Strike: Don’t be intimated, Delta NUT tells members Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/strike-dont-intimated-delta-nut-tells-members/

By Festus Ahon ASABA—THE Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Delta State chapter, has told striking teachers in the state to disregard the directive of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, asking its members to remain calm and not be intimidated. NUT, in a communique by its state Secretary, Mr Joel Yalekhue, however, said that teachers supervising the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, which commenced yesterday, should do the invigilation. The communique said: “It is unfortunate that instead of proffering a holistic solution to the issues at stake, the state government has decided to apply divide and rule tactics which is inimical to the educational development of the state.” The union, in a reaction to a statement by the state government through the Director of Information, Mr Paul Osahor, directing secondary school principals and teachers to resume work, expressed dismay that, government could come up with the policy of no work, no pay. Yalekhue said: “The union has shown adequate understanding in the present situation when on March 16,  2017, it directed secondary school principals and teachers involved as invigilators/supervisors in the 2017 WAEC examination to participate fully despite of the ongoing strike action. “The union views the call by state government as unfortunate, intimidating and undemocratic and inimical to the settlement of industrial dispute of this magnitude. “To put the records straight, secondary school teachers in the state are also affected by the government’s refusal to implement the Inter-Cadre Transfers (a policy duly approved by the state government); non- implementation of approved and released promotions, among other entitlements.” Affect secondary school teachers as stated in our communique of  March 2, 2017. “Non-payment of promotion arrears of secondary school teachers. Non-payment of retired teachers benefits. “While calling the state government to take another look at the issues with a view to resolving them in the overall interest of peace and harmony, the Union wishes to restate it’s respect for dialogue and collective bargaining.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/strike-dont-intimated-delta-nut-tells-members/

Lovely! That Time When Married Nollywood Actress, Ufuoma Mcdermott Took A Photo In The Toilet

Was it appropriate or not?

Well her oyinbo husband perfectly understood with her on this occasion, can all our African men be more liberating and empowering?

And of course a family picture with her 2 beautiful kids

Suleman Scandal: Read What Happened In Court As Police Re-Arraigned Otobo

Stephanie Otobo, the woman who claimed to have had an affair with Apostle Johnson Suleman was re-arraigned by the police before a Tinubu magistrates’ court, Lagos on Monday, March 20.

She was brought alongside one Wisdom Godstime, 43, before Magistrate Kikelomo Bukola-Ayeye on a three-count charge of conspiracy, intent to steal, blackmail and threat to life, The Nation reports.

Addressing the court, the prosecutor, M. A. Animashaun, said the defendants and others at large committed the alleged offence on February 14, 2016 at about 10.30am at Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the defendants, “with intent to blackmail a man of God, unlawfully demanded the immediate payment of $1million to Otobo by Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the president and founder of Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide, else she would call a press conference and accuse him of committing adultery with her and thereafter kill him.”

The court also heard that the defendants with intent to extort money from Apostle Suleman, accused him of committing adultery with Otobo and also promising to marry her.

The prosecutor said the offences were punishable under sections 411, 301 and 303 of the Criminal law of Lagos State, 2015.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

They were granted bail in the sum of N100,000 each which they must deposit with the court’s registrar and two sureties in like sum by Magistrate Bukola-Ayeye and the case was adjourned till April 27 for trial.

The police on March 6 failed to obtain a remand order for Otobo and Godstime from the same court, following Magistrate Bukola-Ayeye’s ruling that there was insubstantial evidence to support the charge against them.

Otobo sparked social media frenzy after she called out Suleman, claiming he impregnated her and later dumped her. She demanded a N500 million as damages, claiming she lost the baby.

She later released screenshots of their videocam chats to explain their “intimate relationship”.

Apostle Suleman has since denied the allegations, saying he has never met the lady in person and does not even know what she looks like.

IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu Dissociates Self From The Launch Of Radio Biafra In America

The supreme leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, has disclosed that neither him nor his deputy (Uche Mefor) approved the commencement of live broadcasts of Radio Biafra slated for Sunday in the United States of America.

Kanu, who is currently in detention in Kuje prison for treason over the formation of IPOB, establishment of Radio Biafra, and his call for a sovereign Biafran state, said this through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in a telephone conversation with the media on Sunday.

According to the IPOB leader, he was aware but did not give permission for the launch.

“Radio Biafra has approval and authorization to set up in America according to the U.S. laws, But neither me nor my deputy, Uche Mefor, gave approval for it to go on air today in America,” he stated.

It could be recalled that Radio Biafra was slated to go on air live in the U.S. today as was disclosed by Leonard Anemene, a leader of the organisation, in a statement issued on Friday.

Anemene noted that if not for some challenges, the project would have been out earlier. He,however, failed to disclose the exact location where the station will be operating from.

Buhari Has Never Been Involved In Corrupt Practices – Presidency

The Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie has stressed that Buhari has never been involved in fraudulent acts to enrich himself.

Onochie stated this in reaction to concerns by some Nigerians over the recent order by the President that the second tranche of the Paris club refund be released to state governors.

 The Presidential aide explained that the directive was aimed at alleviating the sufferings of Nigerian workers. Onochie, who took to her Facebook page stressed that the President was not a businessman and had always depended on his salary.

She wrote: ”Our President Muhammadu Buhari is not a businessman. He has never been involved in doing business.

”He has never been involved in sharp practices to unfairly line his pockets, all his life. ”He has always worked in areas where he earned salaries. That’s how he managed his family finances. Salaries.

Nigeria Continues to show leadership on Trade Matters as Enelamah attends Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting ON MARCH 19, 201712:19 AMIN BUSINESSCOMMENTS The coming into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) last month has set in motion a slew of activities around the world. While some countries are beating the drum of protectionism, others are pushing for free trade, which is strongly believed could be an engine for growthIt is against this background that the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting was held in London from 9th  to 10th  of March 2017.

 HM with Lord Price, Minister of State for Trade Policy at the UK Department for International Trade

It was an opportunity to discuss ways to boost trade within the 52-member bloc and how to counter the increasing protectionist stance of some leading world economies The meeting which had the theme: “An Agenda for Growth” was attended by ministers and representatives from more than 35 member countries and Nigeria was duly represented by the Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah. Addressing delegates, Enelamah noted that “Nigeria believes that a carefully defined trade-based Agenda for the Commonwealth is overdue.   This is why this inaugural meeting of Trade Ministers is a sound idea.” He continued, “the Commonwealth has a role to play in a global economy in rapid and uncertain transformation.   The effectiveness of this role will hinge on an agenda that is modern and, in tune with the technological and policy realities of the 21st Century.   Such an agenda would need to reflect objectivity and realism.” The Commonwealth has a population of 2.4billion people and 6% of people living in the area are under 30. The Ministers therefore focused   on how to expand trade relations between member states. In addition, they agreed to work towards increasing intra-Commonwealth trade from US$600 billion to about US$1 trillion by 2020 “On trade, our family has never been more needed than it is today. We all know that we’ve been living in troubled times and together we will have to look very carefully at what advantages there are within our family.   Intra-Commonwealth trade has never been more important, said the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland. “There is a 19 per cent trade advantage within the Commonwealth. We must see how the global trade landscape can be changed in favor of that advantage and the particular factors that drive and differentiate intra-Commonwealth trade and investment be improved,” she added. The meeting went on to identify key challenges hindering trade competitiveness and discussed how to overcome them through mutual support. Ministers underscored the importance of building a global economy that benefits all its citizens, noting that developing countries need an enabling global trading environment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Coming at a time when Nigeria is making attempts at diversification, some are of the view that this presents a golden opportunity which, if properly harnessed will create a win-win situation Nigeria signed the TFA and deposited the instrument of acceptance with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in January, through Minister Enelamah. The country is currently negotiating the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), which is being headed by Trade Advisor to the Minister and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe. All this is being done in the context of strong efforts at reframing the strategic trade and economic relations of the country, based on a realistic calculation of concessions and gains to be made, in a radically changed and changing regional and global economic environment. For instance, in negotiating the CFTA, Ambassador Osakwe says that: “Nigeria is adamant that those who seek access to the country’s considerable market shall have to commit to locating (industrial) hubs in Nigeria, connected to regional and global value chains, as a  quid pro quo.”The country is also negotiating for investments in a range of sectors spanning automobiles, pharmaceuticals, agri-business, etc In addition, it is negotiating tariff levels and trade regulatory conditions that enable structural transformation for industrialization, sectoral diversification and providing  “safeguards”  for Nigerian manufacturers and service providers Following the crash in oil prices, there’s no doubt that trade has a significant role to play in the future of the country. It’s therefore little wonder that Enelamah has continued to engage on trade matters at all levels. On the margins of the Commonwealth meeting, he held a High Level Roundtable on Africa and the Trade Facilitation Agreement at the House of Lords which was chaired by Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley MP, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Trade out of Poverty. The Roundtable highlighted the benefits inherent in the TFA. These include providing SMEs access to larger market; reduction in cost of trade; increase in the number of tradable products; impetus to the birth of new companies and expansion of older ones and encouraging competitiveness in international trade. The Minister noted that the TFA is tied into Mr. President’s Initiative on “Enabling Environment for Business”.He went on to hold a separate meeting with the UK Minister of State for Trade and Development, Lord Mark Price on post-Brexit matters.Clearly, Nigeria has an opportunity to build a trade infrastructure that is instrumental to the diversification of the country

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/nigeria-continues-show-leadership-trade-matters-enelamah-attends-commonwealth-trade-ministers-meeting/

‘Bally Is My Kind Of Guy’ – Evicted BBNaija Housemate, Cocoice

Former Big Brother Naija Housemate, CocoIce born Mojisola Serah Sowole is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer.

In an interview with Segun Adebayo of Nigerian Tribune, she spoke on some of the low and high moments of her stay in the house, marriage plans and of course, the boob-sucking moment that got many people talking.


She said:

“Honestly, it was not a dare game, as many people assumed. In truth, I was just having fun. I didn’t do it to get votes. It was never about the votes”

On how her parents reacted to the incident, she said:

“A Yoruba adage says “ti aba fi owo otun ba omo wi, afi ti osi fa mora”, which means when you scold a child with your right hand, you embrace him with the left. As far as I know, that was exactly what they did. We have all moved on from that moment. The truth is that being one of the 14 housemates chosen for the show already makes me feel like a winner, so I have no regrets. I feel proud of every moment I had in the house. No regrets at all.”

Has it cost you any lucrative deal since you came back?
As I said earlier, I have been enjoying my time since I came out of the house and to tell you the truth, I have been getting offers since I left the BBNaija house. So I wouldn’t know of any lucrative deal that it has cost me.

If you were to date any of the guys in the house for real, who would that person be?
Bally is cool, calm and collected. He’s a sort of my kind of guy.

How happy are you to be back with your people back home?
I feel very happy to be home. You can’t compare the feeling to anything. I have really missed my family and friends. My world has really turned around towards greatness. When the people around me are happy, I am happy.

Many people would want to know what next project Cocoice is working on?
I’m currently working on my music and video single entitled Feeling my P and collaborations with other talented Nigerian artistes.

What’s the name Cocoice about? Where did you get it from?
‘Coco’ stands for coconut, rough on the outside which describes my past and pure on the inside. ‘Ice’ which stands for breaking the ice (breakthrough).

You must have had a relationship before your stint in the house. How difficult has it been coming back to all that?
I was single before I went into the BBNaija house. There is no point coming back into any relationship.

Is marriage on the card for you anytime soon?
I am still waiting for Mr Right