Today, December 17, President Buhari turns a year older. His Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, wrote this piece, listing
the reasons people love and admire President Buhari. Read below "That's
him, that's him," the two old women, wrinkled and bent with age,
exclaimed. You could see wonderment and fulfillment in their eyes. And
as if on cue, they both began to cry.It was in Bauchi earlier this year.
President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting to commiserate with the people
on the ravages of windstorm, which had destroyed many homes and other
property. As he waved at the tumultuous crowd, the two women saw him,
perhaps for the first time in their lives. And so great was their
satisfaction, their pure joy, that they began to cry.That is the kind of
emotion that courses through millions and millions of Nigerians when
they behold their President, the honest man (mai gaskiya), the man of
integrity, man of accountability, one whose word you can take to the
bank. The man who loves them, and they love and trust in return.Don't
misunderstand me. Not all estimated 196 million Nigerians share this
sentiment. Not possible. There are those who are passionately opposed to
the President. They are a very vocal minority, who abhor his integrity,
hate his sense of accountability, and even want him dead. But we are
not talking about those who Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called "opposite
people." On this day of his 76th birthday, we are talking of the teeming
masses who love Buhari, and who can go to the ends of the earth for
him.Why do they love Buhari? Or better still, why do we love Buhari? The
old, the young, men, women, boy, girl, the strong, the infirm. Why do
we love the tall man from Daura? For many reasons.I have said it before,
and say it again. It will take a while before Nigeria will see another
political leader with such ability to pull an unsolicited and uninduced
crowd like Muhammadu Buhari. Anywhere he goes, he doesn't have to
procure the crowd. They turn out in their numbers to see and hear him.
They will trek from Africa to China, walk from Cape Town to Cairo, all
to see, hear and cheer the man they love.Why?Many reasons. He is an
honest man. My father, that stern educationist, who ran the home and the
schools he administered with an iron hand, used to tell us: "Honesty is
the best policy." That was true over 50 years ago when he drummed it
into our ears, and it is still true today. And will remain true
tomorrow, and forever. That is why we love Buhari. He is an honest man,
who will tell the truth to his own hurt.At a recent meeting with
governors, while discussing the seemingly knotty issue of minimum wage,
the President told them to level with him. He said he knew that general
elections were by the corner, "but I don't like to lie to anybody. I
will still like to tell Nigerians the truth, and nothing but the truth,
as to what we can truly afford to pay." Consultations are still
ongoing.Some people will give you fibs, just because they want to
hoodwink you, and get your votes. They will announce that they've
increased the salaries of fictitious workers, even when truly they are
owing many of their employees. But not President Buhari. Nothing for him
is a matter of life and death. Truth is the best thing in a man's
keeping. Make yourself an honest man, and there is one rascal less in
the world. That is why we love the man.Accountability. I will never
forget a promise Buhari made to the crowd at a campaign rally in Lagos
in 2011, when he ran with Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly.
Two honest men. "Every kobo that comes into the treasury will be used
for the good of Nigerians." That's the accountable man, who would not
dip his hands into the treasury for private gains, who will not line his
pocket at the expense of the people. That is why we love him.Just over a
week ago, I met a man who was an accountant at the Petroleum Trust Fund
(PTF), when the then Gen. Buhari was chairman. Executive Chairman, who
could do anything he wanted, since the place was awash with billions of
petrol money."I told him his salary would be N200,000 monthly," the man
recounted. "He said it was too much, since he still drew pension from
public coffers as a retired General and former head of state. I don't
know how he calculated it, but he said he would rather be paid N84,000
monthly. And that was what he earned."Yet some people say don't follow
this honest man. Till he has one tooth left in his mouth, and is bent
double over his walking stick, we will, no matter what they say. Honesty
is still the best policy. Today, tomorrow, and forever.See all the
positions he has held in this country. Governor of North-east, then made
up of what is now six states. Minister of Petroleum for over three
years. Head of State for 20 months. Chairman of PTF for many years. Yet
he remains a man of modest means. That is why we love him.In the early
days of this administration, when oil prices had crashed to as low as 39
dollars per barrel (from as high as 115 in preceding years, stabilizing
at over $100 for a long time, yet we had no savings, no reserves), it
was usually a spectacle to see the President and the then Finance
Minister, Kemi Adeosun, seated and apportioning funds for the week.
Depending on what was in the coffers, they prioritized spending, just
like traders with low capital base.Nigeria had been run into a hole. No
reserve for the rainy day, and we were being badly beaten by the rain.
Yet salaries must be paid as at when due. At least 27 states could not
meet their obligations, till President Buhari gave them a lifeline. And
then, one day, a counsel was given at a meeting: "This is the time to
ideally cut the strength of the federal civil service by at least half,
as we may not be able to carry the load for long." It made a lot of
fiscal sense. But to the President, it was nonsense. "If it lies within
my powers, I will ensure that no single person loses his or her job.
Yes, it may be the right thing to do, looking at the state of our
finances, but I won't do it," President Buhari said.And you say we
shouldn't love this President? We will love him till Africa and China
meet.A confederacy has arrayed itself against the honest man. A crooked
confederacy. Anybody that is anybody in the pantheon of questionable
character is there. Are Nigerians fools? After their eyes have been
opened, will they willfully afflict themselves with blindness again? Not
on their lives! The country will never go back to the slave market. Not
after we have known prudence, experienced accountability, and we are
are inching out of the morass in which we were soused and marooned.For
more than five decades, mere lip service was paid to diversification of
the economy. But we remained a mono-product country. Oil. So, whenever
the price of oil crashed in the international market, we simply crashed
with it. Now gradually, and inexorably, we are on the road to a
diversified economy. Wonders are being done in agriculture. Mining is
flexing muscles. Manufacturing is showing prospects. All in less than
four years.What of infrastructure? The sum of N2.7 trillion spent in two
years. The roads are roaring to life. The rail is snaking in. Power is
powering back. Wonders are being unfolded in different parts of the
country. And we shouldn't love this President? We will, no matter what
the naysayers say.Hear pensioners rejoice: This is the best
administration we've had since the advent of Contributory Pension Scheme
14 years ago.Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State spoke at a meeting of
governors with the President last Friday. He said since the creation of
the state, this was the first time pensioners were being paid, adding
that pension liabilities have been cleared by about 40%. Just because
there is a President that cares.Former Nigeria Airways workers. Railway
workers. Former Biafran policemen. And many others, have had their
pensions paid. And we shouldn't love the 'birthday man?' They should
tell it to the marines.When you have a heart for men, it is God himself
that keeps you alive. We have seen a practical demonstration in
President Buhari. From the brink of death early 2017, there is now an
unmistakable glow in him, evidence of good health from the inside. It is
God at work. No wonder wicked people came with the idiocy of Jubril of
Sudan. Otiose. Hollow. Products of addled minds. That was why we ignored
them, till the President himself responded to a question from Nigerians
in Poland two weeks ago.And you know what? Our love for this President
is at no cost. No charge. Whether we work for him, and for him, or we
don't, the real cost of our love is no charge.Do you know that classic
song, No Charge, made popular by Shirley Caesar and Sonia Spence? It
told the story of a small boy who decided to charge his mum for all that
he considered favours he had done her."For mowing the yard, five
dollarsAnd for making my own room this week, one dollarFor going to the
store, 50 centsAnd playing with little brother while you went shopping,
25 centsTaking out the trash, one dollarAnd for getting a good report
card, five dollarsFor raking the yard, two dollarsTotal owed, fourteen
seventy-five."The woman looked at her son, standing there expectantly.
Then she collected the paper from him, and wrote on it:"For the nine
months I carried you,Growing inside me, no chargeFor the nights I sat up
with youDoctored you, prayed for you, no chargeFor the time and tears,
and the cost through the years, no chargeWhen you add it all up, the
full cost of my love is no charge."For millions upon millions of
Nigerians who love this President, it is an unconditional love. The full
cost of our love is no charge. Happy birthday, Mr President..Adesina is
Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity
A
lady returning from her village has narrated how soldiers stopped their
bus, questioned their driver for playing a certain kind of music, and
forced the young men with full hair to cut their hair.Sharing photos of
the male passengers being forced to cut each other's hair with razor
blade, Ify Nnamani wrote:This here, is so wrong on many levelsI'm
traveling back from the village and these soldiers stopped our bus.
First, this one questioned our driver for playing music that reminds him
of his days in the 'depot.' Then he asked these three guys to come down
for carrying full hair. Now they are making them barb each other with
the blunt razor they forced our driver to provide.I don't know when
carrying full hair or playing music in the bus became illegal that these
soldiers had to detain us for over 30 minutes. I was so angry on behalf
of those guys, especially as some of the older folks in our bus kept
saying they deserved to have their hairs cut that way. What is a guy
doing with full hair?All these blatant abuse of power and bullying of
innocent civilians by the military can't be allowed to continue
unchecked.
As tweeted by the former Presidential aide.
Simisola
‘Simi’ Ogunleye, Zainab Balogun, Chidi Ajaere, Mark Angel, Nadine
Ibrahim were among the winners at The Future Awards Africa 2018 held
yesterday at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel,
Lagos. Youth advocate, Samson Itodo was however the biggest winner of
the night as he carted away the coveted Young Person of the Year 2018
award for his work as leader of the Youth Initiative for Advocacy,
Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), a non-governmental organization
calling for youth participation in governance. Hosted by Bolanle
Olukanni and Tobi Bakre, 20 winners emerged at this year’s event, with
trailblazers selected across their communities in categories ranging
from social activism, business, and entertainment. The Future Awards
Africa celebrates young, diverse and innovative young Africans between
the ages of 18 and 31, who are making a difference through social good,
social enterprise and creativity. See the full list of winners
below: The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for comedyWinner: Mark
Angel The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for PhotographyWinner:
Emmanuel Oyeleke The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for BusinessWinner:
Chidi Ajaere The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for New MediaWinner
John Obidi The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for ActingWinner Zainab
Balogun The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for AdvocacyWinner: Uche
Kenneth Udekwe The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for
AgricultureWinner: Ayodele Sipasi Olalekan The Future Awards Africa
2018 Prize for screen producerWinner: Nadine Ibrahim The Future Awards
Africa 2018 Prize for OAP TVWinner: Olive Emodi The Future Awards Africa
2018 University of Sussex Prize for EducationWinner: Itodo Anthony The
Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for professional ServiceTemi Marcella
Awogboro The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for Public serviceWinner:
Daniel Philemon Saradau The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for
FashionWinner: Tosin Ogundadegbe The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for
JournalismWinner: Linus Unah The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for
CreativityWinner: Ayobola Kekere Ekun The Future Awards Africa 2018
Prize for TechnologyWinner: Odunayo Oweniyi, Joshua Chibueze and
Somotochukwu Ifezue (Piggy Bank) The Future Awards Africa 2018 Tosyn
Bucknor Prize for OAP RadioWinner: Foluwake Folustorms Ogunkeye The
Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for MusicWinner: Simisola ‘Simi’
Bolatito Ogunleye The Future Awards Africa 2018 Prize for sportsWinner
Ahmed Musa The Future Awards Africa 2018 Young person of the yearWinner:
Samson Itodo
Meek
Mill made some intimate revelations about his life, including that he
''eats "a**".The rapper, while answering questions about his ex Nicki
Minaj, his recent incarceration, and his life generally, touched on his
sexual life.When asked about his oral sex skills, Meek revealed that as
he's gotten older, he's become freakier. He said he never thought he'll
ever eat a woman's a** but he now does it.His Tweet got a lot of
reactions but someone came to his defence and pointed out that eating
a** is no different from performing oral sex on a woman.See below.
Colin
Kroll, a technology executive who co-founded the HQ Trivia app, has
been found dead in his New York apartment at the age of 35. The city’s
police department said officers had gone to Kroll’s Manhattan apartment
early on Sunday after getting a call asking for a wellbeing check on
him. He was found unconscious and unresponsive on his bed. He was
pronounced dead at the scene. Kroll was the chief executive of the
trivia app, which livestreams short trivia shows to users and became
extremely popular after its release in 2017 before later experiencing a
decline in popularity. Kroll was named CEO of HQ Trivia in 2015. The
year before, he was fired from Twitter after he was determined to be a
"bad manager." Female employees claimed his behavior made them
uncomfortable, however, no sexual harassment claims were ever filed.
HQ Trivia was having problems recently. It was steadily losing
audience. In January, HQ was in the top 10 list of most downloaded
iPhone games. It's now fluctuating between #250 and 500 in the U.S.
Also, Kroll was dealing with an H.R. complaint by an HQ employee for his
"aggressive management style." Kroll was also the co-founder of Vine
and was General Manager between 2013 and 2014. And, he was the Chief
Technology Officer for Jetsetter. Prior to that, Kroll served as the
Engineering Manager at Yahoo between 2007 to 2009. 
On
Sunday, former Nollywood actress. Regina Askia, turned 51.She had a get
together at her home with her hubby, Rudolph 'Rudy' Williams and
children.See more photos below
The
Nigerian Army has accused Amnesty International (Nigeria) of working
hard to destabilise Nigeria. The Army made the allegation in a statement
released on Monday, December 17. Read the statement below The
Nigerian branch of Amnesty International that has hitherto been well
respected has deviated from the core values, principles and objectives
of the original Amnesty International domiciled in the United Kingdom.
There is credible information that the Nigerian branch of the
International Non-governmental Organisation is determined to destabilise
the Nigerian nation.This is noted through fabrication of fictitious
allegations of alleged human rights abuses against the Nigerian security
forces and clandestine sponsorship of dissedent groups to protest, as
well as unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian
military. They have tried over the years using Boko Haram terrorists
conflicts, Islamic Movement in Nigeria, some activists and now
herders-farmers conflicts.The NGO is at the verge of releasing yet
another concorted report against the military, ostensibly against the
Nigerian Army. Consequently, Nigerians should be wary of Amnesty
International (Nigeria) because it's goals are to destabilise Nigeia and
to dismember it. The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the
closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such
recklessness continues.You are please requested to disseminate this
information to the public through your medium.
General
Ibrahim Babandiga, a former Nigerian Military President, has welcomed
President Muhammadu Buhari to the club of those aged above 75. In a
statement by the former military leader, he described President Buhari
as 'an excellent role model to many young aspiring politicians and even
to the not-so-young, because of the way and manner you have managed to
sustain the survival of our country as an indivisible one nation albeit
in the face of many daunting diversions'. He went on to say "you
achieved great success in the fight against corruption, terrorism and
other forms of insecurity in addition to getting our country out of
economic recession. I wish to congratulate you for all the achievements
you have recorded in your lifetime and particularly for your humility,
deep sense of honesty and faith you have shown in the various aspects of
governance, politics and democracy as our President.”“As we get over
our mid-seventies, we can say with all sense of modesty that we should
celebrate every birthday anniversary with prayers in order for us to
thank Allah for all the blessings and the bounties He showered upon
us.“It is only fair that we pause and reflect in our own different ways
on all the life’s challenges we face day by day and the positive strides
we have been blessed to attain.“A typical day in the life of a Nigerian
President requires faith, poise, patience, tenacity, experience,
strategic thinking and quality character for one to get through it.”“I
join the first lady, Aisha and all your children and grandchildren in
wishing you many happy returns of your birthday.“Aisha’s loyalty and
support, as the home front commander, is invigorating since by our age
we require much comfort, care and affection at home. Welcome to our club
of the over 75
Catriona
Gray from the Philippines was crowned Miss Universe 2018 on Monday,
beating contestants from 93 other countries. The 24-year-old
Filipina-Australian becomes the fourth Filipina to win the coveted title
in the Thai capital Bangkok where the pageant included for the first
time a transgender contestant. “My heart is filled with so much
gratitude. There were moments of doubt where I felt overwhelmed and I
felt the pressure,” said Gray, who wore a red and orange dress that was
inspired by Mount Mayon, a volcano that erupted this year. Gray was
asked during the contest about her views on legalizing marijuana and
replied that she supported it for medical uses. After she was crowned,
Gray told reporters the question was “definitely relevant” and “an
active topic”, in an apparent reference to the war on drugs in the
Philippines that has killed thousands of Filipinos and caused
international alarm. Gray said during the pageant that working in a
Manila slum had taught her to find beauty in difficult situations. “If I
could teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where
negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile
on their face,” she said. Miss South Africa, Tamaryn Green, 24 was the
first runner-up, followed by Miss Venezuela, Sthefany Gutiérrez, 19.
The
Benin office of the EFCC has secured the convictions of two fraudsters
at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State. One of the
convicts, Emeodi Chuks was arraigned on a one count charge bordering on
fraudulent trick and attempting to obtain by false pretence. Upon his
arraignment, Emeodi pleaded guilty to the charge and was consequently
convicted and sentenced by Justice M. G Umar to six months
imprisonment. The charge reads, "That you Emeodi Chuks on or about the
13th of December, 2017 in Benin within the jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court, did by means of fraudulent trick; attempted to obtain
money from one Vinno Alves when you represented yourself as the owner of
a huge sum of money with United Overseas Bank (UOB) through your email
account: Mathew_ rawlings@yahoo.com, contrary to Section 421 of the
criminal Code Act; Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,C39, 2004 and
punishable under Section 510 of the same Acts. Also convicted by
Justice Umar is Kenneth Osamuyi Aganwonyi, who was arraigned on a one
count charge bordering on obtaining by fraudulent trick. He was said to
have fraudulently obtained some money from one Fatima Umar.Upon his
arraignment, Aganwonyi pleaded guilty to the charge and was consequently
convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment The court also
ordered that all assets recovered from the defendant as proceeds of
crime be forfeited to the victim through the Federal Government of
Nigeria.
A
commercial bus driver identified as Akeem Olanipekun, was allegedly
beaten to death with charms by some hoodlums in Ondo State over the
weekend. Accoding to reports, the 50-year-old man was beaten to death
with the charm during a fight, which ensued between him and the alleged
killers at the Imo area of the town.An eyewitness said the deceased
accompanied his friend, who operates a rental business in the community,
to erect canopies for a ceremony at the Imo quarters when the fight
began.The eyewitness said, “when they were about erecting the canopy,
the ‘area boys’ approached them for the payment of ‘Owo Ile’ before the
canopies could be erected.This led to a hot argument between the
deceased and the boys, who went home and brought the charm with which
they beat Akeem over the non-payment of the ‘Owo Ile’. The deceased,
after being beaten with the charm, was shivering and later gave
up.Currently, there is tension in the town because of possible reprisal
by the family of the deceased, who had two wives and some children.”
The eyewitness added that immediately after the incident, the suspected
killers fled the community. The police Area Commander for Ikare
Akoko, Razak Rauf, confirmed the incident and promised to arrest the
perpetrators, who are currently at large.It was learnt that the corpse
of the deceased had been deposited in the mortuary of the Ondo State
Specialist Hospital, Ikare Akoko.
A
man committed suicide yesterday in Abia State by setting himself on
fire after butchering his wife.The man, identified only as Ejike, had a
misunderstanding with his wife so he used a machete to hack her in
Ezere, in the Isiukwuato local government area of Abia state.Locals
helped rescue Ejike's wife during the attack and they rushed her to the
hospital where her condition is really critical.Meanwhile, Ejike,
fearing that his wife may not survive the attack, went into his car
where there was a container of fuel, poured it on himself after a moment
of sitting there deep in thought, and set himself on fire with a
match.Efforts by passersby to douse the flames and rescue him were
unsuccessful.More photos below. 
Primary
school pupils in the UK will now be taught during sex education that
boys can have periods too.New sex education guidelines given to teachers
was approved by Brighton Council in a bid to tackle stigma surrounding
menstruation.According to the guidelines: "Trans boys and men and
non-binary people may have periods”, adding “menstruation must be
inclusive of ‘all genders’.”The guidelines also orders that “bins for
used period products are provided in all toilets” for children of all
genders and that trans pupils and students should be provided with
additional support from a school nurse if needed.The council said it was
also “important for all genders to be able to learn and talk about
menstruation together”.A council spokesman told the Sun Online: “We
believe that it’s important for all genders to be able to learn and talk
about menstruation together. We recommend including boys in our lessons
on periods and opportunities for girls to discuss issues in more detail
if needed.They added: “We are working to reduce period poverty. By
encouraging effective education on menstruation and puberty we hope to
reduce stigma and ensure no child or young person feels shame in asking
for period products inside or outside of school if they need them.“Our
approach recognises the fact that some people who have periods are trans
or non-binary.”
Jumoke
Adenowo, Mo Abudu, Zainab Balogun, Alex Ekubo, Mercy Johnson were some
of the leading personalities at the 13th edition of The Future Awards
Africa which held at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace
Hotel, Lagos. Hosted by Bolanle Olukanni and Tobi Bakre, the Awards
spotlights individuals who are leading the charge in diverse sectors and
impacting their communities positively. It acknowledges inspiring work
and initiatives that have made impact through social enterprise and
creativity. The Future Awards Africa 2018 is presented by The Future
Project, Guaranty Trust Bank and H20h. 
Nollywood
actress, Omalicha Elom, has revealed the reason she would go out of her
way to perform oral sex on her husband.In a recent interview with
Newtelegraph, when asked about her thought on oral sex, the actress
said: “Well, I don’t know about other people, but I don’t like it at
all.”However, when asked what she would do if she gets married and her
husband insists he wants it, she said: “Well, the bible says women
should be submissive to their husbands, so if I get married and my
husband wants oral sex, I’ll give it to him, so I can make heaven.
2019 elections: PDP plotting to operate ‘container economy’ – Tinubu
Badmus Akeem O, popularly known as Baddyoosha in the Nigerian music
industry and Nigerian top music site, Naijaloaded have gone into
partnership to initiate a challenge tagged ‘Who Dey’ to scout for
upcoming music acts who need a good platform to break into limelight.
