Domestic violence has become a menace to many lives. Some ladies are fighting so hard to keep their relationships despite all the battering they receive from their husbands or boyfriends while others don’t twice before quitting the marriage.

A young lady Natachi Peace (@Natachyy) has taken to her Twitter handle to share a story of how a man molested her at a bus park. She explained that she was at the park when the strange man started pressed her butt.

Peace added that, she moved out of the line to another but the man followed and still continued his act of molestation. 

This got her really angry and she stabbed him with a pen on his hands. Nigerian lady recounts how she dealt with a man who tried to molest her at a park



Her posts read: “So I was at Peace Mass Transit to send stuff today and this dude behind me was touching my bum. 

I asked him to stop and moved, dude left and came back behind me and continued. 

Let’s say he won’t be enjoying his Christmas meat because I stabbed his hands with pen. I made sure it was deep wound and the 2 guys beside me gave him some good slapping. Hopefully he learnt.”

Gist via :- https://nairatrend.com.ng/lady-recounts-dealing-with-man-who-molested-her-says-i-stabbed-his-hands/

Quote:Deji Elumoye, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Shola Oyeyipo, Adedayo Akinwale, Mercy Apollos in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos

The vexed issue of subsidy for petrol was a significant part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of 2019 financial estimates to the National Assembly Wednesday, with the president earmarking N305 billion, out of his proposed N8.83 trillion spending plan, for the essential commodity.

The president told the 469-member National Assembly at the House of Representatives Chambers that government would continue to subsidise fuel price in order to reduce its burden on the citizenry.

The president’s decision, is, however, likely to generate anxiety among the nation’s 36 governors, who had in recent times opposed subsidy deduction from the Federation Account, arguing that it had remained a shadowy drain on their monthly allocation.

According to him, “We have allowed for N305 billion ($1 billion) for under-recovery by NNPC on PMS (premium motor spirit or petrol) in 2019. We will continue working to bring it downwards so that such resources are freed up to meet the developmental needs of our people.”

The president attributed the problem with subsidies in the past to abuse and corruption, adding, however, that because government through the NNPC is the sole importer of PMS, under-recovery is from the NNPC’s trading account.

He said this means the possibility of some marketers falsifying claims has been removed.

The 2019 budget estimate is N300 billion lower than the N9.1 billion being implemented for 2018 fiscal year.

According to Buhari, N4.04 trillion or 50.31 per cent is earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N2.03 trillion representing 22.98 per cent for capital projects.

Other estimates are N492.36 billion for statutory transfers, N2.14 trillion for debt servicing and provision of N120 billion as sinking fund.

He explained that the sinking fund would be used to “retire maturing bonds to local contractors.”

The 2019 budget proposal is based on an oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N305 per dollar.

Other benchmarks are real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 3.01 per cent and inflation rate of 9.98 per cent.

The total projected revenue, according to the president, is N6.97 trillion, which is three per cent lower than the 2018 estimate of N7.17 trillion.

Buhari said the expected income consisted of oil revenue projected at N3.73 trillion, and non-oil revenue estimated at N1.39 trillion.

He explained, “The estimate from non-oil revenue consists of N799.52 billion from company income tax; N229.34 billion from value added tax, and customs duties of N302.5 billion. We have reduced our expectations from independent revenue N624.58 billion.

“Other revenues expected in 2019 include various recoveries of N203.38 billion; N710 billion as proceeds from the restructuring of government equity in joint ventures, and other sundry incomes of N104.1 billion.”

The president explained further that the total N8.83 trillion proposed expenditure for 2019 included grants and donor funds amounting to N209.92 billion.

According to him, although the 2019 estimate was lower than the 2018 budget of N9.1 trillion, it was higher than the N8.6 trillion originally proposed by the executive to the National Assembly.

The budget deficit is projected to decrease to N1.86 trillion or 1.3 per cent of the GDP in 2019 from N1.95 trillion projected for 2018.

“This reduction is in line with our plan to progressively reduce deficit and borrowings over the medium term,” he said.

On sectoral allocation, the president said the Ministry of Interior would get N569.07billion, Defence (N435.62 billion), Education (N462.24 billion) and Health (N315.62 billion).


To Set up Technical Committee on Minimum Wage

On the contentious issue of new minimum wage, Buhari revealed that a technical committee is to be constituted to advise government on mode of funding workers’ wage increase.

He said, “I am committed to addressing the issue of a new minimum wage and I will be sending a bill to the National Assembly on this. However, in order to avoid a fiscal crisis for the federal government, as well as the States, it is important to devise ways to ensure that its implementation does not lead to an increase in the level of borrowing.

“I am accordingly setting up a high-powered technical committee to advise on ways of funding an increase in the minimum wage, and the attendant wage adjustments, without having to resort to additional borrowings.

“The work of this technical committee will be the basis of a Finance Bill, which will be submitted to the National Assembly, alongside the Minimum Wage Bill. In addition, the technical committee will recommend modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage in such a manner as to minimise its inflationary impact, as well as ensure that its introduction does not lead to job losses.”

Indication that the presentation will be rowdy emerged when the gallery of the House of Representatives, where the session was held was cleared for lawmakers to dissolve into an executive session.

There were feelers that it was an attempt to give the president free passage during the presentation.

Though Speaker Dogara said the executive session would only last five minutes, it went on for more than 20 minutes in what was an attempt to ensure that Buhari was well-received.

APC and the PDP lawmakers had earlier met on Tuesday ahead of yesterday’s budget presentation to put finishing touches to how to receive the president.

There was confusion on the floor immediately the president stepped into the House chambers as opposition PDP lawmakers started singing protest songs.

The already prepared APC members also hailed the president, assuring him that he would have another four-year tenure.

While the APC lawmakers were chanting ‘Sai Baba,’ the PDP lawmakers persisted with their song ‘freedom come by struggle.’

PDP lawmakers who were disenchanted and were apparently set for showdown continued singing their protest song ‘freedom comes by struggle,’ repeatedly, making the chamber noisy and rowdy.

Occasionally, they disrupted the president’s speech, making him stop as long as their noises persisted.

No sooner had the sitting began than fighting broke out between a PDP lawmaker and his APC counterpart in the House Chambers.

Hon. Bashir Babale of APC was engaged in physical brawl with PDP lawmaker, Hon. Douye Diri, who was preparing placards with which they planned to protest.

The lawmakers booed the Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, when he called the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, aside apparently to implore him to pacify PDP members to discontinue their aggression.

Senators too were not exempted as disagreement between Senators Sam Anyanwu and Godswill Akpabio got the two lawmakers to stand up to each other.

Bothered by the open confrontation by the lawmakers, Buhari at a point cautioned the lawmakers saying, “The world is watching us and we are supposed to be above this.”

The drama however, continued as lawmakers booed and hailed the president as he enumerated some of the achievements of his government.

They shouted words such as: ‘It’s a lie! Ah! Iro lo pa (You are lying), propaganda.”

In a deliberate attempt to disturb the president’s speech, some members tampered with the microphone to create noise.

The Sergeant-at-Arm had to direct that the microphone be put off to stop the noise.

While some lawmakers stood up to give the president a clap, some others heckled him shouting, ‘Lies, propaganda’.

One of the lawmakers called Buhari, ‘grass cutter’ in reference to the scandal, which the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was involved.

As the president was stating how his administration was fighting corruption, some lawmakers shouted him down, saying, ‘propaganda, which corruption are you fighting’? ‘Grass cutter’

When the Buhari concluded his speech, the session turned rowdy again.

Before Saraki and Dogara could present their speeches, APC lawmakers chanted ‘four more years,’ while their PDP counterparts screamed, ‘no more years.’

After more than 10 minutes into the drama, the Presidential Guards Brigade band began to play the National Anthem signalling the end of the programme, while Buhari was still seated.

The ceremony ended without Saraki and Dogara presenting their speeches.

Security operatives whisked the president out of the chamber leaving the lawmakers behind.

Meanwhile, protesting workers under the umbrella of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) stayed off the National Assembly in continuation of their four-day warning strike that began on Monday.

The budget presentation, however, held amid water-tight security. All entrances leading to the complex were barricaded with multi-agency security operatives manning the gates and thoroughly scrutinising those coming in.

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and other sister agencies were on the ground ahead of the president’s budget presentation, which kicked off at 12.40p.m.


Mixed Reactions Trail Buhari’s 2019 Budget Presentation

National Assembly members wednesday reacted to the 2019 federal budget estimates presented by the president with mixed feelings.

While some legislators gave the president thumbs up for the N8.83 trillion budget proposed for next fiscal year, others condemned the Appropriation Bill in its entirety.

In his reaction, Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, while frowning at the unruly behaviour of some lawmakers while the president’s budget presentation lasted, however, saluted the courage of Buhari for coming up with a budget of hope. He assured that the legislature would scrutinise the proposals with a view to ensuring that the Appropriation Bill was passed in a record time.

Also reacting, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, emphasised that the budget appears to be hopeless but was quick to state that the parliament will do a thorough job before passing the Appropriation Bill.

On his part, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, described the budget estimates as one that will turn things round for the better in 2019.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ben Murray- Bruce, on his part, condemned the budget proposal in its entirety saying the budget has less vote for capital expenditure.

Also reacting, Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Adeola Solomon, said the budget is truly the budget for the next level of economic development for the first time in Nigerian history.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Olajide Olatunbosun, representing Saki West/East/Atisbo federal constituency of Oyo State said Buhari’s budget is implementable. He expressed optimism that with the administration’s frugal attitude, it would be enough for it to do more.

The PDP caucus in the House, however, disagreed with the budget presented by the president.

Led by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwuma Onyema (Anambra, PDP), the opposition leaders said the annual budget presentation of multi-trillion naira budget by the government has become a “hollow ritual it began in 2015,” and which has had no meaningful impact on Nigerians.

According to the lawmakers, “Again, the Buhari administration has tabled another and again, this hollow ritual it began in 2015 may soon be followed, as usual, with excuses for non-performance.

“Again too, as it has always done, the APC government known for its unique ideology of ‘blame-ology’ will start apportioning of blames to all else, except itself.”

Some economists and analysts also said the 2019 Appropriation Bill will not have any significant impact on the standard of living in the country.

They said this in separate interview with THISDAY.

To the Chief Executive Officer of FactBox Company, and an expert in data and information analysis, Mr. Jide Ogunsanwo, said the contents of the 2019 proposed budget estimates does not have what is required to alleviate poverty in the country.

He said, “When the 2018 budget was passed, Nigeria’s population was 195 million. In simple terms, last year’s budget was the equivalent of an average of N127 per person every day.

“Now, we have a lower budget for 2019 and the population has risen to 200 million, which is N120 per person per day.

“So, it is significantly lower than last year’s budget. If at N127 per person last year, more people got into poverty, what do we think will happen when we have a lower budget? So, in simple terms, this budget will not reduce the number of poverty in the country.”

To the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, noted that the impact of the current year’s budget hasn’t been significant.

He said, “The price of oil is the problem. Typically, over the years, the price of crude oil has always been about 20 per cent below the spot price, but today the spot price is lower than the benchmark price and with that, the benchmark price becomes meaningless.

“So, we need to reduce that and increase the deficit. We need to expand the expenditure. So, we are between a rock and a hard place. To me, what is inevitable and imminent is that there would be a supplementary budget.”

Also, a senior lecturer at the Lagos Business School, Dr. Bongo Adi, said, “There is a very huge discrepancy between the budget allocated and what is given to the ministries by the government. I don’t know how we can deal with that situation because it seems like the budgeting system has also become politicised.”


APC, PDP Trade Words over Heckling of President

The nation’s two leading political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wednesday traded words over the heckling of President Muhammadu Buhari during his presentation of the 2019 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly in Abuja.

The president had presented the N8.83 trillion financial estimates for 2019 amidst cheering from his APC lawmakers and jeering from the opposition-led PDP legislators.

Both Senate President Bukola Saraki, who presided over proceedings, and Speaker Yakubu Dogara could do little about the situation as both parties made Buhari’s outing uncomfortable.

Reacting to the incident, the APC said the PDP legislators’ conduct was disgraceful and unbecoming of their status as lawmakers of the federal republic.

The PDP, however, retorted, saying his members were entitled to show their displeasure at what it called the compound failure of the APC-led administration.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, APC said by law, respect for the Office of the President or Head of Government in any clime is not a matter of choice but a civic obligation sanctioned by laws.

“We condemn in strong terms the action by lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Mohammadu Buhari on Wednesday,” it said.

APC said PDP should be aware that the disgraceful conduct and actions of its legislative caucus has succeeded in eroding the remnant of the public’s respect, (if any) that the party has in the eyes of any respectable Nigerian.

According to APC, the action has further confirmed its unsavoury image in the eyes of well-meaning Nigerians, that the party is largely populated by self-serving and unpatriotic members, whose sole aim in politics is to promote their self-interests at the expense of the country’s interests.

“By law, respect for the office of the president or head of government in any clime is not a matter of choice but a civic obligation sanctioned by laws. Being an opposition party or critic is no licence for such wayward conduct by the PDP legislative caucus; most especially against the president of the country,” it said.

Expectedly, the PDP responded in kind through National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, who said, at a press conference in Abuja, that the jeering showed that Mr. President no longer enjoys the support of Nigerians across the country, adding that he no longer has any political foothold and could only awaits a crushing defeat in the 2019 general election.

According to the PDP, the spontaneous action of the lawmakers, at the joint session of the National Assembly, was a resounding and unambiguous vote of no confidence and unmistaken expression of Buhari’s rejection by the Nigerian public, across the divides, who are fed up with his incompetent, divisive and corrupt administration.

It said, “What else do Nigerians want from a president, who has openly confessed his lack of capacity to find solutions to the myriads of problems his administration brought and on that note promised Nigerians more sufferings and hardship in the coming year?

“This is more so as his scripted presentation at the budget session was full of false performance indices, claims of non-existent projects, half-truths, bogus fiscal projections, beguilement and new list of fake promises, which Nigerians have since seen through.”

The president had waded through his harassment, presenting his estimates, a key component of which was the N305 billion earmarked for the payment of fuel subsidy claims during the fiscal year, the first of such allocation since the administration took over in 2015.

Buhari also used the opportunity of the budget presentation to unveil his plan to set up a technical committee to advise the federal government on the mode of funding impending workers’ wage increase.

The presentation, which lasted for about 50 minutes was marred by hailing and booing by senators and House members.

Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) that the excess crude revenue account savings has been depleted to only $631 million within three weeks.

Barely three weeks ago, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed at the end of the committee’s meeting in Kaduna on November 25, 2018, that the balance in the account stood at about $2.319 billion.

It was not clear how about $1.688 billion, almost 73 per cent, left the account in a space of three weeks.

Excess Crude Account is a special account established to warehouse excess revenues from the prevailing crude oil price at the international market. Income generated above the approved crude oil benchmark price in the annual budget is saved in the account.
Withdrawal from the account is subject to the approval of the three tiers of government and the Executive Council of the Federation (FEC).

It was not clear when the decision to draw from the account was taken and for what purpose.
But, at the end of the FAAC meeting for December in Abuja on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mahmoud Isah-Dutse, said the money was withdrawn to settle the last tranche of the Paris Club loan refund to states.

Mr Isah-Dutse, who disclosed that a total of N812.762 billion was distributed between the federal, states and local governments for November 2018, announced that the balance in the excess crude account stood at $0.631billion as at December 19, 2018.

Asked how the savings in the account was depleted from $2.319billion in late November and to $0.631billion on December 19, Mr Isah-Dutse said the decision was taken that the final payment for Paris Club loan refund to states be drawn from the account.

When his attention was drawn to the apparent illegality in drawing money from the ECA without approval, the Permanent Secretary said the approvals came from the President and the FEC.
“The decision was taken that the refund should be funded from the excess crude account, and the right approvals were obtained,” he said.

Pressed further for clarification on who exactly gave the approval, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, asked PREMIUM TIMES to approach the National Assembly to confirm if they were not aware of the approval to withdraw the money from the account.

Meanwhile, a communiqué by the Technical Sub-Committee of the FAAC showed gross statutory revenue stood at about N649.629 billion, which is lower than about N682.161 billion realised in the previous month by N32.533 billion.

Details of the total distributable revenue of N812.762 billion comprised the Statutory Revenue of N649.629 billion, Gross Value Added Tax of N92.079billion, foreign exchange equalisation of N70 billion and exchange rate gain of N1.055 billion.
From the gross statutory revenue, the federal government received N280.913 billion, representing 52.68 per cent; states N142.483 billion, or 26.72 per cent; and local government councils N109.848 billion, or 20.60 per cent.

About N47.882 billion went to the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.
The distribution of the Value Added Tax (VAT) showed the federal government got N13.259 billion, or 15 per cent; states N44.198 billion, or 50 per cent, while the local government councils got N30.938 billion, or 35 per cent.

The communique said revenue from company income tax (CIT) increased significantly during the month, while revenues from Value Added Tax (VAT), Import Duty, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Foreign Oil and Gas, Domestic Oil and Gas Royalties all decreased.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/302071-nigerias-excess-crude-account-depletes-73-in-three-weeks.html

Quote:You may kiss the bride! 
This wedding kiss video has got people talking.

The way the couple kissed with intense passion at their wedding has made them trend online. 

Some claim the bride wanted to 'swallow' the groom. LOL. 

Watch the video below and see some funny reactions. 

See more photos after the cut...

Source:
http://www.thefamousnaija.com/2018/12/couples-wedding-kiss-that-got-people.html?m=1

By Dipo Olowookere

Stock market indices were weakened on Wednesday as President Muhammadu Buhari presented his government’s budget estimate for the 2019 fiscal year.

In his budget christened Budget of Continuity, Mr Buhari, during the presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly, said a total of N8.83 trillion is expected to be used in the coming year. 

In reaction, the stock market suffered a decline as a result of the losses posted by some large cap equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The poor performances of Seplat, Dangote Cement and some other stocks dragged the market down by 0.35 percent, leaving the year-to-date loss at 19.71 percent.

While Seplat depreciated by N38.80 percent to settle at N555.20k per share, Total Nigeria went down by N3 to finish at N195 per share.

Also, Dangote Cement crashed by N3 to end at N186 per share, Mobil Oil Nigeria had its share value reduced by N2 to quote at N168 per share, while Julius Berger depreciated by 90 kobo to close at N20.10k per share.

On the flip side, Nestle Nigeria topped the gainers’ chart with N20 added to its share price to close at N1470 per share.

Forte Oil grew by N2.35k to end at N26.20k per share, while Nigerian Breweries appreciated by N1.80k to quote at N78.50k per share.

Furthermore, Stanbic IBTC went up by 45 kobo to close at N46 per share, while Flour Mills rose by 35 kobo to settle at N21.85k per share.

During trading yesterday, the volume of shares transacted reduced by 36.43 percent to 201 million units from 316.2 million units, while the value went down by 19.49 percent to N4.1 billion from N5.1 billion.

Zenith Bank dominated the activity chart on Wednesday with a turnover of 51.9 million shares transacted for N1.2 billion.

It was followed by Lafarge Africa, which sold 38.7 million units worth N457.3 million, and FBN Holdings, which transacted 15.9 million shares valued at N120.4 million.

GTBank exchanged 12.3 million equities for N427.6 million, while Fidelity Bank sold 9.6 million shares worth N18.4 million.

A look at the major market indices showed that the All-Share Index (ASI) declined by 109.21 points to settle at 30,704.98 points, while the market capitalisation went down by N39 billion to finish at N11.216 trillion.

https://businesspost.ng/2018/12/20/stock-market-weakens-by-0-35-as-buhari-presents-2019-budget

Nigerians living in the United Kingdom sent £3.27 billion back home in 2017, according to a report by the World Bank.

A study researched by the bank has found that Nigeria was the top receiver of cash from the United Kingdom in 2017.

Nigeria was ranked the largest remittance recipient in sub-Saharan Africa and the sixth largest amongst lower-middle-income countries.

“Remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to grow by 9.8 percent from $41 billion in 2017 to $45 billion in 2018. Projections indicate that remittances to the region will keep increasing, but at a lower rate, to $47 billion by 2019,” the report read.

“The upward trend observed since 2016 is explained by strong economic conditions in the high-income economies where many sub-Saharan African migrants earn their incomes.

Largest remittance recipient country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the sixth largest among the Low, Middle income Countries (LMICs) is expected to receive more than $25 billion in official remittances by the end of 2018, an increase of more than $3 billion compared with the previous year.”

According to the Bretton Wood institution, the average cost of sending money to sub-Saharan Africa decreased slightly.

“The average cost of sending $200 to the Sub-Saharan Africa region slightly decreased, averaging 8.9 percent in 2018 Q3, the lowest cost ever registered in the region.

“A declining trend has been observed in remittance costs in the region since the beginning of 2018, but this average remains far above the global average of 6.9 percent and the SDG target of 3 percent by 2030. (NAN)

http://mcebiscoo.com/2018/12/20/nigerians-repatriate-3-27b-uk-world-bank/

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

THURSDAY, 20TH DECEMBER.

JOY FROM WITHIN.

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).


Some people never laugh unless they’re listening to some jokes by a comedian. A comedian may say or do some funny things to make you laugh, but all that is transient; true joy is inside you. Having received the Holy Spirit, God expects you to generate joy and excitement from within.

Always learn to release joy from inside you. Never allow anything take away your joy. Our opening verse says, “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” It’s not talking about the joy you get when you receive some good news or when something you’ve been expecting pulls through for you; no, it’s the joy of the Lord! That joy comes from the Holy Ghost; it comes from the Word. And you’ve got to express it, because as you do, the power is released and your challenges bow.

Every time, and in every place where the Holy Spirit manifests Himself, there’s always great joy. And where there’s joy, it’s difficult for Satan to penetrate. This is why when Satan wants to destroy a family, one of the things he does first is to destroy their joy.

Everybody becomes sad, angry, long-faced, and frustrated. Even the children return from school looking sad and gloomy. Therefore, because there’s no joy in the home, the devil can take over. So, never give him a place in your home, for whatever reason.
In the midst of trouble, in the midst of dire challenges, release joy from within. As you do, the challenges will crumble before you; the tumour will pass out of your body; the debts will be settled supernaturally! This is the reason the Bible says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). If you’ve lost your joy to circumstances of life, it’s time to take it back. Stir it up from within. Glory to God!

CONFESSION

I go out with joy, and I’m led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills break forth before me into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands. I rejoice exceedingly in the God of my salvation, irrespective of what comes my way, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

1-Year Bible Reading Plan
Revelation 12 & Micah 6-7

2-Year Bible Reading Plan
Revelation 16:11-21 & Zephaniah 3


#TALKINGSESSION

20TH DECEMBER.


Dear Father, I count it all joy when tests and challenges come my way. I remain joyful irrespective of contrary situations and circumstances, for I’m assured that the story has already been told, the end determined, and my testimony of victory assured in the Word.

The peace which surpasses all understanding keeps my heart and mind, in Christ Jesus. Good things are coming to me today from everywhere! I refuse to worry about anything, for the Lord has made all things mine! His joy is expressed lavishly through me today in every place. Glory to God!

God bless you

From the desk of Reno Omokri. The Master of Facts!

Buhari said “Through hard work, and by the special grace of God, we have weathered these storms”. What storm did you weather when under you, 20.93 million people became unemployed and your country became the world headquarters for extreme poverty? #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “The economy has recovered from recession and we have had six quarters of growth since then.” That is technically not true. Our population continues to grow almost 3 times faster than economic growth. Poverty is inevitable under such conditions #Buhari2019BudgetLies

We have done more work with less resources in agriculture”. Not true. More work than whom? According to the US Department of Agriculture, Nigeria now imports more food than under former President Goodluck Jonathan. We are billed two be the 2nd largest rice importer in the world next year. Google it. #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “We have made strenuous and successful efforts to overcome the insurgency in NE”. A blatant lie. Nigeria fell in the Global Terrorism Index from #4 under GEJ to #3 this year. More soldiers died this year than at any other time eg, Metele #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “The FG has been working in a unified and patriotic manner to tackle tension between herdsmen and farmers”. Blatant lie. 2018 has been the worst year of herdsmen killing in Nigeria’s history with over 3,000 killed and not one killer convicted #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “The FG has also sustained its efforts to fight grand corruption”. Another BIG lie. According to Transparency International, Nigeria is now more corrupt than at any time in its history and fell 12 places from 136 to 148 in the latest CPI #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “We recorded successes in economic management.” How can this be when in 2019 we simultaneously became world headquarters for extreme poverty, out of school kids & infant mortality? BillGates called Nigeria one of the worst places to be born #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “We have increased foreign exchange reserves from a low of $28.57B in May 2015 to $42.92B”. Another lie. Buhari failed to tell you our debt doubled from ₦11 trillion under GEJ to ₦24 trillion today. You can’t increase reserve with debt #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “, Nigeria was spending $5 million dollars a day on rice importation. Today rice imports have virtually stopped” This is the biggest lie of all. Only a man without shame can lie like this. Read this exposé by yourself https:///6MBzCMEhNM#Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “In the railway sector, we completed and commissioned the Abuja-Kaduna Rail”. This is an unnecessary lie. Google it. That project was completed by the GEJ Government. What was outstanding in 2015 was importation of the trains from China #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari claimed the “construction of the Oju/Loko-Oweto bridge over River Benue” as his achievement. Fellow Nigerians, here is a picture of that bridge being constructed in 2013. My question to Buhari is this-are you a time traveller sir? #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “In power, we are working on over 90 transmission projects across the country.” Notice he did not say Generation. He said ‘transmission’ (apologies to IGP Idris), because Buhari HAS NOT built even ONE power station. The last was built by GEJ #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “we are also looking at rolling out similar off grid solutions to Universities“. What an amazing lie. Never in the history of Nigeria has education been underfunded as today under Buhari. As you read this, both ASUU and ASUP are on strike #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “297,973 households in 26 states across the country are benefitting from the Conditional Cash Transfer program.” I don’t need to debunk this lie. If you know that President Buhari lied on this claim, simply retweet this and comment after #Buhari2019BudgetLies


Buhari said “We are most encouraged by the improved performance of the economy”. This shows Buhari is divorced from reality. In 2018, the World Economic Forum officially makes Nigeria the world headquarters of extreme poverty and he says this? #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “we have returned to the path of growth”. You yourself know that nothing is growing. 5 days ago, Buhari himself held a close door meeting with the 36 Governors and told them “things will get worse”. This is a deliberate lie to cover failure #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said “we have since the 2016 Budget created a revenue line in the budget for stolen and recovered funds.” Another LIE. In July 2018 this govt claimed to share $330 million Abacha loot to the poor only to borrow $328 million from China in August #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari boasted of a “67 percent budget performance”. Why do his handlers keep doing this to him? Please do yourself a favour and read the truth here https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/forget-2018-budget-it-was-a-waste-of-time-anyway-2/amp/#click=https:///A1eM2PUOUA#Buhari2019BudgetLies

Buhari said he targets “Real GDP growth of 3.01%”. What is on ground to justify this expectation? We did not even get 1.5% growth this year and the President told Governors “things will get worse”, so even he knows he is lying #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Finally, Buhari should note that when he lies so blatantly to the Nigerian public, he can deceive some of the people some of the time but he can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Everything I have exposed can be verified via a Google search #Buhari2019BudgetLies


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10217203787784069&id=1152008079

Quote:The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday says it has uncovered a factory where assorted fake wine and fruit juice were produced at Aboru area of Oke-Odo, Lagos.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Imohimin Edgal, told newsmen, when he visited the factory that the 48-year-old owner of the factory has been arrested.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria, who was on the commissioner of police entourage, observed that various assorted wine, fruit juice and empty bottles were recovered from the uncompleted one-storey building which doubles as factory and owner’s residence.

Edgal said that apart from wine products, several chemicals and reagent used for the manufacturing of the products were also recovered by the police.


He said samples of products recovered from the factory would be sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control for laboratory analysis.

Edgal said that the house had been sealed until the end of the investigation.

“This matter is an interesting case because it has to do with the health of Lagosians.

“On December 18, 2018, around 2pm, the command received credible information that there exist a fake wine/ brewery in an uncompleted one-storey building at Aboru area of Oke Odo, Lagos, where assorted wine and alcoholic beverages were being produced.

“Based on the information, I directed the Area Commander, Area P, Alagbado, to mobilise to the scene, search and seal off the factory.

“When the team arrived the scene, they executed a search warrant which enabled them to search and recover the following items: 4000 bottles of already produced, packed and labelled adulterated wine of different brands.


“10000 empty bottles, drums of different sizes and various chemicals and reagents used as raw materials and other tools used in the production of fake wine/ fruit drink,” he said

Edgal said further investigation revealed that the suspect, a secondary school dropout, had neither the requisite qualification nor licence to embark on such type of business.

He said that incidentally, the factory served as both production base and residence for the suspect, his wife and four children.

The suspect, in his defence, said he was still awaiting approval from NAFDAC to commence commercial production of the drinks.


He also denied that the drinks were fake, insisting that he produced them basically with local fruits.

“I am a creative minded person and all l do here is the production of fruit-based drinks. I have not started selling because I am yet to get approval from NAFDAC,” he said.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Kwara State governorship candidate for the 2019 election, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has been sacked by a High Court sitting in Ilorin.


The court action happened on Wednesday following the ruling of Justice T.S. Umar, who also nullified the Bashiru Omolaja Bolarinwa led executive council of the party in the state.


The court therefore recognised the Ishola Balogun-Fulani-led execuitve council of the APC in Kwara as authentic.


Following Senate President Bukola Saraki’s dumping of the APC, the party had made efforts to ensure that those believed to be loyal to Saraki were removed from the party’s leadership positions in the state.


It was believed that the sack of Balogun-Fulani and his executive members from the party by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC on September 18 was part of that move.


But Balagun-Fulani had gone to the court to challenge his sack by the APC. And in its ruling, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to recognise the candidate of the Balogun-Fulani-led faction of the APC in Kwara, Kayode Omotose, as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.


https://tvcnews.tv/2018/12/ilorin-high-court-nullifies-election-that-produced-kwara-apc-guber-candidate/

25-year-old Lydia Uwadiegwu, the wife of a police Inspector, has been arraigned before a Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ogba, for allegedly bitting off the ear of a female Sergeant, Blessing A. O. Umongu.

Lydia was arraigned before the court presided over by Mrs. Jadesola Adeyemi Ajayi, alongside three other women, Ughaelunachi Justin a, 61, Oladimeji Seun, 30, and Chinelo Okoh, 30.

They are facing charges bordering on conspiracy, aiding and abetting, assault and false information.

The police alleged that all the defendants had on October 31, at Olosan Police Barrack, Mushin, Lagos, conspired among themselves to cause grievous harm on Umongu.

The first defendant, Lydia was alleged to have bitten off Blessing’s ear with the assistance of Justina and Seun. Lydia was also alleged to have bathed the sergeant with pepper, causing her partial blindness. .

The duo of Seun and Chinelo were alleged to have given false information about Blessing, to Inspector Uwaduegwu, first defendant’s husband. However, the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges and granted N200k bail.

See more:
https://zenithnaija.com/police-inspectors-wife-bites-off-sergeants-ear-graphic-pics/

A 59-year-old man parading himself as a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police at a bank in Kubwa area of Abuja has been arrested.

The suspect, who was identified as Olawale Olatunji was arrested with 11 ATM cards and 10 cheque books of different banks, which he claimed belonged to him.

Parading the suspect in Abuja on Wednesday, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, stated that Olatunji had posed as an AIG to defraud unsuspecting members of the public by promising to assist them in getting contracts at the Police Airwing department.

He said, “On December 10, 2018, Police operatives from the Command arrested Olatunji who has been parading himself as a retired AIG.

“The suspect had under the same pretext defrauded unsuspecting members of the public by offering to help them secure contracts at the Police Air Wing.

“In the course of the investigation, fake Police Air Wing receipts, fake contract documents, 11 ATM cards, 10 checkbooks and letter headed papers of different companies were recovered from him as exhibits.”

He, however, admitted ownership of the exhibits including the fake Police Air Wing receipts, but he denied defrauding people.

“A pastor introduced me to someone as a retired AIG, but I didn’t defraud anyone. The ATM cards and checkbooks were for my bank accounts which were opened for my business with different companies,” he stated.

https://pulsenaija.com.ng/news/fake-aig-apprehended/

The remains of late Mr Uche Romanus and wife late Lolo Ebere Nwokorie have been buried amidst tears in Ehime Mbano,Imo State.The couple died in a fatal accident on 17th November,2018.

May their souls RIP.Amen


Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2018/12/husband-and-wife-buried-together-amidst.html

A suspected rapist has been apprehended by men of the Nigeria Police, Area Command Asaba, Delta. The 45-year-old man identified as Mr. Solomon Imhontu was arrested for raping his 16-year-old housemaid.

The teenage maid named Ruth Oraife claims the sexual abuse started since when she was 10 years old and the suspect's wife who is fully aware of the act - has done nothing about it. 

The suspect whose arrest was initiated by Behind Bars Initiative - is currently in police custody for prosecution. 

He disclosed that he sleeps with the girl without a condom and ensures not to cum inside the young girl by using withdrawal method. The wife who was also picked up by the police said that when the maid reported the abuse to her, she asked her husband who denied it.

Watch the shocking confession in the video below. 

See more; https://www.nationalhelm.co/2018/12/45-year-old-man-arrested-for-raping-his-teenage-housemaid-in-asaba.html

A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Muazu, is currently meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Muazu, a former governor of Bauchi state was said to have arrived the Vice President’s wing at the Presidential Villa around 4pm and went straight into a closed door meeting with Prof. Osinbajo.
Our correspondent could not establish whether the meeting was in connection with the planned defection of Muazu to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or not.
However, our correspondent recalled that it was a week after a former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, met with the Vice President that he defected to the APC.
Proudly called the game changer, Muazu led the PDP to defeat during the 2015 general elections in the country, which ended Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/just-in-adamu-muazu-game-changer-in-crucial-meeting-with-osinbajo.html

Quote:Extreme Poverty Looms As Nigerians Lose 20.9m Jobs In Three APC Years
The National Bureau of Statistics has released eye-popping figures about the woes of the Nigerian economy. The body amidst pressures from the FG, stated that 20.9 millions Nigerians have lost their jobs under the three and half years of President Buhari’s administration. This did not come as a surprise to the Nigerian public, as indicators in the economy have long shown an ailing economy.

It is noteworthy that Nigeria has over the last three years, become the headquarters of extreme poverty. This comes at a time when the inflation rate has risen from 8% in 2013/2014, to 15% in recent times. The affront on the Naira by the dollar in the past three years has led to 50% devaluation of the Naira, from 155 Naira in 2013/2014 to 365 Naira in 2018. This has led to prices of basic goods and services skyrocketing unimaginably. All of these are definitely due to the anti-business stance of the Buhari-led administration, which has endangered the economic environment of the country, leading to the exit of the country by top foreign companies.

The APC-led FG has been unable to handle the Nigerian economy properly. This has led to the unprecedented rise in unemployment rate from 6.4% in 2014, to 23.1% in 2018, puting families in pains and out of the street. These figures are not getting any better, unlike what the Buhari administration wants Nigerians to believe. The major opposition party candidate; Atiku Abubakar, has since made his campaign about jobs, jobs and jobs, brandishing plans to liberate the market and fund SMEs, so the private sector can drive the economy. This is highly likely, since the Presidential candidate; Atiku Abubakar and the VP; Peter Obi are proven employers of labor to the tune of over 50,000 employees between them.

Hence, the ball is on the court of Nigerians as they head to the Poll on February 2019, in a bid to validate or invalidate the various economic policies of the APC-Led FG.

President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed N8.83 trillion naira budget for 2019 to the joint session of the National Assembly.

The presentation of the budget was presented under a rowdy session with opposition lawmakers repeatedly booing the President as he listed his achievements.

The budget proposal was prepared based on the following assumptions: Oil price: $60 per barrel of oil production rate: 2.3 million barrels per day exchange rate: N305 to $1 Real GDP growth: 3.01 per cent inflation rate: 9.98 per cent.

The proposed budget shows that about a quarter of the sum (N2.14 trillion) will be used for debt servicing while capital expenditure is expected to gulp N2.031 trillion.

See more breakdown below.

Recurrent – N4.04 trillion
Debt service – N2.14 trillion
Statutory transfer – N492.36 billion
Sinking fund – N120 billion
Capital expenditure – N2.031 trillion

More details later…

SOURCE: http://www.nigerianeye.com/2018/12/breaking-buhari-proposes-n883-trillion.html

Anglican Bishop kidnapped in Rivers State




Suspected kidnappers abducted the Rt.Reverend Clement N.Ekpeye, JP, honourable Bishop of Ahoada Diocese of the Anglican Communion at about 7pm on Tuesday, December 18.
Spokesman and Clerical Synod Secretary of Ahoada Diocese, who confirmed the incident,  said it occurred at Bishop’s Court, which is his official residence at Odiemerenyi road, in Ahoada town, Ahoada East local government area of Rivers State.

BankyW calls out Nigerian Army following reports of three men harassed by soldiers for keeping Afros in Enugu


 


Actor/Politician, Bankole Wellington aka BankyW, has called out the Nigerian Army on Twitter after a photo of three men reportedly being harassed for keeping Afros in Enugu state surfaced online.
Recall that on Monday December 17th, Twitter user, @eketiette shared a post stating that three boys were harrased at a checkpoint in Enugu for carrying Afros and were asked to shave each other's hair. See tweet below.
 

Reacting to the story on Wednesday morning, Banky who is contesting for the Lagos Eti Osa Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives in the 2019 general election, took to his Twitter handle to demand an explanation from the Army. 

Quote:''@HQNigerianArmy please will you respond to this??? The military is supposed to serve and protect the people. Not harass, humiliate and torture them. Pls respond.

Sad! Photos of children rescued in Akwa Ibom after being branded witches and abandoned by their families




 
 
Child's Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) posted photos of abandoned children they rescued this week in Akwa Ibom.
 
According to the charity organisation based in Akwa Ibom, the children were branded witches and kicked out by their families.

Quote:"Photos of children rescued this week after being abandoned by their families and ostracised from home even with their church dresses. Their parents even feel comfortable to say "they're unwanted children." Superstition, poverty and religious brigandage are the major combination that is fueling this avoidable epidemic"

Rowdy Session As Buhari Arrives National Assembly To Present The 2019 Budget

The lawmakers, mostly from the opposition parties, were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions into the chamber.

A loyalist of the president, Gudaji Kazaure, came out and was heard speaking in Hausa saying “we will not allow anyone to embarrass the president.”

He rained curses on those planning to do so.

Watch The Video

Source:

https://zenithnaija.com/rowdy-session-as-buhari-arrives-national-assembly-to-present-the-2019-budget

Quote:Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, has pleaded with lawmakers in the lower legislative chamber not to embarrass President Muhammadu Buhari by staging a protest during thebudget presentation.

TheCable learnt that aggrieved lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who did not get tickets to contest the 2019 polls were planning to protest against the president.

Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers also plotted to partake in the protest, a legislative source said.

But the source said during a closed-door session on Thursday, Dogara pleaded with the aggrieved lawmakers in the which lasted about 12 minutes not to protest against Buhari as he is presenting the 2019 budget proposal.

Another source said after the plea, some of the aggrieved lawmakers submitted their placards to Kawu Sumaila, senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters (house of representatives).

“They have started submitting their placards to Kawu,” the source said.

“They are aggrieved, you know most of them did not get their tickets and that is why they want to protest. That is the reason for the delay, the joint session was supposed to start at 12am.”

Last week, some lawmakers in the lower legislative chamber threatened to boycott the budget presentation.

Unlawful Arrest: Deji Adeyanju Sue's IGP as Senate Orders Investigation

After being granted bail twice the Buhari administration is hell bent on giving Deji Adeyanju the Elzazakky treatment following his arrest for the third time over a murder case in Kano for which he was discharged and acquitted over two decades ago.

Following outcry and condemination from virtually all segments of our society the Senate  yesterday ordered an investigation into the matter  after Senator Dino Melaye raise a point if Order during planery.

Senator Dino Melaye cited Orders 43 and 52 stating that one of his constituents, Deji Adeyanju, was invited by the Police.

SP, @bukolasaraki referred the Point of Order to the Joint Committee on Police & Judiciary to investigate and report back in one week.

Deji who tweeted from detention has vowed to fight tyranny till the end . In addition he has filed a law suit against the Inspector General of Police and the Police service commission for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.

Those who support and feed tyranny should always remember that the tenure of human positions no matter how highly exhalted will one day come to an end only God's tenure is eternal.

Sources :

https://twitter.com/NGRSenate/status/107...97984?s=19

https://twitter.com/adeyanjudeji/status/...96161?s=19

The atmosphere at the National Assembly is calm as President Muhammadu Buhari presents the 2019 Appropriation Bill to the legislature today.

The President is scheduled to arrive at 11am and lay the budget before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Men of the Nigeria Police and operatives of the Department of State Services are spearheading security operations in and around the complex.

Presidential Guards Brigade, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, among others, are also on the ground.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Mohammed Sani-Omolori, was in the House chamber to conduct a rehearsal for the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters ( Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who will guide Buhari on his movement and presentation in the chamber.

Workers at the National Assembly, under the auspices of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, who had crippled business and legislative activities as part of their four-day warning strike, were not on sight.

The workers, who barricaded the entrances to the National Assembly on Monday, and had earlier picketed the chambers, were still at the main entrance to the premises as of 8am, had resolved to stay away from the premises pending the time the budget presentation would last.

While businesses have remained closed, security operatives conducted multiple checks at each of the gates on the premises.

https://all-gists.blogspot.com/2018/12/b...udget.html

Stop targeting Amnesty’, Falana tells Nigerian Army

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana SAN has asked the Nigerian Army to end “attack, harassment and intimidation of Amnesty International and focus instead on addressing the several allegations of serious human rights violations and abuses by the Army.”

In a statement made in Lagos this morning, Mr. Falana said, “The Nigerian military has also been indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Presidential Panel on Procurement of Arms and Ammunition, Judicial Commissions of Enquiry and the International Criminal Court (ICC) on gross human rights abuse and war crimes which are similar to the allegations documented by Amnesty International.”

The Nigerian Army yesterday said it would make a case for the closure of the Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, alleging the human rights group “is working hard to destabilise the country.”
But Falana said, “I am very concerned that rather than telling Nigerians what they would do to address the very damaging allegations made by Amnesty International of grave human rights abuses against the Nigerian Army and other security agencies the Army is targeting Amnesty simply for working to hold the Army to account.”

Falana’s statement read in part: “The Army should accept responsibility and allow Amnesty International to carry out its human rights work. Stigmatising and maligning the very organizations that stand for human rights would be inconsistent with Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and international law, and portray the Army as attempting to cover up the allegations.”

“Contrary to the false claim of the Army, the Muhammadu Buhari government in 2016 instituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses by the Nigerian Armed Forces in the North-east region and other parts of the country. The panel confirmed grave human rights abuses by the military. Unfortunately, the government has not been able to release the report. Further, the government has not released the White Paper on the panel’s findings.”

“However, many of the hundreds of people being detained in Giwa Barrack and other detention centres have either been released or charged to court. But the Army previously dismissed the allegations of human rights abuse of the detainees.”

“The Nigerian Army killed 347 Shiites in Zaria in December 2015 under the pretext that there was a plot to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai. The Judicial Commission of Enquiry instituted by Governor Nasir Elrufai of Kaduna State dismissed the basis of the massacre and recommended the prosecution of the culprits. But as the indicted officers and the troops were not prosecuted for conspiracy and culpable homicide the Army again opened fire on another group of Shiites in Abuja in October 2018. At the end of the attack, 52 Shiites were killed in cold blood. Even though the soldiers who committed the reckless massacre in Abuja have been identified in a video they will not be brought to trial for now!”

“In all of these incidents and several others, Amnesty International and other human rights bodies have conducted investigated and indicted the criminal elements who bear most responsibility for the crimes against humanity and other egregious human rights violations committed against the Nigerian people. It is because of these unresolved allegations that the Army is now mounting pressure on the Federal Government to expel Amnesty International.”

“Last week, the Army did the same thing to UNICEF, an institution that is doing so much to protect the human rights of Nigerian children in difficult circumstances in the North-east region and across the country. We are not unaware that the Nigerian authorities did not like the recent report by UNICEF that 13.2 million Nigerian children are out of school, sadly the highest number in the world.”

“We are also aware that some senior military officers are standing trial for alleged criminal diversion of several billions of Naira earmarked for the purchase of arms and ammunition for counter insurgency operations. This sad development has prolonged the war on terror being prosecuted by the Federal Government.”

Mr. Falana also recalled that President Buhari had personally assured the leadership of Amnesty International that all allegations of human rights by the military would be investigated and that anyone implicated would be sanctioned. The Senate had also passed a resolution to probe the various allegations of human rights abuse by the members of the armed forces. But due to the failure of the Nigerian Government to ensure compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights’ obligations and rules of engagement and specifically to investigate allegations of human rights abuses levelled against the military by Amnesty International and other foreign and local human rights organisations the International Criminal Court has been inundated with petitions alleging human rights abuse by the Nigerian military and failure of the Government to bring the perpetrators to book.


According to the human rights lawyer, "the ICC has recently revealed that it received a total of 169 communications from Nigeria and its assessment has shown that security forces in Nigeria have committed war crimes varying from murder, torture, and intentionally attacking the civilian population. Specifically, the Office found a reasonable basis to believe that security forces committed the war crimes of murder, torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity and intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population.”

Mr. Falana urged the Authorities of the Nigerian Army to stop chasing the shadow by mounting pressure on the Buhari administration to close down the offices of Amnesty International and UNICEF in Nigeria. To prevent the arraignment of the indicted military officers before the International Criminal Court, the Federal Government is advised to obtain the report of the Prosecutor with a view to embarking on the immediate prosecution of the suspects. Furthermore, the Federal Government should prosecute the military personal indicted by the two judicial commissions of enquiry as well as the Presidential Panel on Arms Procurement.




Tayo Soyemi
Falana and Falana Chambers

Alleged N1.4bn fraud: NBA president docked, granted N250m bail
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 NEW
                         
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, docked the president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, over an alleged N1.4 billion fraud.

Justice Muslim Hassan granted him N250 million bail and one surety in like sum who must be a landed property owner in Lagos.

The court also ordered that both Usoro and the surety must deposit their travelling documents with the court as part of the bail condition.

In the charge filed by the EFCC, Usoro was alleged to have converted and laundered the money in connivance with Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.

Emmanuel was however not listed as a defendant in the charge as the EFCC indicated that he was “currently constitutionally immuned against criminal prosecution”.

Also mentioned in the charges were Nsikan Nkan, described as Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State; Mfon Udomah, described as the Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State and Uwemedimo Nwoko, the Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; as well as Margaret Ukpe, all of whom were said to be on the run.

The EFCC alleged that Usoro, in connivance with those mentioned, conspired to commit the offence sometime in 2015 “within the jurisdiction of this honourable court”.

It claimed that the N1.4bn allegedly converted and laundered by the defendants belonged to the Akwa Ibom State Government.

Further trial in the case has been fixed for February 5 and March 6, 2019.

GINGER ZOBO PINEAPPLE DRINK


To make this delicious, nutritious drink, we combined, hibiscus flower drink also called zobo (Sorrel) with blended pineapple and ginger. With pineapple in there, it doesn't need any artificial sweetener but we did sweeten the portion served kids. Combining unsweetened zobo with ripe pineapples couldn't taste any better. Easy to make. If you have never made zobo drink yourself

INGREDIENTS;
2 medium sized ripe pineapples
2 cups very red unsweetened zobo (homemade)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
Iced Cubes (Optional)
Sweetener (Optional)

DIRECTION:
If you have 
zobo (sorrel) drink already, then skip these steps, just mix with blended pineapple and enjoy. If not try using homemade zobo drink because it's not watery and still has that pure undiluted zobo redness.

1. Add 3 cups water to 1 cup hibiscus leaves with just ginger.
2. Bring to a boil and leave for about 2 minutes for zobo leaves to infuse well. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
3. Wash, peel and cut ripe pineapple into tiny pieces before blending into a very smooth paste.

4. Add the zobo to blended pineapple, blend, sweeten and leave for about 1 to 2 minutes for the zobo to settle down and create you a beautiful nutritious drink.

[size=undefined]
[/size]This is an original Recipe created by Eya Ayambem for Wives Connection Recipes.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned and secured the convictions of three Internet fraudsters, fondly referred to as “yahoo-yahoo boys”, on December 18, 2018.

The boys; Emeka Anyanechi Ekene, 27; Anthony Oghuma, 26, and Onokebhagbe Okouromi Franklin, 25 were brought before Justice D.Z. Senchi of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Jabi, for various offences bordering on Internet fraud.

Ekene was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on cheating, and for specializing in inducing his victims through a Facebook account, to part with their hard earned money. The offence contravenes Section 95 of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

Oghuma, on his part, was arraigned on a one-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence. He allegedly induced a Canadian who goes simply by the name, David, to transfer N2 million to him. The offence contravenes Section 320 (a) of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.

Franklin was arraigned on a four-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence, for inducing a New York-based divorcee who goes by the name, Mary, posing as Peter Mark, a Contractor based in Malaysia.

He swindled Mary of $10,000 (about N3.6million) and lured her to send him several expensive gadgets including: Apple Macbook Laptop, Apple Iphone X, Apple Iphone 7, amongst others. His offence contravenes Section 320 (a) of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same law.

They did not waste the time of the court as they all pleaded "guilty" to the charges.

Their journey to prison followed an intelligence report received by the EFCC on November 30, 2018, concerning the fraudulent activities of some fraudsters, housed by one Alheri E. B. Sajo, at Cluster 4, River Park in Abuja.

https://zenithnaija.com/efcc-secures-the...-in-abuja/

A teenager who arranged a kidnap of himself with the aim of diverting his master's Five hundred thousand naira (N500,000), has been arrested up by police detectives in Ogun State.

Also arrested for alleged complicity in the pseudo kidnap saga were two friends of the principal suspect, who acted as members of a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate.

Adeboye Micheal, 18, was said to have been sent to bank by his master, Oluwoju Ojo Abiodun, to deposit the said sum but thereafter decided to do away with the money and went further to make further demand of another N500,000 through an arranged kidnap.

To accomplish his mission, it was gathered that, Michael contacted Nafiu Ojo and Abdullahi Lawal, who both acted as kidnappers.

While this was going on, the principal suspect, apparently convinced that the deal was flawless, lodged in a hotel with two girls, playing, 'big boy' with his master's money.

Bubble later burst when his master, Oluwoju Ojo Abiodun, made for Oke-Itoku Police Division in Abeokuta and narrated how he sent his apprehentice, Michael, to bank with the said sum, only to be stunned by the news of his 'kidnap' , a few hours later, with the men behind the scene claiming to have collected the money from him, and made an additional demand of N500,000 to make up their N1million ransom.

According to a press release by the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, after a preliminary investigation by men of Oke-Itoku Police Station, the case was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Eleweran, whose technical-based investigation trailed and apprehended Michael's collaborators on December 13, 2018.

See more; https://www.nationalhelm.co/2018/12/stag...state.html

FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU MANAGE SMALL KITCHEN CABINETS

Many city houses especially apartment buildings come with kitchen that we all feel are tight, just too small for the size of the house. In a case where the kitchen cabinets are small but there is space 
outside, behind or by the kitchen door. It helps to create a mobile kitchen cabinet there with locks and move some items from the kitchen outside, like items that are not used daily.
Small kitchen cabinets are common in most major cities where sometimes even Mansions have kitchen space that's too small for the beautiful luxury kitchens that you expect to see. If you feel your kitchen cabinets are too small for the size of the kitchen or apartment, there are a few tips and tricks to help you arrange well maximising space ands enjoying the kitchen cabinets available to you. 

1. Maximise your under the kitchen sink space. Fix whatever needs to be fixed. Get a good plumber to permanently dry up under the kitchen sink so that the bucket under there is replaced with something more useful like a bag (waterproof just in case) that can keep some handy small kitchen items safe without occupying outside space. 

2. Instead of keeping the waste bag under the sink, take it outside and get cellophane bags, the size traders use to wrap food stuff or items for their buyers, get those bags and use as disposable waste bags for daily removal. A bag can be used per meal prep time and once that job is done, the bag is taken outside whether full or not and dumped in the heavy duty waste bag kep for that purpose. That way, no kitchen space is used for waste and every space is properly used.

3. Create cabinets above the original cabinets, using the space close to the roof.
4. Hang knives on the wall using magnetic strips instead of placing on the counter or drawers, let that space be used for other kitchen items.

4. Use the space on the cabinet doors,  hang flat items like pot lids on there, because they are flat, the doors will still be able to close shut.

5. Hang cooking pots and pans above the kitchen cabinets instead of drawers. That way foodstuff and heavy containers can be kept inside the cabinets. Also use the space under the cabinets if they are high above the ground. Simple small drawers can be installed and used to store simple DIY tools for fixing stuff in the kitchen and around the house. Sometimes even the small cabinets can still be partitioned. Use partitioning to divide the small space to how you want and make good use of every space without letting your kitchen look crowded with items sitting all over the place.

Kidnappers give family of Ondo civil servants deadline to raise ransom
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 NEW
                            
After reducing the ransom demanded for the release of kidnapped Ondo State civil servants to N10 million, their families have been given a 24-hour deadline to pay or they would be killed
They were kidnapped while returning from a social function in Akoko area of the state last weekend. It was gathered that the same kidnappers, who killed a staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, RUGIPO, Taiwo Akinyemi over delayed payment of ransom called the families of the civil servants asking for ransom. A family member of one of the civil servants confided in Vanguard that the “kidnappers who have agreed to reduce the ransom from N100 million to N10 million, gave them till 2p.m. today (Wednesday) to the ransom or the victims risked being killed.” The families of the three civil servants abducted, a couple Bunmi Falodun, his wife; Ronke and his in-law Mr. Ayewumi Ogunsemore, the source said have been able to raise N8.5 million as at yesterday. Meanwhile, Monday evening, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu gave a marching order to the leadership of Miyetti Allah and security agencies to ensure that the dreaded kidnappers terrorising the people of the state are arrested. Akeredolu met with the security chiefs, traditional rulers and the leadership of Miyetti Allah for hours in Akure over the crime wave across the state. Addressing the security chiefs and leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Rearers and Hausa the community, Akeredolu, who read riot act, said he “was not going to allow the peaceful nature of the Sunshine State which has been attracting investors be truncated by misguided elements. According to him the “state government would henceforth ensure that the full force of the law falls hard on any person or group of persons found to be directly or indirectly aiding crimes.” On his part, the Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade Acute, Brigadier General James Ataguba, said the leaders of the Myetti Allah must call their members to order and get those in captivity released immediately otherwise the criminals would not be shown mercy when caught. Ataguba said his men are joining forces with other security agencies in the state to end the ugly trend. The State Chairman of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Bello Mohammed, promised to expose whoever is found wanting among his people. The Seriki Hausa of Ikare, Alhaji Ibrahim Angolo, who prayed that those aiding or abetting abductors in the state would be exposed very soon, suggested an all-ethnic vigilante squad. Governor Akeredolu had earlier held a meeting with royal fathers from across the state. He expressed deep concern about reported cases of kidnapping in parts of the state. Akeredolu urged the monarchs to join hands with the state government and the security agencies to arrest the situation.

LETTUCE BEANS AND RICE PORRIDGE WITH PEPPERED CHICKEN


Beans and rice porridge cooked with lettuce leaves chopped and sprinkled in at the end of cooking. 
To cook beans and rice porridge, because rice cooks faster than beans, we let the beans boil for about 25 minutes before adding washed rice. This is to enable the beans cook soft and thicken 
together with the rice. If both rice and beans are washed and added at the same time, the rice might cook too soft and begin to burn while beans is still uncooked. Aside lettuce, other green vegetables can be sprinkled in the cooked porridge for green life and more nutrition.

This is green pepper, garlic, onion and tomatoes

INGREDIENTS FOR THE LETTUCE BEANS AND RICE PORRIDGE:
2 cups brown beans. (Black eyed pea can be used too )
1 cup rice
1 green pepper
1 small clove garlic
2 medium sized onion
1 large tomato or more
1 cup ground crayfish
Seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil to stir fry veggies
Water

COOKING DIRECTION:
1. With water covering the beans completely, boil beans with just onion and water alone. When it starts to boil, wait for about 25 minutes before adding rice.

 It looks this colour because when the beans was almost boiling over, we added palm oil to stop it boiling over the pot.
2. When beans has boiled sufficiently, add rice and stir. Then, cover the pot and cook on low heat and check frequently with gentle stirs so the pot doesn't burn. Continue to simmer until rice softens.


3. Stir fry the second onion with green pepper, garlic and seasoning cubes for about a minute before adding the tomatoes. Stir, let them cook for about two more minutes before emptying into the simmering pot of beans and rice. Add the crayfish too and mix. Check for salt and add accordingly. If pot is getting dry at this time, you can add some more water and adjust the taste by adding a little salt. 


4. After adding rice, stir and cover the pot with foil so steam stays in there and cooks through. You don't want to keep adding water while cooking this.


Chop lettuce and then cut across the chopped leaves to reduce strip length if you want.

5. Continue to check  by opening a side of the foil to see inside the pot and taste for doneness and taste of the cooking. When it's cooked enough. Turn off the heat and stir in the sprinkle of lettuce. Mix very well and serve hot.

A serving of lettuce beans and rice porridge served with peppered chicken.

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CESJET backs Nigerian Army, questions SERAP, EiE, BudgIT
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 NEW
                             
A civil society group, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, raised objections to accountability watchdogs Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is Enough (EiE), and BudgIT following concerns raised over the army’s budget implementation in the last three years.

According to the group, the EiE, SERAP and BudgIT have no standing to enquire into the military’s activities, accusing the organisations of being sponsored by external donors for the purpose of destabilisation.

CESJET Executive Director Barrister Gbemisola Osaloni suggested that SERAP, EiE and BudgIT should visit the army’s counterinsurgency theatre of operations to obtain direct information on happenings on the ground.

“CESJET hereby condemns in its totality the questionable call for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 budget implementation reports of the Nigeria Army by the SERAP, EiE and BudgIT,” said Osaloni, stating the groups’ position.

“We frown at such a request coming from groups that are known for external fraternisation in the funding of their activities.

“CESJET wishes to use this medium to inform the members of the unsuspecting public that the trio of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Enough is Enough and BudgIT might be carrying out a script from their oversees donors that have continually funded their operations, but hiding under the umbrella of advocates for transparency and good governance.

“In the years that civil society organisations crisscrossed North East Nigeria to demand better welfare for troops and as well as demand for transparency in the operations of the Nigeria Army, SERAP, EiE and BudgIT distanced themselves from such activities. Instead, they rely on desk research and hearsay when issuing statements.”

The statement further berated the watchdogs by adding that “to demand for budget implementation reports is not only an act of ignorance, but an attempt to cause a distraction which is most uncharitable in timing and intent.

“The likes of SERAP and BudgIT get their funding from organisations based outside the shores of the country and as such, it would not be farfetched if part of the payback would be to cause a distraction such as this in an attempt to create unnecessary tension in the polity.”

CESJET said it viewed the call as being against the National interest, and for its potential to jeopardise the efforts of the Nigerian Army in its operations across the country.

How To Cook Roasted Coconut Rice

A plate of toasted coconut rice with chicken and avocado.

Roasted coconut rice has that extra roasted aroma that makes you want to eat some more. I wanted to
cook coconut rice but in a different way and while staring at the coconut lying on the table, I just went..."Why not roast the coconut first before blending?" I
quickly picked it up and started cleaning to cook before the idea disappears.

It's very easy to cook and the whole family enjoyed this flavour. When coconut is roasted, it brings sout very good aroma, imagine how it will taste after blending. The roasted coconut milk I tasted after sieving, it was so good, couldn't share. Great if you don't want to sweeten your milk. The roasting gives it both inviting aroma and 
great taste.

• Heat a wok or fry pan very hot, wash, chop and dice the vegetables, add to the hot fry pan, stir fry very well for about 1 minute.
  
• Add seasoning and a pinch of salt, then check for taste
  
• Add the curry, half oregano, washed smoked fish and thyme, stir again and check for taste
  
• Satisfied? Onion is translucent? Remove from heat and set aside.
  

1. Add the remaining oregano to the coconut milk and pour it into the brown chicken stock pot. Add salt, cover and leave to boil.
   
2. Add the washed rice to boiling coconut milk, let it cover the rice very well. Check for salt, stir briefly and leave to simmer and cook until rice is as soft as you like yours.
   
3. Add the stir fried vegetables and gently mix. Check again for taste.
   
4. Serve hot!
   

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Below are step by step cooking pictures AND RECIPE FOR PLAIN TOASTED COCONUT RICE: 

Brown chicken stock.

 Roasting coconuts in a hot pan.

 Coconut milk.

Vegetables for roasted coconut rice.

Stir fry in a hot pan or wok.

Adding curry, oregano and thyme.


Oregano in coconut milk

Adding washed smoked fish.






Roasted coconut rice with vegetables.

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• Stir fry the onion, peppers, crayfish and seasoning
  
• Add the stock, fish  and roasted coconut milk
  
• Check for salt, cover to boil before adding the washed rice. Let rice be completely submerged in the milk.
  
• Leave to cook until tender, as you continue to check occasionally.
  
• Check for doneness and taste, turn off the heat and your plain roasted coconut rice is ready.
  
• Serve hot and enjoy that roasted aroma.
  

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Soft coconut rice with Lime shrimps.
This coconut rice was so good. It tasted yummilicious though the rush for the shrimps was more but the pot of rice got cleared even before I could say Jack. The plan was to cook with four coconuts but some were bad so I had to substitute with one sachet of Emma coconut powder.

I chopped in tiny pieces, added hot water and blended within seconds. #ByeToCoconutGrating.

Just like the pancake rolls, my girls so enjoyed this meal that they requested I preserve a little for their lunch boxes the following day and guess what? Even the one that has said she never wants to see anything rice in her lunchbox cleared everything and said that was because she enjoyed it and that the shrimps tempted her too, Lolz.

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS AFRICAN COCONUT RICE:

• Rice 3 cups
  
• Coconuts 2 medium sizes
  
• Coconut powder 1 sachet
  
• Shrimps 3 small plates
  
• Ground crayfish 2 tablespoonfuls
  
• Dried catfish 2 medium sized
  
• Thyme a pinch of
  
• Curry powder a pinch
  
• Lime juice from just 1/2 an orange
  
• Vegetable oil 1 tablespoon
  
• Ginger a tiny piece (grounded)
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Seasoning cubes 2
  
• Water
  

[size=undefined]
Defrosting shrimps for coconut rice

Coconut  getting  ready for blending (Only two were blended cos two were bad)

Blended coconuts

Filtering the milk out of the blended coconuts

Coconut milk, washed rice, crayfish, thyme, ginger, curry powder, seasoning cubes, water and a little oil in the pot before stirring

Adding my pepper sauce to coconut rice

Adding fish and salt to boiling coconut rice

Salted washed shrimps in the fry pan, adding a little curry and squeezing in the lime juice before stirring

Adding some coconut milk to the shrimps

Cooked yummy tantalizing shrimps. No pepper added to these shrimps because the coconut rice was hot

Both coconut rice and shrimps are ready 

The food is ready, you can place your orders. Lol

A sizzling pot of Hot Soft coconut rice

A serving of coconut rice with shrimps
 I served my shrimps as a side but you can mix the shrimps to your pot of rice before turning off the heat.
For those who do not like dry cat fish, you can cook with any fish of your choice or chicken, goat meat, corned beef or even beef sef.
Enjoy Your Lunch and Dinner![/size]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

WEDNESDAY, 19 DECEMBER


WE’RE SONS OF GOD.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God… (1 John 3:2).
Concerning Jesus, the Bible says, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not…” (John 1:10-11).

The world didn’t know Him because they tried to figure Him out by their senses; they were looking at His outward appearance. They couldn’t see that He was the maker of the universe. God Himself was with them but they didn’t recognise Him.

Likewise, the world also doesn’t recognise us as new creations and associates of the God-kind. They think we’re ordinary, but we’re sons of God. We’re God-men in the earth; we’re divine, because the life in us is the life of God.

John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God….” He gave us the right, the ability, to become the sons of God. We’re not going to become sons of God when we get to heaven; we’re sons of God NOW! James 1:18 declares, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth….”

When you heard the Gospel, and opened your heart to the Word, the life of God was imparted to your spirit, and you were born again. But the world still looks at you and thinks they’re seeing the same old person. Just because you’re encased in an ordinary human body doesn’t mean you’re ordinary. 2 Peter 1:4 describes you as a partaker of the divine nature; you’re in God’s class of being, the divine class. You’re not a mere mortal; you’re actually a god in the earth. Think about it: animals give birth to animals and humans give birth to humans. God, therefore, would most certainly give birth to gods. That’s why He said in Psalm 82:6, “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”

Get to know who you are, because when you get to know who you are, you’ll know what belongs to you and live to your full potentials. Be bold in your life. You’re a child of God; a joint-heir with Christ; the world belongs to you. Refuse to live an ordinary life or as an ordinary person.

CONFESSION

I was born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. My origin is in God. Therefore, I’ve overcome the world and its systems, because the greater One lives in me in His fullness. Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY:

Galatians 4:6-7 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

1 John 3:1-2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

1-Year Bible Reading Plan
Revelation 11 & Micah 4-5

2-Year Bible Reading Plan
Revelation 16:1-10 & Zephaniah 1-2



#TALKINGSESSION

19TH DECEMBER.

KINDLY SAY THIS WORDS OUT LOUD.


Dear Father, I thank you for revealing your wisdom to me in your Word, which leads and guides me in all my affairs. Your Word in my heart makes me wise and excellent. My life is from glory to glory. I am filled with the fullness of God; Out of my innermost being, I bring forth good things.


I declare that my life is for glory and beauty; and in my path, there’s life, success, victory, and wealth. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, holy and sanctified unto God! I flourish like the palm tree; I am long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful, and I grow like a cedar in Lebanon; I am majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.


God bless you

1. Buy coconut milk or powdered coconut milk in sachets
   
   
2. Buy bread crumbs
   
   
3. Make your milk ahead of time and store in the fridge
   
   
4. Boil and fry your chicken a day or some days ahead and store in the fridge. If you do this, the problem is; with kids in the house, who are so used to enjoying coated chicken from fast food outlets, they will finish the chicken before you are ready to cook the coconut rice.
   

Wash coconut before grating, you can easily cook with coconut powder or milk sold at the market.

Grated coconut

Pour in hot water to extract the milk and coconut oil from the chaff

You may want to chop coconut in tiny pieces and blend to save time. Filter out the coconut chaff

• 3 cups rice
  
  
• 1 kg chicken
  
  
• 2 medium sized coconuts or 1 pack Emma coconut powder
  
  
• 2 medium sized onion bulbs
  
  
• 2 seasoning cubes
  
  
• 1 tablespoon roughly ground Fresh pepper
  
  
• Salt to taste
  
  
• Vegetable oil. I used grand soya oil
  
  
• 1 cup roughly ground crayfish
  
  
• 2 medium sized smoked cat fish
  
  
• Water
  

• 3 egg whites or 3 complete eggs
  
  
• 2 cups breadcrumbs homemade or store bought ( Flour can be used as a substitute but I prefer coating chicken with breadcrumbs)
  

First for the coconut rice, Fry your roughly ground or chopped pepper, onion, crayfish before adding the smoked fish

Add chicken stock and allow to boil, then add coconut milk

Adding my filtered coconut milk

For the coated chicken, first boil chicken with salt, onion and seasoning cubes. Take out chicken from stock and start the coating process by first dipping in egg white before bread crumbs. I dried my left over bread in the oven before pounding. You can blend yours.

Rolled in ground bread crumbs. You can get already made bread crumbs at the supermarket.

Well coated chicken, seasoned and boiled, dipped in eggs before breadcrumbs, about to be fried

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Frying the coated chicken in hot oil till brown[/size]

 
Happy Cooking:

CHICKEN CARROT TOMATO STEW
 
Chicken carrot tomato stew tastes no different from great Nigerian tomato stews. For the seasons where the tomatoes sold at the markets are sour and not very tasty, blending a few carrots with the tomato fruits really helps to take the boring stew to a next level of taste. For this carrot and tomato stew, we used equal quantity of carrots to tomatoes and honestly, this is the best Nigerian tomato stew yet. Awesomely delicious. The tomato overpowers carrots in a
delicious way. With tomato scarcity in Nigerian markets, this stew comes in handy. You may decide to add more carrots or make the quantity of tomatoes more than your carrots. You can just blend only carrots without tomatoes and make this stew. The thickness depends on your preference. Because I love my soups and stews a bit runny, I always add more stock to give me that consistency. 

For this pot of stew, everyone asked for a second helping. This stew is delicious. For me, if you have been following this blog for some time now, you'll know that when a particular dish turns out not too delicious or below expectation, I have this way of warning my readers to e careful and not waste expensive ingredients or I ask them to cook differently and let's see how it turns out. For this recipe. Do exactly what is written here and come back with your good feedback. 
For this pot of chicken carrot tomato stew, we used a live chicken (Cockerel that weighed almost 2 kg after dressing so, if you are going to cook with this exact measurement of ingredients, you'll need 2kg of meat/chicken/beef or your choice of protein for the stew. All the ingredients for carrot tomato stew are listed below. You can make yours light like this by adding more stock or cook thick stew by adding very little stock.

BEFORE you cook this stew, blend your tomatoes, onion and carrots and boil in
a cooking pot. Once it boils, you 
can turn off the heat or let it dry up a little if that's whjat you want. Letting the pot dry should not be because you want to remove any sour tomato taste. Blending tomatoes with carrots automatically takes away any sour taste. Carrots are sweet and they just transfer that nice taste to the tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS FOR STEAMING THE CHICKEN:
2 kg chicken
1 medium sized onion
 You can add pepper to chicken before steaming even though I don't 
Salt to taste
2 knorr chicken cubes  
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
A pinch of dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 small sized green pepper
Water enough to get to the level of the chicken in the pot.
If you steam your chicken with the ingredients listed above, you'll be shocked at how you always preferred chicken from Restaurants and Fast foods when you could combine ingredients to get that five star chicken taste.

BEFORE cooking very good Nigerian stews, you must first of all know how to steam meats for stews. When we steam meats for Nigerian stews, the ingredients are different from ingredients used for steaming Nigerian soup meats. For this, a combination of all the ingredients above gave us very delicious chicken stock that in turn made the stew very very tasty.
Firstly, wash and chop the onion, tomato and carrots and blend them together. Boil before use.

HOW TO BOIL FIVE STAR GOOD CHICKEN FOR NIGERIAN STEWS:
First combine all the ingredients wit
h the chicken ina pot, stir very well and add water to the level of the chicken.
Next simmer. Make sure the heat is very low so that it penetrates the chicken slowly and brings out the taste to mix with ingredients. On low heat it may not boil, may just be simmering silently but you have to be stirring and bringing the bottom pot up while the ones up go down to feel the heat too and cook. Once it begins to like foam or try to boil, take a little drop on your tongue and adjust by adding salt if it's not enough. If the taste is too strong, add some more water to the stock and let it cook until you are satisfied with the tenderness of the chicken. If you are cooking with frozen soft chicken, do not even let it boil. As soon as it simmers and shows signs of boiling or bubbles, turn off the heat and let it sit there in the stock.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE STEW:
1/2 kg tomatoes
1/2 kg carrots
1 small onion for stir frying
2 seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
My Pepper sauce
2 cups vegetable oil
The steamed chicken with its stock/

COOKING PROCEDURE FOR CHICKEN CARROT TOMATO STEW:


1. Fry onion in oil till fragrant.
2. Gradually add the boiled carrots and tomatoes to the oil, let them fry very well before adding the seasoning cubes. Check for salt and add if needed but don't add too much because the stock contains salt too.

3. Add the cooked chicken, stir and let it boil in the stew for about two minutes.

4. Add the chicken stock and stir, check for salt and general taste. Let it boil very well before turning off the heat.
5. Serve with boiled rice, yam, plantain, potatoes or any accompaniment of choice.
Happy Stewing!
Hope I didn't over explain? If there is any part that's not very clear please leave a comment below with your question. I'll clarify.

BENE SEED (SESAME SEED) SOUP WITH AMARANTH VEGETABLES
 
Bene seed (sesame seed soup) can be cooked with or without green vegetables. Adding green vegetables brings in more nutrition and colour. Any green leafy vegetable can be chopped and sprinkled in
bene seed soup but my favourite for this soup are uziza hot leaf and green amaranth (Aleho). Some prefer the soup with ugu leaves (Fluted pumpkin) Others with washed bitter leaf. There is a post on bene seed soup cooked with uziza leaves. It was great.

The cooking method for bene seed soup is almost the same whatever vegetables you chose to add. It's easy, if you can cook egusi soup, bene seed soup is no different even though the taste is not the same. Egusi soup and bene seed soup may look the same but they have distinct tastes and are both nutritious especially with the proteins and vegetables added.

INGREDIENTS USED:
3 cups sesame seed
1 kg beef
1 stockfish head
3 medium sized smoked fish
1 small onion for steaming beef
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 cup palm oil
1 tablespoon fermented locust beans
Salt to taste
2 Seasoning cubes
2 tablespoons ground crayfish

A handful green vegetables ( I used aleho also called green amaranthus)

BEFORE YOU COOK sesame soup:
Clean and get the sesame seeds grinded to powder form
wash and chop vegetables and set aside.
Wash the meats and stockfish very well
Wash and debone the fish and set aside.

COOKING DIRECTION:

 Amaranth green vegetable

1. Steam meats with stock fish, onion, salt and one seasoning cube till tender before adding palm oil and bringing to a boil again.

2. Add the bene seed and cover the pot without stirring. Leave for about 2 minutes to boil well before stirring.
3. Add the locust beans and check for taste before adding the last seasoning cube with salt if needed. Leave for one minute and check again.

4. Now, soup is ready, you can add the vegetables and stir very well. Cover to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes or more depending on how you like your vegetables.
Turn off the heat and serve with some accompaniment or just get a spoon and enjoy the soup as a meal.


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Quote:International’s report on herdsmen/farmers’ clashes which indicted the Federal Government for failing to stop the killing of 3,641 Nigerians by herdsmen in the last three years.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice- President described the Presidency’s response to the report as “tepid.”

He said, “Unless Nigerians vote out the All Progressives Congress administration, killings by herdsmen will continue and ultimately spark series of ethno-religious crises that will be irreversible.


“It is now very clear, like Amnesty International said in its report, that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has displayed gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its people who have witnessed many preventable deaths.

“This situation has put the nation on the verge of disintegration.”

Atiku said the Federal Government lacked the capacity to stop the security challenges confronting the nation which he said had left thousands of Nigerians either killed or maimed.

The killings, he said, were scaring away foreign investors.

He added, ‘’After every attack, either by herdsmen or by kidnappers, the government will vow to get the culprits and punish them. Then more deaths will occur and the government will repeat its vow.

“This is not reassuring to the people of Nigeria as well as foreigners who may want to do business in the country.


“Therefore, it is now clear that in spite of their best efforts, Buhari and his party, the APC, cannot stop the herdsmen and other criminal elements currently terrorising the country.”


Atiku said it was frightening that the Buhari administration was not doing anything in the face of the World Bank’s report that claimed that Nigeria will soon become the world capital of underage deaths.

JAMAICAN STYLE COCONUT RICE AND BEANS

Jamaican coconut rice and beans is cooked almost the same way as Nigerian rice and beans but with coconut milk added and The Jamaican red kidney beans is fried in oil before adding any liquid to the pot. Any beans can actually be used for this delicious dish.
We made this yummy Jamaican Style coconut rice and beans with ease because the ingredients are easily 
available in Naija. It's delicious and easy to cook. You can increase
 the rice or beans to your taste.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dried beans
2 cups rice
3 cups coconut milk (Made from 2 sachets coconut powder)
2 bay leaves
2 cups vegetable oil
1 medium sized onion
1 teaspoon  crushed garlic
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 green bell pepper
2 seasoning cubes
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
Salt to taste
Chicken stock
Water

DIRECTION:

1. Fry onion, garlic, ginger, seasoning cube and green pepper till onion begins to brown.

2.  Add the washed beans and stir, let it cook a bit in the oil for about five minutes.

3. Add the washed rice and coconut milk and stir.


4. If milk doesn't cover the rice completely, add some stock and/or water to completely cover the beans and rice in the pot. Drop in the bay leaves and cover to cook slowly on very low heat till rice begins to soften before you add salt and seasoning cubes. If pot starts to dry up when beans and rice are still hard, add some more water or stock and continue cooking on low heat till  both rice and beans cook well.

Allow the pot to dry and begin to get charred while cooking in bottom pot oil, so it brings out the coconut flavour.
5. Serve with your choice of sauce or just enjoy with some proteins of choice. We served with grilled chicken tomato stew.


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HOW TO MAKE AKARA FROM UNPEELED BEANS


To make akara balls from unpeeled beans, use brown beans. Do not try it with black eyed peas (white beans) unless you like the black dots that will show on the akara balls. Aside the black stains on the 
akara, the taste is great, so if you don't mind the colour, you can cook with black eyed peas.  

Brown beans for unpeeled beans akara and moi moi

Akara recipe doesn't require many ingredients but you can add as many as you like. This akara was made with just Four ingredients; Beans, onion, salt and pepper. You can make akara spicy with as much pepper as you want. Both Fresh Scotch bonnet peppers and dried chilli powder can be used if you love spicy foods. This akara recipe has many variations shared on the blog already. If you check older posts, you'll find recipes for akara made with eggs added, akara with crayfish and other akara recipes. I love to add twists to my recipes each time I cook and that doesn't mean we are not preserving original recipes. They are all on the blog and still being used weekly especially on weekends. 

These two cups of beans produced about 40 small and medium sized Akara balls and we think that the skin did not only provide fiber but also helped increase the quantity of the akara. 
The akara is so much compared to the ones we make with skinned (dehulled) beans.

TIP S FOR GOOD AKARA:
Aside the type of scooping spoon us as explained, on this old akara balls recipe, there are other tips for good akara balls...
 The thickness of the akara batter matters a lot. While moi moi needs runny batter to be fluff and soft, akara 
needs thick batter to give you that real akara sold by roadside akara sellers. If you make your batter watery or runny, the akara will turn out flat.

2. Soak beans in warm water before blending. That helps the blender run smoothly and gives you very smooth blended beans. Beans for akara and even moi moi can be soaked overnight but this was soaked for 30 minutes and by that 30 minutes, the beans had already risen to the top of the water and felt soft enough for blending. If you make akara for sale, there is no need for eggs and crayfish as that will affect profit made. To make good profit in akara business, use just beans, salt and pepper. The akara will still taste great/nutritious and you will maximise profits. For homemade akara lovers, you can add as many ingredients as your taste buds can carry. Chopping fresh peppers into the batter before frying is good too.

3. Blend beans starting with very small quantity and continue to gradually add as you blend. Do not add too much water but just enough to help the food blender run smoothly, when it starts to thicken, just shake the blender a bit and keep shaking instead of adding water. Only add water when the blades can't move at all.  After blending first batch, do not empty all the batter from blender into a bowl, pour out a bit and leave some batter in the blender to help with next batch and so you don't have to add water.

4. After blending, whisk well to incorporate air. You can whisk using  your egg whisk or 
hand mixer. Even a food processor can do the mixing 
work. You need air incorporated so the akara balls can rise while frying.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOW TO MAKE  AKARA WITH UNPEELED BEANS:
I Used...
2 cups beans
1 medium sized onion
Yaji (Dried chilli powder)
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying.I used Grand soya oil to fry this akara.

PROCEDURE;

1. Soak brown beans in warm water for 30 minutes.
2. Rinse and blend with onion till smooth and light. You can add peppers while blending even though I did not.



3. Whisk in a bowl with an egg whisk or spoon or mixer.

4. Deep fry by dropping tiny balls of beans batter to hot oil and fry till brown before flipping. Once both sides are brown enough to your taste. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or a colander.

Akara served with akiamu (Maize starch pap, ogi)
5. Serve hot akara balls sandwiched in bread or with akamu (Maize pap).

https://www.wivestownhallconnection.com/...ns_14.html

A Lagos-based housewife who alleged that her husband regarded her as performing less in bed than his girlfriends, has approached a court to dissolve their marriage. 
 

File photos

 
An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Tuesday dissolved the marriage of woman who claimed that her husband regarded her as performing less in bed than his girlfriends.
 
The Court President, Adeniyi Koledoye, held that although the respondent, Tosin Owolabi, wanted the marriage sustained, his wife, Adenike, insisted on divorce.
 
He said the court lacked the power to force a willing husband on an unwilling wife.
 
“The court cannot prevail on the petitioner to rescind her decision to quit the marriage. It is crystal that the marriage between the couple has broken down irretrievably, and there is nothing the court can do to sustain it,’’ he said.
 
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adenike had sought divorce, saying that, Tosin, her husband of seven years, regularly told her that she was not good in bed.
 
She said that Tosin, 36, was adulterous and complains: “I am not hot in bed. I know he was using that as an excuse for his infidelity,” the mother of two said.
 
“I cannot have access to his phone because he coded it so that I will not know about his illicit affair with other women,” she told the court.
 
She also accused Tosin, a teacher, of battering her. “My husband beats me up at any slightest provocation; he started beating me during co[i]urtship but I endured, thinking he would stop.
[/i]
 

“He beats me even during pregnancies which always lands me in hospital,” she said.

 

The petitioner added that Tosin was jealous. “He is always accusing me of dating any man he sees me with,’’ Adenike said, adding that Tosin threatened to kill her and might carry out the threat.

 

Responding, Tosin admitted beating Adenike but blamed it on his temperament.

 

He also accused Adenike of infidelity.

 

The court granted the custody of the two children of the marriage to Adenike, and ordered Tosin to be paying N5, 000 monthly to her for each of the children’s feeding.

 

It also ordered that Tosin should be responsible for the children’s education.

 
(NAN)

An Appeal Court has just declared Ladi Adebutu the flag bearer of the Ogun State PDP governorship candidate, thereby sacking Buruji Kashamu. 


 

File photo

 
The Ibadan Division of the Appeal Court, on Tuesday December 18, 2018 sacked Senator Buruji Kashamu and other ‘candidates’ in the Adebayo Dayo-led faction of the Ogun State PDP.
 
With this judgement, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu and others who emerged through the party’s primaries are now the authentic candidates of the party in the 2019 election.
 
The three-man appeal panel set aside the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abeokuta which threw up Kashamu and his factional members as the authentic PDP candidates.
 
The panel headed by Justice A. B. Bada, resolved the four issues raised for determination in the appeal in favour of the PDP, saying the appellants were not properly served in the case at the lower court which breached their rights to fair hearing.
 
Both Justices Bada and N. Okoronkwo agreed with Justice H. S. Samani who read the lead judgment.
 
The judgment is expected to have removed the cloud over governorship candidates of Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu and the National Assembly and Ogun State House of Assembly candidates for the 2019 election.
 
The PDP had dragged the Adedayo Bayo-led faction to the appellate court to challenge the lower court judgment which threw up its candidates.
 
They prayed the court to set aside the judgment on the grounds that they were not properly served before judgment was delivered and that the lower court judge was wrong in his judgment.

Quote:Jesusegun Alagbe



Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the running mate for the Lagos State All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has suggested he was not comfortable being Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s running mate four years ago.

He said he rejected the deputy governorship slot in 2015, but accepted it in 2018 because he was more comfortable working with Sanwo-Olu.

Hamzat – who stepped down for Sanwo-Olu, who got the backing of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led Mandate Movement – said this on Tuesday as a guest on ‘Arise Africa,’ a programme on Arise TV.

Speaking on why he stepped down for Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat said, “There are various things you have to consider in governance. There can only be one governorship candidate and that’s the reality. And you have to look at different dynamics in various sections of the state.

“In our country, you have to consider religion, because that’s where we are as a nation. We have to look at different parts of the state and when I looked at all of that, I realised that it’s better for me to step down for Mr Sanwo-Olu.”

He added, “I’ve known him (Sanwo-Olu) for 15 years. I see him as a friend and a strong person that has the interest of the state at heart. Don’t forget that I was offered the position of the deputy governorship candidate four years ago, but I said no.

“So for me to take up the position now, it means I’m more comfortable working with him (Sanwo-Olu). I believe that together we can do a good job and take the state higher from where it is today.”

The deputy governorship candidate, however, said he was delighted about the endorsement he and Sanwo-Olu had received from Ambode, saying all that happened in the past was all good for democracy.

Ambode’s hope of running for the governorship for second term had been quashed when the Lagos APC’s Mandate Movement picked Sanwo-Olu over him.

Speaking on the friction that occurred within the party as a result of the primaries’ result, Hamzat said, “It’s unique for a sitting governor of a state to be challenged, so this caused friction initially, but we understand that you can’t have democracy without democrats.

“The constitution says a governor shall govern for four years, which is renewable, and candidates can emerge from various parties. That was what happened and it is part of the democratic credentials we must build as a nation.

“The issue was not just with the governorship primaries; it’s the same with the House of Representatives, Senatorial and state Houses of Assembly primaries. But as a party, we’ve come together and we realised it’s better for us to work as a team to keep moving Lagos forward rather than fighting ourselves internally.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised an alarm over a fresh plot to use the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to forcefully remove Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, from office.

In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, in Abuja, the party also condemned in totality, “the continued clampdown, harassment, intimidation, arrest and detention” of members of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

According Ologbondiyan, the plot against Saraki, “which is akin to the last invasion of the National Assembly by anti-democratic forces, is to scuttle the success being recorded by the PDP Presidential campaign organisation in its consultations and winning campaigns across the nation ahead of the 2019 general election.”

The PDP said that it is privy to clandestine meetings by the Buhari Presidency and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which it observed, has not been able to constitute a Presidential campaign organisation, but keen to derail the PDP Presidential campaign by going against Senator Saraki.

The statement added: “Part of the plot is to use the police and the DSS to fabricate spurious charges against Senator Saraki, distract him and destabilize the PDP Presidential campaign, a scheme the PDP described as dead on arrival, as Nigerians are solidly behind the PDP in the mission to rescue the nation from the misrule of the APC.”

https://all-gists.blogspot.com/2018/12/pdp-raises-alarm-over-plot-to-remove-saraki-with-police-dss.html

President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected the National Assembly’s approval for refund of N488.7 billion to State Governments for projects they executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Buhari communicated the decision through a letter read by the President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, at plenary on Tuesday.

The president said he rejected the National Assembly’s approval because it violated the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

He noted that whereas the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a total of N487.8 billion for the purpose, the National Assembly jerked up the figure to N488.7 billion.

He said the amount approved by the lawmakers was N890 million higher than that approved by FEC.

Buhari said a review of the NASS’ approval, communicated through a July 27, 2018 letter, also revealed discrepancies in the number of states submitted by FEC and those approved by the lawmakers.

He said, “While FEC approved reimbursement to 25 states, the National Assembly approved reimbursement to 21 states.

“The National Assembly did not approve any reimbursement to four states, that is, Bauchi, Delta, Kogi and Taraba, whereas FEC approved reimbursement for them.

“Note that the amount approved by the National Assembly for reimbursement to 21 states is higher than the amount approved by FEC for reimbursement to 25 states.”

The president added that the amount approved by the lawmakers for each of the 21 states was higher than that approved by FEC for each of them, except for Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano and Niger.

He urged the Senate to note that the Public Procurement Act 2007 empowers the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to approve vendors for contract sums.

According to him, the amounts presented to the national assembly for approval were duly certified for reimbursement by the BPP before they were approved by FEC.

Buhari said this was after the projects had been inspected through a programme under the chairmanship of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing.

The president noted that there was the need for compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

“I wish to request that you forward to us details relating to the amounts approved by the National Assembly for the 17 states in excess of what was certified by BPP, for necessary verification and approval.

“Furthermore, I wish to request for a review of the reimbursement earlier submitted in favour of Bauchi, Delta, Kogi and Taraba states,” the president said.

In the meantime, Buhari has told the lawmakers that the federal government will proceed with the implementation of the reimbursement on certain grounds.

First, he said where the amount approved by the national assembly is the same as the amount approved by FEC the jointly approved amounts would be refunded.

He identified the states in this category as Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano and Niger.

Second, the president said where the amount approved by the National Assembly was higher than the amount approved by FEC, the amount approved by FEC would be paid.

The benefiting states on this are Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ebonyi, Benue, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kwara, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau and Zamfara.

He said the four states (Bauchi, Delta, Kogi and Taraba) excluded in the NASS approval would not be refunded until their consideration by the lawmakers.

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/12/buhari-rejects-nass-approval-for-refund.html[/b]

Alex Badeh, a retired four star flag officer of the Nigerian Air force who served as the 18th Chief of Air Staff (October 4, 2012 – January 16, 2014) and the 15th Chief of Defence Staff of the armed forces of Nigeria (January 16, 2014 to July 13, 2015) has being assassinated on his way to abuja.

More details later



http://www.ishowinfo.com.ng/2018/12/officer-alex-badeh-assassinated.html

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, has charged the Corporation Downstream company, NNPC Retail, to increase its current 14 per cent market share to 30 per cent by 2020.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja during the first Triennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), NNPC Retail Branch, Dr. Baru stated that the charge was an assignment that must be accomplished.

A release by NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Baru, disclosed at the event that the NNPC Management would soon expand the operations of NNPC Retail Limited.

Baru stated that NNPC was determined to ensure that the prevailing availability of petroleum products across the country was sustained as arrangements have reached advanced stage to acquire more landed property in Abuja and across the states to build more NNPC retail outlets.

Speaking as Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Jackson Gaius-Obaseki, who is a former Group Managing Director of NNPC, described the National Oil Company as an accountable and transparent going concern, saying nothing should deter it from sustaining its core values.

The former NNPC GMD stated that the current Management of the corporation deserved commendation for public accountability, pitched against its periodic and prompt reporting of the company’s operations and financial transactions.

Dr. Gaius-Obaseki, who is also the Chairman of Brass LNG, listed the NNPC core values to include: transparency, integrity and accountability which he explained must be reflected in all the company’s dealings with its stakeholders across the Industry value chain.

“The current NNPC Top Management led by Dr. Maikanti Baru, must be commended for updating the books of NNPC business units. This is reflective of what used to be. This must be sustained as NNPC business performance should be reported as stipulated in enabling laws”, he said.

Dr. Gaius-Obaseki stated that the decision to establish the NNPC Retail in 2002 had yielded result with the NNPC Mega stations across the country servicing the petroleum needs of the people, noting that unlike the situation in the past, Nigerians now enjoy fuel availability through the effort of the NNPC Retail Limited.

He charged the union to be focused in their relationship with management to enable both parties work efficiently for the benefit of Nigerians.

“Unionism must move away from strikes and protest to developmental focus. We must move away from being a combative group as a union but be forward looking and join management in the development of business,” he stated.

In his presentation entitled: “NNPC Retail Limited: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, guest speaker, Mr. Adeyemi Adetunji, Managing Director of NNPC Retail Limited, said the company was moving from a cost centre to profit making entity.

Mr. Adetunji assured the Group Managing Director of NNPC that his company would hit the 30 per cent market share target set by corporation’s helmsman.

In the same vein, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Francis Johnson assured that union members will be encouraged to assist the NNPC Retail management in achieving its target, pointing out that “the NNPC Retail has continued to serve as a vehicle of intervention in the market during periods of emergency and avoidable supply interruptions”.

PENGASSAN NNPC Retail branch chairman, Comrade Baba Shetimah Kukawa, thanked NNPC Retail Management for providing the enabling environment for the union to flourish, pledging the continuous support of the group to the Company.

He appreciated the GMD and other NNPC top management for their support and assured that NNPC Retail under his watch would continue to work hard towards delivering on the mandates.

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/12/baru-directs-nnpc-retail-to-secure-30.html

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State University chapter, has demanded the payment of accumulated Earned Academic Allowance unpaid since 2009 to lecturers in the institution.

The union’s demand is captured in its bulletin obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos.

The demands, signed by signed by its Secretary, Dr Tony Dansu and the Assistant Secretary, Dr Adeolu Oyekan, indicated that the EAA was a product of the ASUU/Federal Government Agreement of 2009, which redefined the minimum benchmark for university administration in Nigeria.

ASUU-LASU said that the Lagos State Government and LASU’s administration had since breached the agreement, as it remains the only university yet to pay any fraction of the allowance throughout the country.

“The EAA, it should be noted, was part of the negotiated emolument of academic staff whose payment was deferred by the university when it started to implement the new salary structure.

“No one in his wildest of imagination expects the university to accumulate the allowances spanning a period of almost a decade,” it said.

According to the union, ASUU-LASU under different leadership made a case for the payment of the allowances so that the university avoids an accumulation that may in the future prove burdensome.

It said these plans were ignored by successive administrations and as at January 2016 when the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun assumed office, the arrears had already spanned to about 6 years.

The union said it had raised the issue with the current vice-chancellor and forwarded components of the allowances to him when he suggested that the university had no understanding of them.

“This has since followed numerous reminders but the vice-chancellor has not for once responded and it is on this basis that the union executives decided in line with congress directive to take the case to public domain,” it said.

The union noted that the ongoing renegotiation between ASUU and the Federal Government had to do with the need to improve the conditions agreed to in 2009 which was long overdue for review.

According to ASUU-LASU, the ongoing renegotiation has nothing to do with the implementation of the subsisting agreement as claimed by the vice-chancellor in one of his bulletins.

The union said the disregard that the university administration had exhibited toward its own academic staff was the reason why it remained the only university yet to pay any fraction of the allowance.

ASUU-LASU, however, reassured the staff of its readiness to meet, dialogue and explore reasonable pathways geared toward ensuring payment of the long overdue allowance.

Reacting, the university’s spokesman, Mr Ademola Adekoya, told NAN that the issues of the unpaid EAA predates the tenure of the current vice-chancellor.

“The unpaid Earned Academic Allowances predated the assumption of Fagbohun to office and has been lingering since 2009 when the Federal Government agreed with ASUU that the allowances will be paid.

“Since then, nothing was paid, before the vice-chancellor was appointed in 2016, and when he came on board, he met a lot of unpaid salary arrears, denied promotions and that became his priority.

“He cannot just come and begin to pay earned academic allowances and leave promotion and salary arrears unpaid,” he said.

Adekoya challenged ASUU-LASU to name Nigerian universities that had paid the EAA to a reasonable amount, as many of them were even struggling to pay salaries as when due.

“How many universities have been paying the EAA in Nigeria? Most of them are struggling to pay salaries.

“The demands of workers in other universities is for their salaries to be paid as when due, as workers in some universities are even collecting half salaries so they are not talking about earned academic allowances for now,” he said.

Adekoya disclosed that the vice-chancellor on behalf of the university administration was not refusing to pay the allowances but was only requesting that things be prioritised so that workers salaries could still be paid regularly.

https://zenithnaija.com/ASUU-strike-ASUU-lasu-demands-payment-of-academic-allowance/

Quote:Recent accusations from the All Progressive Congress (APC) that the visit of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki to Russia earlier in the year was to perfect plans to hack the 2019 elections show immense fear the APC has about the inevitability of an Atiku victory in a free and fair election come 2019. The APC having failed on its own campaign promises to promote Nigeria’s national interests through foreign policy objectives, now consider a visit that was expressly to promote bilateral cooperation between both countries to fight against human trafficking and terrorism as having had a more sinister motive.

It is a well known fact that the APC is the party which has shown that it has no interest in a credible, free and fair elections; they have shown this during the Osun and Ekiti elections that were characterized by widespread voter intimidation and harassment and President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the amendment to the Electoral Bill that would guarantee the use of card readers and reduce the incidence of underage voting and the use of uncollected Personal Voter’s Cards (PVC) to vote in the upcoming elections. 

It appears that the party is growing apprehensive at the growing support for the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Peter Obi, and are hell bent on scaring Nigerians with ridiculous claims that the integrity of INEC will be put at risk by allowing the use of card readers and the immediate transmission of results on election day. Nigerians must stand their ground and demand that the President and his party commit credible, free and fair elections, especially since the electoral umpire INEC has released a statement assuring Nigerians that it has upgraded its security measures, to forestall any security breach. This is simply another cry in the wilderness from the APC, to justify their plans to rig the 2019 election.

https://thepunditng.com/apc-hacking-claims-show-the-party-is-afraid-of-the-inevitable-atiku-win-in-2019/

Buhari @ 76: Igbo Group Drums Support For Buhari`s Re-election


An independent network of Ndi Igbo, One-On-One Nigeria determined to achieve Igbo Presidency by returning president Muhammadu Buhari for second term has reiterated their commitment to achieve their objective through massive awareness campaign to convince Ndi Igbo that four years of president Buhari is better than eight years of any other person.

This was contained in an address by the national leader of One-on-One Nigeria, Chido Obidiegwu during a World Press Conference in honour of president Buhari on his 76th Birthday at NUJ Press Center Awka, on Monday December 17, 2018.

Obidiegwu going through memory lane lamented that Ndi Igbo are still being perceived as outcast by successive military and civilian governments years after the civil war despite the `no victor no vanquished` mantra.

“General Gowon and successive military heads of state – Olusegun Obasanjo and Murtala Mohammed did little to address the anomaly. 

"Government Policies of those years were seen to be geared towards furtherance of the strangulation of the Igbos”, he said.

He however thanked Mr President for his wisdom and magnanimity in addressing Igbo's most pressing needs despite not supporting or voting for him in 2015.

“President Buhari in his magnanimity began serious work on the long abandoned 2nd Niger Bridge, the long abandoned Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Zik`s Mausoleum, Ariaaria Market Independent Power Project, Aba etc. These, among other projects yearned for over 16 years now and could only be realized under President Muhammadu Buhari”, noted Obidiegwu.

“These and other national socio-economic and political interventions have also endeared him to well meaning compatriots, hence the tacit support by One-on-One Nigeria for president Buhari`s 2nd Term and as a vehicle of achieving Igbo Presidency come 2023”, he said.

It would be recall that the group had paid a courtesy call on president Buhari where they intimated him on their plans which he positively acknowledged.

A German woman married to a Nigerian man has shared her experience in Nigeria and how she's raising her 3 kids to have a sense of belonging and understand their Nigerian roots.

Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo recently returned with her husband from Germany to the Eastern part of Nigeria for the Christmas holiday. They returned with their kids - 2 boys and a girl.

Nicole took to Facebook to narrate what it's been like for her and her kids in Imo state, Nigeria.

She also revealed how she's ensuring that her kids get the full Nigerian experience while they are here. She added that she feels at home here in Nigeria and always looks forward to visiting.

The 28-year-old wrote:

Quote:let me tell you what really matters.
reality!
when coming home, we make sure we expose our kids to 100% reality in nigeria. not only bringing them here, hotel nye nye, city nye nye, 24/7 gen nye nye.
no
we make sure we spend as much time as possible in the east, village self! we take them to the local market, we eat local food, we make use of public transportation and drink pure water once in a while. we make sure they see and know how an animal is killed,because knowing where your food comes from helps understanding the value of natural resources. we stay without light if there is none, we use firewood to cook at times, we leave them to run around the compound, get dirty and sandy, and just enjoy their environment. they are free here. bonding is so so important, most especially when the kids grow. every time they come back here they bond with their people again, it may take a year, but once we all reunite its like we have never been gone. when we are all together we share responsibilities, and the care for the kids, it doesnt matter if they are my kids or my nephews and nieces, if we are together we are all one. so we all share the chores.
unity and solidarity is what i experience here!
FAMILY is what i have here.
iam home in a foreign place ??

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https://zenithnaija.com/german-woman-married-to-nigerian-man-shares-her-experience-visiting-nigeria-with-her-kids-for-christmas-holiday/



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Read the tragic story shared by Ezinne who lives in Lagos below....

'I'm still terrified 
I saw it live with my own eyes . 
Now here is the real story 

A boy serving his mater (nwa boy) for ladipo came down from a bus at five-star bustop Oshodi way, asked the conductor for his change (hundred naira) the conductor picked a fight with him (normal for lagos). 
According to source,  the boy is an igbo boy and has used his igbo bone to beat conductor black blue. Conductor couldn't take the beating so he decided to use weapon.  He grabbed a knife  and stabbed the boy to death  I don't even know where he got the knife  
Agboro's plus igbo traders there caught the conductor and burnt him to death went after the driver, he parked and ran for his life�‍♀️ they burnt his bus in front of Emzor company 
Police  couldn't stop them for sure

What does it cost to give people their change 
Now he waste the poor boy nd wasted himself too. 
Burn in hell forever stupid conductor, rest in peace poor boy
He's probably the eye  of his family'

Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2018/12/conductor-set-ablaze-by-mob-in-lagos.html










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The alleged rape victim who is under 24-hour protection after testifying against Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso in South Africa, Cheryl Zondi has gone to court to stop her ex-lover from trying to sell a sex tape, according to media reports. 

It was gathered that this action comes after someone threatened to sell the alleged sex tape to Timothy Omotoso, the man who is accused of sexually abusing her.

The 22-year-old student was granted an interim court order to prevent Johannesburg businessman Michael Brits from “disseminating, displaying, selling and/or duplicating photographs and/or videos of a sexual nature in which the applicant may appear”.

According to Zondi's court application, Brits had reportedly expressed plans to sell the sex tape to Omotoso in order to tarnish Zondi's reputation and possibly also to obtain a bribe.

Zondi told the Sunday Times that she had been in a relationship with Brits from February to October last year, however, she was unaware that a recording had ever been made.

Cheryl Zondi previously testified in the trial of Omotoso and his two co-accused in the Eastern Cape High Court in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. They are facing 63 charges and 34 alternative charges, which include rape, sexual assault and racketeering.

See more; https://www.nationalhelm.co/2018/12/cheryl-zondi-sex-tape-rape-victim-obtains-court-order-timothy-omotoso.html

Why is the President and the Presidency not being held accountable for these crimes against humanity. Watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6-6wV0agvs

THE Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuff Lasun on Tuesday presided over 25 lawmakers as National Assembly staff stay off duty due to the four day warning strike.

To form a quorum, the House needs to have a minimum of 120 lawmakers in attendance.

But immediately the plenary commenced at about 12.05pm, leader of the House, Rep Femi Gbajabiamilla,APC, Lagos raised a point of order under personal explanation. Gbajabiamilla noted that there’s need to tell Nigerians about why the House is scanty “and the truth is that PASAN is on strike hence this development.

https://all-gists.blogspot.com/2018/12/n...y-now.html

Over 25,000 members of the Kwankwasiyya movement of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kano South have dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress.

While receiving the new members, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, used the occasion to present flags to all candidates contesting for seats in the House of Representatives and State Assembly in the 2019 general elections.

According to the defectors, they were in Rano Local Government Area to witness the formal presentation of flags to Senator Kabiru Gaya and other candidates from Kano South by Governor Ganduje, during the final grand rally for all candidates from the zone.
It should be noted that Kano State, being the most populous state in the federation has 24 candidates for the House of Representatives and 40 gunning for the State House of Assembly seats.

At the Kano Central zone, the former two-term governor of the state and the former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Sardauna of Kano, was presented with a decorated flag.

Similarly, all other contestants from the zone for the 2019 general elections, were decorated with party flags, at another event, held at Kano Pillars Stadium, Sabon Gari, in the metropolis.

A one-time governor of the State, Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, who is currently representing Kano South, was also presented, with a decorated flag at Rano LG.

Prior to the zonal campaign rallies, Ganduje and the party stakeholders from the entire 44 Government areas of the State held a crucial meeting to map out strategies for the 2019 general elections, at Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.

At the meeting, Ganduje made it abundantly clear that the impressive achievements of the APC, at both federal and state levels, were enough credentials for the party to emerge victorious in the 2019 elections.

He said that, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s unrelenting efforts in developing our dear country from all fronts, particularly in the areas he (Buhari) identified as his priorities, security, economy and employment, are platforms to give us more courage for 2019.”

At the three senatorial zones, Ganduje urged party supporters, to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari secured the over five million votes he promised him in the forthcoming 2019 presidential polls.

“Nigeria has no any other serious candidate than President Muhammadu Buhari. We believe in his honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency attributes. That is why his good work as our President goes across the nation. Without considering any ethnic, religious or sectional lines, he is a true patriotic democrat and a sincere Nigerian” Ganduje said.

Governor Ganduje promised the decamping PDP/Kwankwasiyya defectors equal treatment in the party. He assured them that they have come to where they and their children would benefit from the abundant dividends of democracy.


https://punchng.com/25000-pdp-members-de...c-in-kano/

[url=https://www.nairaland.com/4911426/25000-pdp-members-defect-apc#73958768][/url]

Why my marriage to Olu Jacobs has lasted — Joke Silva

It is not unusual for celebrity marriages to crash. In fact, these days, it’s almost expected. But despite the downfall of many, a few Nollywood relationships have stood the test of time.
The union of veteran actors, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva, is a shining example in this regard. Having recently celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary, the couple have earned the bragging rights. PREMIUM TIMES recently caught up with Joke on the set of a new Nollywood movie, ‘Two Weeks in Lagos’ where she spoke about what has sustained her marriage thus far.
PT: Congratulations on your 33rd wedding anniversary. How would you describe the journey so far?
Joke: The journey has been incredible and extremely interesting. It has also been one of learning. I don’t think anybody can ever prepare anyone for marriage. I had friends who were married until one partner died or death did them part and well over 40 years we’re each other’s friends. They had their challenges and they weathered the storm. Those were my role models. Knowing full well that there will be storm, I soon realised that my storms were totally different from their own storms. I wasn’t prepared for my own storms.
PT: What are some of the lessons learnt in your marriage?
Joke: When my own storms too came, it was also a learning curve for both sides (my husband and I), we both had to learn to forgive each other. I learnt that marriage is not a destination; it’s a continuous journey, and somehow, it seems like the enemy knows that, so he says, “So, you weathered this storm, let me throw another one, let me see whether you will weather this one.”
But, I think when you know the person you are married to, when you like the person you are in relationship with, when you do have respect for each other, you learn. At least for me, for my husband, he was always wanting what was best for me. I had to also learn what was best for him but I finally got. It differs from person to person and it all depends on what your background is.
PT: Was there a point in your marriage when just wanted to end it and not minding what the society would say?
Joke: It happened a lot. I recall a particular incident that happened when we just had our first a baby. It turned out to be a learning curve for me. Olu had just come back from set apparently what happened was that he was still in that character that he had just played on set. So we were just talking and he just started shouting and I was like, “Is it me you are talking to? Do you think I don’t have a father?” So I packed my clothes with the drawer and I dumped it in my car, carried my baby and I remember our landlady lived at the back of our compound. So, she came out and started shouting, “Joke, where are you going to?’’ I told her I was going to my father’s house. When I got home the first person I see is my mum and she said what are you doing here? I began ranting and she said you don’t have a house or a room here, you better pack your bags and go home. My father sort of understood where I was coming from. Funnily, my husband called and asked, “When are you coming home?” That was the first time and I did it a couple of other times.
PT: Do you think divorce is really an option?
Joke: I think that if you are in a situation that you cannot tolerate bearing in mind that we all of us have different thresholds of pain be it emotional or otherwise. Please if you have reached your threshold, life is not hard, please carry your load and go. Because if you leave they will talk and if you stay they will still talk. There are some people who needed to leave because they wanted to maintain their sanity, if they didn’t leave they will go mad. There is life after a divorce.

Alleged N8bn Fraud: Ex-Skye Bank chair, Ayeni, granted controversial bail
Former Skye Bank Chairman, Tunde Ayeni Detained By EFCC ___
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on December 17, 2018, arraigned a former Chairman, Board of Directors, Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja on an eight-count charge, bordering on money laundering to the tune of about N8 billion.
Mr Ayeni was arraigned alongside Timothy Oguntayo, for allegedly conspiring at different times to fraudulently divert depositors’ funds domiciled at Skye Bank Plc.
After the arraignment, the judge, in a dramatic twist, granted the defendants 36 hours freedom, to meet the bail conditions or be remanded in Kuje prison. They were asked to go home.
One of the counts reads: “That you Dr. Tunde Ayeni whilst being the Chairman Board of Directors of Skye Bank Plc and Timothy Ajani Oguntayo whilst being the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Skye Bank between the years 2014 and 2015 conspired at different times to do an illegal act, to wit; caused cash delivery to you, Dr. Tunde Ayeni of the sums of money totalling N4,750,000,000 (Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) and USD5,000,000 (Five Million United States Dollars) belonging to Skye Bank Plc, contrary to the provisions of Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) read together with Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended)”.
They pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts.
In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, prayed the court for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison custody, pending the hearing of their bail applications.
Before the court’s ruling, counsel for the first defendant, Dele Adesina, who held appeared for the lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, informed the court of their pending bail application, which was served on the prosecution on December 13. Counsel for the second defendant, Oyetola Oshobi, made a similar application.
Ruling on the applications for bail, the court admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties each in like sum.
The court further ruled: “The sureties may be either civil servants of not less than the rank of assistant director or be private businessmen or professionals provided that one of the sureties is a civil servant, the other surety being a private businessman or a professional must be the owner of a landed property of sufficient value within Abuja metropolis, excluding the satellite towns,” the trial judge held.
Justice Dimgba added that: “But where the two sureties are private businessmen or professionals, they must show evidence of landed properties of sufficient value within Abuja metropolis excluding the satellite towns.
“The defendants shall deposit their international passports before the court and shall not travel outside the country without the permission of the court”.
The court further gave the defendants 36 hours to meet the bail conditions or be remanded in Kuje prison.
The matter was thereafter adjourned to February 13 and 14, 2019, for “commencement of trial”.

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Sunday shot and killed one Mr Lagos Godgift and his driver, Mr Christopher Etima in Bayelsa.

According to the State Police Command, both men were on their way to deliver ransom money to kidnappers.

The incident happened at about 1 a.m. on the Onuebum-Otuogori road in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

According to Etima's cousin, late Godgift was the younger brother of a wealthy politician.
Endora Williams posted photos of late Emmanuel, writing:

Quote:"Christoper Etima My Humble And Hard Working Cousin. Who Ever Sent You On This Long And Lonely Journey Will Never Fine Peace On Earth . Those Kidnappers Will Be Hunted By Your Dad's Spirit. May Their Children Experience The Cool Hands Of Death Just As You Were Sent In Your Prime. Oh God It's Just Like A Dream.............. crying."