Obama Rejects Trump’s Veto Advice On UN’s Israel/Palestinian Resolution

Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama has explained why his administration rejected incoming President Donald Trump’s advice on the Friday’s UN Security Council’s resolution on Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory.

Senegal In Preparation For Military Onslaught Against Jammeh Of Gambia

Senegal’s soldiers have been put on alert to intervene in The Gambia if President Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down next month.

Boko Haram Fall: Buratai Praises Gallant Nigerian Soldiers

The Chief of Army staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has commended the efforts and sacrifices of gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Army currently engaged in the counter insurgency operations in the North East and other operations across the country and abroad.

El-Rufai Loses Control In Southern Kaduna As 24-hour Curfew Is Imposed

The Jema’a Local Government of Kaduna State on Monday imposed 24-hour curfew on Kafanchan and its environs to forestall breakdown of law and order.

The curfew was imposed after a peaceful protest by youths in Kafanchan against killings in Southern Kaduna.

The Interim Chairman of the council, Dr Bege Katuka, confirmed the development on telephone in Kafanchan on Monday.

He said that the decision became necessary to forestall breakdown of law and order and save lives and property.

The official advised members of the public to be calm and remain indoors until further notice.

Truck Drivers Block Abuja-Lokoja-Okene Highway To Protest N10,000 Tax

Protesting truck drivers have blocked the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene highways since the early hours of Monday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

OPC Factional Leader, Fasheun Insist Southwest Will Punish President Buhari In 2019

Founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun, has described the marginalization of the Yorubas in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government as real.

He warned that the people from the Southwest geo-political zone may use their votes to punish the president and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections, unless there is a redress.

JUST IN: Court Dismisses Buhari’s Suit Against AIT

Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday struck out a defamation suit filed last year by President Muhammadu  against DAAR Communications, owner of the African Independent Television, Punch reports.

Details soon…

THISDAY Sacks 76 Workers

After owing staff salaries ranging from 10 to 17 months, THISDAY Newspapers Limited has sacked 76 workers.

The workers were sacked on Monday in a bid by the troubled newspaper outfit to navigate through the biting economic recession in the country.

Wike, PDP Behind Killings In Rivers State Says Amaechi

With three days to the December 10 re-run elections in Rivers State, former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has alleged that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike cannot deny his involvement and sponsorship of the killing of innocent Rivers people and stalwarts of the APC in the 2015 general elections and the March 19 re-run elections in the state.

40 Passengers Confirmed Dead In Pakistan Plane Crash

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight with more than 40 people on board has crashed in the north of the country.

Flight PK-661 “lost contact with the control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago”, the airline said in a statement.

Fake U.S. Embassy In Ghana Shut Down

Authorities in Ghana have busted a fake U.S. embassy in the capital Accra, run by a criminal network that had issued visas illegally for one decade, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Breaking: Soyinka To Hold Private Funeral On Trump’s Inauguration Day

Prof Wole Soyinka[/captionRevered playwright and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says he will hold a private funeral on January 20 when United States President-elect, Donald Trump, is inaugurated as President.

Dangote’s Liaison With Kidnappers Murdered, Body Dumped In Gutter

Istifanus Bello Gurama, a senior strategist with Dangote Industries Limited, who was reportedly kidnapped three weeks ago, has been murdered.

Reliable sources say Gurama’s body was found in the gutter, adding that one of the kidnappers must have alerted a member of the public to where the body was.

Huge Sums Of Money Paid Into Fayose’s Accounts Before Ekiti Election – Witness

Alade-Oluseye Sunday, a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Abiodun Agbele, an ally of Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, on Thursday, confirmed that cash deposits were made into the governor’s account before his election.

2 Suicide Bombers Die In Early Morning Explosion In Maiduguri

The Police Command in Borno, on Friday confirmed the killing of two suspected suicide bombers after an explosion near a mobile police unit in Jiddari area of Maiduguri.

Mr Victor Isuku, the command’s spokesman, who confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Maiduguri, said the explosion occurred in the early hours of Friday.

Government Urged To Scale-Up Primary Health Care Service Delivery In The Country

A Nigerian Non-Governmental Organization, Connected development has called on government at all levels to make provision for quality facilities in various primary health care centers in the country.

Following the release of 1.5 million dollars by World Bank to the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory as part of the Bank’s “Save One million Lives”, CODE visited 6 states to assess the state of the PHCs to track the implementation of these funds. These states include Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Kano, Kogi and Yobe.

Findings from these the states are rather terrible as most of the Primary Health Centres are currently facing several disgraceful and elementary challenges.

Generically, most of them have no improved water supply, electricity, security, quarters for hospital staffers; there is no stationed doctor; and the toilet facilities are in a mess. Furthermore, because of these challenges, the PHCs do not operate 24/7, cannot admit or treat sick people and lack sufficient tables & chairs.

In Kano, precisely Kantudu in Makoda, it was discovered that the PHC serves 2,500 people, all coming from 13 surrounding villages. The PHC was built 5-6 years ago as a senatorial project in Makoda LGA. The PHC has one male and female ward, which are not presently functioning. There are only three staffers with one community health worker who are not certified health professionals.

During the interactive section with the head of community Alhaji Muhammad Musa and the community association said that they have reached out to the government of Kano twice on the state of the health center in Kantudu, but there was no response.

“We hope this campaign with ONE and CODE will make the government of Kano to look at the plight of our health center, so that our people can start using it” says Malam Ali, the medical head at the PHC.

In Lantenwa area of Yobe State where a Primary Health Care is in a messy situation. The PHC serves a population of 13,400 under 5 yrs; 10-15 patients daily, 70-105 weekly. Speaking to the head commnity ,AuduLantewa, mentioned that the dispensary has been dilapidated for more than 7 yrs, adding that dispensary situation is critical and he personally reported the issue to local authorities several times.

He further lamented that “Lantewa is the gathering center of four neighboring with approximately 7,000 registered voters, as such we should get better things from the government” he said

In Kogi State, CODE wanted to find out if the implementation of the fund is ongoing as well as to track the implementation of the N10.5 million earmarked by the National Primary Health care Development Agency for the rehabilitation of the PHC. On reaching there, there was no such intervention taking place. The Officer in Charge (OIC) said it was the first time she was hearing of such.

In Osun State, there was nothing to write home about as findings revealed that the facility is meant to serve 11 villages which are: Gboore, Alajue-Logun, Asunmo, Ayegbami, Agbopa, Jagun-Odomu, Olodan, Aladie, Amosun, Seesa, Akiribiti amongst others. In total, the target population which the facility is meant to serve is 12,498. 498 of the population are children less than one year, the Primary Health Care Centre has a monthly target of 42 patients, but it end up serving more than 400 on the average.

Consequently, a Freedom of Information letters was sent to the concerned government institutions and offices for a breakdown of the funds usage, implementation window and respective contractors, especially the governmental institutions concerned, to instantaneously start the implementation of these funds, ensure transparency & accountability in the funds’ implementation, and make government data open in line with the Open Government Partnership.

BREAKING: Dozens Dead As Shiites Clash With Police

Members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have on Monday morning clashed with the police in Kano city.

A witness said the clash started around Tamburawa, on the outskirts of Kano city, when the police tried to stop a Shiite protest.

‘War Has Just Begun’, Shekau Warns Trump

Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram jihadist group has reacted to the election of Donald Trump to the White House with a warning that “the war has just begun” against the West.

US ELECTION: Trump Cries Foul As FBI Clears Clinton Again

Donald Trump has accused the FBI of impropriety after it once again exonerated his rival Hillary Clinton of criminal conduct on her emails.

The FBI director said a fresh inquiry into the Democratic candidate’s communications found nothing to change the bureau’s conclusion this summer.

Minister of State For Ptetroleum, Kachikwu Blows Hot Says NNPC Wrong On Petrol Price Hike

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, says the recent N4 increase in price of petrol in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) filling stations, is very wrong.

Kachikwu made the statement after receiving an award at an event organized by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) in Abuja on Sunday.

US Election: Nearly 33 million Early Votes Have Been Cast As Of Nov. 3

As of November 3, 2016, nearly 33 million votes have been cast in the 2016 US presidential election nationwide.

So far, Democratic-affiliated voters have outpaced Republican-affiliated voters in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. In Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, more Republican-affiliated voters have cast ballots so far.

Troops On Patrol Kill 2 Terrorists In Borno

Troops on fighting patrol along the Monguno-Brimari road in Borno, on Thursday killed two suspected terrorists.

Melania Trump To Fight Cyber-bullying As First Lady

Melania Trump has said in a speech in Berwyn, Pennsylvania that she will like to be an advocate for women and young people as first lady.

The wife of the Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump also condemned the potential negative impacts of social media and cyber-bullying on the self-esteem of young people.

New Poll Shows Americans Believe Sexual Allegations Against Trump

A poll released on Monday in Washington said most Americans believe in the allegations about Trump’s sexual misconduct.

The new poll conducted by AP-GFK found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the women who accused Trump of kissing or groping them without consent.

Ogun State Govt Sacks NLC, NUT Chairmen, 14 Others

Eleven days after Ogun workers embarked on an indefinite strike, government responded today with the dismissal of the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Akeem Ambali and the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Dare Ilekoya.

See Nigerian Police Officers Engage In Street Fight Over Extorted Money

Breaking: EFCC Arrests Former FCT Minister Bala Mohammed

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Details of Mr. Mohammed’s arrest remained fuzzy as at the time of filing this report, but sources confirmed he was in detention at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday night, Leadership newspaper reports.

“Yes, we have him in our custody,” a source said.

EFCC Arrests Ex-presidential Spokesman, Reuben Abati

Former Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati has been arrested.

According to Premium Times, he was arrested on Monday by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly receiving some money from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.

He is expected to spend the night with the anti-graft agency.

Army Warns Officers Against Cheating During Examination

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lagos, Maj.-Gen. Isidore Edet, has warned officers that would be promoted to the rank of Major to desist from cheating during their promotion examination.

South Africa Announces Decision To Leave The ICC

In a move that comes as a surprise to many, South Africa has announced it is pulling out of the International Criminal Court and has initiated the withdrawal process. This comes on the heels of Burundi's announcement that it was leaving the court.

A written notice of South Africa's intention was submitted to the UN secretary general, said Tshililo Michael Masutha, the country's justice minister. The withdrawal from the international court will be formalized one year after the notification.

The court in the Hague, Netherlands, comprises 124 states from around the world. The ICC is the "court of last resort" and tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes. The court was created by the Rome Statute, a treaty first brought before the United Nations. In recent years, African leaders have complained of bias in the court's activities as most of its cases have been against African leaders.

All six current prosecutions or prosecutions in the process are of Africans, and so far, the ICC has not indicted or pressed charges against any other people from any other part of the world. South Africa has complained of interference from the ICC, a case which began when the court requested the arrest of Sudanese president, Omar Al Bashir who was in South Africa last year for a meeting of African leaders on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide stemming from the conflict in the Darfur region in western Sudan.

South Africa's justice minister added that the country remains committed to holding those who committed crimes against humanity accountable, and that it intended to work closely with the African Union and other African countries.

The ICC's 124 members is made up of 34 African nations, heavyweights such as America, China, Israel and Russia are signatories but are not active members.

Aregbesola In Trouble: Osun Gets Least Federal Allocation Of N868.9m

The problem facing Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State over payment of salaries of Osun workers is far from being over, as the state got the least from the federation account in September.

The state got a paltry amount of N868.9m while others receive not less than N2 billion.

Mourinho Laments 4-0 Loss To Chelsea

Manchester United’s Coach Jose Mourinho has admitted that his team started badly which cost them an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Chelsea.

The goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and N’golo Kante ensured that Mourinho was humiliated on his return to Stamford Bridge.

Mother Sells 2-month Old Baby For N450,000

A 51-year old woman, Rose Edward, is in police net for allegedly buying a 2-month-old baby for N450,000.

Mr Murtala Mani, Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, disclosed this on Saturday in Uyo, while briefing newsmen.

SERAP Compels CJN To Speak Up On Alleged Amaechi’s Visit To Justice Okoro

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to speak up on the alleged visit by the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi to Justice John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court to curry favour in respect of the Rivers, Abia and Akwa Ibom governorship elections.

FIRS Seals Bolingo Hotel Abuja

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Wednesday sealed the Bolingo Hotel, Abuja, over suspected tax matters.

A source at the FIRS said the measure was part of the deliberate action to shore up government revenue drive, especially in the area of recovery of tax revenues from defaulting organizations.

Messi Scores Hat-trick As Barca Demolish Manchester City 4-0

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona punished 10-man Manchester City in the Champions League on Pep Guardiola’s return to his old club.

City were competitive in the first half, but made far too many errors against a ruthless Barcelona revelling in Messi’s return from injury.

Nigeria Bounces Back As Africa’s Biggest Economy

Nigeria's Finance Minister

A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected Nigeria as Africa’s biggest economy, in spite of its current challenges.

Nigeria is placed ahead of South Africa and Egypt which are second and third respectively.

Battle For Mosul: 900 Flee City Ahead Of Fighting

Some 900 people have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul and crossed the border into Syria, the UN refugee agency says.

This is the first large group of civilians confirmed to have escaped since the Iraqi government began its offensive to liberate Mosul from the so-called Islamic State (IS) on Monday.

Saro-Wiwa’s Family Looses Son, Aged 48

Keenule  Saro-Wiwa (Jnr) son of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the late Ogoni environmental rights activist, is dead.

It was gathered that Saro-Wiwa Jr, who was based in Abuja, died on ‎Tuesday after a brief illness.

Born in 1968, ‎Saro-Wiwa Junior was an international journalist and an author and later served in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Amaechi Denies Approaching Justice Okoro To Influence Judgement

Former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has denied approaching Justice John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court with the intention of bribing him to influence judgments in the Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States governorship cases at the Supreme Court.

Police Discover Baby Factory In Port Harcourt

Operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Rivers State Police Command, acting on intelligence, on Tuesday smashed a baby making factory at Igbo Etche, a suburb of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Arrested at a house designated as a clinic were one Reginald Akagbuto ‘m’ and four pregnant teenage girls.

Obanikoro Spends The Night In EFCC Cell

Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Obanikoro who arrived the country early Monday morning went straight to Abuja to meet the EFCC over allegations of N4.75b arms funds traced to his account and that of his sons.

How Ex-NIMASA Boss, Others Stole N1.5b – Witness

An EFCC witness, Mr Kanu Idagu, on Monday told a Federal High Court in Lagos how some committees were set up at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as conduit pipes to steal money running into billions of Naira.

Idagu, an operative of EFCC, gave the evidence at the resumed trial of Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former Director General of NIMASA, who is being tried alongside nine others on a 40-count charge bordering on money laundering.

Freedom May Just Be Close For 83 More Chibok Schoolgirls As Shekau Raises Hope

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammdu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has revealed that the Abubakar Shekau faction of the Boko Haram is willing to release 83 more Chibok schoolgirls in its possession after negotiation with the Federal Government.

Fani-Kayode Cries Out Over Arrest Of Wife, Son

Chief  Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation under the Obasanjo regime, has cried out over the arrest of his wife and eight-month old son in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

NSCDC To Coordinate Private Security Guard Firms

The Yobe command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Thursday, launched a special programme to coordinate activities of private security guard firms and vigilance groups for supervision and monitoring.

See Search Warrants Issued By The Court To Search Homes Of The Arrested Judges

The Department of State Security DSS has made copies of search warrants it obtained from the Magistrate Court of Abuja on October 5th for the search of the homes of the various judges that were arrested over the weekend. 
This ofcourse has refuted the claims of some Nigerians that the DSS went to search the homes of the judges without obtaining a warrant.