Global Naija Info

Nigerian Army logo The Nigerian Army School of Medical Sciences on Saturday in Lagos held its maiden marathon for children in the barracks, aimed at addressing misconceptions about such children. Brig. -Gen. Solomon David, the school’s commandant, said that the initiative was in conjunction with MummyMay, a Non Governmental Organisation, to let people know that something good could come out of the barracks. “We hear of barracks children are bad, but we also want to show that the best things can come out of the barracks. “It may interest all of us to know that I am also a barracks child and it is an example to let you know that something good could come out of the barracks. “The Chief of Army staff (COAS), Lt. -Gen. Tukur Buratai, we all know, has a vision for us all, which is to be professionally responsive, militarily and medically. He said the COAS had also told them that the army did not need unfit soldiers, and this led to the idea of keeping fit. “These are our children; t...

Paris St-Germain have lost four games in Ligue 1 this season – two more than in the whole of last season Paris St-Germain failed to close the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Nice, with defeat at Guingamp increasing the scrutiny on boss Unai Emery. Yannis Salibur put Guingamp ahead when he broke clear of the champions’ defence and slotted home, before Nill de Pauw added a second on the break. Edinson Cavani pulled one back with a close-range finish with 10 minutes left but PSG could not find an equaliser. They are four points behind leaders Nice, who host Dijon on Sunday. Former Sevilla coach Emery succeeded Laurent Blanc in June, but has come under pressure after a difficult start to life in the French capital. PSG, who are bankrolled by the Qatar Investment Authority, have lost four matches in Ligue 1 this season compared with just two in the whole of the 2015-16 campaign. They have won the title in each of the past four seasons.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his tenth goal in nine matches as Manchester United eased to victory over West Brom. The former Sweden international headed home from a brilliant Jesse Lingard delivery after only five minutes to put the visitors ahead. Ibrahimovic struck again just after the break when his effort from inside the box went in off Baggies defender Craig Dawson. United are now unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions and have drawn level on points in the Premier League with fifth-place Tottenham, who play Burnley on Sunday. The Baggies remain in seventh place and are now seven points off the European places. Ibrahimovic’s double at the Hawthorns brings the striker to 16 goals for the season – 11 more than any of his team-mates. Lingard will take huge credit for the opening goal, though, after his sublime cross from the right landed perfectly for the Swede, who headed down past Ben Foster from eight yards out. His second goal was teed up by captain Wa...

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that 60 associations have applied to the commission to be registered as political parties in the country. The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, disclosed this at a Capacity Development Workshop organised by the electoral commission for the press corps which ended on Saturday in Abuja. Ten political parties were recently registered by INEC following court orders to bring the number of political parties in Nigeria to 40. Oyekanmi said that the applications were at various levels of processing by the commission. “Presently we have 40 political parties in the country. I can tell you that as at Thursday Dec. 15, 60 associations have approached the commission to be registered. “Their applications is presently being attended to and they are in different level of processing,’’ Oyekanmi said. The chief press secretary added that another eight groups had also approached...

Ikechukwu Anyene, President of the Nigeria Union in South Africa The President of the Nigeria Union in South Africa, Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, says three Nigerians in that country are willing to return following the group’s campaign against drugs and prostitution. Anyene told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday that the union had commenced street campaigns against drugs and prostitution. He said that after the successful launch of the campaign in October at Kimberly, Northern Cape Province of South Africa, the union embarked on street sensitisation. Anyene stated that during campaigns at Krugersdorp, Sunnyside and Hillsborough in Gauteng Province, three Nigerians involved in crime indicated interest to return home. “One of them said he had a return ticket and the union will facilitate the journey,” he said. The president said the union found out during the campaign that some Nigerians were deceived to come to South Africa after payin...

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Chairman of ECOWAS All Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS member countries have resolved to attend the inauguration of the Gambian President-Elect, Adama Barrow, on January 18, 2017, in conformity with the Gambian constitution. According to a communiqué presented at the end of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Abuja on Saturday, the out-going President Yahya Jammeh must uphold the result of the December 1 presidential election in the country and must guarantee the safety and protection of the President-elect. “The Authority calls on President Yahya Jammeh to accept the result of the polls and refrain from any action likely to compromise the transition and peaceful transfer of power to the President-Elect,’’ the communiqué added. The Authority also appointed President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and his Ghanaian counterpart as Chief Mediator and Co-Mediator respectively in the Gambian political...

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris has set up a panel to investigate and analyse an alleged audio comments by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers on the legislative re-run elections in Rivers. Sahara Reporters, an online medium recently released an audio report purportedly to be the voice of Wike pertaining to the Rivers elections. In a statement issued by the Force spokesman, DCP Don Awunah, he said the panel would also investigate 70 incidents mentioned by the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakub, during the elections. He enjoined the Rivers government and INEC to avail the panel with facts at their disposal to achieve a comprehensive and conclusive investigation. “The election observers, civil society groups, Human Rights watchers and other stakeholders are equally called upon to assist the team with valuable information they may have.” The panel headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, has 30 days to submit its report which will ...

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Chairman of ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has condemned the brutal killing of 12 Burkina Faso soldiers on Friday close to the Mali border. The body, in a communique issued in Abuja, Nigeria said the body learnt with great dismay, that a detachment of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force of the Burkinabe Army (GFAT) was attacked around 5.30 am this Friday 16 December 2016 in Nassoumbou, a village in Djibo municipality, close to the Mali border. “Twelve (12) brave soldiers lost their lives and a number of civilians and military personnel were wounded in this fatal attack. The President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) strongly condemns this latest attack and expresses his solidarity with the Government and people of Burkina Faso. The communique added thatt the President of the ECOWAS Commission appealed to the international Community to assist in suppressing this spate of attacks by jihadists...

Senator Bukola Saraki The president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the Senate would look into the disbursement of N213 billion power sector intervention fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Saraki said this in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, on Saturday in Abuja. Saraki, according to the statement, spoke during a meeting to proffer solutions to the worsening electricity generation in the country. He said the upper chamber would verify claims and counter claims of non-remittance of revenues between the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and Generation Companies (Gencos). Mr. Saraki urged the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy to conduct a public hearing on the funds as well as on the declining electricity generation which currently stands at 3,000 megawatts. He said the public hearing should take a look at reasons behind the inability of the Bureau of Public ...

Mr Fatai Owoseni, Lagos State Commissioner of Police. The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) has condemned the murder of the Apapa Zonal Commander of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), Tajudeen Bakare by a mob in Apapa area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, describing the murder as barbaric. The body, in a statement said it was sorrowfully drawn to the painful, gruesome, despicable, barbaric, senseless and criminal murder of Bakare, saying the body was saddened and condemned “this act of criminality in all its ramifications as we call on the government and the security agencies to act swiftly to apprehend those responsible for this murder of a Nigerian whose life was terminated in the course of his official duty.” “We recognize that under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the right to life is a fundamental and constitutional right which must not be assaulted or violated by the state or individuals except by a court order based...

The arraigned suspected kidnappers of Oniba of Iba at the Lagos High Court, Igbosere – Duba Furejo; Ododomo Isaiah; Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh. The trial of the four men who allegedly kidnap a Lagos State traditional ruler, the Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni, continued at Igbosere High court as pathologist testified that the two persons who died during the kidnap saga were as a result of bullet wound. At the resumption of the trial, the Prosecution team led by the Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem presented another witness, Dr.Sunday Soyemi, consultant, pathologist and a senior lecturer at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. He told the court that he performed the post-mortem on the two deceased persons-the security guard at ‎the palace, one Sunday Okanlawon and the motorcycle rider, Joseph Okeke. Both of them were killed during the kidnap saga at the palace. Dr. Soyemi told the court that the body of Okanlawo was identified by his son Seun Okanlawon ...

EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu By Chido Onumah There are very few moments in a nation’s history that can equate the infamy that took place at the Nigerian Senate on Thursday, December 15, 2016. Of course, this is Nigeria, where infamous acts by those who have purloined our country are an everyday occurrence. Two days ago, after months of prevarication the Nigerian senate, one half of the National Assembly that was described as a den of thieves and “unarmed robbers” by ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, finally summoned the shameless audacity to “reject” the nomination of Ibrahim Mustapha Magu as the chairman of Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Anyway who didn’t expect that outcome must be from Mars. In a sentence, that despicable act was a coup against the long-suffering people of Nigeria; a clear attempt by a self-absorbed and rapacious elite to continue to reap the fruit of corruption. The elite capture of the Nige...

Diego Costa Chelsea equalled a club record as they beat Crystal Palace to secure their 11th successive Premier League win and move nine points clear at the top of the table. Diego Costa put the Blues ahead with their first attempt on target as he headed in from Cesar Azpilicueta’s floated cross. Marcos Alonso nearly doubled the visitors’ lead as he hit the underside of the crossbar with a curling 25-yard free-kick. Palace’s best chances fell to Jason Puncheon, but he headed wide and fired a free-kick narrowly over. Antonio Conte’s side, who have 43 points, have played a game more than Liverpool in second and third-placed Arsenal, who are both on 34 points. Arsenal meet fourth-placed Manchester City on Sunday, before Liverpool visit Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday. Chelsea also won 11 matches between April and September 2009, with the Premier League record Arsenal’s 14-game winning run in 2002.

freight association The National Freight Hauliers Association (NFHA) will Saturday hold its 2016 Conference and the official inauguration of the 2017 Hauliers’ Permit. This was contained in a press release issued by the associations’ Consultant, Mr Mac Mordi in Abuja and made available on Saturday. According to Mordi, the conference is expected to update members’ nominal role and numerical strength. He further stated that the conference is expected to consider issues aimed at checkmating the infiltration of the hauling business by quacks. Mordi said that the conference would educate members on the advantages of operating based on the laid down “ethics’’ of the business. He added that the inauguration of the 2017 Hauliers’ Permit was mandatory as it would serve as a vital document to any freight haulier in the country toward providing on-demand services. NFHA was set up in 2001 to promote and strengthen the bond of unity among freight haulier owners, goods transporters, haulage...

UNICEF The Staff Association of UNICEF, Sokoto Field Office, on Saturday donated assorted food items, detergents, vegetable oil and sanitary pads to the Sokoto Orphanage. The Chairperson of the association, Mr Tukur Labbo, said the gesture was to demonstrate “our work for children” as UNICEF Staff. ” The gesture is also to show our love and concern for the well-being of children in the orphanage home. ” To encourage larger society to support the orphanage home and to provide gift to the children as part of our end of year 2017 activities,” he said. The Chief of Field Office, Mr Paul Mudzongo, said that the fund’s core mandate included health, nutrition, education, water, and sanitation programmes. He stated that these activities are aimed at accelerating the realisation of the rights of the children and women to survival, development, protection and participation,among others. Mudzongo appealed to other organisations, companies and wealthy individuals to come to the aid of the...

NPFL-logo Enyimba have signed experienced Ghanaian goalkeeper Fatau Dauda and defender Tijani Joshua to beef up their squad ahead of the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season. This is according to a statement posted on the club’s website on Saturday. The statement said Fatau joined the People’s’ Elephant on a two-year deal, having agreed personal terms. “The 31-year-old, who has played in South Africa with Orlando Pirates and Chippa United, arrived in Aba with quite an impressive resume, having been part of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 and 2013. “The People’s’ Elephants lost goalkeepers Femi Thomas, Moses Ocheje and a former U-17 stopper, Joshua Enaholo, for different reasons in this transfer window, leaving the club with just one senior goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai. “The 2008 Goalkeeper of the Year in Ghana (Fatau) was last on the books of Ghana Premier League outfit Ashanti Gold SC,” it said. Enyimba have also signed defender Tijani Joshua fro...

President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter Zahra Buhari on Friday married her heartthrob, Ahmed Indimi, son of oil billionaire, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Indimi at an elaborate ceremony in Daura. The ceremonies continue in Maiduguri residence of the Indimis today. Here are some pictures taken at the event. The couple and family members Wife of the President Mrs Aisha Buhari and Zahra Buhari Zahra Buhari The bride covered during the traditional ‘Kamu’ ceremony Ahmed Indimi and Zahra Buhari