SHE may not make the list of top Nigerian songstresses at the
moment, but vocal power house, Omawunmi has relaunched her career. The
music sensation is back with a new song titled Play na play, which she
features legendary singer, Angelique Kidjo. Omawunmi
In a recent interview, she describes her experience working with this music legend as refreshing and memorable.
“She is so good at what she does. Mama Angelique that is what I call
her. She doesn’t have any airs. She is playful, fun and very hygienic.
She sings effortlessly. When she was recording I was just in awe. I was
just saying: “I want to be slim like this”, I want to be energetic when I
am her age,” she said.
Narrating how difficult it was to reach out to her, Omawunmi said,
“It was difficult to get her, but it wasn’t difficult the moment I
reached her. With the help of my manager, he got in touch with her
through someone else that also doubles as a booking agent for me. It was
like a dream come true for me. When I was shooting with Angelique at
some point I started crying I couldn’t believe it. It was like a real
honour for me” she reveals.
– Toyin Aimakhu has been estranged from her husband – She was alleged to be dating Seun Egbegbe – Why her fan accused her of double dating
Toyin Aimakhu and her estranged husband
It seems controversial Nollywood actress Toyin Aimakhu is tired of
the hide and seek game concerning the state of her relationship with her
socialite lover Seun Egbegbe.
The actress who is having trouble with her marriage was alleged to
have been dating popular socialite who also sponsors movie production
Seun Egbegbe. Despite all the tell tales, pictures and other things
pointing to her dating Egbegbe, Aimakhu never agreed to dating him. The
closest she had come with the state their relation was when she agreed
that they are just friends and that she does visit him.
– Gbenga Adeyinka’s son clocks 21-years – The star trek host sends out loving words to celebrate his son – The ace comedian shares epic throwback photo of him and his son
Gbenga Adeyinka
Veteran Nigerian comedian Gbenga Adeyinka the first no doubt is a
brand in the entertainment industry where he holds forte as the grand
comedian of the federal republic of Nigeria.
On Friday, January 29, Gbenga Adeyinka took to his Instagram page to
sends heart melting message to celebrate his first son as he turned 21.
He posted a picture of him carrying his son Gbenga Junior when he was a
baby with the caption:
In a new chat with Hip TV, Mavin Records singer
Reekado Banks, has revealed the kind of relationship he has with YBNL
rapper Lil’ Kesh.
Reekado Banks’ victory at the Headies started the clash between Olamide and Don Jazzy.
In the interview, Reekado Banks said he wasn’t close
friends with Lil Kesh but maintained that they have a cordial
relationship despite the Headies drama.
“We weren’t the closest of friends like close,
close, close. It wasn’t like we talked everyday but we talked once in a
while. He called me once in a while. I called him once in a while. And
same as now, it still happens that way. There’s nothing really that has
changed” Reekado Banks told Hip TV.
Veteran musician Charly Boy and his wife of 36 years Lady Di have a unique love that has stayed true through decades together.
For
her birthday today, Charly Boy penned a sweet open letter to the love
of his life saying “This is what marriage should be like, but our
generation has turned it into something else.”
Following last Saturday’s demolition of the Artists’ Village at the
National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka,
has asked the Federal Government to hold an open enquiry into the
incident and into the various controversies surrounding the national
edifice.
Speaking on Tuesday at Freedom Park, Lagos Island during a press
conference he called in the wake of the demolition where artists lost
works worth several millions of naira, their creative spaces and one was
shot in the leg, Professor Soyinka also demanded compensation for all
those who suffered losses in the exercise.
Soyinka, who described the demolition as a pre-emptive action by
those interested in acquiring the theatre and the expansive land around
it for their own selfish interest, said it was time government conducted
an open enquiry so that the issue of the National Theatre was resolved.
Chocolate City and EbonyLife TV have announced a strategic partnership called ‘Chocolate City Unsigned’,
a genuine homegrown reality TV show created to search for the next
Africa’s biggest music star, spearheaded by Chocolate City, one of
Africa’s biggest indigenous record labels, and EbonyLife TV, Africa’s
first Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle network and production
powerhouse.
This project was announced at a press conference which held on
January 28, 2016, and which had in attendance the Executive Chairman and
CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu; President of Chocolate City Group, Audu
Makori; CEO of Chocolate City, Jude Abaga (M.I), as well as Victoria
Kimani, and other key Chocolate City talents.
ABUJA — THE House of Representatives, yesterday, described
former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letters to the leadership of the
National Assembly, accusing the lawmakers of greed, graft and
insensitivity to the declining state of the country’s economy, as
misdirected, saying they would not be distracted from performing their
constitutional duties.
Speaking at the National Assembly weekly briefing,
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public
Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, said the National Assembly will not be
distracted by Obasanjo’s letters, which also accused the legislature of
insincerity over its planned purchase of 469 cars worth N4.7 billion.
Namdas stated that the lawmakers have tremendous respect
for Obasanjo, adding, however, that the former president’s letters might
not have been meant for the 8th Assembly but rather the 4th or 5th
Assemblies.
“We have tremendous respect for the former President. We
don’t want to be distracted by letters. Probably the letter is not meant
for the 8th Assembly because we have cued in with President Muhammadu
Buhari. I think the letter is meant for the 4th or 5th Assemblies. It
was misdirected, “he said.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Commenting on the alleged sharing of N50m and 150
motorcycles to all members by the House Leadership, Namdas said the
matter would be investigated and appropriate actions taken.
Obasanjo introduced bribery to NASS—Melaye
Speaking on the issue in an interview with The Cable,
Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, described Obasanjo’s letters as
misplaced anger and accused him of introducing corruption into the
National Assembly while pursuing a third term ambition.
Some staff of Imo State Government are now
facing an ordeal that no citizen of Nigeria
should be allowed to see. Persons who spent the better part of their
productive years in the service of their State should not be rewarded
with evil.
About 3,000 workers are said to have woken up one day and heard that the
Imo State Government was no longer responsible for their salaries
anymore. Yet, this is a government that had promised a better deal for
the people and employment for the army of the unemployed in the State.
According to our source, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State had
directed that workers in all the parastatals and agencies of the State
Government should be notified that the State Government would no longer
be responsible for their salaries.
L-R: Prince Uche Secondus | Prof Adeale Oladipo | Barr Ahmed Gulak
The
crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated yesterday,
with three different people claiming leadership of the party.
Those in the contention are, acting national chairman of the party,
Prince Uche Secondus, one-time special adviser to former president
Goodluck Jonathan, Barr Ahmed Gulak, and the party’s national secretary,
Prof. Adewale Oladipo.
The PDP Governors’ Forum had Wednesday night asked the embattled
Secondus to handover the leadership of the party to Prof. Oladipo.
The directive came few hours after Gulak had addressed a press
conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, where he
proclaimed himself as the substantive national chairman.
ENUGU—MASSOB, yesterday, dismissed
insinuation of championing the course of Biafra secession to colonise
the south-south geopolitical zone given its huge oil resources.
MASSOB was reacting to a statement credited to Sagir Mohammed wherein
he described the agitation for Biafra as a desperate ploy to colonize
the south-south region and tap the crude oil reserves as its economic
mainstay. File: MASSOB protests
Frowning at the comment, Leader of MASSOB, Uchenna Madu, in a
statement said: “MASSOB can never be intimidated, disorganized or shaken
because of some disgruntled, frustrated, confused, defeated people like
Sagir Mohammed who in frustration, alleged that Ndi Igbo wants to
capture and colonize the people of south-south with Biafra.
ABUJA—The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has fixed February
4 to hear a fresh suit lodged against the Federal Government by the
convicted kingpin of the Boko Haram sect, Kabiru Umar. a.k.a. Kabiru
Sokoto.
The High Court had on December 20, 2013, convicted and sentenced
Sokoto to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of masterminding
the Christmas day bomb blast that killed about 44 persons and wounded
75 others at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madalla, Niger State, in
2011. File: Boko Haram: Kabiru Sokoto Suspected Mandala Bomber Federal High Court in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
In his judgment, trial Justice Adeniyi Ademola said he was satisfied
that the federal government successfully established the culpability of
the convict beyond every reasonable doubt, noting that ‘Sokoto’ had in
two separate confessional statements, admitted that he had prior
knowledge of the attack.
The court noted that the accused person, throughout the trial, never
showed any remorse for his actions, describing him as “a pathological
liar with no regards for the truth.”
•Forensic auditing for 81 revenue generating agencies
The fund the deficit in the 2016 budget, the federal government plans
to increase tax collection by 20 per cent, Minister of Budget and
Planning Udoma Udo Udoma said yesterday.
Stressing that the government does not want to increase the suffering
of Nigerians, he said that the government will increase corporate tax
and Value Added Tax (VAT) collections.
He spoke with State House reporters after the National Economic
Council (NEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The Minister was accompanied by Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) Willy Obiano (Anambra) and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).
The
new governor of Kogi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has appointed Mr Edward
Onoja as his Chief of staff and Alhaji Abdulkarim Abdulmalik as his
Special Adviser on Media and Strategy.
A statement issued in
Lokoja on Wednesday to newsmen also said that Mr Kingsley Fanwo has been
appointed as the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor.
The statement said all the appointments took immediate effect.
The statement was personally signed by the new governor.
It
described Onoja, the new Chief of Staff, as a tested administrator who
rose to management positions in several blue chip companies in
financial, and oil and gas sectors.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have been
quizzing Nigeria’s former Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Adesola Amosu
in connection with the $2.1billion arms deals probe.
Amosun who was detained by the EFCC on Tuesday night, is expected to
shed light on more than 10 contracts valued at $930,500,960 which were
awarded by the Nigerian Air Force between January 2014 and February
2015 and why NAF bought used Mi-24V helicopters instead of Mi-35M
series.”
The other issues he was confronted with are:
Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez brushed aside rumours he
is out of shape following his side’s 1-1 draw away to Real Betis in La
Liga.
James has struggled to win back his place in the Madrid first team
this season amid stories of a poor relationship with former coach, the
sacked Rafa Benitez, and that he is overweight, reports Xinhua.
His performance on the pitch and his appearance in a TV show recently
appeared to confirm the stories of Benitez. But he was clearly
irritated at accusations that he was not looking after himself as a
professional footballer should.
The League Management Company have pardoned Sunshine Stars of Akure, as
the Nigeria Professional Football League side can now return to the
Akure Township Stadium for their home game this coming season.
The NPFL side were banished from the Akure stadium towards the end of
last season following the unruly behaviour of their fans in last
season’s Week 36 fixture against Lobi Stars.
West Ham hero: Payet has made an immediate impact on the Premier League Ian Walton/Getty ImagesDimitri Payet is showing himself to be the equal of Mesut Ozil, according to former West Ham midfielder Trevor Sinclair.
The Arsenal playmaker, on course to break Thierry Henry’s record for
assists Premier League season, is among the leading candidates to claim
the Footballer of the Year award after a campaign in which he has been
pivotal to his side’s title challenge.
Whilst it has taken Ozil two seasons to discover his breath-taking
best in the Premier League Payet made the adaptation almost immediately,
replicating the form that had carried Marseille to the top of Ligue 1
for much of last season and earned him an eight-figure move to the
Boleyn Ground.
Payet’s early return from an ankle injury in January has coincided
with West Ham storming back towards the Champions League places and
Sinclair, speaking exclusively to 888poker.com, believes the French midfielder has had an equally impressive season.
Peter Okoye of popular music duo, Psquare has officially unveiled his
own football academy called P-Classic Football management.
According to the singer, he dreamt of becoming a professional footballer
with his brother before they started music. Now he has the opportunity
to help grassroots footballers achieve their own dreams.
In his words: “When I was a kid I dreamed of becoming a professional
football player. Like you all know we were playing football before we
finally decided to settle for music and now we are professional and
established musician but still dreaming of playing. Personally I have
always been passionate about football and in other to give back I
decided to sponsor a football club in OMOLE where we reside.
FIFA
on Tuesday confirmed the final five candidates to take over from the
banned Sepp Blatter as head of the world body one month from the vote.
FIFA’s electoral committee said that
Prince Ali bin al Hussein, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa, Gianni
Infantino, Tokyo Sexwale and Jerome Champagne had all been admitted for
the final campaigning.
The vote, caused by Blatter’s decision to stand down amid growing scandal, will be held in Zurich on February 26.
– Osimhen was spotted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport en route Germany – He should complete his move to Wolfsburg – It will be a four-year deal and in the range of €3.5 million
Nigerian u-17 starlet Victor Osimhen has moved to Germany to perfect his move to Bundesliga giants,
The 2015 African young player of the year
was seen at the departure wing of the Murtala Mohammed International
Airport en route Germany to seal a move worth 3.5 million Euros with the
Bundesliga side.
– Allwell, the younger brother of Kelechi Nwakali says his brother move to Arsenal is almost a done deal.
– Allwell also reveals that Nwakali will be joined alongside teammate Samuel Chukwueze. – Both players worth a combined cost of £5million from Diamond Football Academy.
Allwell, the younger sibling of the Nigeria under-17 wonder kid
Kelechi Nwakali has all but confirmed his brother’s move to English
Premier League side, Arsenal, Daily Post reports.
According to the report, Nwakali is expected to be joined at the
Emirates alongside Samuel Chukwueze, at a combined cost of £5million
from Diamond Football Academy.
There’s all to play for when the Super Eagles
of Nigeria square up against the Syli Nationale of Guinea today,
January 26, in the last round of matches in Group C at the on-going 2016
African Nations Championship in Rwanda.
Both sides occupying the top two places respectively know a win will
see them book a place in the last eight at the expense of rivals,
Tunisia and Niger.
Adeniji runs after the ball
Victory by any margin will guarantee the Eagles top spot, same goes
for Guinea. However, any of the teams could still crash out should they
slip up. This is because should Tunisia achieve a high score win over
Niger Republic or vice versa then, a defeat for either Guinea or Nigeria
will mark the end of the tournament.
Fully aware of the situation on ground, both teams will seek a crucial victory this afternoon when they lock horns.
Afro-pop singer, Wizkid may have fathered another child with an American based Guinean- Binta Diamond Diallo.
Binta, who has hung around several US singers, is believed to be a video vixen.
Reports of the love-child between Wizkid and Binta surfaced on Monday
morning, when popular blogger, Linda Ikeji, posted on her blog a
speculative piece with bits of information on the topic.
Davido and Sira Kante (In Black) party in New York. Photo: Y-Dot.
In March 2015, Davido, during his vacation in the United States, unveiled 19-year old Guinean beauty Sira Kante, resident in New York, as the love of his life.
So
in love was he that he displayed a rare form of affection for Sira.
Their loved up photos were all over his social media pages and they did
have a good time together.
Fast-forward to May 2015, news of
Davido’s new daughter form another woman filled the air and since then
nothing has been heard of Sira Kante.
Draya Michele and Orlando Scandrick might just be back together again after the two were spotted having dinner Friday night.
The on-again, off-again duo dined at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills and while we're unsure if their engagement is back officially, the photo certainly begs the question.
As TMZ reported ... the two have had a rocky past but recently called off their engagement, despite the fact the "Basketball Wives L.A." star is nearly 7 months pregnant.
Regardless of an engagement or not, seems safe to say they're on good terms.
Famous rapper, Ice Prince had a very long week (last week), but it seems like the weekend ended well for him.
These photos show that Ice Prince and his boo Maima, are still an item.
Despite the rampant reports that Maima was cheating on the rapper
with a businessman named Akinbode, they still seem to be frolicking.
Maima took to Snapchat to share snaps of herself and Ice Prince having fun in bed.
Award winning filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan has released the official trailer to his highly anticipated movie, The CEO.
The trailer shows an intriguing challenge of 5 executives who are
camped in a mysterious place as they battle over who becomes the next
CEO of the multinational firm.
After his widely publicised marriage triangle saga, Nollywood actor,
Solomon Akiyesi has vowed not to give marriage a third chance except if
it’s a white female lover.
In 2013, the actor was in the news for dumping his first wife, Ezinne
to move on with lover, Lilian and losing both of them in the end. At
the venue of his 2013 wedding, his first wife stormed the church venue
to disrupt the ceremony while the controversy attracted a lot of
attention in the media.
Speaking recently to Punch, Akiyesi said, “I am not married and I am
not prepared to get married again. Since my marriage broke down, I have
decided to be alone instead of investing my love in any woman who would
not appreciate me in the first place. If I have to get married at all, I
would marry a white woman or a black woman with a white heart because
they are the ones who appreciate love. I can no longer invest my love on
people who do not appreciate it and still rub it on my face.
When Ellen Degeneres announced that Justin Bieber
was in the dressing room prepping for the set, a crazy female fan from
the audience ran out of her sit and destroyed the set just to see
Justin.
Lynxxx
has stolen our hearts this year with his deep Instagram posts and
generally positive approach. Today, he celebrated his parents as they
marked their 40th wedding anniversary.
Lynxxx (real name: Chukie Edozien) has 5 siblings – all sisters including popular makeup artist Elaine Shobanjo of Shomya.
Here is what he said
Famous Nollywood actress and producer Caroline Danjuma has a message to all divorced women in Nigerian.
The mother of three shared a photo of the ring size of different
stars like Kim Kardashian West, Beyonce, Elizabeth Taylor and Mariah
Carey with a comment on “How to remarry”.
According to her, the post is “for women who have been divorced or heartbroken … You deserve the world and all the diamonds in it”.
Last week, President Buhari’s fight against corruption
received a major boost when Nigeria and UAE signed some agreements that
will facilitate the recovery of stolen funds. JONATHAN NDA -ISAIAH
recounts the process and the accolades the president’s effort is
receiving globally.
So many Nigerians believe that President Muhammadu Buhari sleeps and
breath anti-corruption. The thinking is that since he took over the
mantle of the country’s leadership on May 29 last year, corruption has
been the cardinal point and the driving force of his administration. The
fight against corruption took on a new vigor in the present All
Progressive Congress’ (APC) government.
Even the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which
hitherto had been described by many as a toothless bulldog, especially
in the last administration, suddenly woke up from its slumber. The fear
of the anti-graft agency has now become the beginning of wisdom. The
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi
Adesina aptly captured the message the development was sending to the
Nigerian public: “There is a new sheriff in town”.
The
national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, has described the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel
Odulana, as a fearless and incorruptible monarch.
The APC chief,
who showered eulogies on the late Olubadan during a condolence visit to
his Ibadan, private residence, on Sunday, added that his modest
lifestyle was worthy of emulation by the country’s traditional
institution.
He was in the company of Governor of Oyo State,
Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr.
Michael Adeyemo, former interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi
Akande, National Vice Chairman, South-West of the party, Chief Pius
Akinyelure, State Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, among others.
The
team was received by the Olubadan-in council, led by the Otun Olubadan,
High Chief Lekan Balogun, and Otun Balogun, High Chief Owolabi
Olakulehin as well as the children of the late foremost traditional
ruler, led by Prof. Femi Lana.
Odigie-Oyegun said the APC-led Federal Government would not
compromise the future of the country for the interest of a selected few
as it was done during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that there is no selective justice in the fight against corruption by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Odigie-Oyegun
told newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday that both members of the ruling APC
and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) found wanting were being prosecuted
by the anti-corruption agencies.
He said, "PDP
has been in government at the centre for 16 years when all these
atrocities were being perpetrated; so it is normal that majority of the
people dragged to the court will be their members.
"Recently,
there are backlogs of cases coming up as reported by the media and some
of the people being taken to court are members of the APC.
"So, it is very unfair to say that the president is doing selective justice in his fight against corruption."
The Federal Government,finally
removed subsidy on Kerosene.
With the development, the product
would now sell for N83 per litre from N50 per litre.
The Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, in its product pricing template released over the
weekend, however, stated that the N83 per litre price applies only to the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), meaning that other petrol
stations and dealers can sell higher than the stipulated amount.
It was reported that the PPPRA’s
template also indicated that at N83 per litre, the Federal Government is making
a gain of N10.72 for every litre, as it puts the Expected Open Market Price,
which is the Landing Cost plus Total Margins at N72.28 per litre.
Femi Falana (SAN), petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC)
last week over the widespread corruption in the Goodluck Jonathan
administration.Read full text of the petition below:We are a firm of civil rights lawyers based in Lagos, Nigeria. We are
the defence counsel for the majority of the members of the Armed Forces
of the Republic of Nigeria who were charged with mutiny, cowardly
behavior and sundry offences before the courts-martial instituted by the
former military authorities.As we shall demonstrate anon, the only “offence” proved against our
clients in the military courts was that they had the temerity to demand
for weapons to fight the well equipped troops of the Boko Haram sect.
Perhaps, because the more vocal sector of Nigeria’s civil society
has been co-opted into the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC,
Federal Government, there is a creeping danger into Nigeria’s electoral
system as President Muhammad Buhari has serially refused to obey the
provisions of the 1999 Constitution regarding the composition of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the same body that was
reformed and structured to deliver an election that ironically brought
him to power. President Muhammadu Buhari In the latest in a long series by Sunday Vanguard, it has been
discovered that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Kogi
State, appointed on December 16, 2010, and whose tenure should have
ended on December 16, 2015, is still sitting pretty in office. Either
because of an oversight, or a deliberate base appeal to primal and
ethane-religious considerations, or both, Hussaini Halilu Pai, is still
in office over 39 days after the expiration of his tenure. This, at a
time when the statutory 13-member Commission is not in place, leading
to half-baked and sometimes confusing policy statements from INEC.
This report will show the danger in what President Buhari is doing and
why men and women of goodwill must guide him appropriately before
Nigeria’s electoral system (of which he is a major beneficiary) is sent
to the dogs.
LAGOS—A suspected drug addict
arrested by the Lagos State Command of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS,
has disclosed that he made over N300,000 monthly from begging in Ikeja.
Kehinde Olatubosun, 56, from Ibadan, Oyo State, was arrested along with 18 other drug addicts at a joint in Ipodo, Ikeja.
A
decoy team of RRS officers, last Friday, traced a stolen phone to the
joint, leading to the arrest of 17 suspects: a mobile phone thief, three
drug peddlers and 13 drug addicts.
Olatubosun said he made over N10,000 daily begging at Mobolaji Bank
Anthony Roundabout, beside Lagos State University Teaching Hospital,
Toyin Street and Opebi, all in Ikeja.
He said: “Every day, I make over N10,000 doing corporate begging. All
days of the week, I am always in Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout,
Toyin Street Roundabout and Opebi.
“At times, I collaborate with other beggars. Whatever we make, we share. But I get a larger share.
“What I do is that I get LASUTH drug prescription papers from their
waste bin. With this in my hand, I convince motorists, passengers and
passers-by that I have a relative who is in need of money to buy drugs
and I show them the prescription papers.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State recently signed into
law a budget of N274 billion for the year 2016. Close watchers,
howerver, wonder how feasible a budget which relies heavily on tax
payers money in terms of funding would yield the needed result, writes
ABUBAKAR SALIHI.
Since the short fall in crude oil sale began to send a stronger
message of the reality of financial downturn to state governors, Kano
State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje hurriedly inaugurated a financial
think tank to ensure significant increase in internal revenue
generation. For some Kano citizens who bought the governor’s idea, it
was about creating a reliable financial stronghold for tax payers money
to be used judiciously. This is a step in the right direction and must
be given full support if only they expect to see infrastructural
developments around them.
A
British judge has published a report on the 2006 death of former
Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, saying President Vladimir Putin
probably approved a plan by the Russian security service to kill him
with poison.But who was Litvinenko?
The
former Federal Security Service (FSB) official was born on 4 December,
1962 in the Russian city of Voronezh. After completing his schooling in
1980, he opted to attend military college as he was unable to secure a
seat at university. It was through his time at the South Ossetia-based
military college that Litvinenko made his foray into the world of
intelligence: His five-year stint was followed by a job in the interior
ministry, that involved intelligence work.
After three years with
the ministry, he was recruited in 1988 by the Committee for State
Security (better known as the KGB, which was the predecessor to the
FSB). After training for three years at a facility in Siberia, he was
transferred to the KGB headquarters in Moscow in 1991.
After
working with economic security until 1994, Litvinenko was re-assigned.
This time, to the anti-terrorism department of the erstwhile Federal
Counterintelligence Service (FSK). "If you remember, 1994, it was the year when (the) Chechen war started and (the) involvement of FSB in this war (was) in a different way, it was a very high involvement. (Litvinenko) spent a lot of time in Caucasus , he knew (the) mentality of people, he had a lot of connection(s), and after that, he received a lot of businesstrip(s), not to (the) place of the war, but areas around, and he did this communication to have information from what happened inside of this war," said his wife Marina Litvinenko.
A painting of Alexander Litvinenko. AFP
It's
worth pointing out that Litvinenko had lived in the Caucasus during his
formative years, which presumably provided him plenty of insight into
the region and its prevalent issues.
But it was during his time
investigating economic security that Litvinenko stumbled upon a
terrifying secret: The Tambov criminal group was smuggling heroin from
Afghanistan to Western Europe, using St Petersburg as a conduit. Worse
yet, he was certain of 'widespread collusion' (see report below) between
the Tambov group and KGB officials — including Vladimir Putin. He
continued with his work, while keeping his eyes open to developments on
the drug-smuggling issue.
CAIRO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Experts
say that Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Arab League offered
development as "a new path" to resolve Middle East crises and promote
regional stability.
"The key to overcoming
difficulties is to accelerate development," Xi said in his speech at the
Arab League Thursday, stressing that turmoil in the Middle East stems from the
lack of development, and the ultimate solution will depend on development.
"There are ongoing attempts of
polarization now in the international arena and revival of the cold war
atmosphere, but China now provides what we can describe as 'a third path'
highlighting development as a vast environment to promote regional
stability," Ahmed Eliba, a researcher at the Cairo-based Regional Center
for Strategic Studies, told Xinhua.
The expert said that China's vision
on the Middle East seeks peace and security through development and balanced
political relations that are based on mutual interests.
Eliba stressed the significance of
the link between development and dialogue as integral parts of the peacemaking
process. "Xi offers an important strategic view, just like thinking
outside the box, to get the Arab states out of the dark tunnels of conflicts
through development," Eliba said.
Somalia's security forces ended a deadly siege of a beachfront
restaurant in the capital, with more than 20 people killed in the
attack, a police official said Friday.
The security forces took control of the restaurant just before dawn,
said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, speaking from the scene of the attack in
Mogadishu.
It was not clear whether Hussein's report of more than 20 killed
included the assailants. Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed
responsibility for the attack, in a broadcast on its online radio late
Thursday.
Volunteers carried bodies from the scene of the attack early Friday.
Former
Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs Diezeani Alison-Madueke yesterday
showed up at the Charing Cross Police Station in London as part of the
investigation into the allegation of money laundering against her.
According to a report on Television
Continental (TVC), Mrs Alison-Madueke was granted bail on the same
condition given earlier and given a June 21 date to return.
Last October, the former minister was arrested by the UK National Crimes Agency, alongside four others.
She was accused of fraud and money laundering in the United Kingdom using a network of relatives and businessmen.
Former
Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs Diezeani Alison-Madueke yesterday
showed up at the Charing Cross Police Station in London as part of the
investigation into the allegation of money laundering against her.
According to a report on Television
Continental (TVC), Mrs Alison-Madueke was granted bail on the same
condition given earlier and given a June 21 date to return.
Last October, the former minister was arrested by the UK National Crimes Agency, alongside four others.
She was accused of fraud and money laundering in the United Kingdom using a network of relatives and businessmen.
Abuja—Following recent successes recorded by the nation’s security
forces in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists and the recovery of
all territories hitherto taken by the group, the Police High Command has
deployed a team of officers, led by the Deputy Inspector General of
Police in charge of Operations, DIG Sotonye Wakama, to evaluate and
assess the epicentre of the battle for return of civil authority. IGP-Solomon-Arase
The police in a statement signed by FPRO, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, said:
“The Force Management Team has taken a step towards the restoration of
civil authority in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states and some of the
liberated areas in the North East as it deployed the Deputy
Inspector-General of Police in charge of Department of Operations, DIG
Sotonye Wakama, to move with a team of intelligence officers to the area
for need assessment and other scooping activities.”
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has declared that he does not have any house in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He challenged anyone with information of any property linked to him in Dubai to publish the details.
The
governor, who also said he was ready to waive his immunity to be
prosecuted if any house was linked to him in Dubai, added that he
was not a kind of person that will deny his assets.
Speaking
through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media,
Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was painful that the people, who
seized power in Nigeria through falsehood and propaganda were still
lying eight months after assuming office.
Following last Saturday’s demolition of the Artists’ Village at the
National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka,
has asked the Federal Government to hold an open enquiry into the
incident and into the various controversies surrounding the national
edifice.
Lynxxx
has stolen our hearts this year with his deep Instagram posts and
generally positive approach. Today, he celebrated his parents as they
marked their 40th wedding anniversary.
