Curator

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Obadiah Mailafia THE outcomes of the French presidential elections were announced on Sunday,  May 7, with Emmanuel Macron, the centrist political leader, having 65.8% of the votes as against ultra-nationalist Marine Le Pen’s 34.2 percent.  It had been a bitterly contested election. So much was at stake – no less than the future of France and of Europe itself. Marine Le Pen, the candidate of the far-right Front National, campaigned under the banner of xenophobic nationalism. She promised to act tough on immigration, pull France out of the EU, and revoke the citizenship of naturalised citizens with known terrorist sympathies. For her, it would always be “les français d’abord” – the French first! For Macron and his En Marche! liberal centrists on the other hand, the campaign was for winning back the heart and soul of France – for solidarity, social justice, non-discrimination and reaffirmation of France’s place in the heart of Europe. I spent some of ...

http://ift.tt/2pzaiuZ By Babajide Komolafe LAGOS — The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), yesterday said that the total public debt of the Federal Government and the 36 states jumped by 43 per cent to N18 trillion in 2016. The bureau disclosed this in its report on Nigeria’s Domestic and Foreign Debt for 2016, issued yesterday. According to the report, total foreign debt of the Federal Government and 36 states rose by 6.5 per cent to $11.41 billion in 2016 from $10.71 billion in 2015, while the total domestic debt rose by 36.5 per cent to N14.02 trillion from N10.49 in 2015 trillion. At the exchange rate of N360 per dollar, which is the rate for invisibles, the domestic and foreign debt result in N18.02 trillion for 2016. The NBS report stated: “Nigerian States and Federal Debt Stock data as at 31st December 2016 reflected that the country’s foreign and domestic debts stood at $l1.41 billion and N14.02 trillion respectively in 2016. Further disaggregation of Nigerian foreign d...

http://ift.tt/2qroch8 By Evelyn Usman A pastor with a white garment church has been arrested by the Special Fraud Unit, Milverton, Ikoyi, Lagos, for allegedly collecting N70 million to treat a businesswoman of fibroid. The arrest of the suspect, identified simply as Femi, followed a complaint lodged at the Unit by the victim’s husband, over allegation that the former intended to eliminate him and take over his property. The businesswoman, as gathered, had been suffering from the ailment which defied medical treatment for 14 years, until she was introduced to Pastor Femi, who promised to cure her. Explaining the circumstances that led to his arrest, Commissioner of Police in-charge of SFU, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, said: “A notable Nigerian, who was living in peace with his family before the prophet came into their lives, had reported a case of swindling of his wife, consequent upon which we began investigation. “Facts of the matter is that wife of the prominent Nigerian was having med...