Global Naija Info

Some of the protesters Activities at the offices of the Lagos State Governor and House of Assembly were on Tuesday paralysed as residents of Otodo-Gbame Community, Eti-Osa Local Government, barricaded the governor’s office in protest over killing and demolition of over 800 structures within the community. The protest was the second after the first held on Monday by the residents, to express their displeasure over the demolition of structures in the over 100 year-old community. Both entrances to the office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the House of Assembly were barricaded. Scores of protesters also barricaded the Mobolaji Johnson Way and governor’s road as they chanted several songs to express the hardship they had been subjected to. This development prompted the policemen attached to the office to shoot at the protesting residents to scare them away from the entrance. Some protesters during the protest “Officials of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) shot in the air

Boko Haram members Boko Haram has killed another senior Nigerian soldier, army sources said on Tuesday. B.U. Umar, a lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of 114 TF battalion of the Nigerian Army was ambushed by 9. 30 am alongside his troops on Tuesday between Bita and Piridang. “His vehicle stepped on an improvised explosive device, but he was not hurt,” a source told PREMIUM TIMES. “He came out to assess the damage on the vehicle and Boko Haram opened fire and killed him in the process.” Eight other soldiers were injured and evacuated to Michika, Adamawa State, for treatment. The soldiers were said to be on their way to Yola in Adamawa State from Bita in Borno State when the incident occurred, sources said. The full casualty from the attack is not yet clear. Mr. Umar, who recently took over the command of the 114 battalion about three weeks ago, was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA. When contacted, the Army spokesperson, Sani Usman,

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg Despite the best efforts of Mark Zuckerberg to downplay Facebook’s role in the election of Donald Trump, the scrutiny of how fake news is spread on the platform has intensified. Buzzfeed News is reporting that “more than dozens” of Facebook employees have created an unofficial task force dedicated to addressing the issue. Buzzfeed quoted one member of that task force, who did not want to be named over fears for their job. “[Mark Zuckerberg] knows, and those of us at the company know, that fake news ran wild on our platform during the entire campaign season,” the source said. Facebook has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment on Buzzfeed’s report. Meanwhile, Google on Monday announced it would do more to prevent fake news sites from making money through advertising. Shortly after, Facebook made explicit a similar restriction on the use of its ad network. Earlier on Monday, Facebook denied claims that a tool to whittle out fake news had

Aminu Gwadabe, President, Association of Bureau de Change Operators in Nigeria Foreign currencies transaction at the Bureau de Change (BDC) segment of the foreign exchange market has been stifled since the clamp down on the operators by security agencies. An investigation on Tuesday in Abuja revealed that activities in the segment were conducted in secret since Monday. This is because most of the operators do not want to sell the foreign currencies at the price fixed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) raided the BDCs in Lagos and Abuja on Wednesday and Thursday and arrested operators selling the currencies above stipulated rates. Usually the rate at the parallel market is determined by demand and supply of the foreign exchange; when demand is higher than supply, the operators hike prices. To regulate the segment, therefore, the CBN recently came out with a policy that allows each

The late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki The late 18th Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, who died on Monday night in Abuja, was laid to rest at the Hubbaren Shehu in Sokoto on Tuesday. The funeral prayer was led by the Chief Imam of the Sultan Bello Jumaat Mosque, Alhaji Usman Bello. The federal government’s delegation to the funeral prayer was led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari. Other members of the delegation included the Ministers of Interior, Defence, FCT and Justice, among others. Also in attendance were the governors of Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu. The prayer was also attended by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II and other traditional rulers. The late Sultan died at the age of 93 after a protracted illness. Late Dasuki, who was appointed as Sultan in 1988, was the first Sultan from the Buhari line of the House of Dan Fodio, the founding father of the Sokoto Cali

Russian president, Vladimir Putin Russia’s Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been accused of taking a bribe to endorse a state takeover. Russia’s main anti-corruption body, the Investigative Committee (SK), said he received a payment of $2m (£1.6m). Mr Ulyukayev is the highest-ranking Russian official held since the 1991 coup attempt in what was then the USSR. The SK said he had “threatened” to create obstacles for Rosneft’s operations when it took a 50% stake in another state oil company, Bashneft. The minister pleaded not guilty to the bribe charge and saw his arrest as “an act of provocation against a state official”, his lawyer said. Advertisement According to SK spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, “Ulyukayev was caught red-handed”, receiving a $2m bribe on 14 November for giving a favourable assessment of the Rosneft deal. Investigators asked the court to place him under house arrest, Interfax reported. Mr Ulyukayev’s deputy Yevgeny Yelin was appointed later on Tuesday as

Buhari and Saraki The Senate, on Tuesday, rejected the entire list of 46 non-career ambassador-nominees forwarded to it for confirmation in October by the Muhammadu Buhari administration. The Senate, however, confirmed the nomination of 47 career ambassadors forwarded to it by the President in July. The rejection of the 46 non-career nominees was based on a report submitted by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Monsurat Sunmonu (APC-Oyo). Sunmonu said the imbalance of nominations observed in the list of career nominees was not corrected by the President in the non-career list. According to her, over 250 petitions were received by the committee from aggrieved Nigerians over the imbalance of nominations in the first list. Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Plateau had no nominees at all and was not addressed by the second list containing names of non-career nominees. “We thought that the issue of non-equitable representation across the 36 states of the federation raised on the l

Fire The Federal Fire Service (FFS) on Tuesday said property worth over N16 billion was lost in 809 fire incidents in Abuja and Lagos from January 2015 to June 2016. A document made available to newsmen in Abuja by the FFS also disclosed that within 18 months property worth N70b was saved, while 29 people lost their lives, and 58 were rescued. The document further said that the incidents involved 79 public and government buildings, 239 private buildings, three educational establishments, nine shops and 61 petrol stations, among others. It said that electrical equipment was responsible for 28 fire incidents; electric sparks were responsible for 119, gas explosion was responsible for five; while high voltage was responsible for five and bomb blast responsible for two of the incidents. The document said that most of the fire outbreaks were as a result of human failing, and therefore, expressed the need for people to be more careful and watchful in this dry season to minimise the ra

Senator Bukola Saraki, Senate President The Senate on Tuesday pledged to engage relevant stakeholders to avert the warning strike being planned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). ASUU had on Monday announced plans to embark on a one-week warning strike over the inability of government to implement agreements reached with it since 2009. The move by the Senate to intervene in the matter followed a motion moved by Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano North) under matters of urgent national importance. The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, urged the chamber to intervene and ensure that the eight -year- agreement was fully implemented. “We must find a way of seeing to the implementation and we will look into the matter quickly. “We will also get the relevant parties to quickly come to the table so that we can find a way of moving forward and report back to us,” he said. While reading the motion, Sen. Jibrin Barau, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary

Nigeria Customs Service The Oyo/Osun Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service on Tuesday said it had arrested a Bullion Van concealed with imported smuggled rice. The command said it also made some seizures which included 30 fairly used vehicles at different locations in the area. The Area Controller, Mr Tolutope Ogunkua, who disclosed this to newsmen, in Ibadan, said that the bullion was intercepted in the Saki axis of Oyo state. He said that the arrests would send a serious signal to recalcitrant saboteurs of the Nigeria economy. Ogunkua said it was worrisome that some Nigerians had remained unrepentant even with the clampdown and the losses they suffered, adding that the command remained unshaken to deal with them. According to him, two persons were apprehended with the bullion van and have since been in the custody and will be charged to court soon. He said that the command had been on the trail of the particular bullion van which usually went with police escorts. Ogunkua

Special Adviser, Communities and Communication (left) and the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami during the press conference to herald Community Day. Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government says it is dedicating this year’s Community Day to aggressively sensitise communities across the state to embark on community policing in order to curb rising insecurity. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Community Policing: A Panacea for Securing our Communities.” Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan at a news conference on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria to usher in this year’s Community Day celebration which would hold on Thursday at the Police College, Ikeja; said the theme was carefully chosen in view of the present security challenges in the nation and Lagos. “This theme is very important to everyone in view of the present security challenges and the need to rally round the state gove

Nigerian students The 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange (IEE) has revealed that 10,674 Nigerians are studying in the U.S. during the 2015/16 academic year. A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday ranked Nigeria as number one in Africa and 14th worldwide as a source of international students in the U.S. The report is published annually by IIE in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The figure, according to the report, is 12.4 per cent higher than previous academic year’s figure of 10,568, the highest number of Nigerians studying in the U.S. since 1986/87 academic year. “Students from Nigeria study primarily at the undergraduate level: 50.8 per cent undergraduate; 35.6 per cent graduate; 11.5 per cent Optional Practical Training; and 2 per cent non-degree programmes or short-term studies. “Interestingly, the top five institutions that have received the most Nigerian students are all locat

Nigerian soldiers A senior Nigerian soldier was on Tuesday killed by the Boko Haram, army. B.U. Umar, a lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of 114 TF battalion of the Nigerian Army was ambushed alongside his troops on Monday morning between Bita and Piridang. “His vehicle stepped on an improvised explosive device, but he was not hurt,”. “He came out to assess the damage on the vehicle and Boko Haram opened fire and killed him in the process.” The soldiers were said to be on their way to Yola in Adamawa State from Bita in Borno State when the incident occurred, sources said. The full casualty from the attack is not yet clear. Mr. Umar, who recently took over the command of the 114 battalion about three weeks ago, was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA. PREMIUM TIMES discloses that When contacted, the Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said he was unaware of Mr. Umar’s death. He said he would seek further confirmation from appropriate authori

Israel Ajao Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday constituted the Board of the Neighbourhood Safety Agency, in line with his quest to further strengthen the security of the State and safeguard its local communities. Consequently, the governor approved the appointment of DIG Israel Ajao (Rtd), a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Ogun and DIG Criminal Investigation, as Chairman of the Board. In a statement signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, the governor also named Mr. Gboyega Bajulaiye as the Executive Secretary of the Board. Other members of the Board include representative Of the State Commissioner Of Police, Suleiman Lewi (CSP); Chairman Lagos Task Force, Yinka Egbeyemi (SP); a representative of the Department of State Security Service (DSS); Executive Security, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr. Razaq Balogun; Community Representatives of Epe Division, Dengel Anifowoshe; Ikeja Division, Chief Tunde Ab

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has confirmed the death of three persons in a land dispute involving Onweonweya and Mkpumekweoku communities in Izzi Local Government Area of the state. The governor gave the confirmation on Tuesday in Abakaliki when he visited the communities. According to the governor, the loss of lives and the magnitude of property destroyed in the communities, indicated that the perpetrators of the clash were hired. “We have not witnessed this scale of violence since assuming office and it heightened our belief that mercenaries were hired to unleash mayhem on the people. “The discovery of one of the dead dressed in camouflage lends credence to this belief and it is not in Ebonyi tradition for a citizen to take the life of another,” he said. The governor, however, commended government officials who ensured that the situation was brought under control, adding that a Development Centre Management Committee member implicate

Charly-boy- led -protest Charles Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy has led scores of Nigerians to block the main gate of the country’s lawmaking institution, the National Assembly, seeking an end to corruption. The protesters, Tuesday, erected five tents in front of the Assembly’s gate and stationed a van, preventing movement to and from the Assembly complex. Their demands include the death penalty as punishment for stealing public funds; a slash of salaries of political office holders by 70 per cent; a stop of state / local government joint account; and public disclosure of details of National Assembly’s multi-billion naira budget. The protesters – members of the “Occupy Unlimited,” described as a civil society group that advocates good governance and corruption free society – also want the National Assembly to review the constitution towards amending the clause that grants immunity to the president, vice-president, governors, and the deputy-governors. They want the law amend

Fidelity-Bank A student of Metallurgical Engineering Department of Institute of Technology, Kwara Polytechnic, Mr. Seteolu Olakunle, has won N500,000 under Fidelity Bank Entrepreneur Saving Scheme. Presenting the winner to the polytechnic’s principal officers on Tuesday, the Branch Manager of the bank, Mr. Funmi Jimoh, said the scheme was aimed at supporting students’ academic career. He added that the scheme was to enhance and motivate savings culture. The manager said the student’s victory was the beginning of good working relationship between the polytechnic and Fidelity Bank. Jimoh said the winner qualified due to a sufficient amount saved. The Rector of the polytechnic, Alhaji Mas`ud Elelu, advised the winner to use the fund towards establishing himself, stating that it was enough to start a business. Elelu stressed that the essence of the draw was for the winner to become self-reliant, to create more jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the State. Olakunle expresse

Video calling Android 2 With excitement, WhatsApp is announcing its latest feature – WhatsApp video calling. In the next couple of days, the instant messaging app’s over one billion users will be able to make video calls across iOS, Windows and Android platforms. According to WhatsApp, “We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough. There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad. And we want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks.” “Over the years we’ve received many requests from our users for video calling, and we’re excited to finally offer this feature to the world. Thank you for using WhatsApp and we promise to keep working hard every day to improve the service.” WhatsApp’s goal has always been to help as many people as possi

United-Nations Lam Tungwar, Information Minister for Northern Liech State, South Sudan, on Tuesday confirmed that 21 humanitarian workers were abducted by gunmen over the weekend. Tungwar said in Juba that youths allied to opposition leader Riek Machar overrun the town of Nhialdiu on Sunday and abducted the aid workers who were residing in a UN compound. He said that the abductees included one Kenyan national while the rest were South Sudanese working for different aid agencies. “It was a surprise attack on Sunday where they overrun the town and looted property. “Twenty one humanitarian workers residing in the UN OCHA compound were taken away. “The government is trying its best to rescue them.” He added that the gunmen also attacked the town of Koch, looting homes and burning over 40 huts. The northern region of South Sudan has exchanged hands several times between government troops led by President Salva Kiir and opposition forces loyal to Machar during civil war that broke

Sokoto-assembly The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Tuesday adjourned it sitting for one week to mourn the death of late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki. This followed a motion moved by the Assembly leader, Alhaji Garba Bello (APC-Yabo), and seconded by Alhaji Mode Sanyinna (APC- Tambuwal East). Briefing Newsmen after the sitting, the leader said that the Assembly had adjourned to mourn the loss. “We have to adjourn in order to attend the condolences and receive people that come to condole for the demise of our great personality. “The personality lost is a person of international repute. His reputation did not end at being a Sultan of Sokoto alone; but beyond, as his contributions to the success of Sokoto, Nigeria and Muslim World cannot be under estimated. “In fact, he did a lot during his tenure as Sultan, as we all witnessed how generous such a person was and how much efforts he made especially in building bridges among Muslim and non-Muslim faithful,’’ he said. On the issue of the

Broken marriage rr An Ilorin Area Court on Tuesday dissolved a 20-year-old marriage between one Rukayat Abdullahi and Abdullahi Mohammed for lack of children. Rukayat, a resident of Okinni in Osogbo, had sought for dissolution of the union to enable her try her luck elsewhere. The petitioner said her husband had, after their wedding, married two wives, who she said bore children for him. She told the court that she had wanted to seek the divorce some time ago, but that her husband opposed the move. The respondent was, however, absent in court. In his judgment, the Presiding Judge, Mr AbdulQuadir Ibrahim, pronounced the marriage dissolved. He, however, ordered the petitioner to observe three months Iddah (Islamic period of waiting before re-marrying).

Arthur-Egbunam A Customary Court sitting in Awka on Tuesday ordered Arthur Egbunam, a former Rangers International FC player to pay N408,334, allegedly owed as rent to his landlord, Mr Godwin Ezeemo. Ezeemo, a former governorship candidate on the platform of the Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA), had instituted the suit against Egbunam to demand payment of 14 months rent from June 2015 to July 2016. Ezeemo, represented by his counsel, Mr Obi Ibeh, told the court that Egbunam defaulted in the payment of the rent on the property owed by his client located behind Government House Awka. Ibeh said that Ezeemo had given him Power of Attorney over the property and tendered the documents before the court. He said that the respondent was duly served the summons to appear in court but failed to defend the suit or seek legal representation. “The respondent was duly served through the court bailiff but decided not to defend his case. “He has defaulted in paying my client the sum of N408

tailor Some tailors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Tuesday, decried low patronage, as yuletide season approaches. Some of the tailors, attributed the poor patronage to the current economic recession that had affected the prices of goods and services. A few others too attributed it to the new preference for ready made clothes, as against the ones sewn by local tailors. Umar Mohammed, a tailor at the Garki ultra modern market, said the patronage was lower that of the previous years, when customers would flood his shop, months before the Christmas and new year celebrations. “The increase in the value of dollar as against the naira has also affected us because in the past, my customers from Kaduna, Jos and other places, would have brought their clothes earlier to avoid disappointment. “But as you can see, Christmas is less than six weeks and we have just a few clothes to sew,’’ he said. Mohammed, however, expressed optimism that some of his customers would bring their

NUPENG The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers says it will not support the sale of NNPC’s assets without proper consultation with labour unions in the petroleum sector. Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of the union, made the declaration on Tuesday in Lagos. NAN reports that oil workers had on Nov. 13 declared that they would reject any attempt by the Federal Government to sell some of its stakes in the NNPC. The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources released a draft policy document on the reform of the oil sector on Nov. 10, which proposed the sale of some of its stake in the national oil firm. According to Korodo, there is no way the unions will open their eyes and allow these assets to be sold without proper consultation. “NUPENG says no to sale of NNPC assets, we are against any sale of the nation’s assets because there is no justification for it. “They are planning to sell them to their cronies like they did in power sector. “We cannot cont

IDPs Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Gombe State, have commended the Federal Government for the ongoing distribution of relief materials to IDPs camps in the state. The materials consisted of food and non-food items. The state chairman of IDPs, Malam Abba Jatau-Damboa made the commendation on Tuesday in Gombe. The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan on behalf of the Federal Government presented the items for distribution to the IDPs last week. The items consisted of 1, 200 bags of 50 kg rice, 600 bags of maize, 600 bags of millet, 600 bags of guinea corn, 600 bags of beans, 400 jerry cans of vegetable and palm oil, 500 cartons of indomie noodles among others. Jatau-Damboa, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the gesture, noted that the items came at the right time when the IDPs were in need of them. One of the beneficiaries, Ali Hassan, told NAN that 21 households were given 20 litres of vegetable oil and some palm oil. He added that eight househo

Books displayed at LABAF 2016 At the end of a four-day fun-filled “fiesta of Ideas and Life”, the 18th edition of the Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF adjourned to next year, which would be its 19th edition and focusing on the theme: “Eruptions: Global Fractures and Collective Humanism.” The 2017 will hold November 9-12 at its traditional home, Freedom Park, Lagos. Toyin Akinosho, Secretary General of CORA, while unveiling the theme said the 2017 festival would be dedicated to the Poet laureate, Professor Niyi Osundare, who he described as “true national and cultural icon.” He said Osundare has influenced generation of younger poets and writers, helping them to find their voice and developing their own styles. The just ended 18th edition was dedicated to the dramatist, Professor Femi Osofisan, who, as designated Festival Special Guest of Honour, was present and made interventions to discussions during the various sessions. Programme chairman of CORA, and Curator of the festi

Martins-Uzoukwu The Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese, Martins Uzoukwu on Tuesday extolled the qualities of late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki, describing him as a very good man of peace and unity. Uzoukwu said in a tribute to the deceased, that Dasuki’s death was a monumental loss to Nigeria. The bishop said in Minna that the former Sultan would be missed greatly “especially now that Nigeria needs to pave a new way in legacy, reconciliation and rehabilitation.” Uzoukwu noted that late Dasuki had promoted unity and mutual coexistence among Nigerians of all religions, a virtue which current Nigeria leaders should emulate. “Nigeria will be a better place to live, if we can judiciously utilise the abundant God-given resources across the country,” he said.

Ex-president-Mohammed-Morsi A report from Cairo said an Egyptian court on Tuesday cancelled the death sentence conviction against ousted President Mohamed Morsi and ordered retrial in the jailbreak case. It said the court ordered that the cases be looked at by another bench, citing flaws in the investigations. The report noted that the court said Morsi would be given a new trial alongside five other leaders of his now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group, whose death sentences in the same case were also quashed. In June 2013, controversial Judge Nagy Shehata handed the defendants death sentences. Last month, a court upheld a 20-year jail sentence for Morsi over the killing of protesters in December 2012. It was the first final verdict against Morsi. Morsi was sentenced to death in June last year in connection with a mass jail break during the country’s 2011 uprising. The first President to be democratically elected after the 2011 revolt, Morsi was overthrown in a coup led by now Pr

child-with-tribal-marks Residents of Ilorin on Tuesday expressed mixed feelings on tribal marks as a way of preserving culture. Some of them said it was dehumanising as it inflicts physical and emotional pain while others think it helps sustain culture. The respondents were reacting to a picture that went viral on the internet on Monday of a young boy who was given tribal marks running from the head down to the cheeks. Mrs Aisha Abubakar, a resident of Ilorin, said though she was an advocate of culture preservation, inflicting pain and injury on children in the present age was not good enough. “Although, our culture is our pride and must be guarded jealously, there are several ways that our culture can be preserved ranging from language, dressing, hairdo and other things. ”But looking at the picture in question, one will pity the boy and imagine the pain he was put through. “Then if pain subsides and he grows up, let’s look at the emotional torture he will go through among his

oscar-pistorius South African Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has been moved to a prison better suited to his rehabilitation while serving a six-year jail term for murdering his girlfriend. A prison service spokesman said on Tuesday in Pretoria that Pistorius has been relocated to the Atteridgeville correctional centre, on the outskirts of Pretoria, from the nearby Kgosi Mampuru remand centre. Manelisi Wolela, Department for Correctional Services Spokesman, said the issue is about access to rehabilitation programmes. He said this is because a remand detention facility has no rehabilitation programme, because everyone there is assumed innocent and therefore cannot be subjected to rehabilitation programmes. The athlete, known as the Blade Runner for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, was treated for wrist injuries in August but prison services said he denied trying to kill himself. Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison in July after being found guilty of murdering hi

Google The Google Sub-Saharan Africa on Tuesday expressed its determination to educate policymakers on values associated with the enactment of friendly policies for online business activities. Ms Bunmi Banjo, the Head, Digital Education, Google Sub-Saharan Africa, made the disclosure in Lagos. Banjo said that educating policymakers and users on online activities was key for online businesses in the country to flourish. “Digital business, e-commerce is not a space that policymakers understand. “One thing Google tends to focus on is educating officials of the benefit of an open web in the country and people connecting online. “If there is good understanding of the web, there will be better policies that will lead to better businesses. “There is need for internet friendly policies that will actually make it easier for people to do business online and take advantage of opportunities that exist there. “People should understand that the risks of online does not outweigh the benefit

chidinma-okeke 20 year old beauty Queen, Chidinma Okeke who has been going through a lot from her blackmailers lately as a result of her escapades, has revealed hidden truths about her sextape and blackmail. In an interview with The Nation, Chidinma said: “Early last year, the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) advertised for the Miss Anambra beauty pageant. I heard of it and went to make enquiry. “My roommate was also interested, but one of the organisers told me to apply. I told them I was not interested but the man insisted that I might win the competition. He also promised to give me the form for free if I indicated interest, and he did when I agreed to contest. “But one Jane told me that before a winner would be declared, there were certain things to be done, including the (sex) video. I consented after some persuasion from the organisers. I later went for the contest at the Marble Arch Hotels in Awka, and I was declared winner with a Kia Rio vehicle as star prize. “When I

PDP-logo Mr Adeniyi Akindele, a former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, has resigned his membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Akindele made this disclosure at a news conference in Akure on Tuesday. He told newsmen that he had tendered his letter of resignation to the PDP chairman in Ayetoro Ward III and the state chairman of the party respectively. “I want to use this medium to thank the entire members of the party in my Local Government for their cooperation with me during my membership of the party. “Since I have been in this party in 2015, it has been one problem or the other due to lack of oneness and cohesion. “The latest development in the party is worrisome; less than 15 days to the election, one cannot say where the pendulum of victory will swing. “In view of this development, I take my exit from the party and very soon you will know where I am going; may God help all of us,” he said. Akindele was a member of the state House of Assembly twice

Late Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki A Senior Counselor in the Sultanate Council of Sokoto, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba, on Tuesday described the late 18th Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, as a pious and committed leader. Danbaba, who is also the Magajin Garin Sokoto, was reacting to the death of Dasuki on Monday night at an Abuja hospital at the age of 93 after a protracted illness. According to Danbaba, ”The late Dasuki was a peace lover and a peace maker in Nigeria and beyond. ”He had worked meritoriously to ensure national development and cohesion. His death is a great loss not only to his family, Sokoto State, but Nigeria as a whole.” In his reaction, the former Governor of Sokoto State, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko (APC-Sokoto), described Dasuki as, ”a gentleman who lived a life of total service to humanity. ”He was a man of God and a man of Peace,” Wamakko, who represents Sokoto Central Senatorial District, added. Another Senior Counselor in the Sultanate and Galadiman Gari, Alhaji Aliyu

chidinma-okeke 20 year old beauty Queen, Chidinma Okeke who has been going through a lot from her blackmailers lately as a result of her escapades, has revealed hidden truths about her sextape and blackmail. In an interview with The Nation, Chidinma said: “Early last year, the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) advertised for the Miss Anambra beauty pageant. I heard of it and went to make enquiry. “My roommate was also interested, but one of the organisers told me to apply. I told them I was not interested but the man insisted that I might win the competition. He also promised to give me the form for free if I indicated interest, and he did when I agreed to contest. “But one Jane told me that before a winner would be declared, there were certain things to be done, including the (sex) video. I consented after some persuasion from the organisers. I later went for the contest at the Marble Arch Hotels in Awka, and I was declared winner with a Kia Rio vehicle as star prize. “When I

Oritsefemi Nigerian entertainer Oritsefemi who was involved in a club Quilox fight, where he allegedly stabbed a bouncer over the weekend has come out on his Instagram page to express his regrets and to plead for forgiveness. Read post below: “Hello my lovely fans, I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear from me directly. Let me start by saying I’m sorry for disappointing you all. I have never been involved in any altercation before now. I love peace and I would never hurt anyone knowingly. Things got out of hands and I reacted badly, it was a mistake, and I take the blame. I’m human and at that moment I acted unruly. “I want to thank you all for your support over the years and I understand if you are angry with me, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you to those that have reached out to me. Oritsefemi-in-hospital-bed “There is no ‘Oritsefemi’ without you my lovely fans. This will never happen again. Lessons learnt. I will continue to give you good music that I am know

Oritsefemi Nigerian entertainer Oritsefemi who was involved in a club Quilox fight, where he allegedly stabbed a bouncer over the weekend has come out on his Instagram page to express his regrets and to plead for forgiveness. Read post below: “Hello my lovely fans, I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear from me directly. Let me start by saying I’m sorry for disappointing you all. I have never been involved in any altercation before now. I love peace and I would never hurt anyone knowingly. Things got out of hands and I reacted badly, it was a mistake, and I take the blame. I’m human and at that moment I acted unruly. “I want to thank you all for your support over the years and I understand if you are angry with me, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you to those that have reached out to me. Oritsefemi-in-hospital-bed “There is no ‘Oritsefemi’ without you my lovely fans. This will never happen again. Lessons learnt. I will continue to give you good music that I am know

John Ugbe, Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria Contrary to widespread expectations of Nigerian subscribers of DStv and GOtv, the management of Multichoice Limited, has failed them again as the pay TV slashed the monthly fees of its bouquets in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Botswana- neglecting Nigeria, its biggest market. MultiChoice announced that it would be lowering monthly DStv subscription fees from November 1, this year, in several African countries where DStv prices were out of line with subscribers and that they would be adding a temporary Harry Potter pop-up channel from M-Net. DStv will also add several TV channels to lower-tiered bouquets in several African countries and make more soccer viewing available on SuperSport channels given to its lower-tiered offerings, to boost the content offering for cheaper DStv packages and to add content value. Several countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Botswana are to benefit from this consideration– bu

President Buhari savouring the Moroccan hospitality President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Marrakech, Morocco, to participate in the ongoing 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), tagged, COP-22. This information is contained in the President’s twitter handle. President Buhari, who left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Monday, arrived the Marrakesh Menara Airport in Morocco, some hours later. While in Marrakech, the President would participate in the official opening of the plenary of the conference on Nov. 15 where he would deliver his national statement during the High Level Segment of COP 22. A statement earlier issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said President Buhari would be presenting Presidential address at the conference. Buhari on arrival in Morocco The address, according to the statement, is expected to highlight, among other key i