Tunji Braithwaite dies at 82

Tunji Braithwaite, former presidential candidate of the oldest surviving political party in the country, Nigeria Advance Party (NAP) is dead.

The 82-year-old elder-statesman and  lawyer died yesterday morning at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos.

His son, Olumide, who confirmed his death, told newsmen that Sir Tunji Braithwaite died after a brief illness.

Fuel scarcity without end

By The Editorial Board of The Guardian Newspaper

The recurrent spectacle of petrol scarcity in Nigeria in recent times should be seen as an embarrassment that should be dealt with immediately. President Muhammadu Buhari has underscored this national shame with his meeting with all stakeholders a few days ago after which the government acknowledged the scale of the problem.

However, lamentations are not enough. In addition to the new mandates for more imports, the Buhari government should set to work immediately on a long-term scheme that will not only end scarcity but ensure the refining of enough petroleum products for Nigerians’ consumption.

As usual, the recurrent challenge that is apparently disruptive to the economy is attributed to the controversial billions of Naira in subsidy being paid to some importers and oil marketers. The issue has often generated heat and altercations and some of the marketers are still in court over charges of economic crimes against the state.

Open Heavens 21 March 2016 Monday daily devotion: THE PEACE OF GOD

THE PEACE OF GOD 

Memorise: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7

Read: John 14:23-27 (KJV)

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Bible in One Year: Judges 5:1-6:35, Job 39:26-40:14

MESSAGE

Nigeria's ex-defence chief raided staff salary funds

Nigeria's former chief of defence staff bought property including a $5.5 million mansion with air force money, passing off his fraudulent withdrawals as staff salaries, a court heard Wednesday.

Retired air chief marshal Alex Badeh is on trial at a federal high court in Abuja, accused of diverting 3.97 billion naira ($19.8 million, 18 million euros) for his own use.

The 59-year-old, arrested as part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign by President Muhammadu Buhari, denies 10 counts of fraud, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

The finance director under Badeh when he was chief of air staff at the time of the alleged offences in 2013 said he exchanged 558.2 million naira for dollars every month on his boss' instructions.

The money was part of some four billion naira set aside for monthly salaries for air force personnel, retired air commodore Salisu Abdullahi Yushau told the court in evidence.

Lekki Building Collapse: Ambode sacks MD of Building Control Agency, 3 others

In the wake of the Lekki Gardens building collapse, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday approved the dismissal of the General Manager of the Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Engr. Adeigbe Olushola.

The Governor also approved the dismissal of the Head of Inspection and Quality Control in the Agency, Adeoye Thomas Adeyemi, the Zonal District Officer in the Agency, Dosunmu Gbadebo, while the Zonal Head of Eti-Osa West of the Agency, Mrs. Akinde Adenike Sherifat was compulsorily retired from the Civil Service.

Falz - Soldier (Full Length Movie) ft. SIMI

This Video is quite on point... Woooww!

This Falz Guy is quite talented.

Watch and Enjoy!

  

Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, shared the stage with IMF boss, Christine Lagarde, at the IMF international Womens day celebration. Continue to see more photos...

Wike lacks capacity to govern Rivers state - Amaechi

Former Rivers State governor and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has accused his successor, governor Nyesom  Wike of lacking the political will and capacity to govern Rivers State.

Amaechi stated this on Sunday at an APC rally in Rumueme, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, ahead of the state and national assembly elections on Saturday.

LASU Anthony Campus Results are yet to be released for over 6yrs

An affected student writes in...

I attended LASU (Anthony Campus) and graduated in the year 2009 but as I write this, we are yet to receive our results from the school authorities. We have pleaded with the school authorities on several occasions on the release of our results but unfortunately our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

It is high time we call the attention of Lagos State government and Management of Lagos State University (LASU) to the plight of ex-Students of the institution. many students who have graduated from the school and met all the necessary requirements to be awarded certificates are yet to receive any proof of graduation.

The worse hit are students of the School of Part-time Studies (Anthony Campus) who have nothing to show after spending at least 6 years in the institution. Some students who wrote their final exams some 6 years ago are still at the mercy of the School's Senate to approve their results. This is not encouraging especially in a highly competitive and harsh labour environment like ours.

We are pleading with the listening Governor of Lagos, His Excellency, Akinwunmi Ambode to look critically at the management of LASU with a view to expediting the release of student's result‎.

Ibe Kachikwu apologizes to Nigerians over lingering fuel scarcity

Minister of state for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu, took to his twitter handle to apologize to Nigerians over the lingering fuel scarcity. He also assured that the fuel situation will soon be allayed.

Fani Kayode reacts to call for EFCC to arrest and probe Jonathan

Nigeria's former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the call to probe former president Goodluck Jonathan.

He condemned calls for the EFCC to arrest and probe former President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to him Jonathan had done nothing to warrant being arrested and that those calling for his arrest and interrogation should understand the implications of doing so.

Open Heavens 14 March 2016 Monday daily devotion: ASSURANCE OF SONSHIP

ASSURANCE OF SONSHIP 

Memorise: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: – Romans 8:16

Read: 1 John 3:7-10 (KJV)

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 13:8-15:63, Job 36:17-33

MESSAGE

New breast cancer drugs wipe out tumours in just 11 days

A new treatment for breast cancer has completely eradicated tumours in just 11 days, UK doctors have shown.

They said the “surprise” findings, reported at the European Breast Cancer Conference, could mean some women no longer need chemotherapy.

The drugs, tested on 257 women, target a specific weakness found in one-in-ten breast cancers.

Experts said the findings were a “stepping stone” to tailored cancer care.

The doctors leading the trial had not expected or even intended to achieve such striking results.

They were investigating how drugs changed cancers in the short window between a tumour being diagnosed and the operation to remove it.

But by the time surgeons came to operate, there was no sign of cancer in some patients.

Prof Judith Bliss, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said the impact was “dramatic”.

Open Heavens 11 March 2016 Friday daily devotion: JOINT-HEIR, JOINT SUFFERER

Open Heavens 11 March 2016: Friday daily devotion

JOINT-HEIR, JOINT SUFFERER

Memorise: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  – 2 Timothy 2:12

Read: Romans 8:12-17 (KJV)

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 7:1-8:29, Job 34:31-35:8

MESSAGE

Lagos building collapse : Death toll climbs to 34

34 people have now been confirmed dead in the 5-storey building that collapsed at Chisco bus stop, opposite Oando Gas Station in the Lekki area of Lagos state on ‎Tuesday March 8th. 16 more dead bodies were recovered from the rubble yesterday.

Meanwhile the number of survivors still stands at 13. National Emergency Management Agency Southwest spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye, while speaking to newsmen at the rescue site at about 7.30pm, said: “Operations concluded at 7.20pm with 34 dead and 13 rescued after reaching ground zero. Investigation on the cause of the collapse has started by various federal and state agencies.”

Afghanistan women's team launches football kit with world's first built-in hijab

The groundbreaking kit - released on International Women’s Day - is the first ever branded national strip to incorporate a hijab.

Hummel’s owner Christian Stadil said: "We don't sponsor the biggest teams in the world, but we make partnerships with teams and clubs with a story to tell, like Afghanistan.

"We try to meet the Afghan people where they are, and right now that is by helping the women play football with or without a hijab."

Khalida Popal - the hugely popular ex-captain of the Afghanistan women’s football team - helped design the kit.

Lagos Building collapse: Death toll now 30, building contractor arrested

The Police in Lagos have arrested the contractor who is handling the collapsed five storey building in Lekki area of the state, just as the current death toll rose from 18 to 30 in the last 24 hours.

The Lagos State Police Spokesperson, SP Oladapo Badmus, who made the disclosure to the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, did not disclose where the contractor was arrested.

Badmus gave his name as Odofin Taiwo, adding that he was currently under investigation. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that the death toll at the collapsed five storey building in Lekki, had risen to 30 as at 4 p.m. on Wednesday The General Manager of LASEMA, Mr Michael Akindele, said that as at 12.40 p.m. on the same day, 13 other people had been rescued.

Correspondents of NAN who were at the scene report that the 28th dead person was brought out from the rubble at about 2 p.m., and the 30th minutes before 4 p.m. The dead bodies had been evacuated to the mortuary.

Assets declaration by civil servants

By The Editorial Board [The Guardian]

The directive, the other day, by President Muhammadu Buhari, making it mandatory for all workers in the federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to declare their assets signposts another level of the effort at winning the war against corruption. No one should be in doubt that asset declaration is a veritable part of the ongoing sanitisation process and extending it to civil servants, as it ordinarily should be, is a welcome development. Except those who have something to hide, the directive should be fully accepted and obeyed immediately as there is a compelling need to rid the civil service of corruption.

The directive came on the heels of overwhelming evidence of financial improprieties and sundry corrupt actions among government workers as gathered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in collaboration with financial institutions at the end of the Bank Verification Number exercise. Mind-boggling deals have been revealed involving all levels of officials in the country’s public service to the extent that, according to reports, what has been found with politicians pales into relative insignificance.

Electricity generation sinks to 1,580MW

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday confirmed that the power generation level has dropped to an all-time low of 1,580 Mega Watts (MW), thereby dampening hopes of early resolution of the nation’s power supply crisis.

The power generation slide, which was earlier attributed to gas pipeline vandalism, was said to have been accentuated by the on-going industrial dispute in the nation’s power sector.

Already the epileptic supply has been deeply impacting on commercial and domestic activities, as consumers continued to groan under intense heat and business collapse, even as fuel scarcity has blighted private power generation.

According to the TCN’s System Operations, the lower generation automatically degenerated into lower power allocation to the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) across the country.

Yakubu Gowon finally accepts fathering a love child, 48 years after

Ex-military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, retd; yesterday owned up to fathering a love child with the late public relations expert, Princess Edith Ike Okongwu, bringing to an end the 48-year-old paternity dispute over Musa Gowon.

Musa Gowon. Musa, who returned to Nigeria at the end of last year, after about 23 years in a United States prison, was acknowledged by Gen. Gowon upon the report of a conclusive DNA test.

The paternity dispute was the subject of a legal action that reached the Supreme Court in Nigeria, which Okongwu won.

However, execution of the judgment was thwarted by the arrest of Musa by United States law enforcement officials in Dallas on the charge of importing heroin into that country.