RayTec Trust Nigeria

Explosion has rocked Gamboru market by Customs bridge in the heart of Maiduguri claiming lives.  Eye witness told our reporter that the explosion went off Friday morning in a tricycle at the parking area of tricycle operators  in the market. A man, Alhaji Fannami, who went through the bridge as  part of a funeral procession, said he counted five bodies at the scene. He also noted heavy presence of security agents at the scene of the blast.  

He spoke during a pulling out ceremony in his honour at the army Headquarters garrison, Mogadishu cantonment Abuja. “The activities of fifth columnists in the military and other sensitive military information leaked to the terrorists, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult. “The activities of these unpatriotic members of the military not only blunted the effectiveness of the fight, but also led to the needless deaths of numerous officers and men who unwittingly fell into ambushes prepared by terrorists who have advance warnings of the approach of such troops,” he said. He said he took charge of the leadership of armed forces that was underfunded and ill-equipped for counter terrorism operations. He stated that over the years, the military was neglected and under-equipped to ensure survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it. Badeh stated ...

Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has called on governors and other political office holders in the country to emulate President Muhammadu Buhari’s style of leadership centred on the doctrine of change in order to sustain the respect and cooperation of the international community. Addressing newsmen on the benefits of the president’s recent…

The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai has approved the postings and appointments of 334 officers of the Nigerian Army with various effective dates.  A statement Wednesday night by army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said the deployment include some Principal Staff Officers at Defence and Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders and General Officers Commanding as well as other commanders.  Usman said they include 37 Major Generals, 57 Brigadier Generals, 128 Colonels, several Lieutenants Colonels and others.  Some of those affected were the General Officers Commanding 1, 2, 3, 81 and 82 Divisions, Operations Pulo Shield and Safe Haven of Niger Delta and Plateau States.  Some those affected includes Major General MA Koleoso who is now Commander TRADOC, Major General SN Muazu who moved from 2 Division to the Headquarters Infantry Corps and appointed Commander, Major General MT Ibrahim, from Department of Army Standard and Evaluation to Nigerian Defence Academy and appointed Com...

Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufa'i has forwarded the names of 13 commissioner-nominees to the State House of Assembly.   The names were contained in a letter to the Speaker Aminu Shagali on Wednesday. The nominees are Professor Jonathan Andrew Nok (Health and Human Services), Hajiya Rabi M.G. Abdulsalam (Women Affairs and Social Development) Engr. Suleiman Aliyu Lere (Water Resources), Muhammed Sani Abdullahi (Budget and Planning), Dr. Manzo Daniel Maigari (Agriculture and Forestry), Muhammad Bashir Saidu (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), Suleiman Abdu Kwari (Finance), Dr. Shehu Usman Adamu (Education, Science and Technology), Dr. Ya’u Usman Idris (Environment and Natural Resources), Daniel Auta (Youth, Sport and Culture), Shehu Balarabe (Commerce, Industry and Tourism), Amina Ruth Dyeris-Sijuwade (Justice) and Usman Mahmud Hassan (Works, Housing and Transport). Nok is a professor of Biochemistry at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Born in 1962, he won the...

Bindir said this as a guest speaker when the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) launched the Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) in Abuja on Tuesday. He also said the country may not be able to industrialise its cities and villages without technology. Lack of technological capacity, not corruption, is Nigeria’s greatest albatross, according to Bindir. “The greatest problem we have in this country is lack of industrialisation. And we can’t industrialise without technology and we have to domesticate technology before we can make any impact in industrialisation. So lack of indigenous capacity in technology is Nigeria’s biggest problem not corruption”, Bindir who was the immediate past Director General of NOTAP said. He added that establishment of research institutes and universities as well as polytechnics have not served Nigeria any good as they have failed to proffer solution to the country’s problem, 55 years after its independence.  “After 55 ...

Ngufan Nyebe allegedly conspired with three other men to commit the crime which they are being held for by the police and would be charged to court after investigations are concluded. She was said to have been arrested alongside members of her gang which include, Kelvin Jorhom, Ornginu Tukpa and Akpan Hyuwe all of various addresses at Katsina Ala town in the state. State Commissioner of Police, Hyacinth Dagala explained that on July, 16, his men received information that a gang of armed men in a Lexus jeep were planning to launch attack in some areas in Kastina-Ala. Dagala said that SARS operatives on patrol within the town were immediately alerted and that during the course of their patrol, intercepted the said ash colour jeep with registration number KWL 102 AS Abuja and brought it to the station. He added that during investigation, it was revealed that the car was stolen from a hotel in Alaide part of the state which led to the apprehension of the suspects. According to the comm...

He stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists during a press briefing at the party's national secretariat. Oyegun who was reacting to suggestion that the Obasanjo and Yar'adua administrations should be included in the probe argued that the kind of profligacy and corruption witnessed during Jonathan's administration was monumental compared to the previous administrations. He said that  president Buhari knew that he has four years to address the challenges brought about by corruption and impunity in the six years of the last administration.   The APC chairman added that the impunity has grown so much in the last six years that some people are not even afraid of stealing public funds.

Malam Mohammed Yusuf, Public Relations Officer of the board, made the disclosure in Kano during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “During the Sallah, the board arrested 20 youths who dressed indecently and some young boys who kept long hair. “We barbed their hair immediately and advised them to desist from any act of misconduct and be God-fearing,” he said. He explained that none of the cases was taken to court, pointing out that they were all resolved by the board with the support of the staff. According to him, the board encourages good behaviour and discourages bad deeds among residents. “During the festive season, we sent over 100 officials to assist people at the various Eid prayer grounds. “We also had meetings with owners of public parks and hoteliers on the need to be more security conscious and ensure that no one is missing,” Yusuf said. (NAN)

President Muhammadu Buhari arrives in Yaounde Cameroon and is being received by President Paul Biya of Cameroon at the Yaounde Nsimalen International airport . He is also received by the Nigerian delegation comprising of Governor Mohammed Umar Bindow of Adamawa, Udom Gabriel of Akwa-Ibom, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Kashim Shettima of Borno, Prof. Ben Ayade of Cross River, Arch Darius Ishaku of Taraba state and Amb. Ayodele Oke. Wednesday 29-07-2015. Photo State House.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown its weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to probe the immediate past federal government, saying the revelations of mind-boggling corruption have made such a probe imperative. The party in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made available to journalists, said…

The state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, disclosed this when the Pakistani High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lt. Gen Agha Muhammad Umer Farooq, paid him a courtesy visit. Tambuwal said Pakistan’s poverty eradication strategies and agricultural expansion programmes had  lifted millions out of poverty. He said Sokoto government would tap from that knowledge to boost the relevant sectors. The governor who noted that Pakistan had  suffered years of attacks from terrorists, said with its experience in counter-insurgency measures, the country could help Nigeria tackle it’s security challenges. The High Commissioner welcomed closer collaboration between the two governments in all areas.

Football News: Who is United's strongest player? Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Tyler Blackett offer their views on which Red is strongest in the gym.

The United States government yesterday indicated that Nigeria is a source, transit and destination for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. This was contained in the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report which was presented by the secretary of state, Senator John Kerry, at the Department of State in Washington, DC. The…

Flood arising from a heavy rainfall which started in the early hours of yesterday in Asaba and its environs has allegedly swept three persons into a gutter along the deplorable Okpanam road. Reports said the victims, aged 10, 12 and 13 years, were trapped inside the heavy flood which swept through the entire road from…

Speaking on the government’s inability to fund JV operations and owing oil companies arrears of cash calls, the National Public Relations Officer of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Emmanuel Ojugbana, noted that the Joint Venture between the NNPC and oil companies presently accounts for more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s crude oil production. Comrade Ojugbana said that contributions of the JV operations to the nation’s economy cannot be under emphasized despite increasing production from the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) fields. He explained, “The JV structure is an average of 55 per cent for the NNPC and 45 per cent for private oil companies. Unfortunately, despite the fact that NNPC has a larger chunk of the proceeds from the JVs, it has always been defaulting in payment of its own counterpart funding of projects. “Exploration activity has been greatly recessed by the challenge of funding the operating budget and cash call obl...

There are thousands of people out there with a similar dilemma and frustration.  I have seen passengers fluster with the reality they could lose that expensive perfume, those special knives, (perhaps the knife you used to cut your wedding cake), some expensive rare alcoholic beverages or some other item you so cherish but it’s prohibited by airport authorities to carry onboard an aircraft. Recently at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos, I heard a lady express frustration over a seized Gucci perform at the checkpoints. The middle aged passenger identified as Grace Jegede said her Gucci perform and body spray were seized at the checking point and she didn’t find it funny surrendering them. But she had options she could have explored to keep her cherished items. She knew of two options. First was to take the item to the ticket counter and check it in as her checkin baggage - an option she couldn’t explore except she wanted to miss her flight. She also had a choice of going bac...

The Chelsea manager say that the Rivals are trying to buy title when they are spending big in transfer market. www.footballdaily.co. uk

Wife of the Senate President  Toyin Saraki is still being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) at its Abuja office over allegation of financial crime hours after she reported to the office of the commission. Mrs Saraki arrived the office of the anti-graft agency this afternoon in company of ten senators, twenty members of the House of Representatives and other supporters.    Senators present are Senator Isa Sani, Senator Dino Maleyo, Senator Abdul Abubakar, Senator Binta Goje, Senator Abdulahi Sabi and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.     Also over 20 members of the House of Reps were present including the speaker of Kwara state House of Assembly. Some of the supporters and journalists are currently waiting for the outcome of the interrogation in front of the office of the EFCC.  Daughter of late President 'Yar'adua and wife to former Kebbi state governor Saidu Dakingari, Zainab Dakingari reported to the office of the commission this after in company of...

Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has announced Femi Gbajabiamila as House Leader.  Dogara also announced Buba Jibril as Deputy Leader; Alhassan Ado Doguwa as Chief Whip and Pally Iriase as Deputy Whip.  Dogara alos announced Leo Ogor as Minority Leader, Chukwuma Onyema as Deputy Minority Leader, Yakubu Barde as Minority Whip and Binta Bello as Deputy Minority Whip.  Daily Trust had earlier reported that the two factions of Dogara and Gbajabiamila have resolved their crisis.

Speaking yesterday on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) programme tagged “Good Morning Nigeria”, Buhari promised  that he would soon ensure that those committing that crime against Nigeria are faced with facts and prosecuted. He said crude was  being illegally loaded from the country’s terminals by unpatriotic Nigerians that only considered  their own selfish interests to get money. Besides, Buhari said his government had to maintain a high level of confidentiality in order not to risk the lives of people in Nigeria who were helping to trace the destinations of the stolen crude and the accounts the proceeds were being paid into. The president said:  “I don’t think the NNPC knows how many accounts are there in which payments are made on Nigerian crude. The monumental fraud has been going on for a number of years.  A lot of Nigerians cannot comprehend it”. Buhari said foreign countries were  willing to let go of the looted oil funds but Nigeria had to comply with their own system by...

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that Ethiopia "cannot unleash the full potential of its people" if it jails journalists and restricts legitimate opposition groups. Ethiopia's government has acknowledged it had more work to do to develop its democracy but also says any journalists it has detained committed crimes. In a speech at the African Union, Obama also said Central African Republic leaders needed to commit to inclusive elections and a peaceful transition of power. Elections in October will mark a return to democratic rule after the Seleka rebels toppled President Francois Bozize in March 2013, sparking a conflict.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who accompanied Buhari to Washington DC during the visit, disclosed this in an interview with State House journalists yesterday. The governor did not name the minister.  Oshiomhole was reacting to the criticism by the opposition party against President Buhari’s recent four-day official visit to the United States. He said: “…You’ve to pity them (PDP). We have a president who talks with confidence; not a president that is blabbing and is not sure of what the issues are. He (Buhari) is one that can tell the U.S Senate that ‘look Nigeria is governed by rule of law.’ We’re not going to do any of those things that are offensive to the culture and tradition of our people. “We have moved away from a president that doesn’t seem to know his powers to one that understands that he is a president of the country in the continent. So, what do you expect PDP to say I always say that the day you see armed robbers clapping, you know that things are going wrong. When ...

States will soon begin to draw between N250 and N300 billion presidential intervention fund recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for payment of salaries. The Senior Special Assistant to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said this in a statement Monday. Akande said: "Currently, planning meetings are being held between members of the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC and CBN, on the one hand, and also between CBN and commercial banks on the other hand, regarding details of the special intervention fund and the debt relief program of the President for the states. "Such meetings are reviewing loan profiles of the states, issues around restructuring of existing loans including time span, and reconciling the figures. Already, it has been agreed that existing state loans be restructured for 20 years, and regarding the bond option, the rates to be applied would be market-based but with a cap to make it affordable. "With...

House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other All [progressive Congress (APC) members in the House have arrived the State House in Abuja for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari. The meeting, being held at the New Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, is expected to resolve the lingering leadership crisis in the House. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was also in attendance. The APC National Chairman of the APC John Odigie-Oyegun, National Deputy Chairman (South-West) Segun Oni and the spokesman of the party, Lai Mohammed also attended the meeting with President Buhari which last for only 20 minutes.The meeting started at 5.40pm and ended at 6.00pm House Speaker Yakubu Dogara and  Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila led members of their factions to the meeting. The meeting was expected to resolve the simmering leadership tussle in the lower chamber of the National assembly.

  •Hostages won't be in my cabinet    President Muhammadu Buhari says he needs as ministers, only very patriotic, hardworking, committed, experienced and knowledgeable Nigerians who have not been compromised.  He, however, said it was taking him so much time to form his cabinet because a number of knowledgeable people that could have been appointed ministers had been compromised.  President Buhari stated this Monday while featuring on a Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) programme tagged "Good Morning Nigeria".  Buhari stressed that he should look for decent technocrats and politicians whom to give the responsibility of manning ministries and important parastatals.  According to him, the worst thing that can happen to Nigeria is to get a compromised person to be in charge of institutions as such a person can never be efficient or patriotic as somebody "behind the scene" will be teleguiding him/her at the expense of the nation.  The president emphasised t...

Football News: United complete the fifft signing after the arrival of  Sergio Romero. The Reds complete the signing of Argentina International Sergio Romero, on a 3 years deals

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday that the meeting would hold at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja at 5.00pm. Shehu did not disclose the agenda for the meeting, and merely said “this is not a meeting with any faction of the House. It is a meeting of all APC members in the House with Mr President”. The House has not known peace since the election of Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker. Dogara is of the majority APC but he was elected mainly with the support of the opposition PDP. He defeated Femi Gbajabiamila, who was nominated for the post by the APC. All attempts by the House to sit on three occasions ended in fiasco. The House will reconvene tomorrow after a five-month adjournment. On Friday Gbajabiamila met with the President Buhari at the State House in Abuja. He, however, refused to speak to State House reporters on what he discussed with the president, saying that he was in a hurry ...

The Federal Fire Service (FFS) Task Force on Code Enforcement at the weekend sealed off two petrol stations for non-compliance to safety regulations. One of the filling stations affected is situated within Unity Estate Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area of Nassarawa State and the other; Con Oil, is situated opposite NNPC Tower in the FCT. Spokesman of the FFS, Elechi Collins said: "the sealed off station in Karu, is sited within the Estate which exposes the inhabitants of the community to danger of fire accident while the other petrol station was closed down for failure of management to adhere to safety standards as contained in the National Fire Safety Code (NFSC)." He said the Taskforce have a responsibility  to ensure the building of petrol stations and already functional ones meet the minimum safety standards in order to guarantee the safety of lives and property. It would be recalled that one of the fuel stations was engulfed by fire late last year.

  Controversy presently trails the sudden disappearance of a one by 40 ft. container at the Tin-Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos. The container, said to belong to one Tony Onuora, was alleged to have gone missing after payment of the necessary duties and other charges to the Nigeria Custom Services.  There are indications  that heads might roll if the container is not found as the Custom High Command in Abuja has directed the Controller in charge of Tin-Can Port to locate the cargo by all means. Following the directive, the Controller was said to have ordered immediate investigations into the missing container. Presently, lawyers to the victim stated that his client had imported some items worth several millions of Naira which were contained in the said container into the country and after meeting up with the necessary demands by the Customs service, the container was nowhere to be found. A petition dated July 24, 2015 signed by the lawyers, Chinedu Obi and Associates, ...

Nigeria will face Djibouti or Swaziland in the second preliminary round of the 2018 World Cup conducted yesterday in St Petersburg, Russia. The draws will begin in October this year, but Africa’s top 13-ranked teams will join the fray later in November, with relatively unknown foes in what may come across as easy match-ups on…

Every Nigerian agrees that corruption is a cog in Nigeria’s wheel of development and want President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the scourge head on. But most Nigerians seem divided on where the anti-corruption war should begin. Michael Oche writes on the uneasiness breeded by Buhari’s anti-graft battle. Few days after President Muhammadu Buhari declared his…

Match Coverage: Barcelona 1 United 3 The Reds beat Barcelona 3-1 with goals from Rooney, Lingard and Januzaj.

He described such reports as an unfortunate misinterpretation and distortion of his remarks at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) during his recent official visit to Washington DC. Buhari said in a statement yesterday by his spokesman Femi Adesina, that he indeed made it abundantly clear in his remarks circulated to the media that he was convinced that the US could never support groups such as Boko Haram. “I know the American people cannot support any group engaged in these crimes,” the presidential spokesman quoted Buhari as saying. He said the regrets Buhari expressed at USIP about the impact of the application of the Leahy Law on Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram and terrorism could not be construed as an indictment of President Barack Obama and the US government who, according to him, have publicly and privately declared their preparedness to give his administration the fullest possible support and assistance. He said within the context in which they were made, Buhari’s com...

President Buhari has made the fight against corruption one of his key priorities as he settle in for the task of nation building in Abuja. Most Nigerians voted for the president because of his integrity and incorruptible character as well as his ability to wage a war against corruption. President Buhari needs to carefully map…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited the immediate past special adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Kingsley Kuku, for questioning over alleged embezzlement and fraudulent diversion of funds running into hundreds of millions of naira when he was in the office. According to the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, Kuku… http:rayyanuzusman.blogspot.com

Reports have showed that Nigeria has the largest number of examination anomalies out of the five member countries of the West African Examinations Council. The Head, National Office of the Council, Charles Eguridu has said. He spoke at a Road Show on Examination Malpractices Sensitisation that took place in Abuja, stating that WAEC has not… http://rayyanuzusman.blogspot.com

Kaduna State governor during the defunct Second Republic, Alhaji Balarabe Musa yesterday challenged Governor Nasir el-Rufai to declare his assets publicly if he doesn’t worth N90billion and own 40 mansions as alleged. The elder statesman in a chat with newsmen in Kaduna, said if the governor is not actually worth what was alleged, or is… http://rayyanuzusman.blogspot.com-asset-make-your-assets-public-balarabe-musa-tells-el-rufai

The Managing Director of the Unity Bank Plc , Mr. Henry James Semenitari is yet to resume from a  compulsory leave ordered by the board of the bank in order to probe some allegations of the misconduct against him, Daily Trust learnt. Source said the MD/ CEO was asked to proceed on 10-day leave in the first place and additional seven days after which ended last Friday, but up to yesterday Mr Semenitari didn’t return back to office. Source said the action by the board may be connected to the rampant sacking of workers, alleging that about 400 workers were sacked since his inception last year in the bank. Another source said his expensive lifestyle prompted the board to call him to order at the time the bank is trying to recuperate. When contacted, the spokesperson of the Bank, Theodora Amechi said the allegation are not true and that the MD is on his annual leave and will resume soon. The source said the board of the bank may likely meet today to decide on the fate of the MD.   Mr Seme...

Prosecution of Former Oil Minister, Alison-Madueke, Purge Of Corrupt Judges Dominate Buhari’s Meeting With US Officials | Sahara Reporters

    •Insurgents still hiding in Sambisa forest--N/east govs tell NEC     Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has raised the alarm that the Boko Haram terrorist group is planning to bomb his house.  Osinbajo, who had recently toured states ravaged by the insurgency, disclosed this Thursday during a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) he presided over. The vice president was recently in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe States where he visited the internally displaced persons (IDPs) on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.  Security reports had it that scavengers were being prepared by insurgents to dump refuse laden with bombs in his house, according to a copy of the resolution of the NEC meeting, made available to State House journalists by the Council Secretariat.  The copy of the resolution, however, did not specify whether Osinbajo was referring to his residence at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa or elsewhere.  When contacted for clarification, the spokesman of the vice p...

The Registrar/CEO of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory and Technology Dr Ighodalo Ijagbone has been accused of disregarding the new 8-year tenure in office policy by Federal Government. Documents made available to Daily Trust revealed Dr Ijagbone tenure supposed to end in 2014 but  he remains in office despite several circulars to remind him of his tenure end. In a memo dated April 12, 2006 from Dr Ijagbone to the Director, Admin and Finance of the Institute, titled: Resumption of Duty as Full-Time Registrar/ CEO(Director-General), the CEO said following the approval by the University of Ibadan to grant me Annual and Sabbatical leave with effect from 13 March 2006, I wish to inform you that I have assumed duty on full time appointment in the Institute with effect from 1st April ,2006. Please effect this in the personnel pay roll accordingly. This indicated that Dr Ijagbone is currently serving his 10th year in office. The CEO was also being accused of falsifying his age as c...

Twenty Four Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in an offensive by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia, military spokesman, Col. David Obonyo, said Thursday.   Obonyo said the terrorists were confronted when the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON) forces captured Bardere Bridge where they recovered 25 AK-47 rifles.   “AMISOM forces together with Somalia…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Osita Okechukwu, on Thursday assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would not neglect the Igbos in appointments. Okechukwu, who is the spokesman of the party in the South-East, gave the assurance in an interaction with journalists in Abuja. He said that the president still had more that.

Suspected fake internet Customs and Army recruitment officials have been arrested by the Army,  Acting Director,  Army Public Relations Col. Sani Usman  has said.

Football News: Van Gaal's mixed emotions after beating San Jose Earthquakes The manager admits he was pleased with Tuesday's win but was frustrated by the second-half performance. Find out more at http://rayyanuzusman.wordpress. com

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina stated this in his twitter account yesterday. President Buhari is rounding-off his four-day official visit to the US on the invitation of President Barrack Obama. Adesina said Buhari was point blank in telling the US authority on Tuesday that not only is gay marriage against the law of Nigeria, but is also abhorrent to the culture of the country. “The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday (Tuesday). President Buhari was point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria and abhorrent to our culture,” the presidential spokesman tweeted yesterday. Before Buhari left for the US on Sunday, many Nigerians including civil society groups had asked him to reject any attempt by his US counterpart to force gay marriage on Nigeria. The Nigerian Senate had in 2013 criminalised same-sex marriage, describing it as alien to the country’s culture and values.

An entrepreneurial financial expert Bolade Agbola in a book titled, ‘Agricultural Finance: A Practical Guide For  Lenders and Entrepreneurs’ said the primary aim of all nations is to be self sufficient in food production to feed its teeming population. According to him, a lot of government funding is required to create enabling environment for the private sector to continue to play leading role in the five segments of agribusiness value chain of input supply, farm production, storage processing and distribution. He noted that Nigeria currently spends less than 3 percent of its national budget on agriculture compared to a nation like Malaysia that spends over 25percent of its budget on agriculture for close to 30 years. Agbola noted that farmers must be supported  to  access inputs, credit and insurance especially when rare low frequency  and  high severity disasters  such as the bird flu occur. He said, “Government  taxes and tariff as we adjust to current realities must  promote and...

The Police Commissioner, Marcus Danladi, told newsmen in Damaturu that six unexploded bombs were discovered in the vehicle, while another six were discovered in the bag of a woman suspected to be a member of the suicide squad who also died. “After  a  thorough search by men of the Explosives Ordinance Department (EOD) of the command, six  unexploded bombs were discovered in the vehicle, four pieces of 81 mm caliber capable of moving 1,000 meters and two other improvised ones were recovered,” he said. He said all the bombs were successfully diffused.

She was said to be invited to explain huge sums of monies allegedly siphoned through her companies when she was first lady of the Kebbi State. It was also learnt that the wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki has been invited to appear at the head offices of the Commission to answer questions on alleged money laundering charges. When contacted yesterday, EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said: “I know that invitations have been sent to certain individuals, but I don’t have their identities.”

“The pilot did the right thing by not trying to abort the take-off. He controlled the plane into the air and following all trained procedures, he brought the plane back to a safe landing”, the airline said, adding that at no time were passengers at any risk. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also confirmed the air return of an Aero Contractors plane from Abuja. According to a statement from Mr Fan Ndubuoke, the General Manager, Public Affairs of the NCAA, the aircraft which took off from the MMA2 at about 3pm for Abuja from Lagos developed technical problems and made an air return as is the normal procedure. “The aircraft with 141 passengers on board on arrival at the international wing of the MMIA Lagos had its passengers transferred to another Aero aircraft while some demanded refund of their fares”, it said. Some of the passengers according to Mr Ndubuoke rescheduled their flights for today. Ndubuoke said the NCAA would  examine what went wrong during the flight but assu...

  Dankwambo gave warning yesterday at the state’s flag-off of 12,000 tonnes of fertilizer sales to farmers for the 2015 farming season in Gombe, He said people must embrace agriculture, to enhance food security and development of the society. The Governor said flagg-off ceremony, , demonstrates the Gombe state government’s commitment towards making life easier for farmers as well as developing the agricultural sector, which has helped a lot in reducing unemployment. He said “The Agricultural sector being the most vital, is also the largest employer of labour, with over 70% of the people involved in agro-based activities. The development of this sector is therefore imperative, as it will impact positively on the lives of the citizenry,” The Governor said that the state government had earlier distributed soft loans to the tune of N114 million to over 1000 small scale farmers across the state, to boost their farming activities and expressed delight at the progress made so far in the se...

An officer of the SSS, Gordon Obuah who served as the CSO to Jonathan was reported to have died in custody at the head offices of the Service in Abuja. However, speaking to journalists at the head offices of the Service in Abuja, Obuah said he was alive and healthy. He stated that: “I thank  Nigerians and members of my family who have expressed very serious concern about my well-being in the last six days.” A section of the media also reported that Obuah was detained and denied access to his lawyers and family. Obuah added that: “This [yesterday]morning my attention was drawn to the fact that I have died in detention, this has caused serious anxiety within the office, I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians, members of my family, and all concerned citizens that I’m healthy.” He also said: “I’m a staff of the Department of State Services, and having completed my tour of duty as Chief Security Officer to the last President, the Service feels that I should give account of my tenure. S...

The United States government has agreed to help Nigeria recover all identified ill-gotten wealth in countries in which it has jurisdiction, including the U.S itself.  The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement Tuesday.  Shehu quoted American Attorney-General, Loretta Lynch, as giving this assurance on Monday while meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the support for anti-corruption war in Nigeria.  He also quoted Lynch as assuring that the United States would also offer training to judicial staff and prosecutors "in order to place Nigeria in a good position to uncover proceeds of corruption and for improved prosecution of cases of crime."  The presidential aide said details of the meeting indicated that the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty signed between the US and Nigeria in 1985, which came into effect in 2003, would "be given some teeth."  Shehu said: "There wi...

Lafarge Africa Plc says its newly constructed 220-mega watts power plant at Ewekoro, Ogun, will commence operation in October. Roux said the project worth $400 million (N78.8 billion) was executed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Wartsila. He said IFC would provide financial and advisory services for the project through InfraVentures, its Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund, while Wartsila would build and manage the power plant. Roux expressed the hope that the project would enhance 1.4 million households’ access to electricity and help mitigate energy problems of many firms in the country. He said power project remained one of the company’s contributions toward providing an enabling environment for new investments and the nation’s economic growth. NAN reports that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) licensed embedded power companies to boost electricity supply in the country. Embedded power companies are not primari...

The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Friday 17th and Monday 20th July as Public Holidays to mark the Id-El-Fitr Sallah Celebration.  The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by the Ministry's Director of Press, Yusuf Isiaka on Tuesday.  He enjoined all Muslim faithfuls in particular and Nigerians in general to extend the spiritual benefits of Ramadan, which include love, peace and sacrifice for the development of the nation.  While wishing Nigerians a happy celebration, the Permanent Secretary also urged them to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in his determination to build a peaceful, united and virile nation.

The Lagos State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Hyginus Omeje, on Monday warned motorists to desist from driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or hard drugs. Umeh told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that most of the accidents on the highways were as a result of reckless driving by motorists,…

President Buhari expresses appreciation to the U.S. govt and its people for their support in ensuring peaceful conduct of March 28 presidential poll in Nigeria. president-buhari-expresses-appreciation-to-the-u-s-govt-and-its-people-for-their-support-in-ensuring-peaceful-conduct-of-march-28-presidential-poll-in-nigeria

Johannesburg, July 20, 2015 (NAN) A South Africa-based Non Governmental Organisation, Oasis of Love Ministry International, said on Monday that it would set up a base in Nigeria to campaign for a drug-free world. The President of the NGO, Bishop Ejike Anyaegbunam, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Johannesburg that the body would also assist in setting up charity homes. `` We are involved in campaigns aimed at checking drug and alcohol abuse in Africa. `` In South Africa, there is so much drug abuse and we are partnering with the government and other NGOs to fight drug and alcohol abuse,`` he said. Anyaegbunam said the NGO had representatives in Abuja and Lagos but was working hard to set up a centre in the country to effectively coordinate its activities. When fully established in Nigeria, he said the NGO would partner with the government and other bodies to take its campaign to the grass roots, especially schools and markets. `` Drugs destroys the future and destiny of o...

  A suspected suicide bomber on Monday killed a policeman on patrol and six others along Maiduguri road Damaturu. We  gathered that the incident happened at about 1:30 pm close to Damaturu township gate. Police Public Relation Officer; Toyin Gbadegesin confirmed the attack saying that eight people were killed including the suicide bomber. "Eight people including the suicide bomber died, two security operatives were among the dead. We will soon issue a release," he said. A witness, Huseini Babura told news men that the bomber arrived a check point in a Toyata Sienna car laden with explosives and detonated them. "I saw the dead body of one police officer and six other people," he said.  

 The Management of Kano Pillars FC on Monday announced the sack of the club’s technical adviser, Okey Emordi, with immediate effect. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sack of Emordi is contained in a statement by Malam Kabiru Baita, the Chairman of the club. It stated that the sack of the technical adviser was as a result of the club’s poor performance in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League season. ``Following the poor performance of the team, the club’s management, after deliberation on the matter decided to relieve the coach of his appointment with immediate effect,’’ the statement stated. The statement stated that the management of the club thanked Emordi for his services and wished him success in his future endeavours. Kano Pillars have 27 points and occupy ninth position in the table after week 19 match. (NAN)

A team of the Nigerian Army Special Forces, Explosives Ordinance Devices with support from the Nigeria police and members of the local vigilante have cleared Damaturu-Biu road of mines. This was made known is a statement issued by the acting director of army public relations, Col Sani Kukasheka Usman, as an update on the bombing….

She said ten officials would be with the pilgrims in the holy land. Hajia Fati said the intending pilgrims had paid balance of their Hajj fare and that the board would start the medical screening soon. She assured that the screening would be very thorough. “The I, 942 pilgrims have all paid their money and we are going to continue with the enlightenment programme which is a weekly exercise. We will commence our medical screening on Tuesday. We have started collecting our e-passports and processing of visas. As Muslims, we feel that we cannot start anything without calling on Allah. We also used the opportunity to pray for our state and Nigeria as a whole”, she said. The prayer was led by Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Bashir, supported by other imams and clerics who called on God to ensure success of the exercise.

The case which was transferred from Oke-Ode Division to the Criminal and Intelligence Department, Ilorin, was reported at the Division by the victim and one Ahmadu Adamu. It was gathered that on July 25, a group of five hoodlums invaded their camp and kidnapped Bature Haruna. It was further gathered that they took him to a bush and instructed him to lead them to one Alhaji Debo’s house. The complainants added that when he refused,  the kidnapers asked Haruna to give them N2 million. “ When he said he did not have the money, they beat him up”, the prosecution said. They added that investigation conducted by the department revealed that Abubakar Umar and his cohorts have been terrorizing Fulanis in the area. After listening to the prosecution, Magistrate I. J. Bamigboye ordered  the remand of the suspect.

Football News: Shaw reveals plan to avoid injury in 2015/16 Luke Shaw explains why he and Adnan Januzaj took a fitness coach on holiday with them this summer. Find out more at http://apps.manutd.com

A mob of youths overwhelmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s security at National Eid Ground in Abuja where he had gone for eid prayers. In comments later to a delegation of FCT residents on traditional sallah homage at Aso Rock Villa, the president described the mob of youths as wild. He described scenes in which he was “bombarded” during and immediately after the prayer by the youths who wanted to see him. He said the situation forced him to "hold tight" his gown to enter his vehicle. He narrated: "Today during and immediately after the prayers I think I was bombarded by the youths who almost overwhelmed the security, and I had to hold tight to my gown to get into my car. I was advised to enter the car from the ADC side and I refused. I went across trying to hold my hand to the wild youths who wanted to see me.” He restated that only God, not all the policemen and soldiers deployed since 6.00am before he came out two hours later in the rain, can guarantee protection. ...