2019 election: Oyegun speaks on crisis rocking APC under Oshiomhole

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has reacted to the crisis rocking the ruling party under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The former APC Chairman expressed sadness over the current crisis but expressed confidence that the ongoing peace moves will yield expected results.
Oyegun, who spoke with reporters at his Abuja residence Wednesday, Oyegun said he didn’t know anyone who is happy with the instability situation within the party.

“We need to begin to confront the election in February next year which given the state of the nation, are bound to be challenging,” he said, even as he appealed that every effort be made to establish peace such that the party will approach the general elections as a united force, rallying around a united program of action.
“Well, I can say something for sure that I am not happy as to state of peace or the relative instability in the party. I don’t think I know someone who is happy today about that but like I said earlier, there are peace missions that I have found all over the country and so at this point in time it will be ill of me to start saying ho, things went bad because that happened or because that did not happen but as a statesman let me not start passing my own personal judgement where there is a team out trying to broker peace, I won’t be helping the situation.
“What we require is peace, I pray God give these teams the wisdom that is required to to work out the settlement to bring the party back to strong political fighting force.

“As far as my own party is concerned, well I have only one appeal, that there should be peace and that Every effort should be made to establish Peace such that we will approach the elections a united force, a united voice a united party, rallying around a united program of action.
“There is no doubt about it that there are very serious disputations within the party. And I’m very very glad that peace teams have been sent out, I was glad to run into one of these teams once while I was on private business in the Southeast. And it is my prayer that they achieve the goals for which they were set up and for the reason they have been sent out.
“But It is necessary to state that for peace to happen, there is need to emphasize that all sides must be ready to give and to take, there must be willingness for compromise, such that can bring the party back together in such a fighting mood. We need to begin to confront the election in February next year which given the state of the nation, are bound to be challenging.
“As an elder statesman, I appeal to our leaders to keep away from distractions and non issues. If you read the Social Media today you see such terrible distractions, such terrible insults, such humongous, clear patent falsehood and this seem to have become the main issues whereas they are mere distractions, absolute distractions. Whether people have certificate or not, whether they went to schools or not and quite a lot of other things, manufactured stories about individuals, prominent individuals.
“It appears the pastime now is research for scandals rather than an attempt to build issues, to depict deepen alternative approach, alternative formulation. We all known the problems of our country, who has answers for these problems, what are the answers . I think those are issues this two and half months should try to address.”

2019 election: You’re poor students of history – Oshiomhole attacks Okorocha, Amosun

Adam Oshiomhole

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the party will win the 2019 election in Imo and Ogun States with or without the Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun, respectively.

The party chairman was reacting to reports of alleged anti-party activities by Amosun and Okorocha whose supporters have already dumped the ruling party.
Oshiomhole said the Governors had forgotten so fast that they lost elections before winning on the platform of the APC.
 
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the party will win the 2019 election in Imo and Ogun States with or without the Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun, respectively.

The party chairman was reacting to reports of alleged anti-party activities by Amosun and Okorocha whose supporters have already dumped the ruling party.
Oshiomhole said the Governors had forgotten so fast that they lost elections before winning on the platform of the APC.

The former Edo Governor spoke when APC women leaders from Edo State and Abuja paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja.
Oshiomhole said, “Those who think our political future is tied to them; they are poor students of their own political history.
“Some of these people who talk as if they are invincible, they have forgotten that they have run elections in the past and lost until they abandoned their parties and joined us. So if they return back, history will repeat itself.
 
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the party will win the 2019 election in Imo and Ogun States with or without the Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun, respectively.

The party chairman was reacting to reports of alleged anti-party activities by Amosun and Okorocha whose supporters have already dumped the ruling party.
Oshiomhole said the Governors had forgotten so fast that they lost elections before winning on the platform of the APC.

The former Edo Governor spoke when APC women leaders from Edo State and Abuja paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja.
Oshiomhole said, “Those who think our political future is tied to them; they are poor students of their own political history.
“Some of these people who talk as if they are invincible, they have forgotten that they have run elections in the past and lost until they abandoned their parties and joined us. So if they return back, history will repeat itself.

“Whether you are a big or small man, the rules are not supposed to discriminate. Our popularity in Imo and Ogun today is much higher. It is not that once you are a governor you have high electoral value.
“In Imo state today, APC will win more votes. My focus is on ordinary Imo voters because on that day, the governor would have only one vote, his son-in-law would have only one vote while his Commissioner for Happiness would have only one vote.
“But artisans, traders, teachers and workers whose salaries are not being paid have the same weight of vote and they are excited about the renewed possibility of a new government coming with fresh ideas free of all the encumbrances of the present system. So in Imo I’m very confident.
“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is from Ogun State. The state is one of the most enlightened States in Nigeria. They have a huge history; they are not in a political kingdom headed by one person.”
“If they were looking for true reconciliation, they wouldn’t have done what they did (defection of aides). That is not how democracy works. Nigeria must grow beyond this syndrome ‘I’m the governor, I will decide.’ You have only one vote. With due respect, I was once a governor. Overall APC is much stronger now.”

Source: Daily Post

2019: I have better things to do than being governor – El-rufai

Gov El-rufai

 Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, said that he has better things to do with his life than being the governor of Kaduna State.
He promised to concede defeat to whoever wins the 2019 governorship election in the state.
Speaking at the event organized by the Kaduna State Peace Commission in partnership with AID Foundation Development Peace Initiative, United States Institute of Peace, Nigeria Bar Association and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, governor El-Rufai said, “l should spend most of my time with my family which I have not done in the last 10 years.”
 While calling on politicians to shun politics of bitterness, he said election was not a war but a competition that at the end of it will have a winner.
His words, “When politicians give weapons and drugs to young people for electoral purposes, then what do you do with them after you win? They become monsters that will be difficult to deal with.
“We have no thugs in the APC, all those that campaign with us, we try to empower and give them employment so that they can be off the streets

Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, said that he has better things to do with his life than being the governor of Kaduna State.

He promised to concede defeat to whoever wins the 2019 governorship election in the state.
Speaking at the event organized by the Kaduna State Peace Commission in partnership with AID Foundation Development Peace Initiative, United States Institute of Peace, Nigeria Bar Association and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, governor El-Rufai said, “l should spend most of my time with my family which I have not done in the last 10 years.”

While calling on politicians to shun politics of bitterness, he said election was not a war but a competition that at the end of it will have a winner.
His words, “When politicians give weapons and drugs to young people for electoral purposes, then what do you do with them after you win? They become monsters that will be difficult to deal with.
“We have no thugs in the APC, all those that campaign with us, we try to empower and give them employment so that they can be off the streets.

“If you don’t find job for this people, they are the one who become soldiers for Boko-Haram, kidnappers and involved themselves in other criminal activities.
“For us as state government, we must continue to govern and these are very serious issues for us.”
He said politicians should conduct themselves during the campaign and avoid using hate speeches, adding that campaign should be issue-based.
Governor El-rufai reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that whoever was found using the social media to incite the killing of people in Kaduna would be brought to book.
“We are determined and we are doing that vigorously. We do not care about what people said, either you call yourselves Bishop, Imam, Sheikh, Chief or District head, we will bring them to justice.
“We are on the trail of those who have done that, some in Abuja, some in Lagos and we will bring them to Kaduna and charge them for hate speeches and we will not politicise it, because the protection of lives and property should never be politicised,” he explained.
He appealed to politicians to put the people first, saying they should adhere to the tenets of religion, as no religion preaches hatred.

Source: Daily Post
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No mass retirement plans – NNPC

To calm frightened staff, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on Wednesday, reiterated that there was no mass retirement plans in the establishment.
Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, gave the assurance, on Wednesday, at a programme tagged ‘CS Connect’, organised by the Corporate Services Autonomous Business Units (ABU) to showcase its products and services to the public.
In a keynote address at the event, the GMD charged the management and staff of the Corporation to go about their duties and continue to give their best to the corporation and ignore the rumors of sack.

He explained that the recent retirement of some staff following the last management promotion exercise was restricted to those who had been performing below par, stressing that “they were a disincentive to those remaining in the system and it was only appropriate to disengage them to allow some fresh air for others to rise”.
Baru harped on the need for staff to be law-abiding, resourceful and disciplined, and urged staff “to come up with innovative ideas and best-in-class practices to reposition the Corporation and sustain our pride of place in the national economy as we strive for global recognition”.
He commended the Corporate Services ABU for being in the forefront of service delivery and for  enhancing  the overall business success of the Corporation, adding that  the CS Connect was aimed at improving current support services with a focus on cost-reduction and greater efficiency.
In his opening remarks, Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, Mr. Isa Inuwa, said the occasion was primarily for the Corporate Services Autonomous Business Unit to account for its mandate.
The theme of CS Connect programme which is in its second day is: “Integrate, Automate and Elevate NNPC’s Business to Next Level”.


Source:The Sun

Give me my son corpse for burial, widow tells Police

 

A 49-year old widow, Mrs. Esther Umukoro, has cried out to the State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, to release the body of her late son for proper burial.

Mrs. Esther said her son identified as Samson was killed last month during a protest against the Nigeria Custom Service at Ovbiogie village in Ovia North East local government area.

Residents in the area had last month sacked the NCS station at the former Benin tollgate following the killing of a commercial driver who was carrying three bags of rice.

A vehicle belonging to the NCS was set ablaze.

Esther said her son was hit by an object from the vehicle when it exploded.

She said her late son had gone to look for his younger sister who went to hawk plantain chips at the toll gate area when he was hit by an object from the burning vehicle.

According to her, “I returned from the market where I went to hawk plantain chips and I ask Samson about the sister because of the riot.

“Samson said he was going to look to her. After some minutes, I saw people gathered around my house. They were just looking at me without saying anything.

“It was a little boy that came to tell me that my son is dead. He is an apprentice and did not participate in the protest.

“I have gone to the Ekiadolor Police Station and they keep telling me to go and come back. The police said they are still investigating. They said the Custom people said they are looking for their pistol.

“All I want is to end my grief by burying my son. He is second to the last born.”

Edo Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, could not be reached for comments.

 

Source: The Nation

 

I Pulled-off This Dirty Uniform And Fled – Soldier Speaks

While speaking in an exclusive interview with TheCable, one of the soldiers who escaped the deadly attack on the military formation in Metele in Borno state, narrated how he escaped.

Meanwhile the operative of the Nigerian Army who spoke off the record, said more than 100 of his colleagues fled the attack, and accused the military authorities of lying to the public about the insurgency in the north-east, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to act.
He said: “Most of our people dropped their arms and pulled off this dirty uniform… the bodies of our troops littered everywhere but we watched the news and heard army headquarters saying troops repelled the attack.
“The army chief and other generals only sit in Abuja and lie to Nigerians whereas soldiers are being killed on daily basis. We lack manpower but nobody is telling the president the truth.
 However, an officer among the troop attacked at Metele told a foreign News platform, Reuters, that “the insurgents took us unawares. We lost about 100 soldiers. It is a huge loss.”
The former military boss blamed the brutal attack on information leakage and said: “the military needs to look at information that leads to intelligence.”
You cannot afford to allow your information to leak. A lot of information is leaking, it is the information you turn into intelligence,” Wahab said.
Wahab also advised the Nigerian Government to provide the troops with efficient equipments and motivate troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast.
“We need to reassess. Is the equipment okay? Are the troops motivated? If the will to fight is not there, it behoves disaster because you must continuously motivate them.” Wahab said.
“Whether you like it or not, a lot of issues are involved. And it is not the only military because there is no military solution to this. You need to also look at the political issue, the economic and sociological perspectives,” he added.
He, therefore, affirmed that attention should be diverted from men rather the women should be enlightened to talk their kids out of joining the terrorist group.

Women should be involved to limit terrorism in Nigeria – former Army Chief

A former Chief of Army Administration, Major-General Garba Wahab (retired), has stated that women have a major role to play in ending insurgency in Nigeria.
“Is the strategy being used working? are we getting more women in the Northeast especially in Borno to get involved because we need to look at basics of life in that area,” Wahab said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday
“If we get in the mothers it is possible for them to talk to their kids that look you can’t afford to join these organisations,” he added.
This is coming after reports in the country revealed the killing of at least 44 soldiers of the 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele, Borno State on November 18.
 However, an officer among the troop attacked at Metele told a foreign News platform, Reuters, that “the insurgents took us unawares. We lost about 100 soldiers. It is a huge loss.”
The former military boss blamed the brutal attack on information leakage and said: “the military needs to look at information that leads to intelligence.”
You cannot afford to allow your information to leak. A lot of information is leaking, it is the information you turn into intelligence,” Wahab said.
Wahab also advised the Nigerian Government to provide the troops with efficient equipments and motivate troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast.
“We need to reassess. Is the equipment okay? Are the troops motivated? If the will to fight is not there, it behoves disaster because you must continuously motivate them.” Wahab said.
“Whether you like it or not, a lot of issues are involved. And it is not the only military because there is no military solution to this. You need to also look at the political issue, the economic and sociological perspectives,” he added.
He, therefore, affirmed that attention should be diverted from men rather the women should be enlightened to talk their kids out of joining the terrorist group.

Source: The Guardian

Buhari Mourns Renowned Poet, Oke

Ikeogu Oke

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his grief over the passing of one of Nigeria’s renowned poet and winner of the 2017 NLNG-sponsored Nigerian Prize for Literature, Ikeogu Oke.

President Buhari, in a message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, extends heartfelt condolences to the Oke family and the literary and creative community on the painful demise of the award-winning poet.

The president affirmed that as an author, journalist and poet, Oke exuded vibrancy, intelligence and innovation in his works as a social commentator, constantly in search of plausible answers and solutions to contemporary issues bedevilling his society.

Through his poetry, the president believes that Oke enriched Nigeria’s literary genre and his legacy will live on in his works, which he was incredibly proud of and committed to, as he wrote in his epic Epitaph: ‘‘Here lies a man who loved virtue and art, And gave to both his fortunes and his heart…’’

The president encourages all Nigerians, the literary community and lovers of art to honour Oke’s memory by imbibing the didactic message of his works.

He prays God to console all who mourn the departed poet and grant the soul of the departed eternal rest.

Source: This Day

2019: We Support neither Buhari nor Atiku, Says Britain

The British Government has clarified that it will maintain neutrality as Nigerians go to the polls in 2019 to elect a new president.

This is as international agencies in conjunction with local civil society organisations told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fashion out ways in which Peoples Living with Disabilities (PWDs) will easily participate in the electoral system in 2019.

 The agencies, which include British High Commission and Australian High Commission in Nigeria, British Department for International Development (DFID) and Foundation For Justice and Social Development (FOJSOD), stated that excluding the people living with disabilities from the electoral system is not in consonance with the global best practices.

Speaking at a one-day dialogue tagged: ‘Enhancing Electoral Participation of PWDs in 2019 General Election’, the Political Adviser to the country’s Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr Wale Adebajo, said the British government neither supports President Buhari nor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other candidate in the election.

Adebajo said the National Disability Bill that is awaiting presidential assent will help in resolving some of the issues bedevilling the group in the country.

He applauded INEC for including PWDs in its strategic plan for the 2017-2021 elections, saying the British Government and the United States Department for International Development (USAID) were favourably disposed to the action.

“When we pointed out in the Ondo governorship election the need to make the PWDs more inclusive in our elections, INEC responded positively to our response by establishing desk officers in INEC offices to take care of the PWDs. This to us was a signal of INEC’s commitment to improving access to electoral system.

“We want to clear the air that the British government is not supporting any candidate in the election. We are neutral when it comes to election in Nigeria,” he said.

Source: This Day

Presidency under fire for silence over soldiers’ death

President Buhari

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is being criticised for his silence over the killing of several soldiers in a recent attack in Metele, Borno state.
Reports in the country said terrorists on Sunday overran a Nigerian Army battalion, 157 Task Force Battalion, in the village to kill at least 44 troops.
However, an officer among the troops attacked at Metele told Reuters: “The insurgents took us unawares. We lost about 100 soldiers. It is a huge loss.”
“They killed some of us who went to evacuate the bodies of the killed soldiers,” said the officer who requested anonymity.
The attack is among the highest since Buhari came to power in 2015 and it increase the pressure on him ahead of the election in February 2019, not least because he has claimed victory over the nine-year insurgency.

Although the Senate after four days, on Thursday, shut its legislative activities to honour the fallen soldiers, neither the president nor the Nigerian Army has reacted to the loss.
The silence of the Buhari and the Nigerian Army has drawn widespread condemnation on the social media.
“Buhari’s govt was quick to react to Jonathan’s book, silent on the soldiers killed by Boko Haram… Fact is: Buhari and his men are more interested in retaining power than protecting Nigerians,” tweeted Lere Olayinka, Ayodele Fayose’s spokesperson.
A political strategist, Walter Christopher, also called the president a “shame” for his silence.
“Over 100 soldiers killed in just one week and our President and his men are acting as if nothing happened?… may God restore sanity to our land,” said Peter Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti state immidiate past governor.
Amaechi Nwokolo, a security analyst at the Roman Institute of Security Studies in Abuja, told AFP: “The whole thing (the insurgency) has been politicised.
While the country awaits the President’s reaction to the killing, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, in a video posted on his Twitter handle commiserated with the families of the slain soldiers.
 More than 27,000 people have been killed in nine years of fighting while 1.8 million others are still homeless, as aid agencies tackle the humanitarian fall-out from the conflict.

Source: The Guardian

Islamic State offshoot kills 100 in Nigeria – security sources

The course of Nigeria's war against Islamist militants has turned against the government with reports that as many as 100 soldiers have been killed by an Islamic State offshoot since Sunday, Lucy Fielder reports.
As many as a hundred Nigerian soldiers have been killed in the northeast of the country since Sunday, November 18 with the finger of blame pointed at an Islamic State offshoot.
That information comes from five security sources, all speaking on a condition of anonymity.

Nigeria's northeast is a restive region where the government is battling Islamist militants including Islamic State West Africa and Boko Haram.
The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who faces an election battle in February, has repeatedly claimed to have won the war against the extremist insurgents.
That was refuted by an attack on Sunday in Metele, in Borno State.
On Thursday, the Nigerian Senate suspended its session in honour of the 44 soldiers they said had died.
Four of the anonymous security sources said around 100 had died in the Metele incident alone while the fifth said that 96 had died in Metele but also in other attacks.
Military spokesmen did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

 Source:The Guardian 

APC vs PDP: Senator Ndume predicts winner in battle between Buhari, Atiku

Sen. Ali Ndume

Sen. Ali Ndume has said that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku
Ndume, Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, made the statement at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
He said the All Progressives Congress(APC)) was not perturbed by Atiku’s emergence, adding that he was not a threat to the party in any way.
Abubakar, will be a walk-over for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections.
 
Sen. Ali Ndume has said that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, will be a walk-over for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections.

Ndume, Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, made the statement at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
He said the All Progressives Congress(APC)) was not perturbed by Atiku’s emergence, adding that he was not a threat to the party in any way.

According to him, the records are there for Nigerians to judge.
“Next election is a walk-over with Atiku.
“WAtiku was our Vice President for eight years and he was one of the most powerful vice presidents we ever had and we know what he did.
“He was under former President Obasanjo and in his book “Under My Watch”, he voluntarily described who the Presidential candidate is.
“We all know where we were and where we are now. Had it been they are presenting a new person, someone that Nigerians do not know, that may have been a threat but with Atiku, no way.
“Let us analyse it. North West is where the president comes from and we are banking on our highest votes there and if you go to any part of the North West, you will realise that his popularity is unprecedented.
“Then if you go to North East, Buhari is a moral obligation,” he said.
He expressed disappointment that Atiku, in spite of coming from the North East, there was no record of him sending relief materials to people displaced by Boko Haram.
“We have to vote for him (Buhari) because we know where we were with the government of PDP in my state, including my local government, my town and even my house were taken over by Boko Haram.
“It was the government of President Muhammadu Buhari that salvaged the situation and now my people are back to our local government.
“Those that are trying to take over from him or compete with him were there before.
“Atiku was the vice president and one of the richest Nigerians ever, but I cannot remember Atiku taking even a bag of rice to our people that are suffering in Borno and he wants to be our president.
“For me, this election is between Nigerians and the Nigerian corrupt.
“Atiku’s background is known. All the show of money from him, Saraki and others is what they got from politics, people’s money,” he said.
On fears that election campaign might be marred by violence, Ndume said APC would not be part of such.
He added that President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the National Chairman of the party, had admonished party faithful to shun violence, name calling but to focus on issues.
“Yesterday (Sunday) when the `Next Level’ was launched by our presidential candidate and the president of the country, he specifically said we should go on with the campaign decently.
“That means no name calling, no insult, but concentrate on issues and during our convention, our chairman clearly stated that our campaign is going to be different.
“This is the first time APC government is campaigning for the second tenure so we want to campaign on issues and ideas.
“We do not want to campaign on personalities and we do not want to be involved in name calling as PDP is desperately trying to do.
“We will not join issues with them. They can only fight themselves,” he said.e were anxious when PDP was to organise their primaries but when Atiku emerged, we were glad for so many reasons.

Saraki will be buried politically

Adams Oshiomhole

 POLITICS – Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Senate President Bukola Saraki will be “buried politically” by February 2019.

Base on report, he said this in reaction to the APC’s victory in the bye-election conducted on Saturday in Kwara, the senate president’s home state.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja, the APC chairman said: “They went on to say that Oshiomhole should vacate office, that I have no moral right to morality.
“Now in his own case, the people of Kwara wouldn’t give him the honour of resigning. They are going to politically bury him come February next year and he has seen the first warning signal.
“They dug the first one-metre grave, then come February next year, senator Saraki will be retired by the great people of Kwara state whom he has mismanaged their political and economic life over the years.”
 He mocked Saraki for being unable to help his party win the bye-election despite being the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Here is a native doctor who busy going to another state but unable to heal is own people in his own state. That defeat in Kwara is more outstanding,” Oshiomhole said.
The former Edo governor said since the inception of the national working committee of the APC which he heads, the party has not lost any major election.
He said: “We reviewed the recent elections and we are proud to be able to say that since the new national working committee was elected on the 24th of June 2018, since I came on board along with my brothers and sisters of NWC, we are proud that we have not lost any major election.
“We have done rerun election in Katsina and we have won twice. We did another one Saturday and we won again. We had a rerun in Bauchi for senate, we won.
“But even more outstanding for me and APC is the humiliating defeat that Senator Bukola Saraki suffered in the hands of Kwara people who are determined to dismantle his failed attempt to install his own variants of a political culture in which he is the only constant decimal.”

‘Saraki Must Go!’ NOW – Adams Oshiomhole

Adams Oshiomhole

Latest report as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole has said Senate President Bukola’s Saraki’s continued stay in office is unacceptable to the party.

Meanwhile the APC national chairman also said it would be strange if the ruling party is experiencing “graveyard peace,” against the backdrop of recent events in APC.
Oshiomhole said these when he appeared on Arise Television, yesterday and added that the APC is prone to controversies because it is a large party.
 Last week, the party chairman was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) and grilled for nine hours after some governors alleged that he received bribes during the party’s primary elections across the country.

In his reaction, Oshiomhole said although the aggrieved members were allowed to grumble but the party has moved on and has put in place internal procedures for reconciliation.
“We have finished our primaries and we have submitted names to INEC and there are internal procedures for reconciliation and we are working on them.
“We are a large governing party and it will only be strange if we are having graveyard peace. People are allowed to grumble and grumbling is allowed. We should move on and find solutions.”
Asked whether the party still has plans to remove Saraki, he replied: “I think it’s about morality.
“We just had an election in the US. The democrats won more members in the congress. Without much ado, the leadership of the House changed. This question didn’t have to arise. Saraki belongs to a minority party; as it stands, today, in the senate.
“The truth about democracy is that it’s a game of numbers. It’s unacceptable that minority provides leadership over majority.”

EFCC Has Become A Department In APC – Governor Cried Out

Gov Samuel Ortom

 Report have it that Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday, alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had become a department in the APC.

Ortom who defected from APC to PDP in July, said this during the swearing-in ceremony for nine new commissioners who replaced those sacked in August. According to governor Ortom, the anti-graft agency is now doing only the bidding of its paymasters, the APC government.
Ortom said he would not succumb to any intimidation by the EFCC.
 “Despite intimidation from the EFCC that has become a department in APC, we are not going to be intimidated. In the past few months, civil servants working with me are being troubled for no just cause. Once you decamp from APC, EFCC comes after you. Fighting corruption should not be selective.” he said

He said the EFCC had been on the heels of members of a committee for the burial of the late Tor Tiv following the sum of N120 million used for “the burial and settling of the deceased family.”
The governor said:
”if we do anything wrong we are ready to face the law. But we will not succumb to intimidation.”

6 interesting facts about the Idoma people

The Idoma culture is perhaps one of the most fascinating cultures in Nigeria. Exceptionally proud of their native heritage, the Idoma people have preserved many of their ancestors’ traditions, a number of them present in their mixture of elaborate traditional tales, artistic expressions, music and varied culture elements.

Like any other society, Idoma people reveal their customs, traditions, beliefs, norms and lifestyle through the distinctive behavioral traits. Jumia Travel, Africa’s No. 1 online hotel booking site presents 5 of these notably peculiar facts that have now marked out the Idoma among other ethnic groups in the country.

The Idoma people are not only found in Benue state

The popular idea is that the Idoma are an ethno-linguistic group primarily found in the western areas of Benue State, Nigeria. This is because they are the second largest group in the state and occupy 9 local government areas (L.G.A.’s) which include: Ado, Agatu, Apa, Obi,Ohimini, Ogbadibo, Oju, Okpokwu & Otukpo .

Aside from the western parts of Benue, the Idoma tribe have sparse settlements in other parts of the country, including Nassarawa and Cross Rivers States.

The men are obliged by tradition to pound yam for their wives

Unlike other cultures where the woman is expected to perform all culinary chores, the Idoma men are not always exempted.

The traditional head of Otukpo, Och’Otukpo John Eimonye, stated in an interview with Daily Trust Newspaper that the job of pounding yam is one of the expectations of the Idoma men and serves as a masculine chore when considered from hygienic, social and cultural viewpoints. This interesting detail thrills not just outsiders who learn of it but the indigenes who practice it as well.

The people strongly believe in the ‘Alekwu spirit’

With the advent of Christianity and other foreign religions, the traditional belief systems of most ethnic groups in the country has been influenced by western practices.

However, a majority of the Idoma people still believe strongly in the Alekwu , which is seen as a link between the living and the dead. They host an annual ‘Aje Alekwu’ festival where traditional religious practitioners commune and make sacrifices in worship of their ancestors across the land.

The Idomas have strong attachment to the worship of Alekwu-spirit of the ancestors which is believed to stand as an invisible watchdog of the family and communities while checkmating vices like adultery, theft and murder.

The groom and the rooster

While the marriage rites and customs of the Idoma people is not unlike that of the Ibos and some other south-eastern cultures, there are specific aspects that clearly distinguish their tradition.

One of those specific aspects is the fact that the groom and his family have to present the bride with a rooster and some money on the marriage day after the dowry has already been paid. If she  accepts, it is a sign of approval and disinterest if she reject the gift. While there are no certain reasons to justify the need for a rooster, it remains an interesting part of the ceremony.

Language Diversity

Classified as a minority ethnic group and often mistaken to be part of the Igbo tribe, the Idoma people are known for one language – Idoma, which is classified in the Akweya subgroup of the Idomoid languages of the Volta–Niger family.

With a population estimated to be about 3.5 million, varied dialects have over time emerged from the umbrella of this mother-tongue and they include ‘Western Idoma’ chiefly spoken by the Okpokwu and Ogbadibo local government areas; ‘Central Idoma’ spoken by Otukpo and Ohimini people; ‘Southern Idoma’ largely spoken by Ado communities and ‘Northern Idoma’ spoken by the Agatu & Apa regions.

The Okoho Soup

The Idoma people are known for their love of food, as there is an annual food festival in Benue State to celebrate women and the various traditional cuisines.

Most popular among their delicacies is the Okoho soup which is made with the peculiar Okoho plant, bush meat and many other ingredients.

Source: Jumia .com

EFCC speaks on suit seeking Oshiomhole’s prosecution

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to a suit filed by an Edo State-based activist, Osadalor Ochie, challenging the failure of the commission to file fraud charges against former governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Mr Oshiomole was governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016.
In the suit, Mr Ochie is asking the court to compel the EFCC to conduct investigations into allegations of fraud against Mr Oshiomhole.
Following the request at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, the court slated Tuesday for hearing, after processes were allegedly served on the two parties.
While representatives of Mr Oshiomhole appeared in court on Tuesday with a preliminary objection, no counsel represented the EFCC.
in his preliminary objection, Mr Oshiomhole sought to establish the non-viability of Mr Ochie’s charge on the grounds that the charge was allegedly brought later than its stipulated time.
In a latest reaction, the EFCC said it did not appear in court because the plaintiff failed to serve it with the court processes.
“Ahead of the November 19 date for the consideration of the preliminary objection by All Progressives Party National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, challenging the competence of the suit which seeks to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arrest and commence criminal proceedings against him, the agency has blamed its absence at Tuesday October 23 hearing of the suit before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court Abuja on the failure of the plaintiff to serve the Commission with processes. This is contrary to the October 9 ruling of Justice Chikere, that the Commission be served,” EFCC said in a statement.
In the statement, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said “the Commission frowns at the attempt by counsel to the plaintiff, West Idahosa, to mislead the court with claims that the Commission had been served.
“Had the Commission been served, it would have been in court. Ours is an agency that holds the judiciary in high esteem and we will never disregard summons by courts of competent jurisdiction. The truth is that the Commission did not receive any summons.”

Source: Premium Times

PDP accuses Buhari of being insensitive to sufferings of Nigerians

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari of being insensitive to the “sufferings” of Nigerians.
Buhari had on Monday in Lagos said Nigerians “who feel they have another country may choose to go” elsewhere.
“What I said long ago in 1984 is still valid today. We have no other country but Nigeria. Others who feel they have another country may choose to go. We will stay here and salvage it together,” Buhari said.
However, the opposition party has described the president’s statement as “unpresidential, defeatist and characteristic of a failed leadership, which has lost all sense of responsibility towards its citizens.”
“Mr President’s comment is also a mockery on millions of Nigerians who have lost their businesses and whose families have been wrecked by the anti-people policies of the Buhari-led APC administration,” PDP’s media aide Kola Ologbodiyan said in a statement.
 The party noted that Buhari was “completely insensitive to the plight of our citizens and has no solution to the myriad of problems his incompetent and disorganized administration has caused our nation.”
Although, Buhari who became president in 2015 had on different occasions accused the PDP of looting the country’s treasury, crippling the nation’s economy.
The PDP also described the Buhari led government of being a “wasteful and inept administration, to the extent that many have taken to suicide missions and slavery as survival options.”
“Since Mr President now knows that Nigerians across the board are hurting over the failures of his administrations, the least he, as an elected leader, should have done, was to accept responsibility, rise up to the occasion and find solutions,” said the statement.
The opposition party stated that President Buhari rather than dismissing the pains of the suffering Nigerians and asking them to abandon their fatherland, he should offer soothing words instead.
The PDP urged Buhari to understand that Nigerians can no longer “take the failures, insensitivity and incompetence of his administration” as the “nation belongs to all of us. Our citizens believe and love their fatherland and will never abandon it”

Source: The Guardian 

FRSC warns commuters against disposing of waste from moving vehicles

 The Lagos State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned commuters against throwing waste out of moving vehicles, saying it could cause accident.
 An officer of the command, SP Adedotun Abayomi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ago Palace Way area of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area that it was a bad habit that could lead to accidents and maybe, fatalities.
He spoke against the backdrop of a quarrel between a commercial bus driver and a private car owner whose vehicle was affected when a passenger in the bus threw out of the window a black nylon bag containing the waste of what she had consumed.
The said bag fell on the windscreen of Mr Chinedu Okafor’s car which almost caused an accident.
The FRSC official, an Assistant Patrol Commander, said that it was wrong for people to drop things off from a moving vehicle because it was likely to cause accident.
“Dropping off things from a moving vehicle is totally wrong and it is an offence known as “Failure to cover unstable materials’’, and it comes with N5,000 fine.
“People need to stop throwing things off moving vehicles, drivers should encourage their passengers use the dustbin in the vehicle instead of throwing them out,’’ he said.
Okafor, who struggled to control his car when the object hit his windshield, told NAN he was sad about the development and advised people to stop the habit of dropping off waste from vehicles.
“It is becoming a norm for people to drop things off while in a moving vehicle. It almost caused an accident for me today.
“These days you see people throwing what they have eaten off their vehicles, sometimes it is sachet of water, gala nylon, or even empty water bottle and so on.
“Everyone should cultivate the habit of putting dirt in the dustbin of the vehicle to avoid dropping them off which may cause accident and litter the environment,’’ he said.
Miss Bisi Kunle, a passerby also told NAN that she was disappointed anytime she saw someone dropping off things from a moving vehicle.
“l feel sad seeing such. The other day, someone spit on me from a moving vehicle.
“I am sure that it is a bad habit to drop off things but I doubt if the punishment is effective because people see it as a normal thing to do.
 “Therefore, the government should try to look into this matter and punish any defaulter so that people will stop such habit,’’ she said.

Nigeria denies plans to limit child births

The Nigerian government on Wednesday has denied it has plans of placing a two-children per family limit on its citizens.
Nigeria’s finance minister, Zainab Ahmed, at the 2018 Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, noted that the Federal government was planning a birth control policy to check the prevalent poverty and unemployment in the country.
She said the government was consulting religious and traditional leaders nationwide on the issue after which a policy would be formulated.

Barely twenty-four hours after the statement was made, the finance minister said she was misinterpreted.
“The federal government has been engaging critical stakeholders like traditional and religious leaders to advise their members on child spacing,” Ahmed, Nigeria’s finance minister tweeted.
“We never said we are placing a cap on childbirth.”
The minister insisted that she only said the government was seeking religious and traditional leaders support to enlighten the public on child spacing.
“Exponential growth was identified as a challenge in the ERDP. We never said the Federal Government will place a cap on the number of childbirths, the government has been engaging traditional and religious leaders to educate their members on child spacing so they have the numbers we can adequately manage,” Ahmed said.


Source: The Guardian

After Dumping APC: Senator Shehu Sani Finally Reveals His New Party

Shehu Sani

Latest report as Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central in the Senate on Tuesday joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), three days after he left the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sani made this known in a statement by his Special Adviser, Political and Ideology, Mr Suleiman Ahmed, in Abuja.
He said that “It has become impossible for the senator to continue to co-habit with reactionaries and their perfidious and inimical style of politics.
 “Sen. Sani maintains the highest respect and honour for President Muhammadu Buhari. However, we prefer to live in a Cottage of Honour than a mansion of shame. Sen. Shehu Sani has returned to the PRP. PRP represen
“Sen. Sani is now free from the toxicity and infamy APC existentially represents. We left the APC for the emperors and their lackeys.”
Confirming the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview, the Kaduna State Chairman of the party, Dr Tom Maiyashi, said the lawmaker was now a member of the party.
Maiyashi said the lawmaker had been duly registered and offered membership card of the party.
He stressed that “Sen. Shehu Sani has registered with the party and his ward is Kaduna South.’’
The lawmaker had announced his resigntion from APC last Sunday in a letter addressed to the APC Chairman, Ward 6, Tudun Wada North, Kaduna State and obtained by NAN.
The letter, dated Oct. 19, signed by the lawmaker and copied to the national chairman of the party, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, however, did not state which party he would defect to.
The party’s appeal committee had affirmed Sani as candidate representing Kaduna Central after he was issued automatic ticket by the National Working Committee (NWC).
However, his name was substituted with Mr Uba Sani, an aide to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-rufai.
Uba Sani, Special Adviser to El-rufai on Political Matters, was declared winner of the primary election conducted in Kaduna on Oct. 6 for the Kaduna Central Senatorial ticket, by Chairman Primary Election Committee, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.
Sani, however, did not participate in the election because he had been offered automatic ticket by the national body of the party.
Following the election, Sani, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Abdulsamad Amadi, said the process was ‘illegal’.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had given political parties Oct. 18 as deadline for submission of candidates’ lists for the National Assembly and state houses of assembly elections.
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Source: NAN

Nigerian professor found dead, suicide suspected

A lecturer at Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Frank Onyezili, has alleged committed suicide, official told PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr Onyezili, who was a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences in the institution, died last Friday.
Malik Abdullahi, a student of his department, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview, said that the news became popular on campus on Monday.
“Many of the students at the department and school generally got to know about his death on Monday. It is a painful thing because he was one of the better heads in the department,” he said.
Another source, a staff this time who pleaded anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES that the lecturer allegedly drank poison after leaving behind a suicide note.
“He actually left a note behind speaking about his death. One that many believed should not be disconnected from the fact that his family abandoned him to live and suffer here.”
When PREMIUM TIMES asked if he actually saw the note the professor left behind, he told our correspondent that “it is not about seeing the note alone this time. It is about what many of the people in the university community know.”
The spokesperson of the institution, Roseline Waku, confirmed the incident but declined talking about the details of the note the deceased left behind.
“It is true but I could not have access to the note,” she said.
The state’s police spokesperson, Moses Joel, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages as at the time of filling this report.
 PREMIUM TIMES however learnt that students and colleagues of Mr Onyezili have been visiting his house on campus to sign condolence register.

Obasanjo may lead to Buhari, APC’s victory – Balarabe Musa

Balarabe Musa

A former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa on Friday faulted the meeting between the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Musa said Abubakar’s renewed association with Obasanjo will reduce the possibility of the former becoming Nigeria’s next president.
He warned that the presidential flag bearer associating with Obasanjo may lead to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, emerging winner of the 2019 presidential election.

Abubakar, who was the Vice President under Obasanjo’s administration between 1999 to 2007, have endured a sour relationship with his former boss since they left power.
But yesterday, Abubakar mended fences with Obasanjo in a meeting attended by the founder and General Overseer of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Also at the meeting was Bishop Matthew Kukah and Sheikh Ahmed Gumi.

During the meeting, Obasanjo declared that he has forgiven Abubakar and was ready to help him “mend fence” internationally.
Reacting to the meeting, Musa stated that the reconciliation gives a wrong impression to Nigerians.
Stressing that the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku was so bad, Musa stated that the reconciliation was “doubtful”.
According to him, “His association or reconciliation with Obasanjo is definitely a problem. I insisted that the reconciliation is doubtful because the relationship between them is so bad that nobody can imagine that they will reconcile so quickly.
“However, it has happened and I think the close relationship with Obasanjo is a problem for Atiku because it now seems that he is being adopted by the former president, I think it’s a lot of problem for him.
“That PDP coalition led by Obasanjo portrays a problem for Atiku because it gives the impression whether right or wrong that the PDP is being supported by a former president who is opposed to Buhari and is afraid of what he will do to him. This means that there is a credibility problem.
“His (Atiku’s) chances if it ever existed at all, is now reduced by his association with Obasanjo who is afraid of being probed by Buhari and I think that there is a credibility problem which may even favour APC and Buhari in 2019.”

Source: Daily Post

Search for missing general not punitive expedition – Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army says its search and find operation for the missing retired major general, Idris Alkali, at Dura-Du village of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State is by no means a punitive expedition as being expressed in some quarters.
It said its attention had been drawn to unfounded and unsubstantiated news about the search and find operation trending on several platforms.
A statement issued by Nuhu Angbazo, the Chief of Military/Civil Affairs, on Wednesday, said rather, the intensified effort was aimed at locating the retired senior officer’s whereabouts in line with the army’s cherished core values and global best military practices.
Mr Alkali was declared missing on September 3 and since then, the army had been trying to locate his whereabouts.
Mr Abgbazo expressed displeasure at attempt by some “unscrupulous and mischievous elements who wrongly pre-empt the operation and paint the army in bad light without waiting to hear the final outcome of the operation.”
“All citizens are therefore enjoined to go about their lawful duties without harbouring any fear as the Nigerian Army remains resolute and committed to ensuring the safety of lives and property of all citizens,” he said.
The chief of military/civil affairs, therefore, cautioned against withholding of useful information that could assist in the search effort.
He urged the public to “boldly come forward” with any useful information about the whereabouts of the missing retired senior officer.
“The Nigerian Army will respect and ensure the protection of their privacy and confidentiality.
“Members of the public are urged to report any allegation of human rights violation in the course of the ongoing search operation to the Nigerian Army Call Centre on emergency number or the Nigerian Army Human Rights Desk on GSM number – 08034490803 and 193,” Mr Angbazo advised.

Source: Premium Times

Buhari summons Tinubu, Ambode over APC primary, Sanwo-Olu

Tinubu and Ambode

President Muhammadu Buhari has invited A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to Abuja, DAILY POST can authoritatively report.
 
President Muhammadu Buhari has invited A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to Abuja, DAILY POST can authoritatively report.

The meeting will hold at the presidential villa this afternoon.
A source close to the presidency told our correspondent that Buhari is worried over the strained relationship between the duo.
 
President Muhammadu Buhari has invited A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to Abuja, DAILY POST can authoritatively report.

The meeting will hold at the presidential villa this afternoon.
A source close to the presidency told our correspondent that Buhari is worried over the strained relationship between the duo.

Already, Tinubu and other APC leaders in the state have endorsed a former commissioner, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the party’s governorship ticket.
On Sunday, Ambode, apparently infuriated by the development, opened a can of warns against Sanwo-Olu.
He said: “The aspirant being put up to compete against us is not a fit and proper person to take this job. I have done everything in the last three and half years to serve people selflessly and to serve the poor.

“This particular aspirant is somebody that has been arrested for spending fake dollars in a nightclub in America, and he has been detained for months.
“He doesn’t have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do. This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital. we don’t want to go to far. Our leadership should have a rethink”.
Meanwhile, the APC primary election in the state has again been shifted to Tuesday.

Ambode break down in tears as APC power brokers settle for Sanwoolu

Gov Ambode

Lagos Governor Akinwunmi Ambode reportedly broke down in tears and he’s been in low spirits since the day he picked up the APC governorship nomination form, a source at the Lagos State Government House in Alausa disclosed to Pulse.
Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu has emerged the handpicked candidate of APC kingmakers in Lagos, and he’s been anointed the preferred candidate to unseat Ambode during a primary election exercise slated for September 29, 2018.
 Ambode was very sure of a second term in office before a dizzying spate of events in September made him sink into his office chair in agony, on occasion.
 Two former Commissioners in Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat and Sanwoolu, picked up their respective nomination forms on the day Ambode was acquiring his, throwing the race for Lagos government house open.

Ambode in a battle for his life

The APC in Lagos will go with the direct primary system as opposed to the indirect primary system.
In a direct primary, all members of the party are allowed to choose flagbearers ahead of general election. In an indirect primary, only select party delegates are allowed to vote.
If Ambode had been in the good books of godfather Bola Tinubu or other power brokers in the APC, an indirect primary would have been settled for and he would have been handed an automatic ticket.
“The fact that they are making him go through the primaries with other aspirants in a state like Lagos, shows you that they want to humiliate him”, Prince Abeng, a political pundit, submitted.
One top ranking official in Lagos State government set-up told Pulse that Ambode’s mood swings are now more frequent than there have ever been and that the governor isn’t holding back the tears.
“We saw him shedding tears the other day. He even drove himself out of government house, something he’s never done”, the source disclosed.
Pulse was also told that Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike rang Ambode to offer him the PDP governorship ticket in Lagos.
Pulse has been unable to independently verify these stories from our sources, as neither Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ambode, Abib Haruna nor Commissioner for Information in Lagos, Kehinde Bamgbetan, picked up their phones.
An email sent to Bamigbetan on the intrigues in the politics of Lagos APC, has also not been replied, days after.
Moody and dejected
One aide in Alausa, the seat of government in Lagos, describes Ambode’s mood these days as “crestfallen, somber and a tad dejected”.
When Sanwoolu formally declared for Ambode’s seat on Sunday, September 16, 2018, all of Tinubu’s loyalists in Lagos, including Senator Gbenga Ashafa who represents Lagos East in the upper legislative chamber, were in the audience to cheer him on with chants of “incoming, incoming!”
Sanwoolu enjoys Tinubu’s backing and is being galvanized by the Mandate Movement—a grassroot assemblage that answers to Tinubu.
All 57 council chairmen in Lagos have also endorsed Sanwoolu who promised to restore work on a 25-year masterplan once he is elected.
Ambode resumed duties as Lagos governor for a first term in office on May 29, 2015.

Source: MyNationNews

£100m twins from south London created cryptocurrency in mum's kitchen

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Identical twins who grew up in a tough south London neighbourhood became multi-millionaires by designing one of the world’s leading cryptocurrencies in their mother’s kitchen.
Steve and Sam Williams, 39, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria in the early Seventies, spent four years working on the software behind their Populous PPT currency in the family home in Brockley.
It helps small and medium-sized businesses with cash flow. Within the first five days of launching in June last year, demand was so strong that the initial batch of tokens was worth more than £8 million.
Populous is now rated as the 51st most valuable cryptocurrency in the world out of about 2,000, with a market value of about £100 million.
They own 16 million Populous “tokens” worth a total of $55.3 million (£42.3 million) at today’s price of 3.46 cents per token. At the peak of the Bitcoin frenzy at the start of the year their holding was valued at close to £1 billion.

The success means that Sam now lives in a Knightsbridge apartment and Steve, who lives in Essex with his wife and two young children, sends his six-year-old to private school. Their offices are in Mayfair and they have become friends with stars, such as rapper 50 Cent and boxer Floyd Mayweather. 

 In the brothers’ first newspaper interview, they told the Evening Standard that the outcome could have been very different as they were “always in trouble” as schoolboys.
Steve, who is older by one minute, said: “It was very tough in terms of gang violence. You had no choice: you either got bullied or you pretended to be part of one of the gangs to safeguard yourself.”
The three-bedroom terrace where they grew up with their mother, a chef, accountant father and sister, was so cramped that Sam sometimes had to sleep on the sofa.
Steve studied advanced business in sixth form in Lewisham, while Sam took a course in computer programming.

In 2008 Steve was charged and convicted of obtaining money transfers by deception and served 18 months of a three-and-a-half-year jail term.

He said the experience “made me learn a lot about what it means to be a victim of crime and how it impacts on them. It filled in some elements that were missing in me and opened my eyes to what could happen to me.”
Sam has since launched two other crypto coins called Zloadr and DocTailor, aimed at legal professionals. Steve added: “We have gone through a lot together as brothers and it is great that all our hard work has paid off.”

Source: Evening Standard

Floyd Mayweather announces Manny Pacquiao rematch with '9 figure pay day'

Floyd Mayweather revealed on Saturday that he will be coming out of retirement for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao later this year.
"I'm coming back to fight Manny Pacquiao this year," Mayweather, 41, said on his Instagram account. "Another 9 figure pay day on the way."

An accompanying video showed the two fighters at a music festival in Tokyo but it was difficult to hear what they were saying.

In a later video obtained by ESPN, Mayweather says, "Tokyo Japan here we go.... I'm coming back in December."
He added, "I'm going to take it (the belt) from him like I did before. We gonna get the payday and I don't want no shoulder excuses."

A rematch had been speculated for years after the two met in a ballyhooed 2015 fight.
Undefeated Mayweather scored a unanimous decision that earned him an estimated $220million (£168.3m). Pacquiao later said he was hampered by a right shoulder injury.

Mayweather was back in the ring in 2017, winning by a technical knockout over mixed martial arts world champion Conor McGregor to run his boxing record to 50-0.

He earned a reported $300m (£229.5m) and McGregor $100m (£76.5m) in one of the richest fights in history. Pacquiao (60-7-2) last fought in July, knocking out Argentine Lucas Matthysse.


Source: Yahoo.com

Is this 4-year-old Nigerian the 'most beautiful girl in the world'?

A photo of a Nigerian child has caused a stir on social media. (Photo: Instagram/mofebamuyiwa

A photo of a 4-year-old Nigerian girl has hit it big on social media, racking up compliments such as “beautiful,” “absolutely stunning,” and “doll-like.”

On Friday, photographer Mofe Bamuyiwa Instagrammed a photo of the young girl named Jare, writing, “Oh yes she’s human! She’s also an angel!” The lifestyle-and-wedding photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria, explained that by positioning Jare in a more mature pose, she illustrated the intersection between child and adulthood. 

Twenty-thousand people reacted on Instagram, writing that the photo was a “true work of art” and that Jare is the new Barbie.