Biafra:What i will do to Igbos if I become President – Sahara reporters publisher, Sowore

Mercy Lank

Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore has revealed what he will do for the Igbos if he is elected to become President of Nigeria in 2019. Sowore, an activist and founder of Sahara reporters online news platform, said that he will give the Igbos a sense of belonging as they have been marginalized since the civil war ended. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Ibadan last week, He said; “From the bottom of my heart, the Igbo man has not just be marginalised, the Igbo man has been trampled upon, their children killed, starved in the civil war and ever since then Nigeria has managed not to pay attention to Igboland. But the Igbo man and his spirit has managed to build for himself the spirit that conquers the world. I will say to you that first and foremost when I become president I’m going to apologize to the Igbos on behalf of Nigeria”, he said amidst applause that greeted his response. But I won’t be like others, apology is not enough, there has to be a rapid economic development in Igboland. What they Igbo man needs is a road upon which to transport their goods, transportation, airport, seaport that can bring their goods anywhere and that is why I said with due respect I am not doing it for Nigeria alone, I am doing it for Africa.” !-- Composite Start -->

Loading...

Read More

NIGERIA: I’II CONDUCT MYSELF CREDITABLY IN OFFICE – SGF

Mercy Lank

POLITICS – Latest update as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, on Saturday promised to conduct himself creditably in office. According to a statement by the Director of Press, Office of the SGF, Lawrence Ojabo, the SGF spoke at a reception organised in his honour by the Hoba Elders Council and Hoba Community in Abuja. He said he would work hard to ensure that at the end of his service, his people would be proud of him. “The SGF pledged that he would conduct himself creditably in office that at the end of the day they would be very proud of him,” the statement read. Mustapha thanked the dignitaries, traditional rulers, elders and the entire community for organising the reception in his honour. He acknowledged the individual and collective roles and contributions of some of the dignitaries to his political career, beginning with his nomination into the constituent assembly. He thanked the community for nurturing him and propelling his growth and development and other young people to become useful members of the society. The SGF implored them to continue to foster their traditional values of formidable unity, love, mutual care and responsibility for all their families and children. He recalled that all his life, he had lived and pursued his political activities from Yola North, and not Hong. He said he was therefore particularly elated that the Hong community could have arranged such a reception for him . He prayed that God Almighty would cause something to happen in their lives because of their investment in his life.

Loading...

Read More

Gaddafi Massage to Mr President: You can’t gag Nigerians, PDP tells Buhari

Mercy Lank

The Peoples Democratic Party has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly insulting Nigerians who criticised the way he handles insurgency as well as governance in the country. The former ruling party said it was shocking that rather than being responsive to the views of the citizens, the Presidency resorted to abusing Nigerians had put their trust and confidence in the President.

It said those who trusted him three years ago with their votes were lamenting that his administration had failed abysmally. The spokesperson for the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday. Buhari had claimed that herdsmen in the country were trained by the late Libyan leader, Muammah Gadaffi. Buhari’s media, Mr. Femi Adesina, had also criticised those who paid attention to the problem rather than the solution he said the President proffered in a statement. Ologbodiyan said, “Rather than offering explanations, the Buhari Presidency, in the All Progressives Congress usual arrogance and disdain, opted to insult Nigerians, including federal legislators as well as the institution of the National Assembly.

Read More

Why LG autonomy is imperative – Saraki

Mercy Lank

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has restated his support for local government autonomy in the country, saying the Senate and the National Assembly appreciate the importance of autonomous governance at the third tier of government and will continue to work towards its realisation.

Saraki spoke during a visit by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), led by its National President, Comrade Ibrahim Khalil. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, Saraki was quoted as saying: “Here in the Senate and the National Assembly, we appreciate the importance of governance in the third tier of government — the local government. “As such, it is very important that we strengthen local government administration, part of which is ensuring that there is autonomy. I also believe that strengthening local government administration means that we all do our best to increase capacity at the local government. “In developed countries, people who are competent to contest at a level, even as high as the Senate, would tell you they don’t want to be at the Federal level like Abuja or Washington. They prefer to stay at the local level.” Saraki informed his visitors that it is also important to ensure that local governments are properly and independently funded, stressing that there “must be symbiotic relationship between the states and the local governments to ensure that the third tier of government is not placed at a disadvantage. “It is unfortunate that you observed that in the last Constitution alteration exercise, we were not successful on this issue. Being a former governor, the Senate Leader always reminds me that ‘I have seen the light.’ But on a serious note, we all have a role to play to strengthen our local government system.” Earlier, the National President of NULGE, Ibrahim Khalil, lamented that local government administrations in the country have been rendered impotent over the years as a result of undue interference. “But Nigerians are still demanding answers. If the Buhari administration knew, in the course of the last three years, that the nation has been invaded by forces from outside or even deserters from Libya, why has it continued to admonish Nigerians to learn to live with their neighbours? “If, in the course of investigations, it (Buhari Presidency) discovered that the insurgents were from outside Nigeria, why is the government reportedly paying ransoms to them and even considering amnesty options? “Is it part of governance to pay ransom to invaders? These are the questions that Nigerians expect the Buhari Presidency to answer.”

Read More

BBNaija: Miracle wins big as he prepares to travel with DJ Cuppy, DJ Exclusive, others to One Africa music festival

Mercy Lank

Big Brother Naija housemate Miracle has been rewarded with N1 million a year supply of Pepsi products and an all-expense paid trip to Dubai for winning the Pepsi ‘Refresh The Mix’ challenge.

The housemates were tasked with solving a puzzle which involved making up the missing pieces that will reveal the faces of different Pepsi Dj ambassadors. Two time Head of House, Miracle, was the first to unravel the puzzle, revealing the picture of DJ Exclusive, one of the four Pepsi DJ Ambassadors. Pepsi ambassadors, Dj Spinall and Dj Obi were in the BBNaija house to reveal to Miracle his rewards for winning the Pepsi Challenge. Miracle will travel with Pepsi DJ Ambassadors, DJ Cuppy, DJ Exclusive, DJ Spinall and DJ Obi to the One Africa music festival in June, 2018. Meanwhile, DJ Spinall announced that the housemates were getting an official invitation, to The Lituation party courtesy of Pepsi on June 30th, 2018 He said, “You are the first to get an invitation from Pepsi for ‘The Lituation party’. “I have seen the concept of the show and it is amazing”. Miracle holds the record for most wins in the Payport arena games with three wins, therefore guaranteeing him another N1 million at the end of the current edition of the reality TV show. Next Sunday’s eviction will be the last before the grand finale and notably strong contender for the grand prize Miracle is up against Cee c, Lolu, Anto and Khloe. Miracle will hope to escape the last eviction in order to take home the grand prize of N45 million adding to his guaranteed N2 million from winning the Pepsi challenge and the Payport arena games among other prizes.

Loading...

Read More

U.S., UK, France bomb Syria over chemical attack

Mercy Lank

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he ordered a strike on Syria in response to last weekend’s chemical weapons attack. Mr Trump, while addressing the nation on Friday night, said the joint strike with France and the United Kingdom was currently underway.

“A short time ago, I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. “A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway,” Mr Trump said. Pentagon, at a press briefing on the strike at 10 p.m., said the strikes did maximum damages to Assad’s regime’s chemical weapons sites. Mr Trump said that the “massacre” last weekend in Syria “was a significant escalation in a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very terrible regime.” “The evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said. Mr Trump also took a swipe at Russia and Iran, condemning their continued support to Assad’s regime. “To Iran and to Russia I ask, what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children? “The nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. No nation can succeed in the long run by promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants, and murderous dictators,” Trump said. “In 2013, President Vladimir Putin and his government promised the world that they would guarantee the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons. “Assad’s recent attack and today’s response are the direct result of Russia’s failure to keep that promise. “Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilised nations as a force for stability and peace. “Hopefully, someday we’ll get along with Russia and maybe even Iran. But maybe not,” the president stressed. Trump however added that the U.S. “does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria”. “We look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors home. We cannot purge the world of evil or act everywhere there is tyranny. “No amount of American blood or treasure can produce lasting peace and security in the Middle East,” Trump said. “We pray that God will bring comfort to those suffering in Syria. We pray that God will guide the whole region toward a future of dignity and of peace. “And we pray that God will continue to watch over and bless the United States of America,” he said. U.S. Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis said U.S. and its allies struck harder this time than the 2017 strike against the country which did not seem to deter the Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Joseph Dunford, Joint Chief of Staff, said the strikes were carried out on three Syrian chemical weapons infrastructures and the U.S. believed it would send al-Assad a strong message. On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said analysis done by the U.S., U.K. and France proved the chemical attack. In a statement Friday night, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called last weekend’s chemical attack “pure horror”. “The Syrian regime has a history of using chemical weapons against its own people in the most cruel and abhorrent way. “And a significant body of information including intelligence indicates the Syrian Regime is responsible for this latest attack,” May said. French President Emmanuel Macron said the response was “limited to the Syrian regime’s capabilities to produce and use chemical weapons”. “We cannot tolerate the normalisation of the use of chemical weapons, which is a direct threat to the security of the Syrian people and our collective security,” Mr Macron said.

Loading...

<!-- Comp

Read More

Chelsea FC sue Barcelona FC To UEFA Over Reports Of Police Brutality

Mercy Lank

Chelsea have submitted an official complaint to UEFA, after investigating reports of their supporters being struck by baton-wielding stewards and police before and after last month’s Champions League 3-0 defeat at Barcelona.

Along with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, Football Supporters’ Federation and Football Supporters Europe,the Premier League club appealed for information regarding the alleged incidents. After receiving an “unprecedented response”, Chelsea have chosen to take their case to UEFA.“ We issued a plea for information to those fans who may have been involved in these incidents. “This resulted in an unprecedented response, with a large number of individuals coming forward to complain in relation to poor organisation, lack of crowd control, brutality on the part of stewards and police and exposure to generally unsafe conditions. “Chelsea takes the safety of our fans, both at home and away, extremely seriously, and this not what we expect when attending events organised by UEFA or its member clubs. “We thank those supporters who shared their experiences to help form our report and will now await a response from UEFA,” read a club statement on their official website.

Loading...

Read More