A statement signed by the Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery says “the general public is hereby reminded that Wednesday, June, 5, 2019 which marks the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, is a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country”.

Read Full Statement:

The general public is hereby informed that Wednesday, 5th June, 2019 which marks the celebratio of Eid-al-Fitr, is a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.

Signed:

AMBROSE DERY (MP)
MINISTER FOR THE INTERIOR

As the mother of the honorable member representing Ogoja/Yala federal constituency Hon Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe departs to be with the Lord. Heavy weight political leaders storms the burial ceremony to bid farewell to mama Mrs Priscilla Agbo Jarigbe, and to also mourn with their colleague Hon Jarigbe and family members.

The executive Governor of Cross River State Prof Ben Ayade, Former Governor of the state H.E Liyel Imoke, Senator Rose Oko senator representing Nothern Cross River State, Senator Gershom Bassey senator representing Southern District, Dr Sandy Onor Senator - elect to represent Central district, PDP Cross River State Chairman Ntufam Edim Inok, Hon Daniel Asuquo aka Dansuki reps member representing Biase/Akamkpa federal Constituency, Hon Regina Anyogo, Barr Alphonsus Eba, Prince Akwase, Hon Rita Atom, Hon Peter Odey, Hon Chris Agara, Former SSA north Mr Leo Inyambe, National Assembly members, Reps members and senators from other states, PDP State and Federal Stalwarts, and host of other leaders, and sympathizers graced the ceremony to bid mama farewell and to sympathize with Hon Jarigbe's Family.

See photo Spree...

Hon Jarigbe, His wife and Family Member

Mr Ekpenyong

By Isaiah Ekpenyong

The word "Nigeria is sitting on a gun powder" has severally been used by different people and sections of the country depending on the situation of things arround them to the point that I strongly now believe that there should be a redefinition of what gun powder is, and what sitting is, so as to actually know if there is still gun powder that we are actually sitting on.

Injustice in Nigeria has become a norm, a norm in the sense that when it favors you, you observe table manners, eat without talking and when it goes the other way round, what we will be hearing is, Nigeria is sitting on a cake of gun powder and I ask, when will it explode?

One funny thing Nigerians have not observed is that,  our gun powders have been exploding. The impact of the explosion is felt differently depending on where you come from in Nigeria. When His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan was in power, the sentence Nigeria is sitting on a cake of gun powder was mostly used by our people from the north and other opposition elements all over the country. In fact, the sound of those words was as if Nigeria will  collapse the next day. The gun powder exploded when they gang up against Jonathan to their advantage and the impact of the explosion of the gun powder felt by the South and mostly those that supported Jonathan.  To the people ruling and benefiting from government now, there is no gun powder anywhere again as they observe table manners while eating.

To the opposition and those who really do not support the government of His Excellency Muhhamadu Buhari, what they see now is a very big gun powder that Nigeria is sitting on which may explode anytime soon if Buhari is not removed. That is Nigerian practical definition of what sitting on a gun powder is, a sad situation of a people living in a land filled with milk and honey but have deliberately impoverished themselves using religion and ethnicity.

IS NIGERIA ACTUALLY SITTING ON A CAKE OF GUN POWDER?

Nigeria is not actually sitting on just a cake of gun powder, we are sitting on the muzzle of a machine gun,  I mean, the direction of an atomic bomb but very docile one that may never explode till thy kingdom comes. When people talk about cake of gun powder, they refer to the growing population of unemployed youths who may wake up one day in arms against the elites. While they call these youths gun powder, I call them docile machine guns and atomic bombs who will never explode. How can they explode when they do not know their left and right? How can they explode when they all wants to be leaders at the same time and end up being used as thugs? How can they explode when they have been so politically, religiously and ethnically divided? How can they explode when they do not support good youthful ideas, rather will duplicate it with no vision on how to sustain it?

Check out in our communities and our environments, most youths will never support any idea no matter how noble it is, if it did not come from them. They dare not support any other youth to succeed. To the youths of this generation, it is I and I alone. There are  combination of things that makes a bomb to explode or a gun to fire. Even the gun powder we keep on talking about is a combination  of sulphur, charcoal and other things. Its explosion requires a combine effort. Nigeria is sitting on a very docile atomic bomb, no wonder president Buhari knowingly or unknowingly called us 'Lazy Youths'.

Who will wake the Nigeria atomic bomb, the youths to its reslonsibility? Who will tell her that a bomb needs to explode? Who will let her know that begging is never a means of survival? Who will let her know that being a P.A to P.A  on bag carrying is shameful? Who will remind her that she is the leader of tomorrow? Who will tell her that thuggery and criminality does not pay?

Nigeria youths, you are the atomic bomb Nigeria is sitting on, will you explode?

Ekpenyong Isaiah,
Commander, Infantry Pen Battallion
isacool4good@yahoo.com

A yet to be identified man is currently receiving first aid treatment after setting himself ablaze at the Presidential Villa (White House) in Washington DC, United States.

Naija News learned that the ugly incident occurred on Wednesday, May 29 at the south of the president’s residence — near 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, the Secret Service said on Twitter.


“Secret Service personnel are on scene assisting @NatlParkService and @usparkpolicepio in rendering first aid,” it said, referring to park rangers and park police.

Similarly, a spokesman to White House said: “I can confirm that we’ve transported one patient with burns from the Ellipse and we’re now on the scene assisting law enforcement”.


Giving more account of the incident, an eyewitness who was visiting the National Mall with two of her cousins from Bolivia said: “we saw this man” on the Ellipse and “he starts running, and then we saw him covered in flames.”

“He started to walk” and then “cops started coming to the area and he collapsed. The fire then was extinguished”, she said.

“Everybody was in shock. “I was in shock,” the eyewitness added.

It was learned that over 70 officers swarmed the area to ensure there was no other casualty, with tourists and visitors around the vicinity observing the scene.

Watch the video below… (WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Jose Mourinho has issued his verdict on the Champions League final, as Tottenham and Liverpool prepare for a showdown in Madrid.

The Lilywhites have been a surprise package this season, securing memorable wins over Manchester City and Ajax, although Liverpool have also had remarkable moments.

According to Mourinho , that makes predicting the outcome of the Champions League final difficult as both sides will feel that fate is on their side after their performances in the competition so far.
"I always say that the team that had something extraordinary on their way to the final is the team that is a little further ahead," he told Eleven Sports.

"The curious thing about this final is that the two arrive in an absolutely incredible way. They arrive there almost like titans, completely convinced that they are going to destroy their rival, it has everything to be a final with two teams completely convinced that ‘the trophy is mine’."

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss also named the player from each side he believes will be the most important and there were no surprises with his choices.
"If I had to choose one, fundamentally in this last phase of growth, it would be Van Dijk.

"For Tottenham, because they made the final without Harry Kane, I would say Eriksen."

nairaland.com

A known elder of A Pentecostal Church in Lekki, Lagos ‘House On The Rock’ Femi Gbajabiamila was seen performing Umrah in Mecca because he wants to be Speaker.

Gbaja has of late been seen more at Muslim events and visiting highly revered Islamic clerics. It was said that he recently travelled to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hail.


The rumour surrounding the islamization of our dear country is beginning to unfold.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Poet Award Winner Wale Soyinka had recently warned Nigerians to wake up on this.

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has proscribed the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the state.


Makinde, while declaring the activities of NURTW illegal, also announced the immediate take-over of all motor parks in the state.

In a statement by his Chief of Staff, Bisi Ilaka, on Thursday, the governor urged people of the state to go about their lawful duties without fear of molestation.


He assured them that the combined security task force in every community of the state have been charged to take control and maintain peace and order.

The statement reads: “While appreciating the good people of Oyo State for your steadfastness overtime and support for our administration, I want to reiterate our stand on the need to maintain peace and tranquillity in our state in order to engender commercial and human development.

“After today’s deliberation with Security stakeholders meeting involving security chiefs and Government, we have resolved to proscribe the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) until further notice.


“All activities of the Union remain illegal henceforth and we urge the people of the state to go about their lawful duties without fear of molestation, as combined security task force in every community of the state, have been charged to take control and maintain peace and order.

“To this end, all parks in the state have been taken over by the state government with immediate effect.”

Buhari Mourns Death Of Johnson
Buhari Morns Late Pengassan President
President Muhammadu Buhari has received with deep sadness notification on the passing away of the President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Francis Johnson on Friday.

The President, in a statement by Garba Shehu, his senior special assistant on media and publicity, joins PENGASSAN and all labour unions in the country in mourning the visionary leader, whose good nature, understanding and forthrightness helped in improving the welfare of workers, and contributed immensely to the stability witnessed in the oil sector.


Naija News earlier reported that the deceased became President of the union in 2014.

President Buhari affirms that Johnson’s broadmindedness and generosity of spirit by always putting the nation first before all pecuniary gains shaped ease of relationship and smooth operations in the oil sector between employers and workers, recognising his wise and considerate positions in all negotiations.


The President believes the labour leader’s demise is a collective loss to the family, labour movement and the entire nation, urging all loved ones to find solace in the legacy of sacrifice, diligence and patriotism he left behind, especially in speaking up for the voiceless and underprivileged.

President Buhari prays that the Almighty God will accept the soul of the departed, and comfort the family.

Ayade re-appoints Martins Orim as Chief of Staff. The appointment takes immediate effect. THE EAGLES VOICE reliably gathered.

Details shortly.

Nigerian musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, has been granted bail by the Federal High Court in the sum of N2 million and two sureties.
Marley was apprehended for allegation of cyber crime activities by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Voplink

By Uchino Amatey

The Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board (CR-SUBEB) has once again escaped the hands of fraudsters after an attempt to defraud the Board’s UBE Matching Grant account of N1.3billion was recently uncovered by the outgoing Chairman, Dr Stephen Odey.

The suspect who claimed to be Prof. Ofeimun forged the signature of the Executive Chairman and the old letter headed paper of the Board, but met his waterloo after the bank alerted the Board Chairman amid suspicion. The case was further reported to the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the suspect was tracked down in Edo State.

According to Dr Odey “on the 30th of April, I was contacted by Eco Bank to confirm my authorization for the transfer of the sum of N1.3b to an account number belonging to WRTS Nigeria Limited through a letter purported to have been sent by me to their Lagos branch. I was further informed that a certain Prof. Ofeimun had made several calls to the bank asking that the said amount of money be transferred to his account as the owner of the company,  unmindful of the fact that SUBEB does not even have such an amount in its matching grant account.”

 “the ill-fated letter purported to have been signed and written by me was emailed to me from the bank.  Based on the fact that Prof. Ofeimun is unknown to me and has no contractual relationship with my office and the said letter was forged, I quickly reported the matter to the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Mr Mark Anyogo and I wrote a petition to the DSS to intervene and track down Prof. Ofeimun with his phone number sent to me from the bank.”

He further started that upon his assumption of office, he adopted the use of a new letter headed paper with security features in a pre-emptive effort to stop cases like this.

Condemning this fraudulent act, the outgoing Chairman, Dr Stephen Odey has described it as a nefarious act perpetrated against the Board and the State Government. He added that fraudulent activities such as this are calculated attempts to cause problems for the Board.

He further warned fraudsters to stir clear of SUBEB Accounts or be subjected to even dire consequences.

Dr Odey commended the Department of State security Services (DSS) for their timely intervention to the situation and for tracking down the suspect, thereby vindicating the Board.

The suspect who is presently in DSS custody for further investigation will be transferred to the EFCC for prosecution upon conclusion of the investigation.

This is the third attempt to defraud the Board all of which have been successfully forestalled.

Punch news
Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Thursday nullified the April 3 , 2019 judgment of the Federal High Court , Abuja which sacked Senator Peter Nwaoboshi as the Peoples Democratic Party ’s senator- elect for the Delta North Senatorial seat .
The Federal High Court in Abuja had by its said judgment declared Ned Nwoko as the true candidate of the PDP for the February 23 , 2019 National Assembly election .

A three - man panel of the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment , held that the Federal High Court in Abuja ’s judgment was a nullity as the said Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to have heard the case filed by Nwoko.
Justice Mohammed Idris , in the lead judgment of the panel , held that the suit by Nwoko was statute -barred and that Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court , Abuja ought not to have heard the case in the first place .

Prof Ben Ayade and Mr Isaiah Ekpenyong

By Isaiah Ekpenyong

The return of democracy in Nigeria 20 years ago, saw the emergence of His Excellency, Donald Duke, as the governor of Cross River State. Donald Duke whose vision was to urbanized some communities and make Cross River State a top tourist destination in Africa, pursued these vision and dream with vigour. He added little of Agriculture to his dreams to keep the urbanized communities from migrating out. It was a thing of joy hearing people outside Cross River State mentioned that Cross River State in general and Calabar its capital city in particular then was the cleanest State not just in Nigeria but Africa. Donald Duke brought in the Calabar carnival, revived the Obudu cattle ranch, created model towns, Uyanga Model Town in Akamkpa L.G.A, is an example of it; opened up pineaple farms, created other tourist attractions in Calabar such as the Tinapa resort, the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. The motor cable in Obudu cattle ranch added flare to the whole thing and to the world, it was wow!.

At the expiration of Donald Duke' s 8 years in 2007, he handed over to another pragmatic leader, His Excellency, Lyel Imoke, whose financial management abilities is world class. No wonder, recently,  former Govenor Peter Obi of Anambra State and 2019 PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, had recommended him to the current Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, on advise in financial management. Governor Lyel Imoke came in as governor in 2007 with the vision of creating access to the rural communities and bringing electric power to them to encourage rural economy growth. These, he successfully did, managed the debt profile of Cross River State successfully from what was inherited from the Duke' s era for it not to skyrocket and was also able to keep the cleanliness of Cross River State.

Governor Lyel Imoke in 2015,  successfully handed over leadership of Cross River State to Professor Ben Ayade and GOV. Ben Ayade did not also hide the direction of his government as it was manifestly made known to the world, industrialization and human empowerment. The human empowerment angle of Prof. Ayade's vision for Cross River State saw him appoint thousands of Cross Riverians into political offices to put food on their table and empower their families. These gesture of Prof. Ben Ayade can only be second in Nigeria to what His Excellency Gov. Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State did in early 2003 when he was governor then. Gov. Egwu coming into office to realize that Ebonyi State then was a civil service State, as it was then said that the highest car Ebonyi man could drive was, Mercedes 190 model, went into serious human empowerment and these saw him create a lot of wealthy people in Ebonyi.

Prof. Ben Ayade may have unknowingly tooed the same path of Gov. Sam Egwu by empowering a lot of people knowing fully well too that Cross River State is also a civil service State with a growing population of youths who are politically active with less creative minds. It is said this way because in Ebonyi State, while some of those that were empowered went back to establish themselves in their former trades, like electricians owning large electrical parts shops, and motor mechanics who were appointed into government owning large spare parts shops, that of Cross River State is different. We now have so many political active journalists whose stock in trade is to either support government or work against government to get patronage. Even some that had benefited from government will immediately begin to blackmail the same government when money no flows in. Investment to become independent is zero as they either depend on government or opposition elements for survival.

Ayade' second vision is to industralize Cross River State and these has seen him dream big dreams. In fact, a man dies the day he stops dreaming big about himself because that is when deterioration will set in and that leads to the  grave. But, there is a great difference between dream and reality. It takes only a man of vision to bring his dreams to the physical realm. The Ayade' s dreams is seen in the  Garment factory, the super highway, the Calipharm, the deep seaport, the Obudu Cargo Aiport etc. While it is good to dream dreams, priotising the efforts in making the dreams real is essential and a thing of wisdom. Gov. Ben Ayade has succeeded in his empowerment vision, the industrialization aspect of it is crawling. This is due to his attempt to carry all on his shoulder at the same time.

To me, and until fully briefed, I see no economic value in having a cargo Airpot in Obudu, instead, why not We make the Ranch work at its full capacity which will attract national and international tourists, create jobs and generate income? Why not We segment the industrialization projects and give time frame for its completion? Our big dreams will only be applauded and Gov. Ben Ayade called a great man,  if these projects are seen in the physical realm and it's impact felt by the citizens.

In the next 4 years, Cross Riverians will be happy seeing the Ayade' s administration commission more projects than unveil more big dreams. They will be happy to see Cross River State return to its former glory as the most cleanest State in Africa. They will want to see the revival of our moribund tourists destinations to host more national and internal tourists, they will want to see less of cult killings in Calabar and other places. The announcement of Gov. Ben Ayade to create ministry of defence is a welcome development that should be accompanied by appointment of a seasoned retired Senior Police or military officer as the commissioner and not just a Politician.

It is my earnest prayers that Gov. Ben Ayade performs better than his last four years to write his name in the sand of time and prove himself as the digital governor of Cross River State.

Ekpenyong Isaiah,
Commander, Infantry Pen Battallion
isacool4good@yahoo.com

The outgoing governor of Lagos State Akinwunmi Ambode Wednesday morning has explained why he will be absent at the inauguration ceremony of the incoming governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at Tafa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.

Ambode, who congratulated and handed over to his successor- Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday, said the new governor deserves to enjoy his historic day without him sharing the glory with him.


“The formal inauguration should have Mr. Sanwo-Olu as the star of the day. I don’t think that glory should be shared with him by my presence,” Ambode said in a statement by his media aide Habib Aruna.

Ambode lost the APC governorship primaries to Sanwo-Olu, who was a former commissioner for establishment and training in the state.


Trouble started for Ambode after a group loyal to the national leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Tinubu within the party called Mandate Group said they were not in support of Ambode for a second term and opted to support Sanwo-Olu.

Tinubu said the Ambode performed well in office but was not a “good party man.”

However, since Sanwo-Olu emerged Lagos State governor-elect after the elections, Ambode has solicited support for the incoming administration.

“I have already formally handed over reins of power in the State to the new Governor in a most cordial and convivial ceremony at the State House yesterday,” Ambode said.

Ambode, who noted he had quality time with Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday, said he is confident that government will succeed in the excellent tradition of progressive governance which Lagos State with support of Lagosians.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday jocularly thanked Senate President Bukola Saraki for not taking advantage of the vacuum in power before the presidential inauguration.

Osinbajo stated this at a dinner organised in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari and himself at the State House Banquet Hall.


Buhari and Osinbajo had earlier in the day been sworn-in for a second term in office by the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad.

The president, who is billed to depart for Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 30 for OIC summit, was represented at the dinner by the vice president.


“Something interesting happened earlier today; I am a lawyer and a law teacher and I like to test and interrogate legal scenarios.

“At one minute past midnight today, the four year term of the President and I ended by effluxion of time.

“So, from one minute past 12 of last night, May 29 to about 10:30 am when we were sworn in for a second term there was no President or Vice President.

“Interestingly nothing went wrong, all was okay; when such a situation arises, it is the Senate President who acts as President.

“So, when I arrived at Eagle Square this morning, some may have noticed that the Senate President and I were enjoying a joke.

“He said to me jokingly `you better be careful you know I am the acting President now’; so, we thank the Senate President for not doing anything funny.’’

The vice president said that the beauty of democracy was the orderly and civilised process of transition and more importantly, the sanctity of and respect for the will and choice of the people.

He said that on Feb. 23, the Nigerian people freely made a choice to re-elect Buhari for a second term in office.

Osinbajo said it was a choice that was celebrated with pomp and pageantry earlier in the day.

He expressed gratitude to God and Nigerians for trusting the administration yet again as that trust would not be betrayed.

“And so on behalf of the President, please accept our deepest gratitude for your support and presence here this evening.

“The best years of Nigeria begin today, and by the Grace of God all of us will live to enjoy the coming years and many more,’’ he said.

In his address, Mr Boss Mustapha,  Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said the inauguration was the official commencement of a new mandate given to the President by Nigerians.

He said that the new mandate was a reflection of the confidence Nigerians had in the administration.

Mustapha said the inauguration marked the beginning of the journey to the Next Level and consolidate on the foundation laid in the last four years.

He solicited the support of every Nigerian including the opposition for the administration in moving Nigeria forward.

In a toast, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said that Nigeria had a peaceful and successful general election.

He said it was only in peaceful environment that sustainable development could be achieved.

Oshiomhole said the celebration was for all Nigerians not just for APC.

The dinner attracted former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, service  chiefs, Head of Civil Service of the Federation,  members of the National Assembly, APC chieftains, members of the diplomatic corps and  captains of industry. (NAN)

Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians not to give in to pessimism and despair despite the challenges of insecurity, unemployment and prevalent poverty experienced in the country.

Jonathan made this known in a statement he personally signed and made available to the media on Wednesday in commemoration of the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors elected in the 2019 general election.


Read full statement below:

Exactly twenty years ago, our nation turned the corner with a general election that signalled the end of a long spell of military dictatorship. With that came promises of good governance, equity and justice under the ambience of leadership driven by the will of the people.

Our celebration of democracy is therefore, a mark of our commitment to the virtues of liberty, justice and the people’s freedom to daily engage government on how best to achieve our national goals. We may not have realised these promises and all that are possible in the new dispensation but democracy to me remains an incubator for great ideas, visions, development and hope. That is why I urge all citizens not to give in to pessimism and despair as our nation battles the challenges of insecurity, the scourge of unemployment and prevalent poverty, all of which threaten national peace and unity.

We must continue to work collectively as one in order to engender cohesion and build a nation of our dreams. We must remain vigilant to ensure that our sacred rights and freedoms don’t become mere privileges without guarantees. We must, at all times, remind ourselves and those in privileged positions of authority that as equal stakeholders in our commonwealth, the task of taking our nation to great heights rests on all of us. It is only with the currency of love, equity and justice that Nigeria can be truly great as it bargains for honour in the comity of nations.

As a nation, it is imperative for us to continue to strive for improvements in our electoral processes. There is a need to deepen the gains so far attained by advancing the frontiers of credible electoral processes, fidelity to the rule of law and strict adherence to constitutionalism. A credible electoral process is no doubt fundamental to making democracy work for us as a people, as it sufficiently empowers citizens to freely choose or reject their political leadership, thereby serving as an incentive for good governance.

Democracy has come to stay. So, let us stay in the creed and virtues of justice, equity, and love which makes democracy a solid ground of freedom, good governance, peace, and hope.

Happy Democracy Day Nigeria!

Full text of Governor Ayade's speech during his swearing in ceremony on 29th May, 2019.

Fellow Cross Riverians,
Four years ago, I stood before you dear brothers and sisters to make a solemn declaration of our determination to re-write Cross River's narrative in all spheres, but majorly on the economic outlook of the State.

In our Odyssey to lay a new and enduring foundation for growth, through the recalibration of the economic architecture of the State, we ploughed the earth punched above our weight and successfully hewed a pathway, culminating in a swift and bold altering of our abject narrative of yesterday.

While many questioned the audacity of our dreams and the scale of our ambitions because the system could not support such ruthless vision, we defied the odds by demonstrating clearly that when a man puts his soul above his problems, his body will naturally follow.

Four years down the line, with your unwavering support and tenacity of purpose on our part, we have succeeded in surmounting the road block to our vision of greater Cross River.

Fellow Cross Riverians, I am happy to report that our noble vision of an industrialized and economically independent Cross River, decoupled from over dependence on monthly federal allocation which we set out to achieve four years ago is irreversible. A new dawn is here.

Never in the history of governance in Nigeria has any state government within it's first four years delivered on Industrialization and signature projects that make the difference as we have done even in the face of limited resources.

Through the application of intellectual money, we have built over 13 world class industries and still counting. There is therefore the undeniable presence of at least one project in each of the 18local governments of the State.

Some of these includes: The Cross River State garment factory, which has so far employed over 3000 workers, the rice seedlings and seed multiplication centre, the Calabar pharmaceutical company (calapharm), Cross River toothpick factory at Yakurr currently producing at full capacity, cocoa processing plant in ikom, the vitaminzed rice mill in Ogoja, the British/Canadian International school in Obudu, the noodles manufacturing plant, currently at an advanced stage of completion, , Cross River Livestock/Poultry farm limited, Calachika processing plant being established to process 6000birds per hour all located along the president Goodluck Jonathan bypass here in Calabar.

There is also piles and pylon factory in Akamkpa, designed to fabricate piles and pylon for the construction of Bakassi deep seaport. The 20000 hectare Ayadd industrial Park which is already completed. We also have the Banana plantation at Odukpani.

Our administration has equally established organice fertilizer plant and bag production plant. There is also the 23 megawatt power plant at parliamentary extension in Calabar. The power plant is completed and ready to evacuate power but debilitating and unsettling bureaucratic bottleneck by federal agencies concerned have so far stalled it.

The power plant was built with the industries at the industrial park in mind, it is to service those industries. Let me therefore use this occasion to appeal once again to the Federal Government to prevail on the agencies concerned to immediately commence the process of evacuating power from the plant.

On road infrastructure, the 143kilometer dualization of mfom-yala-bekwarra-obudu-obanliku road is currently being asphalted, there is also the BokiEast/West Road, the Boje bridge connecting East and West Boki, the Ukelle-Wanikade road in Yala, the Bombur camp 2 road Akamkpa. Also currently being undertaken is the 15km Calabar-Odukpani dualisation.

On health, this administration conscious of the need to provide quality health care has made huge investment in the sector. Currently ongoing is the construction of three specialist hospitals each in southern,Central and Northern Senatorial districts of the State. This is in addition to other ground breaking policies and programs of our administration, which earned the state UNICEF's recognition as one of only four states with the highest child survival rate in Nigeria. On account of consistent investment in the health sector, there was also the Federal Government and world bank ranking of Cross River as one of the six best performing States in healthcare in the country.

While this gathering is not exactly one for performance assessment, may I quickly point out here that on Education my administration cannot be found to be abject on performance index. From our chequered position at number 27th and 30th in the National Examination council (NECO) and WAEC recorded growth in education respectively, Cross River has in four years of our administration occupied the enviable 2nd position twice and 11th in NECO and WAEC respectively.

The all-time importance our administration places on education has ensured the burning desire to train and retrain our teachers, the impacters of class room knowledge. To this end, the the administration is currently constructing in Biase, a world standard continuous teacher's training institute. The institute will improve competence of learning.

Fellow Cross Riverians, in all these your rock solid support was the elixir that powered our resolve and kept us irrevocably committed to the vision. It is therefore, with profound sense of appreciation and humility that I stand before you today, grateful for the abiding faith you have kept with me, mindful of your uncommon sense of patriotism to one of Nigeria's most enlightened states.

Great Cross Riverians, on March 9, you stood on your conviction and spoke so resoundingly, through your votes. It was indeed a watershed, a victory wrapped in the enigma of riddle. It is on these coattails therefore that I hold onto today, to proclaim the rekindling of hope, and the reassurance of our commitment and passion to ultimately berth our future.

Today, as we pen a new chapter of our next four years, we promise you an enthralling and exhilarating pages of the policy thrust of our administration which is avowed proclamation to etch Cross River on the map of the first world states and the leading light among the committee of industrialized states in Nigeria.

My dear Cross Riverians we are about to set sail on the last lap for our voyage to self actualization as a State. And as we do so, we beg you to volunteer with us to step out of ourselves to see beyond our immediate challenges and realize that we are indeed much blessed as a people.

I am eternally thankful to all of you for electing me and Professor Ivara Esu to lead the way on our consolidation journey.

May I on this note acknowledge the chairman of my re-election campaign organization, former Deputy Governor of Cross River State Barrister Efiok Cobham and his team for their sleepless nights and untiring effort at ensuring a robust and decent campaign that culminated in our historic landslide.

Let me also thank all members of our great party, the state chairman and his Exco members who endured harrowing nights and grueling hours, strategizing for the victory we celebrate here today, I am proud of you all.

My special thanks also go to the entire people of Cross River State, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other religious leaders, traders, women associations, teacher's, traditional rulers, youth groups, students and the support groups for the massive support you gave to my deputy and me that has occasioned this momentous ceremony today.

Cross Riverians and friends of Cross River, permit me at this juncture to acknowledge and most graciously thank my predecessors - Their Excellencies, Senator Liyel Imoke and Mr Donald Duke, for their part in the quest to bequeath a prosperous future to us all.

Finally I must not fail to thank that special woman, my best friend, the love of my life, the pillar of my family, Her Excellency, Dr Linda Ayade. Let it be known that I would not be standing here today without her steadfastness and support. And to the the rest of my family, I say thank you!!

As we focus on the bigger picture of delivering our signature projects of 275km Superhighway and the Bakassi deep seaport, we shall continue to sustain our foot on the pedal, by deploying creative ideas and technology to develop our human capital, anchored on quality education, skill acquisition and healthcare delivery for our people. We shall ramp up the momentum by expanding the means of production, Increasing access to capital and catalyzing our value chain in agriculture.

We count on your prayers and support to achieve this.
Long live Cross River State!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I thank you all!

POSTED BY MICHAEL B.

“It’s extremely painful to see Ned Nwoko senior get married to my 17 year old daughter today” – Regina Daniels’ father says in tears while speaking in an interview earlier today.

Excerpts from an interview between Barrister Jude Ojeogwo, the biological father of actress, Regina Daniels and a media house, team Cutiejuls reveal that he is not in support of the recent development of his daughter.

Regina Daniels' Dad

When Ojeogwo was asked how old his daughter is, he revealed the actress is turning 18 in October this year. Barrister Jude also explained that the reason why the actress’s mother, Rita Daniels made herself the sole decision maker is because of greed.
He revealed that the reason why Rita’s bride price could not be paid was due to the fact that her paternal family could not be traced.
He also revealed that his daughter’s fiance, is 62 and not 59. He affirms this because they both grew up in the same compound as young boys.

He revealed he spoke to his daughter this morning and warned her about the new phase she’s about to start but she told him she’s aware of what she’s getting into and stated that it’s her mother’s decision and also, that Ned Nwoko is a fine gentleman and she loves him.

Ojeogwo stated that despite not paying Rita Daniels’ bride price, he has been very responsible for the financial support of all his 4 kids with Rita and that the 2 boys lived with him until recently when the mother advised they move in with her into her new home.

Listen to the audio below;

Eden Hazard suggested he had played his final game for Chelsea after his two goals helped the club defeat Arsenal in the Europa League final.
The Belgian, 28, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid and said that he is now "waiting on both clubs".
"I think it's a goodbye, but in football you never know," he told BT Sport.
"We will decide in a few days - the only target in my mind was to win this final."
He added: "Maybe now it is the time for a new challenge."

If the final in Baku was his last match, then it brings to an end a seven-year association with Chelsea, having joined them for £32m from Lille.
Hazard made 352 appearances for the Blues and his two goals in the final moved his tally for the club to 110.
He said: "My dream was to play in the Premier League and I have done that for one of the biggest clubs."
Hazard was named PFA Player of the Year in 2014-15, scoring 14 Premier League goals as Chelsea won the title. He then struck 16 league goals as they regained the title two seasons later.
Wednesday's Europa League victory was his second in Chelsea colours, as he also collected a winners' medal, despite not playing, in the 2013 final.

Reported Real Madrid target Eden Hazard has scored 20 goals this season for Chelsea, his best tally for the club

Eden Hazard scored two goals and made another to help Chelsea thump London rivals Arsenal in Baku and win the Europa League.

Victory gave Blues boss Maurizio Sarri the first trophy of his managerial career and ensured the Gunners will miss out on next season's Champions League.


With only about 5,000 fans from both sides able to make it to Azerbaijan, there was an eerie atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, which appeared less than half full.

That was the surreal setting for a match played 2,500 miles away from both teams' home, and the game itself was devoid of action before the break before bursting into life early in the second half.

ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 2018 DEMOCRACY DAY CELEBRATION TUESDAY, 29TH MAY, 2018.


My Dear Nigerians

Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.

2. The commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day is a celebration of freedom, a salute to the resilience and determination of Nigerians and a recommitment by Government to keep its promise to lead Nigeria into a new era of justice and prosperity.


3. Public safety and security remain the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Governments in the North East.

4. Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of the authority of government and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram.

5. In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on Internally Displaced Persons, Government has established secure IDP Camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities using various strategies in collaboration with local and international Organizations.

6. Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water and sanitation to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development.

7. The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to a high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.


8. I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the International Community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East. I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country. State and Local traditional authorities are helping with much-needed intelligence in this fight against insurgency.

9. This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice. Government is boosting the capacity of our security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering as well as boosting their morale in the face of daunting challenges.

10. The Niger Delta Region has enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the Elders and the good people of the region. Government is committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region. The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni in June 2016 is progressing satisfactorily. Furthermore, farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest.

11. The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country. Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I, therefore, appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.

12. Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform policies include:

a. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.

b. The Whistle-Blowing Policy has helped to recover over N500 Billion;

c. The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll.

d. The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularise their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.

e. The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East-West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.

13. The fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets. This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation.

14. We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally. This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.

15. This Administration has therefore focused on revamping the ailing economy it inherited in 2015. In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium-term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.

16. The broad strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth; Build a globally competitive economy, and Invest in our people. The implementation of the ERGP has started yielding results. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1st quarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.

17. Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January 2017.

18. Recently, Government conducted Focus Labs in three key sectors of the Economy namely, Agriculture & Transport, Manufacturing and Processing as well as Power and Gas. These have yielded significant prospects for investments and Job creation to the tune of US$ 22.5 billion with a potential for creating more than 500,000 jobs by 2020. These investment generation initiatives are expected to increase capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investment. There is a high prospect that the cumulative investments from this first phase of the Labs will hit US$39.2 billion by 2025.

19. Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.

20. The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support. The major strategic objective is to restore livelihood, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor across the country. The SIP programmes and projects include:

a. Home Grown School Feeding Programme – About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme.

b. The Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states. Less privileged Nigerians are now being paid N5,000 monthly stipend in 9 pilot States of Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo. Eventually, the scheme will cover all the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.

c. Under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme – About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to 4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting the release of funds.

d. N-Power Job creation Scheme – is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.

21. In the area of power generation, Nigerians from all parts of the country continue to report better power supply and less use of generators. This underscores the effectiveness of the methodical plan to deliver incremental and uninterrupted power supply to our homes, markets, offices and factories.

22. The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December 2017. With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitation by Government and private investors, generation capability now exceed 7,500 MW.

23. This Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to eliminate contentious estimated billing.

24. The Transportation Sector continues to undergo a series of reforms in order to sustain the international best practices and ensure safety and security. The nation’s major airports have witnessed reconstruction of runways, installation of navigational equipment and new international terminals due for commissioning in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and the Governments of other countries will significantly open up new flight routes.

25. As a result of strict regulatory and compliance policies, Nigeria retained her Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status, after a routine international audit. Recently, a new Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility with capacity for aircraft C-checks and other comprehensive levels of maintenance were established in Lagos. This would save the country an estimated $90m annually.

26. Giant strides have been recorded over the past three years to improve road transport infrastructure in all geopolitical zones of the country.

27. The Railway Sector has also received tremendous attention as this Administration is committed to the goal of linking all State capitals in the Federation by rail network to ease the movement of goods and passengers.

28. The Education Sector, especially at tertiary level, has continued to witness expansion in order to improve access to higher education by millions of youths in Nigeria. Over the last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14 private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.

29. The government has also continued to support the implementation of various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Basic Education delivery. Thus, it has ensured proper funding at the Basic Education level with the disbursement of N42.2 billion UBE Matching Grant to 26 States and the FCT, N851.5 million Special Education Grant disbursed to 23 States and private providers of Special Education and N2.2 billion Teachers Professional Development Fund to 33 States and the FCT.

30. The Federal Government has continued to support fiscal sustainability at the sub-national governments through the implementation of the Budget Support Facility which was accompanied by the 22- point Fiscal Sustainability Plan. Thus, bailouts funds were made available to States to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries.

31. In addition, a total of 73 Ecological Fund projects for the control of gully erosion in different communities across all geopolitical zones have been completed in the last three years and are undergoing commissioning while 53 other projects are ongoing. The execution of these projects has generated 357 skilled jobs and 1,350 unskilled jobs during this period.

32. It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.

33. My dear countrymen and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.

34. Finally, the upcoming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch-free elections but also a credible and violence-free process.

35. In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill.

36. I thank you for your attention.

37. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Prof Ben Ayade and Comr monjok Ezama

I congratulate the amiable, erudite,  empathic and non-sectarian 2 time Governor elect of Cross River State, Professor Benedict Ayade as another Oath of office to drive the process of positive leadership in the next 4 years is administered today, indeed, the battle to power was not easy as the political turbulence was made more intensed by the inner circle than the enemy far feared, yet, with Your trust in God and Your right hand, You won at the polls again , Yes, to accomplish that which will continue to bring civil peace to Crossriverians and it's inhabitants from other nations. An umbrella does not by itself choose the heads to shade, only the heart of a man raises his hand to cover all with the canopy of ambience from the heat of our times. Leadership is not like a ripe banana or the leafs of the moimoi delicacy, it is a stone that energy must be gathered physically and mentally to crack! My Dear Very Respected Leader, I must thank You for the projects so far to take Crossriver fastly out of the sad life of ordinary civil servants to the urban business hub of modern times, including the State amongst the quick developing regions of the Universe.

Sir, Your quietness to criticism while working hard, and respect for human life is commendable, the warring opposition and the negative propaganda at home and abroad have not dettered You from focus, a quality rearly found in many leaders of the ancient and modern world, thank You Sir, thank You! As we advance from seconds to minutes until they run into hours, days, months, years, decades and millenias, we face the ever changing events that confront human life. With utmost humility and unshaken respect to Your Prowess, kindly allow me the privilege to draw Your attention to a few beckons. Your ideas on how Crossriver should run is second to none, they are lofty ones, but our major problems have been the Executioners of these ideas that only God knows how You get them thought of in order to allow them established. There is no sympathy in professionalism, so let the right people occupy the right places despite creed, dogma of color! Merge most offices that seem duplicative in their duties, this will strengthen the synergy to execute the blue prints of its visions. Establish border security outside the Armed Forces with consent of the National Assembly, so as to legitimately enable local vigilantes watch over where the Armed Forces in Crossriver cannot easily reach. Let there be a concrete program to serve as Amnesty to Cultism, reducing it's menaces to an almost crippling state. Set up an erudite monitoring and evaluation team made up of some NGOs in the Educational sector, as Education is the bedrock of any society's fast growth and development. We have been kept too long in the dark, depriving Micheal Faraday the joy of his contributions to ease the pain of humanity by putting the elements together that established electricity, please, Sir, help Crossriverians out of this constant power outage that has brought about the mad purchases of other sources of power bringing very devastating results to the Ecosystems. Inculcate Tree-planting  in the school curricula up to tertiary institutions runned by the State. Introduce Agro-Transport systems where our famers could access loans to purchase vehicles that would carry farm products easily to its preservative or commercial destination, helping also in opening farm roads. Irrigation should be considered as utmost area of attention in the Agro campaigns to enable all season crops, thrive. Our roads have been given serious attention by Your Government, let the finishing of the road projects at hand be given a priority thought. As I continue to admire Your Cosmic-Given leadership style of employing the Youths in Your last  Government, please, Sir, continue in that light as a mixture of a few elderly ones will guide the juvenile nature of some Youths that may not have represented Your intentions in the last administration. Congratulations to You, the Dynamic and Digital Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria, God bless You and the good people of Cross River State, Nigeria and the world at large! May Your reign, remain in the positive  light of the Akashik Records in Peace Profound! Amen