) – 89 rated
    20. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – 89 rated
    21. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 88 rated
    22. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) – 88 rated
    23. Marquinhos (Paris-Saint Germain) – 88 rated
    Karim and Messi

    Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)

    The Russian government has urged its citizens and administrative personnel to leave the Ukranian city of Kharkhiv as reports of Ukranian advances in the city continue to swirl.


    According to Reuters, Ukrainian forces entered the strategic city of Izium after five months of Russian occupation, Kyiv officials said Saturday September 10.


    Ukraine started a counter offensive on September 1 in the South Ukranian city of Kherson but surprisingly launched a simultaneous counter offensive in the North eastern city of Kharkhiv.

    Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)

    A senior Ukrainian official said that the “main artery” for Russian forces through the Kharkiv region has been cut off, and Ukrainian forces are also reported to have a new front against Russian defenses on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

    Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)


    Ukraine’s General Staff, in an operational update Saturday, said “the liberation of settlements that were temporarily captured by the Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv region and in the South Buh direction continues. For the safety of our servicemen, official information will be provided later.”


    South Buh includes much of the southern front in Mykolaiv and Kherson.


    The General Staff claimed “the command of the Russian occupying forces in the Kherson region is trying to strengthen the city of Kherson by deploying reserves. Thus, new enemy units have been spotted in the regional center.”


    It also said the Russians were trying to restore traffic across one of several damaged bridges on the river Dnipro, but the bridge remained under the “fire control” of Ukrainian artillery.

    Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)


    Several social media videos show Ukranian forces in different parts of Kharkiv and Kherson mounting Ukraine’s flags. Another video shows locals welcoming Ukranian forces in the city.


    A separate photo shows Ukranian forces psoing in front of Izium’s sign post.

    In its first response to the military gains made by Ukrainian forces in the last few days, the Russian Defense Ministry said that “the decision was made to regroup Russian troops” and redirect to Donetsk region.

    The most senior Russian government official in the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev,  provided a bleak assessment of the situation.

    In a video message published on Telegram, Ganchev said:


    “I again recommend to all citizens of Kharkiv region to leave the territory in order to preserve their lives. It is dangerous right now to be inside of your own homes.”


    Ganchev, speaking from an undisclosed location, said, “We are ready to provide you with all the necessary help. Our representatives remain on the territory and are facilitating the evacuation of citizens.”


    “Our Army is doing everything in their power of course. Even right now I can hear our military aviation working,” Ganchev added. But he acknowledged settlements in Kharkiv were under constant fire by Ukrainian forces.


    Also, the Military-Civic Administration of the Vovchansk district, through which many Russian supplies travel toward the front lines, said in a brief Telegram post:


     “Russian military are leaving Volchansk!! [Vovchansk] temporarily. City’s population continues to evacuate.”


    The administration quoted a member of the Russian parliament, Evgeniy Evtushenko, as saying that the local headquarters would be moved across the border to the Russian city of Belgorod.


    “In order to save civilians’ lives, Russian Armed Forces have made a decision to leave our city. [The] City’s administration will be moved to Belgorod. Its branches will be in Kursk, Yakutsk, Vladivostok and St. Peter[s]burg till the situation in the city stabilizes,” Evtushenko said.


    “Russian armed forces will return control of all Russian land in Kharkiv region,” he added.


    Vovchansk has been an important link in the Russian military’s supply chain from the Russian city of Belgorod, and it remained under Russian control even as Ukrainian forces retook some territory north and east of the city of Kharkiv in May.

    2023 Elections: APC Vice Presidential candidate, Shettima, blasts Atiku

    The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has said the Tinubu/Shettima ticket will retire the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections.

    Shettima said Atiku cannot match the APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in excellent track record of service delivery, qualitative leadership and capacity for grooming competent administrators.

    The former Borno State governor stated this in Abuja when a support group, ‘APC National Integrity Movement’, visited him.

    Shettima assured that Tinubu will hit the ground running and form his cabinet within the first week after his inauguration, if elected as president.

    He described Atiku as a political tourist who comes to the country only when there is an election and returns to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to relax thereafter, adding that unlike the Tinubu and himself, the former vice president cannot point to anybody he has mentored.


    The APC vice presidential candidate described Tinubu as a man with an excellent track record of service delivery, qualitative leadership, and mentor of men and women who have excelled in their different careers.

    He said: “Atiku Abubakar is like a father to me and I hold him in high esteem. But he is a political tourist who is only in this country every electoral circle and we are going to retire him back to Dubai to go and relax. In every situation, for people to see your worth, they need to see your output at home. I am from the Northeast; he is from the Northeast.

    “Atiku cannot point to three projects that he brought to the Northeast or to Northern Nigeria for the eight years that he served as the vice president. He cannot show us three people that he has mentored.

    “Is he even in good term with past governors of Adamawa state? Admiral Nyako is with us. James Ngilari is with us. Asiwaju can boast of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, he can boast of Babatunde Raji Fashola, he can boast Lai Mohammed, Rauf Aregbesola, Kayode Fayemi, Femi Gbajabiamila, Abiodun Faleke, Joe Igbokwe, Ben Akabuaze. I can boost of Babagana Zulum, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Mohammed Ali Ndume, Betara Aliyu and Tahir Mongunu, Zanaib Gimba.”

    Describing Tinubu as the best material for the presidency, Shettima said: “The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa and Nigeria will make or mar that transition. That is why I will rather be a small fish in a big pond than be a big fish in a small pond.


    “I supported Asiwaju out of a moral obligation, out of a moral conviction. What we have seen is his opportunity for national collaboration and national cohesion. When the frontlines that divides us were being manipulated for political ends, Asiwaju refused to swallow the pill.

    “Nigerian’s of younger generation must know Asiwaju’s history of two decades past when he stood firm as the fulcrum to a despotic PDP government in this country when he was viciously maligned and ostracised and that was when he laid the foundation for modern Lagos state.

    “He provided support and succour when the nation was enveloped in darkness and when we were having lots of destruction in the hands of military dictators, he was a sanctuary for victims of political witch hunt including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was intimidated ad harassed, dehumanised and chased out of the PDP.

    “It was Asiwaju that gave him political sanctuary and a platform to contest the Presidency of this country in 2007. The same thing was repeated four years later when another harassed person, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was given the platform to contest the presidency of this country under the ACN.

    “Those of us who were in Lagos in 2014 for the Presidential primary of the APC can attest to the fact that without the block support of the south west, President Muhammadu Buhari would not have emerged as the Presidential flag bearer of the APC.

    “For God sake, ours is a young nation where inclusivity and sense of belonging has been the cardinal work of our national and political intercourse. If power resides in the north for eight years, for God sake, it should move.

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