2016-04-10 | iBasam

Aguero Treble Sinks Chelsea, Puts Pressure On Arsenal

BASAM 0 14:52:00

<p dir="ltr">Sergio Aguero continued his good scoring form with a hat-trick as Manchester City beat 10-man Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.<br></p>
<p dir="ltr"> <br>
The striker has 13 goals in his last 12 top-flight appearances and his display helped Man City move up to third position ahead of Arsenal, who play Crystal Palace on Sunday.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kevin De Bruyne was a constant menace for City on his first return to the club who sold him in 2014, playing a key role in Aguero’s first two goals, which both came from swift counter-attacks.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Thibaut Courtois was shown a red card for fouling Fernandinho inside the box, and Aguero was afforded the chance to complete his hat-trick. He made no mistake.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri returned to the starting line-up but David Silva was rested with an ongoing ankle injury.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Chelsea also welcomed Courtois, Gary Cahill and Willian back into the team but their return could not save the defending champions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">With this loss, Guus Hiddink’s men have won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, in other matches played on Saturday, Aston Villa were relegated to English football’s second tier for the first time since 1987 after defeat at Manchester United.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Newcastle claimed a first win under Rafael Benitez as they overcame Swansea to bolster their chances of survival.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sunderland also climbed to within a point of safety by beating relegation rivals Norwich 3-0 at Carrow road.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Southampton’s hopes of a European spot suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Everton.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Saido Berahino missed two second-half penalties as Watford hung on for a narrow win against West Brom.<br>
Credit: Channelstv </p>
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Aguero Treble Sinks Chelsea, Puts Pressure On Arsenal

Aguero Treble Sinks Chelsea, Puts Pressure On Arsenal

Sergio Aguero continued his good scoring form with a hat-trick as Manchester City beat 10-man Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. The striker...

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Interest rates will still go up, says Emefiele

BASAM 0 14:45:00

<p dir="ltr">Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has revealed that the country’s monetary policy rate would still have to go up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He said based on rising inflation rates, the monetary policy rate (MPR) would have to rise.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He was speaking on Saturday at the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Truly, Nigerians really expect that if they want to access finance, they should do so under a low interest regime,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“But of course you will agree with me that with the increase in inflation rate, from about 11.38 (percent) it was in February to almost about 12.8 in march, naturally what you find is that interest rate would have to still go up sort off.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“When you have the MPR below inflation rate, it is not a model that is acceptable.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Higher interest rate is expected to discourage lending, but Emefiele has assured Nigerians that the CBN under his leadership will continue to do all it can to ensure that the sectors of the economy that grow the domestic industry get needed interventions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“At the level of the CBN, we would continue, as much as possible to see how we can continue to increase our interventions to certain targeted areas of the economy,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Particularly agriculture, mining, the real sector, areas that would boost domestic production, areas that would help to support our push away from relying on oil.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Where we are seeing goods that can be produced in the country, where we find investors that are investing in domestic production rather than following up on exports, then we would continue to give those kind of investors support.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">In November 2015, the CBN cut interest rates from 13 percent to 11 percent – for the first time in six years – in order to free up some money for economic growth.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In March, the bank raised the rate to 12 percent, in anticipation of budget passage and flow of liquidity into the economy.<br>
Credit: <u>thecable</u>ng </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE21uj04GZTeYX9P-MDkNAdS6OYTXRC1yTjiUfV8LxCi0A-KrTnbCOts1QL5JlP5AZkivSCKQkX38umGaepQvCS7ytOTEltnhyphenhyphen0_zBffjoFweRnzqhiDN-BxGJPmWl3lBShUpdRFgfe35/s1600/IMG_20160416_224251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE21uj04GZTeYX9P-MDkNAdS6OYTXRC1yTjiUfV8LxCi0A-KrTnbCOts1QL5JlP5AZkivSCKQkX38umGaepQvCS7ytOTEltnhyphenhyphen0_zBffjoFweRnzqhiDN-BxGJPmWl3lBShUpdRFgfe35/s640/IMG_20160416_224251.jpg"> </a> </div>

Interest rates will still go up, says Emefiele

Interest rates will still go up, says Emefiele

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has revealed that the country’s monetary policy rate would still have to go up. He...

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Service Chiefs To Give Update On Chibok Girls Before Senate

BASAM 0 14:31:00

<p dir="ltr">Nigeria’s Service Chiefs are to appear before the Senate to give an update on efforts being made to rescue over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 from Chibok in Borno State.<br>
 The upper chamber during plenary on Thursday resolved to have the Service Chiefs appear before them but no date was fixed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The lawmakers expressed concerns that two years after the girls were abducted, they were still missing.</p>
<p dir="ltr">‘A National Shame’</p>
<p dir="ltr">The lawmakers expressed concerns that the whereabouts of the girls abducted on April 14, 2014 had remained unknown.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In the lower chamber, lawmakers directed the Ministry of Interior to pay compensation to the families of the abducted girls.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, described the abduction of the Chibok girls and their continued captivity as a national shame.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Both chambers are asking security agencies to do everything possible to ensure that the girls are rescued.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The federal lawmakers are also asking the Borno State government to rebuild Chibok Secondary School in the interest of children in the community.<br>
Credit: Channelstv </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm6uN1vETi4n-PsoIRst-uorLLAJZ1jUL6P98i0JQQAb5nncXSok7goax-eTuDmp1t5SYnFgp2Ryt2IuQFWccQ4bsMxfiDp1jpAgaTaotHZFH_BXwEeGO5hdRyqIgHk-3sGYVR9hOG99h/s1600/House-of-Representatives-300x162-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm6uN1vETi4n-PsoIRst-uorLLAJZ1jUL6P98i0JQQAb5nncXSok7goax-eTuDmp1t5SYnFgp2Ryt2IuQFWccQ4bsMxfiDp1jpAgaTaotHZFH_BXwEeGO5hdRyqIgHk-3sGYVR9hOG99h/s640/House-of-Representatives-300x162-1.jpg"> </a> </div>

Service Chiefs To Give Update On Chibok Girls Before Senate

Service Chiefs To Give Update On Chibok Girls Before Senate

Nigeria’s Service Chiefs are to appear before the Senate to give an update on efforts being made to rescue over 200 girls abducted by Boko H...

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Adesina: Money is not Africa’s problem

BASAM 0 14:03:00

<p dir="ltr">Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) says the problem with the African continent is not money (capital), but the lack of bankable projects.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking at the global infrastructure forum at the International Finance Corporation headquarters in Washington on Saturday, Adesina said the to tackle infrastructural deficit in Africa, investments have to be made in capacity building.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I think at the end of the day, we can get all the money we want for infrastructure, but if the wrong guys get the contract, and then you left with crummy infrastructure, you basically have actually wasted everything,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Accountability is very very important, and the transparency with the contract, the quality of implementation and the ability of community to actually say whether there are satisfied, is actually an important part of value for money.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He said the continent needs to capacity and technical assistance to deliver needed infrastructure adding that “the problem is not capital, the problem is that we don’t have enough bankable projects”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Adesina said the AfDB would be leveraging on private sector funds to deliver power in Africa.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“When you take a look at the infrastructure deficit on the continent today, it’s actually a little bit more than $50 billion, it about $60, $70 billion in terms of infrastructure.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“If we don’t fix that gap, essentially we going to shave off at least five percent of GDP growth in Africa, which we can’t afford.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“When you talk about infrastructure, for me, the most important one is actually electricity. Today Africa has over 650 million people, who don’t have access to electricity.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We at the Africa Development Bank have priotise the light-up and power Africa. I told Jim Kim, if there’s anything we really need to agree on, to work on in Africa, is to light-up and power Africa and of course to feed Africa, which also requires power.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“For us at the bank, we are going to put in $12 billion over the next five years to the energy sector, but we are also hoping to leverage $45 to $50 billion from the private sector.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Credit: <u>thecable</u>ng </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy5aUoh7p6O0Wmlbqzujv_xb6CKj5hMzQKiQW9opbRAvg6gMnQ-evP2Y8Sdzjem3F51QXiAxdW3VORy31qkb9QnM3ECab69lTD2-_KSDcH5M1NpSw4RqGcgcurDHqS9h8eqz71hi9ZbsM/s1600/IMG_20160416_220331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy5aUoh7p6O0Wmlbqzujv_xb6CKj5hMzQKiQW9opbRAvg6gMnQ-evP2Y8Sdzjem3F51QXiAxdW3VORy31qkb9QnM3ECab69lTD2-_KSDcH5M1NpSw4RqGcgcurDHqS9h8eqz71hi9ZbsM/s640/IMG_20160416_220331.jpg"> </a> </div>

Adesina: Money is not Africa’s problem

Adesina: Money is not Africa’s problem

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) says the problem with the African continent is not money (capital), but t...

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Lawmakers Say Chibok Girls Continued Captivity Is ‘A National Shame’

BASAM 0 14:01:00

<p dir="ltr">The House of Representatives in Nigeria has described the abduction of the over 200 Chibok girls and their continued captivity as a national shame.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, made the statement on Thursday during plenary that was highly focused on the need for security agencies to rescue the girls.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The lawmakers also directed the Ministry of Interior to pay compensation to the families of the abducted girls.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They expressed concerns that the whereabouts of the girls abducted on April 14, 2014 had remained unknown.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In the upper chamber, Senators requested that the Service Chiefs appear before them to give an update on efforts being made to rescue the over 200 girls abducted from their school’s dormitory by Boko Haram in 2014.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The girls were taking their final year examination when they were abducted.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Both chambers are asking security agencies to do everything possible to ensure that the girls are rescued.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The federal lawmakers are also asking the Borno State government to rebuild Chibok Secondary School in the interest of children in the community.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It has been two years that the girls were abducted. Their abduction had triggered protests in different nations, with demands for more efforts to rescue them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">None of the girls have been rescued.<br>
Credit: Channelstv </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvgHILNzzxfIkA0hB3uJ8nT2ym32ekOBGnZqDyjbJJ7wacF14Q1qZM0xDaaBqI-3GT9d0pdZ21nfH3EpFE1AlI18UntjsF5wmCOGM_F8qSI0GVIbstvht2XxhME7LFXp8R4gZaf2bFq0U/s1600/chibok_girls-300x162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvgHILNzzxfIkA0hB3uJ8nT2ym32ekOBGnZqDyjbJJ7wacF14Q1qZM0xDaaBqI-3GT9d0pdZ21nfH3EpFE1AlI18UntjsF5wmCOGM_F8qSI0GVIbstvht2XxhME7LFXp8R4gZaf2bFq0U/s640/chibok_girls-300x162.jpg"> </a> </div>

Lawmakers Say Chibok Girls Continued Captivity Is ‘A National Shame’

Lawmakers Say Chibok Girls Continued Captivity Is ‘A National Shame’

The House of Representatives in Nigeria has described the abduction of the over 200 Chibok girls and their continued captivity as a national...

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FRSC ‘can no longer’ impose fines

BASAM 0 13:41:00

<p dir="ltr">A federal high court in Lagos has declared void powers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to impose fines on motorists for traffic offences.</p>
<p dir="ltr">John Tsoho, a judge, held that the commission could not turn itself into a court of law by punishing those who commit traffic offences.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tope Alabi, a lawyer, had approached the court to declare that only a court of competent jurisdiction could pronounce a person guilty under section 10 (4) and 28 (2) of the FRSC Act 2007.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Other defendant in the suit was the attorney-general of the federation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The judge also awarded N1million damages in favour of the plaintiff because officials of the FRSC had confiscated his vehicle and driver’s licence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tosho said while FRSC was statutorily empowered to arrest and fine traffic offenders, a closer look at the definition of the word “fine” meant a pecuniary criminal punishment or civil penalty payable to the public treasury.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“In the instant case, however, the involvement of the element of arrest takes the imposition of fine by the FRSC to the realm of criminal punishment,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“From these definitions, it is obvious that the act of sentencing is a judicial action or exercise, and imposition of fine connotes conviction for an alleged offence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is, thus, very clear that the FRSC, not being a court of law, cannot impose fine, especially as it has no powers to conduct trial.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Hence, the exercise of the statutory powers given to the defendant under the Act as pertain to imposition of fine is clearly a usurpation of judicial powers exclusively vested in the courts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“In the circumstances, I endorse the plaintiff’s submission that by virtue of section 1(3) of the constitution, the power to impose fine conferred on FRSC by the enabling act is null and void to the extent of its inconsistency with the constitution.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tsoho held that the FRSC resorted to “legislative absurdity” when it imposed a fine of 3,000 on the plaintiff, rather than the N2,000 statutorily prescribed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“FRSC’s function should not go beyond issuance of mere notices of offence,” he ruled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is a cardinal principle of natural justice that no person can be condemned without being heard.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is in observance of this that a person alleged to have committed an offence has to respond to such allegation before a court of law during trial.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to the judge, the plaintiff was issued a notice of offence Sheet on April 4, 2013, but FRSC did not take him to court for five months before the plaintiff filed his suit on September 9, 2013.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The vital question to ask is how long would it take the FRSC to reasonably commence prosecution of a traffic offence?” he asked.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The plaintiff was not under obligation to wait indefinitely for redress due to FRSC’s inaction or laxity.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I hold the view that the confiscation of the vehicle was unnecessary in the first place, though the FRSC spiritedly sought to justify it.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">The judge then granted 11 of the 14 reliefs sought by the plaintiff, awarding N1million in his favour instead of the N10 million prayed for.<br>
Credit: thecablesng </p>
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FRSC ‘can no longer’ impose fines

FRSC ‘can no longer’ impose fines

A federal high court in Lagos has declared void powers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to impose fines on motorists for traffic offe...

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Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Portugal’s Olympic team

BASAM 0 12:39:00

<p dir="ltr">Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is understood to have confirmed that he does not want to be considered to represent Portugal at the Olympic Games this summer.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> According to media reports, sources close to the superstar have confirmed that the attacker has ruled himself out of contention for a spot in the Seleccao das Quinas’ Olympic squad, in which he could have been included as one of the side’s ‘over-age’ players.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> While Olympic football squads are typically for players under the age of 23, each squad is allowed to select three players who are older than the set age.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> However, Portugal will now have to look elsewhere, with Ronaldo—who will likely represent his national side at the European Championships in France—appearing to be out of the running.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> The tournament—which is to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—begins on August 4, with Portugal having been drawn in Group D alongside Argentina, Honduras and Algeria.<br>
Source: isoccerng.com </p>

Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Portugal’s Olympic team

Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Portugal’s Olympic team

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is understood to have confirmed that he does not want to be considered to represent Portugal at the Ol...

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27 Times Nigerians Were The Funniest People On The Internet

BASAM 0 02:41:00

<p dir="ltr">1. This tweet about paternity</p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't need a paternity test. Minute the child is born I will put ewa agonyin in his mouth. If he vomits it, ain't no child of mine</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Daddy P (@Punthief) May 19, 2015<br>
2. This tweet about fainting</p>
<p dir="ltr">My most embarrassing moment has to be when I fainted at Ojuelegba and the woman that poured water on me kept asking 'Dee you do aboshan?' </p>
<p dir="ltr">— Opistic baby (@Switope) March 5, 2015<br>
3. This tweet about the tomato</p>
<p dir="ltr">Lol what's the tomato doing there? Does it want to take a corner kick? pic.twitter.com/663fbVt3xM</p>
<p dir="ltr">— OMEIZA (@Jatsabdul) January 7, 2016<br>
4. This tweet about hiding your girlfriend</p>
<p dir="ltr">You cannot hide me oh. My yoruba will come out and thats how I'll just greet your mum from under the bed because I have home training</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Abike (@Jollz) September 23, 2015<br>
5. This tweet about Olajumoke’s husband</p>
<p dir="ltr">If i were Olajumoke, and husband starts feeling insecure, i'll give him the remaining bread to go sell, since he wana be bread winner so bad</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Ugo (@MrOkeke_) February 15, 2016<br>
6. This tweet about MTN</p>
<p dir="ltr">Girl: No you hang up<br>
Guy: No you hang up<br>
Girl: Awwwww, No you hang up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">MTN: pic.twitter.com/sBVpNaClMv</p>
<p dir="ltr">— TheNigerianWeirdo (@NigerianWeirdo) October 14, 2015<br>
7. This tweet about shopping</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nigerian: How much is this black Cartier watch?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Cashier: N850k sir. N: Hmmn. C: Do I bring it? N: Don’t you have it in reddish gold? — Chef-D’oeuvre (@TemiMartin) June 22, 2015<br>
8. This tweet about Nigerian parents</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nigerian parents don't care if someone broke your heart and you're hurting. They will still call you to wash pot.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Softie (@soniabladetweet) August 23, 2015<br>
9. This tweet about Netflix and chill</p>
<p dir="ltr">When the movie is almost over and your crush who invited you for Netflix and chill hasn't touched your bra strap pic.twitter.com/0VlrVs0x7x</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Flaw. (@goldenwura) February 14, 2016<br>
10. This tweet about sheep and rams</p>
<p dir="ltr">I finally discovered the difference between a Sheep and a Ram: One is a Christian while the other is a Muslim.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Isabella Igwe (@IsabellahXOX) August 25, 2015<br>
11. This tweet about Shakiti bobo</p>
<p dir="ltr">Shakiti bobo will be playing and one babe will still be bringing yansh. Aunty pls give me space, I need to hang one leg in the air</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Uncle Choco (@TheLekan) September 19, 2015<br>
12. This tweet about breastfeeding</p>
<p dir="ltr">When ur bae's mother is making noise abt breastfeeding him for a Year bt he's bn sucking ur breasts for 3yrs now pic.twitter.com/VJAHk6RBNa</p>
<p dir="ltr">— LIGHT (@HisRoyalDopenez) November 30, 2015<br>
13. This tweet about Law students</p>
<p dir="ltr">Law students watch Suits & think they'll be working on white-collar crimes only 2 represent a Seyi who stole bold 2 at Shoprite in court</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Jide Ogunleye (@Jidee_) February 22, 2016<br>
14. This tweet about names</p>
<p dir="ltr">"My name is Tunde" or "My name is Tunde Adamu Polycap". Not "my names are…" </p>
<p dir="ltr">Unless u're possessed </p>
<p dir="ltr">And even if u r, ur name is Legion.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Dr. Robert (@Sir_Scribbles) February 7, 2016<br>
15. This tweet about African mothers</p>
<p dir="ltr">African Mum: KANYECHUKWU, JAYEKENE J.COLEBUBECHUKWU. WHO STOOK THE N300 I KEPT IN MY PURSE FOR YOUR SUNDAY OFFERING pic.twitter.com/AAWLGvPDYc</p>
<p dir="ltr">— ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ (@chuuzzy) March 30, 2015<br>
16. This tweet about job interviews</p>
<p dir="ltr">[Job Interview]</p>
<p dir="ltr">"It says in your CV that you are quick at mathematics. What is 17 X 19?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">"36"</p>
<p dir="ltr">"That's not even close"</p>
<p dir="ltr">"But it was quick"</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Yuri (@Snikoggs) January 15, 2016<br>
17. This tweet about CVs</p>
<p dir="ltr">Writing CV for my guy…Baba no get job experience.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So I added 4yrs experience as 'Data analytics and Forecast Expert' cos Nairabet </p>
<p dir="ltr">— OVERGRADUATE1 (@F_Jay_) October 21, 2015<br>
18. This tweet about karaoke</p>
<p dir="ltr">First time I heard the word Karaoke, I thought it meant raise your body up. Growing up in Ibadan was tough man pic.twitter.com/xLMwIJuWgi</p>
<p dir="ltr">— ibro stainless (@BabaOloriokoBB) July 5, 2015<br>
19. This tweet about your mother’s name</p>
<p dir="ltr">It's crazy how some kids can get away with calling their parents by their names</p>
<p dir="ltr">I didn't even know my mum's name till she added me on FB.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Seuny (@Seunography) November 24, 2015<br>
20. This tweet about Nigerians and questions</p>
<p dir="ltr">Interviewer: Is it true most Nigerians answer questions with questions? Nigerian man: Who told you that?</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Isima Odeh (@IsimaOdeh) January 7, 2015<br>
21. This tweet about Nigerian mothers and answering calls</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nigerian mothers dnt pick call immediately. Atleast u must call like 3× , before they pick it frm inside their bag, wardrobe or pot of soup.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Dr Atinuke (@Steadi_Lady) September 21, 2015<br>
22. This tweet about pigs</p>
<p dir="ltr">I'll never understand why my fam dont like eating pork "Pigs are dirty animals", </p>
<p dir="ltr">Its not like chickens & goats were using Dudu Osun</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Bro. Michael (@migiokafor) September 19, 2015<br>
23. This tweet about being petty</p>
<p dir="ltr">When your man is annoying you and says he is hungry .  pic.twitter.com/VlcnLaDNzI</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Thelmzkitchen (@Thelmzkitchen_) March 1, 2016<br>
24. This tweet about an Igbo song</p>
<p dir="ltr">please and please Yoruba people after 'aka mara mma" is not Kangaroo</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Taylor gang! (@eweredavid) January 5, 2016<br>
25. This tweet about the army of The Lord</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ps: My brother, you need to join the army of the Lord.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Guy: Im already there</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ps: I dont see you on sundays</p>
<p dir="ltr">Guy: Im in the secret service</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Mr. Anonadaga (@OswaldAW) January 20, 2015<br>
26. This tweet about JAMB</p>
<p dir="ltr">When you mistakenly eat after failing jamb</p>
<p dir="ltr">Parents – if only you take your life as serious as food pic.twitter.com/r9DYAG7YyM</p>
<p dir="ltr">— Chris [APRIL 22] (@Chris_Obi_Goth) March 1, 2016<br>
27. This tweet about HR</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't know why HR is frowning that I am bringing fufu to work from the house , if you had paid me for last month I might have ordered KFC.</p>
<p dir="ltr">— young jethro. (@TheGreyHunter) November 5, 2015</p>
<p dir="ltr">Source: <u>zikoko.com</u></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupI8aG8blUW3gO9-N0Vgs7csH705IYt6HZkPHXX_h4CaKEkBgjrb7MQWbvck3kHgW-dugFG-FzNuDv7OOU41IdDV1ouHRfJGsXDAsDIv_v_L4QM-nYQXsU0zQOogdQkrrG-hwsdDGZmkV/s1600/IMG-20160104-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupI8aG8blUW3gO9-N0Vgs7csH705IYt6HZkPHXX_h4CaKEkBgjrb7MQWbvck3kHgW-dugFG-FzNuDv7OOU41IdDV1ouHRfJGsXDAsDIv_v_L4QM-nYQXsU0zQOogdQkrrG-hwsdDGZmkV/s640/IMG-20160104-WA0000.jpg"> </a> </div>

27 Times Nigerians Were The Funniest People On The Internet

27 Times Nigerians Were The Funniest People On The Internet

1. This tweet about paternity I don't need a paternity test. Minute the child is born I will put ewa agonyin in his mouth. If he vomits...

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My Candid Advice To The Senate President by @DeleMomodu

BASAM 0 00:07:00

<p dir="ltr">Your Excellency, I’m convinced the time has come to write you this letter despite the fact that I have some measure of access to you. I decided to do this in order to tackle the mischief makers who believe I’m your very close friend and as such must be a rabid supporter of yours. I have been accused of all sorts of garbage including being paid heavy sums of money from your bottomless pocket. I’m aware that most of these guys can never believe that anyone could stand up for principle without pecuniary gains. But before I go into the meat of this letter, I need to state my background briefly as I’m sure you don’t even know me well enough to understand and appreciate my socio-political trajectory.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I have read all sorts about you and I and it is necessary sometimes to put the records straight for the sake of doubting Thomases who can never see anything good in others. You were a Governor for eight years and I can’t remember ever meeting you one on one. The only time I believe we exchanged physical pleasantries would have been at the 70th birthday dinner hosted in honour of your mother-in-law, Erelu Ojuolape Ojora at The Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos some years back. I remember seeing and greeting you and a few of the former and current Governors present including Olusegun Osoba, James Ibori, Babatunde Fashola and others.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I would later see one of the pictures I took at the party and read many years after that I was busy drinking champagne with James Ibori who was being wanted for several cases of corruption and so on. I could not believe my eyes because the picture showed clearly that I was chatting with Chief Olusegun Osoba while Ibori minding his business behind me but someone needed to rubbish me for reasons I could never fathom. Not just that, Ibori was still a Governor and would I run away from a function or refuse to greet people so as not to be accused of hobnobbing with corrupt leaders?</p>
<p dir="ltr">The next time I interfaced with you was after you employed Mr Bamikole Omishore who was my American campaign coordinator in Washington DC, when I joined the Presidential race from 2010-2011. I was happy that you got such a brilliant young man to manage your social media. But you and I got closer for only one reason in the past one year plus because we both campaigned vigorously for Major General Muhammadu Buhari and you and Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi were the best of pals and he has been my friend long before he became Governor of Rivers State. I loved the way you, Amaechi, Kwankwaso, Wamako, Tambuwal, Atiku Abubakar, and others took the bold decision that would change the course of Nigerian history for better or for worse when you abandoned PDP despite threats and harassments. I must have met you about twice in your Lagos home to strategise and was particularly impressed with your ability to rally the likes of Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Wale Tinubu and others who ordinarily would have felt a need to support the government in power. I was informed you were able to raise some stupendous amount of money during and after the APC primaries. We talked more on phone and you assured me constantly that everything was on course. The rest is history.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However trouble started as soon as victory came. I knew you had only one ambition and that was to become the Senate President. I thought that was a legitimate dream but did not envisage that it would turn out to be your albatross. Politics in Africa, and probably elsewhere, is a deadly game. You’ve fought several battles in your life but I doubt if you ever bargained for this one. It all started like a joke. Your party apparatchik was obviously opposed to your candidacy. You were equally determined to realise your life ambition. One of the rumours then was that you could not be trusted with power and that in the next four years you would have become unstoppable if you decide to go headlong for the Presidency. I’m not a member of your party so I could not understand what the hullabaloo was all about. The manner you emerged caught everyone unawares. The biggest problem was the fact that you sought and got the unequivocal support of members of the PDP in the Senate and even did a deal that made it possible for one of them to become your deputy. That was the hara-kiri you committed and your enemies would never forgive you for that.</p>
<p dir="ltr">One thing led to another, and things fell apart and the centre could no longer hold. You probably underestimated the resolve of your enemies to cut you down to size. The next we saw were allegations of impropriety levelled against you at the Code of Conduct Bureau. You were said to have been dodgy in your assets declaration forms. Anyway, it seemed you had touched the tiger by the tail and it remained to be seen how you would wriggle out of the monumental trouble you had inadvertently courted by your rebelliousness and bellicosity. I was personally irked that we were back to the Nuhu Ribadu days and I voiced my opinion openly. I was not defending you but defending the rights of man. I had thought naively that APC knew what it was getting into with an ill-assorted assemblage of different characters from varied backgrounds. I presumed there was an accord that all sinners became saints once they migrated and amalgamated with APC. The deluge of immigrants from PDP convinced me that President Buhari would have to sanctify the pollutants if any in the new party. Not once did I hear of any objection to the proliferation so I assumed all was well.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I never said you should not be prosecuted but that we should discourage a situation where every successive government uses anti-corruption camouflage to punish its enemies. This position was not meant to protect you but to discourage a perpetuation of such tradition. I wrote copiously against the harassment of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he went on similar trial. I had demonstrated publicly against the Yar’Adua cabal when they tried to stop Dr Goodluck Jonathan from assuming power when his boss was terminally ill. I remember also when I wrote an open letter to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in 2007 and how I was viciously attacked by his supporters. But what happened after? Nuhu himself was forced into exile as a victim of impunity. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and The Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, formerly known as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, became veritable victims of impunity and I was vehemently opposed to their ordeals.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I needed to state this background very well as a way of documenting my modest contribution to the discouragement of impunity as a former victim myself under the military regimes. Now that it seems many Nigerians are comfortable with setting fire to an entire village in order to catch some rats, I will not belabour the issue further.  Please, permit me to now address the case at hand. I want you to know that no matter what you do henceforth, the case against you will go on. The earlier you resign yourself to fate the better. You have done all you can to prevent this from happening and the time has come for you to defend yourself as best as you can. I understand the psychological trauma you are under. You are in utter shock that a party you laboured with others to build and nurture has decided to treat you as a pariah. You are stupefied at the sudden turn of events.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But let me advise you, the Judiciary is still the best arbiter and if you’re truly innocent, you will be vindicated but if you are found guilty after exhausting all legal options available in the land you must take a bow and accept the judgement with equanimity. Even if the APC decides to sweep this under the carpet, someone may still bring it up tomorrow. It is in your best interest to face the bullet and hope for a miracle. I’m not one of those who have written off the Nigerian Judiciary. I will also not join those who have already convicted you in the court of public opinion. I’m a Christian and I know none of us can cast the first stone and we should be careful not to gloat over anyone’s misfortune.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Please, note that you must do nothing to pervert the course of justice by enacting hurriedly-packaged laws ostensibly meant to block your trial. It will further diminish you and make your sympathisers recoil in shame. To whom much is given, much is expected. God has been very kind to you and as a Muslim you must submit yourself only to the will of Allah, the only one who can forgive our sins. Who knows what the outcome may be at the end of the day?</p>
<p dir="ltr">I beg you in the name of God to take courage. Stand like a man and carry your heavy cross.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A TOAST TO FOLUKE ABDUL-RASAQ AT 60</p>
<p dir="ltr">One of the very quiet but powerful achievers in Nigeria today is a lady I admire and respect so much, Mrs Foluke Kafayat Abdul-Rasaq who is marking her 60th birthday today. I was stunned beyond words when I came across her resume recently. It is noteworthy that despite her intimidating credentials, she remains humble and focussed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mrs Abdul-Rasaq holds a Master of Science in Banking and Finance fromthe University of Ibadan and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. She is a non-Executive Director of Africa’s global bank UBA and has been the Chairman of the bank’s Board Credit Committee. As far back as 1997, she was Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State. She later served as an Executive Director of ML Securities, a stock brokerage firm.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A passionate lover of education, she set up the famous Bridge House College in Ikoyi, Lagos, an independent private sixth form co-educational institution. She is happily married with children and grandchildren.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Please, help me raise a toast to this virtuous woman. </p>
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My Candid Advice To The Senate President by @DeleMomodu

My Candid Advice To The Senate President by @DeleMomodu

Your Excellency, I’m convinced the time has come to write you this letter despite the fact that I have some measure of access to you. I deci...

link to this post

Adeosun: 363k more companies now in tax net

BASAM 0 13:22:00

<p dir="ltr">Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, says 363,000 companies have been brought into the tax paying net in just two months, highlighting the level of non-compliance in the past.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Adeosun also expressed her belief that corruption is a far bigger problem to the Nigerian economy that prevailing monetary policy issues.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking at the Jack Morton auditorium of the George Washington University, Adeosun said there are risks being faced in Nigeria, but necessary targets would be met.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Of course there are risks, there’s no guaranty that we would hit all our targets, but we are working assiduously to ensure that the reforms are successful,” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“For example, in about two months, we have registered 363,000 companies that have never paid tax. So that is the sort of level of non-compliance that we are tackling.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“VAT, where we have difference of opinion with IMF, is five percent, but level of compliance is 12 percent. So there is low hanging fruit in revenue collection.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We are using technology, we are using cashless platforms and we are very serious about hitting those targets. So, are there risks? Yes. Are we aware of them? Yes. Are we trying to mitigate them in our action plans? Absolutely.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">WHY INVESTORS SHOULD COME TO NIGERIA</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking on the challenging foreign exchange regime in Nigeria, Adeosun highlighted why investors should come to Nigeria.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“My answer to the question on what do you say to investors; my answer is which investors? If we are talking about portfolio investors, I think we should very careful in Africa. They have a way of destabilising our economies.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“If we are talking about long term investors, I think the compelling business case in Nigeria is such that people, long term investors, recognise the difference, between a short term issue and a longer term issue, and would make their plans based on the longer term opportunities that Nigeria offers.</p>
<p dir="ltr">CORRUPTION ‘GREATER PROBLEM THAN MONETARY POLICY’</p>
<p dir="ltr">She said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is “very very keen and very committed to the fight against corruption. The international community constantly, it is very interesting how the rhetoric has changed, the international community was almost obsessed with corruption in Nigeria for at least 20 years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Now we have a leader that is ready to fight corruption, (and) its all about monetary policy? Monetary policy is short term problem and it would be solved.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Corruption is far more damaging, and has been far more damaging, and has turned off more investors than the monetary policy challenges.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We need to look at the bigger picture. The bigger picture for Africa is a positive one. We have learnt some lessons, we are growing, we are young, and we are late adopters, so we can take advantage of new opportunities.”<br>
Credit: <u>thecable</u>ng </p>
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Adeosun: 363k more companies now in tax net

Adeosun: 363k more companies now in tax net

Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, says 363,000 companies have been brought into the tax paying net in just two months, highlighting the lev...

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Key sectors will benefit from Buhari’s China trip - Presidency

BASAM 0 12:53:00

<p dir="ltr">The presidency on Friday said key sectors of the the economy will have a huge benefit from President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to China.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, said this in a statement.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The statement, which listed some of the agreements that were signed, said through the visit, Nigeria has attracted additional investments exceeding $6 billion.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“In the power sector, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger state,” the statement read.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“In the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55 million for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“A total of $1 billion is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“For the housing sector, both companies also sealed a $250 million deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a $2.5 billion agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Other agreements announced and signed during the visit include a $1 billion for the establishment of a Hi-tech industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Furthermore, the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200million for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“An agreement valued at $363 million for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi state was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500 million project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25 million facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China.”<br>
Credit: <u>thecable</u>ng </p>
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Key sectors will benefit from Buhari’s China trip - Presidency

Key sectors will benefit from Buhari’s China trip - Presidency

The presidency on Friday said key sectors of the the economy will have a huge benefit from President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to China. Garb...

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Okonjo-Iweala: I said governors, NOT Jonathan, lacked the political will to save

BASAM 0 12:47:00

<p dir="ltr">Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance, says her statement blaming the lack of political will to save funds under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan has been taken out of context.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking on the Chilean saving example at the George Washington University on Thursday, the former minister had said “zero political will to save in the last administration” was responsible for some of the challenges facing the country.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But in a statement issued on Friday, Paul Nwabuikwu, media aide of the two-time minister, said Okonjo-Iweala was referring to the opposition of some governors to the efforts of the immediate past administration to save in the excess crude account (ECA) and in sovereign wealth fund (SWF).</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Some recent media reports have distorted comments made by former Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala regarding how lack of political will negatively impacted national savings over the past few years,” the statement read.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Contrary to the slant given by these loud headlines, Dr Okonjo-Iweala did not indict the Jonathan administration in which she served.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Rather, she was referring to what many Nigerians already know: the strong opposition by some governors to the Jonathan government’s efforts to save in the excess crude account and the sovereign wealth fund sabotaged this important national priority.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The governors’ criticism of Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s many calls for the country to save for the rainy day is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It will be recalled that this opposition culminated in the governors taking the Jonathan government to the supreme court in furtherance of their position that the federal government had no right to ‘compel’ them to save.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Several knowledgeable persons including former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi have confirmed these facts. So the issue of Okonjo-Iweala indicting the Jonathan administration over this very public issue simply does not arise.”<br>
Credit: thecablesng </p>
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Okonjo-Iweala: I said governors, NOT Jonathan, lacked the political will to save

Okonjo-Iweala: I said governors, NOT Jonathan, lacked the political will to save

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance, says her statement blaming the lack of political will to save funds under the administratio...

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Gunmen Attack Gov Ikpeazu’s Convoy In Ab

BASAM 0 12:00:00

<p dir="ltr">The increasing state of insecurity in Aba, Abia State, took a new dimension on Wednesday night when Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s convoy was attacked in an encounter with armed robbers, who were robbing commuters along Aba-Owerri Road. <br>
  This is even as a yet-to-be identified victim was kidnapped at Immaculate Junction, while another is being feared dead after he was hit by stray bullet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Vanguard gathered that the incident took place near Immaculate Junction along the ever busy Aba-Owerri Road, while the governor was coming back to Aba from Umuahia at 8p.m. Though no life was lost, sources said that the security details attached to the governor fired sporadic shots, which scared the robbers away.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sources told Vanguard that the gunmen were robbing a suspected Lagos bound bus, when a pilot security van without siren and amber light approached the area.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On sighting the security vehicle, the gunmen were said to have opened fire without knowing that it was the governor’s convoy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to a security operative in the city, who pleaded anonymity, “the robbers did not know that it was the governor. They thought that it could be the Army or police, but when they discovered it was the governor’s convoy with its full complement of security details, they took to their heels.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I do not think it was the governor that the hoodlums wanted to attack. It is just that the governor’s convoy that was returning from work without the usual siren and the revolving amber light, ran into them.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Contacted, spokesman of Abia State Police Command, DSP Ezekiel Onyeke, confirmed the incident, but debunked reports that the gunmen attacked the governor’s convoy. Onyeke added that he was yet to be fully briefed by the Chief Security Officer to the governor over the incident. <br>
Credit: saharareporters.com </p>
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Gunmen Attack Gov Ikpeazu’s Convoy In Ab

Gunmen Attack Gov Ikpeazu’s Convoy In Ab

The increasing state of insecurity in Aba, Abia State, took a new dimension on Wednesday night when Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s convoy was att...

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U.S Army approves first 22 female officers for ground combat jobs

BASAM 0 11:09:00

<p dir="ltr">WASHINGTON — The Army announced Friday the first 22 women to be commissioned as infantry and armor officers under new rules that open all ground combat jobs to females this year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The move is a major step toward integrating women into so-called ground combat jobs, placing them in leadership roles in occupations that were never open to them.<br>
The latest Army numbers seem to reflect that forecast, though the numbers could grow as more women enter the fields and pave the way for others.<br>
“Incrementally over time, it’s been one success after another,” Lt. Col. Jerry Pionk, an Army spokesman, said recently about overall efforts to expand opportunities for women in the armed services.<br>
The 22 women are currently in West Point, ROTC or Officer Candidate School and will be commissioned as officers when they graduate. One woman is currently in Officer Candidate School. Thirteen will enter the armor field and nine will join infantry.<br>
Having female leaders in jobs such as the infantry is important, since they can serve as role models for enlisted women who may elect to join the infantry or other ground combat jobs. Newly commissioned lieutenants in the infantry generally serve as platoon leaders in charge of units of about 40 troops.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It is not clear how many enlisted women will be interested in joining the infantry. One Army enlisted recruit has so far signed a contract to enter the infantry, the Army said. The Marine Corps has said they received one request for a transfer to the infantry from an enlisted Marine.<br>
Women have served extensively in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. But until now they had been prohibited from so-called ground combat fields, which include infantry, armor and Special Forces.<br>
The ground combat jobs require strength and endurance and often involve living in austere combat conditions for long periods of time.<br>
In the infantry, troops are required to wear heavy body armor and packs that can weigh more than 100 pounds and are required to hike over long distances with their gear.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Three years ago the Pentagon ordered all jobs to be open to women by the beginning of this year. During that time, the military services studied physical standards and developed gender-neutral physical tests used to screen applicants.<br>
The Marine Corps, an infantry-centered force that serves long deployments aboard ships, requested an exception for infantry, citing a study that showed infantry units with women did not perform as well as all-male units.<br>
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter denied the Marine request this year, saying there would be no exceptions. The Marines pledged to successfully implement the order.<br>
Carter said standards would not decline as a result of allowing women to enter the ground combat jobs.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Those standards are tough. No woman has yet completed the Marine Corps’ rigorous Infantry Officer Course, although 29 women have tried. Three women have graduated from the Army’s Ranger School, a physically demanding small unit leaders' course, since they opened it up to women for the first time last year.<br>
Source: <u><u>usa</u></u><u>today.com</u></p>
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U.S Army approves first 22 female officers for ground combat jobs

U.S Army approves first 22 female officers for ground combat jobs

WASHINGTON — The Army announced Friday the first 22 women to be commissioned as infantry and armor officers under new rules that open all gr...

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Boko Haram: U.S. Permanent Rep To UN Visits Nigeria, Others

BASAM 0 10:17:00

<p dir="ltr">The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Samantha Power, is set to visit Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad for discussions on the growing threat the Islamic sect, Boko Haram poses to the Lake Chad Basin region.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A press statement from the United States Embassy said that the visit became necessary due to increasing concerns over the acute threat the group posed to civilians across the Lake Chad Basin and the group’s increasing lethality and relationship with the Islamic State also referred to as ISIS.</p>
<p dir="ltr">During her visit, Ambassador Power is expected to discuss ways to work with partners in the region to develop a comprehensive counter-Boko Haram effort that includes a more coordinated military campaign, improved humanitarian access and response, a well-resourced stabilisation and governance strategy, and expanded efforts to combat violent extremism.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In Cameroon, where she is expected to meet with government officials and civil society in its capital, Yaoundé, Ambassador Power will also travel internally to meet with refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Cameroonian forces on the front lines of the regional effort to end the activities of the terrorist group.</p>
<p dir="ltr">She will also meet with government officials, civil society and civilians affected by the violence in Chad and visit the headquarter for the Multinational Joint Task Force, a regional military effort composed of the Boko Haram-affected states in the Lake Chad Basin.<br>
Credit: Channelstv </p>
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Boko Haram: U.S. Permanent Rep To UN Visits Nigeria, Others

Boko Haram: U.S. Permanent Rep To UN Visits Nigeria, Others

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Samantha Power, is set to visit Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad for discussions on the growing th...

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Diversification Of Nigeria’s Economy Now A Matter Of Urgency – Buhari

BASAM 0 10:12:00

<p dir="ltr">President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Guangzhou, China, said that his administration would take urgent steps to ensure the diversification of Nigeria’s economy by encouraging new investments in mining, agriculture and manufacturing.<br>
 Speaking at a reception in his honour by the Communist Party of China, President Buhari said that Nigeria would welcome the support of the Chinese government, foreign investors and local businesses for efforts to diversify the nation’s economy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The President noted that the diversification of the Nigerian economy was long overdue as continued reliance on crude oil exports had always made the economy vulnerable to shocks.</p>
<p dir="ltr">‘‘This time we will be more deliberate. The government and businesses will be involved,” President Buhari said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In his remarks, the Secretary of the Communist Party, who is also the Governor of the Guangdong Province, Mr Hu Chinhua, pledged that the region will support the implementation of all the bilateral agreements reached with the Chinese government during President Buhari’s visit.</p>
<p dir="ltr">President Buhari also visited the Sino-Singapore Knowledge City in Guangzhou, which showcases advancements by China in medical, science and technological inventions.<br>
Credit: Channelstv </p>
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Diversification Of Nigeria’s Economy Now A Matter Of Urgency – Buhari

Diversification Of Nigeria’s Economy Now A Matter Of Urgency – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Guangzhou, China, said that his administration would take urgent steps to ensure the diversification...

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Leaked Memo Says Ghana Terror Threat 'Real'

BASAM 0 09:58:00

<p dir="ltr"><br>
West Africa has been on high alert following recent terror attacks on hotels in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. And now in Ghana, a leaked security document says Ghana and Togo are the next targets of the al-Qaida affiliate that claimed responsibility for the previous attacks. Ghanaian President John Mahama has told the nation not to panic.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The leaked memo says the threat of a terror attack in Ghana is “real,” citing intelligence from the National Security Council Secretariat. It is addressed to Ghana’s immigration service.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The document calls for stronger border surveillance, including “thorough profiling” of people from Mali, Niger and Libya.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The memo was shared on social media and picked up by local press.</p>
<p dir="ltr">President Mahama sought to reassure the nation on state-run radio Thursday.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We have trained our own special forces. Currently a significant number of them [are] on standby. We are preparing for any such eventually but we need the alertness of the public," said Mahama.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ghana's government put the nation on high alert in March after al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked a beach resort outside Abidjan, killing 19 people.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The leaked document says information from Ivory Coast, including confessions obtained from the mastermind of the attack there, indicates that the attackers entered that country in a 4x4 vehicle registered in Niger. The memo says the attackers concealed their explosives and weapons in the spare tire compartment.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mahama said the leak was unfortunate.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"They didn’t need to put the intel in there. You just to send a directive asking for alertness and asking them to search more thoroughly vehicles and all that. Every country in West Africa is at risk and we are at risk not only from external forces but even from internal forces. We have evidence of radicalization of our own citizens who have gone out to join some of these terrorist groups," he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The head of the West African Center for Counter Terrorism in Accra, Mutharu Muqthar Mumuni, says panic must be avoided.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We need to ensure vigilance and reporting of suspicious activities; however, we’ve got to be very careful in order not to condone acts that have the proclivity to lead to gross basic human rights violations relating to lynching of innocent people," said Mumuni.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The AQIM attacks in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast marked an alarming expansion for the group whose operations until then had been confined to North Africa and parts of the Sahel region.<br>
Credit: <u>voanews</u></p>
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Leaked Memo Says Ghana Terror Threat 'Real'

Leaked Memo Says Ghana Terror Threat 'Real'

West Africa has been on high alert following recent terror attacks on hotels in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. And now in Ghana, a lea...

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Who Governs Nigeria? By Reuben Abati

BASAM 0 09:53:00

<p dir="ltr">During the Jonathan administration, an outspoken opposition spokesperson had argued that Nigeria was on auto-pilot, a phrase that was gleefully even if ignorantly echoed by an excitable opposition crowd. Deeper reflection should have made it clear even to the unthinking that there is no way any country can ever be on auto-pilot, for there are many levels of governance, all working together and cross-influencing each other to determine the structure of inputs and outcomes in society.<br>
To say that a country is on auto-pilot is to assume wrongly that the only centre of governance that exists is the official corridor, whereas governance is far more complex. The question should be asked, now as then: who is governing Nigeria? Who is running the country? Why do we blame government alone for our woes, whereas we share a collective responsibility, and some of the worst violators of the public space are not even in public office?</p>
<p dir="ltr">The President of the country is easily the target of every criticism. This is perhaps understandable to the extent that what we have in Nigeria is the perfect equivalent of an Imperial Presidency. Whoever is President of Nigeria wields the powers of life and death, depending on how he uses those enormous powers attached to his office by the Constitution, convention and expectations. Nigeria’s President not only governs, he rules. The kind of President that emerges at any particular time can determine the fortunes of the country. It helps if the President is driven by a commitment to make a difference, but the challenge is that every President invariably becomes a prisoner.<br>
He has the loneliest job in the land, because he is soon taken hostage by officials and various interests, struggling to exercise aspects of Presidential power vicariously. And these officials do it right to the minutest detail: they are the ones who tell the President that he is best thing ever since the invention of toothpaste. They are the ones who will convince him as to every little detail of governance: who to meet, where to travel to, and who to suspect or suspend. The President exercises power, the officials and the partisans in the corridors exercise influence. But when things go wrong, it is the President that gets the blame. He is reminded that the buck stops at his desk.<br>
We should begin to worry about these dangerous officials in the system, particularly within the public service, the reckless mind readers who exploit the system for their own ends, and who walk free when the President gets all the blame. To govern properly, every government not only needs a good man at the top, but good officials who will serve the country. We are not there yet. The same civil servants who superintended over the omissions of the past 16 years are the ones still going up and down today, and it is why something has changed but nothing has changed. The reality is terrifying.<br>
The officials at the state levels are no different, from the Governor down to the local government chairman and their staff. They hardly get as much criticism as the folks in Abuja, but they are busy every day governing Nigeria, and doing so very badly too. Local government chairmen and their officials do almost nothing. The Governors also try to act as if they are Imperial Majesties. The emphasis on ceremony rather than actual performance is the bane of governance in Nigeria. Every one seems to be obsessed with ceremony and privileges.<br>
A friend sent me a picture he took with the Mayor of London inside a train, in the midst of ordinary citizens and asked if that would ever happen in Nigeria. The Mayor had no bodyguards. He was on his own. In the Netherlands, the Prime Minister is a part-time lecturer in one of the local colleges. Nigerian pubic officials are often too busy to have time for normal life. Even if they want to live normally, the system also makes it impossible. We need people in government living normal lives. Leaders need not be afraid of the people they govern. They must identify with them. There is too much royalty in government circles in Nigeria. No matter how well-intentioned you may be, once you find yourself in their midst, you will soon start acting and sounding like one, because it is the only language that is spoken in those corridors.<br>
Elsewhere, ideas govern countries. People become leaders on the basis of ideas and they govern with ideas. That is why the average voter in Europe or North America knows that what he votes for is what he is likely to get. Clearly in the on-going Presidential nomination process in the United States, every voter knows the difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side and between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump on the Republican side. Such differences are often blurry in Nigeria: our politics is driven by partisan interests; a primordial desperation for power, not ideas. It is also why Nigerian politicians can belong to five different political parties and movements within a decade.<br>
Even when men of ideas show up in the political arena, they are quickly reminded that they are not politicians and do not understand politics. Gross anti-intellectualism is a major problem that Nigeria would have to address at some stage. Some of the administrations in the past who had brainy men and women of ideas in strategic positions ended up not using them. They were either frustrated, caged, co-opted or forced to adapt or shown the door. The question is often asked: why don’t such people walk away? The answer that is well known in official corridors is this: doing so may be a form of suicide. Once inside, you are not allowed to walk out on the Federal Government of Nigeria, and if you must, not on your own terms. So, governance fails even at that level of values: that other important element that governs progressive nations.<br>
Partisan interests are major factors in the governance process. These seem to be the dominant factor in Nigeria, but again, they are irresponsibly deployed. The crowd of political parties, religious groups, traditional rulers, ethnic and community associations, professional associations, pastors, priests, traditional rulers, imams and alfas, shamanists, native doctors, soothsayers and traditional healers: they all govern. They wield enormous influence. But they have never helped Nigeria and they are not helping. All the people in public offices have strong links to all these other governors of Nigeria, but what kind of morality do they discuss? Those with partisan interests, including even promoters of Non-Governmental groups (NGOs) all have one interest at heart: power and relevance.<br>
The same priests who saw grand visions for the PDP and its members over a 16-year period are still in business seeing visions and making predictions. Those who claim to be so powerful they can make the lame walk and the blind see have not deemed it necessary to step forward to help the NNPC turn water into petrol. If any of these miracle-delivering pastors can just turn the Lagos Lagoon alone into a river of petrol, all Nigerians will become believers, but that won’t happen because they are committed to a different version of the gospel. As for the political parties: they are all in disarray.<br>
The private sector also governs Nigeria. But what is the quality of governance in the corporate sector? The Nigerian corporate elite is arrogant. They claim that they create jobs so the country may prosper, but they are, in reality, a rent-seeking class. They survive on government patronage, access to the Villa and its satellites, and claims of indispensability. But without government, most private sector organizations will be in distress. The withdrawal of public funds into a Treasury Single Account is a case in point. And with President Muhammadu Buhari not readily available to the eye-service wing of the Nigerian private sector, former sycophants in the corridors are clandestinely resorting to sabotage and blackmail. A responsible private sector has a duty in society: to build society, not to donate money to politicians during elections and seek patronage thereafter. And if it must co-operate with government, it must be for much nobler reasons in the public interest.<br>
The military are still governing Nigeria too. They may be in the background, but their exit 16 years ago, has not quite translated into a loss of influence or presence. In the early years of their de-centering, many of them chose to join politics and replace their uniforms with traditional attires. Their original argument is that if other professionals can join politics, then a soldier should not be excluded. They failed to add that the military class in politics in Africa has shown a tendency to exercise proprietorial rights and powers, which delimit the democratic project. In Nigeria such powers and rights have been exercised consistently and mostly by, happily for us, a gerontocratic class, whose impact, I believe, will be determined by the effluxion of time.<br>
And it is like this: the President that emerged in 1999 was a soldier: the received opinion was that only such a strong man could stabilize the country. His successor was the brother of another old soldier; he and his Deputy were personal chosen by the departing President. He died in office, but for his Deputy to succeed him, it helped a lot that he was also a favourite of the General who chose his own successors. When this protégé fell out with the General, in retrospect now, a miscalculation, the General turned Godfather swore to remove him from office. And it happened. In 2015, another former soldier and strong man, had to be brought back to office and power. When anything goes wrong, a class of old Generals are the ones who step forward to protect and guide the country. The only saving grace is that they do not yet have a successor–class of similarly influential men with military pedigree. But when their time passes, would there be equally strong civilians who can act as protectors of the nation?<br>
The media governs too. But the media in Nigeria today is heavily politicized, compromised and a victim of internal censorship occasioned by hubris. Can the media still save Nigeria? It is in the same pit as the Nigerian voter, foreign interests, the legislature and the judiciary. But when there is positive change at all of these centres of power and influence, only then will there be change, movement and motion, and a new <u>Nigeria</u></p>
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Who Governs Nigeria? By Reuben Abati

Who Governs Nigeria? By Reuben Abati

During the Jonathan administration, an outspoken opposition spokesperson had argued that Nigeria was on auto-pilot, a phrase that was gleefu...

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IMF wants Buhari to change his forex policy

BASAM 0 07:49:00

<p dir="ltr">Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says Nigeria’s economic situation is alarming, calling for a flexible exchange rate regime.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking on the World Bank/IMF special edition of BBC’s HardTalk anchored by Stephen Sackur, Lagarde said Nigeria has huge potential, especially in her youth.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Largade maintained that IMF was ready to help Nigeria, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to take steps to move in the direction of “flexible exchange rate”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We are not suggesting that flexible exchange rate is the panacea in all cases, but in this particular instance, we believe that it would help,” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I know it is going to be difficult, and we very much hope that the Nigerian government under the leadership of President Buhari will be able to distinguish the value of moving in that direction, rather than causing the circumstances that can precipitate, a much more difficult decision making process at some stage.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We remain completely available to help, we believe that it is doable, it can be address.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Lagarde and Sackur at GWU, Washington</p>
<p dir="ltr">She described Nigeria as a great country with huge potential, but decried the current economic situation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Nigeriai has very strong resourceful and great people. The right policy mix is needed, which include, in our view, flexible exchange rate,” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Nigeria is one of those countries where there’s huge potential, fantastic youth but also a very alarming economic situation. It is heavily dependent on the oil resources.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Both in terms of fiscal revenue and exports. As a result of that, we have gone public and actually gone to the senate of Nigeria to explain our views, we believe that a more flexible exchange rate is in the interest of the Nigerian population.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“If that doesn’t happen, we would continue to see the dual exchange rate, and putting in place a list of those product and services that are forbidden in Nigeria for import purposes, cannot be a substitute to a more flexible exchange rate.”<br>
Credit: thecablesng </p>
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IMF wants Buhari to change his forex policy

IMF wants Buhari to change his forex policy

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says Nigeria’s economic situation is alarming, calling for a ...

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MANCHESTER CITY FACES REAL MADRID, ATLETICO FACES BAYERN MUNICH – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINAL DRAW RESULTS

BASAM 0 05:43:00

<p dir="ltr">The Premier League side lines up against the tournament's most successful team in its first-ever semifinal, while Diego Simeone faces off against Pep Guardiola.<br>
 Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals, while Bayern Munich will have to deal with Atletico Madrid if it is to make it to the final.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Friday’s draw in Nyon means City manager Manuel Pellegrini will take on his former team, having coached Madrid in 2009-10. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Madrid - which saw off Wolfsburg in the last round - made it to the final four in 2014-15, but Juventus eventually proved to too strong. The club last won the competition in 2013-14, beating Atletico 4-1 after extra time for its 10th European Cup win.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Manchester City, meanwhile, is the rookie in the semifinals, having never made it to this stage before. The club failed to make it past the round of 16 in 2013-14 and 2014-15, but got the better of Dynamo Kyiv and Paris Saint-Germain to set up a clash with the Spanish giant.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Madrid and City have met twice before, with Los Blancos winning once and drawing the remaining game when they were paired in the group stages of the competition in 2012-13.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The tie between Bayern and Atletico will see Pep Guardiola return to his native country, having enjoyed so much success at Barcelona before his move to the Bundesliga champion.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Guardiola's side eliminated Benfica on the way to the semifinals, holding out for a 2-2 draw in the second leg after a 1-0 win at home in the first fixture. The club won it in 2012-13 when it beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1, but has failed to get past the final four since.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Atletico, meanwhile, booked a spot in the last four when it beat reigning champion Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate. Diego Simeone's men crashed out in the quarterfinals last term, losing to Madrid, and has yet to win the Champions League.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Bayern and Atletico's only previous meeting came in the 1974 final, the Bundesliga side running out a 4-0 winner in the replay following an initial 1-1 draw. </p>
<p dir="ltr">City will host Madrid on April 26 and Atletico welcomes Bayern to the Vicente Calderon the following day, returning to the Allianz Arena on May 3, with Zinedine Zidane's side playing at home on May 4.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The final at San Siro is on May 28. The winner of the tie between City and Madrid will be the home team in the final. </p><p dir="ltr">Source: goal.com</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zCeT4DuD_eBJBQXBXvHxrVXnKUf2UPL4qDE01bXihG-GsB7JhnzuvjBWVGD49QjRFLj2BHJ0CpEJLnCHRTRTfS-mZxbmoM4zFcpWo4RyMNxXupNhUj64Zqz-K9pqRqho-DLA2AE4P3KX/s1600/3010772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zCeT4DuD_eBJBQXBXvHxrVXnKUf2UPL4qDE01bXihG-GsB7JhnzuvjBWVGD49QjRFLj2BHJ0CpEJLnCHRTRTfS-mZxbmoM4zFcpWo4RyMNxXupNhUj64Zqz-K9pqRqho-DLA2AE4P3KX/s640/3010772.jpg"> </a> </div>

MANCHESTER CITY FACES REAL MADRID, ATLETICO FACES BAYERN MUNICH – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINAL DRAW RESULTS

MANCHESTER CITY FACES REAL MADRID, ATLETICO FACES BAYERN MUNICH – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINAL DRAW RESULTS

The Premier League side lines up against the tournament's most successful team in its first-ever semifinal, while Diego Simeone faces of...

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Boko Haram Offering Different Groups Of Chibok Girls For Ransom- Report

BASAM 0 04:25:00

<p dir="ltr">Following the broadcast of the proof of life video showing 15 of the abducted Chibok girls by US cable news network, CNN on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that the 219 girls who were kidnapped from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, exactly two years ago have been broken up into groups and are being offered by different Boko Haram cells to federal government negotiators in exchange for huge sums of money.<br>
Their abduction sparked a social media campaign and global outrage which drew attention to the horror of the six-year-old insurgency in the Northeast.<br>
However, the release of the video has added pressure on the federal government to secure their release, with President Muhammadu Buhari promising the parents and relations of the missing girls yesterday that they will be rescued and returned to them.<br>
Sources in the intelligence agencies yesterday said that they were aware of the negotiations with the Islamist terror group, which have been stalled due to the ransoms demanded by different Boko Haram cells for the release of the girls in their possession.<br>
One senior intelligence source said that in the course of negotiations for the girls’ release, one cell asked for $50 million in exchange for the 15 girls shown in the video on Wednesday, prompting the recording last December by the Boko Haram cell to show that the girls were still alive.<br>
“Then yet another group offered another 10 girls for over 1 million euros, reinforcing intelligence reports that they had been broken up and dispersed to different cells,” he said.<br>
He explained that the large ransoms demanded by different cells of Boko Haram further confirmed the federal government’s position that the terror group had been significantly degraded and has its back against the wall, hence the astronomical demands for money in exchange for the girls.<br>
The source added, however, that the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the different cells, insisting that all 219 girls must be released at the same time.<br>
He said the government was also against paying any form of ransom for their release, as the monies could be used by Boko Haram, which has been declared the deadliest extremist sect in the world, to rearm and continue their reign of violence and wanton killings in its bid to carve out a caliphate in the Northeast.<br>
“The group is deadly, cannot be trusted and is led by maniacal leaders. As such, the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the cells. Their supply channels have more or less been cut off, so paying them such huge amounts for a handful of girls will only be giving them the ammunition to rearm and continue the deadly destruction and mayhem in the north,” he said.<br>
Credit:<u>Thisday</u></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkXiMQeKifuW-5IKiyVhDGniyIgpgvFFd94bnzDy0itJYS9StlXVpts9so-8U6jVXjH3-eAZwa_jbyXpqvolRafTLbuSqImN_NDDLZTTfdFCbwKlqp_EWEf5WPR2LVl9fSrS01qrHZnsj/s1600/IMG_20160412_115040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkXiMQeKifuW-5IKiyVhDGniyIgpgvFFd94bnzDy0itJYS9StlXVpts9so-8U6jVXjH3-eAZwa_jbyXpqvolRafTLbuSqImN_NDDLZTTfdFCbwKlqp_EWEf5WPR2LVl9fSrS01qrHZnsj/s640/IMG_20160412_115040.jpg"> </a> </div>

Boko Haram Offering Different Groups Of Chibok Girls For Ransom- Report

Boko Haram Offering Different Groups Of Chibok Girls For Ransom- Report

Following the broadcast of the proof of life video showing 15 of the abducted Chibok girls by US cable news network, CNN on Wednesday, it ha...

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Court tells Saraki to face trial

BASAM 0 04:24:00

<p dir="ltr">Abdul Kafarati, a justice of the federal high court, Abuja, has asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to face his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).</p>
<p dir="ltr">The judge dismissed Saraki’s fundamental rights suit to quash the charges against him at the CCT for lacking in merit.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It appears to me all that the applicant is trying to do is to stop his criminal trial at CCT. The CCT is a competent court to try the criminal matters,” he held.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“This court cannot interfere with the case at the tribunal which has power to try cases.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is not appropriate for the applicant to approach this court. This case is hereby dismissed.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">On March 22, Kafarati had withdrawn from the suit filed by Saraki to quash the charges of false declaration of assets brought against him by the federal government at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kafarati had explained that his integrity had been called into question in the matter, hence he would disqualify himself from it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He had read a report of online medium accusing him of corruption.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He, therefore, said that if he ruled against or for Saraki, his decision would be interpreted differently.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is only in this country that people can wake up and start calling people names,” he had said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“In the circumstance, I disqualify myself from this case. I will hereby send the case file to the chief judge for re-assignment to another judge.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">But Ibrahim Auta, chief judge of the federal high court, prevailed on Kafarati to deliver his judgment on the matter.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In February, after the judgment of the supreme court dismissing Saraki’s appeal to stop his trial, his lawyer, Ajibola Oloyede filed the lawsuit asking the federal high court to stop his trial and to disqualify the chairman of the CCT, who is presiding over the trial.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The senate president couched his prayers in the violation of his rights to fair hearing by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) of which he said did not invite him for explanation before it filed charges against him at the CCT.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He also claimed that his trial was politically motivated, but the court held that he should face his trial.<br>
Credit: thecablesng </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdtizu0D-ZB9AXiKIUchcoc4HnW6pZtyg452T4EAtJdBQ_7Ufa-dFKZ7N9Rn5cf2_97ZIId1Oet21zOUQpgHb-6HdEfMOinQSqqq4hbkJPKalb5N3aWsqPE9FyQxIIF1oJcJNg5sG2jSb/s1600/wpid-bukola-saraki-senate-president-in-nigeria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdtizu0D-ZB9AXiKIUchcoc4HnW6pZtyg452T4EAtJdBQ_7Ufa-dFKZ7N9Rn5cf2_97ZIId1Oet21zOUQpgHb-6HdEfMOinQSqqq4hbkJPKalb5N3aWsqPE9FyQxIIF1oJcJNg5sG2jSb/s640/wpid-bukola-saraki-senate-president-in-nigeria.jpg"> </a> </div>

Court tells Saraki to face trial

Court tells Saraki to face trial

Abdul Kafarati, a justice of the federal high court, Abuja, has asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to face his trial at the Code of Conduc...

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Buhari Pledges To Build Nigerian Cities

BASAM 0 04:16:00

<p dir="ltr">President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Shanghai, China, said his administration would give priority to the building and development of resilient and viable cities comparable with other developed cities across the globe.<br>
A statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President,  Mallam Garba Shehu, said<br>
Buhari spoke at separate meetings with the Mayor of the Chinese city of Shanghai, Mr Yang Xiong and the Director of Shanghai Free Trade Zone, Liu Fangzhou.<br>
Buhari said the Federal Government would give full support to Free Trade and Export Processing Zones in the country to spur rapid economic development.<br>
The President, who visited the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, said Nigeria was prepared to learn “how to make our cities more viable from those that have achieved development.<br>
“We have already identified the development of infrastructure which will bring industries that create jobs and help us to diversify the economy.<br>
“We are going to work hard to achieve these within the period we have in office. Nigerians will see progress and feel the impact,’’ he said.<br>
He commended the hard work and incredible success story of the city of Shanghai, Buhari said the virtues of hard work were central to every human achievement and development.<br>
The Shanghai Mayor expressed the willingness of Chinese businesses to key into the vision of the Chinese President Xi Jinping for Africa by investing in Nigeria.<br>
The statement also quoted the Director of the Free Trade Zone Liu Fangzhou, as commending the effort of the Nigerian government towards the diversification of the economy.<br>
Credit: <u>Nation</u></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RZlw29HG2SOEBiq5rrxIgOfVNe16enJ5CEIjhWSYENv6dQLlzdwIwUeuQgJuehkl6V9rX2PFxmuX7jatFyMkcqSW1Iom_xWVxAmb785CZ6eVZgNv9CdTJ0AkR1YrLbqtvxSaGlz7y5XA/s1600/IMG_20160410_170042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RZlw29HG2SOEBiq5rrxIgOfVNe16enJ5CEIjhWSYENv6dQLlzdwIwUeuQgJuehkl6V9rX2PFxmuX7jatFyMkcqSW1Iom_xWVxAmb785CZ6eVZgNv9CdTJ0AkR1YrLbqtvxSaGlz7y5XA/s640/IMG_20160410_170042.jpg"> </a> </div>

Buhari Pledges To Build Nigerian Cities

Buhari Pledges To Build Nigerian Cities

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Shanghai, China, said his administration would give priority to the building and development of resi...

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Linda Ikeji Reports Wizkid’s Threat To Lagos Police Commissioner

BASAM 0 04:16:00

<p dir="ltr">We are all aware of the existing beef between Wizkid and popular blogger Linda Ikeji. Linda Ikeji has taken a bold step to hand over the case to Lagos Police commissioner.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It should be recalled that during the last beef, Wizkid threatened the blogger that if he ever sees her, he’ll instruct his 16 year old cousin to beat her.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Linda Ikeji has reported the threat to the Lagos State Commisioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni. According to sources, a summon has been issued to Wizkid, with an invitation letter sent to the Surulere office to his manager , Sunday Are.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However, the singer did not show up.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8oaSSgFqJcF76qf6OY3Kp5itJEbQgd7IHUsEBcWH5CkBAnnvUzvMokQVQ3hylkqCBiAhZsoUD4va0qlKv4TiMuLT4wjRil5wsY7t2NaQW6_GElEczX8otmY-h4LJII6oh1rdAtK9IA6J/s1600/wizkid-and-linda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8oaSSgFqJcF76qf6OY3Kp5itJEbQgd7IHUsEBcWH5CkBAnnvUzvMokQVQ3hylkqCBiAhZsoUD4va0qlKv4TiMuLT4wjRil5wsY7t2NaQW6_GElEczX8otmY-h4LJII6oh1rdAtK9IA6J/s640/wizkid-and-linda.png"> </a> </div>

Linda Ikeji Reports Wizkid’s Threat To Lagos Police Commissioner

Linda Ikeji Reports Wizkid’s Threat To Lagos Police Commissioner

We are all aware of the existing beef between Wizkid and popular blogger Linda Ikeji. Linda Ikeji has taken a bold step to hand over the cas...

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Cambridge University Press Sets To Produce In Nigeria

BASAM 0 04:15:00

<p dir="ltr">Cambridge University Press (CUP), the oldest publishing house in the world, has set up an office in Ikeja, capital of Lagos state.</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to Rod Smith, CUP’s managing director for education, the company will be producing English language and science (physics, chemistry, biology) books based on the Nigerian curriculum at very competitive costs for the Nigerian school system.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Smith said the entry into the Nigerian market means its teaching and learning materials will be produced locally and will become widely available at affordable costs.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Cambridge has decades of experience supporting ministries of education all over the world with training and quality control for the development of their own learning and assessment materials which is why we are so confident that through working collaboratively with ministers, educators, teachers and students alike, we can make a positive impact,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Lawrence Aladesuyi, Cambridge Press country manager in Nigeria, said the presence of the publishing company in the most populous black nation in the world has a lot of benefits.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The aim of this programme is to give every learner in Nigeria the opportunity to share in and benefit from the gold-standard tradition and contemporary relevance of the University of Cambridge,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“CUP books have been priced competitively to bring them within the reach of every class of schools and students from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to a statement issued by the company, full operations will start after a formal launch in May.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Oby Ezekwesilli, former minister of education and Ismail Junaidu, former vice-president of the African division of the World Bank, are the guest speakers at the formal launch of the company, which will hold at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos, on May 4.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Peter Phillips, CUP’s chief executive officer (CEO), and Colleen McCallum, managing director of the organisation, are also expected to attend the event.</p>
<p dir="ltr">With over 450 years of experience in publishing, the CUP publishes academic titles for pre-university students in more than 50 countries including emerging markets such as Malaysia, India, China, Kenya and South Africa.<br>
Credit: thecablesng </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43eah0yQGGZenLBsy7Pc3FbWYs6qDSuWAqmPvQmZeggjKU9s58KWRO3GpBXmYhSjA4FSAAtkc9rMxrtk82vT3s6skduxF7W7OpILusatGuvlbEMc1gBwzZYeuS1tc8Hpmgpfy1q1uj7FH/s1600/IMG_20160415_121330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43eah0yQGGZenLBsy7Pc3FbWYs6qDSuWAqmPvQmZeggjKU9s58KWRO3GpBXmYhSjA4FSAAtkc9rMxrtk82vT3s6skduxF7W7OpILusatGuvlbEMc1gBwzZYeuS1tc8Hpmgpfy1q1uj7FH/s640/IMG_20160415_121330.jpg"> </a> </div>

Cambridge University Press Sets To Produce In Nigeria

Cambridge University Press Sets To Produce In Nigeria

Cambridge University Press (CUP), the oldest publishing house in the world, has set up an office in Ikeja, capital of Lagos state. Accordin...

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Afenifere Rejects Grazing Commission Bill

BASAM 0 04:13:00

<p dir="ltr">Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, has rejected the Grazing Commission Bill proposed by the National Assembly to address the burning issue of farmers and Fulani herdsmen clashes erupting in different parts of the country.<br>
Afenifere described the bill as “anti-people.”<br>
The bill proposes the establishment of the National Grazing Commission which will preserve and control the national grazing reserves and livestock routes and other matters related to it.<br>
The group’s leader, Reuben Fasoranti, while addressing journalists in Akure, said the bill, which empowered the commission to acquire any land anywhere in the country, would violate the subsisting Land Use Act and traditional means of land holding if enacted.<br>
He noted that the bill was being proposed allegedly to favour the business of the Fulani herdsmen at the expense of the farmers whose farms were always destroyed by the Fulani’s cows in some other parts of the country .<br>
” We reject any law that would rob the citizens of their possessions and award to another set of citizens as this offensive bill attempts to do. That is against the principle of natural justice, ” Mr. Fasoranti declared.<br>
“It is also against federal principle for the government of the federation to therefore want to violate the rights of other sections of the country to please a group from an ethnic unit over and above the interest of other over 400 ethnic groups. ”<br>
He called on all federal lawmakers from the south and Nigerians in general to join Afenifere in rejecting the bill.<br>
Credit: <u>PremiumTimes</u></p>
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Afenifere Rejects Grazing Commission Bill

Afenifere Rejects Grazing Commission Bill

Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, has rejected the Grazing Commission Bill proposed by the National Assembly to address the burnin...

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Aisha Buhari’s Book: Guests Refuse To Disclose Donations

BASAM 0 04:06:00

<p dir="ltr">Dignitaries who on Thursday attended the public presentation of a book written by the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, deliberately refused to make their donations public.<br>
 It was not clear whether their decision was based on the present administration’s anti-graft posture.<br>
 The prominent Nigerians converged on the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for the presentation of Mrs. Buhari’s book, “The Essentials of Beauty Therapy: A Complete Guide for Beauty Therapy.”<br>
 The proceeds from the presentation, the organisers said, would be sent to parents of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in April, 2014 and the parents of the boys abducted in Buni Yadi.<br>
 Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo started the secret donation when he announced that Mrs. Buhari should not expect any big donation from him because he and the President were on half salaries.<br>
 He added that he would not be able to donate big money because “Buhari is very strict on money matters.”<br>
 “The President and I are on half salaries. The President is very strict on money issues. So, don’t expect me to make a large donation,” he said.<br>
 Osinbajo said the presentation of the book highlighted the importance of the girl-child education as he observed that if the wife of the President had not got the opportunity to go to school, she would not have been able to write the book and teach others.<br>
 He said, “Girl-child education is still an issue, girls not having the opportunity to go to school. If the wife of the President didn’t have the opportunity to go to school, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to reach others.<br>
 “It emphasises the importance of education. Her desire to dedicate the proceeds of the presentation to the victims of insurgency and particularly the families of the Chibok girls is commendable.”<br>
 The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was the chairman of the occasion, also failed to announce his donation.<br>
 Tinubu, who was represented by his wife, Oluremi, however, commended Mrs. Buhari for her decision to invest the proceeds in charity.<br>
 On the importance of the book, the APC leader said Nigeria and Nigerians needed to begin to pay attention to beauty industry which he said was capable of generating income and employment.<br>
 He also stressed the need to set up beauty and therapy schools where interested persons would be properly trained.<br>
 The book presenter, Senator Daisy Danjuma, also failed to make her donation public.<br>
 She however commended Mrs. Buhari for writing the book.<br>
 The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who spoke on behalf of the 36 state governors, also followed the same line.<br>
Although, he promised that state governors would make the books available to all the local government areas in the country, he did not announce how much they would pay.<br>
Others who spoke but failed to announce their donations were the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Dr. Musa’udu Kazaure; the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Abdusalami Nasidi; and the wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Bagudu.<br>
Credit: <u>Punch</u></p>
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Aisha Buhari’s Book: Guests Refuse To Disclose Donations

Aisha Buhari’s Book: Guests Refuse To Disclose Donations

Dignitaries who on Thursday attended the public presentation of a book written by the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, deliberatel...

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Panama Papers Claim New Victim As Spain Minister Quits

BASAM 0 04:06:00

<p dir="ltr">The worldwide Panama Papers scandal claimed a fresh political victim Friday as Spain’s industry minister resigned over allegations he had links to offshore companies.<br>
Jose Manuel Soria said he had tendered his resignation “in light of the succession of mistakes committed along the past few days, relating to my explanations over my business activities… and considering the obvious harm that this situation is doing to the Spanish government.”<br>
Soria’s troubles began on Monday when Spanish online daily El Confidencial, which has had access to the Panama Papers — millions of files leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca — said he was an administrator of an offshore firm in 1992.<br>
Soria called a news conference to deny any link to the company, but as the week went by, more allegations emerged from other media outlets, revealing further alleged connections to offshore havens.<br>
It is unclear as yet whether any of his alleged actions were illegal.<br>
Soria is the latest political victim of the Panama Papers leak, which revealed how the world’s wealthy stashed assets in offshore companies and which the law firm blamed on a computer hack.<br>
Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was also forced to resign over the leaks.<br>
In his statement, Soria said politics “is an activity that must always be exemplary, also where… explanations are concerned.”<br>
“When that doesn’t happen, one must assume one’s responsibilities,” he added, in an indication that he was resigning due to how he had handled the revelations, rather than over any irregularities.<br>
Credit: <u>Guardian</u></p>
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Panama Papers Claim New Victim As Spain Minister Quits

Panama Papers Claim New Victim As Spain Minister Quits

The worldwide Panama Papers scandal claimed a fresh political victim Friday as Spain’s industry minister resigned over allegations he had li...

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Europa League Draws: Liverpool Play Villarreal , Shakhtar Donestk Tackle Sevilla

BASAM 0 04:05:00

<p dir="ltr">Villarreal face Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk take on Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final, following the draw in Nyon on Friday.<br>
Jurgen Klopp’s side made it through to the last four following a dramatic 4-3 quarter-final victory over Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night, while Villarreal defeated Sparta Praha, Shakhtar triumphed over Braga and Sevilla knocked out Athletic Club.</p>
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Europa League Draws: Liverpool Play Villarreal , Shakhtar Donestk Tackle Sevilla

Europa League Draws: Liverpool Play Villarreal , Shakhtar Donestk Tackle Sevilla

Villarreal face Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk take on Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final, following the draw in Nyon on Friday. Jurge...

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