Football: Pogba, Dzeko & Serie A's 20 ones to watch in 2015-16

GEOFFREY KONDOGBIA | Inter | The Nerazzurri were extremely pleased with themselves after hijacking AC Milan's deal with Monaco for the much-coveted France international. Of course, Inter have paid approximately €40m for the chance to rub their rivals' noses in it, so now the onus is on the 22-year-old to underline his reputation as one of the most promising midfielders in world football.



CARLOS BACCA | AC Milan | It was clear to all and sundry last season that the Rossoneri were in dire need of a prolific striker. Now, they feel they have got one in Bacca, who scored freely for Sevilla in both La Liga and the Europa League. Will he prove as deadly in Italy?

LORENZO INSIGNE | Napoli | The Naples native is now 24, yet remains an unfulfilled talent. All that could be about to change. After recovering from a serious knee injury last season, the attacking midfielder is now set for a prominent role under new coach Maurizio Sarri, who considers Insigne "one of the greatest talents in Serie A".



RAVEL MORRISON | Lazio | Easily one of the most intriguing acquisitions of the summer, the enigmatic 22-year-old Englishman has been offered the opportunity to make headlines for the right reasons in Italy. The midfielder's talent has never been in doubt - former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson considered him one of the most promising players he'd ever come across - but a massive question mark remains over his temperament. Whatever happens, his time at Lazio is unlikely to be dull.

MOHAMED SALAH | Roma | The sight of the Egypt international in a Giallorossi shirt is going to grate with Fiorentina fans and it's easy to understand why. The 23-year-old made a massive impact at the Artemio Franchi last season but refused to remain on loan to the Viola from Chelsea and has now ended up at the Stadio Olimpico. A lightning-quick winger with an eye for goal, Fiorentina's loss will be Roma's gain.

ALESSIO ROMAGNOLI | AC Milan | Eyebrows were raised when the Rossoneri elected to pay Roma €25m for a centre-half deemed surplus to requirements in the Italian capital. However, Romagnoli had an outstanding season on loan to Sinisa Mihajlovic's Sampdoria and is now being tipped to be Italy's next great centre-half having been reunited with the Serbian coach at San Siro.


DANIELE VERDE | Frosinone | The stocky but explosive winger burst onto the Serie A scene with Roma last season, earning comparisons with Bruno Conti, but, unsurprisingly, it was all a case of too much, too soon for Verde, who was unable to nail down a regular berth in Garcia's line-up. The 19-year-old has now been loaned to newly-promoted Frosinone, where he should be given the game time and freedom to develop into a quality player.


ASSANE GNOUKOURI | Inter | Shockingly discarded by Marseille as a youngster, the Ivorian has found his way to San Siro via Altovicentino. The 18-year-old midfielder impressed all and sundry with his quality and confidence during pre-season and could prove one of the breakout stars of the 2015-16 Se 

OSCAR HILJEMARK | Palermo | One of several interesting new arrivals at Palermo, the 23-year-old failed to make the grade at PSV but is coming off a sensational showing at this summer's Under-21 European Championship, where he skippered Sweden to victory. A hardy midfielder of personality and poise, he could prove a big hit in Sicily.


KEITA BALDE DIAO | Lazio | Long tipped for big things, the Barcelona product is finally set for an extended run in the Lazio line-up due to an injury to veteran striker Miroslav Klose. As he so thrillingly demonstrated in the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen, Keita has both pace and power abundance. This could well prove his breakthrough campaign.


PAUL POGBA | Juventus | A new number on his back and more pressure on his shoulders, it will be fascinating to see how Serie A's top talent fares now that he is the Bianconeri's main man in midfield following the departures of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo. If the all-action Frenchman actually manages to go another level this season, there will be no stopping the reigning champions.

STEVAN JOVETIC | Inter | Back in Serie A after an underwhelming two-year stint at Manchester City, the Montenegrin will be desperate to restore his reputation as one of Europe's most talented attackers. If he can stay fit, the 25-year-old could form a formidable front two with last season's Capocannoniere, Mauro Icardi. 

MARIO MANDZUKIC | Juventus | The Italian champions needed someone to fill the void left by Carlos Tevez and they managed to persuade Atletico Madrid to part company with the Croatia international. Mandzukic is by no means a like-for-like replacement for the Argentine but, having netted on his debut in the Supercoppa, he is already showing that he has both the talent and tenacity to prove a bargain at €19m. 

FEDERICO BERNARDESCHI | Fiorentina | The gifted winger has already been called up by Italy - but not yet been capped. That could change this season, with the 21-year-old displayed his fantastic potential with two goals in a pre-season win over Barcelona. This could be Bernardeschi's breakout campaign. 

SERGEJ MILINKOVIC-SAVIC | Lazio | After starring in Serbia's shock Under-20 World Cup win this summer, the midfielder was all set to leave Genk for Fiorentina when he had a dramatic change of heart, breaking down in tears just as he was about to sign the contract. Milinkovic instead moved to Lazio, who are confident that the 21-year-old with justify their €9m investment.

PAULO DYBALA | Juventus | Signed from Palermo for a fee that could rise to €40 million, the pressure is now on the Argentine to justify such an extravagant outlay on a 21-year-old with just one season of Serie A under his belt. Happily, he's made a promising start, netting on his debut in the Supercoppa Italiana win over Lazio.


KHOUMA BABACAR | Fiorentina | With the desperately disappointing Mario Gomez having finally been offloaded, the Senegalese striker now has the chance to establish himself as the Viola's first-choice No.9. An imposing presence blessed with both pace and power, expect him to take it. 

EDIN DZEKO | Roma | The Giallorossi repeatedly failed to turn possession into goals last season - particularly at home - so Rudi Garcia is hoping that the summer signing from Manchester City will prove the answer to their problems up front. Expect Dzeko to savour regular first-team football and the service of a stellar supporting cast.


DOMENICO BERARDI | Sassuolo | One of the most highly-rated youngsters in European football, the 21-year-old is coming off the back of a stellar season in which he scored 15 goals and created 10 more. If he maintains his current rate of progression, it looks certain that Sassuolo won't be able to spurn the advances of Juventus for another season. 

 

LUIZ ADRIANO | AC Milan | Bacca may have dominated the headlines but the Brazilian is just as significant a signing for the Rossoneri. Indeed, the former Shakhtar Donetsk striker has already opened his Milan account, in the Coppa Italia, and, at €8m, looks set to be one of the signings of the season.

Goal.com

Caitlyn Jenner could be facing a manslaughter charge in wake of car crash

Caitlyn Jenner might be facing a manslaughter charge (Picture: X17online.com)

Caitlyn Jenner could apparently face a manslaughter charge for her involvement in a fatal car crash in February.

L.A. Times say that detectives will present evidence to prosecutors next week that could lead to a misdemeanour manslaughter charge. Prosecutors will then decide whether to formally charge her.

She could face up to a year in prison if convicted.

Detective Richard Curry of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that Jenner was driving at ‘an unsafe speed for the road conditions’ on the day of the incident. Her SUV rear-ended a Lexus, shunting it into oncoming traffic.

69-year-old Kim Howe, the driver of the Lexus, was killed when she was hit by another vehicle head-on.

Jenner passed a sobriety test at the time of the accident and Curry added that phone records show no one was using a mobile phone when it happened.

Caitlyn was involved in a fatal car crash in February (Picture: Xposurephotos)

In February the reality TV star, then publicly known as Bruce, released a statement expressing her ‘heartfelt and deepest sympathies’.

‘It is a devastating tragedy I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them. I will cooperate in any way possible’ she said.

It was considered that the crash occurred because Jenner was being chased by paparazzi, however authorities later denied this to Mail Online.


A rep for Jenner declined to comment when contacted by Metro.co.uk.

Metro UK

CNN’s Amanpour: Rotimi Amaechi Allegedly Looted $757M (N70B) in US Foreign Accounts.

Amaechi

On CNN’s Amanpour Live Report it was reported that Amaechi has been stacking money in different foreign accounts.

According to the statement, Amanpour’s show said “the sum of over 757 million U.S. dollars was stacked by Amaechi in a foreign U.S. Bancorp/Minnesota account.”

The Integrity Group, a non-governmental organization, has sent a petition to Buhari as well as the Economic Financial Crimes Commission chairman to investigate Amaechi for the over N70 billion stolen from the Rivers State government.

This amount is separate from the N21 billion which the PDP claims Amaechi transferred from the Power Assets proceeds account of Access bank to the accounts of three private companies with a 25 Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt address.

Well, is he the one that Buhari’s camp is telling us that we will be shocked when the first looter is arrested

I Will Make Nigeria Great Again - Buhari

Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday restated his pledge to make Nigeria great again, stating that he has taken a solemn vow not to rest until the country has risen from its present state of corruption, insecurity, poverty and ridicule.

President Buhari who came into office on May 29, said that this is why he and his team will be guided by the principles of diligence, dedication, transparency, resilience, excellence, integrity and hardwork.

The President thus vowed to make the nation’s civil service which is the engine room of government, and the entire citizenry to grow into a competitive, virile, strong and productive form where creativity, innovativeness, responsiveness, accountability, incorruptibility, patriotism and diligence will be the watchword.

The President, who spoke at the 2015 National Productivity Day and conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit award, said he has resolved to personally drive the productivity crusade in the country and directed the National Productivity Centre to put in place machinery for him to launch the productivity movement in Nigeria.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, the President also directed the establishment of productivity and efficiency units in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to drive the change agenda in the public sector.

He assured that the National Productivity Centre will be encouraged and empowered to ensure the Implementation of this directive as well as to carry out its mandate of ensuring a productive nation.

Buhari said: “We shall dedicate ourselves to the ideals of resilience, integrity, excellence, standards, goodwill, accountability, good governance, patriotism and productivity. The time has now come for all hands to be on deck to work assiduously towards a new improved, recharged and productive Nigeria.

“The hope of self-reliance and self confidence that we are capable of accepting the challenges of nation building by practically demonstrating that given the appropriate opportunities, we can be as efficient and effective as any group anywhere in the world.

“This administration assumed office at a time when morale was at its lowest ebb at all strata of the Nigerian society and the nation was functioning as a rudderless ship. There was a clear evidence that the system was not working the way it should and the people had even lost confidence and hope in the government hence the inevitable clamour for the much needed change.

“I wish to commend the usual great resilience of our people and the speed at which they woke up from slumber to respond to the realities of our time. Given the right political leadership and judicious management of human and material resources the Nigeria of our dream can still be attained.

“This is the onerous task that this administration has taken upon itself and we shall not rest on our oars in the quest to achieve this objective. All we need is your support, patience, loyalty, patriotism and perseverance.”

Buhari: Awaiting Chapter Two Of The Integrity Story By Pius Adesanmi

Pius AdesanmiSahara Reporters Media

Chapter one of the integrity story is easy to remember. We had become a society of zero consequences for actions injurious to the body politic. Nothing happened if Nigerians died on your watch; nothing happened to Abba Moro. Absolutely nothing happened if you stole. In fact, the man who was supposed to set the course of national ethics and morality instituted a national debate on the finer distinctions between stealing and corruption and unleashed his supporters all over social media to split hairs between the two. That was just before he blamed yams for not doing enough to avoid the mouth of goats

If you want to gauge just how low we sunk, just how dirty we became, you need not look further than Ibrahim Lamorde, the difficult-to-decipher fellow running the EFCC. During the Jonathan era, Lamorde’s idea of fighting corruption was to roam around Nigeria, looking for anybody who stole five thousand naira or less. The best way to escape his purview was to steal millions. That conferred immunity and untouchability on you. When Lamorde got tired of running after kindergarten pickpockets, he started to harass fishermen for fishing without authorization in violation of the constitution.

I am not joking o. In case you have forgotten, on 24 September 2014, the EFCC arraigned six fishermen - Adekunle Oshingbosi, Momodu Ibrahim, Idowu Tuesday, Togbosi Christian, Benjamin Eyinle, and Anthony Medoho before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly fishing in unauthorized waters. According to the EFCC, the men were arrested on March 27th 2014 for fishing in Nigerian territorial waters without getting authorized approval, thereby violating Sections 1(1) (2) of the Seas Fishery Act Cap S4, 2004.

It is easy to surmise from the foregoing that had Nigerians not awarded a red card to President Jonathan, Lamorde would by now be harassing roadside mechanics and “forganaizers” all over the country for practicing without a license, contrary to some sections of the Constitution. As for the ICPC, the least said the better. She completely disappeared. I must confess there were times during the Jonathan era when I would have been unable to tell you the full meaning of ICPC because she was so dormant, inert, and invisible: totally useless and redundant.

Now, Lamorde is back in the big league, barking and threatening to bite; ICPC too is staking a serious claim to national attention as a player in the emergent anti-corruption atmosphere. NNPC and other institutions of state are feeling a shake-up. The other day in Ogun state, a civil servant who’d been stealing millions from secondary schools was apprehended. Something’s in the air and people have been hard put to name it beyond abstraction.

Actually, what is happening to the Nigerian body politic, albeit with considerable room for improvement, is not too difficult to name: it is the stirrings of a possible return to the fear of consequences. It is what we said would happen if only there was a modicum of integrity at the very top. We were coming from a place in the darkest pit of hell where the notion of consequence, the notion that punishment is the logical, natural, juridical, moral, and ethical outcome of stealing, had completely disappeared from our lives. That notion is returning – ever so gradually, ever so imperfectly - and that is what is responsible for noticeable changes in the system. And for the perceptible difference in the air you are breathing right now in Nigeria.

This auspicious first chapter of Buhari’s integrity narrative presents two problems. First is the fact that people are mistaking the start of the journey for the end of the journey. People are behaving like we are at the mountain top already. The point must be made and repeated: we are still in the darkest pit of hell and have only just begun the arduous crawl out of it. We are not even at the bottom of the mountain yet, let alone start the hard climb to the mountain top. What Buhari’s integrity narrative has done is to jumpstart the first step out of the pit by reintroducing the elementary fear of consequence into our badly battered national psyche. It is only when we get out of the pit that we can approach the bottom of the mountain to start climbing.

The second problem is that the incipient positive results of the integrity narrative has become a sufficient excuse for heightened intolerance of any scrutiny of President Buhari’s pace. Some will even hound and harass people with genuine and legitimate concerns about aspects of Buhari’s leadership style because “it is still too early to start criticizing and distracting the President.” Well, the very day a man becomes my President is the day he starts to owe me explanations. This school of thought will destroy Buhari if he gets carried away by their theory that he is omnipresent and omnipotent, his integrity narrative the be-all, singular open sesame to paradise for Nigeria. I will not dwell on this beyond repeating what I have already stated in multiple fora: those looking for a President who must not be vigorously engaged, scrutinized, and criticized must crossover to the ranks of the career Jonathanians who brooked no criticism of the former President and destroyed him with the most disgusting halleluiah followership I have ever seen in Africa. President Buhari will not – and must not – be rewarded with this sort of followership.

This brings me to the second chapter of the integrity story. The first chapter is about the aura and personal capital of President Buhari which we sold as capable of bringing back the fear and notion of consequence into the system. That side of things is working – albeit in a sole administratorship format that is worrisome. We have been told to wait till September. We are waiting. The second chapter has to do with the word of a man of integrity. I am still studying the outlines of this second chapter. I don’t know where President Buhari intends to go with the idea of his word as his bond so I am just going to point out two early disquieting things he needs to bear in mind as we all struggle to help him return credibility to our system and country.

A leader’s word is a key part of the business of integrity. It is pretty straightforward. Nothing complicated about it at all. Where a leader tells the people that they will find osaka, they must not get there and find osoko; where a leader tells the people that they will find osoko, they must not get there and find osaka. President Buhari’s word must remain an integral part of the narrative of integrity. Something as simple as a promise made openly and nationally to publicly declare his assets is becoming something of an osaka-osoko story and I don’t like it at all. One had been prepared to even overlook this asset declaration matter in the context of the bigger gains we are witnessing on the anti-corruption front only for Femi Adesina to return it to national discourse in an arrogant and dishonest manner.

In a recent interview with Kayode Ogundamisi, Femi Adesina claims that President Buhari did not promise to declare his assets publicly; it was the APC that made the promise! This is a lie. Like Nuhu Ribadu, who abused Goodluck Jonathan and Patience Jonathan, and later ridiculed himself by struggling to claim that he never said any such thing, Femi Adesina appears to have forgotten Google! Candidate Buhari did not only pledge to “publicly declare my assets and liabilities”, he did so in a document he entitled, “My Covenant with Nigerians”. I advise every Nigerian to Google and keep a copy of President Buhari’s covenant if this is the way his media team intends to play the game. A covenant is an even more serious business than a promise or a pledge. Neither the APC nor the Nigerian people forced President Buhari to make this covenant. He did it of his own volition. But it is now his word. It must be his bond.

President Buhari may also want to look into a curious office that is not recognized by the Constitution but is however functioning – and gaining visibility – in the Villa under his watch. It is called “the Office of the Wife of the President.” In other words, Patience Jonathan had six eggs. Nigerians screamed and condemned her for having six eggs. We condemned Goodluck Jonathan for allowing his wife to have six eggs where the Constitution makes provision for none. Our own Professor Soyinka saw and castigated a sheppopotamus with six illegal eggs. President Buhari was part of this culture of national revulsion for Patience Jonathan’s six eggs. He granted an interview to Daily Trust and promised to abolish the six eggs not recognized by the Constitution. However, it does seem to me that Patience Jonathan’s illegal six eggs have been replaced by half a dozen eggs for Aisha Buhari. President Buhari must endeavour to return us to his word in this matter.

In essence, President Buhari’s word is just as important as the aura with which he is scaring the heck out of the goats who ate our yams. The yam eaters are all over the place, pissing in their pants, sending peace committees on nonsensical, poorly-disguised soft landing errands, forming malaria, eczema, dysentery and all kinds of illnesses in foreign hospitals. All because of the aura and body language of one man. This personal capital must be parlayed into institutions to rebuild and strengthen them, especially our mechanisms of discipline and punish, of crime and punishment.


But, above all, this personal capital must sit on the foundation of the President’s word.

Corruption: We’re Taking War To Looters’ Doorsteps – PMB

Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja vowed to take the war against corruption to the doorstep of looters despite the moves by some powerful people in the society to stall the fight.

The president remarked that he took over the country’s leadership at a time when morale was at its lowest ebb in all strata of the Nigerian society, with the nation functioning as a rudderless ship.

Buhari made the above comments while presenting a keynote address at the 15th National Productivity Day and conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit Award organised by the National Productivity Centre in Abuja.

According to him, Nigerians had recognized that while inadequacy of resources is one of the nation’s problems, “mismanagement of the little we have, largely through corrupt practices and impunity, is the more impactful.

“To get to the Promised Land as a nation, we must leave no stone unturned in taking the battle to the doorstep of corruption. Corruption is dangerous and cancerous to the nation and this administration is not prepared to stay in bed with it. We are therefore resolute in our commitment to fight corruption in all its virulent forms, in all facets of our national life.”

The president, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, said when he assumed office, people were completely disillusioned with government.

“I want to commend the organizers of today’s ceremony for the choice of the theme, ‘The Role of Productivity in the Change Agenda,’ which is apt and germane. As you are all aware, this administration assumed office at a time when morale was at its lowest ebb at all strata of the Nigerian society and the nation was functioning as a rudderless ship,” he said.

‘There was clear evidence that the system was not working the way it should and the people had even lost confidence and hope in the government hence the inevitable clamour for the much needed change.

“I must commend the usual great resilience of our people and the speed at which they woke up from slumber to respond positively to the realities of our time. Given the right political leadership and judicious management of human and material resources, the Nigeria of our dream can still be attained.

“This is the onerous task that this administration has taken upon itself and we shall not rest on our oars in the quest to achieve this objective. All we need is your support, patience, loyalty, patriotism and perseverance.”

He pointed out that the mission of his administration was to move Nigeria forward and make it a strategic and proactive state through pragmatic and productivity-conscious programmes.

“We want to rebuild Nigeria into a competitive, virile, strong and productive economy; a state whose citizens are creative, innovative, responsive, accountable, incorruptible, patriotic and diligent,” he said.

In consonance with the resolve of this administration to chart a new course for good governance in Nigeria, he said a great deal of premium has been placed on making change a reality in all spheres of our national life, especially through productivity improvement initiatives.

Police Recruitment: I Won’t Tolerate Extortion Of Applicants – PMB
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gave a stern warning that he will not tolerate any irregularities or extortion of money from unemployed Nigerians in the forthcoming recruitment into the police.

Buhari sounded this warning at a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission in the presidential villa, Abuja.

In a related development, the chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Mike Okiro, has said that no fewer than 19,000 vacancies currently exist in the Nigeria Police Force.

The president condemned the trend in which applicants are made to pay bribes before being accepted into the police in the past, saying it was totally unacceptable.

Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted the president as telling the officials at the meeting that those in charge of recruitment and training in the Police must be above board and eschew every form of extortion and underhand dealing.

“You must ensure that the recruitment process is transparent. Those who will conduct the recruitment must be above board. It should not be heard that they receive gratification or extort money from those who want to enlist in the police,” Buhari cautioned.

The president also directed the inspector-general of police to prune the number of policemen attached to dignitaries and redeploy all policemen withdrawn from that role to regular police duties.

Buhari also advised the PSC to review the current structure of the police and make recommendations on how the problem whereby policemen remain stagnant on a rank for many years can be addressed. This, the president said, will boost the morale of serving policemen.

Adesina noted that, earlier, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr James Obiegbu had, in briefing the president, listed inadequate number of police personnel, dwindling finances and non-rehabilitation of police training schools as some of the challenges facing the force.

PSC chairman Sir Mike Okiro said that, for effective policing, the country needs to have more than the 305,579 policemen and women which it has at present.

He thanked President Buhari for approving the recruitment of 10,000 additional policemen and women earlier this week.

Okiro later told journalists after the meeting with the president that 19,000 vacancies currently exist in the police service.

The former IGP said the vacancies emanated from non-replacement of personnel who had either retired, died or were dismissed from service over the years.

He said out of about 21,000 vacancies that existed from those occurrences, only about 1,500 had been filled, leaving a balance of 19,000.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday given the police authorities the nod to recruit 10,000 policemen and officers.

Okiro said, “We talked about recruitment of police officers. Over the years, more than 21,000 police officers have retired, some dismissed, and some died between 2010 and today. Of this number, only about 1,500 have been replaced leaving a deficit of a very large number.

“So we discussed this with Mr. President. Of course, you are aware that, a few days ago, Mr. President said the police was going to embark on recruitment of 10,000 people. We discussed with him the modalities and how to ensure that the 10,000 people are recruited to maintain the security of Nigeria.”

The PSC chair further noted that the recruitment of 10,000 policemen approved by President Buhari earlier in the week may take a little while to be effected due to some procedures that need to be put in place before the exercise begins.

“There will be procedures and guidelines before recruitment takes place. So when all these things have taken place, the I’s dotted and t’s crossed, recruitment will start,” he stated.

Permanent secretary of the Police Affairs Ministry, Obiegbu, who also gave an insight into the meeting of delegation with the president, said the welfare of policemen and officers dominated their discussion.

He said, “All through the discussions, the president was interested in the welfare of officers. He was interested in the issues concerning their emotions, issues concerning their placing.

“He was concerned with everything that concerns them. He promised that he will continue to support the police family to ensure that the police are well provided for and their welfare taken care of.”

End Of Boko Haram In Sight – PMB
President Muhammadu Buhari declared yesterday that given the added vigour with which the war against the Boko Haram sect is now being prosecuted by Nigeria and her allies, the end of the insurgents is close.

According to him, with improved logistics, equipment and training for soldiers and higher morale among troops in the frontlines, a rapid end to the insurgency could be expected.

The president expressed this belief when he granted audience to the Chadian minister of foreign affairs and special envoy of President Idris Deby, Mr Mousa Faki Mahamat, at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari noted, however, that Nigeria and Chad must be prepared to make more sacrifices to end the scourge of Boko Haram since they were at the “very heart of the insurgency.”

“We will sustain our effort, and the insurgents will be defeated soon,” Adesina quoted President Buhari as vowing.

Earlier, the special envoy had said that President Deby appreciated the leadership being shown by President Buhari in the war against terrorism.

He said, “We also appreciate the diligence shown in appointing a commander for the Multinational Joint Task Force, and President Deby believes that the fight will end in a few months. Our people rely on us to end the insurgency because economic development is being hampered.

“This fight has to come to an end. My coming here is to reaffirm our full commitment. Beyond the number of troops earlier announced, Chad is still ready to commit more soldiers. The enemy is weakened already. Let’s stand firm and neutralize them.”

‘Hero’ US soldier stabbed in neck after tackling Paris train gunman to the ground

Spencer Stone was knifed as he tackled the gunman

A serving member of the US Air Force has been hailed as a hero after he was knifed in the neck while disarming a terrorist on a train to Paris.

Spencer Stone was travelling on a train from Amsterdam with childhood friends Alek Skarlatos and student Anthony Sadler.

But when the gunman rushed into their carriage, both Mr Stone and Mr Skarlatos, who is in the National Guard, charged at him, knocking him to the floor.

Mr Stone was slashed behind his neck in the resulting melee – and his finger was nearly sliced off as the man was wrestled to the ground by the pair – alongside student Anthony Sadler.

In video footage which appears to show the aftermath of the incident, the gunman can be seen lying on the floor with his hands and feed bound with t-shirts after being beaten unconscious by the group .

And as the camera pans around, the man’s Kalashnikov rifle can be seen lying on a nearby table.

The gunman, believed to have been known to authorities, has been named in reports as Moroccan national Ayoub el-Qahzanni – and has since been taken to hospital where he is in custody after being arrested.

The suspect lies on the on floor in the Amsterdam to Paris Thalys high-speed train where shots were fired and several people were injured (Picture: Reuters)

Recalling the dramatic act of bravery, Anthony Sadler said: 

‘We heard a gunshot, and we heard glass breaking behind us, and saw a train employee sprint past us down the aisle.

‘They saw a gunman entering the train car with an automatic rifle.’ 

He added: ‘As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, “Spencer, go!” And Spencer runs down the aisle’.

Anthony Sadler, from Pittsburg, California, Alek Skarlatos from Roseburg, Oregon, and British national Chris Norman were also responsible for bravely tackling the gunman (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

‘Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.’

Speaking to ITV News, Alex Skarlatos added: ‘Spencer ran a good ten metres to get to the guy and we didn’t that his gun not working or anything like that.

‘Spencer just ran anyway and if anybody would have gotten shot it would have been Spencer for sure and we’re very lucky that nobody got killed, especially Spencer.’

Praising the group’s actions, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazenueve said: ‘Thanks to them we have averted a drama.

‘(The Americans were) particularly courageous and showed extreme bravery in extremely difficult circumstances.’

Metro

Man spends 22 years carving a mountain after wife’s tragic death

Dashrath Manjhi spent 22 years chiselling a massive gap through a mountain out of love for his dead wife

The incredible story of an Indian man who spent 22 years carving a massive gap in a mountain after his wife died in tragic circumstances has been adapted into a major Bollywood film.

Dashrath Manjhi undertook the mammoth task when his wife Falguni died in 1959 – because she was not able to receive urgent medical care after being involved in an incident.

The journey to the nearest town involved a 34-mile trek around the mountain, and Manjhi wanted to ensure that other villagers wouldn’t suffer the same fate as his wife.

He instead worked day and night to chip away at the mountain using only a hammer and chisel – reducing the distance to only 15 kilometres by creating a path between the rocks.

The film tells the story of Manjhi’s life

But his gargantuan efforts took until 1982 to complete – with a path which is around 360 feet long and more than nine metres wide in several sections.

And even after he had finished the impressive task, it took local government officials a further three decades to convert it into a surfaced road. 

Nawazuddin Siqqiduim, who plays Manjhi in the film, said: ‘’The story is beautiful and compelling. He made the impossible possible and his work has helped thousands’.

‘The most difficult aspect was to capture the madness. His work is extraordinary. He should be an inspiration and an icon for the youth.’

Manjhi died from cancer in 2007 and was recognised with a state funeral in Bihar.

Metro

Corruption: Buhari to set up special courts for looters

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Federal Government has begun moves to establish special courts to try corruption-related cases as part of the efforts to fight graft in the country.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations on Friday revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari was opting for a comprehensive onslaught against the problem of corruption in the country.

It was learnt that the President had concluded plans to submit a bill on the planned special anti-corruption courts to the National Assembly.

The PUNCH had on Monday exclusively reported that the Presidency had commenced the process of identifying fearless judges that would be saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting corrupt persons.

It was also gathered that the Federal Government was planning to establish 37 of the Special Courts to try corruption in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the 36 states of the Federation.

A top operative of one of the anti-graft agencies, who confided in one of our correspondents, said that the Federal Government decided to set up the planned special courts because of the long delay by regular courts in deciding corruption-related cases.

It was further gathered that the President recently made a demand for 36 judges with the requisite integrity and boldness to decide cases in line with the law and not according to influence of the people or the pecuniary gains that come with associating with them.

The anti-graft officer said, “The President is being careful; he does not want people to do a wishy-washy job for him.

“Buhari is pressing for the establishment of special courts to try corruption cases. He wants the courts to be established in Abuja and the 36 states of the federation so that they can fast-track such cases.”

Investigations further revealed that the Federal Government had contacted the National Judicial Council to provide judges with impeccable reputation to preside over the planned courts.


It was gathered that the NJC released the names of 100 judges from the 36 states of the federation to the leadership of three major anti-corruption bodies in the country after an internal process of selection.


The judges were screened by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission and the Department of State Security on Tuesday.


It was gathered that the focus of the on-going screening exercise is to identify judges with a passion for the law and the constitution rather than deference to personalities.


The officer stated, “On Tuesday, the NJC forwarded the list of 100 judges to the anti-corruption agencies for screening. The exercise is meant to select the judges for the special courts the President is moving to establish to try corruption cases.

“The plan is to get judges that are bold, courageous, and fearless. Many of them must have delivered sound judgements (in the past). They don’t want those who play to the gallery.

“The screening exercise is very intensive; they are passing through the NJC that has the list of all the judges. When the NJC is through with its screening, it passes the list of the judges to security operatives and the anti-graft agencies to continue with the investigation.

“And because this is a democracy, they have to go through acceptable legal channels; they have to amend the constitution to set up these courts. They want to start with speed; even the legislatures have to be involved to amend the constitution.”

It was also learnt that the anti-graft agencies screened the judges by doing background checks on them, particularly looking at their history at the bench.

The source said, “We are working on the information we got about them (the judges). There are those who have been compromised in the past, who will not be part of the arrangement.”

But the anti-corruption agencies are not saying much about the on-going screening exercise, which is said to have entered its second phase.

When our correspondent contacted the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on the telephone on Friday, he said that he was not aware of it.

“I am not aware of the exercise you are talking about,” he said.

Similarly, the Resident Consultant, Media and events of the ICPC, Mr. Folu Olamiti, said that he could not comment on the story, when contacted.

“I can’t comment on it,” he said.

Also, the Acting Director, Information, National Judicial Council, Mr. Soji Oye, said he was not aware of any plan to create special corruption courts.

It will be recalled that the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, had in 2012, when he was being screened by the Senate, called for the establishment of special courts for corruption cases.

He had said, “The reason for the clamour for special courts for certain cases has to do with the processes of law. Judges have corrupt cases and other cases to attend to, but if we have special courts for corruption cases, it would facilitate the process. I don’t think it will be too much to ask that a special court be dedicated to corruption cases.”

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, described the plan to create special courts to handle corruption cases as a welcome development.

But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joseph Nwobike, described the establishment of such courts as needless.

Keyamo, however, urged the government to put certain resources and laws in place for such special courts to achieve their intended goals.

He said, “Establishment of special courts will not solve the entire problem of anti-corruption cases and it will not solve all the problems of criminal cases. But it will go a long way if the courts are well equipped and have rules that will help fast track such cases.

“Special courts will not address the integrity of judges that will be sitting there. It is a welcome development and government should go ahead to establish them but some things should be put in place for the courts to achieve the intended goals.”

Adeniran also described the establishment of special corruption courts as desirable. He said such courts would help in quick determination of corruption cases.

He said, “It is desirable to the extent that it will hasten up the adjudication on corruption cases and will make it easier for the judges to handle.”

But Nwobike said that instead of creating special courts, government should focus on capacity building to enhance the competence of investigators and prosecutors.

He said, “It is needless. It will amount to waste of judicial resources to set up special courts to try corruption cases.”

Copyright PUNCH.

Shocker for Buhari

Buhari

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

*Job creation drops massively
*Oil & Gas, Cement industries score zero

AS President Mo-hammmadu Buhari begins action on his campaign promises one of the key promises, job creation, appears to have become further worsened as a high powered report indicates a sharp drop in that major economic front in the second quarter 2015 (Q2 2015), covering his first month in office.

In the Q2 2015 total number of jobs created in the economy was just 141,368, a massive 70 per cent decline from 469,070 jobs created in the economy in the first quarter 2015 and also 45.5 per cent decline against the position in the corresponding quarter of 2014.

Two of Buhari’s key campaign promises were anti-corruption and job creation which earned him massive voter supports that pull the victory at the pools in March 2015 presidential election.

The President has since inception of his regime on May 29, 2015 embarked on further measures to stem and stifle corruption especially in the oil sector, but no visible action has been taken on job creation and general economic framework.

A job creation report released yesterday was a result of the survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, National Planning Commission and the Federal Ministry of Labour & Productivity.

The objective of the quarterly survey is to track the number of jobs being created in the economy within a given period of time, provide multi-sectoral and policy relevant data on the employment-generating sectors, seasonality in employment and the labour market.

In the formal sector, the report shows of that 51,070 new jobs were generated, representing 36.1percent of total jobs generated in the Q2 2015. This is a decline of 61.6percent (79,871) jobs when compared to the first quarter of 2015 and a 35.2percent decline when compared to the same period in 2014.

In the informal sector in Q2 2015, an estimate 83,903 new jobs were created compared to 332,403 new jobs in the Q1 2015; this signifies a 74.8percent decrease between the two periods. The informal sector typically consists of jobs generated by individuals or businesses employing less than 10 or those businesses operating with little or no structures such as those in Agriculture and Wholesale and Retail Trade.

But in the public sector of the economy, there was a 11.7 percent (669) increase in the number of jobs created making 6,395 new jobs generated in the public sector in the Q2 2015.

The jobs generated in the public sector represents 4.5percent of the total jobs generated during the reference period.

A major highlight of the report is that oil and gas industry had zero new jobs in the period under review despite all the cash flow in the industry. The other industry that scored zero in job creation report was the cement industry.

It is also heart warming that the highest job creation was recorded in the education sector which employed 17,124 persons during the period despite the lean resource allocation, total neglect and poor remuneration in the sector.

Also in the top employing sectors are Manufacturing with a total of 7,781 new jobs, Agriculture sector with 7,650 new jobs and Accomodation and Food Services with 4,694 new jobs.

The Quarterly Job Creation survey is a nationwide survey, covering all 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). A sample of 5000 establishments was taken across the country covering all sectors of the economy. This round of the survey, for which estimates are being reported, achieved a response rate of 92.3 percent from the establishments selected in the sample, which is highly commendable.

Ogun customs seizes hundreds of smuggled cars in raid of syndicate

Some vehicles seized from smugglers

A cross-border car smuggling syndicate has forfeited hundreds of exotic cars to the Ogun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service for allegedly bringing them in illegally from neighbouring Benin Republic.

The vehicles were seized during a massive raid at the border town of Idiroko,Ogun State.

Also impounded during the raid were cartons of frozen turkey and dozens of motorcycles used by rice smugglers.

Spokesman for the command, Abubakar Usman said the operation was made possible by ” the vigilance of our men who took proactive measures to contain the errant smugglers.”

Usman said the smugglers resorted to firing at the Customs men once they were intercepted but could not match the superior firepower of the law enforcement officers .

“Many of the vehicles you are seeing here were intercepted from the notorious syndicate who resisted our men. They were overpowered and had to flee abandoning the vehicles,” he said.

”We also seized many motorcycles from rice smugglers, and cartons of turkey from illicit traders who tried to bring them from the Benin Republic into our territory through the bush .”

The command said it generated N3,401,647,417.34 as revenue in the first half of this year as against the N2,543,266,323.43 it realized within the corresponding period in 2014.

“Our command was able to record 515 seizures with Duty Paid Value(DPV) of N445,399,838.00; as against 733 seizures with DPV of N880,002,012.00 same period in 2014.The difference is 218 seizures with DPV of N434,602,174.00,” he said.

He added:“the formidable mechanism put in place by the Customs Area Controller, Mr. Haruna Mahmud, to curtail the menace of smuggling activities in the area led to the successes recorded so far.”

Senegal: Former president’s son to remain in prison

President Macky Sall of Senegal

The Supreme Court of Senegal rejected an appeal filed by the lawyer representing Karim Wade, son of former Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade.

The verdict means he will serve out his six-year prison sentence on corruption charges also dashing the opposition’s hopes that Wade could be able to run in the presidential election in 2017.

Wade in March was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 138 million CFA francs (24 million dollars).

The 46-year-old was taken into custody two years ago under suspicion of having siphoned off about 200 million dollars in state funds while he served as super minister in his father’s government.

Among his duties were overseeing several financially healthy portfolios, including the ministries for development cooperation, air transport, infrastructure and energy.

While he has consistently denied allegations of corruption, members of his Senegalese Democratic Party have referred to the case as politically motivated.

“We are not surprised that the Supreme Court rejected the appeal, this is a political affair and we will set up a political response to all our detractors,” Farba Senghor, member of the party, said.

Senghor further said that President Macky Sall was behind it all to restrict public freedoms.

BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Marines 'take down' armed gunman onboard a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris

A gunman opened fire on board a high speed train in northern France
Eyewitnesses said three U.S. Marines on the train disarmed the gunman
The man was armed with a deadly a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle
Three people were wounded and the gunman is currently in police custody

A crazed gunman, who opened fire with an assault rifle onboard a high-speed train was detained by a group of US Marines who were travelling on the service.

The man is understood to have been overheard loading the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle in the toilet by the un-armed Marines.

Three people were injured when the man opened fire, but he was soon forced to the ground and detained.

These are the dramatic scenes as three U.S. Marines wrestled with a crazed gunman onboard a French train

The suspected gunman was held on the platform of the station in Arras in France for police to arrive 

A crazed gunman was stopped from committing a massacre on a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris, (file photo) by three U.S. Marines who jumped on the man as soon as he opened fire with a machine gun

The man was arrested by police near the town of Arras in northern France.

Train company Thalys confirmed the incident happened. A spokesman said: 'The situation is under control, the travellers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency services are on site.'

No one at the SNCF French railways was immediately available to comment on the report.

A report on Twitter said that three US Marines detained the gunman until emergency services arrived.

The incident happened at approximately 6pm local time.

The Mail

Health: Some eminent Nigerians who lost their cancer battles

Going by the prediction of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the World Cancer Day on February 4, 2013 about 84 million people may die of the disease by this year.

The National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP) said that no fewer than 80,000 Nigerians die from various forms of cancer annually, with an estimated 10 people dying from cancer every hour.

Some prominent Nigerians who have died of the non-communicable disease include politicians, celebrities and others.

Former President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua fell victim of the disease in May 2010 after years of battling that kept him away from his constitutional duties as first governor of Kastina State and then President.

Second Republic Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki, also died of cancer as confirmed by his youngest son, Olaolu, who admitted that the political giant of Kwara politics “had been battling with cancer for about five years” before he breath his last on November 14, 2012.

Maryam Babangida, wife of former military President Ibrahim Babangida also had her life cut short by the dreaded disease on December 27, 2009. She had to leave behind her pet project – Better Life Programme for Rural Women – which launched many co-operatives, cottage industries, farms and gardens, shops and markets, women’s centres and social welfare programmes.

The doggedness with which renowned activist and social crusader, Chief Gani Fawehinmi fought successive and oppressive military dictators was not enough to survive the monster called cancer.

He lost the battle to lung cancer on September 5, 2009.

For two years, ace broadcaster, Yinka Craig, who made his name with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) battled to stay alive until September 23, 2008 when he died at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States (U.S.). He received treatment for cancer of the immune system.

Yusuf Jibo, former Zonal Director of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), also died of colon cancer on December, 2010.

For Sonny Okosun, one of Nigeria’s great musicians, the music stopped playing when he died on May 24, 2008 at 61 in the U.S. after a prolonged battle with cancer. He had gone to seek medical advice on his deteriorating health.

Clara, the wife of labour leader turned governor, Adam Oshiomole was also said to have died of cancer on December 8, 2010, eleven days to her daughter’s wedding.

The Nation 

Teenager is gang-raped then has her eyes gouged out by her own sister in brutal exorcism ritual ordered by a PASTOR in Argentina

A 16-year-old was gang-raped and blinded in General Pinedo, Argentina

Men then pinned her down while her sister cut out her eyes with a knife

The girl was having visions of goats that her family thought were demonic

They claim a local pastor told them to do it and even gave them the knife

A teenager was brutally gang-raped then had her eyes gouged out by her sister in a brutal exorcism ritual that the rapists claim was ordered by a local pastor.

The victim, aged just 16, is now fighting for her life in hospital after the horrific ordeal, which her family said they orchestrated because they believed she was possessed by the devil.

After the terrible ordeal, the teenager was pinned down and her elder sister cut both of her eyes out.

A teenager was brutally gang-raped then had her eyes gouged out by her sister in a brutal exorcism ritual that the rapists claim was ordered by a local Pastor

The victim's sister claimed that the religious centre even gave her the sharp knife used in the attack and said that she must personally carry out the brutal act in order to cure her.

The horrific attack happened in the town of General Pinedo, in the north Argentine province of Chaco and police have arrested the older sister.

She told police that her sibling was having visions and it was believed that because demons are terrified of pain, the act would drive out the demon.

Doctors reported that the victim had also suffered several injuries in the genital area and It is understood that police are about to arrest a group of men who took part in the twisted ritual.
It is very difficult to explain that something like this could happen to a teenager
Police Commissioner Pablo Almiron

The victim was in the intensive care unit of the Perrando de Resistencia hospital where she was transferred to be treated for her terrible injuries.

Police Commissioner Pablo Almiron said that the girl's parents also believed she was possessed by the devil.

They told police she kept seeing animals like goats that were not there, and they had asked the evangelic centre and its pastor to help them 'cure her'.

He said: 'It is the first time in 22 years of my career in the police to have an event of this nature.

'The prosecutor has also said that it is the first time in his life. It is very difficult to explain that something like this could happen to a teenager.'

The Mail 

It’s official: Romance is dead and sex is no longer sacred.

Lisa Ann wants you inside her online and that’s odd (Picture: Splash)

Webcam porn just got extremely weird and realistic with this virtual sex toy

Because now guys can wax the dolphin in a weird and realistic tandem sex session with a pornstar.

Lisa Ann will make history when she pleasures herself online with a sex toy linked to another for guys.

Fans will feel her movements in real time via the Kiiroo Onyx from her Kiiroo Pearl vibrator.

Inside Onyx is a system of contracting rings, designed to mimic the feeling of real sex.

Lisa Ann – who parodied Sarah Palin in Who’s Nailin’ Paylin – officially retired from the adult industry last year but is making a return for the interactive show on Flirt4Free.com on October 21.

Her debut at a Fleshlight CamStar is the result of the popular adult chat site teaming up with sex toy giant Interactive Life Forms and interactive sex device innovators Kiiroo.

She said: ‘Thanks to Kiiroo, Fleshlight and Flirt4Free, I am going to virtually go Back to the Future one last time with my fans, while showing the world the new future of interactive sex.’

Metro

Photos: The woman is filmed riding through the streets at high speeds on the back of what appears to be a high-powered superbike

The unusual incident occurred in the city of Oryol in western Russia's Oryol Oblast region and was filmed by another motorcyclist for several minutes

Tradition: ‘Ooni’s wives can’t re-marry’

The wives of the late‎ Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Olubuse II, by tradition cannot re-marry after the demise of their husband, according to a palace chief.

The chief, who preferred not to be named, said the order was prescribed by the Ife tradition since the Ooni is not considered dead but to have transited to a higher realm.

Maintaining that the Ooni still lives, he said it is forbidden for wives left behind by Oba Sijuwade to re-marry.

He said: “The rules is general and applies to all Ooni that has passed on and not peculiar to the wives of Oba Sijuwade, the immediate past Ooni. There may not be a clearly defined repercussion against the tradition but it is advisable that the order is obeyed at all times and for all generations. The best that can happen to the oloris left behind by any late Ooni is for them to remain single or be inherited by the reigning Ooni.”

He added that it does not matter whether the wives are young or old, “what matters is that the tradition must be sustained in the overall interest of the society.”

The late Ooni’s wives are Oloris Morisola, Ladun, Odunayo, Adedolapo and Linda and their ages are between 40’s and 60’s.

The first wife, Olori Yetunde, the mother of the first son, Prince Adetokubo, died some years ago, long before Oba Sijuwade.

These are Britain's most highly paid CEOs

The pay packages of the bosses of some of Britain’s largest companies have been revealed in research by the High Pay Centre.

The research shows that the pay gap in the biggest companies between CEOs and their average employee has tripled over the past 15 years.

Sir Martin Sorrell was the most highly paid in the report, receiving £43m in total annual pay. The next highest paid was Ben Van Beurden, of Shell, receiving £19.5m a year.



The director of the High Pay Centre, Deborah Hargreaves, said the threefold increase could not be explained by improved performance:


The only reason why their pay has increased so rapidly compared to their employees is they are able to get away with it.

The High Pay Centre estimates that average pay for bosses in 2013 was 174 times that of the average UK worker.

The Independent 

Gov. Fayose of Ekiti Compensates Kiosks owners in Ado Ekiti

Gov Fayose of Ekiti paying compensations to the traders whose kiosks were affected by the Awedele-Bank road project in Ado Ekiti.

Each kiosk owner was paid N50,000 compensation.

I hope some of you can see why I was screaming then, that Amosun ought to at least pay compensations to those who lost their shops and means of livelihood because of his endless demolitions for road expansions.

Now tell me if these beneficiaries would ever curse Fayose for renovating their roads?

You can abuse him on Facebook, the Ekiti people have better working brains than many of you robots on the social media. And they are not wrong in choosing Oshokomole as their número uno over a war college graduate that took loans in billions, just to plant flowers while the state goes on hunger-moon.

Check on your own state governor and spot the difference.

See Photos:

A beneficiary receiving her compensation

A beneficiary receiveing her compensation

A beneficiary receiving his compensation

Gov. Fayose inspects ongoing road project in Awedele, Ado Ekiti

Gov. Fayose inspects ongoing road project in Awedele, Ado Ekiti

Maiyegun General 

Nigeria Police Recruitment: Beware of Scammers

To many of you asking for the police recruitment form, the form is not out yet.

Those of you signing up on the Internet for the same form or receiving text messages that you have been shortlisted as a police recruit; ignore all the scam and its agents.

Here is an example of the scam texts message you may likely receive, please don't fall mugu;


Police Recruit Scam Text Message being sent to unsuspecting youths in Nigeria:

"I receive a text nw,

"Dear xxxxxxxxxx, you are invited for an interview with ALOHRIS TRUST, no23 Ibadan RD,OPP. FASTLINK Ijebu-Ode on 22 -08-2015,10:00am. come with your CV and a passport. Call REF NUM:-08164394028.HR."

@Nigeria Police Force just released this statement an hour ago to warn the people from falling victims of 419ers!

Please read and share;

Nigeria Police Force:

"The High level of interest in the Nigeria Police Force by youths following Presidential directive to add Ten Thousand officers is appreciated. "

"Modalities for the exercise is being worked out by relevant authorities. Vacancy announcement will follow soon."

"Don’t download or buy any of the “Police Recruitment Forms” currently flying over the internet. They are fake, and not from NPF."

"Post your questions / all you want to know regarding this NPF recruitment exercise using the hashtag ‪#‎PoliceNG10000‬ on Facebook or Twitter."

--NPF

SHARE MESSAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

Maiyegun General

Horror!! Landlady allegedly sets tenant’s son ablaze in Ajegunle

*He was burnt while setting fire to my house—LANDLADY

Controversy is currently trailing the death of a 22-year-old man, who was allegedly set ablaze by his landlady and her children in the densely-populated Ajegunle area of Lagos.

The deceased, simply identified as Emmanuel, reportedly went to ease himself in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving his father and sister inside their one-room apartment.

His sister, who had waited endlessly for his return, went to check on him in the toilet situated at the boys quarters of the building on Alafia Street.
She reportedly found her brother on the ground with his body on fire. She raised an alarm, which attracted tenants.

Two hospitals were said to have rejected Emmanuel. He reportedly breathed his last after writhing in pains.

The house where Emmanuel was allegedly burnt to death.

While the deceased’s family alleged that Emmanuel was set ablaze by the landlady and her children, the latter, who is on the run, alleged that the former intended to set the building ablaze but was caught in his own web.

FeudInvestigation by Vanguard revealed that there had been a lingering quarrel between Emmanuel’s family and the landlady. It was gathered that both parties had been to the Ajeromi Police Station several times to settle quarrels.

A resident, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity when Vanguard visited, blamed policemen at Ajeromi for not nipping the situation in the bud until it led to Emmanuel’s death.

According to the resident, “I blame policemen at Ajeromi for the death of this young man. Emmanuel’s father and the landlady have reported their misunderstandings to the police several times. Nothing was done to bring a lasting solution to the quarrel. Had they acted when they were supposed to, this would not have happened.”

Although the resident could not tell exactly what happened that fateful night, he said: “I woke up with the alarm raised by some tenants that night. We were told that it was the deceased that lit the fire.

“However, the question is how is it possible judging from the distance between his apartment and where the fire was said to have been lit? This is what the Police should look into.”

Another resident, who also spoke with Vanguard, said: 

“How come he sustained fire burns if he was in his room? How come only the window of the affected room was gutted by fire if he did not intend to set the building ablaze?

“Many are of the view that the petrol could have spilled on him as he struck the match. Besides, he was alone at the scene of the fire.”

Police sources hinted that the landlady, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, had bolted, adding that effort was on to apprehend her with a view to commencing investigation into the matter.

At press time yesterday, operatives at the homicide section of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, SCIID, Yaba, had taken over the investigation.

Vanguard

Sport: Why Victor Moses is not playing for Chelsea — Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has disclosed that Super Eagles’ star, Victor Moses is injured and will not be part of the team to face Brown Ideye’s West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

‘Moses is still injured and Oscar is still injured,’ said the Portuguese. ‘I don’t know if the new players are available for Sunday yet.’

Moses against New York Red Bulls

He reported Thibaut Courtois, available again following his one-match suspension, will return to the starting line-up on Sunday.

‘I’m so happy with Begovic’s performance (at Manchester City), he showed what we have, but we’ll go back to Courtois.’

Addressing the media ahead of Sunday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, the Blues boss spoke about the good reaction to last weekend’s result against Manchester City.

‘We normally train very well but this week we trained better than ever,’ said Mourinho. ‘Why? Because we are not happy. I’m not happy with the results and the players are not happy with the results. We want to do better and there is only one way, which is to work well and better than ever, which we did this week.

‘Do we have to improve? Obviously, always, but we are calm. Not happy but calm. We need to be unhappy because that feeling makes you work, but to be calm is important. 

‘New players are always welcome so obviously I’m happy both of them have come to us. I know the Premier League doesn’t start tomorrow, it started two weeks ago, but people call it the transfer window and I sometimes call it the opportunity window. While the window is open there is always an opportunity. 

‘It’s dangerous because every team can lose players at a moment when nobody wants to, but at the same time it’s an opportunity to get players until the last moment and this week we got a very good, young left-back that we needed, with potential we believe can be developed, and we got one of the best attacking players in the world, a player with lots of experience and with something I really like very much, which is the desire to leave a giant club, one of the best clubs in the world, a club that normally players don’t want to leave. 

‘For a player like him, who is loved by the club and who loves the club, he wanted to leave because he wants something more for his career. That’s evidence of his ambition.’

Politics: Buhari must prove he’s a saint – Balarabe Musa

…Doubts Buhari’s sincerity to confront corruption

Jonathan-Buhari

Second Republic Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, yesterday, doubted the ability and sincerity of President Muhammadu Buhari to confront the endemic problem of corruption in Nigeria and put an end to it.

Musa, who spoke in an exclusive interview with Vanguard in his Kaduna home, said President Buhari had already lost the moral right to prosecute the anti-corruption war by restricting the probe of corrupt officials to those in former President Jonathan’s government.

The former governor made it clear that Buhari had shot himself in the foot by deliberately limiting the war to Jonathan’s era, thereby making some highly corrupt persons to escape and carry on as saints. Musa noted that while Buhari and Jonathan were not on the same page when it comes to leadership, Buhari must prove that he is not being surrounded by highly corrupt persons while looking out for those to be prosecuted for graft.

Musa said it was a tragedy to have made Jonathan the president of Nigeria given the fact that he neither had the experience nor the competence to rule Nigeria. He said: “In the first place Jonathan should not have been the president of Nigeria because he lacks both the competence and the experience to run the country successfully. Nigeria is not a place to train on the job because unlike in America where there is a set standard in place, it is the leader who sets the standard in Nigeria.”

While blaming former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the emergence of Jonathan on the leadership saddle of Nigeria despite his leadership shortcomings, Musa said Buhari must prove that he has what it takes to move Nigeria a notch higher.

Musa added: “We don’t dispute the fact that Jonathan should not have been made the president of Nigeria at the time he was brought in but the point remains that Buhari must also prove that he is the saint he has portrayed himself to be.

“But my fear is that there are so many corrupt persons around Buhari and in APC and PDP while he has deliberately decided to limit his probe of corrupt persons to only those who served under Jonathan. This is very sad and a clear evidence of selective trial of opponents.”

Musa stated that for Buhari to be taken seriously in the fight against corruption, he must examine and convince himself that he is sincere and ready to conduct a fair trial of corrupt persons irrespective of their party affiliation and status in society. He pointed out that while he would not mention names of corrupt persons, he was convinced that there were many corrupt persons in both APC and PDP who are even more dangerous than former President Jonathan.

He said: “I will advise Buhari to convince himself that he is morally and politically capable to undertake the responsibility of cleaning up Nigeria. I will ask him to constitute a government of national unity involving all the political parties in Nigeria in the task of rebuilding Nigeria.”

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NYCN election: APC has no anointed candidate – Youth Leader

ABUJA – National Youth leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo, yesterday dissociated the party from claims in some quarters that it was sponsoring a candidate for the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

Speaking with Journalists at the party Secretariat in Abuja, Jalo, who ruled out the possibility of the election any time soon said that the president government would have to form its cabinet, appoint a Youth Minister to coordinate the affairs of the youth before any election could hold.

Making allusion to his home State, the Youth Leader stated that certain structures needed to be put in place before the election would hold.

He however stated that the government of President Buhari had lofty programmes for the youth as contained in his campaign promises.

He said: “There was supposed to to be an election for the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) but we all witnessed what happened particularly that the election could not hold because of the crises, but for the reason that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is new, therefore they have to make sure that all things are in place before they can go ahead with the election.

“Though, we heard that some people are saying they emerged the leadership of the Council but to my own understanding there was no election and the party has not endorsed anybody and the party has not asked anybody to contest for any position. What we are looking forward to is to ensure that new executive council members are in place, particularly the Minister of Youth who will be responsible for the conduct of the NYCN election.

“Our advice is that if at all election is going to hold, there has to be mechanism in place to ensure that things are done in proper way and in proper manner.
“Let me give example of my state, Gombe, from my investigation there was no youth council election for the past ten years, so if you want to build a structure you have to start from the foundation. So, the youth council election to my understanding has to start from the local government to state and the federal, that’s how you get your delegates and know who and who that are supposed to come and vote for the national leaders.”

Speaking on the crisis rocking the council, Jalo stated that the problem had to be studied before solutions could be proffered.

“We have to make sure that we look into it thoroughly and address some of the problems we inherited before we can come up with a position.”

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20 things you don’t know about Don Jazzy

Don Jazzy

MAVINS Records big boss, Don Jazzy, born Michael Collins Ajereh is an enigma, whom very little is known about. He once boasted that he hates talking onstage and rarely ever grants press interviews.

Apart from his activities on social media very little is known about the multi-award winning music maker. But recently Don Jazzy let down his guard and granted City People, a soft-sell magazine an interview. From the revealing interview here are some facts you probably don’t know about the Nigeria’s foremost music maker.

1. He prefers bringing up new artistes than hooking up the the big boys
2. He hasn’t slept in his house in over one year. He lives in the studio at Lekki
3. He smokes cigarettes, not marijuana or any other drugs
4. He likes only slim girls, he calls them ‘Lepa toh bad’
5. He believes there are four major artistes in Nigeria, 2Face, D’Banj, Psquare and the rest
6. He likes to think Italian and it is where he got Dorobucci, at Tiwa Savage’s wedding in Dubai
7. He thinks he is an ugly man
8. He has investment in oil, owning a large number of fuel tankers
9. He got the name ‘MAVIN’ from Google
10. His father is his number one fan
11. He is a very shy person and that’s why he wears sunglasses
12. He cannot rap
13. 2Face is his favourite artiste
14. He is not inspired by anyone
15. He only respects Timbaland and Jay Z
16. No one has ever written a line of song for him in his life; he writes all his songs by himelf
17. His beats are inspired by highlife
18. His music comes first, his family second
19. He is not a fashion label freak
20. Once he releases a song he doesn’t listen to it again.

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BIG BROTHER ROLE: Buhari sends Obasanjo to mediate in Guinea Bissau crisis

Apparently worried by the brewing crisis in Guinea Bissau, President, Muhammadu Buhari, has sent former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, as his Special Envoy, to mediate and help find a solution to current challenge of the West African nation.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Following the dismissal of Guinea Bissau’s Prime Minister, Mr Domingos Simoes Pereira and his cabinet by President Jose Mario Vaz, President Buhari had raised concern over the unfolding political situation in the country.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, Femi Adesina, former President Obasanjo embarked on the first leg of his mission by consulting with the current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Macky Sall of Senegal in Dakar on Thursday.

“It is regrettable that while Chief Obasanjo was still consulting with President Sall, President Jose Mario Vaz of Guinea Bissau proceeded to appoint and swear-in a new Prime Minister in the person of Mr Baciro Dja, a development that has worsened the political situation in his country,” President Buhari said.

He further appealed for calm and called on the leadership in Guinea Bissau to exercise utmost restraint and ensure the maintenance of law and order as efforts continue to resolve the current crisis.

Guinea Bissau is a country of 1.8 million people. It’s ranked the 151st most populous nation in the world and 45th in Africa, according to a Washington-based organisation, Population Reference Bureau (PRB).

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