man faints in UBA Bank yesterday

esterday, being the 27th of may 2015. An old man fainted at the UBA Bank at Ogoja road  branch in Ebonyi. 

Two(2) Soldiers Confirmed Dead As Unserviceable Ammunitions Explode In Plateau Earlier Today

Two soldiers have been confirmed dead while one was seriously injured after some unservisable ammunition went off while being destroyed near the 3rd Armoured Division barracks at Bassa Local Government Area today April 25th.

 Speaking on the incident, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman said the unservicable ammunition were being destroyed near a bush when they went off. He debunked claims that the explosion was caused by members of the insurgency group, Boko Haram.

Jonathan Inaugurates N300 CAN Leadership Centre

President Goodluck Jonathan today inaugurated the N300 million Jubilee Resort and Leadership Centre built by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja.

“I am indeed happy that today we are talking about the leadership centre,” he said at the ceremony, urging the association to ensure that it used the centre to train future Nigerian leaders with strong moral and fiscal discipline.

“The greatest asset of any society is leadership – from the family to business; from the church to the national level.

      
“I believe this centre will be used to model and mould leaders, especially those Christians, who are aspiring to be leaders at all levels in the church, in business, in the educational institutions, and of course in the political setting,” the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

 The president said that Nigerians would always expect that if a Christian was governor of a state, there would be a difference.

 According to him, sometimes Nigerians conducted themselves in an inappropriate manner “because whenever certain issues come up, especially things involving money, you see the way people behave and you begin to wonder if this person ever prays.

“I believe this centre will be used to help us to re-orientate us, to refocus those of us that – by the will of God and commitment of Nigerians – are holding various elective and appointive offices.

“These are offices that we should use to help the society, not to help ourselves; and I believe this centre will help us to achieve that.”

Jonathan praised Christians for their unity of purpose in building the edifice and prayed that such unity should be extended to national affairs and governance.

 Speaking earlier, the CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said that the building was built with funds donated by Christians and non-Christians and that most of the contractual work was done free of charge by professionals.

 Oritsejafor said the project would be used to raise money for the association.

Thiago excited as he returns to Camp Nou

            The Bayern Munich midfielder says it will be an honour to return to his old stomping ground when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago is looking forward to returning to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.

            The two sides were drawn against each other on Friday, with the midfielder and coach Pep Guardiola coming up against their old side for the first time.
Thiago, who joined Barca at 14 before spending four years in the first team, is "honoured" to get another chance to play in the iconic stadium.
"Any other opponent would also have been very tough, but it’s an honour to play at Camp Nou," he said.
             "We’ll do everything we can to get through and play for the European crown in Berlin."
Bayern demolished Barca 7-0 on aggregate in the last four on their way to European glory in 2012-13, but Manuel Neuer believes those results count for nothing heading into this tie.
"We were always going to be drawn against a big name. There are no easy opponents in the semis, it’s all or nothing as of now," he said. "We enjoyed it in the 2013 semi-finals against Barcelona and won both games comfortably, but it’s a completely new situation now and we’ll need two top performances if we’re to make the final."

Barcelona will host the first leg on May 6, with the return leg taking place on May 12.

Van Gaal - Giggs will be next Man United manager

             The Dutchman rates the 41-year-old highly and believes he will get another shot at the top job after succeeding David Moyes on an interim basis last season

Louis van Gaal has revealed he expects assistant manager Ryan Giggs to succeed him as Manchester United manager.

             Giggs holds the record for most United appearances of all time, having played 963 games during a 23-year career at Old Trafford and won 22 major trophies at the club under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.

             The 41-year-old joined David Moyes' backroom team in the summer of 2013 and was named interim manager when the Scot was sacked last April, winning two of his four games in charge.

           Van Gaal, who appointed Giggs as his assistant last summer, rates the Welshman highly and believes he will get another chance at the top job when the time comes for him to leave Old Trafford.

"I expect that he will be the next manager after I am gone," Van Gaal told MUTV when asked about Giggs."Now I have the responsibility. He has tasks that he has to perform like the players. What he has to do, for me, he does it very well."

          Van Gaal's current contract as United boss expires in the summer of 2017 and he has already intimated that this will be his last job.

Xenophobia: Isreal denies South African minister visa

           Israel, thank you for doing this! You know their people suffered xenophobia back in the 1940s, so I guess they have zero tolerance for it. A minister from South Africa was denied visa to visit Israel for diplomatic work.

Aljazeera reports

The government of South Africa has expressed outrage after Israel's decision to deny a visa to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande. Clayson Monyela, Deputy Director General of Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told Al Jazeera on Thursday the Israeli government needed to offer a reason for the snubbing.

           "We are taking it up through the proper channels. We need to receive a proper explanation for the denial of a visa to a sitting cabinet minister," Monyela said.

            The minister was scheduled to travel to the occupied Palestinian territories from April 25-29. He was scheduled to secure further collaboration with the University of Johannesburg and institutions in Palestine.

Nzimande's spokesperson told local media that the denial of the visa had caused a "serious diplomatic problem".

            Naeem Jeenah, Director of Afro-Middle East Centre, based in Johannesburg, described the snubbing as "surprising" considering the two countries' growing trade relations.

Jeenah said the Palestinian solidarity movement in South Africa "would be thrilled" with Israel's decision "because South Africa now has to respond to this matter".

          Arthur Lenk, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria, told Al Jazeera that South African officials routinely visit the West Bank through Israel.

          Lenk would not be drawn into discussing why specifically Nzimande's visa application was denied, though he described the minister as being "very vocal on a range of issues connected to Israel, South Africa and my region".

The ambassador said the decision to deny the visa was made in Israel.

"The decision came from Jerusalem," Lenk said.
Vocal critic of Israel
But Jeenah said that anything the Israelis say on the matter "could really only make the situation worse".

             The Palestinian embassy in South Africa described the decision as "racist".
"We take note by this aggressive action that Israel is trying to implement the same rule as in the previous apartheid regime of South Africa," the embassy said in a statement.

             The Palestinian lobby group Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS-South Africa) released a statement saying it's "more confident than ever that its time to expel the Israeli Ambassador from South Africa".
"Israel cannot want to tell us who our friends should be, where we should travel and who we can speak with." BDS said.
Nzimande has been a vocal critic of Israel. His spokesperson said on Thursday the minister would call on all higher education institutions to cut ties with their counterparts in Israel.
"We must just boycott Israel," Nkwanyana reportedly said.

             South Africa currently has full diplomatic relations with Israel and recognises Israel within the borders demarcated by the United Nations (UN) in 1948

14 Brigadier Generals,17 Major Generals, retired from Nigerian army

This was seen at the evening news yesterday at NTA, 17 Major generals and 14 Brigadier generals were retired from service. 

OBASANJO - African Countries Happy Over President Jonathan’s Defeat

 The former president, Olusegun obasanjo, on Thursday said countries across the african continent are happy over the outcome of the presidential election in Nigeria, which saw the defeat of incumbent president Goodluck jonathan.
         Mr. obasanjo said his checks in a number of african countries suggested they were as happy over the result of the election as majority of Nigerians are.
He referred to president Goodluck jonathan as a moving train who was providentially stopped from collapsing Nigeria.
“I have visited six countries since the election, they are as happy about the results as we are in Nigeria. It is good not only for Nigeria, it is good for Africa and I believe it is good for the world.”
Mr. obasanjo, who led the african Union Observation Mission to the April 2015 General Election in Sudan, spoke on Thursday at a Washington DC event.
The former president described Nigeria as a country that obsessively plays “a dangerous game of moving close to the precipice”.
He said the country came close to disintegration in the run-up to the 2015 elections but switched swiftly to the path of redemption after the polls.
“I hope we will not fall over one of these days,” he said.
He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”
          Describing his role in the election as that of a person standing on the track of a moving train, the former president said during the countdown to the elections, he faced the option of “jumping off” the tracks or “be crushed” if the train did not providentially get “derailed and stop.”
He said he did not jump and was not crushed adding that “at every stage, there must be leaders imbued with sufficient courage and will to stand firm when you have to stand firm.”
He described the results of the elections as what Nigerians “deserve” though some Nigerians “did not want it”.
          Mr. obasanjo was the featured speaker at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) event titled What is Right with Africa: Reframing Africa’s Leadership Challenges.
He made these remarks in response to a question by Princeton Lyman, a former ambassador to Nigeria.
Mr. obasanjo observed that Nigeria’s tendency to flirt with near-death experiences stretches back to colonial times when it almost cost the country the chance of gaining political independence from Britain.
         Recalling colonial-era disagreements over self-rule, the former president said at a stage, advocates of self-rule from the Eastern and Western Regions decided to “let the North go” since their leaders were reluctant to accept regional autonomy back then.
“But reason prevailed,” he said, “East and West got internal autonomy in 1957, North got same in 1959 and the whole country got independence in 1960.”
          Listing the 1964 post-election violence in the south west and the 1966 coup d’etats which led to “pogrom and civil war” as other self-destructive phases in the country’s history, the former president remarked that Nigeria emerged from all of these as “one entity” in spite of contrarian speculations.
“Not only did we survive the civil war but, within nine years, somebody from the rebel side, as we called them, and somebody from the vandal side, as they called us, became president and vice-president of Nigeria. Not many countries achieve that,” he said.
president obasanjo described the 2015 election as “almost in the same category” as other near-death experiences in Nigeria’s history.
He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

     
      “I think we are now building institutions that can withstand what we may see as danger to good governance in Africa. The election has moved Nigeria one very important step up in our democratic dispensation, process and practice.”

AU Organ Wants To Create United States Of Africa (to unite Africa)

          The Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union has suggested that African countries should team up and quickly move towards the creation of the United States of Africa, Nigerianeye informs. 

          The AU organ stated this in its reaction to the xenophobic violence against migrants and migrant workers, including Nigerians, by South African citizens.
 Joseph Chilengi, The Presiding Officer of Council said the creation of the USA was the only way Africans could live together in the political and economic context envisioned by the founding fathers of the AU.
           Chilengi added that the AU secretariat should convene an extra-ordinary emergency session to discuss the situation in South Africa and authorise a framework of action for addressing xenophobia on a collective basis.
            He said: “They should also use the experience to conceive Pan-African programmes and policies that will prevent its recurrence. The episode draws attention to the need to fast track the integration and development agenda of the AU and to move more rapidly towards the creation of the United States of Africa. It is only when Africans are living together in this political and economic context envisioned by the founding parents of AU that we can be rest assured that this shameful exercise will never occur again.”
             Chilengi condemned the xenophobic attacks on African citizens of different nationalities, saying ECOSOCC was sad to learn that such incidents occurred in a country for which Africans on the continent and the Diaspora sacrificed so dearly to ensure independence and black majority rule.
The Presiding Officer announced: “ECOSOCC is appalled to see gruesome pictures of African citizens of South African extraction brutally assaulting, killing, looting and burning the properties of their kith and kin from other parts of the continent. This is a blot on the African landscape, which negates the very essence of the AU and its purpose, principles and values. This deplorable situation makes a mockery of the people-centric orientation of the AU in general and ECOSOCC in particular; ECOSOCC offers its sincere apology to all victims of this shameful exercise. Beyond this, ECOSOCC recognises the need for timely and appropriate action to ensure that this episode ends immediately and never recurs.”

Suleiman Hashimu, the Lagos to Abuja trekker, finally met with the president-elect, Mohammadu Buhari at Abuja

The air around the presidential campaign headquarters of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja was full of excitement and joy as Suleiman Hashimu, the Lagos to Abuja trekker, finally met with the president-elect, Mohammadu Buhari, late Friday evening.

        Hashimu made a personal promise in 2013 that should Buhari win the 2015 presidential elections, he would trek from Lagos to Abuja.
When Buhari was oficcially announced the winner of the March 28 elections, Hashimu was forced to fulfill his promise. On April 20, 2015, he arrived Abuja from Lagos amid cries of welcome, excitements and surprises.
         Giving the details of his journey to the president-elect, the trekker noted that he didn’t care about what people would say of him. Hashimu stressed that what mattered to him was the fulfillment of his promise to God and himself.

“I made a promise because of the love I have for Mr. president that if Buhari should win the 2015 elections, I will trek from Lagos to Abuja which I have done. I thank God that I made a promise and I fulfill the promise.
“I passed through Kwara and Niger states to Abuja. I was trekking from 6.00am to 6.00pm and anywhere I find myself when it is 6.00pm, I pass the night there.mi spent 18 days from Lagos to Abuja

“Once I found myself inside the bush by 6.00pm and I managed to continue the trek till 9.00pm to a nearby village.
“I made this promise two years ago. I am based in Ibadan and I started my journey from Lagos because Lagos is the most popular city in Nigeria and I started from Berger junction in Lagos.
“I am not bothered about what people think. It is a promise between me and my God. I don’t want anybody to believe me. I left Lagos because I made a promise. Right from Kwara state, I never walked alone for five kilometres. People always walk with me to the next village. I work with a construction company based in Ibadan,” the trekker said.


Speaking at the event, Buhari congratulated Hashimu and thanked God that his health did not fail him.
“I want to congratulate you for making it. He is a young man and he was lucky that his health did not fail him. I also heard so many stories that you wore almost half a dozen pair of shoes. I also understand that there are people who have been quite generous to help you to pay for more pair of shoes”, the president-elect said.
It is worth mentioning, that Hashimu’s journey has triggered mixed reactions among Nigerians.
While many have commended him for his bravery, many others are still in doubt that Suleiman embarked on such a feat. Some have voiced their reservations about how realistic it is for someone to trek from Lagos to Abuja.

GEJ already refering to Buhari as president, also photos from their meeting today

Speaking with State House correspondents after his closed door meeting with President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon, President Jonathan referred to Gen Buhari as the President

"We will take a date when the president will come and I will show him round the State House but today is not for that. Today is to continue with our conversation. We don’t need to worry the President,” he said.

see more pictures below......

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal fires a warning to Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie: Has not played since late February and faces a fight to win his place back            

     

        Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has warned Robin van Persie he faces a fight to return to the first team despite recovering from injury.

Van Persie has not played since suffering an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat to Swansea on February 21 and was named on the substitutes bench for the 1-0 reverse at Chelsea last weekend.
        But speaking ahead of the Super Sunday trip to Everton, van Gaal said the Holland international must prove both fitness and form with United's U21s before he will be considered for a starting spot.

        "He has to train very hard, play in the second team," said van Gaal.
"He has to show his qualities again. Then I have to compare him with the positions he can play, with the players that play in that position - it is always the same."
          Van Gaal refused to comment on United's interest in PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay following the Dutch club's confirmation of an enquiry earlier in the week.
"I don't discuss it with the media," he insisted. "You know my answer. I have a lot of relationships with players. I cannot buy all the players I have coached already."
        Sunday will be the first time in-form Marouane Fellaini has returned to Goodison Park since Everton sold him to United for £27.5million and Van Gaal hopes he will be given a good reception by the home fans.
     
        "Marouane Fellaini has qualities and we want to let them dominate in a team and that's why his performances are better just now," he said.
"I have spoken with Fellaini because I know this (is his first game back there).
"Fellaini is always dry in his answers. He said, 'It's a game...'. (I said,) 'Yes, but it's a special game for you'.
"I hope the fans shall receive him like the Chelsea fans received Juan Mata because I like that very much. I hope it's like that."

Cesc Fabregas: Former Arsenal man returns on brink of Chelsea title win

    As Cesc Fabregas prepares to return to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since his departure in 2011, Nick Wright takes a look at his impact for Chelsea – and what might have been for Arsenal…

"Arsenal is in my heart and always will be. It's a club that is always going to be there and will always open its doors to me.” 
Those were the words of Cesc Fabregas in October 2013, but eight months later he found the door firmly shut by Arsene Wenger. There was to be no fairy-tale rete
Wenger caused uproar among Arsenal fans when he declined to activate their buy-back clause for their former captain and Chelsea were the benefactors, clinching a £30million deal to sign the Spaniard from Barcelona last summer. Fabregas hasn’t looked back.
"I spoke with Mourinho and he told me the things I needed to hear,” he told El Pais in September. “I felt valued. I felt I was going to be important in an important project."
And so it has proved. Fabregas has featured in all but six of Chelsea’s 48 games in all competitions this season, and the influential 27-year-old has been at the heart of their Premier League title charge.

I spoke with Mourinho and he told me the things I needed to hear. I felt valued. I felt I was going to be important in an important project.

Cesc Fabregas

After seven seasons as Arsenal’s creative hub before his return to boyhood club Barcelona in 2011, Fabregas immediately picked up where he left off in England. He marked his Chelsea debut with two assists in a 3-1 win over Burnley, and there were four more in the next three games as he struck up a deadly partnership with countryman Diego Costa.
Despite a dip in form and niggling injuries after Christmas, he has gone on to make 16 assists in the Premier League this season – six more than his closest competitor, Manchester United’s record signing Angel Di Maria. In Europe’s top five leagues, only Wolfsburg’s Kevin de Bruyne (17) has more. Fabregas needs just five more in Chelsea’s remaining six games to beat Thierry Henry’s Premier League record for a single season.
Creative king
Misfiring strikers Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba took most of the blame for Chelsea falling short in last season’s title race as the Blues scored over 30 goals fewer than both Manchester City and Liverpool, but the bigger issue was a lack of creativity.
The stats show Chelsea created just 50 big chances in the whole of last season, only two more than relegated Fulham, but this season they are already up to 62 – more than any of their rivals.

Cesc Fabregas in action with Alexis Sanchez at Stamford Bridge

Fabregas’s arrival has been crucial in this regard. Few players can pick a killer pass quite like the former Gunner, who leads the way in the Premier League for big chances created (15) and key passes per game (2.9).
“To play with Fabregas is the dream of every striker,” said Jose Mourinho after a 4-2 win over Swansea in September. “The guy sees the movement, sees the pass, is not selfish, makes always the right choice.”
His impact is all the more impressive when compared to Chelsea’s top creator last season, Eden Hazard. Fabregas took a matter of weeks to match the Belgian’s tally of seven assists for the whole of the last campaign, and he is already ahead for big chances created and successful passes in the final third.

Cesc Fabregas has been Chelsea's chief creator this season

As well as contributing a whopping 30 per cent of Chelsea’s 53 assists in the Premier League this season, Fabregas has touched the ball 2966 times, more than any other player at an average rate of 106.7 per game.
In short, Fabregas is at the heart of everything Chelsea do. He has increased their tempo and provided the perfect platform for Costa and Hazard, who have hit 19 and 13 league goals respectively.
He has also chipped in with five goals of his own in all competitions, including his well-taken late winner against QPR earlier this month.
Versatility
Fabregas has added different strands to his game since joining Chelsea. At Arsenal and Barcelona, he operated in teams who played possession-based football, whereas Mourinho is famously pragmatic in his approach.
Last weekend’s vital 1-0 win over Manchester United was a prime example, as Chelsea kept the visitors at arm’s length despite having just 30 per cent of the possession.

Cesc Fabregas tangles with Manchester United's Chris Smalling

“It had to be ugly,” Gary Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. “Mourinho has no problem going out there and destroying games.”
This was not a natural environment for Fabregas, who had just 53 touches of the ball before his stoppage-time substitution, but he stuck to his task with a disciplined defensive performance to help Chelsea grind out the win and also played a key role in Hazard’s goal.
Do Arsenal miss him?
Wenger’s decision to snub Fabregas looked a poor one as his explosive start to life at Chelsea coincided with Arsenal’s poor first half of the season. His stunning long-range pass to set up Costa’s goal in the Blues’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge must have been particularly galling for the Frenchman.
“When he left we bought Mesut Ozil.” Wenger explained ahead of that game. “We have Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and we were not in the need to buy offensive players.”
Arsenal fans were unconvinced, despite the blockbuster addition of Alexis Sanchez, but the picture looks rather different ahead of Fabregas’s return to the Emirates this weekend.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

April 26, 2015, 3:30pm

Live only on

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The Gunners are on a run of eight consecutive Premier League wins, and with injuries depleting Mourinho’s options up front there is reason to believe this is Wenger’s best opportunity yet to finally claim victory over the Chelsea manager.
Arsenal have improved considerably since Cazorla moved into Fabregas’ favoured deep-lying playmaker role alongside Francis Coquelin – who has become Arsenal’s answer to Nemanja Matic. While Cazorla has not matched Fabregas in terms of assists and chances created, he has nonetheless been one of Arsenal’s top performers.

Santi Cazorla v Cesc Fabregas comparison - Premier League 2014/15

Fabregas shoulders most of the creative burden at Chelsea, but Arsenal have shared those duties out, with Sanchez, the in-form Ozil and Aaron Ramsey all capable of unlocking defences. Arsenal are already well stocked in midfield, and the injured Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky can also be added to that list.
Return
Despite that, the sight of Fabregas celebrating the first Premier League title of his career with Chelsea would be a painful one for his former club. And while it cannot be mathematically secured on Sunday, Fabregas knows anything other than defeat would put Chelsea on the brink.
"We just want to win it. The sooner, the better,” he told Chelsea’s official website this week. "It's been five years for [Chelsea supporters] without winning the Premier League title; for me it's been 27 years so I'd love to win it as soon as possible."
While Wenger hopes Fabregas will be given a warm reception at the Emirates, his outstanding contribution to Chelsea’s likely title triumph makes that all the more unlikely.
What is certain, however, is that any boos will fall on deaf ears if Fabregas helps Chelsea to victory on his old stomping ground.
If he does, and the title follows, he might be thankful that Wenger closed the door on an Emirates return.

Watch Arsenal v Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD this Sunday from 3.30pm
source; Dstv sports blitz news @channel 200

Fourteen migrants hit by train and killed in former Yugloslav republic of Macedonia

           Fourteen migrants have been hit by a train and killed in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
It happened near the city of Veles, as the group walked through a canyon, along a route increasingly used by people trying to reach western Europe.
          Rescue efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain, with the area only accessible by rail or on foot.

     Most of the migrants appeared to be from Somalia and Afghanistan, according to a state prosecutor.
Migrants fleeing war, poverty and repression in the Middle East and Africa are increasingly turning to the Balkans as a land route to western Europe – longer but deemed safer than trying by boat across the Mediterranean.
Up to 900 people died after a boat went down on Sunday off the coast of Libya, a major staging point for migrants heading to Europe.

Italian police launch ‘vast’ anti-terrorism operation against al Qaeda-inspired group

Italian police say they have been carrying out a “vast” anti-terrorism operation against an armed organisation inspired by al Qaeda.
It is claimed members were ready to carry out attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan – as well as possibly targeting the Vatican.
Police have launched a series of raids, with their sights set on 18 suspects.
Most of the police activity has been centred on the island of Sardinia, but the operation covers seven Italian provinces in all.
The suspected spiritual leader of the armed group is said to be among those who have been arrested. Some of the other individuals being targeted are believed to have left Italy.
Police officials say all of the suspects are from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It is alleged the group has been wanting to incite a popular uprising against the Pakistani government, so it would stop its backing of US forces in Afghanistan – many of which have already been withdrawn.

Bradley Cooper and Christiano Ronaldo's ex Irina Shayk seen on a date

Actor Bradley Cooper, 40, and top model Irina Shayk, 29, who ended her five year relationship with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in Dec. 2014, were spotted on a Broadway date on Wednesday night.

The two, who were introduced by mutual friends, were seen together in the audience at 'Finding Neverland' Broadway show, according to a report by NYT's Page Six

Bradley ended a two-year relationship with UK model Suki Waterhouse just last month and the two were seen at Coachella last week sparking rumours of a reconciliation but it looks like he may have moved on to Irina though sources told Page Six it's just a 'friendly relationship' for now.

40 year old man arrested by NDLEA, attempting to Export Indian Hemp to China

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday apprehended a man, 40, for attempting to transport Indian hemp (Cannabis Sativa) to China.

This is contained in a statement by Mitchel Ofoyeju, Head of Public Affairs of the agency.

According to the statement, the man, a medicine dealer, was apprehended at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), with cannabis he ingested.

“The statement quoted the NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, as saying that the man was a serial offender and had been caught several times. The suspect specialises in concealing cannabis in foodstuffs for innocent travelers. Unfortunately for him, the parcel he sent through the Lagos airport was intercepted. While we were investigating this case, he attempted sending another shipment of cannabis at the Enugu airport where he was apprehended,’’ it said.

The statement said that the Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, had assured members of the public that the agency would bring traffickers to book.

“The NDLEA has an effective drug detecting mechanism at all the airports. We shall continue to increase our capacity and send drug barons out of the criminal transaction in drugs. Let me assure you that no drug dealer shall go unpunished and we are working hard to address the problem of drug production, trafficking and abuse,’’ it quoted Giade as saying.

The statement said that the suspect would be charged to court soon.

Photo of Paul okoye and his litle cute son, Andre

      Aren't they cute......especially Andre, A chip of an old block

I knew Fellaini would come good- Moyes

The Belgian was the ex-Manchester United manager's first signing at Old Trafford and he has expressed his delight at the midfielder's form turn around

David Moyes insists that he is unsurprised by Marouane Fellaini’s recent resurgence at Manchester United, and says he keeps in contact with his former midfielder.

Fellaini was Moyes’ first major signing at Old Trafford, with the Real Sociedad boss spending just over €32 million to acquire his signature from Everton.

The Belgian quickly became a pariah, however, after a series of below-par displays following his move from Goodison Park.

But Fellaini has enjoyed a remarkable upturn in form under Louis van Gaal, scoring six goals in all competitions to become a key player in the Dutchman’s squad, and Moyes admits he is delighted with the 27-year-old’s performances.

“I am not surprised at Fellaini because I thought he had made a big impact on England over the years," Moyes told the Express.

"He will not be everyone's cup of tea, but he can affect games and you want players who can affect games.

"He texts me quite regularly and I always text him back and tell him how well he is doing. I'm really pleased for him."

U.S Government Wants Global Position For Jonathan

As global commendation continue to pour for President Goodluck Jonathan over his role in recent peaceful elections in Nigeria, U.S. Vice President, Joe Bidden called on Monday to commend for his leadership.

Mr. Bidden, who spoke with President Jonathan, urged him to “remain engaged and play a leadership role in global issues” as his presidency is gradually winding to an end in a month’s time.

A statement from the U.S Embassy in Abuja also congratulated the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on his victory.

The statement reads:

“Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to commend him for his leadership in ensuring Nigeria’s recent elections were peaceful and orderly.

“The Vice President noted that President Jonathan’s actions to accept the results and congratulate President-elect Buhari, as well as his steps to date to ensure a successful transition, have strengthened Nigeria’s democracy and set a strong example for Africa and the world.

“The Vice President encouraged President Jonathan to remain engaged and play a leadership role in global issues after his presidency ends.”

Parents Of Missing Chibok Girls Accuse Vice Principal Of Being Involved In Their Kidnap

Parents of the missing Chibok girls are now accusing the vice principal (academic) of the school in Borno where the teenage girls were kidnapped in 2014 of being somewhat involved in their kidnap

According to a report on Sahara Reporters, the parents claimed that the role of the vice principal Yerima Banjiri was questionable. They leveled the allegations while speaking to a SR correspondent

One of the abducted girls mother, Mariam Abubakar, said the Vice Principal had told the school girls that any one of them who failed to sleep in the school the night of the abduction would be expelled

“A week before their abductions, Malam Yerima threatened the students not to leave for their various homes.

He said that whoever went home should forget she was ever a student at the school.

He told the girls that none of them should go home, that they must sleep in the school.

However, none of the teachers’ daughters or even the daughters of the management staff was among those kidnapped.

Only the children of we poor people were asked to sleep in the school.

The [teachers and administrators] had kept their children in safer places before Boko Haram arrived.”

The distraught mother accused the vice president and possibly other staff of conniving with Boko Haram.

“Our concern is that since the day of [the girls’] abduction, we have never set our eyes on Malam Yerima. He is on run,” Ms Abubakar said.

A father of an abducted girl also criticized what he characterized as the Federal Government’s approach of levity in dealing with the abduction, said;

“We have lost confidence in the Nigerian government’s, reaction to our missing children.

Nobody asked any questions to the teachers. In fact they are moving free in cities. Why has the government not investigated any of the teachers‎?” he asked.

one of the parents told SaharaReporters that they had been warned not to speak about their suspicion of the vice principal and other teachers and administrators.

But several of the parents and relatives of the abducted girls said they had run out of patience after more than a year since the abductions with little or no hope of their daughters’ rescue

Italy: Premier Leads Calls For EU Action… As 700 More African Migrants Drown

Italy’s premier is leading calls for EU action, including a summit, on the increasing number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. EU foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the issue.

Following the latest sinking of a migrants’ boat off the coast of Libya at the weekend, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has called for EU action on the issue.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg Monday morning to discuss the crisis. They will also discuss the situation in war-torn Libya where up to 90 percent of the migrants begin their dangerous sea-journey to Europe.

Up to 700 people are feared drowned after their 20 meter fishing boat sank late Saturday night. Only 28 migrants were rescued. The coffins with the bodies of victims have been taken to Malta.

The United Nations’ Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Italy said there had been a thirty-fold increase in the number of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean since the start of the year compared with the same period for 2014.

Renzi said that Libya was the key problem in originating the dangerous voyages for migrants across the Mediterranean. He said more needed to be done to stop boats organized by traffickers from leaving. He called it “the slavery of the 21st Century”, and added: “It is unthinkable that in the face of such a tragedy, there isn’t the feeling of solidarity which Europe has shown in other instances.”

EU under fire

The EU has been criticized for its inaction since the nine-million-euro ($9.7 million) Mare Nostrum rescue operation was ended last October. Italy had failed to persuade European partners to help meet operating costs. Some EU members expressed fears that the operation was encouraging smugglers and migrants to organize more trips across the sea.

Mare Nostrum was replaced by a much smaller EU-run border protection program, named Triton, which operates only within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of the Italian coast.

Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) William Lacy Swing called for the Mare Nostrum operation to be restored: “Mare Nostrum saved 200,000 lives between October 2013 and December 2014,” he said on Monday. “Get Mare Nostrum back out there, give it the support it needs to save these lives.”

Swing said the Triton operation was “not adequate.”

“They don’t have a mandate, they’re a border protection agency, not a life-saving agency,” Swing said.

Italian Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, has added a discussion of the crisis to the agenda of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

As refugee numbers rise, German study looks at what motivates volunteers to help out

They are young, educated and usually female. Volunteers exemplify what a new culture that welcomes immigrants could look like in Germany. But what motivates them? A new study takes a look.

Arson attacks on refugee shelters, massive demonstrations by right-wing populists and threats against those who actively work to improve the lives of immigrants. Often negative headlines such as these are what dominate media coverage on immigration in Germany. Meanwhile, the fact that there is, at the same time, a wave of solidarity with and a willingness to help refugees almost gets lost in the flood of sometimes shocking imagery.

A study by the Berlin Institute for Integration and Migration Research (BIM) at Humboldt University wants to change that. In an online survey, researchers interviewed a total of 466 volunteers and 70 organizations in hopes of answering two questions: who helps and why?

Educated and united

Despite the limits of the small-scale study, its researchers are certain that they can already discern clear trends, says Serhat Karakayali, a co-author of the BIM study.

Refugee work in Germany is a question of education, according to Karakayali.

Seventy percent of volunteers were female. Most of them were financially secure and educated. Of those questioned, ninety percent had obtained the “Abitur,” Germany’s high school diploma equivalent for students planning to attend a university.

Above all, young adults and senior citizens were active in refugee homes. According to the study, religious convictions didn’t play an important role in becoming a volunteer. More than half of those questioned responded that they were not religious, while just 12 percent of those surveyed pointed to their beliefs as a motivation for getting involved.

The authors attributed most volunteers’ motivation to news coverage of the refugee situation in Germany.

“Many became active spontaneously,” according to Serhat Karakayali.

According to the study, most became involved on their own, in neighbourhood organizations or in small citizen’s groups. About one-third of respondents said that their efforts were coordinated through sport clubs.

“Very few are actually active in associations, 3.7 percent to be exact,” the study said.

A high level of political involvement was also characteristic for volunteers.

“[They] are not primarily concerned with why people have fled,” says Serhat Karakayali. “They are sympathetic to all forms of migration and flight.”

Political ideals

According to the study, “two-thirds of respondents said that they wanted to help shape society with their efforts,” leading the authors to conclude that many volunteers were not motivated by personal and professional gain.

In most cases, those surveyed spent much of their time helping refugees navigate German bureaucracy. Often, it was up to the volunteers to establish contact with authorities. Beyond that, they frequently acted as translators or organized private language lessons.

Politics lagging behind

The researchers made a series of recommendations for the German government, emphasizing that these tasks should not really be the responsibility of volunteers.

“We can clearly see the dangers of volunteers having to take over tasks that should really be shouldered by the state,” Olaf Kleist, co-author of a paper published by the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University, says.

The only way to prolong the kind of volunteer involvement emerging spontaneously around Germany is if “existing organizations [supported] volunteer initiatives with money and know-how.”

Above all, authorities have to become better adjusted to refugees, according to the study. Paperwork and visits to authorities must be structured in such a way that asylum seekers can navigate them without being dependent on help from volunteers, regardless if they must go to social services, schools, or youth welfare services.

The authors also recommended that German authorities adopt a telephone translation service for refugees, similar to one already in place in Australia, in order to remove language barriers for bureaucrats and non-German speakers alike.

However, the study’s author, Serhat Karakayali, concluded that the study underlined an important turning point in Germany: “volunteer refugee workers are living the example of what politicians have been talking about for years, namely the transformation of Germany into a welcoming society.”

OPINION: EU Needs A New Refugee Policy

Yet another fishing boat, this time carrying up to 700 migrants, capsized off the coast of Libya this weekend. It’s high time for the EU to act, writes DW’s Johannes Beck.

What else needs to happen for the European Union to finally change its immigration and refugee policy? How many more people have to drown in the Mediterranean Sea for European politicians to budge? How many more funeral services are needed before Brussels finally takes action?

Debt-ridden Italy of all countries showed the EU how to act after a boat capsized off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa in October 2013. Italian navy ships then started patrolling sea routes between North Africa and southern Europe as part of their “Mare Nostrum” operation. Even though Italy was able to save thousands of people from drowning, other European member states didn’t want to help pay the 108 million euros ($117 million) needed annually to keep operations going.

Instead, Europe tasked its border control agency Frontex with saving refugees’ lives. The “Triton” mission started operating last November – and was supposed to be a lot cheaper than Mare Nostrum. That’s why it mainly focuses on saving people which are close to European coasts, but doesn’t help in the case of tragedies like the one off the coast of North Africa, thus risking thousands of lives.

No more words of mourning

I don’t want to hear any more words of mourning from European politicians after the most recent tragedy in the Mediterranean. Those who don’t want to participate in search and rescue missions like Mare Nostrum because they have been deemed too expensive should at least be honest enough and openly say that lives of people from Eritrea, Ethiopia or Syria are not worth very much.

Just look at Europe’s agricultural policy and you’ll see the cynical dimension of all this talk about FINANCING Mare Nostrum. The EU supports its farmers with 50 billion euros per year in subsidies. That means Europeans spend more per day on aid to farmers than what a mission of the scope of Mare Nostrum would cost per year.

Three demands

Ideas for a new refugee and immigration policy have been around for years.

First, as a short-term approach: Search and rescue operations need to be expanded to the entire Mediterranean Sea again and should be FINANCED by all EU member states, of course. Italy can by no means be left in a lurch again like it was with Mare Nostrum.

Second, as medium-term approach: the European immigration policy needs to be reformed. In addition to the right of asylum due to political persecution and protection of refugees from war zones such as Syria, migrants should also be allowed to come to Europe for economic reasons.

Europe is de facto already an immigration continent. Many countries have to deal with an aging population and will continue to need immigrants in the future. Quotas and point systems could help in making this process legal and transparent. This would help curb those leaving in search of work from running to the boats of human traffickers in the Mediterranean.

Third, in the long run: The EU has to spotlight the reasons why people are fleeing and leaving their countries. Those who destroy all governmental structures in Libya by launching a military operation can’t withdraw from the country and simply watch how it descends into chaos.

The EU has to vigorously insist on observing human rights, for instance in Eritrea which is home to many boat refugees in the Mediterranean where the EU and its member states – Germany as well – have turned a blind eye for a long time and initially even helped support the dictatorial regime with development aid.

We’ve had enough time to talk and lament. It’s high time to act.