Army commander escapes Boko Haram attack

The acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 division Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu has escaped an
attack by Boko Haram fighters who ambushed his convey enroute a visit to troops in Bama about 8.30am today, April 19.


Suspected Boko Haram insurgents ambushed the convoy of the Acting General Officer Commanding, GOC, 7 Division.

But soldiers attached to the GOC’s convoy were able to repel the attack by the insurgents, killed some of the terrorists and
recovered weapons from them, according to a statement released by the Colonel SK Usman, the acting director army public
relations.


However, one soldier died in the attack whiles two others sustained injuries. Some of the items recovered from the insurgents include a Toyota Hilux vehicle, two AK-47 rifles and several ammunitions.


The statement added that the dead soldier and the wounded have been taken to Maiduguri while the GOC has continued his
operational visit to Bama.


The army spokesperson added that :”The Nigerian Army wish to reiterate its unalloyed commitment and determination to continue to clear the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists wherever they might be hiding.”


The attack comes a day after troops have successfully repelled an attack by Boko Haram terrorists who attempted an incursion into 113 Battalion at Kareto northern Borno state.

Buhari should sign budget before review - Senate

The Senate has said President Muhammadu Buhari should sign the 2016 budget into law before reviewing the contentious areas.


The resolution was one of the highpoints of what an insider described as a stormy and rancorous closed session yesterday.

Most senators were said to have canvassed their opinions about the way forward for the controversial budget.


Senators were angry at the way and manner the budget was handled by the leadership of the National Assembly.


Some senators, it was gathered, sought changes in the leadership of the committees as part of the way forward.


Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the closed session, said: “The Senate in a closed session deliberated on issues relating to the 2016 Appropriation Bill and the way forward for the quick resolution of all matters related to the early
implementation of the budget in the best interest of our nation.”


Ekweremadu noted that the resolution to implore President Buhari to assent to the budget before the review was informed by
the need to beat time.


“We took cognisance of the fact that time is
ticking and to beat time we decided to approach Mr President to implore him to sign the budget and give it back to us for any corrections he may desire,” he said.

The deputy Senate president explained that the need to implore the President to sign the budget was necessitated by the fact that
the National Assembly could no longer alter the budget after it was passed and transmitted to the President for his assent.


He said they were also trying to avoid a situation where after 30 days, if the president failed to assent to the budget, it will be assumed that he has withheld assent.


“If that happens, the National Assembly may have no other option than to override the president’s assent,” Ekweremadu said.


The budget was transmitted to the president for his assent on April 7. senate President Buhari, seen here with embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki, is yet to sign the budget On changing the chairmanship of the Appropriation Committee, the upper chamber was said to have resolved that there was no need since the National Assembly was ready to correct identified
anomalies in the budget.


Besides, the lawmakers were said to have reasoned that changing the committee’s chairmanship might breed more trouble for the Senate.


Senate leader Mohammed Ali Ndume confirmed that the Senate was talking with President Buhari on ways to resolve grey areas in the budget.

The Borno South lawmaker told reporters that the National Assembly was prepared to address areas of concern to the President in the Budget.


“Nobody should expect me, on my honour, to
disclose details of what we discussed in the
closed session,” he said.

“It is not true that we asked the Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Danjuma Goje, to resign. That is not what we discussed. Goje was appointed and he could only be removed by a vote of no confidence.

We can only ask elected officers of the Senate to resign not chairmen of committees.”

Adele Named UK’s Richest Female Musician As Fortune Hits £85m

The 27 year old singer has been named UK’s richest female musician according to the Sunday Times rich List.

Within the space of one year, her fortune increased from of £35m to £85m making her the richest UK female artiste and 30th in the UK and Ireland music millionaires list.

The only female singer with a bigger fortune on the list is Irish artiste Enya with £91m.

Adele is also ranked top of the under 30’s rich list after a lucrative year of touring

She made her debut on the under-30s list in 2011 in ninth place, behind stars such as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Katherine Jenkins, now she is number 1.



Here is the full list of The Sunday Times’s Top 50 Music Millionaires (Britain & Ireland’s Richest performers and composers)

1. Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell £760 million
2. Lord Lloyd-Webber £715 million
3. U2 £500 million
4. Sir Elton John £280 million
5. Sir Mick Jagger £235 million
6. Olivia and Dhani Harrison £220 million
6. Keith Richards £220 million
8. Ringo Starr £200 million
9. Michael Flatley £198 million
10. Sting £185 million
11. Eric Clapton £160 million
11. Rod Stewart £160 million
11. Roger Waters £160 million
14. Sir Tom Jones £155 million
15. Sir Tim Rice £150 million
16. Robbie Williams £145 million
17. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne £135 million
18. Brian May £120 million
18. Charlie Watts £120 million
20. Roger Taylor £115 million
21. Phil Collins £110 million
22. George Michael £105 million
22. Jimmy Page £105 million
24. Robert Plant £103 million
25. John Deacon £100 million
25. David Gilmour £100 million
27. Calvin Harris £95 million
28. Enya £91 million
29. Iman Abdulmajid and Duncan Jones and family £90 million
30. Adele £85 million
31. Gary Barlow £75 million
31. Mark Knopfler £75 million
31. Nick Mason £75 million
31. Pete Townshend £75 million
35. Engelbert Humperdinck £70 million
36. Noel and Liam Gallagher £65 million
36. Brian Johnson £65 million
36. Chris Martin £65 million
39. Barry Gibb £60 million
39. John Paul Jones £60 million
41. Sir Cliff Richard £58 million
42. Guy Berryman £55 million
42. Jonny Buckland £55 million
42. Will Champion £55 million
42. Kylie Minogue £55 million
42. Ronnie Wood £55 million
47. Jay Kay £50 million
47. Sir Van Morrison £50 million
49. Peter Gabriel £45 million
49. Mick Hucknall £45 million
49. Ed Sheeran £45 million
49. Bernie Taupin £45 million

Top 5 Reasons Why You Look Older Than Your Real Age – A Must Read

The world may not be a very good place to live in but then, nobody wants to die either.

So while you are busy mounting the whole pressure of the world on yourself, you should learn to slow down and take things slow a bit. Things can get better even when you least expected, So death is not the only the way out.

Stress can make a young man of 25 looks like a man of 55, This also happens to ladies too. Slow down on your Worries.

One irony of life is that people do all they could to look older while growing in order to command respect, but after a certain stage in life, these same people try their possible best to look younger than their real ages.

There are a number of factors responsible for making people look older. Below are a list of five factors:

1. Worrying

It may be true that one may not be able to shake off the incessant thoughts about life and its dealings, struggling to make ends meet seems to be the predominant thoughts for most people. Doing this overtime makes most people become worked up. In the process, depression and other things may set in. People who worry constantly tend to lose their youthful look overtime and add a score to their ages in the process.

2. Strenuous Work

While hard work may be linked to success, it does not translate to success. Engaging in strenuous work could make you look twenty years older than your real age. This could be proved by running into your old school mates who probably pass for your mother now. While being active may make one agile, there is the tendency for one’s skin to lose its elasticity in the process.

3. Poor Nutrition

Certain kinds of foods promote youthful and healthy look. Basically, you are what you eat. What you eat reflects what your skin is going to look like. There is every tendency for you to look older than your real age due to poor nutrition. Eating foods that boost your immune system helps enhance your complexion.

4. Inadequate Rest

Many people feel they could cheat nature by going about their everyday work like robots. Fatigue can drain the color off someone’s face and could make a person look older. Not only would inadequate rest make the face dull, it would make bags grow under your eyes.

5. Relationship Stress

Many women look older than their ages after going through series of heartbreaks. In marriages, some women lose their youthful vibe because of the constant stress they go through as a result of bad or broken relationships.

Drop your Comments.

Know the difference between sin and sinner, Pope Francis says

On Wednesday Pope Francis stressed the importance of knowing how to distinguish between sin and sinner, adding that God’s mercy is not afraid to reach out and touch our sins in order to forgive them.

“The Word of God teaches us to distinguish between the sin and the sinner,” the Pope said April 20, noting that when it comes to sin, there are no “compromises.”

When it comes to sinners, “which are all of us,” it’s important to reach out to them, he said, adding that sinners “are like the sick who are healed, and in order to be cured the doctor must be close to them, visit them, touch them.”

However, Francis also clarified that in order to truly be healed, a sick person must first “recognize their need for the doctor!”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Wednesday general audience. He continued his catechesis on mercy, turning to the Gospel passage in Luke in which Jesus dines at the house of Simon, a Pharisee, and forgives a “sinful woman” who washes his feet with precious oils.

In his speech, the Pope said that the episode brings out a comparison between two figures: Simon, the faithful and zealous follower of the law, and the anonymous sinful woman, who expresses repentance.

“While the first judges others based on appearances, the second with her actions expresses her heart with sincerity,” Francis said, noting that while Simon doesn’t want to compromise himself or get involved in Jesus’ life, the woman fully entrusts herself to the Lord “with love and veneration.”

As a Pharisee, Simon finds it incomprehensible that Jesus allows himself to be “contaminated” by sinners, as was the common mentality at the time. “He thinks that if Jesus were really a prophet he must recognize and stay away from (sinners) to avoid being stained, as if they were lepers.”

This attitude, Francis said, is typical of a certain understanding of religion which emphasizes the radical opposition between God and sin. However, the Pope stressed that the Word of God teaches us to distinguish between “the sin and the sinner.”

When it comes to the Pharisee and the sinful woman, “Jesus sided with the latter,” the Pope observed, explaining that since the Lord was free from “the prejudices which impede the expression of mercy,” he allowed the woman to continue her act of love and repentance.

“He, the Holy One of God, allows himself to be touched by her without the fear for being contaminated,” Francis said.

In forming a relationship with this woman, “Jesus puts an end to that condition of isolation to which the merciless judgement of the Pharisee and his fellow villagers, who insulted her, condemned her.”

Pope Francis then contrasted the hypocrisy of the doctors of the law with the humble and sincere act of the woman, whose conversion happened in front of everyone.

“All of us are sinners but many times we fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, to believe that we are better than others,” he said, and cautioned that instead of looking at others’ sins, we must first acknowledge our own faults and mistakes.

When Jesus responds to the woman’s act he doesn't give an explicit answer, but instead her conversion takes place “in front of everyone's eyes and shows that in (Jesus) shines the power of the merciful God, capable of transforming hearts.”

The sinful woman “teaches us the link between faith, love and gratitude,” the Pope said, noting that even Simon had to admit that the one he loves most is the one who has been forgiven more.

“God has locked up everyone in the same mystery of mercy; and from this love, which always precedes us, we all learn to love.”

Pope Francis closed his audience by encouraging pilgrims to give thanks to God for his “great and unmerited love,” and urged them to allow the love of Christ “to be poured into us: it is from this love that the disciple draws and on which he is based; from this love each one can be fed and nourished.”

Following his address Francis offered a special greeting to all those affected by Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Ecuador, which has so far killed an estimated 413 people and injured more than 2,500, according to CNN.

Speaking to Spanish-language pilgrims, the Pope offered assured their “brothers in Ecuador” of “our closeness and our prayer in this moment of suffering.”

He also made special mention of the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine, which has been “forgotten by many,” and reminded faithful of a special collection that will take place in churches throughout Europe this Sunday, April 24, which will be used to meet the needs of the “humanitarian emergency” that has resulted from the conflict.

Pope Francis' visit to Greece shows a shared Christian concern for refugees

Pope Francis’ visit on Saturday with refugees in Greece will show solidarity with those in need and demonstrate a shared Christian commitment to helping them, according to the Vatican spokesman.

Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the April 16 visit to the island of Lesbos is “fundamentally humanitarian” in purpose. It is “rooted in Pope Francis’ concern for migrants, a concern that the Pope shares with the Greek Orthodox Church and with Patriarch Bartholomew.”

The Pope will meet with refugees and lunch with them. Then he will sign a joint declaration with two Eastern Orthodox archbishops: Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and Ieronymos II of Athens.

Lesbos is often labeled as the “Lampedusa of Greece.” Lampedusa is the Italian island which represent a waypoint for thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing Africa and aiming for Europe. Pope Francis visited that small island in his first trip as Roman Pontiff, in July 2013.

Greece is a route by refugees arriving from Syria, seeking safety in Europe.

Just as Lampedusa is closer to Africa than to Italy, Lesbos is closer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland: it is separated from Turkey by the Mytilini Strait, which at its narrowest is fewer than four miles wide.

Fr. Lombardi also noted that the shores of Turkey can be seen from Lesbos. It is this proximity is why thousands of refugees head there.

Fr. Lombardi presented the program of the papal visit to Lesbos at an April 14 press conference.

Pope Francis will arrive in Greece at 10:20 a.m. local time on Saturday. He will be received by the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Ieronymos, and Bishop Franghiskos Papamanolis, Bishop Emeritus of Syros and president of the Greek Bishops’ Conference.

After a private meeting with the Tsipras, the Pope will move by bus to Moria Refugee Camp with the Eastern Orthodox bishops. The camp houses some 2,500 asylum seekers.

The three religious leaders will be welcomed at the camp by about 150 youths. They will pass through the central courtyard where refugees are registered and arrive at a tent. There, they will greet about 250 asylum seekers.

After this private meeting, the three religious leaders will each deliver a speech. Afterwards, they will sign a joint declaration.

Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, and Archbishop Ieronymos will have lunch with some refugees.

After lunch, they will move by bus to the port of Mitylene, the capital of the island, where they wil meet with local citizens and with the Catholic community.

After a ceremony in memory of those migrants who have been victims or lost their lives en route, Pope Francis will deliver a speech.

Each of the three religious leaders will say a prayer, and will all observe a moment of silence. Then each of the three leaders will receive a laurel crown each from children, launching the wreaths into the sea.

The Pope will then travel to the airport. Before he leaves, he will have three separate private meetings: with Archbishop Ieronymos, with Patriarch Bartholomew, and again with the Tsipras.

During the visit, several Vatican leaders will accompany the Pope. These include Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and the deputy of the Vatican Secretariat of State, Archbishop Angelo Becciu.

Michel Roy, general secretary of Caritas Internationalis, told CNA March 2 that the pressure of refugees on Greece is “enormous.”

“If the refugees get to the small Greek island and cannot move toward Bulgaria or Macedonia, there is huge pressure on Greece, very hardly manageable,” he said.

An estimated 100,000 refugees are expected to arrive at Lesbos within the year. The island itself has only 90,000 inhabitants.


The European Union and Turkey have reached an agreement on refugees. Both the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees and Doctors Without Borders have left the refugee facilities there.

Under the agreement, the detained refugees will be sent back to Turkey. Turkey will receive additional E.U. financial aid and will take part in an E.U. resettlement program for refugees.

Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants, expressed “perplexities” over the agreement in an April 6 interview with Vatican Radio.

He commented: “the poor refugees are not postage things … they are people! I think that a state should behave with a very human approach, because we are talking about people.”

Saraki’s Trial Adjourned till April 27th

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has adjourned the trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, until April 27th for continuation of cross examination of EFCC witness, Micheal Wetkas.

The adjournment followed a one-week request by Saraki’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), but was opposed by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and a three-day adjournment was consequently given.

Earlier, Wetkas had said during cross examination by Paul Usoro (SAN), that the strength of the position of the investigation team was more on the statement of Saraki’s bank account.

He said the statement showed clear narration of the transaction in respect of the transfer to the America Express Bank, New York.

When asked if count 12 is the same as count 11 which also accused Saraki of operating a foreign account, Wetkas answered in the affirmative.

He told the tribunal that the cover letter which the EFCC wrote to GTBank in exhibit 8 covered the issue raised in count 11 and Count 12 of the charge.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, had adjourned hearing into the case until Wednesday, April 27th.

Umar also threatened to hold one of Saraki’ lawyers in contempt of court on Thursday for flouting his order to him to sit down.

Witness against Saraki admits to errors in investigation - Report

Report sent in by witnesses at the on-going Saraki trial at CCT. Read below...
Prosecution Witness 1, in the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s (CCT) trial against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, today admitted that Dr. Saraki was not interrogated by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), in-line with the procedures established by the laws that institute the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal.
Answering questions on cross-examination by Saraki’s counsel,Paul Usoro (SAN), Michael Wetkas, the first witness, who is also an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, maintained that the Senate President was never given an opportunity to confirm nor deny the allegations against him by the CCB, because it was the EFCC that had conducted the investigations relating to the claims, not the CCB.

This revelation, raises new contentions, as the precedent clause in Section 3D of the of the CCT Act, clearly states that all cases at the CCT are dependent on the fact that “the person concerned makes a written admission of such breach or noncompliance, no reference to the Tribunal shall be necessary.”

Many will recall that the Senate President stated at the commencement of the CCT proceedings that his fundamental rights based on the precedent clause of the CCT Act were abused.

In 2011, former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had his case dismissed, as the tribunal had also failed to allow him to confirm or deny the allegations brought against him by the CCB.

However, when Saraki’s lawyers filed a similar motion, Justice Umar, who gave the ruling in Tinubu’s case, stated that he had made the ruling in Tinubu’s case in error.

Meanwhile, the CCT boss has also ordered that all other cases at the CCT be stood down till further notice, as Saraki’s trial must proceed day to day until the end of the proceedings.

This ruling has raised eyebrows, as the tribunal currently has other cases to adjudicate, making many observers to ask if there is truly a timeline - as some say - to convict the Senate President using the CCT.

Nicki Minaj, Mark Zuckerberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, others cover TIME magazine 100 Most Influential People

Nicki Minai and Mark Zuckerberg are one of six people chosen to cover this year's Time Magazine 100 Most Influential issue. See the rest after the cut...

Female Ugandan University professor strips naked to protest office lock-out (photos +18)

A controversial Ugandan professor Dr. Stella Nyanzi of University of Makerere who is famous for her threats and antics during Uganda's general election, stripped naked to protest the decision by Makerere Institute of Social Research to vacate her from the office to make space for a new program. She accused the director Mahmood Mamdani of being a dictator.

"Mahmood Mamdani locked me out of my office, even after the Deputy Vice Chancellor refused him to continue with evicting me. I have found his ugly padlock barring my access to my office. This is the third day" she wrote on her Facebook page.

She then threatened to strip naked in three hours if her office was still under lock. She eventually made good on the threat and posted a video of her nude protest. She also took nude nude photos and posted them along with verbal threats.


"I have thrown my clothes outside Mamdani's office. I am naked as I cry out for my office," she wrote.



Facebook deleted her account but later reinstated it. Mamdani eventually budged and allowed Dr. Nyanzi access to her office.

The Ugandan Minister of Ethics and Integrity said that Dr. Nyanzi will be imprisoned for the immorality and porn she displayed on social media.

I am not contesting for any position in PDP - Metuh

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, says he has no wish to contest for any position in the party in its forthcoming convention. Olisa stated this in a statement he released today April 21st. Read below
As Nigerians are aware, my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is preparing for a National Convention where national officers who will pilot its affairs in the next four years are expected to emerge.
As one of the founding members of this party, the longest serving member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and currently a critical player in the party, my supporters and admirers expect me to contest and this has spurred speculations in the media. However, I wish to state publicly that I have no ambitions to continue as a member of the National Working Committee after the expiration of my current tenure as the National Publicity Secretary, a decision that is enjoying the support of my family.
I therefore with every sense of responsibility confirm to all members of our great party that I will not run for any position whatsoever in the forthcoming National Convention irrespective of which office may be zoned to the south east for that matter.
What is paramount in my mind at this point is to continue to lift the image of our great party during the remaining part of my tenure as the image-maker of the PDP, a position, which by the grace of God, I have been able to dutifully deliver to the best of my ability despite daunting challenges.
Finally, I wish to assure all my associates and supporters that my love and commitment to the party remains unshaken, especially as we work together to build not only a strong and virile party but also a prosperous, united and stable nation.
Signed
Chief Olisa Metu
National Publicity Secretary

Boko Haram landmines kill 5 in Yobe, 9 injured

Five farmers weren killed and nine others injured by Boko Haram landmines in Yobe Goniri area of Gujba local government area in Yobe state today April 21st. The residents of the community returned to their homes two weeks ago and were out at their farms, clearing the grasses to beginning their farming season when these landmine explosions happened.