BILLION

Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) has again kicked against the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by his party, the All Progressives Congress.   Speaking at the APC northern Christian leaders summit on Friday July 29, Lawal described the Muslim-Muslim ticket as diversionary and a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda.    He also said that they will fight against the ticket with prayers and PVCs. Lawal said;    “Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously, and economically suppress and oppress the Northern Christian. But we are up to the task. “We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023. “The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for The APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for t...

English clubs, Swansea and Bristol City have announced they will no longer take the knee before games this season. The Championship sides, who have adopted the anti-racism gesture since it came into the game in June 2020, stressed they remain committed to fighting discrimination. The Swansea squad and coaching staff, who visit Rotherham in their season opener on Saturday, said in a statement: “Following discussions as a group, we have collectively decided to no longer take the knee prior to fixtures during the 2022-23 season. “This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and in no way reflects any diminishing of our belief that discrimination of any nature is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. We remain firmly in support of what taking the knee stands for and represents.   “Taking the knee has undoubtedly helped to raise awareness and encourage conversations about how to remove racism from the game we all love.   “Should any opposition side t...

Omotayo Sanyaolu, the Senior Special Assistant on Tertiary Education, Youths and Students Affairs to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has been confirmed dead.    The former Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State died in an auto-crash on Friday July 29.    The accident occurred around Army Cantonment, Maryland, Ikeja in the early hours of Friday.    Confirming the incident in a statement, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyantolu said the deceased’s vehicle rammed into an ATM located around the cantonment.   Osanyantolu said;    ”Upon arrival at the scene it was discovered that a black Toyota Camry with registration number LAGH 32, while on top speed rammed into the Keystone Bank ATM located close to the Army Cantonment, Ikeja. “Unfortunately, an adult male, Sanyanolu, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle died on impact and his r...

A Manhattan neurologist was convicted Friday, July 29, for raping and sexually assaulting six patients. Ricardo Cruciani, 68, was found guilty on all 12 counts after a month-long trial.  During the trial, the court heard testimony about how he manipulated, abused and even got the women hooked on pain meds so they were dependent on him. The women – who testified at trial – were his patients at Beth Israel Medical Center and later at facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The doctor was convicted on 12 counts of third-degree rape, sexual abuse, attempted rape, predatory sexual assault and criminal sexual act. He faces up to 25 years to life behind bars at his Sept. 14 sentencing. Prosecutors argued at trial that the patients came to Cruciani with rare diseases and chronic pain problems. Cruciani would develop close personal relationships with the women and groom them for sexual relationships, prosecutors said. Cruciani would force the women to perform sexual acts in e...

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has backed the impeachment threat issued against President Muhammadu Buhari over widespread insecurity across the country.    Recall that some members of the national assembly issued a six-week ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to step up the fight against insecurity or risk being impeached.   Ortom who supported the lawmakers' action, said it's long overdue. His Chief Press Secretary Nath Ikyur disclosed that he gave the commendation on Friday July 29, when he received a delegation of some members of the National Assembly led by Aduda who came to brief him.   The Benue Governor described the threat of the Senate and the House of Representatives PDP caucuses to impeach the President as “patriotic” and particularly commended some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC who have opted to do the ‘right thing’.   Ortom stressed that Buhari has performed far below expectations of ...

The first picture of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte who was stabbed to death in front of her younger sister has been released, as police launch a murder probe.   Lilia was reportedly playing in the street with a toy pram near the town centre of Boston, Lincolnshire, England, with her younger sister when the attack took place.   Police arrested two men in connection with the little girl’s murder on Thursday night, July 28, the Telegraph reported.   An unnamed neighbour described the girl's last moment, saying: "The little girl was playing in the street with her younger sister when it happened. They had some toys out.   "I'm sure her mum wouldn't have been far away as she always checked on them. She was a very quiet girl, and I just can't understand it."   Her toy pram was left lying on the road as paramedics battled to save her life inside an ambulance, according to a witness.   Another local said: "This shouldn't have happened....

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested suspected 17 kidnappers for their involvement in some recent abductions in the state.    Spokesperson of the command, Adewale Osifeso, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, July 29, said eight suspects were arrested in connection with the  abduction  of Christopher Bakare, the supervisor of a farm belonging to the late former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala.    Bakare was abducted on the farm in Jabata located in the Surulere Local Government Area of the state.    Some of the eight suspects were also said to have kidnapped the owner of a private clinic, Dr Abdurasheed Oladoye at Gbede in the same local government area. The police noted that some items including a gun and expended cartridge as well as some cash were recovered from them. "One Taiwo Christopher Bakare ‘m’, Farm Supervisor of TDB Farm Ltd, and Dr Abdulrasheed Oladoye ‘m’ both of Jabata and Gbede co...

28 persons have been killed following an attack by bandits in Duma village, Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State.    The bandits who invaded the community on Wednesday night, July 27, also rustled livestock and kidnapped some residents.    A resident, identified as Garba Mailambu, told NAN that the gunmen rode on motorcycles and were firing sporadically, adding that some fleeing residents drowned as they dived into a nearby river.   Another resident said the bandits forced the abducted persons, which included mostly youths, to lead the rustled livestock out of town.   The gunmen also reportedly demanded large quantities of petrol as ransom to release the abducted persons.   State Government confirmed the attack on Friday, July 29, in a statement signed by Muhammad Bello, the Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the Governor.    Governor Aminu Tambuwal, accompanied by all the security chiefs: Army, Air Force, Police,...

A lady has been nabbed after paying for drinks of N420k at a nightclub with a fake alert.    It was alleged that she ran out after buying the drinks. Police officers were later seen leaving with her after she couldn't pay for the drinks. 

Security expert and lawyer, Bulama Bukarti has said that all three factions of Boko Haram have now successfully established themselves close to Abuja.   Bukarti who sat for an interview on Channels Television on Friday July 29, said this is the first time the terrorist group is establishing a presence in the nation’s North-Central region.   He further described this as a worrying development. Bukarti said;    “In the North-Central, close to Abuja, all the three factions of Boko Haram have now successfully established themselves. “And this is a worrying development. And the train attack was launched by Boko Haram. We now know that the Kuje prison attack was launched by Boko Haram. And I can bet you that the two attacks in Abuja were launched by Boko Haram, not bandits. “And even it its heyday between 2014 and 2015, Boko Haram has never had a residence cell in the North-Central or the North-West. In those days, they were sending bombers ...

An NGO has rescued a one-year-old boy who suffered violent abuse in the hands of his father in Akwa Ibom State.    Sam Itauma, Head of Child's Right And Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, July 29, said the toddler was rescued after his father threw him into the bush while claiming that he is possessed by demonic powers.    "A 40 year old man, Mr. Godwin Etim Aweh from Odoro Nkit, Esit Eket, Nigeria has reportedly thrown out his one year old son, Diamond into his backyard bush during a torrential rainfall," the statement read.   "Mr. Aweh who runs a local wine business in Unyenge, Mbo local government area came home during the weekend and told his wife that he was no longer interested in having the child as his son anymore as the child is believed to be possessed by demonic powers   "According to an eyewitness, Ms. Mfon Sunday, the disconsolate mother of the child who is also harboring a thr...

Two persons, a hotelier and his worker, have been abducted after gunmen suspected to be kidnappers invaded Abaa, a community near the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso on Thursday night, July 28.   The gunmen were said to have stormed the community which is located in the Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State on Thursday night and whisked away their victims   The owner of the hotel was said to have just returned days after he traveled when the kidnappers numbering about 10 stormed his premises, began shooting sporadically before whisking the victims away.   The state police command is yet to comment on this development.

A Premier League player who was arrested on suspicion of rape has had one of three allegations against him dropped as his bail was extended until early October.     The footballer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in what was reportedly a dramatic 3am swoop by police in Barnet, north London, on July 4 over rape allegations against a woman in her 20s in June.     He was further arrested while in custody over allegations of raping a different woman in April and June 2021. The 29-year-old denies the allegations.      In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said 'no further action' would be taken in relation to the June 2021 offence.      'On 4 July, an allegation of rape of a woman in her 20s was reported to police,' the statement said.     'It was reported the alleged rape happened in June 2022. On 4 July, a 29-year-old man was arrested at an address in Barnet on suspicion of rape and taken into cus...

The US and Chinese leaders have warned each other over Taiwan during a phone call that lasted more than two hours on Thursday, July 28.   US President, Joe Biden told his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that the US strongly opposed any unilateral moves by the Chinese military to change the status of the island. Biden also added that US policy on Taiwan had not changed. A read out by Beijing said Xi had told  Biden to abide by the one-China principle, warning him that "whoever plays with fire will get burnt".   During Thursday's phone call, Biden and Xi also discussed arranging a possible face-to-face meeting, a senior Biden administration official said, describing the bilateral as "direct" and "honest". In a brief summary, the White House said it was part of efforts to "responsibly manage differences" and work together where "interests align". In a much longer read out of the call, Beijing said many of their interests d...

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, says Nigeria is currently broke.   The Minister mentioned this while speaking at the 2022 World Day Against Child Labour.   According to him, the Federal Government does not have money to prosecute capital projects next year, a development that might worsen unemployment and poverty.? “I can tell you that Nigeria is broke. There is no money to fund capital projects next year. As you can see, the dollar that has been hovering around N500 and N600 is now above N700. The truth is that there is no money anywhere. The money that the FAAC (Federation Account Allocation Committee) has been sharing is money from taxes, customs and other revenue-generating agencies.? The National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) no longer remits money to FAAC. So, the situation calls for patriotism from all Nigerians. The lack of money to fund capital projects would have implications on the capacity to create jobs. If jobs...

Algeria, Nigeria and Niger have signed a memorandum of understanding on construction of a vast gas pipeline project offering Europe potential future alternatives to Russian supplies.   The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) would transport billions of cubic metres of gas some 4,128 kilometres (2,565 miles) from Nigeria in West Africa, north through Niger and on to Algeria, according to a joint statement released by the three countries on Thursday evening,  July 28.   The statement says the gas could be pumped through the Mediterranean undersea Transmed pipeline to Italy, or loaded onto liquefied natural gas tankers for export.    Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab hosted Timipre Sylva and Mahamane Sani, his counterparts from Nigeria and Niger for talks on the project, Algerian state news agency APS reported.   The long-dormant project created in 2009 has galvanized more interest in recent months as gas prices have surged following Russia’s invasion of Uk...

The Central Bank of Nigeria CBN says the non-remittance of dollars to foreign reserves by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is responsible for the naira’s free fall in the official and parallel markets.   On Thursday, July 28, the naira traded for N700/$1 at the parallel market and N415.96/$1 at the official market.   In a report released, the apex bank said the NNPC and its subsidiaries are the sole managers of crude oil which accounts for more than 80 percent of Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange (forex) earnings. The CBN in the report pointed that it does not print forex and cannot be the ones to make it available.   The report titled “The forex question in Nigeria: Fact sheet”, reads in part “Domestically, there has been zero dollar remittance to the country’s foreign reserve by the NNPC, insisting that the CBN does not print dollars. As noted by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, monetary policy alone cannot bear all the burden of the expected adj...

Bobrisky's former P.A, Oye Kyme has taken to social media to share a nude and raunchy photo and video of herself weeks after saying she will no longer go into porn.    In one of the photos she shared on Snapchat, Oye bared her boobs and was also spotted with a dildo in her mouth.  She also shared another photo where she wore a wet singlet which stylishly exposed her nipples. 

Pop Queen , B eyonce  has shared a rare look at all three of the children with husband Jay-Z ahead of the release of her new album Renaissance. In a post published to her official  website  on Thursday night, the 40-year-old singer also shared a sweet snap of daughter Blue Ivy, 10, and five-year-old twins Rumi and Sir sleeping beside her in bed. In the post, Beyonce thanked her kids, husband, and other close family members for giving her the 'space, creativity, and inspiration' she needed to create her latest work. Renaissance is the Crazy In Love hitmaker's seventh studio album and includes sixteen brand new tracks, including the recently released single Break My Soul. The album will be made available to purchase and/or stream at midnight EST on Friday, July 29. 'This three-act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative,' she penned Thursday ahead of the release.

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly told Manchester United that he has an offer on the table from a Premier League rival and wants to leave this summer. The Sun reported that the Portuguese superstar has urged United chiefs to name their price for him, so he can trigger a move away by the end of the transfer window. This comes despite a number of Europe's top clubs, including Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, distancing themselves from signing the 37-year-old and United not receiving any enquiries. Ronaldo, alongside his agent Jorge Mendes, have held showdown talks with United's hierarchy this week - after telling the club of his intentions to leave earlier this summer. It's said that Mendes informed the club that Ronaldo has a 'live offer' and that a transfer fee must be named for his star. The report does not claim which side are interested in signing Ronaldo. As well as Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, the likes of Chelsea and Napoli have also been li...