Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday, disclosed that the proposed bill that would give legal backing to the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Operation Amotekun will be signed into law on Friday, February 14 by the six south west state governors.
Fayemi, who made this disclosure in his office in Ado-Ekiti at the official presentation of the draft bill by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Fapohunda noted that the South West Houses of Assembly had promised to give the bill accelerated passage.
This came as the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN confirmed that recruitment of personnel was on-going in some states of the zone. It was also gathered that speakers of various Houses of Assembly have assured that they would expedite actions on legislation that would give more credibility to the outfit.
Governor Fayemi said the draft bill will be subjected to extensive debate and discussion during the State’s Executive Council meeting tomorrow for immediate transmission to the House of Assembly.
Fayemi explained that the creation of Amotekun was meant to protect every law-abiding resident in the region regardless of their tribe and ethnicity, debunking the insinuations that it was targeted at Fulani herdsmen.
Raphael Coleman, the former child star known for playing one of Emma Thompson’s troublesome charges in the 2005 film Nanny McPhee, has died at 25.
Coleman, who transitioned from his youthful career as an actor into environmental activism, died suddenly on Friday after collapsing during a run. His mother and stepfather confirmed the news on social media.
“Rest in peace my beloved son Raphael Coleman, aka Iggy Fox,” his mother, Liz Jensen, wrote on Twitter. “He died doing what he loved, working for the noblest cause of all. His family could not be prouder. Let’s celebrate all he achieved in his short life and cherish his legacy.”
Oscars viewers were left scratching their heads when Blac Chyna walked the red carpet with some of the biggest names in showbiz.
But the reality TV star, who is best known for dating Rob Kardashian, has finally explained how she got a ticket to last night's ceremony — as a plus one.
Chyna, whose real name is Angela Renée White, took to Instagram to share a video of herself in the back of a car on the way to the Oscars with sound engineer, Christopher Trujillo.
The clip showed the 31-year-old pulling a series of poses and cuddling up to Christopher as Chris Brown's Beautiful People played in the background.
She captioned the video: "Headed to the Oscars with my Award winning engineer @titojustmusic."
Christopher has worked with the likes of Ariana Grande(2016), Mariah Carey (2015) and Fifth Harmony (2015).
But it's unclear how he got a ticket to the Oscars as his last known credit was as the producer of Str8 Kash's track, Like The Devil, in 2017.
Chyna had one of the more interesting looks of the night in a flesh-flashing black gown.
Her frock was slashed to the navel and had a daring thigh slit, which almost saw her have an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
The North accounted for 87 per cent of all the poor people in Nigeria in 2016, the World Bank has disclosed in a new report.
The report titled ‘Advancing social protection in a dynamic Nigeria’, released on January 28, 2020, was described as a ‘detailed analysis of the social protection sector’ in the country.
The report noted that social protection measures implemented by the government in Nigeria had not been able to address the high level of poverty, as well as the negative impact of conflicts and natural disasters.
In the comprehensive report, obtained by one of our correspondents, the World Bank observed that although Nigeria was a richly endowed country, it had a larger proportion of the world’s extreme poor than any other nation.
The report further noted that most of the poor in Nigeria were found in the Northern part of the country.
The North-West, specifically, was described as home to almost half of all the poor in the country.
Nigeria’s President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, (retd.), is from Katsina, a state in the North-West, which like other parts of the North, has produced a larger proportion of Nigerian leaders.
Looking at inequality in the country, the report said, “Nigeria experiences high inequality along geographic lines, with poverty mostly concentrated in the North and in rural areas.
“Poverty in the northern regions of the country has been increasing, especially in the North-West zone.
“Almost half of all the poor lived in the North-West and the North accounts for 87 per cent of all the poor in the country in 2016.”
“Poverty rates in the southern zones were around 12 per cent with little variation across zones. The South-South zone saw the most significant drop in poverty from 2011-2016.
“Poverty was significantly higher in rural areas of the country in 2016. An estimated 64 per cent of all poor lived in rural areas and 52 per cent of the rural population lived below the poverty line in 2016. In contrast, the poverty rate in urban areas remained stable at 16 per cent between 2011 and 2016.”
Painting the picture of a relatively prosperous South and an impoverished North, the report stated, “Regionally, the North lags far behind the South in every human capital outcome.People in the Northern regions are also more vulnerable to falling into poverty.
The report established a link between poverty in the North and the Boko Haram insurgency. According to the World Bank, most of the youth recruited by Boko Haram are jobless, a development which made them more prone to radicalisation.
It noted that the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East since 2014 had created a sense of ‘failed political promise’.
It added, “Disasters and conflict have displaced many Nigerians, especially in the North-East. According to estimates provided by the International Displacement Monitoring Centre, there were more than two million internally displaced persons in Nigeria as of 31 December 2018.
“In 2018 alone, more than 600,000 Nigerians were displaced due to natural disasters and more than 540,000 were displaced due to conflict and violence.
A student of the University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID, simply identified as Fatima was among the 30 people who were killed by Boko Haram terrorists at the village of Auno, Borno on Sunday.
The terrorists killed 30 people and abducted many women and children in a raid in Borno State, an attack President Muhammadu Buhari described as ‘cowardly and murderous.’
Fatima, a Mass Communication student was said to have been burnt alive by the terrorists.
Her friends and well-wishers have mourned her demise on twitter. See it below....
The Chinese government has sent an official guide on treating coronavirus to the Nigerian authorities as death toll in the Chinese mainland reached 908 on Monday.
The Chinese embassy in Nigeria confirmed that the official guide on coronavirus was shared with Nigeria and other countries through “an official channel with documents including Lab Test Procedure, Epidemic Update and Risk Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol, Management of close contacts, Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation.”
According to a statement on coronavirus sent by the Chinese embassy, the National Health Commission in China had received a total of 40,171 confirmed cases, while 3,281 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital.
The statement reads, “Official Guide Documents on preventing and controlling the novel coronavirus pneumonia have been provided by China National Health Commission to its counterpart in Nigeria and other countries through official channel.
“Documents include Lab Test Procedure, Epidemic Update & Risk Assessment, Diagnosis and treatment protocol, Management of Close Contacts, Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation.
“As of February 9, the National Health Commission had received 40,171 reports of confirmed cases and 908 deaths on the Chinese mainland and in all, 3,281 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital. There still remained 23,589 suspected cases. So far, 187,518 are now under medical observation, who have been identified as having had close contacts with infected patients.”
12 new bodies have been discovered in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo region of Beni, two days after a militia attack left eight people dead and around 20 missing, police said on Sunday.
On Friday fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces militia slit the throats of eight people in Mangina commune, prompting hundreds of villagers to flee the area.
The attack was the latest massacre blamed on the ADF which has carried out reprisal attacks on civilians in response to a military crackdown on their fighters since October.
Eastern DR Congo has been wracked by militia violence for years, a legacy of its two Congo wars in the 1990s, but the ADF has been blamed for most of the recent attacks.
“The twelve bodies found today were victims of Friday’s ADF attack,” local Mangina police chief Major Losendjola Morisho told AFP.
He said the army were currently chasing militia fighters om Makiki village, two kilometres (1.2 miles) east of Mangina.
The Beni region is the epicentre of the ADF campaign where activists say more than 300 people have been killed since October when the army began its offensive.
On January 28, 36 civilians were killed in an attack in Oicha, also in Beni, part of the ADF’s revenge attacks on civilians.
The ADF, blamed for the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians in Beni since October 2014, began as an Islamist-rooted rebel group in Uganda that opposed President Yoweri Museveni.
It fell back into eastern DRC in 1995 during the Congo Wars and appe
Parasite shocked as it earned Best Picture while Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern and Brad Pitt completed their award season sweep at the Oscars on Sunday night.
The Bong Joon-ho directed film became the first ever South Korean film to be nominated for and win Best Picture at Academy Awards as it beat out favorite 1917 in the finale category announced at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The amazing moment came just moments after Renee Zellweger and Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actress and Actor, respectively.
Earlier in the night Laura Dern and Brad Pitt earned Best Supporting actress, respectively.
All four talented thespians swept award season meaning they won the same categories at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and The Oscars.
The Northern Elders Forum said on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari, had failed to secure and pilot the affairs of the Nigerian nation.
The Prof. Ango Abdullahi-led NEF stated this at a press conference on the state of the nation in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Sunday.
The Director, Advocacy and Engagements of the NEF and a former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who read the text of the press conference, said Buhari had failed not only the North but the entire country with his style of leadership.
Notable northerners at the briefing included a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alamin Daggash(retd.); Secretary of the Coalition of Northern Groups, Abdullahi Usman; and NEF Chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi; Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Deputy National Chairman of NEF, Alhaji Bello Kirfi (Wazirin Bauchi); DIG Labaran Wurno, Alhaji Yakubu Shehu, former Managing Director of the defunct Bank of the North, Hajiya Amina Yahaya, among others.
Saying that they were disappointed by the Buhari regime in terms of the security of lives and property of Nigerians, the NEF called for the change of the nation’s service chiefs.
“The forum demands a thorough overhaul of the leadership of our security and public safety agencies, and the injection of higher levels of competence, integrity and accountability in the manner our troops and the police and security agencies deal with security challenges,” the forum said.
The northern elders recalled that prior to the 2019 elections, they had warned Nigerians that Buhari lacked the will, the competence and commitment to make the country a secure and prosperous nation.
A quarantined cruise ship has 60 more cases of the deadly coronavirus than first feared.
Japan's health minister said there are now 130 confirmed cases on the Diamond Princess.
It is being quarantined in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo, with officials previously saying 70 people had the virus among the 3,711 passengers and crew.
More than 3,600 people are still in a 14-day quarantine on board the ship.
China's coronavirus death toll rose by 97 early on Monday to 908, with the number of confirmed cases on the country's mainland increasing to 40,171.
Following the failure of the management of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) in Lagos to submit its audited reports to the Auditor General of the Federation since 2014 till date as required by law, the House of Representatives has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the institution within which to prepare its accounts and remit same.
The House equally directed the management of the institution to lay before the committee proof of full compliance when next it appears before it.
The House Committee on Public Accounts took the decision at the weekend when the management of the Institution led by its Rector, Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe, appeared before it in Abuja at the resumed public hearing.
The rector had told the committee during the investigative hearing on the refusal of Non-Treasury Funded and Partially Funded Agencies to render their Audited Accounts covering the period 2014-2018 to the Auditor General of the Federation that he assumed office in 2018. He added that the accounts would be transmitted to the Auditor General of the Federation once the external auditor completes work on it.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Oluwole Oke, who described the claim by the rector unacceptable as it’s against financial regulations guiding civil service, directed that the the institution be placed on status enquiry for the period under review to probe into its financial records.
The Australian city of Sydney has been hit by its heaviest rain in 30 years, bringing flooding and travel chaos and forcing thousands from their homes.
The state weather agency said 391.6mm of rain had fallen in the past four days, and warned of potentially life-threatening flash floods.
About 100,000 homes have also been left without power.
But the rains have put out two of the biggest bushfires which have torn through New South Wales in past months.
The Currowan fire had burned for 74 days around the town of Shoalhaven, destroying nearly 500,000 hectares and 312 homes.
The Gospers Mountain blaze, north-west of Sydney, had been considered "too big to put out" and had been burning since October.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned that fire-hit areas can be particularly prone to flooding, and that fast-moving waters can carry large amounts of debris.
There are still 31 fires burning in New South Wales, but none are considered an immediate danger at present.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arraigned the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), on fresh money laundering charges.
Adoke was arraigned alongside Aliyu Abubakar.
Both men are standing trial alongside others at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gwagwalada, Abuja, in respect of the Malabu Oil scam.
They pleaded not guilty to the fresh seven counts read to them before Justice Binta Nyako at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants, about September 2013, made payments in naira and dollar which equivalent was about N900m into Adoke’s accounts in violation of various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
After the defendants took their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Bala Sanga, urged the court to remand them in EFCC custody pending when their bail applications would be heard and determined.
But responding, Adoke’s legal team led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), who is also a former AGF, as well as Abubakar’s defence team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), informed the court that they had filed separate applications for the bail of their clients.
The Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District, Ignatius Longjan, is dead.
One of his colleagues in the Senate confirmed his demise to a Punch correspondent on condition of anonymity this morning.
The senator said. “Yes, the man is dead but it is either his family, the Plateau State Government or the President of the Senate that could give an official statement on that.
“I saw the unfortunate news on senators Whatsapp group this morning. I don’t have details about his death but he has been sick for some time now. ”
Lonjan’s demise came barely two months after the red chamber lost a Senator from Imo State, Benjamin Uwajumogu, in December, 2019.
The Nigerian Air Force says it has neutralised some key Boko Haram terrorist leaders at Alafa Yagayaga on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, who made this known in a statement today in Abuja, said the operation was conducted on Saturday.
Daramola explained that this was achieved on February 8 when fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole obliterated a compound in the settlement where the leaders had assembled for a meeting.
“The airstrike was executed on the heels of credible intelligence reports indicating that the BHT leaders had converged at the target compound for a meeting over the weekend.
“Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions, which confirmed the meeting venue, also observed several BHTs in and around other buildings in the vicinity of the compound.
“Bombs from the detailed attack aircraft scored accurate hits on the target leading to the obliteration of the compound and surrounding structures as well as the neutralisation of their BHT occupants,” he said.
Daramola said NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its air campaign to shape the battlespace in the North East for the effective conduct of further ground and air operations.
Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez has split from his wife and started dating the daughter of a Real Housewives of Cheshire star.
Mahrez, 28, has been on a string of dates with fashion student Taylor Ward, 22, daughter of ITVBe reality star Dawn, 46, after he officially called time on his marriage.
Dad-of-two Mahrez even took Taylor, who has also appeared on the TV show, and 15 of her friends out for a lavish dinner last week.
He hired a private room at Manchester’s trendy Ivy Asia and footed the £5,000 tab.
The duo were also seen leaving the VIP area of the city’s China White nightclub on New Year’s Eve, and have told family and friends about their relationship.
Last night, a source close to the Man City winger said: “Riyad and Taylor get on brilliantly, and initially started hanging out as mates. He thinks she’s gorgeous, and has joined her and her pals for a few group dates.
“They’ve been friends for a while but Taylor refused to go there romantically until she knew his marriage was over. She is very much a girls’ girl and would never break that code.
One person died and three others sustained injuries when a Fulani settlement at Jingbe, Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi, was completely gutted by an overnight fire.
The settlement made up of 87 thatched houses being inhabited by over 300 Fulani men, women and children, was gutted by fire at about 2 a.m. when the occupants were fast asleep over the weekend.
Briefing newsmen on the development, the acting Chairman of the state branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria ( MCBAN) , Ardo Bello Garatu, said that the incident occurred in the early hours of Feb. 8.
Garatu, who spoke through Mr Adamu Abubakar , the state Acting Assistant Secretary of the association, said that a two-year-old male child died in the incident, while three women sustained various degrees of injury.
A photo of five Nigerian sisters who are all doctors have made the rounds on social media.
According to a social media user, @Fattybold the ladies are from the same parents and their medical specialties include Neuro-surgery, Gynecology, plastic surgery, family health and public health.
Brad Pitt has won his first ever Oscar for acting, picking up the best supporting actor awards at the 2020 Oscars.
The 56-year-old actor scooped the award for his performance in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which was also nominated for nine other Academy Awards.
Overcome with emotion, Pitt thanked "the Academy for this honor of honors" before going on to dedicate the award to his children.
"This is for my kids, who colour everything I do," he said. "I adore you."
Kenyans formed long queues on Sunday to take a glimpse at the body of the country’s longest-serving leader, Daniel Arap Moi, lying in state ahead of a state funeral.
Moi, whose 24-year rule saw Kenya become a one-party state where critical voices were crushed, died on February 4 aged 95.
His body will lie for public viewing in Nairobi for three days, until a memorial service with full civilian and military honours on Tuesday.
The body of the late president who towered over Kenya between 1978 and 2002 was escorted by military guard through the streets of the capital to the parliament building, drawn on a gun carriage and wrapped in the national flag.
Foreign dignitaries, soldiers and ordinary citizens paused, bowed and saluted as they passed Moi’s body dressed in dark suit atop a velvet green plinth.
Many of those queuing Sunday had come to pay their respects to a ruler they revered, while others stood in disbelief that the man they had long feared was gone.
Magdalene Njoki, a vendor, travelled with her two children from Thia, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Nairobi, to thank the president who provided free milk in school under a Moi-era policy.
“He was a good leader,” she said.
But Moi leaves a mixed legacy. During his tenure, corruption became endemic and tribal divisions were stoked and turned bloody, but many also remember a period of relative peace in Kenya as east Africa was roiled by conflict.
Justin Otello, who also queued to see Moi’s body, said “even the mention of his name” could evoke fear.
“I can’t believe that is Moi’s body lying there. That man who terrorised this country is now sleeping there, motionless,” he said.
Nixon Ind eche, a retired public servant, said she was “going to see his body for closure”.
“He detained a lot of people without trial and destroyed our economy, but all that is in the past now because he asked for forgiveness publicly,” he said.
In neighbouring Ethiopia, at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, a brief moment of silence was observed Sunday by visiting leaders and dignitaries before an annual two-day conference got underway.
