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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Dr. Ugoji Egbujo The Chatham house published a report on Nigeria a few days ago. The country has been raped by thieves. Nigeria has lost over 500 billion dollars since 1960 and 180 billion in the last 8 years. Nigerians aren’t shocked. The brunt of that plunder has lived with them. The grotesque disparity between our enormous potentials and our unspeakable wretchedness has caused global consternation. Every government comes with vigorous promises to check the rot. But they all leave the people more hopeless than they met them. A few prosecutions will commence. A big politician will be convicted, once in a while. Even such scapegoats always get soft sentences in dubious plea bargains and presidential pardons. The politicians get all of the little opprobrium. A certain group of persons always escape mention. They do not receive the curses helpless citizens sometimes manage to heap on politicians. No significant theft of public resources can happen without the ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Fitting Galactico signings into the Real Madrid team is a common problem for Los Blancos coaches and Zinedine Zidane is finding that, if he is to bring in Kylian Mbappe, another big name star may have to go. Discussions between the French tactician and club president Florentino Perez are ongoing and both rate the Monaco starlet as Europe’s most exciting young player, whose signing for another club would represent a big blow to their ambitions. However, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and more all firmly embedded within the Real system, Zidane knows that he would likely have to sell Gareth Bale to find a spot for Mbappe. The coach feels that it would be Bale who would feel the young winger’s arrival more than his striking comrades, while any risk to Marco Asensio’s progression would be another negative as Zidane has made a large bet on the 21-year-old coming good in years to come. In addition, Monaco are hoping to make Mbappe the most expensive player in ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor For one who rose to the zenith in his profession, Mr. Udom   Emmanuel was not expected to shed the demeanour of a banker within three years of his exit from Zenith Bank. It was as such not surprising that his engagements in governance are severally viewed with the perspective of an adroit banker checking for loopholes in a business proposal. When Governor Emmanuel arrived this past Monday for the interactive session with some newsmen in a five-star hotel in the Ikeja area of Lagos, it was obvious that lessons he learnt at Zenith Bank have come handy in navigating the state in the difficult times the country has found itself in. An insight into that realm was when he was asked how his state that depends heavily on federal allocation is fairing in the wake of the recession. It was a question that that showed the governor’s witty but yet purposeful thrust in governance. To him, the recession is an opportunity just as deat...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J BY Juliet Ebirim Late legendary Super Eagles defender, Uche Okafor might have passed on to the great beyond but his legacies live on. Six years after his demise in Dallas, Texas, US, one of his great gifts to the world, his daughter, Tochuckwu Okafor has graduated from the University of Texas in flying in colours. Since the passing away of the great footballer, his wife, Ify Okafor has stood firm like a rock, playing the double role of a mother and a father. That her daughter has passed out of one of the great Universities of the United States of America is a testament to the resolve of the indomitable, dutiful mother, who would leave no stone unturned in seeing to it that her seeds and that of her late husband succeed in life. The post Late Uche Okafor’s daughter graduates from US university appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2sMg382

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J In the early 80s, I was addicted to Ray Ekpu’s, the late Dele Giwa’s and the late Andy Akporugo’s newspaper columns. One of Akporugo’s articles, which my young mind ranked among his best, was titled: “Frailty of Power” or something close to that. He narrated his previous experience when he went to visit the Second Republic Civilian Governor of Bendel State (Current Edo State and Delta State), Prof. Ambrose Alli. He spent hours before he could see him. But on the visit preceding the penning of the article, he had an expressway to Alli. When he met him, he was alone with his head bowed. All the hangers-on and praise singers had evaporated. He had just lost the 1983 governorship election to Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia of the National Party of Nigeria. Only recently, former President Goodluck Jonathan cried out a few days after he lost the presidential election that his friends had deserted him, even while he was still a sitting president. Lesser mortals like me have had m...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Security agents exploring best option to evict herdsmen from Abraka forest Says recession stinging harder but administration on course By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Festus Ahon (Correspondent, Asaba) and Perez Brisibe (Reporter, Ughelli) DELTA State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has revealed that following the escalating attacks on farmers and other villagers by rampaging herdsmen, policemen have been deployed to escort farmers to their farms, especially at Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, the most dangerous area in the state, where cattle men have a stronghold, popularly known as “Sambisa forest.’ Though he did not give details of the escort arrangement by the police, the governor called on the Federal Government to break its silence on the problem which herdsmen posed to the state and other parts of the country and come out with appropriate strategies to tackle the menace. The governor, speaking at his quarterly briefing with r...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Dayo Johnson NO doubt, the traditional hundred days in office of Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, as the sixth governor of Ondo State since the creation of the state in 1976 was used to lay foundation for the development of the state with the hope of delivering the dividend of democracy to the people who gave him the mandate in no distant future. Akeredolu was sworn in on February 24, making Friday, June 2, his 100th day in office. Events in those hundred days in office of Akeredolu have been characterised by commendations and  criticisms as expected. His road repairs and construction efforts across the three senatorial areas of the state received commendation even from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. But the suspension of the party state chairman, Hon Isaac Kekemeke, last week which almost overshadowed the governors milestone in office and  still generating ripples across the state attracted knocks. Desperate leaders This singular un...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Victor Ahiuma-young, reporting from Geneva, Switzerland T HE Federal Government, yesterday, told the international community in Geneva, Switzerland, that Nigeria’s recurring national budget deficit caused by the volatility in the global oil market and insurgency, especially in the North-East, had compounded its efforts at generating sustainable income, employment opportunities,  poverty eradication and promotion of better livelihood for  the citizenry. The government also told the over 4,000 delegates from 187 countries that Nigeria was not isolated from the devastating effects of global warming, declaring that “a manifestation of the adverse climatic condition in its domain was the recent outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis, which resulted in the death of over 1,000 people predisposed by the extreme heat waves which assisted an uncontrollable meningitis bacteria multiplication.” Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who headed ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J To engage original manufacturers for rehabilitation Repairs to cost $1.2bn By Michael Eboh A BUJA— The Federal Government said, yesterday, it has neither sold nor approved concession of the nation’s refineries to any individual or company. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, also disclosed that it would cost the country about $1.2 billion to fix the three refineries. He explained that a steering committee had been set up by the Federal Government, with a mandate to consider issues surrounding how to secure financing for the upgrade and repairs of the refineries, adding that the government was also considering inviting the original manufacturers of the refineries to participate in the process of revamping the refineries to help fast-track the process. He said: “A steering committee was set up, which also have a technical committee. The steer given by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to t...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor ABUJA— After three days of stormy deliberations over the belated 2017 budget, the Presidency and the National Assembly, NASS, have resolved all the grey areas that prevented the President from assenting to the Appropriation Bill passed into law by the legislature last month. A top Presidency source confirmed to Vanguard, last night, that the major areas of disagreement had been resolved by the two sides, paving the way for the President to assent to the bill, which is already six month late in coming and holding back major financial transactions of the government. As a result of the deal struck by both parties, there were indications that the President would assent to the bill before the end of this week, although the presidential source simply said:  “We will sign it soon,” declining to specify the date and time. The meetings by the Presidency and the leadership of the NASS took place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Theodore Opara T HE dwindling sales of automobiles in Nigeria has continued to drive companies’ operations further into stalemate making their manufacturing plants a ghost of themselves as a result of underutilization. This has placed investors on the brink of exiting the country or changing their business portfolio in recent times. The yearnings of the stakeholders had been tumultuous recently thereby raising a myriad of concerns from economic experts chiefly as a result of the declining fortune of crude oil and the need to diversify the nation’s economy from a mono-economy to a diverse one with stream of revenues from all other sectors driven by local production and industrialization that will have direct impact on GDP and per capital income of the populace by providing employment for the teeming youths. The salient reasons for the hues and cries of investors cannot be far fetched from the cash-strapped economy affecting the buying power of customers occa...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Nollywood actress and model, Theresa Edem Isemin is best known for her roles in Ayamma, Hotel Majestic and Tinsel . In this interview, the Akwa Ibom State-born actress who tied the knots in 2015, bares her mind on her acting career, marriage and much more. By Juliet Ebirim How has life been for you generally? Life has been great, I can’t complain. I’m doing what I love to do, and God has been gracious to me. I’m happy!!   When and how did you start acting? I started acting from my primary school days. But professionally, I started acting in 2012, after I completed an acting course at Royal Arts Academy. What was your first time on set like? Oh my goodness! Just remembering it gives me chills. I was very nervous and I felt slightly intimidated by everything. After two takes or so, I settled into the flow of things and started to relax. What movie brought you into limelight? Actually, it wasn’t a movie, but a TV series. I would say M-net produced ‘Tins...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Dear Julie, I have been dating my guy for five years but things are not working out as they should. We have been having conflicts . I don’t think that I love him anymore! My friends think I should take things easy and give the relationship another chance but I’m confused. What should I do? Juliana, Ughelli     Dear Juliana, Falling out of love with a boyfriend of five years is normal. Exploring your feelings regarding your boyfriend and the reasons why you may have fallen out of love with him may be a helpful first start for deciding what you “should” do. Sometimes “falling out of love” is due to withheld anger, outgrowing the other partner, changing your mind, and/or developing or acknowledging different priorities. Sometimes it has more to do with one’s self than it has to do with the other partner. Although it’s unclear whether you believe that falling out of love with your boyfriend is itself the “problem” or whether having problems with your bo...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Aunty Julie, I’m in a steady relationship with a guy who tends to love me as much as I love him. It is true that every relationship has its ups and downs and in my own case, my guy suffers from occasional distrust. I have never cheated on him but he feels that I am doing so. He gets upset that sometimes my vagina is looser than other times. He thinks I’m cheating, but I’m not. I don’t know about my vagina being looser at certain times but I’m sure I have never cheated on him. What’s going on? Erica, Lagos Dear Erica, I’m really worried about your boyfriend’s attitude which stems from ignorance. But he needs to understand women much more than he does especially their physiological make-up. You must let your guy understand that women’s vaginas are less elastic when they are not sexually aroused. They become more elastic (looser) when they are sexually excited . A woman may feel “tighter” to a man when she is less aroused, less comfortable, and having less pleas...