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Nollywood actors Alexx Ekubo, IK Ogbonna and fashion designer Yomi Casual led a group of young people to some voter registration centres in Lagos to raise greater awareness on the need to register and obtain the PVC. The trio, referred to as the ‘Chop life gang’, were accompanied by  Tobi Bakre , BBNaija S3 finalist,  Swanky Jerry , celebrity stylist and actress  Daniella Okere  and Movie producer  Eniola Badmus  and others. Ekubo who tagged the outing  PVC  Activation Drive’ shared this on his instagram page @alexxekubo. The drive was aimed at using celebrity influence to get young people to register as eligible voters and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC). He wrote, “ Thanks to everyone who came out today to support the @choplifegang PVC activation drive, from entertainers to media houses. We had only one intent and that is to get more people involved in the decision making process of our dearly beloved country. “This i...

A 36-year-old tiler, Mafred Uchola, has been arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly biting a police officer on duty. Prosecutor Aondohemba Koti said the accused committed the offence on October 5 at Promised Land, Mushin in Lagos. He said the accused and others at large conspired to assault Insp. David Asaolu while he was performing his duty. “The accused, a member of an unlawful society, beat up the complainant and inflicted injuries on his check by biting him,’’ Koti said. He said the police received a distress call on the activities of the accused, who displayed weed suspected to be Indian hemp in public and constituted public nuisance. “The complainant and his team stormed the scene. On sighting the policemen, the accused and his accomplices took to their heels. “The accused was caught by the complainant, he assaulted the police officer in order to escape, but was overpowered by other policemen. “A polythene bag containing a cutlass and wee...

The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide on Wednesday said that the only condition that can make Ndigbo to support President Muhammadu Buhari is the creation of additional states in the south-east zone ahead of the 2019 general election The group made this known in a communiqué signed by the National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and the Secretary, Comrade Obinna Achionye and made available to journalists shortly after their Igbo Summit/Conference held in Abakiliki. It reads in part: “President Buhari should appease Ndigbo by using his Executive Order 6, to create additional states for South East, as the creation of additional states will address all the structural injustice and artificial marginalization created by the military. If President Buhari creates another state in the South East, this may qualify him to gain support from South East in 2019. We believe that Proposed Aba state from Abia, Anioma State from Anambra/Delta, Adada state from Enugu, Et...

The Nigerian Army has recovered the body of Major General Idris Alkali (rtd), the immediate past Chief of Administration, Army Headquarters Abuja. The body was recovered from an abandoned well in Guchwet, Shen District of Jos South Local Government. Alkali went missing on his way to Bauchi after leaving Abuja in the morning of September 3. Consequently, the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, set up an operation to search for the missing general. The army said that after a thorough search and investigation, they narrowed their search to a mining pond in Dura-Du in Jos South local government of Plateau. After two weeks of draining water from the pond,  the car of the missing general and two other cars were recovered from the pond. Brig. Gen. Umar Mohammed, Garrison Commander 3  Division Nigeria Army, said that they were led to the location by one of those earlier arrested in connection with the crime. He said that the operation was jointly car...

The Nigeria Labour Congress has lambasted the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for pegging the minimum wage at N22, 500. The NLC subsequently pegged the minimum wage at N66, 500. The President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday. Wabba said the NGF was not known to law and was thus an illegal body. He said all governors should return to their respective states and consult with workers rather than hide under the umbrella of the governors’ forum.

Sanchez has struggled to hit top form, since his arrival from Arsenal in the January transfer window. The Chilean was unhappy with Jose Mourinho, after he was dropped earlier this season and reports claimed last week that the 29-year-old is considering leaving Old Trafford. Paris Saint-Germain is understood to be keen on signing Sanchez at the end of the season. But the French champions will look to get United to agree a reduced transfer fee, due to the player’s £505,000-a-week salary.

Nigeria's central bank (CBN) has listed 34 firms as licensed primary mortgage banks operating across the country. Primary Mortgage Banks are financial institutions that give loans to housing and real estate builders. In September 2018, the CBN gave a notification to  revoke  the operating licences of 182 other financial institutions in the country, of which six primary mortgage banks were included. The apex had said some of the microfinance banks were either indebted, distressed or voluntarily liquidated. It also explained that the revision became inevitable as the sector had been contending with challenges such as inadequate capital base, weak corporate governance, ineffective  Among the list of 34 firms across the country, CBN said seventeen of the Primary Mortgage Banks are in Lagos; eight in Abuja; two in Akwa Ibom; while Oyo, Delta, Ogun, Kebbi, Jigawa, Abia and Osun have one each.

Nigerian Army said it has received a large cargo of ammunition to enhance its operational capabilities and combat efficiency. The army announced this on Twitter, displaying the photographs of the ammunition received and the plane that brought the consignment. The army is battling the insurgency of Boko Haram in the north east part of the country and cattle rustling and banditry in some parts of the north west, especially Zamfara.

The death of a 400-level student of the Department of Microbiology, University of Lagos, Adeniyi Ogundijo, has continued to generate controversy. While some claimed that the 22-year-old committed suicide over poor performance in his final exams, his friends and family members said he was killed. The school authorities, however, urged everyone to stop speculating on the cause of his death, saying the family kept mum when questioned by the management.

Child labour THE Nigerian situation is an extreme case of class warfare whereby so long as rich or well-off individuals believe they can continue to escape discomfort, they are perfectly ok watching poverty (and insecurity) rise. We congratulate each other about successful concerts and fashion events, enjoy whatever entertainment is currently available but we never stop to think how much better organized and, therefore, more pleasurable (meaning more profitable) these events could be if we finally fixed the structural issues affecting all our industries and the society at large. We have a crop of elite women who attend conferences parading whatever First Lady makes herself available but who completely ignore the fundamental issues affecting women and girls. We have business men claiming to mentor and train young people while engineering a greedy financial or banking system that makes passive income from overcharging and exploiting businesses therefore making it virtually impossib...

Frank Lampard  will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time as a manager on Wednesday night when his  Derby County  side take on  Chelsea  in the  EFL Cup  fourth round. The Rams are looking to pull off another upset after  beating Manchester United in the last round, whereas Chelsea are bidding to continue an impressive unbeaten run under new boss  Maurizio Sarri. Hazard has not featured since picking up a back injury against Manchester United earlier this month, and the Belgian is unlikely to be risked for an EFL Cup game with doubts still lingering over his fitness.  Pedro  has been his replacement in the past two games, but he lasted just half an hour against Burnley at the weekend before being taken off due to stomach pains. Fringe players such as Loftus-Cheek, ex-Nigerian international, Victor Moses,  Cesc Fabregas  and  Andreas Christensen  will hope to get a chance to impress from the start...

Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has not retired from international football, a team spokesman said Tuesday, despite the former Chelsea star being sidelined for the third straight match. Mikel, who plays for Chinese side Tianjin Teda, has not played for the Super Eagles since he led the team at the World Cup finals in Russia in June. He had been given time to recover from a series of injuries but is now back to full fitness yet was not named in Gernot Rohr’s 23-man squad to take on South Africa later this month. “Mikel has not retired from international football,” said team spokesman Toyin Ibitoye. “He remains the captain of the national team. But the reality of it is that he is not getting any younger. And the positive (from this) is that other players now have a chance to step up in his absence.” Victor Moses, 27, who played alongside Obi Mikel at Chelsea, announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup. Mikel, 31, made his debut for the Super ...

Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, said it was shameful that there was no accurate record of the volume of crude oil being produced in Nigeria daily. Falana spoke at an interactive Media Roundtable on Impact of Non-payment of Capital Gain Tax (CGT) and Other Levies in the Oil and Gas Sector on the Socio-Economic Development of the country on Tuesday in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the roundtable was organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). He said the recent report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) showed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and oil majors had yet to remit $22 billion and N481 billion to the Federation Account. Nigeria is the only oil producing country that does not know how much crude oil is produced and the government has refused to obtain the meter that would provide an accurate record. “A study was done between 2011 and 2014 by the Nigeria...

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has debunked the report making the rounds online of an impending review of pump prices of petroleum products, especially, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS A statement made on Tuesday in Abuja by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, affirmed that contrary to the misinformation in the social media, the federal government has no plan to review prices of petroleum products either downwards or upwards. The statement reads: “The Federal Government has no plan to review prices of white products either downwards or upwards Since October 2017, NNPC had been the sole importer of petrol into the country as the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) could not import due to the Open Market Price being much higher than the N145/litre official selling price. “Rumour mongers should be wary of the impact their ignoble act could cause on prices of petroleum products especially petrol as the festive period draws near. “The fa...

A new report released on Tuesday by the World Health Organisation, WHO, revealed that not less than 1.8 billion (93 percent) children around the world breathe toxic air daily. The report which focused on Air pollution and child health raised the alarm noted that the air is so polluted that it puts their health and development at serious risk.  According to the WHO in the report, tragically, many of them die.  It further estimated that in 2016, 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air. The report which further prescribed clean air examined the heavy toll of both ambient (outside) and household air pollution on the health of the world’s children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.  Reacting to the report which was launched on the eve of WHO’s first ever Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said:  “Air Pollution is stunting our children’s brai...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to lose 36 of its members in the House of Representatives as many are still aggrieved about the results of the party's recently-concluded primary elections. This was disclosed by  Hon. Muhammed Soba (Soba constituency of Kaduna State)  who resigned from the party  during plenary on October 24, 2018. Soba is one of the 70 APC lawmakers who filed a petition against the result of the primary elections that they lost. Since only eight petitioners won their cases and got return tickets to contest for re-election at next year's polls, the others are aggrieved enough to plan their exit from the ruling party Soba told The Punch that 36 aggrieved members would be in the next batch to leave the APC as they had resolved during a series of meetings to start leaving from the party in batches. "About 36 more members will follow next week. Others will also exit before the 17th of November,"  he said. When quizzed over ...

ABUJA- The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday chided President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC for allegedly waging a campaign of calumny against its Presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, saying Nigerians have resolved to elect the former Vice President. The party said the “woeful performance” of President Muhammadu Buhari in office will remain the referendum for the 2019 presidential election regardless of moves on the part of the ruling party to compromise the electoral process. In a statement issued by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan yesterday, the party tasked the Presidency to focus on delivering services to the people rather than dwelling on Atiku all day. The statement read:  “It is shameful that instead of channelling the nation’s resources to productive ventures, the APC and the Presidency have remained fixated on Atiku Abubakar, even when it has become clear that Nigerians can no longer be deceived, having s...

The Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, has said governors will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday, to discuss the national minimum wage and come up with a position Yari revealed this while speaking with State House correspondents on the matter, after an expanded Economic Management Team meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday in Abuja. “The position of the governors is not very clear to some of you–that we are willing to pay the amount but the issue is the capacity–the muscle to pay. We discussed that government has some numbers and eventually the committee has given some proposals but the governors have not come out with any amount. No work, no pay policy: Labour threatens to report FG to ILO. So, tomorrow, we are going to discuss with governors and say: look at what labour is sending. Look at the bill that was directed by the minister of labour and employment to be sent to the NGF’s secretariat so that we can digest the content...

RATHER than trigger inflation, the proposed minimum wage, when approved, will boost the economy, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba, has said. He told reporters in Asaba, Delta State, that the assertion that an increase in workers’ salary would lead to inflation was unfounded. The NLC chief was in Asaba as a Special Guest at the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the National Union of Hotels and Personal Services Workers. Wabba said: “It is not true and has no empirical bases that an upward review of minimum wage would trigger inflation in the country. “This is because when the minimum wage was increased in 2011, in fact, the inflation rates went down. “Go and look at the records and the data, it would rather boost the economy because it would increase the people’s disposable income

The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi has told Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to focus on building Nigeria’s economy. The Cable  reports that Obi said this at the  Nnamdi Azikiwe airport  in Abuja on his return from Dubai on Monday, October 29, 2018. Osinbajo, on Sunday, October 28, 2018, jokingly said that he was learning the   Shaku Shaku dance steps   ahead of the campaigns for the 2019 general elections, according to the  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The Vice-President made the comment at a book launch in Abuja. Sober reflection Obi said the period calls for sober reflection, and learning how to dance is the least of the problems facing Nigeria. “I have not had the opportunity of reading his comments as I haven’t seen the dailies. I know Vice-President Osibanjo is a gentleman and may not have made such a comment. However, while I am not against people dancing or learning how to dance ‘S...

Nigeria made over $1.1 trillion from oil in 28 years, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said at the weekend. According to him, corruption and the lack of will to diversify the economy over the years made it impossible for Nigerians to feel the impact of the oil reciepts on development. Osinbajo, who spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while delivering the ninth public lecture of Sigma Club at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan (UI), said the Buhari administration received the lowest oil receipt during the period while the highest was received during the Jonathan administration. His lecture was entitled: “Developing the nation through youth empowerment”. Giving the breakdown of the earnings, Osinbajo said: “The nation earned $119.8 billion from 1990 to 1998, $481 billion from 1999 to 2009 and $381 billion from 2010 to 2014.The present administration has only earned $112 billion since June 2015. “The earnings from oil from 2010 to 2014 were the...

Former BBNaija housemate, Anto Lecky has been conferred with a honorary Doctorate Degree. The degree was awarded to her by  ISCOM University,  Cotonou in Benin Republic. The BBNaija former housemate made this known on her  Instagram  page. She said  “You can now call me Dr. M.A.Lecky, BA, MBA, MSBM, PhD (HC). Thank you to @iscomuniversitybn for honoring me today with Doctorate of Philosophy in Business Administration (Honoris Causa) for my work in sports, education, and service. Still pretty unreal. “This is something I always wanted especially because I know I couldn’t sit in a classroom again to get the PhD    I recently told @munap_29 that my uncle wouldn’t be the only Dr. M Lecky...look at me now! “Thanks to @lpk_kel and @paulukonu for believing in me and making this possible. I’m forever grateful. You guys will be calling me Prof Anto soon too, but we’ll talk about that later.” She holds a Bachelors Degree in Exercise an...