Samson Ejembi's Blog

Nigerian government scraps HND

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:09:00 +0000

The decision was reached at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday where the approval of a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s tertiary education system was made.

In effect, the award of HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes.

Also, all the programmes currently being run by polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which are about 70 per cent, will be scrapped.

Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils.

The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education will be awarded the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the proximate university.

To kick-start the new policy, the nation’s two most prominent polytechnics – Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic – will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.

And to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment.

With education being on the concurrent list, the states may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions. But if they do not wish to follow the federal example, their programmes will continue to be regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education.

The first bill will concretise the setting up of the two city universities while the second will approve the preparation and consolidation of all federal polytechnics and colleges of education as campuses of proximate universities.

The Ministry of Justice will do the preparation and submission of the two bills to the National Assembly.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, told journalists after the weekly meeting of the council that under the reform measures, his ministry would, however, continue to license private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualification at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels.

He said,

“There will be no more award of HND.
“After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more award of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admission for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics.
“About 70 per cent of polytechnic graduates are in the non-technical courses. It is going to be a rigorous implementation programme.”

A ministerial committee to ensure the smooth implementation of all that is required for the take-off of the reform initiatives is to begin work immediately.

Adamu said,

“The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the work place.
“The NCE certificate will be retained as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic level of education. Any higher qualifications by these private or state-owned polytechnics will be only affiliation with a university. So, HND is no longer in existence, but existing HND will be respected and considered legal tender.”

Ace gospel singer Chris Morgan escaped death

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 17:24:00 +0000

Chris Morgan, Nigeria's ace gospel music singer, escaped death by whiskers along Airport Road, Abuja during the weekend.

This is happening barely one week after clocking 40 years and few days to his ‘Timeless Worship2: The Closet Concert’,

The singer and his team were returning from an event when his car suddenly developed electrical fault along the road.

Reports indicate that the singer and his crew alighted to ascertain the real cause of the sudden breakdown when some heavily armed men emerged from the bush and robbed them off their valuables, including cash.

Our reporter gathered that the bloodthirsty attackers, who were apparently on a different mission, stabbed the singer close to his spinal cord with the aim of rendering him paralyzed.

“As if that was not enough, the man took his knife and wanted to slit my throat and I began to shout Jesus and hit the sword and it injured my hand.

“I summoned courage and I took off and they went after my boys, they chased one of them for close to 30 minutes in the bush but he escaped.

“I was in the middle of the road shouting for help in the pool of my blood when a woman saw me and recognized me, she quickly opened her back door and helped me to enter.

“It was God who saved me and my team. I thank God no life was lost. It was just another distraction from the enemy,” a thankful Morgan told our reporter.

Confirming the attack to this reporter, Morgan’s Manager, Moses Ogidi Paul, otherwise known as MadMo, described the incident as a miraculous escape.

“The devil has been put to shame. We are just busy preparing for his concert, The Closet with Chris Morgan and the devil thought he could distract us.

“The doctor said the sword was an inch away from his spinal cord, which would have coffined him to wheelchair,” he said.

Speaking on the forthcoming event, Ogidi said the event would hold despite the attack stressing that the 'Daily As I Live' crooner was responding to treatment.

“The show goes on. In fact, everything is set for the epoch-making event. Our billboards and adverts are all over the city of Abuja.

What president Buhari told Nigerians on this democracy Day

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Tue, 29 May 2018 11:08:00 +0000

ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 2018 DEMOCRACY DAY CELEBRATION, TUESDAY, 29TH MAY, 2018

My Dear Nigerians!

Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.

2. The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity.

3. Public safety and security remains the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Governments in the North East.

4. Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of authority of government and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram.

5. In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on Internally Displaced Persons, Government has established secure IDP Camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities using various strategies in collaboration with local and international Organizations.

6. Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water and sanitation to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development.

7. The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

8. I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the International Community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East. I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country. State and Local traditional authorities are helping with much needed intelligence in this fight against insurgency.

9. This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice. Government is boosting the capacity of our security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering as well as boosting their morale in the face of daunting challenges.

10. The Niger Delta Region has enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the Elders and the good people of the region. Government is committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region. The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni in June, 2016 is progressing satisfactorily. Furthermore farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest.

11. The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country. Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I therefore appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.

12. Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform policies include:

a. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.

b. The Whistle-Blowing Policy has helped to recover over N500 Billion;

c. The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll;

d. The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularise their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.

e. The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.

13. The fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets. This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation.

14. We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally. This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.

15. This Administration has therefore focused on revamping the ailing economy it inherited in 2015. In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.

16. The broad strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth; Build a globally competitive economy; and Invest in our people. The implementation of the ERGP has started yielding results. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1st quarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.

17. Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May, 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January, 2017.

18. Recently, Government conducted Focus Labs in three key sectors of the Economy namely, Agriculture & Transport, Manufacturing and Processing as well as Power and Gas. These have yielded significant prospects for investments and Job creation to the tune of US$ 22.5 billion with a potential for creating more than 500,000 jobs by 2020. These investment generation initiatives are expected to increase capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investment. There is a high prospect that the cumulative investments from this first phase of the Labs will hit US$39.2 billion by 2025.

19. Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.

20. The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support. The major strategic objective is to restore livelihood, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor across the country. The SIP programmes and projects include:

a. Home Grown School Feeding Programme - About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme.

b. The Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states. Less privileged Nigerians are now being paid N5,000 monthly stipend in 9 pilot States of Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo. Eventually the scheme will cover all the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.

c. Under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme - About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to 4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting release of funds.

d. N-Power Job creation Scheme - is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.

21. In the area of power generation, Nigerians from all parts of the country continue to report better power supply and less use of generators. This underscores the effectiveness of the methodical plan to deliver incremental and uninterrupted power supply to our homes, markets, offices and factories.

22. The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December, 2017. With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitations by Government and private investors, generation capability now exceeds 7,500 MW.

23. This Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to eliminate contentious estimated billing.

24. The Transportation Sector continues to undergo a series of reforms in order to sustain the international best practices and ensure safety and security. The nation's major airports have witnessed reconstruction of runways, installation of navigational equipment and new international terminals due for commissioning in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and the Governments of other countries will significantly open up new flight routes.

25. As a result of strict regulatory and compliance policies, Nigeria retained her Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status, after a routine international audit. Recently, a new Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility with capacity for aircraft C-checks and other comprehensive levels of maintenance was established in Lagos. This would save the country an estimated $90m annually.

26. Giant strides have been recorded over the past three years to improve road transport infrastructure in all geopolitical zones of the country.

27. The Railway Sector has also received tremendous attention as this Administration is committed to the goal of linking all State capitals in the Federation by rail network to ease the movement of goods and passengers.

28. The Education Sector especially at tertiary level has continued to witness expansion in order to improve access to higher education by millions of youths in Nigeria. Over the last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14 private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.

29. Government has also continued to support the implementation of various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Basic Education delivery. Thus, it has ensured proper funding at the Basic Education level with the disbursement of N42.2 billion UBE Matching Grant to 26 States and the FCT, N851.5 million Special Education Grant disbursed to 23 States and private providers of Special Education and N2.2 billion Teachers Professional Development Fund to 33 States and the FCT.

30. The Federal Government has continued to support fiscal sustainability at the sub-national governments through the implementation of the Budget Support Facility which was accompanied by the 22- point Fiscal Sustainability Plan. Thus, bailouts funds were made available to States to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries.

31. In addition, a total of 73 Ecological Fund projects for the control of gully erosion in different communities across all geopolitical zones have been completed in the last three years and are undergoing commissioning while 53 other projects are ongoing. The execution of these projects has generated 357 skilled jobs and 1,350 unskilled jobs during this period.

32. It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.

33. My dear country men and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.

34. Finally, the up-coming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch free elections but also a credible and violence free process.

35. In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill

36. I thank you for your attention.

37. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Where is the guy I married? Written by Oyekule Lizzy

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 15:12:00 +0000

Episode 1
“Wiiiiiieeeeeeennnn, wieeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, wieeeeeennnnnennnn” my baby’s cry geared on and on.
“Jesus, please stop her. Please calm her down. What do I know is wrong with her now?” I kept muttering to myself as I sat up and held my three month old baby in my arm. She was crying profusely.
Tears dotted her face like little puddles of water. She doesn’t want to be appeased. She refused to be breastfed too. What shall I do?
I climbed down the bed and danced around while singing lullabies for her but instead of being appeased, Blossom kept crying.
“Is it her diapers?” I asked myself. I went to her wardrobe and brought out another diaper. I went back to the bed, sat down, removed all of her clothes and off I set to the bathroom.
After giving Blossom a warm bath, I came back to the bedroom to dress her in another light, comfortable sleeper after applying sufficient powder on her body and enough oil on her scalp. Yet, the cry continued. I was frustrated.
I brought her close to my bosom as I raised my blouse but her little hands pulled my blouse down meaning “I don’t want your jugs!” She cried the more!
We were in the hospital that very day before for the ante-natal. The last vaccination was not like this o! Though she cried it was not as bad as this. This incessant cry, I have been told to anticipate but I didn’t expect it would be this much. I eased the blouse she was wearing and checked her small shoulder which was the ‘venue’ for the substance causing my baby’s discomfort. I rubbed it over and over again. She cried the more. I put my baby down, knelt beside my bed and cried!
Is this how motherhood thing is? God, this is unbearable! I cried and cried.
You might be thinking, where is your husband? Is your baby fatherless? My dear people, no! My husband is alive,. He is safe and sound.
All the while the drama unfolded, Dave slept so beautifully as if nothing was happening. My baby’s tears and my own- everything was in his ears like lullabies urging him to sleep on.
This was not the man I married!
When I just got married to him, my sleeplessness made him sleepless. When I turned on my side on the bed, he would wake up, no matter how deep his sleep was. He would cuddle me and sing into my ears till I fall I asleep but now, he just didn’t bulge.
He turned in his sleep and sat up. I looked at him and shook my head.
“Dear, are you just…” I was saying when he shut me up.
“What’s the noise about?” He asked, still very sleep-drunk.
I looked at him very intensely, my heart beat rising so fast. Can’t he see my tears? Can’t he see that I need a word of encouragement?
“Are you crying?” he asked, yawning, scratching his head and looking away. My already swollen heart ripped open that I cried aloud.
“Dave, where are you? What is happening? Where is my husband? What has happened to us?” I cried on and on. He shook his head, let out a brief hiss, came down from the bed, picked up a pillow and out of the room he went!
My cry stopped abruptly!
“Is this a dream?” I asked myself
I couldn’t hold it anymore. I tucked my already dozing baby in her small cradle and jumped out of the room as if being pursued by a jackal!
Dave was on the settee, supporting himself with the pillow and some other throw pillows. He was snoring! He looked so unbothered.
One spirit told me to slap him awake, the other told me ‘Liz, take things easy’ I obeyed the latter, walked close to him, knelt down beside him and tapped him.
“Ohhh, Liz, what’s it? Its midnight. Sleep! If not, let me sleep!” he said.
‘I won’t cry!’ I told myself. I called my Spirit, Soul and Body to let’s fight the battle together.
“Dave, what’s wrong? You couldn’t hear Blossom crying so heavily. Could you?”
“Of course I could. But you know, cuddle her, sing to her, do everything. She would sleep”
“yes, I have tried everything but they didn’t work. I think it’s the vaccination that is the cause.”
“Well, if it didn’t work when the mother tried all, would it work if I tried? Liz, try to be reasonable!” He said. I blinked so hard to avoid my tears from falling.
“You could still show care Dave. You are supposed to show me care” My eyes failed me as I started crying again. Dave hissed!
“See Liz, this cry is irritating! Grow up! What’s the difference between you and Blossom? When a grown up tries to behave like a baby, she becomes an imbecile!” he blurted out. I sat on the cold tiles, picked one of the throw pillows and I started banging it on the floor thinking the experience would wake me up from my slumber. I felt a sharp headache.
“Dave, I have lost you! Jesus, I have lost my husband!” I cried out over and over again.
Our marriage is only a year old. What is happening? Those times when I was pregnant and I was acting a kid that was sobbing, he would cuddle me and call me “my baby with my baby” while he wiped my tears. Now, this isn’t even an act and it irritated him. It didn’t pain him, it didn’t concern him! What has suddenly come over him?
He had been behaving weird and absurd for many days now but now it’s getting out of hand.
I went close to him and sat beside him. I held his hand which he reluctantly allowed. I sighed at this.
“Dave, please, let’s pray. I can sense that something is wrong.” I said. He threw my hands away, hissed and stood up.
“Don’t bring in prayers into something like this. Why are you being illogical? If you can’t let me be, I will leave the house for you” he said, wore his slip-ons and walked towards the door.
As he was about to open, I blocked him.
Where is he going to? It’s just few minutes to midnight. This night? God forbid!” I thought to myself.
I looked into his face and my heart yearned for my husband, but his eyes scared me. They were red as burning coals. My heart started racing.
I cried out as he caught my right hand and pushed me off his way into one of the arm chairs. It was so painful.
The key turned twice and the door opened. There was a loud bang as he closed the door behind him.
“Jesus! This can’t be your will right? But you told me it is Dave and no one else. That was why I said yes. You did! What’s it now?…Oh God!”
I could cry no more. The veins at the sides of my head were thumping to the extent that the noise disturbed me! My head was banging as if yam was being pounded in it. I was exhausted. My nose was blocked! My eyes were heavy.
Where is my caring, loving, prayerful and peace-loving husband and father of Blossom? It’s obviously not this monster!
Where is my husband? Can someone just tell me his whereabouts?
TO BE CONTINUED…
Credit: Gospelbreed.com.

Why Buhari refuses to sign the the bill establishing Peace Corps of Nigeria

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:12:00 +0000

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that funding was chiefly the reason why he withheld his assent to the Peace Corps bill recently passed by the National Assembly.

He also stated that given a presidential assent to the bill would mean creating another security agency with a mandate already being performed by other existing law enforcement bodies in the country.

The President made his position known in a letter read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara at Tuesday plenary.

The letter titled “Presidential decision to decline assent to Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill, 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly read thus:

“Pursuant to Section 58 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the House of Representatives, my decision, on 25th January, 2018 to decline presidential assent to the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) bill, 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly.

“Specifically, reasons for the decision to decline assent to this bill include among others:

“a. Security concerns regarding the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps being authorized to undertake activities currently being performed by extant security and law enforcement agencies; and

“b. Financial implications of funding the establishment and operations of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps, given the scarce financial resources may pose serious challenges to the government.

“Please, accept, Right Honorable Speaker, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Man bags jail term for circumcision

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 18:39:00 +0000

“The criminalisation of circumcision is a very grave measure that raises deep concern.”

“The Icelandic bill says the circumcision of young boys violates their rights and is incompatible with the United Nations convention on the rights of the child. It draws a parallel with female genital mutilation, already outlawed in most European countries.

“The bill says circumcisions are performed without anaesthesia, and claims the procedure is often carried out “in homes that are not sterile, and not by doctors but by religious leaders.

“There is a high risk of infections under such conditions that may lead to death.”

It acknowledges that while parents have the right to give religious guidance to their children, “such a right can never exceed the rights of the child”.

Boys who wish to be circumcised for religious or cultural reasons can do so when they reach an age at which they “understand what is involved in such an action”, it suggests.

Emmanuella of 'Mark Angel Comedy' to feature in Hollywood film

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 18:21:00 +0000

Comedienne Emmanuella of ‘Mark Angel comedy’ works with Walt Disney Studios (Photo)

Truly, a man’s gift makes way for him. Young Nigerian comedienne Emmanuella of Mark Angels comedy series has been pictured on American film studio, Walt Disney Studios’ set. The child comedian who is believed to be the richest child comedian in Nigeria earns a lot of money from Mark Angel’s comedy videos.

Emmanuella shared the photo on her Instagram page and gushed:

‘Thanks @disneystudios God bless everyone whose support has added to bringing us here. I never dreamed of being here so soon. I miss Success. I love you all.’

New Muzik - kellywizzy drops new single

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 19:01:00 +0000

Muzik alert.

TEAMFLAWLESS Entertainment has let loose a brand new single titled "STAND by YOU". the song was written by their very own boy kellywizzy who was newly signed Into the record label! kellywIzzy is a HIPHoP, R&B/comatial artist who has don xo well for himself and for da muzik industry, he is dedicating this sweet tune to all the beautiful African ladies..the song was produce be one of Abuja's finnest producer ultimate Vbaba!. kellywizzy will probably take you girl kus da lerics and melody of this splofic R&B tune will blow your showdIes mind. be the 1st to download HERE

DOWNLOAD Stand by you

Does groundnut really cause pimples?

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 14:25:00 +0000

For years upon years myths and legends have been spun around groundnuts. Pimples prone people advocate that groundnuts should be avoided completely to stop pimples from popping up like Christmas lights.

While it is true that oily foods cause inflammation of the skin and what we know as pimples pop out, there is no research definitely linking specific foods to pimple outbreaks. Surprising, right?

Well, you are not alone in this belief but the fact is that the process that causes pimples is quite complex.

Sometimes, pores become blocked and oil which is meant to be drained to the surface of the skin gets trapped and bacteria begin growing and bam!

You have a pimple on your face. Thus, it is not the groundnut that actually causes a pimple; it is the blocked pore that gets inflamed when natural oil can’t get out.

Some studies have revealed though that overall poor diet can create a hormonal imbalance that triggers all sorts of common skin disease, one of each is the appearance of pimples.

You might stay away from groundnuts and still suffer from terrible zits so instead go for diets that help rejuvenate your skin rather than labeling some foods as bad for the skin.

Do more of fruits and water to stay hydrated and keep your skin fresh and healthy.

It might interest you to know that researchers say that groundnut can reduce dark spots on your face but if you are not comfortable eating them, you could apply the butter on your face instead.

Groundnut is actually nutritious with ample proportions of carbohydrate, protein, fats and no cholesterol. Little groundnut daily can lower the risk of heart disease.

However, just as too much of anything is bad; you should watch how much oil you take but not simply because of the fear of pimples. Let’s stop the marginalization of groundnuts!
Credit: Naijaloaded

How to check 2017 Npower list

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 05:21:00 +0000

Hurray! Npower has finally released the list of 2017 application. Some people seem to be having problems checking the website. SEB has made it simple for you. Click HERE to check your name using your phone number or BVN. Goodluck.

Npower sets to release 2017 application list

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 18:03:00 +0000

The federal government social program, Npower is set to release the 2017 application list. In a statement posted on their Facebook page, the list can be accessible on their website on Monday 20th November by 11:30 pm.

"We promised you that you would be the first to know and we have kept that promise.

From 11.30pm Monday, November 20th, 2017 applicants can check if they have been pre-selected for Physical Verification.

NPower NG remains committed to a fair and transparent process."

Latest on Zimbabwe Coup/Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 05:28:00 +0000

Thursday November 16

4.49am: Former Zanu-PF member Temba Mliswa says citizens in that country are happy that their lives have been placed in the hands of the military.

He said: “When the president of the country is no longer the president and there is a de facto president it brings instability.

“As a result, you have the army, the last line of defence. From a constitutional point of view, the preamble of our Constitution has been very clear and it's important for people to understand that the army and war veterans have always been part of Zanu-PF. They are the founders of Zanu-PF.”
4.30am: Armed soldiers are checking every car in and out of the capital Harare.

A group of journalists claim an armoured personnel carrier with troops chased them when they realised they had been filming.

The Sky News team said they were convinced the troops might open fire, but luckily the shots did not come.

3.50am: Zimbabwe’s fragmented opposition has not publicly condemned the military move.

Nelson Chamisa, the deputy head of the opposition MDC party, called for “peace, constitutionalism, democratisation, the rule of law and the sanctity of human life”.

2.55am: South African envoy to meet Robert Mugabe and the military.

Local media reported South Africa's defence and state security ministers, dispatched by President Jacob Zuma as regional envoys, arrived in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, on Wednesday night and were expected to meet both Mugabe and the military.

1.30am: Robert Mugabe “tarnished the jewel of Africa” after taking charge of a country left “over endowed for success" by British rule, Boris Johnson has claimed.

The Foreign Secretary has accused the President of allowing a corrupt elite to “pillage” the country’s natural resources leaving its residents poorer.

He said: "There is an educated population, plentiful wildlife and what were some of the best roads and railways in Africa. Throw all this together and you get a nation that is almost over endowed for success.

“Today, in one of Africa’s most fertile countries, many are close to starvation.”

Credit: express.co.uk

Eagles faint Aguero as Argentina is battered 4 goals to 2

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 05:14:00 +0000

The Manchester City striker had scored to put his side 2-0 up in the first half, but Arsenal's Alex Iwobi found the net twice as Nigeria came back.

The Argentina FA said the 29-year-old had been taken to hospital to "carry out routine studies as a precaution".

They later confirmed that Aguero had been discharged from hospital.

"He is already in the hotel along with the rest of the team," they tweeted.

After the match Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli said Aguero had "got dizzy and had to leave".

In a statement City said he had been cleared by doctors to return to Manchester as planned "after suffering a dizzy spell" during the match.

"Sergio never lost consciousness, and was taken to hospital for precautionary medical checks," the club said. "He will be assessed by the club's medical team ahead of this weekend's Premier League trip to Leicester City."

Aguero, who became City's all-time leading goalscorer earlier this month, had recently returned to action after he suffered a rib injury in a car crash in Amsterdam in September. He was injured when a taxi he was travelling in after attending a concert crashed into a lamp post.

In Wednesday's international friendly, Leicester's Kelechi Iheanacho netted with a free-kick and Brian Idowu was also on the scoresheet for the Super Eagles, who had fallen behind to strikes from Aguero and Ever Banega.

Watch the highlights here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YroFM157Gro

What's new on WhatsApp

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

WhatsApp is working on a major new feature that will change the way you chat with friends.

The popular messaging app is reportedly planning to introduce group voice and video calls in the coming months.

WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features early, spotted references to the new feature in the latest beta version of the app.

It would potentially allow groups of friends or colleagues to chat face-to-face using the app, replacing the need for traditional conference calls.
WhatsApp added the ability to make voice and video calls within its chat app last year, in an attempt to compete with the likes of Apple's FaceTime, Microsoft's Skype and Google's Duo app.

However, it is currently only possible to make one-to-one calls to individual contacts.

It is not yet known if or when the group calling feature will become available on the public version of the app.
However, WABetaInfo has accurately predicted a number of unannounced WhatsApp features, based on references within the beta software.

Last week, WhatsApp announced that iOS and Android users will soon be able to use the messaging app to share their locations with one another .
The company announced the feature on its blog and stressed that, like the messages, location sharing will be end-to-end encrypted to avoid hackers or authorities intercepting the data.

Users will be able to select how long they want their location shared for and it can be disabled at any time.

"Whether you're meeting up with friends, letting loved ones know you're safe, or sharing your commute, Live Location is a simple and secure way to let people know where you are," WhatsApp explained.

WhatsApp didn't specify an exact launch date for the new feature, but simply said it would be rolling out to mobile users "in the coming weeks".

Benue Labour suspends strike

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 10:02:00 +0000

The organized labour in Benue State has suspended its one week old industrial action embarked upon by workers in the State.

National General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, announced the decision of the unions in a communiqué he presented to newsmen at the Benue Peoples House Makurdi.

He said the strike would be formally suspended tomorrow, Wednesday October 11, 2017 while government is expected to source for funds and pay two months salaries and pension arrears owed them between Thursday and Friday this week.

As part of measures to ensure regular and monthly payment of salaries and pensions, government has also agreed to exercise fiscal discipline, control its spending and mop up areas of leakages as well as explore ways of boosting her Internally Generated Revenue.

In the communique, both government and the labour unions have agreed to dialogue on all issues affecting the welfare of workers and pensioners in the state.

As part of measures to ensure that Benue has a realistic and manageable wage bill, the Joint Technical Committee set up by the State and National Secretariat of NLC in its meeting of Monday, October 9th, 2017, "agreed that
both government and the unions in the State should continue to work together to ensure improved resource flow and management.

"In this regard, both parties agreed to work to ensure the completion of the work of the Committee currently chaired by the Deputy Governor."

Benue State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Godwin Anya, his Trade Union Congress, TUC counterpart, Comrade Ordue Tartenger and the chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Philip Ter Nongu signed the communique on behalf of the organised labour.

On the part of government, the State Head of Service, Engineer George Ede and Commissioner for Finance, Hon. David Olofu signed the document.

Indigenous pay TV launched in Nigeria

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 10:33:00 +0000

The minister has congratulated the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Dr Bright Echefu, and his team for liberalising and breaking the monopoly of Pay TV in the country. “The important thing about what Echefu has done today is that he has redefined the pay per view television industry and from today that industry will never remain the same again. “What he has done is to democratise the media and entertainment industry and make it possible for even a peasant farmer to have access to the best entertainment and news in the world. “It is a great opportunity for me to be the one to unveil TStv because just like a Nigerian made history by crashing the cost of telephony in Nigeria, I am glad that another Nigerian is now coming forward to crash the cost of Pay TV,” he said. The minister commended the courage of the investor for coming from the Diaspora to invest in his country and for believing in the government’s seriousness about diversifying the economy. He said the company had also demonstrated that government alone could not do all things but needed the participation and synergy of the private sector. “I want to assure that this administration will continue to assist you and other investors in creating the enabling environment for businesses to grow,” he said. The minister said that the government was aware of the huge contributions of the creative industry to the nation’s economy and would continue to support the sector. However, he identified contents and the lack of objective audience measurement as major challenges that had retarded the growth of TV and advertising industries in the country. “With the liberalisation of the industry, content has become very key because content determines which channels are being watched and which are not. “Another major challenge is how to get an accurate measurement of which channel is being watched and which is not. “Kenya and South Africa are about one third of our population but they do much better in TV and radio advertisement than us because of their robust audience measurement,” he said. The minister announced that the National Broadcasting Commission and his ministry would organise a workshop on Nov. 28 to address the challenge of audience measurement. Earlier, Echefu said that TStv Africa, which had gone through a lot of challenges, was birth to liberalise PayTV in the country, make it affordable to every Nigerian with added values. He said for the first time, Nigerians could now enjoy Pay Per View because with TStv, “subscription runs as you watch and it has the facility to pause your subscription when you travel”. Echefu said that TStv for a start has 70 premium channels model with the cheapest pay-TV in Africa with maximum subscription fee of N3,000 only. He said as a fully Nigerian brand with consideration for the masses, TStv is not classified and it has a model that accommodate subscription as low as N200 as N500 for a period of time. The CEO said TStv came with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Decoder which allowed viewers greater control over their viewing experience with functions like pause, rewind, forward, save and record of programmes of interest. Echefu said that once you subscribe to TStv, you will also get complimentary internet service, enabled Wi-Fi, as well as video calls and video conferencing services. “It has an array of amazing TV channels with premium entertainment, educative programmes that cut across all genres. “The genres included news, music, general entertainment, documentary, movies, religious, sports, health, kids, fashion and lifestyle that better define the uniqueness of Nigeria’s diverse culture and traditional values,” he said. The CEO said TStv which was modelled for Nigerians had come to stay, assuring that it would not fail and they would deliver on their promises. The guests at the ceremony were entertained with live performances by musicians and comedians. Among the dignitaries at the event were Gov. Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Fola Adeyemi, and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, MS Grace Gekpe. Others were the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; Nollywood actors including Emeka Ike. Adigwe Okafor, Zack Amata, Dr Opa Williams and Afeez Oyetoro aka Saka.

Source: NAN

Independence Day speech by PMB

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 10:50:00 +0000

BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON OCTOBER 1, 2017

My dear Nigerians,

October 1st remains a special date for all Nigerians as this marks the day when we attained one of the most precious of human desires — freedom.

Over the years the country has gone through trials and tribulations, but October 1st is always a day for celebrations.

It is a day for thanks giving, reflection and re-dedication.

It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 – 2015, when our country happily returned to democratic rule.

However, in spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1m barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country’s social and physical infrastructure neglected.

We were left with no savings and huge infrastructure deficit.

The APC Government’s Campaign rallying cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric.

The country must first be secured. The economy must be re-balanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria’s Number One Enemy. Our Administration is tackling these tasks in earnest.

In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable gains in political freedom. A political Party at the Centre losing elections of State Governor, National Assembly seat and even State Assemblies to the opposition parties is new to Nigeria. Added to these are complete freedom to associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such developments clearly attest to the country’s growing political development. But like all freedoms, this is open to abuse.

Recent calls on re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for dismemberment of the country. We can not and we will not allow such advocacy.

As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through.

I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.

At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for National debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives.

Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities.

Government is grateful to the responsible leadership of those communities and will pursue lasting peace in the Niger Delta.

SECURITY

On security, Nigerians must be grateful to our gallant Armed Forces for rolling back the frontiers of Boko Haram’s terrorism, defeating them and reducing them to cowardly attacks on soft and vulnerable targets.

Nigeria is grateful to its neighbours and the international community for the collective efforts to defeat this world-wide menace of terrorism.

Not even the most organized and most equipped police and security forces in the world can escape the menace of modern day terrorism, as we have seen in recent years in Europe and other parts of the world.

But we are not letting up. Our Armed Forces in an effort to enhance the operational capability of troops of OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE have established Mobile Strike Teams in the North East. These will ensure the final push to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram.

In addition, through targeted air strikes most of the leadership and identified logistics bases and routes of the insurgents have been neutralized. The Armed Forces have established a Naval presence in the Lake Chad Basin as part of the coordinated military efforts to curtail the movements or re-emergence of the sect in the area.

Government is working round the clock to ensure release of the remaining Chibok girls, as well as other persons in Boko Haram captivity. Government will continue to support the Armed Forces and other security agencies to fight not only terrorism, but kidnapping, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers violence and to ensure peace, stability and security in our country.

ECONOMY

With respect to the economy, the Government has remained pro-active in its diversification policy. The Federal Government’s agricultural Anchor Borrowers Programme, which I launched in November 2015, has been an outstanding success with:

· N43.92 billion released through the CBN and 13 participating institutions,

· 200,000 small holder farmers from 29 states of the federation benefitting,

· 233,000 hectares of farmland cultivating eight commodities, namely Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, soya-beans, Poultry, Cassava and Groundnuts, in addition to fish farming.

These initiatives have been undertaken in close collaboration with the states. I wish to commend the efforts of the Governors of Kebbi, Lagos, Ebonyi and Jigawa States for their support to the rice and fertilizer revolutions.

Equally commendable are contributions of the Governors of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Benue, Ogun, Kaduna and Plateau States for their support for the Presidential initiative for palm oil, rubber, cashew, cassava, potatoes and other crops.

With the abundance of rainfall last year and this year, agriculture has enjoyed Divine intervention.

Since December last year, this Administration has produced over 7 million 50Kg bags of fertilizer. Eleven blending plants with a capacity of 2.1 million metric tons have been reactivated. We have saved $150 million in foreign exchange and N60 billion in subsidy. Fertilizer prices have dropped from N13,000 per 50Kg bag to N5,500.

Furthermore, a new presidential initiative is starting with each state of the Federation creating a minimum of 10,000 jobs for unemployed youths, again with the aid of CBN’s development finance initiatives.

Power remains a huge problem. As of September 12th, production of power reached an all — time high of 7,001 Megawatts. Government is increasing its investment, clearing up the operational and financial log jam bedeviling the industry. We hope to reach 10,000 Megawatts by 2020.

Key priorities include better energy mix through solar and Hydro technologies. I am glad to say that after many years of limbo, Mambilla Power Project has taken off.

Elsewhere in the economy the special window created for manufacturers, investors and exporters, foreign exchange requirements has proved very effective. Since April, about $7 billion has come through this window alone. The main effect of these policies is improved confidence in the economy and better investment sentiments.

The country has recorded 7 consecutive months of lower inflation, Naira rate is beginning to stabilize, appreciating from N525 per $1 in February this year to N360 today. Broad-based economic growth is leading us out of recession.

Furthermore, in order to stabilize the polity, the Federal Government gave additional support to states in the form of:

· State Excess Crude Account loans,

· Budget Support Facility,

· Stabilization Fund Release

to states and local governments as follows:

· N200 billion in 2015

· N441 billion in 2016

· N1 trillion in 2017

Altogether totaling N1.642 trillion.

This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years.

In addition, the Government’s current N500 billion Special Intervention Programme is targeting groups through;

· Home Grown School Feeding Programme,

· N-Power Job creation to provide loans to small-scale traders and artisans,

· Conditional Cash Transfer,

· Family Homes Fund and

· Social Housing Scheme.

CORRUPTION

Fellow Nigerians,

We are fully aware that fighting corruption was never going to be a straightforward task. We expected corrupt elements to use any weapon to fight back, mainly judicial obstruction and political diversion. But we are determined to eradicate corruption from our body politic.

In this fight, the Government has:

· Empowered teams of prosecutors,

· Assembled detailed databases,

· Accelerated the recovery of stolen funds.

The Administration’s new institutional reforms include:

· Enforcing Treasury Single Account,

· Whistle-Blowers Policy,

· Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System.

We have signed multi-lateral cooperation agreements on criminal matters with friendly countries. There are signs of increasing cooperation from the Judiciary. Recently the Chief Justice of Nigeria directed Heads of all our Courts of first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to have been compromised.

Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the Judiciary’s anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot from this Committee.

I commend the National Assembly for refocusing on its oversight committees. They should, in addition, ensure swift passage of enabling corruption laws. But fighting corruption is a bottom to top operation. I call on all Nigerians to combat corruption at every turn. By not asking for and refusing to accept a bribe, by reporting unethical practices or by blowing a whistle, together we can beat corruption. The government for its part will work for accountability at all levels - Federal, State and Local Governments. CHANGE will then be real.

As we enter the second half of our term of office, we intend to accelerate progress and intensify our resolve to fix the country’s challenges and problems.

Thank you and a happy holiday to all of you.

God bless our country

TSTV; people's choice now?

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:39:00 +0000

TSTV will be launched on October 1 2017 with over 100 channels including 12 sports channels for all the football leagues we want to follow.

But this is not the catch. The decoder also has a hotspot of 20Gb and video call conferencing with a camera.

The TSTV decoder will have 50 gb hard disk to record TV programs and a pause/play function.

It is the first Nigerian TV to launch a Pay as you use so you can pause your subscription whenever you are traveling.

Now let me blow your mind,

It is just N5000 for the decoder and dish and subscription prices are N200, N500, N1000, N1500 and N3000 respectively.

What is TSTV all about?
Telecom Satellite TV (TSTV) has partnered with a Europe-based television station, ABS Global, to launch into the Nigerian Broadcasting Service a Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite TV.

The newly launched pay TV satellite would cover all sub-Saharan African countries and would provide over 100 TV channels to their audience.Managing Director of TSTV, Bright Echefu during the signing of the multi-transponder agreement with their ABS partner disclosed that their services would offer viewers the experience of HD and SD video, internet services, broadband, TV and radio at a very affordable rate.

He said TSTV would be distributed on ABS-3A satellite located at the prime video neighborhood of 3°W and the antenna would be straight to the sky such that there would be no interference.

President Buhari's speech at the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 06:35:00 +0000

The president of the United Nation’s General Assembly, Your Excellencies, Heads of States and governments, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to preside over the 72nd session of the United Nations’ General Assembly. I also wish to express my country’s appreciation to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his steady leadership and this body’s dedication to the search for a peaceful and equitable world through the charter of the United Nations.

Every year we gather here to deliberate on the affairs of the world. Sometimes we implement what we talked about and move humanity an inch closer to that ideal relationship as members of the world community. At other times, we have our talks and end up not implementing anything to the disappointment of millions and millions of people around the world who look up to this body to provide leadership in a world that is constantly oscillating between advancement and doom. In all of these, we often forget that what we have accomplished in the last 72 years is unprecedented in the annals of human history. The world may be badly governed, but the fact that there is a form of governance agreed upon by all is an accomplishment in and of itself. So, I congratulate us all.

Mr. President, as we say in Nigeria, he who does not look ahead remains behind. Our charge now is to aspire to make this world better for the next generation. We, the generation that knows how the world was before the United Nations was formed, must bequeath to those coming behind us a better United Nations that would be in a position to deal with the challenges of tomorrow. To accomplish that, we need to fast forward the reformation long proposed in this chamber.

To restructure or not to restructure is no longer the question – the United Nations must be restructured for it to remain relevant in years to come. How to restructure the United Nations should be our priority number one. Several ideas are out there. All that we need is to get them together and agree on what works for majority of the people of this world. As a leader of one of the leading African nations, I want to see a United Nation’s Security Council that is expanded to have one or two African permanent members with veto powers. It is a fair thing to do – one that will benefit the world by giving it a chance for a more balanced outlook to matters of importance to us all. As we have learned in Nigeria, sometimes you need to change in order to remain the same. It is the first principle of renewal.

In the continent of Africa, the post-colonial era is going into a new phase. In another generation, there would not be any African alive who could remember when European powers once governed Africa. That emerging generation is creating new challenges for the African order left behind by the colonial powers. My generation is managing that challenge with the hope of leaving behind nation states that are less prone to crisis. We cannot continue to pretend that conflicts that emerged as a result of our colonial heritage have been resolved. Across our continent, they are still there. In some cases, bad governance is exacerbating these conflict points.

Here are some of the things we are doing to make sure that we bequeath to the upcoming generations of Africans a continent that is healthy, wealthy and well grounded in law and order. We are close to enshrining in the African Union’s creed the fundamental principle of democracy, which says that a credible people’s mandate should determine who governs any nation across Africa. We are taking it a step further by pushing to make that mandate limited. We believe that Africa has numerous talents and no man or woman should be in the leadership saddle for an inordinate timeWe are also working hard to expand the African market and open it up for our people to benefit from the free flow of goods, services and knowledge across the continent. It is the only path to prosperity for over one billion people in Africa yearning for opportunities to show the world the potentials they have.

As Africans, we will continue to build partnerships across the world. As we stretch our hands out for friendship, we do so with the expectation that our hands would be met not with pity and charity but with respect and dignity. Africans have a lot to offer the world, not just its minerals and human potentials. We are committed to resetting that old perception with a new one that proclaims Africa as a land ready for business. Those who have taken the steps to invest in Africa can attest to the mutual benefit that comes with it.

In areas of infrastructural developments, research and security, we urgently need a respectable and mutually beneficial partnership with the world. Integration of the continent and expansion of prosperity can only come when there are good roads, constant electricity, clean water and descent healthcare for our people. The United States government, The European Union, private investors and non-governmental organizations are getting involved in these ventures. Africa will continue to welcome the world in every enterprise that will uplift our people.

It is only when we add value and build capital that we will reduce the grim statistics of Africa’s child mortality rate from preventable deaths. It is only then that we can reduce deaths on the Mediterranean Sea of African youths running away from conflicts and poverty. The challenge is ours. We accept the responsibility. As in the past, we know that we do well when we share skills and expertise. That was how we were able to work together with partners around the world to reduce the AIDS epidemic. That was how, in the last two decades, we were able to defeat diseases like polio, tuberculosis and ringworm in several parts of Africa. Africans have always been appreciative of the assistance we receive. We have also paid back to the international community with our involvement in Peace Keeping missions across the world.

Mr. President, on matters of security, there is no gainsaying that when one part of the globe is insecure, all parts of the globe become potential victims of that insecurity. The activities of several extreme groups jeopardize not just the nation where they emanated but everyone far and in-between. The free movement of fighters and weapons has all but made the issue of security a global problem. As we have learned in Nigeria, you compromise the security of the whole when components of the sum are not fully valued, appreciated and integrated with the whole.

We in Africa have been partners in the quest for a secure world. We will continue to be committed to the mission until all threats to peace across the world are eliminated. In Nigeria, we have degraded the capability of the Boko Haram terrorist group. We are on the path to eliminating the last of their safe heavens. We have also secured the release of some of our abducted Chibok Girls. We are working hard to secure the release of the rest and to finish the job of closing the Boko Haram chapter and get the North East of Nigeria back to a peaceful region that it used to be.

Along this line, Mr. President, we at the United Nations need to do more to bring about a more equitable world where a large group of people does not feel suppressed, undervalued and alienated. Last year, I talked about the need for Palestinians to have their own state. Progress has not been made on that matter in the past one year. It is one of those problems that we must not punt to another generation. Any glaring unfairness, like the Palestinian case, diminishes our moral authority to preach and lecture the world on other cases. As we have learned in Nigeria, our stubborn self-righteousness blocks our ears from hearing the cry of those that we left on the fringe of society and blocks our eyes from seeing and reading the handwriting on the wall.

In the urgent matter of the nuclear stand off with North Korea, we hope that calm heads prevail. And as our ancestors say, that the disobedient fowl does not wait to be put into a pot of soup before it obeys. We in Africa hope that North Korea and, indeed, all the nations with nuclear weapons will hasten to eliminate them all. We don’t aspire to have nuclear weapons in the continent of Africa, the cradle of mankind. We will preserve Africa in case the nuclear-armed nations of the world decide to destroy themselves in their so-called mutual assured destruction. Should that happen, be assured that there will be a place in Africa for those of you who will be lucky enough to survive your self-inflicted annihilation. While we do not wish for that, we have this saying in Nigeria that, “na when soldier slap you, you go sabi say police na your friend.”

Mr. President, Nigeria is always willing to work with the United Nations and other international organizations to advance human progress. May the United Nations continue on its challenging task of being an instrument for peace, and may the goals that this General Assembly “for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet” be accomplished in our time.

Thank you all for listening.

Muhammadu Buhari,
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Ugochi Ihezue wins Miss Nigeria 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Sat, 16 Sep 2017 06:56:00 +0000

From traditional wears to bikinis and to their gorgeous evening wears, in a keenly contested battle between 37 Queens who strutted the runway like the Queen that they crave to be, Miss Kebbi state, Ugochi Ihezue has been crowned the 30th Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2017!
The beauty pageant we’ve always looked out for every year, had 37 beautiful ladies mostly from the Eastern part of the country representing all the states of the nation before Miss Delta pulled out for ‘personal’ reasons.

Other winners winners include;

Fourth runner-up – Miss Bayelsa

Third runner-up/Miss ECOWAS – Miss Oyo

Second runner-up/Miss Tourism – Miss Plateau

First runner-up/MBGN Universe – Miss Sokoto

Miss Yobe was crowned Miss Amity

Best Costume – Miss Sokoto

Model of the year – Miss Kebbi

Best Evening wear – Miss Bayelsa

Miss Ugochi will be representing Nigeria at the Miss World Pageant holding in November in China. Here are more photos from the event;

Nigeria face FIFA sanction after Ighalo celebrated goal against Cameroon with ‘Thank You Jesus’ shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Super Eagles could face additional sanctions from FIFA after Odion Ighalo celebrated his goal against Cameroon with ‘Thank You Jesus’ shirt.

The striker lifted his shirt to reveal a message and was instantly booked by Egyptian referee Ghead Grisha after netting the opening goal in the Super Eagles’ 4-0 victory over Cameroon in Uyo on Friday.

“He told me that the message on my shirt was about religion because it’s ‘thank you Jesus’,” Ighalo told ESPN.

According to ESPN, Referee Grisha is expected to include the incident in his report to FIFA, which could subject to additional sanction, mainly fines.

Displaying unsanctioned commercial, political, religious or personal slogans or statements in undershirts have been already outlawed by FIFA.

The most recent incident of a similar violation is Qatar, who warmed up for their World Cup qualifier against South Korea in June wearing T-shirts with the picture of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to show their support after several Gulf nations and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed economic sanctions on Doha for allegedly supporting “extremism”.

Daily times

ARIWA Youths suspend quit notice

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 07:06:00 +0000

The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG has withdrawn the “quit notice” it issued Igbos resident in the region, but asked the Federal Government to arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu saying the time has come to curtail his excesses.
At a press conference attended by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima, Sen. Kabiru Gaya and other northern leaders, Thursday in Abuja, the group however said it would continue to pursue its other demands up to the United Nations. “Mindful of the concerns generated by the clause in the Kaduna declaration that advised the Biafran Igbo to relocate from northern Nigeria and for northerners in the South East to do likewise, and our commitment to the unity of our dear country,n we immediately opened channels for dialogue and interaction with government agencies, national and international groups, institutions and figures. “Admittedly, we came under intense persuasive pressure from genuinely concerned national, political, traditional, religious and cultural leaders prominent among which were; a section of the Northern Governors Forum under its Chairman, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno state, northern traditional rulers and the Department of State Services DSS. “Most significant was our correspondence with the then Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and most recently our interface with the Presidency through the Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters. “As a consequence of these vigorous engagements and as cultured people with a tradition of respect for our national values, leaders and elders, we are today pleased to announce the immediate suspension of the relocation clause otherwise referred to as the quit notice from the Kaduna Declaration”, the CNG said in a speech read by its spokesman, Abdulaziz Suleiman. We’ve achieved our aims The CNG also said with the Kaduna declaration, it had achieved most of its aims, “chief among which include forcing the hitherto deliberately neglected dangerous Biafran issue to the front-burner of national discourse”. “In the meantime, we shall firmly pursue our petitions to the United Nations and the Nigerian federal authorities calling for the appropriate sanction of Nnamdi Kanu, other IPOB leaders and their sponsors in addition to labelling them a terror outfit”. The CNG also listed several terms which it asked the government to consider. It said the federal government should allow and support the Igbo to hold a referendum on secession. “Taking all other issues raised in the Kaduna Declaration over the past few months, vis a vis the effort by various government and non-governmental bodies to engage us in dialogue, we submit that there is the need to look at the following issues holistically as safeguards against future ethnic tensions: “Allow the Igbo and support them to hold a referendum to decide their future either as Nigerians or as Biafrans in view of the fact that the population of the Igbo that supports Biafra is far larger than the few who appear to be against it. Failure to do that will only douse this tension temporarily while they regroup to prepare for the war, they have always craved and openly called for. We are opposed to war with any part of this country and we are opposed to any situation that will lead to war. “One of the key reasons why Biafra should be allowed to hold a referendum is because the principle of self-determination has, since World War 11 become a part of the United Nations Charter, which states in Article 1 (2), that one of the purposes of the UN is “to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people.” “And by virtue of Nigeria being a signatory to the various international conventions that entrench the right of a people to self determination; we submit that it is only proper for Nigerian authorities to reflect that right in the ongoing constitution review or in the alternative, rescind its endorsement of the said conventions. “If for any reason a referendum cannot be held for the moment, we insist the Igbo both in the Southeast and in other parts of Nigeria including all elected and other office holders be made to discard totally any idea of Biafra and to show practical actions to prove that they believe in one Nigeria. “Relevant law enforcement agencies, should carry out a careful, lawful and purposive search of all suspected premises in the north in which IPOB sympathizers might be amassing arms. This is necessary because since the declaration of war by IPOB, there had been cases of interception of caches of arms concealed and smuggled into some parts of northern Nigeria. Let it be known, that it is illogical to wait in this obvious and clear state of danger until the secessionist unleashes terror on innocent people and communities. By extension all unlicensed arms and ammunition should be mopped up by the authorities. And if there is a counter suspicion of northerners in the East amassing arms, they should also be searched and confiscated. “We insist on immediate steps to be taken for the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu and for his appropriate prosecution while calling on the Nigerian Senate to demand that all Senators who stood surety for him in court rescind their bond or be suspended accordingly. “Total closure of all the open drug markets operating in Northern Nigeria and the immediate implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines NDDG as contained in the 2nd Edition 2012 developed by the Federal Ministry of Health which did not include the Co-ordinated Wholesale Centres CWC. This is the guideline which provides a distribution channel which is in consonance with the national drug policy and the implementation of which is empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To achieve this, all the states in northern Nigeria, should establish and strengthen the state task force on counterfeit and fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods, revoke all land titles where drugs are being sold and review the laws to provide stiff penalties for offenders. “The government should come up with clear laws on hate speech, which should remain in place to contain other individuals or groups whose way of agitation is to engage in hate speech capable of disrupting peace and harmony”. Arrest Perpetrators of Hate Speech -APC Meanwhile, the National Executive Committee NEC of the youth caucus of the All Progressives Congress APC has asked the federal government to immediately arrest perpetrators of hate speeches in the country. Chairman of the caucus, Comrade Markk Joseph Nsimbehe said the group supports all the core issues as stated by the president in his Monday’s nationwide broadcast. “We are in support of every effort targeted at unifying all the ethnic nationalities. We are for peace, we are for progress and we are one Nigeria. We urge the federal government to step up and arrest these disgruntled elements and their sponsor accordingly. We acknowledged the effort of the federal government for wanting to establish special court for hate speech. “We urge those clamouring for restructuring to take a second look at it while channeling their reasons for the call to the appropriate quarters. Political structures evolve over time. Nigeria has been restructured at various times and the agitations have not stopped. Let us therefore restructure our hearts and minds so that the real restructuring of the country can be meaningful”. Kanu acting out of Ignorance -Gov. Shettima Gov. Shettima on his part said Nnamdi Kanu was “acting out of ignorance and immaturity”, saying the Biafran agitation is only the past-time of a tiny but vocal minority, and urged other Nigerians not to label all Igbos as agitators. Shettima said the northern governors believe in the unity of this country, adding that, “I would personally prefer to be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond”.

Source: Vanguard Newspaper

What you need to know about Android Oreo (Version 8.0)

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 14:51:00 +0000

Here are some of the key features you should look forward to from Android Oreo when it rolls out to your smartphone.

1. Background limits

Battery life is always a big concern, which is why Google often makes improvements with new iterations of Android.
The latest version of Android Oreo is no different, with Google increasing the automatic limits on what apps can do in the background in a number of key areas (broadcasts, background services, and location updates, for instance).
“These changes will make it easier to create apps that have minimal impact on a user’s device and battery. Background limits represent a significant change in Android, so we want every developer to get familiar with them,” reads a Google blog post.

2. Picture-in-picture
Google is also expected to introduce new picture-in-picture functionality, which is probably one of the most useful changes incoming.

This feature would allow users to continue watching videos on a small virtual screen while getting stuff done within other apps. Google also says that apps will be able to put themselves in picture-in-picture mode.
The idea is that you can watch a YouTube video while sending e-mails in the Gmail app – who says work can’t be fun, eh?

3. Notification channels and dots
Google also plans to group notifications into channels, giving users greater control over their app notification categories.
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Explaining the move, Google writes: “Users can block or change the behaviour of each channel individually, rather than managing all of the apps’ notifications together.”
Google is also making it possible to snooze individual notifications, which is seriously useful given the persistence of some Android system notifications. You’ll be able to snooze notifications for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or one whole hour.
Another new feature will be notification dots, which are visual indicators on app icons that’ll show if you have any waiting notifications. This is a feature that iPhone users will be familiar with, as it’s been part of Apple’s iOS software for years.

4. Autofill APIs
Google is also hoping to save you some time, courtesy of Autofill APIs. This will allow your favourite password manager apps to work with the Android operating system, so you can access them just like you would a third-party keyboard.
Google explains: “Android users already depend on a range of password managers to auto-fill login details and repetitive information, which makes setting up new apps or placing transactions easier. Now we’re making this work more easily available across the ecosystem by adding platform support for auto-fill.”

5. Adaptive icons
Another expected feature is the addition of adaptive icons. This means developers will be able to use different-shaped app icons, depending on the manufacturer’s preference.
App icons will also support badge notifications, as previously mentioned.

6. Better keyboard navigation
Another big change is the improvement of keyboard navigation. According to Google, more users are navigating to apps using a physical keyboard thanks to the arrival of the Play Store on the Google Chrome OS.
“In Android O, we are focused on building a more reliable, predictable model for ‘arrow’ and ‘tab’ navigation that aids both developers and end users,” says Google.
7. Wide colour gamut in imaging apps
Smartphone displays are constantly improving, and OLED panels are more abundant than ever – but software support needs to be available too.
Fortunately, Google promises that the makers of imaging apps will now be able to make better use of high-end displays, especially with handsets that feature panels capable of supporting a wide colour gamut.
“To display wide gamut images, apps will need to enable a flag in their manifest (per activity) and load bitmaps with an embedded wide colour profile (Adobe RGB, Pro Photo RGB, DCI-P3, and so on,” Google advises developers.

8. Better audio
Google is also set to add Sony’s LDAC codec, which has been donated to Android by the Japanese tech giant. This should improve upon the Bluetooth A2DP protocol currently used today.
The company is also introducing AAudio, which should result in improved low-latency audio. The firm says that it’s a “New native API that’s designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio”.

9. Camera app improvements
Google is spending some time reworking the camera app, offering a new double-tap feature that lets you quickly get to 50% zoom.
There’s also a new dedicated button that lets you switch between photo and video modes; previously, users were forced to swipe, which some may have found unintuitive.

Wayne Rooney retires from international football

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:46:00 +0000

England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney announced on Wednesday he is retiring from international football with immediate effect, despite England manager Gareth Southgate telling him he had earned a recall.
The 31-year-old — scorer of 53 goals in 119 appearances for his country — told Southgate of his decision during a phone conversation.

“Having already thought long and hard, I told Gareth that I had now decided to retire for good from international football,” said Rooney in a statement sent to Press Association Sport.

In his statement explaining his decision to retire from international football, Rooney said: “One of my very few regrets is not to have been part of a successful England tournament side.
“Hopefully the exciting players Gareth is bringing through can take that ambition further and I hope everyone will get behind the team. One day the dream will come true and I look forward to being there as a fan – or in any capacity.”
AFP

Femi Fani Kayode Reacts to Reports of Rat Invasion in President Buhari’s Office

noreply@blogger.com (Samson Adoyi Ejembi) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:20:00 +0000

See Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba yesterday, disclosed that President Buhari was forced to work from his home office because his main office was invaded by rats while he was away in the UK and so it is now been renovated.
The Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani Kayode, took to his twitter handle to react to the news.
See his tweets below..

Source: Information Nigeria