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23-year-old, Blessing Aluna, pictured above, has
been arrested by men of the Niger state police
command for selling her one-week old baby for
N200, 000. According to reports, Blessing who
resides in Rimi Lokoja Local Government Area of
Kogi State, was arrested for allegedly conniving
with Oludare Jeprince, who was said to be her
boyfriend and accomplice, to kidnap and facilitate
the sale of the baby. When interrogated, Blessing
blamed poverty for her action “Imagine me selling
my child for money; that will tell you the level of
hardship in the country. I sold my own child for
N200,000 in order to open a provision store in
Suleja at least to take care of myself and my
siblings.” Blessing said she regrets her action.I
have done the worst thing to humanity and
especially to my own child. I don’t think I deserve
to be alive, let the law take its course.” she said
Confirming their arrest, the command’s
spokesperson, Muhammad Abubakar, said the
suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as
investigations are concluded.
source: dailytimes.ng/mother-sells-her-baby-for-n200k-to-open-a-provision-shop/

The Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state
government of allegedly, massively mobilising and
importing foreign mercenaries from within Nigeria
and neighbouring countries to cause mayhem and
facilitate rigging, “hence justifying the boast by
the Governor of winning election by 1:00pm and
that his re-election is a done deal.”
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, state
chairman of the party, Felix Hassan Hyat said
desperate politicians, in a bid to outwit their
opponents, are employing dangerous measures,
some of which are capable of derailing the
nation’s democracy.
According to him, the utterances of the state
governor, Nasir El Rufai, in recent times are
capable of threatening democracy.
Hyet was apparently responding to a recent
allegation which claimed that governor El Rufai
was privy to intelligence reports which indicated
that the PDP was planning to disrupt the coming
election because of imminent defeat.
He said, “It is with a heavy heart and deep
concern over the threat to our democracy that we
bring to your attention a dangerous and
disturbing trend of pre-meditated, desperate
narratives and provocative acts by the Governor
of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai.
“It is obvious that the Governor, whose poor
performance and empty propaganda for close to
four years, has now resulted in the total loss of
confidence and popularity.”
Continuing, Hyet said as follows:
“This is evident in the downward trend in terms of
key performance indicators and sectorial outcome
targets in key sectors that directly have impact
on the welfare, livelihood and security of the good
people of Kaduna State.
“We are deeply concerned that the Governor who
has realised that the good people of Kaduna State
have resolved to vote him out, is employing
desperate measures that threaten our democracy,
considering the fact that happenings in the State
greatly have spill-over effect across the country
because, it is a truism that when Kaduna sneezes,
the Nigerian nation catches cold.
“The Governor has continuously turned a blind eye
to kidnappings and killings especially in Birnin
Gwari and Southern Kaduna. He has failed to
adequately fund security agencies to fight these
ugly crimes but is deploying huge public
resources to champion his anti-people political
agenda of self perpetuation in office.
“His Party members, as at the time, were not left
out in his egocentric and draconian rule as he
used a state agency to demolish the properties of
fellow Party men who disagreed with his
approach.
“Again, thugs suspected to be sponsored by key
aides of the Governor attacked and injured many
during a Press Conference by a faction of his
Party men. In his characteristic self, he was
captured on video and audio clips instigating his
supporters to shave off the hair and beard of
Senators that opposed his loan request which
was rejected in the best interest of the good
people of Kaduna State.
“As the 2019 General Elections draw nearer, his
desperation level is at an all-time high with all
available objective assessment showing that
voters in the State are determined to send him
packing. Considering the ethno-religious tension
in the state, his decision to run a Muslim-Muslim
ticket was received with mixed reactions.
“He has continued to re-echo the religious
narrative which is obviously an early warning
sign. His recent interview on Channels TV left
much to be desired where he desperately sold the
narrative that Christians do not like him because
of his religion, also adding that ‘even if he picked
the Pope as his running mate, Christians in the
State will not vote for him. This is rather
unfortunate!”
“The recruitment of vigilante, also known as Kato
da Gora, many of whom have questionable
records, is suspect. They are only being
positioned to be used as ‘legitimate thugs’ during
the elections, despite and contrary to the fact
that the outfit is not recognized by INEC as part
of the security apparatus. This is also hinged on
the role they played during the last Local
Government Council elections.
“There are allegations that there is mass
mobilisation and importation of foreign
mercenaries from within Nigeria and neighbouring
countries to cause mayhem and facilitate rigging,
hence justifying the boast by the Governor of
winning election by 1:00pm and that his re-
election is a done deal;
“Our impeccable sources revealed that the
Governor and his Party, the APC compiled,
proposed posting and submitted to INEC lists of
all Ad-hoc Staff in the 23 Local Government
Areas, Wards and Polling Units to facilitate his
victory through the back door.
“Deduction of monies from LGA accounts to bribe
INEC Staff to facilitate the above (c) plan: We
observed that in their 2019 budget, some Local
Governments have budgeted items for the
elections, and we expect that those are the
monies that will be used.
“Raising false alarm on alleged but unfounded
security challenges in the State to justify the
deployment of security personnel to be used to
intimidate voters thereby paving way for altering
or cancellations of results in areas he is very
unpopular,” Hyet concluded.
Several calls to the spokesman of the governor,
Samuel Aruwan, for his response were
unanswered.
When our correspondent called again at 6:35 pm,
his known number was switched off.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/el-rufai-importing-mercenaries-from-neighbouring-countries-to-disrupt-elections-pdp/

A heightened wave of electronic fraud known as
‘alert flashing’, otherwise, ‘fake bank alert’ has
become a major source of concern to bank
customers. It involves the use of SMS messages
disguised as a transaction alert from a bank, to
defraud unsuspecting victims.
The Commissioner of Police, Alagbon, Ikoyi,
Lagos, Mr. Damian Okoro, has warned the public
about this menace in a message where he also
narrated how a bank customer fell victims to a
fake bank alert.
He said: “Please this is a true story which
happened just few days ago. My friend advertised
for sale a car and put the price at N2.7 million. A
prospective customer called and was given
direction on how to get where the car was
parked. He observed the car and informed my
friend that he was heading to the bank to make
payment and that she should assemble the
document ready for collection as soon as
payment is made.
“Shortly after that alert came to my friend’s
phone and few minutes after the alert the
customer came and all the paper plus the car
was handed over to him and he left. To my
friend’s greatest shock, she went to the bank and
couldn’t find any money and the bank said that
the alert did not come from them.
“My friend is planning to go to court with her
bank. The advice is that alert is no longer a
confirmation of payment. Please let’s all be
careful when doing transactions especially this
season now in this technology crazy generation”.
Vanguard MoneyDigest investigations revealed
that the menace is not new but has recently been
rampant as more bank customers now fall
victims.
A Facebook user and businesswoman, Sandra
Joseph, also fell victim of fake fraud alert during
the last yuletide season.
She took to Rant HQ, a group on Facebook to
warn innocent Nigerians about the menace.
According to her, three presentable men walked
into her shop and pretended that they wanted to
buy ten Infinix Hot6X phones which cost N48,050
each. They decided to make a cash transfer using
mobile phone because they did not have cash.
The transaction was successful on their phone
but when the sales rep went to the bank to
withdraw the cash, the money did not reflect in
her account, leaving her with a debt burden.
She wrote: “Admin please approve in order not to
let another rant member fall a victim. So I was at
the office today eating when three well-dressed
men walked in, they said they needed 10 pieces of
INFINIX HOT6X and each phone cost N48,050.
“I was overjoyed that my Xmas will be soft. Little
did I know that the devil was laughing at me. I
started writing receipts and when it was time for
payment, I gave them our boss’s Zenith Bank
account to make the transfer since they didn’t
come with cash but the transfer wasn’t
successful, so the sales girl who was banking
with Fidelity Bank gave them her own account
number to run the transfer and an alert entered
indicating that the money has been transferred
successfully.
“I now sent the girl to withdraw the money as the
customers left but lo and behold the money didn’t
reflect on the girl’s account and that was how I
was duped N482,500 today which means the alert
was ‘flashing’ and not real. Now I will be paying
for an avoidable mistake.
”Please you all should stay awake this festive
period so that no one will feel the pain that I am
feeling now. These days thieves wear suit and tie
with matching shoes and briefcase.”
Speaking on the development, President, Bank
Customer Association of Nigeria (BCAN), Dr. Uju
Ogubunka, said: “If the fake bank alert is not
traceable that is a different thing but if it is
somebody that is traceable then we will get him
to say where he made the payment and how he
made the payment. Then he will either be
vindicated or convicted.
“The menace does not affect banks but it affects
the confidence of the people in doing e-payment
transaction. So it puts a question mark on how
you can trust that somebody actually has made
the payment to you except you will call your bank
or go back to cross check first before you now
release whatever value you want to release.
“Unlike before when somebody makes a payment
if there is an alert you assume that it is genuine,
but with what is going on now, it is not going to
be comforting to anybody to just make the
assumption, oh I got an alert, and therefore, it is
okay.
How to checkmate the attack
‘‘What you then do is to go to the next level, call
your account manager for him or her to confirm
indeed that payment was made into your account
before you can release goods.
‘‘If you don’t have an account officer, at least you
should have a number with the bank that you can
call maybe that of the manager or the operations
officer or the customer service.’’
A Customer Care Manager at Ecobank in Lagos,
who pleaded anonymity, said: “It is not a new
phenomenon. As banks derive new techniques to
mitigate different types of fraud, the fraudsters
are also looking for new methods to continue
defrauding individuals and institutions.
“The only way bank customers can avert the
issue of fake bank alert is by downloading their
banks’ mobile application where they can get
valid evidence on any transaction being made.
They can also use their ATM to check their
account balance”.
On his part, Johnson Chukwu, a businessman
said: “I am aware of the fake bank alert. This
type of fraud will affect businesses and smooth
exchange of goods and services without cash.
This means that the cashless policy which the
CBN and banks are working so hard to sustain
will disappear.
“Recently, I bought an electronic gadget and paid
for it through mobile transfer. If people, especially
business owners, are continuously swindled
through this fake bank alert, they would be forced
to accept only cash which would lead to
increased arm robbery cases and little or no
confidence in the country’s banking system. Some
customers would not be allowed to go home with
their goods if they are cashless.
“To mitigate this menace, as we know that fraud
cannot be eradicated because these fraudsters
are always a step ahead of banks, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), banks and financial
institutions should give intensive technology
training to youths on how to crack a code or any
tactics used by hackers or fraudsters and also
inform the public once any type of fraud is
noticed within the banking system. I think with
this the federal government will help save the
cashless policy”.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/fake-bank-alert-trending-in-electronic-fraud/

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted
of alleged fresh plots by the leadership of the
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to rig the 2019 general elections in favour
of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All
Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the main opposition party, INEC has
been taking directives from the Buhari Presidency
and the APC on how to manipulate the electoral
process at various levels.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja Monday,
spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan,
accused the electoral body of having collected a
list of people that will serve as electoral officials,
including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the
polling units, from APC state governors and
candidates, across the federation.
Stating that the directive was handed to INEC by
the Presidency, the PDP claimed to be privy to
how the lists were populated with APC members
and agents of the APC candidates, after clearance
by the APC leaders in various states.
Ologbondiyan said, “The PDP vehemently rejects
this wicked plot by the Buhari Presidency, which
is tailored to ensure institutional manipulation of
the electoral process, including accreditation,
voting and collation of results at the polling units,
which is the base of the elections.
“The PDP holds that by following the directive of
the APC in such dubious rigging scheme, the
INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has
violated section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act (as
amended) and shows that he is in clear deficit of
the required political will to conduct a credible,
free and fair election.
“This is especially in the light of the boasting by
agents of the Buhari Presidency and the APC to
give the INEC chairman what they describe as the
‘Onnoghen treatment, and frame him, if he fails to
comply with their rigging plans”.
The PDP demanded of INEC to, within 48 hours,
publish the list of all officials and ad hoc staff
that will play any form of role in the election at
all levels for verification by stakeholders.
The party insisted that any delay or refusal by
INEC to publish the list with 48 hours would be a
clear acceptance that it has been compromised
by the APC and this could lead to a very serious
crisis with very dire consequences, as the PDP
will never allow anybody to rig it out in the
election.
“The PDP wants Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to note
that the fate of our nation lies in his hands. It is
left to him to decide whether he would end as a
national hero or as a villain.
“Furthermore, the PDP calls on the international
community to place the INEC Chairman, Directors
and Commissioners in INEC responsible for this
election on their watch list and proceed to impose
travel ban on them as well as hold them directly
responsible should there be any form of rigging in
the February 16, 2019 Presidential elections.
“Finally, the PDP directs all its members, teeming
supporters and all well-meaning Nigerians across
the nation to get ready to vote out President
Buhari and protect their votes with all the energy
available to them in the defence of our democracy
and freedom as a people.
“If President Buhari believes he is popular, he
should make himself available for a free, fair,
transparent and credible election. Anything short
of this is completely unacceptable to Nigerians.
“This is because Nigerians have already reached a
consensus to vote out the incompetence, hunger,
nepotism, pretense and manifest lies which the
Buhari President truly represents”.
source: thenationonlineng.net/pdp-exposes-inecs-rigging-plans/

The Naira on Monday appreciated further at the
parallel market in Lagos, exchanging at N358 to
the dollar, stronger than N359 it traded on Friday.
The Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N472
and N411, respectively.
At the Bureau De Change (BDC) segment, the
naira was sold at N360 to the dollar, while the
Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N472 and
N411.
At the investors’ window, the currency exchanged
at N362.58 to the dollar, while market turnover
stood at 225.6 million dollars.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, President,
Association of Bureau De Change Operators of
Nigeria (ABCON), has attributed the currency’s
gains to the annual “Chinese holidays and the
national elections’’.
”The closure of factories in China and the low
demand for dollars has contributed to the gains of
the naira at the parallel market,” Gwadabe said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/naira-appreciates-parallel-market/

The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) has said any Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) member in Ogun State campaigning for
elective position without being on the candidates’
list released by the electoral umpire “is on his or
her own” as the body has nothing to do with
such. Mr. Festus Okoye, INEC National
Commissioner for Information, Media and Voter
Education, said this while featuring on Citizens’
Forum, a programme aired by the Rock City 101.9
FM, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Honourable Oladipupo
Adebutu, a member of the House of
Representatives and some of his supporters have
been campaigning for various offices despite not
making the list of candidates released by INEC.
Adebutu has been at loggerheads with Senator
Buruji Kashamu, PDP’s governorship candidate in
Ogun State, over the governorship ticket.
According to Okoye, only members of the PDP
whose names were on the list released by INEC
were the genuine candidates of the party, adding
that others were mere pretenders. Okoye said,
“Our position is that the INEC received judgments
of properly constituted courts of law and we have
given effect to the judgments that we have. The
judgments that we have asked the INEC to
recognize the list of candidates submitted by a
particular faction of the PDP in Ogun State. We
have recognized the candidates submitted by that
particular political party and we have published
the names of those candidates recognized by the
court. So, it is the names of those candidates
that have been published. Any other individual,
outside that particular list, who is campaigning
for any position whatsoever, is on his or her own.
The INEC has nothing to do with that. We have
obeyed the law. We have published the list of
candidates that we were asked to publish based
on court order and we have done what the law
requires us to do.”
This we learnt has been causing some sleepless
nights for honorable Oladipupo Adebutu.
source: dailytimes.ng/honourable-oladipupo-adebutus-albatross/

A video clip is currently circulating in the social
media alleging a plot by the Muhammadu Buhari-
led federal government to restrict the activities of
prominent men of God from Nigeria. A message in
the video quoted ‘a source inside Aso Rock’ as
saying there was a plan by the government to set
up an agency tagged ‘National Faith Relations &
Regulation Commission (NFRRC)’ allegedly
designed to monitor and regulate church
operations. A former police inspector general,
Suleiman Abba, has allegedly been penciled to
head the agency. It was revealed that three
outspoken Nigerian pastors were the first target
of the plan; Bishop David Oyedepo, Apostle
Suleman and Pastor Paul Enenche, “who would
be accused for engaging in hate speeches.”
According to the video, the agency would also be
tasked to regulate church messages against ‘hate
speeches’ and ‘scrutinize churches’ accounts’ as
well as restricting pastor from maintaining foreign
accounts’. “It is Satan’s warfare against the
Church, which is the primary subject of Revelation
12 and 13”, notes a Lagos based cleric who
confirmed the message video was real. Around
the world today, Christians are protesting alleged
victimization and rising genocide that they
suggest ought to provoke global alarm. In recent
years the violent oppression of Christian
minorities has become the norm in Muslim-
majority nations stretching from West Africa and
the Middle East to South Asia and Oceania
source: dailytimes.ng/oyedepo-suleman-enenche-and-nigerian-govt/

Manchester City closed to within two points of
Premier League leaders Liverpool thanks to Sergio
Aguero’s hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Arsenal on
Sunday.
For the second time in a week, Aguero scored
inside the first minute to give City the perfect
start.
However, just like in a shock defeat at Newcastle
on Tuesday, the champions failed to press home
their advantage as Laurent Koscielny profited
from some slack defending to head home an
equaliser just 10 minutes later.
Pep Guardiola’s men were knocked out of their
stride for most of the remainder of the first half,
but retook the lead in style just a minute before
the break when Ilkay Gundogan’s delightful lofted
pass teed up Raheem Sterling to cross for Aguero
to tap home.
The same two players combined for the Argentine
to secure his 10th Premier League hat-trick in
controversial fashion as the ball came back off
Aguero’s arm before rolling over the line just after
the hour mark.
A sixth consecutive away league game without a
win sees Arsenal slip down to sixth behind
Manchester United, who were 1-0 victors at
Leicester earlier on Sunday, and three points
adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea in the battle for
Champions League football next season.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/aguero-hat-trick-sinks-arsenal-city-close-gap-on-liverpool/

A 14-year -old boy who was arrested for allegedly
having carnal knowledge with his three step
sisters of ages 10,5 and 2 at their Mafoluku,
Lagos residence, has accused his step mother as
the cause.
The teenager, (names withheld) whose parents
were separated when he was barely five years old,
was left in his father’s custody.
His father who remarried, has three children, all
girls, with his new wife.
The family was however taken aback when its
eldest daughter, (names withheld) reported to her
mother, Mrs Ihuoma Okey , that her step-brother
had been sleeping with her.
During questioning, Mrs Ihuoma, discovered that
the teenager had allegedly also been sleeping
with her two other daughters of ages five and two
years respectively.
She reported the matter at the Mafoluku Police
division, following which the suspect was
arrested. However, at the Gender Unit of the
Lagos State Police command, Ikeja, where the
case was transferred to, the teenager, according
to Police sources, accused his step -mother of
being the cause of his action. He was quoted to
saying that he was not told that the victims were
his siblings and that his step-mother was aware
of the deed all along.
Consequently, his step mother was arrested and
charged to court for negligence.
Vanguard also gathered that when the eldest
daughter was questioned, she revealed that she
had to open up to her mother when she
discovered that the suspect was also sleeping
with her sisters.
Mrs Ihuoma and her step-son were charged
before the Ogba Magistrate Court last Friday ,
where the prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emerhi,
requested the court to permit him to send the
case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecution,
DPP for advice.
His request was granted by the Presiding
Magistrate, Mrs. O. Sule-Amzat, who ordered that
the teenager be remanded in a juvenile home
without an option of fine, while the matter was
adjourned till 8th April, 2019, for the report of the
DPP to be available.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/teenager-arrested-for-raping-three-siblings-accuses-step-mum-as-cause/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said
that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and
President Muhammadu Buhari will lose the 2019
election going by the endorsement of its
presidential candidate by different groups and
individuals just as it said that: ‘our nation will
never succumb to Buhari Presidency’s assault on
our National Assembly, the attack on our judiciary
and besieging of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) where President
Buhari’s relation is being foisted as the head of
the collation center.’
PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, a press
conference on Sunday, said: “The Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU), after consideration of all
factors, reinforced the global unanimity and
affirmation by various credible and independent
bodies within and outside Nigeria, including the
Afenifere, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Northern
Elders’ Forum, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, the
Middle Belt Forum, among several others, that
Atiku Abubakar will win the February 16,
Presidential election.
“Nigerians have chosen democracy with its
tenets, as a way of life, including justice and
constitutional freedom it offers the citizens to
determine who their leaders should be at any
given time, and nobody, not even President
Buhari, can take away this freedom and rights,
under any circumstance whatsoever.
“Nigerians know how the PDP restored, nurtured
and allowed our democracy to thrive to the extent
that it was possible for the opposition to win in a
general election with President Buhari as the
major beneficiary. The PDP allowed a free and fair
election, respected the will of the people and
handed over power to President Buhari, without
any shenanigans that would have denied him
victory.
Gentlemen of the press, the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) has called you up today to announce
to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All
Progressives Congress (APC) that Nigeria is
bigger than them and that there is no way
Nigerians will allow them to rig the 2019 general
elections or achieve their self-succession plan.
Our history as a nation has amply shown that no
individual leader, no matter the authority wielded,
has ever succeeded, at any point in time, in
subduing the spirit of our nation or place our
people under a siege and not even this strange
recourse to importation of mercenaries into our
country can change that reality
The world can recall how certain leaders in the
past attempted to subvert our constitutional
democracy, arrogate excessive powers to
themselves and how they failed in the face of the
Nigerian spirit.
Today, that Nigerian spirit, with which we won
our democracy and nurtured it to this stage, is
being assailed by the APC and the Buhari
Presidency with their unrelenting constitutional
breaches, attacks on our democratic institutions,
violation of human rights, siege on our electoral
system and opening of our territorial borders to
mercenaries, all in the bid to subdue our citizenry
and achieve a self succession plan, having
realized that there is no way they can win in a
free, fair and peaceful election.
There is a ferocious attempt to take away our
liberty as a people. There is total clampdown,
arrest and detention of dissenting voices; invasion
of media houses, manhandling and illegal
detention of journalists by state forces have
become the order of the day; but all these will not
break the Nigerian spirit.
Our nation will never succumb to Buhari
Presidency’s assault on our National Assembly,
the attack on our judiciary and besieging of the
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) where President Buhari’s relation is being
foisted as the head of the collation center.
Nigerians have decided to vote out President
Buhari, come February 16, and no amount of
intimidation, clampdown and harassment can
change that resolve.
It has become manifest that compatriots,
irrespective of creed, ethnicity and political
leanings, are today extremely eager to vote out
the Buhari Presidency which, out of sheer
incompetence, has wrecked our once robust
economy and brought so much poverty, hunger,
pain and anguish to Nigerians, once reputed as
the happiest people in the world.
The Buhari Presidency and the APC have come to
the stark reality that the influences on which they
rode to power in 2015 no longer avail. They have
come to the moment of truth that Nigerians have
seen through their lies, propaganda, false
promises, beguilements and holier-than-thou
posturing and are now poised to take back their
country at the polls.
Only last week, the Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU), after consideration of all factors, reinforced
the global unanimity and affirmation by various
credible and independent bodies within and
outside Nigeria, including the Afenifere, the
Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Northern Elders’ Forum, the
Pan Niger Delta Forum, the Middle Belt Forum,
among several others, that Atiku Abubakar will
win the February 16, Presidential election, having
secured the overwhelming support of Nigerians
across the board.
Today, the APC and the Buhari Presidency have
become uncontrollably feverish over the
overwhelming acceptance gained by Atiku
Abubakar in all the geo-political zones,
particularly in the North West states of Sokoto,
Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and
Jigawa states, hitherto considered as President
Buhari’s political stronghold.
Having lost genuine followership in the North
West, the North Central, the North East and a
greater part of the South West, all of which gave
them a ride to victory in 2015, and having no
prospects in the South East and South South, the
APC and the Buhari Presidency are now seeking
ways to derail our electoral process.
This accounts for the manipulations in INEC and
the smuggling in of mercenaries from Niger
Republic to populate APC rallies, ostensibly to
unleash them on our nation immediately it is
clear that President Buhari is losing at the polls.
However, the PDP wants President Buhari to note
that Nigeria will not fall. Our country, as a nation
of over 200 million resilient men and women, is
bigger than President Buhari as well as the APC
and would resist all anti-democratic forces being
unleashed against our democratic order.
Nigerians have chosen democracy with its tenets,
as a way of life, including justice and
constitutional freedom it offers the citizens to
determine who their leaders should be at any
given time, and nobody, not even President
Buhari, can take away this freedom and rights,
under any circumstance whatsoever.
Nigerians know how the PDP restored, nurtured
and allowed our democracy to thrive to the extent
that it was possible for the opposition to win in a
general election with President Buhari as the
major beneficiary. The PDP allowed a free and fair
election, respected the will of the people and
handed over power to President Buhari, without
any shenanigans that would have denied him
victory.
Now that Nigerians are determined to vote out
President Buhari from office due to his
incompetence, divisiveness, executive high-
handedness and corruption, he must not allow his
ambition to set our nation on fire.
We therefore urge President Buhari to avail his
mind to accept his imminent defeat when it
eventually comes on February 16.
President Buhari should know that Nigerians have
chosen Atiku Abubakar as their next President to
return our nation to the path of national cohesion
and economic prosperity. This national consensus
is bigger than President Buhari or any other
Nigerian for that matter.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/you-cannot-rig-this-election-nigeria-is-bigger-than-you-pdp-tells-buhari-apc/

The presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has
relished the endorsement by five socio cultural
associations, saying the move has placed a
greater challenge on his assignment.
The Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders
Forum, Pan-
Niger Delta Forum and the Middle Belt Forum
after a meeting in Abuja on Sunday, thrown their
full weight behind Atiku’s presidential aspiration.
In a statement Sunday, which he personally
signed, Atiku expressed hope for the country as
Nigerians go to the polls to elect a new President
in a few days.
The statement reads: “I am moved to tears that
in the midst of deep divisions and deliberate use
of instrumentalities of state to set our people
against themselves in the last three and a half
years, responsible and respected leaders across
Nigeria have agreed to come together for the
purpose of endorsing my candidature for the
February 16th, 2019 presidential elections.
“The endorsement by the leading lights of our
nationalities – Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
Northern Elders Forum, Pan-Niger Delta Forum
and Middle Belt Forum is a loud statement that
there is hope for our country as we go to the
polls in a few days.
“Today we put aside all our prejudices to elect a
President with religion and ethnicity playing no
role in our elections. I profusely thank our
Leaders across the country who have created this
wonderful moment for us to come to the table of
brotherhood.
“Once again, and in the words of our old National
Anthem, we can proudly sing: ‘Though tribes and
tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand’.
The opposition presidential candidate said the
endorsement has buoyed him to lead a Pan-
Nigerian team that will give practical
interpretation to what has been done by the time
he takes the baton of leadership of the country,
“by the grace of Allah, on May 29, 2019”.
Continuing, Atiku said: “Many countries of the
world have been led into disintegration by
strongmen (one in each country) and we have
seen how individuals who understand the
management of diversities have rallied their
people for unity.
“I have been chosen to unite our people and
exactly that I will. I will run a properly federated
Nigeria through constitutional reforms to bring
out the best from all sections of Nigeria to make
Nigeria work again like in the past when the
Saudi Royal family came to Nigeria to access
Medicare.
“We will promote an inclusive Nigeria based on
productivity that every section of Nigeria will
bring out the best under their soil, and in their
brains to make Nigeria assume its position in
Africa and the global community.
“It would be 100% for every section of Nigeria as
I would not understand any arithmetic outside
that. I enjoin our people across Nigeria to come
out en-mass to vote on February 16 to pull our
country from the brink and propel it to greater
heights so we can live a better life. Take my
words as a covenant with Nigeria”.
source: thenationonlineng.net/atiku-moved-tears-endorsement-afenifere-ohanaeze-nef-others/

LONDON: British officials have revived Cold War
emergency plans to relocate the royal family
should there be riots in London if Britain suffers a
disruptive departure from the European Union next
month, two Sunday newspapers reported.
“These emergency evacuation plans have been in
existence since the Cold War, but have now been
repurposed in the event of civil disorder following
a no-deal Brexit,” the Sunday Times said, quoting
an unnamed source from the government’s
Cabinet Office, which handles sensitive
administrative issues.
The Mail on Sunday also said it had learnt of
plans to move the royal family, including Queen
Elizabeth, to safe locations away from London.
Britain’s government is struggling to get
parliamentary support for a Brexit transition
agreement with the EU before the departure date
of March 29, and the government and businesses
are preparing contingency plans for a ‘no-deal’
Brexit.
Business groups have warned of widespread
disruption if there are lengthy delays to EU
imports due to new customs checks, and even
possible shortages of food and medicine.
Last month an annual speech by the 92-year-old
queen to a local women’s group was widely
interpreted in Britain as a call for politicians to
reach agreement over Brexit.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative lawmaker and
keen supporter of Brexit, told the Mail on Sunday
he believed the plans showed unnecessary panic
by officials over a no-deal Brexit, as senior royals
had remained in London during World War Two
bombing.
But the Sunday Times said an ex-police officer
formerly in charge of royal protection, Dai Davies,
expected Queen Elizabeth would be moved out of
London if there was unrest.
“If there were problems in London, clearly you
would remove the royal family away from those
key sites,” Davies was quoted as saying.
source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2019/02/03/queen-elizabeth-to-be-evacuated-in-case-of-brexit-unrest/

Comrade Rahman Adewale is one of the activists
cum politician who is advocating for youth to
take over the mantle of power come 2019 general
election. He is the Chairman of the Liberation
Movement Party (LM), Lagos state chapter.
According to the Chartered Accountant and tax
expert, the stage is over crowded, which means
some of the old bloc needs to step aside for the
younger ones to take over the centre stage. In his
words, he said “What we are saying to the old
bloc is that the stage is now over crowded. They
need to begin to step down for the youth to take
over. The same way those they took power from
stepped down for them some 30 years ago, they
too should step down now. They need to leave
when the ovation is the loudest because if they
leave now, we would salute them But when they
refuse to leave, then we cannot stop advocating
for revolution.” “This is the high time to tell those
old politicians to get off the stage for the new
blood to take over because majority of them were
like our age when they took over power and some
of them have been there for over 30 years, It is
time for them to leave the stage” The chairman
emphasized. When asked about the party
presidential candidate, he said “The first thing
that set Dr. Chris David apart is that, he is a
futurist. There is no course for futurist in Nigeria
But he did the course in America. And he had a
doctorate degree in it. What does that mean? It
means an ability for foresight. An ability to look
deep down into the future to identify the way to
go. And in doing that, our party and the
presidential candidate, did a long stretch of
research about ten countries of the world who are
successful. We did a research in what is making
them to be a successful and prosperous nations
and we identify values that shape them. And
those values is what we have imbibed to shape
the future of Nigeria, so that we can have
equality. When we have equality then prosperity
will be our lots as a nation. Of course we have
our value of meritocracy, excellent, integrity, rule
of law and others.”
Meanwhile, Comrade Rahman condemned the
lingering anomalies in the society in the coming
polls while he admonish the older politicians to
Step aside for the younger ones to take over as
they are the true liberation army.
source: dailytimes.ng/my-take-on-buhari-atiku-comrade-rahman-adewale-adebiyi/

Hardworking dude and Ex-banker Hammed
Olamijuwon has not stop making waves in his
Oluyole city base, Oyo State. This is because the
youthful entrepreneur cum-Politician has continue
to up his game business-wise and also keep
identifying with the downtrodden in his
community. This reasons and many more could
be attributed to why he has been making
headlines for good reason in recent times. Just
days back Olamijuwon who sits atop HSO Global
ltd, a Flight Ticketing/Building Developing Outfit
was listed among 2018 top 60 Most Influential
Personalities in Ibadan, Oyo State, a feat which
he said humbled him to keep working hard. The
honor which was bestowed on him by by a top
organization in the State known as Ibadan Media
also honored several notable young executives
and influencers in the very big city of Ibadan.
Olamijuwon whose youthful political pedigree has
endeared him to young and old in the town
especially those in the grassroot is one of the
names being penciled down to take over Political
space in Ibadan and Oyo State at large in the
nearest future. Meanwhile, the Real Estate
Developer has also put together a Non-
Governmental Organisation known as HSO,
Foundation in a bid to reach out to lots of people
from the grassroot. The NGO solely own and
funded by him we learnt has always be one of his
dream in reaching out.
source: dailytimes.ng/on-young-entrepreneur-hammed-olamijuwon/

- Nigerian troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole
theatre command have reacted reports by
Amnesty International which claimed that they
abandoned their duty
- The troops said they did not abandon their duty
neither were they aware of the killing of 60
civilians at Rann, a town in Kala Balge local
government area in Borno state
- The soldiers, however, called on the
international and local communities to support
them bring the dastardly and mindless acts of
Boko Haram terrorists to a decisive end
Nigerian Army has condemned alleged reports by
Amnesty International claiming that the troops'
abandonment of their deployment led to the
killing of 60 civilians at Rann, a town in Kala
Balge local government area in Borno state, on
Thursday, January 28.
This is contained in a statement signed by the
deputy director Army public relations of sector 1
that the Theatre commander, Major General
Benson Akinroluyo and the Commander Sector 1
Operation Lafiya Dole Brigadier General Bulama
Biu.
The statement read: ''Contrary to AI's claims, at
no point of the assessment , was any report of
the killing of 60 civilians made either by the
civilians themselves, whom the sector commander
interacted with or by the members of the Joint
Task Force who were at hand during the
assessment.
''Again a Search and Rescue Operation that
followed after the attack did not recover the said
60 bodies of killed civilians as AI would want
members of the public to believe.
''The troops commenced a clearance operation in
villages surrounding Rann and destroyed Boko
Haram terrorists camps that were uncovered
during the operation. In one of such clearance
operations on 30 January 2019, the troops
encountered an ambush staged by the terrorists
along Gamboru - Mafa road and gallantly fought
through it, overpowering the insurgents.
''Another issue in the controvertible AI report is
the alleged attack on Rann on 28 January 2019,
where as, there was no such attack. Rather, an
alarm was raised by IDPs in Rann of the sudden
withdrawal of Multinational Joint Task Force
( MNJTF) troops from the location, to which the
authorities of Operation LAFIYA quickly responded,
following which the Commander Sector 1 returned
to Rann on Monday 29 January with
reinforcement troops to beef-up and support the
troops there.
''The astronomical statistics of human casualty
touted by AI and the alleged abdication of duty
by our selfless and resilient troops cannot hold
water in the face of facts of the several exemplary
physical involvements of the Theatre commander
and the commander Sector 1 as well as
Commanders of 22 Brigade and 3 Battalion in
ensuring normalcy returns to Rann and the
reinforcement and replenishment of the troops.
''Evidently, in its characteristic inclination to
swiftly accuse the Nigerian military of wrong
doing, AI failed again to conduct a validity check
on its manufactured data before cooking its
report.
''No doubt, in battles, collateral damages are
unfortunately incurred and troops in the front line
are first victims to suffer such damages, up to the
point of sacrificing their lives, as they are saddled
with the duty to defend their country and the
citizenry. We are deeply touched by the demise of
those who fell during the callous attack of Rann
by Boko Haram terrorists.
''We are also empathic with humanitarian
organizations as well as members of International
and local NGOs who were affected by the attack.
It is indeed another reminder and clarion call on
the international and local communities to
support the Nigerian military to bring the
dastardly and mindless acts of Boko terrorists to
a decisive end.''
The suspension was contained in a statement by
Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, deputy director of
public relations, theatre command.
source: www.legit.ng/1219484-alleged-killing-60-civilians-amnesty-international-claims-rann-untrue-army.html

The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) has warned journalists, social media users
and accredited election observers not to risk
going to jail by publishing results of the
forthcoming elections not endorsed by the body.
The Nigerian Tribune reports that Festus Okoye,
an INEC commissiober, issued the warning in
Awka, Anambra state, at an event to sensitise
media practitioners ahead of the 2019 general
election.
According to Okoye, only returning officers are
mandated to announce results of the exercise.
The INEC commissioner quoted section 123 (4) of
the electoral act 2010 (as amended) as
stipulating that anyone who announces or
publishes the result knowing that they are false
or at variance with the signed certificate of return
has committed an offence and is liable on
conviction to 36 months imprisonment.
“The constitution is the fundamental law of the
land and all other laws are dependent and flow
from its provisions.
The electoral acts set out the procedure and
processes for the conduct of elections in Nigeria
and the third are the regulations and guidelines
as well as the manuals issued by the INEC for the
conduct of elections.
“Media managers must have good knowledge of
the dynamics and nuances of the electoral
processes. Media manager that does not have
such knowledge is a danger to the electoral
process and a danger to democracy,” Okoye said.
Okoye also warned that media organisations and
observers should abstain from violating the
secrecy of the vote by attempting to record how
the voters carry out their responsibilities during
the elections.
The visit had triggered criticisms from the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some other
Nigerians who described it as a form of foreign
interference in the electoral process.
source: www.legit.ng/1219488-2019-declare-fake-results-jail-inec-issues-warning-journalists-others.html

What would have been a national disaster was
averted on Saturday, February 2, 2019, as the
chopper of Nigeria’s vice president, Yemi
Osinbajo, crash-landed in Kabba, a town in Kogi
state.
Osinbajo's spokesperson, Laolu Aknade,
confirmed the incident, but said the vice president
was safe and that no casualties were recorded.
"VP Osinbajo's chopper crash lands in Kabba, but
he and the entire crew safe. He is continuing with
his engagements and plans for the day in Kogi
state," Akande posted on Twitter.
Laolu Akande✔ @akandeoj
VP Osinbajo's Chopper crash lands in
Kabba, but he and the entire crew safe. He
is continuing with his engagements and
plans for the day in Kogi State.
2,2373:04 PM - Feb 2,
2019
Twitter Ads info and
privacy
1,691 people are talking about this
The incident was also confirmed by the vice
president.
"All thanks and glory to God, the chopper we
boarded today from Abuja just crash landed in
Kabba, Kogi state, and the entire crew plus
myself are all safe.
"We are continuing with our Next Level
engagements and plans for Kogi state," he said
with a video attached to the message.
www.facebook.com/
professoryemiosinbajo/videos/250471902551802/
To further confirm that Osinbajo and his team
are, indeed, safe, Akande, added: "We give all the
glory to God, our able protector, and commend all
the flight crew officials for their service.
"We are marching on for indeed we can do all
things through Christ that strengthens us!"
The spokesperson of the vice president also said
his principal still went to Kabba and met with the
monarch in charge of the town.
"We are extremely grateful to the Lord for
preserving our lives from the incident that just
happened. Everyone of us is safe and no one is
maimed," he said.
The Kogi state government, while confirming the
incident, announced that “the vice president of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, is
safe after the challenge experienced during the
landing of his helicopter at about 1.30 pm today
in Kabba, Kogi state.
“The vice president and his campaign team,
however, continued with their visit to the state
and are currently engaging the people of Kogi
West senatorial district at the Kabba township
stadium.”
source: www.legit.ng/1219460-breaking-narrow-escape-osinbajo-vps-chopper-crash-lands-kabba.html

- Barcelona came from two goals behind to draw
2-2 with Valencia courtesy of Lionel Messi's
brace
- Kevin Gameiro netted the opener for Los Che in
the 27th minute of the game
- Dani Parejo increased Valencia lead from the
spot in the 32nd minute before Barca's fought
back to share the spoils.
Barcelona came from two goals down to force
Valencia to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, February 1,
in an entertaining La Liga clash at Camp Nou.
Kevin Gameiro and Dani Parejo’s goals sent
Valencia 2-0 up in Barca’s home ground before
Lionel Messi netted once in each half to ensure
the Catalan giants claimed one point from the
contest.
Gameiro netted the opener for Los Che in the 27th
minute of the game.
FULL-TIME: There's the
whistle! Leo Messi scores twice as Barça
battle back from 2-0, first-half deficit to
earn a tie!
FT: Barça 2 - 2 Valencia
#Messi 39' (p.), 64' /
Gameiro 24' , Parejo 32' (p.)
#BarçaValencia
3,1408:28 PM - Feb 2, 2019
848 people are talking about this
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In the 37th Barcelona were awarded their own
penalty after Semedo was fouled by Latorre.
Messi scored but the referee sounded his whistle
for a retake and the Argentine made no mistake
from the spot kick to reduce the away side’s
lead.
FC Barcelona ✔@FCBarcelona
' Aaaaaaand the
ball is rolling here in the 2nd half of #
BarçaValencia!
Btw...don't miss our Match Center Live!
ow.ly/un4e50kuncK
LIVE: Barça 1 - 2 Valencia
#Messi 39' (p.) / Gameiro
24' , Parejo 32' (p.)
#BarçaValencia
7497:42 PM - Feb 2, 2019
107 people are talking about this
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Both side had chances to add the second, but
were unable to convert as scores stood at
Barcelona 1 - 2 Valencia at the end of the first
stanza.
Jordi Alba replaced Nelson Semedo at the break
as Barcelona upped their game at the start of the
second stanza.
And in the 65th minute Barcelona level the scores
after Messi’s wonderful strike from the edge of
the box rested in the bottom corner of Valencia.
Despite other scoring moments no other goals
were scored as the scoreboard read Barcelona 2 -
2 Valencia at the blast of referee Alberto Undiano
Mallenco’s final whistle.
Barcelona 2-2 Valencia FT
Lionel Messi's brace salvages a point for
Barcelona, who had trailed 2-0, but gives
Atletico the chance to close the gap at the
top to just three points. Valencia draw a
12th league game this season.
Full stats and ratings -- https://
www.whoscored.com/Matches/1316733/
Live/Spain-La-Liga-2018-2019-Barcelona-
Valencia …
578:40 PM - Feb 2, 2019
The result sees Barcelona move six points clear of
second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the
La Liga with Valencia toppling Real Sociedad in
the seventh spot.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Philippe Coutinho
has applauded Lionel Messi for handing him the
responsibility to take the morale-boosting spot-
kick that helped Barcelona thrash Sevilla to claim
a semi-final spot in the Copa del Rey.
The Brazilian has struggled for form this term
after falling behind Ousmane Dembele in the
pecking order, but with Frenchman still
recuperating from hamstring injury, club boss
Ernesto Valverde, handed him a life-line in
Barcelona’s front-line.
source: www.legit.ng/1219487-barcelona-2-2-valencia-messi-nets-brace-los-che-share-spoils-camp-nou.html

Ahead of the forthcoming general elections and a
continuation of his quest for a better Nigeria
popular standup comedian, Francis Agoda, better
known as I go Dye has promised to reward lucky
Nigerians who are devoted to the peace and
tranquility of the Nigerian society during and after
the general elections.
Speaking on the much expected general elections
in a chat with Vanguard Showtime Bonus, he
said;
“You stand a chance of being among the five
lucky winners of Francis Agoda Path of Honour
Awards (FAPOH), of $5000 ($1,000 each). Let’s
take a charge of our future by standing for peace
at all times. We shouldn’t wait until we lose
someone close to us before we become advocates
of peace.” Adding that the beginning of progress
in any society is the promotion of peace.
“The first step to guarantee progress in any
nation is by promoting peace. All the nations of
the world that have attained development were
created by their citizens and peace was
paramount. Consequently, I urge you to do a
video footage of yourself and post, using the
hashtag #Istandforpeace2019elections. You stand
a chance of being among the five lucky winners of
FAPOH Awards (Francis Agoda Path Of Honour)
Peace Prize with 1000 Dollars each if your video
post has a very meaningful peace message to
portray that we should stand for peace in the
forthcoming general election.”
According to the humour merchant , if Nigerians
can join forces, nothing can be compared to the
sacrifice made for peace.
“Let’s come together as well meaning citizens of
Nigeria,embracing this responsibility as a sacrifice
of patriotism. Indeed ,it doesn’t matter who you
are; either as an entertainer,sports
personality,media professionals,just name it.
There is nothing can be compare to the price of
peace and keeping it,”, he said.
I Go Dye’s burning passion for peace was ignited
in 1997 when he was a victim of the Warri crisis
between Ijaws and Itsekiris. He was shot and lost
some of his close friends.
In 1998 he launched Peace in Sight Global
Movement, to promote peace. Today he’s UN
Global Goals Ambassador, World Habitat
Ambassador, working to actualize the United
Nations global goals. In 2017 he won the Africa
Child prize, making him an African Child
Ambassador.
In 2018 he became UKaids/YAF goodwill
Ambassador on Making A Difference Against
Corruption Today (MADACT).
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/comedian-i-go-dye-to-reward-5-peace-loving-voters-with-5000-2/

Having distinguished his brand among others,
Justice Nuagbe better known as Ushbebe has
revealed that preparation is already in top gear
towards the 12th edition of his annual event
popularly called ‘Chronicles of Ushbebe’ with the
2019 edition tagged ‘Ushbebe Live (Election
Edition) Yadadi 12
Packaged by Pride Rock Entertainment, the event
will hold at the prestigious Eko Hotels & Suites on
February 17, 2019 and will witness rib-cracking
jokes from industry finest that includes Kenny
Blaq, Akpororo, Ay, Acapella, Gordons, Funnybone,
Helen Paul, Kelvin Sapp, and Woli Agba & Dele to
mention but a few.
However top personalities, guests and fans who
would be attending will equally be thrilled by
music performances by Olamide,Mr. Eazi, Timaya,
Patoranking, Falz ,Tiwa Savage,Mayokun,Duncan
Mighty, Johnny Drille, Pasuma,Kcee, Zlatan,
Chinko,Victor Ad, DJ Consequence, DJ Kentlaky,
Alternate sounds and lots more.
Speaking on the coming event, Ushbebe disclosed
that since it’s the 12th edition of the yearly show,
there was need to spice it up. The event is
however supported by Beat FM, Naija FM, Lagos
Talks, Classic FM, Nelson Jacks, HNK Interiors,
Hennessy, MTV Base, Hiptv, Trace amongst
others.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/olamide-ay-timaya-tiwa-savage-others-for-chronicles-of-ushbebe-yadadi-12-election-edition/

Thugs on Saturday invaded a campaign rally
organised by the All Progressive Congress (APC)
in Tungbobiri community of Sagbama Local
Government Area, killing one person and injuring
sixteen others.
The injured persons were reportedly stabbed by
the hoodlums, who killed an APC member
identified as Brave Embikoro.
The incident at a rally organised by the APC for
its Bayelsa West Senatorial candidate, Captain
Karimu at Tungbobiri community.
Some APC members claimed that the violence
was carried out by PDP thugs in retaliation of the
attack in a PDP rally in Famgbe, where one
person was killed.
It was gathered that the Karimu climbed the
podium to deliver his speech when the thugs
stormed the place.
There was pandemonium at the venue as the
thugs, who came with assorted weapons
scattered the chairs.
The Secretary of the APC, Alabo Martin confirmed
the incident.
Martins said: “A party member was killed in
Bayelsa West senatorial Campaign today in
Tungbo Abiri in Sagbama local government area
of the state.
APC Senatorial candidate, Capt. Mathew Karimo
had gone on a political campaign at that
community when thugs in their numbers, shooting
sporadically and scattered the arena.
“Cars were destroyed, sound system and canopies
were vandalised. Three party faithful were shot.
Presently one out of the three, is confirmed dead.
“We use this medium to appealed to the general
public for urgent intervention and rescue our
supporters from further attacks by thugs”.
The spokesperson of the Bayelsa State Police
Command, Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the
incident, stated that one person have been
arrested.
He said: “On 2nd February, 2019, at about
1530hours, thugs disrupted APC campaign rally
at Tungbabiri, Sagbama Local Government Area,
Bayelsa State.
“The thugs numbering about 15 disrupted and
attacked APC party faithfuls at a Political rally at
Tungbabiri. In the ensuing melee, one Braye
Embikorobiri of Tungbabiri Community sustained
critical injuries and later died. Two other victims,
names yet unknown were critically injured and are
responding to treatment in the hospital.
“One suspect, Isaac Abrowei ‘m’ 42 years, from
Bolou-Orua, but resident at Tungbabiri has been
arrested, the thugs who master mind the act and
their alledge sponsor have been identified and the
Police has launched a manhunt to arrest them.
“The command has mobilize officers to restore
normalcy in the community and efforts have been
intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects”.
End.
source: thenationonlineng.net/thugs-disrupt-apc-rally-kill-one-injure-many-bayelsa/

Ahead of the 2019 polls in Plateau state, the
state police command has given conditions for a
peaceful elections, saying all stakeholders must
play the game according to the rules.
State police commissioner CP Austine Agbolanho
stated this in a town hall meeting held in Jos on
Saturday.
He said, “I want to use this opportunity to
appreciate you for all efforts you have put in
place to make sure that the campaigns and other
political activities move on smoothly.
“In line with the forth coming 2019 General
Elections and the increase in the political
activities in Plateau State,
Command CP Austin I. Agbonlahor psc, fdc in
synergy with other security organisations and law
enforcement agencies have decided to approach
the elections from different perspectives.
“The Command has plans for pre-election,
election and post-election activities.
“In order to achieve a violent free elections on the
Plateau, all the critical stakeholders; the INEC, the
Police, other security and law enforcement
agencies, the political parties, contestants, youth
leaders and religious leaders must cooperate by
prevailing on the youth to eschew violence but
embrace peace. I want to use this opportunity to
call on the INEC to be fair to all concern and to
be neutral in handling the elections.
“The Command has also drawn an elaborate
Operation Order that takes care of all Services.
This is designed to cover the seventeen (17) local
governments in Plateau State, all the Registration
Area Centres (RACs), Polling Units and Voting
Points. The good thing about this new posting is
that personnel are posted by name and they can
be held liable in a case of any problem. It has
also given us a firm control over our personnel
and a fair distribution of personnel across the
State.
“The Command has taken proper control of the
SARS and its personnel shall be used
appropriately.
“The telephone lines of the Commissioner of
Police and members of his management team as
well as the Divisional Police Officers are in the
public domain and shall again be shared to the
stakeholders here for prompt report of the
activities of our personnel during elections.
“The Joint Operation Room has also been put in
place at the Police Command Headquarters and it
shall be managed by the personnel of all security
agencies.
“The regular meeting with members of the Inter-
Agency Consultative Committee on Elections
Security (ICCES) has given us opportunity to
understand our strength and synergise properly to
defeat our weaknesses.
We are also carefully monitoring the campaigns
and rallies of all political parties to avoid clash of
venue and other interests. I advise political
parties to maintain the maturity so far exhibited.
“The Command is carefully gathering intelligence
for proper analysis and better operation. This
intelligence gathering has informed and enhanced
our threats mapping to tackle the operations of
Sara Suka and other cult groups in the State for
violent free elections.
“On the issue of the Arms and Ammunition mop-
up, the Inspector General of Police’s window is
still open for people to willingly summit their arms
that are illegally acquired to the Plateau State
Police Command before it will be too late
“The abuse of drugs and the consumption of illicit
substances are on the rise and must be checked.
Political Parties should not encourage this for the
benefit of the larger society.
“The Destruction of Campaign Bill Boards of
opposing political parties should be discouraged.
Although, nobody has officially reported to the
Police but the social media is a washed with such
complaints. This should be discouraged by all
and sundry.
“All the above strategies can be a mirage if there
is no synergy and cooperation from all of us
seated here.
Let us all resolve to have the most peaceful
elections in Plateau State” he said
source: thenationonlineng.net/plateau-police-give-conditions-peaceful-polls/

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said on
Saturday that emerging revelation from the PDP
Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar is a clear
indication that he would a disaster if given the
mandate to preside over the country.
The Organisation said the self-confession by the
Atiku that he took some unilateral decisions as
Vice President and alao ensured that a sitting
governor was not given a return ticket were clear
acts of impunity, stressing that if he could do that
as number two, he was bound to do worse when
given the real mandate as number one.
In a statement signed by the chairman, Niyi
Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the
group also said the former Vice President carried
out serious acts of impunity when, as Chairman
of the National Council on Privatization, he
presided over the under pricing of national assets,
while giving his company a whopping 25 year’s
concession of Nigerian ports.
The ask Nigerian voters to take proper notice of
unilateral actions and the serial acts of impunity
by Atiku Abubakar when he was Vice President in
the Obasanjo years.
They claimed that the former Vice President even
boasted about some of those acts on National
Television during his appearance on ‘The
Candidate’, a live TV show focusing on
Presidential candidates in the run up to next
month’s elections
BMO said: “On more than two occasions during
the programme, Atiku Abubakar made it clear that
he took unilateral actions as Vice President that
border on impunity and a disregard for all known
democratic norms.
“The first was his confession that he ‘borrowed’
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) N300m at inception in 2004 from the
proceeds of the privatisation exercise. What this
means is that the funds were in his custody and
not paid into the Consolidated Revenue Account
as expected. And he did whatever he liked with it.
“This is the same man who wrote the
international community to complain about
President Muhammadu Buhari who sought and
secured approval of the National Economic
Council to release $1bn from the Excess Crude
Account for military hardware. We wonder which
of these acts bear the mark of impunity!
“The second one was the clearly undemocratic
decision to deny a sitting governor a second term
in office. By his own admission on the ‘The
Candidate’, Atiku Abubakar and his principal were
not aware that schools were shut in Anambra
state for two years and the solution, in his view,
was to tell the then President Olusegun Obasanjo
that the state governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju ‘will
never be allowed to go back’. He subsequently
boasted publicly that he made sure that the
governor never went back.
“It is shocking that this comment came from an
individual that wrote an open letter to the
international community accusing President
Buhari of constitutional breaches. What could be
more dictatorial than determining the outcome of
an election without giving the electorate the
benefit of choosing who governs them?”
They said further that the impunity with which
Atiku carried out his duty as Vice President and
chairman of the National Council of Privatisation
was also obvious from the manner government
owned enterprises were sold or concessioned
under his watch.
“it is no longer news that his company INTELS
was granted a 25-year concession to run a
number of Ports in an exercise he supervised in
2006.This is clearly one of the acts his former
boss referred to when he said that the PDP
Presidential Candidate committed unforgivable
crimes against the Nigerian people.
“There is also the mess that characterised the
privatisation of the Aluminium Smelter Company
of Nigeria (ALSCOM) Ikot Abasi which was built
for $3.2b but sold for a pittance of $120m in
2006.That shoddy sale has since then sparked
series of law suits till date”, the group said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/atiku-will-disaster-president-says-bmo/

All scriptures is God breathed and is useful for
teaching,rebuking,correcting,training in
righteousness so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2Timothy 3 vs 16-17

MATTHEW 4 VS 1-11
How do you communicate with the devil, when he
says his mind. Do you shout,roar,scream or get
scared because you don't know what to do?
Don't you know the devil also speak through
dreams and in our mind to confuse, scare and put
fear in people. A believer shouldn't just read the
Bible for reading sake. Read and make use of
Joshua 1 vs 8, Deuteronomy 6 vs 6-10. Know
how to use the Bible to communicate back to the
devil. Stop getting scared, stop staging like a
drunk man when he speaks. Use the word of God
to tell him what God says.
A Bible verse is enough to keep the devil's mouth
shut just like Christ did-Matthew 4 vs 1-11. Use
the word rightly. Use it to communicate with
others. Quote it in rebuking others, use it to call
others to salvation,use it when singing, use it
when questions are been asked,use it to reply the
ignorant. Let reading of the scriptures be part of
your daily activities (Joshua 1 vs 8) dont depart
from it.
Stop panicking when you have a bad dream or
the devil speaks, use the word of God boldly with
so much assurance and confidence in God to tell
the devil 'Its not yours' dont let him make you get
scared or confuse you,God has good plans for you
and not what the devil shows you in the dream or
speak to you.
In conclusion- Dont just read the Bible for
fun,make use of it in your everyday activities.
Speak the positive and assurance of God in the
scriptures into your life. Joshua 1 vs 8. Remain
Blessed.

Vocal powerhouse, Aituaje Iruobe, better known
as Waje, an acronym for ‘Words Ain’t Just
Enough’, is known to represent one major thing;
music talent, a reason many questioned her
decision to try her hands at acting- a move
several of her colleagues have since emulated.
The prolific singer who debuted as an actor in
‘Tunnel’, alongside Femi Jacobs, Patrick Doyle,
Nse Ikpe-Etim, among others in 2018, has since
proved her worth as a woman of many talents.
In a chat with Showtime, the singer who also
starred in ‘Battleground’, currently showing on
Africa Magic, explained why she accepted her first
movie role.
“I accepted my first movie role because when I
read the script I fell in love with it. I felt it was an
interesting story. I was curious as to how I would
play the role because I was to play the role of a
lady, Sade, who was married, and I’ve never been
married. So, it was interesting to find out how I
was going to play the role. It was also about the
message in the role, I just wanted to know, and I
think it was just curiosity”, she said.
According to her, her first time experience on set
was amazing but scary.
“It was amazing because I was scared at first,
but I tried my best. Nse Ikpe-Etim is like a big
sister to me, she has always been a good friend
so she guided me all through. She literally
coached me as we went on. She and Femi Jacobs
made it an easy task for me.”
Speaking on the media establishment, she
recently partnered with Omaumi to set up, she
said;
“Hermanes Media has been in existence before
now but it wasn’t a formal transaction. We used
to come up with ideas so we just thought that it
doesn’t make sense if two people are this
creative, have been in the industry and have so
much to offer and we don’t do it.
We’ve been talking about it for a while so we
decided that it’s time we formalize it. You know
it gets to a point as a musician that it’s not
necessarily about the music, we have more we
want to offer our listeners? So Hermanes Media
would be a good way to offer more to our
listeners”, she said.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/why-i-accepted-my-first-nollywood-role-waje/

The Director General of the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, campaign organisation in
Gombe State Alhaji Bala Bello Tinka has defected
to the All Progressives Congress APC.
In a statement disclosed by the Special Adviser to
the President, Femi Adesina, Alhaji Tinka (alias
Tinka Point) met with President Muhammadu
Buhari at State House, Abuja, on Thursday night,
where he pledged allegiance to the APC, and also
vowed to bring his political weight to bear on the
election of the President for a second term in
office.
Coming exactly a fortnight to the presidential
election, the defection of Alhaji Tinka deals a
massive blow to the PDP in Gombe. PDP currently
governs the state, and has done so since 2003.
President Muhammadu Buhari campaigns in
Gombe Saturday, and Alhaji Tinka is expected to
formally join the APC, alongside others, during the
event.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/breaking-pdp-campaign-dg-dumps-party-joins-apc/

In order to strengthen its managerial objectives,
the management of StarTimes Group, has
appointed Mr. David Zhang as the new Chief
Executive for StarTimes Nigeria with immediate
effect immediately.
He succeeded the former Chief Executive Officer,
Mr. Justin Zhang, who completed his tenure in
January.
A statement issued by the company’s Public
Relations and Communications Manager, Kunmi
Balogun, said that David Zhang will bring over 2
decades of experience in B2B and B2C capacity in
both China and Africa, with a special interest in
consumer and revenue growth management.
David Zhang will lead the team in scaling the
impact of the foundation laid by his predecessor
which has seen a rise in subscriber base and new
innovations in the country’s pay-tv industry.
Until his appointment, David was the Chief
Executive Officer of StarTimes in Kenya. Before
then, he had worked in management capacity in
Nigeria for over 3 years between 2011 and 2014,
when he left to head StarTimes business in the
East African nation.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/startimes-appoints-david-zhang-as-new-ceo/

Patience, wife of former President Goodluck
Jonathan, has forfeited temporarily N1.0004
billion to the Federal Government.
The interim forfeiture followed a court order
secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.
The money was lodged in three deposits with
Fidelity Bank Plc on 20th and 25th May, 2015.
The forfeiture order by Federal High Court sitting
in Kano and presided over by Justice A. Lewis-
Allagoa is consequent upon a motion ex parte
filed by the Commission seeking for the interim
forfeiture of the money.
The money was found in the account of Magel
Resort Limited, a company linked to the former
First Lady, Patience Jonathan.
The Commission had gotten an intel that a bank
account domiciled in Fidelity Bank, had a huge
sum of money that was not being used by
anybody.
Upon receipt of the intelligence, the EFCC swung
into action by conducting preliminary
investigation, which revealed that Patience and
some relatives of former president, Goodluck
Jonathan were directors of the Company.
Others named as directors are Oba Oba
Tamunotonye, Goodluck Jonathan Aruera,
Goodluck Jonathan Ariwabai and Esther Fynface.
In trying to trace the origin of the money, it was
discovered that N500,000 was deposited on the
20th of May, 2015 by Fynface, who is alleged to
be in charge of the Company, while N1 billion
(One Billion Naira Only) was transferred in two
tranches on the 25th May, 2015 from PAGMAT
OIL AND GAS NIGERIA LIMITED, a company that
was not incorporated with the Corporate Affairs
Commission.
Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa held that: “An interim
forfeiture order is granted to the Federal
Government in the sum of N1,000,494,000 (One
Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand
Naira Only) in the Bank account of the 1st
respondent Magel Resort Limited 4011019546
which is maintained with 2nd respondent Fidelity
Bank Plc”.
The court further ordered that the forfeited sum
be deposited in the Treasury Single Account of the
Federal Government.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/patience-jonathan-loses-n1-billion-to-fg/

After opening its 2019 workshop series in Lagos,
the National Film and Video Censors Board
(NFVCB) has taken its roadshow to the South-
South and South-East zones of the country,
making stops in Port Harcourt and Nnewi last
week.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the programme,
tagged ‘Media Literacy Capacity Building On Film
Classification & Empowerment For Youth’ took
place from January 15 to16, 2019 at the Algate
Hotel, an exercise facilitated by Hon. Boma
Goodhead in the Asari Toru/Akuku Toru Federal
Constituency.
Participants had a great time interacting with
veteran actress and youth advocate, Hilda
Dokubo, a daughter of the soil who helmed the
talks on Film Classification.
Dokubo spoke with the most familiar references,
language, gags and slangs of Rivers people.
“I’m going to make it as interactive as possible,”
she began, as she threw a question that set the
ball rolling. “When you buy a film, how many of
you flip to the back jacket to see the
Classification Symbol? She asked. None
responded in the affirmative. “So, that’s a
problem,” she declared.
Enumerating some of the categories of
classification, Dokubo explained that there was
the need to adhere strictly to the rules.
The actress who frowned at stereotype contents
in Nollywood movies pointed out that as a way of
changing the narrative, producers must desist
from stories that portray the police as bribe
collectors, soldier as civilian beaters, the girl-child
doing the home chores while the boy-child plays
football, as well as movies that portray career
woman as endangering their home and marriage,
while the full-time housewife is seen as the ideal
women.
In Nnewi, the industrial nerve of the South East
geo- political zone, it was a gathering of notable
stakeholders in the creative industry from Nnewi
North/South and Ekwusigo Federal
Constituencies.
The event which held on Thursday, January 17,
2019, was an empowerment workshop for youths
in the movie and entertainment industry from that
area. They include actors, script writers, movie
producers and directors, marketers, costumiers,
editors and other crew members within the movie
production chain. In his opening remarks,
Executive Director of the National Film and Video
Censors Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas urged
participants to avail themselves of this rear
opportunity to carve a niche for themselves within
the creative industry.
He noted that the essence of the training was; to
develop participants’ interest and understanding
of classification; make participants ambassadors
of film classification by letting their children know
what to watch and watch not to watch; and
assist in lobbying policy makers on important
classification recommendations.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/nfvcb-takes-training-to-p-harcourt-nnewi/

Renmoney, a leading fintech lending company in
Lagos, was featured on the London Stock
Exchange Group (LSEG) list of ‘Companies to
Inspire Africa’ for 2019. Renmoney was listed
alongside three other Nigerian companies.
CEO, Renmoney, Tobi Boshoro, said that the
company has spent the last few years building
convenient lending solutions for Nigerians.
“We are laser-focused on listening to our
customers and using their feedback to iterate on
our solutions and processes. This approach led
Renmoney to 112% year on year growth in
customers served in 2018 and the company has
more plans to make financial inclusion count in
2019.
According to CEO, London Stock Exchange Group,
David Schwimmer, “London Stock Exchange
Group’s report ‘Companies to Inspire Africa’
identifies Africa’s most inspirational and dynamic
private, high-growth companies to a global
market”. He said that the ‘Companies to Inspire Africa’
report was born out of a belief that the featured
firms are crucial to the future of the African
economy and the growth of the economy of their
home countries.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/renmoney-makes-2019-london-stock-exchange/

Sen. Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central) has
warned that he, and his supporters will not be
part of the All Progressives Party (APC)’s
Presidential Campaign in Zamfara on Sunday,
Feb. 3, if the party went ahead with the rally.
Marafa, who spoke with State House
correspondents on Friday at the presidential villa,
said he had advised that it would be better to
resolve the lingering crisis in the state chapter of
the APC before such a rally.
He, however, said that he and his supporters
would continue to campaign for President
Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as very
popular among Zamfara people.
A Zamfara State High Court sitting in Gusau and
a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had on Jan.
25, given two conflicting judgments on the
Zamfara APC crisis.
The Zamfara State High Court upheld the primary
election conducted by the state chapter of APC
while the Federal High Court, Abuja barred the
party from fielding candidates in Zamfara in the
forthcoming general elections.
Marafa, said he was not yet aware of the
reported cancellation of the APC Zamfara rally,
saying that he had advised that it suspended
because it would serve the interest of the party,
the president and Zamfara people.
According to him, Zamfara APC currently does not
have candidates because of the political impasse
that characterised the state primaries.
“Because of the rumple between disagreeing
parties, we felt it is better Mr President suspends
his visit to Zamfara; after all, we are there; we
can campaign for him; he knows us; he knows
our individual capacities.
“There is no point bringing all the factions under
one umbrella; because once the president is
there, everybody will like to show their faces.
“However, we feel it is avoidable; but you cannot
come to the president with just one single
suggestion.
“So, I just put my opinion across; that if it is a
must, because the party has fixed Feb. 3, for the
visit; then we want to be excused.
“Because there is no way President Buhari will go
to Zamfara and my face is not seen; and people
will not ask questions, I think it is not fair.
“We are not doing anything to impress anybody;
we have already gotten all the necessary trust
and belief from Mr President; even if he is not
there, we will do the right thing.
“But if the party or the Presidential Campaign
Council feels they must be in Zamfara on Sunday,
I and my supporters want to be excused.
“We will conduct our own rally for the president
on a different date and we will air it on NTA so
that everybody can see.’’
He said that the most important thing was that
Zamfara people all believed in Mr President and
would support and vote for him in the presidential
election.
Marafa said that he had gone to the Appeal Court
praying the appellate court to reconsider the
judgment and give APC a new lease of life.
The senator said he prayed the court to allow
APC to conduct primaries for just one day and
then submit the result to the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“ We hope Appeal Court will do justice to the
people of Zamfara and to the various aspirants
that purchased the forms at a very high cost,’’ he
said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/count-supporters-apc-zamfara-rally-marafa/

The federal government is offering free train ride
for commuters on the Lagos-Abeokuta section of
the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail for two
months with effect from Wednesday.
The free ride will be flagged off on that day by
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Transportation
Minister Rotimi Amaechi announced on Friday in
Lagos.
Amaechi who was on a routine inspection of the
project expressed satisfaction at the standard of
work done by the contractor, the China Civil
Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC).
He said two coaches would be deployed from
Itakpe-Warri railway station to make four coaches
which would run the free ride for two months.
His words: “I am impressed. The Vice-President
will ride the train on February 6. He is coming to
flag off the passengers’ use of the first phase
from Lagos to Abeokuta which would reduce
travel time from 1 hour 30 minutes to 45
minutes.”
The minister said that work was in progress on
the various train stations within the numerous
corridors.
He said efforts were being made to expedite work
between Agbado and Apapa axis of the project.
”The level of work would have been faster in
Lagos but due to some challenges of right of way
in the city,” he added.
According to the minister, the rail project will
further bring about economic development in the
area and Nigeria when ready.
The minister inspected, among others, the
Bolade-Oshodi, Iju-Fagba, Ijoko rail tracks to
assess the laying of rail tracks on the axis
Mr Fidet Okhiria, Managing Director, Nigerian
Railway Corporation (NRC), had said that the
track laying of the project was moving towards
Lagos, adding that 1.5 kilometres tracks were laid
everyday.
”They have done a lot in laying of tracks between
Abeokuta, Itori, Papalanto, Kajola, Ijoko towards
Lagos corridor.
”Within seven days the track laying will reach Iju
towards Agege corridor of Lagos State.
”From here to Iju its 10 kilometres, and we are
laying 1.5 kilometers on daily basis and by first
week of February we will do a test run to
Abeokuta from Lagos.
”All the formations have been put in place to
expedite the tracks laying,” the NRC boss had
said on Wednesday.
Mr Jerry Oche, the NRC Lagos District Manager,
said that the train, when completed, would be
travelling by 150 kilometres per hour on the 156
kilometres Lagos – Ibadan trip in less than two
hours.
”With the new standard gauge you can reside in
Ibadan and be working in Lagos which is a very
good development to people and for our
economy,” he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/fg-offers-two-month-free-ride-lagos-abeokuta-train/

Amen

Amen and you too.

Good one

Amen

Kano – Prominent Kannywood Artistes on
Thursday thrilled the crowd at President
Muhammadu Buhari re-election campaign rally
held at the Sani Abacha stadium in Kano.
Some of the famous Kannywood singers such as
Ado Gwanja, Ibrahim Yala and Rarara Kahutu
performed at the event to the joy of the APC
supporters.
Comedians such as Baba Ari and Rabiu Daushe,
also performed as they supported the singers by
dancing through the crowd and making people
laugh.
Major stars such as Ali Nuhu, Sadik Sani, Zainab
Booth, Rukayya Dawayya, also attracted
spectators at another side of the Arena.
The crowd cheered the artistes while some
danced to the tunes and hailed the APC and its
candidates.
NAN reports that the artistes had earlier in the
week conducted a mass rally in the city to
mobilise supporters ahead of the rally.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/famous-kannywood-artistes-thrill-crowd-at-buharis-campaign-in-kano/

Grammy-nominated rapper Cardi B briefly
appeared in a New York criminal court on
Thursday over her alleged involvement in a strip
club brawl.
The 26-year-old artist signed the renewal of two
protection orders against the alleged victims,
which bar her from making remarks on social
media that could be deemed threatening to them.
Cardi B strolled into the Queens basement
courtroom in high spirits, sporting a long poncho-
style fur coat with a matching hat, pointy heeled
boots, distressed jeans and bold taupe-framed
sunglasses. Her long neon yellow-green nails
were on display as she clutched her demure black
purse, despite the icy weather.
The star, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, is
due to appear again in court on April 4.
On August 29, Cardi B was in the Angels Strip
Club in Queens when her group reportedly lobbed
bottles, chairs and a hookah smoking device,
which police said bruised a female employee in
the legs.
In October, police charged her with one count of
assault and two counts of reckless endangerment
over the incident.
US media reports say she allegedly ordered an
attack on two sisters working at the club because
one of them slept with her husband, the rapper
Offset. In December, she said she and Offset had
separated.
Prior to Thursday’s minutes-long court
appearance, rumors were swirling that the pair
were back together.
“We’re working things out, baby,” she told a
throng of journalists as she swooped out of the
courtroom.
The couple secretly married in September 2017
and their daughter, Kulture, was born in July.
Cardi B is one of US music’s hottest stars thanks
to the runaway success of her song “Bodak
Yellow,” which touches on her past life as a
stripper.
She is no stranger to controversy — she was
involved in a fracas with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj
at New York Fashion Week in September, later
taking to Instagram to say that the older Minaj
had questioned her parenting skills.
At the Grammys in February, Cardi B will vie for
two of the most prestigious awards — Album and
Record of the Year.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/cardi-b-appears-in-queens-court-over-strip-club-brawl/

Ibadan – A Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan on
Thursday dissolved an 18 year-old marriage
between one Grace Adekunle and Pastor Adeyemi
Adekunle over abandonment, irresponsibility and
impregnating church members.
Chief Ademola Odunade, President of the court
held that the dissolution became necessary
because there was no more love between the
two.
In his judgement, he said “In the interest of
peaceful coexistence, the union between Grace
and Adeyemi has ceased to be
“Custody of the first four children produced by the
union is granted to Adeyemi while Grace is
allowed to take the last because of his age.
“The respondent shall pay a monthly allowance of
N5,000, in addition to being responsible for his
education and other welfare”.
In her petition, the claimant, a school teacher had
informed the court that her husband, a pastor,
abandoned her and fornicated with his female
church followers.
“Firstly, Adeyemi has shown no form of
responsibility on any of the five children and me
since he became a pastor a number of years ago.
“Adeyemi neither makes provision for their feeding
nor sends them to school.
“One message Adeyemi has repeatedly passed to
me is that I shouldn’t expect him to send the
children to school because he is a poor man of
God.
“He also said that I saw him as a pastor before I
wilfully married him.
“As a result, none of our children whose ages
range between 8 and 16 is currently in school.
“I have spent all I have on the children with little
or no success so far.
“Worst still, Adeyemi has been sleeping with the
female worshippers in his church and has even
impregnated two of them,” she said.
The respondent was however absent in court
when he was called to respond to the allegations.
The court’s bailiff informed the arbitrators that he
had served several hearing notices on the
respondent without any response.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/court-dissolves-pastors-18-years-marriage-for-impregnating-2-church-members/

2015 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and 3-
time CAF Women’s Player of the Year, Asisat
Oshoala joins Barcelona on a loan deal.
The former Dalian Quanjian player will be at the
Spanish side until the end of the season.
Details soon.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/asisat-oshoala-joins-barcelona-from-dalian-quanjian/

VICE President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,
today, launched the National Home-Grown School
Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, in Edo State, to
provide free meals for children in public schools in
the state.
During the launch of the programme at Eyaen
Primary School in Uhunmwode Local Government
Area of the state, Osinbajo said the NHGSFP
feeds 9.3 million children in 49,937 public primary
schools in 27 states, including Edo State.
Earlier, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki,
who received Prof. Osinbajo at Western Boys High
School in Benin City, thanked the Vice President
for the visit, and commended him for the Social
Investment Programme, which had added value to
the lives of Nigerians.
In Ikpobha-Okha LGA, the Vice President
commissioned the first set of houses completed in
Emotan Gardens where the keys of one of the
houses was handed over to a primary school
teacher who came out first in the state
government training on modern teaching aids to
primary school teachers.
Addressing a crowd at Open Field in Upper
Sokponba Road, Osinbajo urged the people to
vote President Muhammadu Buhari and all the
candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC
in the election.
Osinbajo noted that the school feeding
programme programme employs 94,422 cooks
while over 100,000 small-holder farmers are
linked to the programme.
The Vice President said in feeding the children
across the country, 594 cows are slaughtered,
138,000 chickens killed, and 83 million tonnes of
fish used in preparing the meals
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/osinbajo-launches-school-feeding-programme-in-edo/

Music’s first couple Beyonce and Jay-Z are
encouraging fans to go vegan for a month with a
contest to give one lucky winner a lifetime of free
tickets to their shows.
Queen Bey announced the challenge to her 123
million Instagram followers late Wednesday,
saying it was in support of the Greenprint Project
that promotes adopting even a partial vegan diet
to limit environmental footprints.
Fans can sign up for the contest online and one
will be chosen at random to win a pair of tickets
annually for 30 years to concerts by Beyonce and/
or Jay-Z, an estimated retail value of $12,000.
The superstar known for her groundbreaking
“Lemonade” album said she was going meatless
on Mondays and eating plant-based breakfasts,
while husband and rap mogul Jay-Z vowed two
of his daily meals would be plant-based.
Beyonce’s personal trainer, Marco Borges, is
behind the project. The superstar musicians wrote
the introduction to his December book elaborating
on its vision.
The pop-inflected R&B idol has been vocal about
embracing veganism in the past, having adopted
the diet prior to her stunning May 2018
performance at the Coachella music festival one
year after giving birth to twins.
She is joined by fellow singers Miley Cyrus and
Ariana Grande in promoting veganism, which
prohibits consumption of all animal products
including meat, dairy products, eggs and honey
as well as wearing leather.
Research has shown that cutting meat and dairy
products can boost the planet’s health by
reducing farmland use and planet-warming
greenhouse gas emissions.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/beyonce-jay-z-offer-chance-of-lifetime-tickets-to-fans-who-go-vegan/

A watchdog said Thursday Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau paid more than he
needed to for a controversial oil pipeline to the
Pacific — which could come back to haunt him in
October elections.
The federal government stepped in to buy and
effectively nationalize the Trans Mountain pipeline
to get a key Canadian resource to new overseas
markets after mounting legal challenges and
environmental protests stalled the project.
In a report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer
(PBO) estimated the current value of the pipeline
was between Can$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) and
Can$4.6 billion.
“From our analysis, the government of Canada’s
purchase price of Can$4.4 billion does put it at
the higher end of the pipeline’s valuation range,”
said PBO Yves Giroux.
“Our financial assessment assumes of course that
the pipeline is built on time and on budget,” he
said in a statement.
Canada is the world’s fourth largest oil producer
and exporter, but almost all of it goes to the
United States.
Trudeau’s government has declared building new
conduits to ship oil to new overseas markets a
national imperative, in order to ease Canada’s
reliance on the US and to get a better price for its
oil.
In August, the federal government bought the
715-mile (1,150-kilometer) Trans Mountain
pipeline and relaunched consultations with Pacific
coast indigenous groups after a court ruled the
tribes should get a say in the project to move
890,000 barrels per day.
The tribes worried that increased shipping from a
marine terminal at the end of the route in
Vancouver would impede the recovery of killer
whale populations in the area.
Trudeau has faced fierce criticism from
environmental activists for supporting the oil
industry and from pipeline proponents who lament
an increasingly onerous regulatory regime that
has strangled growth in the oil sector.
Opposition parties heaped on more scorn in
parliament Thursday, with the New Democrats
accusing the ruling Liberals of squandering cash
that could have gone to support “green jobs”
while the Tories complained that the Trans
Mountain pipeline remained stalled three years
after it was approved.
The project is also key to Canada meeting its
Paris climate target because Alberta — whose oil
sands are the nation’s single largest pollution
emitter — has agreed to take action against
carbon emissions only if it gained access to new
markets for its oil.
Construction of the new conduit was pegged at
Can$7.4 billion in 2016, but the PBO estimates
that it will now cost Can$9.3 billion by the time it
is completed in 2021.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/canada-paid-a-high-price-for-oil-pipeline-budget-watchdog/

Lionel Messi believes Barcelona showed their
appetite for the Copa del Rey by blowing away
Sevilla 6-1 on Thursday to pull off a brilliant
comeback and book their place in the semi-finals.
Sevilla had won the first leg 2-0 but their lead
was wiped out within 31 minutes at the Camp
Nou, after Philippe Coutinho scored a penalty,
deferred to him by Messi, before Ivan Rakitic
poked in a second.
Ever Banega had squandered the chance to level
for Sevilla by missing his own spospam blocked by adminick and
Barca ran riot in the second half.
Coutinho headed in his second and Sergi Roberto
added a fourth, only for Guilherme Arana to give
Sevilla brief hope. Luis Suarez and Messi
wrapped up an emphatic victory late on, the latter
after a superb counter-attacking move.
Some had suggested Barcelona would be relieved
to exit the Copa del Rey to focus fully on La Liga
and the Champions League but Messi said their
display had silenced the doubters.
“It was said that we had given up in the cup, that
we didn’t want it,” Messi said afterwards. “But in
no way is this the case. This team wants to fight
for all three titles, as is the obligation of Barca
every year.”
Coutinho’s form has wavered in recent weeks but
his double could do wonders for confidence.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are no strangers to these
sort of revivals but against Sevilla, who sit fourth
in La Liga and have been one of their closest
challengers this season, it was particularly
impressive.
The defending champions are into the last four for
the ninth consecutive year and edge closer to an
historic fifth Copa del Rey title in a row.
They join Valencia and Real Betis in the semis
after Betis had earlier needed extra time to beat
Espanyol 3-1, 4-2 on aggregate, while Valencia
knocked out Getafe on Tuesday.
Real Madrid could fill the last spot. They carry a
4-2 lead into their second leg against Girona on
Thursday.
Ernesto Valverde had rested players at the Ramon
Sanchez-Pizjuan but he fielded almost his
strongest XI in the return.
Messi, left out last week, was back in the starting
line-up, along with Suarez, Jordi Alba and
Coutinho. Jasper Cillessen kept his place in goal
ahead of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
– Messi gives up penalty duties –
Perhaps Messi felt Coutinho had played a big part
in winning the penalty after it was the Brazilian’s
drag-back that gave him the ball.
Messi went to shoot but struck the leg of Quincy
Promes, who could do little about the contact.
Referee Jose Sanchez checked with VAR and
pointed to the spot. Messi gave way to Coutinho,
who whipped it into the corner.
The night could have been different had Cillessen
not produced a pair of brilliant saves to preserve
his team’s lead. First, he tipped Andre Silva’s
flicked finish onto the post and then he saved
Banega’s penalty, pushing it out after Gerard
Pique had brought down Roque Mesa.
It could have been 1-1 but four minutes later, it
was 2-0, Arthur Melo picking out Rakitic, whose
attempt to control turned into a poke past the
committed Juan Soriano. Rakitic held up his
hands, choosing not to celebrate against his
former club.
Barca appeared to have put the tie beyond doubt
when they scored twice in as many minutes in the
second half. Coutinho stooped low to head in
Suarez’s cross and then Sergi Roberto hammered
in after a delicate ball through from Messi.
Instead, Sevilla pulled one back, Arana driving
into the far corner. There were 23 minutes left
and the visitors only needed one more to go
through on away goals.
But Suarez set Barca off again, tapping in Alba’s
cross before Messi added a final flourish. He
started the move with a soaring pass left to
Arturo Vidal, who fed inside to Suarez. Pique
played the ball back to Suarez by flicking it with
his right foot and then Alba teed up Messi, by
flicking with his left. Messi made it six.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/sevilla-hammering-shows-barca-want-to-win-all-three-titles-messi/

Italian soccer star Sebastian Giovinco blasted
Toronto FC management on Wednesday night,
saying he doesn’t trust the MLS team to tell the
truth about his departure and that he was willing
to take less money to stay in the city.
“They may say I left for a more lucrative deal, but
this is not the case,” Giovinco said in a lengthy
Instagram post. “I would have accepted less to
stay in Toronto.”
Toronto FC announced Wednesday that they have
transferred their all-time leading scorer Giovinco
to the Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
Giovinco said he has been trying to get a contract
extension for two years without success.
“I can say that I wanted it to end differently,” he
said. “I was offered terms that I deemed
unacceptable. Their offer and lack of transparency
is a clear message. It seems management prefers
to focus on things other than the pure desire to
win.”
The Canadian and US media reported that the
Saudi Professional League team paid a transfer
fee of between $2 million and $3 million.
Giovinco departs as the Reds’ leading scorer
across all competitions with 83 goals.
“After having grown the brand and elevating the
overall reputation of TFC both at home and
abroad, it seems I no longer serve a purpose,” he
bristled.
The 32-year-old Giovinco, who is known as a
potent scorer and free kick specialist, was in the
last year of his MLS contract.
“Replacing a player like Sebastian is difficult,”
said Toronto GM Ali Curtis. “But we are working
diligently and are confident that we will be adding
a new designated player in the near future.”
Giovinco originally joined Toronto in 2015 from
Juventus, of Italy’s Serie A and has been an
offensive force from the beginning, winning the
MLS MVP award along with the Newcomer of the
Year award in 2015.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/top-scorer-giovinco-says-toronto-fc-cast-him-aside/

Jaylen Brown stepped in to fill some big shoes,
finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the
Boston Celtics crushed the Charlotte Hornets
126-94 despite missing all-star Kyrie Irving.
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of
the Boston Celtics shoots the ball against the
Charlotte Hornets on January 30 2019 at the TD
Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. /AFP
Jayson Tatum also chipped in with Irving out
with a hip injury, scoring 20 points, and Terry
Rozier finished with a career-high 10 assists at
the Boston Garden arena. Irving has missed the
last two games.
Marcus Morris scored 15 points, Al Horford had
14 and Gordon Hayward 12 for the Celtics, who
won for the seventh time in eight games.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 21 points,
well shy of the 43 points he delivered in a
117-112 home win over the Celtics in November.
Malik Monk scored 16 points, Nicolas Batum
added 13 and Marvin Williams 10 for the Hornets,
who lost for the third time in five contests.
Morris drained a three pointer halfway through
the third quarter to spark a 25-6 run by the
Celtics.
Boston led 98-75 after three quarters and
extended the lead up to 35 points in the fourth.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he hopes to get
Irving back for Friday’s game against New York.
The Hornets played without Frenchman Tony
Parker who sat out with a right ankle problem.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/brown-scores-24-as-celtics-hammer-hornets/

PRESIDENT Buhari has deliberately upped the
ante on corruption in this campaign because he
wants to make next month’s presidential election
all about graft. His decision last week to suspend
and replace the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter
Onnoghen, on allegations of corruption was
calculated to escalate the issue of graft in this
election and upend his main opponent, Atiku
Abubakar and his party, People’s Democratic
Party, PDP. But in seeking to outsmart his
opponents and win next month’s polls, Buhari is
abusing his incumbency and trampling on the rule
of law in a way that risk undermining the
credibility of the entire elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari display a sign for
4+4 to join Legislators who supported his re-
election bid as he addressed a joint session of the
National Assembly for the the presentation of the
2019 Appropriation Bill at the National Assembly,
Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 19/12/2018
Last year, President Buhari said that “Rule of law
must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s
security and national interest”. I knew that the
real test of how the derogatory statement on the
rule of law played out would be his handling of
this year’s elections. Surely, if national interest,
as defined by a president, could trump the rule of
law, then nothing, not even democracy, is
sacrosanct.
Some criticisms of the Chief Justice’s suspension
have focused on its constitutionality, that is,
whether the president has the legal power to
suspend him. But the issue goes beyond legality.
The rule of law is as much about process as it is
about substance. Of course, if the Chief Justice is
corrupt, he can’t be above the law. But assuming
the president has the power to remove him, then
the relevant issues that could affect the
legitimacy of the decision are process, timing and
motives. President Buhari’s action failed those
tests.
First, the process was flawed. For a president
who relishes being called “Baba go slow” and
who always had to be dragged kicking and
screaming before suspending members of his own
government accused of corruption, Buhari’s haste
in acting, within days, on the Chief Justice’s case
rightly raised concerns about procedural fairness.
Allegations of corruption against a country’s Chief
Justice would, in most serious democracies,
follow structured and appropriate investigative
and disciplinary procedures, rather than dealt with
arbitrarily by the president. Buhari said he acted
on a court order. Really? But how many court
orders has he ignored? Picking and choosing
which court order to obey smacks of the
politicisation of justice.

And what about the timing? Why, for goodness
sake, in the middle of a crucial election? Why not
a year ago, or even before Walter Onnoghen was
made the substantive Chief Justice? How many
countries would appoint a chief justice without
thorough checks on his or her background,
including financial affairs? My guess is that
whatever secret information the Buhari
government has against Justice Onnoghen, it had
it at least a year ago but decided to wait until the
election to detonate the “bomb” for maximum
impact to raise the stakes on corruption. But for
what purpose? Well, that brings us to Buhari’s
motives.
As I said earlier, President Buhari’s action was
designed to make the upcoming election all about
corruption. Indeed, as his party, All Progressives
Congress, APC, said last week, “This election is a
referendum on corruption and integrity”. Elections
are normally a referendum on the incumbent, but
the APC is cleverly, with premeditated escalation
of the corruption issue, making it a referendum on
their opponents’ integrity. The APC’s slogan
“Don’t let the treasury looters come back to
power” is a powerful one that’s likely to resonate
with ordinary Nigerians who believe Atiku and the
PDP are weak on graft.
A study by three Canadian scholars on election
campaigns shows that an incumbent with a poor
record of achievement can successfully redirect
voters’ attention away from his failure by framing
the issues in an election campaign to undermine
the credibility of the opposition. That’s what
Buhari is doing. The president is not campaigning
on his record because he has failed on the
economy, on security and, despite his moral
indignation, on corruption, which is present in his
party and government. But Buhari still has a
reservoir of personal goodwill on corruption, and
he is using the integrity card mercilessly against
Atiku and PDP, who are widely perceived to be
weak and vulnerable on corruption. And, of
course, they are!
Recently, Eurasia, the international consulting
group, said that, as president, Atiku “would focus
on enriching himself and his cronies”. But instead
of confronting the negative perceptions, Atiku and
his allies are feeding them. In a recent interview,
he said that, if elected, “I am going to enrich my
friends”, and one of his key allies, Buba Galadima,
told a newspaper that, “Even if Atiku breaks into
CBN, we will make him president”. With such
reckless statements, why wouldn’t the negative
perceptions persist. Add to that the toxic legacy
of PDP’s 16 years in power, associated with
widespread corruption.
To be sure, Buhari is right to attack Atiku and
PDP on corruption. But trampling on the rule of
law to escalate the issue or preventing
businesses, through intimidation, from supporting
Atiku’s campaign, as rumoured, while being
funded by businesses and bribing voters with
TraderMoni is a blatant abuse of incumbency.
Buhari should fight fair, not dirty!
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/2019-presidential-poll-buhari-is-fighting-dirty/

THE survival instinct of a nation revolves within
the capacity and charismatic leadership of the
person who pilot its affairs. Nigeria will collapse if
the electorate fails to make the right choice in the
2019 presidential election because the present
leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari from
all indications has proved that it lacks the
political will to discharge functionalities of a
government.
From what are on his score-card, the incumbent
President has no moral justification to ask for
votes or convince Nigerians that he should be
returned for a second term in office. He has also
demonstrated to the people of this country that
judging from the events of these past three and a
half years, who says he would not disappoint
Nigerians again, as he has done.
Under the Buhari-led All Progressive Congress,
APC, administration, man’s inhumanity to man,
barbarism and all kinds of killings became the
trade-marks of certain sections of the country;
making Nigeria one of the most dangerous places
to survive.
The APC has failed in its campaign promises and
giving the party a second chance will amount to
sending the people to their untimely deaths.
For instance, before he got nomination to the
exalted position of presidential candidate in 2015,
Buhari said: “I, Muhammadu Buhari, believe that
our politics is broken. Our nation urgently needs
fundamental political reform and improvement in
governance more transparency and accountable …
If you nominate me in December, 2014 and elect
me in February 2015, my administration will: 1.
Initiate action to amend the Nigerian Constitution
with a view to devolving powers, duties, and
responsibilities to states in order to entrench true
Federalism and the Federal spirit; 2. Strengthen
INEC to reduce, if possible, eliminate electoral
malpractices in Nigerian’s political life; 3. Prevent
the abuse and misuse of Executive, Legislative
and Public offices, through greater accountability,
transparency, strict, and implementable anti-
corruption laws, through strengthening and
sanitising the EFCC and ICPC as truly
independent entities;
4. Amend the Constitution to remove immunity
from prosecution for elected officers in
criminal cases; handover and Defence: I will
urgently secure the territorial integrity of the
nation. I will never leave the defence of the
nation in the hands of Hunters, Children,
and Civilian JTF through the following:
Urgently address capacity building
mechanisms of law enforcement agents in
terms of quantity and quality as this is
critical in safeguarding the sanctity of lives
and property. Establish a well-trained,
adequately-equipped and goals-driven
Serious Crimes Squad to combat
insurgencies, kidnapping, armed robbery,
ethno-religious and communal clashes,
nationwide.
Consult and amend the Constitution to enable the
State and Local Governments create City, LG and
State Policing systems, based on the resources
available at each level, to address the peculiar
needs of each community. I will, therefore, work
with the National Assembly to set and revise,
when necessary, boundaries of operations for
Federal, State, and Local Government policing
units, through Criminal Justice legislation to
replace the Criminal Code, the Penal Code and
the Police Act, etc.”.
Sadly, on the contrary, the Buhari-led APC
government has failed in its promises due to
flagrant disobedience of court orders, and inability
of the administration to defeat the Boko Haram
insurgency in the North-East. In addition, the
murder of innocent citizens of this country have
continued unabated.
Cataloguing clashes between farmers and semi-
nomadic herders in Nigeria, Amnesty
International, AI, reported that more than 3,600
people have been killed since 2016. Most the
fatalities occurred in 2018. The report is a serious
indictment of President Buhari’s administration;
no matter what the administration or its military
says against AI and their other efforts to distract
Nigerians.
AI noted that “The Nigerian authorities’ failure to
investigate communal clashes and bring
perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody
escalation in the conflict between farmers and
herders across the country, resulting in at least
3,641 deaths in the past three years and the
displacement of thousands more”. These indices,
especially the total rejection and jettisoning of the
devolution of powers to component States as
promised by the present government during its
campaign in 2014, the failure to provide adequate
security and combating terrorism in the north-
east and some parts of the north central zones of
the country also explain why Nigerians must vote
out the APC government in 2019 presidential
election. That way, we would avoid the economic
and political collapse of the nation.
Buhari’s war against corruption has not recorded
huge successes because less than 3% of those
accused of corrupt practices have been convicted,
while perceived enemies of the government are
being harassed, humiliated, intimidated and
incarcerated. In the meantime, the All Progressive
Congress, APC, remains a safe haven for corrupt
serving and former public office holder – as the
party openly welcomes those indicted for corrupt
practices.
The need to vote out the APC from government is
also matched with the importance to vote in a
competent and committed replacement. This is
where Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi
come into play. These are men of proven
integrity; men with the political and economic
experience to pilot the affairs of the nation to
greater heights. That is beyond doubt, and the
earlier the Nigerian electorate focuses in that
direction, the better for all Nigerians and the
future of the country.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/ensuring-nigerias-survival-2/

Amen and you too.
God bless.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential
candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed
allegation that he used his position in the
Nigerian Customs Service to perpetrate acts of
corruption.
Abubakar made the remark on Wednesday in
Abuja at a town hall meeting organised by the
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Daria
Media with support from the MacArthur
Foundation.
The town hall meeting tagged: “The Candidates“is
a two-hour televised series which features
Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of
four leading political parties.
The parties were selected from the results of
multiple polls aggregated by the Centre for
Democracy and Development (CDD).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
the custom allegation followed the controversial
importation of 53 suit cases into the country in
1984 by a first class traditional ruler in the North.
Abubakar was the Customs Officer in Charge of
the Murtala Muhammed International Airport
when the suitcases were brought into the
country.
He also refuted allegations that one of his wives
had a case of money laundering to face in the
United States of America, and could therefore, not
travel abroad since the allegation.
It would be recalled that a United States Senate
report had accused Atiku Abubakar of laundering
over $40 million in suspicious funds into the
United States between 2000 and 2008, using his
fourth wife, Jennifer.
According to the report, which was written by the
US Senate Sub-committee on Investigations,
most of the funds were through wire transfers
sent by offshore corporations to U.S. bank
accounts.
Abubakar, in the town hall meeting, however,
refuted the allegation, saying his wife had never
been indicted or accused of such offence.
“My Wife has not been indicted and she has not
been charged, so there is no way you can hold
her accountable, she has been traveling to
America very often,“ he said.
The PDP presidential candidate stressed that he
had the experience to ensure the development of
the county and make it the envy of other nations.
According to him, the present All Progressives
Congress (APC) administration has not been able
to deliver on its three cardinal campaign promises
in 2015, which included security, economy and
fighting corruption.
He said the administration had also performed
below expectations, adding that he had the
business experience which he acquired over time
to ensure the development of the country.
Abubakar said that he is the bridge between the
future and the present, stressing that he had all it
would take to get the country working again.
He also noted that there was so much bottleneck
in the country`s judicial system, adding that his
administration would change the narrative if he
became the country`s next president.
He further said that he would introduce a judicial
reform that would address the bottlenecks in the
judiciary, using legislative process as was
obtainable in other countries.
Abubakar, who was the country`s Vice President
under the President Olusegun Obasanjo
administration also said that if elected as the
country`s next president, he would sustain the
fight against corruption.
NAN reports that Abubakar had a fractured
relationship with Obasonjo, his former boss, but
had to mend fences with him after he won the
PDP ticket to fly the party`s flag in the coming
presidential election slated for Feb. 16.
Mr Peter Obi, Abubakar`s running mate and a
former Governor of Anambra, who also featured at
the town hall meeting, said Atiku had the capacity
to address the country`s growing unemployment
statistics.
“If you look at his cumulative experience, his age
notwithstanding, you will agree with me that he
had what it will take to address the country`s
developmental challenges,“ he said.
Obi also refuted allegations that as governor of
Anambra, he used his position to register a
company with most of his family members as
shareholders, saying he left large sums of money
in the state account at the end of his tenure.
The platform provided an opportunity for the
studio audience which included Civil Society
Organisations, Diplomatic Corps and some
members of the general public who had applied
online to directly interact with the presidential
candidate and his running mate.
The event was also streamed online at
www.dtv.media to enable Nigerians in the
diaspora and those not near television screens to
participate.(NAN)
source: thenationonlineng.net/atiku-denies-perpetrating-corruption-serving-customs-service/

The Presidential Candidate of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
Wednesday promised to establish Electoral Fraud
Commission to try anyone found infringing on
electoral laws.
Atiku said the present government lacks political
will to punish offenders.
He and his running mate Peter Obi spoke on The
Candidates programme aired live on the Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA) in Abuja.
According to him, he (Atiku) and Obi have what it
takes to end poverty in the country.
He said he has been able to lift 45,000 persons
out of poverty in his home state of Adamawa.
“A few years ago, I set up a microfinance bank
and I brought in someone from Bangladesh and
you know they are the best in the world in that
area. I told him I wanted to lift people out of
poverty and I want you to dedicate 80 per cent of
your loans to women. You know how many
persons I was able to lift out of poverty? 45,000,”
he said.
The former Vice President said Nigeria needed a
pro-business and private sector driven leadership
to create jobs for its 21 million unemployed
youths. According to him, one of our major plans is to
create jobs in the agriculture sector which has the
largest capacity for job creation in the country.
On corruption allegations against him, Atiku said
he is the most investigated public officer in the
country who had never been found wanting.
He lamented the dearth of middle class in the
country, blaming President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration for the collapsed of the middle
class.
On Boko Haram, he said the set back by the
military was as a result of lack of equipment and
welfare.
If elected into office, he promised to investigate
military hierarchy indicted in short-changing the
soldiers.
On Shiites/military clashes, Atiku said military has
nothing to do with the Shiites.
According to him, police should have been
allowed to deal with them.
On farmers/herders’ clash, he said both of them
need to be enlightened on the existing laws.
He lamented the collapse of nomadic education,
promises to revive it.
This, according to him, will minimise the
movement of nomads and allow them to
concentrate in a particular area.
Atiku refuted fraud allegation his wife, saying his
wife had never been indicted or accused of such
offence.
“My wife has not been indicted and she has not
been charged, so there is no way you can hold
her accountable, she has been traveling to
America very often,“ he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/will-create-electoral-fraud-commission-says-atiku/

At least 43 migrants have drowned after two
boats capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
said on Wednesday.
The UN organisation had previously counted only
28 recovered bodies.
“We are expecting the death toll to be much
higher than that,” IOM spokesman, Joel Millman,
said.
More than 130 migrants were on the boats when
they overturned on Tuesday off Godoria, in the
north-east of the small Horn of Africa nation,
according to the IOM.
Millman said the two boats that set off from the
port of Obock were probably carrying mostly
Ethiopians and were likely headed to Yemen.
Djibouti has become a major migration route, and
thousands of irregular migrants use it as both a
country of destination and transit on their journey
to the Arabian Peninsula, according to the IOM.
More than 700 migrants have died in the past five
years during boat journeys from the Horn of
African to Yemen, according to the UN
organisation
source: thenationonlineng.net/43-migrants-dead-2-boats-capsize-near-djibouti/

Good for her.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Osun
said on Wednesday that it would certify all
vehicles to be used in conveying sensitive election
materials in the state as from Feb. 5.
FRSC’s Sector Commander, Mr Peter Oke, said in
Osogbo that the measure was to avoid any
breakdown or delay in the electioneering process.
Oke said the command would work with the
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to ensure that such vehicles were in good
condition.
He said that the drivers of the vehicles would
also be certified to have genuine drivers’ licences.
“The exercise will commence from Feb. 5
nationwide, to ascertain the condition of the
vehicles to be used for the exercise.
“We will ensure drivers are well-trained and
retrained and are with genuine licences. We will
also ensure that all the vehicles are in good
condition,” he said.
According to him, the command is working with
other sister agencies, to ensure that the elections
are conducted peacefully in the state.
“The certified vehicles will be given stickers,
which will be pasted on the windscreen together
with other means of identification.”
Oke noted that the command would also
collaborate with the National Union of Road
Transport Workers (NURTW), to ensure smooth
transportation of election materials.
The sector commander said that ambulances
would also be stationed at strategic locations
during and after the exercise, with FRSC officials
on patrol throughout the state.
Oke, however, urged relevant stakeholders to
support the command in ensuring peaceful and
hitch-free elections.
source: thenationonlineng.net/frsc-certify-vehicles-election-duties-february-5/

An Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court on has remanded
a 49-year-old man, Dele Adeyanju, in prison over
allegedly defiling an 11-year-old girl
The accused of no fixed address is standing trial
on a charge of rape.
The prosecutor, Insp. Monica Ikebuilo,told the
Court that the accused committed the offence on
January 14 in Omuo-Ekiti.
She told the Court that the victim hawked garri
and the accused bought N100 garri from her, in
the process, he took the girl inside and defiled
her.
Ikebuilo said the victim’s parents discovered the
next day, when they noticed that she was dull and
could not walk properly.
She said the offence contravened Section 31 of
the Child Rights Law of Ekiti State, 2012.
The prosecutor urged the Court to remand the
accused in prison pending legal advice from office
of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
The plea of the accused was not taken.
The Magistrate, Mrs Omolola Akosile, ordered the
remand of the accused and adjourned the case
until Febtuary15 for mention.
source: thenationonlineng.net/man-remanded-defiling-11-year-old-girl/

…urges Assembly to halt planned impeachment of
governor
The Lagos State House of Assembly was on
Wednesday rocked by a massive crowd of
protesters, made up of a coalition of civil society
groups, friends, concerned Lagosians and well-
wishers of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode under the
aegis of Lagos Peoples’ Assembly, LPA.
They came to protest against and demand for
immediate stoppage of purported moves by the
Assembly to impeach Governor Ambode.
They carried placards and banners with different
inscriptions like: “Ambode is a performing
governor, we reject impeachment”, “Lagosians
love Ambode for his good works”, “Let there be
smooth transition”, “Enough of intimidation of
Ambode”, Lagos APC should be careful, election is
around the corner”, “We say no to impeachment”.
Answering reporters questions, leader of LPA,
Comrade Declan Ihekaire said “we are not here to
protest, we are here to show solidarity to Ambode
and the entire Lagos Assembly that there is no
basis for wanting to impeach His Excellency,
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at this point in time.
“He is still a loyal party man and for that, he
deserves no impeachment and moreover we are
very close to electioneering period, we don’t want
a situation where the opposition will capitalise
and take over Lagos state”.
He said he is an activist but that he has always
been voting for good governance and good
governance should continue and “we believe a
synergy of Ambode, Sanwo-Olu and the House of
Assembly will make a better Lagos.
“A division in the house will bring a break in the
relationship, and Lagosians are watching and
Nigerians are watching, we call on both the
governor and Assembly to shield their swords and
rather concentrate on the dire need to complete
all the on-going infrastructural projects in the
state”.
Ihekaire urged the Assembly to stop the
impeachment plan “every politician wants to have
100 per cent, and if you have 80 per cent you are
now scoring 60, you should question yourself, If
you had 60 before and you are now scoring 80, it
is a plus; so we are advocating for a plus
because we want Lagos to be a better place for
us all”.
Referring to the letter the group delivered to the
Assembly, Ihekaire said “what we are saying in
that letter is that they should please let Ambode
be. “As far as we are concerned, as at Wednesday we
saw branded buses donated by Ambode to the
party, we saw branded T-shirts donated to
Sanwo-Olu campaign group by Ambode, we have
watched Ambode make statements to say please
go for my brother Sanwo-Olu and we are saying
that oneness should not be scattered”, Ihekaire
said.
Addressing the protesters on behalf of the
speaker and Assembly, Majority Leader, Hon.
Sanai Agunbiade who also received the protest
letter from the group commended them for their
peaceful conduct, saying democracy is all about
protest.
He told the crowd that, “you put us here to do
some job which we are doing to the best of our
ability, you have a right to tell us how you feel
about what we are doing”, assuring them that
there was no trouble or crisis in Lagos.
He assured them that their letter will be presented
to the whole House “as you have confidence in
us, so we have confidence in you”, Agunbiade
said.
Answering questions from reporters, Agunbiade
said he appreciates the peaceful way they came
to the Assembly, “it is democracy, people must
be involved in governance.
“It is our responsibility to make sure that we
make laws and do other oversight functions and
other things enshrined in the constitution; but the
people also have a right to observe what we are
doing and offer their opinion and their position
and that is what they have done and we are
going to look into the letter.
“We appreciate the fact that they say they have
confidence in the House, we want to assure
everybody that there is no crisis in Lagos, what is
just happening is that the legislature is doing
what it should in respect of other arms, people
have the right to view it differently: this is
democratic regime, there is freedom of expression,
they have come to express themselves and we
have told them we will definitely deliver the letter
and the House will consider the content”,
Agunbiade assured.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, the Lagos
Assembly passed a resolution calling on Governor
Ambode to appear before it within one week to
explain why he must spend from the 2019 budget
which he has not laid before the House and that
failure to appear within the stipulated time the
House would commence the process to impeach
him .
source: thenationonlineng.net/protesters-besiege-lagos-assembly-alleged-ambodes-impeachment-plot/

A-25-year old man, Ojonugwa Adejoh has been
arrested by the Ondo state police command for
allegedly stealing pants belonging to his brothers’
wife for rituals.
Adejoh was arrested alongside with one Prophet
Olajide Ogunleye (53), of Celestial Church of
Christ, ‘Ibanujemidopin’, Uso, in Owo local
government area of Ondo state.
Parading the suspects in Akure,the state capital
on Wednesday, the State Police Public Relations
Officer, Femi Joseph, a Superintendent of Police
(SP) said they were arrested last week following
the report by the victim.
Adejoh said, “I went to the prophet to pray for me
because of my work when I got there he asked
me the type of my work and I told him I am panel
beater, he said he wanted to pray for me asking
me to open my hands and put something on it for
me to shallow and prayed for me before leaving
the place.
“But when I got home I don’t know what I was
doing again I just started looking for my brother
wife’s pants and when I got the pants I went
back to him. I didn’t steal the pants for rituals.
Hours after, my brother’s wife raised an alarm
that she didn’t see her pants and I was arrested.
When the police arrested me, I was taken to Uso
police station before they transferred me to Akure.
“Two pants belong to my brother’s wife and three
others belong to my younger sister are in my
possession”.
The prophet however denied the allegation,saying
he didn’t ask him to go and steal the pants.
Joseph however enjoined ladies and women in the
state to guard their under wears jeolously,saying
“this is a very dangerous phenomenon now”.
He said “we are using this opportunity to enjoy
our ladies and women that this is a very
dangerous phenomenon now, we have to guard
whatever we are putting on as underwear.
“Parents should also warn their children
particularly female ones to be very careful where
they keep their wears.
The command also arrested two local security
guards for alleged attempt to rape one woman
(name withheld) who was coming back from
church around 8pm along popular Agbogbo road,
in Akure.
The suspects, Daniel John (25) and Longbap
Bongven (25) from Plateau state according to
police spokesman said they normally hide
somewhere around the area whenever they
wanted to perpetuate their acts.
source: thenationonlineng.net/man-arrested-stealing-pants-ondo/