Welcome to 'News Across Africa.': October 2015

Monday, 26 October 2015

Edo PDP, APC clash over FG bailout

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and its All Progressives Congress counterpart in Edo State have disagreed over the recent bailout loan received by the state government from the Federal Government to cushion the effects of dwindling oil revenue.

Edo, being part of the beneficiaries of the bailout, had received the sum of N3.1bn to enable it to meet up with its financial obligation to local governments’ workers.

But the state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, said that the move by the Federal Government would “encourage corruption” and “monumental mismanagement” of local governments’ allocations in Edo and other states.

What is wrong with these people sef? Some pro-Biafra activists shared videos of themselves tearing their Nigerian passport, denouncing their citizenship and asking for the breakaway of the South-East from Nigeria. They will make a long anti-Nigeria speech and then tear pages from their passports

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service has warned that tearing your passport in such a manner is illegal, a crime and attracts a jail term. But most of the people who have so far shared videos of themselves tearing their passports live abroad. I wonder how they plan to travel around now.

Punch

Nigeria: Consumers Reject 40 Percent Electricity Tariff Hike

The move by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to increase electricity tariff in November 2015, by over 40 percent is unsettling for consumers in the country. While many people said such increase is a way of making Nigerians pay more for what they are not consuming with estimated bills, others expressed displeasure about the plan by NERC to increase tariff without meeting with relevant stakeholders and consumers to discuss the modalities.

The proposed increase according to NERC would be between 21 per cent and 49.4 per cent. For commercial consumers, the tariff hike is by 21 percent, while residential consumers will pay 49.9 per cent more. The new tariff according to electricity distribution companies would cover increase in the price of gas supply and the cost of power distribution to customers in different areas.

LAGOS—Alleged plan by a female kidnap syndicate to abduct some students on their way to school last Friday, in Aguda area of Surulere, Lagos, was botched, following the the arrest of three of its members.

The women were said to have succeeded in cajoling six students who were heading to a public school on the Island and zoomed off towards Orile/Mile Two.

There are, however, different accounts as to how they met their waterloo as a version of the account had it that the eldest of the abducted students, a Junior Secondary School 2 girl, raised an alarm on noticing that the route plied was different from the regular route to their school.

The tempo of construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan express road is soon to increase with the completion of the “new enhanced design” of the road and re-dedication of all stakeholders to its completion on schedule.

Giving this assurance while speaking with newsmen yesterday in Lagos, Mr. Hakeem Olopade, a director of Motorways Asset Limited, the project company partnering the Ministry of Works for the delivery of a fully enhanced Lagos-Ibadan Express Road, said the need for due process, enhancements to earlier design had largely been responsible for the slow pace of work on “the novel PPP-structured road.”

Mr. Olopade, who is also the Executive Director, Projects, at The Infrastructure Bank, TIB, Federal Government’s fund arrangers for the N167 billion road project, said the road remained the most crucial highway in the transport sector and could not be abandoned by the government.

EBONYI State police command, weekend, arrested a police officer (name withheld) attached to Ugbodo Police Division in Ebonyi Local Government Area for allegedly defiling a three-year-old girl.

Addressing newsmen at the command headquarters, the state police spokesperson, Mr. George Okafor, said the suspect lived in the same compound as the parents of the girl at Ugbodo.

Vanguard reports that the command also arrested one Paul Ulegu for alleged murder of his brother who accused him of stealing his chicken.

Report reaching us, has it that President of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes, Jessica Elvis is dead.

Elvis died Sunday afternoon in an undisclosed hospital in Benin after battling a protracted heart-related disease.

Confirming the sad development to our correspondent on phone, the Secretary General of the association, Tamar Tion in a text message described Elvis’ demise as a sad loss to the group.

Four suicide bombers on Sunday died few kilometres to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in an unsuccessful operation, as their vehicle exploded prematurely, the information officer of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mallam AbdulKadir Ibrahim, told one of our correspondents.

Ibrahim, the information officer of the agency in Maiduguri, in a text message to one of our correspondents on Sunday stated that there was an “aborted suicide bomb attack at Njimtilo today (Sunday), October25, 2015.

“The four suicide bombers came in a car (golf) around some minutes past 1.20pm. The car presumably exploded before they reached their target.

“All the four suicide bombers on board died. No innocent soul was lost. No casualty recorded. Their remains had been deposited in the mortuary at Borno State Specialist Hospital.”

THE immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, of diverting N45bn loan taken by his administration.

Amaechi made this statement, on Sunday, at a special thanksgiving service organised to mark the October 25 ruling of the Supreme Court, which brought him into power as governor in 2007.

He said, “I borrowed N300bn and I paid N245bn back and I left about N15bn. But now, they are not borrowing to pay contractors. Rather they are borrowing for themselves.

“Borrow to pay contractors not for your purse. They have borrowed N45bn and nobody is seeing it. If you put N45bn in the state economy, the state will be bouncing. They will employ more workers, pay them and you will see things working.”

Forty-year old Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has emerged as the new Ooni of ife.

His appointment was announced in a press statement by the Government of Osun state early Monday morning in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti.

The statement reads: “The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has approved the appointment of a new Ooni of Ife. He is Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of the Giesi Ruling House of Ile Ife State of Osun.

” This choice follows the completion of the due process by the kingmakers and the communication of their decision to the Government.”

A graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Babatunde Fatai, who is about to begin the mandatory national youth service programme, said he posed as a genuine lover to defraud foreign women and men whom he met on dating sites.

Fatai, who has been arrested by the Oyo State Police command for various Internet crimes, including hacking into bank accounts of many people in and outside Nigeria, had once been arrested for robbery and arraigned in court but granted bail.

He was arrested with the sum of N2.4m by men of the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad in his Ogbomosho hideout. Also in his possession were: a Honda CRV with number plate KWL 280 CN, a Nissan Altima car with number plate KJA 963 CA, a Ford saloon car with number plate KRD 837 DQ and a Toyota Camry saloon car with number plate LSR 418 DJ.

The Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an overgrown child of circumstance.

Soyinka sharply criticised Obasanjo in his (Nobel laureate’s) new book, titled InterInterventions: Between Defective Memory and the Public Lie – A Personal Odyssey in the Republic of Liars, presented in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Saturday.

Although Soyinka conceded that he used to be friendly with Obasanjo and admitted in the book that some stakeholders were making efforts to reconcile them, he said he owed it a responsibility to fundamentally respond to lies that Obasanjo allegedly told against him in his latest biography, titled, My Watch, described in InterInterventions as Three-Carat Watch.

South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya on Saturday told President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto to admit they have failed to lead the country.

Nyamweya said the challenges facing the nation are a clear indication Uhuru and Ruto are not in charge.

He urged the two to move with speed and save the country from collapse.

“Uhuru and Ruto should not bury their heads in the sand,” Nyamweya said.

Cecil Lolo dies in car accident

South African defender Cecil Lolo passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning in a road accident.

According to Eyewitness News, the 27-year-old soccer player was driving a VW Golf GTI at the time of the accident when two vehicles collided on Spine Road just before the N2 in Khayelitsha.

"It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of our brave warrior Cecil Lolo," read a statement released by Ajax. "May his soul rest in peace."

The 27-year-old has been a key player for Ajax in recent years, and helped them win this season’s MTN8.

Manchester United star sent sex texts to United fan in the stands

Superstar footballer Marouane Fellaini sent a string of sex texts to a fan while he was off sick from Manchester United. The big-money player missed the Newcastle game this season after he called in to say he had stomach pain.

But while he was recuperating at home he sent the woman, 26, a series of messages begging for sex – as she was sitting in the stands at Old Trafford.

She said: “It was bizarre. I was watching the team, surrounded by United fans, and a player was messaging me inviting me round for sex. "I remember thinking he can’t have been that sick.

” The £125,000-a-week star was banned from the August match. But all players are still expected to attend games.

Durban – A man, believed to be a Russian national, drowned at Durban’s popular North Beach on Sunday morning.

Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha, said lifeguards pulled the man from the surf and started resuscitation.

Advanced life support paramedics arrived within minutes, but despite their efforts, the man believed to be in his 40s, was declared dead on the beach. Further details later

South Africa to implement gas power usage

Gas generated power will play an important part in South Africa's future energy mix.

That is the view of deputy Minister of Mineral Resources Godfrey Oliphant, accompanying Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on a tour of one of Cuba's three gas treatment and power generation facilities.

The South African delegation was carefully walked through the energy mix in Cuba that has seen major strides in the islands power generation capacity in recent years.

At a facility that converts raw gas into power and feeds it into the national grid.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) -- Voting has started in Tanzania's general elections in which the ruling party faces a strong challenge from a united opposition.

In the presidential race, the ruling party's candidate, John Magufuli, is battling former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, who defected to the opposition earlier this year after being rejected as the ruling party's candidate.

Voters Sunday are also choosing lawmakers in the country's parliament and local officials.

There was an emotional outpouring in the mainstream media on Monday, October 19 over the death of one of the most celebrated journalists, Dele Giwa. This year marked the 29th anniversary after his death. Dele Giwa was murdered in cold blood through a mail bomb at his residence on that fateful day.

Speculations surrounding his death pointed accusing fingers at the military government in power then. There was an outcry for justice but 29 years later, the culprits are yet to be caught, let alone brought to book. Despite the authority’s incompetence to fish out the murderers, nothing has been done to honour Giwa for his contribution to investigative journalism.

This was what led some aggrieved members of the society to protest that a School of Journalism should be built in his honour. It is not known if the federal government will heed to their clarion call.

Lupita Nyong'o was spotted as she arrived for a matinee performance in her Off Broadway play, Eclipsed on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Oscar winner showed up to New York's famous Public Theater in NoHo looking ever the A-list actress.

Carrying a large, bright yellow handbag, Lupita covered her face with over-sized movie star shades featuring a red tortoise shell trim.

The Body on Me superstar claimed she was groomed as a 14-year-old drama student – and said it boosted her confidence.

Rita, now 24, said: "I was almost obsessed with having a man feel like he wants me.

"It made me feel great – and I didn't care what he did or how old he was. I wanted it. It's crazy."

She added: "It's child abuse, really, isn't it?"

Rita, who studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, made the shocking claims in a 2013 interview.

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged communities in Adamawa and Borno to play active role in security of their localities.

This is contained in a statement signed by Malam Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, on Saturday in Abuja.

The statement quoted Buhari as making the call through a powerful delegation sent the two states to condole with the governments and people over the increased bombing activity by Boko Haram terrorists.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday narrowly escaped death by a whisker along the Lagos – Ibadan expressway while on his way to Lagos from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital for a social function.

Sunday Mirror gathered that one of the rear tyres of the SUV conveying the former president to the 80th birthday celebration of mogul and pool magnate, Sir Kessington Adebutu, in Lagos suddenly burst when it entered one of the bad portions of the expressway.

Eyewitness further told our correspondent that the incident occurred on the Lagos – Ibadan portion of the expressway a few metres away from the Sagamu-interchange axis of the road.

NIGERIAN POLICE: BOKO HARAM EQUIPPED WITH ‘IPAD BOMBS’

Nigeria’s police chief is warning civilians to avoid any abandoned iPads, iPhones, or other expensive technology, as there is evidence that Boko Haram terrorists are making bombs disguised as these items and leaving them in populated city centers.

The Islamic State-affiliated terror group, which has since renamed itself to the Islamic State West Africa Province, has increased the number of bombings it has executed in recent weeks, using simple explosives to mostly target mosques during prayers times.

Police Chief Solomon Arase warned Thursday that they are looking to diversify their attacks, however, and that they have discovered that five suspects arrested for bombings earlier this month were hiding an assortment of “high-tech gadgets” meant to be used as bombs.

Bangkok - Four Japanese men have been charged over drug trafficking and bribery in Bangkok after they were busted in an undercover operation, Thai police said on Saturday.

The four accused, aged between 34 and 50, were arrested on Friday after a tip-off that one of the group was smuggling drugs out of Thailand.

"Our undercover agent bought 2.3kg of ice" from one of the Japanese nationals in central Bangkok, said a police statement Saturday, adding that the man was arrested and charged with drugs trafficking.

He was also charged with bribery for offering police $48 000 for his release, it added.

Authorities in the Maldives have arrested the country's vice president for what they say is his involvement in a plot to kill the president.

You may remember that back in September, President Abdulla Yameen was unhurt when his speedboat was rocked by an explosion. Reuters reports that Vice President Ahmed Adheeb was arrested for his alleged role in that explosion as he came back from a conference in China.

"'We have arrested the vice president in relation to the Finifenmaa incident,' a police media official told Reuters. 'He is now in police custody in Dhoonidhoo detention centre.'
"Home minister Umar Naseer told Reuters: 'he is arrested on the charges of assassination attempt.'

In a time when sex sells so hot, many artistes are going over the edge to push their fame, career and fortune with any means necessary in this regard. But not Annette Cookey, a Rivers State-born singer who stole a slice of fame as the third runner-up at the debut edition of MTN’s Project Fame West Africa.

She said she can never go nude in a film or music video just for the fun of it. Maybe a flash of bra and panties here and there, claims the sexy singer.

She however revealed that she could give it a shot on only one condition.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands after a turbulent first half for his side at West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mauro Zarate put West Ham 1-0 up before Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic was sent off for two bookable offences and Mourinho’s assistant Silvino Louro was then banished from the touchline by referee Jon Moss for protesting.

As the second half began, Mourinho could be seen taking his seat in the directors’ box at Upton Park, with reports suggesting he had attempted to enter the match officials’ changing room.

With the recent arrest of five suspected members of the deadly Boko Haram sect, terrorizing the metropolis of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, the police seem to have been on the verge of dismantling the deadly cell which has coordinated most of the bombings around the metropolis.

Our correspondent gathered that the newly established Special Intelligence Response Team, SIRT, an elite unit of the Nigeria Police Force, designed by the Inspector General Police, Solomon Arase, to combat terrorism , armed robbery, kidnapping and various violent, launched a massive onslaught on the Abuja cell, leading to the arrest of five suspected members of the cell, while several IEDS, laptop and IED materials were recovered.

Investigations by our correspondent indicated that, the arrest of these suspects and the subsequent recoveries and of IEDs and it materials, have since thrown members of the cell, who are mainly natives of Igbira in Okene area of Kogi State, into disarray. We gathered that the development, which is currently, not just flushing out members of the cell from Abuja, has also sent sympathizers of the sect into panic.

President Mohammed Buhari has expressed shock over comments credited to one Gideon Samani that he (Buhari) is shy around women, a development which informed less number of women in the ministerial nominations. To set the record straight, the President said the assertion was totally false, saying that he has never been shy around the opposite sex even as he declared that Samani who paraded himself as his Senior Special Assistant (Political Matters) is an impostor.

A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina revealed that such office as Senior Special Assistant, Political Matters, in the office of the President does not exist at the moment.

The statement further submitted that President Buhari who has a wife and daughters cannot be shy around women, pledging the President’s continued consideration of Nigerian women in the affairs of the nation.

Phnom Penh - An unlicensed medical practitioner who infected more than 100 villagers in north-western Cambodia with HIV by reusing unclean needles went on trial on Tuesday, facing three charges including murder, his lawyer said.

Yem Chhrin faces up to life in prison if found guilty of murder, intentionally spreading HIV — the virus that causes Aids — and practicing medicine without a license, his lawyer, Em Sovann, said by telephone.

Yem Chhrin's trial in a provincial court in Battambang town will last five days. He was arrested last December and taken into protective custody, fearing revenge lynching by residents of Roka village, where at least 106 of the 800 people tested were found to be infected with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. Those infected range in age from 3 to 82, and include Buddhist monks.

New York - A Chinese immigrant who pleaded guilty earlier this month to the meat-cleaver killings of five relatives, including four children under 9 years old, was sentenced on Tuesday to 125 years to life in prison.

State Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice accepted a plea deal on October 7 under the condition that Mingdong Chen "be incarcerated until the day he dies". Chen was sentenced to three terms of 25 years to life for murder and two terms of 25 years to life for manslaughter.

"This defendant's vicious and sadistic attack makes him completely unfit to remain in society, and he will now spend the rest of his life behind bars," said Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.

A lawyer for Chen, 27, declined comment.

Kenyan influential columnist Bitange Ndemo has times without number, advocated for various economic policies that will lift the Kenyan economy out of its present quagmire.

In hindsight, most of the economic policies he has advocated for are sound, and one senses he really wishes the Kenyan economy would develop much faster.

But here’s the point. As a country, we have never really had an economic blueprint that acts as a guide to our development. The East Asian economies, most exemplified by the Asian Tigers, copied some of the economic blueprints from us and then used it to propel their countries to First World status as our economies lagged behind.

Prosecuting Deputy President William Ruto threatens Kenya's peace and security, the government argues in its latest offensive against the ICC.

In a new letter to the United Nations Security Council, President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee administration said the ICC charges against the DP undermine political stability not only in Kenya, but also in the Horn of Africa

In a twin assault on The-Hague based court, Kenya and the African Union are demanding immediate deferral of the case.

“The case at the ICC continues to pose serious serious political and social distractions within Kenya and by extension, continues to undermine the immediate and long-term political stability of Kenya, and threatens that of the sub-region of Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa,” the Kenyan letter said.

Geneva - The UN's refugee agency says torrential rains and heavy flooding have damaged five camps housing about 90 000 Sahrawi refugees in western Algeria.

The camps are located in the Tindouf region close to the border with Morocco and Western Sahara.

So far, UNHCR and its partners have begun providing assistance to around 25 000 people, whose homes and food supplies were destroyed by flooding.

But with the rains expected to last until Sunday, the agency has warned the number of people needing aid could rise.

The Vice Prime Minister of Hungary, Mr. Zsolt Semjen, on Friday promised his country’s readiness to help Nigeria end the activities of Boko Haram.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted Semjen as speaking when he met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said terrorism was a global challenge and pledged that his country would support the Nigerian Armed Forces’ efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

He did not give specific details of the promised assistance.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said the government is working on a medium-term reduction of the pump price of petroleum products by collaborating with private refineries and reducing importation.

He said there was no going back on the incumbent administration’s commitment to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to make it more efficient.

Osinbajo, who left the country on Wednesday for the United Kingdom to sign the Nigeria-UK solar energy agreement, told Bloomberg in an interview that the government would also encourage private refineries to reduce the importation of petroleum products, adding that the Petroleum Industry Bill would be broken and sent in pieces to ensure its speedy passage.

The Department of State Services has arrested 45 suspected Boko Haram members in connection with a foiled attack on Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos in September.

The DSS also charged the suspects to a Lagos State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Isolo on Friday and the court ordered the remand of the 45 suspects in Kirikiri prisons in the state.

The DSS, which obtained the remand order on the suspects, told the court that they were arrested in connection with a foiled attack on Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos in September.

The DSS said the suspects were arrested following intelligence report on their alleged plan to attack the estate, which is in a high brow area in the state.

Russia to hold key Syria talks with US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

The envoys from Washington, Riyadh and Ankara -- all of which back groups battling against Assad -- will look to sound out Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Vienna after the embattled Syrian strongman made a surprise visit to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin this week.

On September 30 Russia launched air strikes in Syria which have shifted the dynamics of the brutal four-and-a-half year war -- allowing Assad's battle-weary forces to go on the offensive and overshadowing a US-led coalition bombing the Islamic State (IS) group.

The US and its regional allies have decried Russia's strikes, insisting Moscow is not mainly targeting Islamic State as it claims, but other groups battling the regime in Damascus, and that the Kremlin's intervention will only prolong the fighting.

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc yesterday announced gross earnings of N229.4 billion for the nine months endedSeptember 30, 2015, showing an increase of 15 per cent the N199.2 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014.

Profit before tax stood at N92.06billion, representing a growth of 14 per cent from N80.7billion recorded in the corresponding period of September 2014.The bank’s loan book grew marginally by 0.47 per cent from N1.276trillion recorded in December 2014 to N1.281trillion in September 2015, while total assets and contingents of N3.002trillion and shareholders’ funds of N400.7billion.
GTBank’s non-performing loans remained low at 3.16 per cent, while return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA) stood at 31.68 per cent and 5.10 per cent respectively.

The next time a man tells you that he's attracted to intelligent women, you might want to ask him whether he's ever actually dated one.

No, that's not a slight on the female of the species. Instead, it's the findings of a new study, which suggests that men state their theoretical preference for intelligent women only to then change their minds in the cold light of the dating arena.

The study, concluded that rather than find smarter women attractive, men are actively intimidated by the prospect of an intelligent partner.

A Mediterranean-style diet could slow the ageing process in the brain by up to five years, a new study has shown.

While not conclusive, research by neuropsychologists at New York University has suggested that eating plenty of vegetables, fish, pulses and olive oil - and laying off the red meat and dairy products - keeps the brain youthful.

LOS ANGELES: There is a 99.9 per cent chance of a magnitude-5 or greater earthquake striking within three years in the greater Los Angeles area, where a similar sized temblor caused damages of more than US $12 million last year, according to a study by Nasa and university researchers.

The study released Tuesday was based on Global Positioning System and airborne radar measurements of how the earth's crust was deformed by the magnitude-5.1 quake on March 28, 2014, in La Habra, southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Damage included broken water mains and cracked pavement.

By comparison, in 1994 the magnitude-6.7 Northridge earthquake left US $25 billion in damage, caused dozens of deaths and injured 9,000 people.

Spanish football faces a potentially huge match-fixing scandal after an unnamed linesman alleged that he had been told to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona.

The linesman said that he did not want to be identified because of concerns over “possible reprisals” but he made a formal complaint through a lawyer to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate in Barcelona in which he claimed to have been told to favour Madrid – first by another official and then, over the phone, by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee.

The linesman alleged that he was told that officials had already acted to influence the outcome of games and that another linesman has been subjected to similar pressures. According to his lawyer, Jacinto Vicente Hernández, an expert in sports law based in Barcelona, the linesman wanted to go public with the allegations but he persuaded his client to make a formal, legal statement to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate instead. The Guardia Civil has also been informed.

A coffee shop in South London has vowed to change its name after lawyers warned the business would be taken to court if it refused to remove an "offensive" sign.

Manager of Bermondsey café 'Fuckoffee' Adrian Jones admitted the name was only intended as a joke but said he would re-brand the store under a different name on Friday.

The 47-year-old had been warned by the building owners that his expletive-referenced display was offensive and would be torn down unless he volunteered to remove it.

Fuckoffee originally responded by tweeting a picture of the legal letter they received, commenting: "No humour please, we're British."

UAE backs Shaikh Zayed Road project in Cairo

Cairo: Foundation stones were laid for the development of the seven-kilometre-long Shaikh Zayed Road in Cairo’s Salaam district besides the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Complex of UAE-Egypt Friendship and Culture in the Egyptian capital.

Dr Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), who attended the ceremony, reiterated the UAE’s support for Egypt, saying the strong, distinguished bilateral ties were based on the deep understanding between the two leaderships and their shared vision for forging a collective, unified approach to confront challenges facing the Arab and Muslim worlds.

“The UAE leadership is committed to further developing ties with Egypt for serving mutual interest of both countries and their people,” he added.

“We’ll recover all looted funds”..Osinbajo

THE Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has restated that the current administration of President Muhammadu ‎Buhari will recover all looted funds and fight corruption to a standstill.

He said this Thursday in Ibadan at a conference on corruption held at the University of Ibadan.

At the conference entitled, “The Predicament of Corruption and the Quest for Holistic Development in Africa”‎, the All Progressives Congress government said to achieve this, all relevant institutions would be strengthened.

According to him, President Buhari is determined to recover looted funds and fight corruption by strengthening institutions, improving sanction and enforcement and upholding the rule of law.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday arraigned two men – Linus Chibuike and Nnamdi Ojukwu – before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged money laundering offences.

Messrs. Chibuike and Ojukwu were arraigned for laundering the sum of 2.5 million dollars and 2.9 million dollars respectively.

The accused, both businessmen, were each arraigned on a one-count charge, to which they pleaded not guilty.

Following an oral application for bail by their counsel, Abubakar Shamsudeen and Chris Nwokedi, respectively, Justice Ibrahim Buba granted them bail in the sum of N50 million each, with one surety each in like sum.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has said if he had been killed by the Fulani herdsmen, who kidnapped him, there would have been an outbreak of ethnic war between the Fulani and the Yoruba people.

The elder stateman, who was kidnapped on his farm in Ilado village, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday, September 21 and freed on September 24, 2015, noted that he survived the abduction through the grace of God as the abductors attempted to take his life during the captivity.

He stated this on Thursday while narrating his ordeal in the kidnappers den to the immediate former Minster of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who paid him a visit to sympathise with him over the incident.

South African President Jacob Zuma has announced he will meet student leaders and university managers on Friday (23.10.2015) as a wave of student protests engulf the nation forcing 18 universities to close their doors.

Students say they cannot afford the fee increases planned by universities. Zuma's office said the meeting would take place at government offices in Pretoria.

"Nobody disagrees with the message that students from poor households are facing financial difficulties and possible exclusion," the president said in a government statement.

Monday, 26 October 2015

Sunday, 25 October 2015

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Friday, 23 October 2015

Thursday, 22 October 2015

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