Friday, 10 March 2017
Sunday, 26 February 2017
DSS quizzes ex governor Suswam over arms cache, exotic cars (Read full details)
Suswam
The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday invited former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam to explain his link to a cache of assorted weapons and exotic cars discovered by the agency at No. 44, Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama, Abuja.
A statement by Tony Opuiyo, a spokesman of the DSS disclosed that on 24th February, 2017, the Service executed a search warrant at the property of Dunes Investment and Global Properties Ltd, located at No 44 Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama-Abuja. The operation was informed by intelligence that some incriminating items were stashed in the boots of cars parked at the property, particularly a Mercedes Benz S550 (BWR 135AH) and Masarati 4.7(BWR 207 AJ) which were subsequently confiscated.
The Service added that on 25th February, 2017, in the presence of two private security officers employed by Dunes Investment, the cars were searched and the following items were recovered:
• A Glock pistol with two magazines and a total of 29 rounds of ammunition;
• Mini-Uzi with two magazines containing 10 rounds and 4 rounds;
• Forty-two extra rounds of ammunition contained in a pack; and
• One AK-47.
Other items recovered include 21 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and one Offer of Statutory Right of Occupancy; 23 Luxury designer watches and 45 keys to various exotic cars.
Following this discovery, the Service said it launched further investigation which revealed that the cars and the recovered items belong to Suswan who has already been invited by the Service and presently helping in the investigations.
Apparently disturbed by the rate at which influential individuals are breaching the law, the DSS sounded a note of warning to persons and groups that “it will no longer tolerate any acts of lawlessness by those who ought to be law abiding and responsible citizens.
“The Service has also observed with total dismay the inciting utterances of some political actors whose activities heat-up the polity and wishes to express its disappointment with these politicians who, in their desperation, are engaged in hate speeches and even sponsorship of radio campaign jingles when the electoral umpire has not authorized such campaigns in line with the Electoral Act.”
More worrisome, the Service noted, is the alleged unpatriotic involvement of some media outfits in these divisive tendencies which negate their constitutional role as the fourth estate of the realm.
In line with its statutory mandate of maintaining the peace and internal security of the country, the Service restated its commitment to go after anyone, no matter how highly placed, who engages in acts capable of causing the breach of peace in the country.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lVtDVU
Saturday, 25 February 2017
“We need to appreciate the genius within us by investing in people with potentials”…Read full details
Emmanuel Olawale
Someone once said poverty is not lack of knowledge; it is the lack of opportunity.” These were the words of Emmanuel Olawale, a Nigerian practising law in the United States. He spoke at a recent conversation he had with journalists to explain the motivation for his new book, The Flavor of Favor: Quest for the American Dream. A Memoir.
Olawale, who left Nigeria as a teenager, struggled through immense hardship in land of his dreams before attaining a measure of success. The book is his story of grass to grace, of how dire poverty in Nigeria fueled his American dream and how he eventually arrived to pursue it. Having gone through the furnace of hardship, having also competed with white children in their own schools and beating them to top the class, Olawale reveals how he began to shed his inferiority complex, to finally claim his place in his adopted homeland even when he still has his roots firmly planted back in Nigeria.
Also, having lived through two experiences in two diverse societies – Nigeria and the U.S. – Olawale has plenty of insights to give on why success seems to be an American thing as everyone is co-opted into it irrespective of where you come from, so long you have something to offer. He explained reasons for the disparity in prosperity among western countries in comparison to African countries, saying the system here does not encourage competition or innovation that could right the rot in the system for a better country.
Olawale also noted that he did not attain his current level of success by being lazy or discountenancing the importance of starting small and having a strong foundation.
According to him: “My first job was when I was about 14 years old. My parents did not even know about it. I left home early in the morning to go and lift ‘ponpon,’ the kind of labour you do at construction site. What I see in a lot of Nigerians is that we don’t have that sense of dignity in labour; we look down on some kind of things that can build our character.”
Adding, he said, “I did law in the U.S. after my ND in Nigeria in mass communication. They saw that I was at the top of my class at university. So, law schools were sending letters, trying to recruit me as if I was a professional footballer. So, I had over a dozen offers. Some of them were willing to pay the plane ticket and pay hotel bills just to consider me getting into their schools.
“You have to come from a very good background to be recognised, because without people like us, America won’t be America. What they do is, they get people from all over the world, which is why they seem to be the most powerful country. It is not because of the hegemony of the species that are there, but because they ‘pick pocket’ people from most countries and they actually liberate them from everywhere.
“If we do that here, we will see the benefit of it. We have to invest in time; we have to invest in our hearts; we have to invest in education. Because of the mentality that we have that white people are always better; I had that, too, coming from Africa but I discovered that, ‘no, they are not better’ and from then, I took off that mentality that they are not better than us. Because if we can compete on the same platform and I am beating you, then what makes you the better? We need to start appreciating the genius within us. What they normally do over there is that, when they see that someone has potentials, they invest in you without considering where you come from because they know that whatever invention you come up with would still benefit everyone.”
On how he was able to keep his head above waters in his new environment, to study and become what he is, Olawale said, “I would say it was the upbringing that my parents gave me. Teach a child the way he should go, and when he grows up he will not depart from it. I was very practical with the kind of friendships that I kept. I would hang out with the good, the bad and the ugly, but that saying, ‘remember the son of whom you are’ is what has kept me.
“I just had that foundational thought, that you know what? No matter how far away I go, I would always still end up at the top. This was what kept me, knowing where I am from and knowing that there are some things that are expected of me.”
Olawale, who was the first non-American to be nominated as a candidate for judge in Delaware Country, Ohio, said it pays to always remain authentic, adding that people should not lose site of their core values and African culture.
According to him, “We need to hold our culture dear to our hearts and not lose it. An English man is not Yoruba. So going over there, I had that edge over them. I am literate in two languages; I can read and write Yoruba fluently, just as I can read and write English fluently. So, I am better than an average America in that respect. After seeing that, I started embracing my culture and telling others more about where I am from.”
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2mxPrE4
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Glo data subscribers get free 4G smartphones
Globacom has taken customer reward several notches higher by gifting 4G LTE smartphones free-of-charge to its customers, who subscribe to a special LTE data plan.
According to a statement issued by the company in Lagos, any subscriber who buys a 75GB LTE data plan for N75,000 will get a smartphone worth N75,000 with advanced features like 13 Megapixel camera, dual SIMs, a 5-inch screen and 2GB RAM.
For those who subscribe to a 60GB 4G LTE plan for N60,000, an 8 Megapixel, 4G smart phone worth the same amount awaits them absolutely free, while any subscriber who purchases a 48GB data plan for N48,000 will get a 5 Megapixel camera smartphone worth the same amount, also free. Both 4G LTE smartphones are also dual SIM-enabled and come with IGB RAM.
The network announced that the offer will enable Globacom subscribers, who do not have 4G smartphones yet to experience the exceptional speed of the Glo 4G networks widely referred to as “the speed of life.”
Positing that this is the best deal in town, Globacom said the offer will create huge excitement among telephone subscribers in Nigeria, adding that all the “phones are ideal for 4G, 3G, and 2G networks.”
“Glo Mobile offers the most innovative services and data plans at affordable rates. With this special free 4G LTE smartphone offer, we have once again demonstrated our resolve to always give our subscribers the best value. It cannot get better than this,’’ the statement said.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mdjViA
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
DFID pledges new models of governance assistance to Southwest states
DFID
The Department for International Development (DFID) has pledged to assist the Southwest states to put in place models and ways of working that will enhance the strengths they already have.
The Team Leader, Governance and Social Development, UK, DFID, Mr. Oliver Blake, made this known yesterday in a paper he presented at the on-going Southwest governance innovations conference holding in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The four-day conference, organised by Dawn Commission, was saddled with the responsibility of charting a roadmap for good governance and accelerated development in the Southwest region.
Blake who said the DFID had, this year provided £250 million in support to Nigeria stated that his organisation recognised the fact that the Southwest region had committed political leadership, brilliant and committed people as well as all that it takes for its development.
His words: “This conference is therefore about helping the Southwest build on the political leadership and the skills of its people to put in place a dynamic of progress, built on a commitment to excellence and drawing on lessons and experiences from across the region,” Blake affirmed.
Those who made contributions at yesterday’s session included Abegunde Ebenezer Oludare, Iyalode (women leader) of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson, Babatunde Babajide, Jide Bamgbose and Anthony Oyedeji.
Each spoke on innovations their state governments had introduced into governance.
The lead presenter from Ekiti State, Mr. Abegunde Ebenezer Oludare enjoined all the Southwest states to ensure “professionalism in agriculture” so as to encourage the youth to come in to the sector.
The General Manager of Oyo State Community Social Development Project (CSDP), Mr. Christopher Adewole Babatunde, disclosed that the CSDP had helped the state to reduce poverty and stimulate development.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lJP906
Thursday, 2 February 2017
At £200,000 a week, Ighalo is Nigeria’s highest paid sportsman…See full details
Watford's Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo (R) misses an open goal by Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Manchester United at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, north of London on September 18, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS /
Former Watford striker, Odion Ighalo, who left England because he was not getting playing time, has suddenly become Nigeria’s highest paid sportsman, reports allnigeriasoccer.com.
Ighalo will jet off to China tomorrow to join his new team in the Chinese Super League, Changchun Yatai.He has already appended his signature to a 4+1 year contract with Changchun Yatai after passing a clinical examination conducted in London on Monday.
Ighalo is guaranteed wages of more than £200,000 per week, which is more than 10 million pounds per season (equivalent of $12.5 million every year). On top of that, the Super Eagles star is the best paid Nigerian sportsman, earning approximately $1.5 million more than Golden State Warriors shooting guard Andre Iguodala, who will pocket $11,131,368 this season.
Shanghai Shenhua striker, Obafemi Martins will take home $9 million this season, around the same figure as new Tianjin Teda recruit, John Obi Mikel.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kyfi0Q