Wizkid becomes Ciroc brand ambassador

Nigerian music sensation Wizkid has signed a deal with Ciroc, a brand of eau de vie vodka.

Wizkid made the announcement on his official twitter account while advising people to drink responsibly.

“Big bag alert! Drink responsibly”.

The ‘Soco’ crooner kept his fans anticipating the ‘Big Announcement” for over a day before revealing the details about his new deal.

@wizkidayo “Big announcement in 24hours”.

Prior to the ‘Big announcement’ Wizkid expressed his pride in the effort his team put into accomplishing the deal, while claiming to have been working on the deal for several months.

@wizkidayo “We been working on something crazy for months! Its time”.

Wizkid credited his success to God and thanked his business partners for their support.

“It’s God blessing me.

“Big shoutout to all my business partners,

“Big up Nike, Pepsi, Dolce & Gabbana, my family forever”.

Recently Wizkid met American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur Sean Combs a.k.a Diddy who expressed his desire to come ‘back home’ during the meeting.

Notably, the marketing and promotions of Ciroc is being handled by Diddy in an equal-share venture with profits from the brand being split between himself and manufacturing partner.

On his visit to the United States, Wizkid has also been seen in the company of superstars such as DJ Khaled, producer Metro Boomin and singer Fergie.

While in London, the music artiste was spotted hanging with Drake in a viral picture.

The 28-year- old recently sold out the O2 hall in London, and is set to release a much anticipated album ‘Made In Lagos’ later in 2018.

READ ALSO: Tincan Island Port generates N162b in 6 months

FIFA to analyse technical outcome of Russia 2018

FIFA has invited the head coaches and technical directors of all 211 member-associations to the FIFA Football Conference to be held on Sept. 23 in London.

The world football governing body also invited the technical experts of all the six confederations to the event which will deliberate on the 64 matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

“The purpose of the conference is to analyse FIFA’s flagship competition from a technical and tactical point of view, identify trends and compare the main findings with previous editions of the FIFA World Cup.

“This will be based on the report by FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG), which is due to be presented at the conference,’’ FIFA said in a statement by its Media Office on Monday.

It added that the conference would also involve discussions about the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and its impact on the game.

The conference is not like the Post-FIFA World Cup Conferences organised by FIFA after Brazil 2014 and South Africa 2010.

The Post-FIFA World Cup Conferences had been based on the FIFA 2.0 Vision, which aims to promote an enhanced dialogue with member associations and confederations at all levels.

Now, a single event for all FIFA member-associations is being organised for the first time.

Besides the FIFA Football Conference, individual meetings with the technical experts of the confederations and member-associations are also being planned.

“The 2018 FIFA World Cup was a huge success on and off the pitch.

“Through this conference, we aim to present and discuss the main findings identified on the pitch by our experts while listening to the feedback from our member-associations.

“The World Cup should be seen as a learning platform that could have a positive impact on football’s technical development around the world.

“By having a single conference, we can engage with all our member-associations at once and trigger a rich and diverse football dialogue,” thre statement quoted FIFA Deputy Secretary General (Football) Zvonimir Boban as saying.

The FIFA Football Conference will take place on the eve of The Best FIFA Football Awards also scheduled for London.

READ ALSO: United Nations running out of cash

Neymar admits to “exaggerated’’ reactions

Ridiculed for faking and diving during a disappointing 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia, Brazilian forward Neymar has admitted to “exaggerated” reactions saying he is still learning to deal with frustration.

In a 90-second video made for his sponsors Gillette and published on social media accounts and Brazilian television, Neymar sought to win back fans who criticised his behaviour.

“Studs on my calf, knee in my back, stamp on my foot,” he said.

“You may think I exaggerate and, sometimes, I really do exaggerate. But the fact is that I suffer on the field.

“There’s still a child inside me. Sometimes he enchants the world and sometimes he irritates the world.”

The Paris St Germain (PSG) striker had hoped the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup would elevate him to a similar status enjoyed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The two players have shared the FIFA World Player of the Year award over the last decade.

Instead, Neymar bowed out at the quarter-finals stage when Brazil lost to Belgium, as fans focused less on his football and more on the dives, rolls and tears he produced.

The 26-year-old former Santos and FC Barcelona player told fans in his homeland he was working to become a better person and deal with the disappointments football threw at him.

Neymar suffered a serious foot injury in February and returned to action just days before the start of the World Cup,

“When I seem rude, it’s not because I am a spoilt child, it’s because I haven’t learnt to deal with frustration,” he said in a voiceover to the black-and-white video.

“It’s taken me time to accept your criticism, it’s taken me time to look into the mirror and transform myself into a new man.

“But I am here, with a new face and an open heart. I fell down but only those that fell down can get up.

“You can keep throwing stones or throw those stones away and help me stand. When I stand on my own two feet, all of Brazil stands with me.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria to begin last evacuation of stranded football fans in Russia

Tincan Island Port generates N162b in 6 months

The Tincan Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service generated a total of N162,701,701,136.83.

This is against the sum of N130,006,136,996.36 generated in the corresponding period of 2017.

This represents a difference of (N32,695,564,140.47).

This declaration was made by the Customs Area Controller Tincan Island Port, Comptroller Musa Baba Abdullahi during a chat with stakeholders in his office.

The Customs Area Controller stated emphatically that the Command has been repositioned as the most business friendly Port wherein all compliant declarants will be duly compensated and given special preference.

In the words of the Customs Area Controller: “We are deploying multi-layered approach in addressing the issues of compliance which is a panacea to Trade Facilitation, through reward for compliance and ensuring that compliant declarants are given expeditious attention in line with the presidential directive on Ease of Doing Business.”

Similarly, the Customs Area Controller noted that the Command is at the verge of fully automating key seats in the Command to enable seamless Operations as he made reference to the just concluded training of officers on E-Transire and NSA-End User Certificate Procedure.

On seizures and Detentions, the Customs Area Controller stated that the Command effected seizure of assorted offending items ranging from used Clothing, Children Toys, Assorted Furniture, Bags of Rice, Shoes, Handbags, Used Vehicles etc with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N138,752,991.00 as against that of 2017 which stood at a DPV of N88,062,250.

He stated that the Command is in steady progression in all aspects of its primary functions and urged stakeholders to take advantage of the various complaints platforms in channeling their genuine complaints for necessary action.

The CAC recalled that during the period under review, the Command also effected seizures of large quantity of ammunition and other military hardware during scheduled examinations and promised that the Command will not lower its guards in ensuring that such illicit consignments does not pass through the command.

The CAC appreciated the support of the CGC Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, his Management Team, the Officers and Men of the Command and indeed the Esteemed Compliant Stakeholders in TCIP for their support during the period under reference. He pointed out that the Command will continue to leverage on the already harnessed competences of it’s hard working personnel to carve a niche and remain outstanding in the performance of its statutory mandate.

“We are encouraged by the steady progress in compliance by the importers and we are optimistic that the trend will continue to show appreciable response,” he added.

On the recurring issues of multiple alerts due to non compliance with the fiscal policies, the CAC charged importers/agents on honest declarations and assured that with the take off of the “One Stop Shop” area under construction, the issue of multiple alerts would become history.

The Controller posited that the Command remain committed to the change mantra of the CGC and will not renege on it’s statutory responsibilities.

READ ALSO: Consumption of E-cigarettes, tobacco products increases risk of oral cancer

Consumption of E-cigarettes, tobacco products increases risk of oral cancer

Scholars from University of California, San Francisco (UC San Francisco) have found that people who consume E-cigarettes and tobacco product are more likely to develop oral cancer, a U.S. non-profit advocating oral health said over the weekend.

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) said UC San Francisco researchers Benjamin Chaffee and Neal Benowitz, the co-author of a paper on nicotine and carcinogen exposure from consumption of tobacco product, examined the risks of people who are exposed to known carcinogen resulting from the use of different tobacco products, alone or in combination.

They assessed a national sample of 32,320 U.S. adults collected between 2013 and 2014, who provided urine specimens for analysis of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), N’-nitrosonornicotine, a known oral and esophageal carcinogen, and 4-(methynitrosamino)-1-(3)-pyridyle-1-butanol, a metabolite of lung carcinogen, as well as total nicotine equivalents.

Among the participants, 48 percent are female and 61 percent non-Hispanic white aged from 18 years old to 90 years old, with a median age of 35 years.

More than 6,000 of them were characterized according to use of combustible products such as cigarettes, cigars, waterpipe, pipes, marijuana-containing cigar, smokeless products including moist snuff, chewing tobacco, snus, and e-cigarette, as well as nicotine replacement products.

The researchers found that all tobacco use categories showed elevated nicotine and TSNA concentrations compared to non-users.

Smokeless tobacco users have the highest level of TSNA exposure, whether they use one tobacco product or together with other product types.

The study discovered that the vast majority of non-cigarette tobacco users are exposed to carcinogen levels that are likely to put them at substantial risk, just as much as exclusive cigarette smokers would suffer.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Five Men Over Kidney In India

Nigeria to begin last evacuation of stranded football fans in Russia

The Federal Government has assured that it would soon commence the last evacuation of Nigerian football fans stranded in Russia after 2018 World Cup Tournament.

The Embassy of Nigeria in Moscow, Russia, said this in a statement made available to newsmen by its First Secretary, Mr Desmond Nwosu, on Sunday in Abuja.

Nwosu urged the stranded fans to report at the Embassy for registration on July 30th, while the mission awaits flight information.

“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to bring all stranded Nigerian fans who visited Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup back home, the government of Nigeria will carry out the last evacuation soon.

“Consequently, the Embassy of Nigeria in Moscow is requesting all Nigerians with fan ID and Nigerian passport to report to the embassy on Monday July 30, for registration,” he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that 75 out of 230 stranded Nigerian Football fans absconded in Russia after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The ministry’s Spokesperson, Dr Tope Fatile, said the fans absconded in spite of government’s efforts to repatriate them.

Fatile said that 230 stranded Nigerian football fans were profiled to board Ethiopian Airline to Abuja but at the last minute, only 155 boarded the flight that arrived Abuja on July 22.

He said that though they had the rights not to come back but it would be better for them to return because of the unfavorable weather in that country.

He said that if, however, they repented and decided to come back, the ministry was ever ready to assist them.

Fatile said that the federal government was ever willing to assist Nigerians at anytime, anywhere in the world.

READ ALSO: ‘Don’t Campaign For Me Now’- President Buhari Warn His Supporters

Police Arrest Five Men Over Kidney In India

Police in Nepal have arrested five men in connection with a kidney-smuggling racket allegedly luring poor people to hospitals in India to have their kidneys removed and sold, a police official said Monday.

Among the five men, who are in their late 20s and early 40s, three were arrested in Chitwan district in south-central Nepal and one each in the capital Kathmandu and neighbouring Rasuwa district, said Prabhu Dhakal, a deputy superintendent of police in Chitwan.

The suspects were fined 50,000 Nepali rupees (456 dollars) to 100,000 Nepali rupees for finding donors who were lured into smuggling with false promises, he added.

“The smugglers made the victims undergo medical tests in Kathmandu and sent them to India for transplant,” Dhakal said.

The local police in Chitwan were spurred into action after a potential victim, who was taken to India for transplant, escaped and lodged a complaint.

Under Nepalese laws, only relatives are allowed to donate kidneys, but smugglers take advantage of the country’s porous border with India where the organs are harvested.

If convicted, the five each face a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of 200,000 Nepali rupees (1,824 dollars).

READ ALSO:  We’ll begin reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in two weeks – Osinbajo

United Nations running out of cash

The United Nations is running out of cash, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned, saying the cash crunch is the worst in years.

The UN chief urged member states to pay their mandatory contributions on time and in full, so that the world intergovernmental body could continue to deliver on its key mandates.

In a letter to UN staff, the secretary-general stated that he had “written to member states regarding the troubling financial situation facing the United Nations.’’

Guterres wrote: “Caused primarily by the delayed contributions of member states to the regular budget, this new cash shortfall is unlike those we have experienced previously.

“Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer.’’

Nigeria had paid its annual dues for 2018 in full, making it the 74th out of the 193 member states of the global intergovernmental organisation to fulfill its financial obligations.

Investigations revealed that Nigeria paid $5,080,178 on April 5, 2018 when 119 member states were yet to pay their regular budgets, making Nigeria the 10th country in Africa to pay its UN regular budgets in full.

At the end of June 2018, the amount of money paid by member states for the 2018 assessment stood at around 1.49 billion dollars, while at the same time in 2017, the amount paid to the regular budget was just over 1.70 billion dollars.

The General Assembly in December approved a 5.4 billion dollars two-year budget for the United Nations which was separate from the UN peacekeeping budget.

A total of 112 out of the 193 countries have paid their dues in full as of July, although this list did not include the United States, the UN’s number one financial contributor.

The outstanding amount owed for 2018 remained at nearly 810 million dollars, with 81 states yet to pay.

The United States pays 22 percent of the UN budget, but the payment occurs later in the year, in line with its national budget cycle.

During the 2017 gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump complained that the United States was shouldering too much of the cost of the world body.

“I have appealed to member states to pay their assessments on time and in full, and highlighted the risk the current situation poses to the delivery of mandates and to the reputation of our organisation,” Guterres wrote in the letter.

In 2016, Nigeria had asked the UN to review the country’s assessed contributions to the global organisation in view of the economic recession in the country at the time.

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ms Winifred Oyo-Ita, made the call at the UN Headquarters in New York when she visited the Chairman of the UN Fifth Committee, Kingston Rhodes.

The Fifth Committee is the committee of the General Assembly with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters.

Nigeria was expected to pay outstanding contributions of 10.2 million dollars as at December 2016.

However, Oyo-Ita said: “Due to recession, we want something done to review our dues and we want the UN to reconsider our assessment due to the realities of the time.

“What Nigeria is being asked to pay now is on the high side. Nigeria is committed to paying its contributions but we want some considerations. We want something to be done to re-adjust our scale.”

Nigeria’s scale of assessment for 2013 to 2015 was 0.119 before the re-basing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014.

However, with the re-basing of the GDP from $270bn to over $500bn, the scale of assessment of Nigeria increased to 0.209 for the period 2016 to 2018.

Nigeria has been pursuing the re-adjustment of the scale due to the economic reality of the country and the country’s scale is due for review this year.

Speaking to journalists, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, said that the UN fully understood that some member states operated on different fiscal timetables.

She, however, said that unlike in previous years, the cash flow had never been this low so early in the calendar year.

Dujarric also said the UN did not have much financial flexibility and relies on member states to pay their dues on time and in full.

The spokesperson added that the UN Secretariat would now be looking into ways of reducing expenses with a focus on non-staff costs.

RAED ALSO: ‘Don’t Campaign For Me Now’- President Buhari Warn His Supporters

Akeredolu Confident Buhari Will Win 2nd Term In 2019

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has said that he was confident that President Muhammadu Buhari would win the 2019 presidential election for a second term in the office.

Akeredolu told the Corresponde

nt of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Atlanta, U.S. that Buhari had done well and deserved to be re-elected, in spite of obvious challenges.

“I followed the achievements he (Buhari) has had within this four short years but he’s not someone that is given to making noise.

“A lot has changed in our country and there’s need for continuity; no doubt, we have had our challenges.

“No doubt, at the tail end, a number of challenges came about on security.

“But that notwithstanding, to get us out of recession within a short time is not a mean feat; people don’t just appreciate it.

“To now talk about a number of other things; when you talk about light, where you have light, is anybody talking about it?

“To talk about what we have been able to save in terms of cutting corruption, so many lives are affected by that.

“So, I believe that within this short four years, President Buhari has done a lot,’’ the governor told NAN.

He urged Nigerians to re-elect the president for another term to stabilise the economy and block leakages.

According to him, re-electing another person might lead to the reversal of what the president has done in the last three years.

He said: “Let him (Buhari) continue and probably stabilise the economy more, and at least, block a few areas of leakages when it comes to corruption in this country.

“Let him block it totally and make sure that we are on a sound footing to now move.

“Somebody else can come but it’s not like now.

“So for us, who are supporting him, we believe that in the interest of stability, continuity and for the progress of the nation, we need President Buhari to have another four years and then we can move ahead’’.

On the implications of the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leading to the gale of defections by some National Assembly members and Benue Gov. Samuel Ortom, Akeredolu said there was no cause for alarm.

According to him, the defections were not because the politicians had any problem with Buhari but due to problems related to states.

“President Buhari will win the election, let us leave what is happening here and there; he has captured it very well.

“Look at the issue of the gale of defection that people are doing, he said most of them are not because of him, which is true.

“We have States in which people have created problems and these problems now cascaded into the national level.

“So, in that circumstance at the end of the day, when elections are held, President Buhari will win.

“I am sure by the grace of God, we will win the election.

“The only thing is that I don’t know about senators, I can’t talk about governors or some of the elections in the states.

“But if it’s the election for the president, President Muhammadu Buhari, by the grace of God, will win. His chances are very bright,’’ Akeredolu said.

READ ALSO: Millions Of People Unknowingly Infected With Hepatitis - WHO

Millions Of People Unknowingly Infected With Hepatitis - WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm over millions of people who have viral hepatitis but are unaware or unable to receive treatment.




The global health agency, while raising the alarm on the World Hepatitis Day, marked on Saturday, said that action was needed to find, test and treat millions of people unknowingly infected with viral hepatitis.

According to WHO, viral hepatitis B and C are major health challenges, affecting 325 million people globally, and they are the root causes of liver cancer, leading to 1.34 million deaths every year.

Hepatitis B and C are chronic infections that may not show symptoms for a long period, sometimes years or decades, and at least 60 per cent of liver cancer cases are due to late testing and treatment of viral hepatitis B and C.

Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed in order to achieve the global elimination goals by 2030, and WHO focused on the theme: “Test. Treat. Hepatitis” for World Hepatitis Day 2018 events.

World Hepatitis Day focuses on raising awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis as a major health problem in need of an urgent international response.

WHO and partners are calling on countries to urgently increase hepatitis testing and treatment services in order to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said in a statement: 

“We have a clear vision for elimination, and we have the tools to do it. But we must accelerate progress to achieve our goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030.”

According to WHO, hepatitis B is a viral infection transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, which attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.

WHO said estimated 257 million people are living with hepatitis B virus infection, and in 2015, hepatitis B resulted in 887,000 annual deaths, mostly from complications – including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

A vaccine against hepatitis B has been available since 1982, which is 95 per cent effective in preventing infection and the development of chronic disease and liver cancer, the global health agency said.

Similarly, hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness, according to WHO.

This may happen through injection drug use, unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, and the transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products.

WHO estimates that globally, 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection, and a significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Approximately 399,000 people die each year from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and there is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C, however, research in this area is ongoing.

Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95 per cent of persons with hepatitis C infection, thereby reducing the risk of death from liver cancer and cirrhosis, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low.

Marking World Hepatitis Day, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called on people to take action to find the “missing millions,” including intravenous drug users and people in prison.

“Every second person who injects drugs is living with hepatitis C,” said Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, indicating that women in this category have a 38 per cent higher risk of contracting hepatitis C than men.

“The prevalence of hepatitis B infection among people who inject drugs is 7.5 per cent,” he added.

Due to contaminated equipment and unsafe injection of drugs, along with other risk factors such as unsafe tattooing and skin piercing, a 2016 global review indicated that, of the estimated 10.4 million people incarcerated worldwide, 15.1 per cent have hepatitis C and 4 .8 per cent have chronic hepatitis B.

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2019 Election: ‘President Buhari Will Win In Sokoto, Kano, Bauchi Even On Sickbed’ – Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Friday claimed that the governors of Sokoto and Kwara states, Aminu Tambuwal and Abdulfatah Ahmed respectively, would leave the All Progressives Congress.



Amaechi also claimed that Tambuwal had presidential ambition and that President Muhammadu Buhari would win in Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi states in the 2019 general elections even if he (Buhari) is taken to the states “on a sick bed”.

The minister told journalists that although he did not wish to speak about political matters, he was sure that despite the defection by the APC members at the National Assembly, the party would win the 2019 presidential election.

When told that the APC might be heading for a collapse considering the gale of defection in the party, the minister said, “That’s according to you. Look, you are not a politician so you can’t be commenting on what you don’t know. In fact, let’s look at it. Unfortunately, I don’t want to speak about this but you are putting me under pressure.

“However, no matter what you do, the Governor of Sokoto will leave naturally. He has the ambition to be president. If you take a chicken to him he will still go. The same with Kwara. These are people you expect that they will leave.”

He said, “On those that defected at the House of Representatives and Senate, where do they come from? They come from areas that the President is comfortable. Do you honestly believe that the President will lose the election in Sokoto? We are not God, but it’s one of his comfort zones.


“If you bring the President on a sick bed to Bauchi and Kano, he will win and he has never lost the election in Bauchi. But that is a bit arrogant on our side; we should not underestimate them.

“I am not God. It is only God who can say the APC will win or not. But what is clear is that if you remove the God element, I think we are prepared to coast to victory because Nigerians will certainly reject the second looting. Nigeria can’t survive the second looting. Never!”

He said the delay by the opposition party to name its candidate for the presidential election about six months to the election would work in favor of the ruling party.

“In our time, it was clear who would be the APC candidate one year ahead of time,” he added.

READ ALSO: We’ll begin reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in two weeks – Osinbajo 

Babangida Reacts To Defection Of APC Senators To PDP

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, on Friday described the recent mass defection of Senators from the All Progressives Congress, APC as a ‘political dexterity’.



Babangida while commending the move by the Senators said it was good for democracy in Nigeria, adding that there is nothing wrong in leaving a party for another.

We recall that 14 senators and 37 House of Representatives members on Tuesday defected from the ruling APC to the opposition PDP and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
On Wednesday, after weeks of speculations, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State returned to the PDP.

Reacting to the defection of the Senators, Babangida said it was good for democracy.
He made the remarks at his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, the Niger State capital when he hosted some journalists as reported by Tribune.

“I call it political dexterity because there are no better words to describe it. This is political dexterity and I don’t think anybody should have any problems with that. I have nothing against it. I think it is good for democracy. If it is good for democracy, then, it is good for Nigeria.

“If people left the APC to form R-APC [Reformed All Progressives Congress], they must have a solid reason or reasons for doing that. If 12 senators got to a point where they felt their continued stay in APC was not working and decided to leave, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

"Similarly, if the other two senators felt that their stay in APC was no longer worth their while and decided to join the ADC [African Democratic Congress], they have not committed any crime.

“I think the development is good for democracy. Democracy is about choices; it is about the freedom to choose. In the democratic system that we practise, you can always disagree if you feel what you see in the system does not agree with your expectation,” Babangida said.

READ ALSO:Shocking: Presidency Begs National Assembly For 2019 Election Fund Apporoval 

‘Don’t Campaign For Me Now’- President Buhari Warn His Supporters

The presidency has said it has observed that some fervent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari have begun what may be interpreted as political campaigns in their advocacies and advertisements in the mass media.




Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, in a statement on Saturday, said while they appreciate the enthusiasm, Buhari’s supporters should exercise patience, so that the game can be played according to the rules.

He noted : “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a timetable for political campaigns, and we urge committed supporters around the country (and beyond) to be mindful of such.

“There will be ample time ahead to trumpet the good works of the Buhari administration, and solicit re-election, all for the good of our country and her people.

“While a chronicle of the achievements of the administration is in order now, outright canvasing may amount to jumping the gun. We are an administration committed to due process and scrupulous respect for rules, law and order.

“We appreciate our massive supporters nationwide, and urge them to exercise restraint till the race commences officially as stipulated by law.”

READ ALSO: Babangida Reacts To Defection Of APC Senators To PDP

The Only Nigerian University That Won't Give Admission To Student With Tattoo On Thier Bodies

The Vice Chancellor of the Akwa Ibom University, Prof. Eno James Ibanga, said his university does not give admission to students with tattoos.

He made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen, saying that students are thoroughly screened before being admitted, also to check that they do not belong to cults. One of the criteria for admission is the no-tattoo policy.

In the interview held at Kkpat Enin, Ibang said over 90 per cent of programmes of the institution have received full accreditation from the National University Commission.

Courses on religious studies, mass communication, history and international relations have received interim accreditation from the NUC, he said.

He said that the accreditation team from National University Commission would visit the institution to complete the accreditation of the remaining three programmes.

He commended the state government for allowing the university enjoy autonomy in spite of the fact that it is state-owned.

The vice chancellor said that apart from autonomy, the management of the school enjoys support from the Governing Council and the state government.

“All faculties except three programmes have full accreditation and the management only admits students within its capacity. The university at present has 7,300 students.

“I count myself blessed to be a Vice Chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University. We have autonomy. Without it, the institution will not succeed and the autonomy has been upheld by the government.

"The management of Akwa Ibom State University, (AKSU) has free hands and autonomy to operate to achieve academic excellence,” Ibanga said.

Ibanga noted that the school has developed the infrastructure it needs to give students the appropriate training that would create jobs for them.

“We encourage our staff to go into research and develop the place. Akwa Ibom University has entered into collaborations with some foreign institutions in the area of research and training.

“We have been very liberal in dealing with staff matters. We pay salaries before the end of the month. We give extra incentives to staff as well,” he said.

READ ALSO: 2,030 Adamawa corps members begin orientation

2,030 Adamawa corps members begin orientation

The 2,030 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members deployed to Adamawa under batch “B” on Thursday began their three-week orientation at Damare, Girei Local Government Area of the state.

Addressing the corps members at the commencement of the orientation, the state NYSC Coordinator, Malam Abubakar Muhammad, urged them to be security conscious and shun social vices.

Muhammad specifically enjoined them to shun cultism, drug abuse, drunkenness, religious bigotry and sexual harassment, among others.

“I must state categorically that we don’t condone tendencies such as cultism, drugs abuse, drunkenness, religious bigotry and sexual harassment and the like in the NYSC.

“Anyone caught indulging in such vices will face the full wrath of the law,” the coordinator warned.

However, he advised the corps members to interact with one another freely during the period of the orientation so as to enhance their mutual understanding in terms of their cultures and religious beliefs.

Gov. Mohammed Bindow of Adamawa commended the objectives of the NYSC which, he said, had over the years sustained the unity of the country including community development projects.

Represented by the Chairman of State Economic Planning Commission, Mr Ari Lutu, the governor noted that the scheme was one of enduring programmes of the Federal Government that have instilled spirit of patriotism and nationalism in Nigerian youths.

“It is no longer news that this programme has sustained high reputation since its establishment 45 years ago.

“I can unequivocally state that it is one of the very few programmes of the Federal Government which will ever retain its relevance.

“NYSC is the main reason that Nigeria still remains solidly indivisible and firmly integrated,’’ Bindow said.

He donated five cows and 50 bags of rice to the corps members to enjoy their stay at the orientation camp.

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