Public Holidays

FG declares Monday, Tuesday public holiday

The Federal Government has declared Monday, June 26 and Tuesday, June 27 as Public Holiday to mark Eid el Fitr.
Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau made the annnouncement on behalf of the Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja.
‎He‎ enjoined all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to use the occasion of the celebration for sober reflection and pray for peace, unity and progress of the nation in its march to nationhood.

‎Dambazau urged all Nigerians to shun hate speeches and divisive tendencies and join hands with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to build a peaceful, strong and united Nigeria.
He assured of a Nigeria, ‎which guarantees fundamental freedoms, including the right of residence in any part of the…

Increase in University school fees

38 Nigerian universities increase their school fees

The average Nigerian would normally go to a federal university because of the affordability. However, even the federal university are starting to hike their prices, leaving many scared about the future of education for the average man in Nigeria.

There have been changes in school fees of some institutions, below is a table of such changes according to Vanguard:

Institution Old fees New fees

1. UNILAG N14,500 N63,500

2. ABU N27,000 N41,000

3. UNN N60,450 N66,950

4. OAU N19,700 N57,700

5. UNIZIK N20,100 N65,920

6. BUK N26,000 N40,000

7. UNIABUJA N39,300 N42,300

8. UDU N32,000 N43,000

9. NOUN N36,000 N41,000

10. UNIBEN N12,000 N49,500

11. UNILORIN N16,000 N75,500

12. FUTA N13,560 N83,940

13. FUTMINNA N20,000 N37,000

14. FUNAAB N18,250 N33,000

15. UNICAL N30,500 N42,750

16. UNIUYO N71,000 N84,250

17. FCET Akoka N16,000 N40,000

18. Osun Varsity N95,000 N135,500

19. ANSU N76,000 N139,000

20. LASU N96,750 N158,250

21. IBBU N25000 N52,000

22. IMSU N120,000 N150,000

23. PLASU N50,000 N100,000

24. MAPOLY N57,000 N75,000

25. Ibadan Poly N30,000 N50,000

26. Abia Poly N56,550 N61,000

27. Auchi Poly N14,800 N28,000

28. Osustech N70,000 N80,000

29. ESUT N104,900 N124,900

30. KWARAPOLY N28,000 N44,000

31. LAUTECH N65,000 N72,500

32. TASUED N66,500 N76,500

33. Afe Babalola N675,000 N1,075,000

34. Igbinedion N540,000 N820,000

35. Crawford N400,000 N600,000

36. Redeemers N545,000 N605,000

37. Covenant N774,500 N814,500

38. Benson Idahosa N284,300 N1,150,000.00

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com earlier reported that Stellenbosch University is the second best university in Africa and ranks at number 361 in the world, while the American University in Cairo is at number 4 in Africa.The ranking by QS is based on factors such as academic reputation, citations per faculty, employer reputation and other factors.

Ref:online nigeria

WAEC announces new fees for certificate

WAEC announces new fees for collecting certificate

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has urged GCE candidates to endeavour to collect their certificates within four years of writing the examination as any delay beyond that will attract custody fee.

Demianus Ojijeogu, the Head of Public Affairs Department, WAEC, Nigeria disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, commonly referred to as WAEC GCE, is usually taken in November/December every year.

Mr. Ojijeogu said: “the normal charge for the certificate is N3, 500 and only payable by those whose certificates were issued between zero and four years. 
“But from five to nine years is N8, 500; 10 to 14 years N13, 500; 15 to 19 years N18, 500 while 20 years and above will be charged N23, 500. 
“These charges are (for) custody fee; for keeping the certificates for so long because it occupies space in our office. It will also serve as a deterrent to others. 
“I don’t know the reason why people will sit for exams and their certificates are ready yet they will not come for collection. What was the essence of the certificate in the first place?’’

He also said that requirements for collection of the GCE certificates within Nigeria were an application letter, sworn affidavit from the High Court, online result print- out, one passport-size photograph, photo card and identity card.

US bishops National Review Board

4 new members of US bishops’ National Review Board

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has named four new members of the National Review Board, which advises the bishops on the protection of children from clerical abuse.

The four are:

Amanda Callanan, director of communications for the Claremont InstituteSuzanne Healy, former victims assistance coordinator for the Archdiocese of Los AngelesChristopher McManus, an Arlington physicianEileen Puglisi, former director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Diocese of Rockville Centre

Di Maria sentenced to jail for tax fraud

Di Maria sentenced to prison for tax fraud

Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria has been handed a hefty fine and a prison sentence over a charge of tax fraud of €1.3 million ($1.4 million), Spanish authorities announced on Wednesday.

According to a court document seen by AFP, Di Maria will pay around €2 million to the Spanish authorities after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud committed in 2012 and 2013 when he was a Real Madrid player.

Despite being handed a 16-month sentence, Di Maria will not go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years.

Di Maria, 29, played for Madrid between 2010 and 2014, when he joined Manchester United. He then moved to PSG in 2015.

A host of football stars have run into trouble in Spain over suspected tax fraud related to image rights, with Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo summoned to appear in court on July 31 to answer four counts of tax evasion of €14.7 million.

Current Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been accused by Spanish tax authorities of failing to declare €3.3 million during his time in charge of Madrid.

The President illness is the decision of Allah ....senator said

Buhari’s Illness Is The Decision Of Allah!!! I Now Have More Supporters In The North Than Ever – APC Senator Jubilates

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has on Wednesday, stated that he has now gathered more supporters in Kano, and in the entire Northern region, ahead of the 2019 general elections.

While speaking to some selected Journalists, Kwankwaso dropped a hint on President Muhammadu Buhari and 2019.

He said: “If he is going for second time, there is no problem, because (the fact that) somebody is in the hospital doesn’t mean somebody who is outside is healthier than him. It is the decision of Allah, and nobody can fault it.”

Kwankwaso who dodged questions on the rift between him and his successor in Kano, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said he had more supporters in Kano, more than ever.

“This is not the time to talk on Kano, the time will come… I now have more supporters in my Constituency, Kano, and even in the entire North, more than before”, he said.

Denying his defection speculation, Kwankwaso, who came second in the Presidential primaries of the APC, said the party was fair to him, hence, there was no need to dump it for another.

On whether the National Assembly had powers to introduce new projects in budget, he said the document must be looked at.

“The National Assembly is not a photocopier. It needs to look at the figure and issues. If you take the Constituencies of the entire Senators, they are equal to that of the President, and if you look at the entire Federal Constituencies of Reps, they are equal to that of the President. So, Executive, Legislature and even the Judiciary, must be together in the interest of the country”, he said.

C.R.K not removed from the school curriculum

CRK not removed from school curriculum, FG insists.

For the second time in two days, the Federal Gov­ernment has denied that the Ministry of Education has delisted Christian Reli­gious Knowledge (CRK) from the curriculum of secondary schools.

After the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja, which was chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinba­jo, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, urged Nigerians to ignore the reports on the matter in a section of the print and social media because they were baseless.

At the FEC meeting, the cabinet resolved to convene an emergency retreat in Abu­ja within two weeks to address the falling standards and other knotty issues in the nation’s ed­ucation sector.

Adamu listed the areas of crises in the sector as out-of-school children, inadequate use of Information and Communi­cations Technology (ICT), tech­nical education, and training of teachers.

The minister said that he came to the FEC meeting with an education sector blueprint prepared by his ministry but that other ministers opted for the convening of an encom­passing stakeholders’ retreat to resolve the issues.

He said the day’s FEC ses­sion deliberated the education­al problems in the country and “members agreed that the fall­ing standard in education is so serious that we will need a min­isterial retreat to look at all the issues”.

Yesterday, the minister ac­cused journalists of lying to the public and deceiving Christian leaders who are aggrieved over the allegation.

His words: “You (journal­ists) especially those of you on the social media are not helping this nation by bandying things that are absolutely false. One is the issue of Christian Religious Knowledge that all the nation­al media, social media took up and deceived even the leader­ship of the Christian Associa­tion of Nigeria (CAN) because they believed it.

“I read in the papers that they asked the Acting Presi­dent to confirm it, but there is no truth in it at all. It was just somebody’s imagination; prob­ably somebody who wishes to raise tension in the country af­ter the Biafra issue and then the quit order given by some young people in the North.

“So, the person just fol­lowed suit in trying to stoke the embers of religion. There is no truth in it whatsoever, I repeat.

“Certainly, there was a pol­icy in 2012 which was given ef­fect in 2014 that is even before this government came in. One of the things I did as minister was to speak to the National Council on Education to dis­articulate History from the So­cial Studies curricula because we believe we want our young people to know our history. You cannot know who you are with­out knowing who your ances­tors were.

“And the National Coun­cil of Education did accept and agree that the teaching and learning of CRK has been made compulsory for all Chris­tian students and teaching and learning of Islamic Studies is compulsory for all Muslim stu­dents.

“So, you are actually accus­ing the ministry of the oppo­site of what it has done. I think I just need to tell you that even if you are not the ones in the so­cial media, they must be your compatriots; please tell them to be more responsible in handling the issues, especially at this time in our history,” he said.

Also in a statement, titled: “Situation of Christian Religious Knowledge, Islamic Studies and Civic Education at the Basic Ed­ucation Level”, the Nigerian Ed­ucational Research and Devel­opment Council (NERDC), said that the claims on the re­moval of CRS were not true.

NERDC is mandated to develop Curriculum for Basic and Senior Secondary Educa­tion levels.

In the statement signed by NERDC Executive Secretary, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, he said that the curricula passes through the next stages of planning, devel­opment, critique and editorial as well as the approval stages of the Joint Consultative Commit­tee on Education (JCCE) both reference and plenary made up of a broad spectrum of stake­holders, directors in education, NGOs, CBOs, and internation­al development partners.

The Basic Education Cur­riculum which includes the Christian Religious Knowl­edge and Islamic Studies Cur­ricula was approved in 2013 by the National Council on Edu­cation which is the apex poli­cymaking body in education in Nigeria, made up of the 36 states’ Commissioners of Edu­cation and the FCT under the chairmanship of the Minister of Education.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the last review of the curriculum was approved in 2013 and implementation com­menced in September 2014. In both instances, neither the Christian Religious Knowl­edge nor Islamic Studies was removed from the curriculum. In fact, at the commencement of the present administration, the Minister of Education sought and obtained the approval of the National Council on Edu­cation to make Christian Reli­gious Knowledge compulsory for all Christian students and Islamic Studies compulsory for their Muslim counterparts.

“The claims peddled on so­cial media platforms and a na­tional daily are to say the least speculative, false and unfound­ed. Specifically, as regards the Religion and National Values Curriculum.

2017 Budget signed

Acting President Osinbajo Signs 2017 Budget

Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, joined the Acting President at the Presidential Villa for the signing of the budget.

The National Assembly passed the budget of N7.44tn on June  11 after increasing it from the N7.29tn proposed by the executive.

Professor Osinbajo described the signing of the budget as “an important milestone” in the economic recovery and growth plan laid in April by President Buhari.

Earlier in the day, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Garba Shehu, said the President had given Professor Osinbajo his backing to sign the budget.

Mr Shehu said in a statement that the President had in a letter dated June 10 and addressed to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, said it is in the interest of the nation’s economy for the Acting President to sign the budget.

According to him, the letter underscores the unity at the highest level of government.

Mr Shehu added that President Buhari said he was pleased with a resolution that the Executive would “submit next year’s budget proposals by October 2017 and the National Assembly will conclude the Appropriation process by December 2017, so that the country can return to a normal fiscal period from next year onwards”.

By ChannelsTV

Pope gives ultimatum to priests of Ahiara Diocese

Welcome bishop or incur suspension, Pope tells priests of Nigerian diocese

Pope Francis has issued an ultimatum to the priests of the Diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria, demanding that they write a letter accepting their bishop or face suspension.

Founded in 1987 and located in the Mbaise region of Imo State in southern Nigeria, the diocese was governed by Bishop Victor Chikwe from its inception until his death in 2010.

In December 2012, Pope Benedict appointed Father Peter Okpaleke, a priest of the Diocese of Awka in neighboring Anambra State, as the diocese’s new bishop. 400 priests, angered that a Mbaise priest was not appointed, protested the decision.

Bishop Okpaleke was ordained at a seminary in a neighboring diocese in May 2013 amid heavy security. At the time of the ordination, youth locked the cathedral of Ahiara in protest, and some protesters placed a coffin with the new bishop’s name at diocesan headquarters.

In July 2013, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, as the apostolic administrator.

Addressing a delegation from the diocese on June 8 (the Holy See Press Office released the text two days later), the Pope said, “Whoever was opposed to Bishop Okpaleke taking possession of the diocese wants to destroy the Church.”

“I know very well the events that have been dragging on for years, and I am thankful for the attitude of great patience of the bishop, indeed the holy patience demonstrated by him,” the Pope continued. “I listened and reflected much, even about the possibility of suppressing the diocese, but then I thought that the Church is a mother and cannot abandon her many children.”

The Pope demanded:

I ask that every priest or ecclesiastic incardinated in the Diocese of Ahiara, whether he resides there or works elsewhere, even abroad, write a letter addressed to me in which he asks for forgiveness; all must write individually and personally. We all must share this common sorrow.

In the letter, (1) one must clearly manifest total obedience to the Pope, and (2) whoever writes must be willing to accept the bishop whom the Pope sends and has appointed. (3) The letter must be sent within 30 days, from today to July 9th, 2017. Whoever does not do this will be ipso facto suspended a divinis and will lose his current office.

References:

Words of the Holy Father to the Members of the Delegation of the Diocese of Ahiara (8 June), 10.06.2017 (Holy See Press Office)Pope Francis appoints cardinal as administrator of troubled Nigerian diocese (CWN, 7/1/13)Three ironies about a dramatic show of papal muscle in Nigeria (John Allen/Crux)

Ndi Igbo na-oso (Igbos on the run)

Igbos begin fleeing from north following quit notice.

- Igbos have begun fleeing northern states such as Kaduna, Kano following the eviction order given by northern youths

- Those fleeing the north do not trust the government to protect them

- They fear for their lives because as some noted, none of the people who gave the quit notice has been arrested yet

Some Igbos resident in the north have already begun relocating to other parts of Nigeria, following the quit notice issued by the Coalition of Northern Youths.
Though the directive has now been rescinded, barely a week ago, the Coalition of Northern Youths had given all Igbos resident in the north a three month directive to vacate the region, and also asked Hausas in the east to return back to their places of origin.

According to a report by Daily Post, during a visit to the God is Good Motor Park in Mando, Kaduna State on Thursday, June 8, the park was brimming with Igbos returning back to the east.

One of the fleeing Igbos identified himself as Ifeanyi Odozie, an electric appliance dealer.
According to Odozie, he was leaving because he didn’t want to put his family at risk.
He further disclosed that he did not trust the government to protect him and his family.
Odozie stated: “I have been in this place for thirty years but I think I have overstayed my welcome here. I will take my family to the village and return by next week to sell off some of my belongings here.

“The federal government won’t be there to save us when problem starts.
“Since they (the northern youths) gave their order, who has been arrested?
“I also have my village, it is high time I returned home.”

Another Igbo who was interviewed identified herself as Chioma Okoye, a trader of second hand clothes at the Kaduna Central market in Kaduna.
In her words: “I want to go and rest for a while. I really don’t know what these people are up to. I will come back when they are ready to accommodate us.”

In Kano state, the situation was the same.
An angry Igbo man who identified himself as Mazi Obiekwe angrily scolded a reporter saying, “go and ask Buhari and his kinsmen why they want us to leave their land.”

Nigerians have however started reacting to Igbos leaving the North. Below is a few reactions gathered by NAIJ.com:

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the federal government has formally reacted to the quit notice issued by northern youths to Igbos living in the north saying the Igbos are free to live anywhere in the country.
The youths had stirred nationwide uproar when they issued a statement giving a 90-day ultimatum to Igbos in the north to leave.
The minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 7, urged Igbos and other Nigerians to go about their business without fear.
By Buchi

Cameroon Bishop never committed suicide

Cameroon bishop was murdered, autopsy confirms
Autopsy results have confirmed that Bishop Jean-Marie Benoit Balla of Bafia, Cameroon, was the victim of murder, not a suicide.

Bishop Balla, whose body was discovered in a river on June 2, was “tortured and brutally murdered,” according to an autopsy report.

Police have not identified a suspect or a motive for the bishop’s killing. However, there are suspicions that his death may be linked to that of Father Armel Collins Ndjama, a seminary rector in the Bafia diocese, who was found dead at his home last month.

References:
Autopsy raises questions about circumstances of African bishop's death (CNA)Cameroon: bishop’s death seen as likely murder, not suicide (CWN, 6/7)
 

Pope saddened by the events of Ahiara Diocese

The Pope deeply saddened by the events of the diocese of Ahiara Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Yesterday the Holy Father received a Delegation of the Diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria, in a private Audience, which has been living a painful situation for years (see Fides, 8/6/2017). The members of the Delegation were accompanied by His Eminence Cardinal J. O. Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja and Apostolic Administrator of Ahiara, His Excellency A. J. Obinna, Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, I. A. Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos and President of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, His Excellency P. E. Okpaleke, Bishop of Ahiara. 
Also Cardinal Secretary of State, the Prefect and Superiors of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples were also present as well as Reverend Fathers C. O. Ebii, J. N. Uwalaka and U. I. Olekamma, Sister B. O. Ezeyi and S.A.R.P Iwu, Traditional Head, on behalf of the religious and lay faithful. The meeting, characterized by dialogue and listening, ended with a prayer to Mary and the Pope's blessing. 
Below is the Holy Father’s text:

"I cordially greet the Delegation and thank you for coming from Nigeria in a spirit of pilgrimage.
For me, this meeting is a consolation because I am deeply saddened by the events of the Church in Ahiara.
In fact, the Church (and excuse the wording) is like a widow for having prevented the Bishop from coming to the Diocese. Many times I have thought about the parable of the murderous tenants, of which the Gospel speaks (cf. Mt 21:33-44), that want to grasp the inheritance. In this current situation the Diocese of Ahiara is without the bridegroom, has lost her fertility and cannot bear fruit. Whoever was opposed to Bishop Okpaleke taking possession of the Diocese wants to destroy the Church. This is forbidden; perhaps he does not realize it, but the Church is suffering as well as the People of God within her. The Pope cannot be indifferent. 
I know very well the events that have been dragging on for years and I am thankful for the attitude of great patience of the Bishop, indeed the holy patience demonstrated by him. I listened and reflected much, even about the possibility of suppressing the Diocese, but then I thought that the Church is a mother and cannot abandon her many children. I feel great sorrow for those priests who are being manipulated even from abroad and from outside the Diocese. 
I think that, in this case, we are not dealing with tribalism, but with an attempted taking of the vineyard of the Lord. The Church is a mother and whoever offends her commits a mortal sin, it’s very serious. However, I decided not to suppress the Diocese. Instead, I wish to give some indications that are to be communicated to all: first of all it must be said that the Pope is deeply saddened. Therefore, I ask that every priest or ecclesiastic incardinated in the Diocese of Ahiara, whether he resides there or works elsewhere, even abroad, write a letter addressed to me in which he asks for forgiveness; all must write individually and personally. We all must share this common sorrow. In the letter
1.one must clearly manifest total obedience to the Pope, and
2.whoever writes must be willing to accept the Bishop whom the Pope sends and has appointed.
3.The letter must be sent within 30 days, from today to July 9th, 2017. Whoever does not do this will be ipso facto suspended a divinis and will lose his current office.
This seems very hard, but why must the Pope do this? Because the people of God are scandalized. Jesus reminds us that whoever causes scandal must suffer the consequences. Maybe someone has been manipulated without having full awareness of the wound inflicted upon the ecclesial communion.
To you brothers and sisters, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your presence; and also to Cardinal Onaiyekan for his patience and to Bishop Okpaleke, whose patience and humility I admire. Thank you all". (Agenzia Fides, 09/06/2017)

Chaos at INEC office

At Inec office in Njikoka local government Anamabra state, the masses are reacting to the injustice being mented on them by the officials there.

The official refused to share the form irrespective of the fact that there are many of them there

Dollar depreciates

Naira gains eight points against Dollar

Confirming this development, the President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, said it was due to increased confidence in the foreign exchange market due to consistent dollar injection by the Central Bank of Nigeria

The Naira on Tuesday appreciated to N363 per dollar in the parallel market due to a combination of weak demand and increased dollar supply.

Vanguard survey revealed that the parallel market exchange rate dropped to N363 per dollar from N371 per dollar on Monday, indicating N8 appreciation for the Naira.

Confirming this development, the President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, said it was due to increased confidence in the foreign exchange market due to consistent dollar injection by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“Most of the huge demand for dollars and spike in the rate were fuelled by speculation and hoarding. The sustained dollar injection by CBN has eliminated these types of demand, hence low level of demand and appreciation of the Naira,” Gwadabe said.

On Monday the CBN injected $190 million into the interbank market.

This comprised $100 million for wholesale interventions, $50 million for SMEs for forex window and $40 million for Business/Personal Travel Allowances, tuition and medical fees, among others.
. Vanguard.

Super Eagle players are now in Camp

SEE LIST OF SUPER EAGLE  PLAYERS IN CAMP

Super Eagles trio Ahmed Musa, Elderson Echiejile and Kenneth Omeruo have arrived in Uyo for Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

The three senior players completed the squad for the qualifier against Bafana Bafana.

Omeruo was involved in his Turkish club Alanyaspor’s last game of the season over the weekend, while Echiejile got married also at the weekend.

Musa was with the team for the two friendly games against Corsica and Togo before leaving camp.

With the arrival of the three players, the number of Super Eagles players currently in camp is now 24.

Ahmedmusa718 and Kenneth @omeruo22 have now arrived in camp,” the Super Eagles Twitter handle confirmed on Tuesday.
The handle also posted pictures of the team’s first training session in Uyo, which was held on Tuesday.

The Eagles squad for Saturday game will include former junior international Kelechi Iheanacho, who has scored in seven of his last eight matches for the Super Eagles, as well as record scorer in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Victor Osimhen.

There are also this season’s top scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga, Olanrewaju Kayode, the pacy Moses Simon and the nimble–footed Alex Iwobi.

The last outing between both teams was a friendly match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit two years ago, which ended 1-1. Ahmed Musa scored a late goal in a game in which Daniel Akpeyi (likely to start in goal for Nigeria on Saturday) saved a penalty, but there was still time for the Bafana Bafana to draw level.

Eagles for battle

Daniel Akpeyi

Ikechukwu Ezenwa

Dele Alampasu

William Ekong

Abdullahi Shehu

Tyronne Ebuehi

Elderson Echiejile

Chidozie Awaziem

Maroof Youssef

Ogenyi Onazi

Wilfred Ndidi

Oghenekaro Etebo

John Ogu

Uche Agbo

Mikel Agu

Alhassan Ibrahim

Ahmed Musa

Kelechi Iheanacho

Moses Simon

Alex Iwobi

Henry Onyekuru

Victor Osimhen

Olanrewaju Kayode
Ref: breaking times

Nigeria living on borrowed money?

Nigeria is Living on Borrowed Money, May Collapse Soon- Ex Gov Obi
Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi has decried the level of hunger and poverty in the country.

According to the ex governor, the country’s economy will collapse in no time if nothing is done to arrest the situation.

He also called on youth nationwide to show more concern to creativity to enable them realize their dreams and warned them to stop emulating the Nigerian leaders.

“Our leaders are doing things wrong, we should not follow them to celebrate what is wrong. What we have in Nigeria is that we are celebrating what is wrong. And I am of the opinion that we should stop celebrating what is wrong and start doing things right so that this country can grow.
“People are hungry and we should join hands together to question our leaders to tell us what is happening in this country and making sure that the right thing are done”.

“Our leaders should cut the cost of governance and show more concern to how to improve the standard of living of all Nigerians.

“All of us, from 1960 when we gained independence, if we had done the right thing from then, it is not the question of PDP or APC. We have lived wrongly, we have done the wrong things and that is why the country is not growing.

“If we don’t do anything now the country will collapse. Nigeria is living on a borrowed money. So, you see things are difficult in Nigeria and we need to change our society so that things will get better,” he added.
Ref:punch

Federal to build $1billion ICT company,

FG To Build $1bn ICT Company – Osinbajo
By King Abdalla, Abuja
The federal government on Tuesday in Abuja said it would build a one billion dollar ICT company to boost indigenous technology.
The acting president, Prof.  Yemi Osinbajo made this known in his opening address at the 2017 Digital Africa Conference and Exhibition.
The theme of the event is “the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Getting Africa Ready“.
According to him, such feat will make Nigeria no longer a dumping ground for ICT products and services.
“ The Nigerian government is committed to encourage the growth of indigenous ICT companies to world standards by proving policies that will help them thrive.
“With the mantra of change, the Nigerian political milieu will  be recalibrated for the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“So that both the executive and legislative will be more responsive and responsible in addressing the major global challenges staring us in the face,“ he said.
The acting president, who was represented the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu said that the event was to  seek ways of leapfrogging development.
The Minister of Communication, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Sunday Echono, said the  government was preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution predicted to happen globally in the very near future.
According to him, the Federal Government has conceived a National ICT Park and Exhibition Centre in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The establishment of the centre will encourage investment in ICT sector and complement the proposed University of ICT which will also produce required skilled manpower for Africa to partake in inevitable Fourth Industrial Revolution.’’

Awka -Etiti Monarch declares interest in gubernatorial election

Monach joins race to contest Anambra Gubernatorial elections

Ahead of the Gubernatorial elections in Anambra State, the traditional ruler of Awka-Etiti in Idemili-South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Igwe Angus Ojukwu, has indicated his interest to contest the November 18 governorship race in the state.

Ojukwu said he would contest the poll on the platform of the Mega Progressive Peoples Party.

He described the administration of Governor Willie Obiano as visionless, adding that that informed his ambition to aspire to take over from Obiano.

He said, “Governor Willie Obiano’s administration has not improved the welfare of the average person in the state, thus the need for change.

“My objective is to bring light to Anambra State. It is time for light to shine in our state. This is what the present administration has not been able to do. I am poised to do it,” he added.

Declaring his ambition during a ceremony he organised in his country house in Awka-Etiti, in the presence of the State Executive Council of the MPPP led by Simon Anidike, party faithful, town folks and well-wishers, Ojukwu reeled out a 10-point agenda which, he said, would form his blueprint for the governance of Anambra State, if elected.

The 10-point agenda include free and compulsory primary and secondary education, free maternal/child care, electricity for all, potable water for all, adequate security network, industrialisation, infrastructural development, employment generation, agriculture and investment.

He asked the people of the state to support him, stating that only the MPPP had what it takes to take Anambra State to the land of glory.

“We have a people-friendly manifesto and programmes which if implemented, would benefit the state more than what any other government, past or present, has offered.

“The APC cannot win the governorship election in Anambra State. The PDP has not yet put its house in order as to stand for and win the forthcoming election in Anambra. APGA is already dead by reason of the leadership crisis rocking it. By the time I take over after the November 2017 election, APGA will be completely dead because its grip is limited to Anambra.”

Ojukwu, who was the immediate past Assistant National Secretary of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, said if elected under the umbrella of the MPPP, he would sustain the tempo of security in Anambra and go further to improve it.

In his remarks, the Anambra State Chairman of the party, Anidike, told the gathering that Ojukwu was qualified and well-equipped to govern Anambra State.

Our correspondent learnt that Ojukwu, whose status as the monarch of Awka Etiti, is still contentious, is the son of the late traditional ruler of the community.

Source:punch

By-election to be conducted

INEC fixes July 8 for by-election to replace Adeleke

The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled July 8 for the conduct of the by - election to fill the Osun - West senatorial district ’ s vacant seat at the upper legislative chamber .
This was contained in a notice dated Monday , June 5 , 2017 and signed by the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Osun State , Mr E . A . Ademusire .
The notice read , “ Consequent upon the provisions of the enabling statutes that a by - election to fill the declared vacant seat by the National Assembly be conducted within 30 days upon the declaration , take notice that by the directives of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission , a by - election for the Osun - West senatorial seat will hold on Saturday , July 8, 2017 . ”
The notice came just as politicians from various political parties also intensified preparations ahead of the election .
A former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Labour Party , Mr Wale Alakinde , has announced that he is interested in the race to pick the PDP ticket for the senatorial district .
Alakinde , while speaking at a press conference , said he was being pushed forward by the Ede community where Adeleke hailed from to continue the liberation struggle from where Adeleke stopped .
He hailed Adeleke’ s performance and his leadership style, adding that like Adeleke, he would also help his constituents apart from performing his legislative duties effectively .
The former governorship aspirant , who is also a chartered accountant , said the Adeleke family was not interested in allowing any of the deceased ’ s siblings to contest the by - election despite the entreaties by the All Progressives Congress .
He said , “I want to contest the Osun - West senatorial district by -election , which has been tentatively scheduled to hold on July 8 . I am not a new entrant in politics and I am confident of winning the race .
“ I am in the race to deliver Osun people from the shackles of the APC government . That was what Senator Isiaka Adeleke was doing before his mysterious death and my people believe that somebody must take over the mantle from the late senator . I am being pushed forward by the Ede community .
“ The Adeleke family is not interested in sending any of their family members to contest despite the pleas from the APC. His death was a mysterious one . What is two years at the senate compared to the life of their brother?”
Alakinde , who belongs to the Soji Adagunodo - led PDP in the state , said the crisis rocking the party would not have any negative impact on his aspiration , saying the two factions would unite to support a candidate during the election .

Arrest Nnamdi Kanu -Kogi group demands for including Kogi and Benue as Biafrans

Arrest Nnamdi Kanu - Kogi group demands

- Ujache Igala Association (UIA) has called for the arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu'

- The group says Kanu should be prosecuted for including Kogi and Benue as part of Biafra

- UIA has threatened to take to the streets if Kanu is not arrested in a fortnight's time

Following the move by the IPOB to map Kogi and Benue states as part of Biafra territory, a call has been made for the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu.

The call for Kanu's arrest was made by a Kogi Socio-cultural group named the Ujache Igala Association.

The group which gave the police a deadline of two weeks to arrest Kanu, said the IPOB's claim to territory was "utter madness".

Chief Goodman Akwu, the group's national chairman, in a statement made on Monday, June 5, stressed that there is no logical reason why Kogi and Benue should be mapped as part of Biafra.

Akwu said the IPOB and other pro-Biafra agitators that agreed to the mapping are but pushing their dreams too far.

“It is high time the government overcame its insouciance and nipped this audacity of seditious act on time,” the group said.

The group warned against a repeat of civil war which happened between 1967 and 1970 “when most of those class of Nnamdi Kanu and his co-travellers have not yet been born,” saying the elderly ones in Igbo land who saw it all and escaped by the whiskers were not fair to the younger generations for not telling them the truth, hence, the zone was gradually being receded into anarchy.

IPOB says Nnamdi Kanu is not Afraid of goin to prison a second time

According to Daily Post, the group demanded from Biafra agitators to explain how they arrived at making Kogi and Benue state part of Biafra geographical area, while reminding them of Kogi and Benue people’s historical antecedents of warfare.

The group pointed that democratic regime and freedom of expression did not support secession under any guise as it were, explaining that the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu had breached the bail conditions that left him off the hook.

It added that IPOB leader’s dual citizenship still subsisted despite court decision, saying that if anything happened, he would leave the country.

The group called on the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris to arrest the IPOB leader for prosecution within two weeks, failure with which they would take to streets in peaceful protests.

In a similar vein, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned that it will be a big mistake on the part of the federal government and security operatives to re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu because arresting him again will draw the attention of the world leaders.

The pro-Biafra group in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful on Sunday, June 4, said Nnamdi Kanu is not afraid of going to prison a second time.

The group, according to the Punch, said there was need to make the clarification, especially for those who were calling for the re-arrest of Kanu for allegedly flouting his bail conditions.

IPOB alleged that the calls for the rearrest of its leader followed the sit-at-home protest declared by Kanu, which it said was a success.

It said: “Arresting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu again cannot stop the agitation rather it will be a very big mistake on the side of Federal Government and her security operatives because when the security operatives arrested him on his arrival from London in his hotel room in Lagos it sparked protests and rallies across the world.

“Arresting him again will draw the attention of the world leaders and other relevant world organizations closer to the quest for Biafra independence."

Pope 's silence on Venezuelan crisis mounts criticism.

Mounting criticism of Pope’s silence on Venezuelan crisis
By Phil Lawler

“As Venezuela burns, many Latin Americans ask: ‘Where is Pope Francis?’” The headline on a Catholic World Report essay by Samuel Gregg more or less speaks for itself. And Sando Magister of L’Espresso raised essentially the same question a week ago.

The Catholic bishops of Venezuela have been relentless in their criticism of the government led by President Nicolas Maduro. That government has led the country into a disastrous economic collapse, characterized by raging hyperinflation and severe shortages of food and medicine. Then, rather than acceding to popular demands for new elections, the Maduro regime (through the president’s allies on the country’s highest court) has suspended the nation’s parliament, effectively silencing political opponents. When that move prompted massive public demonstrations, the Maduro government sent troops to break up the protests—not gently. The death toll is rising, thousands of families are going hungry, and the regime is refusing to budge. The Venezuelan bishops have warned that their country is becoming “a totalitarian, militarist, violence, oppressive, police-state system.”

But from Rome—where Pope Francis last year accepted a plea for Vatican mediation in the country’s political crisis—the few public statements on the Venezuelan situation have been remarkably placid, betraying no sense of urgency about the developments there. In April, Pope Francis told reporters that he was still hoping that dialogue would resolve the problems in Venezuela, but “part of the opposition does not want this.” He did not mention the government’s responsibility for the breakdown in talks. In a letter to the Venezuelan bishops the Pope sounded the same forlorn hope: “I am convinced that the serious problems of Venezuela can be solved if there is the will to build bridges, if you want to talk seriously and adhere to agreements reached.”

Meanwhile Maduro is acting the demagogue, doing his best to whip up public sentiment against the bishops, blaming them for the country’s unrest. Gangs of his supporters have threatened bishops, vandalized cathedrals, intimidated priests. Perversely, Maduro has used the Pope’s public statements against his own country’s bishops, claiming that the prelates are out of touch with Rome.

On the subject of unrest in Venezuela, Gregg notes in his Catholic World Report analysis, the Pontiff’s reluctance to take a strong stand may have been influenced by his own political preferences. “It’s very hard for the pope to blame Venezuela’s problems on the tyranny of Mammon, financial speculation, free trade agreements, arms-dealers, nefarious “neoliberals,” or any of his usual list of suspects.” Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, have styled themselves as leaders of “popular movements,” of the sort Francis had championed. In their fiery rhetoric the Venezuelan leaders insisted that they were working for the welfare of the people against the entrenched power of elites—again matching the Pope’s calls for radical social change. Gregg remarked:

Put another way: if Pope Francis was to criticize the Maduro regime’s populist roots, ideology and rhetoric, it would call into question the wisdom of seeing Latin American populism as an essentially positive force. That may be a step which Francis is unwilling to take.

“The fact is that between Pope Francis and the Venezuelan bishops, concerning the crisis that is ravaging the country, there is an abyss,” writes Vatican journalist Sandro Magister. He quotes another essay in the Italian daily Il Foglio, by the political scientist Loris Zannatta:

Reality, Bergoglio repeats, is greater than ideas. And yet, seeing his silence on the social drama in Venezuela, or in the country that with Chávez had set itself up as a model of anti-liberalism by invoking the stereotypes dear to the Pope, the thought arises that he too, like many, prefers his ideas to reality.

By the way, if Pope Francis can be legitimately criticized for failing to denounce the repressive Maduro regime, the same could be said about President Trump. “Venezuela is a mess,” the president told reporters last month. True enough. But a quick look at a map suggests that the Venezuelan “mess” could have an enormous impact on the United States. The chaos in that country will inevitably spill over into neighboring lands. And it’s only a matter of time before Venezuelan refugees, fleeing from a country where they are starved and oppressed, begin the trek north toward the Rio Grande and beyond.

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

Black Pope is just a symbol of the zeitgeist

Don’t worry: The Black Pope is just a symbol of the zeitgeist.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus

I have added the head of the Society of Jesus to my list of alleged persons who cannot possibly be real. It was not enough that Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal insisted in February that we must discern the meaning of Christ’s teachings for ourselves, and that the Holy Spirit might lead us to an understanding which differs from the teachings of the Catholic Church. Now the Black Pope has said that Christians “have formed symbolic figures such as the devil to express evil”, which may simply be a product of one’s social environment. Formerly I had thought the Superior General of the Jesuits was called the “Black Pope” because of the color of his habit. But what could be more obvious than that the “Black Pope” is actually another one of our symbols of evil?

Either way, Fr. Sosa Abascal seems to have forgotten, as Our Lord told Peter, that Satan desires to sift him like wheat (Lk 22:31). How else are we to explain his consistent efforts to undermine Church teaching, and even the words of Christ, by treating them as culturally-conditioned statements containing only a kernel of wisdom, to be discerned and reinterpreted according to our own cultural insights? This mode of argument is classic Modernism. The Modernist contention is that the various points in the Revelation of Jesus Christ do not mean what the Church has historically held them to mean, for we always perceive divine reality through the lens of our own human culture. Rather, in each age, the Holy Spirit guides us to a new appropriation of the words of Christ, enabling us to grasp and express Christian doctrine and morality in accordance with our own cultural values.

Not surprisingly, Modernism has the immediate effect of baptizing the evils characteristic of current human culture and proclaiming them to be good. For the Modernist, the key to understanding God’s self-revelation is not Scripture, Tradition or the Magisterium of the Church but the zeitgeist. It is hard to imagine a more convenient ideology for anyone who prefers to “go with the flow” rather than swim against the currents of this world. But as G. K. Chesterton pointed out, it is only the dead who do nothing but drift downstream.

It seems likely, then, that Fr. Sosa Abascal is not a real flesh-and-blood person but a symbol of the spirit of the age. That worldly spirit always resists Divine Revelation precisely because the truths God reveals always transcend human culture. To the worldly, this is unacceptable. It means that human culture, including the mental culture of worldly academic theologians, can never have the last word.

We are made for Revelation

To be fair, we should recognize that God does disclose Himself to us through the medium of our humanity. It is part of the special nature of Revelation that God uses various human forms to acquaint us with what is beyond the human. He formed Jewish culture over a long period of time for this precise purpose. Far more dramatically, God Himself actually took on a human nature so that by knowing Jesus Christ in the flesh we could know the Father. There can be no question that what is revealed by God is revealed Incarnationally. It is fitting, then, that our appropriation of God’s revelation is also an incarnational process—or as we might more often say now, a sacramental process.

This continues in the mission of the Church. Like God, the Church takes advantage of our all too human mental and psychological habits to teach us to see beyond them to Himself. But the object of the exercise is the transformation of our lives in Christ, which includes the transformation of our minds by the immutable truths which God has revealed. These revealed truths do not vary, and neither does God Himself. Far too many modern theologians confuse the means of communication with the results of that communication. They also forget that the human person is capable of transcending culture and even, in a sense, of transcending his very self. The human soul has this capacity, exercised through the operations of the intellect and will.

We see this in Scripture, which is filled with references to our minds, which can be anchored either in worldly or in heavenly realities. God created us with rational souls, unlike the animals which depend entirely on their senses, which of course makes them completely culture-bound. In contrast, it is the human genius to be able to transcend human culture even while heavily influenced by it: To conceive of new ways of thinking about things, to probe metaphysical realities, to meditate on the works and the will of God, and to yearn for heavenly glory.

In other words, we are not at all doomed to refashion our conceptions of good and evil like secularists do, depending entirely on cultural shifts, as if we were not made in the image and likeness of God. Instead, it is precisely these transcendent qualities of the soul—I mean all the qualities of intellect and will—which enable us to perceive the difference between good and evil, and to act accordingly. Yet there has never been a Modernist theologian who did not seek to change Catholic morality to accommodate the fashionable sins of the dominant secular culture in which he lived. It is not surprising that Pope St. Pius X called Modernism “the synthesis of all heresies”.

Change and renewal

Changing our minds with each cultural shift is a flat denial of our own transcendence. Instead, we are called to live in union with God through the very renewal of our minds. St. Paul wrote extensively on this theme. He urged us not to lose heart, for “though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day” (2 Cor 4:16). In fact, the Holy Spirit may well have been been thinking of many of our contemporary theologians, or even of Fr. Sosa Abascal in particular, when He inspired the Apostle to the Gentiles to warn the Colossians: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col 3:9-10).

The life to which we are called is not a life of worldly culture but a life transformed in Christ. Let us turn to St. Paul a third time:

Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. [Eph 4:17-24]

There is little more that needs to be said. There is no future in allowing ourselves to be misled by the Superior General of the Jesuits into abandoning Christ. Surely it is far better to see the Black Pope, rather than the devil himself, as a shadowy symbol. Our Lord testified repeatedly to Satan’s existence: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” He said, and so “I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy” (Lk 10:18-20). That is what makes this whole discussion so astonishing. For we know that Satan merely wants to be thought a symbol in order to cloak his reality. But it seems utterly impossible that Fr. Sosa Abascal can be real at all.

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

Msgr.Hilary Nanman Dechelem appointed Bishop of Bauchi

BREAKING: Another Major Breakthrough As Msgr Hilary Nanman Dechelem Appointed Bishop Of Bauchi

Holiness, Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio has today, Wednesday 31st May, appointed as bishop of Bauchi diocese, Rev Fr. Hilary Nanman Dechelem C.M.F.

In a Press Release sent to TM News, the Pope had in his confirmation of names sent by different dioceses, named Rev. Fr. Hilary Nanman Dechelem as a new Bishop to head Bauchi State.

According to Secretary General, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ralph Madu, the date for his ordination as Bishop-elect is yet to be announced.

Rev. Fr, Dechelem before his appointment was the parish priest of Church of Immaculate Conception Upper hill, Makurdi.

Born June 3, 1966 in the former Benue Plateau State. He is a native of Moeda--Kwalla from Kwampan Local Government Area of Plateau State. Attended Primary School in L.E.A School Kabala, St Catherine's Makurdi and Central Primary School, Awe, Nassarawa State respectively.

Attended Secondary Education at St Peters College Toto, St John Bosco, Doma and Government Secondary School Obi all in Nassarawa State.

Was admitted by the Claretian Missionaries in 1986 at Nekede Owerri for Postulancy. Had first Religious Profession on 8th September 1988 at Utonkon, Benue State and Final Religious Profession on 13th September1993 at Maryland, Nekede, Owerri.

Ordained priest on July 1, 1995 at Kwa Parish in the Archdiocese of Jos, the Bishop-elect had Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Claretian Institute of Philosophy in 1990 (Affiliate of the Pontifical Urban University, Rome).,

Master's degree in Theology from Spiritan International School of Theology, Attakwu, Enugu 1995 (Affiliate of Duquesne University Pittsburg Pennsylvania, USA), Master’s Degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska, USA 2014, Certificate Course in Spiritual Direction from Creighton University 2014.

Studied Masters in Business Administration/Project Management Technology at Federal University of Technology. Owerri, Imo State 2002. Ongoing (student) Doctorate Degree in Policy Analysis and Public Administration at Federal University of ABUJA.

He worked as a Bursar and part time lecturer from 1995-1999 at the Claratian Institute of Philosophy Nekede. Elected in the Provincial Council as Consultor/Prefect of Economy 1999-2005.

Consultor/Prefect of Spirituality, 2005-2010. Member of the General Economic Council of the Claretian Congregation in Rome (GEC 2003-2006).

Parish Priest Maria Goretti Parish Ikenegbu, Owerri Archdiocese 2005-2010. Parish Priest St John Mary Vianney Parish Kwande, Shendam Diocese, and Vicar for Religious 2010-2017.