Our eyes are rolling all the way to the back at Wizkid’s comment on Davido’s RCA deal

Even as both artists continue to soar on global frontiers Wizkid and Davido’s implied rivalry remains a statement of fact and machinations of their own cult followings. The only problem is, despite multiple claims of beef by media outlets over the years, there has neither been a public confrontation or affirmation of bad blood by either Davido or Wizkid.

Nonetheless, blog headlines must run and this time around, Wizkid will perhaps be fueling a new round of speculation of beef thanks to a recent interview with DJ Abrantee‘s Afrobeats Show on UK radio station, Capital Xtra. During a round of questions about his new deal with Sony via RCA, Davido’s name came up during the discussion and in response Wizkid quipped “He’s signed to RCA? I didn’t know that”.

Davido who originally signed to RCA’s parent label, Sony earlier last year, was also unveiled to have pitched his tent at RCA towards the end of the year. While it is possible that Wiz is just genuinely oblivious of things happening outside of his world, it seems unlikely someone at RCA would have failed to mention the Starboy that another Nigerian was signed to the same label. More or less a Davido who isn’t the shyest about sharing all the details of his career progress on social media.

I won’t be the one to call the subtle shade here, but it is worthwhile to note that the contents of Davido’s original contract with Sony was reportedly problematic, hence why he had to re-negotiate a contract with Sony’s RCA imprint. Is Wizkid hinting that Davido has once again found himself in a conundrum with RCA or is he really deep in the music and disconnected from everything else?

Well, I guess we will never know until social media finds interesting ways to interpret this video below of what clearly looks like a god-level shade.

You Represent God: Ooni of Ife Offers Pastor Adeboye the Highest Seat in His Palace

The General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God , Pastor Enoch Adeboye while on a courtesy visit to the palace last week was offered the seat by the Ooni of Ife himself which is against the tradition.

According to the Ooni, there is none greater than God.

Despite the protest and refusal of Pastor Adeboye, Oba Ogunwusi insisted, pointing out that Pastor Adeboye was representing God in his palace, hence deserved the greatest seat!!!

The great Monarch then took the lower seat.

New Music: Kranium feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Wizkid – Can’t Believe

Jamaican dancehall act, Kemar Donaldson aka Kranium comes bubbling with this star studded jam of life titled “Can’t Believe“ featuring American star, Ty Dolla $ign and Nigerian starboy, Wizkid.

This isn’t the first the trio have connected for a collaboration. Previously they worked with Major Lazer for “Boom”.

Joke

The biggest example of corruption is a wedding ceremony where people will spray you and your spouse only 200 naira and still eat rice and chicken and drink which sums up to over N1500...😒😒😒
The worse is they will wrap broom and packer, plastic hand fan or even comb for you as a Gift 😑😑.
So I've decided on my wedding day when my baby and I will be dancing, people won't spray us directly... In a single file,like offering time in church,they will put the money on a tray for all eyes to see and at that point, you'll receive your food as follows:

NO MONEY: Pure water and toothpick😠😠
N200:White Rice without meat + pure water.😀😀
N500: White Rice + head of fish + coke😁😁
N1000: Jollof Rice + Meat + a Malt😊😊
N2000-N9,000: Fried Rice + salad + chicken + chivita and bottle water 😉😉
N10000 and Above: Please Serve Yourself...👏👏✌👍
😂😂😂😂😂
No cheating!.... This is recession period.☺☺☺

Joke

You watch American movie and see lady angry,slaps her man and the man tries to kiss her to cool her down. Because of that, you are also going to slap your Nigerian boyfriend who has not eaten since last night.
~My sister, if you want to keep your teeth intact, don't try it.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Joke

Please, if you have a friend with Bad Body odour biko encourage them to have regular baths, use deodorant and change dirty underwear.

It may be difficult to tell them buh it's the best thing to do for a friend.

A guy just walked into the banking hall now and this guy smells like last two weeks..
if he doesn't leave soon, I may leave.... for health reasons.
I've not seen a living human smell so bad...hmmmmm.
I swear am serious about this
😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

Joke

New way to propose to a lady and she wouldn't turn you down

Just take her to an ocean, board a boat wit her, in the middle of the ocean you will be like "marry me or leave my boat now"

😁😁😁😁

Joke

U don't know Pain, Until you'are carrying a Big Rubber of Water, on ur Head and at the same time holding a Jerican of Water..
Then the devil decides to loose your Wrapper, While u are ryt in front of those Guys u normally do shakara for😟😟😟😟😟✌😩😩😩eye go turn ur papa😂😂😐😐😐

Joke

I don create ma own website nu

Foodrising.com  Register with I stockfish and get matched with 4 people who will donate soup to u in 3 hrs😂😂..

Refer someone and get free Periwinkle.😂😂😂😂

Joke

You go enter BBM and IG and would be claiming "Boss_Lady, Miss_Independent and Dopest_Bae"

Yet ur mum still laps u on a bus
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Joke

*Marrying a female Jehovah witness member won't cost u much*.....
*Just buy one long sleeve shirt👔 and trouser👖for her father*.
*Then tie and bag for her brothers.😒😒😒 When I said bag i mean....briefcase💼*. ..😂😂....
     *Then if u want to kill it all just add one umbrella🌂 to it*....😂😂😂😂😂😂

Pls dont insult me, am not feeling fine 😄😄😄😄😄

Police arrest herdsman for raping woman on her farm

Abubakari Aliu, 32, who allegedly chased a married woman working in her farm with a machete, overpowered and forcibly had sex with her has ben arrested by the police at Agogo.

He reportedly fled after committing the alleged crime and left the 19-year-old victim to her fate in the bush.

The incident happened in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

According to MyJoyOnline, many who had been raped by herdsmen didn’t report their ordeal for fear of being stigmatised.

A member of the Assembly, Mr. Peter Abaje, believes the people of Agogo have been vindicated of rape claims.

He said, “Previously when we report a case of rape we were not taken seriously. People keep saying we should bring evidence, which has now has been confirmed. It means it is true; they [herdsmen] have been raping them [women].

“But most of the time some of them are always afraid to come out boldly to say they were raped by herdsmen especially those who are married.”

Abaje said the latest victim was, however, one of the few to have the courage to report to the police after first informing him.

She had arrived in the area from the Northern region less than a month ago when she suffered the abuse.

She reportedly was on her farm with her sister-in-law doing some planting when the herdsman who was wearing a mask attacked them.

The sister-in-law who managed to escape raised the alarm in the Nsonyameye Community, but it was too late when the villagers arrived the scene, as the herdsman had already escaped.

“She was crying the whole of the day. It is very difficult for her because she got married about a year ago so she was thinking about how the husband will feel when he hears what has happened,”Abaje said.

The victim has since been treated and discharged at the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital.

FUTA Governing Council Appoints Fuwape New Vice Chancellor

The Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA has appointed Professor Joseph Adeola Fuwape as the Seventh substantive Vice Chancellor of the University. The Council presided over by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Senator Joseph Waku, ratified the appointment at its Special meeting held on Thursday May 18, 2017. According to a letter of appointment personally signed by Senator Waku, Professor Fuwape’s Appointment which takes effect from Wednesday May 24, 2017 is for a single term of five years.

Professor Fuwape of FUTA’s Department of Forestry and Wood Technology was educated at the University of Ibadan where he obtained his B.sc Forestry in 1979, M.Sc. Wood Products Engineering, 1982 and Ph.D. in Wood Products Engineering, 1984. He had his Post-Doctoral research in Wood composite system, University of North Wales, Bangor between1991-1992.  He was also a Visiting research scientist, Department of Plant Science, Institute of Tropical Forestry University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. March, 1992.

He started his university teaching and research career at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Ibadan in 1982.  He secured appointment as Lecturer II at the Federal University of Technology Akure in 1984 and rose to the rank of a Professor on October 1st 1996. At the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Professor Fuwape served as Head of Forestry and Wood Technology Department for seven years, Dean School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology for four years and member of the University Governing Council for eight years. He served as the pioneer Director of Quality Assurance Unit, FUTA from 2010 to 2012.  He was also Vice-Chancellor of the Salem University Lokoja between 2012 and 2017. He is a member of the Forestry Association of Nigeria, Institute of Wood Science, England, International Society of Tropical Foresters, Science Association of Nigeria, Forest Products Society and International Union of Forestry Research Organizations. He is married to Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape and blessed with children.

Prof. Fuwape succeeds Professor Adebiyi Daramola, whose term ends on Tuesday, 23^rdMay, 2017.

BREAKING: All Hope Of Recovery Lost, As Aisha Weeps, Asks Buhari To Tender Immediate Resignation Letter

Aisha Yesufu, a co-Convener of the BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, group, has endorsed the immediate resignation oof President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall, that Buhari was flown out of the country last week, for urgent medical follow-up, while handing over to his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, as the Acting President.

Aisha, who made the endorsement in a two minutes video she recorded and posted on Twitter her page, called on the National Assembly to impeach Buhari, if he fails to step down.

Her words: “For crying out loud, the President is sick, the President is not capable of discharging his duties as President, why can’t he resign?

“Sickness can be on anybody, nobody is wishing the President bad. The fact that he is sick doesn’t mean he is going to die today or tomorrow. Somebody that is as healthy as I am now, can drop dead. It is life!

“How long are we going to wait and keep watching everything go in disarray? Who is going to sign the budget, we don’t know. The report on Babachir, what is happening to it? Why are we being held to ransom?”

 In a direct speech to the President, Yesufu said: “President Muhammadu Buhari, you have gotten the best in this world. A lot of things that you have, most people cannot even dream of.

“You have been President twice, you said it yourself; you have reached the peak of your career as a Military man and as a Politician.

“Can you allow each and every one of us as Nigerians, to be able to reach the peak of our careers? Can you just take some time off, take care of yourself. May God give you good health.”

She then called on Nigerians to “wake up”, adding that, the Acting President cannot do anything, because he wants to be seen as a good man.

“We need to take our country back, let the President resign. If he can’t resign, let the National Assembly do the right thing, and let’s have another President. It is not about President Buhari, it’s about Nigeria, and right now Nigeria is suffering, and we cannot continue to allow this”, she concluded.

IPOB Women Strip Nood In Protest As Soldiers Disrupt Thier Meeting In Abia (PHOTOS

There is chaos currently in Abia state as the ongoing conference of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) women was disrupted by soldiers in Abiriba area of the state. The women who resisted -protested by removing their clothes and walking unclad on the street.

Acting President Osinbajo Signs Executive Orders To Speed Up Budget Submission, Promote Locally-made Goods, Boost Business

Acting President, Mr. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, signed three executive orders with the potential to significantly change some of the ways government business and operations are conducted in the country.  This was contained in a statement by Mr. Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the acting President.
The statement disclosed that ahead of the signing, an interactive session held at the old Banquet Hall of Presidential Villa. In attendance were all relevant government officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of departments and agencies. The session was held to directly engage government officials, who would be in charge of the implementation of the orders and the new instructions.
The executive orders also stipulate sanctions and punitive measures for violations. The three orders signed by Mr. Osinbajo provide specific instructions on a number of policy issues affecting the ease of doing business in the country, support for local content in public procurement by the Federal Government, and timely submission of annual budgetary estimates by all government agencies, including companies owned by the Federal Government.
On budgets, the acting President directed all Federal Government agencies must before the end of May of every year prepare and submit to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget and National Planning their schedule of revenue and expenditure estimates for the next three financial years.
The executive order on budgets also prescribes that all agencies must, before the end of July every year, prepare and submit their annual budget estimates to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget and National Planning. The estimates, said the order, must be derived from the estimates of revenue and expenditure as projected in their three-year schedule. These will be reviewed to ensure that they align with budgetary regulations.
“A joint committee of the Ministries of Finance, and the Budget and National Planning shall review such estimates and ensure their conformity with the national plan and the financial and budgetary regulations before processing them for approval and early transmission to the National Assembly.
Supervising Ministers and Heads of Agencies as well as the Chief Executive Officers of government-owned companies shall verify that the process of preparation, harmonization, and collation of budget estimates are as stipulated in relevant laws and guidelines as well as ensure strict compliance with this Executive Order,” the statement said.
It added that except with the express consent of the President, no payment will be made for any capital or recurrent liability of an agency apart from payment of due salaries and allowances unless the agency has an approved budget and the payment is in conformity with
the approval.
Breaches of this order, the statement disclosed, will attract sanctions to be borne by heads of agencies and Chief Executive Officers of government-owned companies. It equally disclosed that revenue or other funds of an agency in excess of the amounts budgeted and duly expended shall accrue to the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government.
The executive order takes immediate effect.
The second order, which deals with the ease of doing business, the statement said, mandates all Federal Government ministries, agencies and departments to henceforth publish a complete list of all requirements or conditions for obtaining products and services within their scope of their responsibility.
These, it explained, will include permits, licenses, waivers, tax-related processes, filings and approvals.
"The list shall include all fees and timelines required for the processing of applications for the products and services; and be conspicuously pasted on the premises of the relevant MDA and published on its website within 21 days from the date of issuance of this order," the statement said.
It put the responsibility of verification of the list on the heads of the ministries and departments.
"If there is any conflict between a published and an unpublished list of requirements, the published list shall prevail," the statement directed.
It also directed that where the relevant agency or official fails to communicate approval or rejection of an application within the time stipulated in the published list, all applications for business registrations, certification, waivers, licenses or permits not concluded within the stipulated timeline will be deemed approved and granted.
In addition, the ministries and departments must state the mode of communication of official decisions to applicants in the published requirements.
In the case of rejections within the stipulated timeline, applicants must be given reasons for the rejection of applications and such shall be tracked and accurate records kept for submission to the head of ministries or departments on a weekly basis.
"There shall be at least two modes of communication of acceptance or rejection of applications to the applicants by the relevant MDAs before the expiration of the stipulated time, including letters, emails and publications on MDA websites.
The applicant’s acknowledgement copy of the application, including electronic submission acknowledgments, shall serve as proof of the date of submission of the application for purposes of determination of the commencement of the application timeline," the statement explained.
It further stated that applicants, whose applications are considered granted under this directive may apply for the issuance of any document or certificate in evidence of the grant within 14 days of lapse of the timeline for the application stipulated by the agency.
It warned that failure of the officer in charge of the process to act on any application within the stipulated time, without lawful excuse, will constitute misconduct that will invite disciplinary measures in line public service regulations.
To make things smoother, the Federal Government directed that a ministry, department or agency that requires input documentation, requirements or conditions from another in order to deliver products and services on applications within the remit of the originating ministry, agency or department will only request a photocopy or other prima facie proof from the applicant.
"It shall be the responsibility of the originating MDA to seek verification or certification directly from the issuing MDA," the statement added.
Service Level Agreements, it equally added, will be binding on all ministries, departments and agencies and MDAs and must be relied upon in the issuance of published stipulated timelines for processing of applications for the products and services.
"It shall be the responsibility of the head of the relevant MDA to ensure that the agreed terms of the Service Level Agreements are adhered to.
Failure of the appropriate officer to act within the timeline stipulated in the Service Level Agreement, without lawful excuse, shall amount to misconduct and be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the law and regulations applicable to the civil or public service," the Federal Government stated.
Tourist and business entry visas to Nigeria, the Federal Government directed will also, henceforth, be issued or rejected with reason by the Consular Office of Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions within 48 hours of receipt of valid application.
“The timeline shall be notified to the public by pasting a notice conspicuously at every Consular Office and by publication on every website of Nigerian Embassies and High
Commissions.  A comprehensive and up to date list of requirements, conditions, and procedures for obtaining visa on arrival, including estimated timeframe, shall be published on all immigration-related websites in Nigeria and abroad, including Embassies and High Commissions, and all ports of entry into Nigeria,” the government directed.
It added that the processing of visas on arrival shall be carried must be made transparent, with visas on arrival granted at all Nigerian ports of entry once applicants have met all the published requirements.
The Federal Government also banned touting at any Nigerian port, stating that on duty staff must be properly identified by uniform and official cards. Off duty staff, the government said, must henceforth stay away from the ports except with the express approval of the agency head.
“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Security (AVSEC) and Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Security shall enforce this order. All non-official staff shall be removed from the secured areas of airports. No official of FAAN, Immigration, security agency or Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any other agency is to meet any non-designated dignitary at any secure areas of the airport. The officially approved list of dignitaries that have been pre-approved to be received by protocol officers shall be made available to AVSEC and other relevant agencies ahead of their arrival at the airport,” the government ordered.
It warned that any official caught soliciting or receiving bribes from passengers or other port users will be removed from the post and made to face disciplinary and criminal proceedings.
The Federal Government also ordered that all ministries, departments and agencies at airports must, within 30 days, merge their respective departure and arrival interfaces into a single customer interface, while all agencies physically present at the ports must, within 60 days, merge their operations into one single
interface station in one location in the port. The directive gave specifics of the roles to be performed by the interface station.
“The new single interface station at each Port shall capture, track and record information on all goods arriving and departing from Nigeria and remit captured information to the head of the MDA and the head of the National Bureau of Statistics on a weekly basis. Each Port in Nigeria shall assign an existing export terminal to be dedicated to the exportation of agriculture produce within 30 days of the issuance of this order,” the Federal Government directed.
It also ordered the resumption of 24-hour operations at the Apapa Port within 30 days.
On the registration of businesses, the Federal Government directed the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to, within 14 days, ensure that all registration processes at the CAC are fully automated through the CAC website from the start of an application process to completion, including ensuring the availability of an online payment platform.
On support for local contents in public procurement, the Federal Government directed its ministries, departments, and agencies to grant preference to manufacturers of locally-made goods and local service providers in their procurement of goods and services.
“Any document issued by any MDA of the FGN for the solicitation of offers, bids, proposals or quotations for the supply or provision of goods and services (Solicitation Document), in accordance with (1) above, shall expressly indicate the preference to be granted to domestic manufacturers, contractors and service providers and the information required to establish the eligibility of a bid for such preference,” it ordered.
It prescribed that a minimum of 40 per cent of the procurement expenditure of ministries, departments, and agencies be on locally manufactured goods or local service providers.
The items in this category, said the Federal Government, include uniforms and footwear, food and beverages, furniture and fittings, stationery, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and construction Materials. They also include Information and Communication Technology.
Yemi Osinbajo

Meet Nigerian record label executive who wears a $15million diamond grill on his teeth

Apart from US rappers like Lil Wayne, Birdman and  Lil Jon, Nigerian record label executive, Randy Wayne is now the first to wear a $15million diamond grill on his teeth.

The very flamboyant Randy Wayne is C.E.O of We The Business records where he hopes to sign new artists in the coming weeks, he has also just completed his multi-million Naira mansion in Nigeria. See more photos of his diamonds and blings after the cut.

#BBNaija: Bisola joins Mavins, others at TMC (photos)

First runner-up in the 2017 Big Brother Nigeria reality game show has signed a management deal with Temple Management Company (TMC).

TMC is the same team managing Mavins artiste.

The deal, which was concluded on Thursday, also saw Bisola reuniting with Mavins artiste, Iyanya, after their first meeting during the maiden edition of MTN project fame 10 years ago.

The new deal was concluded under supervision of the reality star’s representatives and senior TMC officials at the Victoria Island corporate office of the organisation. Some celebrities managed by the company include; 9ice, Seye Ogunlewe, Ebi Onome, Marylove Edwards, Victor Ehikhamenor and Funmi Iyanda.

10 Things Nigerian Girls Say Instead Of ‘I Love You’ - INFORMATION NIGERIA

This is probably because of the reactions Nigerian men give when girls try to toast them.

We’re not here to make excuses for anyone, though. Here are some of the things Nigerian girls love to say when they are falling hard for you. You better take the hint.

1. ‘Ode’
This is not an insult, it’s actually a Nigerian girl’s way of flirting with you.

2. ‘ I don’t want your girlfriend to come and break my head o!’
This is just her way of asking if you have a girlfriend.

3. ‘Is there light in your house?’
This means they want to come over to your house and hang out, but they’re looking for an excuse.

4. ‘Big head’
Sometimes, instead of calling you ‘ode’, they’ll use ‘big head’ as a term of endearment.

5. ‘You can’t even call somebody’
This one is code for ‘I miss you’.

6. ‘Go away jare’
If you know what’s good for you, better stay. Nigerian girls are the queens of reverse psychology.

7. ‘Won’t you come and take me out?’
Her way of saying, ‘when are we going on a date?’

8. ‘You just forgot about me’
Another way of saying ‘ I miss you’.

9. ‘Have you eaten?’
If she asks you this, she really cares about you.

10. ‘I hate you’
If she says this, then she’s head over heels in love with you.

Suicide bombers killed in attempt to attack female hostel of University of Maiduguri - Premium Times Nigeria

Three male suicide-bombers were killed while attempting to attack a female hostel in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday night.

PRNigeria reports that one of the three suicide-bombers carried an AK 47 gun. At least two bombs exploded during the attack.

A student leader in the university, Abu Hanifa Babati confirmed that one of the explosion occurred around the female BOT Hostel.

He said another explosion occurred around the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

On the casualty, an emergency worker involved in the evacuation said that:
“Four security men in the university, including volunteers were treated for injury they sustained as no life was lost except the killed suicide bombers.”

The corpses have been evacuated by workers from the federal and Borno emergency agencies, NEMA and BOSEMA.

Suicide bombers have in 2017 tried to carry out repeated attacks on the University of Maiduguri. One of the attacks led to the death of a university professor.

BankyW and Adesua step out together in matching pair of $695 Gucci sneakers

Nigeria's favourite couple, Banky W and Adesua Etomi, who are currently in Dubai for a movie shoot, were spotted wearing a matching pair of a $695 Gucci sneakers. The couple who stood opposite each other for a 'leg photo session', wore a beautiful silver colored sneakers. 

Here are beautiful photos of the 'so in love' couple; 

Presidency reveals full details of three orders signed by Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday signed three executive orders that will significantly change some of the ways government business and operations are conducted in the country forthwith.

Laolu Akande, his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity​, released full contents of the order​s.

​See ​details below:

A.​ ​On the Promotion of Transparency and Efficiency in the Business Environment

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to create an enabling environment for businesses and entrench measures and strategies aimed at promoting transparency and efficiency;

WHEREAS, the FGN is committed to the promotion of domestic and foreign investments, creation of employment and stimulation of the national economy; and

WHEREAS, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria constituted the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council to coordinate the implementation of this policy;

NOW THEREFORE, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE CONSTITUTION AS THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, I HEREBY ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

Transparency in MDAs

1. Every Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) of the FGN shall publish a complete list of all requirements or conditions for obtaining products and services within the MDA’s scope of responsibility, including permits, licenses, waivers, tax related processes, filings and approvals. The list shall –

a. include all fees and timelines required for the processing of applications for the products and services; and

b. be conspicuously pasted on the premises of the relevant MDA and published on its website within 21 days from the date of issuance of this Order.

2. It shall be the responsibility of the head of the relevant MDA to ensure that the list is verified and kept up-to-date at all times. If there is any conflict between a published and an unpublished list of requirements, the published list shall prevail.

Default Approvals

3. Where the relevant agency or official fails to communicate approval or rejection of an application within the time stipulated in the published list, all applications for business registrations, certification, waivers, licenses or permits not concluded within the stipulated timeline shall be deemed approved and granted.

4. The mode of communication of official decisions to applicants shall be stated in the published requirements.

5. Where applications are rejected within the stipulated timeline, all rejections shall be given with reasons. Rejections of applications shall be tracked and accurate records kept at all times for each MDA and shall be submitted to the head of the MDA on a weekly basis.

6. There shall be at least two (2) modes of communication of acceptance or rejection of applications to the applicants by the relevant MDAs before the expiration of the stipulated time, including letters, emails and publications on MDA websites.

7. The applicant’s acknowledgement copy of the application, including electronic submission acknowledgements, shall serve as proof of the date of submission of the application for purposes of determination of the commencement of the application timeline.

8. An Applicant whose application is deemed granted under this Directive may apply to the Minister for the time being in charge of the application for the issuance of any document or certificate in evidence of the grant within 14 days of lapse of the MDA’s stipulated timeline for the application.

9. Failure of the appropriate officer to act on any application within the timeline stipulated, without lawful excuse, shall amount to misconduct and be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the law and regulations applicable to the civil or public service.

One Government Directive

10. An MDA that requires input documentation, requirements or conditions from another MDA in order to deliver products and services on applications within the originating MDA’s remit or mandate, including permits, licenses, waivers, tax documentation, filings and approvals shall only request a photocopy or other prima facie proof from the applicant. It shall be the responsibility of the originating MDA to seek verification or certification directly from the issuing MDA.

11. Service Level Agreements shall be binding on MDAs and shall be relied upon by MDAs in the issuance of published stipulated timelines for processing of applications for the products and services.

12. It shall be the responsibility of the head of the relevant MDA to ensure that the agreed terms of the Service Level Agreements are adhered to.

13. Failure of the appropriate officer to act within the timeline stipulated in the Service Level Agreement, without lawful excuse, shall amount to misconduct and be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the law and regulations applicable to the civil or public service.

Entry Experience of Visitors and Travellers

14. Ordinary tourist and business entry visas to Nigeria shall henceforth be issued or rejected with reason by the Consular Office of Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions within 48 hours of receipt of valid application. The timeline shall be notified to the public by pasting a notice conspicuously at every Consular Office and by publication on every website of Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions.

15. A comprehensive and up to date list of requirements, conditions and procedures for obtaining visa on arrival, including estimated timeframe, shall be published on all immigration-related websites in Nigeria and abroad, including Embassies and High Commissions, and all ports of entry into Nigeria.

16. The processing of issuance of visas on arrival shall be carried out in a transparent manner. Visas on arrival shall be granted at all Nigerian ports of entry once applicants have met all the published requirements.

Port Operations

17. There shall be no touting whatsoever by official or unofficial persons at any port in Nigeria. On duty staff shall be properly identified by uniform and official cards. Off duty staff shall stay away from the ports except with the express approval of the agency head. The FAAN Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Security shall enforce this order.

18. All non-official staff shall be removed from the secured areas of airports. No official of FAAN, Immigration, security agency or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) or any other agency is to meet any non-designated dignitary at any secure areas of the airport. The official approved list of dignitaries that have been pre-approved to be received by protocol officers shall be made available to AVSEC and other relevant agencies ahead of their arrival at the airport.

19. Any official caught soliciting or receiving bribes from passengers or other port users shall be subject to immediate removal from post and disciplinary as well as criminal proceedings in line with extant laws and regulations.

20. All relevant MDAs at the airports shall within 30 days of the issuance of this Order merge their respective departure and arrival interfaces into a single customer interface, without prejudice to necessary backend procedures.

21. All agencies currently physically present in Nigerian Ports shall within 60 days harmonise their operations into one single interface station domiciled in one location in the port and implemented by a single joint task force at all times, without prejudice to necessary backend procedures.

22. The new single interface station at each Port shall capture, track and record information on all goods arriving and departing from Nigeria and remit captured information to the head of the MDA and the head of the National Bureau of Statistics on a weekly basis.

23. Each Port in Nigeria shall assign an existing export terminal to be dedicated to the exportation of agriculture produce within 30 days of the issuance of this Order.

24. The Apapa Port shall resume 24-hour operations within 30 days of the issuance of this Order.

Registration of Businesses

25. The Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) shall within 14 days of the issuance of this Order ensure that all registration processes at the CAC are fully automated through the CAC website from the start of an application process to completion, including ensuring the availability of an online payment platform where necessary.

Effective Date of the Order

26. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Dated this 18th. . . . . .. . day of May . . . . . . 2017.
SIGNED BY
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON
Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeri​a​

B.​ ​On support for local contents in public procurement by the Federal Government.

All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the FGN shall grant preference to local manufacturers of goods and service providers in their procurement of goods and services.

2. Any document issued by any MDA of the FGN for the solicitation of offers, bids, proposals or quotations for the supply or provision of goods and services (Solicitation Document), in accordance with (1) above, shall expressly indicate the preference to be granted to domestic manufacturers, contractors and service providers and the information required to establish the eligibility of a bid for such preference.

3. All Solicitation Documents shall require bidders or potential manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and consultants to provide a verifiable statement on the local content of the goods or services to be provided.

4. Made-in-Nigeria products shall be given preference in the procurement of the following items and at least 40% of the procurement expenditure on these items in all MDAs of the FGN shall be locally manufactured goods or local service providers:

a. Uniforms and Footwear;

b. Food and Beverages;

c. Furniture & Fittings;

d. Stationery;

e. Motor Vehicles;

f. Pharmaceuticals;

g. Construction Materials; and

h Information and Communication Technology;

5. Within 90 days of the date of this Order, the heads of all MDAs of the FGN shall:

a. assess the monitoring, enforcement, implementation, and compliance with this Executive Order and local content stipulations in the Public Procurement Act or any other relevant Act within their agencies;

b. propose policies to ensure that the Federal Government’s procurement of goods and services maximises the use of goods manufactured in Nigeria and services provided by Nigerian citizens doing business as sole proprietors, firms, or companies held wholly by them or in the majority; and

c. submit such findings to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment.

6. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment in consultation with the Director-General of the Bureau for Public Procurement shall submit to the President, a report on the Made-in-Nigeria initiative that includes findings from paragraph 4 above. This report shall include specific recommendations to strengthen the implementation of Local Content Laws and local content procurement preference policies and programmes.

7. For the purpose of this Order, “local content” means the amount of Nigerian or locally produced human and material resources utilised in the manufacture of goods or rendering of services.

8. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Dated this 18th. . . . . .. . day of May . . . . . . 2017.
SIGNED BY
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON
Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

C.​ ​ON BUDGETS

All Agencies, whether or not listed in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, shall, on or before the end May every year, cause to be prepared and submitted to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget and National Planning their schedule of revenue and expenditure estimates for the next three financial years.

2. All Agencies shall, on or before the end of July every year, cause to be prepared and submitted to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget and National Planning their annual budget estimates, which shall be derived from the estimates of revenue and expenditure as projected in their three-year schedule.

3. A joint committee of the Ministries of Finance, and the Budget and National Planning shall review such estimates and ensure their conformity with the national plan and the financial and budgetary regulations before processing them for approval and early transmission to the National Assembly.

4. Supervising Ministers and Heads of Agencies as well as the Chief Executive Officers of Government owned companies shall verify that the process of preparation, harmonisation and collation of budget estimates are as stipulated in relevant laws and guidelines as well as ensure strict compliance with this Executive Order.

5. Except with the express consent of the President, no payment shall be made in respect of any capital or recurrent liability of an Agency, other than payment of due salaries and allowances, unless the Agency has an approved budget and the payment is in conformity with the approval.

6. Heads of Agencies and Chief Executive Officers of Government owned companies shall take personal responsibility and be subject to appropriate sanctions for any failure to comply with this Order.

7. Any revenue or other funds of an Agency in excess of the amounts budgeted and duly expended shall accrue to the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government.

8. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Dated this 18th. . . . . .. . day of May . . . . . . 2017.
SIGNED BY
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON
Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Three killed, 16 rescued as building collapses in Lagos

A three-storey building, under construction, collapsed on Thursday at Number 4, Richard Abimbola Street, in the Ilasamaja-Isolo area of Lagos on Thursday, leaving three workers dead and 16 rescued.

The incident occurred around 2:00pm with over 30 workers trapped as the head labourer, who refused to give his name, confirmed, in tears as he tried to call the trapped labourers. He said some were answering their phones, but several could not be reached.

The street urchins helped in the rescue of two, who were rushed to a private hospital before the arrival of emergency services.
The collapsed building affected both buildings beside it as a church on the right was completely crushed while the building on the left was partially damaged.

Residents in the area claimed the construction, which began around February 8, was tilting to one side and when they raised the alarm, the contractor said there was no problem but added a pillar on the bent side before the unfortunate incidence occurred.

It was also claimed that the building was roofed yesterday.

According to a resident, “Whenever the regulatory body visit, they just collect money from the developer and go away. When he added another floor and people complained, it was sealed but was re-opened that same day and work continued. How can you build such an edifice so quickly?”

The Sole Administrator for the Isolo LCDA, Abimbola Osikoya, however refuted this claim, saying that the officers could never be compromised. She said she wasn’t aware of what could have caused the collapse but speculated that the load was too much for the land. She promised that they would find the owner as quickly as possible and punish him accordingly.

The General Manager LASEMA, Tiamiyu Adesina, confirmed that 16 people were rescued but were still expecting an excavator for proper recovery for those trapped.

Refusing to comment if the building had the proper permits, he insisted that their focus was on recovery and investigations would follow.

The developer of the building is at large as his mobile phone was switched off when calls were made.

TB Joshua donates N6m to deportees who returned to Nigeria (Photos)

The founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet TB Joshua, provided financial support to Libyan deportees. 
Prophet TB Joshua has once again done what many will consider a great deed, considering the fact that they were not done to members of his church.

Even though it wouldn't be the first time the controversial prophet would be doing this, he invited Nigerians who were deported from Libya, to his church, to offer them his little token.

According to a post shared on the church's official Facebook page, TB Joshua gave the deportees the total of N6 million and bags of rice, alongside his popular 'morning water'.

According to reports, the prophet gave instructions for the money to be released to the deportees, even though he's outside the country. 

Sharing the post on their official Facebook page, they wrote:

"On Wednesday 17 May 2017, 200 Nigerians who were deported from Libya rushed to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in search of refuge. When Prophet T.B. Joshua, who is currently in Ecuador for the opening of the new school donated by Emmanuel TV, heard of their arrival, he said that they should be attended to the same way as the deportees of the previous week. He instructed that foodstuff and financial support be provided immediately. Many of the deportees were weak and sick from their difficult episode. They were given a cash gift totaling ₦6 Million alongside two bags of rice and Morning Water to start their lives afresh. Glory be to Jesus Christ!

“If you don’t give, you don’t receive.” - Prophet T.B. Joshua"

JUST IN: Kano Boils, As National Assembly Fails To Stop The Immediate Removal Of HRH, Emir Sanusi, From The Throne

The city of Kano is currently tension soaked, as the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Kabiru Rurum, announced that there is no going back on the probe and removal of His Royal Highness, Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi.

Speaking on Thursday, Rurum said the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, had no power to interfere into any issue related to traditional institutions.

Recall, that a Member in the Kano State House Of Assembly, Hon Ibrahim Gama, had last week, through a motion, constituted an eight-count charge against Emir Sanusi, hence, the Assembly constituted a 7-man Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the matter and report back to it, within two weeks.

This led to the Hon Aliyu Gini, a Member representing Dala Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, calling on the Federal House of Representatives, to intervene into the on-going probe of the Emir, by the Kano Assembly.

In swift reaction, the Kano State House of Assembly Speaker said: “The section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution, which Madaki relied upon to back his argument, is categorical and cannot be applicable in Kano, because the situation on ground did not warrant for that.

“The section says the NASS can intervene in the affairs of State Assembly, only if the Assembly cannot sit, or if there is crisis in the House, but in our own case, there is nothing like that. Out of the 35 Members, 34 voted in support of the investigation, while only one Member failed to vote in support. So, the move is completely out of context.”

He therefore, reiterated the commitment of the House to continue with the investigation, to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the eight-count charge leveled against the Emir.

The Speaker said: “The 7-man Ad-hoc Committee saddled with responsibility of investigating the Emir, is within the ambit of law. We formulated the law that is governing the affairs of the Kano Emirate Council, and with the provision of section 128 of the Constitution, we have the mandate to cross-check its activities whenever the need arises.”

Rumum expressed hope that the Ad-hoc Committee would come up with viable recommendations that would help in handling the matter, effectively.

He therefore, condemned Hon Madaki’s attempt, and assured that the Assembly would not be distracted from discharging its statutory duties.

Here Are Photos of Moji Olaiya With Her New Baby Before Her Death (Photos)

Pictures of Nollywood actress, Moji Olaiya, who died of heart attack in Canada in the early hours of Thursday, May 18, 2017, have surfaced…deepening the pains of family, friends and fans.

The 42 year old mother of two children, her older daughter is about 18 had a baby for her new husband about two months ago in March.

News of her death has sent shock waves across Nigeria, with Nollywood trembling, following three deaths in quick succession – Olamide Bakare, Pastor Ajidara and now Moji Olaiya…

See photos below:

Poor FG’s ideas led Nigeria into recession, says Soludo

Tony Okafor, Awka

A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma  Soludo, on Thursday said  poor ideas by the Federal Government’s  policy makers caused the economic downturn in the country.

He added that fixing the nation’s economy  was not rocket science.

Soludo’s position was contained in a paper he delivered at the 2017 International Conference of the Department of Business Administration of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

The theme of the conference was “Managing a recessed economy; options for Nigeria.”

Soludo noted that Nigeria slipped into recession barely a year after the President Muhammadu Buhari administration took over power, stressing that the inability of the country’s policy makers to rise to the challenge plunged the economy into crisis.

He said the recession was avoidable had proactive steps been taken.

He…

Story: Two Realms ( Romance Thriller)-Season 1

Episode 10
Richard could hear the chirping of the crickets jumping outside his bedroom. This time, he enjoyed it and didn’t shut the bedroom windows. Nothing than their chirping and the blustering of Ezinne’s showering could have best created the moment.
She walked out of the bathroom, coated with the soap’s fragrance, which added to the moment. Richard inhaled all of her as she dawdled to the wardrobe for her nightgown. He decided it was better he asked the question before she clothed.
He sauntered to her behind and held her trim, slender waist. Her gaze fell on him and remained there as he brought out the ring case from his trouser pocket.
“I want to marry you, Ezinne. Will you be my wife?” Holding the ring, he looked fixedly into her small, round eyes, but couldn’t find an answer there. She kept looking and looking, but didn’t speak. It was surprise. Yes, it was, and she would soon be over it. She would soon say the word. His year break in LA wasn’t enough for her to say otherwise.
“Rick…”
His name wasn’t important at the now.
“Rick… Yes Rick, I’ll marry you.”
He lifted her into his arms and complemented her smile with a wider one. “We’ll be having two girls and two boys.”
Joining lips with hers, he la!d her atop the mattress. Sooner, he wouldn’t be balancing both worlds. A wife, a home, all in one world, one complete world, one complete faith. But now, he had just proposed and got a yes. For this little time before they climbed the altar, God, please forgive him. He ripped off her towel and pressed himself against her. God, he prayed, please forgive.
#
He greeted her with a good-morning kiss. She yawned and stretched arms, her first sign of tiredness after a rough night. He rose from the bed, did a short prayer and lumbered into the bathroom.
When done bathing, he turned on the lights and met her eyes.
Her helpless self was stretched on the bed, and the memory of the hospital girl slunk into him. He eased closer to her and sat by her. A second good morning kiss fully opened her eyes.
“There’s something I’d like us to discuss,” he said.
“What’s it?”
“It’s concerning that kleptomaniac.”
She spun herself fully to him. “What happened to her?”
“She will soon be discharged.”
“She’s cured?”
“Will be. Very soon. It’s a process. The therapist said there is one last thing. He said she should lodge here for about a month so she can create close ties with us. It’s needed to effectively complete her therapy.”
The whir of the ceiling fan amplified. It soared until Ezinne’s words came forth. “When is she coming?”
“I’ll talk with the therapist.”

Story: Two Realms ( Romance Thriller)-Season 1

Episode 9
All Richard wanted to hear was “All is done” or something close. The therapist refused to tell him that. Instead, he chose his everyday words that didn’t fit. The man arranged his spectacles the way he did when about vomiting something important.
“Disorders might take years to heal, but it does heal with the right approach. The hospital has done its part. What is left is hers. And yours. She would leave the hospital, but that doesn’t end her therapy. It’s only a transition from one phase to another. The new phase is very fragile and has to be done perfectly. She is now at your watch, yours, and no one else’s.” He pointed a finger to Richard. “You’re now the one to do the talks. You’re now her therapist. She should be able to confide in you, so you can be aware of any lapse she makes, and if such happens often, do the good of coming here. If this phase is done perfectly, her illness would forever be history.”
That would have been easy but for the way the therapist had sounded. Never expect anything good from the doctors; that didn’t apply to only those in the surgery wards. Worse here. Worse in a psychiatric hospital. “Any idea on how to do that effectively?”
“Stay close and be very sensitive. I know it isn’t easy for a man of your status, considering your work and all, but spare some time for the woman.”
Now that his work needed time, he had been asked to cut out of the little he had, the little he shared with his woman.
“What if she remains here, then I will come see her at intervals? Maybe spend few minutes after closure from work.”
“Here?” The therapist’s left cheek folded up. “Right now, here is a cage to her, which is the last thing you’d want.” The therapist paused and Richard sensed the formation of another set of words—another set of dangerous words. “She’ll have to lodge with you, or you lodge with her. You’ve been the one with her since her therapy began. I can’t risk you being too far from her, because your work won’t allow you see her much often. And I can’t risk her staying in a house alone, not at this stage of her recovery.”
Non-sequitur. Worse than what he had thought.
He didn’t live alone. He lived with a woman; that was supposed to make the therapist come up with another option, but it didn’t. Make your partner close to her, he said. They were both women. It could be an advantage and would reduce the workload.
The truth that Ezinne had never been a fan was hard to deny. The girl stole her perfume, and that was not a thing to like someone for. “What if I can’t have her in my house? And of course, I can’t stay in hers.”
“I didn’t expect to have trouble from you.
The trouble I think I should have is getting her to agree lodging with you or you with her. This last phase can either strengthen her health or melt it back to its very bad onset.”
“How many weeks are we talking?”
“All goes well, then it may not exceed a month.”
A month. That contained four weeks that housed so many days.
“You should go see her before the day gets darker.”
It was already dark enough. He rose and headed for the door.
#
Richard lingered over cutting out a piece of fish from its chunk. He cried over his toothache that denied him beef as he watched Jide slice his. Jide carved beef the funny way Ezinne did—into small squares. It was interesting to know not only Ezinne sliced beef into squares.
Jide sometimes looked at his wristwatch as though a thirty-minute break in a cafeteria was a sin. No, it wasn’t a sin, Lauren had called him she would be coming and like he had said, he didn’t want her to wait any minute in his secretary’s.
Richard wondered why the white girl liked Erneto so much. Her dad had an office like Jide’s. If she so much liked offices, that would do, rather than perching in and out of his company at her will. “Why exactly is she coming to Erneto?” Richard asked Jide, trying not to sound too grim.
“I don’t know. She called this morning, saying she would.”
“When is her school resuming?”
“They have. Her phone call was from school.”
Now, he was sure she was that type of girl.
Serious girls never left school for no important reason.
Jide’s phone rang. He answered it and told someone to meet him at the café. Lauren.
“She reminds me of my little yellow nephew.
You’d think this nephew of mine is from overseas,” he said.
“Have I seen that one?”
“No. She stays in the east.”
Through the glass wall behind Jide, Richard saw Lauren dawdle, topped with a bobble hat too small to swallow the whole of her blonde hair.
She approached them without missing a smile, and dragged a chair to their middle, grazing the tiles. Sweat circles edged her earlobe the same way her red lipstick thickened at the edges of her lips.
“Jide… you’re not in a suit jacket today,” she said as if it was a good thing.
“I’m not always in a suit.”
She turned to Richard. “Bad we can’t say the same for Mr CEO.”
“He didn’t use to always be like this,” Jide said, and Richard knew exactly where his friend was headed. The topic never left his mouth.
“How?” Lauren asked.
“You’re sitting with an old soldier.”
She whirled to Richard with bulged eyes that might fall the next minute. “Is that true?”
Keeping her inquisitiveness hanging wouldn’t be the best thing to do, especially for one with such zest. “For a little time. I went through the academy and served in the forces for some time.”
“Hmm, interesting. So was it a field marshal, commander or…”
“A lieutenant.”
She gathered her eyes at him. “What do those ones do? Are they the ones that shoot guns?” She imitates a gun with her fingers, sticking out her middle and fore finger. “Pardon me, I haven’t watched many army movies.”
“Every soldier shoots guns.”
“So you’ve fought? You’ve put bullets in the enemy’s skull?”
Introducing topics on the dining table of two men wasn’t the best thing a teenager should do.
Keeping her quiet would have conveyed the message, but Jide didn’t allow that; he introduced the peacekeeping mission in Syria, giving her more things to talk about.
“Peacekeeping,” she said. “You risked your life to maintain peace in a country that isn’t yours. That’s generous. So how did you end up in a suit instead of a uniform?”
“Dad died. I had to take over his business.”
She dropped cheeks and kept the face of a year old baby, the kind of face everyone kept when they hear of a death. “Oh…my condolences. And you’re managing the business pretty fine.”
“I travelled to LA to do some catching up, did fast learning.”
“Business suits you more than the army.”
He considered that as a compliment. “How is school?” he deliberately ended the topic.
“School would be fine if the lecturers could try some nice and stop giving me too much attention because I’m not as black as them.”
Only bad students blame lecturers, as only bad recruits blamed commanders. “With time they might grow nicer.”
“Hope the eyes on you have reduced,” Jide said.
“It’s still there. I’m seriously searching for another white to share some of the stares.”
“Don’t put much hope. You might not find any white.”
“You might find,” Richard said and focused on Jide. “Ezinne had two white course mates.
Before she and I went to bed last night, she told me of a funny, foreign course mate.”
“Your girlfriend?” Lauren asked.
The word had many substitutes. Searching for one wouldn’t have done her any trouble. “Yes. She attended the State’s university.”
“Two. Two whites is many enough. I’d be glad if I could find one to join me.”
“Would you eat something?” Jide asked her.
“No, I’m good.” She glanced at Richard’s plate. “You don’t eat meat or you’re abstaining.”
“I’m abstaining.”
“Why? You’re Catholic?” She asked with a stare that carried something resembling surprise. Perhaps, she was thinking men who had served in the forces couldn’t be Catholics.
“I’m abstaining because I have a toothache.
But I’m Catholic.”
“A devoted one or just by the name?”
“I’m a full time Catholic, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul.”
Her white teeth flashed between her lips. “You’re not.”
“He is,” Jide helped.
“My dad is a knight of St. Jude. I know the entire tenets of the faith.”
“Meaning?” Richard asked, searching for anything funny because her teeth still flashed out.
“You’re going against the tenets. The church forbids living in the same house with a woman who’s not your wife. You just revealed you have a girlfriend whom you live with. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but… I merely thought you were the type who obeyed all the rules.”
She was right, undeniably right, but that didn’t mean he was not a Catholic. “We’re courting.”
She chuckled, the kind that neared a laugh. “Fine excuse. I didn’t expect less. Well, no one is crucifying you. Everyone does it.
Everyone tries to balance both worlds. Truth is I do it. My dad would say Jesus could meet people like us in the wrong world when he comes. That shouldn’t be your prayer—our prayer.”
The word “balancing” was too extreme. He wasn’t balancing both worlds. He wasn’t.
Even if he were, he would end up marrying his woman. He breathed in some of the hot air. It was a bad thing her words were true. God forgive him.
She reached for Jide’s glass and drank the remaining wine. “It’s not alcohol,” she said to Richard, “so stop whatever you are thinking. To why I’m here, I wanted to invite you two to my matriculation.”
Richard allowed that take him from his thoughts. “When is it?”
“13th next month.” She faced Jide. “Say something.”
“Is that why you came from school?” Jide asked.
“Actually no. I’m home to see my dad. And seeing you in person will tell you how serious I am.”
“I can’t guarantee coming.”
“Why?”
“What day is 13th?”
“A Thursday.”
“I’ll be working.”
She slackened face and pushed out lips like a sU-Ckling child. “Please just say you’ll try.”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
“Richard, you’re coming?”
She asked again, and Richard shook his head.

Story: Two Realms ( Romance Thriller)-Season 1

Episode 8
The waters falling from the shower were spikes to Ezinne. As the foam waned off her skin, she replaced them with new ones. She rubbed the sponge from her face to her shoulders and down to her middle. She stopped rubbing and stared at her belly, slid some foam off the belly and continued staring at it.
Still fixed on her belly, she began sobbing.
The water raining from the shower mixed with the teardrops hung at her eyes, washing them off and bringing in new ones. When the water washed off the remaining lather clung to her skin, she reached for her towel and cleaned up herself.
The doorbell rang. Rick. She stood front of the mirror and cleared every fold before going down the stairs. On opening the door, she met Rick and his friend.
“Echem, nn?. How was work?”
“We thank God,” Jide Echem said.
“You two loosen your ties while I go set the table.” She strained for a wide enough smile and ambled to the kitchen. After microwaving the rice meal, she set the dining and called in the men, ending their office talk of how to increase purchases and all.
She downed some of her drink and returned to her rice, pinned the salmon’s tail and sliced out its flesh into neat edges.
“I love this fruit wine,” Echem said. “Where did you get it from?”
Rick did not reply.
“Rick brought it from LA,” she said, and Richard offered to give Echem three bottles before he leaves.
They rambled on the previous day’s news of how the ocean banks overflowed again, and the folded-hands response of the Government.
“Could you pass me the wine,” she said to Jide Echem.
He passed the wine to her and continued his governmental talks with Richard.
“How’s Erneto’s condition?” she asked after sipping to evade the eyes on her. The last time they had eaten together like this, Echem asked her why she was so quiet, and she said she was merely obeying table manners, and immediately regretted her reply, because it insinuated that the men didn’t have table manners which wasn’t her intention. If she was asked the same question again, she wouldn’t have a reply to give.
“Erneto is okay,” Rick said.
“We’ll have to live in competition with Cherlet forever,” Echem added, in a way that said he wanted the conversation to continue. Someone else should pick the baton from him.
“What of the donations to the children hospital, is that still on?” Ezinne asked.
“Yes.” Richard mouthed a small piece of beef.
She returned the dishes to the kitchen and as she washed them, she tried to condone the noise from the men’s after-meal talks. They talked football. It didn’t last, no matter how Echem tried. Richard wasn’t a fan. They tried news, and it lasted for a while before they began talking work, the issues they would address in their next board meeting.
She sauntered to the sitting room and stretched on the long sofa. Finally, the men’s talks ended, and Echem rose to leave. He took his three fruit wines from the bar and made for the door.
They said goodbyes without meeting eyes.
Richard pulled off his sleeves and complained of how tired he was and needed sleep. He staggered out of the sitting room and she was finally left alone, she and the little sunlight fading from the curtains. She placed a cushion behind her head and switched on the TV. Musician’s cracked voices welcomed her.
The white clouds gave way to darkened ones, and the curtains blew with the invading storms that rattled the windows. No more of the musicians’ voices, but thunder roars, rattling windows and squeaking signal faults. All made her dwell deep and deeper in her thoughts.
The cushion behind her head was useless. Its softness couldn’t stop her from thinking. It couldn’t stop her from thinking of that killing moment; neither could it soothe the torture. Instead, it fuelled it. It brought those times back to life. It brought her tortures back to life. Three years gone, and it didn’t seem as such. She had forgotten nothing. The sore was still very fresh, tormenting her without pity. But how could she forget? How could she forget when she was to live with it forever, when she had been deprived of children forever? Nothing could wipe away the thought, no matter how soft the cushion was, or how melodious the musicians sang. Nothing could wipe away the thought of the doctor’s blades inside her womb, cutting her flesh, killing her innocent twins, killing her womb. Those were impossible to forget. She pressed the remote button and muted the TV. She should dwell in the thoughts, the best she could do.
The rain came down and battled with the storms.

Story: Two Realms ( Romance Thriller)-Season 1

Episode 7
The therapist’s door was ajar. Richard tapped and entered. The therapist raised head to him and returned them to the small book on his desk.
He placed the book atop others and gave eyes to Richard. They were without his round, archaic specs, and were better off without them.
“Your girl’s lack of the necessary attention hinders rapid recovery,” the therapist said. “If you can’t see her regularly, find someone close to her who can.”
“It’s my work. It steals all my time, and I don’t know anyone close to her. You know her kind. They don’t tell friends of their situation, and you’re aware of her family’s absence.”
“You didn’t visit the whole of last week. If you can’t come often, try to keep contact. Get her a phone.” The therapist opened his glasses case, pulled out his pair of glasses and pushed them to his eyes. It wasn’t the round, archaic one, but a rather rectangular one, probably the one he wore on the pictures that hung at every top corner of the office.
“Doesn’t she have one?”
“If she does, then you should ask for her phone number.”
“I’ll do that.”
“It will curb some of the distance, but you should also come in person as many times as you can. You’re virtually the only one who visits her.
Patients here don’t tell many people they are in a psychiatric hospital.”
“Is she in?
“You can’t reach her now. She is being desensitized. Exposure therapy.”
Richard wondered what that meant, but there was no need asking.
#
The sunrays streaming into the room doubled and landed on his black suit, almost whitening the black. They reminded him he had to be on the road before it got jammed. He brought out the phone and SIM pack from his bag and tossed it to the bed. “I’d use that in contacting you,” he told Ivie.
She held the phone and surveyed every side of it, carrying a face that made it difficult to tell if she liked it or not, if his money was a waste or not.
“I have a phone at home.” She la!d the pack on the bed.
It seemed his money was going to be a waste. “Why didn’t you go get yours ever since? When you didn’t give me a number, I assumed you had none.”
“I never thought a phone was allowed.”
“Anyway, you now have a new phone and a registered SIM. Better.”
“I’ll go get my old one.”
Nothing worked easy with her, not even accepting a mere phone.
The rays in the room brightened. Brightened rays never met him at any place other than his office. She was supposed to be glad he offered her a new phone. Thus, relieving her the worry of going to her house for her old one.
“Thanks, but the one I’m using still works.”
“Where do you stay?”
“Olodi. It isn’t too far. I will go when I have the time.”
The therapist had mentioned he seldom allowed his patients leave the hospital alone because some of them left and never returned. “The therapist won’t allow you go alone.”
“Is the phone necessary?” Her tone concluded it wasn’t.
“I have to contact you regularly. The therapist said it would hasten your recovery.”
She braced her jaw with a palm. “Thank you, Mr Richard, but how will that hasten my recovery?”
“I’m not a psychotherapist. You should ask the doctor. I believe he has his reasons.”
“Mr Richard.” She held out the pack to him. “I wouldn’t want to delay you for work. I’m thankful, but you should return this.” On his refusal to receive it, she la!d it on the bed.
“All right, let’s go to your place and get yours.
I will drop you there on my way to work. I think there’s a route linking Olodi to my place of work.”
Her face thickened; a sure sign her next words wouldn’t be likeable. “You’re doing too much.”
“I don’t think that’s too much. You need a phone. It’s a necessity.”
Her cheeks flattened. “I-I don’t—”
That was the part he didn’t like—when her guilt showed up. It shot through her eyes and circled the small sphere of her face. “Ivie, your first encounter with me doesn’t make it wrong for me to help. It wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t feel any guilt.”
She said nothing, did nothing but eyed the milky rug.
“It’s guilt. You’re not conscious of it, but it’s there. Don’t allow it conquer you. Give some room.”
“I’m not used to this kind of help,” she muttered.
“We should get going. I don’t want to reach my office by noon.”
#
He didn’t know why the woman fixed eyes to the side window. She could be admiring the passing coconut trees that were encroaching into the main road, or she simply didn’t want to catch his gaze. The second was most likely.
The road to Olodi was not very clear, but the billboards guided and saved him asking her for directions. It didn’t seem she wanted to talk or do anything than stare at the out and play with the crucifix at the end of her hung rosary. He needed to make her talk.
“You’re a Catholic?” he asked.
“No.”
No? She was a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul. Or was supposed to. “Your rosary.”
She bobbed head to it as though ignorant it rounded her neck. “I’m not a Catholic. Not a Christian.”
“You’re not a Christian?”
“I’m not.”
How could she not be a Christian, a Catholic? “I thought I once saw a necklace of St. Vincent de Paul round your neck.” He glanced at her neck for the necklace. It was no more there.
“My parents are parishioners of Vincent de Paul.”
“And you?”
“I’m not.”
How couldn’t she? Christianity fitted her. “You’re a Muslim?”
“No.”
Only three base religions existed in Nigeria. He didn’t want to guess the third, those ones who worshipped carved deities and made living sacrifices to the deities in shrines that had all sort of things, ranging from human skulls to full human skeletons. “Then which are you?”
“None.”
None. That was first he was hearing. Everyone in the country belonged to a religion. “Why none?”
“Religion is a choice.”
“And you choose none?”
“Yes.”
He glanced at her neck, at the rosary’s crucifix resting on her chest, so clean and shimmering for an unchristian person. “Then why wearing a rosary?”
She eyed the crucifix and stroked its white surface with a thumb. “My parents are Christians, so there happen to be many of this in my house. I picked one.”
“You should take it off.”
She looked at him and shifted eyes away. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s an abuse to the Christian faith.” He didn’t want to ask himself if he was in the right position to say that. Nonetheless, it abused the faith.
She pulled off the rosary and la!d it by the gear. “You’re a Christian?”
“I am, and maybe you should consider being one, too.”
“Religion is a choice, and I have no reason to choose any.” Her words formed without any form of hindrance, giving him no reason to believe she might be unsteady about her absurd choice of sticking to no religion. Everyone on earth needed a higher power to survive.
He drove into Olodi and needed some directions, which she gave before he could ask. He followed the routes she pointed at even though he sometimes doubted if some were actual routes cars could follow, and even if some of them were the backyards of unfenced houses that littered around like the dirt on the streets. They bounced to the potholes, and he watched her to ensure her head didn’t hit the car’s roof. It never could have. She was not tall enough. Even so, he took caution.
He diverged into a junction, and as she directed him, they rode further and stopped front of a manicured lawn fronting an emerald bungalow with aluminium roof and leaded windows. Only few houses in the town had that.
She opened the door and stepped out of the car, promising she wouldn’t stay long.
He pondered on if to follow her in or remain glued to the seat. The second. She opened her gate and stepped in, giving him a small view of the compound. The ground had concrete tiles that seared to the falling rays, announcing that the sun was at its peak. Mondays never caught him this late.
She walked out with a phone enclosed in her hand, a Samsung good as the one he offered. She stepped into the car and he started the engine.
“Your place is good. What job do you do?”
“I do small-scale painting.”
Small-scale painting wasn’t enough to get such a place, unless Lagos had changed.
“My parents own the place.” Her voice sprung up. “They left it and headed north.”
It was good she had a decent place to lay head. “Your painting, how small is it?”
“I paint and sell to interested individuals.”
That should be enough to grant her three solid meals.

104 jostle for Unilorin admission

THE vice chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, has said that a total number of 104,000 candidates made the university as their first choice in the 2017/2018 admission through the JAMB.

Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the department of History and International Studies of the university in Ilorin on Thursday, the vice chancellor said that only about 11,000 university admission seekers would get admission spaces.

Professor Ambali, who was represented at the occasion by the deputy vice chancellor, Management Services, Professor Adedayo Abdulkareem, said that the peaceful and stable academic calendar of the university had made the institution to be the most sought among admission seekers in the country in the past four years.

Ambali also said that infrastructural development coupled with accreditation of most of the courses being offered,…

APC leaders move to avert bloodshed in Ikorodu North

A major political crisis among the chairmanship aspirants in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area LCDA was averted on Wednesday over the purported adoption of an aspirant over other nine contenders.

The swift intervention of the party leaders in the All Progressives Congress led to the resolution to pick the party’s flag bearer in the coming election through the party primary.

The decision came on the heels of series of protests that trailed an attempt by some leaders, described by the aspirants as ‘unscrupulous and greedy’, to impose a candidate over them.

At a crucial meeting by the leadership otherwise called the Apex, the aspirants expressed lack of confidence in the leadership, alleging bias of some of its members for unduly adopting an aspirant as the party’s candidate.

They condemned the activities of some leaders who were cited on social media platforms, raising the hand of a particular candidate as the party’s ‘consensus’ choice.

Leaders appease the aspirants

Addressing the aggrieved aspirants, the APC Chairperson in the LCDA, Mrs Toyin Salau sued for peace and implored them to either consult with one another for the possibility of adopting a candidate or choose to go through the primary election.

Subsequently, the aspirants were asked to consult with one another with a view to adopting a candidate; but this was deadlocked as they all agreed to allow the process of a primary election to run its full course.

The Apex meeting then reconvened with the agreement of all the stakeholders to go through primary election in Ikorodu North LCDA.

Aspirants at the meeting included Hon. Olalekan Murisiku JP, Mr Odueyingbo Sesan, Mrs Seyi Babalola, Hon. Mathew Adesanya and Mr Adebisi Banjo.

Others are Alhaji Haruna Ishola Balogun, Hon Wasiu Banwo, Hon Quadri Adeosun and Mr Ibrahim Apanishile.

Mr Dosumu Rasaq the only aspirant that was not at the meeting sent in an apology.

A former Chairman of LCDA, Prince Adeola Jokomba who acted as the Secretary to the leaders explained that, ‘the Apex of APC in Ikorodu Division under the leadership of former Deputy Governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye’ directed them to meet with the aspirants.

Members of the Apex who had been indicted in the purported adoption of a consensus candidate were also part of the 9-man Committee set up by Abiodun Ogunleye-led Apex Body of APC in Ikorodu Division.

The Apex members were Prince Kunle Ogunbela, Otunba Olasunkanmi Tijani, Mr Fatai Sulaimon Shoderu, Mr Akeem Oduga and Alhaji Akibu Adewummi.

Others are Mrs Toyin Salau Prince Adeola Jokomba and Hon. Jimoh Odidi.

The only member of the Apex who was not at the meeting was Hon Abiodun Iyiola.

By Adeyinka Aremu, Ikorodu

Fire kills couple, three kids in Lagos shop

Grief pervaded Ogunseye and Dipo Olubi streets, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos State, on Thursday following the tragic death of a family of five in an overnight fire. 

The victims were a couple identified only as Hope (wife) and Hygnius and their three children, Ada, 9, Nonso, 7, and six-year-old Ugochukwu.

While the woman and the children died on the spot, Hygnius, who sustained first degree burns, died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the fire started around 2am from a makeshift shop on Dipo Olubi Street, where the family resided and spread to three other adjoining shops. Hope also used the shop for laundry service and selling confectionery.

Although the immediate cause of the inferno could not be ascertained, it was said that the sound of explosion was heard from the family’s shop shortly after electricity was restored in the area.

During a visit to the community, our correspondent saw burnt clothes, washing machine, and refrigerator, among other burnt household items.

The Chairman, Ogunseye Residents Association, Mr. Gbenga Orimolade, said his wife drew his attention to the incident some minutes after 2am.

Orimolade stated that men of the Lagos State Fire Service and the state emergency management agency joined residents to extinguish the fire around 3am.

He said, “I came out immediately my wife woke me up. Other residents also came out and we tried to put out the fire.

“Firefighters responded about 20 minutes after the fire started to assist us. We could not rescue the mother and her children. The husband died in the afternoon at LASUTH.

“I don’t know what caused the fire, but it started 10 minutes after power was restored. The couple were from the East; we have been trying to reach their family.”

An eyewitness, who gave his name only as Chibuzor, said, “The fire was caused by electrical fault. The security men said they heard an explosion from the shop. It was very unfortunate. Hope was energetic and was the one making all the money for the family.”

Another resident, Abiodun Adegoke, told PUNCH Metro that he was informed about the incident on the telephone.

Adegoke said, “We could not salvage anything from the wreckage. I saw burnt flesh. I learnt that the couple had initially come out of the shop. The woman went back to save the children, but was burnt to death together with them. The husband also attempted to rescue them.

“She was intelligent and responsible. She just paid about N100,000 for the school fees of all the three children. It was very tragic.”

The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, who confirmed the deaths, urged residents to promptly alert the fire service whenever there was any fire incident.

“It might be that the laundry machine was faulty. People should make sure that their appliances are put off while going to sleep,” he added.

The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Adeshina Tiamiyu, said the agency received a distress call from the community around 2.38am and responded promptly.

He said, “This prompted the immediate activation of the Lagos State Fire Service and LASEMA’s Emergency Response Team to the scene of the incident. Investigation conducted by the ERT at the scene of the incident revealed that the cause of the fire could not be ascertained. Further information revealed that the fire affected four shops.

“A family, which comprised the father, mother and three children sleeping in one of the shops, were affected by the fire. The corpses were recovered and handed over to the police at the Aguda Police Station.

“The timely intervention of the agency and the fire service prevented the fire from escalating to other nearby buildings.”

Meanwhile, a three-storeyed building under construction on Richard Abimbola Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos State, has collapsed, with several persons trapped in the wreckage while one person died.

It was learnt that the incident happened around 2pm.

A resident, who gave his name only as Ifeanyi said the construction of the building started six months ago.

“But surprisingly, early this month, I noticed that it had been built to that level. Six persons were brought out from the wreckage in my presence. They sustained injuries,” he said.

One of the victims, a bricklayer, Ope Falola, who had minor bruises, said he was at the back of the building when the structure caved in.

He said, “My phone battery was flat and I was trying to look for where to charge it. I was walking along the back of the building when it suddenly collapsed. Three of my friends were also trapped and sustained injuries.”

Another worker, Tosin Olaniyi, said, “I was working on the fence of the building with three others. I just heard a bang and the building came down on us. There was no sign that the building was distressed.”

The LASEMA General Manager, Tiamiyu, said 16 persons working on the site were injured and had been taken to hospitals.

He said, “A number of labourers were doing their various works at different areas. Sixteen of them have been rescued and some are being treated by the agency’s medical team and Lagos State Ambulance Service, while some had been rushed to hospitals.

“Extraction of trapped victims is ongoing and one mortality has been recorded at the moment (10pm on Thursday).”

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