BREAKING NEWS

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation on Tuesday insisted that Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State is culpable in the April 2014 abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, by Boko Haram insurgents. The Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged that the governor, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s spokesperson, Lai Mohammed knew the whereabouts of the missing girls. Mr. Shettima, however, denied the allegation, saying no one should take Mr. Fani-Kayode serious as he “is one Nigerian that is physically an adult but mentally an infant. We all know that going into exchange with an infant is like having a dialogue with the blind, deaf and dumb.” But the PDPPCO in a statement on Tuesday, said it was time for Nigerians to know the truth about the APC leaders and the way in which some of them emerged to become governors. “Th...

The Senate approved Mr. Obanikoro’s nomination as a minister, Wednesday, after repeated deferments, despite protests from senators from Lagos State, Mr. Obanikoro’s home state, and other opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, who had vowed to stop the clearance over the Ekiti scandal. As a former senator himself, the Senate allowed Mr. Obanikoro to “take a bow and go”, without answering questions, a privilege reserved for former federal lawmakers. APC lawmakers responded by walking out of the session in protest.

Manchester United footballer Angel Di Maria has put his mega Cheshire mansion up for sale after his wife refused to return to the place following a burglary. The family was eating dinner at their home a few weeks ago when burglars used scaffolding poles to smash their way into his home through patio doors and robbed them.  After the incident, the family moved to a hotel while a security company upped the security at their home. But Mrs Di Maria still refused to return to the house forcing Di Maria to put the $6.5million home up for sale while they look for another one. by linda ikeji 

Facebook told a few members of the press this week that its Internet.org initiative, which aims get more of the world's population online, is on track for an aggressive expansion. Chris Daniels, VP of Internet.org at Facebook, said the company plans to expand into 100 countries by the end of the year. The program is currently set up in six countries — Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Colombia and India — and has helped more than 7 million people access health, employment and local information services without data charges. Internet.org, which launched in 2013, is a Facebook-led program that works with data providers in local markets to offer free web access to people who otherwise couldn't get online. The goal is to introduce people to basic services — like Wikipedia, job and health sites and of course, Facebook — and have them see the value of the Internet and ultimately, purchase a more premium data package. "The ambitious goal this year is to roll it out to 100 [co...

Apple has acquired Chinedu Echeruo’s HopStop.com, The Wall Street Journal’s publication, AllThingsDigital reports. Founded in 2005, HopStop.com makes mobile applications for both iOS and Android that covers over 300 cities and that helps people get directions or find nearby subway stations and bus stops. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed as at the time of this publication. HopStop has oft been compared to Israel’s Waze which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion. The move is seen as Apple’s plan to bolster its map offering especially given Google’s recent acquisition of Waze. A serial entrepreneur, Chinedu Echeruo grew up in Eastern Nigeria and attended Kings College, Lagos. He attended Syracuse University and the Harvard Business School in the United States and founded HopStop.com after working for several years in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Leveraged Finance groups of J.P Morgan Chase where he was involved in a broad range of M&A, Financing and Private...

The recent appearance at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chattam House, London by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rtd General Muhammadu Buhari, in all intents and purposes was a political miscalculation enough to convince the average Nigerian voter that Buhari holds him in low esteem. Otherwise, how woul d he explain the idea of ignoring the invitation by his own fellow country men to offer himself for proper scrutiny (through open media-anchored debate) along with other parties’ candidates for the forth coming presidential election and chose to travel all the way to London to advertise himself and his manifesto? It certainly runs against the tenets of nationalism because his acceptance and participation would have afforded the electorate opportunity of listening to his argument with other candidates on how he would run the economy if he wins the election. He should have shown more deference and commitment to the expectations of the peop...

Gen. Buhari, Bola Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and other party leaders have arrived Chattam House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) where Buhari met with former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown

Is this Britain's cleverest girl?  Ten-year-old is accepted on university course to study maths degree despite not going to school Esther Okade from Walsall has enrolled on Open University course After degree she wants to study for PhD before running her own bank Girl's younger brother Isiah is already studying for A-levels aged six Siblings are both home-schooled by mathematician mother Omonefe She spends her spare time in a similar way to many other ten-year-old girls - playing with Barbie dolls and making loom bands. But the key difference between Esther Okade and other children her age is that she has been accepted to study for a university maths degree - despite not going to school. Esther, from Walsall, West Midlands, has enrolled on an Open University course months after she passed her A-levels - and wants to study for a PhD before running her own bank. The girl, who gained a C grade in her maths GCSE aged six, has joined the course which started this mo...

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state yesterday took some journalists to the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja to prove that the photo of APC Presidential candidate, Gen Buhari, having an interview with Kemi Fadojutimi on 'All Eyes on Africa' TV show was actually conducted in Abuja and not in London like his media aides claimed. Fayose took the journalists round suite 881 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel where he said the interview with Fadojutimi actually took place in. He compared the sofa, paintings, table lamp, the flower vase, the lighting points and DSTV magazine in the suite with what was published in the papers. According to him, Nigerians deserve the truth from her leaders and he promised to tell Nigerians the truth. Gov Fayose said contrary to what the APC is saying, General Buhari is at the Cavendis Square in London "Buhari is on the sick bed at Cavendis Square, London. They should come out and say so. I am not wishing him dead but we have a duty to always speak th...

  This is a response to Governor Fashola's comments that Agbaje's company only paid his taxes after he was publicly called out. Read below... The Honourable Governor B.R. Fashola (SAN) has lied again and I think it's time to address his repeated blunder. With regards to my taxes, there is no truth in this latest piece of misinformation that the Honourable Governor has been peddling. Following the repudiation of his initial allegations about Jaykay Pharmaceuticals unpaid taxes, he has lied again, giving the impression that my company has gone to pay money supposedly owed to the government. JAYKAY PHARMACEUTICALS has not paid a kobo since the day the Honourable Governor launched his initial attack. We stick to the facts contained in its initial publication, which encapsulated the company's reaction to the Governor’s initial falsehood. To now insinuate that I have gone behind the curtains to pay N500,000 is clearly political silly season, for lack of a better phrase...

The Nigerian military has stepped up air strikes on Gwoza and Bama, Borno State, ahead of possible invasion by troops aiming to retake the two towns seized by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, last year, the defence headquarters said Monday. Government forces have made some gains in the last two weeks in the fight against Boko Haram militants, retaking some key towns from them and pushing to eject the group from their strongholds in the North East. Gwoza and Bama are the two most important towns still under Boko Haram control, after the military announced Saturday it had recaptured Baga, a fishing community near Lake Chad. The military had earlier in the week retaken Monguno, also in Borno State. Reports from the frontlines are difficult to independently verify. The military said Monday with the airstrikes, it was preparing for “other phases of the mission”, likely, a full invasion of the areas still controlled by the extremists, who are responsible for more than 15,000 deaths...

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on Friday said that some local and foreign  investors had indicated interest to operate ferries within Lagos as well as from Lagos to Tema  in Ghana. Mr Mu’azu Sambo, the Manager, NIWA, Lagos Area Office, made the disclosure in an  interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. He said the ferries would move passengers and goods along the sub-region. Sambo said the services would further ease the movement of people, especially those living on  the outskirts of Lagos ``but come to work daily on the Lagos Island ’’. ``Only two weeks ago, we granted approval for an investor at Sierra Leone, who has brought in  nine boats. He is already doing a lot of  investments in IWT (Inland Water Transport) in Sierra Leone.  ``He has come in here; he wants to run ferries between CMS and Ikorodu, between CMS and  Mile 2.  ``You know, there are a lot of Lagosians who come from Festac and b...

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Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Friday alleged that the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who travelled to the United Kingdom for a supposed working visit, is in a London hospital. According to him, Buhari is being treated at a hospital located at Cavendish Street, Cavendish Square, W2 London West End, London. The governor said this had vindicated his earlier stand that Buhari was sick and lacked the required capacity to rule Nigeria. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor described the claim by the APC that Buhari would give a talk at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London as a “deceit taken too far.” He said, “The event is listed on Royal Institute of International Affairs website; www.chathamhouse.org / events. “For the avoidance of doubt; the event’s keynote speakers are former Brazil Minister of Defence, Celsius Amorin...

President  Goodluck Jonathan  on Thursday in Lagos assured Nigerians of the country’s capability to defeat the Boko Haram sect, as he inaugurated four Nigerian Navy Ships (NNS). “Let me use this platform to promise my Nigeria country men and women that we will rout Boko Haram,’’   Jonathan said at the Naval Dockyard Ltd Victoria Island venue of the inauguration. Our capacity has increased sufficiently and our officers and men are doing wonderfully well in the north and we must conduct our elections as scheduled by INEC. I commend the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral  Usman Jibrin,  Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and other service chiefs, officers and ratings who have made this inauguration possible.’’ The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ships; NNS Centenary, NNS Prosperity, NNS Okpabana and NNS Sagbama were handed over to their commanding officers. Dignitaries that were present at the event include: Minister of Defence, Aliy...

NAN reports that the victims were released by the insurgents three weeks ago but remained in custody of security agencies to undergo screening to ensure that they were indeed captives. Alhaji Abdurahman Dauda, a displaced person, said his wife and six girls were released by the insurgents. “Two of my boys are still in their custody but, I am of high spirit that they will soon be rescued,” he said. One of the victims who preferred to remain anonymous, said’ “to be fair to the insurgents, they did not rape or abused us, they simply asked those who were not interested in their religion to leave, and they eventually released us”. Meanwhile, the state government has provided N50,000, two bags of rice, sugar, noodles and wrapper to each of the 15 widows among the victims, while 47 other women received N30,000 each and same quantity of rice, sugar, noodles and wrapper. Presenting the assistance, Goniri said government commiserated with the families of the victims and provided the relief mate...