Police Apprehend Wanted Fraudster Posing As An Ondo Herbalist

A 32 year old fraudster, Lanre Ologunagba, has been apprehended by police in Ondo State for defrauding his victims a sum of one million Naira.

Ologunagba, who was paraded in front of the media on Thursday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, when it was learned that he had been posing as an herbalist to cheat innocent people in the State. Isaac Eke, the Police Commissioner in Ondo State, said the criminal was arrested by a team of police officers from the Command. Eke, who repeatedly refers to the criminal as a "professional fraudster" says the man had been on the Command’s wanted list. Eke said Mr. Ologunagba was caught after defrauding one Mercy Ndenaemi and MImmaculate Okechukwu of their funds. "He defrauded the victims with the sum of‎ six-hundred and forty thousand naira each totaling 1.288 million Naira.”

"Most women fall victim to his fraudulent activities under the pretense that he would help them prepare a concoction to boost their businesses," Eke said. In his confession, Ologunagba denied being an herbalist, but accepted that the was a fraudster who had defrauded many business owners in the State. Noting that he collected a sum of four-hundred thousand Naira from a victim, he confirmed that most of those he dealt with are women.

The Police vowed to arraign the criminal in court for prosecution.

source- SR

Actor Mufutau Sanni, Ajigijaga Is Dead

Popular Nollywood Actor, Mufutau Sanni known as Ajigijaga has passed on. The actor died at his residence at Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos today July 31st following injuries he sustained from a motorcycle (okada) accident two weeks ago.

The news of his death was made public by the president of The Golden Movie Ambassadors of Nigeria, Comrade Saidi Balogun early this morning. The actor made wave in the early 90’s in many Yoruba movies. He was famous for his roles as leader of crime activities

He died at the age of 60. May his soul rest in peace!

Ambode orders Lagos agencies to vacate rented apartments

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has ordered government agencies occupying rented apartments to vacate such and relocate to their mother ministries.

It was gathered that no fewer than 20 agencies were currently paying rents across the state.

A government source said the rents were deemed too exorbitant, while some of the rented apartments allegedly belonged to friends and cronies of some people in the government.

“The cost of running the apartments was inflated, which made this development inevitable,” the source said.

Our correspondent gathered that among the affected agencies are the Motor Vehicle Administration Agencies, the Lagos Water Regulatory Commission, the Law Reform Commission, the Lagos State Safety Commission, Magodo, and the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, the Audit Service Commission, the Lagos State Valuation Office, the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Board and the Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Office.

The order to vacate the rented apartments was contained in a circular No. 072, dated July 24, 2015, and signed by the Head of Service, Mrs. Folasade Jaji.

The circular, which was sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday, was directed to all heads of ministries and government agencies.

The circular, which was titled, ‘Re-alignment of office accommodation of ministries, departments and agencies,’ read in part, “Sequel to the HOS circular Ref. NO: CIR/HOS/15/Vol.1/065, on creation, abolition and re-alignment of ministries, departments and agencies of government in Lagos State, it is hereby notified for general information that His Excellency, the Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has directed that all affected MDAs are to commence relocation to their new offices with immediate effect from July July 27 to August 3, 2015.”

It was learnt that the agencies had been allocated offices in their parent ministries.

source- Punch

Anambra governor, Obiano increases salary of state workers by 16%

Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano has increased the salary of state workers by 16%. He announced the increase in salary during the Civil Service day celebration in Awka the state capital yesterday July 30th.

FG Declares August 24-25 Diaspora Days

The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja declared Aug. 24 and 25 as Diaspora Days to recognise Nigerians in Diaspora as important stakeholders in national development.

This is contained a statement issued by Mrs Ibukun Odusote, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation.

The statement said the days were set aside to create an environment for cross fertilisation of ideas among the Diaspora experts and their Nigerian counterparts.

It hoped this would lead to proffering solutions to some of the nation’s developmental challenges. According to the statement, the 2015 Diaspora Day celebration will be marked with a National Diaspora Day and Conference with the theme, “Diaspora and Nigeria Change Agenda.

“It would serve as a platform for dialogue, interaction and collaboration by Nigerians in Diaspora particularly professionals who have excelled in their various fields of endeavors as health, science, sport and arts, among others.

“The event, slated to hold at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, will be declared opened and closed by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

source- DailyPost

Ali Baba Shares His Encounter With a Groundnut Seller

Veteran comedian, Ali Baba shared his encounter with a groundnut seller in Lagos.

Ali wrote posted the photo on Instagram and wrote “That’s the babe that sells me “granorth”. Very witty too. She said, “OGA ali make me sef popular NAaaa!” I hope this does it for her. A handsome former governor in the south south, who also goes through my Instagram, with a very filthy mind just asked me if the “2 nuts she is holding are mine” I said yes before I realized what he meant. Never mind. Please if you ever drive pass the front of Cool Fm, ask after her… For your own “granorth”

Nigerian twitter reacts angrily to Alex Badeh's comment about lack of equipment in the military

Read the reaction from Nigerians after ex Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh said he led a military that lacked equipment. And to think that many soldiers were condemned to death for revolting over lack of weapons.

New mum Tiwa Savage gushes about her new-born son

 Big congrats to Tiwa.

I Was Once A Danfo Driver, Says Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has appealed to members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria against allowing themselves to be used by kidnappers to perpetrate evil.

Speaking on Thursday during the swearing-in of the new State Executives of the union in Ado Ekiti, the governor, who said he was once a Danfo driver, appealed to the drivers to be orderly and not to be desperate.

He said, “Please, I want to commend you for contributing immensely to the development of the state’s economy, but don’t allow yourselves to be used by evil doers. You can see that some kidnappers were paraded recently. Information from them revealed that they have been using some of your members.

“I was once a driver like you. I used the money I got from driving to sponsor myself for HND at Ibadan Polytechnic, but I did not get desperate. All I’m saying is that being a driver you can make it in life. You will become what you want to become in life with hard work. Don’t join evil gang for you to get rich overnight, try and rise through the ladder like we did.”

He cautioned drivers against reckless driving, reminding them of the ‘don’t drink and drive’ rule. 

“Though I am part of you, but if you breach the law, I won’t save or spare you. You will be arrested and prosecuted by the security agents,” he said.

The governor, who recalled that he united the two unions – RTEAN and National Union of Road and Transport Workers – in his first term, said the occasion was a sign that good things were coming in Ekiti .

“We should emulate this kind of occasion. This is very good. We will always identify with this kind of achievements. You are doing a good job for this country. I don’t want to be the enemies of drivers, I want to be your friend.”

He also thanked the unions for standing by him during the failed impeachment plot against him by the former 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers.

Fayose, who had earlier spoken at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Institute of Strategic Management, appealed to leaders to focus attention on how to banish poverty that is killing the potentials of many Nigerians.

Speaking on the theme ‘Strategies for Poverty Alleviation,’ Fayose said his desperate bid to banish poverty in the land had propelled him to pioneer the stomach infrastructure concept that had become a brand in the country.

“In tackling poverty, the first thing to do is to empower the people. But before empowerment, you must make them look healthy through provision of food. Let them get access to you as a leader, this will give them sense of belonging and relief.

“Some of the projects being executed by MDGs centred on poverty alleviation. Poverty has become a serious issue in Nigeria. That was why my government make the payment of salaries the first thing, because this will keep the people and the economy going.

“I received close to 200 to 300 calls and messages daily on stomach infrastructure. Though, 90 percent of it is about money, but we should not shy away from the fact that the concept has become a way of life in Nigeria as a good weapon to tackle poverty among the common people.”

source- Punch

Nigerian Passport Ranked 57th In The World

The Nigerian passport is ranked 57th in the world out of 199 indexed passports. This is according to Passport Index – the interactive tool recently unveiled by Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm which specialises in procuring multiple citizenships for its clients.

Commenting on the Index, Oluwakemi Ojo – Head of Communications for Travelstart Nigeria – said, “Arton Capital’s assessment bodes well for Nigerians who love to travel. Currently, Nigerian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 61 countries in the world including Fiji, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Kenya. Visa-free travel is extremely important because it facilitates doing business in foreign territories, and for leisure travellers it reduces the costs and administrative hassles of international travel.”

In West Africa, Guinea has a leg up on the rest of the sub-region. The second most useful passport in the region belongs to Togo whose bearers can travel to a total of 67 countries without having to apply for a visa. Citizens of Sao Tome & Principles are less fortunate with visa-free access to just 28 countries.

The Passport Index filters passports by country, by region, by colour (of the passport cover), and by passport power rank – the ranking system allocates 1 point for each country the passport holder can enter without applying for a visa before departure.

The United Kingdom and United States share the highest passport power rank in the index with access to 147 countries, while Palestinian Territories, Myanmar among others have the lowest with visa free access to just 28 countries. Nigeria holds the same rank on the passport ranking as with Tunisia, Zambia, Mali, Namibia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Tanzania and Bahrain.

The Index’s visa-free count is based on data and consultations from IATA’s Timaticweb platform and other sources. Passports are ranked based on their Visa Free Score. The higher the Visa Free Score, the better the Passport Power Rank.

The country list is based on the 193 UN member countries and 6 territories (Macao, Kosovo, etc.) for a total of 199. Territories annexed to other countries such as Norfolk Island, French Polynesia, etc. are excluded. Data is based on research from publicly available sources, as well as information shared by government agencies.

source- PM News

32-yr-old Man Commits Suicide Over Wife’s Infidelity In Bayelsa

A 32-year-old man, Tuesday in Yenagoa, committed suicide after drinking an insecticide, known as Sniper, after he learned that his wife was having an extra-marital affair at Ikolo in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The deceased, identified as Amatari Christmas, was married to Tombara, an indigene of Ayama in the same local government area. They have two children.

Vanguard gathered that the incident has provoked anger among indigenes of the community, with some kinsmen of the deceased threatening to invoke their ancestors to deal with the unfaithful woman and her lover, identified as a suspected cultist and an indigene of Ayama.

A kinsman of the deceased, who gave his name as Francis, said their late brother, on getting wind of claims of infidelity against his wife, decided to monitor her activities in the community.

Francis said: “On Monday, the husband went to fetch vegetable in large quantities for his wife to sell. After harvesting the vegetable, the husband told the wife to return home after market to prepare dinner for the family.

“However, the dead husband became worried and suspicious at about 7p.m. when the wife did not return as instructed and went in search of her at his in-law’s house.

“At the mother in-law’s house, he was told she had gone to the father’s place at Ayama. At Ayama, a concerned friend took him to the home of his wife’s lover, where he caught them in bed.”

According to him, the wife’s lover, a suspected cultist in the area, had threatened to deal with the aggrieved husband who for fear of his life, hid himself in an uncompleted building before going home to drink the deadly substance after locking out his two children.

When contacted on the development, the spokesman of the state Police Command, Asinim Butswatt, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.

Punch

Akon In Nigeria To Visit Tinubu, Ambode & Dangote Today

Singer Akon,  arrived Lagos state, the nation's commercial capital on thursday night (July 30th 2015) in company of Guinea Ambassador to Nigeria Usman Mohammed Yara and was treated to a private reception inside Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island.

He will be expected to visit the All Progress Congress (APC) national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote, and the Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode friday ( July 31st.). Akon's visit may not be unconnected with parts of his effort to help bring energy to 600 million Africans, as he recently entered a public-private partnership with various entities across the globe with the promise to help bring energy into millions of homes in Africa.

The ‘Akon Lighting Africa’ project includes installation of solar equipment in households as well as the promotion of their energy sufficiency which will allow millions of Africans access to electricity.

The project plans to start delivering village-level solar power to allow people to enjoy electricity and equally create massive employment.

source-Splendor Mag

Photos from actress Joke Silva's mum's funeral

Photos from the funeral mass of Dr. (Mrs) Marianne Abimbola Silva, the mother of veteran actress Joke Silva which held at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos today July 30th. Dr Abimbola Silva died peacefully on July 19th. 

Singer Timaya shares adorable photo of himself and his newborn daughter Grace

Proud father of 2 daughters, Timaya, shared this adorable photo of himself and his newborn daughter, Grace. Lovely!

President Buhari Returns From Cameroon

President Muhammadu Buhari is back to Nigeria after a 2-day visit to Cameroon.

President Buhari, before his return, got assurances from his Cameroonian counterpart, President Paul Biya, that the two countries would cooperate in dealing with the Boko Haram menace in spite of border lines. Both Presidents also discussed strategies on how to improve trade relations.

President Buhari believes that insurgency must be tackled from all fronts as the wave of attacks spill into Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic. He said, “We recognise that none of us can succeed alone, in order to win this war we need the collective efforts of each one of us, standing together as a formidable force for good to defeat and end these acts of terror against our people.”

Source-Channels TV

Ghanaian Dancehall Artiste, Stonebwoy Loses Mum

2015 BET award winner, Stonebwoy has lost his mother, Mrs Catherine Satekla.

The sad incident, which has dampened the spirits of the award winning act, is reported to have occurred on Wednesday, July 29, 2015. Stonebwoy’s mum breathed her last at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra where she had been admitted since Sunday, July 26, 2015 for an undisclosed ailment.

The singer has posted a dark image on Instagram with the caption: ‘MAMA!! Only Jah Know!!’Identifying with the sad development, his manager, Black Cedi has also changed his profile picture to a dark image, signifying a state of mourning.

Shell to cut 6,500 jobs

Royal Dutch Shell says it will axe 6,500 jobs this year and step up spending cuts, to deal with an extended period of lower oil prices.

Besides, the company announced on Thursday in London the sale of a 33 per cent stake in the Showa Shell refinery in Japan to Idemitsu, for about $1.4 billion.

The Anglo-Dutch company also said it was planning more asset disposals, bringing total asset sales between 2014 and 2018 to $50 billion.

“We have to be resilient in a world where oil prices remain low for some time, whilst keeping an eye on recovery,” Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said.

Shell said it anticipated 6,500 staff and direct contractor reductions in 2015 from a total of nearly 100,000 employees.

Lower oil prices have contributed to a 37 per cent drop in the oil and gas group’s second-quarter profits.

And the group said it would reduce 2015 capital investment for the second time this year to $30 billion by 20 per cent from a year ago.

Big oil companies have cut 2015 spending by 10 to 15 per cent from 2014, to cope with a halving of oil prices over the past year to below $55 a barrel LCOc1.

Rivals BP (BP.L) and Total (TOTF.PA) announced further cuts this week.

Shell said its operating costs were expected to fall by $4 billion, or around 10 per cent, in 2015 as part of a broad efficiency drive to boost its balance sheet.

It also expects $30 billion of asset sales between 2016 and 2018, on top of a total of $20 billion in disposals for 2014 and 2015 combined.

Shell, however, have planned to return to the line of profit by pushing ahead with its proposed $70 billion acquisition of BG Group (BG.L).

Shell hopes to complete its BG deal by early 2016 and is still awaiting key regulatory approvals from the European Union, China and Australia.

But Brazil, the United States and South Korea have formally cleared it.

The deal is expected to generate pre-tax benefits of around $2.5 billion per year, starting 2018.

The tie-up will turn Shell into the world’s leading liquefied natural gas company and one of the largest deep-water oil producers, with a focus on Brazil.

Shell maintained its quarterly dividend at 47 cents per share and is committed to rewarding shareholders with at least the same pay-out in 2016.

source: Punch

Lagos asks employers to support breastfeeding

The Lagos State Government has urged employers in the state to encourage working mothers to properly breastfeed their children.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Modele Osunkiyesi, said this in a statement to mark the commencement of the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week, noting that breastfeeding should not cause discrimination and job insecurity.

Osunkiyesi said the promotion and success of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life needed the collective support of employers of labour, community and religious leaders, among others.

She said, “Time, space and support are the three elements needed to ensure successful breastfeeding by women in work setting.”

She advocated six months paid maternity leave to support exclusive breastfeeding or reduction of working hours for working mothers to ensure uninterrupted breastfeeding for those whose offices could not afford to give them six months.

“In those places, there should be a provision of designated environment-friendly spaces near the work places for child feeding,” Osunkiyesi added.

She explained that breastfeeding was the most cost-beneficial investment in child survival and development, which was why the government encouraged it.

She said, “The Lagos State Government has taken the lead in the actualisation of baby friendly policies for women in its workforce by institutionalising a six-month maternity leave for all nursing female workers for their first two births.

“Also, the state government also approved paternity leave of two weeks for all fathers in its employ in realisation of the need for psychological support for nursing mothers.”

She stated that the theme for 2015 World Breastfeeding Week Celebration – “Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s Make It Work” – called for global action to support women to combine breastfeeding and work.

Osunkiyesi noted that women’s engagement in jobs outside their homes had contributed to the reduction in the length of breastfeeding of children, saying breastfeeding culture needed to be revived.

Via: Punch

NEPA vs JUJU: Residents of Guraka, Tafa LGA of Niger State chased NEPA officials by diabolical means.

Lol! wetin person no go see

source: Twitter@Orebayolanre

Do You Help Strangers To Withdraw At The ATM? Read What Happened To A Corper

Someone shared this story on Twitter. Please read and learn from it. 

For all those who readily help others to their own detriment, kindly follow my suceeding tweets. 


My Sister just greeted me with a very sad news of how a young corp member got into trouble while trying to help a newly posted corp member who had gone to an Access bank ATM to withdraw N3000 from his account. Shortly after he returned to the office, he received a call from Diamond Bank requesting his presence @ the bank, moments later to the utter amazement of everyone, dude returned in fetters accompanied by policemen & Bank staff

A heavy allegation of theft was slammed on him. He was being accused of stealing a huge toyota car and other things

Bank Staff came with a video evidence of the corp member withdrawing at the ATM with a card from the stolen car.  Dude was crying profusely & tried in futility to exonerate himself by giving a detailed explanation of what had happened. 

He went to a nearby Access bank to make withdrawal when a fellow approached him feigning ignorance on the workings of the ATM, he agreed to help & collected the ATM card. The fellow frantically opened a diary from which he read out different pin numbers.

According to the corps member, he withdrew over a 100k just as the guy urged him to be fast, unknown to him as he would later find out, the fellow and his gang had stolen a car from which he got the ATM card. The woman who was on her to block the ATM got a debit alert and hastened up to the bank -Access bank. Access bank then connected Diamond bank, his personal Bank and he was called, 

Pleas for absolution from office staff and concerned people fell on deaf ears as the woman in question kept spitting threats. Currently the corp member has been whisked away by police operatives and is currently at their mercy. 

I call on the @NYSC to wade into this matter and ensure that an innocent man is not made to suffer.

Stop helping strangers with their withdrawals at the ATM!!

A friend of the victim sent the story in..

Meet the New Head of the Multinational Joint Task Force on Boko Haram

A new head of the multinational Joint Task force on Boko Haram has been appointed. He is Major General Iliya Abbah.

Until his appointment, Maj. Abbah was the head of operations in the Niger Delta. He takes over from Brig-Gen. T. Y. Buratai who was recently appointed the Chief of Army Staff by President Buhari.

Another South African Pastor Rides Church Members Like Horses, Even made them eat Soap

Another South African Pastor Rides Church Members Like Horses, Even made them eat Soap .

Twitter: @Orebayolanre

President Paul Biya's Gift To Buhari In Cameroon

President Buhari is on a 2 day official visit to Cameroon,president Paul Diya gave Nigerian President a big gift shortly before having a meeting with Nigerians living in Cameroon.

Pictures: Metronaija

PDP Broke, Plans To Reduce Staff By 50%

Two months after losing power at the national level and in majority of the states, the national leadership of the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has concluded plans to sack half of its workforce. Towards this end, the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, has communicated the decision of the National Working Committee of the party to all its directors.

Oladipo made the party’s decision known via a memo dated July 29, 2015, which was directed to “all directors and PS/DD/HOD/SAs/PAs and Establishment Staff” of the party in Abuja. It was titled “Re-organisation and restructuring of staff at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party.” Oladipo said the decision to cut down on the number of staff and other measures were taken at the 406 meeting of the NWC, where he said the report “on the reorganisation and restructuring of staff at the national secretariat” and decisions was approved.

Apart from the reduction in the number of the staff on the payroll at the party’s headquarters, he said the salaries and allowances of those to be left behind would also be cut by as much as 50 per cent. He listed the decisions to include “reduction of the allowance of all NWC members by 50 per cent and reduction in the number of security personnel attached to the national officers by 50 per cent.”

Other measures included “reduction of the salaries and allowances of all staff (Establishment and Staff of NWC members) by 50 per cent, effective August, 2015.

“Abolition of Research Directorate and transfer of its functions to the Peoples Democratic Institute.”

Oladipo added that “Establishment staff who would remain are required to obtain individual letter of revalidation from their state chapters within one month of this circular as to their suitability for service at the national secretariat.”

Before the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, who was the presidential candidate of the party, by President Muhammadu Buhari, who was the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, the PDP was usually being funded by the Presidency.

Apart from this, it also got money from the state governors, majority of whom were unable to deliver their states to the party during the last elections.

The party also got money from selling of forms to aspirants. But a source within the party said the “party lacks transparency and proper accountability.”

Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the decision to reduce the staff strength of the party was taken about a month ago by its NWC.

The NWC was said to have been angered by the decision of the workers of the party to collect furniture allowance.

Besides, the members of staff of the party were said to be privy to several withdrawal of money by the NWC members.

A senior staff of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “We are in trouble in this party. The NWC members are lords unto themselves.

“There is no one to control them and the finances of the party. They have paid themselves several allowances. Even during the last Sallah break, they took money.

“But because we demanded for our furniture allowance, see the memo they gave us. The idea behind this is to sack us and then they will bring in their cronies.”

source: Punch

see what a Nigerian did to Gov Oshiomole (Photo)

Nigerians have no chill at all. Imagine what someone did to Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole.

source: Twitter

Funmi Iyanda Reveals She Has Been Down With Unknown Sickness Since 2014

Award-winning media personality, Funmi Iyanda has been down with undisclosed sickness since October 2014, she has revealed. To some of her fans and friends, it was rather a surprise when the talented TV personality broke the news herself. In past few months, Ms Iyanda had engaged herself in some activities, shuttling between Nigeria and London.

The single mother of one shared sensational and beautiful photos online, but revealed that she has been very sick, promising to talk about it when she fully recovers.“It’s been a tough year. I have been ill since October. I’ll talk about it when l fully recover as it may help someone else. “Being quite sick is not fun, at all. However when your body becomes vulnerable and weak you do find other kinds of strength and clarity. You also find out the truth of your relationships. Some truths are beautiful, others ugly but none bad really, it is what it is. It messes with your mind. “Taking the decision to cancel jobs, assignments, engagements and opportunities because well, you just can’t work hard on my goal driven ego,” she wrote. Continuing, she thanked those who have been there for her through the dark moments. “It was hard to not be able to parent my daughter fully or mother my family as l’ve always done. I refused help because l was the helper. Then something great happened when I let go. I let my daughter help me, l let my family support. I stopped being superwoman. It’s great,” she said.

“I’m a lot better than l was and will definitely recover completely. I’ll tell the story in my own words because then l’ll know what worked. For now, l’m thankful and grateful to the universe, my family, blood/adopted and twitter which kept me entertained in darkest the hours,” she concluded.

President arrives Cameroon [PHOTOS]

Buhari will meet with Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya to discuss the creation of a multinational force against the sect.

pictures: Omoboriowo

Actress Joke Silva Reveal Late Mom’s Funeral Plans

Bereaved Nollywood actress, Joke Silva have revealed the funeral plans for her late mother, Dr. Marianne Abimbola Silva,

Her mother, aged 89, recently passed on some weeks ago.  The proper wake-keep will come up today,  Wednesday,  July 29, 2015 at the City Hall, Lagos. While the funeral service will hold at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, on Thursday, July 30, 2015 by 11am.

The mother of the highly respected thespian is the first female medical doctor in Nigeria. She died on July 19, 2015

Senate to screen service chiefs on Thursday – Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Wednesday that the newly appointed service chiefs would be screened during plenary on Thursday by 11am.

The Senate president, who did not explain whether the screening would be done in either closed or open session, urged members to be seated on time in order to effectively do justice to the assignment before them.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter, seeking the confirmation of the upper chamber for the appointment of new service chiefs, was read by Saraki on Tuesday.

He said the letter for confirmation of the appointments was in accordance with the provisions of Section18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.

Buhari, on July 13, announced the appointment of Major General Abayomi Olonishakin as Chief of Defence Staff; Major General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice-Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff; and Air Vice-Marchal Monday Morgan as Chief of Defence Intelligence.

The president also appointed retired Major General Babagana Monguno as National Security Adviser.

Also on Wednesday,  the Senate president appointed three standing committees and one ad hoc committee, adhering strictly to the rule on geopolitical spread.

The committees are Senate Services,  headed by Senator Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East); Rules and Business, which has Senator Babajide Omoworare (Osun Central )  as Chairman, and Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Samuel Anyanwu ( Imo East ).

Saraki  also named Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West ) as Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Information and Public Affairs, with Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe and Ben Bruce,  among others, as members.

Meanwhile,  Saraki has asked senators who are interested in serving in the 8th Senate to pick forms from the Clerk to the Senate and indicate five committees which they wished to serve as soon as possible.

source: Mobile Punch

Gunmen attack Niger embassy in Cairo, kill one

At least one security guard was killed and another two were wounded during the early hours Wednesday in an attack on Niger’s Embassy here, Egypt‘s official news agency MENA reported.

Three gunmen in a car opened fire on the policemen outside of Niger’s embassy in Giza’s Al-Haram district, southwest of the capital, and fled the scene, MENA said.

The officers killed and injured had been standing guard at the embassy, the news agency said.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting, but Sinai Province, a militant group claiming loyalty to the extremist group Islamic State, was responsible for most of the previous attacks.

Initial investigation revealed that at least 15 bullets had been fired at the security personnel, seven of which have penetrated the body of the dead guard. The two wounded have been transferred to the nearest hospital.

The interior ministry has shut down all the nearby streets and has been searching for the perpetrators.

The embassy was closed at the time of the attack, meaning the perpetrators were targeting the security guards rather than the embassy staff, a security guard was quoted by the state-run Ahram website as saying.

Anti-security attacks in Egypt, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula, have been escalating, causing hundreds of deaths among soldiers and policemen.

The IS-affiliated group has claimed a car bombing outside the Italian Consulate in Cairo this month, which left one civilian dead and nine others wounded.

Security experts said militancy in Egypt has seen qualitative development and new techniques in fighting. Moreover, the Jihadists now tend to target foreign diplomatic missions in the capital instead of security checkpoints in Sinai as in previous attacks, which signals a greater presence of militants in the Delta provinces, the experts said.

Punch