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http://ift.tt/2sgd2jB South African defender Mphahlele Ramahlwe (left) vies with Nigeria's Elderson Echiejile during the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier match at the Goodswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday.PHOTO: AFP Bafana Bafana, yesterday, defeated the Super Eagles 2-0, its first competitive win over the Nigerian side, in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group E qualifier played at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, Uyo. The Eagles started making efforts in the early minutes of the first half, through attempts by Wilfred Ndidi, in the 10th minute, and Oghenekaro Etebo’s in the 21st. On the whole, the Coach Gernot Rohr-led team missed chances against the resilient South Africans. With the three-time African champions completely in control of the match, their efforts failed to translate into goals, even as fans cheered every of their moves. At the beginning of the second half, the Eagles quickly moved into action attacking their op...

http://ift.tt/2qvFx7j Pastor Lazarus Muoka The inspired word of God is a spiritual material of creation from which every realm of existence came to be. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” In the beginning, when all things received their being, the Word was, and did actually subsist. The word of God was a Spirit before the Spiritual Father, the Almighty God Himself, spoke it and then it manifested to become realms of existence and thus man and all other creations were created. In the beginning, everything was inside one man — our God. God was the only thing in existence. He holds all creation together and it is through Him that any other thing came to be. Rom 11:36 says, “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” God is a Spirit Being, which means that everything physical was in the beginning in a spiritual form inside the Spiritual Being – God and as this Almighty Being ma...

http://ift.tt/2sfYW1p Plans are in top gear for the world’s leading luxury affinity marketing group and private membership club for luxury brands and high-end service providers, The Luxury Network International, to officially launch in the country. With over 20 years of experience and offices across Europe, Australia, Asia, the United States and parts of Africa, network would take-off in the country’s luxury space with the formation of a consortium of the finest homegrown and international luxury brands. The aim is to set a standard for the term ‘luxury’ in the country and create a platform that will facilitate discussion, interaction and collaboration between players across all the sectors, within the luxury space.  Since the process of opening new business channels between companies can be complex in contemporary business environment, the Luxury Network, however, enables unique and previously non-existent strategic partnerships, through affinity marketing between member brand...

http://ift.tt/2sui8FV Addressing journalists at a press briefing to announce the forthcoming 2017 CIS yearly national workshop, slated for July 4, in Abuja, the chairman, organising committee, Umaru Kwairanga, maintained that infrastructure deficit remains a major challenge to Nigeria’s efforts to achieve its full development potential. For the umpteenth time, the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) has highlighted the capital market’s role in supporting the mobilisation and deployment of resources to fund infrastructure development in Nigeria. Addressing journalists at a press briefing to announce the forthcoming 2017 CIS yearly national workshop, slated for July 4, in Abuja, the chairman, organising committee, Umaru Kwairanga, maintained that infrastructure deficit remains a major challenge to Nigeria’s efforts to achieve its full development potential. According to him, the nation’s capital market has the potential to fill the gap in infrastructure investment given the l...

http://ift.tt/2rUIaoF Alhaji Atiku Bagudu A crack has appeared on the wall of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State over the conduct of the internal election held last week to pick the candidates of the party for the forthcoming local council poll in the state. The primary election, which was held on May 26, and 27, had pitched a section of the party against the state government, which they accused of imposing unpopular candidates over loyal party members and without recourse to the constitution. Although agreement were reached between the party leadership and members on the emergence of consensus candidates in some local government areas, many refused to be placated by the consensus option and insisted on the conduct of open and fair primary election. It was observed while The Guardian was monitoring the exercise across the 21 local councils, that aggrieved party members threatened to either leave the party or work against its interest during the counci...

http://ift.tt/2pXyEMx Sir: The recent victory of Emmanuel Macron in France has ignited the Nigerian cyberspace. Many young Nigerian are now crying for a youthful president, a president without link to the existing political establishment. A social media commentator posted that “France is an old country with a young president, while Nigeria is a young country with an old president.” Though, the statement seems logical but the political sphere isn’t the same. The tone of social media discussions and commentaries seems to suggest that the average Nigerian youth is of the opinion that there is a need for a paradigm shift in our political system, a shift capable of transferring power to the younger generation. Clearly, the opinion seems to touch the heart when one considers that since 1999, Nigerians have not had a president below the age of 40 years. This is due largely to constitutional limitations, but, of course, who drafted the constitution? The case for the youths to take u...

http://ift.tt/2rUT7qn Jim Nwobodo • Kebbi PDP chairman with 5,000 stakeholders defect to APC Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Enugu state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced a 37-man caucus in the state to help it work out modalities for victory. The committee, which will be chaired by the state chairman, Ben Nwoye, has former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, ex-Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Foreign Affairs Minister, Jeffrey Onyeama and Immediate past governor of the state, Sullivan Chime. Others are former Military governor of Gombe State, Group Capt Joe Orji (rtd), former Speaker, Eugene Odoh, former Secretary to State Government, Onyemuche Nnamani, Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, former governorship candidate, Okechukwu Ezea, business mogul, Mr Sam Onyishi and Chief Rex Onyeabo and Chief Baywood Ibe among others. Inaugurating the caucus at the party secretariat in Enugu at the weekend, Nwoye sai...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Rotary Club of Abuja Wuse II (The Mayors), District 9125 Nigeria has commenced a search for an exceptional personality that will represent the club as the Face of Humanity. President of the club, Rotn. Prince Igho Sadjere,  said the “Face of Humanity” personality, which currently enjoys local and international endorsements, would be a brand of the Club in the various projects to be executed. The event for the unveiling of the ‘Face of Humanity’ personality, scheduled for Sunday, 27th August, 2017 at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja will also host the empowerment of 200 households to receive start-up grants, the Mayors’ Humanitarian Awards 2017, Fundraising, Investiture of 2017/2018 President and Board of Directors, Celebration of the Club’s 2nd Year Anniversary as well as Rotary Projects Exhibition spiced with Orchestra, Music and Comedy. According to Sadjere, “The club is more determined to make a huge and lasting difference in our co...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Festus Ahon ASABA—DELTA State Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Mr Ernest Ogwezzy, has assured that the state  government will continue to work for the betterment of the people of the state. Ogwezzy, who gave the assurance when he visited lightening and fire disaster victims in Igbodo, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state, said that Dr Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration was committed to the welfare of the people. Saying that the state government was keen on building a society that will be environmentally conscious in a bid to curtail disasters caused by man as well as reduce the effect of natural disasters, he said that government will continue to pay priority attention to lives and property of Deltans. One of the victims, Mrs Theresa Iwediunor, expressed shock at the visit, saying she never knew that the state government was concerned about the ordinary man. She narrated how the lightning struck her building, destroying some electrical...

http://ift.tt/2pV6tkY Governor Akinwunmi Ambode • Pays pensioners N11.75bn in one year The Lagos State Government has said that about 5000 of its employees had been trained in the last 12 months. The Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke said this while briefing journalists on the ministry’s achievements as part of activities marking the second anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Giving a breakdown of the staff trained, he said 3160 officers benefitted from 72 workshops and training programmes; 1650 officers benefited from 25 turnkey/bespoke training programme; 84 officers benefited from career enhancing programmes; 108 officers sponsored to local training workshops while 81 officers benefited from international workshops. He pointed out that N11.75 billion has been paid to pensioners in the last 12 months as terminal entitlements, adding that the state government’s funding of employees’ pension rights under the Contributory Pensio...

http://ift.tt/2ps6fP4 Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara Lest we miss a vital opportunity to reflect on the anti-corruption campaign, we must put the positions of Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara on the inveterate plague in the proper perspective. It serves no good to the anti-corruption campaign and the nation’s development in the long run for their views to be dismissed in a huff simply because of a phalanx of allegations that have portrayed the duo and other members of the National Assembly as not immune from corruption. Saraki is facing prosecution at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for corruption. The citizens are riled by other senators’ apparent complicity in the alleged sleaze of their leader because they have waited in vain for the lawmakers to evince a sense of moral repulsion against identifying with him whenever he goes to the tribunal or court over his case. Underpinning the outrage is th...

http://ift.tt/2rfYewB Youths in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River and Bayelsa states now have the opportunity to display their football talents at the Sia-One Academy talent hunt, which kicks off today in the five states. The programme, supported by the Federal Government through its amnesty programme, will attract young players between the ages of 15 to 20 years from across the five states. According to the founder of Sia-One Sports Academy, Samson Siasia, who coached the Super Eagles in 2011, the essence of the talent hunt is to “discover them while they are still very young from the ages between 15 and 20 years old. The purpose is to engage these young talented football players at an early age using sports and most especially, football, as the starting basis. “We are starting with five states, including  Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states. “All interested youths should come with their birth certificates because you can’t participate if you ...

http://ift.tt/2qHlNST FESTUS ADEBAYO MR. FESTUS ADEBAYO is a lawyer and an advocate for strategic partnership in bridging existing deficit in quality and affordable housing in Nigeria. He spoke to VICTOR GBONEGUN on the forth-coming Abuja Housing Show and other issues in the sector. With the increasing roles the private sector are playing in housing provisions, do you consider government as doing enough in terms of support and enabling business environment. What would be your suggestions for government towards improving on this? Government needs to do much more. By this, I mean create the enabling environment for a level playing field for private sector investors. Government must make huge in infrastructure. This also informed our theme for this year. ​More than half of all of Nigeria’s housing is estimated to be substandard – either built out of compliance with building codes, or illegally on someone else’s land, or both.  This must be formalised somehow....

http://ift.tt/2rh3Ojo Abubakar Sani Bello In more sense than one Niger State in Nigeria’s middle belt region is unique. At least, that is the opinion of residents of the famed ‘power state.’ The state’s uniqueness is not without basis. The predominantly agrarian state has the largest land mass in the country and plays host to the nation’s major hydro-electric stations. Niger is home to the famed Gurara waterfalls and Zuma Rock, two of the nation’s best known tourist attractions. What is more, Niger is also one of the four states in the country to have each produced two former Nigerian leaders, the others being Kano, Katsina and Ogun states. But the uniqueness of Niger State has nothing to do with any of these. Rather, each time residents depict their state as unique, they are quick to point to decayed and decaying infrastructure that litter the large plain of the territory as evidence. Motorists and regular visitors to the state are quick to attest to the fact that the state prob...

http://ift.tt/2qHFHgu The Managing Director of the bank, Yemi Adeola, explained that the bank would strengthen and diversify its funding sources and capacity underpinned by a quicker execution of its retail banking rollout. Shareholders of Sterling Bank Plc have urged the management to adopt measures that would help expand its business activities and increase profitability. The shareholders, who also commended the management for efficient running of the affairs of the bank, also advised the bank to ensure that they intensified recovery efforts to accelerate the bank’s growth. For instance, the President Emeritus, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Sunny Nwosu, stressed the need for the bank to access bigger capital to expand its business operations. “I urged shareholders to assist Sterling Bank to do business. We need to recover our impairment because this money is having a multiplier effect on the shareholders’ fund. We need to strengthen our recovery strategy and ...

http://ift.tt/2owpBRq President Muhammadu Buhari When President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) entered the presidential race in 2015, he might not have appreciated, as a fact, that he was taking his luck too far, given his age and, more importantly, his health status. Recall that he had unsuccessfully run for the position of president in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Following his defeat in 2011, he had, amid lachrymal emotion, announced that he would not contest the presidency again. But the opposition forces, which had done their political calculations, realised that the only person who could passionately galvanise popular support in the north was Buhari. Little wonder they made available all the resources needed for his presidential enterprise while he only made himself available. Those opposed to his presidency panicked because of the cult-like following that he enjoyed in the north. Added to the south-west votes that would be mobilised under the formidable leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Ti...

http://ift.tt/2oJbDPQ MD/CEO Med-View Airline Plc, Alhaji Muneer Bankole (left) receiving the Aviation Personality of the Year Award (Nigeria) from Ikechi Uko at the 2016 Accra Weizo conference in Accra, Ghana. Accra Weizo West African Travel fair is set to hold with over 70 tour operators and travel professionals in West Africa meeting in Ghana later this month. The third edition of Accra Weizo will be hosted to series of events from May 23 to 26. Accra Weizo Travel Expo is targeted at growing Travel Business in West Africa and is organised by African Travel Market who also organises Akwaaba Travel Market in Lagos Nigeria. West Africa is the biggest Region in Africa with over 350 million people. It receives the least number of tourists yet West African countries generate the highest number of outbound travellers in Africa. Participants will visit the famous Cape Coast of Ghana where GTA has lined up lots of Activities to entertain them. Some of the tour operators will be hoste...

http://ift.tt/2pELxLu Stephen Odey Former Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach, Joseph Erico has hailed national team manager, Gernot Rohr for inviting four home-based players to his squad preparing for a Cameroun 2019 African Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa. Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries FC duo of Stephen Odey and Sikiru Olatubosun, as well as Alhassan Ibrahim of Akwa United FC and the ever-present FC Ifeanyi Ubah goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa are the four Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) players named in Rohr’s list released on Monday. The players will join their foreign-based counterparts in a training camp, which is part of the first phase of preparations for the game against South Africa. Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Erico said it is a good thing that the players have eventually been considered and invited to the national team as some people had expected. “We were expecting the NPFL players to be given space in the team, and now the pr...