TheNewsGuru

Tag: Nigeria

  • Man to receive 6 lashes of cane over aluminum wire theft

    Man to receive 6 lashes of cane over aluminum wire theft

    A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Thursday ordered that 23-year-old scavenger, Abubakar Garba, be given six lashes of the cane for allegedly stealing aluminum wire.

    The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, who ordered the punishment, warned him to desist from committing crime.

    Garba, who resides at Kado village, Abuja, was charged with joint act and theft.

    He prayed the court to temper justice with mercy that he was only a scavenger who looks for condemned things to buy.

    Earlier, the prosecutor, Florence Auhioboh, told the court that police officers on crime petrol, led by Insp. Mamu Yahaya, arrested him on Jan. 31 and took him to Life Camp Police Station.

    She said he was arrested with some high tension aluminum wire, with two of his friends, now at large.

    Auhioboh said during police investigation Garba said he knows nothing about the wire and that he bought them.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence is punishable under Sections 79 and 288 of the Penal Code.

  • Gambia Crisis: Nigeria not appreciated by AU in peacekeeping role

    The just concluded African Union, AU summit ended without a mention of the gallantry role the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and the Nigerian troops played in solving the political imbroglio of the tiny West African nation.

    Speakers at the summit took time to appreciate efforts made by Mauritania and Guinea for persuading for President Yahya Jammeh to hand over power to President-Elect Adama Barrow without acknowledging the mediatory roles Nigeria played from the beginning of the crisis to when Jammeh finally agress to handover.

    At various meetings held during the Summit, nobody mentioned the efforts Nigeria made to resolve the empasse despite Nigeria’s spending millions of Dollars in moving military personnel and warships to the Gambia, a threat that eventually made Jammeh to leave power.

    Despite efforts by Nigeria’s foreign Minister, Godfrey Onyema’s for participants to recognize Nigeria’s role in solving the crisis, AU still did not specifically recognized Nigeria as providing leadership role on the issue.

    TheNewsGuru.com can authoritatively report that Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari pulled the final chord that settled the crisis by calling on Mauritanian’s president who is known to be a close friend of Jammeh

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Nigeria footed the logistics bill of the entourage that went to The Gambia from the beginning till when the crisis was successfully resolved.

     

  • Hoping and fearing for Nigeria

    By Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

    Hope and fear are emotional forces that determine the present and future of a person. The absence of hope could lead either to a healthy or unhealthy fear. Many people fear sickness, war, death, failure, hunger, poverty, recession and whatever causes trauma. Normal people pray against these fears and hope for health, peace, life, success, wealth, affluence and comfort. The fear of future makes some people to amass wealth and this could lead to greed and all forms of corruption that Jesus warns against. He says: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Jesus illustrates this with a parable of a farmer who had a rich harvest. The farmer said: `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, `This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to my soul, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” “But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you” (Luke: 16-23).

    Nigeria as a nation was gripped with fear before the 2015 Presidential elections. Many feared that Nigeria would disintegrate. Some fear that there would be ethnic, religious or political war that would soak “the dogs and the baboons” in human blood akin to a deep ocean that flows with malevolent waves. There was fear of anarchy and the nation would be made ungovernable. Some Christians feared that the Sharia law would be fully implemented in every corner of Nigeria. These fears made some people to relocate from North to South and from South to North. The light of hope dazzled the eyes of Nigerian citizens with the Presidential victory over the incumbent who accepted defeat and congratulated the winner of the election. The hope was marked with joyous contents of the change that dawned upon the nation. People rejoiced that very soon a naira would be equal to a dollar, that every unemployed youth in the land would receive a stipend of five thousand naira a month, that the new responsible government would beam every corner of the nation with constant power supply, that the potholes would vanish from the federal highways, that terrorism would be history in every part of the nation, that unemployment would forever go on vacation and everybody rejoiced in the hope of change.

    In 2017, this hope appears too deep with terrible consequences that some people purportedly fabricated a rumour that has gripped the nation to unstable marrow. Traditionally, no one should rejoice at the death even of an enemy. Besides, according to William Shakespeare, death is a necessary end which will come when it will come. CAESAR told his wife CALPURNIA, “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come” (Act 1, Scene 2). Should anyone question why the death of the president made so much echo, I refer the person to the statement of Caesar’s First Lady Calpurnia: “When beggars die there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes” (Act 1, Scene 2). I hope and pray that the President would use the occasion of his rumoured obituary to do a deep reflection on the fears and hopes of the nation God has given to him to govern. I hope and pray that he would take this obituary as a message from God akin to the obituary that changed the life of Nobel.

    Alfred B. Nobel (1833-1896) was a man who amassed his fortune by producing explosives. He actually invented dynamite. When Nobel’s brother died, a newspaper ran a long obituary of Alfred Nobel, believing that it was he who had passed away. Thus, Nobel had an opportunity to read his obituary while still alive. What he read horrified him. The newspaper described him as a man who had made it possible to kill more people more quickly than anyone else who had ever lived. Nobel realized that he was going to be remembered for evil whereas he thought he was a great scientist. He decided to make his life useful to humanity by sustaining life. He established the Nobel Prizes that is now presented for outstanding achievement in literature, peace, economics, medicine and the sciences. How many people have the opportunity to read their Obituary before they die? Only those God wants to change for the best to meet him in heaven. (http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/271383).

    It appears that hope has become the nature of Nigeria since independence. The Citizens expect so much from their leaders. They want the natural and human resources of the nation utilized in a way and manner that no Nigeria would long to run away from the fatherland except when duty calls and there is absolute need to travel outside the shores of the native land. This high level of hope in leadership is the reason why Nigerians are not very patient with their leaders. In less than two years of governance, some Nigerians feel that a change is necessary to usher in a messiah akin to the messianic expectation of the Jews. From the many calls I have received from our Muslims partners in dialogue and the messages of phobia for religious revolution, it is very clear that Nigeria urgently need to respond to the genocide of Southern Kaduna and other parts of Nigeria where blood keep flowing like a river. The present condition of the nation is so bad that some religious leaders are being pursued for inflammatory statements.

    In the view of the International Community, every Nigerian is perceived as chronically corrupt except each individual has to prove his innocence and be cleared. It now appears that every Nigerian is a suspected thief, Boko Haram member, Herdsman and kidnapper until the person is proven innocent. The Green Passport is gradually become a burden of shame to those who carry it. The Green Card of Nigerians is being threatened in the United States of America. The card for Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has been rendered useless outside Nigeria. It is no longer possible to do online transaction with Nigerian ATM card. No one has predicted yet the end to the fear of the continuous fall of oil price that had been the main source of national income. Instead of these fears to be addressed by technocrats and scientists, Religious adherents are suspecting each other amidst the killings that have refused to abate. The terrorists and herdsmen are gradually dismantling Nigeria given the agitation for secession from some regions.

    Nigeria is presently living under the fear of suspicions. Everything in Nigeria is now given a religious interpretation. For instance, the Nigerian army’s Logo has existed for many years and no attention of any Christian has been drawn to the Arabic script in the logo: The transliteration of the Arabic script on the Nigerian Army logo is: Nasrunminallah which means “Victory Comes from God Alone”. If not for the religious sentiments of the nation, the meaning of this Arabic inscription does not contradict the Christian faith. Because of islamophobia, Some Christians are worried why it is written in Arabic. Ordinarily, the “Lord’s prayer” and the “Hail Mary” can be written in Arabic which does not necessarily mean Islam. It is possible to be an Arab without being a Muslim. I am afraid that if these fears are not controlled, the unity of the nation is under threat. These notwithstanding, I am hoping that if the good Christians and Muslims in Nigeria can come together to address the fears of the Nation, Nigeria will survive. It is my hope that if the Nigerian Inter-religious Executive Council (NIREC) is resuscitated, the Christians and Muslims would have a forum to honestly put their cards on the table and draw a better road map for the survival of the nation. May God make Nigeria flourish again with good leadership! May the perpetuators of the obituary of Nigeria have a change of heart! Nigeria shall survive with God on our side.

    Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (omonokhuac@gmail.com)

     

     

  • Big Brother Naija: TBoss shows off her pierced nipples on TV (photos)

    TBoss, Big Brother Naija contestant is currently trending on twitter. And this is because she showed off her pierced nipples as she was undressing in the presence of other contestants in their locker room.

    See more photos below…

  • Recession: Dangote explores investment opportunities in Zambia

    Recession: Dangote explores investment opportunities in Zambia

    In what seems like searching for greener pastures, the President of the Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has expressed the desire of his group to further consolidate on his existing investments in Zambia and other African countries by exploring opportunities in the energy and agriculture sectors.

    Dangote spoke at the weekend when he paid a courtesy call on President Edgar Lungu of Zambia to express his gratitude for the enabling environment that the country continued to offer investors at every level.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the business mogul has a cement factory running in Zambia in which several hundreds of Zambia residents are gainfully employed.

    Dangote advocated for a more business friendly environment in the country in order to facilitate development and the employment of its teeming youths.

    In his words: “I am here not only to explore investment opportunities and consolidate our existing business relations, but also to congratulate your Excellency for your victory in the last general elections. I wish you many years of success as you guide your nation to greater heights and prosperity,” he told President Lungu.

    “During your tenure, you need to implement agricultural practices which will ensure that yields per hectare are high and competitive. Zambia’s natural advantage in the export market is the readily available captive market that consists of eight neighbouring countries and other nations in the great lakes region,” he said.

    Dangote observed that energy is a critical requirement for economic development and so it is important that Zambia expands its energy supply footprint both for local consumption, and export to regional markets.

    “We are going to explore investment opportunities in the energy sector and perhaps look at the viability of existing petroleum refinery facilities”, he added.

    President Lungu said his government was determined to put in place policies that will be investor friendly and guarantee conducive and enabling environment for the businesses to thrive.

    He then instructed the Minister of Finance and all relevant government ministries and agencies to ensure that the process of facilitating investments in job-creation enterprises is efficient.

    “Agriculture is the major thrust in Zambia’s economic diversification drive and among our top priorities, which include the provision of affordable food, fuel and farmer inputs.

    “I admire your tenacity and commitment to invest within Africa because that is what improves the brotherhood between nations. We will support you and facilitate your investments in Zambia,” assured the President, adding that, “we need to put our hands together to help our people out of poverty”.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the billionaire businessman is also renowned for his philanthropy and enormous investment drive across the continent.

  • Don’t blame Nigerian rappers for changing their style- Terry Tha Rapman

    Rapper and songwriter, Terry Tha Rapman has bemoaned the death of rap music in Nigeria. He said what we have now is rappers fine-tuning their sound to accommodate what the people want. Terry Tha Rapman responded to Yung6ix assertion when he said:” When I wanna listen to African rap I play Yung6ix and SA rappers wtf is going on with the Nigerian Rappers? Wake up”

    The Boys are not smiling rapper however stated that rap is not being appreciated because the media and the fans stopped supporting rap music.

    Reacting to Yung6ix’s statements, he said: ”I kinda get where he’s coming from. I’ve been stressing this for long, when I said ‘rap is dead’ in Nigeria I didn’t mean nobody is rapping. I meant we (being the fans, media and promoters) stopped supporting rap music as it should be at a point.

    “Now would you blame rappers for fine tuning their style? Rappers hardly get the airplay/support as our pop counterparts so after years we started adapting. I still believe there’s hope. We are far from the days of Trybesmen, 2shotz, Ruggedman, Modenine and when MI dropped Talk About It and MI2. We need more rap concerts to promote hip-hop culture. The few ones I’ve been to were not encouraging” he added

  • If emergence of mega party will move Nigeria forward, I support it – Saraki

    If emergence of mega party will move Nigeria forward, I support it – Saraki

    Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has said he is not against the emergence of a mega party in Nigeria as long as it is aimed at moving the country forward.

    Saraki said this while speaking on a monitored television programme.

    In His words:“If the mega party will see us pushing Nigeria’s economy forward, I don’t have problem. Like I have said to many people, my focus now is on the economy.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Saraki’s comment is coming at a time when the proposed formation of a mega party to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC is pressing home.

    Admitting that his party, APC made some mistakes on assumption of power, Saraki said: “It’s been tough. There are many things we should have done differently; we didn’t manage the success well in the early stage. But it’s a learning curve.

    “Here is a party that hasn’t been in power for so many years. But we are making progress. I mean look at the budget process. Compare now to last year, you will see that the process is better, and it’s going to get better as we go on.”

    He also assured that the upper legislative chambers would not delay in the passage of the 2017 budget.

    “We are going to put everything in place, we will back in the 21st, hopefully by then reports will start coming in, plus or minus three weeks by the time we come back.

    “The national assembly will open up its budget in 2017, yes in my own time,” he said.

  • Nigerians are killing Buhari on social media- Tony Okoroji declares

    Nigerians are killing Buhari on social media- Tony Okoroji declares

    Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman of the COSON board took to his Facebook page on Saturday decrying the rate at which Nigerians criticize and condemn the President on social media. According to him Nigeria is at war over the control of the minds of our young people and the millions of our vulnerable citizens.

    “You better believe it, Nigeria is at war. I am not talking about the Boko Haram war in the North. I am also not talking about the never-ending skirmishes in the Niger Delta that threaten to bring to a halt whatever little income we still generate from crude oil.

    “Nigeria is at war over the control of the minds of our young people and the millions of our vulnerable citizens. The war is fierce. There are no rules in this crazy war. The Geneva Convention does not apply. Religion is in play. Tribe has become a major weapon. Genocide soon will be okay. Torture will be allowed. Right now, every crude propaganda tactic is being deployed as tribal, religious and ethnic hatred is being incubated in our land.My biggest worry is whether the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria fully understands that our nation is at war and that if we do not do what we need to do and do it fast, Rwanda may once again be repeated in Africa.

    “During the week, I accidentally ran into Femi Adesina, President Buhari’s chief spokesman, in Lagos. Femi probably would tell you that I was very upset with him, his team and their tactics in what has clearly become a war of attrition. I accused his team of leaving our president naked to be shot at and made fun of by all kinds of characters. Femi is clearly one of the finest journalists Nigeria has produced in recent years. He has grilled me in a memorable interview at the Sun. Practically, everyone who knows Femi will tell you that he is also a very decent gentleman. I like him. I am however asking myself whether Femi is not too decent to lead a critical part of the war that President Buhari must wage to prevent Nigeria from going the way of Rwanda or Sudan.”

    Okoroji stated that millions of Nigerians now engage in criticizing the President, making it their pastime.

    “The war I speak of is not in Sambisa Forest or the creeks of the Delta. The war is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat and all over the internet. At this point, millions of Nigerians are being recruited to despise their President, to despise their fellow countrymen and to despise their country. History tells us that the ongoing recruitment has huge consequences for every Nigerian, man woman and child. Times are hard for a lot of Nigerians and that makes it even easier.

    “As has been clear in other places where foot soldiers of hate have been unleashed, a lot of the people being recruited do not even know that they are being recruited. How did Al Qaeda begin? How did the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda who had existed together for hundreds of years wake up one morning and start butchering each other? How did Boko Haram grow under our eyes and become the terror machine that has traumatized the Nigerian people?”

    He stated that the outcome of the President’s war on corruption is making the individuals affected to pay back with vengeance.

    “Let’s face it – Buhari has stepped on Big Toes. Big Toes are fighting back with vengeance. Big Toes are incredibly cunning. A hungry man is an angry man and the story being craftily told the millions of hungry Nigerians is that Buhari is responsible for the biting hunger in the land. Big Toes will not tell you that they stole Nigeria’s common wealth, bought mansions across the world with the money budgeted to fight Boko Haram and sent our young men without weapons to go and die in Sambisa Forest. They will not tell you that they are responsible for the hunger in the land.

    “Sadly, while they are telling their story in a very co-ordinated way, no one appears to be telling the true story of Nigeria in a manner that makes sense. While Big Toes have an army deployed on every social media platform tugging on the hearts of our young and vulnerable, the president’s men are sending press releases to NTA and Daily Times. Please, when was the last time you got your news from NTA or Daily Times? If anyone still believes that social media is a joke, he needs to be reminded that Donald Trump just became the most powerful man in the world using a smart phone.

    “Many of those who had supported our president and his determination to eliminate the virus at the heart of our nation’s sickness, have even become too scared to even be associated with him. They are badly outgunned on social media. The many crazy stories that went viral recently about the ‘death’ of our president is a new level of the war. Big Toes want to totally demystify, discredit and destroy Buhari so that they can regain control of the purse strings of Nigeria. They cant wait for 2019. That is why they are killing our democratically elected president on the social media. Where is the guy responsible for clothing the President?

    He urges Nigerians to wait for 2019 and then cast their votes, rather than condemning him on social media.

    “Let me state here that I have never met Muhammadu Buhari. I have never spoken with him directly or indirectly. I have not benefited from him in any way. I am not even sure that he has ever heard of me. I do not belong to APC or any political party. But I remember what happened in Nigeria after Buhari was taken out of power the first time. 419 took root in Nigeria and our values collapsed. The War Against Indiscipline died and madness took over the land. Buhari’s medicine might be very bitter but Nigeria’s sickness is that severe. If for any reason we no longer want Buhari, please let us wait for 2019 and not kill him on Facebook.The truth is that our nation is at war. It is time that those who truly love Nigeria and want a tomorrow for our children fought back.”

     

  • ‘Mass sack of Resident Doctors will totally collapse Nigeria’s health sector’

    The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) on Sunday cautioned that mass sack of striking Resident Doctors could result in unpalatable consequences for the country.

    The word of caution is contained in a communique jointly signed by the MDCAN National President, Prof. Balarabe Sani-Gwarzo and National Secretary, Dr Abdulkadir Rafindadi and made available to newsmen in Kaduna.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the communique, which was read out to journalists by the national president, was an outcome of MDCAN National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

    The association said any such move was inimical to the nation’s public health sector and called for urgent steps to safeguard the nation’s public health sector from total collapse.

    “The meeting noted with utmost dismay the highhandedness of the Federal Ministry of Health as evident in a circular dated 19th Jan. 2017 ref DHS/828/T/199.

    “The circular directed the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) to replace striking resident doctors with locum staff.

    “We observed that the ongoing strike action was avoidable as the MDCAN had earlier intervened by calling the attention of the Honourable Minister to activities of some staff in the health ministry.

    “Activities of these staff aimed at frustrating the implementation of earlier agreement reached in a meeting with Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives on 14th July, 2016,” it noted.

    The association advised the Federal Ministry of Health to urgently work towards resolving the current strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), by implementing all previous agreements reached.

    It also lamented the deplorable condition at the 13 camps that accommodated 319,749 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “We strongly advocate for urgent implementation of the resettlement plan by the Federal Government for the IDPs, in addition to ongoing efforts in addressing their various health challenges.

    “Members of MDCAN are ready and willing to partner with government and stakeholders in the effort to combat the health challenges of IDPs,” it said.

    MDCAN also frowned at continued non-payment of members’ salaries and allowances for several months in various health institutions across the country, particularly Federal Medical Centre Oweri and state-owned institutions.

    “Employers, especially state governments, still owing our members salaries and allowances should without any further delay, defray all such outstanding emoluments.

    “Continued delay is a violation of the extant labour laws and workers’ right to legitimate wages.

    “NEC further strongly advocates the universal application of agreements regarding implementation of appropriate emoluments to all members particularly at the state level,” it said.

  • UNICEF set to vaccinate 4.7million children against measles in Nigeria

    UNICEF set to vaccinate 4.7million children against measles in Nigeria

    In a major vaccination campaign concluding this week, 4.7 million children are being vaccinated in response to a measles outbreak in northeast Nigeria.

    The campaign is covering the three states most affected by the Boko Haram conflict – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – where insecurity has limited vaccination efforts. In 2016, there were approximately 25,000 cases of measles among children in Nigeria; 97 per cent of the cases were in children under the age of ten and at least a hundred children died.

    “Security has improved in some areas so we have acted quickly to access places we could not previously reach and protect children from the spread of a very dangerous disease”, said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “We are still extremely concerned about children living in large areas of Borno state that are not yet accessible.”

    Measles infections tend to increase during the first half of the year because of higher temperatures. Measles vaccination coverage across Nigeria remains low, with a little over 50 per cent of children reached, but in areas affected by conflict, children are particularly vulnerable.

    The risks for malnourished children who have weakened immunity are further heightened. The conflict and resulting displacement have left more than 4.4 million children in Nigeria in need of humanitarian assistance, with an estimated 450,000 children likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2017.

    The vaccination campaign, conducted in partnership with the Nigerian government, WHO, and several non-governmental organizations, also includes a vitamin A supplement for children under five to boost their immunity as well as de-worming tablets. Most of the funding for the campaign was provided by the Measles and Rubella Initiative.

    The campaign is part of UNICEF’s wider emergency health response in the three northeast Nigerian states. In partnership with Nigerian authorities, UNICEF has provided primary health care services for both internally displaced persons and the vulnerable host communities within which they have sought shelter.

    Health clinics have been rehabilitated, damage from the fighting has been repaired and temporary clinics have been set up, equipped and stocked in camps for the displaced, reaching more than 4.2 million people with services that include routine vaccination, ante-natal care and midwifery support, and treatment for common illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia, as well as measles.

    UNICEF has trained more than 1,000 health workers on emergency primary health care services; in areas that have become accessible more recently to humanitarian workers, UNICEF has recruited 60 nurse-midwives and deployed six doctors to strengthen health services.

    The emergency in northeast Nigeria remains acute with more than 1.6 million people displaced because of the conflict. Although UNICEF has made significant progress in reaching children and their families with healthcare, treatment for malnutrition, safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, education and child protection, a persistent lack of funding continues to hamper the response effort. Of the US$115 million called for in 2016, only US$51 million was received; in 2017, UNICEF is seeking 150 million to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria.