Partisan politics runs riot

The President will struggle to gain the upper hand on corruption and security while party rivalries block economic change
For an essentially apolitical President, Muhammadu Buhari faces a nightmare 2017 as party rivalries loom larger and larger, obstructing many of his economic and social reforms, as well as his cherished campaign against corruption. The reputation of Buhari, a retired general who makes no secret of his scepticism about party politicians, could now depend on how his team manages relations with the faction-ridden National Assembly.
This year looks like sink or swim for the government, especially without a dramatic improvement in economic conditions. Even Buhari's efforts to resolve the myriad security threats are being undermined by partisan manoeuvres.
Buhari starts the year as the threat of Boko Haram 's Islamist fighters continues to cast a pall over the north-east, even if hundreds of thousands of displaced people are returning to the region. Although Boko Haram has been pushed out of most of the territory it occupied, including large swathes of the expansive Sambisa Forest in Borno State and neighbouring Cameroon and Chad , it retains a deadly ability to launch hit-and-run operations in all three countries. These often involve sending conscripted suicide bombers, usually small girls, into marketplaces and mosques to kill as many people as possible. Unquestionably, Buhari's new commanders have improved the military's response and intelligence gathering but its resources are stretched over an area about half the size of Western Europe, with poor roads and weak communications.
Equally important will be how the government handles the aftermath of the Boko Haram crisis: hundreds of thousands of displaced people face malnutrition and local and international human rights groups have condemned conditions in the makeshift camps. Intelligence experts say that a better-organised faction of Boko Haram is still planning a big attack on an international institution to further weaken the government's standing.
All this is being seized on by Buhari's political opponents, within and outside the governing All Progressives' Congress (APC). Whether it concerns the clashes between Fulani herdsmen and settled farmers in the Middle Belt or the worsening confrontations between militant Shia Muslims and the military, Buhari is accused by his opponents of refusing to bad k political or negotiated settlements. Despite a recent court order for the release of Ibrahim el Zakzaky , leader of the (Shiite) Islamic Movement of Nigeria, there is little sign that the army will comply.
Opponents make the same criticism of the government's crackdown on the Biafra independence movement. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, remains in detention and protests in favour of Biafra continue.
Regardless of whether criticisms of government tactics are in good faith, they are beginning to be taken seriously by Buhari's legions of supporters. Indeed, the only group that the government has seriously tried to draw into negotiations is the Niger Delta militants. That seems directly linked to their ability to inflict still more damage on an economy staggering under crashing oil prices. Some sort of deal seems likely between the government and the Delta militants this year: Buhari made a special appeal to the region in his New Year Message.
Nigeria starts the year in the economic doldrums. It has slumped into recession for the first time in 25 years, with manufacturers complaining at foreign exchange shortages and restrictions. Banks too are under pressure, with some predicting a rerun of the 2009 crisis, when the Central Bank of Nigeria intervened and took over the management of some. Electricity output, or rather, its transmission, is well below target and undermining attempts to kick-start the economy. As domestic debt and arrears build up and inflation rises perilously, the clamour for the promised turnaround is also rising.
With talented ministers such as Okechukwu 'Okey' Enelamah ,
Babatunde Fashola , Kayode Fayemi and Udo Udoma, all with clear reform ideas, there is puzzlement and concern about the government's economic failures. Some attribute them to arcane political vendettas, others to administrative dysfunction. Business people hope that the economic team of ministers under Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be able to assert its authority on policy and push ahead with its initiatives to expand the economy. They complain, though, that many road blocks remain in the legislature and the executive.
Now, the divisions in the APC are out in the open. The main fissure is between Buhari's supporters and those of former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President
Atiku Abubakar. First, they complained that they could get no access to Buhari but now it seems that they are organising a political alternative: the 'Mega Party', which would group their own band of supporters with other APC dissidents together with the rump of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP).
As Tinubu and Atiku are both billionaires, they have the wherewithal and probably the enthusiasm to finance the new party. Atiku could run for the presidency and Tinubu would be in his favourite role of kingmaker-in-chief. APC insiders say that both men have lost the last vestiges of Buhari's trust.
Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki starts 2017 on better terms with Buhari than he was a year ago, partly because he has used his political weight effectively. It falls partly to Saraki to persuade his fellow senators to back the government's plan to borrow US$30 billion for infrastructure projects to bridge the financing gap in the 2017 budget. Yet Saraki is not completely out of the danger zone. His Code of Conduct Tribunal trial for false assets declaration, adjourned until this month, still has to be resolved. It has been going badly for the prosecution, like so many other anti-corruption efforts. Top priority in the new year is to find a new chairman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after the Senate refused last month to confirm the provisional head,
Ibrahim Magu.
Buhari's selling point
Along with respect from the military, fighting corruption is still Buhari's main selling point but that could change unless there are some high-level convictions and asset seizures in 2017. His predecessor Goodluck Jonathan 's allies, including former Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke ; former National Security Advisor, Colonel Sambo Dasuki , and even ex-presidential wife Patience Jonathan are targets but are fighting back hard on the legal front.
In the PDP its former leader, Jonathan, keeps a low profile. Infighting continues between the factions of Ahmed Makarfi
and Ali Modu Sherriff . The defeat of Ondo State PDP candidate Eyitayo Jegede , backed by Makarfi, provides Sherriff with ammunition to use against his rival this year. Some say that Tinubu will ally with the PDP's Makarfi faction in the planned Mega Party. There is also much talk about Tinubu plotting with Ayo Fayose , the PDP Governor of Ekiti State.
The result in Anambra State's governorship poll, where All Progressives' Grand Alliance candidate Willie Obiano should run again, will give another snapshot of the parties' respective powers. After the disputes over the Rivers State election rerun last month, there will be an increasing focus on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission under its new management.
Niger Delta militancy and its political links will receive high priority from the government this year. After output plummeted to almost a million barrels per day less than the government's optimistic 2.2 million bpd target, most of the country's oil production centres are back on stream, apart from Forcados. According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Nigeria was Africa's largest oil producer in December, with just under 1.8 mn. bpd. The position remains precarious, with the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups still at large. The 2017 budget includes 65 billion naira for the Delta amnesty. The latest OPEC and non-OPEC agreements on output caps and reductions offer Nigeria the hope of a modest price recovery.
The much-delayed Petroleum Industry Bill and its several separate moving parts has still not won assent from the Senate, despite Bukola Saraki's commitment to speeding up its progress. The latest thinking is to divide the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation into separate components, including a fully commercialised National Oil Company. The impact of changing the NNPC's joint-venture financing arrangements with international oil companies, officially effective this month, raises questions about the status of the $7 bn. in debt that those companies claim from Nigeria. Some suggest that most of this will be met from future production; some government officials want negotiations on rescheduling or restructuring deals. Foreign oil companies will face another round of local protests and lawsuits in Nigeria,
Britain and the United States over environmental damage.
Rising oil prices should bolster Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun 's plans to issue a $1 bn. sovereign bond in the first quarter of 2017. This is a fraction of the country's borrowing needs, whether from the World Bank, African Development Bank or China . Recent discussions with China and India on close to $100 bn. in planned investment and borrowing sparked concern in the Senate about the forward sale of oil production. The N7.2 trillion budget, presented to the National Assembly in December, is about a fifth bigger than last year's, in naira terms.
While the assumed oil price of $42.5 a barrel looks reasonable, the forecast exchange rate of N305 = $1 is out of kilter with market conditions. The naira's parallel market value has approached the N500 to the dollar threshold; the Central Bank of Nigeria's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $25 bn.
Source : Africa Confidential

BREAKING: Court orders banks to hand over $153.3m Diezani fund to FG

Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sum of $153 , 310, 000 , which a former Minister of Petroleum Resources , Mrs . Diezani Alison -Madueze, allegedly siphoned from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and stashed in three banks in the country .
Out of the allegedly stolen $153 . 3 m , a sum of N 23, 446, 300 ,000 was kept in Sterling Bank Plc , N9, 080 , 000, 000 in First Bank Plc and $5m in Access Bank Plc .
After ordering the temporary forfeiture of the monies to the Federal Government on Friday , Justice Hassan gave Sterling Bank and any other interested party 14 days to appear before him to prove the legitimacy of the monies, failing which the funds would be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government .
The judge made the order in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which appeared before him on Friday with an ex parte application seeking the temporary forfeiture of the funds .
In a nine- paragraph affidavit filed in support of the ex parte application, an EFCC investigator , Moses Awolusi, claimed that the anti-graft agency discovered through its investigations how sometime in December 2014 Diezani invited a former Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc , Nnamdi Okonkwo , to her office where they hatched the plan of how a cash sum of $153, 310 , 000 would be moved from NNPC to Okonkwo to be saved for Diezani .
According to Awolusi, Diezani instructed Okonkwo to ensure that the money was “ neither credited into any known account nor captured in any transaction platforms ” of Fidelity Bank .

Son hacks 86 year old father to death in Ondo

AN octogenarian high chief, in Okitipupa area of Ondo state, Clifford Olumekun has been reportedly hacked to death by his undergraduate son identified as Olusoji.
Vanguard gathered the dastardly act was carried out by the suspect at the deceased’s residence at No 1, Okeraye Street, Idepe in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The suspect reportedly used axe to kill his 86 year old father and high chief in the town.
Vanguard could however not confirm why the suspect murdered his fathered in such.the
Source : Vanguard

Recession: Private jets ownership drops by 50%

The number of privately owned jets in Nigeria has shrunk by almost 50 per cent between 2015 and 2016, checks by Daily Trust have shown.
Within this period, no fewer than 31 private jets have been de-registered with the aircraft either sold off or returned to their owners abroad.
The development, it was gathered, is not unconnected with the economic downturn and the high cost of maintaining a private jet which is said to have doubled in recent times.
Information gathered from the record of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday indicated that there are currently 36 private jets registered in the country comprising of 18 state-owned and 18 owned by individuals and corporate companies.
Prior to the assumption of office of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, there were 67 private jets though all registered in foreign companies but owned by highly placed individuals.
It would be recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan had equally boasted in May 2014 that Nigeria could not be categorized as among the poorest countries because of the ownership of private jets by many Nigerians.
“If you talk about ownership of private jets, Nigeria will be among the first 10 countries, yet they are saying that Nigeria is among the five poorest countries,” he had said during the Workers’ Day rally at the Eagle Square on May 1.
However, the trend seems to have changed as the number of private jets in the country has declined drastically due to what an aviator called recession that has hit the country.
This has forced many private jets to be returned to their owners as the cost of maintenance kept soaring amidst the foreign exchange scarcity.
A source at the NCAA who also confirmed the development to Daily Trust blamed it on recession, saying, “Of course you know there is recession and it is much more expensive now to maintain a private jet.”
Another source said what has shot up the cost of maintenance is the dollar scarcity which has affected the entire aviation sector.
Besides, the cost of fuelling the aircraft has also increased by over 150 per cent. A litre of Jet A1 was sold for between N105 to N115 early last year but the price has jumped to over N250 at the moment.
Also, a private jet owner pays landing, parking and handling fees like any commercial airline - such person would pay over-flight charges for regional or international trips.
Daily Trust also learnt that the economic recession has cut patronage of private jet hire operators by over 50 per cent as some VIPs now prefer to pay for a First Class or Business seat for their travel plans instead of chartering a jet.
A staff of one of the charter companies also said, “Unlike sometimes when this place was very busy, the traffic movement has reduced drastically, maybe by 50 per cent.”
A pilot who gave an insight into the operation of private jets on condition of anonymity hinted that an average sum of $5000 (about N2.5 million at N490/$) would be needed per hour to maintain a private jet.
He said, “It is a lot of money to own a private jet. Like if you have like Diamond 3 or 4, you need an operating cost of about 5000 dollars per hour. Diamond or D5, you need about 8000.
“You make arrangement for fuelling as well. In terms of maintenance of the aircraft, you make arrangement with an approved maintenance organization (AMO). You have to prove you have an AMO, capacity to maintain the aircraft. You need qualified pilots that can fly it, authorized and approved by the NCAA.”
Also speaking, an industry expert added, “A lot of people started taking their jets outside the country when President Buhari won the election, some of them couldn’t maintain it because there is no more free money to steal and maintain them. Some of them sent the aircraft to the owners, some of them sold the aircraft and some of them took it outside the country because these aircraft are not registered in Nigeria.”
Commenting on the issue, Rector of Ilorin International Aviation College, Capt. Nurudeen Abdulkareem, noted that moving out an aircraft because of the recession is a wise decision. He said, “Of course if you can’t make business you move somewhere where you can make market instead of incurring overhead unnecessarily. It is a business decision.”
“If you lease an aircraft and when there is no more free money here and there and there is economic meltdown, it is a very wise decision, that means you don’t deserve that luxury that you are putting yourself, you are living above what you could do.”
Source : Daily Trust

Buhari, British govt to secretly kill Nnamdi Kanu with non-traceable poison – IPOB alleges

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has raised the alarm over alleged plot by the British government and President Muhammadu Buhari to secretly kill its leader, Nnamdi Kanu by administering a “non – traceable posion.”
The secessionist group claimed the move was aimed at preventing Kanu from releasing videos and “classified information ” indicting both Buhari and the British government as “accessory to genocide on Biafrans.”
IPOB also alleged that Kanu was wanted dead before the United States, US, President elect, Donald Trump was sworn in as President.
The pro – Biafra group said a, “phantom road accident” would be arranged for the vehicle conveying Kanu to court should the poisoning attempt fails.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the separatist group wondered why the British Government would opt to align with “people of Islamic faith such as Buhari to kill Biafrans and enthrone servitude in Biafraland?”
IPOB called on the British government to retrace its step of allegedly scheming to poison Kanu.
The group warned that should anything happens to Kanu and others standing trial with him, the “British Government shall be held directly responsible for their deaths.”
IPOB further reaffirmed its struggle towards the restoration of Biafra, saying “Both Buhari and the Biafra-hating British Government are incapable” of stopping the God ordained project.
The statement reads, “We can confirm that the British Government is working in tandem with President Muhammadu Buhari to stealthily administer a non-traceable poison on the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“Our intelligence gathering team revealed that one of the reasons for embarking on this heinous crime by both the British Government and Buhari is to stop the avalanche of leaked videos and some classified information which incontrovertibly placed the British Government as an accessory to genocide on Biafrans.
“Another reason is to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu is dead before Mr. Donald J. Trump takes over as the 45th President of the USA. We have also confirmed that should the plan to poison Nnamdi Kanu fail, a phantom road accident will be arranged for the vehicle conveying Nnamdi Kanu to court on any of the court days beginning from Tuesday, 10th of January 2017.
“What bothers us in IPOB is the fact that Biafrans are Christians and a sizeable proportion of whom are Anglican denomination including the parents of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which was where they baptised and christened him “Kenneth or Kenny” for short.
“So as a child and in accordance with Anglican prayer book Nnamdi Kanu grew up praying for the safety and well being of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and all their heirs. But the question we ask the British Government is this;
“Why would Britain, a supposedly Christian country and a proclaimed member of the body of Christ, be supporting people of Islamic faith such as Buhari to kill Biafrans and enthrone servitude in Biafraland?
“From where is this British Government hatred on fellow Christians of Biafran descent coming? Perhaps, the British Government must tell the world what we, Biafrans, did to them that makes them hate us so much.
“Is it because we accepted Christianity that they see us as inferior beings or is it the fact that we have English names that made them see us as people without a proud identity? Even the undersigned of this press release still bear their English names and append same on all documents both personal and corporate.
“Why would the British Government want Nnamdi Kanu dead in spite of the fact that he is a British citizen? Or is it in line with the British Government’s standard practice of hating every African freedom fighter? Recall that both Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron called Nelson Mandela a terrorist and demanded he should be hanged.
“In like manner, the British Government is now pushing for Nnamdi Kanu to be jailed by Buhari’s sister and incompetent Judge, Mrs Binta Nyako. This hatred for African freedom fighters, especially those of the Christian faith, by the British Government is very surprising considering that these are Africans who willingly accepted Christianity.
“What is it in Islam that the British Government discovered which makes them abandon their fellow Christians and connive with Muslims to oppress and kill these Christians on a continual basis?
“We would like to use this opportunity to caution the British Government to retrace their steps and terminate their plans to kill Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We are also putting the world on notice that should anything happen to Nnamdi Kanu or those detained with him and elsewhere in Nigeria, the British Government shall be held directly responsible for their deaths.”
Source : Daily Post

Boko Haram: Children starve, mothers sell sex to survive

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday said women in the Lake Chad basin had been forced to prostitute to survive.
ICRC attributed it to an insurgency by Boko Haram fighters that had driven millions from their homes and left children to starve.
The violence has displaced over 2.4 million people across the swamp lands of Lake Chad, where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of others,’’ ICRC said.
According to the United Nations, up to a million people have been cut off from humanitarian aid by Boko Haram in spite of a regional military offensive against the Islamist militants.
“It’s extraordinary to see a woman and her family and they have nothing other than what they have been given.
“The children are clearly malnourished and it’s just hopeless,’’ Simon Brooks, head of ICRC’s delegation in Cameroon, said.
According to Brooks, as the head of their households, some mothers have been forced to prostitute so they could feed their family, since many no longer have husbands because of the conflict.
“When you don’t have the means to survive, you’ll go begging for it.
“It’s a loss of dignity when you’re having to resort to something like that just to keep your children alive – fraternising with people who have money,’’ he said.
The unfolding catastrophe in the Lake Chad basin was named the most neglected crisis of 2016 in a poll of aid agencies by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq and the global refugee and migrant crisis, Lake Chad has barely made the headlines,’’ Brooks said during an interview in London.
Report says over 7 million people lack food but insecurity makes it hard for aid agencies to reach the most vulnerable.
“Half a million children are severely acutely malnourished and on the brink of death if they are not treated.
“This area has suffered from decades of chronic neglect … if it continues to be under-funded and under-reported, then millions of people will continue to suffer,’’ Brooks said.
Source : Daily Trust

Woman Grabs Customer’s Manhood, Inflicts Injury Over N100 Ogogoro Debt

A Surulere Chief Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, granted N100,000 bail to a woman, Bukky Babalola, who allegedly inflicted injury on her neighbour’s genitals over N100 debt.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Ipaye Nwachukwu, also granted the accused two sureties in like sum. Nwachukwu ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant, who should not be on less than Grade Level 14.
She said the sureties should also provide evidence of tax payments and their addresses verified. Babalola, 38, who resides at 7, Atan St., Surulere, Lagos, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault.
The prosecutor, Sergeant Anthonia Osayande, had told the court that the accused committed the offence at 7, Atan Street, Surulere, Lagos, at about 1:20a.m. on December 27, 2016.
Osayande said that the accused, who resides in same compound with the complainant, Segun Atan, had sold N100 worth of local gin (Ogogoro) to the complainant, which he refused to pay.
She said when the accused saw the complainant on her way to the bathroom and demanded for her money, the complainant pushed her and she fell, while her towel came off her body.
According to Osayande, “but when she was able to stand up, she held the man’s genital organ and inflicted injuries on him.
“Atan is yet to recover, but still receiving medication in a hospital.” Osayande said that the offence contravened Section 244(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The case was adjourned to February 28 for mention.

11 Years, 11 Trophies – 11 Things Chelsea Fans Will Never Forget About Mikel

Nigeria’s midfielder, John Mikel Obi today announced his move to Chinese club, Tianjin Teda. The Nigerian midfielder who spent 11 years at Chelsea have had what could be called a remarkable career at Chelsea.
Below are 10 things Chelsea fans will not forget about him.

1. Transfer saga
Mikel joined Chelsea in 2006 after a controversial transfer from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo. After Manchester United had announced the capture of Mikel on its website, Chelsea came at the last hour to sign the then promising talent.
2. Trophies
The midfielder has made 374 appearances for Chelsea, winning 11 trophies along the way. Premier League: 2009–10, 2014–15, FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, League Cup: 2006-07, 2014-15, FA Community Shield: 2009, UEFA Champions League: 2011–12, UEFA Europa League: 2012–13.
3. Pass accuracy
In his first three years at Chelsea, he had the highest pass completion in the Premier League, boasting an impressive 89.93%. That’s even better than the likes of Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard or Man United’s Paul Scholes.
4. Loyalty
Mikel, before departure is the second-longest serving player at Stamford Bridge. Mikel made just 18 appearances for Chelsea last season and has been used in a substitute role increasingly over the last few years.
5. Red cards
Chelsea fans will not also forget quickly the times Mikel has been sent off the pitch of play. In 2007, Mikel was sent-off for the third time in his one year Chelsea career when referee Mike Dean dismissed him for a tackle on Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
6. 2011-2012 season opener
Before the start of their league campaign, Mikel's father was abducted in his native Nigeria on 10 August; despite this, Mikel started in the club's opening fixture against Stoke City at Britannia Stadium.
7. Threat to referee
In 2012, Mikel was charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) on 22 November 2012. He was given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 for threatening referee Mark Clattenburg during a 3–2 defeat to Manchester United.
8. Dreadlock
Just like his African counterpart, Michael Essien, Mikel had been on dreadlocks for a very long time at Chelea.
9. 2016 summer Olympics
This many believed to be the major cause of his inability to break into Antonio Conte’s side. Mikel opted to play for his country Nigeria ahead of playing for Chelsea.
10. On 19th May 2012, in the final in Munich on 19 May, Mikel played the full 120 minutes in a tough defensive battle as Chelsea won its first ever Champions League trophy.
11. As a fan of football, what exactly do you remember about his playing career at Chelsea?

TB Joshua Casts Demons Out of Girl Who Cries ‘Blood’ [PHOTOS]

General Overseer of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), Pastor TB Joshua has delivered a South African girl who cries blood and suffered series of molestations.
Read the report below as written by Ihechukwu Njoku, a freelance Nigerian journalist who writes for Synagogue Church.
A YouTube video has emerged showing a young South African teen’s purported ‘deliverance’ at a Lagos-based church from a rare medical condition that caused her to cry actual tears of blood.
“Shedding tears of real blood, molested by strange creatures in the dream, raped and abused countless times by perverted men, the life of Hope was filled by a devilish form of tragedy from day one,” reads the description of the viral clip published by Emmanuel TV.
In a tearful testimony, Hope recounts how she began bleeding through her eyes, ears and other extremities in her early teenage years after several horrific nightmares involving strange “demonic creatures”.
“People were running away from me,” she reminisced, “they started calling me a devil’s child.” The ‘condition’ became so severe that Hope was “kicked out of school” and spent most of the time in isolation due to the shame and rumors that spread in its wake.
Several attempts at suicide revealed the deep depression which had engulfed her. Amidst the strange “spiritual attacks” which included menstruating for up to 40 days without ceasing and her hair inexplicably starting to fall off, Hope was also raped on three different occasions.
After exhausting all medical options, Hope and her mother decided to pay a visit to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria, famed for its purported ability to cure a diverse range of ‘spiritual’ ailments.
During the time of prayer in one of T.B. Joshua’s services, Hope said she was ‘delivered’, the video showing the ‘demon’ purportedly behind her bizarre affliction being commanded out and the young girl collapsing to the floor.
A year later, Hope returned to the popular church looking completely transformed and testifying to the remarkable changes in her life.
“Whenever I cry, I look at my tears and say, ‘Thank You, Jesus’,” she told the congregation, attesting to the fact that she had stopped crying blood ever since the prayer she received at The SCOAN.
Emmanuel TV’s YouTube channel has up to 450,000 subscribers and has gained a reputation for releasing controversial footage which attracts both commendation and condemnation from its viewers.
Photos:

Glo Caf Awards 2016: Full List Of Winners

The 2016 CAF awards gala held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on January 5, 2017, to celebrate Africa’s best.
Algeria and Leicester City forward Riyad Mahrez won the biggest prize on the night as he was crowned the best player on the continent for the year 2016, edging Algeria’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Senegal’s Sadio Mane.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari was also honoured with the CAF Platinum award, while Kelechi Iheanacho and Iheanacho were among other winners on the night.

Here is the full list of award winners
1. Uganda: National team of the year
2. Super Falcons: Women’s national team of the year
Mamelodi Sundowns: Club of the year
1. Kelechi Iheanacho: Most promising talent
2. Alex Iwobi: Youth player of the year
3. Pitso Mosimane: Coach of the year
4. Asisat Oshoala: Women’s player of the year
5. Bakary Papa Gassama: Referee of the year
6. Laurent Pokou and Emilienne Mbango: Legend awards
7. Denis ONYANGO: Player of the year based in Africa
8. Team of the year: Goalkeeper: Denis ONYANGO (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Serge AURIER (Cote d’Ivoire & Paris Saint-Germain), Aymen ABDENNOUR (Tunisia & Valencia), Eric BAILLY (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United), Joyce LOMALISA (DR Congo & AS Vita)
Midfielders: Khama BILLIAT (Zimbabwe & Mamelodi Sundowns), Rainford KALABA (Zambia & TP Mazembe), Keegan DOLLY (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns),
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund), Sadio MANE (Senegal & Liverpool), Riyad MAHREZ (Algeria & Leicester City)
1. Football Leader award: Manuel Lopes Nasciment the President of Guinea Bissau Football Federation
2. CAF Platinum award: Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari
3. African Player of the year: Riyad Mahrez

Babcock undergraduate sends New Year message, commits suicide

Samson Folarin

A 19- year-old undergraduate of Babcock University , Ilishan-Remo , Ogun State , Verishima Unokyur , has committed suicide in his parent’s home in Mafoluku , in the Oshodi area of Lagos State .
PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday that the 200 -level Social Work student had on Tuesday sent a text message to his best friend, welcoming him into the New Year.
“ See you in heaven , ” he reportedly said at the end of the message.
Our correspondent learnt that the Benue State indigene committed suicide between that time and Wednesday when his corpse was discovered, by hanging himself with his tie.
His immediate younger brother , Asor, was reportedly asleep at the time.
Asor said their mother was also away , adding that his brother never showed any sign that he would commit suicide .
He said , “ I was sleeping when my phone rang and when I checked, I saw that it was my mum calling . She said I should come and open the door for her. As I was coming down, I saw my brother dangling like a pendulum from where he hanged himself . That was around 7am .
“ He didn ’ t complain about anything. But I remember that before I went to sleep , he was quiet . I asked what was wrong with him , but he said nothing . My mum had just the two of us ; he was my elder brother . ”
Our correspondent gathered from a close family friend that the victim had told his mother that he would die anytime .
He explained that the mother , who was alarmed, took him to different prayer houses , which however , did not stop Verishima from killing himself .
He said , “ The two children lost their father about 15 years ago . It was their mother that had been responsible for their upkeep and she made them comfortable . She is a top employee of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria .
“ He had been telling the mother that he had the feeling that he would die soon.
“ The mother attends one of the Pentecostal churches and so when the boy said he would die , she took him to the church and they prayed for him.
“ A night to the day of this incident, the boy picked his phone and sent a text message to his best friend, wishing him a happy new year. At the end of that message, he wrote , ‘see you in heaven ’ . It was the following morning that his remains were found dangling from his tie . ”
A former teacher of the victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity , described him as an introvert.
“ When he was in secondary school, he always kept to himself . Nobody knew anything about him ,” he added.
Our correspondent learnt that policemen from the Mafoluku division visited the scene and took photographs of the victim before calling an ambulance to convey the corpse to a mortuary .
It was learnt that the mother had been in a state of shock since the incident happened, as symapthisers besieged the family house on Sunkanmi Awoyingbo Street, Mafoluku, to condole with them .
A check on the Facebook page of Verishima showed he was an avid fan of DC Comics . He posted photos of super heroes on his cover page at different times.
Our correspondent also observed that some of his friends had started paying tributes to his memory on his Facebook wall and those of other relatives, who posted the news.
One Ifeoluwa Comfort said, “ When I heard about this sad news yesterday ( Wednesday) , I couldn ’ t get myself out of the shock for good 20 minutes . I couldn ’ t believe it .
“ What a loss to his family and the world at large . I still can’ t think of what could have made him do that to himself . God of mercy , I pray you forgive him . ”
Another , Moses Mow, said , “ Oh my God ! I went to the same lesson with this boy. He was a good kid . Why did this happen ?”
The Babcock Public Relations Officer , Joshua Suleiman, confirmed the studentship of Verishima .
He said, “ The incident didn ’t happen in Babcock. It happened in the deceased’ s home . He was a 200- level Social Work student. From the university’ s records , he was an easy- going and obedient student. ”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer , SP Dolapo Badmos , said the victim was pronounced dead at a hospital .
She said , “ The family woke up to find his body dangling from where he hanged himself . He was rushed to a hospital where he was confirmed dead. The case is under investigation . ”
Source :PUNCH .

How Borno council chair, father shield fleeing Boko Haram terrorists – Army

ABUJA-THE Nigerian Army, yesterday, gave account of how a local government chairman in Borno State and his father used their house as a shield for fleeing Boko Haram fighters during period of battle against the insurgents in the North East .
The Army said Alhaji Shettima Lawan, Caretaker Chairman of Mafa Local Government Area of the state and his father whose name was not disclosed were sympathizers of the dreaded Islamist extremist sect which activities had led to loss of thousands of lives and destruction of several property in the North East.
The Army which said the council chairman was already in its custody after his arrest for alleged link with sect, however, said the apprehended Borno council boss would be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution, since according to it, it lacked power to prosecute.
Speaking during a live televised press conference, held at the 7 Division Headquarters of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, monitored in Abuja, Major General Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, insisted that the chairman was an ardent sympathizer of the sect.
He, however, did not state whether the chairman’s accomplice father was also arrest and being held.
“The chairman was in the habit of accommodating people that had fled from the bush.” We heard that he harboured Boko Haram members along with his father. He said he kept the Boko Haram members because the father begged him to do so. All I can say is that the chairman is a big supporter of Boko Haram,” he said .
Irabor also disclosed that the army also arrested the Vice Chairman of Kaga Local Government Area of the state, over alleged link with the sect, saying he was undergoing interrogation.”
Although, Irabor said the detained council chairman had been valuable in the fight against the sect, he, however, said such does not preclude him from interrogation based on intelligence gathered.
“At some point, he has been valuable to us being with the Civilian JTF to fight Boko Haram; but that does not mean we cannot investigate him for a crime like this.”he added.
Recall that two days ago, the Borno State Government, in a widely publicized statement, said it was worried that the council chairman, which it said had been harboring people fleeing from the crisis area, could be linked to such act even as it said it was not holding brief for the detained chairman.
Speaking through a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Usman Zanna, the Borno State Government insisted that it was worried over the development.
Boko Haram suspect captured by troops of 155 Task Force Battalion, 21 Brigade
at Dipcheri, Jere and Chogolo towns
“The Chairman is also known to champion the course of citizens fleeing from communities after attacks by insurgents. From information available to the military, the Chairman recently got involved in assisting some citizens trapped in a village within his local government area and he is believed to have Internally Displaced Persons living in his residence at 505 estate like most adults in Maiduguri, Jere and parts of Konduga do have fleeing relatives and friends living with them.
“There is an information that a certain suspected member of the Boko Haram might have joined some of the citizens he helped last week but whether he knew the identity of the suspect and deliberately hid him and for whatever purpose is what we look forward to being determined by the military,” he said
While we do not intend to question the intelligence gathering, judgment and authority of the military, to us at the Ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, the whole development is a worrisome twist.
“It is a twist because, for years, the caretaker chairman has been known for his courage in joining hunters to go into front lines to battle Boko Haram fighters. His commitment in the fight against insurgents is known to different Army commanders that served in Mafa Local Government Area in the last two years, “the statement had read.

BREAKING: Another Chibok girl,Rakiya Abubakar and her baby rescued

Another Chibok girl,Rakiya Abubakar and her baby rescued by troops of 27 Brigade around Alagarno area near Ajigin in Damboa LGA
Details later...

Buhari okays arms for airport security

Sirika

Airports security personnel will now bear arms, Minister of State (Aviation) Senator Hadi Sirika said yesterday.
He told reporters at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting – the first in the year – that
President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the use of arms and ammunition by airport security personnel.
With Sirika were Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina.
He said: “We are very serious about aviation security; just last week, the President approved that aviation security should bear arms. So, we are trying to make them take the form and shape of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the United States (U.S.) with K-9 dogs, handcuffs, the guards, the batons, light weapons, etc.
“The minister of interior is helping us in that regard with the directive of Mr. President. They are partnering with us and other stakeholders to keep our airports secure.
“All these will be unveiled at the next stakeholders meeting,” Sirika added.
He said yesterday’s FEC also approved the completion of the Kaduna airport terminal building.
According to him, the contract was first awarded in 2011 and the work began in 2012.
Said Sirika: “During the rehabilitation of the terminal building, a contractor noticed some structural damage to the building itself and then increased the scope of what to be done to put it to use and that necessitated the variation of contract sum.
“The cost of variation is in excess of 15 per cent. It had to go to the then President Goodluck Jonathan for approval anticipation. That was done and they went to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
“So, we brought it to Council today to ratify and, of course, taking into cognisance the exchange rate and inflation that have increased the cost of completion of the terminal building.
“Council has approved the completion of that terminal building and it will be completed in six months. The contractor has accepted to work within that period.
“The cost is up from N500 million plus to N1.1billion plus. This is just for the terminal building and not the runway.”
On how the government would manage the closure of Abuja airport for six weeks while work is on at the Kaduna airport terminal, where the Abuja flights will be diverted to, Sirika said the two projects would not affect one another.
He also ruled out the possibility of VIPs landing in Abuja during the six weeks closure.
He said: “The airport will be totally closed for six weeks, the construction and rehabilitation work is for six months. Within six months, there is a window of six weeks that the airport will be closed.
“It is important we inform you guys that whether we shut down now or not, the runway is on its way to shutting down itself. We are all witnesses to how Port Harcourt shut itself. The runway was folding
like mat, it was caving in like deep gully erosion and FAAN was busy patching it until one night it caved in. An Air France plane landed, it destroyed the landing gear and burst the tyres. After the repairs, the airport was closed for two and a half years until recently.
“Lest we forget, if at that time people had taken the appropriate action, probably they would have closed the airport for six weeks rather than two years. So it is extremely important that
when things are bordering on safety we don’t joke about human lives.
“The runway was designed for 20 years to cater for not more than 100,000 people per annum, today it is doing over five million persons per annum and has been there for 34 years.
“So, it is going for 14 years in excess of design. It is not a joke; we are a government and a very sensitive one for that matter. We would not just cause hardship or distortions to the economy for the heck of it. It is a very serious matter and for a very good reason.”
The minister spoke of plans to install in the major airports landing systems that are suitable in bad weather, “except if it is terribly bad”.
“Of course, there is a system in place that you can land blindly with zero visibility but that also needs you as a pilot to be well-trained and for the aircraft you are flying to have the same equipment on board and for the airport to be so equipped,” he said.
“When I came, I did say that our focus is not on beautification of airport or having robust structures for aesthetic reasons, we said our own focus was to ensure that we are safe and secured. What concerns me is how you depart point A and land in point B safely. These are things you don’t see. You will soon see tremendous amount of improvement,” Sirika said
On the importance of a second runway for the Abuja airport, he said: “We would
have the second runway through concession.”
On a national air carrier, he said: “When we came in, we were very clear on our targets and goals and what we set out to achieve and we did say that Nigeria does need a national airline. The national airline will be one that the government will have no hand in; it can have three per cent. It will be private sector led; private sector driven.
“Except with the Ethiopian airline, it has been proven that government doesn’t do well with this kind of venture. We are going to have a national carrier. It is on course. And because it is a PPP thing, it has to follow all the due process.
“It is time-consuming, but I hope very soon, before the end of the year, we will have a very strong, viable national airline.
“We are going to establish this national carrier and it will give good service. This is the solution because Nigeria has the market, we are 180 million. We are sitting in West Africa and in the West African market, we are 450 million and Nigeria is the major player.
“If you add the Central Africa, which is the Central belt, we are 600 million people, which is equivalent to the U.S. market and equal to the European market.”
Dambazzau said the FEC had approved N4.6 billion for the procurement of some fire-fighting equipment.
According to him, the last time such equipment was procured was in 1996.
“So, the equipment in the inventory today were procured between 1985 and 1996 and since then, there was no procurement,” he said.
Source :The Nation.

Arrested Boko Haram commanders to fellow terrorists: repent

Some former members of the Boko Haram sect yesterday appealed to terrorists still in the bush, to lay down their arms and embrace peace.
Ten leaders of two camps of the sect described as commanders, who have surrendered to the army were paraded yesterday by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole , Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, at a news conference in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Gen. Irabor said so far, over 1,400 people had been rescued by the military during counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
He said the repentant sect members would undergo a deradicalisation programme to enable them become responsible citizens.
“We are doing our part to see that this madness is reduced to the barest minimum,”the commander said.
 Gen. Irabor said the commanders, who said they had repented, were arrested in various locations in Borno and Adamawa states.
Four of the suspects were from the Mamman Nur Camp. The remaining six were from the Abubakar Shekau group.
One of the members, Joseph David, who said he was named Ibrahim Alhaji after he joined Boko Haram, regretted joining the group, adding that his aspirations were far from what he saw.
Joseph, who was paraded along with the nine others, urged his friends not to be afraid of being killed by troops after surrendering.
He added that many of his friends had already been poisoned by the teaching of the sect and were afraid to surrender.
“I am calling on my friends in the bush to come out and live a better life from what they are doing in the bush now. I never knew that what we were told is not true. Some of them are afraid to come out because they think that they will be killed.
“What the Boko Haram is teaching people is far from religion. Both the Bible and the Qur’an did not say that if you kill somebody you will go to paradise. It is all lies. Please you people should come out and enjoy a better life in Nigeria. The army is taking good care of us. I didn’t know that the army would do this to us. Please come out and stop the killing; soldiers will not kill you,” Joseph said.
Another ex-Boko Haram Commander, Amiran Doki, said they were deceived by Nur, hence their decision to surrender.
Doki said: ”I thought Nur would come and surrender, but later we discovered that he did not surrender; then, we left. We left the Sambisa forest together with our Commander Mamman Nur. He promised us that he would surrender and apologise to Nigeria but we discovered that he didn’t do so. That is why we decided to surrender to the military.”
Source :The Nation

Information ministry to spend N661m on travelling/refreshment

ABUJA —As Nigerians expect quick recovery of the country from the economic recession, it is also expected that the Federal Government would drive the recovery plan by blocking all leakages in the nation’s budget implementation.
But this seems not to be in the plans of the Minister of Information and Culture, which has proposed to spend N661,006,782 million on travelling and transportation, refreshment and miscellaneous in the 2017 fiscal year.
The amount is part of the N49,464,302,080billion allocated to the ministry from the N7.3 trillion appropriation bill for 2017currently before the National Assembly.
A breakdown of the amount showed that the sum of N273,706,901m is allocated to travelling and transportation, N347, 299,681 to miscellaneous, whereas N40m will be spent on refreshment in the fiscal year.
Vanguard checks showed that the sum of N50m will be spent on scanning and keeping of official records.
Our findings showed that from the total allocation, only N8,380,248,826 will be spent on capital projects, while N41,084,053,254 is for recurrent expenditure of the ministry.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed
Other areas expected to take the chunk of the allocation of the ministry include, grassroots publicity and enlightenment campaign on government policies and programmes, which has another N409,240,600, while N100m will be spent on interaction with stakeholders.
The ministry also in the year in view is expected to spend N192,863,901 on publicity and advertisement and another N270 million for hosting of town hall meetings across the country.
Also for the year, N97.2 million has been earmarked for procurement of motor vehicles for the ministry, while another N50m is allocated to the annual Abuja Carnival and National Creativity week in 2017.
Similarly, the sum of N88m, will go into operation and maintenance of cultural centres abroad in China and Brazil.
For welfare and sporting activities, the ministry is to spend N69,140,907 and N12,909,380 respectively for the year in view.
Part of the capital projects contained in the budget include acquisition of tangible assets which got N447,554,559m from the capital allocation.
This is in addition to N88,995,701 proposed for maintenance services by the ministry.
However, N29, 311,283 and N35,476,295 were earmarked for office rent and other maintenance services in the ministry.
Source :Vanguard

Tinubu, Dantata, Cole, Ogah, others clinch Nigeria’s 1.3mbd oil lifting deal

Abuja — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, named Wale Tinubu’s Oando, Toye Cole’s Sahara Energy Resources, Sayyu Dantata’s MRS Oil and 36 other companies as winners of the crude oil term contract, for the purchase and lifting of 1.306 million barrels per day of Nigeria’s crude oil for 2017/2018, effective January 1, 2017.
NNPC, in a statement in Abuja, said that the 39 successful bidders comprised 18 Nigerian companies, 11 international oil traders, five foreign refiners, three National Oil Companies, (NOCs) and two NNPC trading arms.
According to the corporation, all the contracts are for 32,000 barrels per day except Duke Oil Ltd, an oil trading arm of the NNPC, which shall be for 90,000 barrels per day.
Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, COMD, of the corporation, Mr. Mele Kyari, said that the contract will run for one year effective January 1, 2017 for consecutive 12 circles of crude oil allocation.
The other Nigerian companies are: Sayyu Dantata’s MRS Oil and Gas, Uche Ogah’s Masters Energy, Alhaji Auwalu Rano’s A.A. Rano Nigeria Ltd, Oladimeji Edwards’ Hyde Energy, and Uju Ifejika’s Britania-U.
The list also include North West Petroleum and Optima Energy, AMG Petroenergy, Arkleen Oil & Gas Ltd, Shoreline Ltd, Emo Oil, Setana Oil and Prudent Energy.
The International oil traders are Trafigura, ENOC, BP Trading, Total Trading, UCL Petro Energy, Mocoh Trading, Trevier Petroleum, Heritage Oil, Levene Energy, Glencore and Litasco Supply and Trading Company.
In the government-to-government category, the companies are India Oil Company, Sinopec of China and Saccoil of South Africa, while the two NNPC subsidiaries are Duke Oil and Carlson Hyson.
A total of 224 bids were submitted by companies seeking to purchase and lift Nigerian crude oil grades for the period 2017/2018.
During the bid opening in November 2016, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, had assured the public that NNPC would ensure due process, transparency and fairness in the selection process.
“We will ensure transparency and fairness in the process. There is nothing that is hidden just as you have seen today,” Baru had stated.
Baru had also disclosed that the number of companies bidding dropped from 278 in 2015/2016 to 224 at present, due to the strengthening of the criteria for prospective bidders.
He said NNPC was targeting crude oil refiners, big oil traders, as well as companies that had made substantial investments in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, particularly in the downstream sector.
Baru further stated that the huge number of bidders, despite the stringent conditions, was an indication of the fact that Nigeria’s crude oil grades were in high demand across the globe.
He said: “There have been speculations that we are struggling for market. That is not true. Nigerian crude has continued to earn premiums and they are hot cake for refiners. Because of the light nature of the crude, it induces very high yields on the valuable products that you produced from crude oil. Nigerian crude continues to maintain market.
“In fact, contrary to a lot of speculations that a lot of Nigerian crude goes to China, it does not. Most of them are consumed and refined in India and Europe, particularly, this year and last year, most of Nigerian crude ends up in European refineries.”
Source :Vanguard

Thugs, prostitute beat herdsman to stupor over alleged Boko Haram membership

UGHELLI— About seven thugs and a prostitute at a brothel known as Big Dafe, located along the East-West Expressroad, Ughelli, Delta State, in the early hours of yesterday, allegedly beat a herdsman to stupor on allegation that he is a member of the Boko Haram sect.
The herdsman, simply identified as Usman, was said to have approached the prostitute, named Amaka, and paid her N5,000 with the intention of having an all night romp with her.
An eyewitness told Vanguard : “While the man was taking off his clothing after paying the lady N5,000 at about 1:30a.m., his dagger fell out. On sighting his dagger, Amaka immediately raised alarm that he is a Boko Haram member, who wants to kill her.”
The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Immediately the Aboki and the girl came out from the room, wife of the owner of the brothel ordered the thugs, who were playing a game of pool, to beat Usman and a male sympathiser, who was pleading on his behalf.”
Confirming the incident, a senior police officer at the Ughelli ‘A’ Division Police Station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that the herdsman and the prostitute are in police custody, pending further investigation into the matter.
Source :Vanguard

Include IPOB, MASSOB, others in proposed probe into Southern Kaduna kilings, NASS told

ONITSHA —The Campaign for Democacy, CD, has urged the national assembly to include members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB; Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB and Igbo youths as members of the panel that would probe the recent killings in Southern Kaduna.
CD said that although the investigation was still a proposal, but if the national assembly resumed from both the Christmas and New Year break and still decided to maintain its stand in probing the killings, it should include all pro-Biafra groups and Igbo youths in the exercise, to avoid being lopsided.
In a press statement issued yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra state, CD’s National Publicity Secretary, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, said the massacre of over 800 Christians in Southern Kaduna required a thorough investigation to ascertain the brain behind such dastardly act, adding that the vow by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to set up a high-powered investigative team to unravel the circumstances surrounding such a high volume of killing of Christians was a step in the right direction.
CD recalled that since the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB; Chidiebere Onwudiwe, IPOB’s national coordinator; Benjamin Onwuka, leader of Biafra Zionists Movement, BZM whose over 100 members are currently languishing in various prison custodies, and other Igbo activists, no fewer than 2,000 Igbo youths had been killed by the Nigerian Army, under the so-called Rule-of-Engagement, RoE.
CD stated that the proposed investigation would definitely unmask those behind the massacre to be brought to book, adding, “it is on record that two years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership has witnessed the highest number of killings of innocent Nigerians than the previous 17 years of uninterrupted democracy and past military administrations put together”.
Uzor therefore called on the United Nations, UN, International Criminal Court, ICC, the United States, US, other world bodies and their leaders to take note of such ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ being meted to defenceless Nigerians, go for pro-active measures to forestall future occurence and possibly bring all the perpetrators to book, since nobody is above the law.
Source :Vanguard

National Airline To Begin Operation In 2017

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, says Nigeria will have a very strong, viable national airline before the end of 2017.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Sirika said the project would be private sector driven, and the federal government may own only three percent of the airline.
“When we came in we were very clear on our targets and goals and what we set out to achieve, and we did say that Nigeria does need a national airline. The national airline will be one that the government will have no hand in; normally it can have three percent,” he said.
“It will be private sector-led, private sector-driven. Except with the Ethiopian airline it has been proven that government doesn’t do well with this kind of venture.
“We are going to have a national carrier; it is on course and because it is a PPP thing it has to go through IC and C, and also has to follow all the due process. So it is time-consuming but I hope very soon before the end of the year we will have a very strong viable national airline.”
He said the carrier is necessary, considering the size of the market available in west and central Africa — equivalent to that of the US and Europe.
“For me, if any air line will have the capacity to deploy several aircraft with seamless operation, non disruptive, provide the service, go the long haul, take advantage and give other international airlines a run for their money, we don’t need to get involved; it is because there is none.
“The Nigerian Airways used to do all of these but in the wisdom of the then government they liberalised the sector, because of the absence of Nigeria’s capacity most of these airlines will come and leave as fast as they came in. But we are addressing all of these.
“We are going to establish this national carrier and it will give good service. This is the solution because Nigeria has the market, we are 180 million, we are sitting in West Africa and in the West African market we are 450 million and Nigeria is the major player.
“If you add the Central Africa, which is the Central belt, we are 600 million people, which is equivalent to the US market and also equal to the European market.”
Nigeria’s previous national carrier was the Nigeria Airways, wholly owned by the government and founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation, but it ceased operations in 2003.

Gambia's President-Elect, Adama Barrow Speaks Over Assassination Reports

Following the reports that threw social media into frenzy over the rumoured assasination of Gambia's President-elect, Adama Barrow, the President elect, has come out to dispel the rumours confirming he is hale and hearty.
Adama, through his twitter handle (@Adama_barrow) said: 'We would like to inform you that the President-elect is alive and well.''
It was earlier reported by CBN TV that the President elect has been killed by unknown assailants. The unconfirmed report from the medium says 'the assailants overpowered the security guards of Mr Barrow, leaving two of the guards dead and six others injured from gun shots.
However, Mr. Barrow has confirmed he is alive and keeping well.

Fire Service using equipment procured in 1996 – FG

The Federal Government has decried that the Federal Fire Service is still using the equipment procured between 1985 and 1996.
This is even as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the procurement of some fire-fighting equipment for the service.
Briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazzau stated: "This Service, the last time equipment was procured was sometime in 1996. So, the equipment in the inventory today were those procured between 1985 and 1996, and since then, there was no procurement."
The minister said on assumption of duty, he went round the fire service stations across the country and was surprised to discover dearth of fire-fighting equipment.
"And with our experiences on fire incidences all over the country, we discovered that such a situation should no longer hold and therefore we reflected that in the 2016 budget. So, this approves procurement will go a long way to provide the Service with the necessary equipment. This is just a start. Like I said, the last time it was procured was in 1996. We're also hoping that the 2017 budget will avail us the opportunity to procure more equipment for the Federal Fire Service. And of course, the fire training school, I've visited there, I'm making some efforts to also improve our existing facilities.
"In addition to that, we also intend to partner with an entity in reference to training in fire services, particularly in the oil and gas sector. And in that way, we'll be able to improve the capacity of the personnel to be able to carry out its services knowing full well that the various ethnic states too have their individual fire services. Most of these fire incidences happen in states like Kano, Kebbi and Lagos. We're also going to partner with the stage government."
Dambazzau said he had consulted with various ministries and states to carry out preventive measures with a view to ensuring that every building in the metropolis has the necessary fire equipment like fire hydrants.
When asked: “Will you be bold enough to close government structures who are not complying with the fire building code?”
The minister replied saying President Muhammadu Buhari raised the issue of non-compliance with the fire building code during the meeting.
"For instance, every building is expected to have water sprinklers, fire extinguishers, etc. So, we're going to have a kind of stakeholders' meeting that will involve relevant ministries like FCT, Works, Housing, Environment, etc. We'll also invite professional organisations like the institute of builders and architects so that we can discuss how we can ensure safety," he said.
Source : Daily Trust.

Boko Haram :Army Arrests Two Boko Haram LG Bosses They are Alhaji Shettima Lawan, chairman of Mafa Local Government Area, and the Vice chairman of Kaga local government also in the state.

Two council officials with alleged links with Boko Haram insurgents have been arrested in Borno State.
They are Alhaji Shettima Lawan, chairman of Mafa Local Government Area, and the Vice chairman of Kaga local government also in the state.
The Nigerian Army on Thursday confirmed the arrest of the two men for alleged links with the Boko Haram terrorists.
Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor, The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, made the confirmation during a news conference at the headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Maiduguri.
“All I can say is that the Chairman is a big supporter of Boko Haram.
“We heard that he harboured Boko Haram members along with his father. That he kept the Boko Haram members because the father begged him to do so.
“The Chairman was in the habit of accommodating people that had fled from the bush.
“At some point he was valuable to us being with the Civilian JTF to fight Boko Haram. But that does not mean we cannot investigate him for a crime especially one like this.
“We have also arrested the Vice Chairman of Kaga Local
Source : NAN.

Vice Principal, 3 others arrested for raping students, hawker

The Police have arrested a Vice Principal in Nasarawa State suspected of raping his female student.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that three other persons allegedly engaged in various cases of rape were also arrested by the police.
A statement issued in Lafia on Wednesday by Idrisu Kennedy, the Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State Police Command, said the vice principal allegedly raped the 16-year-old student on December 13, 2016.
According to the police, the man lured the girl to a hotel in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state, where he had canal knowledge of her.
The police statement also indicated that two people “disguised as vigilantes, collected phones and raped two female students of Bingham University, Karu” on December 12, 2016.
It added that another man was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old hawker in an uncompleted building around Lafia roundabout Motor Park on December 11, 2016
The police urged the general public, especially parents and relations of rape victims to report any case of rape to security agencies for appropriate prosecution.
Reacting on the matter, Tina Cyril, Nasarawa State Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalist, described the incidences as barbaric and satanic.
Source : Premium Times

3 female suicide bombers shot dead in Adamawa

Three female suicide bombers were on Wednesday shot dead in Bakin Dutse, Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, officials have said.
The officials said the three girls were on a mission to carry out suicide bombings at a crowded market in Gulak, before they were shot by soldiers and local vigilante.
The three women were intercepted at Bakin Dutse Village, five kilometers from Gulak, the administrative headquarters of Madagali Local Government Area where villagers converge in their hundreds every Wednesday for the market day.
Badare Akintoye, the Army Public Relations Officer at the 28 Task Force Battalion in Mubi, confirmed the incident.
“We gunned down three female suicide bombers. Our soldiers are on alert and commercial activities are going on there,” the army major stated.
The chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, Yusuf Gulak, provided more details in a telephone interview.
“Our local vigilantes that are now assisting the soldiers saw the three female suicide bombers who were on a mission to strike in the market.
“On seeing them fast approaching, they asked them to stop but the girls declined instead running faster, so one was instantly gunned down and the bomb on her body exploded. So also the second girl.
“The third girl attempted to run but could not succeed as she was also shot dead.”
Mr. Gulak called for the deployment of more troops in the area.
Wednesday’s incident is coming few hours after soldiers repelled an early morning attack on Tuesday by Boko Haram insurgents on Dar village in Madagali.
Last December, two female suicide bombers killed over 50 people at a local market in Madagali.
Suicide bomb attacks, mainly on soft targets like markets, is one of the major forms of attack by Boko Haram insurgents whose activities since 2009 have caused the death of at least 20,000 people.
The Nigerian military recently achieved a major feat against the insurgents by taking control of the Sambisa forest, formerly a bastion of the Boko Haram.
Source : PremiumTimes

Must Read :The UN Resolution just Passed against Israel on Friday the 24th of Dec 2016 forcing Israel back to their 1967 Borders

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I don't Think Christians Around the World understands the Seriousness of the Resolution that the UN just Passed against Israel on Friday the 24th of Dec 2016 forcing Israel back to their 1967 Borders which Bible Prophecy said will Happen. The Obama Administration did not use their Veto Right to Protect Israel as in the Past Years. USA did not vote on Bill 181 on Friday and the UN Sign the Bill into affect! Meaning Israel was Placed on Notice to vacate the Westbank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights , for it is now Unlawfully occupied by Jerusalem. This Means the Birth City of Bethlehem, the Grave of Jesus and Golgotha Hill has been Given to Muslim Palestine.

This Israel already indicated will not be Done! They said in no uncertain terms. This will Lead to War the UN against Israel !

Although this was a Last attempt by Obama to Stab Israel in the Back . President Elect Donald Trump tweeted that AFTER the 20th of Jan 2017 the World will see the other UN , There is nothing that the New President of USA can do against the Resolution Passed by the UN Already!

Bible Prophecy States , That USA will Join Israel in 2017 as the USA will withdraw themselves from NATO and Possibility the UN. Bible Prophecy in Daniel 7 - Eagle Wings detaching from Lion and in Revelations 12 Joining The Women with the 12 Stars = Israel.

Bible Prophecy states that Gog (Russia) and Magog (Iran) will get UN Orders to enforce Israel from the Land. Westbank, Jerusalem and Golan Heights.  Daniel 11 and Ezekiel 38 and 39.

God will Fight this War on behalf of Israel . this is called the Gog and Magog Battle of the 6th. Trumpet War were 1/3 of the World Population will DIE. Revelations 9. Ezek 38v 22  , Job 38v22  and Ex 9

Lets look at the Timeline of Events from Now to the Battle of Armageddon

Next the Battle of Armageddon. Ending World War 3 , The 6th Trumpet War.
After the War The New World Order will Arrange Peace in the Form of the Jewish Messiah (the Antichrist)
Israel will Hand the Westbank to Palestine for the Approval of Building the 3rd Jewish Temple in Temple Mount next to the Dome of the Rock . At the Signing of this Agreement called the 7 year Peace agreement , The World will be at Peace for 3 and half years,  Until The Jewish Messiah stops Sacrifices in the Newly Build Temple and Implement the Mark of the Beast, the 666. Just after the great Christian revival and  the rapture has taken place. Then the Great Tribulation Starts and then the Wrath of God  and then at the End of the 7 Years the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ, just before the 7th Trumpet war, the Battle of Armageddon.

Friends I Hope your Faith is Strong, Your Clothes washed in the Blood and Your Lamps filled with Oil. For the Bible Prophecy is Coming together in front of our Eyes.

Bride of Christ get Ready!!!!!!!
Source : Greatman.

Nigeria's President Will Die, They'll be a Coup in Ghana - Rev. Bempah Releases 2017 Prophecies

Ghanaian prophet, and founder of the Glorious Word Ministry International, Isaac Owusu Bempah, has revealed that Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari will die in 2017.
Ghanaweb reports that the prophet released the prophecy on December 31, 2016 during the crossover service. See his full list of prophecies below:
1. Death of a former president
2. Death of a former first lady
3. Coup d'etat in Ghana
4. Death of Nigeria's president
5. Terrorist attack in Ghana
6. Death of several young men and women
7. Important personalities in parliament will die
8. Many people will be kidnapped
9. Innocent blood will be shed in a particular political party
10. Increase in occult practices
11. Americans will go for war
12. More Muslim/Christian clashes this year
13. A great king will die
14. Another plane crash in Ghana
15. Fire outbreaks in important offices in Ghana
16. More celebrities(Actors,musicians and media practitioners) in Ghana to die
17. NDC to stay in opposition for 16 years
Owusu had successfully predicted victory for Nana Addo in Ghana's Presidential elections.

85-Year Old Emir of Daura and Wife Name New Baby

85-year old Emir of Daura, Alhaji Farouk Umar Farouk and his beautiful young wife, Gimbiya Aisha Umar Farouk hosted the naming ceremony of their new baby on Tuesday 3rd January. The baby girl was named Halimatu Sadiya Umar Faruk.
See photo of the Emir, his wife and new baby:

No Retreat No Surrender : “January 14th is Sacrosanct!” MMM Declares as it Urges Participants to Promote Scheme

As participants prepare to be able to GH (Get Help) from money-doubling scheme Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM) , the admins, via Twitter have declared that participants will be able to make withdrawals from the January 14 2017 which was stated when withdrawals were frozen.
“January 14th is sacrosanct,” it stated, calling on members to have the money they have pledged to PH (Provide Help) with before the date, otherwise they should cancel the order.
The scheme also stated on its website that participants whose accounts were frozen, should perform what it called, “Promo Tasks: A New Tool for MMM Community Development”.
The scheme said the aim is to create more visibility for its operations, and also get more participants before the January 14th resumption date.
“Being an MMM member implies not only opportunities, but also a responsibility for the state and development of the MMM Community. MMM is our home, and we are responsible to build and refine it.
A lot of participants genuinely want to promote MMM, spread its ideology amongst people, though not always knowing what exactly has to be done.
It is obvious that the activity of MMM Nigeria members is growing. MMM is very proud of its members who are becoming kinder and more responsible. By our efforts, MMM Nigeria will overcome!” it stated.
Participants are quite optimistic that the scheme will bounce back, and observers are watching to see how it all pans out.

Nigerian Army Places Ban On Activities Being Posted On The Social Media

The Nigerian Army has barred officers and soldiers on duty from uploading pictures and videos of their operation on social media.
General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division Mechanized Army, Major-General Adeniyi Oyebade, gave the warning on Tuesday, on behalf of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai.He spoke at the graduation ceremony of Men of Nigerian Battalion (NIBBAT) 46 held at the Nigerian Army Peace Keeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji in Kaduna state.
Oyebade said “it is prohibited to upload any picture with your uniforms while in operation. Specifically, I want to warn you on the use of social media.
“While you are on operation, you may want to take photo shot of some good moment but you should be very careful while doing that.
“Avoid any picture or video that has to do with your colleague or operation. You are barred not to upload such information.
“It is prohibited to upload any picture with your uniforms while in operation, because it will become a pragmatic problem for the Nigerian Army.”

Fear of Death :Head Of Gambia's Electoral Commission Flees To Senegal

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - The head of Gambia's electoral commission has fled to neighbouring Senegal fearing a plot against him, a month after declaring President Yahya Jammeh lost elections following 22 years in power, one of his relatives said.
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairman Alieu Momar Njie "fled to Senegal after he got information that the Gambian authorities were plotting against him and his team" one of his relatives told AFP late Tuesday.
"Some of his team members have also left for Senegal," the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The relative did not elaborate on how Njie fled or say who had gone with him.
There was no immediate comment from Senegalese authorities.
Njie had declared opposition candidate Adama Barrow the winner of December 1 presidential elections and pleaded with all parties to respect the result.
Jammeh's party later lodged a legal complaint against the electoral commission and the country has since been in political deadlock.
The 51-year-old Jammeh, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1994, has said he will await a Supreme Court ruling in the case, delayed until January 10, before ceding power.
Jammeh's refusal to step down, despite initially conceding defeat in the election, has stoked international concerns about the future of the tiny west African country.
Both the United Nations and African leaders have called for him to step down.
Meanwhile, a security source said that a group of people arrested for selling or wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan #GambiaHasDecided had been released.
One of those briefly detained, who declined to be identified, said armed men had entered a shop selling merchandise featuring Barrow's image and seized T-shirts, caps and badges.
They said they were taken to Gambian National Intelligence Agency headquarters where they were cautioned before being released.