“I Wanted People To See Me As A Rude Boy” – Timaya

One of Nigeria’s most consistent singer, Timaya had a few interesting things he had to say in an interview with the Punch newspaper.
The Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa gave quite a number of insights on his music, personal re-branding and of course why he isn’t married by now. He spoke on the subject of having a baby mama and also about his lovely daughters.
Hear Timaya speak on why he isn’t yet married and his baby mama.
“I am not getting married soon. My life is a journey. My career is my journey. I didn’t lie to my baby mama when she was pregnant; I told her I wasn’t ready to get married. I never said I wasn’t going to get married. But at the moment, I am not ready. When she told me she was pregnant, I accepted the pregnancy. She told me she hoped I wasn’t going to be like other musicians who had kids from different women. I told her no. My two kids are from same woman. I know what I am doing.”
Being a father taught Timaya how to really love.

“I never knew I could love anyone the way I love my daughters. My first daughter is my best friend. I didn’t know what I wanted when I had her. But I knew I wanted to rebrand. So I had to take off the dreadlock.”
Sporting dreadlocks was strategic for the “Money” crooner to look more rugged and intimidating.
“My dreadlock was a strategy. I wanted people to see me as a rude boy. I couldn’t have been giving all those trouble with a calm and clean face. I wanted a look that would associate with it.  Now, people come to me and I smile.
“I was happy I was controversial and I was being talked about. I used to struggle to be known before then and I desperately wanted to be known. Finally, they started talking about me. People felt I was troublesome. Some felt I was controversial. Even those who didn’t know my music knew my name. When I had got what I wanted, I felt it was time for me to rebrand.”
Doing music means everything to Timaya as he can’t bear the thoughts of quitting music for something else.
“I realised that I have a passion for music. I didn’t go into it because of money; I didn’t see money when I started. I have never thought of doing anything else. I know my life is finished if I am not doing music. If not music, my life is finished.
“I know some musicians are coming into the industry because they feel there is money in it. But that shouldn’t be the case. When your target is money, you will not get it. I try as much as I can not to sound the same way I have been sounding. When there is no innovation, people wouldn’t appreciate you.”
With new artistes buzzing in the music industry, Timaya admits he is not in any way intimidated by their successes.
“I know these young artistes are vexing. I don’t feel threatened that there are younger musicians out there now. I just try to beat every hit song I have done before. I am not in any competition with anybody. I do songs every day. But music should not be taken for granted. At this point, much is expected of me. I can do a song for a whole month. The bottom is for me to have the body of the song, the hook and the melody. I don’t want to sound like a joke to my fans. I take my time. This is my profession, it is not a joke. I don’t want my name to be forgotten,” he said.

Festac Fashion, Film and Music Festival

Hey guys, guess what ?
Talent Inspired academy has brought to you festac fashion, Film and music Festival .

Are you talented in acting, singing, dancing ,modeling ,presenting or in any field . Then what are you waiting for tell a friend to tell another, that audition is free!!

No registration fee, all you need to do is come and showcase what you got!! Entries are open for everyone

Every participants will receive a prize and the winners will win bonus Prize 

Audition date : 10th of December 

Time : 10am

Audition venue : elcee center 7th Avenue festac Town Lagos

For more info contact : 08030552467,08107698092,07067429419,07062807565

Senate rejects Buhari’s plan to take $30bn loan

ABUJA- THE Senate on Tuesday unanimously threw out plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to engage in external borrowing of $29.960billion for execution of key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018.

  The Senate did not even discuss it as it was killed immediately it was mentioned as an executive communication by Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume “that the Senate do consider the request of the President Commander in Chief on the 2016 – 2018 External Borrowing Rolling Plan.”

Soon after Ndume’s remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki now puts it to Vote and the Nays had it.

Senator Saraki who was surprised and trying to give President Buhari a soft landing, decided to put it into vote the second time and the Nays still had it and he ruled.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday last week written to the National Assembly seeking for the approval of external borrowing plan of $29.960billion for execution of key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018.

The letter titled, “Request for Approval of Federal Government 2016 – 2018 External Borrowing( Rolling) Plan” was read on the floor of the Senate”

President Buhari had explained in the letter that external borrowing plan would be targeted at projects which cut across all sectors with special emphasis on infrastructure, Agriculture, Health, Education , Water supply , Growth and employment generation , poverty reduction through social safety net programmes and governance and financial management reforms etc.

According to him,” the total cost of the projects and programmes under the borrowing (rolling) plan is $29.960billion made up of proposed projects and programmes loan of $11.274billion, Special National Infrastructure projects $10.686billion, Euro bonds of $4.5 billion and Federal Government budget support of $3.5billion “.

The President who also explained that the loan was very necessary in view of the serious infrastructural deficit, the nation is facing, said, “Considering the huge infrastructure deficit currently being experienced in the country and the enormous financial resources required to fill the gap in the face of dwindling resources and the inability of our annual budgetary provisions to bridge the deficit, it has become necessary to resort to prudent external borrowing to bridge the financing gap, which will largely be applied to key infrastructure projects namely Power, Railway and roads projects among others.”

Phyno’s “The Playmaker” Album Happens To Be Out Now | Buy On iTunes

Phyno released his much anticipated sophomore album ‘The PlayMaker‘ on the 1st of November 2016. The 20 track album has features from P-Square, Zoro, Onyeka Owenu, Mr Eazi, Tidinz, Burna Boy, M.I, 2 Baba, Flavour, Olamide and Decarlo (US based Singer & Song Writer for the likes of Chris Brown in ‘ Yeah yeah‘ ) . The album has production from Benjamz, Major Bangz, T-Spize, Kezyklef, Masterkraft, del B, Tunex and Chris String
heres what the album tracks look like below

Dangote to FG: Reverse power privatisation

The President/CEO Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has said the power sector privatisation was done wrongly and suggested it should be reversed.
He said the problem in the power sector has persisted despite privatisation because the buyers lack understanding of the complexities of the sector.

Dangote made the assertion as a guest lecturer at the Senior Executive course 38 at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in Plateau State.
He spoke on “Promotion of Local Manufacturing and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: The Private Sector Experience and Policy Options”.
He said because of lack of understanding of the sector, the generating and distribution companies are now holding the country to ransom.

The African richest man said unless the federal government quickly decides on taking back the assets and giving them to people who have the capacity to inject money, the country may not be able to deliver on power.

He said: “What government did was to privatise but the privatisation was done wrongly. People who wanted to buy all these plants, both the generating and distribution companies, thought that this was another opportunity like mobile phones, where we have moved from 500,000 lines in 2000 and in ten years we now have 120million lines.

“Yes it would have been so but these guys, what they did when they bought these power plants was that they borrowed 90% of the money in foreign currency. You cannot go and borrow dollars when your base income is in naira, you will have an issue because your earnings are in naira you are taking a huge exchange risk and that is what happened today.

“These are guys, with respect to them, when I say guys I don’t mean 100% of them but the majority of them went in without even understanding what they are doing and the worst thing for any entrepreneur is to go into a business without understanding it.”

“If you don’t understand a business no matter how much money they show you that you are going to make, how much profit, don’t go into where somebody has to come and sit you down and start explaining because if he is doing something wrong, you don’t have any way of challenging him.
“If you wake me up in the middle of the night on any of the businesses we are doing today, even the new ones I will be able to explain it to you, I know my entry and I know my exit but unfortunately that is what these guys did and today they are holding the entire nation to ransom, it is very embarrassing for us.”

“Today, how can we say that we don’t have 300,000 prepaid meters? things have changed you cannot go and charge a rate and then you have to follow people one by one to be scheming for them to pay but with a prepaid meter, once you buy for N10,000 after the N10,000 you have to remain in darkness so it is not an issue to start chasing people to pay. And it is also estimated that 30% of the overhead costs of businesses in the country go into the provision of alternative source of power. This affects their revenue and profitability.”
“We should be as open as we can if government doesn’t  intervene by taking back these assets and giving them to people who really have money that they can really inject, we will not be able to deliver on power.

“We should ask, how many people, who and who are these guys that have actually gone into the power sector then you will know when you see the quality of people, are they really serious, because they went in to just make money, power business is not just about money, it is a huge business when you invest heavily you will reap at the end of the day.  
“My own advice is that government should sit down with them and negotiate the best way out because we need power, we are desperate for power and if there is no power no growth because if you look at the medium and small industries, most of their income goes into buying diesel or petrol to generate power and that shouldn’t be the case.

“I believe with enough power we will have tremendous growth we are not going to be in negative GDP growth, in fact it will double digit growth, an inclusive one not the one that only the likes of MTN, DANGOTE and co will be making profit, everybody will feel it and that is the kind of GDP growth we are looking for.

“If we generate power, majority of the States that are rushing to Abuja to collect monthly pay won’t even go because they will be able to generate enough economic activities where you will be able to tax people and you can only tax somebody who is making money.”
He said apart from the epileptic power supply in the country, other constrains to entrepreneurs include inconsistency in government policies, taxes as well as poor road networks.
“Nigeria has a plethora of raw materials that can provide inputs to various sectors particularly the agro-allied and extractive industries. Any business in which you will not use local materials is dangerous.”

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, also gave similar advise at the 36th Kaduna International Trade Fair in April when he asked President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the sale.
Five Generation companies (Gencos) and 11 Distribution companies (Discos) were handed over to private investors on November 1, 2013 with 60 per cent stakes in the former PHCN utilities.
According to the Service Level Agreements (SLA) held with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the firms assured of metering electricity consumers and significantly reducing the collection and technical losses in the sector within five years.

Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/dangote-to-fg-reverse-power-privatisation/169010.html#pVoeOeOyiyTHcBiL.99

Buhari is going to surprise Nigerians next year says Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enalamah

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enalamah, yesterday,
said the results of the efforts by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will surprise Nigerians in 2017.

The minister, who was in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital spoke with newsmen at the 8th Session of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment.

Enalamah said the Federal government is strifing to  end the current economic recession.
He said:”You will start seeing result at the end of this year and early next year. As far as I am concerned, next year is a year of results. All the work we are doing will start yielding results from this quarter.

“The level of delivery in 2017 will suprise everybody. People may be saying we are not doing anything but it is impossible for a man to start broadcasting a plan we haven’t really put together well.”

The Minister however, stated that the strategic focus of the ministry’s master plan for Diversification and Growth of the Nigerian Economy is:  “Partnering with Private and Development Capital to Leverage and Catalyze Resources for diversification and growth.”

According to the Minister, ”The challenge in every economy is that of infinite demands and finite resources. With limited resources therefore, the Diversification and Growth plan, otherwise known as the MITI Plan is based on a partnership with the private sector.”

He emphasized that based on resource constraints and low price of commodities, including oil, it is an urgent necessity to partner with the private sector so as to leverage and catalyse resources and development capital.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of the Presidential Council on Ease-of Doing Business (PEBES). We, as Nigerians, must see the connection.   The global perception is that this country is a tough environment in which to do business.   We must change this negative perception.   Positive perceptions will attract investors, capital, technology and best practices.

Enelamah explained that already, we are seeing results of these efforts at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), a parastatal under the Ministry, with the 24-hour online registration of businesses.

We must be tactful with herdsmen in Yorubaland – Ooni Ogunwusi

Ado Ekiti—The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has called for careful handling of the threat posed by some herdsmen across the country, especially in the Yoruba region of the country.
The Ooni, who stated this at the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe yesterday, said this became necessary in order not to allow the issue degenerate into a major crisis.
Oba Ogunwusi said the anti-grazing law was a welcome development because Nigeria is a federation and Ekiti State was in a federation, but called for care in the handling of the issue because it could degenerate.

He said he was thrilled by thousands of people that had trooped out to receive him at Aramoko, at the palace of the Alara, and at Ijero, at the palace of the Ajero and thanked the people for their cooperation.

The amphitheatre at the Ewi’s palace, where the Ooni was received was filled to capacity with people from all walks of life, including Governor Ayodele Fayose, his deputy, Dr. Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole among many other top government functionaries.
Oba Adejugbe expressed joy at the visit, and recalled that in 1937, Oba Adesoji Aderemi visited the Ewi; in 1980, Oba Olubuse II visited the Ewi and thanked God that in 2016, Oba Ogunwusi has visited.

“I am happy because the visits are not at close intervals and prayed for long life, unity and cooperation among the people of Yorubaland,’’ he said.
He particularly commended the Ooni for the meeting of traditional rulers he attended in Osogbo, which he said was a precursor for the unity among Yoruba communities of the South West.
He charged him to continue in that stead to sustain the growing unity among Yoruba people.
Governor Fayose thereafter, expressed joy at the visit and said it was a celebration of a lifetime – an event that so many people will live with for a very long time.

Meanwhile, the Ooni, who earlier in the day had a stopover in Aramoko Ekiti, where he visited the Alara, Oba Adegoke Olu Adeyemi and the Owa Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole in Ijero Ekiti before making his way to the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe’s palace, canvassed unity in Yoruba land to usher in a new era of peace, unity and development.

He was accompanied to Ekiti State by the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedotun and other traditional rulers in Ife land.
Oba Ogunwusi said he was happy to be in company of the Alara, the Orangun and the Ajero on the same day.

US drones to bomb northern Nigeria

There are strong indications that the United States government may launch attacks against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, as a drone base being constructed in the Niger Republic would soon be completed.

According to reports, the American drone base is under construction in Agadez, a town in Niger. The facility is expected to offer US military, greater ability to use drones against Islamist extremists in countries like Libya, Mali and Nigeria But some security experts told SUNDAY PUNCH that such drone attacks against insurgents in the North might kill innocent people.

The project, considered to be the United State’s most important military construction effort in Africa, according to secret files obtained by an online medium, The Intercept, will gulp $100m.

The construction of the base is an indication that the US is paying more attention to terrorist groups in Nigeria and other countries on the African continent.

“As the only country in the region willing to allow a US base for MQ-9 Reapers — a newer, larger, and potentially more lethal model than the venerable Predator drone — Niger has positioned itself to be the key regional hub for US military operations, with Agadez serving as the premier outpost for launching intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions against a plethora of terror groups,” The Intercept said.

The Americans have for years operated an air base in Niamey, Niger’s capital, but in September 2014 the US African Command announced plans to build a drone facility for “Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.”

The documents obtained by The Intercept and made available online stated, “The top MILCON [military construction] project for USAFRICOM is located in Agadez, Niger to construct a C-17 and MQ-9 capable airfield.

“Remotely Piloted Aircraft presence in Africa supports operations against seven (Department of State)-designated foreign terrorist organisations.

“Moving operations to Agadez aligns persistent ISR to current and emerging threats over Niger and Chad, supports French regionalisation and extends range to cover Libya and Nigeria.”

Reacting to the development, a member of the American Society of Industrial Security, Prof. Femi Adegbulu, told SUNDAY PUNCH that there was a possibility of collateral damage, should the US launch drone attacks against Boko Haram in the North.

He said, “There are two sets of drones, one for surveillance and the other for attacks. A reconnaissance drone is used for intelligence gathering, while the other kind of drone is used for attacks. There is no 100 per cent accuracy in warfare.

“You lose lives, money, time, and resources. The possibility of collateral damage cannot be ruled out, especially since Boko Haram terrorists are known to use humans as shields when attacked.”

Similarly, a former Director, Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, told one of our correspondents that he was concerned about the US military’s plan to launch attacks against Boko Haram from Niger.

“I am worried that the US military will be making such efforts to launch attacks against Boko Haram from outside Nigeria. If the US did not get the nod from the Federal Government to establish its drone base in the country, how could the US military launch attacks against Boko Haram from Niger Republic?”

When the spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Charles Nwodo, was contacted at 3pm, he asked one of our correspondents to give him till 6pm to respond to the story.

However, when he was called again at 6pm, he did not pick the calls placed to his telephone line. Also, Nwodo had yet responded to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

Army releases 348 suspected Boko Haram detainees

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Saturday freed 348 suspected Boko Haram members as a gesture to celebrate the country’s 56th Independence anniversary.

The detainees included 114 male, 107 female and 127 children.

They were handed over to the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, at the Ramat Square, Maiduguri by the acting General Officer Commanding, the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezegwu.

Ezegwu explained that the suspects were arrested at various camps and havens of the insurgents in Borno State.

He said they were investigated and found to be innocent of involvement in insurgency.

He also said 115 out of the 127 children among the suspected insurgents were between the ages of five and 10, while 12 of them were 11 years and above.

He however, said some suspects, including six foreigners who illegally entered Nigeria, would be prosecuted.

He added that the suspected insurgents had been handed over to the Police and the Department of State Services.

He said the foreigners comprised of four Cameroonians, a Chadian and a Jamaican, who would be separately handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation.

Crucifix appears in Nasarawa mosque

Crucifix appears in Nasarawa mosque; hundreds troop out for miracle

 

– The sight of of a cross in a mosque premise sent Nasarawa residents into confusion

– Hundreds of people have trooped to the cross to ask for miracle

– The chief imam of the mosque confirmed the sighting and said it was a sign from God

In what might be considered a strange sighting, the sudden appearance of a cross a few meters away from a mosque in Nasarawa threw residents into confusion.
The Punch reports that residents of Assakio Development Area in Lafia were left awed by the strange sighting which has brought hundreds of people to the location to pray for forgiveness and blessing.


The cross which is the considered the symbol of Christianity was illuminated on the ground close to the mosque.
Hajara Hussaini confirmed that she was the first to see the light in the shape of a cross on Wednesday, September 28 when her mother sent her on errand.
Her mother, Matan Liman also confirmed the strange appearance and said her daughter was gripped in fear when she returned.
Muhammed Iliyasu who is the Chief Imam of Assakio Central Mosque said the sighting of the cross within the mosque premise confirmed that revelation was from God, affirming that “Jesus is also a prophet of God.”


Very Rev. Micheal Dogo of the Evangelical Reform Church of Christ, Assakio described the sighting of the cross as “a sign of reconciliation in the community.”
Grace Eze who resides in the community said she was healed when she visited the mosque.

“I underwent a surgery about two years ago after which I started to experience a movement in my body. But after praying before the cross, I got healed.”

This development comes as Muslims celebrate the new 1438AH year.
Similarly, hundreds of people trooped to Saint Augustine’s Catholic Church which is located in the Nenger area of Makurdi in Benue following the “appearance” of an ‘image’ of Jesus.
The church which is situated behind Government Model College became a hub for Catholic and non-Catholic worshipers after bright image fell on the crucifix of Jesus.

Girl narrates why she allegedly uses menstrual blood to cook for her boyfriend

Girl who wants to marry her married ex-boyfriend narrates her story.

According to a post sent in by a ‘confused girl’, she was sexually involved with a married man who took care of her in all the ways she wanted. She eventually fell in love with him without planning into, they broke up, reconciled later, and now she’s hoping to end up being his wife.
According to the story she sent in to a group known as ‘Relationship Matters In 9ja’, prior to sticking to only married men, she had dated a single guy whom she gave her all to till he eventually broke her heart.

According to her, after a serious fight with the guy one day when she discovered he had cheated on her, she cooked and served him food made with her menstrual blood (disgusting by the way), as a way to get her sweet revenge. She eventually left the guy and faced married men squarely.
See what she shared below:

“Hello Rmi9, i’m posting through a friend’s account.. I am 23 years old, a fresh graduate and i’m into entertainment. I model and dance.. All my life i have only dated young married men, just the 3 of them by the way.. They take care of me and i do the same.  They were all responsible because they always took proper care of their wives…I broke up with my last guy because i started developing serious feelings for him and i didn’t want to break his home and he was always all over me. I never had time for single guys but later i started reconsidering it because i hoped to get married someday and i started dating this single guy..

He is comfortable and always brought out money when necessary. I wasn’t so demanding because my dancing and modeling was paying.. I thought this idiot was the one for me until he cheated on me with a girl he claimed was from his hometown.. He even had the effrontery to bring the girl home and slept with her on our bed… I was mad that night, i made sure i broke his laptop and wanted to tear down his flat screen on the wall before he held me…

 

 

I was hurt and fortunately for me, my menses started the next morning because he stupidly thought i was ok after he begged me that night, so i used it to cook for him because i heard it makes guys purge and he purged that morning… He could have died for all i cared, the heartbreak was too painful.. I made sure i ate his money well before i dumped his sorry ass.. All these irresponsible broke single guys that will have a girlfriend and still be sleeping with other girls. Totally immature.. 

 

The problem now is that my ex married guy wants to marry me and i have agreed.. The wife is making life hell for him but he is a good man and the only guy that understands me. I am not sure i will meet another person like him. I love his two cuties and am sure i will be a good wife but this wicked woman doesn’t want to give him a divorce, i don’t know what to do?? 

 

They have separated now. He said he no longer wants the marriage and his family knows but the wife is still claiming that she loves him. Judging from what I heard from him, he has never been happy in his marriage and i’m willing to make him happy. No insult please.”

 

Hmmm…This one left us speechless. What do you think?

Coach Sam Allardyce sacked from post of England manager

Sam Allardyce has been sacked as England manager after 67 days in the job, Sky Sports reported on Tuesday.

Allardyce, 61, was caught up in a newspaper sting in which he is alleged to have met a bogus consortium of Far East businessmen seeking advice on the Premier League's billion-pound transfer market.

During meetings with undercover reporters from The Daily Telegraph, Allardyce is reported to have criticized his predecessor Roy Hodgson, referring to him as "Woy" and saying he "hasn't got the personality" for public speaking.

playSam Allardyce (BT Sport 1)

Former Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and Sunderlandboss Allardyce took charge after Hodgson resigned in June following England's 2-1 loss to Iceland, and has managed only one competitive game to date - a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Slovakia on September 4.

The Daily Telegraph has footage claiming to be from a meeting in August between Allardyce and two undercover reporters purporting to be from a Far East firm.

In the video, Allardyce explains to the two men how they might "get round" rules regarding third-party ownership of players, which was banned by FIFA last year and has been outlawed in England's top flight since 2008.

Allardyce used the example of Enner Valencia, a player he claims was owned by a third-party when he brought him to West Ham from Mexican club Pachuca in 2014.

playEnner Valencia (Kevin Quigley )

"It's not a problem... we got Valencia in. He was third-party owned when we bought him from Mexico," Allardyce said, before acknowledging that his registration had to be purchased outright before moving to the Premier League.

The newspaper alleges that Allardyce reached an agreement worth £400,000 to represent the fictitious firm to Far East investors and be a keynote speaker at certain events, though he makes it clear than any arrangement would need FA clearance.

The 61-year-old is then claimed to have criticized predecessor Roy Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville for England's Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, while he brands the FA's expensive rebuilding of Wembley as "stupid".

playRoy Hodgson

Allardyce has yet to respond to the allegations, while FA chairman Greg Clarke says he wants all the information surrounding the issue to be assessed. An FA meeting is understood to be taking place on Tuesday.

"I want all the facts, to hear everything from everyone and make a judgement about what to do," Clarke told The Daily Mail.

"Natural justice requires us to get to the bottom of the issues before we make any decision. It is not appropriate to pre-judge the issue. With things like this you have to take a deep breath."

NCC writes to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, demanding N50bn paid by MTN

The Nigerian Communications Commission has written the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, demanding the transfer of the initial N50bn paid by MTN Nigeria Communications to the regulator’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday while answering questions from journalists at a press conference to mark the one year anniversary of his coming on board.

The NCC boss, who said the money had been lodged in a recovery account opened by the OAGF with the CBN, added that it needed to be transferred to the NCC account before it could be moved to the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government.

The commission had imposed a fine of N1.04tn on MTN Nigeria Communications Limited in October 2015 for failing to disconnect 5.2 million improperly registered subscribers from its network. After initial negotiations, MTN went to court.

However, in a twist, it withdrew the case out of the court and paid N50bn through the OAGF to show the government that it was ready to embark on full negotiation in a bid to settle the matter out of court.

There appeared to be crack in the government’s handling of the matter when the Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, denied that his ministry and its agencies took part in the negotiation and subsequent receipt of the money.

When the government and the NCC eventually entered into fresh negotiations with MTN, the fine was reduced to N330bn spread over a period of three years. The initial N50bn paid by the company was regarded as the first instalment.

Danbatta said MTN had since paid another N30bn, which means that the company has so far paid N80bn, with an outstanding balance of N250bn.

The NCC helmsman also said that the regulator declined a request by MTN to acquire the spectrum being used by Visafone even though it approved the acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding in the company by MTN.

The nation’s chief telecom regulatory officer argued that the acquisition of Visafone’s frequency could perpetuate MTN’s dominant position in the Nigerian telecommunications market, adding that the NCC would subject the request to a public inquest.

Danbatta also said that MTN would roll out services on the 2.6MHz spectrum acquired through a bidding process.

He said, “In the recent wireless broadband frequency bidding process for the 2.6MHz spectrum by the commission, MTN Nigeria Limited emerged the winner of six slots. The licensing of frequency in this slot has suffered several setbacks until recently when six slots out of 14 made available by the commission were allocated for immediate deployment of 4G-LTE services.

“By the rollout plans for this service as provided by the winner, broadband services on this frequency spectrum will be available in the last quarter of 2016.”

He added, “We have initiated processes for licensing of more broadband services on the 5.4GHz spectrum band. We have opened the process for the allocation of frequencies in the 70/80GHz band (e-band).

“Approval has been given for the deployment of 4G Long Term Evolution Technology by NATCOM Development and Investment Limited, which has launched the first Voice over LTE call on February 25.”

Danbatta also announced that the country’s broadband penetration had reached 20.95 per cent.

“Equally, on the percentage of Internet penetration, the country has reached a milestone of 47.44 per cent, second to South Africa on the continent,” he said.

On unsolicited text messages, Danbatta said the NCC had constituted a task force to verify the compliance of telecoms operators with the directives issued to them.

He said the regulatory agency would not shy away from sanctioning operators found wanting

president Buhari reveals those sponsoring Niger Delta militants [shocking]

– President Muhammadu Buhari has said that past looters of the treasury are behind militants in the Niger Delta
– Buhari said the looters recruited the militants to sabotage the oil infrastructure
– The president said the nation loses millions daily due to activities of the militants

Those who looted Nigeria’s treasury in the past are behind the militants in the Niger Delta region, says President Muhammadu Buihari.




President Buhari said past looters of the treasury are behind the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta region, stressing that they are the reasons the nation is battling recession.
According to him:

  “Those who stole Nigeria dry are not happy. They recruited the militants against us in the Niger Delta, and began to sabotage oil infrastructure. We lose millions of barrels per day, at a time when every dollar we can earn, counts. It is a disgrace that a minimum of 27 states, out of 36 that we have in Nigeria, can’t pay salaries.

In a statement by his special adviser media, Femi Adesina, President Buhari was speaking to top rate Nigerian professionals based in the United States of America, whom Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Matters and International Relations, described as “15 of the best people God ever created”.


The professionals were in New York to meet with the Nigerian President. Top flight aeronautics engineers, physicians, I.T experts, a Judge, a top policewoman, entrepreneurs, an Import Specialist at Customs and Border Protection, professors, two straight A students, and many others.
The parley provided President Buhari opportunity to bring them up to speed on how and why Nigeria got into trouble, with an assurance that with all hands on deck, including the best brains in the Diaspora, the country would bounce back in the shortest possible time.

“I am very pleased with this meeting,” President Buhari stated. “Wherever you go in the world, you find highly competent and outstanding Nigerians. They not only make great impact on their host countries and communities, their financial remittances back home also help our economy, particularly at a time like this, when things are down.

“We got into trouble as a country, because we did not save for the rainy day. For example, between 1999 and 2015, when we produced an average of 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, and oil prices stood at an average of $100 per barrel, we did not save, neither did we develop infrastructure. Suddenly, when we came in 2015, oil prices fell to about 30 dollars per barrel.

“I asked; where are the savings? There were none. Where are the railways? The roads? Power? None. I further asked; what did we do with billions of dollars that we made over the years? They said we bought food. Food with billions of dollars? I did not believe, and still do not believe.

“In most parts of Nigeria, we eat what we grow. People in the South eat tubers, those in the North eat grains, which they plant, and those constitute over 60 per cent of what we eat. So, where did the billions of dollars go? We did a lot of damage to ourselves by not developing infrastructure when we had the money.

“Talking of our military, they earned respect serving in places like Burma, Zaire, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra-Leone, and then, suddenly, that same military could no longer secure 14 out of 774 local governments in the country. Insurgents had seized them, calling them some sort of caliphate, and planting their flags there; till we came, and scattered them.“We raised the morale of our military, changed the leadership, re-equipped and retrained them; USA, Britain, and some other countries helped us, and today, the pride of our military is restored.

“Boko Haram ran riot, killing innocent people in churches, mosques, markets, schools, motor parks, and so on. And they would then shout Allahu Akbar. But if they truly knew Allah, they would not do such evil. Neither Islam, nor any other religion I know of, advocates hurting the innocent. But they shed innocent blood, killed people in their thousands. Now, we have dealt with that insurgency, and subverted their recruitment base.”

“But I prayed so hard for God to make me President. I ran in 2003, 2007, 2011, and in 2015, He did. And see what I met on ground. But I can’t complain, since I prayed for the job. In the military, I rose from 2nd Lieutenant to Major-General. I was military governor in 1975 over a state that is now six states. I was head of state, got detained for three years, and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), which had N53 billion of that time in Nigerian banks.

“God has been very good to me, so I can’t complain. If I feel hurt by anybody, I ask God to help me forgive. He has done so much for me.
“After 16 years of a different party in government, no party will come and have things easy. It’s human. We need quality hands to run Nigeria, and we will utilize them. I will like to welcome you home when it’s time. But I’ll like you to be ready.”

All the Nigerian professionals pledged to contribute their quota towards re-launching their fatherland to a new dawn.

Young cross-river Man Commits Suicide by drinking ‘Otapiapia’ after being jilted or dumped by girlfriend / babymama

     

A man in his mid-30s, identified as Godwin weekend, ended his own life at Kabayi, Mararaba, near Abuja. Reason: His wife allegedly jilted or dumped him as we like to call it. His relations,

An investigation revealed that the victim, from Cross River State, lost his first wife sometimes ago and thereafter got hooked to the latest one who, he claimed, her uncaring behavior made him to drink a poisonous substance called 'Otapiapia', reports Daily Trust

Findings showed that after being with the new lover for some time, things suddenly turned sour and the lady dumped him and went back to her former boyfriend.

Close sources to the victim said he became depressed with the situation and headed to the lady’s apartment and informed her that if anything happened to him, she would be held responsible.

“Initially nobody thought he was serious,” one of the man’s relations said. “Even the lady thought he was joking. But we were all shocked to hear that he drank Otapiapia.

“He was not lucky as all efforts to save him proved abortive. He was given palm oil to drink and vomit the poison but it did not work. We rushed him to a nearby hospital where the doctor and other medical workers battled unsuccessfully to save him.”

One of the residents, who spoke to the City News in confidence, expressed his surprise, saying: “Could you believe that he called many friends and relations earlier on that fateful day to inform them that he was embarking on a very far journey?

“He even visited various joints in the area before going back home later to take enough dose of Otapiapia. It’s very unfortunate. Nobody should take his or her own life under any circumstance.”

The source, said the corpse was taken to the village by some of the late man’s relations.

Commenting on the incident, a senior security agent in the area, who craved anonymity, described suicide as an abominable act and crime, warning people to shun it in their own interest.

Our reporter gathered that the incident was not reported to the police because the deceased person’s relations said there was no need to do that.

Lai Mohammed Minister says FG has started short-listing candidates for 500,000 jobs

Mohammed said that applications were being received and government had started processing them for the recruitment

The Federal Government has commenced shortlisting candidates for the 500,000 jobs it promised.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja  when a delegation of the National Council for Women’s Societies (NCWS) paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

Mohammed said that applications were being received and government had started processing them for the recruitment.

“The process for the recruitment has started.

“About 1.2 million people applied and they classified them into categories including agriculture support officers, teachers, technical officers and so on,’’ he said.

The minister also said that the payment of N5,000 conditional cash transfer promised by the government would begin before the end of the month.

He said the Minister of Finance, Dr Kemi Adeosun had earlier announced this.

Mohammed reiterated the commitment of the government to improving the well-being and standard of living of the citizens.

“We are very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and we are not sleeping; we are working day and night to ensure that the country retraces its step.

“Many of our critics have been unfair to us because many of them know that we did not invent the problems we are facing today.

“ This is time to join hands together to support the government to move the nation forward,’’ he said.

The National President of NCWS, Mrs Gloria Shoda, expressed the confidence in the resolve of the government to implement programmes for the advancement of girls and women in the society.

She drew the attention of government to its promise of providing free maternal and children health care and implementation of the National Gender Policy.

Shoda also appealed to government to consider scholarship for girls pursuing medical courses in the universities to address maternal and child mortality.

Varsity Teaching Hospital plunged into darkness over N36m power bill

The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital has been plunged into darkness following a disagreement between the varsity's authorities and the Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company over an estimated N36 million power bill.

Investigation into the issue on Tuesday, September 20, revealed that the list of patients to undergo surgeries have continued to increase  while critical medical equipment has broken down following the development.

The hospital is currently struggling to attend to several patients expected to undergo surgery as the limited power supply is channelled to the critical units of the hospital from its generators.

Almost all the offices in the administration building, as well as some of the wards, have been in darkness due the cutting-off of power supply on Friday, September 16, following the revelation of the controversial accumulated N36 million estimated bill from PHEDC.

Speaking on the issues the hospital is currently facing, Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Dr Thomas Agan, said that the action of PHEDC has crippled most of the activities in the health institution.

He placed the blame on the Calabar office of PHEDC for the disconnection of power supply at a bad time with over six patients on queue for surgeries.

Soliciting with the National Assembly to push the Federal government to take over the management of electricity bills, Agan also called on distribution companies to be cautious when dealing with health institutions as situations like these could lead to unnecessary loss of lives.

“As at last Friday, the PHEDC business manager said our indebtedness stood at N36m. He threatened that if we did not defray it, they won’t re-connect us.

“One thing I want to let the public know is that a hospital is not a profit-making venture. All we do is service delivery and if you disconnect us, you have crippled the whole system.

“When the business manager led a team to disconnect us, we had six patients on the operating table. No matter how you want to make money, you do it with some degree of human face.

“I don’t know how they arrived at the estimated bill that has accumulated over time. Could it be that they just walked into the hospital premises to see the size before coming up with such a bogus amount as a bill.

“As I speak, because of this incessant power cut, most of our equipment have broken down. The radiology equipment and several other sensitive facilities have broken down.

“My appeal now is that either the Federal Government take over the servicing of power to the hospitals or bills coming in from the electricity company go directly to the Federal Government for settlement,” 

 he said

Nigerians react to patience jonathan $31.4 million naira medical bills

– Nigerians have reacted to Patience Jonathan plea to the EFCC to lift the restriction on her account

 – The former first lady claimed the account which contained $31.4 million was for paying her medical bills and personal expenses Share on Facebook Share on Twitter patience 1 Following reports that Patience Jonathan has written to Ibrahim Magu,

     the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) explaining that the $31.4 million found in her account is for her medical expenses, Nigerians have reacted. The former first lady had initially filed a suit against the anti-graft agency after the account linked to her was frozen.

READ ALSO: Sagay says Patience must explain how she got $31.4m Nigerians immediately reacted to her claim, suggesting that Patience Jonathan wants to heal the world with the millions, while some are calling for her to be prosecuted immediately. Read their reactions below:

 Read more: https://www.naij.com/967025-planning-heal-world-nigerians-react-patience-jonathans-31m-medical-bills.html

how to use paypal in nigeria using first bank of nigeria ltd

As we nigerians who are familiar the the term and service called paypal, we know that for somewhile till now, it ha been impossible to legally open or posses a paypal account in nigeria, due to unknown but rumored reasons, but as you know am always arround to give you the Good-new

Last month, First Bank of Nigeria, one of the leading Nigerian commercial bank with over 750 branches across Nigeria, announced their exclusive partnership with PayPal in a deal that promises to make it easier for FirstBank customers to pay and get paid globally; in a manner that is seamless, secure and convenient.

Bisi Onasanya (FirstBank Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer) & Efi Dahal (PayPal Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa & Israel) signing the partnership agreement.

If you don't know what PayPal means, it is a global payment service that enables you to make payments securely on the Internet, accept payments, and send or receive money without revealing your financial information. PayPal users can send and receive money, and make payments for goods and services with merchants who accept PayPal as a means of payment.

The PayPal-FirstBank Nigeria partnership syncs with FirstBank’s enhanced service solutions. Enrolment on FirstBank’s Internet Banking (FirstOnline) gives you instant access to all of PayPal’s service offerings.

Hence, FirstBank Internet-banking customers can now open a PayPal account from their FirstOnline account and use their FirstBank debit or credit card to shop and pay online on millions of websites around the world from their PCs or smartphones without having to share their card details with merchants and the reassurance of a PayPal Buyer Protection.

Opening a PayPal account in Nigeria via FirstOnline is absolutely free!

According to the FAQs page on First Bank website, a PayPal account created on FirstBank’s Internet Banking (FirstOnline) is activated and verified instantly. You do not need to go through any other form of activation or verification. As you are operating from FirstBank secure online banking environment, PayPal will trust your account and lift restrictions usually applied on new PayPal accounts.

When logged in to the FirstOnline platform, you can also select different Cards to attach with PayPal and choose the Card you wish to use when making payment. FirstBank MasterCard and Visa cards (which are enabled for online international transactions) can easily be linked to your PayPal account (Verve Acceptance is currently being explored).

How Do I Create A PayPal Account through FirstOnline?

To get started, walk in to a nearby First Bank branch to apply for First Bank Internet banking. Once activated, you can log in to FirstOnline at https://ibank.firstbanknigeria.com/ to create your PayPal account.


Please SHARE this info with your friends. 
and please comment at any point which you may encounter difficulties
Have fun!