Photography at its best…. Credits Mohammed Alley Jnr
Month: June 2016
PHOTOS OF MALEKE, STABBED AT ASO-TIME
POP STAR GETS HOSPITALIZED FOR EXHAUSTION
British singer Rita Ora was hospitalized for exhaustion on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
She shared the photo above on her Instagram with the caption, “Today was pretty tough but I’m getting through it thank you to all of you for the support! I love you!! #exhaustionisreal”, the post has however been deleted.
The “R.I.P” singer had earlier in the day shared her day with fans on her snapchat. Starting off her morning at a photo shoot in London, which she documented via her Snapchat.
As the day went on, Ora felt exhausted and eventually took a trip to the hospital, where she got an IV and some rest.
And we are not surprised by this breakdown. The “Body on Me” singer has been very busy lately after partying at the Glastonbury Festival over the weekend and a tiring photo shoot!
Credit: Pulse.NG
US DONATES 160 TONS OF SEEDLINGS TO 6,000 IN N’EAST
A statement from the US embassy Information Office on Thursday in Abuja, said more than 60,000 internally displaced persons in the local government authorities of Madagali, Michika, Gombe, and Fufore in Adamawa, and Kaga in Borno benefitted from the effort.
It said that the USAID collaborated with the Adamawa State Ministry of Agriculture, the American University of Nigeria’s Adamawa Peace Initiative, and the Borno state government to ensure the distribution occurred ahead of this year’s planting season.
“These distribution efforts are literally sowing the seeds for recovery and resilience of IDPs; working with the Nigerian government and other partners, USAID plays an active role in helping the Northeast realize its full potential,” said Michael Harvey, USAID/Nigeria Mission Director.
The statement explained that the USAID supports several humanitarian, transitional, and longer-term development activities in northeastern Nigeria, totaling $133 million in collaboration with the government at the federal, state, and local levels.
It noted that current and forthcoming activities would improve governmental capacity and performance, strengthen food security, and provide services for IDPs.
CBN SETS ASIDE N2.5BN FOR CORP MEMBERS WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS
The Central Bank of Nigeria said it had set aside a total sum of N2.5bn for members of the National Youth Service Corps with good business ideas.
The N2.5bn which was set aside out of the N220bn Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development fund would be disbursed to the youth corp members under the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
The CBN is targeting to create a total of one million jobs through the YEDP which is the initiative of the apex bank launched on March 15 this year by the CBN Governor,Mr Godwin Emefiele.
The purpose of the program is to address the challenges of youth unemployment in the country.
Under the program, the apex bank in collaboration with Heritage Bank Plc would develop the entrepreneurial capacity of the youths as well as provide them with fund of a maximum of N3m each to operate a business
The activities to be covered under the programme are startups and expansion projects in agricultural value chain (fish farming, poultry and snail farming), cottage industry, mining and solid minerals.
Others are tourism, arts and crafts, information and communications technology and any other activity that may be determined by the CBN.
Speaking during the event at the NYSC camp in Abuja, Emefiele said the initiative would enable the CBN conserve the huge foreign exchange which had been spent in importing food items.
He said each Corp member is entitled to N3m adding that their discharge certificate as well their degree certificate would be used as collateral to secure the loan.
He said, “It is not a grant and it is a loan that must be paid. We are determined to give support to the youth and I truly must thank the National Youth Service Corps who has helped us to put together the first set of NYSC, so that we can nurture them as young entrepreneurs, not as people who go into the world looking for jobs.
“We want to nurture them as people who are developing the entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurial skills, not only for their good but also for the good of the country.
He expressed optimism that the Corp member would not default in repaying the loan owing to the fact that they would not want to lose their certificate for a loan of N3m.
He added, “We do not anticipate that any of them fails. However, we have as collateral their NYSC certificate as well as their degree certificate. We know that our youths know the importance of their degree certificates as well as their NYSC certificate as collateral for this loan.
“I don’t think that somebody who has got a degree certificate or HND certificate to attain a gainful employment or a gainful life will abandon his certificate or his NYSC discharge certificate just because he wants to take a loan and not pay.”
The Director General, NYSC, Brigadier-General Sule Kazaure, commended the CBN for initiating the program for corps members.
He said a total of 1,500 corps members are participating in the entrepreneurship training program across the country.
He said 180 participants in the scheme are in Abuja; Plateau, 130; Katsina State, 208; Enugu State,160; Akwa Ibom 227; Osun State, 271; and Lagos State, 179.
Credit: PunchNG
N750M FRAUD: BENUE GOV OKAYS EFCC’S ARREST OF SPEAKER, OTHER
Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, on Thursday lauded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for arresting and investigating the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Terkimbir Ikyange, and three principal officers of the assembly.
Ortom spoke with State House correspondents shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The principal officers of the assembly were invited to Abuja on Tuesday over alleged misappropriation of N750m meant for the purchase of cars for members.
Others invited by the commission included the Deputy Speaker, James Okefe; and the Majority Leader, Benjamin Adanyi.
While lauding the EFCC over the development, the governor said his government would never shield anybody who is found to be corrupt or wanting.
He said, “Yes, it (the arrest of the lawmakers) is a good thing, it is part of the process. They are under investigation by the EFCC.
“From day one, I brought up a slogan that ‘if you chop money, money will chop you’. We have to be careful and I have sent signals to all that nobody is above the law.
“If you do it wrong, you will go your own way. As far as I am concerned, they are under
investigation. Let us see the outcome we would have.
“As far as I am concerned, my government will not shield anybody who is corrupt and who is found wanting. Myself as governor and every other lieutenants are open to scrutiny; there is Freedom of Information Bill and people are allowed to get information from these sources.”
The governor however warned against peddling false information against government officials.
Credit: PunchNG
I’M READY TO RETURN N400M – METUH
A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has said he’s in support of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
He said he’s already searching for money to refund to the national treasury, the N400m he was paid by the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan for image laundering.
Metuh is currently undergoing trial for allegedly collecting the money from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sabo Dasuki(retd.).
His prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, has reached advanced stage.
The N400m was said to be part of money meant for the purchase of arms to wage the war against insecurity in the North-East.
Metuh, in a statement issued by his lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) in Abuja on Thursday, said he was ready to refund the entire money.
The statement was titled, “Why our client (Chief Olisa Metuh) is offering to refund the N400 million – Counsel.”
Metuh said that his earlier proposal to refund the N400m released to him by former President Jonathan, was because he didn’t know where the money came from.
The statement said, “We want to restate that at the time the money was released to him after his presentation to the ex-President, our client had no knowledge of the source, a fact that is now obvious from the evidence of the prosecution and defence witnesses.
“Our client had every cause to believe that the money was from the ex-President to whom he made presentation, received directives and rendered report and accounts accordingly.
“When the matter first came up and Metuh was invited to the Office of the National Security Adviser in December 2015, he requested to know the source of the money and expressed his readiness to make refunds if it was from government coffers, not minding that the money had been expended as directed by the former President.
“Officials at ONSA never got back to him as they promised, until his arrest by the EFCC in January 2016.”
He said that it was during his prosecution that he got to know the source of the fund.
Credit: PunchNG
I WON’T SURRENDER BENUE TO CRIMINALS – ORTOM
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has vowed not to surrender the state to politicians who are sponsoring criminals to create a sense of insecurity.
Ortom made the vow in an interview with Journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
He explained that his administration was aware of the activities of desperate politicians who were using cultists and other miscreants to try and divert attention from his administration’s quest to recover stolen public funds.
According to him, the administration is poised to ensure the security of lives and property in the state because it recognizes the critical role security plays in attracting investors and by extension development.
He equally announced that he has sent a bill to the State House of Assembly in order to provide a legal frame work for the operation of ranches and to outlaw grazing.
Ortom said, “There are some political undertones to the security issue. People are being instigated to go into kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism and all that; just to create tension. All these things are as a result of our quest to recover stolen funds from past administrators.
“All these things are being instigated to divert attention and create confusion but I want to assure you that there is no way I can surrender the state to criminals, I am going to take them headlong.
“Cattle are raised in America, in Europe in Asia even on African soil. I have been to Swaziland they ranch their cattle, their major export earner is beef but they ranch their cattle. Why should we refuse to do the same thing?”
The governor explained that Benue State does not have land for grazing, adding that Nigeria’s population is now far greater than what it had in the 1950’s when areas were designated for grazing.
Ortom appealed to the federal government to partner with state governments to encourage herdsmen to embrace the modern culture of ranching to prevent incessant clashes with farmers in order not to endanger the nation’s food production.
Credit: PunchNG
COURT FIXES SEPTEMBER 27 FOR ORJI KALU, OTHERS’ ARRAIGNMENT
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered that a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, and his co-accused would on September 27, be arraigned on the charges of money laundering involving alleged diversion of about N3.2bn belonging to the state preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Anwuri Chikere fixed the date for arraignment after rejecting a defence counsel’s application to defer it till when the Supreme Court would deliver its judgment on a pending appeal challenging the validity of the charges.
The EFCC had, in 2007, preferred the charges against Kalu alongside Jones Udeogo, and the former governor’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited.
In the amended charges of 34 counts, the accused were said to have diverted a cumulative sum of N3.2bn from the Abia State Government’s treasury while Kalu was the governor of the state.
The case had however failed to make progress as all the three defendants had separately challenged the court’s decision dismissing their notices of preliminary objection to the charges, at the Court of Appeal and later at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had on March 18, 2016, dismissed Kalu’s and Udeogo’s separate appeals and ordered them to face their trial.
But Slok Nigeria Limited’s lawyer, Mr. Solomon Akuna (SAN), had on May 16 drawn the attention of Justice Chikere to the pending appeal by his client in the case and urged the court to adjourn the case indefinitely till when the Supreme Court would rule on it.
He had said two appeals numbered; SC.215/2012 and SC.264/2012 had been heard and determined but the third appeal, SC.264A/2012, filed by Slok yet to be heard by the apex court.
Justice Chikere had then further adjourned the case till Thursday.
Akuna again on Thursday insisted that the arraignment could not take place until the apex court’s judgment was delivered.
He asked the court to further adjourn for mention of the case, but the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), disagreed with the defence lawyer and urged the court not to adjourn for definite arraignment of the accused.
Jacobs cited provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which he said prohibited stay of proceedings in a criminal trial.
The prosecutor asked the defence lawyer to go to the Supreme Court to obtain an order for stay of proceedings if he was interested in halting the trial.
The judge agreed with the prosecuting counsel and fixed September 27 for the arraignment of the accused.
Credit: PunchNG
BE PATIENT WITH ME, BUHARI BEGS NIGER DELTANS
Amidst renewed violence in the Niger Delta, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appealed to traditional and opinion leaders in the troubled area to appeal to the people of the region to be patient with his administration.
He promised that his government would properly utilise the nation’s resources to rebuild the country, including the region.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a delegation of the Niger Delta Dialogue and Contact Group led by the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, Bayelsa State, King Alfred Diette-Spiff, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari promised that under his watch, Nigeria would witness judicious utilisation of resources.
“We intend to rebuild this country so that our children and grand-children will have a good place they can call their own. A lot of damage has been done, so I want you to tell the people to be patient.
“When you get together with other leaders, please pacify the people. We will utilise the resources of Nigeria with integrity and rebuild the country,” the President told his guests.
Buhari also said the gazette on the Niger Delta amnesty programme by the Umaru Yar’Adua administration was being studied with a view to determining what had been fulfilled, promising that whatever is left would also be addressed.
“I want to get as much intelligence as possible on the situation in the Niger Delta. I have encouraged law enforcement agencies to contact leaders like you in order to have enough information to deal with the issues once and for all, “the President said.
He sympathised with investors who borrowed money to invest in the Niger Delta and have not recouped their investments due to insecurity.
He reiterated his appeal to those who perpetrate violence to embrace peace and give government a chance.
Diette-Spiff said the group was made of peace builders, dedicated to peace and stability in the region.
Credit: PunchNG
9JA VOICESITE 