Nigerians are Hungry and Angry - Cardinal Okojie

Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has dismissed the federal system of government being practised in Nigeria as not serving the people.

The former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, in a statement titled, ‘Deprivation and Agitation: A Reflection on Nigeria’s Late 2017 Budget,’ which was sent to The Punch yesterday, decried the poor state of livelihood of Nigerians.

 He said every aspect of life in the country was in “downward motion.”

Federal Government Arraigns Five for Illegal importation of Guns

The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned five men for allegedly importing 661 pump-action rifles into the country without lawful authority.

The accused were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

They are Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Matthew Okoye, said be at large, and Salihu Danjuma.

In the charge, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said the accused brought the rifles into the country from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

Runtown and Girlfriend Selena Welcome Baby Boy

Ace talented singer Runtown and girlfriend, Selena Leath, based in the United States are now proud parents of a baby boy already named, Zamar. 

Several months before now, Selena had been up-loading photos of her pregnant self and many of Runtown's fans have been waiting for the good news.

Senator Bukola Saraki has no Case to Answer - CCT

The Code Of Conduct Tribunal has ruled that Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has no case to answer in the 18 charges of non-declaration of assets brought against him by the Federal Government.

The CCB had on September 16, 2015 filed a 13-count charge against Saraki for alleged false and anticipatory declaration of assets.

South Korea arrests Nigerian for smuggling meth worth $1.7m

South Korean officials said Wednesday they have arrested a 46 year-old Nigerian for smuggling large amounts of methamphetamines, also called meth, into the country through international mail from China.

The Nigerian yet to be identified is being detained by the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency in Seoul.

Yonhap, the Korean news agency said the Nigerian twice last week and via post attempted to smuggle into the country 605 grams of meth , worth some 2 billion won (US$1.77 million). The drug was hidden in women’s cosmetic products.

My absence not responsible for Eagles Loss - Mikel

Captain of the Super Eagles, John Obi Mikel has refused to accept the opinion of many football fans that his absence played a role in Nigeria’s loss to South Africa last week Saturday.

John Mikel Obi was ruled out of the game after having surgery to cure a long standing groin issue which resurfaced during a training session with his Chinese team Tianjin Teda.

#HalleluyahChallenge by Nathaniel Bassey Goes Viral with about 50,000 Virtual Worshipers via Instagram

Midnight praise challenge tagged “The One-Hour Midnight Hallelujah Challenge’’ by renowned gospel artiste, Nathaniel Bassey, has gone viral with 50, 000 virtual worshippers via his Instagram page on Monday.

The “Imela” crooner had on May 31 shared on his Instagram page, @nathanielblow, his desire to host a multi-denominational one-hour praise and worship live session from June 1 to June 30.

El-Rufai Orders Arrest of Northern Youths Ordering Igbo Citizens to Vacate the North

The Kaduna state government on Wednesday, June 7, ordered the immediate arrest of signatories of “Northern Youths” that issued a statement ordering Igbos out of northern Nigeria. This was disclosed by the spokesperson to the governor of Kaduna state, Samuel Aruwan on Wednesday. AKONUCHE rUFA recalls that a group named, the Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) had on Tuesday, June 6, issued a statement ordering Igbo people in the north to vacate Northern Nigeria within 3 months. The group had also urged northern people in the south-eastern part of the country to immediately start moving back to their various states. But reacting to the development while speaking with newsmen today, Aruwan stressed that the ‘ Kaduna State Government condemns’ the act in the strongest terms. The statement reads in full after the cut.....  

South Africa Plunges into Recession

South Africa has entered recession for the first time in eight years, data from Statistics South Africa confirmed  on Tuesday.

According to the new  report by the French news agency, AFP, the data from Statistics South Africa in Pretoria showed the first quarter contraction was led by weak manufacturing and trade.

But as South Africa’s economy slips into recession, that of Nigeria is showing great promise as the World Bank has lifted its 2017 growth projection for the Nigerian economy to 1.2 per cent, higher than the one per cent it had predicted previously.

2.1 Million Nigerians Lost their jobs in 2016 –NBS

Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer National Bureau of Statistics, Dr.Yemi Kale

The National Bureau of Statistics has said that the number of Nigerians who became unemployed rose by 2.1 million to 11.55 million at the end of 2016 from 9.48 million at the beginning of the year.

The NBS stated this in its unemployment report, which was released on Monday night.

The NBS report stated that the unemployment rate was highest for persons in the labour force between the ages of 15-24 and 25-34, which represents the youth population in Nigeria.

Divorce Harms Children’s Health for Decades – Study

When children live through a contentious divorce or separation by their parents, the fallout appears to harm their health for decades, even into adulthood, researchers said Monday.

The study involved 201 healthy adults who agreed to be quarantined, exposed to a virus that causes the common cold, and monitored for five days.

Those whose parents had separated and had not spoken to each other for years were three times as likely to get sick, compared to those whose parents had separated but had stayed in touch as the children grew. 

Previous research has shown that adults whose parents separated during childhood have an increased risk for poorer health.

Cash Money Co-founder, Birdman Set To Sell Miami Mansion For $20M

Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman has put up his Miami home for exactly $20 Million Dollars.

The Real Deal has reported that the house has more amenities than your average town. It comes with “100 feet of water frontage with a dock for a 100-foot yacht, a volleyball court, movie theater, chef’s kitchen, two wine cellars, a pool, and a summer kitchen with a pizza oven.”

Jobless Nigerians now 11.5 Million as Unemployment Rate hits 14.2% -NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics has said that the number of  Nigerians that are unemployed rose from 11.19  million as at the end of the third quarter of 2016 to 11.55  million in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The NBS stated this in its unemployment report which was released on Monday night. The report explained that during the period, the unemployment rate rose from 13.9 per cent to 14.2 per cent.

The NBS report said that unemployment rate was highest for persons in the labour force between the ages of 15‐24 and 25‐34, which represents the youth population in Nigeria.

South East Businessmen don’t repay Loans, Bank of Agriculture Laments

The Bank of Agriculture has decried the alleged unwillingness of South-East businessmen to repay loans.

A representative of Bank of Agriculture’s South-East Zonal Office, Enugu, Mr Aaron Obigbo, who spoke at a workshop organised by a research institute, the Development Strategy Centre, Enugu, raised the alarm over the high rate of loan defaulters among borrowers in the South-East.The workshop themed, “Pro-poor growth, unemployment and poverty in Nigeria: A South-East agenda”, was organised in partnership with the African Economic Research Consortium, Kenya.

Nas Refers to Donald Trump as a Racist in his Open Letter

Ace American rapper, Nas isn’t here for Donald Trump or even Mike Pence for that matter, but what he is here for is the people. He made that much clear in an “Action Speaks Louder Than Words” open letter he penned for Mass Appeal this week.

While Nas’ letter did primarily center around taking action and defending the people, the Queensbridge icon did take time to address the president, who he flatly dubbed as “racist.”