Holy Deliverance Slap-Bishop David Oyedepo Hires New Lawyer

The story has become more interesting as the acclaimed Bishop of the Winners’ Chapel; Bishop David Oyedepo  who was accused of slapping a female member of his church and referring to the same action as spiritual slap.

Following up on his accuser, the pastor has contracted a high profiled Lawyer ,  a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)-Mr. Dele Adesina to stand in for him in the court of law in a case that  was filed against him  by a Lagos-based lawyer, Robert Igbinedion, in April, in defence of the right of the young girl whom the layer was said to have slapped during one of the bishop’s  crusade, popularly known as Shiloh.

Igbenedion had referred to the action of the pastor as uncivil, and a major violation of the lady’s fundamental rights to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, human dignity, fair hearing, and freedom from discrimination. He had also asked the court to compel the Bishop to pay a total sum of 2 billion naira as compensation for his action, and publish an unreserved apology in two national dailies.

However, the matter became more interesting when the two lawyers, F.B. Agbanwu, the church solicitor and Olugbenga Adeboye, a senior legal officer in the church were replaced by a new lawyer in the person of Mr. Dele Adesina who appeared in court to announce the new job the Living Faith Bishop had given him, claiming that he had taken over the case, and would continue from where the other lawyers stopped.

Although his argument was not totally different from the position of the other two lawyers, he had argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to attend to assault cases such as slap.
He said “ slap being an act of assault is outside the provisions of chapter four of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Charter on human and people’s right and as such the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The cause of action or principal claim in this application centres merely on slapping one Miss Justice by the 1st respondent.

The slapping of Miss Justice is an act that could be described as an assault which is a criminal offence punishable under the criminal code.
I submit that slapping being an act of assault, an item outside the provisions of Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter, this court therefore lacks jurisdiction over same. I Mr. Adesina also argued that the petitioner has not shown the court that the said Miss Justice who was allegedly slapped by Bishop Oyedepo, is a living person

Mr. Adesina demanded for the appearance of Miss justice in court in order to ascertain whether the lawyer is actually representing a living being or an inanimate being- personified, arguing that there was no record of anyone called Miss Justice.

My Husband Cant Trow Me Out-Tiwa

Popular singer and Mavin First Lady, Tiwa Savage Balogun has said her husband, Tunji Balogun aka Teebillz can’t divorce her, neither can he return her to her parents.The ‘Eminado’ crooner posted this picture on Instagram some 13 hours ago.

 She captioned it: “Which means you MrBillz @teebillz323 cannot return me to my parents or exchange me.”

APC To Jonathan Stop TAN Rallies

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately halt the rallies being organized across the nation in his support by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), saying the rallies are jeopardizing Nigeria's efforts to control the spread of Ebola.

''Mr. President, you said your ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. But the TAN rallies for your re-election are endangering the lives of thousands of Nigerians in these days of Ebola. Some things must simply transcend politics. This is one of them. Please stop the rallies now,'' the party said in a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It said the President must in particular ensure that the rally slated for Port Harcourt on Saturday is stopped, in view of the spread of the Ebola virus to the Rivers capital and the fact that 100 people have been placed under surveillance there following the death of a medical doctor from a suspected Ebola disease in the city.

''If TAN goes ahead to organize its rally in Port Harcourt, can anyone guarantee that none of those who have had contact with the medical doctor will attend? It can only be better imagined the kind of danger that those who will attend the rally will be subjected to. Therefore, President Jonathan has a historic opportunity to put the well being of his compatriots above politics, for once,'' APC said.The party reminded President Jonathan of the statement he made on Aug. 8th, 2014, when he was declaring the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria a national emergency, thus: ''Religious and political groups, spiritual healing centres, families, associations and other bodies should, in the meantime, discourage gatherings and activities that may unwittingly promote close contact with infected persons or place others at risk.” 


It also reminded the President that his administration has postponed the resumption of private and public primary and secondary schools across the nation as part of the measures to curtail the spread of the virus, wondering what message the same government was sending to Nigerians by allowing TAN rallies to continue.

''Mr. President, add this to the fact that Nigeria's economy is losing millions of dollars to the Ebola disease, and you will realize that the need to control the disease supersedes personal political considerations,'' APC said.

The party said the TAN rallies in Awka and Ibadan, and the forthcoming ones in Port Harcourt and elsewhere flout the advice by the President against large gatherings that can encourage the spread of the disease. 

It described as untenable the argument that the rallies are not being organised by the government, hence the President has no control over them.

''Mr. President, you are the sole beneficiary of these rallies. Top officials of your administration, led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius 

Anyim, have been attending the rallies. The signatures being collected by TAN are ostensibly to encourage you to run again. So this is your show,'' APC said

The party wondered how President Jonathan can, on one hand, be complaining about the stigmatization of Nigerians by other countries over Ebola and, on the other hand, turning a blind eye when his supporters are doing things to flout the Ebola control measures put in place by his Administration.

''The embassies of the foreign nations in Nigeria are seeing all that is happening. They are seeing how the efforts of the federal government to control Ebola are being sabotaged by the supporters of the President. How then can we complain when our citizens are stigmatized abroad? How can we complain when the foreign governments issue travel advisories to their citizens coming to Nigeria? How can we complain when they start barring Nigerians from coming to their countries on account of the Ebola virus?

''This is why we are calling on President Jonathan to call his supporters to order today. We are also calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the President not to endanger the lives of Nigerians simply because of his personal ambition,'' it said.

25-year-old student stripped naked for sleeping with married man

There was drama in Chitungwiza on Frday morning when a married man was caught with a lover after taking advantage of his wife’s one night absence.

Leonard Gandari’s wife had gone to Banket where she was attending a funeral and Leonard deemed that as a golden opportunity to ‘import’ a ‘prostitute’ into their matrimonial house in Zengeza 4, Harare, in the presence of his wife’s siblings.

The lover was identified as Memory Mupindu (25) and she was stripped by angry neighbours after the couple overslept and Leonard was late to ‘deport’ his catch before co-tenants and his wife’s siblings had woken up.Memory refused to be labeled a prostitute arguing that she had been made to believe that Leonard was single hence she slept comfortably up to the time when neighbours were sweeping their yards.

“I’m not a prostitute but we were in love. We met two weeks ago and he told me that he was not married and he stays with his sisters. We came together yesterday night without any idea that things will generate into such chaos. I am in form four at herentals college in Chitungwiza,” said the woman as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Leonard could not give his side of the story as he fled. Neighbours saw Memory trying to scale over the pre-cast wall in a bid to escape after realising that she had overslept. She was however, unlucky and was thoroughly beaten up and stripped.

“It is the wife’s young sister who smelt a rat and woke up and Memory sensed danger and tried to escape but in vain,” narrated one of the neighbours.

Angry residents went on to call Leonard’s wife identified as Mirriam Chinduta who arrived at the scene and found the scene still ‘fresh’. The wife broke into the house to find the alleged prostitute on her sofas.

Residents were bitter that Leonard abuses his wife by regularly assaulting her which he confirmed by again assaulting her after she confronted him over the issue. Mirriam reportedly sought refuge at a nearby house in fear of being attacked.

The seemingly too violent Leonard tried to attack the news crew but shied away from the lenses.

Fearing the mob, largely made up of the fairer sex, Leonard locked himself in the house, leaving his mistress to face the music. A close source said Leonard sneaked the O-Level student into the house around 9pm and at around 11pm, his wife’s sister and children heard voices in the bedroom.

“We were seated in the house and at around 11pm we heard voices and sent in his young child who told us that there was a lady on his bed.

We went in but we couldn’t find her because she was hiding. We woke up at around 4am and sat in the dining room and he (Leonard) was just milling around and he could not go to work, which made us suspicious and we guarded the gate.

Later we heard our neighbour screaming that there was someone on the wall and we saw her and caught her,” revealed the mole.

Rivers Ebola-Wife Of Deceased Doctor Moves to Lagos

The Rivers State government says it has moved the wife of the late Dr. Ike Enamoah, the doctor, who died of the suspected Ebola virus in the state.

The state government said the widow of the deceased doctor was moved to Lagos to enable workers in the state concentrate on the tracing of contacts and placing them under surveillance.

The State Commissioner for Health, Sampson Parker made this known while giving update of the case of Ebola in the state.

He said the number of contacts have increased to 160, adding that the state government now has about two hundred personnel who have volunteered their time and man-power to assist the state government.

“Only one case is symptomatic and that is the wife of the late Doctor, Ike Enamoah. You know that she had close contact with him.

“I must tell you now that she is in Lagos; we decided to move her to Lagos because of her emotions and we wanted to concentrate more on contact tracing than tending after her.

“For now, the treatment centre in Lagos is less busy, but if anyone falls ill, we have the technical know how to contain the situation”, Parker said.

Parker, who said the state government has invested a lot into capacity building for personnel, berated politicians for trying to play politics with the current situation.

The Commissioner said the home of the infected doctor, his hospital, the hotel that was secretly used for the treatment and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, would all be decontaminated.

“The State Government has invested a lot in capacity building, sourcing for materials, spending quality time to face this thing.

Violence In Liberia Over Curfew

Residents in the Liberian slum of West Point have reacted angrily after the government ordered the area be sealed off in a bid to try and contain the Ebola outbreak

Ebola Victim Dies In Port Harcourt

There are just confirmed reports that a patient suspected of ebola the dreaded virus has died Rivers state.


The Patient,whose name is yet to be made public was said to have just returned from lagos and tested positive of the virus while on admission in a private hospital in D-line area of the state capital.


Reports from the Government House says that the Governor cancelled his proposed tour of Obio-Akpor Local Government area taking precaution

Pastor Samuel Sadela Dies At 114yrs

Information reaching our news table on Tuesday that the Founder and President of the Gospel Apostolic Church, Pa Samuel Sadela, has passed on.

He was aged 114.

Although a senior pastor in the church reportedly claimed that the man described as one of Nigeria’s oldest pastors could still be receiving treatment in a hospital, he was said to have died in the premises of the church in Lagos.

As of the time of this report at 9.15pm press time on Tuesday, an official statement was still being awaited even as the church was said to have opened a condolence register for the man of God who remained sensational even as a very old man.

Sadela was of the Apostolic stock of Christianity.

His pastoral calling started in 1928 when he visited the famous Prophet Moses Orimolade of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.

When he marked his 113th last year birthday, the aged pastor had expressed hope to live up to 200 years of age.

He had said “I feel happy to be this old. Actually, I feel like a young man. I still enjoy my meal of Iyan (pounded yam), Eba and bush meat. I sleep whenever I want to and wake up stronger I want to live longer to prove to all that God remains the same as He was in times past. If Methuselah could live for 969 years, God can make me live well beyond 113. If Noah could be 950, it is not too much for Him to make me live up to 200.”

Even if that wish was not granted, Sadela left an indelible imprint in the hearts of his members and admirers around the world.

The cleric, who claimed angels taught him to read the Holy Bible when he was only two years of age, raised not a few eye brows when he married a 30-year-old woman in 2007.

“The Lord is my strength. I am very strong and energetic,” he was quoted as saying after the wedding in Lagos.

According to reports, he first got married in 1934, with the marriage lasting for 21 years, but none of the couple’s seven children reportedly lived beyond their infancy. A second marriage, said to have been consummated in 1965, was blessed with four children, but only two survived. His second wife died in 2001.

A native of Ondo State, Sadela attended St. Paul’s Anglican Primary School, Ifon, Osun State, but had to drop out when he travelled to Sapele, Delta State to work as houseboy to one Captain Pullen, a District Officer. Sadela however retraced his steps in 1918 and completed his Standard six education in 1920.

Meanwhile, reactions from clerics have greeted his death. The Osun State Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya, in a phone interview with our correspondent, expressed shock at Sadela’s passing.

He prayed that God, ‘will comfort his family.’

Similarly, the founder of Christ Overcomer’s Assembly, Rev. Dipo Filani, described Sadela as a highly respected man of God.

“He was one of the oldest pastors alive in Nigeria. There was a time he said miracles started taking place in his ministry when he was 90 years.

FG Shuts Down Private And Public Schools-Ebola

Ebola: FG closes all PRIVATE and PUBLIC primary and secondary schools till 13th October.

The Federal Government has directed that all private and public primary and secondary schools should remain closed till 13th October, 2014 as a preventive measure against the spread of Ebola Virus Disease.

The preventive measures are decisions reached in a meeting the Minister of Education held with State Commissioners of Education in Abuja on tuesday (today). This measure was announced by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.

He said that any private school that fails to comply will be duly sanctioned by the State Ministry of Education.The Minister said that the government will go to any length to punish any school that fails to comply.He added all the State Ministries of Education are to immediately organise and ensure that at least two staff in each school, both public and private are trained on how to handle any suspected Ebola case.

Shekarau said the training of the staff on health must be concluded by 15th September, 2015.Shekarau said that he would meet with all State Commissioners of Education on 23rd September, 2014 to appraise the situation.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has postponed the resumption of primary and secondary schools across the country to October 22nd, it has been announced. Primary and Secondary schools were supposed to resume on September 22nd but about two weeks, FG postponed it indefinitely to prevent an outbreak of the Ebola Viral Disease. They announced yesterday that schools can resume October 15th.
The Federal Government also stopped all summer schools. - See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2014/08/26/fg-postpones-resumption-primary-secondary-schools-oct-15th/#sthash.6AJBKpBb.dpuf

Obama Reluctant In Russia's Plan

Russian plan to put Syria’s chemical arms under international supervision has baffled US President Obama who is now saying that initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force. This has cool down the warmongering mood of President Obama as he is virtually looking failed to seek any significant global support to attack on Syria.

Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that “A political solution to end this cycle of horror is urgently needed. There is no humanitarian solution to the Syrian crisis. Rather there needs to be a political solution that ends the humanitarian crisis.”

This is the voice of wisdom that has been raised by a UN official in the pounding of war drums by US lawmakers and President Obama who are adamant to conduct punishing military strikes on Syria. The option to attack Syria is so imprudent, premature and risky that no significant ally of USA is in favor except France and Canada whereas a stunning rejection of any military action in Parliament forced Britain, USA devoted and loyal ally, to pull out of any participation in operation to punish Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons. British Premier had to bear a defeat in voting in parliament who was striving hard on behalf of America, Israel and their Arab allies advocating regime change in Syria.

Despite, UN Inspection Team has yet to confirm the allegation of chemical attack is true or false, French President Francois Hollande expressed a warm backing for a possible American operation to hit Damascus regime, saying that “The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished” but reluctant to attack Syria alone. Even Obama Administration has no other reason to strike Syria than use of chemicals weapons are “violation of basic standards of decency.” So far, Washington finds itself alone on strikes but looking for partners in its Syria mission, to form an international coalition that will act together.

What is making USA so hasty to attack Syria?

It is not easy to discover but I can assume that after the struggle of three years and spending heavy amount of Dollars, US fails to topple Bashar regime and support to Bashar is increasing in region whereas no significant opposition has yet come into being to replace Bashar regime. Their security agencies have virtually failed to seek a “rebel” from Bashar’s nearest teammates so it’s a frustration and a sense of humiliation more than wisdom to go to the option of attack on Syria.

What will be the reaction of Russia a great supporter of Bashar-alAsad Regime?

Russia is opposing any military intervention but not yet open how it will react in Syria if US invades. Keeping in view the strategic interest in region, it is expected that Russia will go to last extent to prevent any attack from USA and its recent initiative about Syrian’s chemical weapons may be an attempt to gain time. .

Will UNO allow USA to attack on Syria? Or Will a VETO from Russia or China bring a halt to USA?

In recent pasts, INO has never gone against USA intentions and always gave a path to carry on what USA demanded in Security Counsel. But if this matter is put up in Security Counsel for approval of Resolution to attack on Syria then it is expected that Russia or China can veto that resolution and a cold war will trigger among World’s strong nations until they agree on a mutual interest formula.

I still don’t understand why ousting Bashar will be beneficial for Syria or entire Middle East as there is no alternate leadership or opposition in Syria to take over the power in Damascus. Another point is that, it is the Syrian people who have to decide about their ruler, no outside forces have right to interfere in internal affairs of any country. In such circumstances, the attempts made by anti Bashar forces are nothing but to destroy Syria and put the entire region in fire of war. Those who want to see USA to jump over Syria are the enemy of USA. They want to put USA in a mess where finally a humiliation will be waiting for it.

I don’t think USA leadership and think tank so imprudent – certainly they all will be calculating and estimating the advantages and disadvantages of this adventure but eventually all those will be only estimations before entering into Syria. Once they (USA) are involved inside Syria, who knows what will be dimension of war and its outcomes.  One should not forget about other stake holders of this conflict – I mean Iran, Russia, KSA, Turkey and Israel. All they have their own interests and strategic objectives along side US-led any coalition. Any unexpected and undesired result for any stake-holder can turn the situation in Syria towards a big collision eventually moving towards a massive regional war not restricted within Syria but to other surrounding countries. This is a real threat to the region.

I have not seen any Western report that Syrians are standing against Bashar regime like Hosseni Mubarak in Egypt but if USA attacks Syria then anti-government reaction from masses may break out throughout the Middle East against monarchies supporting USA – that could create another turmoil and a new dimension to Syrian conflict and any that kind of situation would create severe difficulties for USA but would provide Israel a golden opportunity to bring forward its hidden agenda in Middle East that obviously is not possible in era of peace. Every kind of political turmoil and militarily disturbance in Middle East give Israel to move forward strategically that will make the situation more complicating and perhaps uncontrollable.

So as I expressed in my previous Article, military intervention is not a prudent option to resolve Syrian Issue. If USA can think to hold dialogue with Afghan Taliban then a comprehensive dialogue with Bashar regime will provide more meaningful peaceful political solution and stability in Syria. A respectable formula will make the situation easy for every party to think over rather than continue fighting and increasing sufferings of Syrians and hanging in the balance the future of entire region.

I Stopped My Wife From Working

I got married to my colleague in 2007, yes I married a working woman (no millions in guessing I am walking on murky waters).

The two leading newspapers of our time have been running endless blogs/articles where the miserable plight of the working woman is rigorously highlighted. How her typical Pakistani mentality husband has enslaved her within the Chaar- Deewaari of her house, how she is confined to a dish washing, bread making and baby chunking machine, how he makes her beg for pennies and, yes, the mother in law and Nandhs are always there to make her resemble the captive of a holocaust concentration camp. She was educated and had a shiny career, a life, an identity and was no lesser talented than her other half. With marriage all seems lost, staying at home becomes the ultimate disrespect.

Before I move on, let me clear out that I am no male chauvinist who wants to undermine the importance of working women in society. I am only here to tell the male version of this grave tale.

The arguments and plights sung in these articles for sure make music in my house, reading such lines my wife turns bitter, all the politeness and affection vanishes away like the K-electric claims and I brace myself for a long lecture on how I took away the essence of her life.

“My falah falah friend is doing this, coming on TV, going into commercials and here I am with lost confidence and identity. I can’t even look up and face people like I used to in the good old days.” (I assume all this sounds much familiar to my married friends).

Back in 2007 I asked my wife to stop working well before we tied the knot. Just why did I do it? Frankly, I don’t have one answer. Maybe I couldn’t digest the idea of her intermingling with male co-workers but that’s something I still enjoy doing. Maybe I was brought up in a house where I saw my mom battle the housework while father greyed his hair in search of work. Or maybe I wanted someone to take care of, someone to pamper, someone to love and perhaps wanted someone to look to me for all her needs. I still don’t know.

Women of Today’s Pakistan should be thankful to their stars, although a huge number still continue to face various social doldrums in our society, but to be brutally honest a large proportion enjoys much more freedom and workplace equality than they ever did in our history. We have had women bank presidents, media gurus, sports sprinters, spokeswomen for foreign office, law experts, pilots and the list is endless. In truth, one cannot find much wrong with this empowerment.

Agreed, I am a bad boy, I stopped my wife from working and by now all women NGO’s and fire-fighters hate me. Now please relax, take a sip of your well-brewed tea and listen to my defence. I would however, leave the honey-bee nest of Saas-Bahu-Bhabhi-Nandh untouched and allow the women to discover truce themselves.

I, like most Pakistani boys, ok ok men, sounds better, who belong to middle class educated families have been taught to respect and love their wives. We have seen our fathers do that their entire lives. From the day we bring that beautiful girl we madly fall in love into our lives, she becomes the central figure in our universe. What ever we earn, our prime objective is to give her the best we can afford. Yes we are not landlord material, we earn a respectable income and have to balance it out amongst family members, but come any occasion (Eid, Marriage, Milad) our wives are the first beneficiaries. I can bet dozens of my friends have bought glittering suits for their other halves this Eid and willingly compromised with used or ordinary dresses for themselves.

If we are not letting wives work doesn’t translate into our being disrespectful to them. We hate to see them chunk a heavier check or slam them in a dungeon. It’s just that our minds haven’t been trained to accept the change instantaneously. Asking you not to work, stay home and take care of our next generation is just our way of saying that we love, respect and cherish your presence in our homes.

Some women love it while others don’t, still the winds of change are already here. In 2007, I was just 27 and not too naive to think about the consequences, but as I grew older and wiser I realised that work life is important for my sweetheart and its time that I become a bit flexible. So much so that I have offered her to switch roles for a while.

As of today, I am the biggest supporter of women going out to earn while men take care of home, trust me I have done it myself and life rocks. With 10 cooking channels on your tele, you have the chance to make easy and mouthwatering delicacies each day and become the darling of your kids. Take them to playgrounds each evening gives you fitness incentives and yes that occasional homework is just a piece of cake. Trust me its much easier than negotiating the crazy traffic on roads, office politics and the worry of putting enough food on the table. Let the women take care of it while we relax and admire Turkish beauties on TV. Your friends might find this denting their machismo but once they see you in comfy bermudas all day long with that carefree smile, you will soon have admirers and followers.

The famous novelist Appa Bano Qudsia had said that a happy marriage is all about understanding and compromise. While men today need to understand and open up to the idea that more and more women simultaneously want a house and income, women need to stop looking at men as oppressors and dictators if we are to save the marriage institution. Otherwise just look to the west and you will need to look no further.

Manchester United Signs Di-Maria

• Argentina international midfielder joins on five-year contract.

Manchester United is delighted to announce that Angel Di Maria has completed his transfer for a British record fee of £59.7million. Angel joins on a five-year contract.

Di Maria, 26, began his career at one of the most prolific youth academies in Argentinian football, Rosario Central. In 2007, he moved to Europe to play for Portuguese club Benfica, before signing for Real Madrid in 2010. The Argentina international has 52 caps for his national team, scoring 10 goals.

Angel Di Maria said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester United. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Spain and there were a lot of clubs interested in me, but United is the only club that I would have left Real Madrid for.

"Louis van Gaal is a fantastic coach with a proven track record of success and I am impressed by the vision and determination everyone has to get this club back to the top – where it belongs. I now just cannot wait to get started."

Louis van Gaal said: "Angel is a world-class midfielder but most importantly he is a team player. There is no doubting his immense natural talent.

"He is a tremendously fast and incisive left-footed player who puts fear into the most accomplished defence. His dribbling skills and his ability to take on and beat opponents are a joy to watch. He is an excellent addition to the team.

Chris Giwa Emerges As New NFF President

The proprietor of Giwa FC was voted in ahead of the former vice president in Abuja on Tuesday as the DSS also arrested former president Aminu Maigari and Musa Amadu

Christopher Giwa, the chairman of Nigeria Professional League club side Giwa Football Club, has been elected as the new president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

He polled 27 votes to defeat his challenger former vice president Mike Umeh who got two votes in an election where 29 out of 44 members participated in the voting exercise.

Before the elections, NFF chieftains including the NFF General Secretary Musa Adamu and some states delegates were arrested by the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and interrogated.

The elected officials were then sworn in by a notary public Frank Ike Chude.

Former board member Obinna Ogba was sworn in as vice president as he was unopposed while former security committee chairman, Effiong Johnson emerged the Chairman of Chairmen having polled 28 votes.

The North Central produced Yahaya Adama and Sani Mohammed as board members while Muasu Suleiman and Sherif Inuwa emerged North West representatives in the new board.

Felix Agu Anyansi retained his position on the board to represent the South East alongside Felix Amechi Ogwa.

Deji Tinubu also retained his position as representative of the South West with Otunba Sunday also coming on board.

The electoral process was not coordinated by either the seating president of the NFF or the general secretary Barrister Amadu who allegedly walked out of the election hall at the Chida International Hotels.

No Part Of Nigeria For Experimental Terror State

The Federal Government has warned that it will not allow any part of the country to be used as centre for an experimental terror state in West Africa.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, gave the assurance in Abuja, while addressing officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at a workshop on Conflict Prevention, Peace Building and Election Monitoring ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Maku said the government had utmost confidence in the ability and capacity of the military to defend the honour and uphold the

Most Expensive Secondary Schools In Nigeria

The amount paid by One student in these schools can be used to award scholarship to entire secondary schools in a Local Government Area. There are certain amounts that are just too much to give to another person in the name school fees for education.

Below is the list of six (6) Most Expensive secondary Schools in Nigeria and their School Fees per year.

Here is the list arranged from the six to the highest paying school.….

Please don’t misunderstand this, it is NOT the  sum of school fees of the entire students, it is just for a single students… lol

Enjoy the view

6. Dowen College, Lekki

They charge N2,000,000 annually for a boarding student and N1,250,000 for a day student.

5. Chrisland College, Ikeja

They charge as high as N2,000,000 annually. Fees can be paid annually or termly but on or before the first day of school. These include registration,tuition deposit,accommodation and feeding.

4. Atlantic Hall

They charge as much as N2,270,000 for a student

3. Greensprings school, Anthony

They charge a total of N3,185,200 annually for a boarding student and N1,925,200 for a day student

2. Lekki British International school, Lekki phase 1.

They charge $19,500 + N200,000 development fee. In Naira, a student pays N4,000,300 per session including feeding,school uniform,hostel, sunday wear and textbooks.

1. British international school, Victoria island

They charge $26,750 + N200,000 annually for a student. This includes boarding facilities, feeding, books,uniforms,textbooks etc. which is about N4,480,000 when converted to naira

NUC: List Of Illegal Degree Awarding Institutions Operating In Nigeria

The National Universities Commission (NUC) wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates, that the under-listed “Degree Mills” have not been licensed by the Federal Govnerment and have, therefore, been closed down for violating the Education (National
Minimum Standards etc.) Act CAP E3 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The “Universities” are:
1) University of Accountancy and Management Studies, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
2) Christians of Charity American University of Science & Technology, Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its other campuses
3) University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos or any of its other campuses
4) University of Applied Sciences & Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin or any of its other campuses in Nigeria
5) Blacksmith University, Awka or any of its other campuses
6) Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana or any of its other campuses in Nigeria
7) Royal University Izhia, P.O. Box 800, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State or any of its other campuses
 Atlanta University, Anyigba, Kogi State or any of its other campuses
9) Sunday Adokpela University, Otada Adoka, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its
other campuses.
10) United Christian University, Macotis Campus, Imo State or any of its other campuses.
11) United Nigeria University College, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses.
12) Samuel Ahmadu University, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
13) UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers State or any of its other campuses.
14) Saint Augustine’s University of Technology, Jos, Plateau State or any of its other
campuses
15) The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centres, or any of its campuses in Nigeria
16) Collumbus University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
17) Tiu International University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
18) Pebbles University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria`
19) London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
20) Pilgrims University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
21) Lobi Business School Makurdi, Benue State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
22) West African Christian University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
23) Bolta University College Aba or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
24) JBC Seminary Inc. (Wukari Jubilee University) Kaduna Illegal Campus
25) Westlan University, Esie, Kwara State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
26) St. Andrews University College, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
27) EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
28) Atlas University, Ikot Udoso Uko, Uyo Akwa Ibom State or any of its campuses in Nigeria

China Executes Eight For Terrorism

Eight people accused of being involved in series of attacks in
Beijing and restive Xinjiang region put to death.

China has executed eight people for alleged "terrorist"
attacks across the country, including three who
"masterminded" a car crash in the capital Beijing's
Tiananmen Square last year, state media has said.

The official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that the
eight were involved in several cases in Beijing and in the
restive far northwestern region of Xinjiang.Read More

Three of the executed group "masterminded" the October
2013 attack in the heart of the Chinese capital, the report
said. They were indentified by Xinhua as Huseyin Guxur,
Yusup Wherniyas and Yusup Ehmet.

Five people were killed and 40 injured in the Beijing attack,
when a car plowed into a crowd in the square and burst into
flames.

State television showed images of the individuals who have
been executed being led into court and questioned by the
police. It also showed footage of the Tiananmen attack, with
a car being driven into the square.

The five other executions, carried out in recent days, were
punishment for crimes ranging from setting up a "terrorist"
outfit and illegally making explosives to attacking police
officers and killing government officials, Xinhua said.

Xinhua, which cited the Xinjiang region publicity department
in its report, did not say when the executions were carried
out.

Some of those executed were blamed for attacks in
Xinjiang's prefecture of Aksu, the city of Kashgar and the
town of Hotan, the agency added.

'Deprived of due process'

China has been cracking down on violent crime in Xinjiang
after a string of deadly attacks there, and it executed 13
people in June.

Human rights activists, however, said that the suspects were
deprived of due process that meets international standards.
They also said that the government's own repressive policies
have provoked unrest, an accusation Beijing denies.

Xinjiang is the traditional home of Muslim Uighurs who
speak a Turkic language, and China has attributed attacks
there to armed groups, which the government says seek to
establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

Hundreds of people have died in the violence in the region
over the last two years, with dozens jailed in the last month,
some at mass public sentencings reminiscent of China's
revolutionary-era rallies.

Authorities have tightened security around public transport
in a bid to preempt violent attacks, demanding bus
passengers show identification to travel.
This month a court in Xinjiang sentenced 25 people to jail
for terror-related offences.

A suicide bombing in May killed 39 people at a market in
Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi, while in March, 29 people were
stabbed to death at a train station in the southwestern city
of Kunming.

Beijing does not say how many people it executes each year,
but independent estimates put the total at about 3,000 in
2012, a figure higher than all other countries combined.

"I Serve A God Who Answers Prayers" - American Doctor Cured Of Ebola

Today is a miraculous day. I am thrilled to be alive, to be well and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position. When my family and I moved to Liberia last October to begin a two-year term working with Samaritan’s Purse, Ebola was not on the radar. We moved to Liberia because God called us to serve the people of Liberia.


In March, when we got word that Ebola was in Guinea and had spread to Liberia, we began preparing for the worst. We didn’t receive our first Ebola patient until June, but when she arrived, we were ready. During the course of June and July, the number of Ebola patients increased steadily, and our amazing crew at ELWA Hospital took care of each patient with great care and compassion. We also took every precaution to protect ourselves from this dreaded disease by following MSF and WHO guidelines for safety.

After taking Amber and our children to the airport to return to the States on Sunday morning, July 20, I poured myself into my work even more than before – transferring patients to our new, bigger isolation unit; training and orienting new staff; and working with our Human Resources officer to fill our staffing needs. Three days later, on Wednesday, July 23, I woke up feeling under the weather, and then my life took an unexpected turn as I was diagnosed with Ebola Virus Disease. As I lay in my bed in Liberia for the following nine days, getting sicker and weaker each day, I prayed that God would help me to be faithful even in my illness, and I prayed that in my life or in my death, He would be glorified.

I did not know then, but I have learned since, that there were thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world praying for me throughout that week, and even till today. And I have heard story after story of how this situation has impacted the lives of individuals around the globe – both among my friends and family, and also among complete strangers. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support. But what I can tell you is that I serve a faithful God who answers prayers.

Through the care of the Samaritan’s Purse and SIM missionary team in Liberia, the use of an experimental drug, and the expertise and resources of the health care team at Emory University Hospital, God saved my life – a direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers.

I am incredibly thankful to all of those who were involved in my care, from the first day of my illness all the way up to today – the day of my release from Emory. If I tried to thank everyone, I would undoubtedly forget many. But I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to a few. I want to thank Samaritan’s Purse, who has taken care of me and my family as though we were their own family. Thank you to the Samaritan’s Purse and SIM Liberia community. You cared for me and ministered to me during the most difficult experience of my life, and you did so with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Thank you to Emory University Hospital and especially to the medical staff in the isolation unit. You treated me with such expertise, yet with such tenderness and compassion. For the last three weeks you have been my friends and my family. And so many of you ministered to me not only physically, but also spiritually, which has been an important part of my recovery. I will never forget you and all that you have done for me.

And thank you to my family, my friends, my church family and to all who lifted me up in prayer, asking for my healing and recovery. Please do not stop praying for the people of Liberia and West Africa, and for a quick end to this Ebola epidemic.

My dear friend, Nancy Writebol, upon her release from the hospital, wanted me to share her gratitude for all the prayers on her behalf. As she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was, ‘To God be the glory.’ Nancy and David are now spending some much needed time together.

Thank you for your support through this whole ordeal. My family and I will now be going away for a period of time to reconnect, decompress and continue to recover physically and emotionally. After I have recovered a little more and regained some of my strength, we will look forward to sharing more of our story; but for now, we need some time together after more than a month apart. We appreciate having the opportunity to spend some time in private before talking to some of you who have expressed an interest in hearing more of our journey. Thank you for granting us that.

Again, before we slip out, I want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to Samaritan’s Purse, SIM, Emory and all of the people involved in my treatment and care.

Above all, I am forever thankful to God for sparing my life and am glad for any attention my sickness has attracted to the plight of West Africa in the midst of this epidemic. Please continue to pray for Liberia and the people of West Africa, and encourage those in positions of leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this Ebola outbreak to an end. Thank you.

NMA To Suspend Strike

Contributions from delegates in the meeting and other infos are welcome

At the moment the atmosphere is somehow tensed with some caucus meeting ongoing
NEC of National association of resident doctors are haing a meeting.
Let the update flow in .....

Strike as been suspended Voting concluded!
261 valid votes
199- Suspension (75%
66- Continuation(25%
OUTCOME - STRIKE SUSPENDED

EBOLA: Customs Intercepts, Destroys Truckload Of Monkey Meat In Katsina

According to Customs Comptroller of Federal Operations Unit (FOU, Zone B), Maina Tijjani Suleiman, the truck was intercepted Thursday morning at the Katsina border.

Suleiman also said the truck contained 351 bags of bush meat and that each of the bags weighed 100Kg, stressing that the seized meat may have come from Libya, according to reports from leadership.
Read More
He explained that the seizure was necessary in view of the current challenge of the dreaded Ebola disease, noting that had the meat made its way to Nigerian markets, “only God will tell the extent of damage it may cause.”

He warned importers of similar products to desist from doing such or face the full wrath of the law, assuring that the customs would not shirk from its responsibility of supporting the ongoing fight against Ebola.

“The driver abandoned the vehicle and ran away after he was chased by our men. But then, some hoodlums attempted to attack our men and it took the reinforcement of operatives before the truck was retrieved.”

In a speech, the Katsina State commissioner of health, Mannir Talba, who lauded operatives of Nigerian customs for the seizure, said it was the needed step in the collective resolve to prevent the spread of Ebola.
A truck-load of bush meat suspected to be monkey meat smuggled into the country by a yet to be identified smuggler, yesterday, was destroyed by operatives of Kaduna and Katsina command of the Nigerian Custom Service.

Female Sucide Bombing-SSS Declares Catholic Sister Attires Stolen

The Department of State of State Service,
DSS has raised the alarm that at least 13
pieces of Reverend Sisters’ regalia of the
Catholic Church have been stolen from a
shop in Kano state purportedly for suicide
bombing.Read More

A statement from the deputy director,
information of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar, made
available to LEADERSHIP Weekend advised
Nigerians to look out for persons, especially
female suicide bombers who may disguise
in the attire

The statement reads in parts, “On 20th
August, 2014, about 0400 hours, some yet
to be identified persons broke into a tailoring
shop located at No.55 Odutola Street,
Sabon Gari, Kano, and stole about thirteen
(13) pieces of Reverend Sisters’ regalia of
the Catholic Church. With the recent trend in
female suicide bombings in the country, the
removal of these regalia may be the
handiwork of terrorists’ elements that may
want to perpetrate acts of terror using such
garments.

“Consequently, this Service has taken
necessary pre-emptive measures to thwart
the exploitation of distinct religious wears
for terrorist purposes. We also wish to draw
public attention to this development and call
on all citizens to be more circumspect and
exercise greater vigilance with users of such
peculiar attires.

“We enjoin all and sundry to continue to
cooperate with law enforcement agencies
through the provision of useful information
on suspicious activities within their
immediate environment. This Service will
continue to collaborate with all stakeholders
as we strive to keep our country safe.”

Two New Cases Of Ebola Recorded

Nigeria has recorded two new Ebola cases, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, announced Friday.

Mr. Chukwu, a professor, said the new cases are spouses of the primary contacts of the index case, Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who brought the virus to Nigeria.

He said the new cases are the first secondary contacts to test positive to the deadly virus that has killed five people in Nigeria.

The secondary contacts had been under surveillance since the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria, Mr. Chukwu added.

At a press conference in Lagos Wednesday, Jide Idris, the state’s Health Commissioner, told journalists that five new suspected Ebola virus cases were brought to the isolation ward of the Yaba Mainland Hospital in Lagos on Tuesday.

Mr. Idris added that two of those five cases were from secondary contacts linked to the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who brought the virus to Nigeria.

“Till date, we have recorded eight suspected cases, five of which came in yesterday (Tuesday), 12 confirmed,” said Mr. Idris. “On the whole, five have died (including the index case). We are currently following up 213 contacts, and 62 have completed the two-day follow-up.”

But barely two hours after the press conference ended, Health Minister, Mr. Chukwu, issued a terse statement telling the public to “disregard” Mr. Idris’ figures.

“The Honourable Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, wishes to reiterate that at present, Nigeria has only two confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease,” Mr. Chukwu said in a statement by Dan Nwomeh, his Special Assistant on Media and Communication.

It is not clear whether the two new cases are part of those Commissioner Idris announced.

Nigeria was free of Ebola until July 20 when Mr. Sawyer arrived. He became terribly ill on his flight and was rushed to the First Consultant Hospital Obalende, Lagos, where he died on July 24.

Nigeria’s Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, said last week that although the Liberian government has apologized for the incidence, it was pertinent to note that Nigeria was free of Ebola Virus until its importation by the Liberian-American.

Mr. Sawyer’s action, he said, has placed unnecessary stress on Nigeria’s health system.

Discharged Ebola Patients MAY Still Be Infectious - W.H.O

Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were flown separately from Liberia to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital -- the first human patients with Ebola to ever come to the United States.
Writebol was released from the hospital Tuesday. On Thursday morning, Brantly walked out of that same hospital with no signs of the virus in his system, doctors say.
Their recoveries seem to offer hope for those fighting the largest Ebola outbreak in known history. More than 2,400 people have been infected by the virus, according to the World Health Organization, and it's killed more than half.

But ZMapp is not an approved treatment for Ebola; in fact, no approved, proven treatment exists. So governments, aid organizations and scientists around the globe are racing to find a way to stop the virus.
Here are answers to questions about Ebola patients and treatments for the disease.
1. Are Brantly and Writebol cured?
Mostly. For Ebola patients to leave isolation, two blood tests had to come back negative for the Ebola virus. So their bodily fluids, like blood, sweat and feces, are no longer infectious.
"Nancy is free of the virus, but the lingering effects of the battle have left her in a significantly weakened condition," Writebol's husband, David Writebol, said in a statement.
Some doctors believe the virus can remain in vagin.al fluid and se.men for up to several months, according to WHO. Dr. Bruce Ribner, an infectious disease specialist at Emory, said there is no evidence Ebola has ever been transmitted this way, but the risk was discussed with both patients.

2. Are they now immune to Ebola?
Doctors believe surviving Ebola leaves you immune to future infection. Scientists have found that people who survive Ebola have antibodies in their blood that would provide protection against that strain of the virus in the future, and possibly against other strains as well.
But, as you can imagine, they haven't tested this theory by infecting survivors with the virus again.
There are four Ebola strains known to infect humans; the Zaire ebolavirus causing the current outbreak is the most common.

No New Confirmed Cases Of Ebola In Lagos

The Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu has said that there is no new confirmed case of Ebola disease in the country, contrary to reports that five new cases had been observed in Lagos.The minister, in a tweet on Wednesday by his
Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dan Nwomeh, explained that so far, no new case had been confirmed.In an email, Nwomeh referred our correspondent to the twitter handle @DanNwomeh, for what he called, “updates and clarifications of (mis)information on
the fight against Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
“Meanwhile as at today, the status remains the same. Disregard all rumours of new cases please,” he further said.
The tweet read, “This clarification follows reports of 5 new cases in Lagos State. This should be disregarded please.“The Minister of Health reiterates that he has the sole authority to announce confirmed
cases of disease epidemics in Nigeria.“The minister reassures Nigerians that any new confirmed case of EVD in Nigeria will be announced by his office promptly.“Any doubtful information on the outbreak of EVD should be verified from the office of the Minister of Health.“Minister of Health
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu restates that at present, today, now, Nigeria has only two confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease.”
He also stated that there was no evidence that discharged patients can transmit
the disease, adding that a Liberian whose name he did not disclose, was treated for malaria “having tested negative for Ebola
Virus Disease.” Minister of Health Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu restates that at present, today, now, Nigeria has only two confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease.

I don't know why Nigerians are fond of spreading rumours and causing unnecessary panic.

NFF Glass House On Fire

Published On: Wed, Aug 20th, 2014 News / Sport | By Reporter BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire Nff building on fire Nff building on fire The headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja is currently on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the Third floor of the building. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, said no one knows the cause of the fire but said men of the Nigerian Fire Service are battling to put it out It is believed that the offices of the President, Secretary General and the accounts department of the NFF might have been affected. The NFF has been in the news in recent times following a leadership tussle between its president Aminu Maigari and some members on the board of the NFF. Continue to see more pics…

Read more at: BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS

Reports reaching us have it that the Nigeria Football
Federation Secretariat in Abuja is on fire,the huge fire has ripped through the building in the capital Abuja on Wednesday. Flames were spotted coming out of the building at about 1000 local time and it took fire fighters almost two hours to extinguish the blaze. Nigerian Fire Service official Eyo Ime said it is suspected an electrical misap that caused the fire.
see picture below.......Continue

The headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja is currently on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the Third floor of the building. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, said no one knows the cause of the fire but said men of the Nigerian Fire Service are battling to put it out It is believed that the offices of the President, Secretary General and the accounts department of the NFF might have been affected. The NFF has been in the news in recent times following a leadership tussle between its president Aminu Maigari and some members on the board of the NFF.

Read more at: BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS

The headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja is currently on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the Third floor of the building. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, said no one knows the cause of the fire but said men of the Nigerian Fire Service are battling to put it out It is believed that the offices of the President, Secretary General and the accounts department of the NFF might have been affected. The NFF has been in the news in recent times following a leadership tussle between its president Aminu Maigari and some members on the board of the NFF.

Read more at: BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS

Published On: Wed, Aug 20th, 2014 News / Sport | By Reporter BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire Nff building on fire Nff building on fire The headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja is currently on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the Third floor of the building. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, said no one knows the cause of the fire but said men of the Nigerian Fire Service are battling to put it out It is believed that the offices of the President, Secretary General and the accounts department of the NFF might have been affected. The NFF has been in the news in recent times following a leadership tussle between its president Aminu Maigari and some members on the board of the NFF. Continue to see more pics…

Read more at: BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS

Published On: Wed, Aug 20th, 2014 News / Sport | By Reporter BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire Nff building on fire Nff building on fire The headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, at Wuse Zone 7 in Abuja is currently on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the Third floor of the building. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, said no one knows the cause of the fire but said men of the Nigerian Fire Service are battling to put it out It is believed that the offices of the President, Secretary General and the accounts department of the NFF might have been affected. The NFF has been in the news in recent times following a leadership tussle between its president Aminu Maigari and some members on the board of the NFF. Continue to see more pics…

Read more at: BREAKING NEWS: NFF Headquarters In Abuja On Fire | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS

Lets Discuss -Unemployed Disabled Graduates: What Is The Way Forward?

Unemployed Graduates with DISABILITY: what is the way forward?

In our society today, no organization wants to employ people with disability, what is the way forward?

Drop in your comments below

Reasons For Mass Failure In Weac Results

Reason for Mass Failure In Recently Released Waec Result by Ndili Stephen Ebialim
 Though, this issue had been extensively addressed by several contributors’ on this forum but I still wish to lend my voice on this topic, as it concerns the students’ and Teachers’/lecturers’ on one hand and the role played by parents […]so the main reasons why the students did not actually do well is not only from one source he said but from the various contributors to their daily living

Nigeria Goes Broad In Debt-CBN

Nigeria’s total debt stock has again risen to a very high level of N10.4 trillion as at June 2014. The rising debt profile of the country is made up of external debt stock of N1.46 trillion ($9.377 billion), Federal Government domestic debt of N7.421 trillion ($47.653billion).
States in the federation have a domestic debt stock of N1.551 trillion or $9.963 billion. The Federal Government’s share of the rising external debt stands at $6.363 billion.

As at December 2013, however, the total stock of external debt was $8.821 billion indicating a rise of $556 million in the first half of 2014. But as at December 31, 2012 Federal Government’s external debt was $4.14 billion as against a total debt stock of both Federal and state governments of $6.5 billion.
for more info
A break-down of the rising debt profile showed that Federal Government’s external and domestic debts amounted to N8.8 trillion or $57.030 billion as at the end of June 2014. Federal Government borrowing from multilateral Institutions amounted to $3.826 billion while loans from bilateral sources mainly China Exim Bank and Eurobond amounted to $2.537 billion.

In the case of states, a total of $2.904 billion was sourced from multilateral institutions, $108.9 million was obtained as loans from bilateral sources, thus making the states’ total outstanding external debt as at June 2013 $3.013 billion.

Disclosing these facts in Abuja, Director General, Debt Management Office, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo said that although the debt profile had increased, he assured that the debt remained sustainable at a ratio of 12.51 to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

The D-G also said that the managers of the nation’s debt would apply more caution in further borrowings in order not to run into the crisis of debt overhang, which the nation once suffered.

His words: “The sovereign debt is doing well. Currently our total sovereign domestic debt for both Federal and states and the FCT is about N8.9 trillion and external debt is about $9.38 billion.

“Our current debt/GDP ratio is about 12.51 per cent which is much lower than the 56 per cent total public to GDP for countries of Nigeria’s group.

However, this is not an indication that Nigeria can afford to borrow without caution. In spite of the re-basing which means we have more capacity to borrow, we are not going to borrow without caution. In fact, we are going to be more cautious, especially because our tax-GDP ratio is low. Many economic agents do not pay their taxes.”

Eurobond

Dr. Nwankwo said that the Eurobond initiative which commenced in 2011 with the floating of the $500 million Eurobond has positively changed the profiles of Nigerian corporate organisations and their ability to raise long-term funds from the international capital market.

The Federal Government raised additional $1 billion from the international capital market in 2013 following which several Nigerian firms, especially banks have also gone to the international capital market to raise funds for their operations.

According to him, six companies issued nine bonds within the last one year, from which about $3.4 billion was raised. The DMO boss said his team would ensure that the funds raised from the capital markets both at home and outside were utilised profitably in the interest of the nation’s economy.

The D-G disclosed that the funds raised from the Eurobond had been deployed to very critical sectors of the economy, requiring urgent financing to boost the economy, especially, the electricity power, agriculture, solid minerals and the dualisation of the Airport and Kubwa Roads in Abuja.

Dr. Nwankwo said that his team has managed the nation’s debt in line with the national priority needs.

with a view to creating full values funds borrowed in order to ensure maximum benefits to the economy.

His words, “we have tailored the nation’s debt management in accordance with our peculiarities. We have used debt management to leverage development of the private sector and it has helped them to raise money to boost the real sector such as manufacturing, solid minerals, agriculture and electricity power supply.

“We have to develop the capital market to develop long-term debt instrument such that rather than what the banks have been used to in terms of given out 91 day loans, we now have debt instruments of up to 20 years. We have made it possible for the companies to float their own bonds in the domestic market such that between 2005 and 2013, 23 companies raised N223 billion which was evidence that that aspect of the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan is working.

“The implication is that with operators in the real sector of the economy being able to raise long-term funds, they can expand their businesses, increase productivity and create more jobs, across the country, on a sustainable basis”.

Dr. Nwankwo said that great opportunities had opened to the Nigerian public and appealed to those creating violence and instability to have a re-think.

In his words, “we could have done better if the artificial distractions had been avoided. If we are lagging behind, we are the ones holding ourselves backward.”

Public should monitor funds’ utilisation

He explained that Nigerians should not policies nor resist state governors who want to access funds from the capital market in order to undertake development projects.

According to him the general public, especially civil society groups and the media, should rather insist on the building of institutional frameworks to guarantee the effective and efficient utilization of borrowed funds

Students On FG Scholarship Begging For Food In Russia

Failure by the Federal Government to pay allowances of 322 Nigerian students on scholarship in Russia forces them into begging and illegal jobs, TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI reports
When Moyosore Ojuri lost her father at age 11, her world practically came crashing. Her
father had promised to give her the best of education. Although he was not a millionaire, the man had struggled to enrol her in one of the top private secondary schools in Lagos.
But with the death, her mother, a retired civil servant, could not pay her tuition when due.
Luckily, the authorities of her school recognised the young lady’s academic exploits and gave her family the concession to pay her tuition in installments. Even with that, her mother had difficulty doing so as she occasionally ran into debts.
However, on completion of her secondary education in 2010, Ojuri passed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, obtaining six distinctions and two credits. But accessing university education did not come that easy, due to lack of funds. Fortunately for her, in 2012 she came across the Bilateral Education Agreement Scholarship Awards advertised by the Federal Scholarship Board through the Federal Ministry of Education and grabbed the opportunity.
Ojuri passed the series of tests and interviews and was given admission to study Metallurgical Engineering at the Volgograd State Technical University, Russia. On touching down at the Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia on September 22, 2012, Ojuri concluded that her pains and frustration had come to an end.
Nigeria has BEA for undergraduate and post-graduate studies with Russia, Cuba, Morocco, Algeria, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, Serbia, Macedonia, China, and Mexico. Under the arrangement, the Federal Government pays for the upkeep of the students, while the countries where the scholarship award is tenable provides the tuition.
Two years after, Ojuri has a different story to share. Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone from Volgograd, she says that the Federal Government has since abandoned the BEA scholars to starve to death.
According to her, for eight months running now, the over 322 promising Nigerian students on the BEA initiative in the former Soviet Union have not been paid a dime by the government.
Each of the beneficiaries’ monthly stipends for feeding is $500, while their annual allowance for medicals and clothing is $450 each.
But from January till date, none of these allowances have been paid by the Nigerian
government, despite repeated appeals and other forms of representations to the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow and the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
Following the non-remittance of funds, Ojuri and her Nigerian colleagues, of late, have no choice but to borrow money as a survival strategy from their fellow African students enjoying similar BEA.
The 20-year-old asks rhetorically, “We are not private students. We came to Russia on the bill of the Federal Government. Why haven’t the authorities paid our stipends and other allowances for eight months now? For how long shall we continue to borrow money?”
The youngster, who says she has a huge debt on her neck at present, notes that their
colleagues from other countries are no longer comfortable lending them money.
She adds, “On many occasions, I have had cause to go to class on an empty stomach. Getting money for transportation from my hostel to school has become very problematic. More worrisome is the fact that I will soon be homeless as my hostel fees will expire at the end of August. We are grateful to the Federal Government for the scholarship opportunity, but there is no sense in leaving us here to starve to death in a foreign land.”
Findings by our correspondent reveal that the inability to get work permit by foreign students in Russia is further compounding their problems. So, how do they survive the starvation and hard times in the Eurasian country?
Another Nigerian, Akinola Akindamola, pursuing his Master’s degree at the Volgograd State Technical University, explains that they engage in all kinds of oddities to survive. According to him, the pressure is even more on his female colleagues.
Akindamola, a first class Mechanical Engineering graduate, says, “It is unfortunate that girls with exceptional academic brilliance are now forced to indulge in all manner of indecent lifestyles. These girls now go to clubs and dance semi Unclad for a fee that could be as low as $20. For the boys, employers use us for odd jobs, such as clearing of snow and as labourers on construction sites. Even as we do that, there is this perpetual fear that the police will arrest us.”
A final year Medicine and Surgery student of the Russian National Research Medical
University, Moscow, David Ikenna, also admits that the failure of the Federal Government to remit their allowances exposes them to risks in the country.
Ikenna states, “We have been finding a way to survive by circumventing the laws, but it is at great risk to our personal safety and academic pursuits in Russia. Our situation is frustrating.
My brother, we are suffering. How I wish I could bring you here to see how miserable our conditions are. The Nigerian government has failed us miserably.
“Even with the illegal jobs we do, we still find it hard to make ends meet. It is shameful that we have got no alternatives but to beg for food and money from Ghanaians, Namibians, Ugandans and Sierra Leoneans who are on the same bilateral educational scholarships like us.”
Besides welfare, some of the students who are to return to Nigeria for their mandatory
internship programmes are also stuck in Russia, due to lack of funds.
Julfa Timkuk, a student of International Law at the Southern Western University, Rostov, Russia, wonders if they were indeed on a scholarship. The 25-year-old, who hails from the Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State, says he now lives on cheap white bread.
“My colleagues and I are tired of clearing snow, working at warehouses or helping to lift heavy equipment at night. Our suffering is no longer bearable. Please do us a favour and beg them to free us from this slavery in a foreign land,” he appeals.
But appraising the situation, a Professor of Microbiology, University of Ilorin, Poju Akinyanju, chides the Federal Government for sending the students overseas on scholarship without making proper funding arrangement for them. The experience, he says, is not only traumatising to the scholars but also a dent on Nigeria’s image.
He states, “It is unfortunate that they do not care about these youngsters. Are you telling me that the authorities cannot pay for the students’ stipends? There must have been some budgetary provisions for them. How can these traumatised students be loyal and patriotic to their fatherland when they eventually return home?”
Also, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Prof. Alani Ramoni, describes the condition of the students as unfortunate. According to him, even under the military regime he enjoyed his scholarship offer without any hindrance.
When contacted, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Olu Lipede, confirmed that there were challenges remitting the money to the students. He nonetheless blamed their travails on the “budgeting process” and problems associated with “banking transfers.”
Prodded to be specific on when the students will be paid, Lipede states, “That I cannot say because I am not the Central Bank of Nigeria. There are processes between the Federal Ministry of Education and the CBN as well as between the CBN and Nigeria’s foreign missions.”
Lipede adds, “We do care about their welfare. Last year (2013), we went to visit them in Russia and we inspected where they sleep and we made known to the Russian Government those things we were not satisfied with. These students have been told that their money will be remitted to them. If there is any delay it should not be blamed on the ministry.”
But a source familiar with the administration of the scholarship scheme says the matter is beyond the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to the source, the students have yet to get their allowance because there has not been a release for their payments.
The source adds, “It is beyond us in the Ministry of Education. Their money is in capital
allocation. How do we go ahead and circumvent the rules? Their stipends should be extricated from the regular budget. Unless this is done, they would continue to experience this problem every year.”