January 24 Declared Public Holiday In Nigeria

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Nigeria’s Federal Government has declared Thursday, 24 January 2013 as public holiday to commemorate the Muslim celebration of Eid-El-Maulud.The Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, made the announcement in Abuja on Friday, in a statement signed by Mr Adetayo Sode, the Director of Citizenship and Business in the ministry. Moro, who congratulated Muslims on the occasion, urged them to use the occasion to pray for sustained efforts to uplift the nation. 

He also urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for the peace and unity of the country.

Imagine: Mali-Trained Terrorists in Nigeria – Army Chief

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In spite of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, Nigerian security agencies now have a fresh challenge to contend with.

The new task, according to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubike Ihejirika, is the presence of suspected terrorists believed to have been trained by Malian rebels, in Nigeria. Boko Haram terrorists, like the Malian Islamist rebels, have for years held the Northern part of Nigeria by the jugular, killing and maiming people, especially Christians in their quest to Islamise Nigeria.

Obasanjo Cautions Achebe, Awolowo’s Loyalists Against Civil War Comments

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Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abeokuta ,cautioned the literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe and the loyalists of late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo against uncomplimentary comments over the 3 -year old civil war in the country. 

Obasanjo reacted in Abeokuta during the grand civic reception organised by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West to formerly welcome him home after his resignation as the Chairman, Board of Trustee, BoT, of the party.

11 More Airports To Be Remodelled – Aviation Minister

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The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Odua, has said that the second set of 11 airports have been earmarked for remodelling.“The designated airports would receive government attention as soon as the first set of 11 airports currently undergoing remodeling are completed and commissioned by the end of the first quarter of 2013,’’ she said.

Odua, represented by Mr Rowland Ofubue, the Director, Cargo Development, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said this in Jos on Friday when she visited Gov. Jonah Jang.

She said the purpose of her visit to the state was to rub minds with the government on the commencement of Agro-cargo operation from Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos.

N/Delta Devt: Jonathan Has Gone Astray – Ex-Militant, General

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Barely two months after former Niger Delta militant leader, Mujahid Asari Dokubo took a swipe at the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, another former militant leader, Mr. Tamuno George, alias “General,” yesterday, took a look at the present dispensation and concluded that it has drifted with regards to the infrastructure development of the Niger Delta for which youths in the region took arms against the Nigerian state before the declaration of the Presidential Amnesty in 2009.

NRC Resumes Cargo Operation After 10 Years

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Good times are certainly here agian as the once moribund Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), has commenced cargo operations with the haulage of goods from Ogun State to Niger State after 10 years. The cargo train which contained 675 tonnes of cement, arrived Minna yesterday where it was off loaded to be dispatched to different locations. The Public Relations Officer of the Minna railway station, Abdulraouf Akinwuye, while speaking with journalists as the goods were being offloaded from the train, said the cement was transported from Lafarage Cement Company, at Ewekoro in Ogun State.

FG In New $3bn Agriculture Financing Agreement With USAID

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In the latest of its moves at receiving foreign aids, the Federal Government yesterday agreed on a $3bn agriculture financing with United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The agreement was for USAID to extend its financing role to the agricultural sector, in order to boost the activities of the sector.

During the agreement, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while the USAID Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah, signed for the Agency.

Two Friends Gang-Rapé Lagos Big Girl & Take Nudé Photos Of Her

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Men of the Nigerian police in Lagos State have arrested two friends, Emeka Paul, 26 and Chibuzor Esowole, 27 for allegedly gang-ráping a 22-year old woman (name withheld).

It was learnt that apart from ráping her, they took her nudé photographs and threatened to expose them if she reports to the police. Police sources alleged that the victim was lured from her Festac residence to an estate at Apapa to attend a Christmas party on 27 December, 2012.

But instead of taking her to the party, the suspects tortured, brutalized and forcefully had unprotected séx with their victim in turns. 

A call to national duty

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The challenges affecting Nigeria seem to be overtaken by corruption and incompetence of the leadership. But this is made possible by the failure on the part of the youths to get involved in the politics of the country and to seek effective means of arresting the situation.

How can a government boldly come out to declare its intention to spend over N60bn on cell phones for farmers? Evidently this is another attempt by those at the helm of the political affairs of this country (the same people that swore to serve and protect the interests of the average Nigerian) to further loot her depleting resources.
Nigeria is falling apart and its youths are doing nothing about it. We have allowed ourselves to be distracted by socio-economic indulgences and a lifestyle that is not coherent with the collective status. Quite frankly, the country is still struggling to find its feet economically and politically. Optimists may choose to argue differently, but the truth is glaring for all to see.

Online Retailers In Price War

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A subtle price war has begun among online retailers jostling to attract the attention of Nigeria’s online shoppers, writes DAYO OKETOLAThere has been a strong positive sentiment towards online shopping in Nigeria; at least among the over 40 million Internet population, many of who live in the urban centres. The latest MasterCard Worldwide Online Shopping Survey, which corroborated this, reveals that 92 per cent of Nigerians surveyed had shopped online three months before the survey was conducted. Fifty-seven per cent of them, according to the survey, indicate that they will continue to make purchases online over the following six months.

UK, Nigeria should unite on human trafficking – IPPR report

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Steps should be taken to strengthen the United Kingdom-Nigeria war against trafficking, a 2013 report by the Institute of Public Policy Research has recommended. It suggested that one of the ways this could be achieved is by increasing the tariffs for trafficking in Nigeria. This, it said, would serve as a disincentive to traffickers and their cohorts. 

Titled, “Beyond borders, human trafficking from Nigeria to the UK,” the report also called on the Nigerian government agencies such as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, to formalise their working agreement with and support the anti-trafficking work done by many people in Nigeria.

Facebook: Why some ‘likes’ are worth more than others

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When Facebook announced its much-anticipated Graph Search earlier this week, there were two questions underpinning most commentators’ responses: will this make a lot of money, and can it beat Google at its own game?  So far as the first question is concerned, the stock market response – an initial dip of around three per cent – suggested caution verging on disappointment. On the second front, however, there has been greater optimism, not least because Facebook seems to have invented a whole new game of its own: the world’s first truly social search function.

More than 100 killed in new ‘massacre’ in Syria –Watchdog

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More than 100 civilians have been killed in a new “massacre” in Syria, a watchdog said Thursday, as Russia slammed the United States for blaming deadly blasts at a university campus on the Damascus regime. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths came when the army on Tuesday swept through farmlands north of Homs, where it said around 1,000 people had sought refuge from fighting ravaging the city in central Syria.  “The Syrian regime carried out a new massacre on Tuesday claiming 106 victims, including women and children,” said the Britain-based watchdog, which relies on a network of activists and medics on the ground.

Jonathan Moves To Reconcile With Obasanjo

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President Goodluck Jonathan has begun moves to reconcile with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a means of ending the rift between them. Jonathan and Obasanjo had fallen apart over the last few months, following critical comments made by Obasanjo about the government. In a recent interview on Cable Network News, the former president criticised Jonathan’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency and advised him to initiate a dialogue with the extremist sect.

Obasanjo told the CNN in the interview that Jonathan had been applying less of dialogue and more of force in solving the Boko Haram issue.

‘Bodies of Dana Pilots Lost In Crash inferno’

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The bodies of the two pilots of Dana Air’s MD-83 plane which crashed in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State on June 3, 2012 were not found as they might have been completely incinerated by the post-crash inferno. The Chief Medical Examiner and Consultant Pathologist of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. John Obafunwa, said this in his testimony at a Lagos State coroner court sitting in Ikeja on Friday.

The American pilot, Mr. Peter Waxtan, 55, and his Indian co-pilot, Mr. Mahendra Rathore, 34, were among the six crew members of the plane; 147 passengers and uncertain number of others on the ground, who were killed in the crash.

Shocking earnings of Yoruba movie stars

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Quite a number of perks come with being a movie star in this part of the world. They include designer clothes, luxury cars and posh apartments. Apart from their penchant for such status symbols, today’s Nollywood actors and actresses are also seen as role models, especially to the young and impressionable who dream of becoming stars some day. But, judging by the results of a recent investigation conducted by Saturday Beats, it appears all that glitters is not gold, after all.

See Pictures of police residential quarters

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Nigerian Air Force Begins Deployment of War Planes to Mali

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Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Alex Barde yesterday disclosed that the Nigerian Air force will today commence the deployment of Nigeria war planes to check the activities of Islamist fighters in Mali.

Barde who stated this in Enugu when he paid his maiden visit to Enugu Airforce Unit, added that the action was in compliance with President Goodluck Jonathan's directive that a military contingent be sent to assist the country of Mali to contain the jihadists liked to terror group, Al Qaeda...

Man In Jail For Robbing Woman He Met Online

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An Emirati man who robbed a Ukrainian woman after he made an agreement with her online to have s*x for Dh1,500 (N64,157), was jailed for six months on Thursday. The 31-year-old Emirati defendant was said to have met the woman on Badoo, a dating website, and arranged to have s*x with her at her five-star  hotel room on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai. At the hotel room however, the Emirati man grabbed a cup and broke it into pieces then used it to threaten and assault the woman before he stole her iPhone and Dh6,000 (N256,629), the court heard.

Girls Raped By 9 Men

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The nine men, from Berkshire and Oxfordshire, are accused of séxually exploiting six girls, aged between 11 and 15. 

A 12-year-old girl who was repeatedly raped by a group of men was also made to have a back-room abortion after falling pregnant, a court has heard. She is one of six alleged victims of nine men accused of grooming children and exploiting them for séx in Oxford.