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President Muhammadu Buhari departs Abuja, Wednesday, for Banjul, Republic of The Gambia, to attend the inauguration of Gambian President, Adama Barrow, following his re-election for a second term. On the invitation of his host, President Buhari  will be Special Guest of Honour at the ceremonies to be attended by other African leaders at the Independence Stadium, Bakau. President Buhari, along with other ECOWAS leaders, played a leading role in the restoration of democratic rule in The Gambia in 2017 after the former President, Yahya Jammeh, refused to surrender power after losing the election.    The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd); Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai, and other top government officials. The President is expected back in the country at the end of the inauguration ceremonies.   Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the Pre

PRESIDENT BUHARI CONDEMNS UAE ATTACK President Muhammadu Buhari has denounced as worrisome escalation, the drone strikes in the United Arab Emirates that caused explosions and a deadly fire outside the capital, Abu Dhabi. In a reaction to the Monday incident, President Buhari said such attacks targeting innocent people and civilian infrastructure, leading to the loss of lives were condemnable by all reasonable opinions around the globe and should be stopped. “On behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria, we express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the people and the friendly state of the UAE," said the President. President Buhari urged restraint to give dialogue and engagement a chance.   Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) January 18, 2022. One more photo below.

 REMARKS BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, REP. FEMI GBAJABIAMILA AT THE RESUMPTION OF PLENARY FOR THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE YEAR.  TUESDAY, 18TH JANUARY 2022.  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CHAMBER, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, ABUJA. PROTOCOLS Good morning honourable colleagues.  1. I welcome you all back to the House of Representatives.  I thank you all for being here this morning.  And I am delighted to see you all looking refreshed and energised, ready to do the people’s business.  I thank God almighty for protecting us through our travels and for his many mercies upon our lives.  2. The 9th House of Representatives, despite the limitations imposed on us by a global pandemic, has been an unusually productive parliament.  We have taken legislative action to address longstanding challenges of governance and economics in our country.  We have passed landmark legislation to fix our oil and gas industry, reform the police and reorganise the corporate administration system in our coun

 BENUE, UNICEF PARTNER TO PROVIDE 2000 BOREHOLES IN EIGHT LGAs  By Jimin Geoffrey  Benue State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, has provided over two thousand boreholes to communities in eight Local Government Areas of the state.  Outgoing UNICEF Chief Field Officer in Nigeria, Dr Ibrahim Conteh who disclosed this Tuesday, January 18th, 2022 at the Benue Peoples House during a farewell visit on the Governor said the feat was achieved in a period of four years.  Dr. Conteh stated that the intervention was to ensure that the most deprived communities have access to safe drinking water which he said could save the people, especially children and women from contracting water borne diseases.  The UNICEF Chief Field Officer who is moving to Afghanistan stated that the UN Agency has gone a step further to connect the boreholes to primary health care centres and primary schools in the communities and assured that they would also undertake rehabil

January 18, 2022 Press Statement PDP Mocks Buhari, APC Over Unveiling of Bogus Rice Pyramids  …Says They’re Pyramids of Lies The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mocks the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its government for staging another shameless media stunt to again beguile Nigerians ahead of 2023 elections with the unveiling of bogus rice pyramids in Abuja, which are now known as “pyramids of lies”. Nigerians are already aware and the pictures abound of how the APC and its government “create” fake pyramids of rice with sandbags and re-bagged rice stacked on pyramid shaped wooden structures as busted in an APC-controlled state in the Southwest in 2018. Of course, there is nothing to celebrate in the APC pyramid of lies in Abuja. It is rather shameful that APC leaders are again ridiculing President Muhammadu Buhari by making him unveil pyramids of allegedly imported foreign rice which are re-bagged as locally produced, just to create an impression of a boost in local production und

 President Muhammadu Buhari unveils Mega Rice pyramids by the Central Bank of Nigeria and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Abuja. UPDATED  PRESIDENT BUHARI ASSURES NIGERIANS OF BETTER PRICES FOR RICE, SAYS 4.8 MILLION SMALLHOLDER FARMERS SUPPORTED BY ANCHOR BORROWERS’ PROGRAMME President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja urged Nigerians to exercise some patience as the growing food production in the country, especially expansion in rice farming, will eventually bring down prices of food, making it more affordable for all. The President, who spoke at the official commissioning ceremony of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)/Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Rice Paddy Pyramids at the Abuja International Trade Fair Complex, said across Nigeria, more than 4.8 million smallholder farmers had been supported by Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, with increase in production of 23 agricultural commodities including maize, rice, oil palm, cocoa, cotton, cassava, tomato and livestock

PRESS RELEASE Minister Inaugurates Audience Measurement Panel in Move To Boost Broadcast, Advert Industries The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said putting in place a scientific audience measurement system will boost investments in Nigeria's broadcast and advertising industries. ''We are committed to delivering an empirical audience measure system that will catalyze investment in broadcast and advertising industries, ensure the success of the DSO project as well as fire the imagination and boost the morale of creatives. ''We are undaunted by the enormity of the challenges we face in this regard, because we have a bunch of committed, patriotic and hardworking men and women to tackle the challenges headlong,'' the Minister said while inaugurating the 15-member committee, which has Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya as Chairman. He said the inauguration is the culmination of a series of events that included the setting up of the Task Team on Audie

 ‘I don’t want to see Nnamdi Kanu in these clothes again’ — Judge Binta Nyako directs DSS By Bolanle Olabimtan Binta Nyako, judge of an Abuja federal high court, has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to change his clothes. Previously, Nyako had directed the DSS to allow the IPOB leader to have a bath whenever he wants to, change his clothes, eat properly and practice his faith. However, at the court session on Tuesday, Mike Ozekhome, Kanu’s lead counsel, complained that his client is still being subjected to poor treatment in DSS custody. He said Kanu is still being kept in solitary confinement and that any other detainee who greets him is also kept in solitary confinement. Shortly before adjourning the matter, Nyako reminded the defendant that a detention facility is not a five-star hotel. However, she reiterated her previous order that the IPOB leader should be allowed the maximum comfort possible, i

Why? Because we are living in uncertain times and the primordial family and extended family structures are not what they used to be. Whilst we must keep working hard to strengthen family relationships, show your sons who your true, tried and tested friends are. It is not a ‘must’ that they are blood relatives. They need to know those who stood by you through rough times and saw you through life’s challenges. Introduce your children to their children. That’s how we can build profound friendships and a more dynamic and sustainable society. Your children, especially your sons will bear the brunt if not well equipped with this safety net. They will see hell at the hands of fair weather relatives and an increasingly hostile kindred and society when you are no more. I have received so many phone calls of commendation on our condolence visit to Ichi, to the family of Sir Emma Bishop Okonkwo, But this is nothing compared to the human worth of this man. My son, Afamefuna made it back for that e

  Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, granted bail to Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha, in the sum of N200m (Two Hundred Million Naira).   The Lagos Command of the EFCC, had, on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, arraigned Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activities, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activities, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretence and use of property derived from an unlawful act. 

A Gombe State High Court presided over by Justice H.M. Shamaki on Monday January 17, 2022 convicted and sentenced a businessman,  Ibrahim Mohammed Wada, to one year imprisonment on a one count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and conversion, brought against him by the Gombe Zonal Command of the EFCC. The offence is contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 312 of the same Law.

 You Have a Case to Answer: Court Tells Ex-Gov Nyako  The Court of Appeal today, Tuesday, 18th January, 2022, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC was in order to have investigated and prosecuted the former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako. The ex- governor who ran to the appellate court to to put a spanner in his prosecution has been asked to return to the High Court, Abuja to open his defence before Justice Okon Abang. It would be recalled that Justice Abang on July 19, 2021, ordered Nyako to enter defence in his ongoing corruptuon trial. The EFCC had charged Nyako and eight others for money laundering. The eight others are: his son, Abdulazeez; Sebore Farms and Extension Ltd; Pagado Fortunes Ltd with money laundering.  Other are Zulkifik Abba; Abubakar Aliyu; Blue Opal Ltd; Tower Assets Management Ltd and Crust Energy Ltd. Nyako went and filed an appeal when he felt dissatisfied with the judgment of Justice Abang, which dismissed his no-case submission. Fo

Proud Parents  Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and his wife Dr Nkechi Ikpeazu celebrating with their daughter Dr Betsy Ikpeazu who graduated with four distinctions in Medicine from a Nigerian University on Monday. One more photo below.

SAD: Tragedy strikes as a recently engaged couple pass away in a car accident. The young couple, Kareem Oluwagbemiga Bright and Usulam Enoch were both nurses at FMC, Yola. The couple got engaged in December, 2021 and had the accident on January 17, 2022 where both of them died. So sad! 📸: Kareem Oluwagbemiga Bright (Facebook). More photos below.

Nigerian Police, INTERPOL Collaborate to Bust Cybercrime Syndicate, Arrest 12 A combined and coordinated operation of the Nigerian Police and the International Police (INTERPOL), has yielded positive results as 12 alleged member of a prolific cybercrime network, has been arrested. A statement exclusively obtained by the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), and signed by the Vice President INTERPOL (Africa) and Head, National Central Bureau Abuja, Director, DACORA, AIG (Dr) Garba Baba Umar, revealed that the joint operation, which was carried out by the officers of the Nigerian Police Cybercrime Unit and INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Nigeria, exposed suspects said to be members of Silver Terrier, a network known for Business E-mail Compromise (BEC) scams which have harmed thousands of companies globally. Describing how the intelligence-led operation was planned and executed, the statement stated the two prolific institutions undertook a 10-day op

  ''This pics brings back sweet memories, little Tuvi, Jon Njamah, Jim Iyke, Hilda Dokubo, and Jude Orhorha. This was in the year 2000. @johnnjamah.film @jim.iyke @hildadokubo''- Actor Jude Orhorha. One more photo below.

  TVC ,YourView TV host Morayo Afolabi-Brown,is celebrating two of her children who turned three and ten years today.She shared all these photos today on her social media with the caption '' Today we celebrate the birth anniversary of our first and last born. Madam is 10yrs today🥳🎁🎉🎊🎊❤️❤️❤️ while my oga here is 3yrs old today🎁🎉🎉🥰🎊❤️❤️🎈🎈. Glory be to the Almighty. God bless and keep them. They’ll fulfill purpose and impact their generation in Jesus name. Yes, they share the same birthday! Since madam has the landmark age, we’ll focus more on her this year. 😀😀❤️❤️''. More photos below.

  The award winning American actor was seen in a short video he posted on social media where I got this clip from with the caption ''  85 Today! Happy Bday, Mom-Mom. Let’s dance our way to 100''.His mother is identified as Caroline Bright and Will Smith is her second child out of four children. His parents separated when he was 13,did not actually divorce until around 2000. One more photo below.

   A Zenith Bank Staff identified as Nwokorie Nnamdi Godson has reportedly committed suicide in Sapele, Delta State.  We learnt that his remains was found dangling from the scaffold of the water tank where he allegedly hanged himself at the Ugbeyiyi area of the town.  According to reports, the deceased made a post on his Facebook account but no one knew that it was a suicide note.  The post read; “I no longer have a mind of my own. Cos I now do things I later regret. The struggle is not funny any more. I am still good at heart so u know.”

Ebonyi State government has warned residents of the state against obeying the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ahead of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu's court outing. IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful had announced that a sit-at-home protest will be observed in all states in the South-East region on Tuesday January 18, the scheduled date for continuation of trial of the proscribed group's leader. However reacting to the order, Ebonyi government directed that all markets and parks in the state should open for business as failure to do so will attract “severe punishment”. Nwachukwu Eze, Ebonyi commissioner for markets and parks said in a statement; “All markets and parks leaderships in Ebonyi are by this announcement directed to ensure that markets are open for businesses on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. “The state is not in any way part of the sit-at-home order by IPOB. Please note that strict compliance to this directive is very important as failur