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The founder and General Overseer of Salvation Ministry, Pastor David Ibiyeomie has declared that anyone that has reached the age of 35 and is still unmarried is irresponsible. Pastor Ibiyeomie spoke when he addressed his congregants yesterday at the church headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The cleric admonished single men and women to look out for responsible men and women to be their partners, adding that it was not right to get old before getting married. He said, “If you are still single at 35, you are an irresponsible person,” adding that is it not the will God. He also charged young men and women to pray fervently before going into marriage relationship.

Former Edo State Governor, Adam Oshiomhole has called on the Federal government to allow each state control their resources in a bid to experience healthy competitions in the country. Speaking during an event at the colloquium organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Wednesday in Abuja, Oshiomhole spoke on the theme: “The Labour Movement and the Future of United Nigeria: What Role for Restructuring? He noted that there is no harm in encouraging state resources control. “If resources are transferred to each of the 36 states of the federation, those who want to grow can continue to grow, those who want to sleep and go slowly, let them do so. “Those who want to run as fast as lion should be allowed to run, that could lead to the competition that we should have,” he said.

South-South leaders on Thursday hit back at critics of President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, decrying what they called deliberate falsehoods, insinuations and outright distortions of facts by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their agents. At a meeting to assess the country’s democracy in Asaba, the leaders advanced arguments to counter accusations of non-performance. They said when the ruling party took over in 2015; Nigeria was about to be declared a failed state with its economy on the verge of collapse. “Once you are not part of the solution after 16 years, you will invariably become part of the problem.” Listing inflation, corruption, ethnic and religious intolerance, political brigandage, absence of electricity, politically motivated murders in the country, human trafficking and the drift towards dictatorship as the low points of the PDP government in 16 years, the le...

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a statement signed by its State Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies Ibiamu Ikanya and circulated by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze his Media Chief on Thursday expressed gladness and thanks to God Almighty for the victories of her candidates in their various cases in the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja that upheld the verdict of the electorates in Rivers State that voted overwhelmingly for our candidates by declaring Senator Andrew Uchendu of the All Progressive Congress(APC) as the rightful winner of the 2016 National Assembly Rerun for Rivers East Senatorial District. “With Uchendu’s victory who is a proven lawmaker, we are convinced that he will kick start the formal sack of Governor Nyesom Wike from the Brick House come 2019” Ikanya said. The party also appreciated the victories of Senator Magnus Abe representing the South East Senatorial District and all our members in the State House of Assembly and House of Repre...

The Forum members expressed their disagreement at a media briefing in Lagos, criticizing President Buhari’s speech, and insisting that Nigerian unity ought to be open to discussion and reformation. Members of the Southern Leaders Forum (SLF), a political group led by Afenifere Chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo, a former head of Nigeria’s Secret Service, Albert Horsfall, and former Chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Joe Irukwu, have strongly disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari’s assertion that the unity of Nigeria has been settled. The Forum members expressed their disagreement at a media briefing in Lagos, criticizing President Buhari’s speech, and insisting that Nigerian unity ought to be open to discussion and reformation. Reacting to Mr. Buhari’s national broadcast on his return from a prolonged medical leave in Britain, the SLF described Nigeria as an unsettled country, which explained why numerous groups were agitating for independence. SLF also stated that the division exis...

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and the Chairman of Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, Senator Barnabas Gemade, on Thursday differed on contract mobilization fee for project implementation in the housing sector. Fashola had said during the 6th national council meeting on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, canvassed for an increase in mobilization fee to about 50 per cent. He said this became imperative to support small contractors and ensure Nigerians really experience genuine development in the sector. The minister said he had directed the legal department in the ministry to commence legal processes and recommendations to the National Assembly in order to meet up with the new demand. Fashola disclosed that the Federal Government mass housing project has commenced in 33 states to deliver 2,736 housing units. He noted that apart from the artisans, 653 contractors were engaged in the pilot scheme and a total of 54,680 p...

Financial experts have diagnosed plausible reasons for the steady depreciation of the nation’s currency in spite of series of interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria in the foreign exchange market. The experts said, in separate interviews on Wednesday in Lagos, that a single market rate, among others, was required to reverse the depreciating trend of the naira. The President, Association of Bureaux de Change Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, said an apparent devaluation of the interbank market rate was having a negative impact on the Naira. Gwadabe noted that investors were uncomfortable with the prevailing multiple rates in the market, adding that multiplicity of rates could engender currency speculation and round tripping. The expert also said that the demand for foreign exchange by pilgrims was putting the naira in difficulty. The ABCON chief urged the regulatory authorities to work towards achieving a single market rate. A financial expert and a ...

President Buhari with Chief of Defense Staff General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen. T.Y. Buratai, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar as he presides over Security Meeting with Service Chiefs in State House on 22nd Aug 2017. According to the Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin, the issue of the alleged Secret Service of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Boko Haram menace and the various security threats plaguing the country were among what was discussed at the closed-door meeting that held on Tuesday between President Buhari and the Service Chiefs. Olonisakin disclosed that Buhari has issued directives that will soon be carried out by the military and the security agencies.

Major streets within Kaduna metropolis stood still on Tuesday as Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, led his his deputy, Architect Barnabas Bala Bantex, state executives, top All Progressives Congress (APC) and party supporters to pro-Buhari rally. Thousands of supporters of Nigeria’s President thronged along as El-Rufai and his deputy moved in the procession in an open-roof car, dancing and acknowledging cheers from supporters and onlookers for over three hours from government house to Murtala Square, venue of the rally. Broom wielding youths were seen in open trucks and several others on foot chanting pro Buhari and El-Rufai slogans. The atmosphere was, however, not devoid of heavy presence of security men from the Nigerian Army and Police, as well as accompanying Federal Road Safety officials in their blue and white stripped vehicles. One of those in the rally who spoke to DAILY POST said that they were part of the rally because of the successful...

In this interview with Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo conducted by Zain Asher, CNN’s International Correspondent at the Nigerian Bar Association General Conference which held recently in Lagos, Mr. Osinbajo speaks on how the current administration plans to deliver on its numerous promises to Nigerians in the socio-economic and political terrain. The transcript of the interview was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the office of the vice president. Excerpts: Can you list the achievements of this administration? Vice President : I think the single greatest achievement of the administration so far is really setting the foundations for the economic recovery of the country. I think those foundations are important because first, we were dealing with a mono-economy, mono-export, ‘mono everything’ practically. But more importantly, we were also dealing with a system of public finance that was essentially opaque and if you like, a fair amount of corruption. Not even so ...

The candidates whose names appear below were successful at the Nigerian Navy 2017 Recruitment Aptitude Test held on 12 August 2017. The candidates are to attend an interview at the Nigerian Navy Secondary Ojo, Lagos from Friday 25 August to Saturday 15 September 2017. The interview will include a screening exercise, verification of credentials/certificates, medical and physical tests. Candidates are to come along with the following items: a. Original and photocopies of their credentials b. Writing materials. c. Two pairs of navy blue shorts and 2 white (unmarked) T Shirts. d. A pair of canvas/trainer and stockings. e. Bed sheets and pillow cases. f. Set of cutlery. g. Four recent passport sized photographs. The candidates are to attend in the following order of their States of origin: a. Batch A: Friday 25 August to Thursday 31 August 2017. 1. Anambra 2. Bayelsa 3. Delta 4. Ebonyi 5. Edo 6. Ekiti 7. Kwara 8. Lagos 9. Ogun 10. Ondo 11. Osun 12. Oyo ...

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Tuesday said 569,395 of the 1.7 million candidates that wrote this year’s UTME scored over 200 marks. The number represents just about a third of the students who sat for the examination. The total score for the UTME exam is 400. The JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this at the policy meeting of the stakeholders of tertiary institutions in Abuja. He said 23.8 per cent of the total number of the candidates scored below 160 marks. He said the stakeholders unanimously agreed that the minimum cut-off marks for university degree is to stand at 120. The stakeholders, according to him, peg that of Polytechnic to be 100, College of Education 100, while National Innovative Enterprise Institution remained at 110 marks. The registrar said the timelines for admission of first choice was October 15, while second choice would be December 15. Mr. Oloyede urged the heads of the various tertiary institutions to set their ...

Residents of Daura in Katsina State are in an upbeat mood over reports of President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to Nigeria after his medical vacation abroad. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those interviewed on Saturday expressed gratitude to Allah for the Presidents recovery and return to Nigeria. Alhaji Salisu Haro, a civil servant, said the President’s return represents a ray of hope for the nation and prayed that Nigerians would support him to deliver quality leadership that would take the country to the next level. He commended a section of the media for keeping Nigerians abreast of Buhari’s condition throughout his stay in London, adding that objective journalism would help to accelerate national development. Alhaji Abdumanaf Daura, APC Northwest Organizing Secretary, described the report as encouraging, saying it has put all those spreading rumours of Buhari’s incapacitation and death to shame. He berated those he called unpatriotic el...

A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has said the Nigerian government’s classification of hate speech as a form of terrorism is a plot to gag the citizens. Mr. Adegboruwa said in a statement Saturday that any law capable of hindering the freedom of expression granted under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter would be illegal and unconstitutional “First, I do not agree on the concept of hate speeches,” Mr. Adegboruwa said. “The Constitution in Section 39 has granted an unqualified freedom of expression to every citizen. If any speech made has violated anybody’s legal rights at all, there is the extant common law remedy of libel actions for damages in civil cases and criminal libel in criminal cases.” Mr. Adegboruwa’s position came as Acting President Yemi Osinbajo lashed out at purveyors of hate speech across the country, likening them to terrorists. “As I have said, we have drawn a line against hate speech, it will not b...

The National Body of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, on Saturday warned that Nigeria will harvest the implications of not addressing the issue of restructuring. CDHR National Chairman, Mr. Malachy Ugwumma Esq handed down the warning at the ongoing Leadership Conference, organized by the Delta State Chapter of the CDHR in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. “If we don’t deal with it now, we will harvest the implications of not addressing it,” he cautioned. Ugwumma stated that the over concentration of powers at the centre was not in consonance with federalism all over the world. “Until you deconstruct and reduce the powers at the centre and allow the federating units to have and muster enough momentum and introduce that healthy competition as to respond t o the immediate concerns of their locality, until you do that, you are not talking about federalism”, he added. Former National Chairman of the CDHR, Prof. Lucky Akaruese in a cha...

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Nigeria after nearly four months in the United Kingdom where he received medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment. The Nigerian Airforce plane carrying Mr. Buhari landed at the Abuja international airport at exactly 4.36 p.m. Nigerian time. The president is expected to inspect a guard of honour mounted by the Nigerian Army at the presidential wing of the airport, before leaving for the presidential villa at Asokoro district of Abuja. Dozens of state officials arrived the airport hours earlier to await Mr. Buhari’s arrival. More details later.

Unbelievable! A car with only three tires is seen in a video driving on a Nigerian road. The video which captured the wagon, with license plate number NW 192 KJA, jerking along dangerously on a highway was posted on Twitter by Henry Okelue (@4eyedmonk), Friday. It was only the car driver that was inside. Other vehicles could be seen speeding past in the video. The car looked quite dilapidated to the extent that it was difficult to figure out what brand it was. It is unclear where and when the video was taken. The spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Bisi Kazeem, told PREMIUM TIMES that such sight wasn’t common on Nigerian roads. He said the car was “mechanically deficient” and ought to be impounded if seen by men of the FRSC. “It’s unlawful to have a car with only three tires driven on the road,” Mr. Kazeem said. “It’s tricycle only that has three tires.”

All Progressives Congress (APC) Gombe State Chapter, has appealed to the Independent National Electoral  Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible by-election in Dukku North Constituency. The election is billed for Aug. 19 The interim chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Idi Gubana, made the appeal on Friday in Gombe while speaking with newsmen. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seat became vacant due to the death of Gambo Kabade of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who died in June 2017. “We are asking INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election. “The security agencies should ensure nobody snatch ballot box and every eligible voter should be allowed to vote for the candidate of his choice” Gubana said. The chairman said the party is prepared for and confident its candidate would win the election as Dukku North is APC catchment area. He said that members of the party   appreciated the security arrangements...

A 55-year-old security guard, Magaji Sule, charged with rape was on Friday remanded in prison by a Kano Magistrates’ Court sitting at Audu Bako secretariat. Sule of Panshekara Quarters in Kano metropolis was alleged to have raped an 11-year-old girl. Police prosecutor, Sgt. Pogu Lale, told the court that one Isah Hassan of same address as the accused, on August 9, reported the case at Panshekara Police Division, Kano. The complainant alleged on August 6, the accused lured his daughter with N60 into a farmland behind Panshekara Primary School and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her. The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 283 of the penal code. When the charge was read, the accused pleaded not guilty. Chief Magistrate, Muhammad Jibril, ordered his remand and adjourned the case to September 19.

Some Abuja politicians have been accused of desperate move to replace the congress list earlier submitted to the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The APC had on 29th July, 2019, held a Local Government congress across the country where delegates for its national convention emerged. At the end of the exercise, the four-man congress committee members had addressed journalists in Enugu, where they okayed the election and asked aggrieved member to channel their grievances to the appeal committee. Shortly after the election, a three-man appeal committee arrived Enugu on Monday, the 30th, to receive petitions from aggrieved party members. However, after three days, the committee chaired by Barr. Ali Nyelong ratified the election, having received no petition. Its report signed by two other members, Hon. Fatima Abdulkareem Alladey, (Secretary) and Hon. Abubakar A. Imam read: “The appeal committee arrived Enugu on 30th July at the State Party office...

A strange disease, whose symptoms include diarrhoea, bloodstained vomiting and high fever has killed 50 people at Okunran, Okoloke and Isanlu-Esa villages in Yagba West Local Government of Kogi. Initial reports had suspected Lassa Fever, but medics told Saka Audu, Commissioner for Health, who visited the affected areas on Thursday, that it was a strange disease that was unknown. “We initially suspected Lassa Fever after getting some misleading reports about people bleeding around, so we made a diagnosis for viral haemorrhagic fever (lassa fever), but the result was negative,” Jannette Hathorn, a Consultant at ECWA Hospital, Egbe told Mr. Audu. She said that the first case was that of a child of two and half years, who died 12 hours after he was brought to the hospital. “We are sure it is not Lassa fever; but our concern is that we do not know exactly what is happening. We have not arrived at a definitive diagnosis. “Two adult patients were also brought here; one show...

A meeting between the Nigerian government and university lecturers has ended without a resolution of the nationwide strike called by the union on Monday. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, began a nationwide strike this week, over demands for improved funding of universities and welfare of lecturers. An earlier meeting with the government was also unsuccessful. Thursday’s meeting began at exactly 3:42 p.m. in Abuja. In his opening remark, the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, said ASUU did not follow the proper procedure before starting the strike. “There must be a mandatory letter of 15 days to labour, to education before going on strike,” he said, referring to the ministries of labour and education. “All agreements are supposed to be domiciled in ministry of labour in order to track implementation as agreement gives room to renegotiation,” Mr. Ngige. In his response, the president of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, said Mr. Ngige had taken side with his educa...