by Adedeji Ademigbuji

A teacher from Special Education Centre for Exceptional Children, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Imoh Essien, has emerged the 2016 Maltina teacher of the year at the grand finale in Lagos at the weekend.

For the feat, Essien was rewarded with N1million in addition to N500, 000 he received as state champion from Akwa Ibom.

He will also get N1million for five years, a training programme abroad and a block of six classrooms for his school.

Essien, a teacher of Computer, Basic Sciences and Physical Education, disclosed that he draws his teaching inspiration from his fun-loving personality with which he is able to help children with special needs.

He added that a strong emotional and mental stability is vital to positively impact children with special needs, a job he has done for twelve years.

An English teacher from Borno State, Mohammed Lawan, who was the first runner-up last year, repeated the feat in 2016.

Ogwu Patrick from Government Day Secondary School, Adankolo, Lokoja, Kogi State, emerged second runner-up.

Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Nicolaas Vervelde, explained the firm operates with the philosophy of “winning with Nigeria” and has championed causes that add value to the society since its inception in 1946.

He stressed: “Everywhere in the world, teachers play a vital role in sustainable national development by training, coaching and modeling which is critical to determining the quality of education”.

He informed that the company recently handed over a twin 3-bedroom staff residence to Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha, in honour of 2015 winner, Mrs. Roseline Obi.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, commended the initiative and described it as laudable.

He advised teachers to invest in themselves to raise their standard, adding that the ministry looks forward to signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Nigerian Breweries on the Maltina teacher of the year initiative.

British Prime Minister, David Cameron has resigned after Britain by a hotly-contested referendum on Thursday, voted to leave the European Union.

The results of the voting put pressure on the prime minster, who was among the most vocal voices for Britain to remain in the EU, to step down from office.

The minister says Britain needs fresh leadership to negotiate the country's exist from EU.

According to Cameron, he will remain as PM for the next three months to "steady the ship" 

By October, Britain will get a new Prime Minister when Cameron leaves office.

Political analysts say the result would see the UK adopts stringent immigration policies & perhaps trigger a gradual exit of the EU by other countries.

National Carrier Egypt Air said a plane carrying 66 passengers and crew on a flight(Ms804) from Paris to Cairo went missing Thursday at 2:45am, 20minutes before it was due to land at 03:05am after it entered Egyptian airspace.
It disappeared from the radar over the Mediterranean sea.
#GodBeWithThem!

Hello Lovelies, how are your plans for the weekend? I hope there are interesting?  I know by now Y'all are aware of the fuse that have been going on  about President Buhari's numerous tours, and recently his week long trip to China and how it will benefit the nation's dwindling economy. Well, below is a press release from the presidency on the matter. Was it a necessary trip or not? 

President Buhari has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his working visit to China, which has yielded additional investments in Nigeria exceeding $6 billion USD. President Buhari believes that the several agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit will have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

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. 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.

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Three mothers of schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in northeast Nigeria two years ago said they had identified their daughters in a video released by Islamist group Boko Haram, the first possible sighting of the girls since a video in May 2014.

About 15 girls featured in the video released to local officials on Tuesday, saying they were from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and pleading with the Nigerian government to cooperate with Boko Haram on their release.

The girls were filmed saying they were being treated well but wanted to go home and be with their families.

Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok on April 14, 2014, with 57 students managing to escape but 219 still missing despite a global campaign #bringbackourgirls involving celebrities and U.S. first lady, Michelle Obama.

Various false leads have raised hopes of finding the girls but their whereabouts remains unknown.

Mothers Rifkatu Ayuba and Mary Ishaya said they recognised their daughters, Saratu and Hauwa, in the video, while a third mother, Yana Galang, identified five of the missing girls. 

 “The girls were looking very, very well,” Mrs. Galang said in a telephone interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation after viewing the video at a screening organised by local officials in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State in northeast Nigeria.

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The Federal Government on Sunday denied media reports that the militant group, Boko Haram, is demanding $50 million from it as ransom before releasing the abducted Chibok school girls.

In an interview with the Voice of America, Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, said ransom reports were not new.

The minister said: “It appears we have several versions of this report.

“The one that we heard was from a source that (Boko Haram) wants to release 10 of these girls for one million Euros.

" But the most important thing is that we’ve gone through this route before, and until and when we establish the credibility of this source and the truth behind it, the government will not be in a hurry to make a statement.

“However, government is using its own channels to authenticate the credibility of this source,” he said.

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Last friday April 2nd, Members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly fought during their plenary session over the appointment of local council administrators in the state.
The state governor, Tanko Al-Makura had dissolved the boards of the various council administrators after their two-year tenure ended on March 24th.
The governor immediately appointed sole administrators to man the affairs of the Local government areas, a decision that was not welcomed by the state house legislators who according to them, had resolved to immediately conduct elections so that new Local government chairmen can be sworn in.

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Yunusa Dahiru, aka Yunusa Yellow, the suspected abductor of a Bayelsa teenager, Ese Oruru, was arraigned at a Federal High Court, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, today, Tuesday.

Yunusa Yellow, was charged for abduction, coercion, seduction into illicit intercourse, sexual exploitation and unlawful carnal knowledge of Miss Oruru.

He was brought to court in handcuffs, dressed in caftan and cap.

 

 

 

 

credit: premiumtimes

Samson Siasia has been re-appointed coach of the Super Eagles. He was appointed on Friday, 26th after Sunday Oliseh resigned earlier.

 

It could be recalled that Siasia was Super Eagles’ Head Coach between December 2010 and October 2011. His contract was terminated after the Super Eagles’s failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

 

Siasia is just in time to work with the team for the upcoming 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt.

 

All d best Siasia. Yes! you can only do your best. If d team does not qualifies or wins, Just pack your bags cos there seems to be a pattern of coaches being sacked wherever the team fails.  Which way NFF?

 

By Mohammed Lere

 

The day of reckoning is here. After walking free for about two years, former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, and four others are now set to face trial for their roles in the shoddy March 15, 2014 immigration recruitment exercise that killed no fewer than 20 job seekers across the country.

 

After investigating the matter for five months, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has now slammed an 11- count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering on Mr Moro; permanent secretary of the ministry at the time, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia; a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami; one Mahmood Ahmadu(at large), and the contracting firm given the recruitment job, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

The defendants are accused of defrauding 676, 675,000 (Six Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy Five) Nigerian applicants of N676,675,000 (Six Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Six Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira).

The applicants paid N1000 each through an e-payment platform for their online recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Immigration Service.

The accused are also alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by not following the necessary procedure laid down by the government.

 

The award of the contract to Drexel Tech Nig Ltd, the EFCC said. had no prior advertisement, no needs assessment and a procurement plan was not carried out before the contract was awarded.

The contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of 4 (Four) firms without seeking the approval of the Bureau for Public Procurement, contrary to sections 40, 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under section 58 of the same act, the anti-graft agency said.

 

Drexel Tech Global Nigeria Limited, the company that provided the online enlistment and recruitment services is said to be unregistered and had no legal capacity to enter into the said contract.

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Senator David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party has won the Benue South rerun election. He returns to the 8th Senate, from which the court ejected him a few months ago.The rerun was conducted after the Appeal Court annuled the March 28, 2015 election of which Mr. Mark was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission

 

In the rerun which took place on Saturday, the former Senate President defeated his sole challenger, Daniel Onjeh, a 41-year old former students’ leader, who contested on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, and was declared winner amid protests by his challenger, who demanded that the election be declared inconclusive. this could be because a total of 29,273 votes were cancelled, higher than the margin of win of 12,571 between  Mark and Onjeh.

 

Declaring the results of the rerun at 5.51am on Sunday, the Senatorial Returning Officer, Ishaq Eneji, said Mr. Mark garnered 84,192 votes, leaving margin of 12,571 between him and Mr. Onjeh who scored 71,621 votes.

“Having satisfied the requirement of the law, David Bournaventure is hereby declared winner" Mr. Eneji announced.

While the PDP congratulated Mr. David Mark for winning the Benue South Senatorial rerun election, the ruling All Progressives Congress has denied congratulating the former Senate President.
The APC said the twitter handle @APCNigeria, which congratulated Mr. Mark earlier on  was not an official one.

In its statement by its National Secretary, Mala Buni, the APC said, “The “congratulatory message” purportedly obtained from a twitter handle, “@APCNigeria” did not emanate from the party. The purported twitter message itself is not credited to any APC official.”
The ruling party said only its “National Chairman and the National Secretary officially speak for the party.”
 

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said it compelled Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to refund N6.2 billion to customers they over charged as cost of transactions in 2015.

This is contained in a statement made available by the Director, Corporate Communications, of the CBN, Ibrahim Mu’azu, in Abuja on Saturday.

 

According to the statement, the apex bank is always ready to checkmate banks and protect customers from illegal, excessive charges.

 

“The Revised Guide to Bank Charges clearly specifies allowable charges for all banking services; the CBN does not in any way condone the fleecing of banking customers under any guise.

 

It was in the quest to provide a strong voice to banks’ customers and moderate the arbitrary charges that the CBN in 2012 established a Consumer Protection Department.

 

“The CBN has investigated over 6,000 complaints relating to unauthorised bank charges brought to its notice, following which banks have been compelled to refund N6.2 billion to affected customers in 2015 alone.

 

“The CBN wishes to reiterate its resolve to continuously enforce the provision of the Revised Guide to Bank Charges and urges members of the public to report cases of infringement to enable it investigate and apply sanctions on any erring DMB”, it stated.

 

The statement urged bank customers to forward complaints of excessive bank charges to the Director, Consumer Protection Department of the Central Bank.

 

 

 

 

source: premiumtimes

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments in an interview granted to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper on February 5, many Nigerian have expressed dissatisfaction. The presidency has described the various interpretations of the President's comments as being misconstrued.

 

In a statement today by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, noted that the wave of negative reactions to the President’s remarks about the reputation of Nigerians abroad was a result of incomplete understanding of President Buhari’s point.

“President Buhari was asked about the flood of migrants from Nigeria and the fraudulent applications for asylum put in by people desperate to leave their motherland at any cost, and it was this question that elicited his response,” he said.

 

Mr Shehu added that it was preposterous for anyone to imagine that the president of Nigeria would describe all the citizens of the country he leads as criminals, when he himself is a Nigerian–obviously not a criminal–and when there are many Nigerians of honest living making their country proud all over the world.

“Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians giving their country a bad image abroad, and it is to those Nigerians that the President referred in his comments,” he said, adding that people may play politics and online games with the President’s comments, but the fact of the matter remains that Nigeria’s reputation abroad has been severely damaged by her own citizens. To that, I agree 

 

Excerpts from the interview;

 

A number of Nigerians use the migrant routes to come to the UK to claim asylum, saying their lives are at risk from Boko Haram. Is is legitimate for them to do so?

"Some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but then again some Nigerians have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in different prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking. I don't think Nigerians have anybody to blame. They can remain at home. Their services are required to rebuild the country. If their countrymen misbehaved, the best thing for them is to stay at home and encourage the credibility of the nation."

Do you think that Nigerians have an image problem abroad?

"Certainly. But we are on our way to salvage that. We will encourage our countrymen to stay at home, work hard and make a respectable living at home."

 

For full text of President Muhammadu Buhari's Interview to the Telegraph Newspaper, Uk, CLICK HERE

 

Fathe Ejike Mbaka who was recently transfered to a  new post at the Our Lady Parish, Emene has described his ‎re-posting by the church as a “calculated move” to make him suffer.

 

The controversial priest said  "I know we are going to suffer within now and few months to come,” the priest said. I am going to suffer and suffer; I know that. I’m going to suffer because I have no place to put my head. I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the Adoration Ministry’s assets. I know I’m going to suffer.”

 

Public criticisms had greeted the Enugu Diocese’s recent decision to transfer Mr. Mbaka out of Christ the King Parish‎, GRA, where he had served for over 10 years and also established a popular prayer ministry called The Adoration Prayer Ministry where thousands of Catholics  and indeed others throop to for  prayers, healing and miracles.

 

Well, In its reaction to the controversy over the transfer, the catholic church yesterday clarified the issue, said the posting was not meant to be punitive. That the Bishop has the right to post any priest wherever he feels his service would be more useful to the church.

 

The Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretar‎iat of Nigeria, Reverend Father Ralph Madu said transfer of priests within the catholic church is a “normal church procedure" and “Mbaka’s own is not an exception,”

 

 Is that so? Well, there are speculations by the general public that his being moved to another parish was a punishment for his firm  support of a Muslim candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, over his Christian predecessor, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan. It can be recalled that during last year’s general election process,  Father Mbaka had told a gathering of thousands of catholic faithfuls at his Adoration Prayer Ground ministry to vote out the incumbent, president Goodluck Jonathan.

 

But Mr. Madu in an interview with the media insist that  “such frivolities ‎have nothing to do with the posting". He said Mr. Mbaka had done things that were unacceptable to the church in the past but received no punishments for them.

 

So, people, It is just a posting.

        Kehinde Olatubosun  and  Dada Ayaji                                                  

Kehinde Olatubosun, 56, a  suspected drug addict arrested by the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Command has disclosed that he made over N300, 000 monthly from begging in Ikeja. The  Ibadan, Oyo State indigene was arrested on Saturday night along with 18 other drug addicts at a joint in Ipodo, Ikeja.

 

Mr. Olatubosun stated to the RRS that he made over N10, 000 daily begging at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout; beside the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital; Toyin Street; and Opebi.

 

".....What I do is that, I get LASUTH drug prescription papers. I get it from their waste bin. With this in my hand, I convince motorists, passengers and passersby that I have a relative who is in dire need of money to buy drugs and I show them the prescription papers.

“This is what I have been doing since I was deported from Germany in 2004. Before the deportation, I was working as Electrical Engineer in Bauhusa, Colon, Germany. I was in Germany for 12 years before I was deported.” Mr. Olatubosun‎ said his deportation from Germany was after he was caught in possession of hard drugs.

 

“Unfortunately, all the money I make from this begging goes into drugs. Day after day, I am always there, seven days a week. I make more money on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I make more than N10,000:00 on weekends. As I speak to you, I’m not on drugs but I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms, that is, the effect of not taking drugs for sometimes.”

 

The suspect who promised not to go back to drugs if released said it was the first time he would be arrested.

Another drug suspect, Dada Ajayi, arrested at the drug joint during the police raid, said that addiction had destroyed his life.

“‎I am trying to get over it now; drug has been the cause of my stagnation in life,” said Mr. Ajayi, 48, who said he had been hooked on drugs for over 17 years....Right now, I have lost my family because of my drug addiction. I don’t know where my children are or how to start my life again. I can’t stop going to that drug joint.... 

Read the full story HERE  as reported by Ben Ezeamalu

photocredit: premiumtimesng.com

A long Queue for kerosene

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has increased the price of Household Kerosene from N50 to N83. This is contained in its products pricing template, released on Sunday in Abuja. The template also showed that at N83, the Federal Government will be making a gain of N10.72 on every litre.

 

The official price difference, I'm sure will not matter much to millions of poor Nigerians who are used to buying the product at over N100 per litre even when the official price was N50.


photocredit: NAN

Thirty years after emerging victorious in the FIFA U-17 tournament in China, the Golden Eaglets team was on today rewarded by President Muhammadu Buhari with a cash gift of N2 million to each player, while their coaches were given N1.5 million each.

The team won the trophy in 1985 when Mr. Buhari was military Head of State. He promised to honour the team for its victor but his  tenure was cut short by a military coup, making it impossible for him to fulfill his promise.

President Buhari, today at a reception to honour the team and other victorious Nigerian athletes in recent competitions, said the reward given to them was not payment for their services to the country but a “token of appreciation". He thanked God for keeping him alive to fulfill his promise to the team.

 

Better late than never.


photo: www.completesportsnigeria.com

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Worldwide is live in Uyo, AKS. The man of God is ministering at a special holy ghost service (Tagged "Divine Visitation) at the Uyo Sport Stadium. I had to take photos from my Tv-screen. Yes! I'm watching it. I am not a Redeemer but I have to say, if you are not there or watching, you missing something.

be inspired!!! -Aitee

So after all the fuse, drama and accusations surrounding the submission of the 2016 budget document by the presidency to the Nat' Assembly,  President Muhammadu Buhari has written the National Assembly, notifying the lawmakers of the corrected version of the 2016 appropriation bill. He insisted that the draft bill remains the same and there are no changes in figures. A copy of the document containing the corrections was attached to the letter.

.
The letter reads: ‪

"It will be recalled that on Tuesday, 22 December, 2015, I presented my 2016 budget proposals to the joint sitting of the national assembly. I submitted a draft bill accompanied by a schedule of details.

At the time of submission, we indicated that because the details had just been produced, we would have had to check to ensure that there were no errors in the detailed breakdown contained in the schedule.

That has since been completed and I understand that the corrections have been submitted

The national assembly would therefore have the details as submitted on the 22nd and a copy containing the corrections submitted last week. It appears that this has led to some confusion.

In this regard, please find attached the corrected version. This is the version the national assembly should work with as my 2016 budget estimates. The draft bill remains the same and there are no changes in any of the figures."

Mr. Saraki who read the letter at the Senate plenary today, asked the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, to ensure the copies of the corrected document were circulated later Tuesday (today) so that the Senate could commence debate on the budget Wednesday

 

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, arrived the Federal High Court, Abuja today in handcuffs.

He is accused of receiving N400 million from an arms money diverted by the office of the National Security Adviser. Mr. Metuh has been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for about two weeks.

 

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Mr. Olisa Metuh, on the condition that he pays N400 million as bond.

Mr. Metuh is to also submit his international passport, and must provide two sureties with N200 million each. The sureties must have properties in Maitama district of Abuja.

 

so how many more persons did Dasuki share the so-called arms money to? I wonder..