NIGERIAN NOTCH

A report into the regulatory concerns surrounding a charity run by Didier Drogba is due to be released by the Charity Commission in the UK, within a month. There was a report in April, which claimed that only £14,115 out of £1.7m donated to the Didier Drogba Foundation was utilise in the foundation to help causes in Africa. The Didier Drogba Foundation was set up in the Ivory Coast in 2007 and registered in the UK as a separate entity in 2009 to allow Drogba to raise funds while in England playing for Chelsea. The report necessitated an investigation into the allegation by The Charity Commission which said it was close to conclusion. However, 38-year-old Drogba who played for Chelsea said the story was “false and defamatory”. He previously said in a statement: “There is no fraud, no corruption, no mismanagement and no lies.” But an article by the Mail insisted that it “stands by every word of this important story” and had not alleged corruption or fraud. In the article, ...

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has announced Monday, Sept. 12 as the Eid-El-Kabir Day, 1437 AH. This followed the declaration of Saturday, Sept.3 as the 1st of Zulhijja, 1437 AH. This is contained in a statement signed by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council of Sokoto and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto. “The committee in conjunction with the National Moon Sighting Committee had received reports from various Moon sighting committees across the country. ” The reports confirmed the sighting of the New Moon of Zulhijja,1437 AH, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, which was the 29th day of Zulka’ada, 1437 AH. ” The Sultan and President, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), accepted the reports and accordingly declared Saturday, Sept. 3, as the first day of Zulhijja, 1437 AH. ” Therefore, Monday, Sept.12, which will be equivalent to 10th Zulhijja, and will be marked as this year’s Eid...

Poultry farmers in Plateau state are facing double jeopardy: low patronage and escalating costs of feeding the birds. Mr John Dasar, Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in the state,  said the industry is facing ‘tough times’. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos, that that situation was worsened by the sharp rise in the price of feeds. .“The market is indeed tough for us; market is low, while cost of production is high. Government must step in to help us,” he said. He attributed the low patronage to the poor purchasing power of most families occasioned by the worsening economic situation nationwide. He explained that low patronage had led to an excess in supply of poultry products, particularly eggs, compared to the demand. “Most farmers cannot cope and have shut down their farms. “The price of egg has gone so down that many of us cannot stay afloat,” he said. According to him, a crate of egg which, which used to sell for between ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to fulfill his promise of protecting Nigerians and securing its territory from the menace of Boko Haram and other violent extremists in the country. The President stated this on Tuesday, when he launched the revised National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) developed by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja. Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President Buhari condemned the activities of Boko Haram militants, describing it as “mindless killing of children and innocent citizens.” Buhari said: “The government is determined to ensure that the safety of every single Nigerian is a priority this is why I have repeatedly ordered our law enforcement agents to ensure that perpetrators of violent acts are arrested and made to face the law. “We will not allow anyone, under any guise, whether it is politics, culture or religion to violate life or property of another citizen. This is the oath to which I swore and I will uphold ...

The burial of Ojo Maduekwe, a former minister of foreign affairs, at his hometown in Asaga, Ohafia local government area of Abia, on Saturday, was dominated by eulogies from those who knew him. Those who extolled his virtues include Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state; Ita Enang, senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on national assembly matters; Godswill Akpabio, majority leader of the senate an d former governor of Akwa Ibom state; and Mba Uka, prelate of Presbyterian Church. But it has now emerged that the burial provided the platform for two sworn enemies to meet again; and even if the extent of conciliation that went down is yet to be established, they at least exchanged pleasantries. For much of Goodluck Jonathan’s full-fledged presidential tenure, he was at loggerheads with Rotimi Amaechi, then governor of Rivers state. However, theirs was a secondary battle. It was clear the real quarrel was between Jonathan’s wife, Patience, and Amaechi, beginning f...

MILITANTS in the Niger Delta, weekend, rejected the grandstanding of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, as their chief negotiator and selection of a group of persons, dubbed Aaron Team 2, by the group to dialogue on their behalf with the Federal Government. A militant group, Ultimate Warriors, which conveyed the stand of other militant groups in an exclusive electronic mail to Vanguard also gave President Muhammadu Buhari three weeks to name a high-powered government Dialogue Team, comprising members of the international community with an unambiguous mandate to parley with militants and other stakeholders to stop pipeline bombings. The Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, also insisted that MEND was neither in the position to speak for Niger Deltans nor impose a negotiation team on the people because the group has taken sides with the Nigerian government against the Niger Delta. This came as the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, the leading militant group in the...

Share Image copyright AFP/AP Robert Mugabe is turning 90 and a weekend of celebrations is planned in Zimbabwe to celebrate the president's long life. Born in the village of Kutama, south-west of the capital, he was educated by Jesuits and went on to become a teacher before joining the liberation struggle, spending 11 years in prison and becoming Zimbabwe's first leader in 1980. Here are nine things you may not know about him - and which may hold the key to his longevity. 1) Exercise and traditional food "I fall sick if I don't exercise," Mr Mugabe said three years ago. Needing little sleep, he gets up between 04:00 and 05:00 every morning to exercise while, according to a close source, listening to the BBC World Service. But he's not fond of the gym machines his wife has installed in state house and  prefers to follow his own regime : "In prison we had no equipment, we just had ourselves and that's what I still do today." Image c...

The Senate, yesterday, rebuffed insinuations of a plot to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari, saying such suggestions were speculative. The Senate’s disavowal came as Senator Dino Melaye also denied the claim but confirmed the altercation between himself and Senator Remi Tinubu, which he claimed was sparked by her use of provocative words against him. SENATE CHAMBER Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, said it would not speak on the alleged impeachment threats against President Buhari. National chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the issue remained entirely within the ambit of the legislature. The Chief Chekwas Okorie-led United Peoples Party, UPP, was, however, not restrained in its reaction, describing any impeachment plot as satanic and subversive. The Senate in a statement by its spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the comments credited to the National Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni, could give cr...

An FCT High Court will rule on the bail application of a former deputy governor of Osun, Sen. Iyiola Omisore on July 15. The judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, adjourned the matter the matter on Thursday after hearing submissions from the defence and prosecuting counsel Omisore is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged N60 billion fraud. Omisore’s counsel, Mr Chris Uche (SAN), told the court that his client had instituted a suit to enforce his fundamental human rights, which he claimed, was trampled upon by EFCC. He said that the EFCC violated the 1999 Constitution by unlawfully arresting and remanding Omisore. Uche submitted that the warrant of arrest and the remand obtained by EFCC was `mere authority’ and did not derogate from the constitution. He said that the warrant was obtained long after Omisore had been clamped into detention and that the remand order could not rob the court of its statutory jurisdiction to entertain appl...

Reps to probe FG's bailout funds to states The House of Representatives on Thursday, resolved to probe issues surrounding bailout funds given to states by the Federal Government. It said that it would set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the terms and conditions of disbursement of the funds. The ad hoc committee, according to the lawmakers, will investigate utilization of the funds, level of compliance with targets and determine the necessity of further disbursement as being planned by the Federal Government. This followed a motion raised under ``Matters of Urgent National Importance’’ by Rep. Sunday Karimi (PDP)-Kogi), which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote. Moving the motion, Karimi said that the need to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of the funds was geared toward ensuring the welfare of citizens in the affected states. He explained that the Federal Government approved and disbursed N689.5 billion to 27 states in July,...

President Muhammad Buhari has directed service chiefs and entire leadership of the nation’s Armed Forces to intensify and perfect current strategies and techniques toward curtailing criminalities across the country. The president gave the directive at the grand finale of the 2016 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) in Gusau on Thursday. Represented by the Minister of Defence, retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, the president said that intensifying current efforts would put an end to all forms of criminalities being perpetrated across the country. Expressing satisfaction with the level of professionalism displayed by the armed forces, he assured Nigerians that the current efforts would yield positive results. He restated his administration's commitment toward enhancing operational efficiency of the Nigerian Armed Forces to effectively discharge their constitutional roles. Buhari said that the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that the military wa...