Neconde secures $640m refinancing deal to drive oil production


Oil field

A consortium of seven local and international lenders has signed an agreement to refinance Neconde Energy Limited’s existing Senior Secured Medium-Term Loan Facility Agreement worth $640 million, following a 20-year renewal of its Oil Mining Licence (OML), effective June 2019.

Neconde is in a Joint Venture (JV) with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in OML 42. The JV’s Production presently stands at an average of 50,000 barrels per day (bpd), and upon completion of the development activities planned in the 2019 work programme; output is expected to hit about 100,000bpd.

The consortium of seven lenders is made up of four Nigerian banks and three international lenders. They include Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, Zenith Bank as well as First Bank (UK) Limited. The international lenders are the Africa Import Export Bank (Afrexim), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), and Glencore Energy (UK) Limited.

Apart from being a member of the lending consortium, Glencore is also the off-taker of Neconde’s equity crude oil production.
With the refinancing, Neconde, according to a statement from the firm, is now positioned to achieve its field development plans for the Asset.

The Chairman of Neconde Energy Limited, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, said in a statement that the loan refinancing affirms the company’s strong financial fundamentals as a leading player in the upstream oil and gas industry.

He also disclosed that “this restructuring frees up capital for Neconde to invest in more development activities that will result in production increase.”

In the third quarter (Q3) 2018, Neconde alongside its JV partner, NPDC, secured a robust and independent alternative crude evacuation system. This initiative was borne out of the need to find a more reliable alternative to the Trans-Forcados Pipeline, which is prone to repeated outages.

The new evacuation system (“barging”) has become the primary evacuation system for the JV, and has since proven to be a more reliable and consistent channel of evacuating its crude oil for export. The JV intends to consolidate on this major achievement and improve its cash flow from the asset.

In January 2011, Neconde participated in and emerged successful in the competitive bid for the acquisition of 45% stake in OML 42 previously held by a consortium of International Oil Companies (Shell, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited).

Dollar heads toward three-month low before Fed meeting



The dollar weakened against its rivals on Tuesday, heading back toward a recent three-month low before a U.S. Central Bank meeting gets underway with expectations growing the Fed will signal its first rate cut in a decade.

A CME Fedwatch tool puts the probability of a quarter-point interest rate cut by the Fed at 20 per cent, with a 70 per cent probability of a rate cut at its next meeting in July.

However, with much dovishness already priced into the markets and the dollar has weakened one per cent over the past three weeks, some market analysts say the greenback may strengthen if the Fed signals a more neutral stance.

“The majority view among the Fed comments does not suggest any particular appetite for an immediate rate cut in June or July,” HSBC strategists said in a note.

Against a basket of its rivals, the dollar edged 0.1 per cent lower at 97.437 and not far away from a three-month low of 96.46 hit earlier this month.
While hedge funds have pared back some of their long positions on the dollar in recent weeks, overall net positions remain near 2019 highs.

The euro wallowed at the lower end of a recent trading range against the dollar, holding above the 1.12 dollar line, as markets awaited a speech by European Central Bank Chief Mario Draghi where he might shed more light on how policymakers will fight the next economic downturn.

With benchmark interest rates in the eurozone already in negative territory and inflation expectations below central bank forecasts, financial markets will be closely watching Draghi’s comments.

Elsewhere, sterling held near the 1.2550 dollar line as traders waited for news on the contest for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party.

Ellah Lakes lists additional 1.880m shares on NSE

[url=https://guardian.ng/business-services/seme-customs-command-intercepts-175-bales-of-smuggled-textiles/][/url]


Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE). Photo/rainbowfm

Ellah Lakes Plc has announced  the successful listing of additional 1.880 million shares on the main board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Ellah Lakes’ listing of these shares on the NSE will create options for investors in the agri-business segment of the NSE. Consequently, this listing is expected to provide increased liquidity to existing shareholders.
   
Speaking at the ‘Facts Behind the Listing’ held in Lagos, on Monday, the outgoing Ellah Lakes Plc CEO, Frank Ellah, said: “Today marks a milestone in the history of our company. After a number of years of challenging operational performance and trading illiquidity, with our new management in place, I am pleased to see the new trajectory of our growth as a business. We welcome existing and new shareholders to participate in our growth story.”

   
Speaking on the listing, Chief Executive Officer, Chuka Mordi, said: “We are pleased to be embarking on this new phase in the journey of Ellah Lakes Plc. With the business combination of the assets of Telluria, Ellah Lakes is in a great position to deliver value to all shareholders.  
   
”The enlarged Ellah Lakes is built on a foundation of growth to meet the needs of Nigerians for agricultural products, both as retail consumers and as industrial partners. We believe and expect to partake in Nigeria’s growth story as we continue to support the communities we operate in, and all our stakeholders.”
   
The Chief Executive Officer, The NSE, Oscar Onyema, has chosen to use the platform to inform the market of its strategic plans, operational developments and financial projections.
   
He said the Exchange recognises the role played by the board, management and other parties in the Telluria Limited acquisition transaction.   
 
“We also commend ongoing efforts to restructure and diversify the company’s operations from fish farming to a more competitive business in oil palm cultivation and processing.  
 
“We believe that this new business strategy will position the company as a major player in the Agriculture sector. Accordingly, we encourage the company to consider leveraging on the NSE platform to raise capital to fund future business expansion.”
 
Furthermore, Onyema noted that the NSE would also continue to provide products that are aligned to investors’ requirements whilst also ensuring a fair and orderly market.
 
He added that the Exchange would continue to provide a platform to support listed companies to meet their strategic business objectives.

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A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Isaac Agabi, who was kidnapped on Sunday by armed Fulani herdsmen in Edo State, has escaped his abductors, Igbere TV reports. 

Igbere TV had reported that Agabi was kidnapped along Auchi-Igarra road at about 5.00 pm, while on his way back to the parish.

Agabi is the Rev. Fr. in charge of Holy Name Catholic Church, Ikpeshi, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

Igbere TV gathered that the Rev. Fr. escaped from his abductors in the early hours of Tuesday (today), barely 48 hours after he was kidnapped.

The Director of Communication of the Holy Name Catholic Church, Fr. Peter Egielewa, who confirmed the development, said no ransom was paid to secure the release of Rev. Fr. Agabi.

He said the Rev. Fr. escaped from his abductors when they slept off in the night.

http://igberetvnews.com/782374/breaking-catholic-priest-escapes-from-kidnappers-den-photo/

According to the recent report, Many were feared killed as rampaging herdsmen are reported to shooting sporadically in the area.

Residents of Nukai, ATC, Kasuwan Bera, and Jauro-Sabai have reportedly fled the area, as rattling gunshots continue to rend the air.

Meanwhile Taraba Protests to the recebt kilings by the bandits. 

See more below 

Gist From Praizenews ;http://www.praizenews.com/taraba-women-protests-the-recent-killings-by-bandits/

University Ado Ekiti on Monday afternoon suddenly ran mad while coming from school.

The young man was said to have alighted from a ten passenger bus known as Akoto in front of NNPC along Iworoko and stood at the middle of the highway.

The vehicle from which he dropped was said to have loaded from the EKSU Campus.

The student while being whisked away.
The student after alighting from the vehicle began to show some display of insanity as he disrupted vehicular movement and attack passers-by.

The young man in the process damaged handsets and many other valuables of those who intended to stop him.

He was seen chanting “Aje oo” “Aje ooo” meaning wealth

This made many people to suspect that the student may have engaged in some money rituals which eventually went wrong.

The student held the environment into hostage with different display of madness for over an hour before he was overpowered by a crowd and handed over to the police.

It was also a similar story at the entrance of the Radio Nigeria Progress FM Ado Ekiti where a Suspected crippled Mad man who gave his name as Solomon Adu was found in the afternoon with a bag containing snake head, two Bible’s, a bell, rags, among other stinking materials.

when interrogated the suspect who was incoherent claimed to hail from Igbara Odo Ekiti.

He claimed that he was kidnapped in Lagos before being dropped at the entrance of the station.

The suspect was also handed over to the police for proper investigation

See more below 

Gist From Praizenews ;http://www.praizenews.com/eksu-yahoo-student-runs-mad-photos/

No less than 4 people have died after armed Fulani herdsmen launched a fresh attack on Riyom local government area of Plateau state.

A soldier is confirmed to have died in the incident which took place around 12 pm on Monday and spanned several hours without security intervention. 

Eyewitnesses say over 300 herdsmen invaded the village, shooting indiscriminately and burning houses including a government-owned clinic in the community after they overpowered men of the vigilante group who tried to resist them.

When SaharaReporters reached out to Tyopev Mathias Terna, spokesperson of the Plateau state Police Command on Tuesday, his phone rang out without response. 

Timothy Dantong, Lawmaker representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly said at least fifty four houses were completely burnt down by attackers adding that four people died including security personnel. 

Datong who condemned the incident said that he had concluded plans to table the issue as a matter of urgent public importance before the Assembly members during their plenary in Jos on Tuesday.

The lawmaker said, ” Yes I can confirm to you that four of our people including security personnel were killed during the incident. Many were also wounded. We have also counted at least fifty four houses that were completely burnt down by the attackers."

http://saharareporters.com/2019/06/18/fulani-herdsmen-attack-plateau-village-kill-soldier-three-others


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdXMlpjhh2A

When you use a sledgehammer to viciously attack anyone, it cannot be anything other than attempted murder. One George Mutuku of Muradi in Embakasi, Kenya has reportedly been battering his wife for some time, but last evening, he tried to kill her. It is a miracle she’s still fighting for her life at Kenyatta National Hospital after she was earlier attended to at Bliss Medical Centre in Embakasi.

Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2019/06/kenyan-attacks-his-wife-with.html

@Gistvic.com

A house was seen burning at Oke Ado, Ibadan as it was allegedly caused by a little child who was cooking noodles while her mother was watching Nollywood. Gistvic Reports.

The fire fighters have arrived to the place of the scene to put off the fire.

Reports Read:

Quote:"Happened a while ago. A house burned in Oke Ado ibadan. Story getting to us has it that it was caused by a little child cooking noodles while the mum was watching Nollywood. � "

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Office has arrested seven persons for offences bordering on internet fraud and other fraud related offences.


The first four among the suspects, namely: Kayode Obanewo a.k.a Samantha James, Muhammed Ademola a.ka Catherine Smith, Yusuf Rasheed a.k.a Rebecca Moore and Apata Oluwakayode a.k.a Hanna Cole, were arrested on June 11, 2019 at Mandate Estate Phase 2, behind Irewolede area of Ilorin following intelligence reports.

Obanewo, during interrogation from officers of the Commission, admitted the commission of the crime.

According to him, "I was arrested on the 11th of June 2019 at Mandate Estate Phase 2, but before the day of my arrest, I met a friend who introduced me to internet fraud. He gave me a laptop which was the reason behind my arrest. I saw one email address on the laptop and started using it to chat with some people at night when I come back from work," he said.

The Commission also arrested three other persons for similar offences in Agric Estate, Ilorin.

They are Olorunwa Okikiola, Olurunfemi Olamide and Ogungbemi Sogo.

Items recovered from the suspects include, laptops, phones and sim cards of different network providers, among others.

The suspects will soon be charged to court.



Source: https://ngg.ng/2019/06/18/efcc-arrest-7-yahoo-boys-in-ilorin/

Five Nigerians arrested in Ghana for raping a lady in her husband’s presence






Five Nigerians who raped a woman in the course of their robbery operation at Community 25 in Tema have been arrested by the Prampram Divisional Police Command.  
 
The suspects were apprehended after being on the police wanted list for some time. Their modus operandi is attacking mobile money vendors, mostly women in their house with machetes and guns and raping them after taking away their valuables.  
 
Confirming the incident, Chief Superintendent Cecilia Arko, Crime Officer of the Prampram Divisional Police Command, narrated that barely a month ago, four among the five suspects attacked a couple at their residence at about 3:00 am.  
 
According to Arko, the suspects who were aiming at a mobile money vendor, mistakenly went to the house of the couple and held them hostage before demanding for money and valuables. For the couple’s inability to provide what they wanted, Chief Superintendent Arko noted one of the suspects angrily sent their female victim to one of the rooms where he removed her underwear and forcibly hard sex with her while his accomplices filmed the odious act with a cell phone.  
 
The Crime Officer indicated that last Thursday, the couple were walking in the neighbourhood when the female victim spotted the suspect who removed his mask before filming the act, adding that she quickly alerted the husband who confronted the suspect on the street.  However, according to her, the suspect decided to take to his heels upon seeing the couple but the male victim managed to raise alarm which attracted neighbours who apprehended the suspect and handed him over to the police station.  
 
She further said when the suspect was interrogated, he admitted the offence and further led the police to their hideout in the area where his accomplices were also arrested including the gang leader who brought the suspects from Nigeria to Ghana to do criminal activities such as internet fraud and armed robbery.

by Linda Ikeji 

Viral photos show pathetic state of Abia roads after a heavy downpour






Photos showing the state of roads in Abia state after a heavy rain is trending on Facebook and has led to a conversation.
 
The area pictured was flooded due to the rain and the dirty water can be seen entering homes.
 
Cars can be seen half-submerged in the flood water, while commuters thrudged through water that was thigh-deep.
 

 
Some residents of Aba blamed the government for the state of the road while some blamed residents who do not properly dispose of their waste.
 
See below.
 



by Linda Ikeji 

We can’t disclose details of Buhari’s assets- CCB tells SERAP






The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has said it cannot make public the details of President Buhari’s assets declaration form submitted before the February 23rd presidential election.
 
The Bureau made this known in response to a request by the  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for the disclosure of assets declaration submitted by successive presidents and governors from 1999 till date. SERAP in its letter of request, asked the Bureau to make public “details of declarations made immediately after taking offices and thereafter, and for those who have left public offices, at the end of their term of office.” The group based its request on the Freedom of Information law enacted by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
 
SERAP in its letter akso asked the CCB to make public, “information on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, by the Bureau.”
 
The Bureau however in a response letter signed by Musa Usman, on behalf of CCB chairman, said SERAP's request falls short of the requirement of the law as it is only the National Assembly that can ask for such details from them. The CCB response in part reads
 

Quote:“Paragraph 3© of the 3rd schedule to the 1999 Nigerian constitution (as amended) empowers the bureau to retain custody of asset declaration and make them available for inspection by any citizen on such terms and conditions to be prescribed by the national assembly. These terms and conditions are yet to be prescribed,” the letter read.
“Assuming the freedom of information Act is the term and condition, Sections 12(1)(v) and 14(1)(b) of the Act makes information in the asset declaration form private and producing such information would be an invasion of privacy of presidents and governors. Section 14(2)(3) of the same Act stipulate conditions for granting requests for private information but these have not been met by SERAP’s application.
“Section 12(1)(a)(4)(a)(b) exempt production of information relating to investigation for the purposes of law enforcement and such investigation must have been carried out pursuant to an Act or regulation. Verification is investigation carried out pursuant to Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act for the purposes of law enforcement. Referring breaches of the Code of Conduct for public officers to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for prosecution is a matter of discretion of the bureau and not a matter of FOI.
“Consequently, I am further directed to convey to you that the request in SERAP’s application for information on details of asset declarations by presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999 is hereby denied on the grounds that it falls short of the requirement of the law. Please accept the assurances of the highest esteem of the Chairman CCB.” he said

by Linda Ikeji

Boko Haram reportedly raze military base in Borno, kill 5 soldiers & steal weapons






At least five soldiers reportedly lost their lives after Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military base in Monguno, Borno state last night Monday, June 17th. 
 
According to reports, the sect members riding on 30 utility vehicles armed with sophisticated weapons, attacked the military base, carting away arms and ammunition while setting the base ablaze.
 
A military source who confirmed the torching of the Base said,

Quote:"5 dead bodies of soldiers have been seen this morning and unverified number of soldiers are wounded, the military base was partially torch while arms and ammunition were carted away by the terrorists group. They also stole an ambulance and foodstuff meant for troops''.

by Linda Ikej

'Big boobs suck and they hurt' - Ex-Playboy model regrets having breast enlargement surgery, warns women against the danger (Photos)






Former Playboy model, Simone Holtznagel who is known for her killer curves and large E-cup breasts has shared a chilling warning to those considering breast enlargement with plastic surgery. 
 
The 25-year-old took who underwent breast enlargement surgery took to Instagram to bitterly complain about her E-cup breasts.
 

 
According to Simone,  her larger boobs gives her nothing but grief, pain and discomfort.  

'As the owner of E+ tiddies, why anyone would want their natural boobs enlarged is beyond me,' Simone wrote over a selfie from bed. 

'Big boobs suck, they hurt, your back hurts and most of the time you need to sleep in a crop top and I'll sell them for f***ing cheap just to get them off my chest,' she quipped.    
 


by Li

Trending FB post shared by Yahoo boy who fell in love with his "maga" and married her after she paid his "groom price"






A post allegedly shared on a Facebook group by a "yahoo boy" is trending on social media. In a viral screenshot of the post, the Yahoo boy, named Charly Kay, said he wanted to dupe a Caucasian woman but he ended up falling in love with her. 
 
He said friends warned him not to get emotional with his "client" but he couldn't help it. 
 
They allegedly got married eventually after she came to Nigeria with her people and paid his groom price.
 
See below.
 





by Linda 

Texas anti abortion pastor is charged with molesting a teenage relative for several years






Stephen Bratton a former Southern Baptist pastor who supported legislation in Texas that would have criminalized abortions has been arrested for child sex abuse. Court records show that the 43-year-old faces charges of molesting a teenage relative, sometimes multiple times a day, over the course of two years. 
 
He is accused of inappropriate touching that escalated to “sexual intercourse multiple times a day or several times a week” from 2013 to 2015.
 
The crime came to light after he confessed to his wife about the abuse on May 15. She called his co-pastors at 4 a.m. to organize a meeting, while Bratton contacted them later that day to say he had “sinned in grievous ways.”
 
 
The criminal investigation began on May 16 after Bratton allegedly confessed to three Southern Baptist clergy members that he abused the child.
 
 
He has been excommunicated and is no longer receiving a salary from the church.
 
He has been released on a $50,000 bail as investigations continue.

by Linda 

Gospel artiste, Benita Okojie, expecting 2nd baby






Gospel singer, Benita Okojie and her hubby, Olawale, are expecting their second child.
 
The couple who got married in November 2016, already have a son.
 
Congrats to them!

by Linda 

Fulani Herdsmen must vacate Yorubaland now- Gani Adams






Former Chairman of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, now the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams has ordered Fulani marauders killing people in the Southwest to vacate Yorubaland now or face a possible retaliation as the Yoruba people will no longer fold their arms and watch their people get killed, raped and kidnapped by Fulani marauders.
 
Arising from a crucial meeting of the Aare Onakakanfo in Council yesterday June 17th, Adams warned that the Yoruba people would be forced to retaliate if the Fulani herdsmen continued to maim innocent people. Adams in a communique issued after the meeting, said

Quote:“We cannot continue to fold our arms and let these bandits continue to soil our land with the blood of the innocent. Consequently, we hereby ask these Fulani marauders to stop their murderous activities and vacate every inch of Yorubaland they currently ravage. Failure to reconcile themselves with these terms may warrant maximum retaliation as the principle dictates that a bully only respects a bully.
“The campaign of blood by Fulani herdsmen, who have been ravaging our land, kidnapping, killing, maiming and raping our people in recent years has become a serious source of concern for the Yoruba race; a race renowned for their staunch passion for peaceful coexistence, national cohesion and development.
“The threat posed to our existence by these blood-mongering marauders cannot be overlooked as we, as a people, believe that for peace and accord to reign among the multiplicity of people who occupy a common territory, all parties must play a role in ensuring that each and every unit in this country respect each other in all ramifications,” he stated.

Quote:''As true spawns of Oduduwa, we are unequivocally forthright about this threat posed by this group which the federal government has turned a blind eye to by refusing to call a spade by its name, dubbing the Fulani marauders as criminals, bandits, and pillagers. Every true blood of the Yoruba race is at the risk of being haunted and slaughtered by this reckless group if we keep sugarcoating the bloody implications of their evil enterprise.
“We are acquainted with the nature of Fulani nomads in the past, and we know as a matter of fact that they were not carrying AK47s. It is because of this naked truth that we ask that these people be labelled as what they are. We are clamouring that the appropriate moniker should be used to tag them. They should be addressed as ‘Fulani bandits,’ for we believe that there is power in names.
“We strongly advise Obas and local Chiefs to show more than passing interest in the activities of people in their domains. They must know that they cannot be blameless for their failure to account for and monitor strangers in their areas of jurisdictions, particularly those whose activities run contrary to peaceful coexistence.”

by Linda

[font=KievitOT, Helvetica, 华文细黑]How Bobrisky Publicly Embarrassed Innocent Lady Trying To Take His Pictures[/font]

A visibly embarrassed lady has come out to recount the ordeal she faced at the hands of self acclaimed transgender, Bobrisky.
The unofficial paparazzi, identified as Kemi Bankole, took to Twitter to call out crossdresser, Bobrisky for yelling at her at Transcorp Hilton where she saw him.  The unofficial paparazzi who called Bobrisky for yelling at her, disclosed that she saw him taking photos with Tonto Dikeh at the hotel and wanted to get a nice photo of him. According to her, such act is not cool for a celebrity.

She tweeted;

[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑]Bobrisky must have really had it with fans as just some days ago, the controversial Nigerian male cross dresser was spotted flying a bike in one of the busy streets of Lagos. The transgender was quick to hide his face when he realized he was spotted. Giving his status, netizens found it rather unusual that the transgender would ride on a commercial bike since he’s used to the lavish lifestyle of a prestige personality.

[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑]Shortly after the video trended online, Bobrisky quickly took to his Instagram page to react as he likewise shared a video of himself riding on the bike and revealed his reason for doing so. According to him, he was late for his flight and so he had to fly a bike so as to meet up. Sharing the video, he wrote: “Many Nigerians don’t have common sense. My flight  to Abuja was supposed to be 4.30pm but i left my house at lekki late. I left home 3.30pm and the hold up was mad simply because of the rain that falls today. Myself and my makeup artist @daniellesbeautyworld had to fly a bike so we can meet up with our flight. Luckily on arrival to the airport our flight was delayed. I can’t miss my bestie birthday @tontolet party tomorrow because of Nigeria hold up. Never !!!! Even with me flying bike I still look beautiful. So haters I hope you all understand.”[/font]

[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑]During this same trip to Abuja for Tonto Dikeh’s birthday, he was publicly embarrassed by an angry man. The Fashion forward transgender who was seen taking a walk in Transcorp Hilton hotel got an unusual surprise the man who is obviously against the idea of a man identifying himself as a woman. The angry man rained curses on Bobrisky as he walked passed the hallway. He insulted him severally on the grounds that he identifies himself as a woman.[/font]

[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑]He said;[/font][/font]

Quote:[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑][i]“You dey see am as rubbish ? Bobrisky. Boy where dey do like girl? Your Fada.”[/font][/i]

[font=Charter, Helvetica, 华文细黑]While ignoring the man who also recorded the incident, Bobrisky barely lifted a finger as he walked past the angry fellow. The travails of the Nigerian male barbie are enough to fill an encyclopaedia, yet, Bobrisky continues to live his life to the fullest irrespective of what anyone thinks. Please share your thoughts on this with us in the comment section below.[/font]

Mopol officers were involved in accident along Kaduna-Abuja road.Six died on the spot while others are in critical conditions.See more photos below



Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2019/06/mopol-officers-involved-in-accident.html

Boy, 4, falls into swimming pool and drowns while his parents were asleep during vacation






A 4-year-old boy has drowned in a swimming pool in Kos, Greece, after falling in while his parents were asleep.
 
The family were on an airline (TUI) package holiday to the Atlantica Holiday Village resort when the incident happened. 
 
The unnamed British child woke up before his parents on Saturday morning and wandered to the pool. By the time he was found, efforts were made to save him, but they were unsuccessful. The boy died before emergency services could arrive.
 

 
The hotel manager and the boy's parents were later arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and endangering the life of a minor. They were later released.
 
A spokesman for the Greek police said: "It is common for next of kin to be arrested in such circumstances but as is always the case, they were not held in police custody and were immediately freed." 

by Linda Ik

Quote:The Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency listen to the advice of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on how to move the nation forward and halt the numerous crises bedeviling the country.

Speaking with newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital, the National Chairman of the group, Alhaji Sale Bayari, said the present administration ought to listen to other eminent Nigerians too in solving the nation’s problems, but that from the signs he is getting, things are not in order.

He said considering the tribal, ethnic, religious and sectional agitations from the South, East, North and West, things must be done urgently to address and avert national crises. According to him, there was no part of the country that agitation is currently not going on.

He stressed that even the crises that is already happening in the Northern states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Benue, Nassarawa and so on, are not good for the country, including that of the other regions like Niger-Delta militants, IPOB, Afenifere and the rest.

“In moving the nation forward, the government must listen to some elder statesmen irrespective of whatever their political views or affiliation is. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is one of them. I have found out that if any government in Africa is to tap one-third of what is in the brain of Obasanjo and use it, Africa will be better. Similarly, West Africa and Nigeria will be better for it.

“Obasanjo knows our problem; and then whenever he talks and explodes sometimes, I have found out that it is because he has made efforts to be listened to without success. He will then feel that posterity will judge him harshly if he does not come out to tell Nigerians and the world the truth of things”, he explained.

“Undoubtedly, Obasanjo is an embodiment of knowledge, experience and he knows very well the problem of our country, Nigeria. There is nobody dead or alive today that thinks the way Obasanjo does or knows what Obasanjo knows.

“He knows Nigeria, Africa and the entire world like the back of his hand. That is why I am advising this government to tap the brains of people like Obasanjo.

“He is a person that can lead the government into looking critically at the problem bedeviling the nation and finding a way forward.

According to him, “We know that government can do and undo, but any government desiring to move forward will require the support of statesmen and nationalists like Obasanjo.

“There are other statesmen the government should listen to; people like Yakubu Gowon, Ango Abdullahi, Sultan of Sokoto, Oni of Ife, Eze of Onitsha, and others. These are people that have this nation at heart and would not want it to disintegrate.

Bayeri maintained that, “If they put their machinery in place, I bet you that peace and progress will be achieved.

“But unfortunately, nobody is mobilizing them or seeking their input in solving the national crises. These people know what to do or the right people to call, among other things in solving the problems,” he said.

Bayeri said his fear is that if the government does not carefully handle these looming crises and they degenerate, the nation does not have the well-withal in terms of security to tackle it.

He said if the nation has been unable to tackle Boko Haram since 2009, then it is a greater danger if crises burst out in other states or regions in the nation.

“Recently, the Secretary to the Government of the Federal, Boss Mustapha said if the armed banditry is not carefully handled, it will be worse than the Boko Haram insurgency. I totally agree with him entirely because if you look at the way the thing is building up now, then you will understand what I am talking about.

“Very soon, some religious and insurgent groups may capitalize on it to recruit people for other nefarious acts. We should not allow this to happen, and we should do everything possible to halt it,” he warned.

*Delay Shows President Is Unserious – Peter Obi

*He Shouldn’t Be In A Hurry To Appoint Ministers – Sagay

Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

Three weeks after his second term inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari has been unable to name the ministers that would drive his Next Level agenda, and this delay is already causing anxiety among Nigerians.

Those who spoke with Daily Independent at the weekend said they had expected the president to hit the ground running after his swearing in.

They expressed fears that the absence of ministers could stall governance in critical sectors and further damage the already bad economy.

After his inauguration in his first term on May 29, 2015, it took almost six months for President Buhari to constitute his cabinet. Foreign investors who were unsure of the direction of the government fled the country, leading to capital flight.

Buhari was criticised for taking so long to name his ministers at a time when the economy was severely hit by the fall in global oil prices.

The country was believed to be rudderless during the period the country operated without a Federal Executive Council in place and the economy was badly damaged during the period.

When eventually the list was made public in September 2015, there was a public outcry and disenchantment as President Buhari was seen to have come up with people some saw as square pegs in round holes and known faces of persons who were already being speculated for the positions.

While defending his choice, the president had said the delay in the appointment of ministers was partly due to the manner in which he took over power from former President Goodluck Jonathan and the need to reorganise government structures by his administration.

Speaking with Daily Independent, Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said based on the various promises made during his inauguration, he expected the president to quickly come up with a strong cabinet that would help him drive his objectives.

“What I am looking at now is to watch out for the next few days to see the kinds of people that will be appointed to drive the ship of state and the president needs to do that urgently because expectations are high,” he said.

Peter Obi, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, said leaders who were serious did not waste time to form their cabinets.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, Obi called on President Muhammadu Buhari to unveil his team as soon as possible.

Obi challenged Buhari to emulate President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who announced his cabinet members three days after taking the oath of office, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India who unveiled his team within the week of his inauguration.

“These are serious leaders who are ready to move their countries forward. Imagine forming their cabinets within one week of being sworn in.

“Can you compare them with what is happening here in our country? I have always said it, that for our country to move forward, it must change its current compass,” he said.

Obi also said Nigeria had so many bad role models masquerading as leaders, adding that the country was in a “total mess” because of leadership failure.

He accused Buhari’s administration of plunging Nigeria into a debt of over N11 trillion “despite having nothing to show” for its time in office.

Barrister Gani Taofik, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, said while the delay by the president in constituting his cabinet was worrisome, he was afraid the ministers who would be named would still be the same faces Nigerians had been seeing.

Gani Taofik said: “While I don’t understand why there is a delay, I don’t expect anything significant as majority of the out gone ministers will be retained. We all remember how former President Olusegun Obasanjo brought in technocrats who are not even PDP members into government.

“Now, the president is talking about lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in another 10 years when he will leave government in the next four years. Who is fooling who? President Buhari is fixed to APC, hence no committed minister will emerge.”

On his part, Babatunde Osinkolu, the Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation in Ekiti State in the last general elections, said he expected the president to quickly assemble his cabinet so as to consolidate the gains recorded by the government during the first term.

“The president must consolidate on these gains by making sure that he appoints the ministers as soon as possible.

“In the first term, it took the president almost six months to constitute his cabinet and this, in a way, constituted serious impediments and slowed down governance.

“So, we expect him to constitute his cabinet within one or one and half months, and then hit the ground running. He should also appoint the right people, I mean, putting square pegs in square holes.

“The president is also expected to bring in technocrats to help politicians in strategic positions to achieve the agenda of government and take the country to the next level.”

However, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), said on Monday that there was nothing for Nigerians to worry about over the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute his cabinet almost three weeks after he was inaugurated for second term in office.

Speaking with Daily Independent, Sagay said there was no need to worry as the nation was still in the early days of the administration, especially as the National Assembly, which would screen the ministerial nominees, was inaugurated only last week.

He also advised the president to take his time and do diligent background checks on the nominees before forwarding their names for screening.

“What are Nigerians worrying about? Nigerians will always have something to worry about. When was the National Assembly inaugurated? That was just a week ago.

“So, there is nothing to worry about. It’s better to be thorough, make your enquiries, get all the recommendations, study reports about the ministerial nominee before selecting him and forwarding names.

“I think we are in very, very early days. There is nothing to worry about in the formation of the cabinet,” he said.
https://www.independent.ng/anxiety-over-buharis-failure-to-constitute-cabinet/

Ondo dep gov, Oke battle for slot

Quote:By Dare Adekanmbi


THE impending appointment of a substantive Managing Director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) appears to have set on a collision course three bigwigs in the All Progressives Congress (APC) jostling to have their nominee clinch the job.

A Presidency source told Sunday Tribune the power play over the position centres mainly around APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and the immediate past Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

While Tinubu is said to be making “a strong case” that the NDDC slot, for the first time, should come from the South-West and Ondo State precisely, Oshiomhole is rooting for a candidate from Edo State who is a former member of the Honourable of Representatives, Samson Osagie.

Amaechi, who was said to have largely influenced the membership of the immediate past NDDC board, is said to be pushing for the confirmation of the current acting Managing Director, Professor Nelson Brambaifa, whose appointment in acting capacity he was said to have influenced.

The power play is coming in the heels of feelers that President Buhari might be contemplating a reconstitution of the board of the interventionist agency which was dissolved about five months ago.

The dissolved board, which had former Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba and Mr Nsima Ekere as chairman and MD respectively, was replaced by an interim management with a one-time Bayelsa State representative on the board, Professor Nelson Brambaifa, as acting MD.

An engineer, Samuel Adjogbe, as well as Chidi Oyinrindah are also on board as Executive Director, Projects and Executive Director of Finance respectively, with Adjogbe said to be part of the dissolved Ekere-led management.

Except Chief Otega Emerhor, who was said to have nominated Adjogbe, all but the Ondo State representative on the dissolved NDDC board were said to have been nominated by Amaechi, a development, it was learnt, caused frosty relationship with a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, until lately.

Also, the Ondo State deputy governor, Honourable Agboola Ajayi and Chief Olusola Oke (SAN) are said to be angling to land the job.

Sunday Tribune checks showed that while it is unclear if the Ondo deputy governor has the backing of the governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Oke is said to be enjoying the support of Tinubu.

It was gathered that the move by the deputy governor of Ondo State to gun for the position might not be unconnected with his desire not to run for a second term alongside Governor Akeredolu.

He is also said to be making secret consultations with associates ahead of the governorship election in the state as a result of crisis of confidence between him and Akeredolu.

“The race for the headship of the agency is getting more interesting by the day; this time around, it appears Amaechi may not have a field day like he had the other time because other big fishes have entered the river. Already, we are seeing the signs of people trying to outplay one another.

“So much intrigues have come into play and this time around, it’s survival of the fittest from all indications because the case of Ondo which is being pushed by a prominent leader of the party looks very strong and it cannot be ignored at all.

“If Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa have all had the MD position twice, it then means that Ondo which is the fifth in production quota should be given a chance to produce the next MD of NDDC.

“Yes, Edo has good case too but since Ondo is higher in production quota than Edo, I strongly believe that our national chairman can show understanding for the Sunshine state to take this turn for Edo to follow next.

“What is most disturbing was the idea that anyone who occupies the position of NDDC MD thinks it is a springboard for the governorship of his state. We are trying to discourage that notion because it does not give room for the NDDC to be focused on its vision for the people of the Niger Delta region,” he said.

Oke, who served as the South-West coordinator of the 2019 APC presidential campaign was said to have secured Tinubu’s support and backing for the NDDC job only after he was told to shelve his 2020 governorship aspiration.

It was unclear if the recent invitation of the acting NDDC MD, Brambaifa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was connected with the ongoing power game in respect of the position.

Also invited for questioning by the EFCC over alleged financial impropriety was the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NDDC, Chris Oyirindah.

It was learnt that the NDDC managing director and the commission’s EFDA were involved in the alleged withdrawal of N2.8bn between two weeks ago and last week.

POLITICS

Kogi guber: APC divided as factional executives adopt direct primary


 June 17, 2019
By
 John Akinfehinwa [url=https://dailypost.ng/2019/06/17/kogi-guber-apc-divided-factional-executives-adopt-direct-primary/][/url]


The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and his supporters now have more mountains to climb ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial polls following the adoption of direct primary by the Hadi Ametuo-led faction in the All Progressive Congress (APC).
In a meeting of the APC state party executives and stakeholders held at the state’s capital Lokoja, on Monday, the party has resolved to adopt direct election format for the forthcoming primary in August.

This came on the heels of an earlier alleged meeting held by a faction of the party loyal to the state governor, Yahaya Bello; on Saturday, 15 June, in which they declared indirect election as the mode for the party’s primary election.

Addressing newsmen immediately after the meeting, Haddy Emetuo, the factional State Chairman of the APC, further elaborated on the situation.

“The executives of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State have just risen from a meeting and unanimously adopted direct mode for the APC primary election after deliberations in which every member was given fair hearing and all suggestions were put into consideration.

“We adopted the direct election format because we all agreed that it is the best method that strengthens and promotes internal democracy within our great party. It is the method that allows every voice to be heard and gives opportunity to every member of the APC to participate directly in the decision of who flies the flag of our great party to victory in November.

“I want also to use this opportunity to formally attend to the rumour flying around in the media that some supposed state party executives have held a kangaroo meeting and have declared indirect election as the method adopted by Kogi APC for the primary election.

“I want to categorically state that such meeting is illegal, null and void. The genuine state party executives and stakeholders have just held a meeting and what I tell you now is the official position of the All Progressives Congress, Kogi State Chapter, as regards mode of the forthcoming primary election.

 Any other meetings or resolutions should be disregarded by all party members and the general public as they are fake and illegal.

“We are working assiduously for victory in November and will not give room to nefarious elements who want to instigate internal wrangling capable of scuttling our chance.”

METRO
Gunmen abduct Catholic Priest, poly lecturer, four others in Edo
[img=46x0]https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3833d92bdb88c331bbd678b31e7e879a?s=46&d=mm&r=g[/img]
Published
 
on
 June 18, 2019
By
 Daily Post Staff [url=https://dailypost.ng/2019/06/18/gunmen-abduct-catholic-priest-poly-lecturer-four-others-edo/dailypostngr][/url]
[img=317x0]https://dailypost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/kidnap.jpg[/img]

Some gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Monday abducted a catholic priest, and a lecturer from Auburn Polytechnic, Edo State.
Reverend Father Isaac Agabi, is the priest in charge of Holy Name Catholic Church, Ikpeshi, Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that Rev. Agabi was snatched along Auchi-Igarra road at about 5.00pm on his way back to the parish.
Meanwhile, a lecturer of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and four others were kidnapped on River Ose bridge along Ifoh-Uzeba-Kabo road, near Owan West Local Government Area of the State.
They were released after paying a ransom of over half a million naira.

DAILY POST gathered that the victims spent four days in the bush before they were released by their abductors.

Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, when contacted, told DAILY POST that the incident was reported to Igarra division by one Mr Kingsley Okodugha.

“The report from Okodugha indicates that Fr Agubi was attacked by gunmen and he was taken to the bush. Our men and the vigilante are combing the bush for possible rescue but we have recovered the vehicle,’ he said.

Becoming a better friend in every relationship


Maintaining a friendship may seem relatively easy but being a better version a friend is not so. It’s 2019 and being just a good friend is not enough, you can be a better friend!
Check out these tips below on how you can be a better friend this year.
Be more honest
In being more honest with your friends, it does not mean you should be a jerk to them but rather in a more vulnerable way. Let them know how much you care about them and how you appreciate the time spent together. During conversations, choose your words carefully and thoughtfully so it can really count.
Be more up-front about your mental health needs
Many of us keep our mental health problems to ourselves and when a friend asks us, “How are you?” we reply with the generic “I am fine”. Your friends can be strong for you and vice versa so stop expecting them to understand some cryptic messages. Admit when you are in a bad spot and feel helpless. They may not know except you open about it.

Substitute the text message for phone calls
Every now and then, take a break from just texting your friends to speaking with them on the phone. If you both have extremely busy schedules, you can fix up a once a week telephone conversation just to catch up rather than typing the words. It will amaze you at how this can bring you closer to each other. Make things more interesting by having a video call, thankfully there are tons of platforms like FaceTime, WhatsApp Video Cal, Facebook Video Call, Skype, IMO and more that allows you to do this.
Support and build each other
Support your friends and help to build them up. Compete for each other not against each other. Appreciate their strengths and make their achievements yours because life is hard enough without some unhealthy rivalry. Supporting and building each other is a strong bond for a lasting friendship.
Plan a regular activity
Having a regular activity with your friend brings you closer to them. It could be a vacation, a gym session or hanging out over lunch. Whatever the case may be, have something that is your ritual and you both look forward to. It gives you a mental break and the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company.

Hello Pavan M here from India, here just share few Top Engineering and Medical Colleges.

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http://www.sharktankdiets.com/keto-lean-reviews/

Those people that killed you must also be killed before end of this year' - Nigerian lady mourns her boyfriend who was murdered in Aba as he is laid to rest






Late Divine Ejem, whose body was found lying in a pool of blood by a roadside in Aba, has been laid to rest.
 
The body of Divine from Nkporo in Ohafia local government area of Abia State, was seen lying at Bata junction off factory road, along Aba-Owerri road last month.  He was lying with his legs spread apart and bloodied human organs can be seen in the middle of his legs. His penis had been cut off. He was also bruised in his inner thigh, as though he had been burnt with an iron. See previous report here
 

 
His girlfriend and family members took to Facebook to mourn his tragic death. Oge who described the deceased as her "soulmate" swore that those behind the brutal murder will die before the end of this year.
"My soulmate may your soul RIP since i heard about your death i have not get my seif even now am so weak and am taking my last drip i don't know what to do our promise just like that is gone and who will call me obi m again and my soulmate you do call me know body death why? but one thing i know is that those people that kill you must be killed also before end of this year my tears and pains will not let them be my soulmate good bye!!!!! i love you but  death didnot allow us to be is not well i said i love you my soulmate!!!!!" She wrote.
 

 
On his part, late Divine's brother Wiseman Ejem, wrote:
"As the gathered for my younger brother Divine ,
So shall they gathered for those that killed him.
It will not pass this year, mark my word.
The wickedness of the wicked have come to an end.
As tears drop from my eyes, so shall tears fill their family members.
You don't touch a righteous and go free.
They cry of the young people in the land has dropped in the soil,.
He that killed by the sword shall also died by the sword."
 


 

by Linda 

Photos: Corps member allegedly commits suicide in Ibadan






A member of the National Youth Service Cops (NYSC) Johnson Onyilo, 2018 Batch B Stream 1, Johnson Onyilo, has allegedly committed suicide.
 
It was gathered that Onyilo, from Makurdi North, Benue state, killed himself on Friday, July 14th 2019 in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he was undergoing the mandatory one year national youth service programme.
 

 
It’s still not clear why he took such drastic step.
 
The late Corps member graduated from the University of Jos, Plateau state with a degree in Accounting.

by Linda Ikeji

Motorists in Owerri, Imo State capital, plying the flyover across Okigwe/Orji road, by former Orji mechanic village, are now exposed to danger as the flyover is beginning to show signs of dilapidation.

The flyover was constructed and opened to public use by former governor of the state and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha.

On top of the flyover, there is a spot that seems to be sinking on one of the lanes.

Tires were used to cover the spot due to the danger it posed to motorists.

Some observers are of the opinion that the bridge should be closed to motorists while the structure is re-examined to check its strength and safety.

Watch video;

https://massmediang.com/another-rochas-okorochas-flyover-begins-to-sink/

Online Fraud: Nigerian arrested in India for duping about 100 persons by posing as UK-based cardiologist (photos)






The UP Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday, June 15, arrested a Nigerian national and his Indian aide who duped about 100 people, including a renowned female doctor in Lucknow of around ? 70 crore through an on-line fraud.
 
The STF officials said the fraudsters identified as Amara Chukwu Roland and his aide Homeri of north-eastern state Manipur, took over ?1 core from the doctor on the pretext of assisting her in organising health camps.
 
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), STF Abhishek Singh, who confirmed the arrest said the accused had swindled Rs 70 crore from about 100 persons across India.
 
He said although they kept changing their locations frequently, the STF team arrested them from their Delhi hideout after tracking down their present location.
 
The STF from Charbagh railway station were tipped off about the miscreants’ arrival to the city by train and nabbed them as they deboarded at the station.
 

 
The SSP said the STF team was tracking them since the female doctor had lodged an FIR against them on June 10 for cheating her of ?1 crore in the name of offering her financial aid to organise free health camps.
 
The Nigerian became friends with the woman through Facebook by posing as an England-based cardiologist Dr Steve George and offered to help in social work done by her.
 
The female doctor often posted about free health camps and other social work done by her. The fraudsters used the same information to dupe the woman doctor and got transferred money in 26 different bank accounts during the past four months on the pretext of getting custom and other government clearance to transfer funds for social work.
 
“He befriended the woman doctor on Facebook and offered to help in social work. Later, he claimed to have sent her jewellery as gift but it was seized by the custom officials at the airport. Rolland asked the woman to loan her Rs 2.5 lakh to be paid as fine for getting it released. He asked her to deposit the money to the account of Hormi KC in Delhi. Rolland kept seeking money from the woman on various pretexts and this way took Rs 1 crore from her which were deposited in different bank accounts of the miscreant in the past four months,” said SSP STF.
 
The SSP said the duo confessed during interrogation that they had swindled around ?70 crore from at least 25 people in the past one year.
 
Explaining their modus operandi, STF officials said that Nigerians operating such gangs befriend unemployed northeast Indians as many of them have similar names and then lure them to join the gangs by offering money. Nigerians then use bank accounts of these natives to get the money deposited from the victims.

by Linda Ik

Mum tears off her 9-year-old son's penis and beheads him with the help of her lesbian lover because 'he reminded her of her dad’






A mother tore off her nine-year-old son's penis with the help of her lesbian lover. They later beheaded the boy because "he reminded her of her dad"
 
Mum Rosana Cândido, 27, and Kacyla Pessoa, 28, of Brazil, stabbed 9-year-old Rhuan over a dozen times. They removed all the skin from his face and used a knife to try to gouge out his eyeballs to prevent possible recognition. They then butchered the boy's body.
 
They attempted to burn some of the boy's body part on a barbeque but botched it so they stuffed his remains in a suitcase and dumped it in a sewer.
 
The body was later found in the suitcase, police said. Other parts were found in two backpacks at their home in Brazil.
 

 
The women are accused of tearing off Cândido’s son Rhuan’s penis a year ago during a surgery done at home with "rudimentary tools". The two women are said to have told investigators they did it because Rhuan "wanted to become a girl.”
 
According to local reports, "After removing his penis, the women said they sewed an improvised version of the female organ onto the mutilated area."
 
The lovers are said to have confessed everything to cops in Samambaia, about 20 miles from capital Brasilia. They face homicide, torture and concealing a corpse charges.
 
Cândido reportedly claimed her son was a "burden" and a hindrance to her relationship with Pessoa. She also "felt hatred and no love" for him because he reminded her of father, who allegedly abused her.
 

Cândido
 
Rhuan's dad, who lives in Acre, is said to have told officers that Cândido ran away with the boy five years ago when he lost custody. She then went to live with Pessoa and her daughter, now aged nine.
 
Pessoa's daughter has been put into care.
 

Pessoa
 
Police chief Guilherme Melo told O Tempo: "She killed her son, quartered, decapitated, plucked the skin and tried to get rid of the body. It was a very terrible case."

by Linda 

The same people who blamed Jonathan each time Boko Haram struck are the same ones asking for patience when Boko Haram strikes under Buhari - Reno Omokri






According to Reno Omokri, 'the same people who blamed GEJ each time Boko Haram struck are the same ones now asking for patience when Boko Haram strikes under President Buhari'.
 
He went on to say;

Quote:The same people who protested when GEJ named University of Lagos after Abiola are the same people applauding Buhari for naming a dilapidated stadium after Abiola.

The same people who accused Jonathan of corruption for fuel subsidy of ?600 billion are saying it is not Buhari's fault when his fuel subsidy is double the cost at ?1 trillion.

The same people who accused Jonathan of tribalism for appointing just an Ijaw man as NSA are the same men rationalising why the entire 10 intelligence and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, along with the heads of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are headed by Northern Muslim men. 
You see, the greatest problem of Nigeria is HYPOCRISY, not CORRUPTION

by Lind

Court issues bench warrant on Senator Albert Bassey over money laundering allegations






Justice A. A. Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday, June 17, 2019, granted an application made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for the arrest of a serving Senator, Albert Bassey popularly known as OBA, compelling him to appear in court and face the money laundering charges preferred against him by the Commission.
 
The serving Senator, according to his counsel Barrister Samuel Ikpo, failed to appear in court because he was not served a copy of the charge. Ikpo also added that he was instructed by his client, to appear in court and receive the charge on his behalf.
 
However, the prosecution through its counsel, Mohammed Sadisu Abubakar gave detail account the court on efforts made by the Commission to serve the lawmaker.

Quote:"My lord, since the filling of the charge, the prosecution has made frantic efforts to serve the suspect the charge but all our efforts proved abortive, as the suspect, who has been on administrative bail granted him by the EFCC has jumped bail. The Investigating Officer, Osatuyi Ayodele, also placed a call to him on June 6, 2019, inviting him to the office so as to be served the charge, but the Lawmaker failed to show up after he promised that he would.
“One of his (Senator Bassy) lawyer, Ini Utuk, was also contacted on June 7, 2019, but equally failed to show up, after promising to do so. Till this moment My lord, the suspect has failed, to honour the terms of his administrative bail which is to always make himself available.
“In the circumstances my lord, I humbly apply, pursuant to Section 113 and 114 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act for this honourable court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the suspect and to produce him before this honourable court", Abubakar said.

Quote:“Where the defendant found it necessary to attend a legislative function, he should also find it obligatory to honour invitations by law enforcement agencies. Justice is for all in the temple of justice and if there is any application to be granted in the interest of justice, it should be the application made by the prosecution. The court therefore grants the application and consequently issue a bench warrant against the defendant for his production in this court on the next adjourned date", the court ruled.

by Linda Ike

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

TUESDAY, 18TH JUNE.


SPEND TIME IN THE WORD.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16).

For the Christian, spending quality time to study and meditate on the Word, isn’t an option. God’s Word contains the wisdom and ideas you require for greater success and increased productivity in life. That’s where you receive insight into the realities of life, and mysteries of the Kingdom.

For example, God told Moses and the children of Israel to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and they did. We read about that in the Word and see the wisdom and power of God. There was a secret, a mystery about water that man didn’t know, but God knew. In studying the Word, such secrets are unveiled; we see the possibilities of God and our vast and limitless potentials in Him.

As you study the Scriptures and see the miracles of God, they’re indications that the power to make such things happen resides within us today. He gave us the Holy Spirit, not only to show us these mysteries of the Kingdom, and secrets to the miraculous, but also so we could work miracles through Him. But the key is knowing Him; consistent study of the Word of God, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

You must spend time with the Word. Ephesians 1:17 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.”

Why is it the knowledge of God? It’s because everything in life is in Him. He’s the full embodiment of all knowledge and wisdom. The more you know Him, the more you know about life.

The way to know Him is revealed in Ephesians 1:18: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know….” When your heart is flooded with light, meaning an abundance of the Word of God in your spirit, then the seventeenth verse becomes a reality. You start functioning with such extraordinary amplitude of mind and comprehension.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father, I thank you, for the eyes of my understanding have been enlightened by your Word. Therefore, I have insight into mysteries and secrets; nothing that I can’t know. Christ is my wisdom, and the Word of God informs me daily, as I give it attention, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned [them]; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

1-Year Bible Reading Plan
Acts 7:54-8:1-8 & 2 Chronicles 31-32

2-Year Bible Reading Plan
Luke 2:8-20 & Deuteronomy 16



#TALKINGSESSION

18TH JUNE.

KINDLY SAY THESE WORDS OUT LOUD

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching me the importance of expressing gratitude. I will never neglect to say, “Thank You” for the favours and kindness shown towards me. I thank You for giving me a heart that is thankful, and for helping me express profuse and unfeigned gratitude to everyone whom You use to bless me and do things for me.

My faith is alive; thus, I’ve taken possession of my inheritance in Christ Jesus! Being an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, I declare that the whole world is mine; I’ve been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, I am thoroughly furnished and fortified with all things I need for life and godliness, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

God bless you

The 32-year-old Nigerian man who destroyed five embassy cars in London, yesterday, has been arrested by the police.
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According to reports, Jeffery Apkovweta Ewohime initially caused problem at the Belgian embassy where his passport was confiscated.
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After he was turned back by the embassy because he arrived "late", he lashed out by using iron rods and stones to destroy vehicles parked within the embassy's premises.
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Muhammed Babandede, the Comptroller General of Immigration Service confimed the incident in a statement Monday night.
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According to him, Ewohime arrived the Nigerian mission in London for passport services. He said, "He arrived late and was told by the Security that the Mission has closed for the day. .

He went about destroying Nigeria's diplomatic vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of taxpayers money. The passport in question has been issued since 6th of June 2019. .

He did not leave any self-addressed envelope for delivery." Meanwhile, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior special assitant to the president on Foreign Affairs, has also reacted to the embassy incident.

In a statement by her media aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Abike described the action as "unpatriotic, and an unconscionable act of indiscipline."

In her account of events, Dabiri-Erewa said she received a report that Ewohime went to the Nigerian Embasy in London on Monday.


He had approached the Embassy to collect his passport which expired since November 2017, at about 2 pm, and was told collection of passports closes by 1 pm.

He then insisted on collecting his passport, and was told to bring his collection slip which he could not produce. According to reports from the Embassy, it would be wrong to hand over his passport to him, without his collection slip.

He, thereafter, left agitated and returned from a nearby hotel to destroy about seven cars, five belonging to the mission, and two to visitors who parked nearby.

https://www.hitng.info/2019/06/man-who-destroyed-5-nigerian-embassy.html

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With the advent of Converse’s basketball initiatives, the divide between them and Nike continue to gradually close as more and more tech makes its way into new scarpe converse uomo  innovations. Tapping the talents of legendary designer Tinker Hatfield, the imprint is furthering their pursuits with a collection dubbed the “Star Series.” Three different silhouettes make headway here though in a package quite akin to themes of basketball and the umbrella’s roots in running. While the Star Series UT’s chukka form has yet to be seen as its release is slated for late 2019, the accompanying BB and RN surely shine in a light of technical aesthetics. The latter is a runner through and through with a low-top stature and performance-ready outsole unit doubled up in comfort by the swoosh’s insole Cushlon. Chevron logos poke behind a layer of mesh in a construction similar to the white and black hi-tops, a model which sports a similarly minimal design with overlaid heel support and traditional lacing unit adding extra visual bulk.
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Over a century in the game, Converse is back with some real force as the introduce the most advanced iteration of the converse all star uomo we’ve ever seen. Without question the most recognizable sneaker in history, the Chuck Taylor All Star has served as the brand’s chief identifier as it claimed its stake in hoops history as well as pop-culture style for decades. Earlier in April 2019, the brand re-emerged in the basketball category with the introduction of the All Star Pro BB, a finely crafted silhouette packed with thoughtful and appropriate innovation fit for today’s game. It’s a challenging task to marry a design from 1917 (originally called the Non-Skid) with modern performance concepts, but Converse nailed thanks to a team led by the legendary Eric Avar. The long-time footwear and innovation designer at Nike played a role in bringing together a total package that includes a drop-in cupsole comprised of React foam, a uni-layer upper of Quadfit mesh, and a sticky outsole pattern inspired by the original traction layout of its predecessor.
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Another corps member has lost in life while serving his fatherland in Bayelsa state.

This heartbreaking photo shared by his friend shows his corpse wrapped in a nylon bag as it was being transported by fellow corpers in a boat.

Oyewole who was reportedly hale and hearty, died in his sleep.


http://www.amagitesblog.com/2019/06/dead-nysc-member-wrapped-in-nylon-bag-transported-on-boat-by-fellow-corpers-photo.html

The claim is coming less than 24 hours after Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated their Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) at a viewing center in Mandarari ward, Konduga local government area of Borno state on Sunday evening.


The Nigerian Airforce has said that it launched an air strike which eliminated Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa Forest, Borno state. 

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said air strikes were conducted on specific targets in the forest.

The claim is coming less than 24 hours after Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated their Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) at a viewing center in Mandarari ward, Konduga local government area of Borno state on Sunday evening.

Ibikunle said:” In continuation of its sustained air strikes against terrorists’ targets in Borno State, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has severely degraded another Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) hideout in the Sambisa Forest.

“The operation was executed yesterday, 16 June 2019, after persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions revealed heavy presence of BHTs at a new camp with several structures hidden under the thick foliage of the Forest.

“Accordingly, the ATF dispatched an Alpha Jet to attack the location.

” Its bombs hit the target area, with devastating effects on several of the camouflaged structures, neutralizing their BHT occupants.”

http://saharareporters.com/2019/06/17/we-have-eliminated-boko-haram-terrorists-sambisa-nigerian-airforce-claims

Quote:Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to form his cabinet weeks after been sworn-in for a second term.

Mr Buhari, who was re-elected for a second term in office took the oath of office on May 29. He is yet to make any appointment since he began his second and final term as a democratic president.

When he was sworn-in for his first term in 2015, the president wasted approximately six months without ministers to help him pilot the affairs of the nation. His delay in forming his cabinet at the time is said to be responsible for the economic recession the financial management of the country went into the following year.

Political appointees of the president who worked with him during his first term are still discharging their duties which has forced a legal practitioner to seek redress in court if those whose tenure expired with that of the president could continue in office without being reappointed.

Opining why the Nigerian leader has not constituted his cabinet, the running mate of Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in this year’s presidential election, said the delay is because the president is not serious leader.

While citing elected leaders in other countries; Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who formed their cabinet within weeks of being sworn-in, the former governor urged Mr Buhari to emulate them.

“These are serious leaders who are ready to move their countries forward. Imagine forming their cabinets within one week of being sworn in,” Mr Obi said while addressing in journalists in Lagos State at the weekend.

“Can you compare them with what is happening here in our country? I have always said it that for our country to move forward, it must change its current compass,” he said.

He said the problem of the country range from leadership failures to excessive borrowing with “nothing to show for all the borrowed funds.”

“What we have today in Nigeria is the cumulative effect of leadership failures. A leader must know his/her destination. Painfully, we have plenty bad role models masquerading as leaders.

“Nigeria is in total mess because of too much borrowing caused by leadership failures. Our situation will get worse if we do not solve these problems urgently. There is serious crisis in Nigeria because politics is now business and transactions. In fact, we have reduced our lives to transactions in Nigeria.

“Tell me, what is working in Nigeria today? A country where states owe billions and the federal government has borrowed over N11 trillion since coming into office and there is nothing to show for all the borrowed funds. Are you not worried that over 21 million of our youths are not employed?

“Nigeria is gradually collapsing and unemployment is part of the disease killing Nigeria. All hands must be on deck to help save our nation from these leadership failures,” he added.

The consumer price index, (CPI) which measures inflation increased by 11.40 percent (year-on-year) in May 2019. This is 0.03 percent points higher than the rate recorded in April 2019 (11.37 percent).

Increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yielded the Headline index.

On a month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased by 1.11 percent in May 2019. This is 0.17 percent rate higher than the rate recorded in April 2019 (0.94 percent).

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending May 2019, over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 11.30 percent, 0.01 percent points from 11.31 percent recorded in April 2019.

The urban inflation rate increased by 11.76 percent (year-on-year) in May 2019 from 11.70 percent recorded in April 2019, while the rural inflation rate increased by 11.07 percent in May 2019 from 11.08 percent in April 2019.

On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.15 percent in May 2019, up by 0.15 points from 1.00 percent recorded in April 2019, while the rural index also rose by 1.07 percent in May 2019, up by 0.17 from the rate recorded in April 2019 (0.90 percent).

The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index was 11.66 percent in May 2019. This is less than the 11.69 percent reported in April 2019, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in May 2019 is 10.99 percent compared to 11.00 percent recorded in April 2019.

Food Index

The composite food index rose by 13.79 percent in May 2019 compared to 13.70 percent in April 2019.

This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Meat, Oils and fats, Bread and cereals, Potatoes, yam and other tubers, Fish, Milk, cheese and egg, and Vegetables.

On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 1.41 percent in May 2019, up by 0.27 percent points from 1.14 percent recorded in April 2019.

The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the twelve-month period ending May 2019 over the previous twelve-month average was 13.37 percent, 0.03 percent points from the average annual rate of change recorded in April 2019 (13.34 percent).

All Items Less Farm Produce

The ‘’All items less farm produce’’ or Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce stood at 9.0 percent in May 2019, down by 0.3 percent when compared with 9.3 percent recorded in April 2019.

On a month-on-month basis, the core sub-index increased by 0.75 percent in May 2019. This was up by 0.05 percent when compared with 0.70 percent recorded in April 2019.

The highest increases were recorded in prices of Domestic and household services, Tobacco, Actual and imputed rentals for housing, Medical, Dental and Hospital services, Cleaning, repair and hire of clothing, Repair and hire of footwear and Repair of household appliance.

The average 12-month annual rate of change of the index was 9.77 percent for the twelve-month period ending May 2019; this is 0.14 percent points lower than 9.91 percent recorded in April 2019.

State Profiles

In analysing price movements under this section, note that the CPI is weighted by consumption expenditure patterns which differ across states. Accordingly, the weight assigned to a particular food or non-food item may differ from state to state making interstate comparisons of consumption basket inadvisable and potentially misleading.

All Items Inflation

In May 2019, all items inflation on year on year basis was highest in Kebbi (15.76%), Bauchi (14.97%) and Kaduna (13.74%), while Abia (9.91%), Cross River (9.68%) and Kwara (8.45%) recorded the slowest rise in headline Year on Year inflation.

On month on month basis however, May 2019 all items inflation was highest in Bauchi (1.76%), Gombe (1.69%) and Niger (1.65%), while Kogi (0.59%), Benue (0.48%) recorded the slowest rise  with Kwara recording food price deflation or negative inflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate).

Food Inflation

In May 2019, food inflation on a year on year basis was highest in Kaduna (17.10%), Kebbi (18.90%) and Gombe (16.90%), while Kogi (11.80%), Rivers (11.70%) and Abia (10.90%) recorded the slowest rise.

On month on month basis however, May 2019 food inflation was highest in Kano (2.39%), Gombe (2.33%) and Kaduna (2.27%), while Kogi (0.68) and Benue (0.24%) recorded the slowest rise with Kwara recording food price deflation or negative inflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate).

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/2019/06/17/nigerian-consumer-inflation-edges-up-to-11-4-in-may-nbs/

An upcoming Nigerian rapper simply identified as Ziggy, died yesterday Sunday June 16th after falling at a 4-storey building in Paradise estate Lekki, Lagos state where he resides.

According to reports, Ziggy was in the estate taking a walk when he unknowingly stepped into an open space which was supposed to house an elevator. He fell immediately, broke his bones and was rushed to the hospital where he died.

His remains has been deposited in the morgue. 


Here is the video of him when he was rushed to the hospital:

Source: https://www.mediahelm.com.ng/2019/06/upcoming-rapper-dies-after-falling-from.html

MTN Nigeria server crash on Saturday, a regular source stated this may have cost the telecommunication company an estimated loss of N700 million within two hours.

It was also claimed that the newly listed company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) contacted the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to review cybercrime which developed N50,000 deduction for 128GB from customers whose phone numbers are linked to their account numbers.

Another source said that several MTN customers’ lines who obtained free data via *131*7*5*1*1# were blocked for 24 hours as the company continued to restore its flunked data network.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/2019/06/17/mtn-nigeria-grossed-n700-million-loss-due-to-server-breakdown/

Photo: NCE holder apprehended for armed robbery in Ogun




 
The Ogun state police command have arrested 24-year-old Afolayin Sunday, whose area of armed robbery specialization was to attack and dispossess female POS attendants of cash sales.
 
According to a press statement released by the command's spokesperon, Abimbola Oyeyemi, Sunday who is a NCE graduate of Maths/Computer from Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Otto-Ijanikin, Lagos, was arrested following a violent attack on a POS attendant in Ijoko area of Ogun State on June 6th.
 
He had approached the female attendant, one Adesina Omolola, at a POS point, on the pretence of wanting to transact a business, only to, thereafter, attack her, dispossessing the victim of the cash sales already made.

Quote:''The suspect walked into the POS shop, pretended to be a customer who came to transact business. Realizing that the victim was alone in the shop, he grabbed her on the neck and brought out a UTC knife".

Why we suspended school feeding programme in some states - FG





 
Maryam Uwais, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments has explained why the Homegrown School Feeding Programme of the Federal Government was suspended in some states.  
 
There had been reports of poor quality food, insufficient and irregular supply of food, as well as late disbursement of funds by the government in states, such as Akwa Ibom and Niger. But reacting to the development, Uwais said the Federal Government had started conducting a headcount of pupils being fed under the programme.
 
She explained that the National Social Investment Office had engaged the National Bureau of Statistics to conduct a headcount of pupils and those cooking the food under the intervention programme.  
 
Uwais said the outcome of the data in the affected states was being reconciled, adding that it became necessary to do this due to the discovery of a  disagreement between the figures provided by officials of the State Universal Basic Education Board and what the monitors on the field actually reported.  
 
She also noted that pupils had not been fed since April due to reconciliation efforts.

Quote:“We have been reconciling the data in the states after engaging the NBS to conduct a headcount of pupils and cooks for us. Essentially, we found conflicting reports of the figures between official SUBEB figures and reports from monitors in the field.  
“We mobilised the NBS to venture into all government-owned primary schools where we are feeding to confirm the numbers and those actually feeding. So yes, we haven’t fed the pupils since April due to reconciliation efforts, as some of the states are contesting the figures. We (will) start feeding on June 24 for the states that have been feeding, irrespective of their protests. That is the cut-off-date for all protests.”

Quote:Nigeria’s Supreme Court Monday adjourned the judgement for the appeal filed by Ademola Adeleke against the election of Osun State governor Gboyega Oyetola till July 5.

Adeleke, the People Democratic Party candidate for the Osun State September 2018 election, is asking the apex court to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in favour of Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress.

Adeleke also contended that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it upheld the appeals by APC and INEC, challenging the decision of the tribunal.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared Oyetola winner after a controversial re-run election was conducted in parts of the state on September 27, 2018.

On March 22, 2019, the Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja declared Ademola Adeleke the winner of the elections.

The three-member panel of the tribunal, in a split judgment of two-to-one, declared the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate the winner of the September 2018 election.

The tribunal, through the majority judgment, nullified the certificate of return issued to Mr Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress by INEC and ordered the commission to issue a fresh one to Mr Adeleke.

However, on May 9, the Court of Appeal, in Abuja, nullified the tribunal’s decision.

A five-member panel of the appeal court led by Jummai Sankey delivered the judgement with three members of the panel agreeing with the lead judgement.

Some uniformed men believed to be men of the Nigerian Army on Sunday June 15th invaded B.dere community in Gokana local government area,Rivers state where the village head of Vopba community chief Menele Gberegbara was shot dead and his body taken away by the military men.

Details on why the local chief was murdered is still sketchy.

Check graphic photos below:


https://www.viewsnaija.com/2019/06/milli...y.html?m=1




[url=https://www.nairaland.com/5249603/menele-gberegbara-shot-dead-rivers#79412201][/url]

Churchill shares post which Instagram users believe is directed at his ex Tonto




 
Olakunle Oladunni Churchill shared an Instagram post directed at people whose religion requires that they hate people.
 
Churchill's post reads: "If your religion requires you to hate someone, you need a new religion."
 

 
Churchill's followers replied, hinting that he was referring to his ex-wife Tonto Dikeh who refers to herself as "radical for Jesus" and shares daily devotionals.
 

by

30 dead, 42 injured after suicide bombers attack viewing center in Borno




 
30 persons have been confirmed dead while 42 others have been seriously injured in a multiple bomb blasts that rocked a Borno village on Sunday night.
 
A statement signed by the Director of Search and Rescue Operation, Borno State Emergency Management Agency,  Usman Kachalla, says the bomb blast incident occurred at Mandarari village in Konduga local government area of the state at exactly 8:50pm on Sunday.
 
Three suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, at a viewing centre which killed no fewer than 17 people, including a mobile policeman.
 

Quote:''The information revealed that it was three suicide bombers, two female and a male, who detonated the IEDs, killing themselves in the process and others around a viewing center and a joint opposite the clinic at Mandarari ward, Konduga,” a resident said

Pretty Mike celebrates Father's Day with nude photos of himself and 7 girls




 
The controversial Lagos socialite shared the photos in celebration of Father's Day and wrote, 'Happy Father’s Day to ur Favorite Lagos Zaddy'.
 

by Lin

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Quote:Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm of plot to arrest him.

This was contained in a statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, on Sunday.

It said due to Atiku’s insistence of existence of a server used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his enemies attributed a false comment on “mass protest” to him to prepare ground from his incarceration.

Ibe said: “I wish to emphatically state that such a statement did not emanate from Atiku Abubakar or his privies.

“It is the work of mischief makers who want to mar his spotless pro-democratic record and lay the ground work for their threatened actions against him on false charges of being a threat to national security.


“For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar believes in the rule of law and in the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In his almost four decades in politics, he has never taken action or spoken words against democracy and will not start now.

“Atiku Abubakar and his team have confidence in God and thus call on those bent on mischief to have the fear of God and retrace their steps.

“Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. The culture of fear being created now cannot rein in our democracy. Nigeria and Nigerians have a consistent history of outlasting tyranny and will continue to do so by the grace of God.”

Quote:Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm of plot to arrest him.

This was contained in a statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, on Sunday.

It said due to Atiku’s insistence of existence of a server used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his enemies attributed a false comment on “mass protest” to him to prepare ground from his incarceration.

Ibe said: “I wish to emphatically state that such a statement did not emanate from Atiku Abubakar or his privies.

“It is the work of mischief makers who want to mar his spotless pro-democratic record and lay the ground work for their threatened actions against him on false charges of being a threat to national security.


“For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar believes in the rule of law and in the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In his almost four decades in politics, he has never taken action or spoken words against democracy and will not start now.

“Atiku Abubakar and his team have confidence in God and thus call on those bent on mischief to have the fear of God and retrace their steps.

“Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. The culture of fear being created now cannot rein in our democracy. Nigeria and Nigerians have a consistent history of outlasting tyranny and will continue to do so by the grace of God.”

Quote:Residents of towns and villages along the Opara Forest Reserve in Oyo State and Imeko Forest Reserve in Ogun State are living in fear following the invasion of the two reserves by herdsmen.

Some residents of Imeko, Iwoye and Jabata told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that the development had been a major source of concern them, alleging that the herdsmen allowed their animals to destroy people’s farms while grazing in the areas.

One of the residents of Iwoye, Adeyemi Olaosebikan, told our correspondent on the telephone that inhabitants of Jabata village in the Imeko Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State had deserted their community following the killing of some indigenes during an attack.

He said residents fled the community in May after four persons were killed in the community, adding that residents of other border communities were now living in fear.

Olaosebikan stated, “Herdsmen from many countries in West Africa have taken over the Opara Forest Reserve in Oyo State and Imeko Forest Reserve in Ogun State. Their presence there is causing fear among the people.

“In fact, resident have deserted Jabata Village which is in Imeko Afon. Imeko Forest Reserve should be twice the size of Ibadan. It is 378 square miles. The Opara Forest Reserve is almost three times bigger than Imeko Reserve.

“Government is watching herdsmen from Bukina Faso, Mali and other countries taking over an area that is that large. The forest reserves belong to the Federal Government but state forest guards are the ones taking care of them. However, it is obvious that the forest guards are not doing anything there. So, this invasion is a time bomb.”

Corroborating the claim, a resident of Imeko Afon, Joseph Ogunwale, said the herdsmen, who invaded and occupied a tomato factory, being built by the Oodua Investment Company Limited had yet to vacate the place almost two months after.

“Government took over the forest between 1908 and 1930. The forest reserves are in the Nigeria-Republic of Benin border. These two reserves are very large. Imeko Forest Reserve is bigger than Ibadan and Opara Forest Reserve is almost three times bigger than Imeko Reserve,” he said.

One of the prominent sons of Imeko, Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, a former lecturer at the Department of History, University of Lagos, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the occupation of Imeko Forest Reserve by foreigners was a security threat.

Asiwaju said, “Many of them have taken residence in uncared for, unguarded forests reserves along the international boundary. They cross from northern part of Benin Republic to Nigeria. The government there does not allow them to stay and they cross to Nigeria and move into the forests.”

Uncertainty, apathy sustain selloff as index falls further by 1.27%



Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE). Photo/govandbusinessjournal


Analysts optimistic, urge investors to position for capital appreciation

The All-Share Index (ASI) and market capitalisation slumped by 1.27 per cent over sustained selloffs pressure and low turnover at the close of trading last week, following negative sentiments on medium and high cap stocks.

The stock market recorded three consecutive sessions of downturn last week, due to absence of positive catalyst to stimulate buying interest and trigger bargain hunting in the market.

For instance, at the close of trading on Tuesday, at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), ASI depreciated by 222.36 absolute points to close at 30,099.83 points, while the market capitalisation depreciated by N98 billion to close at N13.256 trillion.

The downturn rode on the back of losses recorded in medium and large capitalised stocks, amongst which were Mobil Nigeria, Dangote Cement, MTN Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar Refinery.

On Thursday, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) resumed trading after the one-day holiday to mark the Democracy Day celebration with 0.23 per cent decline on losses in 15 stocks.

The index shed 70.68 absolute points, representing a dip of 0.23 per cent to close at 30,029.15 points, while the market capitalisation shed N31 billion to close at N13.225 trillion.
The downturn was led by price depreciation in medium and large capitalised stocks, among which were Nestle Nigeria, Dangote Cement, Presco, Dangote Cement, CI Leasing, Dangote Sugar Refinery and UAC of Nigeria (UACN).
The continued downturn, however, was attributed to apathy and low confidence by investors, who have adopted a “wait-and see” approach to investment due to lack of policy direction on the part of the government.
Analysts at the weekend, predicted gloomy market outlook, as investors and fund managers rebalance their portfolios, with eyes fixed on political environment and ongoing quarterly earnings position as well as post-election market dynamics.
However, they argued that the drop in prices of major blue chips in recent times has created entry opportunities for investors to increase their portfolio and position for future price appreciation.
Specifically, analysts at Investdata Consulting Limited, said: “Investors should expect mixed performance and downtrend to continue until bargain hunters hit the market again, as discerning investors take advantage of low valuation to rebalance their portfolio ahead of March year-end numbers and second half interim dividend stocks.

“They may also take into consideration the expected economic reforms as the new cabinet are set to start running and the plans of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reduce banks’ participation in government securities while boosting private sector lending to drive economic activities and investment.
“
Also, analysts at Codros Capital Limited, said: “We reiterate our view that the blend of a compelling valuation story, together with positive macroeconomic picture, leaves scope for market recovery in the medium term. However, we guide investors to tread the cautious trading path in the short term.”
Further breakdown of lastweek’s trading showed that all other indices depreciated with the exception of the NSE Banking Index, NSE Insurance Index, NSE-AFR Bank Value Index and NSE Oil/Gas Index which appreciated by 0.01per cent, 0.86 per cent, 0.23 per cent and 0.28 per cent respectively while NSE ASeM Index closed flat.

A turnover of 868.739 million shares worth N15.792 billion was recorded in 12,201 deals, higher than a total of 768.983 million units valued at N12.546 billion that changed hands  in 11,291 deals during the preceeding week.

The financial services industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 674.654 million shares valued at N9.295 billion traded in 6,651 deals; thus contributing 77.66 per cent to the total equity turnover volume.


The ICT industry followed with 69.205 million shares worth N3.352 billion in 769 deals.
The third place was consumer goods industry with a turnover of 51.550 million shares worth N2.342 million in 1,915 deals.

Cheque transactions decline, hit N1.9trn in 5 months
 


…as e-payment gains traction

 
Value of cheque transactions across the country stood at N1.9 trillion in the last five months, New Telegraph has learnt.

This, however, showed a decline in the paper-based deals compared to the same period last year when N2.2 trillion was recorded.

According to data released by Nigeria Inter-bank    Settlement System (NIBSS), the value was derived from a total of 3.3 million separate deals between January and May, which again was a decline from the volume recorded in the same period of last year at 4 million.

On annual basis, value of cheque transactions has been on steady decline to hit an all-time low of N5 trillion in 2018, from an all-time high of N17.8 trillion recorded in 2009.

The decline is attributed to the growing preference for electronic payment channels, which are considered faster than cheque.
On the other hand, electronic platforms such as Point of Sales (PoS), Mobile Transfer, NIBSS Instant payment, E-Bills Payment, among others continue to record increase in volume and value of transactions on monthly basis.

From the NIBSS statistics, value of PoS transactions alone hit N1.1 trillion between January and May. This showed 26 per cent increase when compared to N836.5 billion recorded in same period last year.

Nigerians are also doing more in terms of bills payment through electronic channels. Value of E-Bills Payment in the five months stood at N238.8 billion, which is 10.2 per cent higher than N214.4 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Analysis of cheque statistics from January to May this year revealed that the paper transaction, which has been declining over the years, plunged further each month. In January, the value of cheque transaction was N403 billion, a 3.7 per cent decline from N418 billion recorded in December 2018. In February, it dropped further to N372 billion, a 7.6 per cent drop from previous month. It, however, rose to N377 billion in March, but still 14 per cent lower than N440.7 billion recorded in same month of previous year.

In April, transactions valued at N379.8 billion were recorded, a 12.6 per cent decline from N435 billion achieved in same period last year. By May, the cheque value stood at N401.7 billion, which is 10 per cent lower than N446.4 billion recorded same period 2018.

NIBSS-Interbank Payments (NIP), an account-number based online-real-time Inter-Bank payment solution, developed in 2011 by NIBSS, is becoming Nigeria’s financial industry’s preferred funds transfer platform.

Nigerian banks have also made the service available to customers through various channels like internet banking, bank branch, Kiosks, mobile apps, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Point of Sales (POS) and Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
In a recent review of the payment system in the country, NIBSS noted that the decline in cheque transactions has become a global phenomenon. “Globally, as the market share of cheques decline in the wake of increased adoption of contactless and real-time payments, a duopoly may likely develop in the non-cash market with cards and credit transfer (instant payments) dominating across most geographies.

“For instance, in the Asian-Pacific (APAC), China, South Korea and Australia recorded a 20 per cent drop in cheque usage although India recorded a 10.1 per cent increase in usage due majorly to her government’s demonetization policy,” it said.
NIBSS added that in the U.S., cheque usage remains a government-backed phenomenon as it contributed a whopping 73.5 per cent of global cheque volume.

 “In Nigeria, cheque transactions have continued on a downward spiral from its peak volume of 15.3 million in 2014 to 9 million in 2018. This is a -10% CAGR over the five-year period; with a growth rate of -17 per cent when compared to 2017. Although, the volume of cheque transaction is decreasing, it is fair to say that its use is still relevant, especially amongst larger value transactions, Bill Payments, and Payroll transactions,” NIBSS said in the review.

Since the introduction of the cashless policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2011, electronic payment has continued to gain traction in the country, thus reducing the usage of cheque.

According to analysts, the huge growth in e-payment is due to a combination of factors such as increased adoption by SMEs, chain business owners etc.; increased awareness as well by cardholders, who ask for the PoS from business owners when making payments; and improved dispute resolution process for failed transactions.

We created 18,203 jobs in 2018— MAN
 

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) created 18,203 in 2018, according to the association’s economic review for the second half of 2018.

In the last six months of 2018, the body’s new manufacturing jobs stood at 8,883.

Man has over 2,000 members who are in different industries, ranging from food to packaging and steel.

Non-metallic group, which includes cement, glass and ceramics, created 1,369 jobs while the Chemical & Pharmaceutical group posted 1,342 jobs. Food, Beverage and Tobacco sectoral group had 1,335 jobs as Domestic/Industrial Plastic & Rubber group produced 1,125 jobs. These sectors accounted for most of the jobs created in the manufacturing sector in the second half of 2018, MAN says.
Total job loss  in the second half of 2018 stood at 2,587 jobs, which  was less than 5,212 and 6,050 job losses recorded in the corresponding half of 2017 and  first half of 2018 respectively, MAN said.

Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 23.1 percent in the third quarter of 2018, up from 18.1 percent a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

 As of Q3 2018, the underemployment rate was 20.1 percent, and the combined unemployment and underemployment rate was 43.3 percent, NBS said.
Unemployment rate is 7.4 percent in Kenya; 11.8 percent  in Egypt; 5.2  percent in Ethiopia; and 2.4 percent in Ghana. Only South Africa is worse, with 26.6 percent.

With 87 million Nigerians living below the $1.90 baseline, almost one out every two Nigerians (44 percent) lives in extreme poverty. India is second in the poverty pedestal and has 57 million people that are extremely poor, representing just 4.4 percent of its 1.3 billion population.

Small and medium businesses are big job creators but access to capital by young and enterprising entrepreneurs averages 23 percent, according to MAN, with the benchmark monetary policy rate sitting at 13.5 percent for almost two years.
 

‘Why NNPC isn’t ripe for listing on NSE’


Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu


In an interactive session with some stakeholders, the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, spoke on some pertinent issues in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Excerpts by KINGSLEY JEREMIAH.


Do you think you have set the industry for the next growth phase; let us say you do not come back, how will what you left behind be carried on by the next person taking your place so we won’t have policy somersaults?

You are absolutely right, that’s why we always talk about continuity and being able to sustain what is on-going, which we have done over the years. One of the things we have done is to institutionalise policies by going to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to pass policy on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and gas policy.

We have submitted the final copy of the fiscal policy, unfortunately, it was not taken but the other two were. However, the two policies taken basically encapsulate what needs to be done in those areas and it is from there that we also launched the 7big wins by the President which was also institutionalised.

The things we have done around gas monetisation programme, refinery projects, infrastructural projects, Niger Delta militancy projects were also institutionalised. We have also worked with the National Assembly in ensuring passage of the bill because ultimately the bills are important. Also, we need to note that although policies are fantastic however, the bigger steps are to get them into law.

Unfortunately the first leg of the bill, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill was not signed by the president for reasons of wanting a few amendments some of which we supported and is being done by the assembly from what I hear. If you listen to my clearance in 2015, one of the questions I was asked by the Senate was the PIB, which I said was never really going to be able to pass because it was just too political. So there was the need to break it down into specific areas, as at that time. They have obviously embraced that approach which is why we are where we are today. Most of the segments of the bill such as the fiscal, host communities are ready so to answer your questions I think we have positioned the sector in such a way that there are places to build from. The fact that there is a continuing government also helps.

What is delaying the rehabilitation of the refineries, which is still performing poorly?

Yes, you are right. They are still performing poorly. I think it is one area we did not deliver on the mandate and I am bold enough to say that. One of the media platforms wrote a story that says “Kachukwu fails to deliver on his five promises on refinery” I think it is a stack misunderstanding of how the system works.

I started with being Group Managing Director of NNPC and also minister of state. At that point, most of the works and power were centred on me. So the first problem we had with the refineries was the fact that they were not even functioning or producing at all and because of the apparent huge fuel scarcity, it was a major challenge for me because if I have to wait for vessels each time to meet the delivery timelines we always have a problem. So I focused on trying to make them at least begin no matter how little even if it’s one million litres per day it will be good because that is something I don’t have to import.

My target was to try and get 5 million litres on a short time frame. How was I to do that? The pipelines that were supplying petroleum products had all being destroyed if we remember clearly, and the previous government had then entered into a contract to buy products by vessels however the cost of those vessels supplying were more than the crude that was being supplied so it wasn’t making any financial sense.

So, with the president’s permission, I canceled the contracts and challenged Nigerians who were in those contracts that if you want to add value to this entity, go and use your own money to repair the pipelines if I watch it, in three months it’s working we would pay or give you maintenance contracts which was what happened as about two or five companies came together to bid for the contract using their own funds and resuscitated the pipelines and then the refineries came to life.

By March 2016, the refineries started producing not obviously by 90 per cent capacity but at least they were adding close to 2 or 3 million barrels. However, the years of Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) were all a failed exercise as billions and billions of naira were spent with nothing to show for it. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by duty of its operation keeps charging money for the repair of pipelines with no integrated repairs. I went to the president and said we don’t have the money. What we need to do is go out and find private investors who are willing to invest in the refineries, not as shareholders but on an incremental volume optic.

I created a business model whereby if repair of the refinery had it working at about 90 per cent and moved production from an average of 50,000 barrels per day to an average of 300,000 bpd the profit from it will be used to offset the loan. The president approved it however as at that time I left as GMD of NNPC and handed over.

The NNPC owns the refineries so the minister’s role is not to come in and head the negotiations with investors on how refineries are run; the minister’s work is to push for policy approval and make sure they stay on track. As chairman of the board, I worked hard in pushing NNPC on this but it didn’t deliver. By December last year, when I got worried we were not meeting the mandate that is expected from the refineries I then called a meeting and tried to resolve the hitches with investors themselves over the contractual terms and I thought I did eventually. NNPC still rejected the terms we agreed on. So when people say I didn’t deliver I don’t know what else they were expecting from me but I think if we should look at refining, we should look less at public sector refining.

The future is in private sector refining so what else did we do outside the public sector; we worked with Aliko Dangote because he nearly abandoned the project before because of all kinds of issues such as pricing, approval, support in terms of tariff and customs duties. I have visited the refinery about four times some of my guys have been there over 20 times and we set a timeline working with them as if it was a public sector project. So there has never been that kind of corporation before. If it delivers, which I think he would because the petrochemical complex is almost ready right now.

Apart from the refinery, the government is creating an enabling environment to support investment; the modular refinery which was a concept we pushed for peace in Niger Delta is currently working successfully, three are near production point about seven others are nearing final investment decision (FID) so if those ten refineries come on board in the next two or five years that’s another 250,000bpd refinery capacity added to Dangote’s refinery. I tend to look at the refineries from the volume not physical assets.

On a longer time basis, the refinery is also an export earner we need to be able to supply product to the rest of West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. I am also making efforts talking to the Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China trying to see whether they will be interested in coming in both for the purpose of Greenfield refinery building or the Brownfield refinery building which the responses have been positive. We are almost at the threshold of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Africa which will not just cover refineries but also cover pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) investment which are huge.

The PIB was intended to make Nigeria take control of substantial part of the oil resources, how much would Nigeria own after everything is done?

The bill will limit the size of acreages for splitting which will allow more investors to come in, it also protects the rights of those who have been given licenses because if we don’t have a safe business environment we can’t raise money but ultimately a law is as good as its enforcement. As Nigeria, we ought to be willing to make our country grow which will never happen if we are always looking at the short time growth. So basically lack of enforcement has to be the bane of our issues.

Oil blocks seem to be awarded based on political patronage to Nigerians. Those who get them turnaround and resell same to foreigners, how do you intend to end this kind of practice?

First, this government has not given out any oil blocks for the four years it lasted. We did not even do marginal fields. The Presidents belief was that we should first clean up the sector, before we start dishing out political patronages.

In terms of what has been done in the past, my philosophy is a little bit different, because I am a private sector person. Giving oil blocks to Nigerians is not a bad thing. Who else should get it? Are they the right kind of Nigerians, with due reserve there, I do not know. Oil blocks obviously take some level of connection to get, no doubt about it. It requires some level of funding, that is, money to develop the blocks. You need some level of connection to be able to reach out to Joint Venture partners who will bring in the technical expertise. All over the world, those sorts of opportunities are given to people who have come into the upper echelon of society. If you do not have these qualities, you will likely not be able to meet up with the requirements that the DPR sets.

So, I do not think it is a bad thing but what we need to do is to make sure that those who do get it will actually work the field. They will have to pay the right royalties and taxes. The opportunity should be open to all Nigerians. Some of the people who own working oil blocks today where not there 15 years ago.

One of the things we have done with marginal fields is to develop guidelines for the President on the basis of technical skill, financial capability, work programme that is monitored and efficient. And if somebody has done well in his own marginal fields, he qualifies to be given more considerations to get more. If you fail in what was given to you then it is time to retrieve it because that is an asset that nobody is doing anything with.
Some Nigerians get oil blocks and it is like a geographical family picture that the just hang in the house. It does not do anything. They are just running all over the place to find out who is going to buy it from them. They can go on with this till eternity.
There was a time I issued a warning that unless those concerned went back to their blocks and began to work it; we were going to take back those blocks. Some of them said we have a 20 year timeframe. They are right in one sense, you cannot breach contracts but when it comes to the time for renewal if you are not meeting your work obligation on the block we will take it off you. And give it to individuals who would work the field. They government is losing money for every idle oil block.

How many oil blocks are due for renewal?

I do not have the numbers off hand. You know we had an early renewal programme to raise N1.80 billion for the government and most of those have been renewed. The ones that are within the frame of 2020 – 2021 have already been captured by the early renewal. The ones that are after that we have not dealt with. We did close to about 40 renewals under the early renewal programme. The essence of the early renewal was to get upfront money for government to meet its financial obligations.

Two million barrels a day, 40 billion reserves target seem far off but when compared to countries like Iraq just coming out of war and have grown production and reserves fast. What will it take for Nigeria to grow its oil production and reserves? Then the deregulation of the downstream sector, why is it so difficult to do?

Things you need to grow the reserves are one adequate legislation and predictability of the terms, which is why the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) is fine. We probably need 20 year type structure that is firm because certainty of time is very important.

Second factor is speed of approval. I went from a two-year target threshold to six months. Every delay you have has cost implications. The third is that you have to be a friendly investment destination. Nigeria is seen as a very difficult investment destination. Things take too long to happen. There is too much politics involved in making investment decisions and you cannot predict where it is going to end. Understand that oil is somebody’s future dreamland, the belief that down there is something good relying on data generated by seismic studies. But there is no certainty, it is basically a gamble. An uncertain investment environment is recipe for anarchy. They reason you find some countries doing very well is because they are predictable and things seem fast. There are no political interference as we have in Nigeria.

I was in the private sector and when you had to do investment analysis and had a bundle of countries in which to invest say $100 million my job will be to find the one with highest return on investment. Say you have about seven countries that have potential for development, some finish their final investment decision in three months, the certainty they are giving is much better, they have skilled labour already so you do not have to bring in labour. Then another one has huge resources, a historically successful area. But things never get done. Decisions get changed midway and you are stirring at this $100 million and thinking about return on investment.

The reality is that Nigeria is sometimes its own worst enemy. We need to sit down and let the sector run professionally, let things be done with speed. Nigeria has everything it takes. We are a mature field and the certainty of striking oil is high. With this we can get tougher in our contractual arrangements, unlike countries just starting out.

We have managers and engineers and you do not have to import them. There is an enabling, attractive welcoming environment. But then there are rigors of law, rigors of delays, rigors of multiple taxes, rigors of uncertain fiscal terms, these are the things we need to work on.
I have found that in my four years as minister that if work with the private sector, very little things matter. The fact that they can come to my office and see me on no notice, unlike before when they will come to Abuja and stay for three to five days, it saves them cost.

My philosophy is that if you are producing oil or have the potential to put money in government coffers, by all means please let us talk immediately. You see projects like Egina take off. Bonga and Zabazaba want to take off because the realise sitting with this individual you know clearly where he stands. These little things matter. On short-term three to four years we can reach 3 million barrels a day.

On the downstream, I wish every Nigerian took the view that it is taking too long to deregulate. I was the guinea pig on this in 2015, 2016. I will be first person in history working with the president to make that massive a jump in prices for N85 to N145. It took away everything that was subsidy then.

We began to have over recovery. Fuel queues disappeared overnight, scarcity ended. It has been done so it is not too difficult. It is a highly emotive issue though. We should not downplay the fact that somehow the literature over the years has convinced the lower economic earners in the society that this not good for them, even though that is not the right literature.
This wrong literature has permeated the system so much that that we need to first deal with it. One of the things we need to put in place is the refineries. When the bulk of your consumption is locally produced, it is easier to deal with that.

I am doing a book called ‘Energy 2015 to the Future’, which captures what we have done and charts a path for the future of energy in Nigeria. Subsidy as a concept is not necessarily a bad thing. America just gave how many billions to agricultural farmers because the trade war with China. It is not the subsidy that is the issue but its mismanagement.

There is subsidy everywhere. Many of things that we do as a country are subsidised – power, gas and rail even food by the virtue of the fact that fertilizers are subsidised. When we removed subsidy, petrol consumption dropped from 50 million litres to 30 million litres a day. This means there was profiteering going on. Then you have to look at your refineries.

Before the elections, you heard the opposition say during their time they spent billions but today Nigeria spends trillions of naira on subsidies. What is your take?

I think quite frankly the amount spent on subsidies you have to get from the NNPC. The simple truth is that they monitor subsidy. They are the sole importers right now. They are the sole suppliers. I do remember that the last time I checked. It was a higher number. But we have a policy of zero scarcity and in a bid to avoid scarcity we carry reserves that ordinarily we should not carry.
Traditionally we keep about a 20 to 23-day reserve. We found ourselves carrying 30 days to 45 days and even up to 60 days reserve. This increased the amount spent on subsidy. Now, can this be more efficiently done? Absolutely yes. We must find a way to track and determine consumption and also look at the delivery and performance indices.

Early in the life of the administration, around 2015, there were talks about pipelines and how to protect them. How do we do that now?

Again this is an operational issue, it is for the NNPC. The minister deals with policy and is not a contract awarding person. What we have done is to get the right bidding process in place. Look for contractors who are from host communities as much as it is possible and where it is possible. Set up an oversight function, whereby the community is overseeing what they contractors are doing. This is the overall action policy. But for the specifics of who gets what contract that is for the NNPC to deal with.

What is the landing cost of petrol?

The last time I checked I think it was about N180. I know that there was a differential of N40.


What is your view about listing the NNPC on Nigeria Stock Exchange?

Listing is not a certificate given you for free; you have to qualify for listing. Saudi Aramco is trying to get listed on the New York Stock Exchange; you see what they are doing? They are publishing their reports. They are showing their twenty-year projection. But the feedback they get is that they are still very much pseudo-Saudi Arabian company because they are not investing in other areas. Their risks are not hedged.

So, they have started investing in America, they’re investing in Europe and are talking to Nigeria. They are preparing for listing. We are not yet ripe for that. There is still a lot more work to be done. I have been telling the management of NNPC to enter a pre-listing mode. This does not mean it is happening any time soon but it involves publishing audited reports as at when due, with internal controls in place.

This was the kernel upon which I drove efficiency by encouraging transparency. I will invite Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to come join us rather than chase them away. These are preparations for listing but we are not there yet. A company that is going to be listed will not sell a product at N145 when it costs N180. At that time we adopted prepare for listing management concept and hope they will continue with it. The NNPC has such huge assets and value that if we run it well it is going to be good for this country.

Free-floating the naira is disobeying the law – CBN

On June 17, 20196:30 amIn News, Rational Perspectivesby Tony4 Comments By Henry Boyo THE title above is from Tuesday, June 11 edition of the Daily Independent Newspaper.

 In the related report, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, engaged stakeholders, at an interactive session in Lagos, on why he has rebuffed the incessant calls by some ‘experts’ to deregulate and float the naira exchange rate, as a product of the actual market dynamics of demand and supply.


 CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele Blame rise in suicide cases on societal pressure — Psychiatrists(Opens in a new browser tab) The above contrasting positions notwithstanding, hereafter, excerpts of the CBN governor’s observations on why he will not float the naira rate will be more closely examined. To this end, Emefiele’s comments will be followed by this writer’s rejoinders. Emefiele: “A flexible exchange rate would not favour the poor. I am committed to protecting the naira. We cannot allow the naira to float freely.”

Comment: Notably, all successful first world economies, curiously, maintain floating exchange rates! Conversely, those countries where exchange rates are regulated, usually become poor, dysfunctional economies, often with multiple exchange rates; consequently, Nigeria with a regulated exchange rate mechanism is now the World’s Poverty Capital. Instructively, however, the free-floating US dollar rate has remained fairly stable against other major currencies, even when the naira rate has conversely crashed from N0.5=$1 to the present N305-360=$1.


Undeniably, CBN’s rate strategy has failed woefully, overtime, to protect the naira. Inexplicably, nonetheless, the naira rate has crashed, even when higher crude prices and best ever foreign reserves significantly improved Nigeria’s imports cover. Emefiele: “It would be difficult to achieve a low interest rate regime, a stable exchange rate regime, robust reserve position, a low inflationary environment, and an environment of full employment simultaneously.” Comment: Instructively, the abiding concurrent features in more successful economies with stable exchange rates, are “low interest rate regimes, with less than three per cent Monetary Policy Rates, and inflation rates, usually also below five per cent, plus a well remunerated and trained Labour force. Consequently, it is not true, as Emefiele claims that benign monetary indices and robust reserves and increasing employment cannot exist simultaneously. Notably, despite the regulated rate, the naira is presently nearer 1000th of its value against its dollar value over 40 years ago, when 50Kobo exchanged for $1. Emefiele:

“Put succinctly, we have watched some so-called economic and financial analysts through televisions, and others through the newspapers say that “to grow the economy and create jobs, the CBN must allow exchange rate to free float, and also allow inflation to rise; while at the same time allowing interest rates to come down. Again, I am not surprised at these views because most have done so with shockingly limited or outright incorrect information.” Comment: Instructively, spiraling inflation instigates higher cost of borrowing, as it is irrational for anyone to lend money, below the inflation rate.


 However, higher interest rates also invariably drives industrial contraction and rising unemployment; consequently, this writer agrees with the CBN Governor that any “so-called economic and financial analyst” who advises that inflation should be allowed to rise significantly beyond best practice rates below four per cent, must certainly be poorly informed and grossly misguided! However, as earlier observed, all eminently successful economies presently ‘free-float’ their currency rates. So the Naira rate mechanism is actually on the wrong side of the fence, and it is predictable therefore, that its rigidity to real market dynamics, i.e. price regulation, would create serious economic distortions which will constrain growth and pauperise our people.

Consequently, Emefiele is enmeshed in deep mischief when he suggests that he is dutifully defending the naira. In practice, CBN is probably, more correctly, a greater dollar defender than naira, as the present rate mechanism involves the weekly/bi-weekly auctions of small dollar rations, usually between $200-$300million, in a market that the same CBN had earlier, consciously, undeniably, flushed with surplus naira liquidity! Predictably, therefore, naira’s free-fall is guaranteed in such lopsided auctions. Instructively, not even increasing dollar earnings, as witnessed since 1999, could rescue the Naira rate from systemic depreciation! Some critics will probably describe the CBN’s role in these dollar auctions as Treason! Emefiele: “For example, we have watched some armchair analysts demand that the CBN stop ‘defending’ the Naira and simply allow market forces to determine the exchange rate.


These analysts simply call for the Naira to be floated. To these analysts, let me remind them that the CBN Act demands that we ‘defend’ the Naira using the foreign exchange rate reserves. In setting out the five principle mandates of the CBN, Section 2, Subsection C of the CBN Act 2007 reads and I quote “… maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency.” Comment: Admittedly, Section 2, Subsection © of the 2007 CBN Act actually stipulates Emefiele’s above quote. However, the same Section 2, Subsection (a) of the same Act, unequivocally mandates CBN to ensure monetary and price stability as the prime and foremost principle.


Regrettably, CBN has, notably, failed to achieve its prime mandate of price stability, as inflation has remained beyond 10%, in place of best practice 1-3% rates for the better part of 10 years! Instructively, with this abiding inflation rate, the sum of N1000 with an initial purchasing power of over $8 in 2005, now has below $3 purchasing power! Predictably, therefore, despite the Governor’s apparent celebration of the fixed Naira rate, inevitably, however, the subsisting incurable double-digit inflation rates will still precipitate depreciation and ultimately drive further Naira devaluation and deepen poverty! Emefiele: “In effect, the CBN would be disobeying the law establishing it, if it sits idly by and allow the Naira to be determined wholly by those so-called market forces.” Comment: Incidentally, official statistics indicate that the general price level continues to rise by over 10% annually!! Notably therefore, the CBN is knowingly disobeying its prime and foremost responsibility for price stability as espoused in Section 2, Subsection (a) of CBN 2007 Act.

 Curiously, however, successful economies never seem to be victims of market determined exchange rates. Emefiele: “Those calling for floating of the currency betray their ignorance of the effects of significant depreciation, however short-lived, on inflation.” The CBN’s refusal to adopt free-floating Naira rate only betrays the CBN’s inability to significantly reduce the perennial scourge of surplus Naira which drives higher inflation rates and higher cost of borrowing, which ultimately constricts consumer demand and hamstrings industrial expansion and job opportunities.


Furthermore, it is apparent mischief for CBN to finger the transparent mechanism of free-floating rates as a villain. Undeniably, the Naira poor exchange rate is attributable to the inflationary spiral fueled by Naira liquidity surplus that is unleashed, whenever CBN substitutes Naira allocations for monthly distributable dollar denominated revenue! Worse still, the practice of auctioning dollar rations in a market, that is already consciously flooded with Naira by CBN, is a deliberate mechanism to continuously weaken the Nigerian currency! This observation is clearly validated by history as we have become poorer with increasing dollar reserves in CBN’s custody.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/06/free...e-law-cbn/

Despite having a fastball that doesn’t reach 90 miles an hour http://www.bearscheapstores.com/riley-ri...rsey-cheap , Wade LeBlanc effectively shut down one of the best lineups in the American League.
LeBlanc pitched into the eighth inning and Nelson Cruz had an RBI single as the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 Saturday night.
LeBlanc gave up just two hits and struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings. After a single by Mookie Betts on the opening at-bat of the game, he retired the next 22 batters until Eduardo Nunez singled with two outs in the eighth.
”What a changeup he had today. That has been his bread and butter his whole career, but today was probably the best one we’ve seen all year,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ”He knows his craft very well and when he gets on a roll like that, he just keeps riding it.”
LeBlanc (3-0) wasn’t a part of the Mariners starting rotation until the first week of May. But since replacing an injured Erasmo Ramirez in the rotation, LeBlanc has shined for the Mariners. He’s posted a 2.06 ERA in nine starts and Saturday’s gem was the best of the lot.
A near-capacity crowd at Safeco Field saluted LeBlanc with a standing ovation as he left the field after Nunez’s single.
”That’s a really neat moment. Guys that throw 86 (mph) don’t really get standing ovations really often,” LeBlanc said chuckling. ”I definitely wanted to kind of take them in and show my appreciation for it.”
Alex Colome got pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland to pop out to end the eighth, and Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the ninth for his 27th save.
It was LeBlanc’s first start of more than seven innings pitched since his first outing of the 2011 season with the San Diego Padres. His nine strikeouts were also his most since striking out 10 against the Los Angeles Dodgers that same season.
”He reminds me of that guy on the wall over there http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.co...rsey-cheap ,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said gesturing toward a photo of Jamie Moyer. ”LeBlanc was outstanding. Back-door cutters, front-door sinkers and mixed up his breaking ball halfway through the game, all on the edge of the strike zone.”
LeBlanc had a little help from Dee Gordon at second base with diving stops to rob Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts of base hits.
The Mariners needed LeBlanc’s stellar outing as they struggled to get a lot going against knuckleballer Steven Wright.
Wright (2-1) held Seattle to just one run and five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over seven innings.
Three singles – all to left field – off Wright in the third inning gave the Mariners their early advantage. Gordon reached with one out while Mitch Haniger and Cruz each singled with two down.
”We got just enough off of a really tough knuckleballer,” Servais said. ”Our guys are not used to seeing that and he was really good. The ball was dancing everywhere. He threw a lot of strikes with it.
”Our guy was just a little bit better.”
It snapped Wright’s string of 25 1/3 scoreless innings, which topped the stretch of 25 scoreless innings by Oakland’s Daniel Mengden for the longest in the majors this season.
GILBERT SIGNED
The Mariners signed first-round pick Logan Gilbert earlier in the day. The right-handed pitcher from Stetson University posted a 2.52 ERA while going 11-1 with 157 strikeouts and 23 walks in 15 starts. His 157 strikeouts lead NCAA Division-I baseball this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz played catch in the outfield on Friday and is expected to do so again on Sunday. Manager Alex Cora said Pomeranz still felt stiff from his left biceps tendinitis but that they didn’t feel it was anything serious. ”He was moving around better today,” Cora said.
Mariners: RHP Juan Nicasio threw a live bullpen session prior to Saturday’s game. Nicasio is expected to be activated from the disabled list during Seattle’s upcoming series in New York. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday after having fluid buildup in his right knee.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (8-1) has won each of his last five starts and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a start since May 15. He’s posted a 2.15 ERA over 29 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts over his last five outings.
Mariners: RHP Mike Leake (7-3) has pitched at least six innings in each of his last five starts, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.77 ERA over that span.
—
This list includes 32 of the best players in the NFL as we predict the 2017 season for each team’s star player. In some cases, there was a competition for the best athlete Connor McGovern Jersey , while other teams had a clear-cut first choice. Then there were even a few squads that fail to have overwhelming talent on their roster. Either way, these are the players that generally make the biggest impact for their franchise. These are the guys who are often rewarded big for the wins, but also are criticized heavily for the loses. But that’s what makes football so fun, we are so passionate that we need to direct some of those feelings toward the NFL’s superstar athletes.With these predictions, you’ll find out which team’s best player will be the NFL MVP and which one will raise the championship trophy at the end of the season. Here, you’ll find out who can’t make it through the entire season, and who will be hanging his jersey up for good at the end of 2017. You’ll also learn who will be traded away and who will fade back to the bench. Each season sees this. There’s always injuries, retirements Khari Willis Jersey , trades, stories about failures and stories about successes.Next season will be no different. Next season will have all of those ups and downs that we’ve grown to love and hate. So, here we go. Here is a look at each team’s best player, and predicting what their 2017 season has in store.

Trea Turner hit two homers Will Harris Jersey , including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help the Washington Nationals rally from a nine-run deficit and defeat the Miami Marlins 14-12 in a wild slugfest Thursday night to end a five-game losing streak.
The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22, have won 12 consecutive games against Miami dating to last season – their longest winning streak against any team since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005.
The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2. Turner’s eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter, according to STATS LLC.
Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.
Adam Conley (2-1) allowed five runs in 2/3 of an inning and took the loss.
RANGERS 7, TIGERS 5
DETROIT – Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman homered as Texas beat Detroit.
Yovani Gallardo (3-0) got the win, giving up four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two while winning his third straight start.
Keone Kela allowed a run in the ninth before finishing off his 21st save as Texas snapped a three-game losing streak.
Matthew Boyd allowed a season-high seven runs and seven hits in four innings. He is 0-3 with a 10.59 ERA in his last four starts.
Detroit lost is third straight and dropped to 2-14 since June 17.
TWINS 5, ORIOLES 2
MINNEAPOLIS – Aaron Slegers got his first major league win by finishing six smooth innings in his first start of the season for Minnesota, and the Twins stopped their six-game losing streak by hanging on to beat Baltimore.
Logan Morrison homered and Jake Cave reached base all four times he batted for the Twins, who turned to Fernando Rodney for the ninth for his 18th save following two consecutive blown chances.
Jonathan Schoop hit two home runs, but the Orioles squandered another quality start by Andrew Cashner (2-9) and lost for the 10th time in 11 games. They have the worst record in the major leagues at 24-62, just the team the Twins needed to face to start a season-long 11-game homestand after a 1-8 road trip.
BREWERS 7, BRAVES 2
MILWAUKEE – Jhoulys Chacin threw seven solid innings and Hernan Perez homered among his three hits, leading Milwaukee to a 7-2 victory over Atlanta in a matchup of first-place teams.
The NL Central Division-leading Brewers won their fourth game in a row to go 17 games over .500 (52-35) for the first time since July 1, 2014, when they were 51-34.
Chacin (7-3) gave up three hits and two earned runs while matching a season high with seven strikeouts in what tied for his longest outing this year. The right-hander was 0-2 in his previous three starts while allowing 10 runs in 15 2/3 innings.
Dan Jennings pitched two perfect innings for his first save this season http://www.lionscheapstore.com/austin-br...rsey-cheap , and second of his career.
NL East-leading Atlanta dropped its third consecutive game after winning four straight. Braves left-hander Max Fried (1-3) lasted only three innings in his third start of the season, giving up four earned runs and four hits with three walks.
ASTROS 4, WHITE SOX 3
HOUSTON –Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and Yuli Gurriel’s RBI single with one out in Houston’s two-run ninth lifted the Astros to a win over Chicago.
The Astros trailed by 1 when Joakim Soria (0-3) walked pinch-hitter Tony Kemp with no outs in the ninth before advancing to third on a single by pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez. George Springer snapped an 0-for-8 slump and tied it at 3-3 with his RBI single to shallow center field.
Alex Bregman walked to load the bases and Altuve struck out before Gurriel sent a ball over second baseman Yoan Moncada’s head into right field to give Houston the victory.
Justin Verlander bounced back from his last start where he allowed nine hits and five runs – both season highs – in a loss to Tampa Bay with a solid outing. He yielded four hits and two runs and struck out 10 in seven innings.
Joe Smith (3-1) allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for the win in his first appearance since June 6.
CARDINALS 11, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Luke Weaver pitched two-hit ball over eight innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Giants.
Jedd Gyorko had three hits, including a homer, and drove in five runs to spoil the return of Johnny Cueto after two months on the disabled list. Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader also went deep, while Yadier Molina singled three times.
The Cardinals had a season-high 18 hits – their most since getting 19 against the New York Mets on Aug. 24, 2016.
Alen Hanson homered for San Francisco, which has scored five runs while losing four straight.
Weaver (5-7) faced two over the minimum and had seven strikeouts. He carried a perfect game into the sixth before giving up a single and Hanson’s two-run homer. Weaver then bounced back to retire the final seven batters he faced.
Cueto (3-1) was rocked in his long-awaited return from the 60-day disabled list. He gave up four runs in the first inning – one more than he had in 32 innings before going out with right elbow inflammation.
PADRES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 3
PHOENIX (AP) – Eric Lauer limited Arizona to a run over five innings, Austin Hedges homered for the first time since April 10 and the San Diego Padres opened a four-game series in the desert with a victory over the slumping Diamondbacks.
Lauer (4-5) gave up seven hits, walked two and hit a batter, but only one of those baserunners managed to sco Joe Thomas remains torn about his football future.
He’s still holding.
Cleveland’s star left tackle, who played more than 10,000 consecutive snaps before suffering a season-ending left triceps injury on Oct. 22, said Wednesday night that he’s undecided about continuing his Hall of Fame-caliber career – or retiring.
”Making progress http://www.packerscheapstore.com/rashan-...rsey-cheap ,” the 10-time Pro Bowler said. ”Had a lot of time to think and spend some time with the family, but not ready definitively to make a decision one way or the other just yet. Really for me, my decision is just going to come down to do I feel like I’m healthy enough to survive another season?”
One of the NFL’s premier tackles, Thomas was on the field for 10,363 straight plays before his triceps ripped while blocking on a running play against Tennessee. Thomas planned to take the offseason to weigh his options, and he remains unsure if he wants to make a comeback or move on to a new career, perhaps in the TV broadcast booth.
Thomas isn’t leaning in either direction.
”There’s some days you go back and forth,” he said.
Thomas was a presenter at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, which he attended with his wife, Annie. Thomas said he has not received any pressure to make his decision from the Browns, who are coming off a historic 0-16 season.
”I don’t think there’s any real rush at this point,” he said. ”Obviously, they want to know before the draft and free agency, so that if they have to make different plans if I’m not going to be there, they want to know about it. I told them I’ll make a decision when I’m ready and let them know and give them as much time as I possibly can.”
Thomas said he won’t be medically cleared to play until summer, but that timeframe has no bearing on his decision.
”It’s seven-to-nine months from surgery Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , so that would put me in June or July,” he said. ”But I’m not worried about that. The elbow is something that’ll take care of itself. I feel confident the rehab has gone well and it will continue to go well. Really for me, knee and back are the primary issues that I’ve been dealing with a number of years.”
Thomas came close to quitting before when a back spasm in 2007 lasted four weeks.
”Couldn’t practice. Basically couldn’t tie my own shoes,” he said. ”And I go, `This is my last year. There’s no way I can do this another season.’ And I made it four more after that. So it’s weird the highs and lows that you go through during a season, especially because of the emotional and physical toll a game takes on you.”
The 18th annual sports awards brought out some of Cleveland’s biggest sports movers and shakers, including former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, Indians manager Terry Francona and Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman. The event was hosted by ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi.
Former Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas received a lifetime achievement award at the gala event. The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas was affectionately known simply as ”Z” by Cleveland fans who embraced the Lithuania native and made him one of their own.
Ilgauskas overcame two major foot injuries early in his career and played 13 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2011 after one year in Miami. The Cavs retired his No. 11 in 2014.
Ilgauskas recalled that early in his career, owner Gordon Gund had a deal worked out to trade him to Detroit. He turned it down.
”I didn’t stay because of the weather,” he told the Cleveland crowd. ”I didn’t stay because of the food, but that’s gotten a lot better since 1996. I stayed because of you guys. You guys make this city what it is.”
LeBron James said Ilgauskas was one of his favorite teammates.
”We had a heck of a chemistry with our pick and pop,” James said. ”Multi-talented guy but even greater person to be around every day. Came to work every day, showed up every day and he gave everything he could to this franchise and the Heat franchise.”

Believe it or not http://www.raidersfootballauthentics.com...-authentic , the Houston Texans have actually been decent when it comes to the first round of the NFL Draft.Well, decent may be a bit too kind because the amount of boom picks (Andre Johnson, Duane Brown, J.J. Watt, et all) slightly outweigh the bust picks (David Carr, Travis Johnson Dwayne Haskins Jersey , Amobi Okoye, et all), but Houston's had some great picks over the past 15 years and will look to replicate that success in 2017.What if the Texans could go back and fix some of their previous mistakes? Instead of taking David Carr first overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, would they take Julius Peppers or Ed Reed? How about the 2009 NFL Draft, which landed them linebacker Brian Cushing - a fine player, but someone who went before players that gave their own teams much more of an impact.As with all of our re-drafts Brian Burns Jersey , we go by the following rules:- These picks are made in a chronological order and have an effect on each other, meaning that the Texans selecting a quarterback in the 2004 NFL Draft may have an impact on where they look in the 2005 NFL Draft. All the pieces matter, as one Lester Freamon would say.- Players who are already off the board at the time a pick takes place are exempt, meaning that the 2009 Houston Texans, who drafted 15th overall, can't somehow come away with Matthew Stafford as the former Georgia quarterback is already off the board.- Where the team picked in real life remains the same http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com...-authentic , though that's for ease and realism. You can pretend how the team finished the year before to end up with that pick (maybe they acquired it in a trade in the previous draft!).Ready to change history? Let's do this. San Francisco Giants closer Hunter Strickland apologized to his team, fans, and said he’d consider anger management counseling three days after injuring his hand punching a door in frustration after a blown save against Miami.
Strickland is expected to be out six to eight weeks after breaking the pinkie on his pitching hand Monday. Sam Dyson and Tony Watson will be called upon for closing duties.
Strickland has had several outbursts on a national stage.
The 29-year-old right hander jawed with Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez during Game 2 of the World Series.
Last season he threw at Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper three years after he homered off Strickland in the 2014 NLDS.
”I think that obviously my anger in these moments have gotten the best of me and caused stupid decisions, so I don’t think I should be this angry person,” Strickland said. ”I think focused is the better word. We do have to be focused and locked in, focused on getting those outs.”
Strickland said he planned to address teammates later in the day.
”I’m responsible Will Grier Jersey ,” Strickland said. ”I’m not here to blame anybody on anything and I think that’s the way it should be.”
Strickland had surgery Tuesday, in which two pins were put in his injured finger. He’ll have more X-rays two weeks, when he hopes to have the pins taken out.
”That’s out of my control,” Strickland said. ”I’ll just do what I can, work hard and let the doctors decide the rest.”