Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde says she owes who she is today to her younger self.

She disclosed this in an Instagram post titled #Lettertoayoungerme.

Referring to her younger self as her woman crush Wednesday (WCW), Jalade-Ekeinde said she had delayed the “self-acknowledgement” because “I thought it was narcissistic”.

According to her, she was young, confused sweet, but was not reckless, available and never wandered.

She also said whenever she is weak, she looks back and draws strength from the young girl she was.

“My #Wcw . Never did this cause I thought it was narcissistic but today I will. It’s Okay,” Jalade-Ekeinde said.

“This lady right here … It’s crazy how you sometimes look back and see things differently isn’t it? You sometimes wish someone showed you then clearly what you now see today.

“Dear lady in this picture, I don’t know how you did it, but thanks. Thanks for laying a good foundation that I enjoy today. Thanks for being so strong, so resilient, so focused.

“You were young but not reckless, sweet but not available, sometimes confused but never wandered. You had your own battles but fought them with grace… and won.

“Even today, when I feel weak, I look at you and draw strength from you… it’s crazy! Thank you.”

(TheCable)

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it will release the results of the 2018 West Africa senior school certificate examination (WASSCE) in 45 days.

Damianus Ojijeogu, the council’s head of public affairs, made this known in an interview with NAN on Saturday in Lagos.

The council, he said, was satisfied with the conduct of the just concluded examination for school candidates nationwide.

NAN reports that the WASSCE for school candidates commenced on March 27 and was concluded on May 15.

“We are indeed happy that the examination was conducted in a hitch-free manner. Right now, we have commenced coordination, briefing and subsequently, marking,” he said.

“We are looking at releasing the results in 45 days or earlier than that time.

“It has been the commitment of the council to always give quality service delivery in line with the head of the national office, Olu Adenipekun’s promise to reduce the waiting days from 90 days to 45 days.”

Ojijeogu said technology had been deployed to some marking venues to assist in scanning the scripts.

He said that this would facilitate the marking of the scripts and impact positively in the early release of the results.

The council had also said it would deploy technology that would help detect malpractice in its objective questions.

(The Cable)

The presidency has released the list of dignitaries expected at the post-humous investiture of MKO Abiola as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).

Abiola was the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election but the military government of Ibrahim Babangida annulled the results of the election annulled before they were announced officially.

Earlier in the week President Muhammadu Buhari announced that Abiola, Baba Gana Kingibe, his running mate, and Gani Fawehinmi, late human rights lawyer, would be conferred with national honours.

In a statement issued by Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, family members of Abiola, Kingibe, Fawehinmi were invited to the investiture scheduled for Tuesday.

Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate; Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, and major stakeholders in the struggle for the revalidation of the annulled result were also invited.

Also invited were officials elected on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — the platform Abiola contested the election on — at the state and national levels as well as members of the party’s national executive council at the time the election was annulled.

Former Senate Presidents – Iyorchia Ayu and Ameh Ebute; and Agunwa Anekwe, former speaker of the house of representatives, along with principal officers of the national assembly and speakers of state houses of assembly elected under SDP platform, are also expected at the event.

Others are Senate President Bukola Saraki; Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives; other principal officers of the national assembly; all chairmen of the states traditional councils from the six south-western states

The statement listed others invited to include Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Bisi Akande, former national chairman of the APC.

Other dignitaries are Ayo Obe, Bayo Onanuga, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria; Kunle Ajibade of The News; Nosa Igiebor of Tell, Kayode Komolafe (Media Hope 93), Janathan Zwingina (DG Hope 93), Frank Ovie Kokori and Humphrey Nwosu, chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) which conducted the election.

(The Cable NG)

The federal government has described the allegations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the “concoction of a mind worried by guilt”.

Obasanjo had earlier raised the alarm that the Muhammadu Buhari government was planning to arrest and frame him up.

But in a statement issued on Friday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said it is not in the character of the government or the president to do such.

The minister said only those who have skeletons in their cupboards should be afraid.

“This administration will never engage in a frame-up of innocent citizens,” the statement read.

“That is neither in the character of President Muhammadu Buhari nor in that of his administration. Only the guilty should be worried. To paraphrase an African proverb, a man who has no wife cannot lose an inlaw to the cold hands of death.

“The administration is also strongly committed to the tenets of democracy, including freedom of speech and the right to dissent. But we understand that those who, in their time, were untethered to those principles would find it hard to believe.”

Mohammed said the government would not be distracted by frivolous allegations “from any quarter.”

“Apparently, the impact of this proclamation was too much to bear by those who, through acts of omission or commission, helped to deepen the wounds inflicted by the blow of injustice that followed an election that was widely acclaimed to be free, fair and credible, hence they felt the need for a red herring that will distract the nation,” he said.

“Added to that is the frustration brought about by the fact that the contraption they have so much hyped as a freeway to power has failed to gain traction. Faced with this double tragedy, even the strongest of men may begin to succumb to a figment of their imagination. They may start crying wolf where there is none.”

(The Cable NG)

Crew members of Air Peace have foiled an attempt by two women (names withheld) to traffic a three-month-old baby boy on the airline’s Lagos-Banjul flight.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said this in a statement issued on Friday.

Mr Iwarah said that the incident occurred on Monday.

“On Air Peace Lagos-Banjul flight P47560 on June 4, our vigilant and experienced crew observed a baby crying inconsolably.

“The crew members, therefore, approached the supposed mother to breastfeed the crying baby. She declined, giving a flimsy excuse for her decision.

“The alleged mother of the baby eventually asked our crew for water to give to the baby when he would not stop crying.

“Our crew members, however, observed that the alleged mother of the baby was struggling to give the baby the water.

“At that point, the crew offered to assist and took the baby from the supposed mother but when attempt was made to return him, the baby expressed fright and unwillingness.

“Given the situation, our crew summoned the alleged mother to the aft of the aircraft for questioning on her relationship with the baby.

“She claimed the baby boy was a product of a surrogacy arrangement and was being taken from Nigeria to Banjul in The Gambia.

“Unconvinced, the crew informed our ground staff in Banjul of the development.

“When the flight eventually landed in Banjul, the two women travelling together with the baby were separately questioned and contradictions were observed in their different accounts,’’ he said.

Mr Iwarah said the crew had no choice than to report the case to security operatives at the Banjul International Airport, who took in the alleged mother of the baby for questioning to establish the true identity of the baby she claimed was hers.

He said the matter was still being investigated by relevant security agencies in Nigeria and The Gambia.

Mr Iwarah said the airline would cooperate with the relevant security agencies to unravel the true identity of the baby, and assured that its vigilant crew would continue to ensure the safety of its guests.

(Premium Times NG)

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused the Buhari administration of plotting to slam false charges on him, to pave the way for his indefinite detention.

The former leader said the government was planning to use fake documents and witnesses against him.

Mr Obasanjo said this in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Friday.

The claim is the latest twist after weeks of bitter exchanges between the two leaders, who fell apart after Mr Obasanjo accused Mr Buhari or ineptitude and corruption, and advised him not to seek reelection.

Mr Buhari responded recently by accusing his predecessor of frittering away $16 billion on phoney electricity projects. Mr Obasanjo hit back at the “ignorant” claim.

Speaking via his aide on Friday, the former president said plans to silence him were in two fold, among which is a plot to cause the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen investigation into the activities of his administration.

He said the Buhari administration had also perfected a plan to use fake documents and witnesses against him. He said this will be a re-enactment of the Abacha era in which he (Obasanjo) was detained on trumped up charges.

The presidency could not be immediately reached for comments.

The former president said he had been told that his name was on the government’s “watch list”, and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed.

He however said no amount of campaign of calumny, no matter how well contrived, orchestrated or marketed would deter him from speaking out.

“Since Chief Olusegun Obasanjo declared in his State-of-the-Nation Special Statement on January 23, 2018, the desperation to frustrate, intimidate and blackmail him into abandoning his divine mandate to protect the rights of the people to better life and living continued unabated and has even taken a bizarre dimension,” the statement said.

The statement said the first option to silence him was to seize his international passport and clamp him into detention indefinitely, in order to prevent him from further expressing angst on the “pervasive mediocrity in the quality of governance, economic management and in the protection of lives and property by the Government”.

Part of statement is below:

‘Impeccable security sources have alleged Chief Obasanjo’s name is on their Watch List and that the security of his life cannot be guaranteed. According to these informants, many of who are in the top echelon of the Nation’s security management and close to the corridors of power, the operatives are daily perfecting how to curtail the personal liberties of the former President and hang a crime on him’.

‘Ordinarily, we would not have dignified these reports with a response but for the fact that many of these informants are not known for flippant and frivolous talks. Secondly, this Government has demonstrably exhibited apathy, and in some cases, encouraged by its conduct, daily loss of lives and property in many States of the country, the office cannot be indifferent.

“We are currently in a nation where the Number Three citizen is currently being harangued and the Number Four citizen is facing similar threat within the same Government they serve. There is a groundswell of our nationals that live in fear that they could be hounded, harassed, maimed or even killed as the battle for 2019 takes this worrisome dimension.

“For Chief Obasanjo, this is a joke carried too far and being someone who do not act on unofficial information, he had cautioned all informants and adopted a wait-and-see attitude to the bestial propositions allegedly being contemplated to cow, cage and embarrass him.

“The content of the alleged beastly designs, it was learnt are two-fold for now. One, to seize his International Passport and clamp him into detention indefinitely, in order to prevent him from further expressing angst on the pervasive mediocrity in the quality of governance, economic management and in the protection of lives and property by the Government.

“But, since that could expose the Government to a swath of international condemnation, embarrassment and outrage, it is said that another plot being hatched is to cause the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to re-open investigation into the activities of Chief Obasanjo’s administration using false witnesses and documents. This will be a re-enactment of the Abacha era in which Chief Obasanjo was one of the principal victims’.

‘The same EFCC that had conducted a clinical investigation on the activities of Obasanjo in and out of Government, it was said, would now be made to stand down the existing report that gave Chief Obasanjo a clean bill of health on the probes are now to get him indicted, fair or foul for possible prosecution and persecution like it is being done to real and perceived opponents, enemies and critics of this Government’.

‘Dissent is a fundamental principle on which liberal democracy is predicated. A true democrat must be ready to live with and accommodate dissent and opposition. While it is regrettable how the Government has sunk in its shameless desperation to cow opposition, a resort to blackmail, despotism and Gestapo-tactics being employed by the goons of this Government would not hold water. And no government ever remains in power forever.

‘For the record, Chief Obasanjo reiterates his readiness to face probe again after that of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the ICPC, and the EFCC, but before an independent, objective and credible panel of enquiry to account for his stewardship in Government and beyond’.

‘Chief Obasanjo reiterates that he has taken a principled position to ensure that the ship of the Nigerian State does not capsize and he remains steadfast in his resolve to turn the tide of maladministration, poor economic management and rudderless governance model that has tore Nigerians apart on account of religion and ethnicity which is a great threat to our democracy’.

‘We would like the Government and its supporters to understand that no amount of campaign of calumny, no matter how well contrived, orchestrated or marketed would deter Chief Obasanjo from calling a spade by its name. Chief Obasanjo is a patriot whose sole agenda is to ensure that the country’s unity, progress and democracy are not negotiated on the altar of incompetence and provincialism and mediocrity.

‘It is important to point out that Chief Obasanjo is one former President and Head of State who has engaged the current administration privately and in a bilateral manner on several issues of direct interest to the government and other matters of national concern. That channel of private engagement remains open and continues. However, should there be the need for public engagement, the right to free speech will always be exercised and jealously guarded, again in the best interest of Nigeria and the government.”

Source: Premium Times NG

President Donald Trump has extended his condolences to Anthony Bourdains family and remembers him as quite a character.

I think it is sad, i want to extend to his family, my heartfelt condolences, it was very shocking when i woke up this morning to hear that Anthony Bourdain is dead.

I enjoy his show, he was just a character, he said.

US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, host of CNNs food-and-travel-focusedtelevision series, died at the age of 61.

The cause of death was suicide, the network said in a statement.

He was found dead in a hotel room in Strasbourg, France, where he had been working on an upcoming episode of his program, the network said.

Bourdains death was the second suicide this week of a high-profile American figure

source:

Source: NAN

A 58-year-old landlady, Mariam Abdullahi, was on Friday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates Court for allegedly burgling her tenants apartment to steal valuables and cash totaling N139,000 .

The accused is facing a two-count charge of burglary and stealing before Magistrate F.F. George.

Abdullahi, who resides at Iyana-Iyesi, Ogun, however, pleaded not guilty, and was admitted to a bail of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum.

George said that the sureties should be gainfully employed, and also show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Godwin Awase, told the court that the accused committed the offences on March 10 at Capitol Road, Agege in Lagos State.

He said that the accused broke into the one-room apartment already rented out to one Miss Blessing Nwakibu, to steal her valuables and cash totaling N139, 000.

When Abdullahi rented out the apartment to Nwakibu, the accused gave the complainant a pair of the key to the room.

The Accused retained the duplicate, claiming some of her belongings were still in the room.

When the complainant entered the room few days after packing in, she discovered that the accused had already packed her remaining belongings.

She also discovered that her own property had been stolen.

The accused stole six pieces of wrappers, five pairs of shoes, three pairs of sandals, three pairs of slippers, all valued at N132,000, and a N7,000-cash, all totaling N139,000.

The case was reported at the police station which led to the arrest of the accused, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 287 and 307 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Section 287 attracts three years jail term for stealing, while Section 307 prescribes seven years for burglary.

The case was adjourned until June 26 for mention.

Source: NAN

By Joan Nwagwu

The National Assembly will fast track the passage of the new national minimum wage bill, once the executive bill is sent to it.

Sen. Mao Ohuanbuwa, Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ohuanbuwa said that the Senate President had already given the assurance that the bill would be given express hearing and passage by the legislature.

He said: w are going to fast track the bill for accelerated passage and that is what the Senate President had said.

It is unfortunate that both the ministry and the executive have been going back and forth. We thought that by now, that would have been resolved.

So we are looking forward to that bill because it is going to come out as an executive bill.

We are looking forward to rounding off or concluding that bill before we go on our annual break.

But the way it is, it looks like we are going to wait. You know there is little or nothing we can do because it is an executive responsibility.

They are the ones who will make the payment. Ours is that we have to support and agree that there is very urgent need to review the minimum wage.

He said the need to review the minimum wage is sacrosanct.

But we cannot go ahead as a parliament to legislate on that without the executive coming up with a bill. We are waiting for them to do that.

We will allow the executive and the labour leaders to resolve their differences. What we had promised and we still stand on is that once that bill comes to us, we are going to give it accelerated hearing.

He called on the Federal Government and the organised labour to resolve their differences on the issue of the new national minimum, in the interest of Nigerian workers.

Ohuanbuwa said that states should be allowed to negotiate with labour on what they would be able to pay.

On whether the National Assembly allow labour matters to remain on the exclusive legislative or concurrent list.

He said that But personally and since I am one of the advocate of devolution, I still believe that the issue of labour should go into concurrent list.

He said that Because there are states which can decide to negotiate with labour and pay within their limits. You cannot compare somebody working in Abuja with somebody working in Zamfara.

They can look at the rate of transport, accommodation, feeding and all that. They are not the same and you cannot compare Abuja level to Zamfara or Bayelsa.

So you should allow the states some liberty to negotiate and decide and have their own pay. The only thing the Federal Government can do is decide what the minimum wage would be.

As some states can pay, some cannot pay and you can see the level of wage debt across the country. Most states cannot pay.

So, we can allow some freedom. It is just like in the oil companies. They dont pay the same rates; construction companies dont pay the same rate.

Even in Nigeria, if you are working in the ministry, you do not earn the same pay with a person working in Central Bank or in NNPC, he explained.

Also speaking to newsmen, Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said that the September date for the minimum wage was just a target date.

Ngige said that the minimum wage might not be feasible in September due to the processes and procedures involved.

He explained that the tripartite committees the report would pass through the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic Council, before an executive bill is sent to the National Assembly for passage.

NLC and TUC had, on May 1, jointly proposed N56,000 as new national minimum wage, since the existing wage was due for review on the basis of the extant Labour law.

But the Federal Government had also resolved to set up a joint government, labour committee to begin negotiation.

Source: NAN

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Friday said President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrated uncommon courage by declaring June 12 as Democracy Day.

The minister said this while speaking with newsmen after a condolence visit to the office of Punch Newspapers over the death of its Chairman, Mr Gbadebowale Aboderin.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports that the minister was accompanied on the visit by senior officials of government media organisations.

The minister added that the president has shown that he is a democrat and a listening leader with the declaration to immortalise late MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12,1993 election.

He also said Buhari has strengthened his human rights credentials by conferring the GCON award on late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN).

President Buhari has actually demonstrated uncommon courage and shown that he is a listening president by the decision to make June 12 Democracy Day as against May 29.

Simply put, the president has immortalised MKO Abiola and that is no mean feat. All lovers of democracy must stand with the president on the decision.

By hearkening to the yearnings of Nigerians, President Buhari has shown he is indeed a consummate democrat.

With the decision, he has shown he is a better democrat and more courageous leader than those who, despite the significance of June 12, opted to celebrate May 29 for many years, he said.

The minister faulted the claims by critics, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that the president was playing politics with the declaration.

The minister questioned the moral authority of the PDP to make the claim as they refused to honour Abiola throughout their 16 years in power.

Mohammed said successive presidents merely danced on Abiolas grave for 16 years as they bluntly refused to listen to the voices of Nigerians.

He said the PDP did not recognise the date because members of the party lacked the sincerity and courage to do so.

The minister reiterated that President Buhari never made the declaration out of expediency, but because that was the right thing to do.

We are fortified and glad that both the families of Abiola and Fawehinmi have lauded the president for the declaration, he added.

Mohammed also described the death of the late Punch Chairman as a painful loss, adding that Aboderins demise was shocking.

The minister described Aboderin as an enterprising young man who did a lot to lift the media industry as well as impact on many with his philanthropic activities.

He said the Federal Government shared in the loss of Punch Newspapers.

It is quite sad when the life of a young man like Aboderin is cut short.

He was a wonderful person, a dynamic and enterprising young man who did a lot to take Punch to a new level both as a business and as a newspaper, he said.

Mohammed disclosed that President Buhari was personally touched by Aboderins demise, hence his condolence statement.

Reacting, the Managing Director of Punch Newspapers, Mr Ademola Osinubi, thanked the minister for the visit.

He said the newspaper was grateful as the minister made the visit out of his tight schedule.

The managing director also thanked the president for his condolences, saying the organisation was moved by his concern.

NAN reports that Mr Austeen Elewodalu, a Director of News at Voice of Nigeria; Mr Ibrahim Mamanga, the Head of Lagos operations for NAN; Mr Pius Ojeh, Deputy Director Marketing, Nigeria Television Authority were in the ministers delegation.

Also in the delegation was Adeyinka Amosun, Executive Director of Lagos operations for Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

Source: NAN