Ruling APC Asks Nigerians to Support Fuel Subsidy Removal

 

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Nigerians to support the removal of petroleum subsidy by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

In a new year message signed personally by it’s National Chairman, Mr. John Odigie-Oyegun, the APC said removal of subsidy will guarantee availability of petroleum products at competitive prices and eliminate corruption in the operations of the downstream sector.

The party noted that “President Buhari’s administration inherited a corruption-tainted subsidy regime run by corrupt cartels. Oil cartels and their cronies resisting change have continued to blackmail and sabotage government’s effort on the issue of subsidy and availability of petroleum products.

“To this end, the presidential directive to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to adjust its pricing template to reflect competitive and market driven components should be supported.
“A review of PPPRA’s pricing template will‎ result in a more efficient and realistic pricing system for petroleum products and also result in constant availability of fuel nationwide.”

The APC also noted that plans are afoot to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to “enhance more productivity and increased transparency and accountability.”
This he said is in line with the party’s promise to restructure the country’s oil and gas economy “which has been marred by corruption and inefficiencies.”

The APC said it is prepared to fulfill all its campaign promises to Nigerians beginning with the passage and implementation of the 2016 budget.

The promises according to him “include the proposed Social Welfare Programmes, which will pay unemployed Nigerian graduates (post-NYSC grant); feed school children and cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.”

He said: “I want to give a firm assurance that all the promises made by the party in respect of the 2015 election to Nigerians will be kept. The New Year holds great dividends for Nigerians when the policies of the President Muhamadu Buhari-led administration are enforced full blast in the 2016 financial year.

“Looking back at the last seven months, there are clear indicators showing that the APC and the President Buhari administration is on the right track to delivering on its Change Agenda.”
Noting that the road ahead is rough and “our challenges are legion, we have the courage and determination to rise up and meet them.”

He said the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has greatly plugged revenue leakages in public finance management while appealing to the National Assembly to lend its full support to the President.

Facebook Genius Gives Advice to a Woman Who Wants Her Granddaughter to Date a Nerd

Mark Zuckerberg has a casual New Year resolution which is to build a robot.

"My personal challenge for 2016 is to build a simple AI to run my home and help me with my work. You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man," the Facebook genius revealed. Last year, he just wanted to start a book club.

Zuckerberg’s awesome moment of the day happened in the comments, when a woman wrote, “I keep telling my grand daughters to date the nerd in school, he may turn out to be a Mark Zuckerberg!” of which the 31-year-old billionaire responded, “Even better would be to encourage them to *be* the nerd in their school so they can be the next successful inventor!”

 

(Just kidding, Darlene! You seem like a very sweet grandmother!)

Zuckerberg welcomed a daughter of his own, Max, on Dec. 1. He and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, simultaneously revealed that they donated 99 percent of their Facebook shares -- estimated at $45 billion -- to selected causes through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

ET

British Govt Keeps Mum On President Buhari’s Request For Diezani Madueke’s Extradition

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, has refused to comment on whether his government will accede to President Muhammad Buhari’s request for former petroleum minister, Diezani Madueke to be extradited to Nigeria.

In an interview with Punch, Arkwright declined to respond when asked if Madueke would be extradited by to Nigeria by the British government.

He however said, “It is a matter of public record that £27,000 was seized from Diezani Allison-Madueke at Westminster Magistrates Court along with smaller sums from two other individuals, but we are not providing any further detail at this time and it should not be inferred that this relates to any previous statements made by the UK National Crime Agency.”

Also, speaking on former Delta State governor James Ibori’s loot, Arkwright said, “The UK has ensured that assets seized, confiscated or forfeited that fall within Article 57 United Nations Convention Against Corruption 2005 are returned to the country from which they were stolen. We are working with the Nigerian authorities to deliver an effective mechanism for the return of stolen funds and assets from Nigeria.

“None of the money from Ibori’s confiscation has as yet been returned; his confiscation hearing is scheduled to take place later in 2016. Assets have been forfeited and confiscated from linked trials and we are, through the Home Office, working on the modality of their return, he said.
“The UK government does not aid corruption in Nigeria or elsewhere. The arrest and prosecution of James Ibori in a UK court demonstrates our commitment to this agenda.”

Ekiti youths want EFCC to probe Gov Fayose’s administration

 

An umbrella youth group in Ekiti State, Ekiti Kete Youths Forum, at the weekend asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the administration of the state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

The forum, which is made up of Ekiti professionals across the federation, also asked the governor to explain how he spent a bailout of N9.6 billion the state government received from the federal government in 2014.

This was contained in a statement by the forum’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Tope Idowu, noting that Ekiti State “has been in the news for wrong reasons since Fayose resumed as the state governor on October 16, 2014.”

The statement said the EFCC should, as a matter of urgency, wade into the financial situation of Ekiti State and conduct financial auditing from October 16, 2014 till date.

It said Fayose had neglected his responsibility as a governor of a state and unofficially assumed the responsibility of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It lamented unprecedented level of unemployment of youths in Ekiti State, noting that it was unfortunate that Fayose “has not created any meaningful job for youths in the state since he assumed office.”

It condemned the inability of Fayose “to meet up with his obligations as the governor by paying the arrears and the salaries of the workers, even after getting bailout from the federal government. 

“The fact that Ekiti state is only a civil service state, and the civil servants are not being duly paid, businesses are not moving, yet Fayose is less concerned about their welfare,” the statement said.

According to it, this has informed why we strongly condemned his idea of imposing heavy tax on the governed even with their small scale businesses, the tipper drivers and meat sellers who are struggling to feed their families. 

It explained that the recent act of insubordination exhibited by the governor in the House of Assembly while presenting the 2016 budget, calls for serious condemnation across the state.

The statement said it was a clear mockery of the legislature, thus demonstrating a reflection of “Fayose’s lack of regard and respect for the legislative arm since he resumed office in October 2014.” 

“After critical rumination over these reasons, we are of great concern over humiliation that Fayose’s style of leadership has brought upon the people of Ekiti within his short time in office,” the statement said.

Sylva, not Dickson attempted to bribe Bayelsa REC – Group

 

The Bayelsa State Justice Forum, has taken a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC), over the claim, that the Governor of Bayelsa and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), offered a bribe of two hundred million Naira, to the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih to manipulate the outcome of the December 2015 governorship election in the State, in favor of the PDP.

The Forum through its Coordinator, Pastor Markson Konugha in a release sent to journalists in Yenegoa, described as false, spurious and baseless, the alarmist cry by the APC, accusing the REC and Governor Seriake Dickson, in the alleged scandal.

Reacting to the allegation, Pastor Konugha who laughed off the APC allegation being made through one of its front in INEC, Mr Francis Asmakia Tedobserved that while it was not necessary to join issues with the APC, a party which has already lost the governorship election in Bayelsa State, and is reputed to thrive on propaganda and blackmail, it was pertinent to set the records straight so that the unsuspecting public is not misled and misinformed by the APC.

The Group’s Coordinator said the bribe story only exists in the imagination of its authors. He challenged the APC to present evidence of how the alleged sum of N200m was handed to the INEC’s REC by Governor Seriake Dickson, through whom, and by what channel it was transmitted.

The group berated the APC for what he termed its provocative acts of mudslinging, in a desperate bid to manipulate the outcome of the rescheduled elections in the Southern Ijaw Local government area of the State, scheduled for January 9th, 2016, which it said, will not work.

The group also disclosed that it was aware that investigation is ongoing into the claim by Mr. Baritor Kpagih that some influential politicians attempted to bribe him before the December 2015 Governorship election, as information has it already, that the APC governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, did actually approached the REC, through his wife with a cash sum of One million US Dollars which was out rightly rejected by Mrs. Kpaghi.

The group however called on all Bayelsans and supporters of Governor Seriake Dickson to remain steadfast and continue to support the PDP administration in the state to deliver on its agenda of economic development, job and wealth creation, as well as industrialisation. 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu present at daughter's wedding to her lesbian partner (See photos)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu present at daughter's wedding to her lesbian partner (See photos)

 

Reverend Mpho Tutu, daughter of South African social rights activist, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu got married to her lesbian partner, Professor Marceline Furth in a private ceremony in the Netherlands on Wednesday December 30th, 2015. Mpho, a mother-of-two, is an ordained Episcopal priest. She was previously married to Joseph Burris, with whom she had her 2 children.

 

 

The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation confirmed that she married her partner in a small civil ceremony. This is both Tutu and Furth’s second marriage.

 

In a statement, the foundation says the couple will have a wedding ceremony in Cape Town in May this year. Furth is a professor in paediatric infectious diseases at the Vrije University in Amsterdam.

 

Will their marriage last?

 

 

Checkout Flavour's baby mama Sandra Okagbue in new photos

Checkout Flavour's baby mama Sandra Okagbue in new photos

 

The former Delta Soap beauty queen and Flavour's babymama shared the photos on Instagram.

Cameroonian guy apprehended for disguising self as female (See photos)

Cameroonian guy apprehended for disguising self as female (See photos)

 

The 'woman' in the photo is a guy who was apprehended by The Cameroonian Police for disguising himself as a female and going around to deceive men. He was paraded and made to strip at a police station in Yaounde. See more photos below

 

 

No telecom operator will shortchange Nigerians under Buhari – Communications Minister

 

With respect to poor quality of service and regulatory deficiencies, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has vowed that no Nigerian telecom service provider would be allowed to short-change any subscriber under the current administration.

Shittu maintained that the various complaints of telecom subscribers across board and the challenges facing mobile telecom operators in Nigeria were being comprehensively examined with a view to finding lasting solutions in conjunction with relevant stakeholders within the shortest time possible.

In a statement on Sunday, by his Special Assistant on media, Victor Oluwadamilare, Shittu noted that the telecom sector holds the ace to the litany of economic challenges confronting the nation.

According to him, “As we celebrate the New Year, I appeal to all Nigerians, our supporters, Oyo State indigenes and residents in general to continue to rally support for President Muhammadu Buhari and Governors, so as to ensure the success of the ongoing transformation.

“The various complaints of telecom subscribers across board and the challenges besetting telecom operators in Nigeria are being looked into holistically with a view to finding lasting solutions in conjunction with relevant stakeholders within the possible shortest time.”

Shittu added that the telecom sector holds a lot of promise for the economic growth of Nigeria in terms of revenue generation and massive employment generation if all the industry’s potentials and ICT’s limitless opportunities were well harnessed.

He urged the citizens to support President Muhammadu Buhari to provide the enabling environment for the industry to thrive.

Niger Delta is part of Biafra territory – MASSOB leader

 

One of the leaders of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign States of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Solomon Chukwu, has denied the claims in some quarters that the people of the Niger Delta area abandoned Ndigbo during the Nigerian Civil war.

According to Chukwu, Niger Deltans had been strongly behind them before, during and after the war.

Speaking with Vanguard, Chukwu said; “During the war, people said the Niger Delta denied Biafra. It is not true; the major betrayers of Biafra were even from the South East than the South South bloc. People like Ojukwu’s second in command, Gen. Philip Effiong, fought for Biafra till the end.

“My father and many strong men of Niger Delta also fought for Biafra. I’m a Biafran from Ikwerre extraction in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“I’m a true son of Niger Delta. Forget about the role of people like Ken Saro Wiwa, but in the mainstream of Biafra, many Niger Deltans stood to be counted. Today, they still support Biafra. Now, Asari Dokubo, Kalada George, Uche Okwukwu, among other great Niger Delta sons are in support of Biafra.

“Before now, everybody was saying Biafra is for Ndigbo and South East, but today the story has changed, the entire people of Niger Delta have realised the need to actualize Biafra. Again, with what Uwazurike has done in shifting the leadership of MASSOB to the Niger Delta, everybody has also seen that Biafra is not the business of the South East alone. People have embraced Biafra and it keeps expanding more than what they knew.”

He disclosed that MASSOB had embarked on sensitization visit to all cities in the Biafran territories where it had also opened liaison offices and commended the support of the people of Niger Delta to the struggle to actualize an independent state of Biafra.

“Today, people from all over the former Eastern region and Niger Delta now attend MASSOB meetings. Recently, we were in Warri, Delta State where the people received us with a rousing welcome. They were jubilating that this time, there will be no dichotomy again.

“There will be no divide and rule; that Ikwerre is not Biafra or Niger Delta is not Biafra. The former Eastern region and Niger Delta are working in unison to actualize an independent Biafra,” he assured.

Checkout stunning photos of Regina Askia's 14-year old daughter

 

 

Former Nollywood actress Regina Askia Williams shared the photos of her stunning daughter Tessa who just turned 14. The resemblance is unique. See more photos below

 

 

 

Did you know that sugar in fizzy drinks and snacks INCREASES chances of breast cancer?

 

Scientists believe diets high in sucrose, or sugar, could increase the chances of breast cancer

 

Researchers discovered when mice were given a sucrose-rich diet, similar to our own diet in the West, the mice showed increased levels of tumour growth and metastasis, when the cancer spreads.

They also found fructose in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup could be increasing cases of the disease.

 

Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Centre, gave groups of mice one of four different diets.

Their research showed at six months old, 30 per cent of those raised on starch-controlled diets had measurable tumours.

 

Of those mice which had been raised on a sucrose-enriched diet, 50 to 58 per cent had developed breast cancer.

 

Lab rats were given a high-sugar diet similar to the modern Western diets during the experiment

 

The study released in the online edition of the Cancer Research journal, also showed cancers in mice on high sucrose or fructose diet were more likely to spread than those on starch-controlled diets.

We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumour growth and metastasis

Dr Peiying Yang, researcher

 

Professor Lorenzo Cohen, who was one of the authors to head up the report, said: "We determined that it was specifically fructose, in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, ubiquitous within our food system, which was responsible for facilitating lung metastasis and 12-HETE production in breast tumours."

 

Co-author Dr Peiying Yang said that she believed it was the first study to investigate the direct effect of sugar consumption and effect on the development of breast cancer. She added: "We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumour growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet."

 

Both authors said that identifying the risk factors for breast cancer was a public health priority.

Sugar consumption on average in the UK is now 35 kilos.

 

Sucrose is a common type of sugar found in lots of food and drink, including Coke and ketchup

 

 

The rise in obesity, heart disease and cancer worldwide has been blamed on the rising amount of sugar rich drinks people are consuming.

 

Professor Cohen added: "This study suggests that dietary sucrose or fructose induced 12-LOX and 12-HETE production in breast tumour cells in vivo.

 

"This indicates a possible signalling pathway responsible for sugar-promoted tumour growth in mice.

"How dietary sucrose and fructose induces 12-HETE and whether it has a direct or indirect effect remains in question."

Two Filling stations in Nnewi gutted by fire this morning (See photos)

Two Filling stations in Nnewi gutted by fire this morning (See photos)

 

Two filling stations, Organiser and Red filling station at located Amunko, Nnewi Okpuno Nnewichi in Anambra state, were gutted by fire this morning after an explosion suspected to have been caused by a fuel tanker. 

 

The Police have cordoned off the area and Fire Service personnel are currently at the location to put out the fire. No casualty has so far been confirmed. See more photos below: