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The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, says he came to the financial rescue of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when it was launched in 2004. Atiku spoke on The Candidate, a presidential town hall conversation hosted by Kadaria Ahmed, a journalist in response to a question on how he would make the anti-graft agency independent and able to discharge its duties on time without preferential treatment. He said the EFCC had no budgetary allocation to begin operation when it was launched. “My quarrel with the judicial system is that there is too much delay. If we can shorten the delay, so that justice is seen to be meted out immediately, better for us. “The problem is the legislation and the procedure being adopted by the judiciary. The cases we initiated in our administration are still in court. Now, where is the justice? “When we set up the EFCC, I personally brought the first draft of the regulation from Brazil an

Groundbreaking superhero blockbuster “Black Panther” on Sunday won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — a major boost to its campaign for Oscars glory next month. The film won for best ensemble cast, besting musical romance “A Star Is Born,” Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians.” Chadwick Boseman, who plays the title role in what was the top-grossing film in North America in 2018, explained the film’s significance alongside his co-stars, nearly all of them black. “We all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured, yet you are young, gifted and black,” Boseman told the audience at the Shrine Auditorium. “We knew that we had something special that we wanted to give the world — that we could be full human beings in the roles that we were playing, that we could create a world that exemplified a world we wanted to see.” “Black Panther” also won for best stunt

Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, has said that there is no room for experimentation in Lagos State and so needs someone who is experienced to govern the state. Fashola dropped the hint at a radio programme monitored by newsmen. He said the enormity and complexity of the state do not allow for it to be superintended by an inexperienced person. He said that for a state with a population of over 20 million people, only a tested and trusted person should be given the mandate to govern it. He debunked the assertion that the state was in bondage. He said, “Lagosians are not in any way in bondage. I cannot fathom where anybody got the notion that Lagosians are in bondage.” He was quick to point out that what the people of the state needed now is a tested and trusted person. The minister said the state was not a place for anybody to come and play but to settle down to serious business. He was quick to add, that during his tenure as governor

The Nigerian Bar Association,  has described the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari as a coup against the judiciary. NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN) also condemned the swearing-in of Justice Ibrahim Mohammed as Acting Chief Judge (CJN). It said the action of the executive portends a slide into anarchy, adding, “It is also a complete deconstruction of the rule of law and due process” “The NBA unequivocally rejects and condemns this attempted coup against the Nigerian Judiciary and evident suspension of the Nigerian Constitution by the Executive arm of the Federal Government. “It amounts to an absolute breach of the constitution and the usurpation of the powers of the senate and the Nigerian Judicial Council,” Usoro said. The statement noted that it was unfortunate that the executive arm of government purported to suspend the CJN on the basis of an alleged ex parte order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. “This is the same Tribunal that,

People’s Democratic Party said it has suspended its election campaigns for 72 hours after the chief justice of the country Walter Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari. “we are suspending our campaign for 72 hours,” PDP’s national chair Uche Secondus said. “It is our hope that President Buhari will listen to the voice of all lovers of democracy the world over and restore democracy in Nigeria immediately and without qualifications.” Onnoghen is facing a six-count charge of non-declaration of assets when he became the chief justice of Nigeria. President Buhari said the allegations against Onnoghen were “grievous enough”. He said in an address on Friday that “security agencies have since then traced other suspicious transactions running into millions of dollars to the CJN’s personal accounts.” Onnoghen’s suspension was immediately followed by the swearing in of Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed as the acting chief justice of Nigeria. Although Secondus was silent on th

The former governor of old Oyo State, Dr. Victor Olunloyo, on Thursday disclosed that Nigeria is in her worst state since independence. Dr. Olunloyo dropped the bombshell as guest lecturer of the First Research Development of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) which attracted principal officers of the institution including the Rector, Mr. Obafemi Omokungbe. His words: ‘’This country is in her worst state for two reasons: violence and corruption ravaging the country. We are witnesses to what is happening in the country.’’ Olunloyo, whose lecture was titled: ‘’Mathematics, Science, Technology and Innovations,” said he never amassed wealth as a governor nor he had he any landed property in the country. “I hate corruption. I have no house in Lagos, Abuja or abroad. One was allocated to me in Abuja but was stolen from me.’’ He said the former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and now Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai knows what happened to his Abuja la

Thierry Henry has been suspended from his role as coach of struggling Ligue 1 side Monaco as they prepare for a key relegation clash this weekend, the club announced on Thursday. "Henry has been suspended until a definitive decision is made," the club said in a statement, adding assistant coach Franck Passi would oversee training on Friday ahead of their trip to fellow strugglers Dijon. Henry, 41, was suspended by Monaco, who are second-from-bottom in the French league with 15 points, after the former Arsenal and France striker earned the Principality club just two wins since his arrival in October. He took up the post with the 2017 French champions in October following the sacking of title-winner Leonardo Jardim but failed to improve on the poor start to the campaign by his predecessor. Monaco are two points behind Dijon, who are 17th and a further point from safety, after collecting only three wins from 21 matches, and crashed out of Europe early after finis

Juventus pulled off a coup of sorts when they managed to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the summer for 100 million. While his transfer price and annual salary of €30 million maybe considered as too high for many, there is no doubt that his marketability and image generates income for the club from various sources. Take a look at how Ronaldo is helping Juventus off the pitch. 3. Juventus's market value has skyrocketed Such is Ronaldo's value, that Juventus' share price gradually started to rise as soon as reports emerged that he is set to join them. Post his signing, between July and September - the club's share price skyrocketed by over 125 percent, thereby increasing market capitalisation to €1.5 billion. 2. Fans have flocked to see their star attraction The club owners and hierarchy are known as some of the best business minds in the sport and displayed that by raising the season tickets prices by 30 percent as soon as the Portugese s

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday said registration and the issuance of new international passport would cost Nigerians N70,000. NIS spokesman Sunday James, who made the disclosure, said the agency will commence issuance of the new international passport from Monday, March 4 2019 in Abuja. Issuance of the passport will commence in Ikoyi in Lagos on March 25, Kano on April 1, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos on April 8 and London, United Kingdom April 15. He said the phase two multiple rollout in New York, Washington, and Atlanta, USA would follow immediately after London on April 22; while other locations, local and abroad, would follow in sequence from April 29. Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, January 16 launched the new red diplomatic passport at an emergency Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. However, NIS spokesman said existing passport booklet will run concurrently with the new enhanced passport booklet until the former expires. According

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says that it has discovered fresh plot by desperate politicians to use food vendors around polling units with large voter populations as collection points for cash-for-votes as well as other forms of material inducement to voters on election day. Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, who raised the alarm in his remarks when he hosted European Union Chief Observer, Mrs Marie Arena, in Abuja, dismissed claims that the Commission has outsourced the recruitment of election duty staff to partisan actors. “There is no doubt that our electoral processes are getting better and votes count. We will continue to progressively improve our elections and protect the sanctity of the vote. This calls for the support of all citizens and all stakeholders. In our determination to do so, we have taken bold steps to address the disturbing trend of vote-buying by some political actors. “For this reason, we have modified the administration of our polling uni

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria is back to the Abacha era when state institutions were used to fight perceived enemies of the head of state. He was speaking on Sunday in his state of the nation address which he tagged “Points for Concern and Action”. Sani Abacha, a general, was the military head of state from November 1993 till his death in June 1998 and was accused of using dictatorial powers to rule the country. It was gathered that Obasanjo decided to address the nation following recent developments in the polity, including the trial of the chief justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, over an alleged false declaration of assets. Obasanjo said: “Today, another Abacha Era is here. The security institutions are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy. EFCC, Police and Code of Conduct Tribunal are also being equally misused to deal with those Buhari sees as enemies for criticising him or as those who may

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. The four-time Premier League champion will celebrate his 37th birthday in May and feels the time is now right to hang up his gloves after achieving everything he set out to do in his career. "This is my 20th season as a professional player and it has been 20 years since I signed my first professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of this season," Cech explained in a short statement released on Twitter. "Having played 15 years in the Premier League, and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve." Reassuring Gunners fans about his commitment for the remainder of the campaign, he added, "I will continue to work hard at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season, then I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch." A

Take your time to read through and learn from   Self-made millionaire Steve Siebold . Self-made millionaire Steve Siebold says that building wealth is a learnable skill. If you work at it, you can improve. "Like most things in life, becoming good at attracting money is no different than becoming good at anything else, be it being a sub-par golfer, losing weight or mastering a second language," he writes in "How Rich People Think." For most people, wealth, like fluency in another language, doesn't simply come to you one day. Getting rich takes sustained work. Here are six lifestyle changes that have worked for self-made millionaires and billionaires and could also work for you. Ditch the steady paycheck Siebold, who spent decades studying the world's wealthiest people, says the rich are typically self-employed, while average people tend to settle for steadier situations. "It's not that there aren't world-class performers who punch a t

The Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria (BCAN) has expressed its readiness to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari in the February general election. Mr Israel Adeshola, the BCAN National President, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos. Adeshola said that the association was convinced beyond doubt that the only way to guarantee better future for the country was through good governance and sincere leadership. “The only way to achieve this is for us to collectively ensure that President Buhari return in 2019. “It takes patience, sacrifice and honest commitment to rebuild what had been destroyed and that’s what the administration has been doing since it took over the helm of affairs. “We all know that to destroy is very easy but to build is always not easy. “The last 16 years of past administration witnessed the destruction of our economy as never before in the history of the country. “The impunity that pervaded the prev

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has warned politicians against all forms of violence in the forthcoming general elections. Oba Ogunwusi gave the warning at the Grand-finale of New Year Prayer Service organised by Christian Association of Nigeria, Ile-Ife Chapter, at Afenworo Park, Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife, on Saturday. According to Ooni, there is no gain in the shedding of blood, trouble and violence and anyone that died cannot come back to be useful to the society again. He charged all and sundry to maintain peace and orderliness in the forthcoming elections, saying it is only God that enthrones and put his choice on the throne. The Royal Father admonished politicians to give peace a chance and allow peaceful coexistence in all ramifications; if truly they want to serve humanity. He advised politicians to desist from do-or-die affairs. The traditional ruler urged youths to work for their future and run away from politicians who want to misuse them for poli

Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, with the striker winning multiple titles and awards in his career so far. Here, we take a look at five records held by the superstar that are unlikely to be broken. 5. Scoring 10 goals in UCL for seven consecutive seasons Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League, netting 121 goals in 158 games and is one of it's most successful, winning five titles in his career so far. Ronaldo has scored 10 goals in the tournament for seven consecutive seasons as no other player has netted 10 goals or more in two consecutive seasons. 4. Netting 50 plus goals for six consecutive seasons in a top 5 European League The 33-year-old has scored 50 plus goals for six consecutive seasons in a top five European League, with the striker netting  53, 60, 55, 51, 61 and 51 between 2010/11 and 2015/16. During this time he has scored a total of 331 goals in

A Ghanaian pastor, Dr. David Nabegmado, was on Sunday stabbed to death during the church service. According to a report, the pastor was attacked as he was preparing to leave his inner office for the main church auditorium to preach. He reportedly died a few hours later, at a nearby medical facility, where he had been rushed for treatment. The alleged attacker, who has been identified as a nephew of the pastor, is said to have been apprehended by passers-by and some church members and handed over to the police. The suspect, Francis Nabegmado, spoke with journalists after his arrest and told them that his uncle had tried to kill him several times in spiritual battles. “My uncle is worshiping lesser gods. He is not a man of God. He has sacrificed all the family people and destroyed everybody” he alleged. The Tema Regional Police Command has begun investigations into the death of the senior pastor of the Central Assemblies of God Church.