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    IPOB presents Chika Edoziem as Nnamdi Kanu’s replacement

    The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has announced Mazi Chika Edoziem as its new leader.

    IPOB said Edoziem would pilot its affairs until its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is released.

    A statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said Edoziem would relinquish the leadership role to Kanu when he is released.

    The statement reads partly: “For the avoidance of doubt, the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (DOS), headed by Mazi Chika Edoziem, is at the helm of affairs of the Biafra movement; whenever our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU comes out, he hands over IPOB structure back to him.”

    Edoziem is believed to be the deputy leader of IPOB.

    Kanu is currently locked up by the Department of State Services, DSS.

    The DSS has held the IPOB leader since he was re-arrested and repatriated from Kenya in 2011.

    5 Manchester City Footballers are dragged into Benjamin Mendy’s rape trial

    The jurors in the rape trial of Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy were today quizzed on whether they knew five other stars.

    The names of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Riyad Mahrez and John Stones – who all either play for or previously played for City,  were read to the panel of jurors at Chester Crown Court being selected for the trial. 

    The potential jurors, selected from a pool of 38, heard the list of people who may be witnesses or could be referred to during the trial and were asked whether they had any connection to them or knew them personally.

    They also heard the names of the complainants and were asked if they had any connections to Manchester City, Manchester United or police forces before 12 were selected for the case.       

    Mendy denies eight counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape. All the offences relate to seven women.

    He will go on trial along with his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, who has also entered not guilty pleas to all charges he faces.

    Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault, relating to eight young women. 

    Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, told the jury this afternoon: ‘There are 22 counts or charges, if you are feeling overwhelmed by that I can assure you will be having a lot of assistance on how you will approach that.

    ‘Don’t feel daunted or overwhelmed by that. This trial could go through to November’

    Earlier Judge Everett told the jury: ‘Maybe you have heard their names. Some of you will be aware of the fact Mr Mendy is a professional footballer who plays football for Manchester City.’

    All the offences are alleged to have taken place at his home address and span between October 2018 and August last year.

    His alleged offences span July 2012 to August last year.

    Mendy has played for Manchester City since 2017, when he joined from Monaco for a reported £52 million.He was suspended by the club after being charged by police.

    Nigeria Rated Most ‘Crypto-obsessed Nation’ in the World

    Nigeria has emerged as the most crypto-obsessed nation in the world based on the increasing number of Nigerians searching the Internet for crypto-related trading, the crypto price tracker, CoinGecko, has revealed.

    According to the latest CoinGecko survey, the global crypto market crash in April saw most cryptocurrencies lose over 60 per cent of their valuation from the top, leading to an overall downturn in trading activity, investor interest and venture capital investment.

    However, CoinĢecko reported that a recent study highlighted nations’ growing curiosity and interest in crypto after the April crash.

    The research was based on Google Trends data of popular crypto search terms often reflecting increased interest in the crypto market.

    The search history of each nation was compiled to give an overall search score, indicating that the countries at the top of the list appear to be most eager to buy the dip.

    The CoinGecko research highlighted a significant rise in curiosity among Nigerians after the crypto market downturn in April, adding that the Nigerian population searched the term “cryptocurrency,” “invest in crypto,” and “buy crypto” most among the 15 countries part of the survey.

    The report revealed that two Google trend charts show the data for “invest in crypto” searches in Nigeria compared to the world.

    The search density for the term had seen similar interest rates after the April downfall in Nigeria, while the worldwide search density has seen a constant decline in comparison.

    “Nigeria’s growing interest in crypto is fueled by inadequate financial services in the country, something that has been a key reason for crypto adoption across Africa. As Cointelegraph reported in April, nearly 17.36 million, or 52 per cent of Nigerian crypto investors, have allocated over half of their assets to cryptocurrencies,” explained the report. “Nigerians started using crypto as a viable alternative to store and transfer assets.”

    Among the top 15 countries most interested in cryptocurrencies, Nigeria dominates the world despite tumbling prices. The countries are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, Canada, Lebanon, US and Kenya. Others are Trinidad and Tobago, Cyprus, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland, Georgia and Pakistan.

    Overall, Nigeria was found to be in a league of its own with a score of 371, followed by UAE with a score of 271, “which did not come as a surprise to many, given the country’s recent push for crypto adoption.”

    The report said, “People in Nigeria are reported to embrace cryptocurrencies, thanks to a local currency that has lost much of its value to the dollar in 2022, making it an unworthy store of value for many in the oil-rich nation. According to the latest statistics, the naira was found to be trading at N670 to the dollar.”

    While the government has had a tough stance against cryptocurrencies since banning them in 2021, adoption continues to grow. Even after the country became the first in Africa to roll out a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Nigeria has since partnered the Algorand blockchain to develop a national system for tokenising intellectual property rights.

    The Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) also wants to adopt blockchain technology with the over-the-counter trading securities exchange saying it seeks to launch a tokenised securities market in 2023.

    [THISDAY]

    Invasion: Ukraine Military announces ‘good news’ against Russia

    The Ukrainian military has announced what it described as good news in the ongoing war with Russia.

    Adviser to the head of Kherson Civil Military Administration, Serhii Khlan said on Tuesday that Ukrainian military conducted what appears to have been their deepest strike yet into Russian-occupied regions of the country.

     Khlan said, according to CNN this morning there was good news, there was a very powerful detonation in Henichesk region, , according to CNN.

    He said that the target had been on the railway between Henichesk and Melitopol, adding that they were still waiting for the official confirmation from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

    According to him, it’s a very pleasant news”, adding that “the detonation was heard during 1.5-2 hours at this railway station, which connects Crimea and Melitopol.

    The ‘afterlife’ experience shared by 2 women who rose from the death

    Two women who momentarily died have shared what the ‘afterlife’ is really like, and one said it was so nice that she wants to go back.

    One of the women claimed she met up with her best friend who had died two years before, while the other said she met Jesus Christ, God, angels and “three really ancient men”

    Jessie Sawyer and Betty Eadie shared their stories on America’s Inside Edition TV programme, and one of the women said it was so nice that they would “quite happily die tomorrow”.

    Betty, who is now 78, had her afterlife experience after a hysterectomy operation. She said; 

    “I was in the recovery room and suddenly felt every drop of blood had drained from my body and then this sensation of my spirit coming out of body at tremendous speed. I looked down and saw my body lying on the bed.

    “I knew I had died and thought, ‘oh my God, I’m dead’.”

    Betty said she then saw three “really ancient men” who told her she had died. She reportedly told them that she very much wanted to see her family, so she “flew” out the window and went to her house.

    She added; 

    “My husband was sitting in the armchair and I stood next to him, I was concerned because he didn’t know I had died, nor had my children, and I was worried for all of them.

    “But then I was given a glimpse into their futures and saw they’d all lead good lives.”

    The 'afterlife' experience shared by 2 women who rose from the death

    Betty said she then returned to her hospital bed and went into a tunnel and into black space where she felt “extremely relaxed and comfortable”.

    At the end of the tunnel she was met by a figure. “It was Jesus Christ,” she said. “He hugged me and said, it’s not yet your time.  She said the experience was so profound that she wants to go back to the other life she briefly experienced.

    Mum of two Jessie recalled how she ‘died’ aged just 31 after being rushed into hospital with internal bleeding after a gynaecological procedure. Jessie also said she no longer fears death. 

    She said; 

     “I have no fear of dying now, I could die right now and I’d be perfectly OK with it.

    “If you’d have told me 10 years ago I would have a near-death experience I wouldn’t have believed you, I don’t even believe in God.”

    The 'afterlife' experience shared by 2 women who rose from the death

    Describing what her ‘death’ was like, Jessie said:

    “In the distance I could see a figure and I recognised it as one of my best friends who had died two years before.

    “I also saw a bright light and that’s when I realised this is death, this is my death.”

    Jessie said she then saw how her death had affected her husband and two children. She added;

    “I was shown how my death would impact my family – that my two children, although grief-stricken, would grow up and have good lives.”

    Her near-death experience didn’t last very long and Jessie said she then saw herself fall back into her body, “which hurt”. Afterwards she told doctors what had happened and they told her she probably had briefly died .

     “They said I was walking the line between life and death for a while,” she said.

    “Do you know that some banks executives stole Billions of Naira in the name of borrowing?” – Bawa

    The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has lamented how some banks management stole billions of naira in the name of borrowing.

    He, there called for collaborative measures by relevant stakeholders as a way of militating against bank failure in the country.

    Bawa said forensic analysis of the annual reports, bank statements and other financial documents of some of the failed banks investigated by the EFCC clearly showed a pattern necessitating collaborative measures that could make the nation’s banking sector work more effectively.

    Baba stated this on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 while delivering a goodwill message at the opening of a two-day workshop with the theme: “Effective Investigation and Prosecution of Banking Malpractices that Led to the Failure of Banks” organized by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, in Lagos.

    The EFCC Chairman, who was represented by Ahmed Ghali, Zonal Commander, EFCC, Lagos Command, said though many households, small businesses and large corporations had always relied upon banks to provide their financial needs at one time or the other, most banks had fallen short of expectations in this regard due to fraud, mismanagement, inexperience and the initial absence of regulatory laws and authorities.

    Taking a historical look at the failure of the banking sector in the country, he said: “Failure in the banking industry was first experienced in Nigeria between 1930 and 1958, when some banks failed and were liquidated.

    “As a matter of fact, more than 21 cases were recorded in Nigeria between 1930 and 1958 when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was established. Alpha Merchant Bank, Financial Merchant Bank and Republic Bank were some of the banks affected during this period (CBN statistical Bulletin, 1988).”

    “In a bid to change the narrative and save the Nigerian banking Sector from a near collapse, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2004, increased the minimum paid up capital of banks to N25billion from N2billion. The policy, which was effected in 2005, was intended to consolidate the existing banks into fewer, larger and financially stronger banks. As a result of the implementation of this policy, the 89 banks that existed as at 2004 decreased to 25 larger, better-capitalized banks in 2005.

    “Furthermore, the enactment of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) Act in 2006, became a major landmark in the Nigeria’s Banking sector as it made provisions for the insurance of all deposit liabilities of licensed Banks operating in Nigeria.(Section 2(a), NDIC Act, 2006).

    “In 2010, the CBN however came up with another policy, which is a fundamental reversal of the consolidation policy in 2005.

    “The new policy was aimed at categorizing banks into tiers by function and allowing varying levels of capital depending on the bank’s function as opposed to the single current minimum capital of N25billion.

    “These reforms indicated that the banks did not just fail; they were destroyed and brought to their knees by acts committed by identifiable people. The tragic collapse of some of the failed banks evidenced that the banking industry has been cajoled and manipulated by human beings and smart fraudsters. Thus leaving the bank literally struggling for breath”.

    While emphasizing the need for forensic analysis of financial documents and water- tight investigation as a way of checkmating the trend in the sector, Bawa further stated that lack of good corporate governance and accountability were reasons for bank failure in the country.

    According to him, “In some of the failed banks, the management stole billions of Naira in the name of borrowing, some even gambled with depositors funds to speculate on the stock market and manipulate share prices.

    “Some banks granted loans to billionaires and captains of industries whose wealth actually was money belonging to the poor which they “borrowed” and refused or were not able to pay back.”

    The EFCC boss, who also urged the NDIC to embrace technology to meet up with the investigative and prosecutorial challenges of the 21st Century, also called for cooperation from those who should furnish investigators with relevant information.

    He also lamented the the slow pace of court proceedings and interference from different quarters during investigations, saying: “ This is a major challenge to the effective investigation and prosecution of fraud in banks.”

    [PM News]

    HollyWood Actor, Steven Seagal seen at a Russian prison camp in Ukraine (photos)

    Hollywood actor, Steven Seagal was pictured visiting a prison camp in Olenivka, Ukraine, a Russian-controlled jail that housed hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners.


    Seagal, who is a close pal of the Russian president is seen speaking to Ukrainian prisoners through metal bars. He was also pictured inside the wrecked prison, sitting down on a bench examining some shrapnel.

    In 2017, Seagal was banned from entering Ukraine for five years after President Putin gave him citizenship and personally handed him his Russian passport in 2016 after he showed support for Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

    The Ukrainian security service said Seagal was barred from the country because he was a person ‘committed socially dangerous actions … that contradict the interests of maintaining Ukraine’s security.’

    Steven Seagal

    Seagal, who is a well-known supporter of Putin, has served Russia’s foreign ministry as ‘special representative’ since 2018 and is a citizen of Russia, the US and Serbia.


    He has also praised Putin for being ‘one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader, alive today.’

    Steven Seagal

    In February, Seagal told Fox News ‘most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine.’

    ‘I look at both as one family and really believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other,’ he said.

    Chelsea Club set to sign Frenkie de Jong for £68M

    Chelsea are very close to agreeing a deal for Frenkie de Jong with the the Blues willing to meet Barcelona’s asking price for the midfielder

    The Dutchman has been the talk of the transfer window after strong links emerged over a potential move to the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea both interested in his services.

    According to SPORT,  the London club would be in a position to exceed the €80million (£68.8million) figure which Barça are asking for the Dutchman. 

    The same outlet reported last week that the 25-year-old was refusing to consider a move away from Camp Nou, but has now made a U-turn.


    De Jong was wanted by Manchester United and the Premier League giants agreed a £63m deal with Barcelona last month but he had no intention of joining a club that cannot offer Champions League football.

    Fresh Pandemic on its way as China discovers another deadly virus

    China has discovered a new, potentially fatal virus within its borders, which experts say could trigger another pandemic.

    The Langya Henipavirus, referred to as “Langya,” has already infected 35 people, according to Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control.

    Authorities said the patients did not have close contact with each other or common exposure history, suggesting that human infections might be sporadic.

    Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are currently establishing a nucleic acid testing method to identify and check the spread of the virus. 

    The virus is in the same family as the Hendra virus and Nipah virus.

    Langya Henipavirus

    It is a virus that has not infected human beings prior to this outbreak. As a result, there are a lot of unknowns.

    WHO data classifies Henipavirus with a 40-75% fatality rate.

    The symptoms include fever, headache, cough, fatigue, etc.

    A report by the New England Journal of Medicine says the infected patients had a history of being in contact with animals.

    The Langya henipavirus has been found in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces and can be transmitted from animals to humans, reported Taipei Times

    Man raises from his grave after he was hurriedly buried alive when he passed out

    A man was buried alive after passing out at a ceremony and only became aware of his condition when he woke up to pee.

    Víctor Hugo Mica Álvarez, 30, attended a ceremony in Bolivia dedicated to the Toba people of South America.

    He was invited by a friend to have a few beers at the ceremony and he says he ended up being given as a sacrifice to Pachamamma, or Mother Earth.

    In the middle of the night, he woke to pee and realised he was in a coffin, which he then broke and dug through sand to get out.

    He told local media: “We’ve gone dancing, I’m the guide, and I don’t remember anymore. The only thing I remember is that I thought I was in my bed and I got up to go pee, and I couldn’t move anymore.

    “And when I pushed the coffin I barely broke the glass and, through the glass, dirt began to enter and so I managed to get out. I have been buried.”

    He broke out of the coffin and asked a nearby person for help, and he was brought to a police station.

    Other reports state that he was found wandering around El Alto, the second-largest city in Bolivia. He himself said that the ceremony was in Achacachi, a town on the shore of Lake Titicaca, nearly 80km north of El Alto.

    Álex Magne, who found him wandering, said that Victor Hugo was covered with cement on his face and head, meaning that those who attempted to sacrifice him may have tried to bury him under cement.

    To make matters worse for Álvarez, the police they reported to told him to come back when he had sobered up.

    He said: “I have broken the glass, my whole hand has been hurt, I have barely gone out, but I went to the police and they told me that I am drunk. ‘You’re going to come healthy’, they told me.”

    ‘No shortage of Passport Booklets in Nigeria’ – Minister of Interior

    The federal government has said that there is no more shortage of booklets for the production of passports in the country. 

    Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this at the commissioning of the Enhanced Passport Production Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital on Tuesday August 9. 

    He said the newly commissioned passport centre will now be responsible for the production of passport demands from Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States.

    Aregbesola said;

    “We have left no stone unturned in our quest to make passports available to Nigerians.

    “Last year alone, we provided 1.3 million passports to Nigerians. As of today, there is no booklet shortage in Nigeria.

    “As of the second quarter of this year (in June), the NIS has provided 645,000 passports out of the 750,000 applications received.

    “To address the challenge of the backlog, we have sent 11,000 booklets to Ikoyi, 11,000 to Alausa and 8,000 to FESTAC centres in Lagos.

    “We have also sent sufficient booklets to all the centres nationwide to address this challenge.

    “There is, therefore, no excuse again for delay and non-issuance within a reasonable period.” 

    The Minister also urged applicants for the Nigerian passport to apply early enough before their travel date to avoid cutting corners and falling into the hands of scammers and other opportunists.

    Aregbesola added; 

    “I will urge applicants for the Nigerian passport to apply early enough before their travel date to avoid cutting corners and falling into the hands of scammers and other opportunists.

    “It is important also that they apply by themselves at the Nigeria Immigration Service portal and not through touts and unscrupulous officials, which often bring heartaches.

    “We have provided a window of six weeks and three weeks for fresh application and renewal respectively, after biometric data capture, by which time, other things being equal, the passport will be ready for collection.

    “This timeline is to enable NIS to investigate and validate the claims of applicants and confer integrity on the passport issued.

    “It is a reasonable provision in passport administration by global standard. There is no wait-and-get passport service anywhere in the world. The only wait-and-get passport is a passport-sized photograph from a Polaroid camera.” 

    Meet the new ‘Lizard Woman’ after botched cosmetic procedure

    A woman has been left with a neck looking like a ‘lizard’ after a botched cosmetic procedure.


    59-year-old Jayne Bowman from Hampshire, paid £500 to have fibroblast work to tighten the skin on her neck after a diet.


    During fibroblast therapy, a device zaps a high-frequency electric current through the skin to encourage tissue regeneration.


    However, the treatment Jayne received from a beautician she found on Facebook left her with hundreds of red blotches and scars.


    While the dots eventually faded, the experience proved an ordeal for Jayne, who wants to spread the word and is now calling for more regulations around the procedure.

    A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stressed the importance of finding ‘reputable, safe and qualified’ practitioners for cosmetic procedures.


    Jayne said: ‘I don’t go out without a scarf on. In fact I don’t like going out at all, I’d rather go out in the rain where I’ve got a hood up and nobody can see me.

     Woman left with a

    ‘I’m not slating all beauticians because they’re not all the same, but there are many of them out there that are bad. Stick to professional people.’


    Jayne looked up cosmetic procedures after a diet left her but an ‘ugly double chin.’

    She said: ‘I was so proud of my recent weight loss, but I’d been left with excess skin that had left me with an unsightly double chin and I hated it.


    She appealed on Facebook: ‘Can anyone recommend me somewhere to get Botox on my double chin?’

    A message popped up from a beauty therapist about a treatment called ‘fibroblast plasma’.

    Jayne said: ‘I checked out her page and saw she had great reviews and all the qualifications.

    ‘But when I got home my neck felt like it was on fire.


    ‘Weeks later there was no change at all apart from horrible scarring. I had hundreds of brow dots all over my chest and chest. I looked like a lizard!’


    ‘All I was left with was unsightly red dots all over my neck.


    ‘I couldn’t bear going out of the house because of the awful scarring.

     Woman left with a

    Jayne, who grew up in Mountain Ash, South Wales, but now lives in Hampshire spoke to a solicitor but they couldn’t get any further with her. She left a stinging review on Facebook – but that back-fired.


    She said: ‘Before long I was contacted by the police saying I’d been harassing the beautician. I was utterly astonished.


    ‘But I knew I was in the right when the other people messaged to say that the same had happened to them.


    ‘Now I am fighting hard and have even launched a petition calling for much stricter regulations in the beauty industry.


    ‘I am not after money, I just want justice for being butchered at the beauticians.

    ‘It honestly has been a living nightmare and I am living with the scars to prove it.’

    A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Anyone considering a cosmetic procedure should take the time to find a reputable, safe and qualified practitioner and consider the potential impact of surgery on both their physical and mental health.


    ‘Patient safety must always come first, which is why we are considering whether there needs to be more clarity around how treatments are classified and stronger, more robust safeguards for the regulation of providers of these treatments.’

    “Nigeria can’t afford another civil war” – El-Rufai

    Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said that Nigeria cannot afford another civil war.

    El-Rufai who spoke at the closing ceremony of the orientation course organized for members of the 2022 Batch B (Stream 2) National Youth Service Corps members posted to Kaduna State on Tuesday August 9, urged youths not to fan the embers of violence and war in the country.

    Represented by the state’s Acting Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, El-Rufai said; 

    “The youth must remember that the NYSC came into being after the civil war that tore every fabric of the Nigerian state. The war was a needless savagery that we cannot afford to repeat.

    “Nigerian youths must, therefore, distance themselves from fanning the embers of violence and war in Nigeria. As a country, we must avoid a repeat of that dark part of our history. And Nigerian youths must refuse to be ready tools for war mongers.”

    He further noted that the national youth service is a reflection of the hope placed on young graduates as bearers of a greater Nigeria.

    Brazilians killing their Monkeys over fears of growing Monkeypox outbreak

    Brazilians have started attacking monkeys by poisoning them over fears they are responsible  for the growing monkeypox virus outbreak.

    Local reports said that 10 monkeys had been poisoned in less than a week in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, in Sao Paulo state.

    The World Health Organization expressed sorrow on Tuesday, August 9,  for the killing of the animals in Brazil amid growing fears of contagion.

    ‘People have to know that the transmission we see now is among humans,’ said Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, during a press conference in Geneva.

    Brazil counts more than 1,700 cases of monkeypox, according to the WHO.

    The country’s health ministry confirmed one death related to the disease on July 29, a man who had low immunity and comorbidities.

    Contagion can take place from animals to humans, but the recent outbreak is related to human only contacts, according to Harris.

    ‘People certainly should not attack the animals,’ she said. ‘The transmission we are seeing now with the large outbreak of monkeypox is the person-to-person transmission.

    ‘The virus is in some animals, and we see a jump in humans, but that’s not what we’re seeing now. The risk of transmission comes from another human being.’

    Harris stressed that the concern should instead be about where the virus is circulating in populations, and the steps people can take to protect themselves. 

    The best way to tackle the virus, Harris said, was ‘if people recognise they have symptoms and go get help and medical care and take precautions to prevent it being transmitted’. Raising awareness among at-risk groups is key to this, she said.

    The virus spreads through close contact, and most cases have been registered among men who have sex with men.

    The WHO has urged people not to stigmatise those who are infected.

    “Ban all Russians from travelling to your countries” – Volodymyr Zelensky tells the West

    Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to ban all Russians from entering their countries in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The embattled president urged world leaders to close their borders to all citizens of the invading nation in a bid to further punish the Kremlin for its savagery.

    He told the Washington Post: ‘The most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.’

    He added Russians should be forced to ‘live in their own world until they change their philosophy.’

    The Ukrainian leader wants the West to close its borders for a year to Russian citizens and impose a full embargo on the purchase of Russian energy.

    While Russian airlines have been banned from flying over much of Europe and the US, there is no blanket ban for citizens travelling.

    Some say refusing entry to Russians would likely impact those who are leaving the country precisely because they disagree with Putin’s regime.

    But Zelensky said: ‘Whichever kind of Russian… make them go to Russia.

    ‘They’ll understand then. They’ll say, ‘This [war] has nothing to do with us. The whole population can’t be held responsible, can it?’ It can. The population picked this government and they’re not fighting it, not arguing with it, not shouting at it.’

    In the last 24 hours, at least three Ukrainian civilians were killed and 23 others were wounded by Russian shelling, including an attack not far from a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant.

    Putin’s men fired over 120 rockets from Grad multiple rocket launchers at the southern town of Nikopol, which is across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. 

    Several apartment buildings and industrial facilities were damaged, he said.

    Ukraine and Russia accused each other in recent days of shelling the nuclear plant, which is the largest one in Europe, and increasing the risks of a nuclear accident.

    In his nightly video address, Zelensky invoked the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, which at the time was a Soviet republic. He called for new sanctions against Russia ‘for creating the threat’ of another nuclear disaster.

    ‘We are actively informing the world about Russian nuclear blackmail – about the shelling and mining of the Zaporizhzhia NPP facilities,’ Zelenskyy said. 

    ‘Russia will not pay attention to words and concerns…The Chernobyl disaster is an explosion in one reactor; the Zaporizhzhia NPP is six power units.’

    How collapsed ‘Almajiri system’ turned arabic students to bandits, Boko Haram members – Alfacare

    Almajiri system of traditional Qur’anic education, which aimed at spreading the study of Islam in Northern Nigeria, collapsed during colonial rule leading to some of the students becoming tools for bandits and insurgents in recent years. 

    According to Alfacare Help and Care Organisation, a firm that seeks and works for peace in Northern Nigeria, the Almajiri traditional Qur’anic system established in the 15th century is made up of children of primary school age who move around with their teachers to different locations, sometimes far away from their settlements, to learn the Qur’an and other books of Islam. 

    But following its collapse during the advent of colonial era, due to various factors including; imposition of colonial rule which does not support acquisition of Qur’anic knowledge, death of many scholars in the battle against colonialism, stoppage of funds for Almajiri among others, the system became disorganised and the students became willing tools for insurgency and banditry.  

    National Coordinator of Alfacare, Malam Hassan Abubakar, who at a one day workshop on Sharing of Findings/ Suggestions on Almajiri System of Education as a Basis of Legislative Engagement supported by MacArthur Foundation in Kaduna, said  tha the almajiri system of education has become a serious problem that needs to be resolved to enable it serve it’s functions effectively by creating the opportunity for children to acquire Qur’anic education without the challenges bedeviling the system. 

    He said, “There was close connection between the community and almajiri schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. The malams were hosted and fed by the district or village heads before they settle down, the students were fed by members of the community. The Malam enrols children from the community into his school. Thus, under the Sokoto caliphate, the almajiri schools were fully funded from the state treasury. Students were taught in various stages; recitation, learning the alphabets, memorisation and advanced learning of books on different branches of knowledge. 

    “The collapse of the system started with colonial conquest, the imposition of colonial rule and the wars of colonial conquest that led to the death of many scholars at the battlefield. The death reduced the number of learned persons and instilled fear in the ones who survived. This led to the loss of teachers and also weakened the morale of the surviving ones, which disrupted traditional Qur’anic education in both the caliphate and the Borno Empire. 

    “Colonial policy on education dealt another blow to the system when it withdrew funding by the state. Colonialism undermine Qur’anic education through change in the language of instructions from local languages, which were written in Arabic/Ajami script to Romanised Hausa and later English, which was later made the official language.  

    “The Qur’anic schools located around private houses are becoming irrelevant, the schools lack physical infrastructure beyond a canopied forecourt forcing the students to cohabit in any available space possible and the curriculum is limited. Other problems are teachers qualification, lack of a centralized system of control of the schools by government, paucity of resources to run the schools, neglect, misconception by the elite that see the almajiri as ready recruit into Islamic radicalism, militancy and the periodic riots in some states in the North.”

    [BLUEPRINT]

    Nkem Owoh, rejects N10m offer to endorse Tinubu

    Popular Nollywood actor, Nkem Owoh, aka Osuọfia has reportedly rejected a N10 million offer to endorse the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 Presidential election.

    According to tweeps on micro-blogging application, Twitter Monday, the Veteran Nollywood actor said N10 Million cannot buy his endorsement as 2023 is critical for the collective good of all citizens and would never be sold.

    Reacting to the tweeps, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, tweeted saying, “I have always known Nkem Owoh as a good actor, but didn’t even know he also has standard and integrity.”

    [BluePrint]

    Do you know that Pete Davidson ‘proposed’ to Kim Kardashian before they split ?

    Pete Davidson proposed to Kim Kardashian right before she dumped him, it has been revealed.

    The Kardashians star and the comedian called it quits last week after nine months of dating.

    Pete proposed shortly before their relationship ended, an exclusive source told Radar Online.

    The source told the website: “Everything was just moving too fast. Kim wanted to slow things down and instead Pete proposed.”

    “He is devastated. Everyone warned him that he was going to push her away, but he didn’t listen,” the source continued. “Remember, this is the same guy that proposed to Ariana Grande after just a few weeks. Pete learned nothing from that relationship. He falls hard and he falls fast.”

    Reasons Why Peter Obi Hid His Defection Plan From Atiku

    Facts have emerged on why the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, kept former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the dark concerning his defection from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

    The PDP presidential standard bearer had, during an interaction with Arise Television crew, disclosed that Obi, who was his running mate in the 2019 presidential poll, did not inform him of his intention of leaving PDP till after three days he joined the Labour Party (LP).
       
    The former Vice President also described Obi’s presidential candidacy on the LP platform as a mere social media sensation, stressing that only a miracle would make him win the presidential contest since LP has no visible nationwide structure to achieve electoral victory.
       
    However, an investigation by The Guardian revealed that the LP presidential contender and former Anambra State governor purposely kept his defection plans away from his former principal after sources informed him that Atiku did not want a Southeast candidate as his running mate.

      
    It could be recalled that the former Vice President’s decision to nominate the former Anambra State governor as his running mate in 2018 sparked controversies as major political actors from the Southeast, particularly the Southeast Governors’ Forum, kicked against it.
      
    A close ally of the LP presidential candidate, who was a central player during Obi’s administration in Anambra State confided in The Guardian that during the buildup to the PDP presidential primary, they got intelligence that Atiku had planted a candidate in one of the thriving young parties.   
       
    The source added that Atiku saw the potency in the younger parties, going by the experience of the Young Peoples Party (YPP) in 2019, which made a good impression at the poll.
       
    The source said, “You know Kingsley Moghalu did not win in 2019, but he made a serious impact on the youth population. The former Vice President believed that with such a young charismatic politician in the race it would create some problems for him.

      
    “Even before the PDP national convention, Atiku was sure that he would pick the party’s presidential ticket again. That was why he talked about the right of the first refusal and called the bluff of northern elders that wanted to broker consensus.
      
    “It became clear to us that since PDP was not forthcoming on the issue of zoning the Presidency to the South, as well as the bond among incumbent state governors, we needed to explore other options and ensure that we did not give Atiku any impression about our plans.”
      
    He said arrangements for Obi to move over to LP had been concluded long before June 24, when he wrote his resignation letter to the Agulu 2 ward of PDP, which was also transmitted to the party’s national headquarters immediately.
       
    He stated: “With the resignation officially sealed, Obi now travelled to the United Kingdom briefly. After the visit to 10 Downing Street, he came back and declared officially for LP on June 27. It was actually on July 1, that His Excellency informed the former Vice President that he had moved on, that is it. By that time the LP presidential primary had been concluded.”

    [GUARDIAN]

    Gabby Petito’s family files $50M wrongful death suit against Police

    Late YouTuber,  Gabby Petito’s family has filed a lawsuit against police in Moab, Utah, United States, accusing them of negligence that resulted in the 22-year-old’s death last year. 


    The family is seeking $50 million in damages.


    The lawsuit, filed by attorneys representing Joseph and Tara Petito and Nichole and Jim Schmidt, names the Moab Police Department; three of its officers: “Palmer,” “Pratt” and Daniel Robbins; and 10 other unnamed defendants and accuses them of “negligent failure” in their investigation into an alleged assault between Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, several weeks prior to her murder. 

    Gabby Petito

    They also accuse all of the defendants of “wrongful death,” saying that Petito’s “death was caused by their wrongful acts or neglect.”


    The body of Petito, a YouTuber, with a huge Instagram and YouTube following was found on Sept. 19, 2021, near a remote campground in Grand Teton National Forest, just over a week after her family reported her missing to the police.


    She had been on a cross-country trip with Laundrie, her fiance, who was also found dead weeks later in a reserve in Florida after going on the low. 


    Police found a notebook near his remains in which he confessed to killing his fiancée.

    Prior to her death, while on a van trip with her fiance, Petito spoke to several officers with the Moab Police Department after she and Laundrie had a verbal and physical fight in August 2021. Attorneys hired by Petito’s parents allege that the officers “failed in their duty to protect Gabby.”

    According to the lawsuit, someone who called 911 reported seeing Laundrie slap Petito and hit her while chasing her down a sidewalk in Moab. Another witness said they saw the two “talking aggressively” and that “something seemed off” . The witnesses also said  it appeared Laundrie took her phone, got in their van and tried to leave her, before she climbed over him and into the van.

    An officer, identified by the lawsuit as Daniel Robbins, found the couple’s van speeding down a highway, swerving across the center yellow line and hitting a curb, the lawsuit said. The van then stopped outside of Arches National Park, where Robbins separated the two and spoke to them.


    Robbins was later joined by his superior officer, identified as Officer Pratt, and two park rangers.

    Body cam photos from the officers’ interviews with the two were previously released to the public, but the lawsuit says the photos don’t paint the full picture of what actually happened. An unreleased photo of Petito from that day allegedly shows smeared blood on her cheek and her left eye, as well as the fact that Laundrie grabbed her across her nose and mouth.


    The lawsuit also includes the photos that were released to the public, one of which shows a mark on her skin.

     When asked about it, Petito told the officer Laundrie had grabbed her.


    During questioning, Petito showed “the classic hallmarks of an abused partner,” according to the lawsuit, by asking to stay with Laundrie.


    In turn, Laundrie told police that Petito tried to slap him, and he pushed her. At one point he said he tried to take Petito’s phone because he didn’t have his own, but he later showed officers his own phone. Laundrie also claimed he wanted he and Petito to take separate walks while in Moab, which contradicts witness’ statements that he tried to drive off in the van.


    The lawsuit accuses the officers of failing to question Laundrie on his inconsistencies while reporting. Instead, they found Petito to be the “primary aggressor” and Laundrie the victim. At this point, Pratt told the two he would have to arrest Petitio, which neither of them wanted.

    Pratt called his superior, Assistant Chief Palmer, who told him to “carefully read the assault statute” and decide what to do. The lawsuit claims Pratt only read part of it, and had an incorrect understanding of the law — he believed that assault is only a crime if the person “intended to cause bodily injury.” 

    Pratt then told Robbins, who was his junior, to decide. Robbins said he didn’t believe Petito and decided not to file charges, but to pass it on to the city attorney. Meanwhile, Pratt warned Robbins that if the couple disagreed with his decision “you might hear about it in a very negative way,” the lawsuit said.


    In consultation with Pratt, officer Robbins split up Laundrie and Petito for the night. Pratt said that if the couple later found their way back to one another it wouldn’t be their responsibility, the lawsuit alleges.


    Soon thereafter, Laundrie strangled and beat Petito to death in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Forest. 

    The family is now seeking $50 million in damages.


    Petito’s family also filed a lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents, whom they allege knew what happened to their daughter and where her body was while she was still missing. They are seeking $30,000 in damages.

    ‘Obidient Movement Is Divine, Not Ordinary’ – Catholic Priest Opines

    Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Malawi, Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu has said that those opposing the presidency of Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi are not being logical.
    In a post on Facebook, the clergy man said that the Obidient movement is not ordinary.

    Citing Obi’s defection from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and his wide acceptance across the country after moving to the LP, the clergyman insisted that the former governor’s ambition and move is a divine arrangement.

    The priest stated further that those who have tried to pull the LP candidate down so far had “ended up killing and making a mess of their reputations”.

    He wrote, “Whatever is following Mr. Peter Obi is not ordinary. If you sincerely reflect over every step he had taken so far, from leaving PDP to finding his running mate,cthe timing of his moves, accuracy of plans and thoughts. They are nothing but divine arrangements.

    “Some of those fighting him actually never had sense before, but we never knew, we were even ‘gbaming’ them then. . .but with Peter Obi, every doubt about them has been totally removed”

    [NAIJA NEWS]

    Manchester United agrees to sign Adrien Rabiot for £15M

    Manchester United have reportedly reached an agreement with Juventus regarding the purchase of France midfielder Adrien Rabiot for an initial £15m.

    According to Sky Sports, talks are at an early stage regarding the player’s personal terms, and while Juventus are happy to sell the 27-year-old a green light will be required from his agent and mother, Veronique, before a deal can proceed.

    Rabiot – who joined Juventus as a free agent in the summer of 2019, is in the final year of his contract and has fallen out of favour at the Italian giants.

    Juventus are said to be satisfied with letting Rabiot leave the club this summer before his contract ends in 2023.

    Rabiot has previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse and has 29 international caps. He has won five Ligue 1 and one Serie A title but has a record of uneven discipline, including being fined for lateness.

    United have continued to work on all midfield options as a transfer for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has been a complicated one to do, but they have not given up on a deal for de Jong, and there is still a belief there is a deal to be done.

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated that there have been offers but has indicated that de Jong wants to stay, and that the club want him to stay. However, economic issues have not gone away and the matter of de Jong’s deferred wages remains unresolved.

    Meanwhile, United are also expected to go back in with an improved offer for Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic.

    WAEC releases 2022 WASSCE results, withholds 365,564 results

    The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2022 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    WAEC’s Head of Nigeria Office (HNO), Patrick Areghan, announced the release of the results on Monday in Lagos.

    He disclosed that the results of 365,564 candidates, representing 22.83 per cent of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, were being withheld in connection with various cases of examination malpractice.

    According to him, this is 11.74 per cent higher than the 10.9 per cent recorded in the WASSCE for School Candidates, in 2021.

    He revealed that of the 1,222,505 candidates, amounting to 76.36 per cent of the 1,601,047 candidates that successfully sat the examination, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

    Giving a breakdown of the performance, Areghan disclosed that 597,811 of the candidates, representing 37.34 per cent, were male; while 624,694, representing 39.02 per cent, were female.

    The WAEC’s HNO also revealed that 1,437,629 candidates, representing 89.79 per cent, had their results fully processed and released while 163,418 candidates, representing 10.21 per cent, had a few of their subjects still being processed due to some issues being resolved.

    He said efforts were being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates get their results fully processed and released within the next one week.

    Areghan vowed that WAEC would continue to sanction those who engaged in examination malpractices, appealing to parents not to destroy the future of their children and wards by paying for examination malpractices.

    [PM News]

    Female student jailed over illegal home abortion

    A 20-year-old university student has been handed a 2-year jail sentence after taking pills that caused her to have an abortion.

    The student who already has a two year old daughter when she became pregnant again at the age of 20, was charged with taking pills that caused her to have an illegal abortion.

    Mirror reported that the student who narrated her ordeal said; 

    “I felt I had no other choice other than to (plead guilty).

    “The prosecution said if I didn’t plead guilty, they would charge me with child destruction, and I would likely go to prison for life.”

    While abortion is accessible, it is still officially a criminal act in the UK, except in Northern Ireland, where it was decriminalised in 2019.

    Under the Abortion Act and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy if there is a risk to the physical or mental health of the women or her existing children.

    Before an abortion can proceed in the UK, two doctors must ensure that the requirements of the Abortion Act are fulfilled, and they must both sign the certificate.

    If a woman procures a miscarriage through medication without going through this process, it can be a criminal offence under the 1861 Offences Against The Person Act (OAPA). The maximum penalty is life.

    Laura (not her real name) is now calling for a change in the law, saying that women who have an illicit abortion only do so “where someone’s in a very awful place in which they’ve been given really no other choice”.

    The young mum eventually went on to graduate after serving a two-year prison sentence but says she still has nightmares about her ordeal.

    She said an abusive boyfriend told her not to go to the doctor but pills bought online instead. At the time she believed she was eight to ten weeks pregnant when she climbed into the bathtub and gave birth.

    “I almost died,” she says. “I remember the bath being filled with at least an inch of blood. I wanted to die. Honestly, I just felt like the whole world had just ended in front of my eyes.”

    She called an ambulance and was taken to hospital, where medics told her she had given birth to a 30-week foetus. According to the NHS, a full pregnancy is 40 weeks. She admitted to the medics how she’d taken abortion pills and police were called who guarded her bedside.

    “They actually had a police officer with me in the hospital the whole time and wouldn’t let me speak to anyone other than the police,” she said.

    She was only allowed a visit from her partner for “30 seconds” when he ”whispered in my ear that he would kill me if I told anyone that he was involved.” “They literally took me from the hospital, straight to the police station,” she said.

    Recalling her experience while spending time behind bars, she said; 

     “I have seen things that no human being should ever see. The quality of life that those women have is disgusting. And I would not wish it on any single human being.

    “I’ve seen people hang themselves. I have seen people slit their wrists and their legs, and people attack each other and over something so, so, so small.

    “We’re in an environment with people who are vulnerable, and then mixed in with people who are violent. And that to me is not a safe place for someone like myself who is classed as vulnerable and very easily manipulated.”

    “Marriage is a life sentence” — Charly Boy

    Veteran singer and social activist, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy, has said the reports that he is planning to end his marriage are not true.

    In a post on his Twitter page during the week, he had written, “My people, if I tell you that after over 45 years of marriage to my wife, I am going back to bachelorhood, what would you say?”

    He added, “I have said it that this marriage thing is not easy. The longer you stay, the harder it gets. What should I do? I am tired o.”

    However, in an interview with Saturday Beats, the ‘Area Fada’ said, “Some people are asking me how I have managed to stay in marriage for 45 years. It is hard-work. It is not that it has entirely been a sweet experience for me. My marriage is not perfect but we are a perfect match made in heaven.

    “Every year, rumours have it that I want to divorce. This is not the first time; it has actually been going on for the past 20 years. That is how people see things because we all think differently.”

    Speaking on why he made such post on social media, he said, “Young people usually believe that love is all they need to marry. That is a big lie. That was what I was trying to say (in my post on social media). When I talk, people should think deeper. I have been married for 45 years. What remains again? I can as well finish 10 or 20 more years because it is a life sentence.

    “I wanted to know how many people have been inspired by my marriage. Very soon, I will be marking my golden jubilee in marriage. It is not like I want a divorce. People should not take what I say literally.

    “Yes, I said I am tired but it is normal. Even as an activist, it got to a point that I became tired of everything. However, it seems like when I talk to people, they do not listen. But, there are still a few persons who listen and are inspired by what I say.”

     Asked how he thinks people who look up to him felt when he insinuated that he was tired of being married, the ‘Fake Pastor’ said, “Why should those who look up to me be discouraged? Should I lie that marriage is easy? One has to face the facts. Moreover, marriage is not for everybody.”

    Speaking on why he still finds marriage challenging despite spending almost five decades in it, he said, “Marriage will be challenging, especially when the kids leave. Then, it is only two people that will be facing themselves, especially in this kind of toxic environment. It could also be an issue if the woman and the man are not making as much money as they used to.

    “Physical changes can also occur which a partner may not be comfortable with, but those are the things to expect. Being tolerant does not even guarantee that the marriage will not have issues. One has to keep working on one’s marriage till one dies.”

    [PUNCH]

    “Buhari, these are the 33 Steps To Rescue Nigeria’s Economy” – Governors echoed

    President Muhammadu Buhari‘s administration has been advised by Nigerian governors on how to revive the economy of Nigeria.

    The governors listed certain steps that would help prevent the nation from economic collapse.

    According to Premium Times, the governors presented the proposal to President Buhari during a meeting last month.

    Naija News gathered that the Governors advised the President to offer federal civil servants who are older than 50 years a one-off retirement package to exit the service.

    The Governors also called on President Buhari-led government to stop the Central Bank of Nigeria from financing the government’s budgetary expenditures and convert its N19 trillion debt into a 100-year bond.

    See the list of the steps placed before President Buhari to save the country’s economy.

    A. Reduce FGN expenditure immediately (with estimated savings in 2022 in brackets):

    1. Eliminate PMS subsidy/under-recovery – (N6-7 trillion)

    2. Eliminate NNPC’s Federation-funded projects – (N300 billion) 

    3. Cap Social Investment Program (SIP) and National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) budgets to N200 billion – (N570 billion)

    4. Eliminate extra-constitutional deductions from FAAC – (N100 billion)

    5. Reduce SWV items for SDG and NASS Constituency projects – (N300 billion)

    6. Reduce duplications (e.g. empowerment programmes) and waste – (N100 billion)

    7. Reduce the 1 per cent granted to NASENI to 0.2 per cent. Amend the Act in the 2022 Finance Bill.

    B. Reduce Personnel Costs of FG MDAs:

    8. Offer federal civil servants above 50 years (a) a one-off retirement package to exit the service – (N350 billion), and employ lower-cost, more ICT-compliant youths and women graduates.

    9. Begin implementation of the updated Stephen Oronsaye Report – (N1 trillion)

    10. Expedite privatization of non-performing assets. (Billions of Naira)

    11. 2023 – 2025 MTEF to be revised and updated to reflect the above expenditure management measures and Government’s commitment to restore fiscal discipline.

    12. Planned 22 per cent increase in salaries in 2023 to be reconsidered.

    13. Reduce fiscal deficit to no more than 2 per cent of GDP in 2023 – 2025.

    14. Foreign trips by MDAs, including budgetary-independent agencies such as CBN, FIRS, NPA, NIMASA and NCC, etc. to be put on hold for at least one year.

    15. Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to issue requests for Visas to foreign embassies for FGN officials and their families, unless express approval is granted by the Presidency.

    16. Move from State Income Taxation to Consumption Taxation:

    17. With the introduction of 3 per cent Federal Income Tax, state-level PIT should be abolished.

    18. State Sales Taxes (flat rate of 10 per cent) should be enacted for the 36 States and FCT.

    19. Increase VAT levels to 10 per cent with a timeline to raise it to between 15 per cent and 20 per cent.

    20. Ensure re-introduction and passage of VAT into the Exclusive List.

    21. End CBN financing of FGN expenditures and convert the N19 trillion Ways and Means outstanding into 100-year, 1 per cent bonds immediately.

    22. Introduce a flat 3 per cent Federal Personal Income Tax on all Nigerians earning more than N30,000 per month. – (N100 billion)

    23. Persons earning less than N30,000 per month whether employed or not, including farmers and traders should pay a monthly FPIT of N100.

    24. Telecom firms and NIMC should collaborate to ensure the deduction of this from the phone credit of individuals and linking to NIN and BVN.

    25. Centralize the collection of all federal oil and non-oil taxes in one agency, the FIRS while Customs, NPA, etc assess and issue demands.

    26. Improve offshore crude oil and gas production.

    27. Resolve lingering issues of ownership of gas in PSCs (eg Nnwa-Doro, OML 129). This will help position Nigeria to take advantage of the gas needs in Europe.

    28. Provide incentives and resolve issues to expedite the development of vandalism-resistant deep offshore fields like Bonga SW (Shell), Preweoi (Total), Zabazaba (ENI) and Owowo (Exxon).

    29. Encourage (and pre-finance, if necessary) Dangote Refinery to early completion to reduce massive future outflows of foreign exchange.

    C. Central Bank of Nigeria

    30. The Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, and Development Bank of Nigeria should be recapitalised

    31. Funds in NIRSAL controlled by CBN should be redirected to the Development Banks.

    32: CBN should be directed to focus on its core and statutory mandate of exchange rate management, interest rate management and inflation targeting. It should also be directed to cease competing with development and commercial banks.

    33. CBN’s subsidized interventions in the real sector should be ended and the relevant institutions recapitalized to provide these services.

    The governors made the recommendations on the CBN after determining that the naira exchange rate has deteriorated because:

    i. CBN has printed N19 trillion “Ways and Means” for FGN expenditures contrary to the CBN and Fiscal Responsibility Acts and in violation of the law.

    ii. Trillions of Naira are chasing a few billion dollars, putting pressure on the foreign reserves and the exchange rate.

    iii. CBN’s ‘fixed exchange’ stance discouraged foreign investment (peak of $90bn investment commitments in 2018, to $20bn in 2021), and Diaspora inflows ($20 billion in 2022 to less than $17 billion in 2021)

    iv. PMS subsidies under the guise of ‘under-recovery’ have wiped out virtually all accretions to the foreign reserves.

    v. CBN has resorted to using swaps, deferred LCs and other innovations to hide the real levels of charges on our foreign reserves – Gross of $36 billion vs. Net of $15 billion as at end of June 2022.

    vi. Exchange rate policy now favours consumption by the rich – cheaper medical tourism ($3bn annually), education ($6bn annually) and business and technical services like aviation remittances, etc. ($15bn) in 2019.

    [Naija News]

    Nigerian Airforce Kill Notorious Boko Haram Leader, Alhaji Modu, 27 Others

    Troops of the Air Task Force (ATF), Operation Hadin Kai, have neutralised another notorious commander of Boko Haram terrorist group, Alhaji Modu, also known as  ‘Bem Bem’.

    Modu was killed alongside 27 other terrorists in Borno State.

    This comes as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, charged Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operational Commanders to ‘show no mercy’ and ensure they employ maximum firepower against terrorists posing security threats in the country.

    ‘Bem Bem’ and his fighters were killed on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 by the military airstrikes on Mandara Mountain in Gwoza local government area of Borno State.

    An Intelligence report obtained by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region from top military sources and made available to LEADERSHIP on Sunday, said a battle damage assessment has indicated that the air interdiction had recorded devastating impact as many jihadists were killed while others were severely wounded.

    Sources reportedly said the the operation followed credible intelligence reports indicating that the Boko Haram fighters were converging in large numbers with the intention to conduct attacks. 

    ‘Bem Bem’ was a popular drug baron who rose from an armed robber to Boko Haram kingpin.

    He took part in the displacement of Bama town in 2014 and the killing of hundreds of people before declaring it as the town as a caliphate.

    [LEADERSHIP]

    Niger, Algeria and Nigeria sign MoU to create Gas Pipeline to Europe

    Algeria, Nigeria and Niger have signed a memorandum of understanding on construction of a vast gas pipeline project offering Europe potential future alternatives to Russian supplies.

    The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) would transport billions of cubic metres of gas some 4,128 kilometres (2,565 miles) from Nigeria in West Africa, north through Niger and on to Algeria, according to a joint statement released by the three countries on Thursday evening,  July 28.

    The statement says the gas could be pumped through the Mediterranean undersea Transmed pipeline to Italy, or loaded onto liquefied natural gas tankers for export.

     Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab hosted Timipre Sylva and Mahamane Sani, his counterparts from Nigeria and Niger for talks on the project, Algerian state news agency APS reported.

    The long-dormant project created in 2009 has galvanized more interest in recent months as gas prices have surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.


    When the TSGP was first proposed in 2009, the cost of building it was estimated at $10 billion.


    As well as serving European markets, gas could be diverted to serve markets along the route of the pipeline or elsewhere in the Sahel region but the TSGP would face formidable logistical and security challenges, passing through thousands of kilometres of desert where jihadist groups have waged a long insurgency.

    Algeria is Africa’s largest natural gas exporter. The North African country has already seen increased demand following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with Western nations scouring the globe to find supplies to replace oil and gas from Russia.

    “My encounter with Kidnappers” – Cynthia Okereke

    An actress, Cynthia Okereke, who was recently kidnapped and released, has said her abduction was a mistake, as she was not the target of the kidnappers.

    Recall that Okereke and a colleague, Clemson Cornell, were kidnapped in Enugu State, and their kidnappers were said to have demanded a ransom of $100,000.

    In an interview with Sunday Scoop, Okereke said, “They told me I was not the one they were looking for. They stated that since they could not get who they originally wanted, they had to take me. It was a coincidence.”

    She also stated that contrary to some reports, a ransom was paid before she was released. She said, “It is a lie.”

    Asked how much was paid to secure her freedom, the actress said, “That is what I won’t tell you, but a ransom was paid. I don’t want it to go viral but ransom was paid. My husband was the one who took the ransom to Ngwa in Abia State.”

    Recounting her experience in the kidnappers’ den, she said, “They did not give me anything. For the first two days I was there, I was not given any food. It was on the third day they gave me milk and a malt drink. Because my stomach was empty, I knew that I would vomit if I took it, so I declined.”

    Asked if the kidnappers recognised her as an actress, Okereke said, “When they captured us at Centenary Junction in Enugu, they said, ‘Cynthia Okereke, you think we don’t know you’? So, I asked them what they wanted and pleaded that they should take my car when they shot into the air. They said they did not need the car.”

    On how they were transported to the criminal’s lair, the actress said, “We were wrapped with a trampoline and taken to an unknown destination. It was the following morning that one of them asked me if I know where I was. I said I didn’t no, and told me we were in Ebonyi State.”

    Recalling some of the things the kidnappers told her while in their camp, she said, “They said Nollywood is not supporting Nnamdi Kanu (founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra), that we should come out en masse to support him. According to them, ‘Kanu is fighting for every one (Igbo people).”

    Meanwhile, when Sunday Scoop put a call through to the other kidnapped actor, Clemson Cornel, the person who answered the phone stated that he was receiving treatment in the hospital.

    [PUNCH]

    Jewish leaders cry foul after Adolf Hitler’s watch sells for nearly £1,000,000 at US auction

    A watch believed to have been owned by Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler has sold at auction for nearly £1million, generating harsh criticism from Jewish leaders.


    The gold watch belonging to Hitler was looted from his mountain hideout by a French soldier in the closing moments of the second world war. The watch has a swastika, Nazi eagle and the initials AH written on it, and was bought by an anonymous bidder. 


    The watch was expected to reach in excess of £3 million but was sold for less than that.
    The catalogue description for the watch says it was given to the Nazi leader as a birthday present in 1933, the year he became Chancellor of Germany.

    Adolf Hitler


    The watch was later seized when around 30 French soldiers stormed Hitler’s retreat in the mountains of Bavaria. It was resold and then handed down through the generations.


    Other items sold off at the auction included Wehrmacht toilet paper, cutlery and champagne glasses belonging to senior Nazi figures, and items owned by Hitler’s partner, Eva Braun, including a dog collar for her terrier.

    An open letter signed by 34 Jewish leaders described the sale of the watch as ‘abhorrent’, urging the Maryland-based auction house, Alexander Historical Auctions, not to sell the wristwatch.


    Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association, said:

    ‘This auction, whether unwittingly or not, is doing two things: one, giving succour to those who idealise what the Nazi party stood for.

    ‘Two: Offering buyers the chance to titillate a guest or loved one with an item belonging to a genocidal murderer and his supporters.’

    He added: ‘Whilst it is obvious that the lessons of history need to be learned – and legitimate Nazi artefacts do belong in museums or places of higher learning – the items that you are selling clearly do not.

    ‘That they are sold to the highest bidder, on the open market is an indictment to our society, one in which the memory, suffering and pain of others is overridden for financial gain.’



    The auction house, Alexander Historical Auctions, denied the assertions saying it wanted to preserve the watch’s history.
     

    ‘If you destroy history, there is no proof that it happened,’ said Mindy Greenstein, senior vice president at Alexander Historical Auctions.

    ‘Whether good or bad history, it must be preserved.’

    Over 12 Million Nigerians are living with Hepatitis B – WHO

    About 12.7 million Nigerians live with Hepatitis B, the World Health Organization has said.


    Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and non-infectious agents, leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal. There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.


    In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and viral hepatitis-related deaths.


    According to the 2021 viral hepatitis scorecard by the World Health Organisation an estimated 998,000 children under five years in Nigeria are chronic carriers of Hepatitis-B antigen while 11,679,000 Nigerians are chronic carriers of viral Hepatitis-B.


    The scorecard taken from data from the African region focuses on Hepatitis B and C, both of which cause liver cirrhosis and cancer.


    The research discovered that in 19 African countries, more than 8% of the population is infected with Hepatitis B, while in 18 countries, more than 1% of the population lives with Hepatitis C.

    The Hepatitis B virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections, or exposure to sharp instruments.

    The scorecard showed that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of people who are chronic carriers of the deadliest strain of the virus among the listed 47 member states in the African region.


    It noted that Nigeria’s prevalence of the anti-hepatitis C virus is at 1.3%.


    The report noted that while Nigeria has a national hepatitis treatment programme and a national strategic plan for viral hepatitis, the hepatitis B immunisation coverage is at 58%.


    According to the WHO, Africa accounts for roughly 70% of all hepatitis B infections worldwide. It can take decades after infection by the virus before an individual starts manifesting symptoms.


    The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said, “Hepatitis has been called the silent epidemic, but this scorecard is sounding an alarm for the region and the world to hear.


    “We must do better and stop this disease from stealing away our children’s future. There is a safe and effective vaccine that provides nearly 100% protections against Hepatitis B, one of the virus’s most lethal strains. We must ensure that all African children are vaccinated within 24 hours of their birth and are followed up with two or more doses of the vaccine. “

    SERG Urges Buhari Govt to Comply with UN recommendations on Nnamdi Kanu

    Nnamdi Kanu threatens to disgrace corrupt politicians abroad

    The South East Revival Group (SERG) has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately comply with the resolutions of the United Nations, UN, Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, on the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to avert a fresh war front, amid the current insecurity in most parts of the country.

    The UN recently indicted both the Nigerian and Kenyan Governments for the extraordinary rendition, torture and continued detention of Kanu without due process.

    Consequently, the UN agreed and recommended to the Federal Government to immediately release Kanu unconditionally.

    However, in a statement signed by the President and National Coordinator of the SERG, Chief Willy Ezugwu, at the weekend, the group called on the Government to be responsible and reasonable in handling the recommendations of the UN as part of the bitter pills Nigeria must take to reduce armed struggle in the country.

    The statement read in part, “For the United Nations to ask the Federal Government to pay adequate compensation for the arbitrary violation of the fundamental human rights of Nnamdi Kanu, it then becomes clear that the world body has found grave infractions in the process of rendition and detention of the IPOB leader.

    “The President Muhammadu Buhari administration must be proactive enough to immediately free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and open a channel for addressing the root causes of the renewed Biafran agitations in the South East in the general interest of peace, security and national integration.

    “The Federal Government must learn lessons from the unfortunate but avoidable insurgency in the North East, which has spread to other parts of the country and escalated as a result of the arbitrary killing of the Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf.

    “We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately order the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and open a channel for dialogue with aggrieved citizens, not only in the South East but across the country, in order to find lasting peace in the country.

    “This has become expedient as the Nigerian security forces will eventually be overwhelmed if avoidable war fronts are opened in all parts of the country, which will be inimical to national peace and development.”

    [DailyPost]

    ‘Be Obidient’ – Bishop Oyedepo Charges Congregation

    The Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly called Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has stated that obedience is better than sacrifice.

    Naija News reports that is as his wife, Faith Oyedepo, urged winners to be obedient in the affairs of the Kingdom (of God).

    The Christian couple gave the charge while speaking at the Winners Chapel monthly leadership conference.

    This online newspaper reports that many have interpreted those words as a subtle endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the 2023 presidential election.

    Obi’s supporters, who are most youths and social media active, have been campaigning under the alias ‘Obi-dients’.

    Recall that Peter Obi had recently paid a visit to the Living Faith Church, where he met the Oyedepos and took photos that later became viral.

    Speaking at the leadership conference, Bishop Oyedepo, while unravelling the mystery of the covenant of obedience, said: “To be obedient is better than sacrifice. Obedience may be costly but the end result is always priceless.

    “When you live your life as a seed, its impact lives for generations after you.”

    On her part, Oyedepo’s wife stated the need for Christians to be obedient to spiritual instructions to enjoy the good of the land.

    She said: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isa. 1:19-20).

    Mrs Oyedepo also urged the church to pray for God’s Spirit to serve and be obedient.

    [Naijanews]

    US Govt. warns its citizens worldwide of possible retaliation over Ayman al-Zawahiri’s killing by CIA

    The US has urged its citizens to be vigilant against possible anti-American murder attacks abroad following the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

    Zawahiri was killed by a US drone in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday, July 31, following months of surveillance by the CIA.


    His death could prompt al-Qaeda supporters or other linked terror groups to target US facilities and personnel, according to the state department.


    Zawahiri had helped mastermind the 9/11 attacks on the US in which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.


    The 71-year-old Egyptian doctor took over al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011. He also helped mastermind terror attacks 

    The killing was confirmed on Monday by US President Joe Biden, who said Zawahiri had carved “a trail of murder and violence” against American citizens.

    “The Department of State believes there is a higher potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri on 31 July 2022,” the department said in a worldwide caution update on Wednesday, August 3.


    “Current information suggests that terrorist organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks against US interests in multiple regions across the globe,” it added.


    “These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings.”


    US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a “high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness” when travelling abroad, the alert added.

    Nigerian Pastor caught with 3 drums of Meth ‘Mkpuru Mmiri’ in Akwa Ibom – NDLEA

    A trans-border drug dealer, Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with three drums of crystal methamphetamine, locally called Mkpuru Mmiri, believed to have been imported from India.

    Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, August 7, said the the consignment weighing 90 kilograms and loaded into a commercial bus with registration number RSH 691XC at Ojuelegba in Lagos was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Umuahia – Ikot Ekpene highway on Saturday 6th August 2022.

    The dangerous drug packed 30kg in each drum was meant for Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong, who was arrested in a follow up operation at Oron beach in Oron. The recovered Meth drums were meant for onward delivery to the Republic of Cameroon.

    This comes on the heels of four seizures of the same illicit substance weighing 4.074kg going to Australia, Indonesia and Philippines with a 3kg cannabis sativa heading to Dubai, United Arab Emirates at some courier companies in Lagos. The consignments were concealed in body cream, hot burner iron and beads.

    Meanwhile, in Sokoto, a 90-year-old retired soldier, Usman Adamu was arrested on Wednesday 3rd August in Mailalle, Sabon Birni LGA for supplying bandits illicit drugs. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was caught with 5.1kg cannabis sativa.

    At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a 37-year-old indigene of Ovia LGA, Edo State and resident in Italy; Solo Osamede has been arrested for ingesting 41 wraps of heroin. He was nabbed and taken into custody for excretion while attempting to board a Turkish Airline flight to Milan, Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday 30th July. The swallowed wraps of the illicit drug were recovered in four excretions, which the suspect completed on Monday 1st Aug.

    In the same vein, a female passenger Jatau Lydia Lami was arrested at the Lagos airport for attempting to export 1,700 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in her luggage to Istanbul, Turkey via a Turkish Airline flight on Sunday 31st July.

    Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, a mother of three, hails from Zango Kataf LGA, Kaduna State and lives in Istanbul, Turkey with her family. She blamed her action on pressure to raise N5million ransom to free her mother from the captivity of bandits who kidnapped her since June.

    Also at the SAHCO export shed of the airport, attempts by some freight agents to export two consignments of cannabis in a consolidated cargo to Dubai, UAE on Thursday 4th Aug were thwarted by NDLEA operatives who have arrested two of them in follow up operations. They are: Oladipupo Oladapo Fatai and Animashaun Qudus, while two others are still at large.

    In Zamfara, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 4th Aug intercepted a truck from Benin, Edo state enroute Sokoto with 50,000 tablets of Diazepam owned by a drug dealer, Umaru Attahiru, while in Kogi, 14 sacks containing 1,376 bottles of codeine based syrup weighing 190.4kg were seized along Okene-Abuja highway on Wednesday 3rd Aug. The exhibits were found in a delivery bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra and heading to Abuja. Follow up operation in Abuja same day led to the arrest of Jude Ikenna and Ozoemene Cornelius.

    In Kaduna, four suspects: Sulaiman Rabi’u; Sanusi Sha’aibu; Ma’aruf Habibu and Christian Nnachor, were arrested in Zaria, Tafa and Romi Kaduna with 106, 770 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, Diazepam, Exol-5 and 100 bottles of codeine cough syrup.

    In Enugu, 143.5kg cannabis sativa was recovered from locked up stores in new market area of the state capital on Saturday 6th Aug, while in Delta, a suspect, Ike Okparachi, 42, was arrested at Abraka Junction, Asaba with 10,550 tablets of Tramadol 225mg; Swinol; Rohypnol; and 3,105 bottles of codeine syrup as well as 69grams of Molly.

    Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, MMIA, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kogi, Delta, Enugu, and Kaduna Commands of the Agency as well as those of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, DOGI for their recent feats.

    He charged them and others across the country to remain focused and vigilant.

    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong
    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong
    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong
    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong
    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong
    Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong

    “Why we can’t extend voters’ registration” – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why it can’t extend the voter registration exercise across the country. 

    Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mike Igini who spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday August 5, said extending the voter registration exercise will hamper its preparations for the 2023 general elections. 

    Igini said; 

    “Now that we have officially suspended the CVR process, we have to consolidate; aggregate the data and thereafter run the biometric accreditation system to weed out all multiple registrants.

    “Thereafter, Section 19 [Electoral Act 2022] says we must do a one-week display of the voter register for the commission to accept claims; objections as it relates to either omitted names or names of individuals that ought not to be on that register as identified by people in the area.

    “And how do you do that? You have to produce the preliminary register of voters for this purpose which means they have to be millions of these would-be voters. That will be posted in the entire wards and local governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that is a huge work.”

    Also pointing out that the electoral umpire will produce and distribute the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to the new registrants, Igini added that Section 17 of the Electoral Act only mandates the Commission to stop voter registration less than and not exactly 90 days to the election.

    Aside from this, he said, “it is not only this that INEC will be doing”. Igini stated that Nigerians should rather be concerned about voter turnout in the next election despite the outcry that greeted the suspension of the registration.

    “What gives spice to the practice of democracy is mass participation,” the INEC official said. The INEC REC expressed satisfaction with the recent wave of enthusiasm by Nigerians in the electoral process, likening it to what happened in the country in the lead-up to the 1993 poll.

    “Sharia law is only for Muslims” – Sultan of Sokoto claims

    The 2022 Batch ‘B’ Stream 11 corps members in Sokoto State, have gotten the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar’s assurance that the Shari’a Law is not binding on non-Muslims in the state.

    Speaking on Thursday August 4 when the NYSC management team in the state led by the state coordinator and some selected corps members paid him a courtesy visit, the Sultan assured the corpers of their safety in spite of the security challenges facing the country.

    Abubakar reiterated that they would be allowed to practise the religion of their choice and nobody would be coerced to become a Muslim against his or her wish.

    He said; 

    “In Sokoto, Sharia law is only binding on Muslims, nobody will force you to wear Hijab or force you to obey Islamic laws if you are not a Muslim.

    “If you are posted to schools, impact the lives of the students, make them better than you met them.

    “If you have a problem at the place of your primary assignment or where you are posted to, contact the district head over there; they are your guardians in the community.’’ 

    Governor Ortom to purchase AK-47 & AK-49 for Community Volunteer Guards

    Governor Samuel Ortom on Thursday August 4, unveiled Benue state’s security outfit known as Community Volunteer Guards.

    In his address during the passing-out of the first batch of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guard at the IBB square in Makurdi, Ortom said that his administration would apply for a license to legally procure AK47, AK49 and other sophisticated weapons for the guards.

    Ortom expressed delight that the dream of the home-grown security outfit in Benue State has become a  reality.

    He said; 

    “In addition, given the fact that the Federal Government has consistently failed to disarm the terrorists who have continued to maim and kill our people at will, the State Government is going to apply for a license to legally procure AK47, AK49 and other sophisticated weapons for the Benue State Volunteers Guards to enable them to tackle these terrorists effectively.

    “To do this effectively, the Benue State Government had approved a two-week capacity building programme for five hundred (500) personnel of the Community Volunteer Guards to learn some basic paramilitary aspects. The training which began on 29th June 2022 with five hundred (500) participants drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas and the three Senatorial Districts ended on 12th July 2022.”

    The Benue state Governor also lamented about the rising insecurity across the country. Ortom added; 

    “It is owing to this failure that the Benue State Government under my watch decided to revisit the Benue State Vigilante Law of 2000, which was enacted to complement the conventional security agencies in the state to address emerging security issues.

    “The law had to be amended by this administration to pave way for the Volunteer Guards to assist the conventional Security Agencies to curb insecurity in the state. By the provisions of the new law, the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards can therefore now carry legally approved weapons which we have duly provided.

    “A date for Batch 2 would also be announced as soon as possible. As we all witness the passing-out parade of these able-bodied young men, we believe that security will improve in Benue State.

    “It is gratifying to note that Benue State Government has procured 30 Operational Vehicles and 200 Communication gadgets to enable the Volunteer Guards to function maximally. The successes we achieve today would not have been possible without the co-operation of other conventional Security Agencies in the State.”

    Yemi Osinbajo suggests ways Nigeria can tackle current security challenges

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has suggested ways in which Nigeria can tackle the security challenges the country is facing.

    Osinbajo said Nigeria’s current security challenges require the country’s military and other relevant stakeholders to be several steps ahead of perpetrators while also stepping up local production of armaments.

    He said this late Wednesday, August 3, after receiving a presentation on “Defence Transformation and National Security: Strategic Options for Nigeria of the Future”, by the National Defence College Course 30 participants during a virtual interaction.

    Osinbajo said: “If you look at the challenges that we are facing and the nature of those challenges, it is evident that we need to be many steps ahead of non-state actors in particular who are perpetrators of this asymmetric warfare that we are experiencing.”

    He added that “it is clear that given current realities in our security situation, there is absolutely every need for us to fast-forward all our plans for the future so that we can be much more effective in dealing with the current threats and the threats that we will experience as we go into the future.

    “One of the most critical areas is the question of local production of military hardware and I think it is low-hanging fruit when it comes to manufacturing some of the hardware that we will need. I think that there is a need, especially now to really look very closely at local production of our hardware, beginning with armament.

    “We mentioned India, Brazil, and even the more developed economies of the world, during the first world war, the second world war, it was these challenges that led to the development of their military-industrial complexes. We have a challenge today, there are so many zones where there are conflicts. Our law enforcement is spread out everywhere.

    “If we say the local companies should produce some of the mobile platforms like Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV), if we give them the contracts, they will produce, but if we choose to import rather than produce locally then we will never develop our military-industrial complex.”

    Osinbajo also spoke about the need for transparency in the management of resources meant for the acquisition of hardware for the defence and security agencies.

    He said: “There needs to be more accountability because every time you hear, ‘we do not have enough equipment,’ but there must be accountability. I would like to see a framework for greater accountability within the Ministry of Defence that ensures that they are able to account for military expenditure.”

    Chelsea Club confirms the £62M signing of Marc Cucurella

    Chelsea have announced the signing of defender Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion.


    The Spanish full-back, 24, signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge after completing a medical on Thursday afternoon.


    Chelsea will pay an initial fee of £55million for Cucurella, plus a potential £7million in bonuses, while Levi Colwill will join the Seagulls on loan in a separate deal.


    The Blues announced his arrival via social media and took a playful dig at Brighton after they denied reports that Cucurella was on his way to Stamford Bridge.


    Speaking to the club website, the defender detailed his excitement to play for ‘one of the best clubs in the world’.  


    Cucurella said: ‘I’m really happy. It’s a big opportunity for me to join one of the best clubs in the world and I’m going to work hard to be happy here and help the team.’


    The ex-Barcelona player becomes the seventh most expensive defender of all-time, with Harry Maguire still topping the list following his £80million move from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019.


    The signing sees Todd Boehly’s summer spending exceed £150million, following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Gabriel Slonina already.

    Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian spilt after few months of dating

    Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have reportedly called it a quit on their relationship after 9 months together  and decided to just be friends

    Pete, 28, and Kim, 41, went public as a couple nine months ago after she made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live, where he was then a cast member.

    Kim and Pete Davidson’s age difference caused them to split earlier this week, sources told Page Six.

    “Pete is 28 and Kim is 41 — they are just in very different places at the moment,” the insider says.

    “Pete is totally spontaneous and impulsive and wants her to fly to New York, or wherever he is on a moment’s notice,” the source adds. “But Kim has four kids and it isn’t that easy. She needs to focus on the kids.”

    The source also told the publication that Kardashian who runs multiple businesses and stars on a reality show was “totally exhausted by this relationship and other things going on in her life.”

    The insiders shared that while the pair has “a lot of love and respect for each other,” they found that the long distance dynamic and their demanding schedules “made it really difficult to maintain a relationship.” The split occurred sometime this week. 

    Pete has been spending part of the summer in Australia working on the movie Wizards!. As for Kim, she continues to raise four kids, North, Psalm, Chicago and Saint, with her ex Kanye West.

    “The divorce is moving ahead with Kanye,” another insider shares with E! News. “They are happily co-parenting.” 

    The pair, who became Instagram official in March and made their red carpet debut in May, have been romantically linked since October 2021.

    Kim’s breakup with Pete comes as she is still working out the legal details of her divorce from her third husband and father of her children, Kanye West.

    Nigerian Lady allegedly beaten by her Italian boss after she demanded her salary

    A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, identified as Beauty living in the southern Calabrian city of Catanzaro, Italy has accused her employer of hitting her because she demanded her salary on Tuesday, August 2.

    Beauty who works at a beach club and restaurant in Soverato near Catanzaro, reported the assault at a police station in Soverato and backed her report with the video of the alleged aggression she filmed and tendered to the police.

    According to InfoMigrants, Beauty was accompanied by her lawyer, Filomena Pedullà, to report the case at the police station. The alleged aggressor has been identified in the Italian press, as the owner of a beach club and restaurant. He is reportedly the son of a retired Carabinieri police officer and does not have a police record.

    It was, however, discussed that Carabinieri police are investigating the potential charges of personal injuries, theft and threats after Beauty’s reported aggression, according to Pedullà.

    Pedullà said investigators are looking into payment slips.

    “Investigators are examining data regarding the contract and the verbal agreement between the two sides. The young woman received a bank transfer of €200 although an agreement had been reached for the payment of €600 euros” Pedullà said

    The aggression allegedly occurred after the woman protested because she had not been paid the agreed sum, the lawyer said.

    After the employer’s reaction to Beauty’s request for money, Pedullà added, she “suffered a hand injury, proven by a bloody nail, contusions on a shoulder and an injury on her scalp.”

    This report is coming exactly a week after an Italian man Filippo Ferlazzo beat a physically-challenged Nigerian man, Alika Ogorchukwu to death on the street of Civitanova Marche.

    EFCC threatens to arrest Nigerians hoarding the Dollar as Naira continues to fall

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has threatened to arrest Nigerians hoarding dollars and other foreign currency.

    The Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Abdulrasheed Bawa made the threat at a meeting with representatives of Bureau De Change operators in Abuja on Friday, August 5.

    This follows the anti-graft agency’s ongoing efforts to check rising cases of foreign exchange speculation, which had brought pressure on the value of the naira.

    “The Commission has intelligence linking some persons and organisations to hoarding foreign currencies, especially the United States dollars, in key commercial cities of Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Calabar.

    We warn those involved to desist or risk arrest as a major offensive against the speculators is underway,” he said.

    The EFCC boss warned people who are in the habit of hoarding forex to desist or risk arrest as a major offensive against the speculators was underway.

    He noted that the meeting was called to fashion out a collaborative stakeholders’ response to brazen foreign exchange speculation, especially at the parallel market, which was hurting the country’s monetary policy by instigating a decline in the value of the naira.

    The anti-graft agency noted that similar meetings are planned for Bureau de Change operators in other major commercial cities across the country, including key players, regulators and operators within the Nigerian financial sector.

    Since the beginning of August, the dollar has continued to rise in Nigeria’s black market. Last week, the naira traded at N710 to the dollar in the parallel market. This forced the EFCC to raid some forex markets in Abuja, which saw the currency return to its pre-speculated value.

    A few days after security personnel stormed a Bureaux De Change (BDC) hub in Abuja, the naira continued to strengthen on the black-market, moving to N660 per dollar.

    “BBNaija applicants sent me nudes, N100m, N50m to get them in” – Denrele says

    Media personality, Denrele Edun has shared his experience with some applicants of Big Brother Naija reality TV show.

    Denrele who admitted to being “instrumental” in the show’s proceedings in an interview on Lunch Time with Vanguard, said he got a lot of nudes from people who wanted to go for BBNaija and monetary offers too. 

    He said; 

    “I get a lot of nudes from people who want to go for BBNaija. I get all kinds of monetary offers.

    “I have gotten N100m, N50m, N30m and I tell people go and do something reasonable with your money.

    “So, let’s just say if you don’t have a Denrele in your life that can help you rediscover yourself or help you get to the next level and give you direction to help you navigate your way through life, then what are you looking for? Go and find a Denrele.

    “Away from that, yes! I have been instrumental to a lot of these things. It is what it is.

    “I’m at the industry’s center of gravity. Let’s just say I know people in the right places, when they ask you, tell them to come and meet me.”

    Denrele also recounted how winner of 2011 Big Brother Africa, Karen Igho, spoke about how he helped her to fill her application form.

    He added; 

    “It all started when my good friend, Karen Igho got into the house and was always saying ‘na Denrele help me fill my form’.”

    US Prosecutors want to seize $28K from R.Kelly’s prison account

    Prosecutors are reportedly asking the federal court to seize about $28K from R Kelly’s prison-inmate account since he has $140,000 in court-ordered fines.


    In a letter obtained by the government from the Bureau of Prisons, the singer has “accumulated substantial funds in his inmate trust account,” which is used to purchase food and other necessities from the prison commissary.

    According to Bloomberg, Kelly has $28,328.24 in his account as of August 3. The Bureau of Prisons has restrained Kelly’s funds at the government’s request and left the singer with $500.


    Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, NY, have stated that the singer hasn’t paid any of the criminal penalties imposed since being sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking.

    They are asking the judge to put the money into an interest-bearing account “pending a determination as to the amount and applicability of a restitution judgment.”


    The singer was sentenced in June to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking by a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York.

    Robert Lewandowski become the N° 9 after the €50m transfer from Bayern Munich (video)

    Robert Lewandowski has been presented as the new Barcelona No.9 following a €50 million transfer from Bayern Munich.


    The Polish striker was introduced to thousands of fans at Nou Camp on Friday morning August 5, wearing the iconic jersey he inherited from Memphis Depay, who is being strongly linked with a move away from Camp Nou.


    Good Morning Culers,” Lewandowski began in Catalan, which went down well with the crowd.


    “I am very happy to be here, thank you!” he continued.

    “I heard that Barcelona wanted to sign me, and that was a sign that maybe now is the perfect timing to go to Barcelona, go to LaLiga. I know that I can still play for a few years on the top high level and that’s why I decided to go to Barcelona. I’m very happy to be part of this team,” Lewandowski remarked.

    The forward, who scored 238 Bundesliga goals in 253 games for Bayern, then dazzled the fans with some fancy kick-ups.


    Lewandowski, 33, signed a four-year contract with a release clause set at €500 million after departing Bayern Munich for £42.5 million.

    Elon Musk accuses Twitter of fraud in countersuit

    Elon Musk has accused the social media platform, Twitter, of fraudulently holding back information about the company as part of a countersuit.


    The countersuit by the billionaire and Tesla CEO alleges that Twitter committed fraud, breach of contract, and violation of a securities law in Texas, where Musk lives.

    Musk’s counterclaims were filed confidentially last week and unsealed in a filing late Thursday at the Delaware Chancery Court.


    Musk offered to buy Twitter earlier this year, then tried to back out of the deal by claiming the social platform was infested with a larger number of “spam bots” and fake accounts than Twitter had disclosed.


    Twitter sued to force him to complete the acquisition. Musk responded by filing his countersuit.

    Musk’s attorneys argue in the countersuit that Twitter “misrepresentations or omissions” distorted the company’s value and caused Musk to agree in April to buy it at an inflated price. They said Twitter’s own disclosures revealed that it has 65 million fewer “monetizable daily active users,” who can be shown digital ads, than the 238 million that Twitter claims.

    The filing also said most of Twitter’s ads are shown only to a sliver of the company’s user base.


    Musk’s team also accused Twitter of making too many major changes in recent months without consulting Musk, including personnel decisions and allegedly disobeying social media restrictions imposed by the government of India, which is Twitter’s third largest market. Musk had pledged to make Twitter a haven for free speech but has also said it must comply with the local laws where it operates.


    In an unexpected twist, Twitter filed its response denying Musk’s accusations before Musk’s own counterclaims surfaced.


    Twitter called Musk’s reasoning “a story, imagined in an effort to escape a merger agreement that Musk no longer found attractive.” The company, in particular, took issue with Musk’s estimate of fake accounts, saying the analysis relied on a “generic web tool” that designated Musk’s own Twitter account as a likely bot.


    “The result is a distortion that Musk is hoping will nonetheless make waves,” Twitter’s response said.


    The case is scheduled to go to trial on October 17. The Delaware court handles many high-profile disputes between businesses, such as Twitter, that are incorporated there.

    3 Sri Lankan athletes ‘disappears’ from Commonwealth Games

    Three Sri Lankan athletes have vanished from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK.

    The athletes — a wrestler, a judo star and a judo coach — have not been seen since Monday, August 1.

    The missing athletes had surrendered their passports so are not able to leave the country.

    Officials have now removed documents for all remaining members of the team currently at the games in Birmingham.

    All 161 athletes and coaching staff were granted standard 180-day visas by the government for the event.

    Sri Lankan team spokesperson Gobinath Sivarajah said: “We have asked all athletes and officials to submit their passports to our respective venue officials in all the villages after the incident.

    “The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the UK borders. What has happened is really unfortunate.”

    There are fears the three may have disappeared to avoid returning to Sri Lanka.

    The country is currently grappling with the worst economic crisis in more than seven decades as medicine, fuel and food begins to run out.

    A state of emergency has been declared after a string of protests across the nation.

    Alert! US declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency

    The US has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency following a spike in cases.

    It comes less than two weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest emergency alert following a worldwide surge in cases.

    Cases have topped 6,600 in the US, according to health officials.


    The decision by the US to label the disease a public health emergency will speed up the distribution of vaccines, treatments and federal resources to curb the spread of the virus.


    The three states with the highest caseloads are New York, California and Illinois.

    More than 26,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide this year, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.

    Although anyone can catch monkeypox, the outbreak has been largely concentrated among men who have sex with men.


    The virus typically causes pimple-like rashes, which can be extremely itchy and painful, to develop and spread across the body, as well as other complications.

    Insecurity: Lai Mohammed asks Google to block ‘terrorist’ groups on YouTube

    Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has asked Google to block terrorists organisations from YouTube.

    Lai Mohammed who made the request when a team from Google visited him in Abuja on Thursday August 4,  listed Biafra Digest TV, Umu Biafra TV, Biafra Digest, Asa Biafra TV as examples of channels that spread subversive information/ contents.

    The Minister claimed that some of the channels use local languages during their broadcast to evade being censored.

    He said; 

    ”We want Google to look into how to tackle the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and YouTube live streams by proscribed groups and terrorist organisations. Channels and emails containing names of proscribed groups and their affiliates should not be allowed on Google platforms..

    “Your platform is a platform of choice for IPOB, a proscribed terrorist group.

    “We implore you not to make your platform available to them for their acts of violence and destabilisation.

    “We hope you will cooperate with us as well as our security agencies in this direction.”

    Lai Mohammed also said the government recently proposed a “Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries”.

    The code, according to him,  provides a framework for collaboratively protecting Nigerian users of Internet platforms.

    He added; 

    “This code couldn’t have come at a better time, as the country prepares for general elections next year. We are committed to working with platforms like yours as well as the civil society, lawyers, media practitioners and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a responsible use of the Internet and to protect our people from the harmful effects of social media.” 

    In his remarks,Google Regional Dir.,Sub-Saharan Africa,Govt. Affairs and Public Policy, Mr. Charles Murito,said the platform has introduced a prog. called “Trusted Flaggers” for citizens trained to track and engage with online contents in order to flag contents of serious concern

    He said; 

    “As I mentioned earlier, we share the same sentiments, we share the same goals and objectives and we do not want our platform to be used for ill purposes.” 

    On his part, Google Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Mr. Adewolu Adene, said “Equiano”, a subsea cable which recently berthed in Nigeria from Portugal, is aimed at enhancing connectivity and access to the internet as well as to drive down the cost of data,in order to create jobs and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.

    He said through the Google News Initiative Challenge, 30 media platforms, with 5 from Nigeria, including the Dubawa fact-checking platform, would be awarded a $3.2 million grant in recognition of their innovative work in information dissemination.

    Mr. Adene also pledged the readiness of Google to work with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to digitize the recently-repatriated artifacts in order to preserve and market them to a global audience through Google Arts and Culture

    Obi-tuary by By Sam Omatseye

    Suddenly, it is all quiet on the eastern front. No street heckles or flag waving or mooning over a yellow sun, no hooting or baying in public. The rabble no longer raves. Few wonder what happened to the Nnamdi Kanu crowd. Some may wonder if they are withering?

    The answer is before our eyes. The Biafran babblers are alive and well. They just swapped icons, rechristened the shrines and rewrote the rites. They left the prophet for a secular priest. They have had a switch of battle gear.

    Maybe it is not quiet. We can hear and feel the cacophony. The chants and caterwauling are everywhere, especially on the phones. The twitter bees, the Instagram grimes, the Facebook freaks. They are alive and well, but they have not been at war at the side of their icon, who is griping in detention.

    It’s farewell Kanu. Welcome Obi, at least until the new priest peters out. They are at his worship. They embrace it because it does not, for the first time in years, feel like they are outside the mainstream. They are not falling foul of the law, not howling from the fringes. They have Peter Obi as their man. He is mainstream. He belongs, not to the MASSOB, or Kanu’s assembly called IPOB. They can say they have a legitimate tribe and rhetoric. They may pretend to love Nigeria. They may claim to embrace INEC, cling to a political party no one in the police or DSS will harangue.

    But that is where it stops. They have transferred the temperament of their former master into the new. And they have not spared any incoherence, any lack of finesse, and threats and tantrums, any show of rabid, primitive cants, or any ululations. They have abused, cursed, thrown imprecations. They have hugged lies about their candidate. They have pelted lies about others. They have distorted material.

    Obi has turned out to be an excuse for even closet Biafrans to betray open emotions about Biafra without being accused of it. This includes intellectuals who did not show mercy to him while he reigned in Anambra as a pharisaic chief executive. It is like wearing a colour beneath another colour. Obi has become a shelter for both miscreants and activists of the crowd.

    Obi knows this. He is happy to be their catharsis, to be their excuse for unfurling their bile at the system, for acting like revolutionaries. He is playing to it by acting as though he is the saint of Nigerian politics. Perhaps the purists of the Biafran cause are unhappy, and they unleashed a past video clip of Kanu on the social media. In it, Kanu lashes out at Obi as governor and stated what this essayist wrote about him over building a NEXT supermarket while still the governor of Anambra State. The video clip referred to him as a sort of sexual being on the fringe. You can imagine an Aso Rock sweltering with romps of the evil flesh. His so-called Obidients know this. But it counts for little.

    They also know that this is the same Obi, whose emissaries were intercepted, while a governor at Apapa, by then police chief Marvel Akpoyibo with over 200 million cash. The matter became a cause celebre  with impeachment dangling until the timid state house of assembly was on the take. This is the man they call stingy because he dared to spend on himself and his family, his wife being accused of spending N1.5 billion on tours. The man that admitted he placed Anambra money in his family account, and was not ashamed to confess when confronted. He did not follow due process. This is the man who is speaking from both sides of his mouth for maintaining an offshore account while a governor. This is Obi, who claimed he saved money, while pensioners were looking desperately at their graves.

    I can excuse those who think that being stingy is good for the economy because they are looking at how they run their family and personal finances. But no economy works in history by saving money. It stifles the economy. He has not been able to tell us how he will do it, and whether he has done it. We have no landmark in Anambra State to attribute to him, no enduring legacy.

    But this essayist can understand why Obi knows that the crowd that adores him will not question him. He is therefore using religion as a bait. He is now on a weekly pilgrimage to churches. Jonathan did the same. The pastors, ever opportunistic, see him as a darling. He is visiting a sectional hue of pews. This is the man who divided the church in Anambra State in his time between Catholics and the others. He is trying to push himself as the Christian candidate of the south while his messengers foul the air with sanctimonious growl about Muslim-Muslim ticket. I am sure Kanu will chuckle in his cocoon, especially when he contemplates what he alleges as his sinful romps in hotels.

    There is a divide here. He is pushing himself as a southern candidate. His core followers are advancing him as the Igbo candidate. But how do we reconcile the Biafran with an Obi, who even MASSOB, has denied has anything to do with them? Obi is taking a Machiavellian attitude to the matter. If Biafran impulse will propel him, he will take it. The Biafrans on board believe Obi is their best revenge on the Nigerian state. They can take over the zoo by acting as members of the zoo.

    But this psychology is nothing new. The private man and public man may not always cohere. In their huts, they are Biafrans. On the frontlines of battle, they are Obi. It is like Mr. Mani in A.B. Yehoshua’s novel who calls himself a Jew but does not believe in Jehovah. He embraces the culture but renounces its mystery. One of 20th century’s top philosophers, Hannah Arendt, obsesses over this schizophrenia in his opus, The Origins of Totalitarianism. The Obi followers accept Biafra but reject Nigeria. They abandon the mystic of the cause, Nnamdi Kanu, and have followed Obi, its inauthentic saint. It is the pragmatism of the cause. Kanu is the unarmed prophet, sulking behind bars. Obi is out in the open, a bird in hand. Machiavelli warned against the unarmed prophet, who fights without power. Elijah was armed against his foes. So was Jesus until he was crucified. They see Obi as armed with electoral quest. It is their own version of the Trojan War. Obi is the Greek Gift that they will ride in the battle for conquest.

    They have now evangelised others from outside the southeast to give a regional legitimacy to their cause. They call themselves Obidients but they obey only one call: the sound of the east. Those in south-south have been seduced as by the cooing of Obi’s voice as by evangelism of the Biafrans. Mind you, they have not abandoned Kanu. But their icon has no power for now. Obi is like Zik, Kanu like Ojukwu. One is a flair, the other a flare.

    While Obi hops from church to church and beclouds the hypocrisy among political pastors, the nation watches as his sectional army taunts and harangues others. But Obi will do nothing to restrain his rabble because he knows they are doing a good job in keeping the faithful within their own bubble where they reinforce their own self-delusions. That will last until their last call at the polls. This is not the time to properly interrogate in details the false intimations of Obi’s agenda and hypocrisies. But it is safe to say one thing. Before he peters out and hurtles towards an electoral Obi-tuary, the country knows the content of the crowd and its origin. They are a caterwauling group trying to seduce, without much success, those outside its ethno-religious tent.

    “He abandoned us and hid in toilet during robbery attack” – Nigerian woman seeking divorce tells court

    A businesswoman identified as Asiata Oladejo, has told a Mapo Grade A Customary Court, in Ibadan, Oyo state to dissolve her marriage on grounds that her estranged husband, Abidemi, was unreliable and abandoned her and their children during a robbery attack.

    Oladejo made the submission in her counter argument in the divorce suit filed by her husband.

    ”My Lord, I am yet to recover from the shock I experienced when a gang of thieves raided our house. He hid in the toilet, leaving me to pant in front of the armed robbers, who terrorised the entire residents of the house.

    My lord, when the thieves arrived at around 1am. on that night, my husband was nowhere to be found to defend the children and I.

    Unknown to me, he hid in the toilet. He only came out when they had gone. My husband wanted us to continue living in that house,” she said.

    Abidemi in his defense said that his wife was ill-tempered. 

    ”She comes to my shop unannounced to torment me. It is true that I hid in the toilet when armed robbers attacked our house. All the attempts made to bring her back home failed, because she said she was unnecessarily scared,” he said

    He prayed the court to grant him custody of the three children because he had been a responsible father.

    Delivering judgment, the President of the Court, Mrs S. M. Akintayo, granted the order restraining Oladejo from threatening, harassing and interfering in the private life of Abidemi.

    Akintayo granted custody of the three children to Oladejo, adding that she was in the best position to cater for them.

    “Both petitioner and respondent shall be responsible for the education and other welfare of the children. In addition, Abidemi shall pay a monthly feeding allowance of N20,000 for the children’s upkeep. Both of you must maintain peace and order,” Akintayo held.

    She, however, noted that there was no marriage to dissolve between the couple, because their union could not be considered as a marriage. She stated that their marriage was not in accordance with laid down customary laws of Nigeria.

    Wife hires mistress to please her husband and places her on £340 salary

    A woman has hired a mistress to help please her husband sexually after posting the unusual job opening online.

    The 44-year-old, named Pattheema from Thailand, took to TikTok with the strange job advert.

    She explained in the advert that she wants to hire a mistress for her husband as she believed she wasn’t able to please him by herself.

    The wife said in the video: “I want to hire three mistresses for my husband.”

    The video went on to specify that the women had to be between 30 and 35 and have either finished high school or have a degree.

    The wife also said that the mistresses had to have a medical check to prove they don’t have HIV.

    The advert continues: “You will get paid at least 15,000 baht (around £340) a month, get free accommodation, and free meals. But you need to help me out. Two will be hired to help with document work in my office, and another one will be hired to take care of me, my husband, and my child.”

    The woman went on to assure applicants she wouldn’t despise her husband’s other lovers.

    “I guarantee there will be no fight between you and me. I allow my husband to choose who he wants to sleep with or stay with. No schedule, he can pick by himself,” she said.

    Despite the weird nature of the request, the couple found an interested mistress and they have welcomed her into their home.

    Wife hires mistress to please her husband and places her on ?340 salary

    Pattheema has reportedly asked a “beautiful” 33-year-old to join the family as her husband’s mistress.

    She said although the woman was “not what [her husband] expected”, he agreed that she could be his “little wife”, and Pattheema has now closed applications for the position.

    The woman is a “close friend” of Pattheema, and the three of them say them plan to take care of each other.

    Ex-APC Presidential Aspirant dumps Tinubu, endorses Peter Obi

    Former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2019 presidential election, Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, has disclosed his intention to dump his political party affiliation and its 2023 presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to support the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi. 


    Ogbonnia said that his endorsement of Obi was because the LP presidential candidate is a ‘democratic revolution, whose time has come,’ adding that “with every sense of patriotism, he was joining the Nigerian masses to endorse Obi as the next president of Nigeria.


    “Though I remain a member of All Progressives Congress, APC, I must not support Tinubu, its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections. The decision to endorse the candidate of an opposition party did not come easy. But there comes a time to say ‘enough is enough’, Ogbonnia stated. 


    In a statement he made available to newsmen on yesterday, Ogbonnia said that his first disdain for Tinubu was that neither fellow party members nor ordinary Nigerians can claim to know who Ahmed Tinubu truly is.


    “Everything about the man is shady—from his name, state of origin, the schools attended, certificates received; his record in America to his true source of income, let alone any true intention of seeking the presidency, apart from an arrogant claim that it is his turn to rule Nigeria. 


    “Besides the shady background, a series of events also show that Tinubu does not have any good sense of equity, justice, fairness, and patriotism, virtues he claims to promote.


    The truth is that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is even more insensitive about the Nigerian state and her problems than President Muhammadu Buhari. It is a common knowledge that the APC National Leader no longer possesses the physical fitness to explore the Nigerian presidency, but it has equally become very apparent that he no longer has the mental capacity,” Ogbonnia claimed.


    see intellect, character, competence, and capacity; I see integrity and humility. I see patriotism; I see dynamism. I see enviable and verifiable track-record; I see attainable visions; I see hope for the Nigeria of our founding dreams; I see a democratic revolution whose time has come. This move is consistent with my politics. I never allow the mere exigencies of ethnicity, religion, or party affiliation to becloud my judgment. As a member of the National Republican Convention (NRC), I crossed party lines to campaign for MKO Abiola, the flagbearer for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). I saw Abiola as a better candidate than the candidate of my party, Bashir Tofa.


    “I was a card-carrying member of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in its thickest state of Enugu. However, after the fraudulent general elections of 2007 where the ruling PDP dictated who won or who lost, I changed course. I vowed to join any movement that could remove PDP from power. I would become a foundation member of the APC and promoted Buhari to victory. I remain proud that we made history by dethroning the PDP–a virally corrupt ruling party that had planned to hold on to power for 60 unbroken years. We demonstrated consequences for bad behavior.
    “Unfortunately, today, with Asiwaju Tinubu as its National Leader, the APC does not appear to have any ideological, moral, or ethical difference with the much-discredited PDP. Today, my party has shamelessly become a safe haven for corrupt kingpins indicted while in PDP. To make matters worse, the two presidential candidates of APC and PDP, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively, are two of the most perfidious poster boys for Nigeria’s corrupt oligarchy. In short, neither Atiku nor Tinubu can in good conscience campaign against corruption.


    “It is pertinent to note that no Nigerian leader, whether military or civilian, has ever assumed the governance of the country with the degree of mercenary influence cum notoriety commonly equated with Atiku and Tinubu. I have a conscience. I have chosen my country over my party. I have become OBI-dient for the greater good of Nigeria!! I call on other true progressives to do so,” Ogbonnia charged.

    [VANGUARD]

    ‘Cristiano Ronaldo thinks about himself’ – Louis Saha fumes

    Ex-Manchester United striker, Louis Saha has hit out at his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he’s selfish with his decision to leave the club.


    Ronaldo requested to leave Old Trafford during crunch talks last month and did so again upon his belated return to training last week.


    The Portuguese star made an emotional return to Old Trafford last summer after departing for Real Madrid in 2009, signing a two-year deal with the Red Devils with the option of a third.


    But after a disappointing season last term, with the club missing out on Champions League football, Ronaldo requested an early exit, which has left Saha angry.


    ‘In some way, from Cristiano Ronaldo’s point of view it’s a bit unrealistic to ask now a club of this size to adapt to him and his dream,’ Saha told SkyBet.

    ‘Even last year, I’m sorry but the magic could have happened and everything could have gone well and they won the Champions League and the Premier League and there we go, he could say that he could stay because he had participated in that. It was unrealistic that just his arrival would have changed all this.


    ‘Asking that again after a poor season and maybe not great transfer market business in his view, I don’t really understand how dramatic it is to change and to do all those things. I think that last year he had been in Juventus but they hadn’t won the Champions League.’


    Saha, who has the club’s best interests at heart accused the five-time Ballon d’Or winner of ‘thinking about himself’ rather than putting the club first.


    ‘I’m not Cristiano but as someone who seems to be a supporter of Manchester United, I have felt like he hasn’t shown completely enough of that, he is thinking about himself.


    He said: ‘I am not going to judge him because he is an immense player and I’m not in his position, but I would have loved him to stay because he’s a terrific player. No-one can judge his actions at this moment because it’s his own career.’

    Wike List Demands to Back PDP which includes ‘Ayu’s Removal, Single Term’

    The camp of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has listed demands that must be met before it would back the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

    Recall that the decision of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, snubbing a selection committee that had recommended Governor Nyesom Wike, had thrown the main opposition party into crisis.

    Moves to reconcile aggrieved party members will top the agenda as members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Working Committee (NWC) meet today, which could set the stage for a face-to-face conversation between two warring gladiators – Nyesom Wike and Atiku Abubakar.

    The meeting, it was gathered, would consider demands of the aggrieved Wike-led camp, who insist on the removal of the National Chairman of the opposition party, Iyorchia Ayu.

    Sources within the party’s national secretariat told The Guardian that the Wike camp also wants Atiku to sign an undertaking that he would spend only one term in office before they decide to back him.

    Also on the list of demands to be considered by the BoT are that all members of the Wike team will be considered for appointment should the party win the presidential election next year.

    It was gathered that members of the NWC had engaged one another in informal consultation ahead of the meeting. According to the party’s constitution, the only bodies empowered to cause the removal of the national chairman are the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Convention.

    Recall that Wike and members of his camp had met in Abuja on Sunday over issues rocking the PDP.

    Those at the meeting included Governors Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

    Others were former governors Donald Duke (Cross River), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), and Jonah Jang (Plateau).

    Also at the meeting were the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda, and other lawmakers.

    [Naijanews]