President Buhari sacks DG Budget office, announces replacement

Following the controversies surrounding the 2016 budget presented to the National Assembly, Pres. Buhari today approved the sack of the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Yahaya Gusau and announced Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi as his replacement.

Gusau was appointed by Buhari in August 2015 and was expected to be in office for a period of four years.
A statement by Femi Adesina, Buhari's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, states that the new DG of Budget office, Tijjani Abdullahi, is a fellow of the Certified National Accountants of Nigeria, and a banker of repute with experience in managing public finance.

The new Director-General (Budget) is expected to work with the Minister of Budget and National Planning to efficiently deliver on the mandates of the Budget Office of the Federation.

President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Ben Ifeanyi Akabueze as the Special Adviser on Planning to the Minister of Budget and National Planning. Akabueze who is the immediate past Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Lagos State, has worked in senior management positions in Citi Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, NAL Merchant Bank, Sterling Bank and BIA Consulting Limited, among others.

He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers; Fellow, Institute of Credit Administrators and Honorary Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Kendrick Lamar Performs In Chains At The Grammys

Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Grammy Awards will go down as one of the most unforgettable in recent history.

The rapper who was nominated in nine categories got on stage leading a group of men in chains and delivered a powerful rendition of “The Blacker the Berry”.

His performance was consistent with the theme of his “To Pimp A Butterfly” album, touching on racial inequality, police brutality and race relations in America.

His performance was divided into three parts, with the second being in front of a giant fire as he performed “Alright”, a Black Lives Matter anthem.

His third act saw him sporting a fake bruise above his left eye as he continued his fiery message.

Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, sacks state Accountant General, Perm Secs

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has sacked all the permanent secretaries and heads of parastatals in the state civil service. In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Kingsley Fanwo today February 15th, Bello said the state Accountant General has been relieved of his position, while his second in command will proceed on 30 days compulsory leave. The statement in reads in part ..


“I wish to confirm that His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has directed that all permanent secretaries, heads of administration are to go on compulsory leave with immediate effect. The only exemptions to this category are people on acting capacity and the permanent secretary, government house. Also, the Accountant General has been relieved of his position, while the second in command will proceed on 30 days compulsory leave. At the local government level, the Directors of Local Government (DLGs), treasurers, education secretaries and cashiers are also to proceed on compulsory leave.”

Why FG may regulate social media

The Federal Government may regulate the use of social media comprising WhatsApp messenger, BlackBerry messenger, Facebook, and Skype.

Premium Times reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission is contemplating on regulating over-the-top services in the country’s telecommunications market.

Nigerian Communications Commission may regulate social media use.

The service known as Over The Top services (OTT) are obtainable via networks, providing value to customers without collaboration with any carrier service provider that should be involved in strategising, selling, provisioning, or servicing them. These services are accessible through Internet communication.


The most common OTT services use in Nigeria are WhatsApp messenger, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Skype and they are all classified under social media applications.

Internet telephony and live streaming are also part of OTT services.

Network providers like MTN, Etisalat, Glo, and Airtel doesn’t have control or guidance over these applications. OTT services are accessible via 3G and 4G networks which offer mobile broadband and high speed IP data.

According to a recent report published recently by the Policy, Competition & Economic Analysis Department of the Nigerian Communications Commission titled: ‘An Overview of Provision of Over The Top [OTT] Services,’ said the services were becoming a threat to the traditional telephone network operators.

The report said the threat OTT pose to traditional telephone network operators is a global issue. This threat is as a result of the fact that Internet telephony is not only cheap, and free in some cases, but it also offers many features previously unavailable with telephones, therefore making it more attractive to consumers.

Another reason these services might be reviewed boils down to the fact that the operators of traditional telephone network pays tolls for their services while the operators of Internet telephony doesn’t pay any fees for their services.

The report said telecom operators like MTN, Etisalat, Glo and Airtel do not have control over WhatsApp, BBM, Facebook and the rest of the social media applications, therefore cannot make any money from the services offered by these applications.

“Many traditional telecom service providers are of the opinion that traditional telephony and SMS revenues are under threat from newer, IP based alternatives like WhatsApp, Skype, Viber etc.

“Similarly, third party web content and social networking companies such as Google and Facebook are increasingly generating huge revenues and driving high levels of data traffic which ride on the broadband networks of traditional telecom operators.

“To further worsen this issue, the traditional operators still have to make significant investments in upgrading their networks to handle the increasing volume of data generated by the same providers of OTT services.

“Most traditional telephone network service providers therefore argue that unless there is a revenue flow to them from such services, they do not have an incentive to continue to maintain or upgrade the networks,” the report said.

The NCC is of the opinion that there is need to regulate OTT services because they could also pose a security threat to the country.

“Because VoIP relies on your Internet connection, it may be vulnerable to many of the same problems that face computers.


“Attackers may be able to perform activities such as intercepting communications, eavesdropping, taking control of phones, making fraudulent calls from an account, conducting effective phishing attacks by manipulating one’s caller ID, and causing service to crash,” the report said.

Nigeria’s legal battle against Africa’s largest mobile operator- MTN, has gotten more fierce as Eric Holder, the former US attorney general, was called upon to defend the telecoms giant. The telecoms company hired the legal luminary to help it fight a record $3.9 billion fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for failing to disconnect unregistered sim cards.

VIDEO: Tiwa Savage x Paul PSquare – Get It Together

Top Nigerian musicians, Tiwa Savage and Paul Okoye, have been unveiled as ambassador for Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), a family planning campaign.


The singers, are part of a host of other top Nigerian celebrities in the country which includes the likes of comedian Gordons, actors, Odunlade Adekola, Ali Nuhu and Mike Ezeruonye


DOWNLOAD VIDEO Tiwa Savage x Paul PSquare – Get It Together

FG sacks DGs of NTA, FRCN, VON and others

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture announced the sack of all the DGs
Nigeria’s federal government has announced the sack of the heads of the six information-related parastatals under the ministry of information and culture.

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the disengagement during a meeting he held with the chief executives of the Nigerian Television Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and the National Orientation Agency on Monday, February 15.


The affected chief executives are the director-generals of NTA, Sola Omole; FRCN, Ladan Salihu; VON, Sam Worlu; NOA, Mike Omeri; NBC, Emeka Mba; and the Managing Director of NAN, Ima Niboro.

In a statement made available to this effect by Segun Adeyemi, SA to the minister, he directed the disengaged Chief Executives to hand over to the most senior officials in their various establishments.

Mohammed thanked them for their service to the nation and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the replacement of 13 vice chancellors of Nigerian universities .

Twelve of them are federal ones, and Vincent Tenebe, the vice chancellor of the National Open University, has also been relieved of his position. All these institutions were established by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.

MUSIC: Ice Prince – No Mind Dem

Yesterday we announced the premiere of a new single from Chocolate City rapper ‘Ice Prince’ regarding the not-so-serious issue about him and his girlfriend (Maima).
Apparently, Ice Prince is still standing side-by-side with his woman as he dubs this new South African “Mr Kamera” produced record ‘ No Mind Dem ‘.

Check on it below.



DOWNLOAD: Ice Prince - No Mind Dem

FINALLY, BlackBerry launches android phones in Nigeria

Delivering the best its privacy and productivity to the largest App Eco-system, the Canadian phone maker, BlackBerry Limited has introduced into the Nigerian market BlackBerry PRIV secure , the first-ever BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android.

While PRIV will provide a choice in operating system to new and existing customers, the phone maker said that it remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, and will continue to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements.

Combining the best of BlackBerry’s productivity, security and privacy features with the wide world of Google Play store apps, PRIV is the epitome of form and function.

The smart device , according to the phone maker has been engineered with the world’s finest technology and packaged in an ultra-thin device including a dual-curved screen, touch and physical keyboards, state-of-the-art 18MP camera, and long-lasting battery – with unique tools that allow users to manage and control their privacy.

*New standard for the slider form factor*
As part of BlackBerry’s cross-platform strategy to provide a greater choice of secure solutions to its customers, with the product, users will see a seamless merging of key BlackBerry 10 productivity features like the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar into PRIV.

Additional key features include:

*Full Android App and Ecosystem experience*
The device brings incredible new features to the Android platform and gives users full access to over one million applications: whether it’s Instagram, Spotify, Uber or BBM , you’ll find it on Google PlayTM.

*Keyboards*
The smart device offers the freedom to choose between a virtual keyboard or a physical keyboard for speed and accuracy.


*Tough and beautiful screen*
A stunning 5.4-inch immersive dual-curve OLED display offers plenty of room to work or play with rich colors, deep black levels and less power consumption.
At a resolution of 2560x1440, it sports an incredible pixel density of 540 PPI – 4x the amount of pixels of a standard HDTV. Along the screen’s curved edge is the Productivity Tab that provides an “at a glance” view of the most pertinent info from BlackBerry Hub, Calendar, Task, and Contacts.


*Battery life*
PRIV has a 3410 mAh battery with enough power to work up to 22.5 straight hours of mixed usage*.


*Camera*
Engineered to deliver professional looking photos with minimal effort, an 18MP camera, certified by Schneider-Kreuznach , integrates technologies commonly found in DSLR cameras.


*Performance and expandable storage*
PRIV is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, a premium-tier chipset designed to offer consumers a superior and compelling user experience along with peace of mind with Qualcomm SecureMSM technology and Qualcomm Snapdragon StudioAccess content protection.



Plus, with 32 GB of onboard storage and support for micro SD cards up to 2TB, the new PRIV gives users the flexibility to add affordable and hot-swappable storage to download, install, capture and share as their needs evolve.


*Natural sound*
PRIV comes with powerful speakers and a three-microphone system that delivers a high-quality listening experience.

BlackBerry natural sound technology is built in to adapt Wi-Fi and cellular call sound depending upon phone position and background noise, automatically adjusting volume so users don’t have to.


*Android for work*
PRIV comes ready for work. Android for Work support allows for fast, simple and secure integration with the enterprise environment. Seamless integration with Google Play for Work enables easy access to IT-managed apps.


*Security and privacy*
PRIV was designed with security at its core, building on BlackBerry’s legacy of security and keeping private its customers’ data. Security highlights include:

*Advanced privacy controls*
The exclusive DTEK by BlackBerry app for Android monitors and reports on application access to the microphone, camera, location and personal information, enabling users to be confident that their personal data is being kept private. Users can know at a glance when their privacy could be at risk so they can take action to improve it.

*Secure hardware*
BlackBerry’s hardware root of trust, a unique manufacturing process, injects cryptographic keys into the device hardware, providing a secure foundation for the entire platform.

*Verified boot and secure bootchain
Keys* have been embedded to verify every layer of the device from hardware to OS to applications in order to make sure they haven’t been tampered with. Additionally, thousands of modifications were made to harden the Linux kernel with numerous patches and configuration changes to improve security.


*Fully supported on BlackBerry's EMM solution*
PRIV can be integrated with our leading EMM solution, BES 12, which offers cross-platform management of PRIV and other devices; providing a full end to end security solution and secure collaboration applications for business users like Secusuite for secure voice and WatchDox for secure file sharing.

Man United may appoint Jose Mourinho before the end of the season

The Manchester United board are reportedly considering hiring Jose Mourinho by the end of this month in a desperate bid to salvage the club’s season. This decision was reportedly taken after Red Devils lost 2-1 to Sunderland on Saturday leaving them six points adrift of the top four.

The Sun reports that Chelsea former boss Mourinho may replace Van Gaal in time for United's next league game at home to Arsenal on February 28, and though he’d prefer to take up the hotseat in the summer, United officials are considering bringing him in this month in a desperate bid to save the side’s faltering campaign.

They believe they will lose nothing by bringing in Mourinho before the end of the season and axing Van Gaal earlier than planned.

Van Gaal after Saturday's defeat admitted the club’s best chance of re-entering the Champions League is to win the Europa League trophy but they’re showing few signs of being able to compete against the other teams in the league. It is added that Van Gaal has taken a short-term rent on a new pad in Manchester, which would allow him to move out at any time.

$2.1bn arms deal probe: EFCC arrests ex-military intelligence chief, Gen. Wiwa

As the probe into the $2.1 billion arms deal continues, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over the weekend arrested a former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), Major General Wiwa, younger brother to late Ken Saro Wiwa, former Ogoni human rights activist.

According to The Sun, General Wiwa who is currently the Deputy Commandant at the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, has been transferred to Abuja, where he is being detained and will be questioned on his involvement in the misappropriation of the arms procurement fund.

Wiwa served in the office of the National Security Adviser when late General Patrick Azazi served as NSA. He remained in office during Col. Sambo Dasuki’s tenure from where he was appointed Director of Military Intelligence when Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika became the Chief of Army staff, a position he retained under the tenure of General Kenneth Minimah.

Best Happy Birthday Message, Special Happy Birthday Text To Friends And Loved Ones

Here is a collection of our happy birthday messages which you can send to your friends, loved ones, boyfriend, girlfriend and more.
Please feel free to use them and do share using the share buttons at the end of the post.

*Birthday is the most special day in one’s life, enjoy it to the fullest.

*The sun is shining more brightly to wish you happy birthday.

*Wish you an outstanding and fabulous happy birthday.

*Happy birthday to the most beautiful person on the earth.

*Let your happy birthday be full of all the colors of the rainbow.

*Age hasn’t spoiled you. Happy Birthday.

*I hope that today is the beginning of a great year for you. Happy Birthday.

*A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are – even if you are getting older. Happy Birthday.

*A great friend and a happy birthday, that is what you are and what I wish for you.

*A happy birthday to a person who in dog years would already be dead.

*A lighter? We’re going to need a flamethrower to light up your candles.

*A true friend remembers your birthday but not your age. Happy Birthday.

*Age is a number, but life is the calculator.

*Another year has passed and as you celebrate your birthday this year and turn a year older. May you have all that you wish for come true. Have a happy birthday!

*Another year has passed but rather than count the years, let me just say how much we count on you. Happy Birthday.

*Another year older. Well at least we are growing up to be what we should be – the two hottest babes around. Happy Birthday Gorgeous.

*As King David said, May you prosper wherever you go and in whatever you do. Happy Birthday.

*Being young is a privilege. Being attractive a genetic gift. Being cool, that is all you. Happy Birthday.

*Best birthday wishes ever, yeah that is my birthday wish for you.

*Best wishes for a happy day filled with love and laughter. Happy Birthday.

*Birthday greeting, birthday greeting, generic birthday greeting. Sorry but that was all I could afford.

*Birthdays are special occasions and they call for special celebrations. Let us celebrate you birthday today!

*Birthdays come and go, so you need to Go Go Go. Happy Birthday.

*Blowing out another candle should mean that you have enjoyed another year and made the world a better place than when you blew out fewer candles. Make every day and every candle count. Happy Birthday.

*Celebrate your birthday today. Celebrate being Happy every day.

*Celebrate your birthday, go have lots of fun, everybody should enjoy it and have tons of fun. Happy Birthday.

*Congratulations on being even more experienced. I’m not sure what you learned this year but I hope that you had fun. Happy Bday.

*Do you know what people in China do on their birthday? They get older too. Happy Birthday.

*Do you want to look back in life and think about what a great life you’ve had? Then you better start working towards it right away! Happy Birthday!

*Don’t count the years, count the wishes and all the cheers.

*Don’t look for a heaven in the sky, try making one here.

*For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday.

*For your birthday, I just want to say; I hope you can see, how special you are to me. Happy birthday my love!

*Forever young and good-looking. That’s all i wish you for.

*Forget how long you’ve lived. Look at how much you’ve accomplished until now and how far you’ve got to go. Happy Birthday!

*Friends may come and go, but birthdays accumulate.

*Get up. Stand up. Stand up for your birthday fun.

*Good things happen when you just go for it. Happy Birthday.

Catholic leadership warns priests against market place prophecies

The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has warned its priests against ``market place prophecies and visions, charismatic display of talents and material salvation’’

The President of the Conference, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama gave the warning on Sunday in Abuja during the Catholic Bishop’s Conference at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral.

He admonished the priests to shun worldliness and materialism.
He charged them not to succumb to the temptation of importing unwanted doctrines that would promote personality and curry favour.

"We must not be frightened into believing in God of ``now, now’’, cajoled by mouth watering material attractions or ostentatious living of some ministers of God.

"We should emphasise the need for sober Christianity without tricks, rhetoric, fanfare and the craze for social media publicity.

"All priests must not compete with trendy pastors to see visions and utter prophecies because they sometimes cause psychological disposition.

"We should help people to interior conversion and attitudinal change,’’ he said.

He urged Christian religious leaders to admonish Christians to pray ceaselessly and evangelise through genuine witnessing and not wooing people with material things or any form of moral coercion.

"We must avoid melo-dramatic displays that look like modern broad-way shows.

"Catholic priests should avoid flamboyant spirituality and noisy liturgy and teach the people values of internalised prayers from the heart.

"The gifts of speaking in tongues, miracle and prophecies are good as long as they are genuine,’’ he said.
Kaigama further urged Christians to help humanity in love to conquer poverty and narrow the yawning gap between the rich and the poor.

"It is only when we engage in works of mercy in favour of the needy that we can hope for a stable, peaceful and safe world,’’ he said.