EAGLES EYE UPDATE

Traditional rulers, community leaders, religious heads, women, men and youths of Ibafo community in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested against the absence of electricity in the community. PUNCH Metro learnt that the residents had been living in darkness for the past five years and efforts to get the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to fix the problem had hit brick walls. Economic activities, security and the social life of the more than one million people, said to be living in the area, were said to have been affected. The residents said apart from the huge expenses on fuel to run generators, development had been elusive as businesses had not been established in the area. The placard-carrying residents marched to the PUNCH Place at Magboro, Ogun State, on Saturday, decrying their poor treatment by the Ibadan Disco, and alleging that the company had been deceptive and nonchalant about their situation. Some of the placards read, “

The Independent National Electoral Commission has rejected the governorship nominations of seven political parties. The rejection which affected several states of the federation, according to INEC, was as a result of the parties’ inability to nominate running mates. The parties and the states affected are – Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in Delta state, Labour Party in Niger State, New Nigeria Peoples Party in Ogun State, Unity Party of Nigeria in Oyo State, United Democratic Party in Rivers State, and Peoples Democratic Movement in Sokoto and Zamfara States respectively. In a decision extract issued and signed by the Director (Commission’s Secretariat), Ishiaku A. Gali, the commission also approved that the House of Representatives election in Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, being uncontested, the nominated candidate should be declared elected on the day of the election by the Returning Officer. Section 187 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended)

Toju Iwa re, ore mi! Ola a ma si lo n'ile eni, Ewa a si ma si l'ara enia, Olowo oni 'ndi olosi b'o d'ola Okun l'ola, okun nigbi oro Gbogbo won l'o 'nsi lo nile eni Sugbon Iwa ni 'mba ni de Saree Owo ko je nkan fun 'ni Iwa l'ewa l'omo enia Bi o l'owo bi o ko ni wa nko Tani je f'inu tan o ba s'ohun rere? Tabi bi o si se obirin rogbodo, Bi o ba jina si 'wa ti eda 'nfe Tani je fi a s'ile bi aya? Tabi bi o je onijibiti enia Bi a tile mo iwe amodaju Tani je gbe'se aje fun o se? Toju Iwa re, ore mi, Iwa ki si, eko d'egbe, Gbogbo aiye ni 'nfe 'ni t'o je rere.

Ise ni ogun `se Mura si ise ore mi Ise ni afi ndeni giga Bi ako ba reni fehinti Bi ole la a ri Bi a ko ba reni gbekele A tera mose eni Iya re le lowo lowo Baba re si le leshin le kan Bi o ba gboju le won O te tan ni mo so fun o Ohun ti a ko ba jiya fun Se kii le tojo Ohun ti a ba fara sise fun Ni npe lowo eni Apa lara Igunpa ni iye kan Bi aiye ba nfe o loni Ti o balowo lowo Won a ma fe o lola Jeki o wa ni ipo atata Aiye a ma ye o si terin-terin Jeki o deni rago Ko o ri bi aiye ti nyinmu si o Eko si tun seni doga Mura ki o ko dara-dara Iya nbo fomo ti ko gbon Ekun mbe fomo ti o nsa kiri Ma fowuro sere ore mi Mura si ise ojo nlo.

A farm girl from Saskatchewan walks into a bar in Calgary and orders three mugs of Bud. She sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When she finishes them, she comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender approaches and tells the farm girl, ‘You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time.’ The farm girl replies, ‘Well, you see, I have two sisters. One is in Australia, the other is in Cranbrook. When we all left our home in Saskatchewan, we promised that we’d drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I’m drinking one beer for each of my sisters and one for myself.’ The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The farm girl becomes a regular in the bar and always drinks the same way. She orders three mugs and drinks them in turn. One day, she comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When she comes ba

Zambia's presidential election has been won by Defence and Justice Minister Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front. Mr Lungu won by a 48.3% majority, the election commission said, after an election race marred by delays. His rival, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, who earlier denounced Tuesday's election as a sham, came close with 46.7% of the vote. The election was called after the death of President Michael Sata last October. Mr Lungu, who will be sworn in on Sunday, said he aims to complete economic development projects begun by his predecessor. On Saturday, Mr Hichilema called the "election" stolen, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating the results to favour Mr Lungu, a former lawyer. White president In the interim period following Mr Sata's death, Zambia was ruled by Guy Scott, a white Zambian of Scottish descent. He was prohibited from contesting the election because his parents were not born in Zambia. Mr Sco

A woman who has served her rural Kenyan village as a midwife for the past 65 years has returned to primary school along with six of her great-great-grandchildren. Priscilla Sitienei, 90, is believed to be the oldest primary school pupil in the world. She enrolled at Leaders Vision Preparatory School in the Rift Valley village of Ndalat five years ago, with the intention of finally learning to read and write. Affectionately known as "Gogo", which means grandmother in the local Kalenjin language, Mrs Sitienei grew up under British colonial masters and never had the chance to go to school. She said she wants to be able to read the Bible, pass on her midwifery skills and write down the herbal remedies she uses in births. She also hopes to inspire those younger than her – including her own classmates, aged between 10 and 14, some of whom she delivered as babies. "Too many older children are not in school. They even have children themselves," she told the

An asteroid up to 1,800 feet across is headed Earth's way. But don't worry: It will miss us by 745,000 miles, about three times the distance between Earth and the moon. Still, that's close for such a large rock. NASA scientists say asteroid 2004 BL86 will come closest Monday. That will be the nearest the asteroid gets for another 200 years. And it will be the closest known encounter by such a giant space rock until another mega-asteroid flies by in 2027. It was discovered in 2004 and is estimated to be about one- third of a mile in size, or between 1,600 and 1,800 feet.

Mr Nkereuwem Ukpong, the Deputy Director, Federal Highway (South West), Federal Ministry of Works, said the reconstruction work on Section 2 of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway had reached 16 per cent completion. Ukpong, who is the engineer representative in charge of Section 2 of the expressway, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that other aspects of the reconstruction work so far completed included drains and culverts. "We have achieved up to 16 per cent completion and then we have finished works on the asphalt level up to the binder course. "We have completed up to 16 kilometres of binder course; binder course is the course you put before you have the wearing course. "As for the works there, you have clearing of the median, you have the building up of the sub-base, base course, and then we have drains. "We have a longitudinal drain that runs throughout the entire length of the project from Sagamu to Ibadan. "Where we have there, we

Nollywood Ghanaian actor John Dumelo may be a single guy, but he has a fountain of marriage advice to share with his fans on Instagram. The handsome actor took to his social media handle yesterday, January 22, 2015, to tell his 229,000 followers that marriage should only happen on the premise of love, and not because one is being pressured to tie the knot. According to Dumelo, there are ten reasons one should not marry: 1. Don't marry for sex 2. Don't marry because you are of age 3. Don't marry because you are getting old 4. Don't marry because you are lonely 5. Don't marry because you need someone to support you financially 6. Don't marry because you mistakenly got pregnant. 7. Don't marry because you don't want to lose the person 8. Don't marry because of family pressures 9. Don't marry because you like the idea of marriage and admire every wedding gown you see. 10. Don't marry because all your friends are getting marrie

Barely two years after popular Nigerian actress, Toyin Aihmaku, tied the knots with her actor hubby, Niyi Johnson, at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos, the pair are said to have parted ways. The news, which filtered in on Saturday, came as a rude shock to fans of the fun-loving couple known for displaying affection for each other on social media. The question on the lips of many at the moment is what could have gone wrong within three weeks? This is because three weeks ago, Johnson posted picture of him and wife’s with the caption, “It all began here-our first picture to go viral. This year, fight tirelessly until glory is attained, it’s a year of testimony and success will be ours in all spheres. Less I forget vote for Adeniyi Johnson in Maya Awards as the Actor of the year and Alakada as the movie of year. Love you plenty.” In the same vein, Aihmaku, had also taken to Instagram around the same time, to shower praises on her husband for buying her a pair of shoe and jewelry. In the mid

A two-year-old boy has died after he accidentally shot himself inside the family's car with his father's handgun. Florida police said Kaleb Ahles removed the .380-calibre gun from the glove compartment while his parents loaded boxes into the vehicle on Wednesday. The toddler then turned the weapon toward his chest and squeezed the trigger. "He probably barely got the trigger pulled," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. The boy's parents, Kevin Ahles and Christina Nigro, both 23, told deputies they heard a loud pop and ran to the car. Ms Nigro and another relative attempted to resuscitate the child before he was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead. Several family members were on hand helping the couple prepare for a move when the shooting occurred. Sheriff Gualtieri called the incident a "tragic situation". He said the parents will not face criminal charges. Kaleb's grandfather, a retired Tampa police detective who

Nigeria should delay next month's elections to give organizers more time to distribute millions of biometric ID cards to voters, the country's top security official said on Thursday. Sambo Dasuki, President Goodluck Jonathan's National Security Adviser, said he had told the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that a postponement within the three months allowed by the law would be a good idea. The main opposition coalition said it would oppose any postponement, and the electoral commission said it had not received any such official communication from Dasuki. The elections, currently scheduled for Feb. 14, will be the first where Nigeria's 68.8 million voters must have a biometric cards -- a measure introduced to guard against fraud that has plagued past polls. But there have been technical glitches in data collection and officials have not explained how they will hold the election in parts of the northeast gripped by a violen

The world's most popular messaging app is now available for your desktop. WhatsApp, which is used by 700 million users to communicate between smartphones and tablets, can now be used on desktop computers - but it still must be linked to the phone app. For the desktop service to work, the paired phone needs an internet connection. Currently only those using the app on Android, Windows and BlackBerry smartphones will be able to use the desktop version - so iPhone users will have to wait. The phone and desktop version can be connected by scanning a QR code WhatsApp founder Jan Koum wrote in a Facebook post: "The web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device. "This means all of your messages still live on your phone. "Unfortunately for now, we will not be able to provide web client to our iOS users due to Apple platform limitations." To set up the service, users have to visit http://web.whatsapp.com in a Google Chrome brow

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died and his brother Salman has become the kingdom's new ruler. The death was announced in a statement broadcast on Saudi state TV, which reported the monarch passed away at 1am local time on Friday. The 79-year-old successor King Salman has named his half-brother Muqrin as his crown prince and heir. "His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning," the statement said. Abdullah, 90, took power in 2005 after the death of his half-brother King Fahd. He had run the country as de facto leader for the previous decade after his predecessor suffered a debilitating stroke. Abdullah played a leading role in seeking reform in the conservative Islamic kingdom, including increased women's rights and economic deregulation. Sky's Middle East correspondent

Presidential Candidtate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), General Muhammadu Buhari this morning cleared the air on the West Africa School Certificate (WASC) controversy, describing it as the handiwork of mischief makers. Speaking at the Kano State Government House, Buhari said he graduated at Provicional Secondary School,Katsina in 1961 with many prominent Nigerians including late Shehu Musa Yar'Adu and Justice Umar Abdullahi, a former president of Court of Appeal. He said they sat for the WASC with the two prominent personalities. He gave his examination number as 820002 and that he passed the examination with the second division. " I assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the military secretary of the Nigerian Army but to my surprise we were all told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificate in my personal file. This is why I have formally requested my old school, the Provincial secon

A young woman was mutilated after giving birth at a London hospital, a court has heard, in the first ever prosecution of its kind. Dhanuson Dharmasena - a doctor at the Whittington Hospital in north London - is accused of carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM) on the woman shortly after she gave birth. If found guilty, he could face up to 14 years in prison. A second man, Hasan Mohamed, 41, is charged with encouraging and abetting the offence. On the first day of the trial at London's Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard how the woman, named only as "AB" to protect her identity, first underwent the procedure at the age of six in an African country where she was born. The woman, now 27, had her labia sewn up, making intercourse impossible. That was then partially reversed at another London hospital, and she went on to conceive her first child. But the court heard that once in labour in November 2012, her remaining stitches had to be cut open. After

A nine-month-old boy is dead after his brother, five, accidentally shot him in the head while playing with a gun. The baby was rushed to hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday but was pronounced dead. Emergency responders were called to a home in Elmo, a rural town in northwestern Missouri, by the brothers’ frantic mother. The brothers' mother made a frantic call to the emergency 911 number Sheriff Darren White said the woman had told 911 that her five-year- old son had shot her nine-month-old son in the head with a paintball gun. But when the responders arrived at the scene they determined that the infant had been shot in the head with a real weapon - a .22 calibre Magnum revolver. When the gun fired, the infant was in a playpen, police said. Mr White said there is no reason to believe the shooting was anything other than an accident.

A man in Mexico has completed a 57 day walk with a football balanced on his head. Juan Marquez Nieto set out from Mexico's south-east coast on 23 November last year and travelled over 1,243 miles to reach the country's capital Mexico City. He did it as part of a protest to call for peace in the country.

Chinese journalists have been accused of sneaking into a hospital, dressed as nurses, to take photographs of the dead body of a female pop star. Three Shenzhen Evening News reporters were apparently let into Shenzhen's Peking University Hospital by a doctor to take pictures of Yao Beina, who died of cancer on Friday aged 33. Yao's agent, Bo Ning, said her family stepped in to prevent the photographs being published. "Do you have any bottom line as a human being!" Bo wrote on Weibo, China's Twitter. The newspaper has since apologised. Yao was known for her theme song to the hit film 1942 before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. After undergoing a mastectomy, Yao went on to star in Voice of China and recorded the Chinese version of Let It Go, from the Disney animated film Frozen but doctors found that the cancer had spread to her lungs and brain and she was admitted to hospital in late December. Her long medical battle and decision to don

A seemingly remorseful President Goodluck Jonathan, could only plead for understanding and cooperation when he visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to seek his blessings ahead of the February presidential election. Jonathan it was gathered appealed for the support of Obasanjo at the meeting, choosing not to respond to some of the questions posed by the former president. The president had after his re-election campaign in Abeokuta, Ogun State, gone with the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, to the residence of Obasanjo to seek his forgiveness and support. At the meeting, however, the former president had asked his estranged god-son the following questions, “ (1) Did you agree to run for only one term or not? (2) What did you tell me was your reason for not going after Boko Haram insurgents even when I told you this will boomerang? (3) What happened to Nigeria’s external reser

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said in Abuja on Tuesday that it registered 68,833,476 voters for the general elections in Feb. 2015 The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced this at a news conference and presentation of voter registers to leadership of political parties. Jega said the commission arrived at the figure after removing over four million voters that engaged in duplicate registration from the 73.5 million registrants nationwide. He said that the removal was done through the commission’s AFIX and Business Rules for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). AFIX is software that allows the commission to indentify and exclude any double registration from it data base. He said the figure would be made available to the public on the commission’s website in the next couple of days. Jega added that the commission was ready to provide evidence to any political parties in doubt about the figure and the process used in the comput

The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published names of 14 presidential candidates for the 2015 general elections. Details of the names were released on the Commission’s website on Tuesday, showing that one presidential candidate and four vice presidential candidates are females. The candidates are Sen. Tunde Anifowose-Kelani as the presidential candidate of Accord Alliance (AA) and Mr Ishaka Paul as his running mate, Rufus Salawu as Presidential Candidate of AD and Akuchie Clif as his vice president. Also published on the commission website were Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima and Ojengbede Farida as the presidential and vice president of ACPN, as well as Dr Mani Ahmad and Obianuju Murphy-Uzohue as president and vice president for ADC. Others are Ayeni Adebayo as president and Anthony ologbosere, female for APA, Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as president and vice president for APC, while CPC has Chief Sam Eke as its presidential candidate and Has

At least 20 persons have been reported dead following the outbreak of cholera in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, where 171 cases have been recorded. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, disclosed this in a statement he issued in Port Harcourt. Parker, in the statement, said the local government area rapid response team and the state emergency response team responded swiftly. The state emergency response team and the social mobilization team, he said, were on ground to contain the outbreak. The commissioner stated that government had established two treatment centres in Ebukuma and Okoli’ile to handle reported cases, advising affected persons to access the facilities. Parker urged members of the public to remain calm, as situation was under control, adding that steps had been taken to provide potable water in the affected communities.

The reconciliatory visit of President Goodluck Jonathan was a tensed one as former president, Olusegun Obasanjo put him on the hot seat in his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta on Monday, Leadership exclusively gathered. Flanked by the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and the founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, who were there as witnesses to the meeting on request of the Egba chief, asked him questions which he had earlier thrown up in his correspondence to Jonathan. Questions from Obasanjo mother of all meetings with Jonathan include the five highlighted below. The former president asked him to confirm if he did not agree to only run for one term, his slow action to tackling the Boko Haram menace when it was just budding despite warning, why he gave licence to Tompolo and Asari Dokubo to import arms under the names of their private companies and other issues. He queried, “Tell the truth, the whole

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had s

Four people were injured in the Sydney cafe siege Australia has been urged to compensate the victims of domestic terror attacks as it does those harmed abroad, after the Sydney cafe siege last month. The New South Wales attorney general, Brad Hazzard, said current payouts, limited to attacks in other countries, were "more than a little anomalous". The siege in Sydney's Lindt cafe ended with the deaths of two hostages. Meanwhile, New South Wales MP Fred Nile has said male hostages who fled the siege should not get bravery awards. The MP, who is known for his controversial views, told the 2UE radio station that the awards were normally given "for an act of bravery" - but men who had fled from the siege "haven't done anything". Men and women were filmed escaping from the cafe during the 16-hour siege, but Mr Nile's comments referred specifically to men. Tributes were left to Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson at a memorial site outside the Lin

Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief Gerard Biard comforted Renald 'Luz' Luzier, who drew the latest cover, at a news conference The new edition of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has gone on sale, with a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad on its cover. Three million copies are being printed - a week after Islamist gunmen murdered eight journalists at the magazine and four other people in Paris. The cartoon shows the Prophet weeping while holding a sign saying "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie"). It is believed earlier cartoons of the Prophet prompted the attack. The slogan "Je suis Charlie" has been widely used following the shootings. In a separate attack in Paris two days later, four Jewish men died after an Islamist gunmen took hostages at a kosher shop in the French capital. A police woman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker. On Sunday, about 1.5 million people rallied in Pari

List of World Footballers of the Year Previous winners of the World Player of the Year, FIFA World Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year/Ballon D'Or awards. In 2010 the Ballon D'Or award was merged with FIFA's World Player of the Year award. FIFA Ballon d'Or winners 2010 - Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2011 - Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2012 - Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2013 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 2014 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) FIFA World Players of the Year 1991 - Lotthar Matthaeus (Germany) 1992 - Marco van Batsen (Netherlands) 1993 - Roberto Baggio (Italy) 1994 - Romario (Brazil) 1995 - George Weah (Liberia) 1996 - Ronaldo (Brazil) 1997 - Ronaldo (Brazil) 1998 - Zinedine Zidane (France) 1999 - Rivaldo (Brazil) 2000 - Zinedine Zidane (France) 2001 - Luis Figo (Portugal) 2002 - Ronaldo (Brazil) 2003 - Zinedine Zidane (France) 2004 - Ronaldinho (Brazil) 2005 - Ronaldinho (Brazil) 2006 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) 2007 - Kaka

Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2014 Fifa Ballon d'Or ahead of Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi , scooping up the prestigious individual award for the third time in his career. Ronaldo enjoyed a hugely successful 2014, in which he guided Madrid to Champions League glory by netting a record 17 goals in one campaign, and earned 37.66 per cent of the votes. Additionally, the prolific attacker played an integral part in the Santiago Bernabeu side's Copa del Rey win by netting three goals in six appearances, even if he missed the final against Barcelona due to injury. On an individual level, the 29-year-old won the Liga top scorer award by scoring 31 goals in 30 appearances, which also saw him crowned joint-winner of the European Golden Shoe together with Luis Suarez. Ronaldo becomes the seventh player in history to successfully defend his Ballon d'Or title after Johan Cruyff, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rum

Special Apostle Prophet (Dr) Gabriel Olubunmi Fakeye, General Leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (Surulere) is dead, a professional Engineer, a devoted prophet of God, a person of manifest devotion to family and friends, a visionary leader with profound knowledge, grasp, and appreciation of history. His death was announced to church members this morning during service. Fakeye would have been 79 on March 11 this year. S.P. Prophet Fakeye can be conceded as the Joshua of our time, has an immense conviction and faith in the unity and greatness of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Organization in Nigeria and the entire world.

* Craze no hard to form,na the trekking be wahala. English translation: Easier said than done. *No matter how hot your temper be,e no fit boil beans. English translation: Calm down, your temper won’t solve the problem *Chicken wey run from Borno go Ibadan go still end up inside pot of soup. English translation: You can’t run away from your destiny *Today’s newspaper na tomorrow Suya wrap English translation: Keep calm! Nothing lasts forever *Cow wey dey in a hurry to go America go come back as corn beef English translation: Just be patient. Let the game come to you. Don’t rush! *Akara and moin moin get the same parent,na wetin dem pass through make dem different English translation: How you start doesn’t matter, what matters is how you finish. *Leave matter for Mathias and Sabi for Sabinus English translation: Give everyone what they deserve. *The difference between kpekere and plantain chips na packaging English translation: Don’t judge based on appearance alone

Nigeria on Thursday won the best women national team award at the 2014 Globacom CAF awards in Lagos, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The Nigeria's senior national women's team, the Super Falcons, defeated its Cameroonian counterpart who was nominated alongside the country for the category for women best national team. For the category of best national teams’ men, Algeria came victorious to defeat Libya and Nigeria who were nominees in that category. The Super Falcons' star, Asisat Osuola received awards for the youth player of the year and African women player of the year. Talented player, Yaya Toure of Côte d'Ivoire won the 9th edition of the CAF wards as the African footballer of the year. He also won the same laurel at the 2013 edition. However Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Vincent Iyama was disappointed as he failed to receive an award. Some spectators, who spoke to NAN, described the organisation at the event as impeccable in spite of the

The Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, has revealed that the over 200 school girls abducted from Chibok, Borno by Boko Haram are still alive. According to him, they are still held in fragmented camps in the dreaded Sambisa forest. The governor added that all things being equal, the girls could be reunited with their families. Also speaking, the Secretary to the Borno State Government (SSG), Ambassador, Baba Jidda, said the issue of the girls safe return is beyond the Borno state. He said: “The issue of Chibok girls is a national and indeed an international issue, and we still haven’t heard anything positive about their possible return, especially alive. So, we are praying that this New Year, something tangible would be done by the Federal Government to get back the girls alive to their parents .”

RCCG PRAYER POINTS FOR 40-DAYS FASTING (2ND JAN - 10TH FEB 2015 ) # THANKSGIVING 1 Thank you Lord for all You have done in our lives, in our homes, in His Church, in our nation Nigeria. ( 1 Chron.16 : 8 - 9 ) 2 Thank you Lord for all Your provisions to us as individuals, as families and as a church. ( Deut.8 : 10 ) 3 Thank you Lord for our salvation and for our heavenly inheritance. ( Col.1 : 12 ) 4 Thank you Lord for forgiving us our sins Psalm.103 : 3. 5 Thank you Lord for divine health enjoyed throughout 2014. Exo.15 : 26. 6 Thank you Lord for delivering us from all forms of destruction in 2014. Psq.103 : 4. 7 Thank you Lord for all the good things you have satisfied me with in 2014. Psa.103 : 5. 8 Thank you Lord for not allowing us to be preys to our enemies. Psa.124 : 6. 9 Thank you Lord for causing us to escape all the traps the enemy set for us in 2014. Psa 124 : 7. 10 Thank you Lord for fighting all my battles for me in 2014. Exo.14 : 14. FOR_INDIVIDUALS 1 Fath

Few days after the former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, retd, explained in an affidavit submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that all his academic credentials were with the Military Board, the Army have stated that they do not keep the certificates of any serving or retired officer or soldier. General Buhari is contesting the presidential election for the fourth time under different political parties including the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, but the issue of his qualifications had never been controversial until the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, recently described him as a "semi- illiterate.’’ However, against the backdrop of Buhari’s affidavit in court, a military source said "that the Army cannot keep anybody’s original certificate because it is the personal property of the owner,’’ adding that

A plane carrying 28 people has been blown off the runway at Stornoway airport in the Isle of Lewis. The Loganair Saab 340 aircraft had been trying to take-off for Glasgow when its wheel collapsed in heavy winds and it veered off the runway. Two passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries, according to the Scottish Ambulance Service. Stornoway Airport management issued a statement shortly after the incident saying: "Efforts to remove the aircraft from the runway are ongoing and investigations into the cause of the incident are under way. "It is it our intention to resume normal operations as soon as the aircraft is safely removed from the runway. "There are no scheduled arrivals or departures at Stornoway until later this afternoon." Meanwhile, a Blue Island Airways plane had to be diverted from London City Airport to Southend Airport in Essex this morning after an engine fire. The plane had been travelling from Jersey. The fire wa

Papa Awolowo was asked by inquisitive Nigerian journalists about his impressions on the Buhari military regime, a few days after the coup, Papa had replied "the omens are still bad" When the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, a.k.a ‘Bros Kongi’, cautioned the South- West leaders on their enthusiasm for a Buhari Presidency in Thisday publication of January 4, 2007, he was speaking the minds of many Nigerians who know the truth about Gen. Buhari and his ambition. Nigerians are a politically volatile people. It is the strength of our socio-political existence. Nigerians have shown from their history that tyranny can never succeed here. It is equally a known trait of Nigerians that they have a forgiven spirit when they see repentance in the actions of any of their erring sons and daughters. Gen. Buhari once ruled this country after the coup of the ‘Beret’ Generals on December 31, 1983 for 20 months. While he has defended some aspects of his rul

The Nigerian Army has dismissed 203 soldiers after a secret court martial held in the dead of the night, for allegedly disobeying a direct order from their commanding officer. According to Premium Times, one of the sacked soldiers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the soldiers were dismissed for asking for support equipment, following the army’s plan to convey them in a tipper for an operation in Bama and Gwoza, two strongholds of Boko Haram insurgents. Narrating the event that led to their dismissal, the soldier said his unit reconvened in Maiduguri last August, after they were dislodged by the insurgents in Damboa in an operation where their commanding officer and several other soldiers were killed. He said having engaged the insurgents in several past battles, majority of the soldiers argued that the operation would be fierce, and therefore, requested support equipment." The soldier, who is originally of the 19th Battalion in Okitipupa in Ondo State, but attach