Breakdown of the 2016 Budget

GDP Growth Rate Projection                                                                           4.37%

Revenue Projection                                                                                           3.86 Naira

Deficit                                                                                                           2.22 trillion Naira

Oil Related Revenues                                                                                   820 billion Naira

Non-oil Revenues                                                                                           1.45 trillion Naira

 Projected Independent Revenues                                                                   1.51 trillion Naira

Capital Expenditure                                                                                   1.8 trillion Naira

Works, Power and Housing                                                                           433.4 billion Naira

Transport                                                                                                           202.0 billion Naira

Interior                                                                                                           53.1 billion Naira

Special Intervention Programs                                                                   300 billion Naira

Education                                                                                                   369.6 billion Naira

Defence                                                                                                           294.5 billion Naira

Health                                                                                                           221.7 billion Naira

Ministry of Interior                                                                                           145.3 billion Naira

Foreign and Domestic Debt Service                                                           1.36 trillion Naira

Sinking Fund towards the retirement of maturing loans                                   113 billion Naira

Non-debt Recurrent Expenditure                                                                   2.65 trillion Naira

10 Things Insanely Attractive Women Do For Themselves Without Fail

Here’s the secret THEY know that you don’t …


What’s the secret of true and lasting attractiveness? That’s what so many women (and men) want to know.
It turns out that self-care has a great deal to do with it … but not in the way you might think.
When different studies looked at the various qualities of attractiveness, “happiness” and “kindness” won out as top traits every time.
Not eyes, not legs, not a perfect body … but rather, happiness and kindness.
It turns out that beauty radiates from the inside, and the way truly attractive women create and radiate that inner beauty is through self care.
Here are 10 things highly attractive women do to take care of themselves that boosts their happiness and desirability:
1. They’re present in the moment and live life fully.
Despite the temptation to spend time passively surfing Facebook and gossip sites when bored and lonely, attractive women know they’re at their best when they go out with their friends and actively live their life.
And when they do go on Facebook or online, like in real life, they go to engage. They feel happier when they’re participating in activities, rather than watching.
2. They surround themselves with good friends.
If they live alone or have a quiet office environment, attractive women actively seek out social contact and friendship at the end of the day or work week. They regularly make time to connect (in person) with others.
When going out isn’t an option, they pick upf the phone, jump on Skype, or sit down to write a letter to feel the connection they know they need.
3. They keep their brains serenely stimulated (instead of numbing out).
When attractive women want to relax and give their brains a break, they listen to music or read a good book instead of watching TV. Why? Because they know getting lost in a TV show for hours makes them feel detached from themselves. But a great story or song helps them relax and keeps their imagination active, which helps them feel good when exhausted.
4. They exercise regularly.
Attractive women know that exercise is a vital part of what makes them feel vibrant and energetic … not just because it helps them stay in physical shape.
When they’re busy and their energy flags, these desirable ladies fit exercise into manageable time blocks. They pick exercises they enjoy, and often combine it with a social visit or another reward (i.e. favorite coffee shop or a relaxing post-workout steam).
These women understand that working out isn’t just about the end game, but rather, that moving her body is enjoyable, fun and feels good.
5. They eat right to fuel their vibrancy.
Attractive women make healthy food choices every day. And to keep eating well when things get busy, they start at home, cutting stressful, time-consuming preparation wherever they can. They buy precut vegetables, and prep the meal items (washing lettuce, trimming meat, or slicing fruit) before they put it away so it’s ready to go when they need it.
They invest in themselves this way — making sure to have healthy easy food at their fingertips, something experts say is a key to maintaining a healthy diet.
6. They prioritize sleep.
Sleep is the almighty secret weapon of truly glowing, happy women. A great night’s rest allows a woman’s best self (physically and emotionally) to shine through.
Everything from cell regeneration and healing (skin health) to optimizing mental clarity and mood stability (yes, sleep can make you happier) is improved by making time for adequate sleep (to the tune of 8 hours a night).
7. They always make time to play.
Life is serious enough. Knowing when to lighten up fuels a happy, attractive woman and helps her feel alive, so she regularly makes time for laughter and fun.
Play is anything that allows her to feel free, present, and engaged — and research confirms that playfulness is a top indicator of female attractiveness for men.
8. They allow themselves time to do nothing!
These bright women understand that they can only schedule themselves so much before feeling irritable, so they leave white space in their calendar allowing flexibility they need to feel balanced.
Healthy, attractive people understand their body’s need for freedom and flexibility, and they make room for this by scheduling down time.
9. They know how to keep their relationships strong.
Attractive women aren’t always thinking about themselves — they are good friends, too. They understand that investing in their friendships keeps those relationships strong, and that loving on their friends feels good (something research has shown boosts happiness and satisfaction).
10. They show up … for themselves.
Finally, attractive vibrant women understand that being their best requires being a friend to themselves first.
When shame creeps up, healthy women take a mindset of compassion and kindness toward themselves. They know that honoring their own needs and choices is key to finding balance within themselves and staying positive.
For example, if they sleep until 1pm, they know they needed the rest. If they lounge in their PJs all day, they know they need the quiet downtime. If they stay up late with their friends, they know they need the connection.
They don’t berate themselves. And they keep fighting with others over their needs or choices to a minimum, and this feels good.
The real secret of attractiveness is regular and compassionate SELF CARE!
Truly attractive women create habits around doing things that are not only good for them but also feel good and maximize their beauty.
Self care doesn’t have to feel like a burden, and it can start anywhere you feel out of balance.
Once you tap into how good you feel, self care quickly stops being a chore, and starts being something you actually want to do. And you’ll look so much more attractive for the effort.
It’s OK if making yourself a priority feels really hard at first. Stay with it, and you’ll soon notice the benefits build on themselves with practice.

Kourtney Kardashian Moves To Diddy’s Son From Justin Bieber

First it was Justin Bieber, now the rumors have moved over to someone else.


Kourtney Kardashian is definitely giving her fans enough things to talk about these days.
The 36-year-old reality star recently stepped out with another younger man last week as rumors continue to swell up about her secret affairs.



Kourtney was seen hanging out with 24-year-old Quincy Combs, who also happens to be Diddy’s son despite hooking up with Bieber multiple times recently.



The pair were snapped in Quincy’s car in Los Angeles, with the mother-of-three riding shotgun.
Eyewitnesses say they weren’t entirely alone as an unidentified girl sat in the backseat.
TMZ reports that the outing was completely platonic, their families have allegedly been friends for years and sources claim they were just grabbing a bite to eat.
Given Kourt’s track record of dating younger men (ex Scott Disick is four years her junior) , however, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little something-something between those two!

Cancer- A Shocking Truth!

This 8- minute video explains how cancer is caused and how it grows. Also, how it can be prevented quite easily. Please do listen to it carefully and share with as many people as possible.
Kindly click on the link below to view
http://www.redefineyourreality.com/what-is-cancer.htm

Fuel Scarcity: Kaduna Refinery Begins Fuel Supply Today

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will from today, Tuesday, start trucking out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol from the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) following the restart of production at the facility over the weekend.
The refinery is expected to inject an additional 1.5 million liters of fuel to the domestic market, which translates to about 50 trucks daily.


It would be recalled that production at the KRPC was disrupted in September due to pipeline vandalization and the plant’s main supply of crude oil was cut off.
Speaking to newsmen yesterday in Kaduna on the development, the Managing Director of KRPC, Engineer Saidu Aliyu, noted that the pipelines had been fixed while the plant now receives crude oil supplies from Warri, Delta State.
According to Engr. Aliyu, the refinery which recommenced production last week is operating at 60 per cent of installed capacity but that hopefully, the production capacity is expected to increase in the next few weeks when it attains about 90 per cent installed capacity to pump about 3.5 million liters of fuel per day to the domestic market.
“Nigerians need to be patient, by tomorrow (today) I expect the PPMC to  commence trucking and the quantity we are  looking at initially is in the neighbourhood of 1.5million liters per day which of course in the next few days we will  increase it to two million liters of PMS and about 600,00 liters of kerosene”, he said.
Aliyu stressed that the support KRPC was getting from the top management of the NNPC and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu and President Muhammadu Buhari, it was making efforts to not only repair but safeguard the pipelines.
The KRPC boss added that crude oil now flows only from Warri to Kaduna and there will be sustenance of operations.
“Warri to Port Harcourt, Escravos to Warri and Warri to Kaduna, these are the three pipelines that supply crude oil to the NNPC.
“Right now the only operational line is Warri to Kaduna. As we speak, contractors have moved in on the segment of Escravos in Warri, in the next three weeks hopefully, we will start having supply of crude oil”, he said.
Engr. Aliyu furtyer stated that Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the refinery is in three stages and the first, which is to operate at a minimum of 60 per cent installed capacity, has been achieved.

Muslim Women Decorate Pastor’s House, Donate Christmas Gifts To Christians In Kaduna

Some Muslim women led by Hajia Maryam Abubakar, yesterday, donated a big Christmas tree to Christ Evangelical Intercessory Fellowship Ministry based in Kaduna as Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas. They also donated other Christmas gifts to Christians in the northern city.


“We have observed that the Christmas tree is very vital to the life of every Christian, and that is why we bought it for them, and we donated it to the church as a sign of togetherness and to wish them the best of the season that is full of blessing to mankind, that is, the birth of Jesus Christ,” Hajiya Abubakar, who is the chairperson of Women Hood School of Health Science and Technology, said.
“Apart from donating Christmas tree, we also decorated the Pastor’s house, we also distributed food items to some widows in churches, we do this with the sole aim of assisting our sisters’ widows with food to cook during the Christmas season because Christmas is a season filled with joy, fun and merriment, a season of yuletide.
“The moment I entered a shop at the central market asking them of a Christmas tree, everyone was wondering and asking what would Muslim women got do with the Christmas tree. So many people were asking me of it, but I know its importance to every Christian in the world. That is why I bought it for my brothers and sisters to enable them know that Muslims are their brothers and sisters. We wish them Happy Christmas and New Year,” she said.
Hajiya Abubakar also said that she fed about 500 Christian inmates last year in the spirit of Christmas and New Year celebration, adding that said she did that to show love to Christians in prison.
“We fed them in the spirit of togetherness and to join them in celebrating the birth of our noble Prophet Jesus. I want them to have a good taste of food with beef different from what they are offered inside the prison.”

Buhari’s budget a big fraud' - PDP…Says President planning to Mortgage Nigeria’s future

Read the PDP press statement below...
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describes the N6.8 trillion 2016 federal budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday as a big fraud and executive conspiracy tailored towards mortgaging the future of the nation. The party queried President Buhari’s decision to borrow N2 trillion, the biggest in the history of the nation as the height of recklessness and deceit from a government that trends on propaganda.
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh on Tuesday berated the Federal Government for trying to use their bogus welfare programme and phantom capital projects as cover and conduit to syphon the funds to satisfy partisan interests, particularly to settle huge campaign debts.

“It is obvious that this budget is an extension of the campaign promises of the APC government, presented as a manifesto filled with bogus promises which implementation will be inconclusive, thereby allowing the APC to once again deny their promises.

“There has never been any known economy in the world where government deliberately mortgage the future of its nation by borrowing excessively to finance partisan interests while hiding under bogus welfare programmes. This is moreso important as the APC in reeling out their bogus campaign promises never informed Nigerians that they would mortgage their future through excessive borrowing.

“We have it on good authority that this is the first in the series of APC borrowings which would leave the future generation of Nigerians under the burden of huge debts after four years”

The PDP said the budget clearly shows that after seven months in power, President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) are yet to differentiate between governance and campaign propaganda.

“By all standards, the 2016 budget, the first major economic policy outing of this government, is completely unrealistic and duplicitously embellished with impractical predications, a development that confirms fears by economy watchers and investors that this administration is obviously ill-equipped for governance.

“We are indeed shocked that President Buhari and his minister of information have come up with two different reasons for the current fuel crisis in the country. While we appreciate the President’s apology, we think it is high time he called this minister to order as his excessive propaganda and blame game are ridiculing this administration and the image of the nation.

“Furthermore, it is instructive to note the official endorsement of Mr. President to the devaluation of the naira as against his campaign promise of firming up the value of our currency even to the much vaunted one naira to one dollar.

‘Does it mean that Mr. President lied his way to power, or that he did not understand the complexities of governance when he was making his false promises to Nigerians?

“In future, there is need to regulate campaign promises so that we will not end up with a government that promises to climb Mount Everest with bare hands and end up mortgaging our future with orchestrated borrowings.

“Finally, we want to request Mr. President to once again to involve experienced and well-tested hands in the management of the economy and budgeting processes. This economy is not for Mr. President, neither is it for the APC. The progress of the economy is for all Nigerians and as such, due care should taken to save ourselves from unrealistic and deceptive programmes.

Signed:
Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary

FG declares public holiday from Dec. 24th to Dec 28th

The Federal Government has declared holiday for Thursday Dec. 24th (eid el Malud), Friday Dec. 25th (Christmas) Saturday, Sunday and Monday as public holidays...

4 Reasons Your Ex Keeps Trying To Re-Ignite The Flame (Say NO!)

Lose his number — QUICK!


Ex boyfriends are notorious for attempting to get back in touch at the most convenient times — think holidays, birthdays and (the dreaded) anniversary dates. I get it. You’re still single, he’s (obviously) still cute and he swoops in at just the right time (when you’re feeling lonely and nostalgic). And then he disappears just when you think things might be good. It’s heartbreak central ALL over again.
Here are the reasons why he keeps reaching out to you, and what you can do to keep your heart in one piece:
1. Because you keep questioning “what could have been”
Until you meet “the one”, every guy you’ve been with in the past will leave you with that question, “what if”, because until you meet the right guy, the last guy that pulled your heart strings will feel like the best you have had so far, even if things were far from perfect.
I’ve yet to meet someone who left a bad relationship, truly healed, and said that they regretted leaving that relationship. So do yourself a favor and stick with your reason for leaving in the first place. Trust your gut and move on.
2. Because you keep replying to his texts and phone calls.
As hurtful as this might sound, men will typically continue communication with someone – not because they care – but because you’re just someone to talk to (and you keep replying).Why? Because you’re filling that emotional (or physical) void for the time being. Are you sleeping with him still? Telling him about your day or talking to him about his other relationships?
As long as there is a need being filled on your part or his, there will always be contact. So if you are filling a void in yourself or in him, move on and focus on gaining a new, healthier relationship with someone else.
3. Because you’re sending mixed signals
Just as you are wriggling your way past him, his charm, and what you liked about him, he stirs up all those emotions again. He wants you, but he’s not ready. You miss him but you don’t want to deal with his issues. He wants to be in a better place before making the two of you work.
The mixed signals confuse both of you and are a sign of your unstable relationship (which is why you both broke it off to begin with). Take those signals and make a decision to go one way or the other, and then stick with it.
4. Because he’s feeding off of your high emotions
You’ve got to get off that emotional roller coaster. Any relationship that is inconsistent and full of highs and lows is like a drug – it’s addicting. You have to let go and make a clear cut decision: “I want a loving relationship with a great guy.” In order to get what you want with the right guy, you must let go of the old.
It’s so much easier to create a new, working relationship than it is to fix what is broken. You’ve already ended things, so stick to your guns and tell him, “Sorry — I value myself and I want more than this. I don’t want to waste my time and effort constantly trying to correct an old pattern. We have a broken relationship. Goodbye.”

Arms Deal: 5 Facts You Need To Know About Dokpesi

Founder of Daar Communication Plc, Raymond Dokpesi, has been in the news more often than usual recently over his involvement in money laundering. Mr. Dokpesi is facing a six-count charge in the alleged $2.1bn money laundering scam and was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Based on this backdrop, INFORMATION NIGERIA think it the right time to bring to you 5 facts about the High Chief Dokpesi, you probably didn’t know….


1. He graduated from the University of Benin and later went on to obtain a Doctorate degree in Marine Engineering from the University of Gdansk, Poland.
2. High Chief, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi as he is often referred as, established the first  private television network in Nigeria, Africa Independent Television, AIT.Do
3. Dokpesi not only established the first satellite TV in Nigerian but also pioneered the first privately owned radio station (Raypower FM) in Nigeria.
4. Although the business didn’t last but Dokpesi was the first Nigerian to own the first indigenous Shipping Line in Africa. It was established in the 1980s.
5. Dokpesi’s AIT was the first TV station in Nigeria to run 24-hour broadcasting.
If the court finds him guilty, then Dokpesi will be the first TV station owner to go to jail for money laundering.

Amazing! Mob steal from dead Shitte members in Zaria (photos)

It's quite unbelievable how some scoundrels in Zaria were filmed stealing from the corpses of Shiite members who were killed in the gun battle with the Nigerian military last Saturday. How disgusting! I screengrabbed from a video posted on Facebook this morning. More pics after the cut..

Mercy Johnson and hubby welcome 3rd child,a baby girl(Photos)

Yesterday , the actress and mother of two gave birth to her third child ,a baby girl at the  St. Joseph Medical Centre,Baltimore..  Congrats to the Okojies, see more photos below

SHOCKING! Pastor Bans Female Congregation From Wearing Undies To Church, Says They Are Ungodly

Kenyan pastor Rev. Njohi has raised not only a few eyebrows but red flags with his unorthodox suggestion of having his female congregants remove their bras and underwear before coming to church, so that Christ can freely enter their bodies with his spirit, according to The Kenyan Daily.

Njohi, who is the pastor of the Lord’s Propeller Redemption Church in Kenya, reportedly refers to undergarments as “ungodly.” The bible-toting minister called together a meeting with church officials and allegedly discussed banning the under garments because people “need to be free in body and spirit in order to receive Christ.”

After warning his female congregants about the evils of skivvies, the God-fearing pastor spoke of the damnation they will suffer if they dare not to go bare underneath. In true fashion, the church’s female population reportedly did come to church sans their undies, the Post reports, in order to prepare for their spiritual taking.

PSG vs Chelsea, Barcelona vs Arsenal; See the UEFA Champions League last 16 draw in full

Chelsea has been given a massive task in the champions league after they were drawn against PSG in the draw which took place in Nyon this morning. See the full draw after the cut...


AS Roma vs Real Madrid
Gent vs Vfl Wolfsburg
PSG vs Chelsea
Barcelona Vs Arsenal
Juventus vs Bayern Munich
Psv vs Atletico de Madrid
Sl Benfica vs Zenit st Petersburg
Dynamo Kyiv vs Man City

CBN plans soft loans for one million graduates

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday announced that a low-interest loan scheme for one million young graduates would commence next year.

The governor said the special loan scheme, which would be managed by the central bank in collaboration with commercial banks, was part of the strategy of the Federal Government to boost the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sub-sector and curtail unemployment among the youth.

Emefiele made the disclosure in Lagos during the opening ceremony of the seventh Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat.

The CBN governor said, “We need to get more and more people to be employed, and we will need the support of the banks to begin to see how we lower our risk acceptance criteria to give support to our young graduates.

“In the course of the next few weeks, we will be unfolding a plan of support of the CBN to create employment for at least one million young graduates in Nigeria in 2016. That will entail support from Nigerian banks and our development institutions to see how we will channel these concessionary loans to companies that are MSMEs.”
Emefiele said the plunge in commodity prices, especially crude oil, had led to sharp fall in the nation’s revenue, adding that Nigeria and other oil exporting countries were facing hard times, a situation that necessitated the need to diversify the economy away from oil.
According to the CBN boss, the MSMEs represent the engine room of growth of any economy and there is a need for Nigeria to focus on the sector in order to weather the trying times.


 
He said, “The drop in commodity prices is a major thing that has affected the country. What that means is that your revenue has dropped and we are facing very serious pressure on our external reserves and exchange rate. What that does is that we all need to think about how we should come together and see what we can do as a people to shield ourselves from what is happening. So, we need to do whatever we can to protect the economy.
“We are entering a phase where we believe that the SMEs must be the only priority for growth in our economy. I must say that the Nigerian banking sector has not played an active part in supporting the SMEs, but this is not without reasons. We had issues in the past where people took loans and didn’t pay.
“The SMEs are seen as drivers of growth in any economy. Nigeria has 37 MSMEs. The CBN has a N220bn MSME facility. We have used various approaches to stimulate lending to the SMEs through that fund and I must confess that we are not doing enough on that because less than half of that fund has been disbursed today.”
Emefiele urged the bank MDs and heads of financial institutions at the meeting not to shy away from lending to the real sector, adding that the proposed loan scheme for young graduates must work.
He said, “Let’s give the young graduates a chance. The SME programme is going to be separate from the N220bn MSME fund, and I am saying if you (the banks) refuse to support, your money that we would have released through the Cash Reserve Ratio, we will take that money and lend it through any channel that will give these young graduates jobs.
“We all need to think together and agree because there is no need to release the money to you and all you do with the money is buy treasury bills. It can’t continue. We need to think about the best ways to diversify this economy away from oil.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who was also present at the opening of the retreat, disclosed that the Federal Government would be borrowing to stimulate the economy.
She said Nigeria was facing a very challenging economic situation and there was a need to focus on the SME sector to boost growth.
According to her, the government will be doing all that needs to be done on the fiscal side of the economy to ensure that the money that will be borrowed is not spent on recurrent expenditure but on capital projects.

How Italian Police Mistook Us For Kids, Aki And Paw-Paw Reveals

Famous comic Nollywood actors, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme have revealed how they were once embarrassed abroad.


The duo, commonly called Aki and Pawpaw, said police in Italy had thought they were children, years back.
The two actors were in Italy with comedian Julius Agwu for a show, and had been picked up by the show’s promoter.
On their way to the hotel, policemen had stopped them at a checkpoint, and thinking they were children, threatened to arrest the promoter for not using baby carriers in the car.
After showing the police their passports however, they finally believed that they were actually adults with small bodies.
“I still remember that day and the feeling vividly…it was funny. Since then, Julius Agwu has been using the incident as joke in some events, but people don’t know that it’s a true life story,” Iheme said of the incident.

EFCC May Summon Okonjo-Iweala Over Arms Procurement Scam – Report

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) probing how funds meant for arms were diverted and stolen by top politicians, have stumbled on fresh evidence that senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria were actively involved in the transfer of funds to the suspects, Vanguard reports.


Vanguard reported that it learnt last night that EFCC operatives were set to summon the former Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okojo-Iweala and some top officials of the CBN to shed more light on what they know about the arms budget said to have been diverted by bigwigs of one of the political parties.
Also to be invited based on evidence of disbursement from the apex bank, are some serving and retired top officials of the CBN who helped in the disbursement of the arms cash to the beneficiaries.
Vanguard learnt that the decision to summon the former minister and the apex bank officials followed the discovery that the bank played an active part in wiring various sums of money to persons and institutions at home and abroad without paying attention to due process.
“It is clear from our discovery that some money taken from the Abacha loot was used to secure some arms and fight insurgency but it is also clear that a larger part of the money was diverted and nobody raised an eyebrow,” Vanguard quoted a source to have said.
“We want these people to come and give us further clarifications on why they released the money and who got what and why.”

Borno Panel Confirms Missing Family Of Six After Boko Haram Attack

The panel set up by Governor Kashim Shettima to probe claims of fresh mass abductions of women and girls in Bam-Buratai, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, has confirmed that a family of six was missing.
The media was awash with news that Boko Haram insurgents abducted several girls almost two weeks ago, after killing many in the village during the attack and setting their homes ablaze.


The report brought to mind the abduction of over 400 schoolgirls from their hostel in by Boko Haram, over a year ago. While some of the girls were able to escape, it is believed that over 200 are still in captivity, with their whereabouts unknown.
The committee, in its report submitted to Mr. Shettima on Wednesday in Maiduguri, said it was not sure whether the missing family members were abducted or not, given the fact that there were infants amongst them and insurgents have been known to leave behind infants and their mothers whenever they attack any place.
The committee, however, established that the insurgents indeed invaded the community at about 10 p.m. of November 28, shooting sporadically following which they killed some residents and set the village on fire.
The committee, led by the member representing Biu State Constituency in Borno State House of Assembly, Aliyu Kachalla, said it also as­certained that family members of one of the villagers, named Pidigum Pin­dar, had been missing.
“They include Mrs. Gambo Pidigum and Mrs. Hamsatu Pidigum, the first and sec­ond wives respectively”, the committee said in the report.
Those discovered to have been abducted, according to the committee, were chil­dren of the Pidigum fam­ily.
They are: Hauwa’u Pi­digum, “an 8 years old Pri­mary 3 schoolgirl, Abdul­lahi Pidigum, 2 years 6 months old boy, Ummi Pidigum, a year and 6-month-old girl and Rabi Pidigum, a 6-month-old girl.
“There is no informa­tion about the whereabouts of the abducted members as at the time of compiling the report”, the committee said.
The governor’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau, confirmed that the committee had submitted it findings to Mr. Shettima.

Cyril Stober; legendary news reporter takes a bow today.

'Tonight at 9' on the Nigerian Television Authority will never be the same again.

After three decades in front of the camera, Cyril Stober has finally retired from Nigeria's premier TV station.

The Minna, Niger State-born newscaster graced our screens, informing generations with authentic eloquence.
Accolades poured in from everywhere, including social media, with many affirming his legendary status. He was the number one trending topic on Twitter when the retirement was made public.

Olamide Named Naija Hottest Artiste 2015 By MTV Base

If the question, “Who is Nigeria’s hottest artist of 2015?” had been posed to anyone on the street over the past few weeks, the answer would most likely have been “Olamide”, and with good reasons. The panel on the MTV Base TV special #BaseNaijaHottestArtist however, needed two days of intense debate to be absolutely sure before adding the flourish on top of Baddo‘s wonderful year.
2015 has seen Olamide release several singles that topped the MTV Base Official Naija Top Ten for many weeks, in addition to his successful promotion of protégé, Lil Kesh, and the recent surprise release of his fifth studio album, “Eyan Mayweather” which has been topping charts.


Newly acclaimed MTV Base hottest artiste, Olamide commented on the announcement, “It’s a great feeling to know that my work has made so much impact on Nigerians and I’m humbled by this announcement. Thank you MTV Base.”
Olamide_mob
On the panel that ranked ten of the hottest artists in Nigeria for the year 2015 were, OAPs Omalicha, Do2dtun and Sade Ladipo. Joining the trio were showbiz entrepreneur Olisa Adibua, entertainment journalist Osagie Alonge, DJ Spinall and VJ Ehiz.
Commenting on the reason behind the selection, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International, Alex Okosi stated, “Nigerian music has evolved from where it was ten years ago and with the aid of the panelists we have chosen, we hope that the Base Naija Hottest Artist 2015’ will spark up the kind of conversations we need among music fans, thought leaders and critics in order to improve on the type of music we put out there and produce some of the best talents globally and not just Africa alone.”
Making a surprise appearance at number 2 on the list was Wizkid who had a big year in 2015 with his single “Ojuelegba” getting remixed by superstar grime artist Skepta and American superstar, Drake. Davido sneaked in at number 3 ahead of Patoranking after a year that saw him tour extensively and release a hit collaboration with Meek Mill.
Yesterday’s number 2 and 3, Korede Bello and Yemi Alade dropped to number 5 and 6 on the final list after being displaced by Patoranking who made the list at number 4 after a year that saw him scoop several hit features and a bumper distribution deal with VP Records. Yesterday’s number 9 Harrysong drops off the final list alongside Cynthia Morgan to be replaced by Lil Kesh and Kiss Daniel. Making up the rest of the list are Burna Boy and Phyno at number 8 and 10 respectively.
Speaking after the panel session, Olisa Adibua remarked,
“It was a very robust discussion and debate because there are probably 15 or 20 Nigerian artistes who had a decent chance of making it onto the list this year, but there were only 10 slots. I’m happy that MTV Base has created this platform not just because it promotes Nigerian music which obviously is a good thing, but also because it fosters a spirit of healthy competition. I’m sure that a number of artists who were perhaps a bit unlucky not to make the list this year will work their socks off next year to make it onto the 2016 list, and that is good news for all of us whether we are involved in the music business or we just like good Nigerian music.”
The show ranks the year’s ten biggest performing artists in Nigeria using a list of six criteria namely: Style, Impact, Sales/Success, Buzz, Music and Intangibles.
Source: Vanguard

5 Childhood Christmas Memories Most Nigerians Can Relate To

Christmas is almost here and it looks like the older we get, Christmas just keeps getting less and less interesting. Before we grow too old and forget, here is to remind you how Christmas actually felt as a child. Here are those unforgetable Christmas memories, anyone who grew up in Nigeria in the 80’s and 90’s are very familiar with:


1. Recall the street vs street banger competition??? I’m sure a bunch of the guys won’t forget. Dangerously fun right? And parents especially moms would almost shout their gullets out.

2. Remember when people would take food from house to house and it would be your lucky day, if you are picked by mom to do the delivery because those neighbours would hand you crips N5, N10 or N20 notes.

3 Walking miles upon miles to visit relations – this journey is always in groups. You take your friends to your relatives’ house and they take you to theirs and in the evening when you get home, you count your fortune. The most important part of the day.

4. The traditional white rice and stew with the most delicious aroma and taste. Moms those days have a degree in this delicacy. You just keep eating until there’s no space in your stomach to harbour more food.

5. Someone from your house catching you eating at your neigbour’s house and going to report to your mom? The fear, the thoughts that run through your mind before you get home can not be out down in words.
Christmas those days were just heavenly!!!


#Informationnaija

EXPOSED: How Okonjo-Iweala Illegally Diverted Abacha’s Loot To Dasuki

The immediate past Minister of Finance, and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala illegally approved the transfer of at least N61.4 billion from funds recovered from late dictator, Sani Abacha, to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, few weeks to the 2015 presidential election, online news platform Premium Times reported, citing a letter signed by Okonjo-Iweala in which she approved the transfer of the funds but requested then President Goodluck Jonathan to directly demand accountability from the then National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki.


Dasuki, alongside the former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and founder of DAAR Communications, owners of Africa Independent Television and Raypower radio network, Raymond Dokpesi, are being investigated for their roles in the disbursement of $2.1 billion and N643 billion meant for the procurement of arms to fight the raging insurgency in Nigeria’s north east region.
According to Okonjo-Iweala’s letter dated January 20, 2015, which was addressed to Jonathan, the money was transferred following a January 12, 2015 request by the Office of the NSA under Dasuki for funds for the procurement of arms and ammunition as well as intelligence equipment.
The letter read: “Please find a request by the National Security Adviser (NSA) for the transfer of $300 million and £5.5 million of the recovered Abacha funds to an ONSA (Office of the National Security Adviser) operations account.
“The NSA has explained that this is to enable the purchase of ammunition, security, and other intelligence equipment for the security agencies in order to enable them fully confront the ongoing Boko Haram threat.
“His request is sequel to the meeting you chaired with the committee on the use of recovered funds where the decision was made that recovered Abacha funds would be split 50-50 between urgent security needs to confront Boko Haram and development need (including a portion for the Future Generations window of the Sovereign Wealth Fund).”
According to Okonjo-Iweala, the letter was to seek Mr Jonathan’s approval for the funds to be disbursed to the ONSA.
The former minister further explained that the money being transferred formed part of the Federal Government Independent Revenue.
Responding to the revelation, yesterday, Okonjo-Iweala said the attempt to link her name to any misuse of these funds for any purpose other than security as far as she understood it is totally false and cannot stand.
The former minister explained her role in the disbursement of the fund, in a statement signed by her Media Adviser, Paul C Nwabuikwu.
“Throughout 2014, there were public complaints by the military hierarchy to President Goodluck Jonathan about the inadequacy of funds to fight the anti-terror war in the North East, resulting in Boko Haram making gains and even taking territories. A lot of the criticism was directed at the Federal Ministry of Finance under Dr Okonjo-Iweala which was accused of not doing enough to find funds for the operations.
“In fact, the ministry, on several occasions, had to call press conferences to provide details of budgetary spending on the military, to show, against the background of limited resources and other urgent national priorities, that it was doing its best on funding security.
“It was about this time that some new Abacha funds of about $322 million were returned with another $700 million still expected to be returned. (This is not to be confused with the Abacha funds returned in 2005-2006 under the Obasanjo government whose use for developmental purposes was monitored by the World Bank as earlier explained by Dr Okonjo-Iweala).
“Former President Jonathan set up a committee comprising the former Minister of Justice, former NSA and the former Minister of Finance to determine how best to use both the returned and expected funds for development.
“The NSA made a case for using the returned funds for urgent security operations since, he noted, there cannot be any development without peace and security. Based on this, a decision was taken to deploy about $322 million for the military operations, while the expected $700 million would be applied for development programmes as originally conceived.
“Following the discussions and based on the urgency of the NSA’s memo, Dr Okonjo-Iweala requested the President to approve the transfer of the requested amount to the NSA’s Office for the specified purposes.
“But, as captured in the memo, she insisted on three conditions: a. only a part, not the entire Abacha funds would be spent on the arms; the rest would be invested in developmental projects as originally conceived b. the money was to be treated as borrowed funds which would be paid back as soon as possible c. the NSA’s office was to account for the spending to the President who was the Commander in Chief, given the fact that the Minister of Finance is not part of the security architecture and does not participate in the Security Council,” the statement read.

N2.1bn Fraud: Dokpesi Pleads Not Guilty To Six-count Charge

Former Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, yesterday, pleaded not guilty to a six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust, as regards an alleged N2.1 billion scam, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.


Dokpesi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, shortly after his arraignment, prayed the court to grant him bail on liberal terms.
The defence counsel, Chief Mike Ozehkome, SAN, urged the court to consider the status of his client and release him on self recognition or “on the most liberal term,” saying the offences against him are ordinarily bailable.
However, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, objected to the court allowing Dokpesi’s lawyer to move the bail application which he said was just served on him yesterday. He would, therefore, need time to study and react to fundamental issues he said were raised by the accused person in the bail application.
Consequently, by consent of the two lawyers, Justice Kolawole, adjourned till today to entertain arguments on whether Dokpesi should be granted bail or not.
In the interim, the court gave the EFCC the permission to detain the accused person in its custody pending determination of his bail request.
The Judge, however, slated February 17, 18 and March 2 and 3, 2016, to begin full-blown hearing on the substantive charge before the court.

Today In Nigerian History: 10th December

Today in 2005, A Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145, from Abuja to Port Harcourt carrying 110 passengers crashed while landing during a storm in the city of Port Harcourt….


Some 107 people were killed including 71 children, and among those killed in the crash were popular Nigerian Pastor, Bimbo Odukoya and over 60 students of the Loyola Jesuit College, a Secondary school based in Abuja.
Following the unfortunate incident, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was president at the time, ordered all Sosoliso planes grounded.
It is 10years already but it seems just like yesterday, when Nigerians had to light candles for departed compatriots.

Naira Slide Continues As Dollar Hits N249 At Parallel Market

The naira on Wednesday continued to depreciate at the parallel market as it exchanged for N249 to the dollar.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the naira lost N1 on Wednesday afternoon to close at N249, as against its previous value of N248.


naira dollar
It, however, appreciated at the official interbank window as it gained N0.03 to close at N196.97.
Traders at the parallel market affirmed that the challenges at the Bureaux de Change, BDCs, continued to have its toll on the parallel market.
NAN reports that the inability of some BDCs to render proper accounts of forex transactions earned about 1,600 of them some sanction from the apex bank.
Meanwhile, the high cost of dollar had been having multiplier effects on most import-based businesses, leading to unhealthy price increases.
Source: NAN

The 5 Types Of Persons You’re MOST Likely To Meet On A Lagos Train

If you are in Lagos and want to take the train though you usually don’t; maybe because you want to boycott traffic jams or just for the experience, we think it is important you know what you would likely face on the train. Here are five (5) types of persons you are most likely to meet on the train…


1. THE HEMP SMOKERS: This group of persons, usually guys, no matter the time of the day you come across them on the train have a perpetual smell of weed (Igbo) on their breathe.

2. THE TROUBLEMAKERS: This set of people are those who believe and maintain that they have a permanent spot on the train. So when they get on the train and find someone sitting or standing there, they don’t waste time to evict the trespasser.

3. THE HAWKERS: Men and women belong to this group. You would see them hawking things like ‘Agbo jedi’, popcorn, sweet, biscuit from coach to coach.

4. THE EXCITED ONES: This group of people gets excited for absolutely no reason. Seriously, these ones can freak you out if you’re not tough. They could just start laughing, shouting, stamping their feet or throwing stuffs like a nut in their head just fells off.

5. THE HANGERS: These ones will never ever buy ticket, they prefer to either hang on the doorway of the train or seat on top of it. You see them, and you just wonder if they have any value whatsoever for their lives.
Now that you know, do not freak out when the hemp breathe of that person standing or sitting near you almost sends you into a asthma attack – just enjoy the ride!!!


#informationnaija

Jonathan Constructed More Roads Than Any Other Nigerian President – Fashola Admits

The minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has given kudos to the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan on road construction.
Former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who is now Nigeria’s Minister for Power, Works and Housing has praised the achievements of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
A Point Blank News report shows that the minister gave the accolades on Tuesday while unveiling his plans as minister at the ministry’s first news conference tagged “Setting the Agenda for Delivering Change”.
Fashola said that Goodluck Jonathan has constructed more roads than any other president ever in Nigeria.
He also acknowledged that the Transformation in the power sector is above 50 % and that he would try to build on it.

We’re not interested in 2019 Igbo presidency -Biafra

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB ha said they are not interested in suggestions being flown by some Northern elders to the effect that Ndigbo would be allowed to clinch the presidential seat in 2019.

Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday,spokesman of the IPOB, Emma Powerful said they are not interested in Nigeria’s affairs any longer..

He said  “If politics of compensation was used to favour Obasanjo in place of June 12 annulment and was also used to favour Buhari in place insurgency, that is their own cup of tea.

But for us in IPOB, we are not interested in that politics of compensation whereby we are being told that an Igboman will become Nigeria’s president in 2019 and we will begin to listen to them”. “All we want or ar e interested in is to release our leader, Kanu and then allow Biafra to be and not Igbo presidency”, he stated.

“Being A Mum Is My Biggest Role In Life” – Nollywood Actress, Dakore Egbuson-Akande Opens Up

Petite Nollywood actress, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, opened up on her career and family life.


Read excerpts below: –
What does being a mum mean to you?
Being a mum is my biggest role in life. It is what gives me the most joy at this time. To be a good role model to them, and it is dear to my heart to leave the world a better place for them.
Have you ever thought of quitting the industry because of marriage?
No, I never thought I would quit the industry because of marriage; I thought I would quit the industry if the mediocrity continues.
What is your view about the issue of official restriction on the number of children per couple?
My take is that people should be realistic about their expectations and be smart about their choices. People should not wait for the government or any organisation to enforce or press that on them. Overall, just be able to cater suf­ficiently for your family.

Photo: Mo’Cheddah Dazzles In Long Gown With Her Boyfriend

Famous petite Nigerian singer, Modupe-Oreoluwa Oyeyemi Ola aka Mo’Cheddah has been showing off her man more frequently recently.


Mo’Cheddah recently attended the ‘Future Awards’ event with her boyfriend Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi.
Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi is the brother of popular BEAT FM OAP Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi.
Ace, as he is popularly called is an Ondo prince with interests in oil, gas, real estate and entertainment.
He also has his eyes on politics.

Statements Like ‘Nigeria is indivisible’ Not Enough To End Agitation For Biafra, Soyinka Says

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has advised the Federal Government to employ more diplomacy if it wants to end the growing agitation for the Republic of Biafra.


Speaking in an interview on Channels Television programme, Channels Books’ Club, Soyinka reminded Nigerians that he had said earlier that Biafra cannot be defeated, lamenting that every time he had said so, he had been misunderstood.
“Once an idea has taken off, you may defeat those behind it in a war but that does not mean the end of the idea.”
He said the attitude of the government should be to sit down with the those leading the renewed agitation and ask: “What can we do to make the Igbo feel part of the country, what can we do to make them to feel that they belong and not alienated.
“This is what we are ready to push for in the overall governance content of the country. It is not to be carrying on that ‘this will not happen under my watch’; ‘Nigeria is indivisible,’ ‘Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable,'” he stated

FG Reveals Real Reason IPOB Leader Kanu Has Remained In Detention

The Federal Government, yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, why it was not in a hurry to release the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, as it claimed that its investigations revealed that Kanu, who is seen as the brain behind recent clamour for the creation of ‘Biafra Republic’, had already received huge sums of money to purchase weapons.


In a counter-affidavit before the court, the FG said that prior to his arrest, Kanu, had already made enquiries about prices of all the weapons he intends to buy. A senior officer with the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr. Ayo Ibitoye, insisted that it would be in the interest of justice, peace and order, to allow the IPOB leader to remain in custody of the security agency.
Kanu, who is also the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, was on October 17, arrested in Lagos by security operatives, shortly after he arrived Nigeria from his base in the United Kingdom.
He was later arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja over allegation that he engaged in criminal conspiracy, managed and belonged to an unlawful society. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on October 19 and was granted bail in the tune of N2 million and a civil servant of Grade Level 16, to stand as his surety.
However, the DSS has failed to release him from detention despite the fact that he had met the bail conditions.
While the matter was pending before the Magistrate court, FG had secured an order from the high court to further detain Kanu for 90 days.
Following an application by Kanu before the high court, seeking to enforcing his fundamental right to freedom, government filed a counter-affidavit, explaining why he will not been released, despite the clear orders of the court.

Why We Reduced MTN’s N1.04trn Fine – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has defended its decision to reduce the N1.04 trn fine on MTN Nigeria to N780 billion, saying it acted in the interest of the stability of the telecom sector.


The NCC said after weighing the pros and cons of the initial fine handed down, it arrived at a decision it considered favourable to all concerned.
According to the Director, Public Affairs of the NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, after considering the operator’s admission of guilt, huge investment in the country, the large subscriber base and Nigeria being its largest market, the decision to arrive at the reduction was not too difficult.
“MTN wrote the commission, acknowledged that there has been an infraction and are now pleading for leniency. In the past we have also had people plead for leniency on their sanctions,” Ojobo said.
“At that time, of course the NCC board has not been constituted, no minister, the authority of the president was required for such a decision to be taken in the absence of the minister, and so the commission had to notify the presidency.
“The stakeholders looked at it with all the pros and cons and reduced the fine by 25 per cent. We are aware and conscious of the level of investment MTN has made in this market; they have the largest number of subscribers, it is also important to know that Nigeria remains their biggest market.
“We have taken all into considerations, and that was what even informed the discussion in the first place. Weighing all of these issues, is why this action has been taken,” Ojobo said.
NCC had fined MTN for failing to disconnect about 5.1 million improperly registered subscribers on its network. This led to a series of restructuring at MTN and reduced investor confidence which sent the company’s shares crashing by 30 percent since October.

Tolling To Be Reintroduced On Federal Roads – Fashola

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, yesterday, said that the Federal Government will reintroduce toll gates where revenue generated can be channelled towards sustaining and maintaining quality federal roads.


In his maiden press conference at the Ministry of Works in Abuja, Fashola also disclosed that the former Ministry of Works owes 206 contractors over N2 trillion for which only N13 billion was released to the Ministry out of the N18.132 billion it budgeted for.
“Maintenance would be our watchword. We are setting up a robust maintenance regime to keep our highways in good shape. This shows that tolling is necessary to support government funding. So, it will not be too much if we ask every road user to pay a little to augment government funding for road maintenance,” Fashola said.
“It is eminent commonsense for us to find that money. We will use technology; so if you don’t pay cash, you will pay by tokens or tickets and the money is accountable and it will go to the right place. We will manage that fund properly and we will hold those who we put there to account.”
The Minister further said that the Ministry will have to focus on states link roads and roads with the heaviest traffic flow before it will continue with some other ongoing projects.
In the housing sector, the minister said that the Federal Government would spend N10 billion to build low income housing estates in each of the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Actress Yvonne Nelson Cries Out For Being Single At 30

Screen diva, Yvonne Nelson who celebrated her 30th birthday some weeks ago says she feels depressed at that age.

She told Sammy Forson and Berla Mundi in an interview on a special edition ofRoute919 on Live 91.9 FM.

‘I’m blessed to be 30 years but I feel depressed. I actually called my mom and said oh my God I am 30 years. As a woman, it was depressing for me,” she said.

Yvonne Nelson participated in the Miss Ghana 2005 Beauty Pageant, she won the Best Talent award, “Miss Photogenic” and two other awards.



With the exposure from the beauty pageant, she won a two-year contract as face of Maxim Cosmetics, and landed a role in the TV series Fortune Island, where her acting career began.

She founded the Yvonne Nelson Glaucoma Foundation in 2010 to help create awareness about the disease. With support from other Ghanaian celebrities, she recorded an all-star charity single, and shot a video to help educate people.

[OPINION] Kogi Elections: What If Another Candidate Dies? By Danladi Danjuma

The ensuing actions following the demise of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi state have once again exposed the urgent need for a comprehensive review of our constitution. A recurring situation of discovering lacunas in our constitution is not good for our young democracy. At this rate, the quick fix approach we always adopt may soon eclipse our hard-earned democracy into extinction.


The major issue at stake in the ongoing Kogi gubernatorial elections has thrown up three possible lines of action for the electoral commission as well as the stakeholders.
Substitution of the candidate by his party. (A line of action that has now been adopted by the INEC and favored by the APC)
Fresh Elections (Favored by Sentiments)
Declare the runner-up as Winner (Favored by Logic, the PDP and other Parties)
A cursory look at each of the above scenarios becomes necessary to appreciate its implication on our democracy.
SUBSTITUTION OF THE CANDIDATE BY THE APC
Proponents of this line of action have argued for its validity on a simple argument; that the votes in an election belong to the party and not the candidate. But that is as far as the argument goes; there is no law in our books to back their position. By precedence, this option amounts to double standards because as recently as July 2015, the APC had to go through fresh by-elections to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Ahmed Zanna- APC senator representing Borno central constituency. Going by this position, shouldn’t they have simply substituted the demised Senator with the first runner-up in the Borno primaries, if the votes belong to a party?
The issue of whether votes are transferable from the dead to the living has been dealt with extensively over the past week. A majority of opinion converges on the absurdity of the inheritance of votes, playing out in Kogi.
“97. Where a political party ceases to exist in accordance with the Constitution and this Act, a person elected on the platform of the political party in an election under this Act shall remain validly elected, complete his tenure and for purposes of identification, be regarded as a member of the political party under which he was elected”. Nigeria Electoral Act, 2010
From the foregoing, it is clear that if a political party ceases to exist or even decides to expel an elected person, the person remains validly elected. This is a logical position derivable from law and it further b*ttresses the fact that a party cannot then transfer the votes accrued by one candidate to another candidate. The same also holds that a candidate cannot transfer his votes from one party to another.
The problem with the position of substituting the candidate is that although it is unfortunate that the candidate died, it will be a miscarriage of justice to change the rules of a game that has already started.
FRESH ELECTIONS
The strength of this proposal is also its weakness. Proponents of this position argue that it seems like a win-win for all stakeholders. But is that really a valid position.
Does this satisfy the interest of the party of the demised candidate? Not necessarily so, considering their candidate was leading before the unfortunate incident. They would rather advocate for the first position of substituting the candidate. But if they had really evaluated the possible outcome of litigations from other stakeholders, they probably should have advocated for “Fresh Elections”. In the light of this, fresh elections favor the APC.
What about the other candidates? From the PDP to APGA, which candidate will this position favor the most? Maybe, it will further improve the chances of some candidates who were not initially considered. But in reality, considering the rigor and the huge expenses associated with elections, most candidates would easily wish this option away.
In all of these, one of the less-considered, yet most-important stakeholders is the Kogi electorate. Does this serve their varying interests? Yet again, maybe, maybe not! The truth is that, while a few people such as party-members and those who trade in electioneering merchandise may benefit from fresh elections, the greater lot is at a disadvantage. The shutdown of governance, the heightened sense of insecurity, and the stoking of ethnic and religious sentiments are realities that citizens have become accustomed to as once-in-four-years. A 100% increase in the probability of this occurrence does not really bode well for them.
The Electoral Commission? With the expected neutrality of the commission, it may be easy to adjudge that they would be indifferent to the possibility of fresh elections. However, with knowledge of the electioneering process and an understanding of the amount of resources required by the commission, a skewed body language in favor of avoiding fresh elections becomes forgivable.
And what about the nation? A thorough introspection on the implication of this position is critical. In a season of perceived economic austerity, what is the economic implication if the fresh elections also turn out inconclusive? If death is an act of God, then it can neither be predicted nor circumvented. So, what if another candidate dies in that process? Shall we also order fresh elections and continue to do so until we are able to eliminate the hand of God? And what if the candidate of another party in an ongoing election, other than the party with the leading votes, dies before the votes are tallied is the position of fresh elections valid? If this position is adopted, its far-reaching implications may see politicians orchestrating the hand of God as part of election strategy.
DECLARE THE RUNNER-UP AS WINNER
Of the three possible positions, this is the most dismissed. The reason is that yet again, it benefits one of the candidates. In the Kogi case, it benefits the candidate of the PDP. And considering that the PDP is the new bad kid on the block, any position that favors her is often less considered and attracts little public sympathy. However, the mere concept of logic argues for the need to rise above sentiments and to legislate for the long term.
The very concept of a runner up is life-imposed. The first runner-up exists in every competition to show how close that contestant came to winning the competition. The logic of the first-runner up is that, in the absence of the first, he or she would have won. The Kogi case follows a fairly similar logic. There was no clear winner in the contest between Prince Audu and Governor Wada and is therefore adjudged a tie. Logic should therefore prevail that in the unfortunate absence of Prince Audu, the contestant who tied with him should be declared winner.
This simple but controversial position is supported by legislation from other climes. In Texas, when there is no clear winner, the candidate that ties with the deceased stands elected.
“If the deceased, withdrawn or ineligible candidate and another candidate tie for the most votes in an election in which a plurality vote is sufficient for election, the other candidate is considered to be elected. If more than one other candidate is tied with the deceased, withdrawn, or ineligible candidate, the winner of the election shall be determined by resolving the tie between the other candidates in the regular manner for resolving a tie vote in the election”. Section 145.005 subsection C. Texas Electoral Acts 2011.
Even in a remote clime like Afghanistan, the rules are much clearer, the race continues with the remaining candidates.
“In case one of the presidential candidates dies during the first or second round of voting or after the election and before the announcement of the election results, new election shall be held among the remaining candidates within a maximum of 30days in accordance with the provisions of this law”. Article 20, section 5, Afghanistan Electoral Acts 3014.
Interestingly, this position is also well supported by a majority of the candidates of other parties that contested the gubernatorial election. This is evident by the varying litigations that have been filed by these parties in support of declaring the runner-up as winner. Albeit far-fetched, their position may stem from the possibility of becoming benefactors if the runner-up also suddenly falls under the “hand of God”. With the reality that the runner up is no longer in his prime, taking a chance with this position may be strategic.
The simplicity of this position is also its flaw. Because of the constitutional lacuna regarding this peculiar situation, many have described the situation as complex and nutty. It is human nature to reject simple solutions to complex situations. This position is the most logical, akin to many sports analogy, and consistent with the expectation from contestants.
Summarily, if we continue to expect election contestants to embody the spirit of fairness and sportsmanship, then we must adopt similar principles in resolving issues like the Kogi debacle. Neither changing the rules of an ongoing game nor restarting a race because one of the contestants suffered a misfortune demonstrates the fair spirit of sport.
Danladi Danjuma is a political analyst who writes in from Abuja

Kim K Has Given Birth To A Baby Boy!!

A rep for Kim K just announced that she has given birth to her son!


“Kim Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West, welcomed the arrival of their son this morning.
“Mother and son are doing well.”
Kim K was due close to Christmas Day, but it’s thought Drs brought her date forward to avoid complications.
Kim-Kardashian (1)
“Kim’s doctors want to get the baby out early because of her medical history,” a source previously told Us Weekly.


North was delivered five weeks early due to medical complications in 2013.
Congratulations to Kim K and Kanye West!

See Shocking Meaning Of The Color Stripes On Bottom Of Toothpaste Tubes

The colored stripe at the bottom of toothpaste tubes conveys a very important message that most people are unaware of.

These different colors are meant to give you an idea of the main ingredients of the toothpaste. What you need to do is to take a close look at the bottom of the tube, where you will find a colored stripe.

Below is a list the color stripes commonly seen at the bottom of toothpaste tubes and what they represent.


However, there are opposing claims that they have nothing to do with the ingredients of the product. So all you have to do to confirm for yourself is to look at the list of ingredients used to produce the product.

Green – All Natural

Blue – Natural + Medicines

Red – Natural + Chemicals

Black – All Chemicals

5 Essential Tools That’ll Help You Survive Harmattan

OK peeps! Its December and as Christmas and Holidays crawl in, you definitely know that Harmattan is coming with the season we all love.


While some people crave the Harmattan season like Ice cream and Sharwama, other simply loathe it. So which ever side of the divide you fall on, here are five ways to beat Harmattan at its game, especially everyone who has to pop into town for one reason or another this period:
Shea b*tterr or ‘Ori’
Shea b*tter or 'Ori'
Since Harmattan is no respecter of persons, the best way to guard your skin against breaking is to apply Shea b*tter or ‘Ori’ (as we call it in Lagos) all over your body, especially your face, neck, hands and legs.


2. Vaseline
Vaseline
If you’re too ‘tush’ for the ‘Ori’ thing or you can’t access it in your area, then you can opt for Vaseline, which I’m sure you can get at your favourite store. It works fine just like Shea b*tter.


3. Lip gloss or Lip balm
lipgloss1
You all are familiar with the lip tearing skills of Harmattan right? If you want to beat Harmattan at this game he’s very good at, using lip gloss is your best bet. Guys who don’t want to look like homos by using the shine shine lip gloss should opt for the ones with not shine shine. There are no rules as to how many times you should apply them, in fact the more the better.


4. Sweater/Jacket
sweater
During the Harmattan season, the weather is usually very cold in the morning, when the sun shows up later in the day, the weather looks confused (you can’t tell, if its hot or cold). The advice to those who jet out of their homes very early in the morning is to is to make sure you they have their sweater or jacket with them always. Even in the sun, don’t e surprised you’ll be needing it. Another quick advice, make sure any sweater or jacket you go for is stylish because you might have to stay in them
all day.



5. Pop Socks or Pantyhose:
popsocks
For my ladies, these always look good on a short gown or skirt, so the Harmattan season is a good time to rock your favourite pop socks or pantyhose as it would shield your legs from the dry harmattan wind and dust.

Now that you know, go ahead and equip yourselves with these Harmattan survival tools and you would be happier for it. Enjoy the season everyone!