Southwest to give late Adebayo state burial, says Fayose

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Late Adeyinka Adebayo

Governor. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti says that Governors of South West States will ensure that the late Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo is given a state burial.

Fayose, who is also the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, stated this on Saturday when he paid a condolence visit to Adebayo`s family at his Lagos residence, Ikeja.

Fayose said he had sent a letter to his colleagues in the Southwest geo-political zone on the need to give the departed general, who hailed from Ekiti, a state burial.

“I have written letters to my colleagues governors. I don’t think his burial should be a business of the family in all understanding.

“However, the family will be the vehicle to guide all of us. I don’t know how many people were born when the general was the governor of the old Western region.

“This burial is an issue for South West Governors and other constituencies that Baba represented. I am very sure that when the committees are formed, we will be widely represented.

“With the permission of the family, we will communicate with my colleagues, they won’t be the one communicating to me, I am to communicate to them,” Fayose said.

According to him, arrangement will be done promptly and properly with minimum delay and in collaboration with the deceased`s family.

The Ekiti Governor, who said that Adebayo had so many sides, added that he was a great man who lived a very good life and represented his people. He said that the entire south west zone would definitely miss the late Adebayo.

Responding, Mr Niyi Adebayo, the first Civilian Governor of Ekiti and son of the deceased, expressed gratitude to Fayose for the gesture. “We are indeed very grateful that you have deemed it fit to come and pay us a condolence visit.

“In fairness, to you, whenever our father was in Ekiti, you always visited him and spent time with him, for that we are very grateful because it meant a lot to him.

“That is why I referred to you as ‘Omo baba’ (child of Adebayo), this is not politics; our father was more than politics because he was not partisan. “He saw himself as a true Nigerian, he did not belong to any political party,’’ the deceased son said.

According to him, his father while alive supported the Federal Government and any government in Ekiti because he was interested in peace and the progress of the people.

He said his family was happy that the south west governors were prepared to give their late father a state burial, which they deemed to be his due.

He, however, said that some governors in the zone and dignitaries from across the country had earlier visited the family while others called on phone to condole them.

Also speaking during the visit, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, described the late Adebayo as a straightforward, upright and disciplined gentleman. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adebayo died on March 8, the eve of his 89th birthday.

The late general served as the Military Governor of the then Western region comprising Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and some parts of Lagos State between 1966 and 1971.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mcYnhA

Arsenal ease pressure on Wenger, City stroll into semi-finals

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Arsenal's English midfielder Theo Walcott (C) celebrates with Arsenal's French striker Olivier Giroud as Arsenal players celebrate Walcott's opening goal during the English FA cup quarter final football match between Arsenal and Lincoln City at The Emirates Stadium in London on March 11, 2017.<br />Ian KINGTON / AFP

Arsene Wenger avoided more humiliation as troubled Arsenal moved into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 5-0 win against minnows Lincoln, while Manchester City joined the Gunners in the last four after a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Under heavy fire after Tuesday’s dismal Champions League exit against Bayern Munich, Wenger was given some much-needed breathing space by his side’s quarter-final victory over the plucky non-leaguers.

Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud bagged Arsenal’s first two goals at the Emirates Stadium before Luke Waterfall’s own goal. Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey were also on the scoresheet as Arsenal sealed their place in next month’s semi-finals at Wembley.

For the second time in five days, Arsenal fans staged a pre-match protest march calling for Wenger to resign and the Frenchman could ill-afford what would have been the FA Cup’s greatest upset.

Fifth tier leaders Lincoln were the first non-league team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in 103 years after a shock win over top-flight side Burnley in the fifth round.

And although Lincoln are 87 places below Arsenal in the league pyramid, there was no sign of that vast gulf in class in the first half, with Nathan Arnold almost giving them a shock lead when his shot brought a fine save from Petr Cech.

The chastening 5-1 loss to Bayern was Arsenal’s fifth defeat in their seven games and they looked bereft of confidence for long periods.

Wenger’s luck finally took a turn for the better in first half stoppage-time when Walcott’s shot took a large deflection off Lincoln’s Sam Habergham on its way into the net.

– Commanding –
That settled Arsenal’s nerves and Giroud doubled the lead when he slotted home from Hector Bellerin’s cross in the 53rd minute before Waterfall glanced Kieran Gibbs’ cross into his own net five minutes later.

Sanchez curled in the fourth in the 72nd minute and Ramsey made it five three minutes later.

Hoping to win the FA Cup a seventh time in his 21-year reign, Wenger could yet end one of his most difficult seasons with silverware.

City cruised into the semi-finals with a commanding victory at the Riverside Stadium as Pep Guardiola showed he is taking the competition seriously.

David Silva opened the scoring in the third minute and Sergio Aguero’s clinical finish in the 67th minute ensured City advanced to next month’s semi-finals at Wembley.

City boss Guardiola, chasing his first trophy in England, was rewarded for naming all his stars despite having to defend a 5-3 lead at Monaco in a decisive Champions League last 16 second leg on Wednesday.

“We’re so happy to be through because to reach the semi-finals of this competition is so complicated,” Guardiola said.

“We produced a good performance today. We were there from the first minute. The first goal was important but it was down to how we approached the game. “Now we recover good to play another big game on Wednesday.”

In the other quarter-finals, Tottenham host third tier Millwall on Sunday, while Premier League leaders Chelsea face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mUnZ7r

Pope considering Egypt trip

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This handout picture released by the Vatican press office shows Pope Francis (L) and members of Rome's curia leaving Ariccia by bus on the last day of a spiritual retreat, on March 10, 2017 near Rome.<br />HO / OSSERVATORE ROMANO / AFP

The Vatican is examining the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Egypt, but no dates have been set, his spokesman said Saturday after Italian reports suggested the trip would happen in May.

“A trip by the Holy Father to Egypt is under study but neither dates nor a programme have been finalised,” the spokesman, Greg Burke, said in a statement.

Italy’s national broadcaster RAI had claimed that Pope Francis would visit Cairo from May 20-21 and that his programme would include a stop at the Al-Azhar university and mosque complex.

The pope hosted the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, at the Vatican last May, in a landmark meeting with one of Islam’s top clerics.

That encounter was the culmination of a steady improvement in a relationship that had broken down because of a series of spats under Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI.

The current pope has made interfaith dialogue and reconciliation a leading theme of his pontificate and has also overseen an improvement in relations with the Orthodox and Protestant wings of Christianity.

The Argentine pope has a long-standing invitation to visit Egypt, issued by President President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi when he met Francis at the Vatican in 2014.

Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian conference of bishops, reported last month that an invitation had also been received from the Coptic Patriarch in Alexandria.

Any trip would be fraught with security concerns but those did not prevent the 80-year-old pontiff from visiting Bangui, the conflict-scarred capital of the Central African Republic in November 2015.

Francis confirmed he was expecting to visit Egypt soon in an interview with German daily Die Zeit that was published on Thursday.

Jean-Louis Tauran, the Vatican cardinal who deals with interfaith dialogue, visited Al-Azhar in February in the latest of a series of meetings between the two institutions.

Presuming the visit goes ahead, Francis will become the second Roman Catholic pope to visit Egypt, following John Paul II’s historic trip there in February 2000.

Relations were derailed under Benedict after rows over a 2006 speech in which he was seen as having linked Islam to violence and 2011 comments condemning an attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria which Al-Azhar denounced as meddling in Egypt’s affairs.

As things stand, Francis has only two overseas trips scheduled this year, one to the Fatima shrine in Portugal in April and one in September to Colombia.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mcYyto

DJ Switch – 4 Ways ft. Da L.E.S & Yanga [Mp3 + Lyrics]

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DJ Switch opens up 2017 with a club banger titled 4 Ways different from what he drop and showing versatility which he has been along time.

Da L.E.S and Yanga dropping swag and dope punchlines 4 Ways will be heating your playlists, the clubs and the vibe. Beat Produced by TaylorMadeBeatz from DBN def a producer to be reckoned with.

DOWNLOAD

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Buhari honest, incorruptible leader, says Shagari (Read full details)

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Former President Shehu Shagari

Former President Shehu Shagari has urged Nigerians and the international community to support President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration, saying he was an honest, incorruptible and detribalised leader.

Shagari, who clocked 92 on Saturday, said that the president was doggedly fighting corruption to sanitise governance in the country and therefore, needed the prayers and support of all Nigerians.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that Buhari was a true nationalist whose penchant for Nigeria’s socio-economic development was unparalleled.

He said that the president was striving to salvage the country from the hands of anti-Nigeria forces, and appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray for leaders at all levels ”rather than cursing them’’.

”Buhari is also intensifying efforts to truly diversify the economy by taking attention away from heavy dependence on oil revenue,”
the former president said.

He expressed satisfaction with the efforts so far made by the present administration to improve the security situation in Nigeria and urged the government not to relent.

Meanwhile, Captain Bala Shagari (retd), eldest son of the former president, has described his father as “humble and disciplined,” saying they were proud of him.

He said that the family was grateful to God for the life of their father, adding that it was a blessing that he had lived to 92 years and was still strong.

”We must show gratitude to Almighty Allah for his longevity. Our father is an invaluable blessing from God; he is free with us
and always provides wisdom and guidance to us.

” He is never greedy and he is a person who never solicits for anything or position, only gets it purely on merit,” Shagari added.

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In Iraq: Daesh terrorists burn to death 15 Iraqi civilians in Kirkuk

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Members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have reportedly burned to death more than a dozen young Kurdish women in Iraq’s northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk as the militants continue to perpetrate various crimes against humanity in areas under their control.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that Daesh extremists rounded up 15 people, among them children, on a road linking al-Riyadh district, situated 55 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk, to the mountainous Hamrin region in the neighboring Salahuddin Province.

The source added that the Takfiris slapped charges of “attempts to cross to the land of infidels” against the victims, submerged them in crude oil and then set them alight while hundreds of people were watching.

Nobody could do anything to save them.

Daesh then threatened citizens in the area that they would be burned to death similarly if they try to escape.

The ill-fated civilians were reportedly members of three families from al-Shajarah village in al-Abbasi area of Hawijah district, located 48 kilometers west of Kirkuk.

7 Iraqis wounded as Daesh pounds residential area in Anbar

Meanwhile, seven civilians, including women and children, sustained injuries when Daesh terrorists fired a salvo of Katyusha rockets at the residential al-Haqlaniyah area of Haditha region, situated about 240 kilometers northwest of the capital Baghdad, in the troubled western province of Anbar.

Daesh bomb expert mysteriously killed in Mosul

Additionally, a Daesh expert in making crude chlorine bombs was mysteriously killed near his residence in the al-Islah al- Zeraei neighborhood of western Mosul.

The terror network was unmoved by the news of the death of the self-proclaimed engineer, identified by the nom de guerre Abu Yaha al-Iraqi, suggesting that its members may have murdered the 44-year-old man.

Credit: Press TV

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