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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Youth For Change NG, an umbrella group of youths committed to enthroning decency in politics, has berated Mr Femi Fani-Kayode over his disparaging tweet against the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, the group noted that Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, has the penchant for being “uncouth, rude and crude” in public discourse. The statement was signed by Mr Seun Bobade, national leader of the group. It said that the tweet credited to Fani-Kayode when he was reacting to comments made by Mohammed, during a television programme, “is unbecoming of a man who is supposed to be a father figure to all youths.” “We found Mr Fani-Kayode’s tweet extremely distasteful, very disgusting and unbecoming of a man who supposedly had good education. “How can Mr Fani-Kayode censure the young ones, including his own children, if they become uncouth, rude and crude in public discourse when he himself has no...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Yushau A. Shuaib On July 13, 2015, General Babagana Monguno (rtd) was announced as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) by the current administration. He replaced Sambo Dasuki who had acted in that position in the new regime, for over a month after serving as substantial NSA to the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan for about three years. General Monguno was widely known as a fine, unassuming army officer during his active service years. During occasional visits to my kind in-law, General Garba Wahab and military press officer, Mohammed Yerima at the Army Headquarters about a decade ago, soldiers and officers did refer to Monguno as a Perfect Gentleman in the military uniform. In fact, it was around that period that I learnt he married his anticipated perfect woman, Nafisah Munir while he was an Army General. Monguno attended King’s College, Lagos and enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy 21st Regular Course. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Arc...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Youth For Change NG, an umbrella group of youths committed to enthroning decency in politics, has berated Mr Femi Fani-Kayode over his disparaging tweet against the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, the group noted that Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, has the penchant for being “uncouth, rude and crude” in public discourse. The statement was signed by Mr Seun Bobade, national leader of the group. It said that the tweet credited to Fani-Kayode when he was reacting to comments made by Mohammed, during a television programme, “is unbecoming of a man who is supposed to be a father figure to all youths.” “We found Mr Fani-Kayode’s tweet extremely distasteful, very disgusting and unbecoming of a man who supposedly had good education. “How can Mr Fani-Kayode censure the young ones, including his own children, if they become uncouth, rude and crude in public discourse when he himself has no...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Yushau A. Shuaib On July 13, 2015, General Babagana Monguno (rtd) was announced as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) by the current administration. He replaced Sambo Dasuki who had acted in that position in the new regime, for over a month after serving as substantial NSA to the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan for about three years. General Monguno was widely known as a fine, unassuming army officer during his active service years. During occasional visits to my kind in-law, General Garba Wahab and military press officer, Mohammed Yerima at the Army Headquarters about a decade ago, soldiers and officers did refer to Monguno as a Perfect Gentleman in the military uniform. In fact, it was around that period that I learnt he married his anticipated perfect woman, Nafisah Munir while he was an Army General. Monguno attended King’s College, Lagos and enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy 21st Regular Course. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Arc...

http://ift.tt/2rjQgE1 Priyanka Chopra poses for photographers during a photocall to promote the Europe premiere of "Baywatch" on May 30, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / Odd ANDERSEN Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra hit back at critics Wednesday for trying to shame her over a dress she wore during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The actress was accused of “disrespecting” the prime minister by wearing a knee-length dress revealing her lower legs during an audience with Modi in Berlin. Chopra was attacked on social media by critics who found the outfit unsuitable for the occasion, with many offended the 34-year-old star had not chosen to wear Indian attire. But the star of the hit American spy thriller “Quantico” was unapologetic, hitting back with a photo showing her and her mother wearing short dresses with the caption “legs for days…. #itsthegenes”. The former Miss World describes herself as a “strong-willed feminist” who has campaigned to cl...

http://ift.tt/2qBOtrT (FILES) This file photo taken on February 05, 2016 shows WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addressing the media from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in central London./ AFP PHOTO / Jack Taylor Ecuador’s new President Lenin Moreno criticized Julian Assange as a “hacker” but stressed his country would continue providing asylum to the WikiLeaks founder fleeing international arrest. Moreno, who took office this month, has struck a more critical tone toward Assange than his predecessor, Rafael Correa, who said earlier his country had “done its duty” by granting Assange asylum in 2012. “Mr Assange is a hacker. That’s something we reject and that I in particular personally reject,” said Moreno, who warned Assange during the presidential campaign to “not interfere” in Ecuadoran politics. “But I respect the situation in which he finds himself,” holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London, Moreno said. Earlier this month, Swedish prosecutors dropped a seven-ye...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J New York – The release of 82 of the Chibok schoolgirls by their Boko Haram captors, after three years, is heart-warming, the U.S. government said. Mr Nathan Holt, the Deputy Director, Office of West African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, made the remarks in Washington, D.C. via teleconference on: “Nigeria, a critical U.S. partner’’. He said the release of the girls from captivity was also a positive development for them and their families. “Many of you will have also followed the news of the release of the Chibok girls over the weekend. “Obviously, that was a heart-warming and positive development for the young women involved and for their families. “We’d like to point out that they’re among thousands of victims of Boko Haram and its offshoot, ISIS West Africa,’’ Holt said. The U.S. envoy explained that his country was carrying out a lot of bilateral activities with Nigeria and multilateral cooperation, involving the UN. ...

http://ift.tt/2pz1mDv PHOTO:AFP Mexico’s ruthless drug cartels left the country with the world’s highest murder rate last year, second only to Syria, a report released on Tuesday by the London-based IISS said. There were 23,000 homicides in Mexico during 2016, compared to 60,000 in Syria which has since 2011 been wracked by civil war, according to a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). “It is very rare for criminal violence to reach a level akin to armed conflict. “But this has happened in the Northern Triangle of Central America (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) and, especially, Mexico,” said Antonio Sampaio, a researcher at the security and conflict institute. The three Central American countries have seen a year-on-year fall, accounting for 16,000 murders last year, while Mexico saw an 11 percent increase in the same period. The level of violence in Mexico was attributed by Sampaio to the December 2006 decision by the country’s then-p...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Gusau – The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo would be part of dignitaries slated to commission multi-billion naira projects executed by Zamfara Government to mark Gov. Abdul’aziz Yari’s six years in office. The Chairman, anniversary committee, Alhaji Lawal Liman made the disclosure on Tuesday in Gusau while inspecting Danturai Government Day Secondary School, one of the projects to be inaugurated. Liman, who is the state Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, said 34 different projects executed by the state government would be inaugurated. “Some of the important personalities will comprise state governors, ministers, royal fathers and leaders of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC),“ he said. According to him, the projects to be inaugurated include, roads, schools, hospitals, rural water supply and electrification among others. Liman said the Army Command Secondary Schools established in the state and constructed by the state g...

http://ift.tt/2p1dejT US President Donald Trump / AFP PHOTO / Mandel NGAN US President Donald Trump insisted there is no evidence he colluded with Russia after a Senate hearing that highlighted warnings that his former national security advisor was vulnerable to Russian blackmail. With the issue of the president’s ties to Moscow back in the spotlight, Trump took to Twitter to dismiss as “old news” the Senate testimony Monday by former acting attorney general Sally Yates about his former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Instead, Trump chose to play up former director of national intelligence James Clapper’s acknowledgement during the same hearing that he was not aware of any evidence of collusion between the president and Russia, which American intelligence has concluded tried to sway the US election in Trump’s favor. “Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows – there is ‘no evidence’ of collusion w/ Russia and Trump,” Trump s...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Abuja – The Senate on Tuesday received the report of the Joint Committee on Appropriation and Finance on the 2017 Appropriation Bill. The report was laid at plenary by the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Appropriation, Sen. Danjuma Goje. In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki, commended the committee for a job well done. He said the senate would ensure the passage of the bill on Thursday. Saraki commended the committee for laying the report with details, saying it would help speed up the passage of the bill. “On behalf of our colleagues let me congratulate the committee. “This is history been made, because this is the first time report of the Appropriation Bill will be laid with details. “Because of that, by tomorrow (Wednesday) you will get hard copies of the report, but the soft copy will be ready today. “We will distribute them and ensure we pass the bill on Thursday,’’ he said. The 2017 Budget proposal report was laid four days after the ex...

http://ift.tt/2oQb6LI World Bank has resumed direct budget support to impoverished Malawi with an $80-million injection three years after donors pulled out due to a "cashgate" corruption scandal, officials said Saturday. The World Bank has resumed direct budget support to impoverished Malawi with an $80-million injection three years after donors pulled out due to a “cashgate” corruption scandal, officials said Saturday. Donors, which provide about 40 percent of Malawi’s budget, in 2013 pulled the plug on aid of around $150 million (110 million euros) after British auditors said at least $30 million was stolen from state coffers over a six-month period. The Bank, a major backer of the southeast African country’s tough economic reforms, had in the past said support would only come if Malawi implemented financial management systems that would stop fraud and massive theft of state funds. The “cashgate” affair erupted with revelations about funds going missing involvin...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J As Senate comfirms Nkani Ocheni,Zana Hassan Abuja – A ministerial nominee, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, has called on the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) to quickly resume talks on a new minimum wage for workers. This came as the Senate confirmed the nomination of two ministerial nominees Professor Stephen Nkani Ocheni (Kogi State) and Mr. Suleiman Zana Hassan (Gombe State). Ocheni made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while responding to issues raised by senators when he appeared at the Senate for screening and confirmation. He said that the call by the workers for a new wage was not out of place, but added that it was important for them and government to negotiate on a tenable wage. This, according to him, is in view of the current economic situation in the country. “They should go to the roundtable and discuss the possibility of implementing the minimum wage. This discussion will be anchored on the budget of the federation. “If your childr...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The President of Germany-based NGO, PLAY!YA, Ian Mengel, on Tuesday said that football players’ trafficking was growing at an alarming rate in Nigeria and, indeed Africa. PLAY!YA supports grassroots sport and education development and also organises the African Football and Film Festival (AFFF). Mengel, a former FC Bonn of Germany player, said in Lagos that in spite of the magnitude of the problem, the Nigerian sports authorities and parents were not doing enough to address it. He spoke against the backdrop of the organisation’s 3rd African Football and Film Festival held in Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos on April 29. Mengel said that players in Nigeria were swindled by professional clubs and agents into signing invalid endorsements. “Player trafficking is an offspring of human trafficking though not to the extent and extremes of human trafficking. “Exploitations are involved where players and their families sell properties to raise funds for their children to ...

http://ift.tt/2oUJL7R A painting from Dawit Abebe’s Quo Vadis? Remember Ethiopian artist, Dawit Abebe? His work was among the stunning pieces at Art Dubai 2017 Contemporary space. The same Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery that showed Abebe at Art Dubai last month will be exhibiting the artist’s works again. This time, under the theme Quo Vadis?, from May 6-8, 2017 for private viewing, while the show continues till June 3, 2017 at Hjellegjerde Gallery, west London. The exhibition, which is Abebe’s third solo show at the same gallery, probes man’s spiritual virility against the forces of nature. Adapting the Latin phrase Quo Vadis ‘(where are you going?), Abebe interprets contemporary concerns of the environment, specifically, the conflict of interest betweent high-tech infested urbanisation and natural habitation, perhaps as well as dwindling resources that may not be enough to sustain management of damaged environment. These are the pedestals on which Abebe is thematically asking: Qu...