By Racheal Ishaya

Mr Mohammed Balarabe, the Deputy Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, said the bank recorded an increase of over N100 billion in the banks savings deposit account in 2017.

Balarabe, who said this at the final draw of Fidelity Banks Get Alert in Millions Promo, in Abuja on Wednesday, said the feat was made possible due to the implementation of financial inclusion strategy adopted by the bank.

He said that through the promo, the banks customer base increased in 2017, leading to the triple digit growth in savings deposits.

Savings is a very important culture that is critical for the economy and the individual.

On a personal level, you should save for a rainy day and also to bring into fruition that business you have always dreamt about.

As a bank, promoting savings culture has also been very profitable for us.

We have grown our savings deposit tremendously. In the past one year, we have grown by over N100 billion and that is a major feat for us, he said.

Balarabe said Fidelity Bank had given out N110 million to 185 customers through its Get Alert in a Million promo, which commenced in Oct., 2017 and ended in May.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an Aba-based entrepreneur, Mr Batholomew Nnalue, won the N10 million star prize of the promo.

Ms Nwasike Chidera and Ms Augustine Nkiru won N3 million each from the bi-monthly draws for the South East and South-South respectively.

Similarly, Ms Imoedemhe Osi and Jennifer Nnanna from South-South and South East won N2 million each.

Nnalue, the Star Prize winner, said he would invest the N10 million in his hide and skin business in Aba.

Meanwhile, Mr Malachi Oahimire of the National Lottery Commission said the commission monitored the selection process and the winners were indeed randomly selected in accordance to lay down rules.

Fidelity Bank has given out over N355 million to its loyal customers since 2007, while many others have won houses, scholarships, electronics and other consolation prices.

The bank in its 2017 audited report filed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), reported a 94 per cent growth in profit for the year ended Dec. 31, 2017.

This followed the banks return to the international capital market and successful issuance of a 400 million dollars Eurobond that was over-subscribed by over 200 per cent.

The banks gross earnings increased by 18.3 per cent from N152 billion to N179.9 billion, and profit after tax grew by 93.7 per cent from N9.7 billion to N18.9 billion.

Source: NAN

Iranian forces in Syria launched a rocket attack on Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights early on Thursday, Israel said, prompting one of the heaviest Israeli barrages against Syria since the conflict there began in 2011.

The attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, just past midnight, marked the first time Iranian forces have hit Israel from Syria, where they have deployed along with Iran-backed Shiite militias and Russian troops to support President Bashar al-Assad in the countrys civil war.

Dozens of Israeli missiles hit a radar station, Syrian air defense positions and an ammunition dump, Syrian state media said, underscoring the risks of a wider escalation involving Iran and its regional allies.

I hope we finished this chapter and everyone got the message, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said at the Herzliya security conference, near Tel Aviv, on Thursday morning.

Israel said 20 Iranian Grad and Fajr rockets were shot down by its Iron Dome air defense system or fell short of the Golan targets. The Quds Force, an external arm of Irans Revolutionary Guards, carried out the launch, Israel said.

It was commanded and ordered by (Quds Force chief General) Qassem Soleimani and it has not achieved its purpose, military spokesman Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus told newsmen.

Israel struck back by destroying dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria, Conricus said, as well as Syrian anti-aircraft units that tried unsuccessfully to shoot down Israeli planes.

We do not know yet the (Iranian) casualty count, he said.

But I can say that in terms of our purpose, we focused less on personnel and more on capabilities and hardware to inflict long-term damage on the Iranian military establishment in Syria. We assess it will take substantial time to replenish.

Israeli schools in the Golan Heights opened as usual on Thursday morning, after sirens had sent residents to shelters during the night.

I do not reside on the border of New Zealand-Australia. We are located here facing Syria and Lebanon and this is the reality which we will overcome together, especially with the Israel Defence Forces, said Alex Gudish, a Golan settler.

The Israelis fear that Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are turning Syria into a new front against them. Israel says its occasional strikes in Syria aim to foil that.

Iran vowed retaliation after a suspected Israeli air strike last month killed seven of its military personnel in a Syrian air base.

Israel regards Iran as its biggest threat, and has repeatedly targeted Iranian forces and allied militia in Syria.

Expectations of a regional flare-up were stoked by U.S. President Donald Trumps announcement on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal.

Hours later, Israeli rocket rockets targeted a military base in Kisweh, a commander in the pro-Syrian government regional alliance said.

That attack killed 15 people, including eight Iranians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, though the commander said there were no casualties. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

The Trump administration cast its hard line against the Iranian nuclear deal as a response, in part, to Tehrans military interventions in the region.

The Golan flare-up with Israel is just further demonstration that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted and another good reminder that the president made the right decision to get out of the Iran deal, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

The tensions worry Russia, which wants to stabilize Syria.

Thursdays flare-up came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a visit to Moscow, where he discussed Syria concerns with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Conricus said Israel forewarned Russia of its strikes on Thursday, which Syrian state media first reported hit Baath City in Quneitra, near the border. Further waves of missiles followed. Syrian state media said Israeli missiles had been brought down over Damascus, Homs and Sueida.

Air defenses confronted tens of Israeli rockets and some of them reached their target and destroyed one of the radar sites, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a military source. Another rocket hit an ammunition warehouse, it said.

Syrian state television broadcast footage of its air defenses firing, and playing patriotic songs. Damascus residents described explosions in the sky from air defense systems.

Lebanons National News Agency reported Israeli jets circling over Lebanese territory early on Thursday before exiting. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

President Donald Trump welcomed three former U.S. prisoners at a military base near Washington on Thursday, thanking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for their release and sounding upbeat on a planned summit between the two sides.

Trump and his wife, Melania, boarded the plane for about five minutes before the men stepped out, shaking hands with the president and waving to waiting media and military personnel.

Frankly we didnt think it was going to happen and it did, Trump said after thanking Kim for releasing the men.

Were starting off on a new footing. This is a wonderful thing that he released the folks early.

Trump said he believed Kim wanted to bring North Korea into the real world and was hopeful of a major breakthrough at their planned meeting.

I think we have a very good chance of doing something very meaningful, Trump said.

My proudest achievement will be this is part of it when we denuclearize that entire peninsula.

Trump and Kim engaged in a bellicose exchange of rhetoric last year over North Koreas development of nuclear missiles capable of reaching the U. S. in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

Tensions began to ease, coinciding with the Norths participation in the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February.

Details of the planned summit have yet to be announced, but one U.S. official said Singapore had emerged as the most likely venue.

Trump said it would be held in a few weeks time.

A White House spokeswoman said the three former prisoners would be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in nearby Maryland for further medical evaluation.

They are Korean-American missionary Kim Dong-chul, detained in 2015 and sentenced in 2016 to 10 years hard labor; Kim Sang-duk, also known as Tony Kim, who spent a month teaching at the foreign-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) before he was arrested in 2017; and Kim Hak-song, who also taught at PUST and was detained last year.

I was treated in many different ways, but overall I had to do much labor and when I became ill I received some treatment, Kim Dong-chul said via a translator.

The three had earlier given their thanks in a statement released by the State Department as their plane stopped over in Alaska.

We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the U. S. for bringing us home, the men said.

We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return. God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world.

North Korean state media said they were arrested either for subversion or hostile acts against the government.

Until now, the only American released by North Korea during Trumps presidency was Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old university student who returned to the United States in a coma last summer after 17 months of captivity and died days later.

The release of the last U.S. detainees in North Korea appeared to signal an effort by Kim to improve the tone for the summit and followed his recent pledge to suspend missile tests and shut a nuclear bomb test site.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Singapore had emerged as the likeliest location for the planned summit after Trump ruled out holding it at the heavily fortified demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

The Nigerian police said they have smashed two gun running and arms dealing ring and a gang of robbers and kidnappers in the Benue-Taraba axis, making 11 arrests.

Among the suspects arrested was one Miracle Emmanuel, a 27 year-old gun dealer from Anambra, based in Takum, Taraba state. With his three-man gang, the police found five Ak-47 rifles, along with other ammunitions.

Police said they recovered in total 10 AK 47 rifles and two Beretta pistols from the 11 suspects paraded today at the Benue police headquarters in Makurdi and claimed the arrests were a major breakthrough in stopping the incessant killing of innocent people in the Middle Belt states of Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa.

In Benue state, Morris Ashwe, 36 years old from Mbajima Village Katsina Ala LGA, was the sole armourer arrested. He was accused of supplying arms to the wanted criminal kingpin, Terwase Akwaza a.k.a Ghana.

According to Jimoh Moshood, Ashwe was found in possession of five AK 47 rifles, 238 AK47 bullets, 40 Smoke Grenade Canisters and 79 LAR Rifle bullets.

The busted gun dealing gang in Taraba state comprised Takum-based Kabiru Idris, 43, Miracle Emmanuel from Anambra state, said to be a principal suspect and gang leader. Also arrested was Husseini Safiyanu, from Taraba.

Police said they found five AK47 Rifles with the Taraba gang, along with 13 AK 47 magazines and 83 bullets.

The Police spokesman also said a seven-man robbery and kidnapping gang was arrested in Benue, along with two Beretta pistols. The gang was on its way to kidnap a prominent person in Makurdi, the state capital.

Members of the gang were identified as Emmanuel Ushehemba Kwembe, 28, Achir Gabriel, 30, all from Ushongo LGA, Sekad Uver, 28, from Koshisha LGA Benue State and Ordure Fada, 22, from Kwande LGA.

Others arrested were Stephen Jirgba 18, from Vande kya LGA, Peter Lorham, 24, from Kinshisha LGA and Lorhemen Akwambe 35, who hails from Guma LGA.

“The renewed strategies adopted by the Nigeria Police Force to stop the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians and curtail the proliferation of firearms across the country, most especially in the North-Central States have been yielding positive results”, the police spokesman said.

“The IGP Intelligence Response Team and the Police Special Forces mandated by the IGP to work with Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba State Commands, in the last two weeks arrested the 11 suspects mentioned above within Benue and Taraba States and recovered from them were Ten (10) AK47 Rifles and other assorted firearms and ammunition.

” In the first two cases, the suspects confessed to have been responsible for supply of AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to armed bandits, militias, and criminal herdsmen/farmers in Benue and Taraba States.

” The first suspect, Morris Ashwe confessed and admitted to have been supplying firearms and ammunition to the notorious and most wanted vicious and notorious gang leader of militia, murderers and kidnappers Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana.

Akwaza was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force last year March over the killings of many innocent persons at Zaki Biam and the wanton destruction of properties worth Millions of Naira.

He is also wanted for other violent crimes such as the killing of Mr. Deneen Igbana, the Special Adviser on Security to the Governor of Benue State.

The police said the Kabiru Idris gang confessed to have been supplying AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to militia groups, armed bandits and other criminals in Taraba and Benue States, who they admitted have been attacking and killing innocent people in villages in Taraba and Benue States.

As for the kidnappers, whose mission was aborted, the police said their arrest was made possible from intelligence gathered by the IGP Intelligence Response Team.

The police said the gangsters have admitted to have been responsible for several kidnappings in Benue, Taraba and Some part of Nasarawa State in the recent past.

“Investigation is being strengthened to arrest other suspects at large. All suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.

” The deployment of additional 15 Police mobile Force units to augment the strength of the Benue State Police Command has beefed-up security in the State and help in sustaining the peace that have been restored to the state”, Moshood said.

Source: NAN

Leaders of North Americas bid for the 2026 World Cup urged FIFA voters to ignore the politics of the moment on Tuesday as they promised to deliver a record-breaking $11 billion profit for the global football showpiece.

In an address to the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in Brussels, United States Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro said the 48-team tournament would hand world governing body FIFA a record $11 billion (9.25 billion euros) profit.

I can announce today that, working with FIFA, we expect that a 2026 World Cup in North America would generate a new record: more than $14 billion in revenue for FIFA, said Cordeiro, one of the three co-chairs of the bid.

This includes profits for FIFA of nearly $11 billion. In other words, the most successful and profitable FIFA World Cup ever, Cordeiro added in prepared remarks to AIPS delegates.

The US-Canada-Mexico joint bid is battling against a rival bid from Morocco for the right to stage the 2026 tournament. FIFA members will decide the winner of the bidding race at a vote in Moscow on June 13.

Long seen as the clear front-runner for 2026, the North American bid is facing an increasingly stiff challenge from Morocco, which is bidding to become only the second African nation to host the World Cup.

Cordeiros remarks on Tuesday sought to underscore the commercial appeal of staging a World Cup in North America at a time when FIFA President Gianni Infantino is keen to boost revenue for world footballs ruling body.

A source told AFP earlier this month that FIFA has spent $600 million of its financial reserves in the past three years.

Infantino, who is said to favour the North American bid, also hopes to oversee the creation of a money-spinning FIFA Club World Cup.

North American bid leaders meanwhile provided a detailed breakdown of forecast revenues, predicting record ticket sales of $5.8 million and record gate money of $2.5 billion. Commercial hospitality would also generate another $1-1.5 billion, Cordeiro said.

Cordeiro also projected a sponsorship bonanza, with Fortune 500 companies eager to sign on for the World Cup, leading to another $3.6 billion.

Although Moroccos bid has emphasised that its time zones make it attractive for European television schedules, Cordeiro said media revenues from a North American World Cup would top $5 billion for the first time.

Above and beyond that, the television rights from our United Bid and our bid alone would deliver a $300 million guaranteed bonus payment to FIFA and global football, he added.

Meanwhile, Cordeiro made a veiled reference to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who last month appeared to warn unnamed countries not to lobby against the North American bid.

It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid, Trump wrote on Twitter. Why should we be supporting these countries when they dont support us (including at the United Nations)?

Trumps intervention, which followed disparaging remarks made by the US leader towards some countries in the Caribbean and Africa earlier this year, were viewed as potentially damaging for North American bid chiefs as they attempt to woo FIFA voters from more than 200 countries.

However Cordeiro on Tuesday said he hoped FIFA members would set aside politics when they go to vote next month.

Let me acknowledge upfront that, as with many international bids over the years, the question of who will host in 2026 has at times become mixed with geopolitics, Cordeiro said.

We are asking that we be judged, not on the politics of the moment, but on the merits of our bid.

Source: NAN

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is sitting up and talking to his family following emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage, media reports said Tuesday.

Widely considered to be the most successful manager in the history of British football, Ferguson, 76, won 38 trophies in more than 26 years in charge of United, including 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice.

Britains Mail Online said the Scot, who retired in 2013, was out of a coma and showing promising early signs of recovery following the haemorrhage on Saturday.

Surgery went very well and the 76-year-olds response to treatment has given encouragement and cautious optimism to those close to him, the report said.

However, they recognise it will still be a slow road to full recovery as he continues to be assessed.

The prognosis is good and his closest friends in football are being kept abreast of any developments, a source told The Sun newspaper.

United midfielder Michael Carrick, who played under Ferguson, has spoken of the respect in which his former boss is held.

The whole football world is incredible but outside of that as well, from all corners of the globe and different walks of life, people have shown their support, he told MUTV.

Thats the effect he had on people. It was the effect he had on everyone. He means a lot to me, as he does to this club.

We were all praying for him and thinking of him, Cathy and the family, said Carrick. Its a tough time for everyone but Im thinking positive and hoping he will pull through.

United have thanked the many well-wishers, including Premier League managers Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, who have spoke of their admiration for Ferguson.

Wenger enjoyed a long, and at times fractious rivalry with Ferguson as they battled for Premier League supremacy in the first decade of the Frenchmans long reign in charge of Arsenal.

However, they later became friends and with Wenger leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, Ferguson presented his old adversary with a memento on his final visit to Uniteds Old Trafford ground just last weekend.

I was with him on the pitch last week. I went to see him in the box after the game and he looked in perfect shape, said Wenger, after his final home game as Arsenal boss on Sunday.

He told me he is doing a lot of exercise, and he looked very happy but that kind of accident can happen. We wish him all well and to recover very quickly. He is a strong man and an optimistic man.

Source: NAN

West Brom were relegated from the Premier League on Tuesday following Southamptons 1-0 win over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, joining Stoke in the Championship next season.

Darren Moores side needed a draw between the Saints and Swans in south Wales to take West Broms fight to avoid relegation into the final day of the season on Sunday.

After more than 70 minutes of frenetic action, substitute Manolo Gabbiadini provided the decisive moment for Southampton when he reacted quickest to Charlie Austins parried shot in a crowded goalmouth.

Gabbiadini had only been on the pitch for four minutes and it was only his fifth goal of a difficult season for the Italian.

The result means Southampton move up to 16th in the table, three points clear of 18th-place Swansea, who are favourites to be the third side to be relegated.

Southamptons win confirmed West Broms return to the Championship after eight seasons in the top flight, with an eighth-place finish the best the Baggies managed during the 2012/13 season with Steve Clarke in charge.

West Broms season started well, with six points taken from a possible six after successive 1-0 wins at home to Bournemouth and away to Burnley.

However, after picking up just four points from a possible 30, Tony Pulis was sacked two days after losing 4-0 at home to Chelsea and was replaced by Gary Megson, who temporarily took charge of two games.

Alan Pardew was named permanent manager but his arrival failed to deliver the improvement needed to guide the side away from relegation.

Pardew, who led the Baggies to an FA Cup fourth-round victory at Liverpool, only had a 2-0 home win against Brighton to show for his efforts in the Premier League.

Problems off the pitch added to the disappointment on it when a mid-season trip to Barcelona made the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Four senior players, including captain Jonny Evans and England midfielder Jake Livermore, were forced to apologise after a taxi was stolen from outside a fast-food restaurant.

On April 2, Pardews time was up and he was replaced by Moore until the end of the season, becoming West Broms fourth manager of the campaign.

Since Moores appointment, West Brom have taken 11 points from a possible 15 to keep alive the hope of a great escape.

Source: NAN

Atletico Madrid chief Miguel Angel Gil Marin attacked Barcelona on Tuesday over their pursuit of highly-prized striker Antoine Griezmann, saying he was fed up with the Catalan clubs attitude.

Marin issued his strongly worded rebuke hours after a Spanish radio station reported that Barcelona were poised to pay the French internationals 100 million-euro release clause.

The Atletico CEO said the clubs stance was very clear.

Not once have we negotiated for Griezmann nor do we have any intention to do so, he said in a statement issued on the teams official website.

A few months ago, I personally expressed to Barcelonas president that our player isnt for sale nor are we going to sell him, he continued.

At the same time, I let him know that his inappropriate conduct was against the integrity of the competition

The uncertainty over Griezmanns future could not have come at a worse time for Atletico as they prepare for next weeks Europa League final against Marseille.

Marin added: Were fed up with Barcelonas attitude.

That a president, player and a board member speak the way theyve done about the future of a player with an existing contract and just a few days before disputing a European final, is an absolute lack of respect towards Atletico.

He said Atletico would be demanding compensation from Barcelnoa should the player exercised his right to nullify his contract due to their pressure throughout the season.

He finished off by declaring enough is enough. I hope this statement serves its purpose and that us Atletico fans can enjoy this moment and prepare ourselves for a final like we should.

Marins plea followed a report by Cadena Cope radio station that Barcelona have told Atletico Madrid they are going to pay Antonie Griezmanns get out clause. And Atletico know the player will be leaving at the end of the season.

That came after Atletico president Enrique Cerezo refused to clarify Griezmanns future after domestic media suggested Cerezo had met the player for dinner in a bid to persuade the Frenchman to stay at Atletico, with the promise of a bumper new contract.

Cerezo has denied meeting Griezmann for talks but the Atletico president was also not definitive on the 27-year-olds future.

I can tell you one thing: Antoine Griezmann is an Atletico Madrid player as of today, Cerezo said.

I cannot tell you anything else because I do not know anything else.

Barca were forced in January to deny publicly they had agreed a deal to sign Griezmann, who has indicated he wants his future resolved before the start of the World Cup.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde on Tuesday described Griezmann as a great player.

But we have to be very cautious about saying anything about a player that is not ours and making sure we respect our rivals, he added.

Source: NAN

By Ayinde Abdulsaheed Olaide

Some members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi state have called for the cancellation of the party ward congress held in the state on May 5, describing the exercise as fraudulent.

Addressing newsmen in Bauchi on Tuesday through their spokesperson, Alhaji Shehu Ningi, the members, under the platform of APC Supporters Network, said the exercise was not only fraudulent, but also a scandal that ought to attract the attention of ICPC.

We find the declaration of the ward congress in the state a success as objectionable and condemnable.

Members of APC and members of the general public in Bauchi are living witnesses to the fact that no Ward Congress took place at all throughout the state, they insisted.

They alleged that no electoral officer or member of the election committee was seen at almost all the venues for the congress.

According to them, voters waited from morning till evening on the day of the congress without seeing anybody to conduct the election.

In view of the fraud, we are therefore calling for the cancellation of the Ward Congress purported to have been carried out on Saturday 5th May 2018.

We are also calling for a repeat of the Ward Congress, to be conducted by a different state election committee.

Failure to listen to us will definitely jeopardize the hitherto brilliant chances of the party at the polls, come 2019 general elections, they said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the chairman of the congress committee, Mr Tony Macfoy, had earlier told newsmen that the congress was conducted peacefully and successfully.

All the grievances within the party stakeholders were amicably resolved before the conduct of the congress, he had said.

Source: NAN

The rescheduled governorship primary of the Ekiti All Progressives Congress (APC) will now hold on Friday, 11 May.

The party announced the new date today following an emergency meeting of its leadership, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary said.

The primaries held last Saturday was disrupted after dozens of aspirants allege rigging by former governor Kayode Fayemi.

It was not clear if the party had resolved the issues raised by many of the 33 contestants, who accused the Governor Tanko Al-Makura committee of attempting to rig the election in Fayemis favour.

The contestants, who also passed a vote of no-confidence on the committee and asked that the election be held afresh and votes already cast by delegates from five local councils be cancelled.

The ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party is holding its primary today to pick its torch bearer, for the election that will take place in July.

Source: NAN