Ghana’s Stonebwoy Appears on Billboard Reggae Chart!

HIGHLIGHTS An album on which the ‘Run Go’ act is featured is number two on the Billboard Reggae chart. He is featured on the song A.B.C which is off Jereme Morgan’s Transition album released in January 2017.

Stonebwoy Ghanaian Dancehall artiste Stonebwoy has joined the elite group of musicians who have made it onto the Billboard charts.The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of singles or albums in the United States and elsewhere.An album on which the ‘Run Go’ act is featured is number two on the Billboard Reggae chart. He is featured on the song A.B.C which is off Jereme Morgan’s Transition album released in January 2017.Jereme is the song of Gramps Morgan (of Legendary Reggae group Morgan Heritage) and a Grammy winning artiste.The 17-track album Transition was released on January 6, 2017. It features Stonebwoy, Gramps Morgan, Jo Mersa Marley, Agent Sasco. Toian and J Boog. It was released by Dada Son Entertainment and produced by Jereme and his father.“I consider everyone featured on my album family. My uncle Peetah also helped with the co-writing process on my album,” says Jereme of the album.“This album represents the current phase in my life, transitioning into becoming a man. I’ve been working on this album for the past three years, handpicking each sound down to the melodies of each record. Music and the artist should be one, and if the beat doesn’t connect to me, I’m on to the next track. So, that’s how I picked the tracks for the album.“

Five Star Music Releases Statement On Why Harrysong Was Arrested

After Harrysong’s arrest yesterday by his former label Five Star Music, The label has released a press statement explaining what led to his arrest and how Harrysong breached his contract with the recor label.

Harrysong was arrested by the men of Nigerian Police which was lead by his former label Five Star for a breach of contract. The report which was earlier unconfirmed has not been cleared by a statement from Five Star Music which they explained why they are taking legal actions on Harrysong.

Read Statement Below:

      It has become both imperative and necessary to state our position on the ongoing misguided and fallacious news making the rounds in the media between our esteemed record label and Mr. Harry Tare Okri.Sometime in 2008 when Mr. Harry first approached our record label for a music contract, we immediately declined the request when we found out that he had a subsisting contract with one Mr. Kevin Luciano of ‘Question Mark Entertainment Label’. All efforts then by Mr. Harry to influence our management proved abortive as our position was maintained on grounds of equity, fairness and professionalism.For further avoidance of doubts on the true facts of the present situation, our management has decided to officially set the records straight, because of negative and pervasive influence being foisted on the psyche of our numerous and well meaning fans.

1. Our first encounter with Mr. Harry was sometime in 2008 when he approached our management for a music contract. As stated above, according to our findings at that time, his contract with‘Question Mark Entertainment Record Label’was still subsisting and valid. Obviously we declined when we found out that Mr. Harry’s plans were ill orchestrated against his employers, by walking out on them without fulfilling the obligations clearly contained in his running contract with them.

2. When Harry’s employers (Question Mark Entertainment) got wind of his frantic efforts to desert his contract, a stern and official public statement was issued against Mr. Harry and a certain clause establishing his existing contract was clearly published for full consumption by the general public.

3a.    The tussle continued between Harry and his employers till sometime in 2014 when Harry once again approached us, this time very desperate. We opened preliminary discussions with him but demanded an official document from his former employers relieving him of any obligation or liability with regards to his contract with them.

3b.    Our move to do things right and professionally with Mr. Harry earned us a Twenty Million Naira Legal Suit (N20,000,000.00) from Mr. Kevin Luciano of Question Mark Entertainment (Records are there for confirmation). We were joined as co-defendants with Mr. Harry.

Juxtaposing the above with what is going on now, it is quite unfortunate because “Good intentions counts as much as good actions, and the person seeking to do good is as good as someone who actually does it.

3c.    Knowing the vulnerability of Mr. Harry on the impending legal suit, we solicited the help of certain well respected individuals in the Music industry to wade into the matter, one of which was our dear veteran Daddy Showkey. Mr. Luciano having found out our intention from inception to act in good faith, agreed to withdraw his suit against Mr. Harry and our company BUT, not withoutconsequential and settlement fees of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00, records available for verification).

We paid this amount solely without Mr. Harry contributing a dime!

4. It is often said that “When people sense that someone else is vulnerable, they tend to attack, for when the calf falls, the knives come out”. However, in Mr. Harry’s vulnerable situation, we did nothing of the sort. Rather, we whole heartedly bought all his liability off Question Mark Entertainment Label, and welcomed him as a family into Five Star Music Label, a genuine gesture and decision we are all regretting this present day.

5. Because we are known for running our affairs professionally and legally, we signed a three year contract with Mr. Harry and certain conditions and obligations were specifically and properly spelled out apart from the terms of the contract. Most important of these were his obligations to our Music Label, which amongst others include:

1. That he must deliver at least,three (3) full music albums on or before the expiration of the first term of his three year contract, otherwise the label solely reserves the right either to rescind or extend the contract.

These conditions were never met.

1. While in the employment of the Five Star Music Label, he must not engage himself in anyway whatsoever, whether directly, by proxy or through a third party in any Music or recording business other than that of Five Star Music. This condition was also repeatedly breached as Mr. Harry has been releasing music, going on tours locally and internationally without our consent or paying the agreed percentage to the label.

6. Five Star Music wishes to state categorically that this reckless breach of contract by Mr. Harry stands contrary to our company’s work ethics and will therefore be pursued to a logical conclusion using the full instrument of the law.

In setting the records straight, let it be known that before now, the label refrained from instituting any legal actions against him for his blatant breach of contract, just because he was still considered as part of Five Star Music family. However, his posture as clearly manifested through his lawyers whom have continued to write and make all kinds of assertions and threats to the label necessitated our immediate response for the general public to know the truth and inherent facts of the story. For it is said, that facts speaks for themselves.We therefore advice the general public to tread with caution and desist from transacting any business with Mr. Harry Tare Okri, as same is both illegal and a total breach of his existing contract with our record Label, ‘Five Star Music Label’. Notwithstanding what propaganda he feeds the public, we further advice that proper verifications are made from us, as there is no iota of truth emanating therefrom.

Signed

Mr. C.C Chris

Five Star Music Limited

US Will Prioritize Christian Refugees, Says Donald Trump

HIGHLIGHT The New Sworn-in President of the United States  Donald Trump has said that Christian refugees would be prioritize. It will be easy for Christians refugees to enter the United States says Donald Trump.


President Trump said in an interview on Friday with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) that persecuted Christians will be given priority over other refugees seeking to enter the United States, stressing that Christians have been treated “horribly” for too long.“If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair — everybody was persecuted, in all fairness — but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair. So we are going to help them,” Trump said.Trump did not name a reason or offer any evidence about why the agencies that vet refugees, including the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, would have prioritized Muslim refugees over Christians.But, according to a report by non-partisan Pew Research Center, however, 99% of the nearly 12,600 Syrians granted refugee status last year were Muslims. Less than 1% were Christian. Meanwhile, according to the CIA World Fact Book, Syria’s population is 87% Muslim and 10% Christian.
Trump said that it had been “impossible, or at least very tough” for Syrian Christians to enter the United States, but that the tide is about to change.On Friday as well, Trump signed an executive order freezing refugee applications from seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa, including Syria, and critics have said it is unclear how his pledge to help persecuted Christians from those countries will accord with that plan.The United States admitted a record number of 38,901 Muslim refugees in 2016, according to a study conducted by Pew. But nearly the same number of Christians, 37,521 were also admitted.Many religious groups have denounced Trump’s proposed ban on refugees from Muslim-majority countries.At the same time, many Christian groups that resettle refugees in the United States decry the persecution of their brethren overseas, but said the country should not give favour to fellow Christians or bar Muslims.“We would resist that strongly,” Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of nine agencies that partner with the federal government to resettle refugees said.“Some of the most vulnerable people in the world right now are Muslims. If we say no Muslim should be let in, we are denying the humanity and dignity of people made in the image of God,” he added.Arbeiter said he and his group have tried unsuccessfully to meet with the Trump administration to discuss refugee policy.A study conducted by the libertarian Cato Institute, according to CNN, found that between 1975-2015, the United States admitted approximately 700,000 asylum-seekers and 3.25 million refugees.Four asylum-seekers and 20 refugees later became terrorists and launched attacks on US soil.“The chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack committed by an asylum-seeker was one in 2.73 billion a year,” wrote the study’s author, Alex Nowrasteh, adding that “The chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack committed by a refugee is one in 3.64 billion a year”.

Mark Zuckerberg Is Against Donald Trump’s Orders On Immigration Policy, Read What He Said

HIGHLIGHT
Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has weighed in Donald Trump’s Immigration policy which some countries will not be issued permit to the United States. Mark Zuckerberg is against the President’s Immigration Policy.

Mark Zuckerberg came out against President Trump‘s executive orders on immigration policy in a lengthy post on his Facebook page Friday.In his post on Friday, Zuckerberg said he remained optimistic about Trump’s vague commitment to protecting “Dreamer” immigrants who were brought into the U.S. at a young age from deportation. Read Zuckerberg’s full post below:

“My great grandparents came from Germany, Austria and Poland. Priscilla’s parents were refugees from China and Vietnam. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and we should be proud of that.“Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump.“We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don’t pose a threat will live in fear of deportation.“We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That’s who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla’s family wouldn’t be here today.“That said, I was glad to hear President Trump say he’s going to “work something out” for Dreamers — immigrants who were brought to this country at a young age by their parents. Right now, 750,000 Dreamers benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allows them to live and work legally in the US. I hope the President and his team keep these protections in place, and over the next few weeks I’ll be working with our team at FWD.us to find ways we can help.“I’m also glad the President believes our country should continue to benefit from “people of great talent coming into the country.”“These issues are personal for me even beyond my family. A few years ago, I taught a class at a local middle school where some of my best students were undocumented. They are our future too. We are a nation of immigrants, and we all benefit when the best and brightest from around the world can live, work and contribute here. I hope we find the courage and compassion to bring people together and make this world a better place for everyone.”

Presidency Clarifies Letter to the Nigerian Senate On Allegations Against SGF

HIGHLIGHTS After the Presidency responded to the Senate concerning the allegations against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Babachir David Lawal. Nigerians reacted that the Presidency are behind the SGF for saying he was not given a fair hearing by the National Assembly. Now the Presidency has clarified the letter sent to the Senate.The Presidency has given a clarification on the letter written to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the report of their investigation of allegations against the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Babachir David Lawal.Speaking on a BBC HAUSA program “Ra’ayi Riga,” an audience participation programme on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, decried attacks on the President which he said were unwarranted because his letter to the Senate did not dwell on whether the SGF was guilty or not guilty.“What President Buhari has done is simply to act in a response to a report by the SGF, Babachir David Lawal, who insisted that he and the companies cited were not given a fair hearing by the National Assembly.“President Buhari’s communication to Nigeria’s lawmakers was simply this: If the SGF was not given a fair hearing, can you now give him one?”The Presidency added that the report in discussion, was an interim one and a final report was, therefore, being expected.Malam Garba said it would not have been advisable to act on the matter before a final report was received from the legislature.He said that as fervent as President Buhari is about the war on corruption, “he believes in due process and in fair hearing, without which our democracy cannot be taken seriously by Nigerians or the international community’’. (NAN)

Arsene Wenger Handed Four-match Touchline Ban, £25,000 Fine

After being charged by the Football Association (FA), Arsene Wenger has been handed with a four-match touchline ban and a £25,000 fine for misconduct.Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been given a four-match touchline ban and a £25,000 fine after accepting a Football Association charge of misconduct for his behaviour in the win over Burnley, BBC Sports reports.Wenger, 67, was charged with verbally abusing and pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor after being sent off. His ban starts immediately so he misses Saturday’s FA Cup game at Southampton.If that tie needs a replay, Wenger will return for the Premier League game against Hull on 11 February.However, if the match is settled on Saturday, the Hull game will be the fourth and final one for which the Frenchman is banned, following Premier League games against Watford and Chelsea.Wenger reacted angrily to Burnley being awarded a 93rd-minute penalty at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, one they scored to level at 1-1.

Nigerian govt threatens to deal with people involved in the rumoured negative heath condition of President Buhari

The Federal Government says the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on the authors of subversive messages being circulated on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The government said this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

“The source/sources of the fabricated messages are already being investigated and the authors should prepare to face the consequences of their actions,’’ the minister said.

According to Mr. Mohammed, the President is hale and hearty and there is no iota of truth in the subversive messages being circulated on his health.

A Nigerian youth has announced his intention to run for presidency in 2019

A Nigerian youth, Omike Chikeluba Lewis has announced his intention to run for presidency in 2019

He said it is the time for the youths to take charge of the country and stop voting in the same set of politicians who have been in charge for a long time.

He apologised to leaders he might have insulted in the past and promised to make the country a better place.

Read his statement below:

People have been asking who I am and what do I have to offer. I have a lot to offer because I am from a very poor home and I have seen deep into what is going on in Nigeria. How the Youths, Masses, Unemployed and All Nigerians have been treated. I have been hopeless in Nigeria, gone crazy because of mis-use of our resources. I have tried to look for a job but i couldn't get any. The Jobs I found required very hard labor with low income. I have seen what people are going through in Nigeria, I have seen the way foreigners use my people as slaves in their country. I have seen some things going on in my beloved country Nigeria and tears fill up my eyes.

This Bad Economy is making the Youths and the Masses in Nigeria cry for Salvation. They cry for us the Youths to come out, to help them and find out what is going on.

Even the leaders know that we need to be in power but they can't force us. They need to know we are ready and they won't know until we speak to get heard. A lot of leaders are asking us to come out, people like Senator. Ben Murray Bruce Aka Mr. Common Sense, Senator Dino Malaye, Governor Ayo Fayose Aka The Tiger ETC

Junaid to Presidency: Stop lying to Nigerians about Buhari’s health

Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, yesterday lashed out at the Presidency saying they should stop lying to Nigerians over the health status of President Muhammadu Buhari. He also said Nigerians cannot afford to have another constitutional crises due to Mr. President’s health. The Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu had attacked Mohammed on Monday saying he is suffering from pathological cynicism. 

According to Shehu, “Mohammed’s kind of critics is toxic to national progress because they are only primarily interested in destroying every positive effort and achievements of the government and we advise Nigerians to be wary of prejudiced and biased critics like Dr. Junaid Mohammed who are more interested in personal publicity than respecting facts and figures about their claims”. But reacting to Sheu’s statement, Mohammed said the Presidential spokesperson should stop telling Nigerians lies about his health just as he maintained that General Sanni Abacha remains one of the healthiest President Nigeria ever had. Garba Shehu and Junaid Mohammed His words, “I believe Sheu is under pressure which is why he attacked me. However, I believe strongly they need to stop lying to Nigerians about Mr Presidents health. Can they actually tell Nigerians what this medical leave or routine check-up is? They don’t seems to be telling us the truth”. Mohammed who maintained he has been President Buhari’s friend since when he was a secnd lieutenant in the Army said he cannot shy away from telling the President the truth anytime he misfires.

Guardiola Has Shown How Good Pellegrini Was – Ryan Giggs

• “City’s struggles this year have certainly put Manuel Pellegrini’s achievements in perspective.” – Giggs
• “The consensus was that he had done quite well with the players at his disposal.” – Giggs added

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs says Manchester City’s squad is too old and that Pep Guardiola’s struggles show how good Manuel Pellegrini was.
The United legend in his write up in the Telegraph highlighted the average age of the Etihad club as a reason why they sit outside the top four.The Welshman who spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford says the Sapniard’s woes since taking over from Manuel Pellegrini shows how under-appreciated the Chilean was.“City’s struggles this year have certainly put Manuel Pellegrini’s achievements in perspective.“Watching from the other side of Manchester, we were often surprised at the stick that Pellegrini would get, chiefly because he was reluctant to change his formation.“The consensus was that he had done quite well with the players at his disposal.” said Giggs Giggs who believes that Guardiola started the season with an ageing squad said: “When you have played in the Premier League for a long time, you get a feeling for the stage in life that a collective of players is at – who is peaking, who is declining, who is on the up – and I got a strong sense that City’s squad were too old.“The statistics tell us that their first XIs this season average 28 years and 299 days – only three clubs come out older in that category: Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and Watford, who at 29 years and 326 days are the oldest.“To put that in perspective, Tottenham Hotspur, City’s opponents today, are the youngest – their first XIs this season average 25 years and 266 days.“City still have some fine players, and some of those fine players are their older players, but the number who you would put in that older category is always going to have a cumulative effect on the performance of the team.“David Silva, Yaya Touré, Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov are all coming towards the end of their careers. You can make a case for them all individually, but together the picture changes.”

Emotional Rooney Reacts to Historic Goal

• “It means a hell of a lot. It is a great honour and I am very proud,” Rooney told reporters.
• “The players who have played for this club have been world class. I am proud to play for this club. To be all-time goalscorer is a huge honour.” – Rooney addedAn emotional Wayne Rooney has described his new goals record for Manchester United as a ‘Great Honour’.

The 31-year-old scored a late equalizer in the draw against Stoke City to record 250 goals for the Red Devils which took him past Sir Bobby Charlton who has 249.“It means a hell of a lot. It is a great honour and I am very proud,” Rooney told reporters. “It is difficult at the minute to be over-pleased because of the result but in the grand scheme it is huge honour. It is not something I expected when I joined. As I said before, I am proud and I hope there is more to come.“The players who have played for this club have been world class. I am proud to play for this club. To be all-time goalscorer is a huge honour.”The man he surpassed, Charlton was the first to congratulate him after the game.He said: “I’d be lying to say I’m not disappointed to lose the record. However, I can honestly say I’m delighted for Wayne. ” #ROONEY250“He’s a true great for club and country. It’s fitting he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England.”Former manager Alex Ferguson added: “Wayne thoroughly deserves his place in the history books and I’m sure he’ll go on to score many more goals.” #ROONEY250.

Justin Bieber Auctions Off His Custom Ferrari For A Whopping $434,000

Justin Bieber Auctions Off His Ferrari It appears that Justin Bieber is now tired of one of his many beast rides, a 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia, as he showed up at the famous Barrett Jackson auto auction in Scottsdale to unload the custom motor on Saturday.The 22-year-old pop sensation took the stage at the event with his first number one hit, What Do You Mean, playing in the background, according to AZ Central.Justin showed up in a denim jacket embroidered with colorful flora and fauna, the Sorry singer looked right at home discussing the vehicle with possible customers.Justin, who is again sporting a floppy fringe reminiscent of his teenage years, then took the stage as the bidding was set to start.The iridescent blue vehicle, which was worked on by the famous West Coast Customs car shop, was wheeled on the stage and the auction began.

Bieber even got involved with the selling process.Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson told the crowd ‘he taught the paparazzi a lesson,’ to which Justin replied ‘Sure did.’He was of course referring to the 2014 incident which saw the pop sensation get rear ended while trying to escape a gaggle of paparazzi.According to the news source, bidding lasted around three and a half minutes, during which Justin repeatedly sweetened the deal by first throwing in concert tickets, and then also offering up backstage passes.The auto finally ended up selling for an eye-watering $434,500, which was significantly more than the $250-$300,000 MSRP for a stock example.The auction came after Justin revealed he is no fan of The Weeknd, who is currently dating his ex Selena Gomez.

In Nigerian currency, $434,000 equals to N137,795,000 . I rest my case.

FG Releases N375m to Feed 700,000 Pupils in Five States

The Federal Government said it had so far released over N375 million toward the implementation of its school feeding programme in five states, this year.Mr Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice-President, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.Akande said that the release of the amount was meant to feed almost 700,000 primary school pupils in the five states.According to him, all states of the federation, except two, are now being processed for the payment of N30, 000 monthly stipends to 200,000 graduates, the N-Power beneficiaries.
Akande, who was giving update on the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP), noted that the programmes were proceeding at different stages of implementation.He revealed that the government, last week, released money for the smooth implementation of the Homegrown School Feeding Programme in Anambra, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ebonyi, to cover the feeding for 10 school days.“The sum of about N375, 434, 870 has just been released and paid to 7,909 cooks in those states for the feeding of a total of 677, 476 primary school pupils.’’According to him, Ogun got a total of N119, 648, 900 paid to 1,381 cooks to feed 170, 927 pupils while Ebonyi got N115, 218, 600 paid to 1,466 cooks to feed 164, 598 pupils.The presidential aide said that Anambra got N67.5 million paid to 937 cooks to feed 96,489 pupils; Oyo state got N72.2 million paid to 1,437 cooks to feed 103, 269 pupils, and Osun got N867,370 paid to 2,688 to feed 142, 193 pupils.He said that all monies were paid directly to the cooks and covered 10 days of school.Akande further disclosed that Zamfara and Enugu States would soon be paid N188.7 million and N67.2 million, respectively, later in the week.“In Zamfara, the sum would be paid to 2,738 cooks to feed 269, 665 pupils, and in Enugu, the sum would be paid to 1,128 cooks to feed 96, 064 pupils.“By then, over N631 million would have been released so far in 2017 for school feeding in seven states, paid to 11,775 cooks and meant to feed over one million primary school pupils,’’ he added.On N-Power, Akande stated that the process of payment of verified graduates, who were beneficiaries, had reached different stages of progress in the affected states.He said that “more and more of such beneficiaries are posting their glad experiences of receiving alerts on the social media’’.He maintained that the payment of the December, 2016, stipends which had gone across the country would be completed in all states except two that did not meet the extended deadline for the verification process for payment.Akande disclosed that the processing of January, 2017 stipends were also at advanced stages.He assured the beneficiaries with issues to remain patient as their cases were being looked into.Akande said the payment of the unemployed graduates which had created a huge buzz across the country, especially on the social media, was being done in batches.On the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), he said payments had continued in the nine pilot states of Bauchi, Borno, Niger, Kogi, Cross Rivers, Osun, Oyo Ekiti, and Kwara.“While payment challenges are being experienced with the banks in some of the states, beneficiaries continue to receive their stipends, which are being paid for two months.’’According to him, N10, 000 is being paid for the CCT beneficiaries to cover the months of December, 2016 and January, 2017.He said the CCT payments would be carried out six times in a year, with a payment of N10, 000 to cover two months.

Donald Trump Criticize Protesters Who Marched Against Him

President Donald Trump took to Twitter Sunday to criticize the millions of people across the United States who marched in protests against him a day earlier, including the celebrities who took part.“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly,” Trump tweeted.More than two million people flooded US cities Saturday in protests led by women opposed to Trump, who many fear will roll back the rights of women, immigrants and minorities.The scale of the mass protests, echoed in sister rallies around the world, highlight the depth of resistance to the former reality TV star, two days after he was sworn in as president with an approval rating of just 37 percent.Pop diva Madonna made an unannounced appearance Saturday in Washington, joining hundreds of thousands of protesters who rallied for women’s rights in defiance of Trump.Other celebrities at the massive demonstration included actresses Scarlett Johansson, Ashley Judd and America Ferrera, filmmaker Michael Moore and the feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

FERMA Begins Rehabilitation of Third Mainland Bridge In Lagos

Third Mainland Bridge (Lagos)

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has begun rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos to ease difficulty being faced by motorists.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) checks on Sunday revealed that FERMA was removing asphalt on four portions on the Obalende/Church Missionary Society (CMS) bound carriageway.The engineer in charge of the agency, Lagos East, Mr Tayo Awodun told NAN that the agency was working on both carriageways of the bridge in a manner that would not affect the flow of traffic.Awodun, however, said that the heavy traffic on the axis was slowing down repair works, but added that the agency usually staggered work between lanes with less traffic to reduce hardship by road users.“The major work we are doing on Third Mainland Bridge is to mill the distressed surfacing after which we would put asphalt overlay.“Generally, the challenge we are having is that traffic is ever high on the bridge being one of the major routes for motorists coming to the island.“We have always studied the traffic situation and we work when we have less traffic, that is why on some days our work spans into the night on the carriageway that has less traffic.“We put on necessary safety measures when working at night. For the Lagos (Obalende/CMS) Bound carriageway for example, we start work at about noon when the rush hours for those going to work on the island would have been over.“While for the Oworonshoki bound carriageway, we start work at about 7 a.m. or earlier, till about 2 p.m. when we leave site. We try to move men, materials and equipment out of site before 3 p.m. because by 4 p.m. traffic would be back, with people returning from work,” he said.The engineer said that FERMA had been on site for over one week, adding that the target of the agency was to complete work on bad portions before May.He explained that the work schedule was planned in a way that it would not cause much discomfort to road users.“It is sectional milling and resurfacing with asphalt that we are doing,” he said.He, however, said that the contract did not cover the entire stretch of the bridge, only critical portions, adding that other portions would receive attention soon. (NAN)

Bauchi State Govt. Selects 16,000 Rice Farmers for Anchor Programme

Bauchi State Government said it had selected 16,000 farmers to participate in its Anchor Borrowers Programme for the 2017 rice production scheme.Consultant to the state government on the programme, Dr. Nura AbdulMalik, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Bauchi that the farmers were selected among 25,000 of them who registered for the programme.He explained that the 16,000 farmers who would participate in the scheme during the year were those who met the requirements, after verification.He said, “We have verified 16,000 farmers to take part in the programme and each of them is expected to cultivate one hectare of rice farm.“During the mobilisation, we targeted 30,000 farmers but 25,000 registered.“But, during verification, we discovered that some of the farmers could not meet the scheme’s requirements.“Some of them are not real practicing farmers; some did not own farmlands while the farmland of some of them are not suitable for irrigated agriculture,’’ AbdulMalik told NAN.He disclosed that the selected farmers were currently undergoing training in various centres in all the 20 local government areas in the state.According to him, the farmers are being taught the best agronomic practice so as to successfully manage their farms.“The scheme is a loan package and the farmers are expected to pay back fully.“They may not be able to pay this loan if their agronomic practice is poor.“We packaged the training so that the farmers can learn how to cultivate for best yield.“If they have the best yield, they will be able to pay back the loan and also have some returns against next planting season,’’ AbdulMalik said.He stated that banks participating in the scheme would not give the loan to the famers who failed to attend the training.He listed the bankers for the scheme as Unity Bank, Jaiz Bank, First Monument Commercial Bank (FMCB), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Sterling Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA).The consultant described the training as “the last lap of journey in the scheme”.“At the end of the training, we will have a town hall meeting where a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be signed by the buyers of the produce (rice) called ‘up-takers’, the farmers and the inputs providers.“We have already commissioned the providers to supply seeds, pumping machines, agro-chemicals and fertiliser,’’ he said.

Presidency Shares Photos of Buhari On His Vacation In London – SEE PHOTOS

President Buhari in London earlier tonight, monitoring today’s edition of Sunday Politics on Channels TV.

Nigeria’s power generation drops to 2,662 megawatts

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN said the nation’s power generation capacity dropped from 3,959 megawatts on January 4 to 2,662 megawatts on January 22.

The Nigerian Electricity System Operator, SO, website, a sub agency of TCN, disclosed the figure in its daily forecast on power generation data in Lagos on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that TCN attributed the drop to low water levels at the hydro power stations and dearth of gas to the power generating companies.

The TCN said the total output of 2,662.20 megawatts from all the generation companies on Sunday had been transferred to the 11 distribution companies across the country.

According to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) operational report for January 4, the power sector hit a peak generation of 4,959 megawatts but dropped to 2,662.20 megawatts on January 22.

NESI said the sector recorded highest system frequency of 51.32Hz and lowest system frequency of 48.52 Hz, while the highest and the lowest voltage recorded on Sunday were 372KV and 300KV, respectively.

An official of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, who preferred anonymity, said electricity generation had been dwindling due to challenge of accessing gas by generation companies.

The official said that low level water levels at the country’s hydro thermal stations also contributed to the drop in generation.

                                    

He said that most hydro stations are currently confronted with low water challenges to generate energy.

The TCN official said that this often caused system collapse when the system scrabbled to distribute energy from the grid to distribution companies and the quantum of energy was not sufficient.

According to him, it is a challenging period for power sector but it will get better once the hydro swing into high water level and gas becomes available.

He attributed the drop in generation to the attack launched against pipeline facilities belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, on January 17 around Ugheli in Delta State.

Similarly, a top official of Egbin Power Station, who also pleaded anonymity, said that the power plant, with a capacity of 1,320 megawatts now generates 340 megawatts due to gas constraint.

The official said that the 340 megawatts Egbin generated was wheeled out to the national grid at 6.00 a.m. on Sunday.

                                       

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had on Friday said that the sabotage of power assets by militants prevented Nigeria from generating 7,000 MW of electricity.

“Today, at its most frugal, the nation’s power grid would support 6,500MW; pushed to its limit, it would carry 7,200MW.

“So it is not true when you hear that the grid capacity is not more than 5,000MW. It is growing every day and more projects are coming up.

“We have completed some and more are still coming up. So that is where we are,” Mr. Fashola said at the Nextier Power Dialogue in Abuja on Friday.

The minister said while power was out due to attacks in one axis, the expansion of either the grid or gas supply was kept alive on another axis and hydro power was also being expanded.

(NAN)

The President is Not Dead – Garba Shehu Confirms Buhari is Still on Holiday

This evening, fake news that President Muhammadu Buhari passed away in London was being spread on the internet.

Metro UK reported –

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died in a London Hospital where he was receiving medical care, the Nigerian Mission in UK has said.

According to the information released by the Nigerian Embassy, Buhari left the West African country for a vacation in the U.K in order to undergo medical checks.

One of the President’s aides who accompanied him to the U.K and spoke on condition of anonymity said the President has been battling an “unknown disease” for a while now.

#MMM begins payment in bits

MMM Nigeria, has started paying outstanding mavro (money) to Mavrodians, the participants of the scheme. But the payment is just symbolic. Kolade Ogunwande, who manages a number of accounts, said that N17,000 was paid into one of the accounts he handles for a friend.

“One of the accounts I manage for a friend finally got paid. She invested N20,000 on November 10, 2016, and her money has appreciated to N35,000,” he said. “When MMM resumed last week, she said I should withdraw all the money for her, which I requested for immediately. She was paired the day after. “The two people she was paired with had to pay N17,000 and N18,000 to make up the N35,000, but only one person has paid.” Meanwhile, the scheme on Wednesday issued new guidelines on its blog. 

The guidelines are: As a necessary measure, we decided to set limit to withdrawal this week thus the N31000 maximum withdrawal on your PO. We are still committed to prioritise paying smaller amounts first and gradually increase the amount to higher ones. The system does the calculations and knows how to calculate everyone’s mavros. Between Friday that we opened and today, hundreds of thousands of GH orders have been matched. More and more GH orders will be matched as time goes on. If you see error notification when trying to GH, just keep trying. PH to GH is still a suggestion to be tabled before Sergey Mavrodi for consideration. Disregard any info suggesting that you must PH to GH till further announcement in your PO. Freezing of bonuses for now is another suggestion to be tabled before Sergey Mavrodi for his consideration. Which means if approved, you will only be able to GH your personal contributions for now until the system recovers and stabilizes. Another suggestion for consideration is whether Mavro growth should stop on the 30th day or continue till you GH your confirmed PH. How early the system recovers depend on our positivity. If we work to make it recover, it will recover in a very short time. Don’t spread panic. Let’s do more promo tasks to create further awareness that MMM Nigeria is open, working and paying. We will keep you informed of any updates as soon as possible.

Angry MMM participant threatens to kill MMM founder over non-payment

An investor in the MMM scheme has written to the support arm of the platform threatening to kill the founder of the Ponzi scheme, Sergey Mavrodi, with African magic if his money is not paid back in two weeks.

The investor also declared his readiness to kill his MMM guider and the person who refereed the scheme to him.

Since the return of the scheme on January 13 after a month break, confidence in MMM has been declining with participants questioning its mode of operation and faulting explanations offered by guiders.

When MMM resumed this year, it promised to attend to all payment (Get Help) requests of low income investors, while accounts of higher investors were frozen.

But investors in the scheme were shocked when payment (Get Help) requests by all participants were removed by the scheme.

See his message below:

President Donald Trump Signs First Bill Into Law

President Donald Trump signed his first bill into law Friday, moments after being sworn in, clearing the way for his defense secretary to be confirmed.The 45th President signed a bill passed by Congress earlier this month that would allow retired Gen. James Mattis to serve as defense secretary by waiving the legal requirement that he be out of the military for seven years before doing so, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer.Mattis will still need to be confirmed by the Senate, which is expected Friday afternoon.Cameras rolled as Trump signed his first orders as President in the Capitol, surrounded by congressional leaders.According to Spicer, the other papers Trump was signing included formal nominations for his Cabinet and a proclamation for a national day of patriotism.The ceremony took place moments after Trump left the podium outside the Capitol building where he was sworn in and delivered his inaugural address.

Osinbajo Begins Official Duty As Acting President

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday began duty as acting President of Nigeria.Yemi OsinbajoHe received update and briefings from service chiefs on the situation in The Gambia.The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a short statement.He said the Vice-President also received briefings from some ministers“Vice-President Osinbajo on return to Abuja received update and briefings on the situation in Gambia and also briefings from a number of cabinet ministers,” he wrote.Osinbajo had on Thursday night returned to the country after cutting short his trip to Davos, Switzerland where he led Nigeria’s delegation to this year’s World Economic Forum.He had travelled to Ibadan, Oyo State Capital on Friday morning.

NYSC Deploys 3,000 Corps Members to Gombe State

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has deployed 3,000 prospective Corps members of 2016 Batch B stream II to Gombe State.

The Chief Information Officer, Miss Magrate Dakama, stated this in a statement issued on Friday in Gombe “About 3, 000 prospective Corps members are expected to report at the NYSC temporary orientation camp, Science Technical College, Amanda 12 KL Gombe-Bauchi road’’, the statement said.According to the statement, registration and verification will commence on Jan. 24, while closing ceremony will be on Feb. 13th.“Please note, prospective Corps members are expected to report to camp at the scheduled date as the registration and verification will end at midnight of Jan. 25,’’ it said.The statement also solicited the cooperation of road transport unions and people in the state to assist in directing the Corps members to the venue of orientation course. (NAN)

Davido Signs New Artiste “Yonda” to DMW

DMW has been going strong in recent months from the signings of Mayorkun and Dremo, the Sir Banko led gang have been on moves on moves on moves. Chart topping Eleko was the first hit wave from Mayorkun, then back to back featuring the full gang with davido and Ichaba apg,then have gone from strength to strength to establish a name to be reckoned with in the industry.They signed on their first female  artiste last year Lola Rae with a single and a video to it,signed on affiliates with Dammy Krane,and now Davido has preceded to sign on a new artiste Yonda.
visit here to wash his video
Congrats Yonda

Steven Gerrard Returns to Liverpool

• “It feels like completing the circle, returning to the place where professionally it all began,” – Gerrard
• “However, this isn’t a decision based on emotion – it’s about what I can offer and contribute to Liverpool. – Gerrard

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, has returned to the club as an Academy coach.
The 36-year-old has been in talks with the Reds since November 2015, about helping the club shape their future generation Gerrard eventually retired from playing football last year, but his appointment was only confirmed on Friday.“It feels like completing the circle, returning to the place where professionally it all began,” Gerrard, who signed up to Liverpool’s youth structure as an 8-year-old said.“However, this isn’t a decision based on emotion – it’s about what I can offer and contribute to Liverpool.“I don’t think I need to explain to people what this football club means to me, but when I knew coming back was a serious option I wanted to make sure it was a substantive role and a role in which I could really help the organisation.“Meeting with [Academy director] Alex Inglethorpe, seeing the work they are currently doing and want to do in the future at Kirkby, it just felt right. The right option at the right time, for all parties involved.“This gives me a great opportunity to learn and develop as a coach, while at the same time offering my knowledge, ideas and experience to the young players at an important period of their development”, he said.

Donald Trump inauguration speech in full

Here is Donald Trump's inauguration speech in full:

"Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you.

AfDB, World Bank refuse loans to Nigeria over unclear economic plans

Hopes of federal government getting funds soon to lift the country’s economy out of recession has hit the rocks as international financial institutions have refused to lend Nigeria any money.

According to Reuters, the decision of the financial institutions is the absence of a clear economic plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration with which the banks can work with.

Some of the banks turning their back on Nigeria include the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) among others.

Reuters wrote of World Bank’s stand on the loan: “The government has been in loan talks with the World Bank for a year. It had told the lender it would present its proposed reforms to make the economy more resilient and attractive to investment by the end of December, according to Western diplomats and a Nigerian official who declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak publicly.

“But this has not happened and as a result of the delay, which the government has not explained, the Washington-based bank has not been able to consider a loan yet….“

Obama reveals his last news conference as President

Barack Obama has revealed in his last news conference as President that he advised Donald Trump not to make decisions on his own.

In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session, the outgoing commander-in-chief discussed his thoughts and feelings on his successes and failures and what expects in the future.

Without stating the detail of what he told the incoming President, he said in some "fairly lengthy" conversations he recommended he should seek the help of his advisers.

He said: "A lot of his views are going to be shaped by his advisers are the people around him, which is why it is important to listen to the confirmation hearings.

"This is something I have told him, this is the job of such magnitude that you can't do it by yourself.

"You are enormously reliant on the team, your Cabinet, your senior White House staff come all the way to failure each junior folks in their 20s and 30s those who are executing on responsibilities.

"How do make sure they are getting you the right information? That is probably the most useful advice and the most constructive advice I have been able to give him."

In other answers to questions, Mr Obama:

•  Explained why he had decided to commute the sentence of convicted spy Chelsea Manning, something which has been widely criticised by Republicans.

•  Emphasised why the US had felt it important to stand up to Russia over Ukraine and, in doing so, made clear that the sanctions America imposed were not designed to be a tool to get Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to discuss nuclear disarmament.

•  Expressed his disappointment at not being able to persuade Israel to stop building settlements in the Palestinian Territories, which he said had the potential to make a two-state solution "impossible".

•  Talked of the satisfaction he felt that he had managed to open the Cuban government to an alternative way of governing their country, by showing them the achievements of Cubans living in the US.

•  Stated what would need to happen for him to feel compelled to re-enter the political fray.

He said he would speak out if he saw "systematic discrimination" being ratified, "obstacles" being put in place to prevent people being able to vote, efforts being made to "silence dissent" and efforts being made to "round up kids" born outside the US but who "for all practical purposes are American".

President Buhari Reacts to Nigerian Military Jet Mistakenly Dropping Bomb On IDP Camp

President Muhammadu Buhari has received with deep sadness and regret, the accidental bombing of a civilian community in Rann, Borno State, by the Nigerian Air Force, engaged in the final phase of mopping up insurgents in the North-east.President Buhari condoles with families of the dead, wishes the wounded divine succour, leading to full recovery, and sympathizes with the Borno State government.The President pledges federal help for the state government in attending to “this regrettable operational mistake,” and pleads for calm, even as he prays God to grant repose to the souls of the dead.

FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
January 17, 2017

Buhari Is Hiding the Truth About Boko Haram From Nigerians, Says Fayose

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has stated that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is hiding the truth about recent insurgence in Nigeria from Nigerians.Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, he said:“I do not want to be seen as an opposition figure, but a man who tells Nigerians the truth. You can place my predictions, comments and warnings side by side with happenings in the country and you would know I tell the truth and I do not mince words.“Look at the Boko Haram issue. The Federal Government first said they have technically defeated the group, later they brought a flag to The Presidency saying Boko Haram has been utterly defeated, but look at what we are witnessing now. In as much as they are making some efforts, they are not telling us the truth.“I can’t join them to lie. I say the truth and stand by it. Over 1000 people have been killed in Southern Kaduna, but what are they telling Nigerians? It is a pity that the military has been drafted into the lying game. They too are no longer saying the truth. If you look at the video clips sent from Southern Kaduna before the military clamped down on sending such videos out, you will know that we are having a terrible situation on hand.“Hunger is unprecedented in the land. The economy is down and people are hiding under the guise of fighting corruption to hunt opposition figures. A government that can not make any impression in the first two years, I am afraid, may not be able to make any at all,” he said.

‘Back to the Basics!’ – Davido Sacks His Manager, Says He is Done With All the International Shit

• “Fuck all that international shit! It’s cool but fuck it. I am back to the basics,” – Davido
• “I am my own manager in 2017! Don’t put your life in another man’s hand,” – Davido

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Davido has taken his frustration to a whole new high by sacking his manager, Kamal Ajiboye.

Davido/Kamal Ajiboye

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The singer made this declaration in a SnapChat story where he talked about his frustration with chasing his dreams in the international market without making any breakthrough.

“Fuck all that international shit! It’s cool but fuck it. I am back to the basics,” the singer said on his SnapChat.

This comes only days after Tekno landed a $4million Sony Music deal , just as Wizkid and Drake dropped their new song Hush Up The Silence , sweeping the international market in a storm.

Now, Davido, who had high hopes after he landed the $1million Sony Music deal in January 2016, is frustrated with his recent career path as he has yet to drop his album and last year, was not nominated for any major awards in 2016.“I am my own manager in 2017! Don’t put your life in another man’s hand,” the Gbagbe Oshi singer said in his SnapChat Post.

52 Dead, 120 Injured by Nigerian Military Jet Mistakenly Bombing of Borno IDP Camp

Doctors Without Borders, MSF, has released casualty figures of the “accidental bombing” of a Borno IDPs camp by a military jet.According to MSF, at least 52 people were killed and 120 people were injured by the bomb.Jean-Clément Cabrol, MSF’s Director of Operations, said, “This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable.”“The safety of civilians must be respected. We are urgently calling on all parties to ensure the facilitation of medical evacuations by air or road for survivors who are in need of emergency care.”

Wizkid’s Leaked Song Featuring Drake is Off His Forthcoming Album ‘Sounds From The Other Side’

• ‘We were still talking about it (how the song leaked) yesterday, Wizkid is not happy, I am not happy,’ his manager, Sunday Are Wizkid and his management aren’t happy that the song, which leaked online on Saturday, January 14, has been made available for streaming and download on various entertainment sites.

Millions of Wizkid’s fans already have the record on their music library and the trend has been overwhelming. Credit: Giphy

The leaked Wizkid song with Drake ‘Hush Up the Silence’ is off his yet to be titled forthcoming album.Wizkid and his management aren’t happy that the song which leaked online on Saturday, January 14 has been made available for streaming and download on various entertainment sites.

‘We were still talking about it (how the song leaked) yesterday, Wizkid is not happy, I am not happy,’ his manager, Sunday Are exclusively told Thenetng.‘Hush Up the Silence’ is supposed to be on Wizkid’s highly anticipated forthcoming album, his manager also confirmed.He went on to assure us the song ‘definitely’ didn’t leak from here (Nigeria), but possibly the other camp.Meanwhile, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has sent multiply emails imploring global music and news platforms to take down the song, which featured Drake.Wizkid is signed to SONY Music, which the IFPI represents – in terms of trade – along with other recording industry worldwide.Millions of Wizkid’s fans already have the record on their music library and the trend has been overwhelming.

Niger Delta Militants Blow Up Pipeline After Osinbajo’s Visit

An unidentified Niger delta militant group have blown up a crude oil trunkline in Ughelli, Delta State, barely 24 hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the region. Prof. Osinbajo had on Monday visited the host communities and held a meeting with traditional rulers in Delta State with the objective of finding lasting peace in the region.

I Have Achieved 90 Per Cent of My Campaign Promises, Says Okorocha

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha says he has fulfilled about 90 per cent of the campaign promises made to the people of the state.Okorocha made the disclosure when he received the management of the Sun Publishing Company led by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Mr Eric Osagie, at his Spitbat Owerri residence on Tuesday “My administration has already fulfilled about 90 per cent of my campaign promises which includes building of 27 new general hospitals in each of the 27 local governments, free education at all levels, and infrastructural development.“We have also embarked on urban renewal and as well making effort to address problem of power which will help in the industrialisation of the state,’’ he said Okorocha noted that he was particularly happy with the role of media in disseminating the right information to the people, which according to him, led to his administration recording success story“I am particularly thankful to the Sun newspaper because the media giant has effectively given voice to not only Imo people, both the South-East geopolitical zone and the entire country,’’ he said.Okorocha said that the media house through its coverage had equally helped to sustain democracy in Nigeria and assured continued partnership with the company.Earlier, Osagie said that the management team were on the tour of the South-East zone and expressed the company’s gratitude to Imo people for their patronage over the years.“We are essentially here for two reasons; first to express our depth of gratitude for the support you have given to us for these years and as Oliver Twist to ask for continued partnership with us,” he said.He assured that the company would continue to support the state government’s quest to transform the state. (NAN)

Nigeria air strike error kills up to 100 in refugee camp

A Nigerian air force jet has mistakenly bombed a camp for displaced people near Rann in the north-east, killing up to 100 people and injuring dozens more.

Aid workers are among the dead, with the Red Cross saying six of its employees were killed.

The MSF aid agency said it was treating 120 injured people and appealed for help with medical evacuations.

President Muhammadu Buhari, whose army is fighting Boko Haram militants, expressed dismay and urged calm.

The attack took place near the border with Cameroon where the military is engaged in what it calls its final push against Boko Haram.

It is thought to be the first time Nigeria's military has admitted to making such a mistake.

President Buhari Reacts to University of Maiduguri Bomb Blast

President Muhammadu Buhari has strongly condemned the terrorist attack Monday morning at a mosque in the University of Maiduguri(UNIMAID).A professor of veterinary medicine and four others were killed by the suicide bomber. Fifteen other people were injured.The President expressed sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the University Community, families of the victims and the government and people of Borno State.President Buhari Said the appalling attack on a revered place of worship and Ivory Tower shows that the perpetrators have no true understanding of Islam. He said their despicable acts of terrorism are cowardly, criminal, unjustifiable and punishable before God Almighty and the laws of the land.The President reassured communities in Borno and others in the North eastern part of the country that his administration will continue to ensure that terrorism never triumphs over peace-loving Nigerians. He reaffirmed the need for Nigerians to remain more vigilant even as the security agencies continue to use all means at their disposal to combat the remnants of insurgents and their sponsors. President Buhari wished those injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery, and comforted families of the dead.

Facebook Confirms Removal of ‘Edited’ Label; Still Maintains Edit History

While Twitter is still contemplating whether the site needs an editing feature, Facebook has made it easier for people to save face while editing their posts on the social media networking website. Facebook has now removed the on-post ‘edited’ label that the site used to show earlier to let viewers know a particular post had been edited.The site has not removed edit history, though the removal of the label means it’s easier for users to overlook the changes made to a post, as noted first by Mashable. Users can still access the edit history on posts by going through the drop-down menu on the post. On being contacted by Mashable, Facebook representatives acknowledged that the website is using a different editing system than before but the change was made a year ago – implying it took a while before the change was visible to all users.Earlier, Facebook used to show an ‘edited’ label next to the time stamp whenever any change was made to the post. However, now users will be able to correct their small cringe-worthy mistakes without any noticeable stamp that can trigger users to search for the mistake made in the original post. Notably, the edited label next to a comment can still be seen whenever any changes are made to a comment.It will be interesting to see if the social media networking giant gives similar treatment to the changes made in comments as well going ahead. Editing is an option that has often created a divide when it comes to social media networking platforms.Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently admitted that the website needs an editing feature but expressed concerns regarding the implementation. While minor changes like grammatical errors are not an issue, as these platforms are often used for consumption of news, it can become a huge problem if changes are made without any responsibility or acknowledgement.

Heritage Bank Sacks 400 Staff

Heritage Bank has embarked on mass retrenchment of its workers with 400 staff sacked in December.Investigations by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Monday indicated that more workers are pencilled for sack.NAN reports that the bank, in October 2014, acquired Enterprise Bank with about N56 billion ($281 million).A top management source in the bank, who pleaded anonymity, said that the sack cut across the top, middle and low cadres.He said that the mass sack was creating apprehension and fears among the remaining workers.The source said that the remaining workers, especially workers from the former Enterprise Bank, feared they could be disengaged anytime.He said that workers from the former Enterprise Bank were the most affected in the ongoing restructuring exercise embarked on to improve the bank’s profitability.The bank embarked on the massive sack in spite of the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige’s directive to financial institutions to desist from the sacking spree.Fela Ibidapo, the bank’s Head of Corporate Communications, however, told NAN that the figures were not correct.Mr. Ibidapo said that the mass sack was not limited to the bank as it cut across all operators in the industry.There have been media reports of the bank’s financial instability which the bank denied.

NYSC Releases Timetable For 2016 Batch B Stream II Orientation Course

National Youth Service Corps Management has released the timetable for the 2016 Batch ‘B’ (Stream II) Orientation course.

NYSC Corps Members

The scheme stated on Monday that camp will commence on Tuesday, 24th January, 2017.
The lineup of activities for the course is shown below:

a. Tue 24th – Wed 25th, Jan 2017- Registration/verification exercise

b. Thursday, 26th January, 2017 – Swearing-in ceremony

c. Monday, 13th February, 2017 – Closing ceremony

Prospective Corps members are advised to report to camp at the scheduled date as registration/verification will end at midnight of January 25, 2017.All are also to note that original copies of academic credentials and other documents uploaded during the online registration MUST be presented on camp for physical verification.

EFCC Probes Alleged Missing N500m Chibok girls Safe School Funds

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that it is looking into the petition requesting the anti-corruption body to, “urgently begin a thorough, transparent and effective investigation into allegation that N500 million Safe School funds for Chibok girls, commissioned by former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to rebuild the Government Girls School in Chibok, is missing and cannot be accounted for.”The petition signed on 27th December 2016, was sent to the EFCC Chair, Ibrahim Mustafa Magu by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) This development was disclosed today by SERAP senior staff attorney, Timothy Adewale.Adewale said: “We have received confirmation from the EFCC that the body is looking into our petition. The EFCC has also expressed its determination to diligently investigate the allegation of the missing N500 million Safe School funds for Chibok girls, and sought additional information from SERAP.”“SERAP appreciates the prompt attention the EFCC has given to the matter, and our organization is committed to sending to the EFCC additional information including any available documentary evidence in our possession in order to enable the anti-corruption body to get to the root of the matter, identify suspected perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as recover any missing funds.”It would be recalled that SERAP had in its petition urged the EFCC to “invite for questioning, and name and shame anyone suspected to be involved in the alleged diversion, including the contractors allegedly handling the project.”The petition reads in part: “The allegation that N500m has been lost to corruption has resulted in denying the girls access to education, and shows the failure of the former President Goodluck Jonathan government to live up to Nigeria’s commitments under the global Safe School Declaration.”“SERAP believes that the diversion of the funds will expose the school to attacks in the future. This is a fundamental breach of the country’s obligations including guarantees of non-repetition, which contribute to prevention and deterrence of future attacks.”“SERAP urges the EFCC to work with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to set up a mechanism to monitor government’s spending of the safe school funds in order to ensure that the funds are spent exactly to prevent and deter future attacks, and to allow the girls to go back to school as soon as possible.”

“SERAP is seriously concerned that the school has remained in a state of disrepair since the abduction of the girls, and students have remained at home.”“SERAP is concerned that the alleged diversion of N500m meant for reconstruction of Government Girls School in Chibok has directly violated the right to education of the girls, as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.”“The diversion has undermined the obligation of the government to take step to the maximum of its available resources to achieve the right to education. The alleged diversion also shows a serious breach of anti-corruption legislation including the EFCC Act, and Nigeria’s international obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption both of which the country has ratified.”“The EFCC should ensure full accountability and bring to justice anyone found to be responsible for corruption and diversion of safe school funds. The EFCC should also ensure that all proceeds of corruption are recovered and returned back to the treasury.”“This request is based on allegations by Governor Kashim Shettima that N500 million set aside by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is missing and cannot be accounted for. The funds were released for rebuilding of the Government Girls School in Chibok under the Safe School Initiative programme, which was commissioned by former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.”

Signed Timothy Adewale SERAP Senior Staff Attorney 16/1/2017 Lagos, Nigeria Emails: news@serap-nigeria.org; info@serap-nigeria.org Twitter: @SERAPNigeria Website: www.serap-nigeria.org