BTS Photos Of Shaydee’s ‘High’ Video (Dir. By Banky W And Adasa Cookey)

EME fast rising singer, Shaydee has shot the video to his first new single “High“.
The single is the first to kick start this year from his upcoming new album due to be released later this year.
The video was directed by the newly-minted graduate of the New York Film Academy, Banky W alongside Adasa Cookey, and was written and produced by Banky W.
The video was filmed on set at Eko Hotel with credits to Kenepisode1 for styling, Laide Makeovers for makeup and Ebere Thomas for photography.
Photos below: –

P Square’s Baby Sister Delivers Bouncing Baby Boy

Mary Okoye, the sister of Peter and Paul Okoye, better known as P-Square, is now a mother.

Mary and her husband, Emma Mordi welcomed their first child, a baby boy on Saturday, February 21, 2015.
Mary Okoye and her Nollywood actor hubby got married on Saturday, August 6, 2014 in Asaba, Delta State….

Ice Prince, Olamide And Phyno To Feature On Thesame Track — ‘Get Some Money’

It seems like the big rappers in the country have all decided to go hard this year.
We have already witnessed massive collabos by rappers and more are still dropping.
Hip-hop superstars Ice Prince, Phyno and Olamide have come together as the collaborate on a yet-to-be-released song called “Get Some Money“.
The song is an initiative of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria – a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youth with ICT-enabled opportunities.
This organization is currently working on a project called #DigitalJobs which aims to provide tens of thousands of Nigerian youths with legitimate jobs on the internet.
In order to make this objective a reality they have gotten some of the biggest stars in Nigerian music to encourage Nigerian youths to embrace the #DigitalJobs project and desist from internet fraud.
“Get Some Money” will be officially released on Friday the 27th of February 2015 by 12pm.

Teenager Murders Husband In Kano After 5 Days Of Marriage

An 18-year-old wife, Rahma Hussaini, Wednesday, stabbed her newly wedded husband at Darmunawa quarters of Kano after the couple had a quarrel, reports have said. Sources said Rahma was forced to marry the 24-year-old Tijjani Basiru.
A neighbour, Isa Alhassan told Vanguard that the young couple got married last Friday, pointing out that “from what we heard the union was a product of forced marriage”.
“We were alarmed by a frightening scream of a subdued man in need of rescue and we rushed to discovered that the man of the house was in the pool of his blood.
“Neighbours mobilized and took the groom to the hospital but doctors confirmed him dead on arrival,” Alhassan said.
According to the eyewitness, the bride was handed over to the police that arrived in good time following a tip off.
Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majia confirmed the incident, saying “at about 10:00hrs one Rahma Hussaini of Darmunawa quarters stabbed her husband, one Tijjani M Basiru on his stomach with a knife and was rushed to AKTH.”
According to the police image maker, the victim of the attack was later confirmed dead and the female suspect has been taken into custody. Investigations are ongoing.

INEC Expresses Concern Over 560,285 Uncollected PVCs In Ogun

The Administrative Secretary, Independent National Electoral Commission in Ogun State, Mr. Dickson Atiba, has said the commission is worried over 560,285,000 Permanent Voter Cards that have not yet been collected by the owners in the state.

He said this during the courtesy visit of the new state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, to the headquarters of the commission at the Magbon area of Abeokuta on Tuesday.
He said the turnout of people at different polling units to collect their PVC had not been encouraging.
Atiba said, “The total number of registered voters in Ogun State is 1,795,794 and total number of PVCs we have received so far from Abuja is 1,368,875. And out of this, 808,590,000 have been distributed as of today (Tuesday), which represents 59.1 per cent”.
The INEC administrative secretary, who said the distribution of the PVC was still ongoing in different polling units across the state, explained that to ensure that every registered voter collected the PVC, the list of names of those who had yet to collect, was being compiled and would be handed over to various stakeholders in the state.
Atiba, however, said he foresaw a situation whereby the INEC might extend the March 8 deadline for the collection of PVCs, if by that date substantial number of eligible voters had not yet collected their PVCs.
He said, “The distribution of the cards is still ongoing in different polling units across the state. We have tried to make sure the cards are collected. We have asked our officials to write out the names on the PVC, and we will present the list to stakeholders.
“By next week, we believe the number of those who had collected their PVC will improve, since we are distributing at the polling unit level”.
In his remarks, CP Ntomchukwu commended the INEC for the progress made so far towards ensuring free and fair elections on March 28 and April 11.

Jonathan, Former Leaders Visit Shagari As He Clocks 90

President Goodluck Jonathan says former President Shehu Shagari is a role model to Nigerian leaders, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

“He is a role model, always very calm and always want Nigeria to grow and be united,” said Jonathan, while speaking in Sokoto today, when he led four other former Heads of state to felicitate with Shagari.
“Shagari has been diligently serving Nigeria in many capacities since during his youthful age.
“He has been working diligently and tirelessly too to keep Nigeria one and peaceful, and he has never stopped,” he added.
The president prayed God to continue to give the former president wisdom, piety and strength to work for the unity and peace of Nigeria.
The former leaders who were with Jonathan include Chief Ernest Shonekan and retired Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalam Abubakar.
The leaders, in separate speeches, said that Nigerians have a lot to learn from Shagari who served the nation with humility, patriotism and dedication.
They described their visit as historic and a token appreciation of his tremendous contributions to the socio-economic development, peace and unity of Nigeria.
Responding, Shagari commended Jonathan and the four former Heads of state for the gesture. He said it would spur him to do more for the nation.
“We will continue to support Jonathan to work for the country and move it forward,” Shagari, said.

APC Commends Military, Knocks Jonathan For Allowing Boko Haram To Fester

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said President Goodluck Jonathan bears a huge moral burden that will haunt him for a long time to come for deliberately allowing the Boko Haram insurgency to fester, leading to the deaths of over 15,000 Nigerians and the displacement of over 3 million others in the past six years.

In a statement issued in London on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the opposition party also hailed the Nigerian military for the successes it has recorded in the battle against Boko Haram in recent times, saying the string of victories confirms the party’s stand that the Nigerian military can hold its own anywhere and anytime, if provided with the necessary equipment and if the morale of the troops is not undermined.
The opposition party noted that by his own admission that he and his team “underrated the capacity of Boko Haram”, President Jonathan has finally owned up to his globally-acknowledged incompetence, a development which, in truly democratic societies, should be part of a statement of resignation by a leader whose terrible error of judgment has caused so many deaths and inflicted so much pain and sorrow on his compatriots.
APC said the truth is that the president deliberately allowed the Boko Haram crisis to fester because he and his team saw it as their trump card for winning re-election in 2015 by currying local and global sectarian sympathy with a Muslim-group-killing-Christians narrative that totally distorts the fact that Boko Haram is a band of marauders, who have no consideration for ethnicity, regionalism, religion or any other thing beyond their mad disposition to terror.
The party said the marauders are equal-opportunity killers who went after Christians, Muslims, northerners, southerners, men, women, the old, the young, the rich and the poor.
The party recalled that it had raised the alarm on many occasions, including during an appearance at the British Parliament in 2014, when its spokesman, Lai Mohammed, said the PDP and President Jonathan were using the Boko Haram crisis as a trump card to retain power in 2015.
“Is it not curious that the same President who has stood by while Boko Haram decimates a whole section of the country over the past six years has suddenly realized there is something he could do to crush the sect in six weeks? Is it not curious that a military that has been globally acknowledged for its successes in peacekeeping at regional and international levels has suddenly found itself unable to tackle a band of criminals? Is it not curious that the necessary fighting equipment that have not been made available to the military, despite the injection of over 32 billion US dollars into the defence and security sector since 2008, have suddenly become available?
“There are more questions to be asked: At what point did President Jonathan begin to have a clear idea that Boko Haram is a major threat to the very survival of our country? Was it after about 300 innocent girls were abducted from their school in Chibok or before? Was it after hundreds of boys were slaughtered in a secondary school in Buni Yadi or before? Or, was it before or after the Nyanya bomb blast that led to the deaths of hundreds of people? Just when did our President wake up to his primary responsibility?
“The truth is that after their Boko Haram-as-a-trump-card strategy blew up in their face and their electoral fortunes plummeted, the PDP-led Jonathan Administration came to the realization that a stepped-up campaign against the insurgents is needed to revive their electoral fortunes, hence they then decided to pep up the military and rally regional troops – the same suggestions from the opposition that the Administration has pointedly ignored over the years – to combat the terrorists.
“President Jonathan, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, must take responsibility for the monumental cost, whether of his incompetence or his political strategy-gone-awry or both, apologize to the nation and immediately back down from seeking re-election. The President must not be allowed to profit from an error of judgement that has cost 15,000 lives, forced over 3 million out of their homes and cost the taxpayers 32.88 billion US dollars”, APC said.
The party also expressed concern at the efforts of the Jonathan Administration to make Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau look invincible, with the president’s statement that Shekau will be caught before the elections.
“It is no longer news that the authorities have gleefully announced the killing of Shekau at least twice in the past, with the picture of the supposedly-dead Boko Haram leader widely circulated in the social and traditional media. That raises the question as to which Shekau is to be captured. Or are we to believe the stories making the rounds that the government plans to capture a ‘Shekau’, who will then be used to implicate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as a sponsor of the sect, just to pull the brakes on his runaway acceptance by Nigerians?” it queried.
APC said while Nigerians will undoubtedly be happy and relieved to see an end to the Boko Haram insurgency, they must be wondering what would have happened if the plummeting electoral fortunes of President Jonathan had not forced his Administration to push for the six-week postponement of the general elections. They must also be wondering what would have happened if the elections have been scheduled for 2016, instead of 2015.
The party, therefore, commended the long-suffering, gallant Nigerian soldiers and called on all Nigerians to continue to support them and the battle against insurgency.
“We urge Nigerians to continue to pray for the successes of our troops in the battle to rid Nigeria of insurgency and return our displaced citizens to their homeland. Peace and security in our land will provide the necessary environment for our party to implement the plan for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of our economy especially the major theatres of insurgency”, APC said.

NANS Denies Planned Meeting With Jonathan, Warns Students Against Anti-Buhari Rally

The leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has warned students of tertiary institutions in the country against participating in a planned anti-Buhari rally scheduled to take place in Abuja during the week.

A statement issued by its chairman, National joint Campus Committee, Yerima Abdullahi on Tuesday, said information reaching the association confirmed a secret mobilisation of touts and students, who will be paraded as students, to campaign massively for the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the basis of ill-health and his academic qualification.
It warned students in the country against such move in view of the implications of such negative and malicious campaigns on the already heated-up polity.
“We hereby appeal to Nigeria students in the country to remain calm on their respective campuses and pray for peaceful conduct of the general elections. We urge them to remain firm and resolute and not allow themselves to be used to heat up the polity. We want to also appeal to politicians not to sponsor politics of hate among the future leaders”, it stated.
In a related development, the NANS President, Comrade Ali wali, has denied knowledge of any planned meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the students body, saying “there is no way NANS will meet with Mr President without my knowledge”.
Comrade Wali was reacting on Tuesday to a report in a section of the media that the leadership of NANS would be meeting with the president with a view to helping to mobilise students’ votes for him in the March 28 presidential election.
It was also rumoured that during the planned meeting, arrangements would be finalised on an Anti-Buhari rally to be held in Abuja where the students body would declare its support for Jonathan and highlight reasons why Nigerian students should not vote for Buhari.
But speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Comrade Ali Wali described the planners and organisers of the said meeting as imposters and non-students who, for years, had been using NANS as political venture to negotiate with the highest bidders, warning that Nigerian students would resist such move this time.
“I want politicians in the country to know that NANS is not for sale, and we cannot be bought or comprised. There was never a time that we contemplated a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss his candidacy or Nigerian students’ support for him in the rescheduled presidential election.
“As a students’ body, we are nonpartisan and will make only our electoral decisions and choices based on issues and concerns as they affect our education system and the socio-economic development of the country.
“I am not aware of any meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan. I am the elected President of NANS, so if Mr President is negotiating with another NANS President or leadership, he is doing so to his own peril and detriment. At best, he is negotiating with imposters and liars who are not registered students in any tertiary institution in the country. We will resist them; we know what to do”, Wali said.

Helen Paul Blasts Stella Damascus Over ‘Husband Prostitution’

Just when many had thought that the dust raised by the ‘fight’ between Stella Damasus and Toyin Aimakhu, which raised its ugly head again over the weekend had settled, another female celebrity has come for Stella, the Delta State born mother of two.
Helen Paul, better known as Tatafo, registered her voice on the way the ace actress has ‘changed’ her life partner over the years.

Over the weekend, GistmyNaija.com was at the comedy show organised by budding comedian, Accapella, tagged Comedy Goes to Church’ and the petite ‘Jara’ co-host was one of the comedians that thrilled the audience in the rib-cracking event that took place in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos state.
Without mincing words, Helen Paul, who was sharing a story about her humble beginning, hit at Stella for often changing her surname.

‘Stella Damasus, or Nzeribe, is she not even tired of changing surname? Today she’s Aboderin, tomorrow Ademinokun, only God knows the surname she would answer tomorrow. Well, the good thing is, she hasn’t changed her name ‘Stella’, so we can simply call her Stella easily,” Helen said at the comedy show.
Recall that after the silver screen diva, Stella lost her husband Jaiye Aboderin, some years ago, she went for Emeka Nzeribe, but their relationship did not last long as it ended beyond redemption.
Stella was later accused of snatching the husband of her colleague in the movie industry, Doris Simeon, who was then happily married to Daniel Ademinokun.
Since she allegedly moved in with Daniel Ademinokun in the USA and became his alleged ‘wife’, some people, including her colleagues, have expressed shock over their disappointments on the issue.

Nigeria2015: You Can’t Buy Nigerians With Money – Kwankwaso Tells Jonathan

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State yesterday said no amount of monetary inducement could make Nigerians vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in the forthcoming general elections.

Reacting to reports that the president had allegedly disbursed billions of naira to traditional, religious leaders and other stakeholders to support his re-election bid, Kwankwaso said even if Jonathan spends all the money in the country’s coffers, Nigerians would not vote for him in the March 28 presidential poll.
“We have passed the issue of money, it is not the issue of how much billions you have. You know even ordinary people know that the PDP has stolen the people’s money and they are disbursing it and everybody is aware and it is shameful thing.
“It is Nigeria’s money, they give it to politicians, groups, clergymen and all sorts of people but I can assure you that this will not help them. If money was the issue I wouldn’t have been elected in 2011. We are aware that they are distributing money to people but I can assure you that it wouldn’t make any difference”, the governor said in an interview with journalists in Kano.
According to Kwankwaso, the disbursement of public money by the PDP government to woo the electorate is further crippling the country’s economy.
“Thieves are stealing money and are giving it to thieves to disburse as gifts to Nigerians in order to vote for them. The money will not make any change as it will not even get to the people because it would be stolen by the thieves in the government. They are taking their gratuities and pensions”, he added.
He explained that Nigerians were more enlightened now than in 2011 and the insecurity challenge coupled with the dwindling economy brought about the clamour for change.
“More people are being killed in Nigeria, more than in any other country including Iran, Syria within this period. This money is corruption and corruption is part of the insecurity, the collapse of the economy and so on. So, I don’t think people will want to stay for another four years like this”, he said.
On the shift in dates for the elections, Kwankwaso, who is a senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, said the chances of his party winning the presidential and other elections keep increasing and postponement would not stop the PDP from defeat.
“I know there must be election and people have taken the decision on what to do on that day and certainly people want change, go to the villages, towns and cities, the story is the same. Therefore there must be change this year and by that extension no matter how you put it this government should go and we have better arrangements on the ground for the APC to take over under Muhammad Buhari”, he said.

Abuja Court Sentences Teenager To 12 Strokes Of The Cane For Stealing

An 18-year-old butcher, Abba Ibrahim, was Wednesday sentenced to 12 strokes of cane for stealing by an FCT Area Court in Lugbe, Abuja.
Ibrahim, who hails from Kabusa Village, Abuja, was sentenced, after pleading guilty to a three-count charge of joint act, house breaking and theft.
Prosecutor Paul Anigbo had told the court that Ndukire Okezuo and Etiaka Blessing caught the accused on Feb. 9 and handed him over to Lugbe Police Station.
Anigbo said that the accused person conspired and broke into the complainants’ house and stole two laptops, one Nokia and one
Blackberry phones valued at N265, 000.
He told the court that the accused committed the offence with one Yusuf Mohammed now at large.
He said that the convict made a confessional statement, and that the offence contravened Sections 79, 349 and 287 of the Penal Code.
Senior Judge, Gambo Garba, in his judgement therefore ordered that the accused be flogged 12 strokes of the cane. He said that the punishment would have been stiffer but for the suspect’s decision to plead guilty.
Garba warned the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from crimes. He discharged him and ordered that the recovered items be returned to the owner.

Teenager Murders Husband In Kano After 5 Days Of Marriage

An 18-year-old wife, Rahma Hussaini, Wednesday, stabbed her newly wedded husband at Darmunawa quarters of Kano after the couple had a quarrel, reports have said. Sources said Rahma was forced to marry the 24-year-old Tijjani Basiru.
A neighbour, Isa Alhassan told Vanguard that the young couple got married last Friday, pointing out that “from what we heard the union was a product of forced marriage”.
“We were alarmed by a frightening scream of a subdued man in need of rescue and we rushed to discovered that the man of the house was in the pool of his blood.
“Neighbours mobilized and took the groom to the hospital but doctors confirmed him dead on arrival,” Alhassan said.
According to the eyewitness, the bride was handed over to the police that arrived in good time following a tip off.
Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majia confirmed the incident, saying “at about 10:00hrs one Rahma Hussaini of Darmunawa quarters stabbed her husband, one Tijjani M Basiru on his stomach with a knife and was rushed to AKTH.”
According to the police image maker, the victim of the attack was later confirmed dead and the female suspect has been taken into custody. Investigations are ongoing.

Why We Remained In PDP – Lamido, Aliyu aliyu

Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his Niger State counterpart Babangida Aliyu, yesterday, hit back at Kano State Governor Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso over his accusation that they betrayed five other governors who dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) following their irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party.
Governors Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Babangida Aliyu of Niger; Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, who were members of the G-7, within the PDP, had opted out to form what was known then as the new PDP in 2013. But while the other five governors teamed up to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lamido and Aliyu returned to the PDP.
Kwankwaso, who spoke on their exit from the PDP, weekend, accused Aliyu Babangida and Sule Lamido of betraying the other five governors by returning to the PDP.
However, while Lamido agreed with Kwankwaso’s accusation, he explained why he did not follow the other governors, while speaking to journalists in Abuja.
“I am a betrayer, confirmed. I betrayed them. I did, yes. I am aligning myself to what he said. I am aligning my answer to what he said, go and find out from him. But I did that in the interest of the nation,” he said.
Babangida Aliyu, on his part, dismissed Kwankwaso’s accusation saying there was never a time the G-7 group planned to dump their party (PDP) for another party and that there was no basis for any of the members to label him as a betrayer.
According to him, at the time he led the G-7 group, the objective was to resolve the leadership problem in his party and not to dump it as some of them have done.
“Let me state in categorical terms that I never discussed with the G-7 governors over issue of decamping to the APC. I led the group primarily to stabilize the PDP. At that time, the PDP was having challenges hinging on impunity which had to be addressed,” a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Israel Ebije, said.
“Let me, therefore, intimate that based on principle, I never planned to abandon the PDP for another party. It is also important to note that the G-7 achieved its objective of repositioning the PDP which was at the time passing through leadership challenge. Therefore I had no reason to leave, besides our effort brought the ruling party back on its feet.”
He said he will remain committed to the PDP and would work towards ensuring that the party wins all elective positions in Niger State.

Ekiti Rigging Tape: "Mr. President​, Obanikoro Said You Sent Him To Rig" - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as untenable and an after-thought the statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan as the reason why the Ekiti rigging audio tape has not been investigated, saying the President's waffling on the issue shows he may have something to hide.  

Gov. Ayo Fayose's election rigging team

In a statement issued in London on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the President was wrong to have said the rigging audio tape had not been investigated because the army captain who leaked it had not come forward to authenticate it.
It wondered whether the President would have toed the same line if the tape had revealed that the APC colluded with the military to rig the Ekiti election in favour of the APC candidate.

APC said the security agencies need no prodding or even a presidential directive to launch an investigation into a weighty issue that amounts to a subversion of democracy.
''Some people were found to be undermining democracy using a powerful national institution like the military, and all the President could say is that there will be no investigation until the officer who secretly recorded the tape has come forward to authenticate it. What a disingenuous argument!
''Is the President not aware that Capt. Sagir Koli, who recorded the tape, went into hiding because his life was in danger? 
​Is the President not aware of the fate that befell Capt. Koli's 15-year-old younger brother who was ​arrested and tortured at a military facility in Ibadan over the issue?
Does  ​the President ​not appreciate the patriotism which the officer exhibited by exposing those who criminally subverted democracy?'' the party queried.
It wondered on what basis the President declared the audio tape a fabrication when he has now confessed that he has not even listened to it, and when almost all those who were at the rigging meeting, including Musiliu Obanikoro, Ayodele Fayose, Jelili Adesiyan and Iyiola Omisore, have now owned up to attending the meeting.
''Unless President Jonathan is afraid of what an investigation into the tape may reveal, he should be in the forefront of those calling for an investigation. This is because, according to the major players in the rigging tape, the Ekiti rigging assignment was done expressly in the name of the President.
''Obanikoro invoked the President's name, saying he sent him to clinch victory for the PDP in the Ekiti governorship election. Unless the statement made by Obanikoro is true, the President has no business seeking to delay, even for one day, the investigation into the very serious allegations contained in the tape. The presence of Capt. Koli is not a necessary pre-condition for an investigation into the rigging allegation.
''We are therefore repeating our call for an urgent investigation of the Ekiti rigging audio and at the same time demanding that all those who are found to have willfully subverted democracy be tried for treason. For the avoidance of doubt, no matter how long it takes, we will ensure that all those involved in the Ekiti show of shame are brought to justice,'' APC said.
The party advised President Jonathan to immediately summon his aides to play the audio tape of the meeting and the video tape of the subsequent interview with Capt. Koli for him, so that he will be able to make an informed judgement on it, instead of making incoherent and confounding statements on the issue.

Nigeria Politicians Cause High Dollar Exchange Rate – BDCs

“I think it is because this is the season of politics; that is why everybody is looking for dollars, but I also think that Nigerians just like to have dollars. “Some of the people that come here to buy, if you ask them, they say they want to have their money in foreign currency,” he said.

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Some Bureau De Change Operators, BDCs, in Abuja have attributed the high demand for dollars by Nigerians, especially politicians, to the cause of the high exchange rate witnessed in the country.

A cross section of the operators, who spoke on Wednesday, said politics was the major cause of the high demand.
At the BDC section of the market, the naira has been trading between 217 and 220 for selling and buying rates.
One of the operators at the Zone 4 BDC center in Abuja, Adamu Usuma, said many people have recently been demanding for the dollar.
“I think it is because this is the season of politics; that is why everybody is looking for dollars, but I also think that Nigerians just like to have dollars.
“Some of the people that come here to buy, if you ask them, they say they want to have their money in foreign currency,” he said.
Mr. Usman said that the CBN had even paid extra money to see if the situation would change but noted that it seemed worse.
The CBN recently sold extra 30,000 dollars to BDC to help strengthen the market after which it also closed the Retail and Whole sale Auction system to help stabilise the currency.
The apex bank gave the assurance that legitimate and genuine needs by dealers would be met by the bank.
Another operator, who preferred anonymity, said that the major problem was that people were hoarding the foreign currency for fear of the unknown.
“The way it is right now, people come here to buy to keep the money in their homes. Even if CBN pumps in millions of money now, it will not be enough.
“The government is trying; apart from politicians who we know that really use this money now, government should find a way to reduce the demand to help the naira,’’ he said.
Also, Charles Ugochukwu, another operator, said that the happening in the market was simple economics of demand and supply.
He added that some of the CBN’s decisions contributed to the situation, saying “what they sell to us is not enough to meet the demand of the people.
“So, we source this money from anyone that has inflow of cash and is ready to sell at good rate and then we sell at the price favorable to our business.
“That’s why you see dollar going up every day”.
He said in the past, the CBN auctioned up to 400,000 dollars weekly and there was enough money in circulation but now, it sold only 30,000 dollars weekly at N190.
He said that though the oil price and other things affected the market, the apex bank must ensure total control of the situation.
Meanwhile BGL, an investment banking company, has commended the CBN’s closure of the Retail and Whole sale auction foreign exchange window.
The company, in its report, said that the development would help to control speculators and pressure to the currency.
It advised the CBN to disclose its strategy to meet legitimate and genuine demand of the foreign exchange to dealers.
At the inter-bank foreign exchange window, the naira has been trading between N199 and N197 to a dollar since the closure of the retail and whole sale auction system.

Pastor Insists Jonathan Bribed CAN With 7 Billion Naira

Despite a denial by the national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that it did not receive a seven billion Naira bribe from President Goodluck Jonathan, the pastor who broke the story last week insists the association was bribed.

President Goodluck Jonathan and Ayo Oritsejafor in Israel in 2013 State House Photo And he says some people within the leadership have called him to confess that his story was true and that what happened was wrong.
Addressing a well-attended press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, Pastor Kallamu Musa Dikwa, who heads the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, declared that there were a lot of shenanigans in the present leadership of CAN, accusing it of betraying the vision of its founding fathers.
Dikwa reiterated that the CAN leadership received the funds on 21st of January, 2015, and gave N3 million to each of its state chapters.
In effect, the pastor is alleging that the CAN leadership distributed to its national membership a small fraction of what it received, keeping to itself well over N6 billion.
Of the response of the national leadership of CAN to his allegations, he told the journalists: “They even have denied me, and said I did not exist. That is why I came to you to confirm that what I said is true.”
He asserted that it was not the first time CAN was getting money like that, recalling 2013 when it got funds from the United States Nigerian group, CANAAN.
"They are our children, our Christians from Nigeria living in America,” Pastor Dikwa said.  “We call them CANAAN (Christian Association of Nigerian Americans). They gave $50,000 to the victims of Boko Haram. After that, the CAN leader invited three people from Maiduguri and two from Damaturu and gave them N100,000 each. The victims know how much they (CAN) collected. Many of the leaders (Yobe and Borno CAN) started calling me. They say what happened is wrong and we have to correct it. I have documents here to show you some of the things I have been saying.”
This also means that when the national leadership received the $50,000 from CANAAN, it kept most of it from the victims of Boko Haram for whom it was intended.
"It was the same way that it happened when Jonathan went to Kwara in January.  Someone there told me that CAN leadership was given money. I asked him if they called any newsmen. The man said they did not. I said, ok, let us wait. After some time, somebody called me. He said he has been giving his share. He said he has been given N3 million. He said each state was given N3 million. I called someone in the leadership of National CAN. He told me that it was a confirmed happening.”
Dikwa however vowed to protect that source with his life, as he will never disclose his name. 
"The states branches of CAN collected the money. But they don’t know how much it is, whether it is N6 or N7billion. I have sent text messages to the leadership of CAN telling them to repent or I will make it open. So that is why I have decided to let the world know. Some of the CAN leadership have called me and said what happened was wrong and that it must be corrected. I said yes, it can be done.”

Fani-Kayode Renting Boys To Boo Buhari At Chatham House-APC

All Progressives Congress party officials say their sources in London states that Femi Fani-Kayode, the spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan presidential campaign, is organizing a paid protest against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday when he appears for his Chatham House engagement.  

Muhammadu Buhari

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. local time on the subject, “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria's Transition”.
Fani-Kayode’s mission is to create the impression that Nigerians are happy with President Goodluck Jonathan, and embarrass Gen. Buhari before the international community.
The loquacious former Minister of Aviation, who was until fairly recently a member of the APC, has made many disparaging remarks about General Buhari since he emerged President Jonathan’s principal opponent and grew increasingly popular.

Why Investigation Into Ekiti-rigging Tape Is Stalemated – Jonathan

The inability of Sagir Koli, the army Captain who leaked the Ekiti-rigging audiotape, to come forward and authenticate the tape, is the reason investigation into the matter cannot proceed, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

Mr. Jonathan told Thisday newspaper that he inquired from the head of the Department of State Security, DSS, if the agency was investigating the matter, but was told that investigation could not proceed because Mr. Koli, who went underground after he was tipped off about the order from the army hierarchy to arrest him, has not come forward to validate the audio recording. President Goodluck Jonathan
After Mr. Koli escaped, his 15-year-old brother, Ahmadu Koli, a pupil of Army Children School, who was staying with him, was arrested, tortured at a military facility in Ibadan Oyo, and detained for about five months.
“In fact, when this story came up, I asked the DG Department of State Security Service if they had investigated the matter, and he told me that they had some investigations, and then called for the person who claimed he recorded it and that he disappeared and nobody can reach him,” Mr. Jonathan said.
“There was no formal petition before them, but because of the general interest, they wanted to have him interviewed to know where this was coming from. If someone comes up with a spurious allegation that has no substance and the person disappears, of course, what do you want me to do? Definitely, anytime we get him, he’ll have to substantiate his allegations. There is a lot of false stories being circulated and it is very sad,” he added.
The President did not explain why Mr. Koli needed to validate the recording before investigations could be launched into the scandal.
He also did not say whether security agencies must always wait for petitions before investigating weighty issues such as the Ekiti rigging scandal.
Mr. Jonathan admitted that he has not even listened to the tape. He however tried to save face by saying he originally dismissed it as a fabrication, despite admissions from key actors the meeting actually held, because the person who recorded it did so to achieve a particular purpose and could have manipulated the discussion.
“I have not watched the video (it is an audio recording, not video). I said that it was a fabrication because, you see, people now, especially with the social media; we could be here and discuss issues and somebody will hack some of our voices and create a story that never happened,” he said.
“Therefore I am not saying that a meeting in question was held or not held, but the issue of conspiring to rig, I said it was a fabrication,” he said.

LUTH Doctors Protest Non-Payment Of 7 Months Salaries

The Association of Resident Doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of their outstanding seven months salaries.

The doctors, who were dressed in their medical kits, went round the hospital complex chanting various anti-management songs.
They also displayed placards with various inscriptions, including “Many Doctors are still being Owed Seven Months Salary; LUTH Management, Ministry of Health, Accountant-General of the Federation and Budget Office Enough is Enough”.
“No Respite yet on Poor Water and Power Supply; Inadequate Materials and Consumables; Non-payment of our December Salary, and Stagnation of Many Doctors for Years at same Salary Grade Level”.
The President of the association, Ramon Moronkola, said the protest was to press for the payment of salaries of 700 resident doctors in the hospital.
Mr. Moronkola said that resident doctors who were being owed included registrars, senior registrars and house officers of the hospital.
“This protest is to register our displeasure over the non-payment of our seven months’ salary since July, 2014 till date.
“Depending on our different cadres, some have not been paid December salary; the issue of stagnation of salary grade level and non-payment of three months pension refund.
“The poor working conditions in LUTH such as epileptic power supply and lack of water supply are not helping our training.
“We have had meetings with the management but nothing is being done to address these issues.
“We had the worst Christmas and New Year celebrations because we were not paid and yet, we have been patient and diligent at our work”, he said.
Mr. Moronkola, however, urged the Federal Ministry of Health, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office and the LUTH management to do the needful and alleviate the sufferings of doctors.
“We are not on strike, we are not interested in punishing our patients, this is just a peaceful protest to register our grievances and fight for our rights.
“We also want Nigerians to be aware of our plight and help us to appeal to the relevant authorities to do the needful by addressing our demands”, he said.
In his reaction, Chris Bode, the acting Chief Medical Director of LUTH, said that a hitch in the government’s payment system was responsible for the development.
“There was a problem with the government’s payment system and lots of doctors, not just resident doctors in LUTH were affected and it is being rectified”, Mr. Bode said.
He said that a meeting was held recently in Abuja over the problems, urging the doctors to be patient as they would be paid soon.
“The resident doctors should also focus on their residency training programme and not turn it into a salary earning venture.
“We don’t pay salaries but the management is doing all it can to assist the government and solve these problems”, he said.