The federal government of Nigeria has announced its intention to lift the ban on Twitter in a matter of days.
The disclosure was made on Wednesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while briefing newsmen shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
Mohammed stated that the government negotiation with the micro-blogging platform is at an advanced stage already, saying most of the conditions given to the platform have been accepted.
He revealed that areas still pending include setting up an office and having a Twitter staff of management cadre that will serve as the country representative.
The Minister expressed optimism that within a few days, or weeks, all pending issues should have been resolved.
A former minister of works, Adeseye Ogunlewe has said that the igbos will not be able to produce the next president of Nigeria because of their ‘lack of unity’.
Ogunlewe made this comment on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ programme on Wednesday. He added that said the Igbos must invest in party politics to stand a good chance at the next general election.
The 77 year old APC member said; “Another set of people that are appropriate, they are the people from the southeast but they have the problem of leadership,”.
“They are so endowed that they are spread all over Nigeria and they can gather a lot of votes, but they are too divided. An Imo person, an Enugu person, an Ebonyi man will not listen to themselves.
“They have the money. If they sit down and aggregate what they can offer, they have more money than almost everybody in Nigeria. But have you seen one person from the south-east that said ‘I am interested in the presidency, I will start to campaign all over Nigeria immediately, raise money for me?’ and influence the structure of the party?”
“You must invest in that structure, you must be able to determine who is going to be part of that structure because they are the ones to do the zoning, they are the ones to do the convention to pick a presidential candidate, so if you are not part of them, you are out. So if any easterner is interested, let him start now to invest in the structure of the party.”, he said.
Temmie Ovwasa, popularly known as YBNL Princess has taken to the microblogging platform, Twitter to disclose why it’s too late for her to stop being gay despite constant pressure from her family.
The young singer who recently opened up about her early life, revealing how knew other gay people until later years listed the benefits that come with her queerness noting it will be a downgrade to settle down with a cishet man.
According to Temmie, she can’t go from receiving multiple orgasms to wiping men’s butts to having pregnancy scares, adding that she would bring home a woman and not a man.
In her own words, she wrote; ‘When my family members remind me that I’ll be 25 this year, hoping that my lesbian phase has passed and I can bring a man home. No dear, i will bring a woman home but not your home, Mine. Cant go from multiple orgasms, genuine concerns from my partner, full autonomy because she knows she doesn’t own me and treats me as such to 2 strokes, pregnancy scares and an immature man child who can’t wash his ass or keep a straight woman interested. Dear Family, it’s too late.
How do I explain to these people that after years of being with women being remotely interested in a cishet man in a downgrade? Well, I don’t have to’
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has revealed that he considered leaving the opposition party a few weeks ago.
Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television, George said the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) was running the party like a private business.
George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) added that he was thinking of retiring from politics, but was prevailed upon by some stakeholders and elders of the party.
“The way they were managing the party fell short of seriousness. So as a concerned member, I was thinking that I should leave the party and go home and rest because I won’t join any party after PDP,” he said.
George blamed the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secodnus, for the internal wrangling that rocked the PDP for some few weeks.
He noted that some party members who called for the resignation of Secondus as national chairman are right to do so, adding that the platform of the party was wobbling.
George, however, appreciated the party stakeholders who met in Abuja and proposed that the National Convention earlier scheduled for December will take place in October.
He said the party has woken up from its slumber and is ready to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
He said: “As an elder, as a leader of this party, and as somebody who served for ten years at the NWC, I saw the platform of our party wobbling. You cannot do anything meaningful when your party is not stable,” he said.
“What I will tell Nigerians is this: today is a special day in the annals of the PDP’s history.
“That the elders, having considered, having seen what is going on in the party, decided to save the party because the founding fathers have a certain mission and that mission is so vital for the Nigerian state. We have been giving very adequate solid issues on national matters and we did it.
“It (PDP) became so petty and so rowdy. When you disregard the ground norm, the constitution of the party, then what are you doing? You are translating it as if it is your private company.
“We saw this and I won’t like to go further into the debris and filth.”
Marwa Vows To Dismantle Drug Cartel As NDLEA Operatives Recover 137.55kg Of Cocaine In Ondo, Nasarawa, Benue Raid
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have launched fresh raids in Nasarawa, Benue and Ondo states where no fewer than 43 dealers and consumers of illicit substances were arrested.
137.55 kilograms of assorted drugs was also recovered during the ‘offensive action.’
Femi Baba Femi, Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency disclosed this to NAOSRE in a press statement.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, operatives in Nasarawa state were backed by a detachment of soldiers from 177 battalion of the Nigerian Army, Keffi.
The team raided notorious drug joints located in Kara Masaka, Ruwa Ruwa Uke, Abattoir at the border with FCT, Filing Bala, Masaka U- Turn and others for two consecutive days between August 5 and 6.
During the raids, at least 41 suspects were arrested and assorted drugs such as cocaine, cannabis sativa, cough syrup with codeine, rohypnol and tramadol with a total weight of 65.250kg recovered from them.
Cannabis plants planted by the drug dealers in the adjoining bushes were destroyed while all the stalls in the drug markets were dismantled and set ablaze.
In the same vein, operatives of the Ondo state command of the Agency in the early hours of Monday, 9th August, 2021 raided Odopetu area of Akure in Akure South local government area of the state capital, where a 44-year-old Mrs. Folake Ademola was arrested while her husband escaped arrest.
Recovered from their home include: 65.400kg of cannabis sativa; skunk – 500grams; loud- 16grams; Colorado- 34grams, bringing the total of drugs seized from them to 65.950 kilograms.
In Benue state, a 34-year-old Iornum Emmanuel was arrested at the NDLEA Aliade checkpoint on Sunday 8th August, 2021 with different quantities of assorted illicit drugs, which include; tramadol -500grams; diazepam- 1.5kg and exol 5- 7.9kg.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the commanders, officers and men of the Nasarawa, Ondo and Benue state commands for their commitment to the goal of ridding the country of the menace of drug abuse and trafficking.
He charged them and their colleagues in other commands to continue on the offensive until the last drug cartel in Nigeria is dismantled.
School teachers at the Baga area of Borno State were caught unaware following the visit of the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to the area on Monday.
It was gathered that the governor visited the area to determine the level of their qualifications and ability to teach.
A statement released on Monday by the governor’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, said Zulum conducted an impromptu test for the teachers and also supervised them.
Gusau, however, noted that the governor told the teachers that the test was not to sack anyone but to determine their teaching capacity.
“Those that have no capacity to teach would be given a choice, either to redeploy them to the administrative department or send them for further training.
“At the end of each year, every teacher and his pupils will be evaluated and the government will also support them with accommodation and other related services.
“After interacting and revealing their aptitude test results, Zulum announced a package of 20,000 Naira and 10 yards of fabric (Shadda) to each teacher.
“The Senior Secondary School’s Principal and the Primary School Head Teacher each got 50,000 Naira and 10 yards of fabric (Shadda),” the statement read.
The statement quoted Zulum as saying: “As long as you will make a meaningful impact to the society, we shall support you. We shall evaluate you, and those of you whose salaries need to be upgraded will be updated.
“Whenever I come back to this town again, I will call a teacher by name and determine the level of his capacity and that of his pupils.
“We would encourage more pupils’ intake, especially by providing a meal and other support.”
We will keep doing everything to grow Lagos – Speaker Obasa
Gives reason for the creation of Neighbourhood Safety Corps
Urges taxi operators to device better means to win patronage
Lagos Speaker Obasa with LCCI
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, has promised that the legislative arm of government would continue to work for the progress of the state.
The Speaker noted that Lagos enjoys an enviable environment for businesses to thrive. He also said the state currently enjoys a great level of security of lives which the government constantly improves upon.
According to the Speaker, the legislature had continued to make efforts, through lawmaking and feedback mechanisms, at ensuring that Lagos moves up from being the fifth largest economy in Africa.
Noting that Lagos is a mini-country with representatives from different parts of Nigeria, Obasa, who commended LCCI for its collaboration with the state legislature, said the House had made laws relating to security, transportation and other sectors and that these had helped to boost the state’s economy.
He, however, lamented the refusal of some critical stakeholders to honour invitations to public hearings on bills being considered by the House, only for them to raise complaints when such bills are passed.
“We realised that it is important to have security and protection of everybody because investments can only grow when you have safety. That led to the creation of the Security Trust Fund and the Neighbourhood Safety Corps to ensure we support the Nigeria Police.
“There is also a need for continued collaboration with industries in the state. We will continue to work together for the progress of Lagos,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Mrs. Mabogunje commended the House for the various bills it has passed for the improvement of businesses in the state.
“We appreciate your laudable efforts in this regard and look forward to more bills passed into law to promote enabling environment for the private sector to thrive so that they can generate more revenue for the state,” she urged.
Mabogunje, who noted that the mandate of the chamber is to protect the welfare of its members, appealed for consistency in policy implementation.
“Lagos State needs a multi-modal transport system to solve the traffic congestion on our roads today,” she said among other suggestions while promising more collaboration with the House and the government.
Meanwhile, Speaker Obasa has urged the Lagos State Taxi Drivers and Cab Operators Association to device strategies that would make them effectively compete with other organised operators in the state’s transport system.
Obasa said this when some members of the association paid him a visit.
President of the association, Otunba Omolekan Taiwo, had complained that some transport organisations engaging in taxi services had taken over the state.
He lamented that many of the members of his association have been left handicapped especially by the competitors who engage the use of the internet.
He pleaded with the House to assists with laws and resolutions that would favour the association.
In response, Speaker Obasa noted that the transport sector remains an important aspect of the commerce of a state or country.
“Transportation is a big industry that we cannot allow any single body to dominate. You have to create room for others to participate.
“What I want to suggest is that there is need for your organisation to be proactive and bring about new dimensions to your operation,” he told the transport operators.
Just In: : Lionel Messi Agrees Two-year Contract With PSG, Set To Undergo Medicals
Argentine international Lionel Messi has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner arrived in Paris on Tuesday afternoon to seal his move to the French club on a deal worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses.
Messi had two other options after leaving Barcelona last week but has opted to move to PSG, who will have the option of extending his stay in the French capital by the third year.
Messi – who will receive a £25m signing-on fee as part of the move – was set to extend his 21-year stay at Barcelona by signing a new five-year deal this summer.
However, the club announced on Thursday that “financial and structural obstacles” meant the deal could not be completed, meaning Messi left as a free agent.
The 34-year-old said he wanted to stay at Barcelona and “did everything” he could to remain at the club, including agreeing to a 50-per-cent wage cut.
However, Barcelona are hamstrung by La Liga’s rules on club spending and even halving Messi’s pay was not enough to ensure he remained at the Nou Camp.
Messi is now set to join PSG, with their potential to compete for major trophies – including the Champions League – understood to be a key factor in his decision to move to France.
Messi is also believed to be keen to reunite with Neymar, with whom he won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League during their time together at Barcelona.
Asked about a move to PSG at his farewell press conference last weekend, Messi said: “That is one possibility, to reach those heights.
“I had a lot of calls, a lot of interested clubs. At the moment, nothing is closed, but we are talking about a lot of things.”
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) has explained why special transportation was availed Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, as she was driven out of the court premises on Monday.
This medium reports that NCS used to be known as the Nigerian Prisons Service until the Federal Government changed the parastatal’s name.
Minutes after she was remanded by Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo, a prison official put Miss Ojukwu, without handcuffs, in the front seat of a Toyota Camry car with Lagos plate number EPE 671 BD, and whisked her away from the Yaba Magistrates’ Court.
Chidinma seated in the car about to be driven to remand by a Prisons official
The front windows of the car with tainted black glasses was wound down such that Chidinma could be seen looking straight ahead as the car sped out of the courthouse parking lot. They left behind a green prison bus, which was used to convey other inmates to the courthouse.
Explaining that there was a good reason for the treatment Miss Ojukwu got, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Rotimi Oladokun said the Correctional Service often makes special transportation arrangements for defendants in high profile cases, as a security measure.
“It’s not the usual practice. It was a security diversion. It is a high profile case, so it was part of our security diversion. It was just to create a diversion,” Oladokun told The Nation
Chief Magistrate Adedayo on Monday remanded Ojukwu and her co-defendant Adedapo Quadri for 30 days following an application by the police counsel Cyril Ejiofor.
The defendants were accused to have conspired to kill Ataga and stole his laptop, phones and cash valued at N3.8 million.
They allegedly committed the offences on June 16, at No. 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The court adjourned till September 6, for review of remand and Directorate of Public Prosecution’s Advice (DPP)’s advice.
Miss Ojukwu, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, was arrested by the police on June 23, 2021. She was said to have been in a romantic relationship with 50-year-old Ataga for about four months before the incident.
Following her parade by the police on June 24, the undergraduate said she and Ataga were “having fun” when an argument broke out and she stabbed him twice.
On June 29, she pleaded for forgiveness saying she was not ready to die. She attributed her action to influence of hard drugs and smoking. But things took a dramatic turn on July 13, 2021 when Chidinma recanted on her earlier confession.
The caretaker chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yola South local government of Adamawa State, Alh. Sulaiman Adamu has taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari saying that if wishes were horses, he would have wished coronavirus kill the president.
Adamu who made the spiteful and denigrating remark, said, if he is asked to choose between Buhari and his Vice, Yemi Osinbanjo he would pick the latter with dispatch.
The APC chairman according to reliable sources made the statement during a meeting of some high profile stakeholders of the party, including the immediate past Governor of Adamawa State, Muhammadu Umar Jibrilla Bindow and the immediate past Speaker of Adamawa State house of assembly, who is the incumbent member representing Yola south constituency in the state house of assembly, Kabiru Mijinyawa.
Other APC stalwarts present at the meeting are, Yusha’u Adamu who served Bindow as adviser and Abubakar Umar Sirimbai who was a former development area chairman.
Sources privy to the development said the meeting took place on Sunday August 8, 2021 at the residence of the former commissioner of local government and chieftaincy affairs, under the Bindow administration, Mustapha Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, between 3:00pm to 5:00pm.
In an audio clip made available to our reporter, the APC chieftains were heard making spiteful and denigrating remarks against the person of President Muhammadu Buhari without let or hindrance.
“I don’t know why coronavirus did not kill Buhari. If the president is placed side by side with Osinbajo I will pick Osinbajo and leave Buhari,” the chairman was heard lamenting in the viral audio clip spoken in Fulfulde.
Also lambasting the president, Abubakar Sirimbai in another sneering vituperation, said, it is better for the accursed president to die so that Osinbajo could take over the reigns of power.
“It is better for the accursed president to die so that his vice can assume the reigns of power. We sold our properties to help the president win the election. We bought under wears, braziers, and cosmetic which we used to give him a make up. If I’m averse to Osinbajo becoming the president, may God not give me the privilege of living till evening.
” Buhari has achieved nothing in Adamawa in the last six years. APC in Adamawa thrives on the legacies of Bindow. We heard that Buhari used to be extremely happy whenever he learnt someone has gone bankrupt. We can’t be worshipping him like others, ” Sirimbai said.
Also chipping in, the former speaker of the state house of assembly, Mijinyawa in apparent approval of what others have said added that, “Osinbajo is our own.”
