Lingering Fuel Scarcity: Senate summons Kachikwu

The Senate has summoned the Minister of state for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu, to appear before it today March 29th to explain reasons for the lingering fuel scarcity. ‎The Acting Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (downstream), Jibrin Barau, announced this after the committee members carried out an assessment of the fuel situation in Abuja yesterday.

“This situation is very bad and unacceptable, hence the need for the minister to appear before us tomorrow (today), and unveil his plan of a way out to us. Even if he doesn’t have any plan yet out of the lingering problem, the Senate President and the entire members of the committee are more than ready to rub minds with him for that needed purpose“he said

Muslim shopkeeper stabbed to death for wishing Christians Happy Easter

It is a most tragic tale, 40-year-old  Asad Shah was sent to an early grave for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The shopkeeper from Glasgow who has been described by those who knew him as 'peace-loving' was stabbed 30 times in his shop after he had praised both the life of Jesus and ‘his beloved Christian nation’. He died in hospital.

Police say the murder is religiously motivated and are questioning a 32-year-old man. 
Mohammad Faisal, a family friend, said a bearded Muslim wearing a long religious robe entered Mr Shah’s shop and spoke to him in his native language before stabbing him in the head with a kitchen knife.

Mr Shah’s brother, who was working next door, rushed out to find the killer laughing while sitting on the shopkeeper's bleeding chest.

‘The brother dragged Mr Shah away but the guy continued attacking with the blade,’ said Mr Faisal. ‘They struggled up to the bus stop where Asad collapsed.
‘It was just a clear-cut revenge attack. For posting messages about peace, messages about greeting fellow Christians and Jews.

‘That man must not have been too happy about what he was doing, what he was preaching. It was a well-planned attack. He must have been an extremist.
'He went straight for the head. He got stomped on the head as well. His brother suffered a slash down his shoulder area because he attacked him with a knife as well.’

Before his death, Mr Shah had wished his friends a ‘Good Friday and a very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation’.
In his final post, he wrote: ‘Let’s follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds.’
He also spoke out against the Brussels attacks on his Facebook page.

In a video posted online he said: ‘We are not here to fight with other mankind or cause bloodshed.’
Hundreds of people including the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon gathered for a silent vigil late to honour the respected shopkeeper near the site where he died.

Deeply religious, Mr Shah worked to foster cross-community relations in Glasgow and had been planning to host an online debate last night with Christian friends about the importance of Easter. Friends said he observed both Christian and Muslim holidays, and never failed to send out Easter and Christmas cards. And he used his social media accounts to promote harmony on religious holidays.
It is believed he belonged to the Ahmadi movement, a Muslim sect which promotes non-violence and tolerance of other faiths.

Ahmadis identify themselves as Muslims and a determined missionary network has helped spread their teachings around the world.

The sect however has drawn the ire of mainstream Islam and suffer severe persecution, its headquarters in South London has been targeted by arsonists.

Super Falcons goalkeeper, Precious Dede retires after 15 years

36 year old Super Falcons goalkeeper Precious Dede has retired from the female national football team after a career spanning 15 years that has seen her participate in four women World Cups, three Olympic Games and four AWC, which she won in 2010 and 2014.

 

Dede disclosed that she decided to quit after the African Women Nations Cup 2014 in Namibia but later changed her mind. But that after 15 years with the  National team, it was time she focused on other things.

“I feel that I have tried after 15 years with the national team. For me that is a very good record, and it was about time I left the stage for the younger ones. They are equally good, they can carry on”.

 

“ I wanted to quit before the last World Cup, but I was asked to come back and play”, she added. 

 “ It was very disappointing (Falcons performance at Canada 2015) because I’d thought we had what it took to get as far as the final or even the semis, but I thank God though.”

 

Dede played 99 times for the national team and says she will enter the fashion world after retirement.

FG permits SON to jail substandard product dealers for 10yrs without the option of a fine

The Federal Government has given authorization to Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to imprison dealers who sell substandard products. They said SON has the authorization to jail defectors for ten years. SON has since started with Tyre dealers. They have given a 24 hours ultimatum to tyre dealers all over the country to destroy every fake tyre in their stock or face 10 years imprisonment without any option of a fine.
Acting Director General of SON, Dr. Paul Angya, gave the ultimatum at a stakeholder’s forum for tyre dealers in Lagos, stating. He said fake tyres have been the leading cause of several deaths in the country based on a recent report by the Road Safety Commission. Adding that out of 8,986 accidents recorded in 2015, 722 were due to tyre bursts, which has led to the death of 446 persons
He said:

“Our new Act 2015 empowered us to jail promoters of sub-standard product up to 10 years and we will not relent to jail any culprit. ‘’We are going to stamp out corruption among the tyre dealers, “we are going to set up a taskforce and we will not sleep until we confirm that accidents in the country are not traced to substandard tyres again.” 

“We are ready to eliminate importation of sub-standard products into Nigeria, because of this we have reached out to other government agencies to ensure that we work together and stop smugglers of fake products into the country.

“If you have fake tyre in your shop make sure you disposed them in the next 24 hours, thereafter our team will visit you and we will charge you for murderer. “To eliminate corruption from SON, we are going to introduce e-payment, e-invoice and e-receipt to stamp out corruption from the system,”

He said the organization is also working on improving the standard of products that are sold to consumers.
Adding:

“To ease our work and improve quality of goods and products in Nigeria, we are working to improve expansion of SON facilities across the country so that people in Sokoto will not travel to Maiduguri to text their products”

“What many of our farmers do before they can take their products to abroad is to first take it to Ghana laboratory for text, once the goods pass through text in Ghana the products will send to abroad in the name of Ghana and Ghana government will take the glory.”

Photos of James Ocholi's children at his service of songs today

The service of songs for former Minister of state for Labor, James Ocholi, held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja today March 16th. The former Minister, his wife, Blessing and son Joshua all perished in a fatal accident along the Kaduna-Abuja road on March 6th. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, Minister of Labor and Employment Chris Ngige and others were in attendance...

Buhari lacks the capacity to rule Nigeria' - Professor Nwabueze

Professor Ben Nwabueze, a renowed Lawyer and President of the Patriots, a revered group of Elder statesmen in Nigeria, says President Buhari lacks the intellectual capacity to rule a complex country like Nigeria. Nwabueze said this in an interview with The Sun newspaper.

"I do not think that it is a question of not being prepared. Don't forget that the 2015 election was his fourth time of contesting, of making an attempt at being President. He tried to be president for 12 years. So, he had more than enough time to prepare himself if he had the capacity. So, it is not that he was not prepared. The fact is that he lacks the capacity to govern as the problems are beyond him.
Even if you give him 20 years to prepare, it would still be beyond his capacity. Nigeria is a very complex country. I have told you before, that we have 389 ethnic nationalities. The complexities and the issues involved in ruling such a country are huge. Leading such a complex country is an intellectual issue and Buhari does not have the intellectual capacity to comprehend what it means to govern the country"he said

Basketmouth & Soso Soberekon serve food at party in Warri (photos)

Basket Mouth and Soso Soberekon acted as chefs, serving food to Ini Edo, Ebube Nwagbo, Oge Okoye, and others who were among those who were at a party thrown by billionaire business man Chief Ikuku in Warri. See more photos after the cut...

Boko Haram suicide bombers attack Muslim praying ground in Maiduguri, kill 25

25 people were reportedly killed while 17 others were seriously injured after a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber attacked a Muslim praying ground in Umurari village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno state this morning. The dead bodies have been evacuated from the scene while those injured have been taken to the government hospital for treatment. Security officers are working to restore calm to the area. 

15yr old Patience Paul narrates how she was abducted & sexually abused for 7 months in Sokoto

Patience Paul, the 15 year old Benue state born girl who was abducted on August 12th last year and forced into Marriage in Sokoto state where she resides with her family, has narrated how she was abducted and sexually abused by her abductor for 7 months. Patience was freed on March 4th after the Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, intervened in her case.


Speaking in an Interview with Leadership, Patience who is a primary six pupil, said her abductor and some Hisbah (Sharia police) personnel took her to an Imam in Runjin Sambo area of Sokoto with a claim that she wanted to convert to Islam.

“I was sent to buy biscuits and on my way I saw him (her abductor) and he persuaded me to come to his bungalow.”she said Patience said she was not forced into marriage but that her abductor turned her into a sex slave at the house of the Sarkin Baki. “Yes, he was forcefully making love to me any time he wanted. They first took me to Sarkin Baki house, and kept me there for seven months before my parents came looking for me. They gave me something to drink, but I refused to take the drink, and they took me to one room and locked me inside the room. They forcefully made me to turn to Muslim and gave me another name, Aisha. Some people wanted to marry me, but the Sarkin Baki refused and said until I finish Islamic school before they marry me off".

Patience's abductor has been arrested and will soon be prosecuted.

Photos: Footballer Francesco Totti and wife welcome baby daughter

Italian football legend Francesco Totti welcomed a third child, a baby girl, with his wife Ilary. The couple was pictured in high spirits after leaving the hospital 'Matre Dei' on Monday afternoon. Totti has been at Roma all his career, scoring 300 goals in 751 appearances since his first-team debut in 1993. More photos after the cut...

President Buhari departs Malabo after attending the Maritime and Security Patrol Agreement signing

President Buhari attended the Agreement signing on the establishment of combined Maritime Policing and Security Patrol Committee between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea today, March 15. Pictured is the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan signing the agreement. President Buhari held a press conference shortly before he departed Malabo. More photos after the cut...

Pope Fancis to declare Mother Theresa a Saint on September 4th

Pope Francis will on September 4th this year declare Mother Teresa of Kolkata a Saint. Mother Theresa who is affectionately known as the "saint of the gutter" for her unconditional ‎love ‎for the poor, abandoned and marginalized, was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II after being attributed to a first miracle, answering an Indian woman's prayers to cure her brain tumor, according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis officially cleared Mother Teresa for sainthood on Dec. 17th last year after her "miraculous healing" of a Brazilian man with multiple brain abscesses, the Vatican said.

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu‎ on ‎August 26, 1910, in Skopje, in what ‎is now ‎Macedonia, Mother Teresa died in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, on September 5th ‎‎1997.

Photos: See Footballer Paul Pogba's new haircut

As in?

D'banj's producer quits after 4 years of working together

He made the announcement on social media this week...

30 children die in fresh outbreak of Diarrhea in Imo state

No fewer than 30 children have died in a fresh outbreak of Diarrhea in Imo state. According to Leadership, the state commissioner for Health, Ngozi Njoku disclosed this while speaking with a delegation from the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited who paid her a courtesy visit in her office yesterday March 14th.

She attributed the recent development to unavailability of portable water in some of the autonomous communities in the state where the disease is prevalent. Njoku said that the death toll from the outbreak of the deadly disease had risen to 30 in the last few weeks, while several others affected by the scourge were receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state. She added that four children died last month as a result of the infection in Nekede, in the Owerri West council area.

Medical students to spend 11 years in University henceforth - NUC

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced that students studying Medicine and Surgery in Nigerian universities will spend 11 years before getting an MBBS degree. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie made the declaration in a lecture delivered at the maiden inauguration of the University of Medical Science, Ondo State.

In a lecture titled ‘Development of Medical Education: Prospects and Challenges‘, Okojie, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, said increasing the study time was essential to ensure medical students are well prepared for the psychological demands of the game.

He said medical students will spend the first four years in studying basic sciences in university after which they would proceed to the medical school to spend another seven years. Mafiana, who stressed the need for adequate funding of medical training and practice, admonished the management of the institution to ensure that the money earmarked for the development of the institution was used for the purpose it was meant.

Leila Lopes, former Miss Universe is the new face of Natures Gentle Touch

Natures Gentle Touch, owned by Recare Cosmetics International has announced the appointment of international African model andMiss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes as her brand ambassador. This is building on the brand’s global vision and strategic expansion into African countries. Ms Lopes, who is from Angola, will also represent Hairsavvy, the International South African haircare brand acquired by Recare in 2004.

 

“Our appointment of Leila Lopes is part of a continuing broad effort by Recare to grow our footprint in Africa. Her ambassadorship reflects our company’s commitment to bringing our world class hair and scalp care solutions closer to women in Africa” said Chika Ikenga, the founder and Managing Director of Recare Cosmetics International. “She is truly the definition of todays “Natures Gentle Touch woman’- her magnetic personality is confident, soulful and gutsy” he added.

Natures Gentle Touch has a long history of working with African style icons. Leila Lopes joins a growing list of influential women who have represented the brand includingAgbaniDarego former Miss World and Oluchi Onweagba, winner of the first M-NetFace of Africa.

Egyptian minister fired for comments he made about Prophet Mohammed

Egypt's justice minister, Ahmed el-Zind, has been fired by the prime minister for what many see as his overzealousness. In his bid to convince citizens of his commitment to fighting crime, he said he'll imprison the prophet Mohammed if he committed a crime.

According to cabinet spokesman, Hossam Qawish, the minister was "released from his position". El-Zind said in a television interview that he would put anyone who violates the law in prison, "even if he is the prophet, peace and blessing be upon him."

El-Zind quickly followed by saying "I ask God for forgiveness" for making the comment. But that did not prevent a backlash by faithful Muslims as well as criticism on social media.

Photos: Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde back home after she was hospitalized

Actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is back home after she was hospitalized. She shared these photos above and wrote "Thank you all so much for your prayers . I'm home now and doing Well. So got this :-"female entertainment personality" from the #CitypeopleSocial media Awards. Apparently I'm still the female celebrity with #highest#socialmedia #following in #Africa.#Thankyou" 

Photos from singer Yemi Alade's birthday party in South Africa

Singer Yemi Alade turned a year older last week and yesterday celebrated the day with some Naija stars who are presently in South Africa. DBanj, Toke Makinwa, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Osas and Gbenro Ajibade, Denrele Edun, Tiwa Savage were all there. Continue to see more photos...