January 2017 | BEATZLOADED

January 2017

January 20, 2017 , ,
Some Gambians have taken to the social media to express their joy over the response from West African bloc and the world in ensuring true democracy reigns in The Gambia.


 Most of them have specifically thanked Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and the ECOWAS in general for beingtheir “guardians.”
Gambians took to social media, particularly the Twitter which had recorded more than 200,000 tweets in praise of Nigeria, Senegal and ECOWAS.On of the tweets said: “Nigerian Air force pilots performed recce flights over Jammeh’s Kenilai Family Farm, Denton Bridge linking Banjul & Int’l Airport.”
Another said that ECOWAS military commanders assembled to force Gambia Dictator Yahya Jammeh out of power is led by a Senegalese army General‏@ruthmaclean, said “Overnight Jammeh fired what’s left of his cabinet after mass resignations, and declared he would oversee all ministries himself.#GambiaRuth Maclean,‏@Smith_JeffreyT said. Verified account Reports from #Gambia are that Kanilai – Yahya Jammeh’s home village – has fallen.
ECOWAS stopping operations in hopes to negotiate a peace, Jeffrey SmithGambia Voices ‏@GambiaVoices, said: “Troops are in #Gambia. “They are walking towards Banjul. It is already war. If wefind any resistance, we will fight it,” General Ndiaye.”
“BREAKING: Gambia’s army chief is celebrating and supporting the entry of Senegalese troops into the country to oust defeated president,” another tweet from Spectator said.
Gambia Voices ‏@GambiaVoices Thank you @MBuhari and thank you ECOWAS for being the guardian of democracy in ourmama #Africa, you made us all proud! #Gambia is graceful.
Adama Barrow ‏@BarrowOfficial1, said: “Amtaking this opportunity to thank the entire electorate of the #Gambia and Gambians in the Diaspora for making this day possible.”On Jan. 9, Buhari lead two other West African presidents and other citizensto meet with Jammeh.Buhari in his capacity as mediator in chief traveled with his counterparts, Sirleaf and Koroma , as well as the immediate past President of Ghana, John Mahama, to the Gambia to meet with Jammeh.
But those talks yielded no results.Embattled Yahaya Jammeh has remained adamant, refusing to cede power after being defeated by the erstwhile businessman-turned politician, Adama Barrow in the December 1 election held in the country.
Although Jammeh had calledhis opponent to concede defeat, however, a week later,he made a volte face, refusing the outcome of the election, a stand he has adamantly maintained till now.
Thousands of Gambians and tourists fled the country as the tension kept rising, especially following the threat from ECOWAS that a military ousting would be carried out against Jammeh should he refuse to cede power peacefully.
But, despite the peaceful negotiations by the ECOWAS bloc to persuade Jammeh to step down peacefully, he hasstayed put and has refused to accept Barrow as his successor.
West African leaders on Friday said they would travel once again to The Gambia in a last-minute effort to convince election loser Yahya Jammeh to cede power, a media report said.
It said the presidents of Liberia and Guinea were expected to arrive in Banjul to give Jammeh, who ruled the small West African nation for 22 years with an iron fist, a last chance to respect the constitution.
The announcement came hours after military forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) crossed from Senegal into Gambia in an attempt to search for Jammeh.However, Adama Barrow whohad equally fled The Gambia to neighbouring Senegal for his safety has been sworn-in as the new President of The Gambia.
In his inaugural speech, dressed all in white, 51-year-old Barrow waved to a crowd of thousands of jubilant Gambians during his inauguration, which officially ended Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
“This is a victory of the Gambian nation. Our flag will now fly high among those of the most-democratic nations of the world,” he said, demanding loyalty from his armed forces.
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January 20, 2017 , ,
Politicians are making money from southern Kaduna killings - Balarabe Musa


Former governor of Kaduna state has warned politicians and elites advising southern Kaduna people to defend themselves to desist from issuing such advice- According to the ex-governor, advice like that will only aggravate the ongoing crisis in southern Kaduna- He also advised people to stop accusing the Hausa/Fulani of being behind the crisis in the state as such accusation could be perilous and incite more attacks.
Former governor of Kaduna state, Balarabe Musa, has accused politicians and the elite of exploiting the southern Kaduna killings to make money and advance their political interests, while the victims wallow in trauma.Musa, who stated this while speaking with journalists at his residence on Thursday, January 19, warned against inciting the people of Southern Kaduna against each other.
According to a report by Premium Times, Musa warned that the call by politicians for the people of the state to defend against their attackers will only aggravate the crisis in the state.
Musa said:“The Southern Kaduna people must resist incitements from some people in the Southern part of Nigeria who are misadvising them to carry arms against each other.“Accusing the Hausa/Fulani of being behind the attacks in the area is very dangerous.
When you are accusing Hausa/Fulani and their religion, it will end up being destructive.
Let’s come together as one and deal with those criminals."Musa called on the entire people of Kaduna state, irrespective of their religion and ethnicity, to get together asbrothers and sisters to end the killings, which he said started since 1986.
He called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to revive companies in southern part of the state which according to him,"will address the high poverty and backwardness of the zone.
"He said:“The Southern Kaduna elites collaborated with their Northern Kadunaelites to destroy the industries built in the zone like Kachia Ginger factories.“Southern Kaduna elites are the problem of the area.
They prefer money and appointments rather than to governthe state.”He said he did not share the view that President Muhammadu Buhari and Mr. El-Rufai were behind the killings,stressing that he was also a victim of cattle rustlers in the northern part of thestate.“Those elites calling for self defence in Southern Kaduna are making the situation worse and self-destructive.”
Meanwhile, suspected armedherdsmenopened fire in Samaru Kataf, a busy market in Zangon KatafLocal Government Area of Southern Kaduna, on the evening of Tuesday, January 17, killing three and injuring five.
Following the shooting, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state has ordered a 24-hour curfew.
News reports reveal that as traders were about going home from the busy Samaru market, about 180 kilometres South of Kaduna city, three men got down from a motor bike, walked to a corner of the market popular with youths and opened fire at them.
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January 18, 2017 , ,
Dangote Group of Companies is set to start its truck assembly plant in Lagos next week- The plant will produce about 10,000 trucks annually
The truck assembly plant will create 3000 job vacancies for Nigeria


Dangote Group of companies has announced on Wednesday, January 18, its intention to launch its $100 million truck assembly plant by next week.
The executive director of Dangote Group, Edwin Devakumar, made the announcement in Lagos.
The chief corporate communication officer of Dangote Group, Mr Anthony Chiejina had earlier announced the project, on Sunday, January 15, sayingDangote would be partnering with a leading Chinese Company, National Heavy Duty Truck Group Company Limited, SINOTRUKto produce trucks used mainly for haulage from its newly promoted assembly plant at Ikeja, Lagos.
Devakumar on Wednesday said:“It aimsto meet an expected increased demand for transport in the country as the government focuses on boosting agriculture and farmers need to move goods across the vast country.
“The Dangote Group has a fleet size of 12,000 trucks and large users. One of the biggest challenges in the market today is logistics because we do not have a proper transport network.
“The joint venture, which is 65 per cent owned by Dangote and 35 per cent by Sinotruck, will assemble components and knocked down parts imported from Sinotruck to the Nigerian plant.”
He said the plant had the capacity to assemble 16 trucks a day and would export to West Africa, adding that the facility would expand into vehicle manufacturing.Last March Dangote bid for a majority stake in Peugeot Automobile Nigeria. The results of the sale have not yet been released, punch report.
Turning to Dangote’s other interests, Devakumar said the group was on track to launch its $17bn oil refinery plant with the first crude for processing goinginto the plant in October 2019.He said:“It will handle 650,000 barrels per day.
“The company will scale down operations in its flour milling, sugar refinery and tomato processing businesses however, due to dollar shortages to fund the import of raw materials.
“Where the foreign exchange is not available we are cutting down our operations.“For example, we had a vegetable oil refinery we have shut down; we had a tomato based processing plant we haveshut down.”
Meanwhile, the latest Bloomberg Billonaires' Index released few weeks backrevealed that Africa's richest person, Alhaji Aliko Dangote lost$4.9 billion or one-third of in 2016.
According to the index, the combined effect of falling oil prices and the naira devaluation in June pushed the president of Dangote Group to the 112th richest person in the world with a net worth of $10.4 billion. Before the index, Dangote was the world’s 46th-richest person as of June last year
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January 18, 2017 , ,
The House of Representatives have waded into the Cross River/Akwa Ibom communal clashes
The matter was brought to the attention of the house by Honourable Okon Archibong- 37 people were killed on Thursday, January 12 according to Archibong.



A House of Representatives member representing Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency, Honourable Okon Archibong has said 37 people were killed on Thursday, January 12 in the Cross River/Akwa Ibom communal clashes.

Archibong made the comment when he moved a motion in the lower house on the urgent need for the intervention of the federal government in the recent killings in the area.

Archibong lamented the maiming and wanton destruction of properties in OkuIboku at Itu local government of Akwa Ibom state by unknown assailants from Ikot Offiong in Cross River state.

He revealed that there has been crisis between Ibibio ethnic group in Itu LGA of Akwa Ibom and the Efiks in OdukpaniLGA of Cross River state since the 70s and 80s, adding that the communal clashes have became rampant in the 90s.

He expressed concern that if the situation is not controlled, reprisals mayoccur & this will lead to further breakdown of law and order in the area.

Honourable Adeyinka Ajayi representingIfe Federal Constituency, while supporting the motion, expressed graveconcern about such conflicts occurring literally all over the country."

We need to grab the bull by the horn and properly dimension this problem,"he said.
1. Call on the federal government to beef up security in and around Oku Iboku, Ikot Adakpan, Mben Inyang, Ayadehe, Mbiabo, head bridge and their environs to forestall further attacks on the communities.
2. Urge the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials to the affected communities as there are now thousands of Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs)
3. Mandate the committee on IDPs, refugees & initiatives on the North-east to ensure resettlement of the IDPs in the affected communities.
4. That the Committee on national security and intelligence investigate theremote causes of the attacks and reportto the House within 4 weeks.
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January 18, 2017 , ,
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs says that those who shout “Allahu Akbar” before killing a human being will end up in hell
- He also criticized Nigerian politicians and security agencies for their poor handling of insurgency and bloodshed in the country- He also blamed them for their inability to contain the menace of herdsmen andterrorists in general



Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA on Tuesday spoke against the Boko Haraminsurgents, insisting that those who shout “Allahu Akbar” before going on killing spree will end up in hell.According to reports, he said this when he visited Ilorin, capital of Kwara state.
He said:“When people wake up and dress themselves up with explosives going into market and other public places and shouting Allahu Akabar and killing innocent people under the guise of jihad, thinking you are going straight to heaven.
“I have said it time without number that they could profess to be Muslims but what they are doing is anti-Islam.
It is against the Holy Quran dictates of Almighty Allah and they are going to hell for committing murder unjustly.”
Going further, the monarch criticized Nigerian politicians for the escalation ofthe killings going in Kaduna state.
According to him, their poor handling intensified the problem.
“We have been working hard to see howwe can stop the menace of herdsmen.”
He however blamed the nation’s security operatives for their inability to contain their menace.“I don’t want to say Fulani herdsmen. They could be any other thing.
“How could Fulani who move with their cows and family come to a village, kill people, destroy everything there and disappear into thin air like spirit?
“What are our‎ security men doing? Where are our intelligence gathering?” he added.‎”This cannot be allowed to go on,” he said.
“Government has responsibilities to call people to order in such a straightforward way that people will understand that there is authority.
“We have been having this problem because of impunity in Nigeria. People do things and go scot-free in Nigeria.
“People commit murders and they are pardoned. Even when courts pronouncethem to be sentenced to death they are later released and they are walking amongst us. It means crimes pay,”he said.
Meanwhile, the Sultan also said recentlythat there othernumerous problemsconfronting the country while admitting that there is palpable tension among Christians and Muslims.
Going further, he urged religious leadersto stop inciting people against one another.
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January 18, 2017 , ,
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state has established a multi-million Naira plastic recycling plant, in the state's efforts towards creating jobs for the youths and generate revenue.

According to Inside Arewa, the governorwas informed that installation of machines has been completed and when commissioned it would provide jobs to at least 10,000.The information was passed on to the governor, while he inspected the plant. on inspection,The governor who visited the site on Monday was briefed by Engr Babagana Taha.Below are photos from the inspection exercise.







































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January 18, 2017 , ,

A first hand first-hand experience documentary detailing challenges of people battle drug addiction is set to berth on TV screens.

The documentary, produced by a faith based nonprofit organization of the House of Freedom exposes the drug lifeof people in impoverished communities including but not limited to Ejigbo, Ijora, Iwaya, Bariga and Somolu.

It also captures touching stories of villains who are trapped in the most illicit world of drug addiction, prostitution, armed robbery and other vices.

“My Lagos Diaries’ ultimate goal is to sensitize the general public about the struggles of these underprivileged persons while providing an opportunity for interested individuals and organizations to support Freedom Foundation’s vision via donations and funding,” to Dr Tony Rapu, Senior Pastorat This Present House told newsmen.

He added further;“It will tell some of thereal stories of rehabilitated prostitutes, armed robbers, drug addicts, beggars and other neglected individuals in the society,” he said.

“Our aim is to achieve individual transformation and subsequently, community transformation. Apart from the Freedom Foundation, the ‘God bless Nigeria’, our sister initiative works directly with people at the grassroots level in these poor neighborhoods,” said Rapu."

God Bless Nigeria’ goes into neighborhoods, interacting with the people, reaching into the community and Freedom Foundation runs the professional programs of rehab and empowerment through Genesis House, Bethesda and House of Refuge.”

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January 17, 2017 , ,
State television announced that the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, trade, and environment resigned late on Monday night. 


The political crisis in The Gambia escalated on Tuesday as four ministers resigned from President Yahya Jammeh's government.
State television announced that the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, trade, and environment resigned late on Monday night. Their resignations came a week after Minister of Communications Sheriff Bojang stepped down from his post.
Mr. Jammeh's term expires on Thursday, January 19, when President-elect Adama Barrow is scheduled to be inaugurated. But the Gambian president has maintained that he would not hand over power unless the Supreme Court upholds the results of the election.
It would be recalled that Mr. Barrow defeated the incumbent in the December 1, 2016 presidential election. Mr. Jammeh initially conceded defeat the following day only to reverse course a week later. He proceeded to appeal the results to the Supreme Court, which has postponed its ruling due to a lack of judges available to hear the case.
Mr. Jammeh's refusal to accept the results of the election has plunged the small West African country into a political crisis.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged Mr. Jammeh to hand over power to the president-elect, but has said it is prepared to stage a military intervention to remove him by force.
"The chiefs of defense staff of West African countries met yesterday (Monday) to discuss strategies on the best way to get Yahya Jammeh out if he refuses to hand over power," a Nigerian military source disclosed to Reuters.
"Some West African countries will be contributing troops, including Nigeria, for the operation," he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nigeria deployed a warship to The Gambia in anticipation of a military intervention.
State of emergency
Faced with threats of military intervention, Mr. Jammeh declared a 90-day state of emergency on Tuesday, BBC reports.
He announced this on state television, condemning foreign interference in The Gambia's affairs.
Mr. Jammeh said that "any acts of disobedience to the laws of The Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace" are banned.
The declaration came after the Gambian National Assembly passed a motion condemning Senegal and the African Union for their "unlawful and malicious interference" in the country's political affairs.
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January 17, 2017 , ,
A Borno State official confirmed that over 100 refugees and humanitarian aid workers were killed.
During an operation aimed at clearing the area of Boko Haram insurgents, a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet mistakenly bombed a refugee camp in Borno State on Tuesday, killing no fewer than 100 civilians.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that a Borno State official confirmed that over 100 refugees and humanitarian aid workers were killed. According to an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worker, 20 ICRC aid workers died.
Members of Medicines Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were also killed, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). An MSF official disclosed to AP that 50 of its workers died while at least 120 were wounded.
“So far, it is a little bit disturbing; death has occurred. There are casualties; there were deaths and injuries," said Major General Leo Irabor, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, confirming the incident to reporters in Maiduguri.
“This morning, we received a report about the gathering of Boko Haram terrorists around Kala Balge area of Maiduguri. I coordinated and I directed that the air component of the operation should go and address the problem.
“Unfortunately, the strike was conducted but it turned out that other civilians were somewhere around the area and they were affected," Mr. Irabor explained.
He added that two soldiers died in the misfire and several others were wounded.
“We are sending helicopters to evacuate those that were critically wounded, including our wounded soldiers,” Mr. Irabor said.
President Muhammadu Buhari offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.
"I received with regret news that the Air Force, working to mop up [Boko Haram] insurgents, accidentally bombed a civilian community in Rann, Borno State," Mr. Buhari said on his Twitter.
"I sympathize with the families of the dead, and with the injured, and the government and people of Borno State."
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January 17, 2017 , ,
Eyewitnesses said police officers wearing Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) uniforms apprehended Mr. Bwala and his driver shortly after they arrived at the premises of the publisher's office. 
Inuwa Bwala, publisher of the National Trail Newspaper and media aide to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, was arrested on Tuesday evening in Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said police officers wearing Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) uniforms apprehended Mr. Bwala and his driver shortly after they arrived at the premises of the publisher's office.
Some press contacted the Abuja police to clarify the cause of Mr. Bwala's arrest, but the police declined to comment.
Journalists, however, were able to confirm that Mr. Bwala was taken to the SARS office in Abuja. He was seen urging one of his friends to buy his prescription drugs for him while he was in detention.

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January 16, 2017 , ,
Zinedine Zidane’s men have gone 40 games without defeat but Sevilla ended their Incredible Records tonight as they lose 2 – 1 to Sevilla. Real Madrid have lined up with a 3-5-2 as they take on Sevilla for a second time in three days, this time in La Liga. Cristiano Ronaldo is back in the side – he loves scoring against this team, he has 22 goals in 15 games! But Sevilla are a different prospect this year under Jorge Sampaoli, whose high-intensity tactics have lifted them to third in the table just two points behind Barcelona in second with a game in hand. The league leaders will take some beating though – they’re on a 40-match streak without losing a game in all competitions.
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January 15, 2017 , ,
HE Nigerian Army has said that its recent security exercise tagged, Operation Python Dance, in South-East was a huge success, insisting that it denied miscreants and criminals, freedom to act and molest the people.

The Army also said the exercise brought peace, law and order as well as secured environments in the entire South Eastern states.
In a statement to evaluate the exercise, the Army said the exercise was successful such that “most of the security challenges, such as intra and inter communal crisis, farmer-herdsmen clashes, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism as well as trading in human beings  in the region, were grossly reduced to the barest minimum.”
According to Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, “due to intensity of patrols, road blocks, raids and other activities in the Military Line of Operation, miscreants and criminals were denied freedom of action.
“As a result, most of the criminal elements fizzled out of the region into neighbouring Delta and Rivers states. This accounted for peace, law and order as well as secured environment in the entire South Eastern states.
“Also, most of the security challenges such as intra and inter communal crisis, farmer-herdsmen clashes, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism as well as ‘trading in human beings’ in the region were grossly reduced to the barest minimum. These menaces are and have been the focus and targets of this exercise and have so far been effectively achieved.
“Similarly, violent secessionist agitators and related divisive irredentist groups were silently suppressed. Consequently, the region was stabilized, with an increased level of free movements and a boost to economic and social activities.”
Sagir explained that the exercise also effectively reduced “the annual gridlock on the Niger Bridge at Onitsha. The yearly sufferings, inconveniencies and insecurity arising from traffic jam  on the Asaba-Onitsha axis of the bridge were curtailed.  Seamless flow of traffic was achieved by our troops working in synergy with the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Nigeria Police Force.”
“Above all, Federal Road Safety Commission available Road Traffic Accident Statistics in the entire region present a significant reduction occasioned by the strength of road blocks, check points and patrols during the period.
“Equally important is that the exercise has further raised the image and reputation of the Nigerian Army in its struggles to end insurgency, crimes and criminalities across the nation. Here further lies the beauty of the pragmatic approach to Internal Security Operation in Nigeria”, Sagir noted.
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January 15, 2017 , ,
You bring back hope to despairing minds; add spirit and strength to the poor…Horace, 65-8 BC.VBQ, P 94.

IN a December 25, 2016 article titled HOPE RETURNS WITH 2017 BUDGET – IF WE BELIEVE IN OURSELVES, Nigerians had been classified on January 1, 2017, into two groups regarding the 2017 Budget: pessimists and optimists.
Ordinarily, it would have required up to the second half of the year for those in the minority to start saying “I told you so!” But, fortune and research had combined to provide optimists an early advantage in the competition for the minds of Nigerians. For this writer, this turn of events was expected and the reasons had been pointed out in the December article. But, the pessimists might have ignored it as hearsay and unreliable information, while the optimists might have missed its significance altogether.
PARIS CLUB REFUND TO STATES
On Saturday, January 7, 2017, the NATION on its front page published the list of thirty-five states which received refund from the debt settlement of the Paris Club loans to Nigeria in 2004 by the President Obasanjo regime. Confession must be made that some of us with our noses to the ground and in search of reasons for hope for economic recovery in 2017 were aware that the states were about to receive this windfall.
The only state inexplicably left out of this bonanza is Kano. This is, however, not the time to start making inquiries into the exclusion. For now it is important for us to examine the significance of this stroke of good fortune at this time and its impact on the robust debate between the eco-pessimists and we the eco-optimists.
The states are ultimately entitled to N522.74 billion. But, right now, they have N388 billion jingling in their pockets. In order for readers who are not economists to place this development in true perspective, six states, one each had been selected from each zone had been selected for comparative analysis between what the states had received from the Federation Account in some months of 2015 and 2016.
Ordinarily, the table should have been sufficient to declare that “the difference is clear.” But, in Economics, figures don’t usually speak for themselves. At any rate they seldom say all there is to say.
Simple arithmetic would demonstrate that what the states have received as unexpected windfall amounts to multiple months revenue as follows: Bayelsa 2.3; Borno 4.3; Katsina 4.6; Niger 4.7; Imo 5.2 and blessed Osun 33 months!! On the average the states of Nigeria had received in January 2017 three and a half months extra dividends. That explains why economic recovery will start from there.
Furthermore, there is the equivalent of a month’s bonus to be collected later in the year. When the ripple or multiplier effects of these providential showers of blessing are added together, the result will be staggering. These are some of the reasons for cautious optimism and a point the pessimists missed. Yet, that is not all in this year when states will, for once, become the engine rooms of our nation’s economic growth.
GO EAST MY SON
Encouraging as the report above is, it pales by comparison with what is about to occur in two South-East States – Abia and Imo. But, before letting readers into the secret, it is pertinent to take a look at history which should always guide us.
Back in the early years of settlement in America, the Pilgrims first landed on the East Coast. As the population grew and job opportunities became scarce they discovered that there were hidden resources and opportunities on the West Coast. So, as sons grew up and were jobless, the advice to them by the older generation was “Go West my son and prosper”. And they went and developed states like California and became billionaires.
Today, in Nigeria, the advice is “Go East, especially Abia and Imo.” In April 2011, former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, was declared the first “one trillion naira governor in Nigeria” – right here in VANGUARD. In just over five years, Akpabio had collected from the Federal Government almost twice what his predecessor, Governor Victor Attah, received in eight years in the same office. That was a record still unbroken till now.
In 2017 the incumbent governors of Abia and Imo States are about to break Akpabio’s record – in one day. For reasons too lengthy to discuss here and need not delay us, the two SE states are poised to lay claim to about N7 trillion (shine your eyes) on funds which had been lying in an escrow account in the Central Bank of Nigeria in their favour for more than ten years.
That is about the same amount as the Federal budget for 2017. Granted for a lot of reasons the entire amount will not be released to them this year; but, even twenty five per cent will lift the two states past Lagos State as the states with the biggest annual budget for the first time in our history. Change? Perhaps.
And, it will not be for 2017 alone, it might continue for about four years. The rapid economic growth the two states will experience will certainly impact positively on the states surrounding them and might even promote reverse migration of the states indigenes from other parts of Nigeria as well.
Again, the multiplier effect of additional N1.8 trillion being pumped into the economy from the two states cannot be easily quantified; but, it will be enormous.
Finally, the price of crude oil climbed to $65 per barrel for the first time in twenty months – meaning more petro-dollars are on the way. God has taken control.
We conclude where we started. Newly available evidence points to the likelihood of a robust first quarter of the year 2017 and if the Federal Government speeds up the release of funds to Abia and Imo from the escrow account, the debate about the direction of the economy in 2017 is over. The eco-pessimists can go fishing. The Nigerian economy will grow positively, perhaps as mush as three to four per cent this year.
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January 15, 2017 , ,

Benin pastor on the run after phone recording exposes alleged affair with Woman Leader

Benin pastor on the run after phone recording exposes alleged affair with Woman Leader

A Benin-based pastor, Emokpae Great, is currently on the run following the alleged discovery of a love affair between him and a female member of his church by the woman’s husband, one Mr. Anthony Ehikioya.

Pastor Emokpae was said to have run away after angry youths stormed his church yesterday, destroying church’s property.

The woman’s husband told newsmen that he started suspecting his wife’s of infidelity when she refused to have sex with him for many months.

According to him, he told his children and neighbours to keep an eye on his wife and they placed her phone on call-and-record.

Her alleged affairs were exposed after she received a call from somebody and the children played back the recording.

The recording

From the recording, the husband alleged that the pastor was heard telling his wife how good she was in bed and that she should come for sex.

Following the discovery, angry youths stormed the Miracle House of God Ministry owned by Pastor Great and broke into it, destroying everything in sight.

The youths allegedly discovered charms, female panties, photographs of clients and other fetish items.

Residents in the area said policemen from the Saint Saviour Police Division arrested the church’s assistant pastor and took the charms and fetish items found inside the church away.

His father

Pastor Great’s father, who gave his name as Robinson, said he was at home when policemen came asking after his son.

Mr. Robinson said he was surprised that his son was accused of sleeping with a married woman, who is also the Woman Leader of the church.

According to him, “I am shocked. My son is a prophet. Those charms were planted by those that attacked the church.”

According to him, “there is no evidence of my son sleeping with the woman. That woman just came to ruin my son’s ministry.

“My son is being blackmailed. They said it was through phone calls. Anybody could have cloned my son’s voice.

“Those people took laws into their hands,” he concluded.

When contacted for comments, Edo State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Moses Nkombe, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

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January 11, 2017 , ,
President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Sterling Bank for supporting the administration’s initiative to provide qualitative and affordable health services to Nigerians through a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Health.



Such partnership, according to the president, would serve as an enabler for the Health Ministry to achieve its goal of revamping the health sector and ensuring efficient management of health facilities across the country.


He gave the commendation in Abuja while inaugurating the Model PrimaryHealth Care Centre for Universal Coverage in Nigeria, located at Kuchigoro, Abuja Municipal Council.
Buhari specifically commended the bank for its foresight, innovation and financing support for the project which is focused on ensuring sustainable health for vulnerable women, children and the elderly at little or no cost to beneficiaries.

The president also commended other partners who have demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting government’s efforts to making health services more affordable and accessible with the possibility of delivery to the doorsteps of Nigerians.
Speaking further on the partnership, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Bank, 

Mr. Yemi Adeola, disclosed that the bank has already accepted the request of the Honorable Minister of Health to serveas a primary partner to the Ministry on all health-related developments adding that the Bank is already working with some committees tasked with the responsibility of improving the sector.
In line with the bank’s value proposition to optimize healthcare centres through the deployment of technology, he stated that the Bank remains committed to supporting The Primary Healthcare Centre in Kuchigoro.

He also disclosed that the bank is supporting the 2016 edition of the Nigerian Service Delivery Innovation Challenge organised by the Federal Ministry of Health describing it as one of many areas of collaboration between the bank and the Ministry of Health.He said further:
“At Sterling Bank, we believe health is extremely important:to value health, you need to visit a hospital to see what people are passing through. As you probably know, there are so many worthy causes, but when it comes to health, it’s too critical because the health of a nation is determined by the health of the citizenry and is pivotal to the sustained economic growth of a nation.


Therefore, we are pleased to partner with the Federal Ministry of Health and support the very hardworking minister who is doing a very good job to give quality health toour people.”
Adeola assured stakeholders that thebank would bring in private sector innovation and style as well as critical parameters to measure the success of the programme on a month-on-month basis and year-on-year basis to ensure the success of the programme from the logistics standpoint and the point of view of implementation as the project rolls out from state to state.


He disclosed that the bank is already providing financial and logistics support to operators in the sector across the value chain with the assurance that the bank would focuson the entire ecosystem of the healthsector.
Adeola explained that as part of the bank’s commitment to a healthy environment, Sterling Bank has invested over N500 million in various activities under the Sterling Make Over (STEM) social responsibility initiative.


The programme covers the donation of uniforms to sweepers and highway managers in 15 states, tree planting activities to checkmate erosion in the Northern part of the country and the national quarterly cleaning exercise.
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January 11, 2017 , ,
The governor of Rivers State, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, yesterday told the Nigerian Police Special Joint Investigation Panel on the December 10, 2016,
Rivers legislative rerun that the panel was established by the Inspector-General of Police with a predetermined goal, aimed at assisting the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the election tribunal. Reiterating his earlier position, the governor told the panel that Rivers people would have nothing to do with it.



Speaking at the Government House, Port Harcourt, when the Nigerian Police Special Joint Investigation Panel on Rivers Rerun paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday, Governor Wike regretted that the Nigerian Police was allegedly being used to protect the interest of a particular politician in the state.

Governor Wike used the opportunity to announce that the State government had challenged the setting up of the panel in court, with the chairman of the panel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Damian Okoro, as one of the defendants, and reiterated his position that the people of the state would not participate in the activities of the panel.
He alleged that the panel was biased with an agenda targeted at the PDP and her members, while shielding policemen used by the APC to commit electoral fraud.He said: “I must tell you with all honesty that my people and I will not participate in the sitting of this panel.
We have challenged the setting up ofthis panel in court. Let there be a judicial pronouncement on this matter.
It will enrich our jurisprudence. This panel has not shown us that it will not be biased.“All these activities are orchestrated so that APC will use the materials there from at the Tribunal.

Even you as the chairman of the panel cannot say from your conscience that you are biased,” he said.Governor Wike regretted that the Police High Command allegedly attempted to deny video evidence of the invasion of Rivers East SenatorialDistrict Collation by Akin Fakorede and his SARS personnel.
The governor wondered why the Police have allegedly refused to make public how DSP Alkali was killed, simply “because the person indicted was a commissioner under the Minister of Transportation.”
He said: “The same Akin Fakorede who was caught  on  video after he invaded the Rivers East Senatorial is the one who is arranging witnesses for the panel set up by the Inspector-General of Police.

Nobody is investigating the case of Rivers APC printing fake result sheets which the police is trying to sweep under the carpet.”
He wondered why the Inspector General of Police set up a panel, when he had allegedly made conclusions as enunciated in his letter to the Rivers State Governor.

He said since the Inspector-General of Police knew those who perpetrated the crime during the rerun legislative elections, “why did  he go ahead to set up  a panel. “We believe that the Panel has already taken a decision. 
We are convinced that the essence of the panel is to witch-hunt our people andwe have evidence to show. 

We cannot because of one man’s interest, destroy the state. Already, you have dismissed policemen attached to me without even hearing from me.
This is the same panel that claims it is investigating the conduct of all policemen during the rerun legislative elections,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Police Special Joint Investigation Panel on Rivers Rerun, Mr. Damian Okoro, said that the panel was in the state to interface with the governor on what transpired before, during, and after the rerun elections, adding that the  panel would also examine the role of security  personnel during  the  rerun legislative elections in the state.
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January 10, 2017 , ,


Barack Obama closes the book on his presidency Tuesday, with a farewell speech in Chicago that will try to lift supporters felled by Donald Trump’s shock victory.
Obama’s last trip on Air Force One will be a pilgrimage to his adoptive hometown, where he will address a sell-out crowd not far from where he accepted the presidency eight years ago. 



Diehard fans — many African Americans — have braved Chicago’s frigid winter to collect free tickets, which now sell for upwards of $1,000 a piece on Craigslist.
The First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden will come along on for the ride. Obama’s cross-country trek would be a sentimental trip down memory lane, were it not slap-bang in the middle of a tumultuous presidential handover.
Trump has smashed conventions, vowed to efface Obama’s legacy and hurled personal insults left and right. The 2016 election campaign has raised serious questions about the resilience of US democracy. In a virtually unprecedented move, US intelligence has accused the Kremlin of tipping the electoral scales in Trump’s favor.
Democrats, cast into the political wilderness with the loss of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives plus a majority of statehouses, are struggling to regroup. With an approval rating hovering around 55 percent, Obama will hope to steel them for new battles ahead.
Lead speechwriter Cody Keenan said the address will be about Obama’s vision for where the country should still go. “It’s not going to be like an anti-Trump speech, it’s not going to be a red meat, rabble rousing thing, it will be statesman-like but it will also be true to him,” Keenan told AFP.
“It will tell a story.” – Life after White House – Trump’s unorthodox politics has thrown 55-year-old Obama’s transition and post-presidency plans into flux. Obama, having vowed a smooth handover of power, finds himself being increasingly critical of Trump as he prepares to leave office on January 20.
After that there will still be a holiday and an autobiography, but Obama could find himself being dragged backed into the political fray if Trump were to enact a Muslim registry or deport adults brought to the United States years ago by their parents. Having vowed to take a backseat in politics, Obama’s second act could yet be as politically engaged as Jimmy Carter
whose post-presidency has remade his image as an elder statesman. Many Obama aides who had planned to take exotic holidays or launch coffer-replenishing forays into the private sector are also reassessing their future and mulling a return to the political trenches.
Obama’s foundation is already gearing up for a quasi-political role funneling idealistic youngsters into public life.
Presidential precedent – Presidents since George Washington have delivered a farewell address of sorts. Washington’s final 7,641-word message which is still read once a year in the Senate by tradition contained warnings about factionalism and interference by foreign powers that seem oddly prescient. But speechwriter Keenan sees few obvious templates: “Bush and Clinton did theirs from here (the White House), George H.W. Bush went to West Point, gave a foreign policy speech,” he told AFP.
“They are all totally different.” The trip to Chicago is not just for nostalgia, Keenan indicated. “The thread that has run though his career from his days as community organizer to the Oval Office is the idea that if you get ordinary people together and get them educated, get them empowered, get them to act on something, that’s when good things happen,” he said.
“For him, as someone who started as a community organizer, whose campaign was powered by young people, ordinary people, we decided we wanted to go back to Chicago.” “Chicago is not just his hometown, it’s where his career started.” And now it is also where Obama’s presidential career will effectively end.
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January 09, 2017 , ,
Music star, Tiwa Savage’s estranged husband, Tunji Balogun, popularly known as Tee Billz has said that all he wants right now is have a happy family. He made his feelings known on social media recently when he shared a post where he wrote, “I’m at a point in my life where I want my family happy, my faith strong, my health good, my mind right, my dollars tight and no unnecessary drama.” The artiste manager and his wife, Tiwa, are currently working on salvaging their marriage and they were spotted together for the first time since their messy separation at TV presenter, Stephanie Coker’s traditional wedding during the yuletide holidays. The celebrity couple, who have a son together, Jamil, also spent Christmas together but are yet to move in together on a permanent basis.
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January 09, 2017 , ,
The police have arrested a cleric, Pastor Timothy Adigun, of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Shere Koro, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, for allegedly assisting a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Olaoye, to bury a boy that died in their home. The couple had reportedly fled with the body of Ayomide Samuel, who died at their residence in the Zone B area of the community on December 25 last year. The primary four pupil was said to have given up the ghost after he was allegedly hit on the head with an object by the housewife on Christmas Day. The police had embarked on a manhunt for the couple for fleeing with Samuel’s corpse after they were directed to report the incident at the Bwari Divisional Police Station. A source who was familiar with the investigation told Northern City News that Pastor Adigun was arrested by the police for assisting the wanted couple to bury the deceased in an unmarked grave in Shere Koro at night. It was gathered that the couple had earlier taken the corpse of the boy to a clinic, but the workers reportedly asked them to bring a police report before they would admit the body. The source said, “The workers at the clinic refused to admit the body when they saw blood all over the vehicle. Mr. Olaoye then approached the Chief of Shere Koro community to purchase a piece of land for the burial of the boy, but the chief refused, so he contacted Pastor Adigun, one Kayode and two police officers who are members of the church to assist with the burial.” But following rigorous investigation by the police, all the people that participated in the internment of the deceased were identified, leading to the arrest and detention of the cleric for allegedly leading the burial team. The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Manzah Anjuguri, confirmed that investigators had arrested Pastor Adigun for involvement in the illegal burial of little Samuel. He added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the couple who, he said, were the prime suspects in the homicide case. “We have a suspect in custody in respect of the case; he assisted the couple to bury the deceased. The police are on the trail of the prime suspects, we are working hard to get them.”
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January 09, 2017 , ,
The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed that nine people are in critical condition in two hospitals in Nsukka, after an auto crash on Sunday. The command’s spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Monday that the hospitals treating the victims were Enechi Hospital Ukehe-Nsukka and Bishop Shanaham Hospital, Nsukka, Enugu State. Amaraizu said the accident occurred at about 5:00 p.m. on Enugu-Makurdi expressway at Umuoka in Udi local government area of the state. The spokesman said there was a collusion between a Toyota Hiace bus ENU 681 XA and a Toyota Carina car CG 25 ENU. “It was further gathered that following the collision, no at least nine persons comprising the drivers and the conductor of the Hiace bus with other occupants were critically injured. “However, the police patrol team on the road was on hand to evacuate the injured victims on time to Enechi Hospital, Ukehe-Nsukka and Bishop Shanaham Hospital, Nsukka, for medical attention and also clearance of obstructions to avoid further incident,’’ he said.
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January 09, 2017 , ,
A love letter written way back in 1995 by one of the worlds greatest rapper, record producer, and poet Tupac Amaru Shakur, popularly known as 2Pac or Makaveli, is to be sold for the sum of $25k. The letter was a response to a particular lady who had written to the Changes rapper. According to TMZ, the letter which contains a lot of sexual play would be auctioned and sold by Goldin Auctions. Read letter below;
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January 09, 2017 , , ,
Michy Batshuayi is not the right man to provide back-up for Diego Costa at Chelsea, Ray Wilkins has told Premier League Daily. The Belgium striker cost £33m in the summer and has four goals from as many starts following his FA Cup strike against Peterborough on Sunday. But Conte is yet to start Batshuayi in the Premier League even in Costa’s absence, and Sky sources say a swap deal involving Swansea’s Fernando Llorente could be on the cards this month. Wilkins, a former Chelsea captain and assistant manager, watched the forward in action against Peterborough and gave his verdict in the Sky Sports News HQ studio on Monday. Asked if Batshuayi is adequate cover for the league’s top scorer Costa, he said: “No, in my humble opinion. “Yesterday when I watched him he was like a guy starved of playing for the first team, and he was out to impress so badly. He really wanted to do well – he ran everywhere, his ball control was pretty poor when it was played up to him. “I don’t think when you’ve got Costa in the type of form he’s in, that Batshuayi would be the answer to come in. “When they played Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard up front [when Costa was suspended] I was questioning why Conte didn’t play Batshuayi as a natural striker, and now i can see why he didn’t – because he doesn’t have the control of the ball that the other players have.” Wilkins also questioned the 23-year-old’s mentality, saying: “When you come into big clubs it’s not only about your footballing ability, it’s how you handle the mental capacity.
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