Global Naija Info

President Muhammadu Buhari: mocked by UK newspaper President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Muslims to use the holy month of Ramadan as a great opportunity for seeking forgiveness and getting closer to Allah through Worship (Ibadah) and good deeds during this period. In his message to mark the beginning of the 30 days fasting period, the President, speaking through his Special Media Assistant, Malam Garba Shehu, said the month of Ramadan is a time of spiritual reawakening which demands not only abstention from food and drinks, but also all wrongdoing in their lives. The President explained that he is always disturbed why people seek to make brisk profits by hiking food prices as soon as the month of Ramadan starts. He called on Muslim traders, businessmen and women, civil servants and political office holders to use the month of Ramadan to seek forgiveness of God by abandoning wrong practices for personal gains at the expense of others. According to the President, a religion should

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III has directed the Muslim Ummah to commence the Ramadan fast on June 6. The directive was on Sunday given by the Sultan  in Sokoto sequel to the sighting of the new moon of Ramadan, 1437 AH. The Sultan stated that the new moon was sighted in various states of the federation. According to him, the sighting of the new Moon had been duly verified by the National Moon Sighting Committee, and that of Sokoto. In his words, Abubakar said, ”Today, 29th Day of Shaaban, 1437 AH, equivalent to June 5, 2016, therefore marks the end of Shaaban. ”Therefore, tomorrow, June 6, 2016, is equivalent to the 1st of Ramadan,1437 AH.” he added. The Sultan appealed to Nigerians to intensify their acts of worship during the month-long fasting. Abubakar further called on the Muslim Ummah to fervently pray for the nation’s leaders to succeed, at all levels. He also urged the Muslim Ummah to pray for sustained pe

Buhari: Leaves for UK on Monday for medical check up President Muhammadu Buhari will take ten days off and travel to London on Monday, June 6, 2016, to rest, media adviser Femi Adesina said in a statement. During the holiday, President Buhari will see an E.N.T Specialist for what was described as a ” persistent ear infection”. According to Adesina, the President was examined by his Personal Physician and an E.N.T Specialist in Abuja, and was treated. Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution. News reports in recent days said the ear infection, said to be painful kept the president away from several official functions: the state visit to Lagos, the launch of UNEP clean up of Ogoni land and the ECOWAS summit in Senegal. He was represented at all these occasions by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

Oluranti Adebule, Lagos State Deputy Governor Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has urged Muslims to pray fervently for the country to overcome its current challenges as they observe the holy month of Ramadan. He made the call at a pre-Ramadan lecture held in Ikeja on Sunday. Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, said Ramadan was a period of sober reflection which offered Muslims ample opportunity to be united and pursue a common cause. He said peaceful coexistence of Nigerians was a pre-requisite to any step the country might want to take to tackle all the socio-economic challenges presently facing it. Ambode congratulated Muslims and urged them to imbibe the lessons inherent in the blessed month. He charged Muslims in the state to continue to live peacefully with other non-Muslim residents as mandated by the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. ‎The governor explained that Ramadan was about piety and frequent remembrance of Allah, where the rich and the

His Royal Majesty Eze Njemanze President Muhammadu Buhari has paid a glowing tribute to the late Owerri monarch, Eze Emmanuel Emenyonu Njemanze, describing him as a monarch of candor and character, qualities that are rare today. In a condolence message, made available to the media in Abuja by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, the President said that Eze Emmanuel Njemanze was an outspoken traditional ruler who was not afraid of telling truth to power despite the risks involved, especially when it concerned matters of public interests and the wellbeing of ordinary people. ”As an outstanding pharmacist with a public service career that flourished till he ascended the throne of his ancestors in 1989, Eze Njemanze knew the appropriate use of power and the meaning of public office. This was why he did not hesitate to condemn the abuse of public trust and highhandedness by political office holders whether during the military or the civilian administration whene

Kano Pillars Football Club on Sunday beat visiting Plateau United FC 1-0 in a Week 19 match of the 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). In the match played at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, the first half play was entertaining and lively but with both sides wasting many goal-scoring chances. Kano Pillars’ Midfielder, Ifeanyi Mathew, however, scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute through a penalty kick. Several efforts by the visitors to equalise were abortive, as Kano Pillars defended tenaciously. After the game, Pillars’ Assistant Coach, Ahmed Garba, commended his players “for their brilliant performance.” Garba said: “I am pleased with the performance of the boys in general and I also commend Plateau United players for their performance.” However, Plateau United Coach, Zakari Baraje, said he was not satisfied with the officiating, particularly the penalty awarded to Kano Pillars.

One of Nigeria’s oldest newspapers, Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN), incorporated in 1925 has clocked 90 years, the owners, Folio Communications Ltd., announced on Sunday. Folio Communications, a holding company and owners of Daily Times and six other titles, said in a statement in Lagos that the celebration would go beyond the niche, newspaper. It noted that DTN was the the nation’s flagship in news, media human capital development and professional path driver. The company said that the 90th anniversary was an exciting milestone in Nigeria’s media history as the activities for the celebration had been scheduled to last between June and July 2016. It said that the Chairman, Folio Communications Ltd, Mr Fidelis Anosike, contrary to opinions, noted that the anniversary remained the celebration of Nigeria’s media industry. The statement explained that the anniversary would be used to re-evaluate the contributions of Nigerian media practitioners to nation building and galvanisation of th

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Sunday in Maiduguri alerted Borno residents that kerosene mixed with petrol is currently in circulation in the state. Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, Borno NSCDC Commandant disclosed this in an interview. The commandant said that some patriotic citizens alerted the command on the circulation of the adulterated commodity. “We have been receiving distress calls from the public. “A man from Maduganari reported that his house was almost gutted by fire because he used adulterated kerosene. “We are surprised how they mixed kerosene and petrol, we don’t know whether it is another ploy by Boko Haram to cause havoc,’’ he said. He said the command would leave no stone unturned to apprehend whoever was responsible for the act, and urged the public to report any form of nefarious activities to the law enforcement agencies.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) on Sunday condemned the killing of Mrs Bridget Agbahime, a market woman by a mob in Kano over religious argument, describing it as most unfortunate. The condemnation is contained in a statement issued by the group’s Secretary General, Dr Khalid Aliyu in Kaduna. Aliyu stated that “this ugly incident perpetrated by miscreants and criminals utterly stand condemned and regarded as criminal and unislamic. “The unfortunate incident was reported to have happened in Wambai Area of Kano, Kano State. “It is hardly believable that such dastardly act could happen in the name of religion, considering the various enlightenment programmes on interfaith and mutual co-existence being put in place by Muslim scholars and the leadership. “We, however, commend the various efforts of the Kano State Government and the Ulama in nipping the unfortunate crisis in the bud, which will have escalated. “We commiserate with Mr Agbahime of D

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) on Sunday condemned the killing of Mrs Bridget Agbahime, a market woman by a mob in Kano over religious argument, describing it as most unfortunate. The condemnation is contained in a statement issued by the group’s Secretary General, Dr Khalid Aliyu in Kaduna. Aliyu stated that “this ugly incident perpetrated by miscreants and criminals utterly stand condemned and regarded as criminal and unislamic. “The unfortunate incident was reported to have happened in Wambai Area of Kano, Kano State. “It is hardly believable that such dastardly act could happen in the name of religion, considering the various enlightenment programmes on interfaith and mutual co-existence being put in place by Muslim scholars and the leadership. “We, however, commend the various efforts of the Kano State Government and the Ulama in nipping the unfortunate crisis in the bud, which will have escalated. “We commiserate with Mr Agbahime of D

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has “welcomed publication of the list of recovered funds by the Federal Government as a positive development towards entrenching a culture of transparency and accountability in government.” The organization however asked the government to “publish the names of high-ranking public officials from whom the public funds were recovered, and spend recovered funds in a transparent and accountable manner so as to remove opportunities for re-looting recovered loot.” In a statement on Sunday by SERAP Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni the organization said: “The recovered funds must be spent to directly benefit Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations particularly to improve their access to quality education, healthcare including for children, women and the elderly, and regular and uninterrupted electricity supply. It will be a double jeopardy for victims of corruption if recovered funds are re-loot

Eni, the parent company of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), said the oil firm’s production had been cut short by 65,000 barrels per day following Friday’s attack on its pipeline in Bayelsa. Earlier attacks in the oilfield on May 18 and 24 resulted in shutdown of some 5,200 barrels of Eni’s equity share of oil output. A spokesperson for Eni confirmed the development in a short e-mail response on Sunday. “The total deferred production due to the attack is 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily “I can confirm that. There is no further impact on production, since all production from the swamp area has already been stopped days ago,” the e-mail from Eni’s Media Relations Unit said. According to crude production figures provided by the oil firm, the country is losing about 3.12 million dollars in revenue each day the NAOC operated facility remains out of production. Also, Mr Shola Omole, the spokesman for Aiteo, operator of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line which came under attack by Niger D

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III Nigerian Christian clerics felicitate with Muslims and stressed the need for prayers for peace and stability in the country, as Muslims the world over get set to observe Ramadan fast. Pastor Yohanna Buru, the President, Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria, made the call on Sunday in Kaduna when team of clerics from Kaduna visited Malam Abdulrahman Bichi, a Muslim scholar to donate foodstuff for Ramadan. Ramadan is one of the pillars upon which Islam is built, whereby Muslims are called upon by Almighty Allah to observe 29 or 30 days of fasting. It is stipulated in chapter 2 verse 183 of the Holy Qurán thus: “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.’’ Buru said that the clerics’ visit was to present their contribution to the Muslim community as they prepare to observe the fasting month. He then urged Muslims to redouble their effor

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State Mrs Bola Oshin, 53, the Director of Information in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, has been declared missing by her family. A family aide, Mr Paul Awode, revealed on Sunday in Ijebu-Ode that Oshin, alongside her teenage daughter went missing since Thursday in Ijebu-Ode. Oshin was allegedly kidnapped around 6 p.m. at Molipa Area, Ijebu-Ode in her black Kia Sorento jeep with registration number Ogun JGB 456 AA. The aide said the kidnappers had made contact with the family, demanding N150 million ransom. Dr Tokunbo Oshin, the husband and father of the abducted persons, who was worried about the condition his wife and daughter were in, declined to speak on the matter. Oshin’s jeep was said to have been recovered after it was abandoned at Idowa area in Ijebu-Ode on the same day. The family aide added that the police had since been informed about the incident and they were investigating the case to determine the Oshins’ whereabouts

The attorneys conducting the internal investigation into wrongdoing at FIFA, Quinn Emanuel, have released information regarding details of contracts and compensation for a small group of former FIFA officials. “The evidence appears to reveal a coordinated effort by three former top officials of FIFA to enrich themselves through annual salary increases, World Cup bonuses and other incentives totalling more than CHF 79 million – in just the last five years,’’ said Bill Burck, a partner with Quinn Emanuel. The compensation was awarded to former FIFA President Joseph Blatter, former Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, and former Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner, who also served as FIFA’s Chief Financial Officer. The investigation has revealed evidence of breaches of fiduciary duty. It also raises questions about the role of FIFA’s Compensation Sub-Committee. It is clear that the preliminary findings indicate that the payments and contracts warrant considerable further investigation

Novak Djokovic celebrates victory over Andy Murray to win first French Open World number one Novak Djokovic beat Britain’s Andy Murray to win his first French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam. The Serb, 29, won 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to win his 12th major title and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at once. Murray had hoped to secure the third leg of his own career Slam, having already won Wimbledon and the US Open. The Scot, 29, was Britain’s first male finalist in Paris since 1937. Second seed Murray played superbly to win the first set but could not convert a break point early in the second, and Djokovic took control to win in three hours. He becomes only the eighth man in history to have won all four of the sport’s major singles prizes – and could yet match Laver’s achievement of winning all four in a calendar year.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State recently paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammed Iliyasu Bashar, Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammed Mera and visited FADAMA project in Kebbi State Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with his Kebbi State counterpart, Governor Atiku Bagudu; Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu Bashar and Senator representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District, Sen. Adamu Aliero during Ambode’s courtesy visit to the Emir’s Palace in Kebbi State on Saturday, June 4, 2016. R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, presenting the Lagos State plaque to the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammed Mera while Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, watches during Governor Ambode’s courtesy visit to the Emir’s Palace in Kebbi State on Saturday, June 4, 2016. R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, receiving a gift from the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammed Mera during his visit to the Emir’s Palac