Buhari returns, challenges journalist to wrestling contest

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned to Nigeria after spending 14 days in London, United Kingdom.

In a short interaction at the airport, Buhari challenged one of the State House correspondents, who asked him about his state of health, to a wrestling contest.

“You know I am taller than you. Do you want to wrestle me?” the President asked in Hausa language.

He had earlier told the journalists that they could see him while he was inspecting the guard of honour, an indication that his health was in perfect condition.

“I am okay. You can see me inspecting the guard of honour.  You have seen me, you saw me when I was going. You can do the assessment yourself,” he said.

The presidential jet that conveyed the President landed at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 5.33pm.

Dressed in a light brown kaftan, Buhari was in company with two of his children – a son and a daughter; a few close aides and Alhaji Mamman Daura.

He was received by the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari; the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; some members of the Federal Executive Council, top government officials, federal lawmakers and service chiefs.

On arrival, Buhari inspected a guard of honour mounted by men of the Guards Brigade.

Members of the National Troupe dressed in Yoruba and Fulani attire also danced to the admiration of the President.

Buhari had a brief closed-door interaction with the top government officials who came to receive him at the airport.

With the  airport ceremonies over, the President and some top aides left for the Presidential Villa in a long convoy.

The two governors in attendance in separate interviews expressed delight at the President’s return.

“We thank God for bringing him back to fix the country,” Yari said while Bello simply said, “Our daddy is back. He has gone to take a rest and he is back. We are happy and delighted to have him back.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, later told reporters that Buhari would be resuming duties on Monday (today).

“The President is going to resume work tomorrow. The Vice-President had said he would arrive today and he has arrived, then work starts in earnest tomorrow,” he said.

The presidential spokesman insisted that Buhari did not travel abroad for medical purposes.

He recalled that he wrote in the statement he issued that the President had been treated by Nigerian physicians.

He restated his position that what the Nigerian doctors told Buhari was that since he was going for holiday, experts could also look at him there.

He said, “It was not as if he was not treated in the country. He was treated, well treated and certified okay. Since he was going on holiday, he was asked to see experts there.

“Some people called it a medical leave. It was not. It was a leave to rest and during that rest, experts now looked at his health.

“So it was not principally a medical leave.”

Adesina then thanked Nigerians who wished the President well and appealed to others who he said went “into an overdrive to have a positive mindset to the President and everybody.”

The President had on June 6 commenced a 10-day vacation and proceeded to London on the same day.

The Presidency had in a statement indicated that the President would during the visit to London see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for a persistent ear infection.

The 10-day vacation ended on Wednesday.

Chile beat Mexico 7-0

Eduardo Vargas scored four goals as Chile hammered Mexico 7-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Copa America Centenario in spectacular style, Sky Sports reports.

Edson Puch book-ended the scoring at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and Vargas took his tally to six in the last two games, while Alexis Sanchez scored Chile’s third goal and had a hand in several more.

The rout means Chile, who also scored four in their final group game against Panama, will go into Wednesday’s last-four clash with Colombia in Chicago in ever more confident mood, while Mexico return home to lick their wounds.

Nestor Araujo’s tackle denied Puch, playing in place of the suspended Mauricio Isla, an opener in the first few minutes.

But he made the breakthrough in the 16th minute when Sanchez’s flick and Charles Aranguiz’s pull-back combined to create the chance, Guillermo Ochoa parried Marcelo Diaz’s shot and Puch sidefooted home his first international goal.

19 feared killed in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway auto crash

Eighteen passengers of a commercial bus and the driver were feared dead on Sunday as the bus they were travelling in had a head-on collision with a tanker on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the Fidiwo/Ajebo area.
The accident occurred around 1pm at a section of the road where there is a diversion of traffic to a single lane, due to construction work on the road.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the accident was caused by the driver of a loaded fuel tanker, which was travelling to Ibadan.

Akinbiyi explained that the tanker was trying to overtake another vehicle when it had a head-on collision with the Lagos-bound commercial bus, killing all the passengers and the driver instantly.
A Dangote truck, loaded with bags of cement, which the fuel tanker was trying to overtake, was also involved in the crash.
The three vehicles involved had these number plates: Dangote truck – AJG 40 XA; fuel tanker – RAN 571 XA; and the commercial bus – AGL 373 XR.
Akinbiyi said, “Our men  who were at the scene of the accident said that all the 18 passengers in the bus and the driver died on the spot, while the cement truck which had also given way to the overtaking tanker was also affected by the impact of the crash.”
At the time of filing this report, the TRACE PRO said a combined team of TRACE, Nigerian Police and Federal Road Safety Corps was on the scene and that the petroleum product being conveyed to Ibadan by the tanker was also being trans-loaded into another tanker.
Akinbiyi, however, said he was not sure whether the corpses of the victims would be taken to a morgue in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital or that of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

PICTURED: The mangled gate which Star Trek star Anton Yelchin, 27, was pinned against by his two TON Jeep when it rolled backwards and killed him in freak accident

Found early Sunday morning on his steep driveway pinned between car and a brick mailbox

Vehicle was in neutral and engine was still running; police still investigating but say no suspicious circumstances

Rising star will next be seen in Star Trek Beyond, out in July

Tributes flooded in, with Star Trek co-star John Cho writing 'I'm in ruins' 

Photographs taken at Star Trek star Anton Yelchin's home show the twisted metal gate and mailbox that the 27-year-old was fatally crushed against during a freak accident.

The body of the Russian-born actor was found at around 1am on his driveway in Studio City, California. He had been hit by his own car, authorities said.

According to police sources, the star was pinned against the gate by his 5,000 pound (2.5 ton) Jeep Grand Cherokee after he got out of the car but left the SUV in neutral.

Investigators believe the vehicle rolled backwards and into Yelchin. They have not established why exited his car.

A friend found Yelchin's body pinned between his car and a brick mail box, which was attached to a security gate and is on a very steep incline.

 

Yelchin was born in Saint Petersburg in Russia, the son of well-known professional figure-skaters Irina and Viktor Yelchin.

After 15 years as the stars of Russia’s Ice Ballet, the Yelchins fled to the United States as political refugees when their only child was still a baby.

Raised in Los Angeles, Yelchin attended the University of Southern California.

He started acting as a child, taking his first professional role at age nine in A Man Is Mostly Water.

Small roles in indie films and various television shows followed, before he broke out in films like the crime thriller Alpha Dog and the teenage comedy Charlie Bartlett.

His biggest role to date had been a recurring role as Ensign Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek films - the third of which, Star Trek Beyond comes out in July.

He also appeared in Terminator Salvation, Jim Jarmush’s Only Lovers Left Alive, and Hearts In Atlantis, based on a novel by Stephen King. 

Yelchin's famous friends and colleagues rushed to share their condolences after learning the tragic news. 

His Star Trek co-stars were obviously devastated by the loss.

John Cho wrote: 'I loved Anton Yelchin so much. He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I'm in ruins.'

 

And Zachary Quntio called Yelchin 'our dear friend'. 

Sharing a picture of the young star, he wrote: 'Our comrade. our Anton. One of the most open and intellectually curious people I have ever had the pleasure to know. 

'So enormously talented and generous of heart. Wise beyond his years. And gone before his time. All love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief.'

JJ Abrams, the director of the rebooted franchise, shared a hand written tribute to the actor.

'Anton,' he wrote, 'You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented.

'And you weren't here nearly long enough. Missing you. JJ.' 

'This is unreal,' the actor's friend Anna Kendrick tweeted on Sunday. 'Anton Yelchin is such a talent. Such a huge loss.'

Chad Michael Murray tweeted: 'Just heard about Anton Yelchin. What a great talent and good young man. Gone far too soon...Terrible loss. You will be missed.' 

Chris Kelly was one of many to complement the growing star's acting skills.

'Very sad to hear Anton Yelchin has died,' he wrote. 'Do yourself a favor and watch "Like Crazy." I love love love that movie. And he is amazing in it.'

'Anton Yelchin was one of my best friends', Kat Dennings wrote. 

'Can't say anything that conveys what this feels like.'

British comedian Matt Lucas wrote: 'Dreadful news about Anton Yelchin. I thought he was an amazing actor.' 

 

 

14-Year-Old Girl Attempts Suicide As Mother Rejects 34yr Old Okadaman Boyfriend

A 14-year-old girl in Ghana identified as Adjoa, is presently fighting for her life in a hospital at the at Nweneso Number One in the Ashanti Region of the country, after she reportedly drank some poisonous substance » after her mother refused to accept her 34-year-old 'Okadaman' (Commercial motorcyclist) boyfriend, Daily Graphics reports.

The girl's mother, identified as Maame Ampomaa , could not come to terms with why her teenage daughter would be a
love relationship » with a man old enough to be her father and narrated how the whole incident played out:

“About a week ago, I noticed that she had gotten herself a boyfriend. I am a widow and a single mother who toils to take care of her, so, I told her that she would stop schooling and stay home if she continued the relationship.

I woke up this morning and could not find her. I went to her room only to find her almost dying after consuming a poisonous substance.

I rushed her to a nearby hospital and I am praying that she gets well soon. I was only looking out for her own good so that with all the monies spent on her education, she does not get pregnant.

She may end up not getting a good man to marry, that is why I also asked her to stay away from this relationship,” the distraught mother said.

I Wish I Had My Children Earlier —peter Okoye Reveal

Award-winning artiste, Peter Okoye (Psquare), speaks about fatherhood and bonding with his children

How has fatherhood impacted you?

Fatherhood has taught me to be selfless and always consider my children first in whatever I do. In the past, I spent a fortune on pricey wristwatches and exotic cars. Today, my children come first. I spend wisely and preserve myself for them because they are my future.

How are you raising your kids?

As much as I always provide their needs, I always make it clear to them that there are millions of kids who do not have the same opportunities they have. I always let them know that street kids have no access to luxury neither are they fortunate to have a dad like myself. I also teach them about the benefits of working hard and working smart.

In what ways do you put these teachings into practise?

Sometimes I visit several rural communities with my son, so he can have a first-hand experience and feel of what it means to be poor. We also donate their old clothes and toys to the less privileged. It puts them in check . In addition, I ensure they value the little they have and are content.

What personal values shape your life?

My brother and I spent more time with our late mum as our dad was never in support of our music career at first. These days, parents encourage their kids to play soccer and do music because they have seen musicians succeed.I don’t stop my kids from pursuing their goals in life. I am simply of the opinion that you must strive to be the best in whatever you do. If you are a carpenter, motor mechanic or driver, strive to be the best in your field. I try as much as possible not to react the same way my father reacted when we began doing music. I have seen a lot of rich kids end up the wrong way and I don’t want that for my children.

How do you spend quality time with your kids?

Whenever I am in town, I take them out to play and buy ice-cream. Sometimes, we eat out at their favourite eatery.We also go swimming on Sundays; we have a pool in our home but we prefer to go swimming elsewhere. It’s sad that sometimes when they travel for summer holidays, I am not usually around because summer is a busy period for us. So, if they will be away for two weeks and I’m free for two days in between, I join them and then I go back to work.

Has being a father restricted you in any way?

Everyone knows that I’m a crazy person on stage. I take off my shirt on stage and the fact that I am married with kids doesn’t change that. It’s called showbizness and that is what I do for a living. When I get on stage, I put aside every other thing and simply enjoy the show.

Will you tone it down when your kids become older?

Well, it depends on me and don’t forget that my fans would also have grown older. In 20 years time, the same fans that are listening to Do Me, No One Like You, will want me to relieve the good old days. I will still take off my shirt as long as I still look good. It’s showbizness so I don’t want to change that.

How do you separate being a superstar and a dad?

I wish it were possible because sometimes when I’m out with my kids, I want to spend quality time alone with them. I hate having security around me and not being able to enjoy the moment with them. I don’t want them to get used to that life because in future, they would find it difficult adjusting to not having security follow them around. I want them to live their own lives away from mine. My son is aware that I am a celebrity but my daughter doesn’t know yet. Last year, I went somewhere with my son and he turned around and asked, ‘Dad, where is your bodyguard?’

Is there anything you wish to do better as a father?

I wish that I had my children earlier; I was with their mum for years before we got married. I even had them before we got married. If I had them a long time ago, we would relate more like siblings. If they were teenagers for instance, they would know that their dad is a celebrity and can learn certain things on their own.

What do you miss about your dad?

My kids didn’t really get to know my dad before he died. If my dad was alive, I am very certain that he would visit us every week from Jos, to spend time with the kids.

How would you describe your style of parenting?

I keep it young and fresh. People have turned parenting into something else just like marriage. I still live like a young boy; I don’t want to feel and act old. I want my kids to look up to me as role model. I am inspired by the footballer, David Beckham. I want my son to grow up to become my friend. That is why I said I wish I had my children earlier.

Who is the stricter parent between you and your wife?

My wife is stricter; she has a naughty corner where she disciplines any erring child. My wife puts them in check. Whenever Cameron does something wrong in school, he confides in me first. He does this because he knows I will find a way to calm his mum’s nerves.

How do you intend to spend Father’s Day?

Thankfully, I will be around but I feel every day is Father’s Day. Trying to set out a special day to celebrate it doesn’t make sense to me. We may just buy popcorn and watch a movie together in the comfort of our home. If we decide to spend the day outdoors, we will attract stares and fans would not let me be. I won’t be able to enjoy that intimate time with my children.

How do your kids react whenever this happens?

My son especially becomes very jealous. Thankfully, he has gotten over it because his friends now ask to take pictures with him.

Bus Crushes Infant To Death In Benue Over N150 Change (PHOTO)

Pandemonium broke in Makurdi, Benue State capital recently when a commercial bus crushed to death an infant baby over N150 change, injuring the nursing mother in the process.

The luciferious incident, IDOMA VOICE learnt happened along Makurdi-Gboko expressway happened Wednesday at about 9p.m.

The father of the deceased baby who simply gave his name as Senator Anuum narrated that the mother of child had boarded the vehicle, alongside her baby, from the second gate of the Benue State University (BSU) to Coca-Cola junction located along the highway.

Anuum explained that when the mother of the child was about to alight from the vehicle at the junction, she gave the bus conductor N200 and she was supposed to be given a balance of N150 which, the conductor refused.

“The mother and her child, who she carried at her back, were the remaining passengers in the bus. The conductor did not want to give her the change and they drove off, in the process she grabbed the conductor that was already on the moving vehicle, with her baby at the back and she lost balance, fell down and was dragged on the road till the baby fell off from her back, in between the back wheels and was smashed, died instantly and the driver and the conductor drove off,” Anuum said.

It was further gathered that the barbaric act drew the attention of residents and passers-by who thronged to the place to catch a glimpse and rescue the wailing woman. It said the matter has been reported to security agencies.

Efforts to contact the police public relations officer, ASP Moses Yamu failed but a police source said the matter was being investigated to fish out the perpetrators.

If God Created Everything, Who Created God?

Introduction
How did God get here?
Richard Dawkins, among other atheists, thinks he has the ultimate proof that God doesn't exist. If God created a complex universe, wouldn't it take an even more complex entity to have created God? However, such logic assumes that time has always existed, rather than being merely a construct of this universe.




Who created God? It is an age-old question that has plagued all those who like to think about the big questions. Having grown up as an agnostic non-Christian, it provided me with a potential reason why there might not be any god. Various religions tend to solve the problem in different ways. The LDS church (Mormonism) says that the God (Elohim) to whom we are accountable had a father god, then grew up on a planet as a man, and progressed to become a god himself. Many other religions have claimed that gods beget other gods. Of course the problem with this idea is how did the first god get here? This problem of infinite regression invalidates such religions. Christianity claims that God has always existed. Is this idea even possible? Does science address such issues?


Christianity's answer
Christianity answers the question of who made God in the very first verse of the very first book, Genesis:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

This verse tells us that God was acting before time when He created the universe. Many other verses from the New Testament tell us that God was acting before time began, and so, He created time, along with the other dimensions of our universe:

"No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. (1 Corinthians 2:7)
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9)
The hope of eternal life, which God... promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2)
To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:25)"

The idea that God created time, along with the physical universe, is not just some wacky modern Christian interpretation of the Bible. Justin Martyr, a second century Christian apologist, in his Hortatory Address to the Greeks, said that Plato got the idea that time was created along with the universe from Moses:

"And from what source did Plato draw the information that time was created along with the heavens? For he wrote thus: 'Time, accordingly, was created along with the heavens; in order that, coming into being together, they might also be together dissolved, if ever their dissolution should take place.' Had he not learned this from the divine history of Moses?"


God exists in timeless eternity
How does God acting before time began get around the problem of God's creation? There are two possible interpretations of these verses. One is that God exists outside of time. Since we live in a universe of cause and effect, we naturally assume that this is the only way in which any kind of existence can function. However, the premise is false. Without the dimension of time, there is no cause and effect, and all things that could exist in such a realm would have no need of being caused, but would have always existed. Therefore, God has no need of being created, but, in fact, created the time dimension of our universe specifically for a reason - so that cause and effect would exist for us. However, since God created time, cause and effect would never apply to His existence.


God exists in multiple dimensions of time
The second interpretation is that God exists in more than one dimension of time. Things that exist in one dimension of time are restricted to time's arrow and are confined to cause and effect. However, two dimensions of time form a plane of time, which has no beginning and no end and is not restricted to any single direction. A being that exists in at least two dimensions of time can travel anywhere in time and yet never had a beginning, since a plane of time has no starting point. Either interpretation leads one to the conclusion that God has no need of having been created.


Why can't the universe be eternal?
The idea that God can be eternal leads us to the idea that maybe the universe is eternal, and, therefore, God doesn't need to exist at all. Actually, this was the prevalent belief of atheists before the observational data of the 20th century strongly refuted the idea that the universe was eternal. This fact presented a big dilemma for atheists, since a non-eternal universe implied that it must have been caused. Maybe Genesis 1:1 was correct! Not to be dismayed by the facts, atheists have invented some metaphysical "science" that attempts to explain away the existence of God. Hence, most atheistic cosmologists believe that we see only the visible part of a much larger "multiverse" that randomly spews out universes with different physical parameters. Since there is no evidence supporting this idea (nor can there be, according to the laws of the universe), it is really just a substitute "god" for atheists. And, since this "god" is non-intelligent by definition, it requires a complex hypothesis, which would be ruled out if we use Occam's razor, which states that one should use the simplest logical explanation for any phenomenon. Purposeful intelligent design of the universe makes much more sense, especially based upon what we know about the design of the universe.


What does science say about time?
When Stephen Hawking, George Ellis, and Roger Penrose extended the equations for general relativity to include space and time, the results showed that time has a beginning - at the moment of creation (i.e., the Big Bang). In fact, if you examine university websites, you will find that many professors make such a claim - that the universe had a beginning and that this beginning marked the beginning of time (see The Universe is Not Eternal, But Had A Beginning). Such assertions support the Bible's claim that time began at the creation of the universe.



Conclusion
God has no need to have been created, since He exists either outside time (where cause and effect do not operate) or within multiple dimensions of time (such that there is no beginning of God's plane of time). Hence God is eternal, having never been created. Although it is possible that the universe itself is eternal, eliminating the need for its creation, observational evidence contradicts this hypothesis, since the universe began to exist a finite ~13.8 billion years ago. The only possible escape for the atheist is the invention of a kind of super universe, which can never be confirmed experimentally (hence it is metaphysical in nature, and not scientific).

PDP Crisis: Sheriff, Makarfi Meet Tomorrow As Governors Split

•INEC relates with only most senior director in PDP, awaits court’s decision
•BOT may lose out

Battle weary Interim Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ahmed Makarfi  and the former acting national chairman, Sen. Modu Ali Sheriff,  appear to be ready for truce.

The duo whose fierce claims to the leadership of the party has sharply divided members down the line and forced the police to shut down the party’s secretariat for one week in the first instance, are scheduled to meet tomorrow for talks on resolving  the crisis.
Police Inspector General Solomon Arase met with them in Abuja on Friday and told them to end their differences within one week.

He deployed his men to seal off the party’s secretariat for the period.
A highly-placed source said yesterday that the two factions agreed to meet tomorrow for reconciliation and harmonisation.

The source said: “Following a session with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase and the Director-General of the Department of State Security Service, Mallam Lawal Daura, we have opened up preliminary talks in which we agreed to meet on Monday.

“Neither Sheriff’s camp nor Makarfi’s group has named those who will represent the warring factions on Monday. We will send our list of representatives to the negotiation on or before Monday. Each group is still consulting on who should be part of its team.

“But in view of the bias of the leadership of the Board of Trustees, we don’t want them to play any role in brokering peace.”

Of the party’s 12 state governors, only two – Darius Ishaku (Taraba) and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) have openly identified with Sheriff, who is from their North-East zone.

Although 10 others are said to be “tactically” with Makarfi, two or three have allegedly pledged loyalty to Sheriff through subterranean channels.

Another party source said: “Governors Ishaku and Dankwambo have identified with Sheriff amidst pursuance of peace in the party. But the other 10 governors have been romancing Makarfi. A few of them however pay nocturnal allegiance to Sheriff. This is the type of politicking which is complicating the crisis in the party.”

Some of the governors allegedly against the candidature of Sheriff include Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti).

Senator Kashamu Buruji, who is one of the backers of Sheriff, has condemned Fayose’s role in the crisis in a letter to the BOT of PDP.
He said: “Some party leaders have all along been acting as a law unto themselves and carrying on with impunity irrespective of whether their actions are in the interest of the Party. Such actions, if not checked, could further stigmatize the Party as a lawless organization.

“It was Governor Fayose who came to me and said we should work for Senator Sheriff. He said I should start a heavy campaign because the governors had decided that he was the only one that could save the party.
Yet, it was the same Governor Fayose that tricked his colleagues and hijacked the National Convention for his personal interests even in the face of obvious illegalities.”

Another party source said: “Governors Ishaku and Dankwambo have identified with Sheriff amidst pursuance of peace in the party.”

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distanced itself from the two factions in PDP to avoid being accused of bias.
A top official of INEC said the commission has been relating with the most senior director at the PDP National Secretariat on correspondence and party matters.

He said the neutrality will remain until there is a definite decision by the court on the crisis in PDP.
We took a decision not to deal with either Sheriff or Makarfi. We do not want to be dragged into politics.

“But on correspondence and any issue on political parties, we relate with the most senior director in PDP who will communicate all the groups.
We are awaiting a definite pronouncement by the court on the challenge in PDP. If the court says we should go with A, we will go with A. If the court orders us to relate with B, we will comply.”

Witches Protest In Ghana Over Leap Allowance

The decision by some alleged witches in the Gushegu District in the Northern Region to demand their right has paid off as they would begin to receive their allowances under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme (LEAP) by the end of this month. The alleged witches were registered for the LEAP programme two years ago but have not been paid any allowance since.

Protest
A protest march by the 163 to the Gushegu District Assembly last Monday was to demand their share of the LEAP allowance “‘We registered these alleged witches about two years ago but they are yet to receive their allowances and when they came here to demand the payment of their allowances I called Accra and I was told their registration forms are being processed and they would start paying them their allowances by the end of this month (June), the Gushegu District Social Welfare Officer, Mr Tia S. Dokurugu told The Mirror in an interview. The alleged witches, who have been ostracised from their communities, are being camped at the three witches’ camps in the Gushegu districts namely the Leli-tabari, Kpatinga and Nabuli witches camps. Their action at the District Assembly last Monday, earned them their right and those in charge had no alternative than to act to meet their demand. The spokesperson for the women, Alimatu Sadia said life had become difficult for them since they were chased out of their communities based on the accusation of witchcraft and the only way they could get the government to listen to them was to march to the district assembly to demand their share as beneficiaries of the LEAP programme. The action Mr Dokurugu told The Mirror that the action of the 168 alleged witches was necessitated by the payment of allowances to 31 inmates of the Leli-tabari witches camp through the Bidizaa Rural Bank. He said the 31 inmates of the Leli-tabari witches’ camp, were registered in 2009 and they had been receiving their allowances but the 168 persons who marched to the assembly to demand theirs were registered two years ago and their forms were being processed in Accrato enable them to benefit.“They accused me of spending their money but I told them that I have sent their registration forms to Accra for them to be processed and I have been assured by the ministry that by the end of this month they would begin to receive their allowances.Mr Dokurugu said the allowances paid under the LEAP programme varies with the lowest being GH¢67 and the highest GH¢106.

The LEAP programme
The LEAP programme is a social cash transfer programme that provides cash and health insurance to the extremely poor households across the country.The main aim is to alleviate short-term poverty and encourage long-term human capital development. It was launched in 2008 as Ghana’s flagship programme of the National Social Protection Strategy and it is being implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Abolishing of witches camp
The Ministry of Gender and its partners in 2014 launched a project to abolish witches camps in the Northern Region but two years after the initiation of the project,the ministry has been able to close down only one out of the six witch camps in the Northern Region at Bonyase in the Central Gonja District. Currently, there are five witch camps in the Northern Region with the Gambaga witches camp in the West Mamprusi District being the oldest, which is believed to have been in existence for about a century.

Amosun ; No To Grazing Routes In Ogun State...

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has ‎said he is not in support of the proposed creation of grazing zones across the country by the Federal Government.

He said this on Friday at his Oke Mosan office, Abeokuta, while receiving the technical committee on herdsmen/farmers clashes set up by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin.

Amosun argued that grazing zones could not solve the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers, adding that he would rather support the establishment of cattle ranches, by cattle herders as a lasting solution to the conflict.

He described the formation of the technical committee as timely and a step in the right direction.

He said, “People have suggested a number of solutions. But, for me, I would not support creation of grazing zones. They (cattle herders) should take it as a business, probably building ranches‎ privately. We should not try to solve a problem by creating another one.”

The governor urged Nigerians to embrace peace, stating that nothing could be solved with violence.

Amosun advised security agencies to investigate the nationality of the killer herdsmen, if indeed they were from neighbouring countries as being alleged in some quarters.

The head of the technical committee, Major-General Edward Nze, said the panel was set up by the Chief of Defence Staff at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country was becoming a threat to national security‎.

As part of measures to tackle the menace, Nze ‎said “Operation Accord” would be inaugurated by the military authorities.

Ahead of the operation, he explained that the technical committee had also visited some affected states, including Nasarawa, Benue, Enugu, Zamfara, Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo.

While in Ogun, Nze said, the delegation would meet with relevant stakeholders towards finding lasting solutions to the herdsmen and farmers clashes, which reared its ugly head occasionally in some Yewa area of the state.

Dimitri Payet: From a clothing store clerk in 2006 to one of the best players at Euro 2016 (photos)

Genius Football shared these split photos of French professional footballer who plays for English club West Ham United. Long before he found fame, the 29-year-old who is blessed with terrific technique and dribbling skills, worked in a clothing store....

Policemen Sleep With Us Without Condoms - Nigerian Prostitutes Cry Out

A community based organization of sex workers, Ohotu Diamond Women Initiative (ODWI) has called on the Nigerian Police to stop abuse on sex workers.

In a statement made available to newsmen, the organization laments over the widely misunderstanding status about sex work.

“The illegal status of sex work in most countries, including Nigeria has not eradicated prostitution. Instead, criminalization has increased sex workers vulnerability to human rights abuses and created fertile ground for police exploitation, especially of brothel and street-based sex workers.

“Sex workers deserve the basic respect and protection from violence that each nation owes its citizens. But in many settings, police abuse of sex workers receives scant public attention despite its entrenched global reality. Street and brothel-based female sex workers, one of Lagos and Abuja most vulnerable populations, find themselves targeted for arrest by police, and they experience high levels of violence that go unpunished. Current city and law enforcement policies towards sex workers create a cycle of arrest that does not result in appropriate or long term solutions for the community or sex workers,” the statement reads in part.

On the challenges sex workers face, it said: “The challenge that we face as 50 participants from different L.G.As are almost similar. Many of us face violence and discrimination on a regular basis. Regardless of which State or tribe we are from, many of us have experienced being raped, verbally, emotionally and physically abused by police, clients and community members.

“There is an unfair discrimination from service providers. Sex workers are not protected or defended by the law when they are exploited and abused. We demand that these violations stop immediately and decisive action is taken against perpetrators.”

The statement further revealed how sex workers suffer abuse from the Nigerian Police Officers. “Thirty percent of sex workers interviewed told researchers that they had been threatened with violence by police officers, while 27% actually experienced violence at the hands of police. Reported incidents included officers physically grabbing and kicking, as well as beating them; one incident of rape; one woman was stalked by a police officer; and throwing food at one subject. Sexual harassment included handling of body parts; giving women cigarettes in exchange for sex; and police offering not to arrest sex workers in exchange for sexual services.

“Several times the Police have raided our hotels beating, stealing and having sex with us without protection.”

In a bid to curtail the abuses sex workers suffer from Policemen, the Executive Director of SafeHeaven Development Initiative, Margaret Onah has criticised the method of which Policemen uses to extort money from sex workers and abuse.

According to Onah, the Nigerian Policemen are not mindful of the fundamental human rights that should be accorded to sex workers.

“It is dehumanising when Policemen abuses, sex workers the way they do. We are using this channel to voice out our pains in the course of survival. The government needs to do something about it. It is better if sex workers are charged to court than naming them, harassing them, stealing their money, stealing their properties, and having sex with them unprotected.”

Speaking on what could be done to end the abuse by Policemen, she said: “the Police needs to re-strategise. The fact that sex work is illegal doesn’t mean that they should kill anyone find doing the job.
“Sex workers are citizen of this country first of all, and they need to be respected like every other citizen.”

Speaking on harassment faced with Policemen, Esther Eghosa said: “Time without numbers, the Policemen break our doors to start packing us like goats to the station. If you don’t have money to bail yourself, they will say they want to sleep with you unprotected which is very bad.

Eghosa, who is a sex worker further stress, “As a woman in the brothel, we protect ourselves, we use condoms, but with the Policemen, you don’t have a say.”

CBN’s New FX Guidelines Hold Mixed Fortunes For Banks

Wednesday’s decision by policy makers in Africa’s largest economy to adopt a market driven foreign exchange policy holds upsides for lenders, even as it retains its fair share of upheavals.

In a June 15 note to BusinessDay, Renaissance Capital, an investment banking firm, said the new policy would result in revaluation gains as banks use the interbank rate for balance sheet conversions.

“[There will also be] FX trading gains. To better appreciate this however, we need clarity on the modus operandi of the liberalised interbank FX market,” the note penned by Adesoji Solanke, head of research and sub-Saharan bank analyst, Renaissance Capital, stated.

“Will the interbank rate be fixed again, albeit at a higher price, or will it be freely liberalised or within some sort of band? What happens to the backlog of FX demand, particularly those that affect banks’ asset quality?” the report read.

Razia Khan, chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank, also weighed in on the positives of the new FX structure.

“A weaker FX rate will likely boost Nigeria’s receipts from oil revenue, and help contain the overall fiscal deficit,” Khan said in an emailed note to BusinessDay.

However, on the flip side, negatives abound.

“The foreign exchange exposure of the Nigerian banking system, given the preference for USD-lending in previous years, remains a key concern. A much weaker FX rate may initially bring loan deterioration, with higher system NPLs and even in the presence of accommodative monetary policy, appetite for new bank lending may take some time to recover,” Khan added.

Renaissance Capital’s Solanke also highlighted the woes the new policy had in store for lenders in his note.

“Capital and NPL [non-performing loan] risks are the biggest potential negatives of the new FX guidelines,” the report read.

BusinessDay gathered that the lenders were well aware of the NPL and capital risks a weaker naira will bring, yet they wanted to see more flexibility in the interbank rate, which would be supportive of growth and facilitate planning.

In other words, though Nigerian banks view Wednesday’s FX decisions positively; they had anticipated the upheavals to follow.

“For NPLs, the reality is that many small businesses are already either starved of FX or have had to access this at parallel market levels; therefore, some adjustment to a weaker rate has already happened.

The big businesses with significant volume demand were still in queue and operating at the official/fixed interbank rate.

A further move of significant FX demand away from the official rate to a weaker and floating interbank rate should now have a more notable impact on larger corporates; these nevertheless tend to have relatively larger buffers to absorb currency swings,” the report read.

One of the positives of not devaluing for this long is that the banks have had the opportunity to think through the risks of a devaluation compared with 2009, and implement some measures, however small, to deal with this, such as holding customers’ naira at a weaker exchange rate and prioritising liquidation of legacy positions (including card liabilities) as they are able to get FX from the CBN, bank analysts say.

“The challenge is that depending on FX supply dynamics in a liberalised interbank FX system, the interbank rate could run away, at least at the outset. Where it settles is difficult to say but liquidity and confidence in the FX policy will be critical to keeping the markets stable,” they say.

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the CBN announced that the bank would begin the market driven foreign currency trading on Monday, abandoning the 16 month currency peg.

“This will bring confidence to the market. You can now begin to plan for your needs,” said Ini Ebong, Group Treasurer First Bank Holdings Plc, during an interview session at CNBC Africa.

“Fx inflow will spike with the return of foreign portfolio investors. The market has been reopened,” said Ebong.

Nigeria, Africa largest economy, hard hit by a significant drop in oil price by 60 percent, had its stock and bond indexes downgraded by international rating agencies as investors divested on the back of a rigid foreign exchange policy.

Standard & Poor’s (S&P), a global rating agency, revised Nigeria’s sovereign credit outlook to negative, from the stable it was previously. Nigeria currently has a B+ rating by the agency.

Moody’s Investors Service, in April, downgraded Nigeria’s long-term issuer ratings to B1 from Ba3 and has assigned a stable outlook, concluding the review for downgrade initiated on March 4th 2016.

The Central Bank governor said there will be primary and secondary dealers and that the number of dealers will not be more than 8 or 10. He added that the apex bank is working hard to see that there is more supply of foreign exchange in the market.

“If we improve on the level of supply in the market, those demands will be met in the market. If you rush, you may hurt your profit, balance sheet and spike the interest rate,” said Emefiele.

Nominees For 2016 Nigerian Entertainment Award

Best Album
Y.A.G.I (Lil Kesh)

Applaudise (Iyanya)

Eyan Mayweather (Olamide)

Ghetto University (Runtown)

R.E.D. (Tiwa Savage)

Stories that Touch (Falz)

Seyi or Shay (Seyi Shay)

Mama Africa (Yemi Alade)

Wanted (Wande Coal)

Hottest Single

Oshinachi (Humblesmith)

Duro (Tekno)

Baba Nla (Wiz Kid)

Lagos Boys (Olamide)

Mama (Kiss Daniel)

Jagaban (Ycee)

Best Song

Pick Up (Adekunle Gold)

Oluwa Ni (Reekado Banks)

Vow (Timi Dakolo)

You Suppose know (Bez)

Type of Woman (Iyanya)

Go On (Niyola)

Afropop Artist
Tekno

Wiz Kid

Tiwa Savage

Kiss Daniel

Chidinma

Davido

R&B Artist

Waje

Niyola

Praiz

Seyi Shay

Dare

Iyanya

Rap Act

Vector

MI

Phyno

Olamide

Reminisce

CDQ

Gospel Artist
Uche Agu

Frank Edward

Nikki Laoye

Sammy Okposo

Obiora Obiwon

Onos Brisibi

Dancehall Artist
Patoranking

Timaya

Cynthia Morgan

Ceeza

Burna Boy

Ketchup

Indigenous Artist

9ice

Flavour

Tillaman

Jaywon

Olu Maintain

Kcee

Alternative Artist
Temidollface

Bez

Mystro

Brymo

Aramide

Timi Dakolo

Best New Act

Niniola

Ycee

Adekunle Gold

Humblesmith

Mz Kiss

Toby Grey

Most Promising Act to Watch

Shobzy

Mr. Eazi

Teeblaq

Spyz

Terry Apala

Coco Benson

Diaspora Artist

Shiikane

Ayojay

Mr. Eazi

Lioness

Duncan Daniels

Stylezz

Best Collabo

Moniegram (Mr. 2Kay ft. Timaya)

Romantic (Korede Bello ft. Tiwa)

My Woman, My Everything (Patoranking ft Wande Coal)

Yaya Oyoyo (Lil Kesh ft. DaVido)

Reggae Blues (Harry Song ft Others)

Your Number (Ayojay ft. Fetty Wap)

Sekem (MC Galaxy ft Swizz Beats)

Finally (Masterkraft ft. Sarkodie, Flavour)

Best Live Performer

Omawumi

Tuface

Solidstar

Yemi Alade

Dbanj

MC Galaxy

Best Music Video
Emergency (Dbanj Dir. Unlimited LA)

Right Now (Seyi Shay Dir. Meji Alabi)

Condo (Kuammy Dir. Moe Musa)

Karishika (Falz Dir. Aje Films)

Duro (Tekno Dir. Patrick Elis)

If I Start to Talk (Tiwa Dir. CP)

Quality (Pasuma Dir. HG2)

Sisi (Sexy Steel Dir. Chad Tennies)

African Male Artist (Non Nigerian / Africa)

Stonebwoy (GH)

FA (LIB)

Sarkodie (GH)

Sauti Sol (KQ)

Deng (LIB)

Papa Denis (KQ)

Bisa Kdei (GH)

Eric Geso (LIB)

Shattawale (GH)

African Female Artist (Non Nigerian / Africa)

Vannessa Mdee (TZ)

Efya (GH)

Lira (SA)

MZ Vee (GH)

Sheebah Ndiwanjawulo (UG)

Adiouza (SN)

Victoria Kimani (KQ)

Knowless Butera (RW)

Music Producer
DJ Coublon

Masterkraft

Young John

Cobhams

Mystro

Jay Pizzle

Ogenyi Onazi Survives Accident In Oyo State Ahead Of Saturday Wedding (photos)

Super Eagles Player, Ogenyi Onazi, who just held his traditional marriage yesterday in Benin, is grateful to God for surviving an accident on the road.

This would have been another sad story but for the grace of God as the tire beside the driver’s seat burst into pieces after they drove into a pot hole on the road.

The accident occurred in Ogbere area of Oyo state as he was on his way back to Lagos to prepare for his white wedding which will be holding on Saturday, June, 18, 2016.

In his words,

“Devil Na lie for you thank God we are fine. But our government no dey try at all, bad roads they are not called pot hole put well on the road Christ, praise him.”
He was in company of his friend along with his brother. Thank God for his life.

Those Who Stole For 16 Years Will Suffer Prosecution For 16 Years – Oshiomhole

Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole has reacted to criticism labeling President Muhammadu Buhari as performing poorly, adding that the president is already delivering on his electoral promises and the APC Change agenda.
Oshiomhole, who was speaking at the national executive committee meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, said, “I know that right now, everybody is talking in the country.

“Is this the change we asked for? And my answer is Yes. It is the change we asked for.

“For all of us in this hall, you know that the challenge of fixing a house that has been destroyed is much more cumbersome than even building a completely new house because for the one that has been destroyed, you have to start by removing the debris.

“You have to check whether the foundations are weak so that you remove them. You must first do a lot of cleansing and excavation.

“That is what President Muhammadu Buhari is doing. And people expect that in 12 months you would have fixed what was destroyed in 16 years.

“It is simply not possible and in any case, you must also recognize that even the pressure on the naira is the result of the so much dollars that was taken out and it will require a lot of efforts at a time of collapsed prices and the challenge of oil export to fix what was completely mismanaged.

“So, I ask us as elite, we have a duty to explain to the Nigerian people: Changes will come, but they won’t come by trying to remove a house with smoke under.

“You must extinguish the fire and make sure the foundations are strong, and start the process of rebuilding gradually.

“Is this the Change we asked for? Yes. It’s the Change we asked for. There is no way miracles can occur in the life of a nation.

“The challenge of re-fixing the house that has been destroyed is much more cumbersome.”

The governor, however, called on the NBA to join hands with the government in the fight against corruption.

He added, “The NBA has a very important role to play in the national effort to combat and defeat corruption. But I asked my Lord the Chief Judge, by the time the President of the NBA said the Bar has been fighting the war, and I said to my lord, are you aware of any casualty in the war the NBA has been fighting against corruption? Is it possible to fight a war without casualties?

“I think now we are beginning to see casualties because there is a renewed determination by the federal government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate that if it is true that corruption is as rampant as everybody claims, and if it is true that we have set up institutions to fight it, it cannot also be true that we are fighting and nobody is falling.

“I think right now people are beginning to fall, and with your help, they can fall faster. Corruption is fighting back and I regret to have to say this in your presence, I should say this after you have left, that it appears that corruption is fighting back, and a section of the Bar is supporting this effort, because we have seen needless adjournments, needless amendments to charges and needless preliminary objections, leading to endless adjournments.

“I think that the Bar in your business section agrees on a code that if as Buhari said, if we don’t kill corruption, it will kill us, and we don’t want to die, then we must allow justice to have its way without delaying it.”

Oshiomhole said criticisms of the anti-graft war being one-sided should be ignored, adding that its all handiwork of detractors.

He noted, “The truth is if you monopolize power for sixteen years, and you monopolize the sharing of the national treasury for sixteen years, should you not monopolize the burden of being prosecuted for sixteen years?

”Is it the victims of the sharing that should be prosecuted? You dominated power for sixteen years, you have operated in the name of Boko Haram and you spent the money and shared the money.

”Who else should be prosecuted? So, I think the Bar needs to be bold in dismissing those who are seeking to trivialize the anti-corruption war. Just now, we are beginning to see all kinds of groups coming up under the guise of one protest or the other. They want to harass and intimidate the system.”

TB Joshua Rescues Deportees From Libya, Splashes N6m

Nigerian Prophet, T.B. Joshua, has splashed N6m ($30,000) on over a hundred Nigerian deportees who arrived from Libya on the evening of Thursday 16th June, 2016.



​According to media reports, 162 Nigerians were deported from the North African nation with the aid of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Swiss government and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.


However, rather than return home, 107 decided to 'seek refuge' at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), the popular Lagos-based church of T.B. Joshua.

According to a post on Joshua's official Facebook Page, after feeding the dishevelled and frail-looking Nigerians who arrived at the church late in the night, the sum of N50,000 was given to each of them alongside a bag of rice.

"Let me be honest with you, if not for this gift from T.B. Joshua, I had the plan of joining the militants in the Niger Delta," admitted Friday, a returnee from Delta State, who fell to his knees in gratitude after receiving the gift.

The deportees explained to this reporter that most of them had been surviving by doing menial jobs in the war-torn nation before being arrested and imprisoned.

"We came back with nothing but the clothes on our backs which were given to us by United Nations officials," said Michael, an Edo State indigene who had been in Libya for nearly ten months, washing cars for a living while nursing the hope of reaching Europe one day.



Arrested in February for staying illegally, Michael endured several months in a Libyan prison before the insufferable conditions of the prisoners attracted the attention of United Nations officials who procured their eventual release.



"I was thinking of how I was going to start my life again," he admitted. "Many of us would have ended up in crime if not for this gift."



Upon arrival, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) provided transportation vehicles for the returnees to their respective states along with a gesture of N10,000 by the Swiss government.

However, the majority chose to seek help from Joshua, who is famed for his extensive humanitarian gestures.

"We decided to come to The SCOAN because we know how Prophet T.B. Joshua has been helping people around the world," Michael explained, referring to multiple other occasions where Joshua has rendered assistance to Nigerian deportees.


"I can only thank the man of God. Which other Nigerian could have done this for us at such a time in this country?"he tearfully pondered, decrying the muted response from the Nigerian government to their plight.



According to Collins, the young Nigerian had no intention to traverse Libya. Wild promises from a 'friend' of a glamorous life in Europe lured him away from a stable job in Abuja, not knowing that the European dream would lead him to a Libyan dungeon.



The fantasy turned to a nightmare as Libyan police broke into the commune where he was residing with dozens of other Nigerians en-route to a 'better life' abroad that never materialised.



"We are not here to blame or accuse the Libyan government," he stated, recounting the inhumane conditions he endured in prison in which several of his colleagues died.



One of the deportees hobbled to the church on crutches."I had a serious motor accident shortly after arriving to join my wife in Libya," he narrated. "I have been in pain ever since but I thank God for using Prophet T.B. Joshua to wipe our tears away today."

Joshua, who recently celebrated his 53rd birthday on June 12th 2016, also assisted Nigerian deportees who returned from Libya earlier this year, as well as aiding Nigerians returned from South Africa last month.


Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist