Celplus Media

Gunmen, in the early hours of yesterday, stormed a church’s premises at Oke-Ota community in Ibeshe area of Ikorodu, Lagos, and shot dead six members of same family. The victims comprised a man identified as Mr. Celestine Nwokoye, who was a taxi driver at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, his wife and four children, among who was an eight-month-old baby boy. Circumstances surrounding the incident could not be immediately ascertained as the Lagos State Police Command said it was still working to unravel the cause. Vanguard gathered that the assailants announced their presence with sporadic gun shots. While some made straight for the apartment occupied by the Nwokoye family, others stood outside, waiting for any intruder. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard: “It happened while everyone was asleep. While the gun shots sounded, we all concluded they were robbers. “I even brought out the only N3,500 I had at home, placed it on the table with the intention of giving

SENATE RESOLUTION TO EXECUTIVE ON GETTING NIGERIA OUT OF RECESSION* 1. The executive should forward an Economic Stimulus Bill containing all the fiscal stimulus packages, investments and incentives which will receive accelerated consideration and passage at the National Assembly. 2. The fiscal and monetary authorities must harmonise all policies that lower interest rates for investors in the real sector and small/medium scale farmers. 3. The government should adopt peaceful means in the Niger Delta to restore Nigeria’s oil production back to 2.2 million barrels per day. 4. The release of low interest funding under the stimulus package should be targeted at the following areas. Social Safety Programmes Humanitarian Activities in the North East Power Generation Agricultural value chain Textile manufacturing National highway network construction and maintenance Railway construction and maintenance Motor vehicle assembly plants Completion and commissioning of Ajaokuta Steel Co

Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman of the Appropriation Committee, has been suspended by the Federal House of Representatives for 180 legislative days. Premium Times reports that as the House of Reps seats three days in a week this subsequently means that his suspension would continue for more than a year. Jibrin will also not be able to hold any position of responsibility for the span of the current National Assembly. The lawmaker on July 21, a day after he was eased out as chairman of the powerful committee has sparked one of the biggest parliamentary scandals over budget padding. He would be barred from the premises of the National Assembly in the course of the disciplinary action. The lawmaker would also not receive salaries or allowances. Some supporters of Mr. Jibrin described his suspension as partisan, draconian and counterproductive. A political expert, Gbola Oba, said: “ This show of partisanship and support for Mr. Dogara is condemnable and too severe.” He compared hi

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One Evangelist Wale Fagbere was rendered unconscious and speechless after invading a community shrine at Ketu – Ayetoro in Yewa North local government area of Ogun state, in a bid to pull it down. Vanguard reports that the pastor whose church could not be ascertained as at the time of this report, had told his members that got ordered him to destroy all the shrines in Ketu community. But the ‘spiritual exercise’ became awry when he got stuck and unconscious right in the shrine. This got the attention of the residents and the priests in charge of the shrine insisted that until they performed some ritual on him, he could not be let off the hook.. It however took the intervention of the Alaye of Ayetoro, Oba Abdulaziz Adelakun, for the case to be settled. The pastor was later treated by the priests before he regained consciousness. Ogun state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said the pastor might be charged for sacrilege and malicious damag

Today, at the early hours of the morning, suspected militants led by the declared wanted criminal kingpin, Benjamin Simplee (AKA G1) leader of the Bakassi Strike Force, in several speed boats attacked troops deployed at Efut Esighi waterfront in Bakassi LGA of Cross River State. During the attack, a soldier was killed in action, while 2 soldiers were missing in action. They also burnt a buffalo pickup vehicle. The troops have also killed 2 of the attackers while the rest escaped with gun shot wounds. However, the reinforcement sent have found the missing soldiers. In addition, the troops location have been reinforced with more gunboats and air component. The clearance and pursuit operation is on going. We would like to assure the public that this singular act would not deter us from the discharge of our duties, therefore, the perpetrators of this dastardly act would be found and brought to justice. The Nigerian Army wish to send an unequivocal warning to all the criminal elements in th

Konduga according to family source, “kept on coming to the Senator’s house purposely to apologize to the immediate family for indicting Ndume, who was charged for providing Konduga with politicians’ phone numbers and not disclosing information to authorities under Nigeria’s Terrorism Prevention Act”. Konduga was arraigned before Abuja High Court along with Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), whom he (Konduga) said was sponsoring him to undertake Boko Haram activities. Ndume had pleaded not guilty to charges of passing classified information to an unauthorised person and of criminal intimidation. Investigation by our Correspondent revealed that, the said Konduga, whose Father and family had earlier claimed is mentally unstable, sneaked into Ndume’s house a day to Sallah at about 8pm last Sunday. Konduga insisted that he wanted to see and apologize to the Senator who was out of the country and still in Saudi Arabia for the 2016 Hajj exercise. Sources said, “When the Maigadi (Gate man) a

The Senate on Tuesday declared that palpable hunger has overtaken the country with most Nigerians desperately seeking for solutions to their problems. The upper chamber also said it is understandable that when people are desperately hungry, what they need is leadership with a clear vision, whose daily actions reflect the very urgency of the peoples’ condition. It said while government works on the medium to long-term plans to stabilise the economy, immediate strategies must be devised to ease the suffering of ordinary people across the country. Senate President, Bukola Saraki, stated these in his welcome address to Senators after their over two months recess. Before Saraki’s welcome address, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate caucus had met on Monday night to articulate ways and means to tackle the economic recession. A statement issued by the Senate President’s Office said the meeting united all members of the caucus on the way forward for the country. Saraki noted that

Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, along with the Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS) and newspaper publisher Nduka Obaigbena, has commenced a full-scale war against Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Under the scheme, Magu will be replaced with a man, already identified, who is more amenable to the ways of Mr. Kyari and other kitchen cabinet persons. Sources at the Presidency said there has been a cold war between Magu and members of the President’s kitchen cabinet, who seek to interfere with ongoing corruption cases at the EFCC. Matters reportedly came to a head recently when SaharaReporters did an exposé that revealed how the Chief of Staff perverted an investigation that the commission had commenced against a powerful indigenous oil company, Sahara Energy, with Mr. Kyari directly accusing Magu of being the brain behind the leaking of the story. Related issues of contention include

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It's a great pleasure to once again meet with President Buhari of Nigeria, along with his delegation. Nigeria is one of the largest, most populous and most important countries not just in Sub-Saharan Africa but in the world. And I am very pleased that we have been able to build a very strong working relationship with President Buhari as he's come in and initiated some very bold efforts at reform. On the security front, real progress has been made in coordinating regionally to restrict Boko Haram, a brutal organization affiliated with ISIL that has killed an enormous number of people and have decimated communities there.  Because of President Buhari's leadership, he has been able to refocus the Nigerian military. We are coordinating carefully.  And we discussed here today additional ways that we can make further progress not only in destroying this branch of ISIL, but also to make sure that the people in this region are able to recover from the devastation

President Muhammad Buhari has received concrete evidence that his Chief of Staff (CoS), Abba Kyari, took N500m from operators of MTN to help the telecommunications giant mitigate the fine imposed on it by the federal government, SaharaReporters has learned. Sources say the evidence was presented to President Buhari several times including during the Sallah holiday. The mind-boggling revelation is the latest in the mounting allegations of corruption involving members of the top echelon of President Buhari’s administration. Confronted with the evidence, the CoS reportedly claimed he was helping the All Progressives Congress party raise funds for the gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State, to which the president is said to have asked him if he was the party chairman, but did not relieve him of his post. SaharaReporters has previously revealed several corrupt actions of the Chief of Staff. They include taking money from Jide Omokore, a shady businessman who was ma

An angry mob has descended on a notorious and deadly armed robber who has been terrorizing Umuchoko, Agunaze, Ahiazu Mbaise community . Okonkwo Charles Emeka aka Fela A notorious armed robber and serial killer, Okonkwo Charles Emeka popularly called Fela of Umuchoko, Agunaze, Ahiazu Mbaise was on Monday, September 19 , killed by an angry mob . The suspect sustained various degree of injuries from angry mob as he could not be saved by the police . The Police tried all efforts to resuscitate him to no avail , as he was confirmed dead on arrival at Specialist hospital, Owerri . It was gathered that the suspect and his gang were allegedly responsible for the multiple robbery and murder cases in which one Chigozie Onyenemegam was murdered in front of Federal High Court, new Owerri on 26 / 6 / 2016 , the murder of one Lucky at Umuonyeche in Owerri on 17 / 9 / 2016 as well as the murder of one Goodluck David of Oguamanam Street, Owerri . Areas where the suspect and his gang operated inc

Nigeria been the giant of Africa is on the world central in their leadership and political arm, even when they are declining or making progress, they whole world is on the outlook for what is going on there, because of their huge population and economy which as made the world market and international countries desires to partner with them in various ways however, there are quiet a lot of bad eggs in the leadership of the nation and this is affecting every other aspects of the country as a whole, here i give you lists of Top 20 Most Corrupt Nigeria Leaders as released by CNN. 1. Olusegun Obasanjo – He stole $25 billion from 1999-2007 ($16.4 from power sector alone) he as to be in number one, because he’s their father in corruption. 2. Ibrahim Babangida – He stole $15 billion from 1985-1993 ($12.4 billion from oil wind fall in 1990) 3. Abdulsalam Abubakar – He stole $9 billion from 1998-99 4. Sani Abacha – He stole $7 billion from 1993-1998 5. Ahmed Bola Tinubu – He stole and conti

THE MEANINGLES EFFORT OF MR EZE MONDAY WILLIAM IN HIS ARTICLE TITTLED: (POVERTY AND SLAVELY: NEW POLITICAL WEAPONS IN EBONYI STATE) I always refuse to respond to most online articles I read or to make acomment in the usual comment sections as it is usually a play ground for mostly unruly people. I however feel compelled in this case to save unsuspecting ebonyians from the clutches of a liar on a rampage. A cursory dissection of Monday Eze's ill-advised attack on Chief David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State, will readily reveal to a perceptive mind the extent to which the writer is willing to go in his desperation to tar Governor Umahi. It has become glaring that the near illiterate howler, who parades as a journalist manages to eke out a living by his continuous reckless character assassination. Since May 29, when Chief Umahi was sworn in, he has continually expressed his anger over the electoral defeat his political patrons suffered in the hands of the incumbent governor.

Recession: Bukola Saraki Takes Buy-Made-In-Nigeria Campaign To Manufacturers In furtherance of his resolve to promote Made in Nigeria products as one of the ways out of the current economic recession, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday assured the nation's manufacturers that the National Assembly would do all it takes to ensure maximum patronage for their goods and services by government agencies and Nigerians alike. According to Saraki who spoke while receiving the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, who led other members of the executives of the group on a visit to his office in Abuja, the Senate will not rest until the country overcomes her present economic hardship occasioned by the recession. He said apart from the Public Procurement Act which has been amended by the Senate to drastically reduce the time wasted in the process of procurement and award of contracts by the Federal Government, the Senate has also a

The Kano State Government has reached an agreement with the Governing Boards of WAEC and NECO to release the withheld results of students of public schools in the state, this week. A statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations Department of the state Ministry of Education, Hajiya Hadiza Habib, appealed to both parents and students to remain calm and law abiding. It said the government was not unaware of their anxiety to access the SSCE results of their respective wards. It said, “The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Malam Danlami Garba, has appealed to affected parents and students to exercise patience as effort is being made to release the results.” WAEC which released result of its examination recently, had up till now not released the results of all public schools in the state. The issue had also affected students who paid for themselves the examination fees through the state government. Since then, agitations and tension had continued to rise in the state, particul

Umahi disowns accounts on Facebook, advises public to beware of fraudsters The Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, has disowned cloned social media accounts bearing his name and pictures which are being used to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. Umahi, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Emma Anya, advised the public to dishonour such accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. The statement reads in part, “The attention of Engr. David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State has been drawn to the existence of accounts on Facebook, Twitter, etc operated by unscrupulous individuals asking unsuspecting people to apply for jobs and contracts on the social media by paying for forms. “One of such accounts on Facebook asks people to pay to one Dr. James with mobile telephone number 0813 939 3872, 08122187722, 08135119288 or 08182071083. “Governor Umahi does not directly or indirectly operate accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social plat

Twelve months after the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission pledged to give the nation reviewed salaries and allowances for political office holders, lawmakers and key government officials still cart home about N9.18bn annually in salaries and allowances. Investigation show that while RMAFC had completed work on the review of the emoluments of political office holders about November 2015, the new emoluments have not seen the light of the day due to the politics involved in the process. As a result, key political office holders still earn the full packages they earned before the decision to reduce the earnings of political and judicial office holders. The annualised salary and allowances of the president is N14,058,820, while that of the vice-president is N12,126,290. President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had announced their decision to take only 50 per cent of the salary and allowances approved for them, meaning that they

President Buhari is Nigeria’s major problem - Fayose Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described President Mohammadu Buhari as the major problem of Nigeria that Nigerians must solve, saying that; “Our President, through his actions and inactions is destroying everything that makes Nigeria a country and well-meaning Nigerians must stand-up to be counted in the crusade to save the country from going under.” The governor said it was President Buhari that went to foreign countries to de-market Nigeria by calling all Nigerians thieves and dishonest people, asking; “Which foreign investor will invest his money in a country of dishonest people? Who made investors to leave Nigeria if not President Buhari, who created atmosphere of economic and political instability in the country by his acts of nepotism and vindictiveness?” Governor Fayose lamented that “President Buhari has not only taking Nigeria to economic recession, he has moved the country to economic de

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno said he abandoned the use of bullet proof cars as an act of sympathy with the suffering masses who had no means of self protection from terrorists. Shettima stated this on Sunday in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri. He said that the action was also aimed at showing that the terrorists had no super natural powers. “We have to dare the terrorists; I have bullet proof cars, but I do not use them; I want to be exposed to the elements as the ordinary people do,” Shettima said. He said the bullet proof cars were only kept for the use of visitors who might be afraid to use ordinary cars. “We have so many bullet proof cars but we only use them for our guests. “Sometimes I drive myself round the town to see things for myself,” Shettima said. The governor also attributed his numerous achievement in office to dedication and hard work. “There is no magic in our achievements, except that where there is will, there is the way; like I always say, there is no pol

Business mogul Aliko Dangote believes a wave of asset selling by the government could be the saving grace for Nigeria in the face of the current economic recession. “I think the real challenge for us is now for us to have the political will in terms of selling some assets,” he told the Consumer News and Business Channels (CNBC) Africa yesterday. “I think it’s an easier route than the IMF (International Monetary Fund) or the World Bank to borrow money, because what you need to do is actually to beef up the reserves.” Dangote spoke before Nigeria’s credit rating was downgraded to B from B+ by S&P Global Ratings yesterday. He urged the government to sell assets in some of its joint ventures with the private sector in an open tender process. He said that Africa Finance Corporation – a development finance institution established in 2007 – would fetch close to $800 million while government s should also look to sell 100 percent of the country’s stake in Nigeria LNG Limited. “If I h

President Muhammadu Buhari, has on Thursday, September 15, maintained that his Ministers are not doing enough to manage Nigeria’s economy, advising all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to sit up and think outside the box in fixing the current economic challenges. The President made this known, while speaking at a Ministerial Retreat on the Economy and the Budget, at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. He said, ”Indeed, the challenges we face in the current recession require ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, to deploy strategies that involve engaging meaningfully with the private sector, to raise the level of private sector investment in the economy as a whole. “We are confident that the level of private investment will grow, as we are determined to make it easier to do business in Nigeria, by the reforms we are introducing under the auspices of the Presidential Committee on Ease of Doing Business,” Buhari said. He noted, that the theme of the retreat, ‘Building Inter-Ministe

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has denied an online report quoting him as saying that he had warned President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019. The report, which was credited to him through his former Chief Press Secretary, Alex Nwokedi, in an on-line publication, Post Nigeria, dated September 3, 2016, claiming that Obasanjo had warned President Muhammadu Buhari against seeking re-election in 2019. But Obasanjo has described the report as “completely false and destructive by those behind it.” The former President, in a statement issued by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta on Sunday, said there has been no communication between him and Nwokedi in the last three years, and wondered why any news would be attributed to him, as published by the on-line publication. The statement read in part, “My belief is that democracy allows for anybody including President Buhari for that matter to contest any election and it is the prerogative rights of Nigeri

Nigeria plans to raise $1 billion on the Eurobond market this year in a move designed to plug a budget deficit, said the country’s finance minister Friday. Speaking at a press conference in the nation’s capital of Abuja, finance minister Kemi Adeosun said the government had earlier this month approved the plan to issue international debt for the first time since 2013. Adeosun said that the bonds are expected to go on sale in December, with the proceeds channelled into capital projects. “We are about to appoint our advisers. We are raising one billion dollars,” Adeosun said. “I want to re-emphasise that we have a strategic plan that will take us out of the recession that we find ourselves in. We want to make sure that this recession is the shortest possible.” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced a record 6.1-trillion-naira ($19.4-billion) spending plan for this year’s federal budget to try to stimulate growth. The government will be seeking loans from the World Bank, the A

Broadcast Mogul and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP National chairmanship aspirant, Chief Raymond Dokpesi has flayed the postponement of the Edo State governorship election saying it would not save the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC from imminent defeat. Noting that the postponement of the election was orchestrated to truncate the desire of the people, the PDP chieftain in a statement made available to Saturday Vanguard, nevertheless, called on voters in the state to keep faith with the PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who he said was the hope for a better government. In the statement issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Omor Bazuaye, Dokpesi described it as a shame that Nigerians were being subjected to a kind of impunity and abuse of power as was demonstrated when the election originally fixed for today was postponed. The statement noted that Dokpesi received information about the postponement just as he led a last minute campaign for candidate of PDP, Pastor Osagie I

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it had continued with arrangements to ensure the success of the governorship election in Edo rescheduled for Sept. 28. Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity in the commission, Mr Nick Dazang, stated this in an interview with reporters on Thursday in Abuja. Dazang said that the commission had started looking at areas that needed to be reinforced in order to have a credible election in the state. The areas, according to him, include publicity and voter education, engagement of stakeholders, especially at the state level and security. “We are also consolidating on our arrangement for the deployment of ad hoc staff for the conduct of the election. “INEC is also working to ensure that the smart card readers are reconfigured and charged before the election date,’’ he said. Dazing said that the commission was collaborating with relevant stakeholders to ensure that no stone was left unturned in its determinatio

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the call for President Muhammadu Buhari’ s resignation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “ silly” and a desperate plot to bring back corruption. The Caretaker Committee of the PDP had on Wednesday asked President Buhari to return the economy to the state he met it before he took over on May 29 , 2015 and then resign from office. The Federal Government had described the opposition party as a shameless irritant , saying if it had any sense of remorse , it would have not called for Buhari ’ s resignation. Following up the FG’ s response, the APC National Secretary , Mai Mala Buni , on Thursday, likened the statement from the PDP caretaker committee to a call on the administration of President Buhari to return to the “ voodoo economics and reckless fiscal policies ” the country was subjected to during the former ruling party ’ s reign . “ The PDP faction by its demand to return the country to the years where looting of the public

Oil prices rebounded slightly Thursday after tanking the previous day, but gains were capped by US stockpiles data and the prospect of rising output in Libya and Nigeria, dealers said. At about 1015 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October was up 20 cents at $43.78 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for November delivery won 32 cents to $46.17 compared with the close on Wednesday. The market had tumbled Wednesday after the US Energy Information Administration said gasoline and distilled products inventories rose last week, overshadowing news of a surprise fall in crude supplies. Later Wednesday, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said it would double production within four weeks after it was handed control of crucial ports that had been seized by forces loyal to the country’s rival administration. The news from Libya — which has Africa’s largest oil reserves — fanned long-standing worries about a global supply glut and overproduction that have hammered prices f

The wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, says the four persons who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges on behalf of the four companies linked to her are mercenaries hired by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The ex-President’s wife stated this in a statement on Thursday by her media aide, Chima Osuji. She alleged that the EFCC presented four unknown persons, who were not authorised by the companies’ boards to plead guilty on behalf of the companies. She said it was a ploy by the EFCC to ensure that her hard-earn money was confiscated. The ex-President’s wife argued that the EFCC failed to comply with Section 477 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, by not presenting to the court on Thursday any letter to show that the four persons were authorised by the companies to represent them. “This is a clear evidence of the desperation of the prosecution to pull down the former First Lady and confiscate her hard-earned money. “It is an ir

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, was on the news again last week. His "offence" this time was the inauguration of 191 new sets of special Assistants, tagged,Senior Technical Assistants' and Technical Assistants, by his administration. Two things were significant in the appointments. One, the list was dripping with names of unemployed youths. Two; the appointment was surprisingly dominated by loyalists of the Labour Party (LP), All progressives congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. The Umahi's formular apart from justifying geopolitical realities in the state, immediately created temporary employment to many people. Speaking at the international conference centre, Abakaliki, Umahi unapologetically declared that the appointment is part of the stomach infrastructure of his administration. He said his administration will be spending N35million already approved by the state House of