Delegates converge on Abuja as national confab begins

Delegates drawn from across the 36 states of the federation on Sunday started arriving in Abuja, for the National Conference scheduled to commence today (Monday).

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, was a beehive of activities as some delegates flew into the Federal Capital Territory amid tight security.

One of our correspondents, who was at the airport, saw eminent Nigerians at the arrival lounge just as others who had armed security escorts, made their way into waiting private vehicles.

The entire airport was heavily guarded as plain-clothes security personnel and a few uniformed men were sighted at strategic locations within and outside the airport.

As is to be expected, taxi drivers were also making brisk business as a result of the increased human and vehicular traffic, which was compounded by civil servants and businessmen who were returning to Abuja after the weekend.

Sanusi to Jonathan: Allegations against me baseless

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, has described the allegations of financial recklessness levelled against him by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria as a malicious and calculated attempt to mislead President Goodluck Jonathan into believing that the management of the bank is guilty of misconduct and recklessness.

In what can be described as his first official response to the allegations, Sanusi, in a letter to Jonathan, said that contrary to the claims by the Presidency that he was asked to respond to issues raised in the FRCN report, he only saw the “Briefing Note” of the council for the first time when it was attached to his suspension letter.

In the letter, sent to the President on March 10, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Sunday, the suspended governor said at no time were the allegations in the report sent to the CBN either by the President or the FRCN for comments or explanations.

He said, “On Wednesday March 10, 2014, I submitted a memorandum to His Excellency, Mr. President, with supporting documentation, effectively addressing all the allegations contained in the FRCN Briefing Note, the letter of suspension and the Akingbola petition.

Respond to charges against you and stop misinforming the public – Presidency tells Sanusi

Find the State House press release below…

We have noted with disappointment, the unrelenting attempt by the  Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to falsely portray his recent suspension from office as an attempt by the Presidency to bury his allegation that huge sums of money due to the Federation Account are unaccounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The Presidency wishes to reaffirm that Mallam Sanusi’s suspension has absolutely nothing to do with his unproven and inconsistent claim that $49.8 Billion, $12 Billion or $20 Billion is missing from the national treasury.

Fake prophet arrested in Lagos (Photos)

A man named Chuks Samson Obasi, who for many months paraded himself as Dr. Chris Okafor, the General Overseer of Mountain of Liberation & Miracle Ministry, (Liberation City) has been arrested.

A man named Chuks Samson Obasi, who for many months paraded himself as Dr. Chris Okafor, the General Overseer of Mountain of Liberation & Miracle Ministry, (Liberation City) has been arrested.

Keshi To Name World Cup Squad Before May 13 Deadline

Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi is to release his provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil before FIFA’s deadline date of May 13th, officials have disclosed.

“The provisional squad for the World Cup will be the squad for the May 28 friendly against Scotland in London and that would mean it will be made public before the May 13 deadline for the submission of provisional squads by World Cup finalists,” an official informed MTNFootball.com.

Nigeria will engage Scotland on May 28 at Craven Cottage- home of Fulham FC- before warm-up matches against Greece and USA on June 3 and 7 respectively.

Missing Malaysian Aircraft ‘Deep Inside The Sea’, Says T.B Joshua… Boko Haram Plot To Bomb SCOAN Fails

As the rest of the world struggles to grapple with the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance mid-air of a Malaysian Airlines flight MH307, Senior Prophet of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations, SCOAN, T.B Joshua has revealed that the plane crash-landed into the sea and is buried deep underneath the waters.

Information Nigeria reports that the Boeing 777 aircraft vanished off the coast of Vietnam two hours after taking off at the Kuala Lumpur airport with 239 souls on board in the early hours of Saturday.

But on Sunday morning during a live service, the highly controversial Prophet said this concerning the missing Malaysian aircraft: “The plane concerned is deep inside the sea. Some of the particles will be seen on the surface of the sea any moment from now.

“May their souls rest in peace. We pray the Lord gives the family and loved ones the strength to bear the loss. Our prayer and love are always with them, the nation of Malaysia and other countries who had passengers on this flight”, he said.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that a plot by members of the Boko Haram sect to bomb the SCOAN headquarters in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos State was unsuccessful as one of the potential bombers confessed purportedly to the act yesterday.

The suspect, who gave his name simply as Mustapha from Adamawa State, confessed that they were five in number but four of them “scattered” away following what he said was “confusion” in their midst.

“We were five in number,” he said. “We dropped at the junction opposite from (sic) the church. There was a man who used to sell something opposite the church here. He is selling sweets, soap and cigarettes. I met the man and asked him to help me keep the bag I was carrying. It contained some instruments – bombs, to destroy people”.

However, Mustapha said the local trader refused to collect the bag. “We decided to sit down and eat before going on our mission here. Our plan was to take souls, to destroy at this Synagogue Church”.

Mustapha recounted a strange incident that took place as they sat down to eat at a restaurant opposite the popular church. “They brought food for us and we were eating. At that place, they had television. We were watching the television and discussing. It was Emmanuel TV – I saw you (T.B. Joshua) preaching to people”.

US Government freezes $458million Sani Abacha cash

The United States government today March 5th said it had ordered a freeze on $458 million in assets hidden in European accounts by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his conspirators.

PM News reports that the Justice Department said the corruption proceeds, stashed away in bank accounts in Britain, France and Jersey, were frozen at Washington’s request with the help of local authorities.

Abacha died in office in 1998, but his surviving relatives still include some of the richest and most influential figures in Nigeria.
According to a civil forfeiture complaint unsealed in the US District Court in Washington, the department wants the recover more than $550 million in connection with the action.
“This is the largest civil forfeiture action to recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption ever brought by the department,” said Mythili Raman, acting assistant attorney general.
“General Abacha was one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, who embezzled billions from the people of Nigeria while millions lived in poverty,” she said.

The Justice Department said the assets frozen — along with additional assets named in the complaint — represent the “proceeds of corruption” during and after the military regime of Abacha, who became president of Nigeria through a military coup on November 17, 1993 and held that office until his death on June 8, 1998.

The complaint alleges that Abacha, his son Mohammed Sani Abacha, their associate Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and others “embezzled, misappropriated and extorted billions from the government of Nigeria and others, then laundered their criminal proceeds through the purchase of bonds backed by the United States using US financial institutions.”

Raman said that the action sends a “clear message” that the United States is “determined and equipped to confiscate the ill-gotten riches of corrupt leaders who drain the resources of their countries.”

2014 Budget Defence: House C’ttee Cautions EFCC Against Politically-Motivated Arrests

Adams Jagaba, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes,  on Wednesday, in Abuja, cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) against politically motivated arrest.

Jagaba (PDP-Kaduna) gave the advice when the EFCC chairman, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde led officials of the commission to the 2014 budget defence before the committee.

“You should not allow yourself to be used for political vendetta”, he said.

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How To Maintain Commitment In Your Marriage

What Is Commitmen
Some people think that it springs from a sense of duty but it takes more than that. Commitment can be likened to the mortar that binds the bricks of a sturdy house. Mortar is made from a combination of ingredients such as sand, cement, and water. Similarly, commitment is formed from a combination of factors such as, trust and friendship. But that bond can equally be weakened, lets find out how.

The Challenges:
Commitment in itself requires a lot of hard work, and self Sacrifice, and readiness to forgo your own preferences so to please your mate. Although some might think that the idea of pleasing the other partner than oneself and giving without asking back is outdated and out of fashion, but if your family happiness is important to you, then the principle of self sacrifice will not be option to you. Marriage also demands a lot of hard work and patience, in some cases even marriage mates who are unselfish do not always acknowledge each other anxieties or value their mates sacrifices. it could be disastrous because when a couple fails to show appreciation for each other, their marriage is bound to cause them tribulation in their flesh than it would otherwise. so in other for your marriage to survive hard times and thrive smoothly, you need to develop a long term view of your relationship. But you might be committed to your relationship and your mate is not, so how can you equally make your mate to be committed to the relationship as well?
How To Strengthen Commitment

1). Make Your Marriage A Priority: we all have priorities, and we all equally have scale of preference, to maintain a healthy family life, your marriage should come second to nothing in your overall scale of preference (you can read the bible book of Philippians 1:10) the bible calls it more important thing. God also values the way husband and wife treat each other. And you gain favor from God when you treat each other with respect. Your mate should come first in anything you do in your life. Try and ask yourself, How much time do I set aside for my mate? Ask yourself again, what specific thing have I done to reassure my mate that we are still good friend.The amount of time you invest in your relationship really matters to your mate because it shows how much committed you are to the relationship.

Jonathan’s National Confab A Sham – Northern Elders

The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Thursday, resolved not to be part of the forthcoming National Conference proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it had been programmed to project the president’s re-election bid.

The elders, who met in Abuja to review the state of the nation, also decried the seeming inability of the Federal Government to tackle the escalating level of terrorism in the North, which they noted, had caused a lot of havoc and dislocation in the region.
Speaking with journalists, NEF Deputy Leader, Dr. Paul Unongo, made it clear that although the North was part of the agitation for a Sovereign National Conference, it became wary of a hidden agenda when the government suddenly opted to organize one with a premeditated agenda that could cause more confusion rather than provide solutions to the nation’s challenges.

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Vacancy At Buckingham Palace: The Queen Needs New Housekeeping Assistant

Buckingham Palace is advertising for a new housekeeping assistant, whose duties include running the royal baths and arranging serving the tea.
The successful applicant for the 14,400 pound ($27,300) a year post will be responsible for “high quality cleaning, presentation and guest care” at the Queen’s official London residence.
Duties include “arranging dry cleaning, care of jewellery, running baths, assisting with dressing if required and arranging the service of tea and breakfast trays”.
The ad on the Royal Household’s website says the new employee will be working in proximity to members of the royal family and so must be able to “maintain confidentiality”.
The job holder is responsible for the upkeep of the carpets, upholstery, antique furnishings, artworks, picture frames, mirrors and silver and brass items

Michelle Obama looks fabulous at 50

The First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, turned 50 last week Friday, and she did not hide her excitement as she took to twitter to announce, “Excited to join Barack in the 50+ club today… check out my @AARP card!”

Obviously, one of the first birthday gifts she received came from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), an open 50+ club.

As expected, the First Lady celebrated her milestone birthday in presidential style at the White House on Saturday night – a day after she clocked 50 – with a star-studded guest list, including Samuel L. Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Magic Johnson.

Meet first female president of the Central African Republic

After years of crisis and political violence, Central Africa Republic began the first phase of its transition to democratic civilian governance by electing Catherine Samba-Panza to act as an interim President.

A study of the political history of the country showed that Samba-Panza is the first female to become the president of the country.

She emerged after former president, François Bozize, was presurised to stepped down by the international community amid violent clashes between Muslim and Christian groups.

Who is Samba-Panza?

The 59-year-old former Bangui mayor was born on June 26, 1954 in Fort Lamy, Chad to a Cameroonian father while her mother was from CAR.

Jonathan stops SSS from quizzing Obasanjo

The Presidency may have put on hold its earlier directive to  the State Security Service  to investigate the weighty allegations contained in the controversial letter  written by  former  president Olusegun Obasanjo to  President Goodluck Jonathan in December last year.

learnt that the Presidency decided to halt the investigation of  the issues raised in the former president’s  letter in order to amicably settle the rift between President Jonathan  and his political benefactor.

It was learnt that notable political leaders in the country were already engrossed in moves to bring the President and Obasanjo together.

It was further gathered that security operatives were directed   to stop the investigation as a result of the ongoing efforts in high political circles to broker a truce between the two political figures.

Elders urge Amaechi to cancel rally in Ogoniland

Elders from four local government areas that make up Ogoni have called on the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to cancel his plan of leading a rally of the All Progressives Congress and the Save Rivers Movement to Bori, Khana Local Government Area on Saturday (today).

The elders, who spoke under the aegis of Concerned Ogoni Elders Forum, made this call on Friday shortly after their meeting to address the political crisis rocking the state.

Amaechi had vowed to lead the rescheduled rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement in Khana after the previous meeting in the area was botched by hoodlums suspected to be militants.

The group maintained that it was necessary for the governor to shelve the idea of holding a rally in any part of Ogoniland in order not to heighten the tension in the area.

We’ll end B’Haram insurgency before April – CDS

The new Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, has given an assurance that the military will bring the Boko Haram insurgency in the country to an end before April this year.

He said that it was mandatory for the military to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency in the next three months in order to prevent a constitutional problem in the polity.

Badeh said that he was optimistic that the war against terrorism was already won.

Badeh gave the assurance while taking over as the new Chief of Defence Staff from his predecessor, Admiral Ola Ibrahim at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja on Monday.

He said that it was not the plan of the current Defence chiefs to go to the Senate to lobby for anything.

The CDS said that it was possible to bring the insurgency in the North East to an end if the military approached its security responsibilities cohesively.

He assured the new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who is expected to coordinate the fight against the insurgents, that it was possible for his work to be concluded in a short time.

He also gave the assurance that the other service chiefs, the Chief of Naval Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Adesola Amosun and Rear Admiral Usman Jubrin would give the requisite support to the Army chief in the prosecution of the campaign to end terrorism in the country.

Gay-Marriage Law: US threatens to sanction Nigeria

Leading western countries piled pressure on the Federal government, yesterday, following President Goodluck Jonathan’s signing of the Same-Sex Prohibition Act 2014. The latest country is the United States of America, whose Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle threatened that the United States will scale down its support for HIV/AIDS and anti-malaria programmes in response to the Federal Government’s position on the gay rights issue.
Member countries of the European Union and Canada have expressed their objection to the law but United States Ambassador to Nigeria said he was worried about “the implications of the anti-same sex marriage law which seems to restrict the fundamental rights of a section of the Nigerian population.”
This came as a former Nigerian Ambassador to US, Dahiru Suleiman, yesterday, described homosexuality and lesbianism as “animalistic and degrading to humanity.”
Also yesterday Christians in the northern part of Nigeria under the aegis of Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 northern states an Abuja, hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for signing into law the anti-gay bill, urging him to ignore criticisms from Western nations, saying all religions in the country are united in their condemnation of same-sex marriage.

Rivers: Hoodlums open fire on pro-Amaechi rally

HOODLUMS suspected to be militants on Sunday invaded the Save Rivers Movement rally in Bori, Khana Local Government Area and unleashed terror on members of the group.

The militants, who wore masks were said to have  shot sporadically mostly at  vehicles parked at the venue of the event by state government officials.

The  Secretary to the State Government, Mr. George Feyii, the Chief of Staff, Government House,  Chief Tony Okocha, and some journalists were among those that  escaped death by a whisker.

Some  however sustained serious bullet injuries during the incident that occurred  barely  a week   after a similar rally was disrupted by operatives of the Rivers State Police Command in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

Okocha was also lucky during the Obio Akpor rally  but a pro-Rotimi Amaechi senator, Magnus Abe, was not as he was shot with rubber bullets by policemen. Abe  is currently in a London hospital receiving treatment.