NASFAT promises to improve members’ standard of living

An Islamic organisation, Nasirullahi-Fathi Society (NASFAT), on Saturday, promised to embark on programmes that would improve the standard of living of its members.Alhaji Mustapha Salman, the Missioner of the society in Omu-ran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, made the pledge in a lecture he delivered at the association’s 2014 Women Week in Omu-Aran.Salman said “the fact that NASFAT is a religious organisation aimed at propagating Islam does not exempt it from contributing its quota to the development of its members.’’He said the Women Week was basically dedicated to allow members to interact with the less privilege in the society in order to uplift their morale.“The whole idea is to feel the pulse of the masses, preach to them, empower them and let them have a sense of belonging in the society. Continue..

Jagielka effort earns Everton derby draw

Everton captain Phil Jagielka scored a sensational 92nd-minute equaliser to earn his side a 1-1 draw against derby rivals Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday.Steven Gerrard had put Liverpool ahead with a second-half free-kick, but he was upstaged in injury time when his former England colleague Jagielka drove an exquisite half-volley into the top-right corner from 25 yards.The 32-year-old’s memorable strike prevented Liverpool from provisionally climbing to sixth place in the table and means that Brendan Rodgers’s side have now gone three league games without victory.“It has been a frustrating season so far, so to go 1-0 down and keep knocking at the door showed tremendous character. We need to keep showing character,” Continue..

I’ll need a jet to campaign for any presidential candidate

Pioneer and outgoing National Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Dan Nwanywanwu, spoke on the alleged plan by Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State to leave the party for the Peoples Democratic Party and why his party will support President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid

Why is the constitution of the Labour Party made so loose that there is no tenure for the chairman and other elected officers?

It was a deliberate action by the convention in 2009. In fact, that was the issue that was vastly debated by delegates at the convention. They said we should keep building the party and as people kept performing very well in the party, we would keep re-electing them until such a time when we had stabilised our structures and our activities, we could then put a time limit. And in any case, it is not government appointment. Continue..

My marriage was full of lies – Uche

Fair-skinned Nollywood damsel, Uche Ogbodo, who has just returned from the United States after the delivery of her baby girl, is no stranger to controversies. The current one rocking her boat is about her failed marriage to ex-Nigerian footballer, Ato Ubby. While some say she dumped the man because he had a brain tumour, others accused the actress of marrying the hapless footballer only for money.But Uche is back and ready to tell her own side of the story about her marriage and other issues:What have you been up to since you came back?It’s just two weeks that I came back. I haven’t really been up to anything. I’m still new, so I’m still trying to weigh the current and know where to land. Continue...

OYEDEPO @60: I ignore challenges and focus on my victories

The founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, is 60 years old today (Saturday). Oyedepo says he heartily welcomes being called Africa’s wealthiest pastor.

You were rated by Forbes as the richest pastor in Africa, how do you feel about this considering that people often say that wealth and righteousness are not the best of friends?

May I say here that God owns the silver and the gold and he’s the most Holy God. If wealth and righteousness are not best of friends, there is no way God will be the wealthiest of all because of his fullness we have all received. I think there is no father who wishes his children poverty. I have children, is it okay to now say two of you should be poor, two of you should be fair, and one of you should be a beggar? If God is truly a father, he will not wish his children to be poor. The wealth of every parent is reflective in their children, so it’s not an issue. I believe wealth and righteousness are the best of friends. Abraham, the friend of God, was the wealthiest in his time. Job, the wealthiest, was God’s pride. There is none like him on the earth. How do you feel when they say you’re the richest? If you make first class in school, how do you feel? You feel good. You’re not the greatest thief. You’re the wealthiest, so I feel good about it. It’s better to be a wealthy pastor than to be a beggar. Continue...

Chelsea Clinton gives birth to girl

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has given birth to a baby girl. “Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky,” Ms Clinton tweeted. Clinton, 34, married Marc Mezvinsky in 2010, and announced her pregnancy in April 2014. The baby arrives as Hillary Clinton considers a presidential bid in 2016. Continue..

Football: Arsenal Vs Tottenham, Wenger Eyeing Critical Period

Arsene Wenger sees today’s Premier League clash with Tottenham as the start of a crucial run of games for Arsenal.

The Frenchman has guided his team to an unbeaten start in the Premier League, with two wins and three draws from their five outings thus far.

Arsenal have fared less well in the cup competitions, going down 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund in their UEFA Champions League Group D opener, before a 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Tuesday ended their League Cup campaign in the third round. Continue..

Tony Tetuila - I will not go into office with blonde hair, if i won

Singer Tony Tetuila, who is vying for a political post, says if elected into office, his blonde hair will be a thing of the past. He said this while reacting to the recent backlash he received from fans for using his tinted hair for his campaign posters

"I am not going into office to sing, though I am an artiste, I am going to serve my people. I am not going to office with the tinted hair. I was discussing with some youth leaders who said I could leave the hair but now that people are speaking on it, I have to do what my people want" he told tribune. I only used the blonde hair to campaign because everybody knows Tetuila with that trademark" he said Tetuila went further to state that he is not venturing into politics because he is broke Continue....

$9.3m arms deal: Catholic Bishops exonerate Oritsejafor

CATHOLIC Church, weekend, described as malicious and misleading, a media report that the Church chided the President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor over the 9.3million arms deal in South Africa.Some Nigerian Newspapers had on Thursday 25th September 2014, and suggesting that Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) accused Pastor Ayo Ortistejafor of denting the image of the Christian Association of Nigeria over the case of the jet that was found with $9.3milion allegedly owned by the CAN President.Reacting to this in a statement in Abuja, the Director (Social Communications Directorate), Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Rev. Fr. Chris Anyanwu said “the report is not only false and malicious but a calculated attempt to further sow the seed of disharmony between Catholics and the leadership of CAN. Continue...

FG declares Oct. 1, 6, 7 public holidays

FEDERAL Government, weekend, declared Wednesday, 1 October 2014 as public holiday to mark Nigeria’s 54th Independence Anniversary.Also declared public holidays are; Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 October 2014 to mark the Id-el-Kabir celebration.The Minister of Interior, Com. Abba Moro, who announced the dates in a statement in Abuja, urged “Nigerians both home and abroad to build a more united and virile nation that would be the pride of all Nigerians wherever they live.”While congratulating Muslim faithful, the minister enjoined them to support Jonathan administration in its “sustained efforts to building a peaceful, united and virile nation.”Moro called on all Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace and unity across the country

Guinness in search of music talents

Guinness has announced its search for Africa’s best talent to collaborate with its #madeofblack Pan African ambassador, Fuse ODG, on a specially written track, Black Commando. The #madeofblack Pan African ambassador started the search in a live video message from his studio in the United Kingdom.

Ghanaian Afrobeats talent, Fuse-ODG, has written Black Commando to celebrate #madeofblack. It is a track that signifies unity and communality, and it is intended to showcase Africa and the bold creativity of the continent. Fuse has left two verses of the track empty for up and coming African musicians to fill. Continue..

Enyeama: Eagles Will Defend AFCON Trophy

Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has expressed confidence Nigeria will qualify for the Morocco 2015 Africa Cup of Nations despite a slow start to the qualifying campaign, which has seen them get only a solitary point from a possible six.

Enyeama, who missed both games against Congo and South Africa due to ‘family reasons’, says he’s a firm believer in possibilities, and as a result, believes qualification is not out of Nigeria’s reach.

“I have always believed in possibilities and I have absolute confidence that we can always achieve the best no matter what. Continue..

Maltina Dance finale holds on Saturday

Which Nigerian family will go home with the N10m on offer by the Maltina Dance All 2014?

The answer will be out on Saturday, when the grand finale of the eighth edition of the show will hold.

The four finalists are the Utere, Unanka, Uzodinma and Odigie families, who are going to battle dance-for-dance and step-for-step at the event holding at the Eko Hotel and Suites.

The winning dance family will go home with N10million, the second and third will pocket N3million and N1million respectively.

Greece to probe burying alive of woman by accident

Police in northern Greece say they are investigating reports that a woman woke up to find herself buried in a coffin, only to die before being rescued.

Several people visiting the cemetery, near Thessaloniki, told police they had heard banging and muffled shouting from inside the woman’s grave, an hour after her funeral on Thursday.

By the time the coffin was dug up, the woman, 45, was found dead. She had earlier been declared dead by doctors treating her for cancer. Her funeral was held at a cemetery in Peraia, a small town 22km (16 miles) south of Thessaloniki, Greece’s main city in the north. Shortly after the last relatives left the cemetery, residents and a group of children playing outside reportedly heard a female voice shouting for help from inside the grave. Continue..

Money laundering: Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji, discharged

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday discharged Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, who was tried for alleged money laundering.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikuforiji was charged alongside his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, on an amended 56-count charge bordering on money laundering.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Dec. 15, 2011 arraigned the duo before Justice John Tsoho.They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.In his ruling on a no-case submission by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Mr Tunde Akirinmisi on behalf of the accused, Justice Buba discharged the accused, describing the trial as a joke taken too far.Buba held that it was difficult not to agree with the defence that the prosecution misconstrued the provisions of the Money Laundering Act by charging the accused under a repealed law.He noted that it was the duty of the prosecution in a criminal case to establish all elements of the offence against an accused, adding that the prosecution failed to discharge this duty in the instant case.“The submission of prosecution does not only fly against logic, but against the spirit and philosophy of the law and elementary jurisprudence. Continue..

Delta Police arrest robber, six suspected cultists

The Police in Delta State on Friday said they arrested a 28-year-old man, Kelvin Pere on the charge of armed robbery. The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest said Pere was arrested after the police in Warri following a tipoff.

“The said Pere has been on the wanted list of the Police in Warri Area Command in connection with series of crimes ranging from armed robbery. The suspect has volunteered confessional statement,” Kalu said. Items recovered from him include one Toyota Camry (Spider), with number plate GRA 306 KH, suspected to have been stolen. Continue..

Liberia welcomes UN pledges on Ebola

Liberia welcomed global pledges of action on the Ebola epidemic ravaging west Africa, admitting on Friday that the government was losing the trust of its people with the outbreak still out of control.World leaders gathered at the United Nations on Thursday made fresh pledges of assistance in battling the growing crisis, while the Group of Seven nations vowed to keep open vital air and sea links with Ebola-hit countries.“We are happy to hear that the entire world now understands the urgency of the reaction to threat of Ebola,” Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown told AFP.“We hope that the commitment will be quickly followed by action because if this drags for long, the populations of the various countries will begin to lose patience and they will blame our governments. Continue..

Tension in Ekiti, Fayemi declares curfew

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Kayode Fayemi, in a broadcast to the people of the state, has declared a 7pm to 7am curfew in the state after thugs on Friday took to the streets burning houses and looting shops. Friday’s violence followed the killing of a former Ekiti State chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Omolafe Aderiye, who was killed in his office in Ijigbo area of the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.

Reports said Aderiye was shot at close range in his office .

He is reported to have died before medical attention could get to him.

The former NURTW chairman was believed to be a staunch supporter of the governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose and took active part in his campaign coordination.

More details later.

Emir - Qatar will definitely host 2022 World Cup

Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup as planned despite continued concerns over its readiness, the country’s Emir has insisted.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has come out in support of the project in the face of growing calls for former US attorney Michael Garcia’s anti-corruption report – which centres on the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 finals – to be published in full.

But the Emir is convinced that Qatar is best placed to deliver a successful tournament.

“People should understand that Qatar had the best bid, and Qatar will provide and will do one of the best World Cups in history and I’m sure about that,” Continue...

Customs generates N3 trillion

 THE Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, collected N3,048,314,862,310.03 between January 2011 and August 2014. The organisation’s spokesman, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, gave the figure at the I-Nigerian Initiative hosted briefing of the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, FOSSRA, in Abuja.He said that in 2011, the Service collected N741.8 billion; in 2012, N850.8 billion; in 2013, N833 billion; while N622.2 billion was raked in between January and August this year.Adeniyi said that the service made more than 3,961 seizures, consisting of rice, textile materials, poultry, wine and alcoholic beverages and vehicles since the beginning of the year. Continue...